bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The genetic effective and adult census size of an Australian population of tiger prawns (Penaeus esculentus)
Authors: OVENDEN JENNIFER R. , PEEL DAVID , STREET RAEWYN , COURTNEY ANTHONY J. , HOYLE SIMON D. , PEEL SAMANTHA L. , PODLICH HEATHER
Published: October 2006

This study compares estimates of the census size of the spawning population with genetic estimates of effective current and long‐term population size for an abundant and commercially important marine invertebrate, the brown tiger prawn (Penaeus esculentus). Our aim was to focus on the relationship between genetic effective and census size that may provide a source of information for viability analyses of naturally occurring populations. Samples were taken in 2001, 2002 and 2003 from a population on the east coast of Australia and temporal allelic variation was measured at eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. Moments‐based and maximum‐likelihood estimates of current genetic effective population size ranged from 797 to 1304. The mean long‐term genetic effective population size was 9968. Although small for a large population, the effective population size estimates were above the threshold where genetic diversity is lost at neutral alleles through drift or inbreeding. Simulation studies correctly predicted that under these experimental conditions the genetic estimates would have non‐infinite upper confidence limits and revealed they might be overestimates of the true size. We also show that estimates of mortality and variance in family size may be derived from data on average fecundity, current genetic effective and census spawning population size, assuming effective population size is equivalent to the number of breeders. This work confirms that it is feasible to obtain accurate estimates of current genetic effective population size for abundant Type III species using existing genetic marker technology.
Mexican women in California: differentials in maternal morbidity between foreign and US‐born populations
Authors: Guendelman Sylvia , Thornton Dorothy , Gould Jeffrey , Hosang Nap
Published: October 2006

In the US, the majority of deaths and serious complications of pregnancy occur during childbirth and are largely preventable. We conducted a population‐based study to assess disparities in maternal health between Mexican‐born and Mexican‐American women residing in California and to evaluate the extent to which immigrants have better outcomes. Mothers in these two populations deliver 40% of infants in the state. We compared maternal mortality ratios and maternal morbidities during labour and delivery in the two populations using linked 1996–98 hospital discharge and birth certificate data files. For maternal morbidities, we calculated frequencies and observed and adjusted odds (OR) ratios using pre‐existing maternal health, sociodemographic characteristics and quality of health care as covariates.

Approximately 19% of Mexican‐born women suffered a maternal disorder compared with 21% of Mexican‐American women (Observed OR = 0.89, [95% CI 0.88, 0.90]). Despite their lower education and relative poverty, Mexican‐born women still experienced a lower odds of any maternal morbidity than Mexican‐American women, after adjusting for covariates (OR = 0.92, [95% CI 0.90, 0.93]). These findings suggest a paradox of more favourable outcomes among Mexican immigrants similar to that found with birth outcomes. Nevertheless, the positive aggregate outcome of Mexican‐born women did not extend to maternal mortality, nor to certain conditions associated with suboptimal intrapartum obstetric care.
Necrotising enterocolitis hospitalisations among neonates in the United States
Authors: Holman Robert C. , Stoll Barbara J. , Curns Aaron T. , Yorita Krista L. , Steiner Claudia A. , Schonberger Lawrence B.
Published: October 2006

The objective of this study was to estimate the rate and describe the epidemiology of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) among neonates (infants <1 month of age) hospitalised in the United States. Hospital discharge records for neonates with an NEC diagnosis and an in‐hospital death or routine discharge were selected for analysis from the 2000 Kids’ Inpatient Database. An estimated 4463 (SE = 219) hospitalisations associated with NEC occurred among neonates in the United States during the year 2000, resulting in a hospitalisation rate of 109.9 [95% CI 97.2, 122.6] per 100 000 livebirths. The rate of NEC hospitalisations was highest among non‐Hispanic Black neonates. The median hospital length of stay was 49 days.

The in‐hospital fatality rate was 15.2% (SE = 1.0%). Neonates who underwent a surgical procedure during hospitalisation were more likely to have a longer length of stay and to die than were those who did not have surgical intervention. Low‐birthweight (LBW) neonates with NEC were more likely than LBW neonates hospitalised with other diagnoses to be very LBW (VLBW), non‐Hispanic Black and male. In addition, compared with LBW neonates hospitalised with other diagnoses, LBW neonates with NEC had higher hospital charges and longer lengths of stay, and were more likely to die during hospitalisation. This study provides the first national estimate of the rate of hospitalisation for NEC among neonates in the United States. During 2000, there was one NEC hospitalisation per 1000 livebirths, with approximately 1 in 7 NEC hospitalisations ending in death. NEC accounts for substantial morbidity; thus, the development of prevention strategies and effective therapies continues to be an important issue.
Association study of 5′‐UTR polymorphisms of the human dopamine transporter gene with manic depression
Authors: Stöber Gerald , Sprandel Julia , Schmidt Florian , Faul Thomas , Jabs Burkhard , Knapp Michael
Published: October 2006

Objectives:  To determine the degree of association of five single nucleotide polymorphisms at the 5′‐untranslated region (5′‐UTR) of the human dopamine transporter gene (hSLC6A3; hDAT1) in bipolar affective disorder.

Methods:  In a case–control design study, the polymorphisms were genotyped for allelic and genotypic distribution between 105 index cases (50 males) with bipolar affective disorder according to DSM IV and 199 unaffected control subjects (120 males).

Results:  At the 5′‐UTR locus of hSLC6A3, no significant allelic or genotypic differences were observed between index cases and controls. However, distinct 5‐locus genotypes accumulated in subjects with bipolar affective disorder compared to control subjects (p = 0.029, odds ratio 1.84, 95% confidence interval 1.12–3.02).

Conclusions:  In conclusion, our data do not provide evidence for a major role of the 5′‐UTR of the dopamine transporter gene in bipolar affective disorder. A minor contribution of distinct genotypes may be possible and warrants replication in extended samples.
Aromatase inhibitors and bipolar mood disorder: a case report
Authors: Goodwin Guy M.
Published: October 2006

Objective:  To report a case in which the aromatase inhibitor letrozole produced irritable mood elevation followed by depression in a woman with a history of postpartum depression.

Methods:  A 60‐year‐old Caucasian woman who had a severe depressive episode after the birth of her only child, 32 years earlier, was treated successively with anastrozole and letrozole following a mastectomy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Results:  Mrs X was prescribed anastrozole for about 6 weeks. During this time she experienced labile mood, increased activity, tremulousness and difficulty sleeping. These symptoms disappeared after stopping the anastrozole. On letrozole, she developed an acute irritable activated mood elevation, which then subsided into a prolonged major depression after withdrawal of letrozole. These effects occurred during co‐prescription of amitriptyline at a low dose for urinary frequency.

Conclusions:  The present case suggests caution may be warranted when employing aromatase inhibitors, especially in women with a past history of postpartum affective disorder or bipolar disorder. As with postpartum mania, the primary mechanism of the effect may be acute reduction in circulating oestrogen levels.
The universal ancestor and the ancestors of Archaea and Bacteria were anaerobes whereas the ancestor of the Eukarya domain was an aerobe
Authors: DI GIULIO M.
Published: October 2006

The use of an oxyphobic index (OI) based on the propensity of amino acids to enter more frequently the proteins of anaerobes makes it possible to make inferences on the environment in which the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) lived. The reconstruction of the ancestral sequences of proteins using a method based on maximum likelihood and their attribution by means of the OI to the set of aerobe or anaerobe sequences has led to the following conclusions: the LUCA was an anaerobic ‘organism’, as were the ancestors of Archaea and Bacteria, whereas the ancestor of Eukarya was an aerobe. These observations seem to falsify the hypothesis that the LUCA was an aerobe and help to identify better the environment in which the first organisms lived.
Effects of Two Different Dosages of Dobutamine on Pulmonary Artery Wedge Pressure, Systemic Arterial Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Anaesthetized Horses
Authors: Gehlen H. , Weichler A. , Bubeck K. , Ohnesorge B. , Deegen E. , Stadler P.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of two different dobutamine concentrations on pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) and on mean systemic arterial blood pressure (MAP) in horses anaesthetized with isoflurane, after induction of general anaesthesia with xylazine, ketamine and diazepam. Eight healthy warm‐blood horses were included in the study. Each horse was subjected to general anaesthesia twice with two different dosages of dobutamine, 3 and 5 μg/kg bw/min, being infused over 15 min, starting 50 min after induction of general anaesthesia (T0). The heart rate, the PAWP and the MAP were recorded after 10 min (T1) and then every 5 min until 15 min after cessation of intravenous dobutamine administration (T3–T5). The PAWP was measured by a right heart catheter, which was positioned in the pulmonary capillaries. Mean systemic arterial blood pressure was monitored at the facial artery for the duration of general anaesthesia. All parameters increased at both dosage rates of dobutamine and decreased significantly when dobutamine administration ceased. The increase in heart rate was significantly higher after administration of 3 μg/kg bw/min dobutamine compared with the dosage of 5 μg/kg bw/min dobutamine. The increase in MAP was also higher at this dosage, but not significantly different to the dosage of 5 μg/kg bw/min dobutamine. During both dosages the MAP was above a value considered to be compatible with good peripheral circulation. The greater increase in PAWP was observed during administration of 5 μg/kg bw/min dobutamine, but PAWP was not significantly different with the dosage of 3 μg/kg bw/min dobutamine. In conclusion, the administration of dobutamine led to an increase in MAP and PAWP above a value considered to be compatible with a good peripheral circulation. The results of the present study indicate that dobutamine improves circulation, in addition to its well‐known effect on the periphery.
Essential pathogenic and metabolic differences in steatosis induced by choline or methione‐choline deficient diets in a rat model
Authors: Veteläinen Reeta , Van Vliet Arlène , Van Gulik Thomas M
Published: October 2006

Background and Aim:  Choline deficient (CD) and methione‐choline deficient (MCD) diets are rodent models for steatosis, with potentially dissimilar biochemical backgrounds. The aim of this study was to assess the metabolic and pathological derangements in rats fed CD and MCD diets.

Methods:  Male Wistar rats received CD or MCD diet up to 7 weeks. Nutritional status, liver histopathology, Kupffer cell‐mediated inflammation and injury, oxidative stress via thiobarbituric reactive species (TBARS), hepatic and plasma glutathione (GSH) and insulin homeostasis were assessed.

Results:  In CD‐fed rats, mainly microvesicular steatosis developed with occasional inflammatory cells. In MCD‐fed rats, macrovesicular steatosis progressed to steatohepatitis (collagen deposition, activated stellate cells). Hepatic TBARS was increased and GSH decreased in the MCD‐fed rats compared to no changes in the CD‐fed rats. The CD‐fed rats developed obesity, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, in contrast to undetectable plasma lipids, unaffected insulin homeostasis and loss of body weight in the MCD‐fed rats.

Conclusions:  The CD diet induced uncomplicated steatosis as compared to progressive inflammation and fibrinogenesis in the MCD diet. CD and MCD diets represent two pathogenically different models of steatosis. Although equivalence for the outcome of both diets can be found in clinical steatosis, the results of models using these diets should be compared with caution.
Neonatal seizures from in utero venlafaxine exposure
Authors: Pakalapati Ravi K , Bolisetty Srinivas , Austin Marie‐Paule , Oei Julee
Published: October 2006

Abstract:  Venlafaxine (Efexor), a selective noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor, is an important therapeutic option in the treatment of perinatal depression, but its effects on the newborn are uncertain. We present a report of two infants with neonatal seizures attributed to maternal use of venlafaxine. The first infant was hypotonic and required resuscitation at birth. The second was born in a good condition but developed clinically apparent seizures after the second day of life. Both infants responded rapidly to treatment with phenobarbitone that was weaned uneventfully by the first and second week of life. Both remain well at 1 year of age. Other causes of neonatal seizures were excluded and neurological investigations on these two infants were unremarkable. We suggest that all infants exposed to maternal venlafaxine, no matter their condition at birth, be monitored in hospital for at least 3 to 4 days in order to pre‐empt and treat adverse neurological events.
Serum oxidized low‐density lipoprotein is inversely correlated to telomerase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of haemodialysis patients
Authors: TSIRPANLIS GEORGE , CHATZIPANAGIOTOU STYLIANOS , BOUFIDOU FOTINI , KORDINAS VASILEIOS , ZOGA MARGARITA , ALEVYZAKI FOTINI , STAMATELOU KYRIAKI , FRANGOU ELENI , SAVVA LEFKOTHEA , NICOLAOU CHRYSOULA
Published: October 2006

Background:  Telomerase preserves telomeres’ function and structure preventing cellular senescence. Its activity is reduced in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of haemodialysis (HD) patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential correlation between increased oxidative stress/inflammation and telomerase activity in PBMC of HD patients.

Methods:  Telomerase activity was measured by PCR‐ELISA in PBMC isolated from a group of 42 HD patients and 39 subjects with estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥80 mL/min (control group). Serum oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL), tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) were also measured in both groups by ELISA.

Results:  Ox‐LDL was negatively correlated to percentage telomerase activity in PBMC (r = −0.506, P = 0.000 in the whole group of 81 HD and normal subjects and r = −0.559, P < 0.001 in HD patients). TNF was also inversely associated with percentage telomerase activity in the whole group studied (r = −0.492, P = 0.000) while IL‐10 was not. In stepwise multiple linear regression, taking into consideration the most important characteristics of the HD patients and control group, the only significant predictors for percentage telomerase activity in PBMC were ox‐LDL and TNF (β = −0.421, t = −4.083, P = 0.000 and β = −0.381, t = −3.691, P = 0.000, respectively) while examining separately HD patients, the predictors for the same parameter were ox‐LDL and HD duration (β = −0.671, t = −4.709, P = 0.000 and β = −0.349, t = −2.447, P = 0.023, respectively).

Conclusion:  Ox‐LDL serum level is inversely correlated to telomerase activity in PBMC of HD patients. Our study proposes a new consequence of increased oxidative stress in HD patients: the premature cellular senescence potentially related to atherosclerosis through LDL oxidation.
Venous collapsibility index changes in children on dialysis
Authors: HACIOMEROGLU PELIN , OZKAYA OZAN , GUNAL NAZLIHAN , BAYSAL KEMAL
Published: October 2006

Aim:  Hypervolemia is an important factor for the development of cardiac failure in end‐stage renal disease. The aims of this study are to evaluate whether collapsibility index (CI) is a useful method to assess the volume status in children on haemodialysis (HD) and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), and to test whether the small amounts of fluid removed after a single dialysis exchange will be reflected by a change in CI in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Methods:  Sixteen CAPD, nine HD patients aged from 5 to 18 years and 27 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy children were enrolled in the study. Inferior vena cava diameters were measured from subxiphoidal long axis position in 2 cm to its junction to right atrium and CI were calculated.

Results:  The collapsibility index was significantly lower in HD patients before HD and in the CAPD group before dialysate exchange when compared with the controls. No significant difference was found between the CAPD and HD groups. We observed significant increase in CI after HD, CI values reached nearly to control levels after HD. Ultrafiltrate was 1.93 ± 0.98 kg in HD, 0.23 ± 0.09 kg in the CAPD group. Although the change in CI values before and after dialysate exchange was significant in the CAPD group, there was still a significant difference between the CI values of the control group and the CAPD patients after dialysate exchange.

Conclusion:  We suggest that serial mesurements of CI in children will be a useful guide to assess the volume changes in an individual instead of a single measurement.
Immortalization of Epstein–Barr virus‐negative human B lymphocytes with minimal chromosomal instability
Authors: Yamashita Yoriko , Tsurumi Tatsuya , Mori Naoyoshi , Kiyono Tohru
Published: October 2006

The genes required for immortalization of human B cells infected by Epstein–Barr virus are multiple, and the precise mechanism of this process remains to be elucidated. In the present study HPV16 E6 and E7 were retrovirally transduced into human primary B cells stimulated by CD40–CD40L interaction, thereby establishing an Epstein–Barr virus negative immortalized human B cell line, which continued to proliferate for more than 2 years (100 population doublings). The established cell line had a high telomerase activity from the beginning of the culture period, and no shortening of the telomere length was observed. A chromosomal analysis revealed that a large portion of the HPV16E6E7 transduced cells had retained a normal karyotype. Similar to human epithelial cells, human B lymphocytes seem to require two steps for immortalization, namely, the inactivation of the p16/Rb pathway and the activation of telomerase, the latter that can be induced by the CD40–CD40L interaction. Furthermore, using this system, it is possible to analyze the role of individual genes in human B lymphocyte immortalization without the influence of a pre‐existing Epstein–Barr virus genome.
Rome III: The new criteria
Authors: DROSSMAN Douglas A
Published: October 2006

The new Rome III criteria reflects upon a more than 15 year process to legitimize, classify and bring scientific credibility to the functional GI disorders.  This has occurred through a series of activities and documents including the recently published Rome III book and a journal issue in Gastroenterology published in April, 2006.  The work involved has involved committees of 87 international investigators from 17 countries, 2 of whom are from China.  This article will review the Rome committee process that led to the production of these documents, the Rome III classification system, a description of the changes from Rome II (published in 2000) to Rome III and information on the future of Rome Foundation activities.
RNA interference inhibits hepatitis B virus gene expression and replication in HepG2‐N10 cells
Authors: REN Jian Lin , PAN Jin Shui , CHENG Tong , DONG Jing , LU Ya Pi , HUANG Song Jie , SHI Hua Xiu , WANG Lin , LIAN Ya Mei
Published: October 2006

OBJECTIVE:  RNA interference (RNAi) refers to the phenomenon of sequence‐specific degradation of homologous mRNA induced by double‐stranded RNA. It has been successfully utilized to down‐regulate endogenous gene expression or suppress the replication of various pathogens in mammalian cells. In this study, the effect of vector‐based small interfering RNA (siRNA) promoted by pSilencer2.0‐U6 inhibit hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication in cell culture was evaluated.

METHODS:  Three fragments of short nucleic acids, respectively, targeting on S, X and C region of HBV genome were inserted into pSilencer vectors after they were annealed with their partly antisense strands. The recombination plasmids were pS, pX and pC. These expression plasmids were transfected into HepG2‐N10 cells, a cell line which stably expresses hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBeAg) and adw2 subtype Dane particles. The effect of RNAi was evaluated from the changes of DNA, RNA and protein levels. Viral antigens were measured by ELISA. Viral mRNA was analyzed by RT‐PCR. The covalent closed circular DNA and genome DNA of HBV secreted into the culture media were measured by quantitative real‐time PCR. Analysis of variance was performed for the results.

RESULTS:  Vector‐based RNA interference could potently reduce HBsAg (pS vs pN: 47%, pX vs pN: 30%, and pC vs pN: 25%, P < 0.001) and HBeAg (pX vs pN: 57% and pC vs pN: 66%, P < 0.001) expression in cell culture. Furthermore, RT‐PCR analysis showed that viral mRNAs were effectively degraded, thus eliminating the messengers for protein expression as well as templates for reverse transcription (pS and pC vs pN, P < 0.001; pX vs pN, P = 0.003). Quantitative real‐time PCR analysis of HBV DNA revealed that vector‐based RNA interference can inhibit HBV replication efficiently (pS, pX and pC vs pN, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS:  Our results indicate that RNAi can inhibit HBV gene expression and replication, and it might have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of HBV.
PERFORATED DIVERTICULITIS MANAGED BY LAPAROSCOPIC LAVAGE
Authors: Taylor Craig J. , Layani Laurent , Ghusn Michael A. , White Stephen I.
Published: October 2006

Background:  Traditionally the management of acute diverticulitis complicated by perforation has been the Hartmann’s procedure, which may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality and the unpleasantness of a colostomy. We present our early experience in managing perforated diverticulitis acutely by laparoscopic lavage and drainage.

Methods:  A retrospective review was conducted of all patients with surgically confirmed perforated diverticulitis. Details concerning the nature of presentation, operative findings, postoperative course and medium‐term progress were investigated.

Results:  Fourteen patients with a mean age of 57.2 years were identified over a 3‐year period. All patients presented with peritonitis and systemic sepsis. Ten patients had extraluminal gas on preoperative imaging. Laparoscopic lavage and drainage, without resection or stoma, was the initial management in all cases. Sigmoid diverticulitis was confirmed in all cases, complicated by Hinchey grade 3 purulent peritonitis in 10 patients, grade 2 contamination in 2 patients and grade 4 faeculent peritonitis in 2 patients. Eleven patients (79%) improved and were discharged following a median of 6.5 days (range, 5–32 days). Three patients did not improve and underwent acute resection. Eight patients have subsequently undergone elective resection without a stoma at a mean interval of 6 weeks, which was carried out laparoscopically in all but one case.

Conclusion:  Laparoscopic lavage and drainage in the acute management of perforated acute diverticulitis may be a promising alternative to more radical procedures, including the Hartmann’s procedure. Acute resection should still be carried out in patients found to have faecal peritonitis or who fail to improve following lavage.
COMPARISON OF DUPLEX ULTRASOUND WITH DIGITAL SUBTRACTION ANGIOGRAPHY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF INFRA‐INGUINAL AUTOLOGOUS VEIN BYPASS GRAFTS
Authors: Griffin Nick M. R. , Wright Isabel A. , Buckenham Tim M.
Published: October 2006

Background:  Postoperative surveillance of infra‐inguinal vein grafts has arisen because of the high incidence of vein graft stenoses, which frequently progress to vein graft occlusion. The use of duplex ultrasound as the primary imaging method for graft surveillance is well established. This study aims to compare the accuracy of duplex ultrasound with the reference standard of digital subtraction angiography in the assessment of infra‐inguinal vein grafts.

Methods:  Sixty patients underwent routine postoperative duplex ultrasound as part of the local graft surveillance programme. Angiography was subsequently carried out on 18 grafts. Each lower limb arterial tree was divided into three segments (native arteries proximal to the graft, the graft itself and native arteries distal to the graft) resulting in a total of 42 comparisons. Degree of diameter stenosis on ultrasound was compared with angiography findings to determine concordance. Agreement was also expressed as a kappa value.

Results:  Overall accuracy of duplex ultrasound was 88% (37/42). A kappa value of 0.80 indicates good agreement. In three of the five discordant cases, ultrasound correctly identified a stenosis, but overestimated the degree of stenosis compared with angiography. In each of the remaining two discordant cases, ultrasound identified a focal stenosis that was not apparent on angiography. In both cases, the area of duplex described abnormality responded to balloon angioplasty.

Conclusion:  Duplex ultrasound as part of the local vein graft surveillance programme is a reliable and accurate method in the detection of failing grafts and in some instances may be more sensitive.
SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE SUSPENSION TECHNIQUE FOR LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY
Authors: Ng Jacob W. T. , Cheng David P. W.
Published: October 2006

Many surgeons elect to dispense with the lateral retraction port during laparoscopic cholecystectomy using the American four‐port technique; however, this may not be easy and safe. To retain the superior ergonomical and observation advantages, suspension techniques that leave virtually no scars have been developed to substitute for the lateral retraction port. All published techniques for suspending the gall bladder fundus were reviewed and an attempt was made to evolve a technique that is expedient, safe and cost‐effective. In our setting, the optimal technique is to pass a folded thread down a 14‐G intravenous cannula that has punctured the abdominal wall to form a snare loop to entrap and hold the gall bladder fundus. The anchorage is maintained by a two‐haemostat technique heretofore undescribed. In some of the cases where better exposure of the undersurface of the liver is needed, the cannula can be directed to puncture the thoracic cage at or below the seventh intercostal space to provide cephalad retraction and to rotate the liver superiorly. Postoperative chest radiographs did not show any pneumothorax. The simple suspension technique emulates the four‐port technique’s advantages in terms of favourable ergonomics and exposure (and hence safety). It is suitable for selected patients and due caution should be exercised.
Enhanced food intake after stimulation of hypothalamic P2Y1receptors in rats: modulation of feeding behaviour by extracellular nucleotides
Authors: Kittner Holger , Franke Heike , Harsch Julia I. , El‐Ashmawy Ibrahim M. , Seidel Bertholt , Krügel Ute , Illes Peter
Published: October 2006

The present study was aimed to clarify the role of purinergic signalling in the regulation of ingestion behaviour. The ATP/ADP analogues 2‐methylthioATP (2‐MeSATP) and adenosine 5′‐O‐(2‐thiodiphosphate) (ADPβS) increased the food intake after intracerebroventricular infusion in 18‐h food‐deprived rats. This effect was abolished by pretreatment with the non‐selective P2X/P2Y receptor antagonist pyridoxalphosphate‐6‐azophenyl‐2′,4′‐disulphonic acid (PPADS) or the selective P2Y1receptor antagonist MRS 2179, respectively. The stimulation of food intake mediated by ADPβS was also blocked by pretreatment with the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor Nw‐nitro‐l‐arginine methylester (L‐NAME), as well as with the inhibitor of the soluble guanylyl cyclase 1H‐[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3‐a]quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ), suggesting that the orexigenic effect seems to be closely related with the ensuing formation of nitric oxide. The immunohistochemical staining indicating a co‐localization of P2Y1receptor‐ and nNOS‐immunoreactivities in a population of neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) agrees with this assumption. Further experiments with the direct local application of these compounds into the VMH and lateral hypothalamic nucleus (LH) show that the stimulation of P2Y1receptors in these functionally antagonistic brain regions exerts an increased food intake. Hence, different signal transduction mechanisms may operate in the VMH and LH. Our assumption is supported by distinct effects of the NOS inhibitor L‐NAME in these two hypothalamic nuclei. The present data suggest that ATP/ADP, acting as extracellular signal molecules in the rat brain, are involved in the regulation of food intake, possibly depending on P2Y1‐receptor‐mediated nitric oxide production.
Effects of nicotinic therapies on attention and executive functions in chronic low‐dose MPTP‐treated monkeys
Authors: Decamp E. , Schneider J. S.
Published: October 2006

Chronic administration of low doses of the neurotoxin MPTP to nonhuman primates induces cognitive deficits similar to those seen in early Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, without the confounding effect of significant motor impairment. The present study assessed the extent to which specific attentional and central executive deficits in chronic low dose (CLD) MPTP‐treated monkeys could be modified by nicotinic therapies. Four adult male rhesus monkeys were trained to perform attention and executive function tasks and were then administered low doses of MPTP (dose range: 0.025–0.1 mg/kg, i.v.) over 98–158 days until stable cognitive deficits appeared. Results showed that both nicotine and the α4β4 subtype‐selective nAChR agonist SIB‐1553A could improve certain aspects of attentional and central executive functioning in this model of early Parkinsonism. Nicotine failed to improve performance of CLD‐MPTP‐treated animals on an attention set‐shifting task while SIB‐1553A significantly improved at least some aspects of performance, suggesting that the compound increased the animals' ability to maintain a previously formed response set and restored cognitive flexibility. Both nicotine and SIB‐1553A caused a dose‐dependent enhancement of performance on the focused attention (cued reaction time) task, decreasing reaction times on both cued and noncued trials. Nicotine caused a significant reduction in reaction times but did not alter the error profile on an impulse (motor readiness) task. SIB‐1553A reduced reaction times but caused an increase in bar release (i.e. impulsivity) errors. These data suggest that nicotinic drugs may have therapeutic potential for treating cognitive dysfunction in PD.
Roles of octopaminergic and dopaminergic neurons in mediating reward and punishment signals in insect visual learning
Authors: Unoki Sae , Matsumoto Yukihisa , Mizunami Makoto
Published: October 2006

Insects, like vertebrates, have considerable ability to associate visual, olfactory or other sensory signals with reward or punishment. Previous studies in crickets, honey bees and fruit‐flies have suggested that octopamine (OA, invertebrate counterpart of noradrenaline) and dopamine (DA) mediate various kinds of reward and punishment signals in olfactory learning. However, whether the roles of OA and DA in mediating positive and negative reinforcing signals can be generalized to learning of sensory signals other than odors remained unknown. Here we first established a visual learning paradigm in which to associate a visual pattern with water reward or saline punishment for crickets and found that memory after aversive conditioning decayed much faster than that after appetitive conditioning. Then, we pharmacologically studied the roles of OA and DA in appetitive and aversive forms of visual learning. Crickets injected with epinastine or mianserin, OA receptor antagonists, into the hemolymph exhibited a complete impairment of appetitive learning to associate a visual pattern with water reward, but aversive learning with saline punishment was unaffected. By contrast, fluphenazine, chlorpromazine or spiperone, DA receptor antagonists, completely impaired aversive learning without affecting appetitive learning. The results demonstrate that OA and DA participate in reward and punishment conditioning in visual learning. This finding, together with results of previous studies on the roles of OA and DA in olfactory learning, suggests ubiquitous roles of the octopaminergic reward system and dopaminergic punishment system in insect learning.
Asian MODY: are we missing an important diagnosis?
Authors: Porter J. R. , Rangasami J. J. , Ellard S. , Gloyn A. L. , Shields B. M. , Edwards J. , Anderson J. M. , Shaw N. J. , Hattersley A. T. , Frayling T. M. , Plunkett M. , Barrett T. G.
Published: October 2006

Aims  Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a monogenic form of diabetes where correct diagnosis alters treatment, prognosis and genetic counselling. The first UK survey of childhood MODY identified 20 White, but no Asian children with MODY. We hypothesized that MODY causes diabetes in UK Asians, but is underdiagnosed.

Methods  Children with dominant family histories of diabetes were recruited. Direct sequencing for mutations in the two most common MODY genes; HNF1A (TCF1) and GCK was performed in autoantibody‐negative probands. We also compared MODY testing data for Asian and White cases from the Exeter MODY database, to 2001 UK census data.

Results  We recruited 30 families and identified three Asian families with MODY gene mutations (two HNF1A, one GCK) and three White UK families (two HNF1A, one GCK). Heterozygous MODY phenotypes were similar in Asians and Whites. Only eight (0.5%) of 1369 UK referrals for MODY testing were known to be Asian, but in 2001 Asians represented 4% of the English/Welsh population and have a higher prevalence of diabetes.

Conclusions  We identified three cases of childhood MODY in UK Asians and demonstrated reduced rates of MODY testing in Asians, which has negative implications for treatment. It is unclear why this is. MODY should be considered in autoantibody‐negative Asian diabetes patients lacking evidence of insulin resistance.
Earnings conservatism: panel data evidence from the European Union and the United States
Authors: Grambovas Christos A. , Giner Begoña , Christodoulou Demetris
Published: October 2006

This paper focuses on earnings conservatism, and provides new evidence based on procedures that account for variability at the firm level, drawing a comparison between the European Union and the United States. A key finding is that the estimated responsiveness of earnings to bad news is substantially higher when unobserved firm‐specific effects are modelled. Furthermore, it is shown that accounting has become more conservative not only in the U.S. but also in the EU when taken as a whole, and there is little evidence of marked differences in the asymmetric timeliness of earnings between the two. Indeed, any changes in this property of earnings are likely to be attributable to a common factor that influences firms similarly in both locations, and not necessarily to the process of economic convergence that has taken place in the EU.
Privatisation Results: Private Sector Participation in Water Services After 15 Years
Authors: Prasad Naren
Published: October 2006

Privatisation of public infrastructure has been the mantra of many development agencies since the late 1980s. Water supply is no exception, and various forms of private sector participation (PSP) have been tried in the water and sanitation sector. This article examines the results of these experiments. It suggests that PSP has had mixed results and that in several important respects the private sector seems to be no more efficient in delivering services than the public sector. Despite growing evidence of failures and increasing public pressure against it, privatisation in water and sanitation is still alive, however. Increasingly, it is being repackaged in new forms such as that of public‐private partnership.
From ‘As Good as Gold’ to ‘Gold Diggers’: Farming Women and the Survival of British Family Farming
Authors: Price Linda , Evans Nick
Published: October 2006

The survival of family farming in British agriculture has long been a topic of interest for rural researchers and is undergoing something of a current renewal of interest. However, insights from feminist approaches remain underutilised despite the crucial role farming women continue to play in family farming. This article addresses the unity of farm, family and business by interpreting it as a patriarchal way of life. An ethnographically informed repeated life history methodology is employed to study in detail the family members of seven farms in rural mid‐Wales. Findings show that the recent survival of the family farms investigated has been heavily dependent upon compliance with a patriarchal ideology that demands that women be ‘as good as gold’. However, it is discovered that a new view of women is emerging in the world of British family farming, that of ‘gold digger’. Women entering relationships with farming men are increasingly being considered a threat to farm survival by virtue of their entitlements if the relationship breaks down. The necessity to study the intricacies of personal relationships in family farming has important implications for most future research into this form of agricultural business arrangement.
Exploring the relationship between physical education and enhancing behaviour in pupils with emotional behavioural difficulties
Authors: MEDCALF RICHARD , MARSHALL JOE , RHODEN CLARE
Published: October 2006

This article contributes to an evidence base suggesting that PE offers particular advantages for promoting improved behaviour. The research design involved using statistical approaches to investigate the behaviour of 4 male pupils, aged 15 year old, all of whom were statemented for EBD in mainstream classes. Assessments were made of both Pre‐ and Post PE lesson behaviour for 10 consecutive weeks. ‘On task’ behaviour improved following PE lessons leading to the conclusion that the sequencing (and, potentially, activity levels) in subject curriculum planning may be a factor in improving pupil behaviour.
Is there any point in wearing dead men's spectacles? How the theoretical insights of Adler and colleagues relate to current practice with children experiencing EBD
Authors: BLAMIRES MIKE
Published: October 2006

This article explores the legacy of Adlerian approaches to behaviour. Mike Blamires offers an opportunity to consider the impact of Adler's premise that education is fundamentally about encouragement and the promotion of democratic principles. In so doing he challenges us to interrogate the term ‘behaviour management’, and its current use by policy‐makers. The article clearly maps the need for the consistent application of positive approaches regarding children's behaviour.
Marketing its Colonial Heritage: A New Lease of Life for Cape Coast, Ghana?
Authors: AGYEI‐MENSAH SAMUEL
Published: October 2006

Most of the published works on place promotion and urban change have been undertaken within the western world. This essay goes beyond previous studies by examining the phenomenon within the African context. Specifically, it examines the utility of heritage tourism as an avenue for place promotion of Cape Coast, Ghana. The essay demonstrates how urban development in Ghana has become more centralized on towns such as Accra and Kumasi, so that once important towns like Cape Coast have lost their importance. The fact that such towns have attempted to improve their position via innovative urban development strategies, and the experience of Cape Coast, is a testimony of how heritage tourism is helping to fill this gap. However, there are significant structural constraints on the effective use of tourism in salvaging Cape Coast’s declining image, and these have to be addressed before too much faith is put in tourism as a tool for place promotion.
Deliberative Democracy and Local Governance: Towards a New Agenda
Authors: MELO MARCUS ANDRE , BAIOCCHI GIANPAOLO
Published: October 2006

Over the last decade scholars of urban governance and deliberative democracy have produced large literatures. Theorists of deliberative democracy have conceptualized the normative implications of ‘deliberation’ and explored real‐world decision‐making arrangements that approximate those ideals. Scholars of urban governance have theorized and explored the outcomes of different institutional arrangements for the governance of cities and regions. Whereas empirical democratic theory has increasingly been interested in local contexts, researchers of urban governance have been progressively more concerned about the implications of emerging patterns of urban governance for democratic accountability. However, despite the recent mutual interest among researchers in both fields, debates within these literatures frequently ignore each other and are not systematic. This introductory article reviews recent contributions that have fruitfully investigated the tension between deliberation and governance in a more systematic fashion, and concludes that our understanding of those issues is significantly improved by a research agenda that pursues an integrated approach.
Still Off‐Limits? Staff Views on Supporting Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual People with Intellectual Disabilities to Develop Sexual and Intimate Relationships?
Authors: Abbott David , Howarth Joyce
Published: October 2006

Background  In the UK and elsewhere, there is a growing policy and legislative imperative to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities are supported to develop relationships, including sexual ones. However, gay, lesbian and bisexual people with intellectual disabilities may have additional needs or face particular barriers in this area of their lives. They may require particular kinds of support from the staff who work with them. But how able, or willing, are staff in services to address these issues?

Method  As part of empirical, qualitative research, the authors carried out interviews with 71 staff in 20 intellectual disability services across the UK about their views and experiences of working with people with intellectual disabilities who were, or may have been, gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Results  The majority of staff interviewed said that they did not feel confident working in this area. A number of barriers to doing the work were identified including a lack of policy and training as well as the prejudice of staff and parents/carers.

Conclusions  The reticence of staff to engage with these issues needs addressing especially in the light of the emerging human rights of people with intellectual disabilities to develop sexual and intimate relationships.
The response of a New Guinean avifauna to conversion of forest to small‐scale agriculture
Authors: MARSDEN STUART J. , SYMES CRAIG T. , MACK ANDREW L.
Published: October 2006

In comparison with other tropical forest land uses such as selective logging, little is known of the impacts on wildlife of the many forms of small‐scale agriculture practised across the tropics. We present density estimates, derived using a point count distance sampling method, for 31 bird species in primary forest, old abandoned gardens and active/recently abandoned gardens at two altitudes in the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area (CMWMA), Papua New Guinea. There were clear habitat differences between the six habitat/altitude categories, with, for example, clines in tree sizes and canopy cover from highest values in primary forest to lowest values in current gardens. At lower altitudes, primary forest held highest densities of most species, whereas at higher altitudes, old abandoned gardens had greater densities of many birds, especially insectivores.canocowas used to ordinate bird species with respect to major habitat gradient axes. Major axes were associated with differences in bird responses to forest conversion as well as altitudinal differences in species composition. Most important was that several insectivores (especially monarchs, fantails, etc.) formed a cluster of species associated with intact, high‐biomass forest. We suggest that most species reacted moderately to habitat changes currently occurring, and this may be due in part to the fact that only a small proportion of the landscape at CMWMA has been converted to agriculture (around 13% may be current or recently abandoned gardens). There were, however, species with comparatively low densities in agricultural habitats and these included several insectivores, the terrestrial Blue Jewel‐babblerPtilorrhoa caerulescens, and three out of four birds of paradise.
Deformation Analysis of Notched Rubber Specimens
Authors: Feichter C. , Major Z. , Lang R. W.
Published: October 2006

Abstract:  The influence of the initial crack tip radius on the strain distribution in the vicinity of the blunted crack tip was determined experimentally by an optical full‐field strain analysis method. These experimental results were compared with the calculations of the commercial finite element code ABAQUS 6.4‐1. For the simulation a suitable hyperelastic material law was chosen and fitted to experimental data of three different tests (uniaxial tensile, planar tensile, biaxial tensile). Two different elastomer grades (SBR and EPDM) were selected for the experimental work. The utilized optical full‐field strain analysis method based on the image correlation technique was found to be an effective tool to determine strains, strain distributions and gradients near to the crack tip for elastomeric materials. Different material behaviour was observed for the two rubber types investigated. While the crack tip was regularly blunted (half circle shape) for EPDM and the strain gradient was low (less steep), the crack tip was sharp (less blunted) with a higher strain gradient for SBR.
Trust: Missing Piece(s) in the Safety Puzzle
Authors: Conchie Stacey M. , Donald Ian J. , Taylor Paul J.
Published: October 2006

While trust is increasingly recognized as a factor that impacts on safety behavior, the exact nature of trust and its role in shaping organizational safety is poorly understood. This special issue contains six articles that examine the relationship between trust and safety behavior in a range of high‐risk work contexts. The issue begins with two articles that introduce the complex nature of trust and the positive and negative roles that trust can play in shaping an organization's safety culture. This background is then developed by two articles that explore the role of trust and distrust in safety performance, and uncover a range of significant but often counterintuitive relationships between forms of trust and safe behavior. Finally, the issue concludes with two articles that examine the role that leadership may play in developing trust. These articles examine the conditions important for the development of trust in leaders, and the trust‐promoting actions that leaders can employ to influence employees' engagement in safety participation.