bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changing relative roles of hepatitis B and C viruses in the aetiology of hepatocellular carcinoma in Greece. Epidemiological and clinical observations
Authors: Raptis I. , Koskinas J. , Emmanouil T. , Hadziyannis S.
Published: October 2003

Summary. Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been reported in two‐thirds of cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Greece from 1973 to 1995, while chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 10% of them. We studied the roles of HBV and HCV in HCC in Greece between 1996 and 2000 compared with the past, and possible differences in clinical and laboratory characteristics of HBV‐ and HCV‐related HCC. Complete clinical and laboratory data from 306 patients with HCC, diagnosed from January 1996 to December 2000, were analyzed. Chronic HBV and HCV infection were detected in 52.3 and 21.6% of the patients, respectively. The ratio of HBV‐ to HCV‐related HCC was 2.42. Compared with the data prior to 1996, there was a 101.8% increase in the relative frequency of HCV (P < 0.0001) and an 11.8% decrease in that of HBV (P = 0.033), with a −56.3% change in the ratio of HBV‐ to HCV‐related HCC cases. Statistically significant differences in the male/female ratio, median age and frequency of multifocal lesions were found in HBV‐ vs HCV‐related HCC. Although HBV still represents the major aetiological factor of HCC in Greece, its role has significantly decreased in the last 5 years, while a more significant increase has occurred in HCV‐related HCC. The two aetiological types of HCC differ in Greece in demographic, epidemiological and other features.
Structure‐based design of hepatitis C virus inhibitors
Authors: Smith R. M. , Wu G. Y.
Published: October 2003

Summary. The limitations of current treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have prompted the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting events specific to viral replication. Over the past decade, advances in the study of HCV molecular biology have led to the identification of cis‐acting RNA sequences and viral enzymatic activities which present attractive targets for inhibition. High‐resolution, three‐dimensional structures of the HCV serine protease, helicase and RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase have been determined through X‐ray crystallographic studies. More recently, solution structures of these proteins and the HCV internal ribosome entry site have been evaluated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Mutational analysis and structural characterization of these macromolecules in complex with bound substrates, cofactors and inhibitors has further defined the various electrochemical interactions which mediate protein–protein, protein–RNA and other intermolecular contacts. This review will discuss the available structural data with respect to the rational design of HCV enzyme inhibitors and the development of antisense‐based therapeutic strategies, such as RNA interference.
A prospective study of blood alpha‐fetoprotein messenger RNA as a predictor of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis
Authors: Iavarone M. , Lampertico P. , Ronchi G. , Del Ninno E. , Zanella A. , Colombo M.
Published: October 2003

Summary. Blood alpha‐fetoprotein messenger RNA (AFP mRNA) is thought to be a marker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Its value as a predictor of HCC in patients at risk is not known. A series of 201 patients with compensated cirrhosis (114 men, mean age 58 years) underwent surveillance with semi‐annual ultrasound and serum alpha‐fetoprotein measurements. Total RNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected at different intervals and AFP mRNA was retrotranscribed and amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction. Ten patients with HCC and 30 blood donors were used as controls. Three patients with HCC, 39 with cirrhosis under surveillance and four blood donors circulated AFP mRNA (30, 20 and 13%, NS). During 50 months of surveillance, 27 patients with cirrhosis developed HCC: the tumour was detected more often in patients with higher than normal baseline serum AFP (≥7 IU/L) than in those with normal AFP levels (21%vs 9%, P = 0.02). The incidence of HCC was the same in patients with and without AFP mRNA at baseline (15%vs 14%). In 53 patients, AFP mRNA was re‐tested after 6–25 months of surveillance. HCC developed in two of 11 (18%) who were initially AFP mRNA positive and later became negative, in none of those who were initially negative and later became positive and in two of 39 (5%) who remained persistently negative. In conclusion, blood AFP mRNA is not a sensitive predictor of HCC in patients with compensated cirrhosis.
Signs of infection in Pap smears and risk of adverse pregnancy outcome
Authors: Buchmayer Susanne , Sparén Pär , Cnattingius Sven
Published: October 2003

Previous studies on whether signs of infection in Pap smears imply a risk factor for preterm delivery are conflicting. In a large population‐based study, we combined information from the Swedish Medical Birth Register and the Swedish Pap Smear Screening Register to investigate whether signs of infection in Pap smears increase the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) for antepartum death, preterm or small‐for‐gestational‐age delivery. The presence of Coccobacilli or Trichomonas vaginalis in Pap smears increased the risk of small‐for‐gestational‐age delivery (OR 1.3 and 1.4, respectively). Signs of infection in Pap smears were generally not associated with an increased risk of antepartum death or preterm birth. However, the presence of Coccobacilli in Pap smears within 4 weeks before delivery was associated with a more than fourfold increase in risk of very preterm delivery (≤31 weeks, OR 4.7). This indicates that if Coccobacilli are detected in Pap smears during the second trimester, antibacterial treatment may lower the risk of very preterm delivery.
Ethnic variations in birthweight percentiles in Kuwait
Authors: Alshimmiri M. M. , Hammoud M. S. , Al‐Saleh E. A. , Alsaeid K. M. S.
Published: October 2003

The objectives of this retrospective study were to assess the effect of ethnicity on birthweight percentiles and to compare ethnic‐specific percentiles with other references. Analysis was made of 35 768 singleton live births from 22 to 44 completed weeks of gestation at two major obstetric hospitals in Kuwait, after exclusion of data with inaccurate gestational age, major congenital abnormalities, stillbirths, and outlying birthweights. The population included four major ethnic groups: Gulf Arabs, Mediterranean Arabs, Egyptians, and a group combining Indians and Southeast Asians. Total population and ethnic‐specific smoothed birthweight percentiles according to gestational age were developed. Indians‐Asians had the smallest birthweights, the highest prevalence of small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) birthweights and the lowest prevalence of large‐for‐gestational‐age (LGA) birthweights. On the contrary, Egyptians had the largest birthweights, the lowest prevalence of SGA birthweights and the highest prevalence of LGA birthweights. Plotting our birthweights on a reference from Canada resulted in a low prediction rate for SGA and a low sensitivity in identifying LGA of all ethnic groups. We conclude that interpretation of fetal growth and birthweight should involve locally derived and ethnically specific percentiles based on accurately calculated gestational age.
Young maternal age and preterm birth
Authors: Da Silva Antônio A. M. , Simões Vanda M. F. , Barbieri Marco A. , Bettiol Heloisa , Lamy‐Filho Fernando , Coimbra Liberata C. , Alves Maria T. S. S. B.
Published: October 2003

The association between young maternal age and preterm birth (PTB) remains controversial. In some studies the association disappeared after controlling for socio‐economic and reproductive factors, thus indicating that social disadvantage rather than biological factors may be the explanation. However, in other studies the association persisted after adjustment. The relation between young maternal age and PTB was studied in a city located in Brazil, an underdeveloped country, where the prevalence of teenage pregnancy was high, 29%. A systematic sampling of 2541 hospital births, stratified by hospital, was performed in São Luís, Northeast Brazil, from March 1997 to February 1998. The risks of PTB for infants born to two groups of young mothers (<18 and 18–19 years) were calculated with and without adjustment for confounding factors (family income, marital status, mode of delivery, parity, health insurance, and short maternal stature) in a logistic regression model, using mothers 25–29 years of age as the reference group. In the unadjusted analysis, the risk of PTB was higher for mothers < 18 years [odds ratio (OR) = 2.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.64, 3.57]. Those aged 18 or 19 years were not at a higher risk of PTB (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.58, 1.38). After adjustment, the risk of PTB for mothers < 18 years was lower but remained significant after controlling for confounding (OR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.11, 2.60). After performing a stratified analysis according to parity, the risk of PTB among very young primiparae (<18 years) remained significant (OR = 1.77, 95% CI 1.02, 3.08), whereas the risk among non‐primiparous adolescents was not significantly higher than the risk among mothers in the reference group. This suggests that the association between young maternal age and PTB may have a biological basis or an artifactual explanation (errors in gestational age estimation may be more common among very young mothers) or may be due to residual confounding.
Perceived health of adults after prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine
Authors: Roseboom Tessa J. , Van Der Meulen Jan H. P. , Ravelli Anita C. J. , Osmond Clive , Barker David J. P. , Bleker Otto P.
Published: October 2003

People who were undernourished in early gestation are more obese, have a more atherogenic lipid profile, and altered blood coagulation and seem to have an increased risk of coronary heart disease. We now report on whether they also feel less healthy. We therefore assessed the perceived health of 50‐year‐old‐men and women born alive as singletons around the time of the Dutch famine in the Wilhelmina Gasthuis in Amsterdam. People who had been exposed to famine in early gestation, but not those exposed in mid‐ or late gestation, more often rated their health as poor (10.3% vs. to 4.9% in the unexposed, odds ratio (OR) 2.2 [1.0, 4.8]). The effect of exposure to famine in early gestation on perceived health could only partly be explained by an increased prevalence of coronary heart disease, respiratory diseases, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia or cancer (adjusted OR 2.2 [0.9, 5.2]). Adjustment for adult risk factors (BMI, LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio, blood pressure, smoking, lung function) also attenuated the results to some extent (adjusted OR 1.9 [0.6, 5.5]). People who were exposed to famine in early gestation were not only less healthy in terms of objective measures of health but they also felt less healthy. Because poor perceived health is a strong predictor of mortality, we may expect increased mortality in people who were exposed to famine in early gestation in the future.
Caesarean route of delivery and hyaline membrane disease: a hospital‐based case–control study in Greater Beirut
Authors: Beydoun Hind , Yunis Khalid A. , Khogali Mustapha , Usta Ihab , Tamim Hala ,   National Collaborative Perinatal Neonatal Network (NCPNN)
Published: October 2003

A hospital‐based case–control study was conducted to examine the relationship between hyaline membrane disease (HMD) and caesarean route of delivery, in light of sociodemographic, obstetric and perinatal confounders and risk modifying factors. The study population consisted of 78 HMD cases and a control group of 803 infants delivered at 25–36 weeks’ gestation and admitted over a 16‐month period to nine hospitals in Greater Beirut, Lebanon. The likelihood of delivery by caesarean section was nearly twice as high among newborn infants diagnosed with HMD as compared with the non‐HMD control group (OR = 2.02, [95% CI 1.04, 3.92], after adjusting for fetal growth ratio, one‐minute Apgar score, maternal age, antenatal steroid administration and pregnancy‐related complications. The impact of caesarean section on HMD was considerably more important in infants delivered ≤ 32 weeks’ gestation (OR = 2.10, [95% CI 0.79, 5.52]) as compared with those delivered afterwards (OR = 1.13, [95% CI 0.40, 3.21]).
Birthweight and relationship with infant, child and adult mortality in the Jerusalem perinatal study
Authors: Friedlander Y. , Paltiel O. , Deutsch L. , Knaanie A. , Massalha S. , Tiram E. , Harlap S.
Published: October 2003

There is growing evidence that several chronic adult diseases, such as coronary heart disease and stroke, can result from events occurring in fetal life. The aim of this study was to examine the relation between birthweight and all‐cause mortality in young adults. We studied total mortality in a population‐based cohort of 80 936 offspring born in Jerusalem in 1964–76. During an average follow‐up of 28.8 years 2 324 984 person‐years were contributed and 2092 deaths occurred. Overall, in both genders, the univariable and the multivariable Cox‐proportional hazard models indicated a strong negative relationship between birthweight and total mortality, mostly because of infant deaths. At ages 1–14 birthweight seemed unrelated to all‐cause mortality. In males aged 15+, birthweight was again a significant predictor of death (Hazard ratio (HR) = 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.78, 0.99], for 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in birthweight). The analysis by categories suggested a general decreasing of the risk of mortality with increasing birthweight (HRs = 1.0, 1.02, 0.85, 0.77, 0.57 for those belonging to birthweight groups of < 2500 g, 2500–2999 g, 3000–3499 g, 3500–3999 g and ≥ 4000 g, respectively). In females aged 15+ there was a J‐shaped relation between birthweight and mortality but these associations were not statistically significant. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that events during intrauterine life have remote consequences for adult health and underline the need to consider gender differences.
Determinants of sperm transfer in the scorpionfly Panorpa cognata: male variation, female condition and copulation duration
Authors: Engqvist L. , Sauer K. P.
Published: October 2003

Recent studies suggest that sperm production and transfer may have significant costs to males. Male sperm investment into a current copulation may therefore influence resources available for future matings, which selects for male strategic mating investment. In addition, females may also benefit from actively or passively altering the number of sperm transferred by males. In the scorpionfly Panorpa cognata, the number of sperm transferred during copulation depended on copulation duration and males in good condition (residual weight) copulated longer and also transferred more sperm. Moreover, sperm transferred and stored per unit time was higher in copulations with females in good condition than in copulations with females in poor condition. Males varied greatly and consistently in their sperm transfer rate, indicative of costs associated with this trait. The duration of the pairing prelude also varied between males and correlated negatively with the male's sperm transfer rate, but no other male character correlated significantly with male sperm transfer rate. The results are consistent with strategic mating effort but sperm transfer could also be facilitated by the physical size of females and/or females in good condition may be more cooperative during sperm transfer.
Genetic architecture of susceptibility to herbivores in hybrid willows
Authors: Fritz R. S. , Hochwender C. G. , Brunsfeld S. J. , Roche B. M.
Published: October 2003

We performed a common garden experiment using parental, F1, F2, and backcross willow hybrids to test the hypothesis that hybrid willows experience breakdown of resistance to herbivores. After exposing plants to herbivores in the field, we measured the densities/damage caused by 13 insect herbivores and one herbivorous mite. Using joint-scaling tests, we determined the contribution of additive, dominance, and epistasis to variation in susceptibility to herbivores (measured either as density or damage level) among the six genetic classes. We found the genetic architecture of susceptibility/resistance in the parental species to be complex, involving additive, dominance, and epistasis for each herbivore species. Although genic interactions altered plant susceptibility for each of the 14 herbivores, three distinct patterns of response of herbivores to hybrids were expressed. One pattern, observed in four herbivore species, supported the hypothesis of breakdown of resistance genes in recombinant hybrids. A second pattern, shown by six other herbivore species, supported the hypothesis of hybrid breakdown of host recognition genes. In other words, epistatic interactions for host recognition traits (probably oviposition/feeding stimulants or attractants) appeared to be important in determining herbivore abundance for those six species. The final patterns supported a structure of dominance, either for host recognition traits (in the case of three herbivore species) or for host resistance traits (for one herbivore species). The combination of differing responses of herbivore species, including members of the same genus and tribe, and the ubiquitous importance of epistasis suggests that many genes affect herbivore resistance in this hybrid willow system.
Discord in the family Sparidae (Teleostei): divergent phylogeographical patterns across the Atlantic–Mediterranean divide
Authors: Bargelloni L. , Alarcon J. A. , Alvarez M. C. , Penzo E. , Magoulas A. , Reis C. , Patarnello T.
Published: October 2003

The Strait of Gibraltar has been proposed to be the divide between two marine biogeographical regions, the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic. Intraspecific studies have shown, for several of the examined species, a reduction of gene flow between the two basins. The present study examines genetic variation at nuclear and mitochondrial loci in five marine teleost species belonging to the family Sparidae. Four samples for each species were analysed spanning the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean. For all individuals 17 allozyme loci were scored and a combined single strand conformation polymorphism-sequencing approach was used to survey approximately 190 bp of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region. All five species share similar biological features. For three species, namely Lithognathus mormyrus, Spondyliosoma cantharus, and Dentex dentex, large mtDNA divergence was observed between Atlantic and Mediterranean samples. Little or no mtDNA differentiation was found in the other two species, Pagrus pagrus and Pagellus bogaraveo. Allozyme data revealed strong differentiation when comparing Atlantic and Mediterranean samples of L. mormyrus and D. dentex, moderate for P. pagrus, and no differentiation for P. bogaraveo and S. cantharus. These results provide evidence for a sharp phylogeographical break (sensu Avise) between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean for two (or possibly three) sparid species of the five investigated. At the same time, the obtained results for the other two species raise the question on which ecological/historical factors might have caused the observed discrepancy in the geographical distribution of genetic variation among otherwise biologically similar species.
Context-dependent sexual advertisement: plasticity in development of sexual ornamentation throughout the lifetime of a passerine bird
Authors: Badyaev A. V. , Duckworth R. A.
Published: October 2003

Male investment into sexual ornamentation is a reproductive decision that depends on the context of breeding and life history state. In turn, selection for state- and context-specific expression of sexual ornamentation should favour the evolution of developmental pathways that enable the flexible allocation of resources into sexual ornamentation. We studied lifelong variation in the expression and condition-dependence of a sexual ornament in relation to age and the context of breeding in male house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) – a species that develops a new sexual ornament once a year after breeding. Throughout males’ lifetime, the elaboration of ornamentation and the allocation of resources to the development of sexual ornamentation depended strongly on pairing status in the preceding breeding season – males that were single invested more resources into sexual ornamentation and changed ornamentation more than males that were paired. During the initial (post-juvenile) moult, the expression of ornamentation was closely dependent on individual condition, however the condition-dependence of ornamentation sharply decreased throughout a male's lifetime and in older males expression of sexual ornamentation was largely independent of condition during moult. Selection for early breeding favoured greater ornamentation in males that were single in the preceding seasons and the strength of this selection increased with age. On the contrary, the strength of selection on sexual ornamentation decreased with age in males that were paired in the preceding breeding season. Our results reveal strong context-dependency in investment into sexual ornamentation as well as a high flexibility in the development of sexual ornamentation throughout a male's life.
Effects of food abundance on genetic and maternal variation in the growth rate of juvenile red squirrels
Authors: McAdam A. G. , Boutin S.
Published: October 2003

Sources of variation in growth in body mass were assessed in natural and experimental conditions of high and low food abundance using reciprocal cross-fostering techniques and long-term data (1987–2002) for a population of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Growth rates were significantly higher in naturally good and food supplemented conditions, than in poor conditions. Mother–offspring resemblance was higher in poor conditions as a result of large increases in both the direct genetic variance and direct-maternal genetic covariance and a smaller increase in the coefficient of maternal variation. Furthermore, the genetic correlation across environments was significantly less than one indicating that sources of heritable variation differed between the two environments. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that selection has eroded heritable variation for growth more in good conditions and indicate the potential for independent adaptation of growth rates in good and poor conditions.
Patterns of epistasis in RNA viruses: a review of the evidence from vaccine design
Authors: Burch C. L. , Turner P. E. , Hanley K. A.
Published: October 2003

Epistasis results when the fitness effects of a mutation change depending on the presence or absence of other mutations in the genome. The predictions of many influential evolutionary hypotheses are determined by the existence and form of epistasis. One rich source of data on the interactions among deleterious mutations that has gone untapped by evolutionary biologists is the literature on the design of live, attenuated vaccine viruses. Rational vaccine design depends upon the measurement of individual and combined effects of deleterious mutations. In the current study, we have reviewed data from 29 vaccine-oriented studies using 14 different RNA viruses. Our analyses indicate that (1) no consistent tendency towards a particular form of epistasis exists across RNA viruses and (2) significant interactions among groups of mutations within individual viruses occur but are not common. RNA viruses are significant pathogens of human disease, and are tractable model systems for evolutionary studies – we discuss the relevance of our findings in both contexts.
Differential Avoidance of Snake Odours by a Lizard: Evidence for Prioritized Avoidance Based on Risk
Authors: Stapley Jessica
Published: October 2003

Most studies of predator avoidance behaviours have focussed on single‐predator systems, despite the fact that prey often are confronted with predator rich environments. In the presence of more than one predator, prey may have to choose between avoiding one predator over another. How prey cope with exposure to several enemies simultaneously remains largely untested. In this study I set out to investigate if skinks showed preferential avoidance of snake odours based on the relative predation risk posed by different snake species. This relative predation risk was estimated using information on density, diet specificity and foraging habit of each snake species. I tested retreat‐site selection in two‐choice tests, where lizards chose between different combinations of control and snake treated retreat‐sites as well as two retreat‐sites treated with different snake species odours. Lizards preferred control–treated retreat‐sites to those treated with snake odours and showed a differential avoidance response to refuges treated with odours from different snake species. There was strong evidence to suggest that lizards preferentially avoided refuges with the odours of the snake that posed the greatest predation risk, the white‐lipped snake (Drysdalia coronoides). Naïve juvenile lizards were also tested and their response was similar to the adults demonstrating that the behaviour is innate and not the result of higher encounter rates of more common snake odours. To my knowledge this is one of the first studies to demonstrate that prey can prioritize avoidance to a single most dangerous predator in the face of several predators and conflicting avoidance responses.
Skin infection due to Geomyces pannorum var. pannorum
Authors: Gianni Claudia , Caretta Giuseppe , Romano Clara
Published: October 2003

Geomyces pannorum var. pannorum is an ubiquitous saprophytic fungus frequently isolated from the soil and from air samples. It has rarely been reported as an animal or plant pathogen and it is an occasional aetiological agent of superficial infection of skin and nails in humans. Here, we report a case of superficial infection of the skin due to this fungus in a healthy man. The patient was treated orally with terbinafine 250 mg daily and topic bifonazole with complete resolution in 2 months.
Significance of complications of allergic diseases in young patients with interstitial cystitis
Authors: YAMADA TETSUO
Published: October 2003

Abstract Background: It was found that about one‐half of interstitial cystitis (IC) patients have complications of allergic diseases. However, significance of the complications have not been studied.

Patients and Methods: Thirty‐four patients (age range 20 to 39 years old) meeting the diagnostic criteria of NIDDK established in 1987 were selected. Clinical allergic tests and significance of complications of allergic diseases were examined.

Results: Eighty‐six percent of young patients had complications of allergic diseases. In two patients, IC was a part of generalized allergic diseases. In 25 patients, IC was suggested to have some association with allergy. Of these 25 patients, there were alternating symptoms or proportionally changing symptoms of allergy and IC in 15 patients, and the number of eosinophils increased in six patients. Seven IC patients were considered to have developed allergic diseases only by chance without apparent association.

Conclusions: Complications of allergic diseases are frequent, particularly in young IC patients. The results suggest the involvement of allergy in about 80% of IC patients with complications of allergic diseases. In only 6% of patients, IC was a part of generalized allergic disease.
Research criteria versus clinical criteria for interstitial cystitis
Authors: PAYNE CHRISTOPHER K. , TERAI AKITO , KOMATSU KAZUTO
Published: October 2003

Abstract In March 2003 experts on interstitial cystitis (IC) from around the world met in Kyoto, Japan for a series of workshops intended to define areas of agreement and difference in the approach to this disease. This workshop explored the diagnostic criteria IC in the clinical and research settings. The NIDDK criteria are used almost universally for research but there is tremendous disparity in the clinics and no consensus at all as to the best practice in diagnosing IC for clinical purposes. Throughout the world many physicians use the NIDDK research criteria for clinical diagnosis; in some countries this is standard. Undoubtedly, this mandates under‐diagnosis and denies treatment to many patients. Still, a majority feel that one diagnostic system is mandatory to promote clarity in communication. The group called for two initiatives to help advance this area of controversy: (1) a large‐scale, prospective study critically examining the role of cystoscopy, bladder distention, and biopsy in the diagnosis of IC; (2) a concerted effort to develop a single evidence‐based guideline or algorithm that would be flexible enough to meet the needs of clinicians, researchers, and patients.
Pathology of interstitial cystitis
Authors: ROSAMILIA ANNA , IGAWA YASUHIKO , HIGASHI SHIN
Published: October 2003

Abstract In this workshop the participants were asked to consider the role of pathology in the diagnosis and management of interstitial cystitis (IC). Currently, the NIDDK definition of IC is made on clinical criteria; bladder biopsy is not required for the clinical work‐up and histology is not used as a diagnostic criterion. The literature review described the most common pathological findings to be epithelial denudation or ulceration, mononuclear inflammation, edema, congestion, hemorrhage, and mast cell activation. These pathological changes were not universal or specific with 55% of IC subjects in one study having histology that was normal and indistinguishable from control subjects.

Presentations were made which generally confirmed an association between abnormal pathology and more severe disease as determined by symptoms, cystoscopic capacity, and prognosis.

During the workshop it was clear that whether or not a biopsy was performed depended on a number of factors, for example, country of origin, the research interest of the unit, and the desire to exclude malignancy on histological grounds. The consensus, which was not unanimous, was that bladder biopsy was a‐non‐mandatory test in the clinical work‐up of the patient with IC but that urine cytology should be performed. It was discussed that bladder biopsy be an optional test and particularly relevant when one was suspicious of other conditions and in IC research.

It was hoped that bladder biopsy pathology will give clues to contributory pathogenic processes such as epithelial dysfunction and inflammation; and in the future, with the help of molecular biology, may help determine etiology.
The place of cystoscopy and hydrodistension in the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis: a potpourri of opinions emanating from an International Consultation on IC in Kyoto, Japan, March 28–30, 2003
Authors: RABE HANS‐HEINRICH , GOTOH MOMOKAZU , MOMOSE HITOSHI
Published: October 2003

Abstract The place of cystoscopy and hydrodistension in the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis (IC) was discussed by an international and Japanese panel of IC researchers. Cysto and hydrodistension (HD) has been traditionally regarded as pivotal to the diagnostic process.

To assess the experts’ opinions a questionnaire was circulated which revealed that 20 of the 31 responders regarded cysto and HD to remain as an important inclusion criterion in the diagnosis of IC (with 8 undecided and 3 against the inclusion). The questionnaire further demanded opinions about the specificity of the known IC changes at cysto and HD, correlation with the clinical picture, false positives, and methodology of the examination.
Current and future directions in diagnostic markers in interstitial cystitis
Authors: KEAY SUSAN , TAKEDA MASAYUKI , TAMAKI MASAHIRO , HANNO PHILIP
Published: October 2003

Abstract Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic bladder disorder of unknown etiology that is often diagnosed by symptom criteria with or without cystoscopic findings. Several potential diagnostic markers have recently been described that may facilitate diagnosis of this disorder. A summary of the literature and a discussion regarding these biomarkers is provided, along with a brief discussion of new biomarkers presented at the meeting.
Future research needs for the definition/diagnosis of interstitial cystitis
Authors: BADE JURJEN , ISHIZUKA OSAMU , YOSHIDA MASAKI
Published: October 2003

Abstract In Workshop 8 at the International Conference on Interstitial Cystitis (Kyoto March 2003, future research needs for the definition/diagnosis of interstitial cystitis (IC) were discussed by the participants. To structure discussions a study proposal was used. This workshop decided that research should focus on identifying and validating classification criteria for the diagnosis of IC. This might well be done in a (multi‐centre) study with a control group of urge‐frequency patients without pain (OAB?). However, before doing so standards should be defined as on how to perform and interpret vaginal examination, urodynamic investigation, cystoscopy under anesthesia, potassium sensitivity test, and histopathology in these patients.
On propagation of short rolling contact fatigue cracks
Authors: RINGSBERG J. W. , BERGKVIST A.
Published: October 2003

Recent accidents involving railway rails have aroused demand for improved and more efficient rail maintenance strategies to reduce the risk of unexpected rail fracture. Numerical tools can aid in generating maintenance strategies: this investigation deals with the numerical modelling and analysis of short crack growth in rails. Factors that influence the fatigue propagation of short surface‐breaking cracks (head checks) in rails are assessed. A proposed numerical procedure incorporates finite element (FE) calculations to predict short crack growth conditions for rolling contact fatigue (RCF) loading. A parameterised FE model for the rolling‐sliding contact of a cylinder on a semi‐infinite half space, with a short surface breaking crack, presented here, is used in linear‐elastic and elastic–plastic FE calculations of short crack propagation, together with fracture mechanics theory. The crack length and orientation, crack face friction, and coefficient of surface friction near the contact load are varied. The FE model is verified for five examples in the literature. Comparison of results from linear‐elastic and elastic–plastic FE calculations, shows that the former cannot describe short RCF crack behaviour properly, in particular 0.1–0.2 mm long (head check) cracks with a shallow angle; elastic–plastic analysis is required instead.
Simulation of wheel–rail contact forces
Authors: IWNICKI S.
Published: October 2003

This paper summarizes the forces that develop in the contact patch between the wheel and rail in a railway vehicle. The ways that these forces govern the behaviour of a vehicle running on straight and curved track are explained and the methods commonly used to calculate and utilize the forces summarized. As an illustration, the results from a computer simulation of a typical UK passenger train are presented and certain aspects examined.
Ratcheting and fatigue‐led wear in rail–wheel contact
Authors: FRANKLIN F. J. , CHUNG T. , KAPOOR A.
Published: October 2003

A computer model, which simulates the ratcheting wear of a ductile material subject to repeated loading, is presented and discussed in detail. Variation of material properties is a feature of the model, failure by ductility exhaustion occurring at isolated points or extending regions of failure. Such regions form crack‐like features. Mechanisms for removal of weakened material from the surface as wear debris are described. The wear process causes a degree of surface roughness. The simplicity of the model enables simulation of millions of load cycles in only a few hours' computer time. The computer model is used to study the effect of partial slip on wear rate. When creepage is relatively low, the wear rate increases sharply with creepage. When creepage is relatively high, the wear rate is largely insensitive to the creepage.
Disturbances prevent stem size‐density distributions in natural forests from following scaling relationships
Authors: Coomes David A. , Duncan Richard P. , Allen Robert B. , Truscott James
Published: October 2003

Enquist and Niklas propose that trees in natural forests have invariant size‐density distributions (SDDs) that scale as a −2 power of stem diameter, although early studies described such distributions using negative exponential functions. Using New Zealand and ‘global’ data sets, we demonstrate that neither type of function accurately describes the SDD over the entire diameter range. Instead, scaling functions provide the best fit to smaller stems, while negative exponential functions provide the best fit to larger stems. We argue that these patterns are consistent with competition shaping the small‐stem phase and exogenous disturbance shaping the large‐stem phase. Mortality rates, estimated from repeat measurements on 1546 New Zealand plots, fell precipitously with stem size until 18 cm but remained constant after that, consistent with our arguments. Even in the small‐stem phase, where SDDs were best described by scaling functions, the scaling exponents were not invariantly −2, but differed significantly from this value in both the ‘global’ and New Zealand data sets, and varied through time in the New Zealand data set.
Mass flowering crops enhance pollinator densities at a landscape scale
Authors: Westphal Catrin , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf , Tscharntke Teja
Published: October 2003

To counteract the decline of pollinators in Europe, conservation strategies traditionally focus on enhancing the local availability of semi‐natural habitats, as supported by the European Union's Common Agriculture Policy. In contrast, we show that densities of bumblebees, an important pollinator group in agroecosystems, were not determined by the proportion of semi‐natural habitats in agricultural landscapes. Instead, bumblebee densities were positively related to the availability of highly rewarding mass flowering crops (i.e. oilseed rape) in the landscape. In addition, mass flowering crops were only effective determinants of bumblebee densities when grown extensively at the landscape scale, but not at smaller local scales. Therefore, future conservation measures should consider the importance of mass flowering crops and the need for management schemes at landscape level to sustain vital pollination services in agroecosystems.
Fathers, fruits and photosynthesis: pollen donor effects on fruit photosynthesis in wild parsnip
Authors: Zangerl Arthur R. , Berenbaum May R. , DeLucia Evan H. , Nitao James K.
Published: October 2003

Chlorophyll is frequently present in plant reproductive tissues and indicates that photosynthesis is occurring in these parts. Photosynthesis by a reproductive organ can contribute as much as 65% to its own growth. Given the advantages that increased photosynthetic rates might have on development of individual seeds competing for resources, selection can be expected to favour the ability of offspring to influence photosynthetic rates of the tissues surrounding them. We report in this study the first evidence that the pollen genotype can influence the rate of photosynthesis in the fruit tissues surrounding the developing offspring. Using a novel chlorophyll fluorescence imaging instrument to quantify quantum efficiency of photosystem II, we found significant differences in photosynthetic rates among fruits in wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa L, associated with different pollen genotypes.
Thermodynamic and metabolic effects on the scaling of production and population energy use
Authors: Ernest S. K. Morgan , Enquist Brian J. , Brown James H. , Charnov Eric L. , Gillooly James F. , Savage Van M. , White Ethan P. , Smith Felisa A. , Hadly Elizabeth A. , Haskell John P. , Lyons S. Kathleen , Maurer Brian A. , Niklas Karl J. , Tiffney Bruce
Published: October 2003

Ecosystem properties result in part from the characteristics of individual organisms. How these individual traits scale to impact ecosystem‐level processes is currently unclear. Because metabolism is a fundamental process underlying many individual‐ and population‐level variables, it provides a mechanism for linking individual characteristics with large‐scale processes. Here we use metabolism and ecosystem thermodynamics to scale from physiology to individual biomass production and population‐level energy use. Temperature‐corrected rates of individual‐level biomass production show the same body‐size dependence across a wide range of aerobic eukaryotes, from unicellular organisms to mammals and vascular plants. Population‐level energy use for both mammals and plants are strongly influenced by both metabolism and thermodynamic constraints on energy exchange between trophic levels. Our results show that because metabolism is a fundamental trait of organisms, it not only provides a link between individual‐ and ecosystem‐level processes, but can also highlight other important factors constraining ecological structure and dynamics.
Large‐scale energetic and landscape factors of vegetation diversity
Authors: Venevsky Sergey , Veneskaia Irina
Published: October 2003

We show that at large scale the species number of vascular plants can be predicted to a major extent by climatically determined latent heat for evaporation and geometrical structure of landscape, described as an altitudinal difference. Application of the energy‐equivalence rule across plant communities for transpiration per area unit, and use of fractal theory for the description of habitat occupation by vegetation results in a physically based species–energy relationship. Application of averaged global constants in the relationship results in a species–area equation with known parameters. Despite its simple form, this species–energy relationship generally reproduces global patterns of vegetation diversity at two scales – 10 000 and 100 000 km2– and is applicable for different regions across scales from 100 to million km2. The proposed theory produces more robust results compared with the correlated‐based approaches, which link plant diversity patterns with climate variables, and allows the inclusion of an evolutionary component. The final climate‐richness equation for vascular plants has a simple and consistent analytical form and requires easily measurable variables.
Drought‐induced mosquito outbreaks in wetlands
Authors: Chase Jonathan M. , Knight Tiffany M.
Published: October 2003

Mosquitoes are not only a nuisance, but also vector many important human and animal diseases. Here, in opposition with the dogma that increased precipitation predicts mosquito abundance, we hypothesize that mosquitoes should show population outbreaks after drought years. Specifically, we suggest that in wetlands that never dry (permanent), predators limit mosquito abundance, whereas in wetlands that dry yearly (temporary), competitors that are well adapted to predictable drying, limit mosquito abundance. However, in wetlands that dry only during drought years (semi‐permanent), mosquito predators and competitors are eliminated and must recolonize following a drought, and the abundance of wetland mosquitoes can skyrocket. We present supportive evidence for this hypothesis from surveys of natural wetlands and from a controlled mesocosm experiment. We conclude that this framework may provide a reliable way to predict and prepare for year‐to‐year variation in mosquito abundances at large spatial scales.
Systematic revision of the generaHomalolinusandEhomalolinus(Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Xantholinini)
Authors: Márquez Juan
Published: October 2003

The generaHomalolinusSharp, 1885 andEhomalolinusBierig, 1934 are revised, and a cladistic analysis, a key to the species, generic redescription, description of new species, and distributional records are included. According to the cladistic analysis, based on 57 characters from the external morphology and male genitalia,Ehomalolinusis paraphyletic in relation toHomalolinus; the former is thus proposed as a synonym of the latter. The monophyly ofHomalolinusis based on 23 synapomorphies. Twenty species are described as new.
Morphological appraisal of Collembola phylogeny with special emphasis on Poduromorpha and a test of the aquatic origin hypothesis
Authors: D’Haese Cyrille A.
Published: October 2003

Phylogenetic relationships within Collembola were determined through the cladistic analysis of 131 morphological characters and 67 exemplar taxa representing the major families of the group, with special emphasis on Poduromorpha. The results show that the order Poduromorpha is monophyletic and the sister group to the remaining Collembola, with Entomobryomorpha monophyletic and the sister group to the clade Neelipleona + Symphypleona. In Entomobryomorpha, Actaletidae is the sister group of the remaining families. In Poduromorpha, Tullbergiinae is monophyletic as well as Onychiurinae and the group Tetrodontophorinae + Onychiurinae which is the sister group of the remaining Poduromorpha; Tetrodontophorinae is paraphyletic; Onychiuridae is polyphyletic; Isotogastruridae is not an intermediate between Poduromorpha and Entomobryomorpha, it is the sister group of Tullbergiinae; Odontellidae is monophyletic and the sister group to the clade Neanuridae + Brachystomellidae; in Neanuridae, Frieseinae and the group Pseudachorutinae + Morulinae + Neanurinae are monophyletic; Morulinae is the sister group of Neanurinae; Pseudachorutinae is paraphyletic; Hypogastruridae is polyphyletic;Podura aquatica(Poduridae) is not ‘primitive’, it clusters with the generaXenyllaandParaxenyllain Hypogastruridae. On the basis of these relationships and the position of the aquatic species, the most parsimonious hypothesis is a terrestrial edaphic origin for the springtails.
Elevational gradients of small mammal diversity on the northern slopes of Mt. Qilian, China
Authors: Li Jun Sheng , Song Yan Ling , Zeng Zhi Gao
Published: October 2003

Aim  Small mammal species richness and relative abundance vary along elevational gradients, but there are different patterns that exist. This study reports the patterns of distribution and abundance of small mammals along the broader elevational gradient of Mt. Qilian range.

Location  The study was conducted in the Mt. Qilian range, north‐western China, from June to August 2001.

Methods  Removal trapping was conducted using a standardized technique at 7 sites ranging between 1600 and 3900 m elevation within three transects. Correlation, regression and graphical analyses were used to evaluate the diversity patterns along this elevational gradient.

Results   In total, 586 individuals representing 18 nonvolant small mammal species were collected during 20 160 trap nights. Species composition was different among the three transects with 6 (33%) of the species found only within one transect. Elevational distribution and relative abundance of small rodents showed substantial spatial variation, with only 2 species showing nonsignificant capture frequencies across elevations. Despite these variations, some general patterns of elevational distribution emerged: humped‐shape relationships between species diversity and elevation were noted in all three transects with diversity peaks at middle elevations. In addition, relative abundance was negatively correlated with elevation.

Conclusions  Results indicate that maximum richness and diversity of nonvolant small mammals occurred at mid‐elevations where several types of plants reached their maximum diversity and primary productivity, and where rainfall and humidity reached a maximum. It is demonstrated that the mid‐elevation bulge is a general feature of at least a large portion of the biota on the Mt. Qilian range.