bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of long‐term low‐calorie diet in severely obese patients non‐eligible for surgery
Authors: Alabdali F. , Rueda‐Clausen C. F. , Robbins S. , Sharma A. M.
Published: May 2013

The aim of this study was to describe the long‐term efficacy and safety of low‐calorie diets (LCDs; providing 900 kcal day−1) in obese patients who have failed to achieve adequate weight loss with standard medical management and are non‐eligible for surgical therapeutic options. Charts from a regional hospital‐based outpatient bariatric programme were reviewed. Eight patients (75% male, age 60.1 ± 7.8 years) with severe obesity (body mass index 57.1 ± 8.8 kg m−2) and undergoing long‐term LCD (33 ± 10 months) were identified. Variables of interest included anthropometric, cardiovascular risk and nutritional parameters, thyroid, renal and liver function, changes in medications, side effects and adverse events. Average weight loss was 44 ± 15 kg (27 ± 13% of initial weight) at 24 months. Long‐term management with LCD resulted in substantial and sustained improvements in glucose homeostasis, blood pressure and lipid profile. LCD was well tolerated with minor self‐limited side effects. Over the follow‐up period, two subjects underwent coronary revascularization and one patient underwent knee replacement surgery – all recovered without complications. These findings suggest that in selected obese patients (non‐eligible for surgery), long‐term management with LCD may provide an alternative option for substantial and sustainable weight loss with significant improvements in metabolic and cardiovascular health.
Exploring the Moderating Role of Growth Options on the Relation between Board Characteristics and Management Earnings Forecasts
Authors: Chan Howard , Faff Robert , Khan Arifur , Mather Paul
Published: May 2013

Manuscript Type

Empirical

Research Question/Issue

This study examines whether director independence, reputation, and financial expertise are related to management earnings forecast (MEF) activity. In particular, we examine whether such a relationship is moderated by firms’ growth options.

Research Findings/Insights

Using Australian archival data for 1,928 firm‐years between 1999 and 2006, we find several board characteristics have a significant positive relationship with: (1) the likelihood of firms issuing MEFs; (2) their specificity; (3) their accuracy; and (4) a negative relationship with their bias. For (1), (2), and (3) we show that these relationships are accentuated for firms with high growth options.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

While the theory of voluntary disclosure suggests firms will disclose information that is favorable to them or their managers, well‐governed firms issue informative MEFs that potentially reduce information asymmetries in capital markets. We extend the prior literature by showing that such a relation is enhanced in the presence of information asymmetry and moral hazard associated with growth options.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

Our results have strategic implications for nomination committees by showing that independent directors and those with strong reputations and financial expertise enhance the governance of high growth firms. We also inform the regulatory debate by showing that good corporate governance enhancing disclosure quality is context‐specific – it is not a case of “one size fits all”.
A randomized crossover study to assess the effect of an oat‐rich diet on glycaemic control, plasma lipids and postprandial glycaemia, inflammation and oxidative stress in Type 2 diabetes
Authors: McGeoch S. C. , Johnstone A. M. , Lobley G. E. , Adamson J. , Hickson K. , Holtrop G. , Fyfe C. , Clark L. F. , Pearson D. W. M. , Abraham P. , Megson I. L. , MacRury S. M.
Published: May 2013

Aims

In the UK, lifestyle intervention is first‐line management in Type 2 diabetes. It is unclear what type of diet is most efficacious for improving glycaemic control. This study investigated the effects of an oat‐enriched diet on glycaemic control, postprandial glycaemia, inflammation and oxidative stress compared with standard dietary advice.

Methods

In a randomized crossover design, 27 volunteers with Type 2 diabetes, managed on diet and lifestyle only, were observed for two consecutive 8‐week periods following either the oat‐enriched diet or re‐enforced standard dietary advice. Volunteers attended at baseline (habitual intake) and 8 and 16 weeks. Measurements included basic clinical measurements and fasted and postprandial (3‐h) glucose and insulin in response to a healthy test meal. Markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, including high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, interleukin 6, interleukin 18, tumour necrosis factor‐alpha, adiponectin, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, oxygen radical antioxidant capacity, oxidized LDL and urinary isoprostanes, were also measured at fasting and in the postprandial period.

Results

There were no diet‐related effects on glycaemic control or glycaemic or insulinaemic responses to the test meal. Total cholesterol (5.1 ± 1.0 vs. 4.9 ± 0.8 mmol/l, P = 0.019) concentrations declined following the oat‐enriched diet compared with standard dietary advice. There was a postprandial decline in adiponectin concentration (P = 0.009), but no effect of dietary intervention. None of the measures of oxidative stress or inflammation were altered by the oat‐enriched diet compared with standard dietary advice.

Conclusion

The oat‐enriched diet had a modest impact on lipid lowering, but did not impact on oxidative stress or inflammation in these volunteers with Type 2 diabetes.
Clinical, metabolic and psychological outcomes and treatment costs of a prospective randomized trial based on different educational strategies to improve diabetes care (PRODIACOR)
Authors: Gagliardino J. J. , Lapertosa S. , Pfirter G. , Villagra M. , Caporale J. E. , Gonzalez C. D. , Elgart J. , González L. , Cernadas C. , Rucci E. , Clark C. ,   the PRODIACOR
Published: May 2013

Aim

To evaluate the effect of system interventions (formalized data collection and 100% coverage of medications and supplies) combined with physician and/or patient education on therapeutic indicators and costs in Type 2 diabetes.

Methods

This was a randomized 2 × 2 design in public health, social security or private prepaid primary care clinics in Corrientes, Argentina. Thirty‐six general practitioners and 468 adults with Type 2 diabetes participated. Patients of nine participating physicians were selected randomly and assigned to one of four structured group education programmes (117 patients each): control (group 1), physician education (group 2), patient education (group 3), and both physician education and patient education (group 4), with identical system interventions in all four groups. Outcome measures included HbA1c, BMI, blood pressure, fasting glucose, lipid profile, drug consumption, resource use and patient well‐being at baseline and every 6 months up to 42 months.

Results

HbA1c decreased significantly from 4 mmol/mol to 10 mmol/mol by 42 months (P < 0.05); the largest and more consistent decrease was in the groups where patients and physicians were educated. Blood pressure and triglycerides decreased significantly in all groups; the largest changes were recorded in the combined education group. The World Health Organization‐5 Lowe score showed significant improvements, without differences among groups. The lowest treatment cost was seen in the combined education group.

Conclusions

In a primary care setting, educational interventions combined with comprehensive care coverage resulted in long‐term improvement in clinical, metabolic and psychological outcomes at the best cost‐effectiveness ratio.
Female walking during copulation reduces the likelihood of sperm transfer from males in the sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius
Authors: Kuriwada Takashi , Kumano Norikuni , Shiromoto Keiko , Haraguchi Dai
Published: May 2013

Behaviour during copulation can alter the fate of sperm of the mating males. This behaviour may exert selective pressure, resulting in the evolution of diverse reproductive behaviour, morphology, and physiology. This study examined the role of female copulatory behaviour on sperm fate in the sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Brentidae). In this species, males mount the female during copulation. The female frequently walks during copulation, carrying the male on her back. Here, we describe and quantify the copulatory behaviour of mating pairs and examine the sperm fate. Insemination success, as determined by the presence of sperm in the spermatheca, was lower when females walked for longer periods during copulation. This result emphasizes the value of studying variation in female copulatory behaviour in order to understand the factors that influence sperm fate. We discuss the implications of these results on sexual selection and utility in programs applying sterile insect techniques.
Sexual size dimorphism and the integration of phenotypically plastic traits
Authors: MIKOLAJEWSKI DIRK J. , WOHLFAHRT BIANCA , JOOP GERRIT , BECKERMAN ANDREW P.
Published: May 2013

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) reflects adaptive differences in male and female reproductive roles. Understanding the mechanisms generating SSD is of broad ecological and evolutionary interest, because body size is closely linked to fitness.

Sex‐specific phenotypic plasticity in growth as a response to environmental conditions represents one of the major sources mediating variation in SSD.

We investigated phenotypic plasticity associated with predation and seasonal time constraints in development as a source of SSD in the Azure damselfly, Coenagrion puella. We complemented this with an analysis of trait correlations (integration) of body size with behavioural, physiological and life‐history traits to investigate how dimorphism manifests.

Our results reveal that: (i) plasticity in SSD is mediated by environmental variation; and (ii) environment‐dependent, sex‐specific changes in the association of body size with growth rate and fat storage mediated changes in the offset of SSD.

Our results highlight sex‐specific trait responses to the environment channel manifestation of SSD. These findings may be crucial to understanding large parts of the widely documented intraspecific variation of SSD.
Effects of hydrologic regulation on icefish population dynamics, assemblage structure and fishery yield in Lake Nanyi, China
Authors: Wang Zhongsuo , Yan Zhongcheng , Xu Longjun , Lu Xinxin , Winemiller Kirk O. , Lei Guangchun
Published: May 2013

Stock dynamics and demographic parameters of a family of annual icefishes (Salangidae) were investigated in Lake Nanyi in eastern China before and after construction of irrigation infrastructure. After hydroregulation, two of four icefish species, a migratory species (Hemisalanx brachyrostralis) and a previously rare species (Neosalanx tangkahkeii) were absent from survey samples. The relative abundance of the remained icefish stocks changed greatly. The spring and autumn stocks of N. taihuensis increased from 9.9% and 1.7% to 74.8% and 4.8%, respectively, and N. oligodontis decreased from 84.8% to 20.4%. Total icefish density (CPUE) and yield doubled under the new hydrologic regime. Average adult body size and absolute fecundity of the three persistent icefish stocks decreased, and this could have resulted from slower rates of growth and development of larvae and juveniles in response to greater density of icefishes overall and more intense competition for planktonic food resources during summer and fall.
Cognitive regulation of saccadic velocity by reward prospect
Authors: Chen Lewis L. , Hung Leroy Y. , Quinet Julie , Kosek Kevin
Published: May 2013

It is known that expectation of reward speeds up saccades. Past studies have also shown the presence of a saccadic velocity bias in the orbit, resulting from a biomechanical regulation over varying eccentricities. Nevertheless, whether and how reward expectation interacts with the biomechanical regulation of saccadic velocities over varying eccentricities remains unknown. We addressed this question by conducting a visually guided double‐step saccade task. The role of reward expectation was tested in monkeys performing two consecutive horizontal saccades, one associated with reward prospect and the other not. To adequately assess saccadic velocity and avoid adaptation, we systematically varied initial eye positions, saccadic directions and amplitudes. Our results confirmed the existence of a velocity bias in the orbit, i.e., saccadic peak velocity decreased linearly as the initial eye position deviated in the direction of the saccade. The slope of this bias increased as saccadic amplitudes increased. Nevertheless, reward prospect facilitated velocity to a greater extent for saccades away from than for saccades toward the orbital centre, rendering an overall reduction in the velocity bias. The rate (slope) and magnitude (intercept) of reward modulation over this velocity bias were linearly correlated with amplitudes, similar to the amplitude‐modulated velocity bias without reward prospect, which presumably resulted from a biomechanical regulation. Small‐amplitude (≤ 5°) saccades received little modulation. These findings together suggest that reward expectation modulated saccadic velocity not as an additive signal but as a facilitating mechanism that interacted with the biomechanical regulation.
The secondary structure of apolipoprotein A‐I on 9.6‐nm reconstituted high‐density lipoprotein determined by EPR spectroscopy
Authors: Oda Michael N. , Budamagunta Madhu S. , Borja Mark S. , Petrlova Jitka , Voss John C. , Lagerstedt Jens O.
Published: May 2013

Apolipoprotein A‐I (ApoA‐I) is the major protein component of high‐density lipoprotein (HDL), and is critical for maintenance of cholesterol homeostasis. During reverse cholesterol transport, HDL transitions between an array of subclasses, differing in size and composition. This process requires ApoA‐I to adapt to changes in the shape of the HDL particle, transiting from an apolipoprotein to a myriad of HDL subclass‐specific conformations. Changes in ApoA‐I structure cause alterations in HDL‐specific enzyme and receptor‐binding properties, and thereby direct the HDL particle through the reverse cholesterol transport pathway. In this study, we used site‐directed spin label spectroscopy to examine the conformational details of the ApoA‐I central domain on HDL. The motional dynamics and accessibility to hydrophobic/hydrophilic relaxation agents of ApoA‐I residues 99–163 on 9.6‐nm reconstituted HDL was analyzed by EPR. In previous analyses, we examined residues 6–98 and 164–238 (of ApoA‐I's 243 residues), and combining these findings with the current results, we have generated a full‐length map of the backbone structure of reconstituted HDL‐associated ApoA‐I. Remarkably, given that the majority of ApoA‐I's length is composed of amphipathic helices, we have identified nonhelical residues, specifically the presence of a β‐strand (residues 149–157). The significance of these nonhelical residues is discussed, along with the other features, in the context of ApoA‐I function in contrast to recent models derived by other methods.
Syndapin – a membrane remodelling and endocytic F‐BAR protein
Authors: Quan Annie , Robinson Phillip J.
Published: May 2013

Syndapin [also called PACSIN (protein kinase C and casein kinase II interacting protein)] is an Fes‐CIP4 homology Bin‐amphiphysin‐Rvs161/167 (F‐BAR) and Src‐homology 3 domain‐containing protein. Three genes give rise to three main isoforms in mammalian cells. They each function in different endocytic and vesicle trafficking pathways and provide critical links between the cytoskeletal network in different cellular processes, such as neuronal morphogenesis and cell migration. The membrane remodelling activity of syndapin via its F‐BAR domain and its interaction partners, such as dynamin and neural Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein binding to its Src‐homology 3 domain, are important with respect to its function. Its various partner proteins provide insights into its mechanism of action, as well as its differential roles in these cellular processes. Signalling pathways leading to the regulation of syndapin function by phosphorylation are now contributing to our understanding of the broader functions of this family of proteins.
Drug‐resistance development differs between HIV‐1‐infected patients failing first‐line antiretroviral therapy containing nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors with and without thymidine analogues
Authors: Santoro MM , Sabin C , Forbici F , Bansi L , Dunn D , Fearnhill E , Boumis E , Nicastri E , Antinori A , Palamara G , Callegaro A , Francisci D , Zoncada A , Maggiolo F , Zazzi M , Perno CF , Ceccherini‐Silberstein F , Mussini C
Published: May 2013

Objectives

We evaluated the emergence of drug resistance in patients failing first‐line regimens containing one nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) administered with zidovudine (ZDV) + lamivudine (the ZDV group) or non‐thymidine analogues (non‐TAs) (tenofovir or abacavir, + lamivudine or emtricitabine; the non‐TA group).

Methods

Three hundred HIV‐1‐infected patients failing a first‐line NNRTI‐containing regimen (nevirapine, n = 148; efavirenz, n = 152) were included in the analysis. Virological failure was defined as viraemia ≥ 400 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL for the first time at least 6 months after starting the NNRTI‐based regimen. For each patient, a genotypic resistance test at failure was available. The presence of drug‐resistance mutations in HIV‐1 reverse transcriptase was evaluated by comparing patients treated with NNRTI + zidovudine + lamivudine vs. those treated with NNRTI + non‐TA.

Results

A total of 208 patients were failing with NNRTI + zidovudine + lamivudine and 92 with NNRTI + non‐TA. No significant differences were observed between the non‐TA group and the ZDV group regarding the time of virological failure [median (interquartile range): 12 (8–25) vs. 13 (9–32) months, respectively; P = 0.119] and viraemia [median (interquartile range): 4.0 (3.2–4.9) vs. 4.0 (3.3–4.7) log10 copies/mL, respectively; P = 0.894]. Resistance to reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs) occurred at a significant lower frequency in the non‐TA group than in the ZDV group (54.3 vs. 75.5%, respectively; P = 0.001). This difference was mainly attributable to a significantly lower prevalence of NNRTI resistance (54.3 vs. 74.0%, respectively; P = 0.002) and of the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) mutation M184V (23.9 vs. 63.5%, respectively; P < 0.001) in the non‐TA group compared with the ZDV group. As expected, the mutation K65R was found only in the non‐TA group (18.5%; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

At first‐line regimen failure, a lower prevalence of RTI resistance was found in patients treated with NNRTI + non‐TA compared with those treated with NNRTI + zidovudine + lamivudine. These results confirm that the choice of backbone may influence the prevalence of drug resistance at virological failure.
Honey bee promoter sequences for targeted gene expression
Authors: Schulte C. , Leboulle G. , Otte M. , Grünewald B. , Gehne N. , Beye M.
Published: May 2013

The honey bee, Apis mellifera, displays a rich behavioural repertoire, social organization and caste differentiation, and has an interesting mode of sex determination, but we still know little about its underlying genetic programs. We lack stable transgenic tools in honey bees that would allow genetic control of gene activity in stable transgenic lines. As an initial step towards a transgenic method, we identified promoter sequences in the honey bee that can drive constitutive, tissue‐specific and cold shock‐induced gene expression. We identified the promoter sequences of Am‐actin5c, elp2l, Am‐hsp83 and Am‐hsp70 and showed that, except for the elp2l sequence, the identified sequences were able to drive reporter gene expression in Sf21 cells. We further demonstrated through electroporation experiments that the putative neuron‐specific elp2l promoter sequence can direct gene expression in the honey bee brain. The identification of these promoter sequences is an important initial step in studying the function of genes with transgenic experiments in the honey bee, an organism with a rich set of interesting phenotypes.
Should patients with systemic sclerosis‐related pulmonary arterial hypertension be anticoagulated?
Authors: Nikpour M. , Stevens W. , Proudman S. M. , Buchbinder R. , Prior D. , Zochling J. , Williams T. , Gabbay E. , Nandurkar H.
Published: May 2013

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a major cause of mortality in scleroderma and despite ‘advanced’ therapies confers a median survival of less than 5 years. Anticoagulation in systemic sclerosis‐related PAH (SSc‐PAH) is currently one of the most contentious issues in the management of patients with connective tissue disease. While some studies have shown a survival benefit with warfarin therapy in this disease, others have not. Accordingly, a state of clinical equipoise exists in relation to anticoagulation in SSc‐PAH. With an over fivefold reduction in mortality demonstrated in some observational studies, the issue of anticoagulation in SSc‐PAH demands resolution through a well‐designed randomised controlled trial.
Large vessel calcification in Takayasu arteritis
Authors: Gujadhur A. , Smith E. R. , McMahon L. P. , Spanger M. , Chuen J. , Holt S. G.
Published: May 2013

We report the novel case of a young woman with Takayasu arteritis, with extensive large vessel disease. The case demonstrates that while mechanisms of vascular calcification are poorly understood, inflammation per se might be sufficient to mediate increased mineral stress leading to vessel calcification, even in the absence of renal impairment.
Practical aspects of telehealth: are my patients suited to telehealth?
Authors: Sabesan S. , Allen D. , Loh P. K. , Caldwell P. , Mozer R. , Komesaroff P. A. , Talman P. , Williams M. , Shaheen N. ,   The Royal Australasian College of Physicians Telehealth Working Group
Published: May 2013

The first in a series of articles that demonstrate the practical aspects of telehealth, this paper provides three case studies that examine the suitability of telehealth for patients living in rural and remote areas who require ongoing specialist care.
Replacing Provocation in England and Wales: Examining the Partial Defence of Loss of Control
Authors: Fitz‐Gibbon Kate
Published: May 2013

In October 2010, provocation was abolished as a partial defence to murder in England and Wales. Through the introduction of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, a new partial defence of loss of control was implemented. This sought to overcome problems associated with the provocaton defence and the gendered operation of the law of homicide, particularly in relation to male‐perpetrated intimate homicides, and the inadequate response of the law to the contexts in which battered women kill. This article first provides an account of these developments, and then examines legal stakeholders' perceptions of them. Drawing from in‐depth interviews with criminal justice professionals, it considers their perceptions of the operation of the law of homicide during a period of transition, specifically considering the formulation of the new partial defence, the initial effects of its implementation, and the significant differences between the Law Commission's recommendations and the reforms implemented by the government.
INTO THE FOLD
Authors: Peters Georgina
Published: May 2013

The Fold offers a new take on how women buy what they wear at work. CEO Polly McMaster talks to BSR.
ORGANIC GROWTH
Authors: Lee Brandon
Published: May 2013

Brandon Lee's research offers a unique perspective on the development of the organic food industry.
UNDERSTANDING CHINA
Authors: Yueh Linda
Published: May 2013

Microeconomic data is the best source of insight into China's extraordinary emergence. Linda Yueh explains why.
JAPANESE CHOICES
Authors: Gratton Lynda
Published: May 2013

Now is a time of profound choices for Japanese workers, and particularly its Gen Y generation, argues Lynda Gratton.
FACE VALUES: TELL ME WHY
Authors: Crainer Stuart
Published: May 2013

Consultant, investor and author David Pitt‐Watson occupies a unique niche.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: FIRING UP YOUR NEURONS OF CHOICE
Authors: Janiszewski Chris , Kuo Andrew , Tavassoli Nader T
Published: May 2013

Chris Janiszewski, Andrew Kuo, and Nader T Tavassoli. ‘The Influence of Selective Attention and Inattention to Products on Subsequent Choice.’Journal of Consumer Research.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: NEVER MIND THE COMPLEMENTS, WHERE'S THE VALUE?
Authors: Koenigsberg Oded , Biyalogorsky Eyal , Ofek Elie , Yalcin Taylan
Published: May 2013

Oded Koenigsberg, Eyal Biyalogorsky, Elie Ofek and Taylan Yalcin, “Complementary Goods: Creating, Capturing, and Competing for Value.”
THINK AGAIN: DO INNOVATING FIRMS OUTPERFORM NON‐INNOVATORS?
Authors: Geroski Paul , Machin Steve
Published: May 2013

Innovation remains high on the corporate agenda. In this 1992 article, Paul Geroski and Steve Machin argue that innovating firms are both more profitable and grow faster than non‐innovators. But the major difference in performance turns out to be cyclical: innovators' profits and growth are much less cyclically sensitive than non‐innovators.
ROLE OF COMPONENTS OF FRAILTY ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN DIALYSIS PATIENTS: A CROSS‐SECTIONAL STUDY
Authors: Sclauzero Paola , Galli Giovanni , Barbati Giulia , Carraro Michele , Panzetta Giovanni O.
Published: May 2013

Background

Many people on dialysis suffer a variety of conditions that can affect frailty (the condition or quality of being frail), such as comorbidities, disabilities, dependence, malnutrition, cognitive impairment and poor social conditions. Frailty is suspected to affect quality of life (QoL).

Objectives

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of the different components of frailty on the QoL of people on dialysis.

Methods

We enrolled 203 out of 233 prevalent patients on dialysis in the Trieste area of Italy. We applied the Short‐Form 36 (SF‐36) questionnaire, Activities of Daily Living, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Subjective Global Assessment scales and Karnofsky Index. In addition we analysed their social conditions.

Results

Dependence, malnutrition and disability had a negative role on QoL. Living with family and good social‐economic conditions were significantly related to a better QoL.

Conclusions

Dependence, malnutrition, disability, poor social and economic conditions have a significant effect on life quality. The role of comorbidities appears to be less important. Screening of patients, nutritional and functional rehabilitation and prevention of social isolation appear to be indispensable in guaranteeing a satisfactory life quality.
Percent body fat prediction equations for 8‐ to 17‐year‐old American children
Authors: Stevens J. , Cai J. , Truesdale K. P. , Cuttler L. , Robinson T. N. , Roberts A. L.
Published: May 2013

What is already known about this subject

It is often not feasible to measure percent body fat using precise methods such as dual‐emission X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Equations developed to estimate percent body fat in youth using measures that are feasible to collect in a variety of settings usually have been developed in focused samples and therefore have low generalizability.

What this study adds

First equations developed in a representative sample of American youth that estimate percent body fat using self‐reported demographic variables as well as measured skin‐folds and other anthropometric variables that are feasible to collect in a variety of settings.

Equations were demonstrated to have low levels of bias by BMI category and by race/ethnicity in non‐Hispanic Whites, Mexican–Americans and African–Americans.

Background

Percent body fat equations are usually developed in specific populations and have low generalizability.

Objectives

To use a nationally representative sample of the American youth population (8–17 years old) from the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data to develop gender‐specific percent body fat equations.

Methods

Percent body fat equations were developed for girls and boys using information on weight, height, waist circumference, triceps skin‐folds, age, race/ethnicity and menses status compared to dual‐emission X‐ray absorptiometry. Terms were selected using forward and backward selection in regression models in a 2/3 development sample and were cross‐validated in the remaining sample. Final coefficients were estimated in the full sample.

Results

Final equations included ten terms in girls and eight terms in boys including interactions with age and race/ethnicity. In the cross‐validation sample, the adjusted R2 was 0.818 and the root mean squared error was 2.758 in girls. Comparable estimates in boys were 0.893 and 2.525. Systematic bias was not detected in the estimates by race/ethnicity or by body mass index categories.

Conclusion

Gender‐specific percent body fat equations were developed in youth with a strong potential for generalizability and utilization by other investigators studying adiposity‐related issues in youth.
An analysis of genetic stock identification on a small geographical scale using microsatellite markers, and its application in the management of a mixed‐stock fishery for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in Ireland
Authors: Ensing D. , Crozier W. W. , Boylan P. , O'Maoiléidigh N. , McGinnity P.
Published: May 2013

A genetic stock identification (GSI) study was undertaken in a fishery for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar to determine the effects of restrictive fishery management measures on the stock composition of the fishery, and if accurate and precise stock composition estimates could be achieved on the small geographical scale where this fishery operates, using a suite of only seven microsatellite loci. The stock composition of the Foyle fishery was shown to comprise almost exclusively of Foyle origin fish in the 3 years after restrictive measures were introduced in 2007, compared to 85% the year before. This showed that the restrictive measures resulted in the Foyle fishery being transformed from a mixed‐stock fishery to an almost exclusively single‐stock fishery, and showed how GSI studies can guide and evaluate management decisions to successfully manage these fisheries. Highly accurate and precise stock composition estimates were achieved in this study, using both cBAYES and ONCOR genetic software packages. This suggests accurate and precise stock composition is possible even on small geographical scales.
Identification of the origin of adrenergic and cholinergic nerve fibers within the superior hypogastric plexus of the human fetus
Authors: Zaitouna Mazen , Alsaid Bayan , Diallo Djibril , Benoit Gérard , Bessede Thomas
Published: May 2013

Nerve fibers contributing to the superior hypogastric plexus (SHP) and the hypogastric nerves (HN) are currently considered to comprise an adrenergic part of the autonomic nervous system located between vertebrae (T1 and L2), with cholinergic aspects originating from the second to fourth sacral spinal segments (S2, S3 and S4). The aim of this study was to identify the origin and the nature of the nerve fibers within the SHP and the HN, especially the cholinergic fibers, using computer‐assisted anatomic dissection (CAAD). Serial histological sections were performed at the level of the lumbar spine and pelvis in five human fetuses between 14 and 30 weeks of gestation. Sections were treated with histological staining [hematoxylin‐eosin (HE) and Masson's trichrome (TriM)] and with immunohistochemical methods to detect nerve fibers (anti‐S100), adrenergic fibers (anti‐TH), cholinergic fibers (anti‐VAChT) and nitrergic fibers (anti‐nNOS). The sections were then digitalized using a high‐resolution scanner and the 3D images were reconstructed using winsurf software. These experiments revealed the coexistence of adrenergic and cholinergic fibers within the SHP and the HNs. One‐third of these cholinergic fibers were nitrergic fibers [anti‐VACHT (+)/anti‐NOS (+)] and potentially pro‐erectile, while the others were non‐nitrergic [anti‐VACHT (+)/anti‐NOS (−)]. We found these cholinergic fibers arose from the lumbar nerve roots. This study described the nature of the SHP nerve fibers which gives a better understanding of the urinary and sexual dysfunctions after surgical injuries.
Utilization of nondentist providers and attitudes toward new provider models: findings from the National Dental Practice‐Based Research Network
Authors: Blue Christine M. , Funkhouser D. Ellen , Riggs Sheila , Rindal D. Brad , Worley Donald , Pihlstrom Daniel J. , Benjamin Paul , Gilbert Gregg H. ,   the National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group
Published: May 2013

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to quantify, within the National Dental Practice‐Based Research Network, current utilization of dental hygienists and assistants with expanded functions and quantify network dentists' attitudes toward a new nondentist provider model – the dental therapist.

Methods

National Dental Practice‐Based Research Network practitioner–investigators participated in a single, cross‐sectional administration of a questionnaire.

Results

Current nondentist providers are not being utilized by network practitioner–investigators to the fullest extent allowed by law. Minnesota practitioners, practitioners in large group practices, and those with prior experience with expanded‐function nondentist providers delegate at a higher rate and had more‐positive perceptions of the new dental therapist model.

Conclusions

Expanding scopes of practice for dental hygienists and assistants has not translated to the maximal delegation allowed by law among network practices. This finding may provide insight into dentists' acceptance of newer nondentist provider models.
Efficacy of Flibanserin in Women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: Results from the BEGONIA Trial
Authors: Katz Molly , DeRogatis Leonard R. , Ackerman Ronald , Hedges Parke , Lesko Lynna , Garcia Miguel , Sand Michael
Published: May 2013

Introduction

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is characterized by low sexual desire that causes marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.

Aim

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the 5-HT1A agonist/5-HT2A antagonist flibanserin in premenopausal women with HSDD.

Methods

This was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in which premenopausal women with HSDD (mean age: 36.6 years) were treated with flibanserin 100 mg once daily at bedtime (qhs) (n = 542) or placebo (n = 545) for 24 weeks.

Main Outcome Measures

Coprimary end points were the change from baseline to study end in Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) desire domain score and in number of satisfying sexual events (SSE) over 28 days. Secondary end points included the change from baseline in FSFI total score, Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R) total score, and FSDS-R Item 13 score.

Results

Compared with placebo, flibanserin led to increases in mean (standard deviation) SSE of 2.5 (4.6) vs. 1.5 (4.5), mean (standard error [SE]) FSFI desire domain score of 1.0 (0.1) vs. 0.7 (0.1), and mean (SE) FSFI total score of 5.3 (0.3) vs. 3.5 (0.3); and decreases in mean (SE) FSDS-R Item 13 score of −1.0 (0.1) vs. −0.7 (0.1) and mean (SE) FSDS-R total score of −9.4 (0.6) vs. −6.1 (0.6); all P ≤ 0.0001. The most frequently reported adverse events in the flibanserin group were somnolence, dizziness, and nausea, with adverse events leading to discontinuation in 9.6% of women receiving flibanserin vs. 3.7% on placebo.

Conclusion

In premenopausal women with HSDD, flibanserin 100 mg qhs resulted in significant improvements in the number of SSE and sexual desire (FSFI desire domain score) vs. placebo. Flibanserin was associated with significant reductions in distress associated with sexual dysfunction (FSDS-R total score) and distress associated with low sexual desire (FSDS-R Item 13) vs. placebo. There were no significant safety concerns associated with the use of flibanserin for 24 weeks.
Persistence of pine species in late‐successional forests: evidence from habitat‐related variation in stand age structure
Authors: Fahey Robert T. , Lorimer Craig G.
Published: May 2013

Questions

By what mechanisms do early‐successional tree species such as pines persist in late‐successional forests in regions where recurrence intervals for stand‐replacing disturbance are much longer than maximum tree life spans? How are recruitment patterns affected by habitat variation?

Location

Old‐growth, mixed species stands ofPinus strobus, Pinus resinosa, Tsuga canadensisandAcer saccharumat 36 locations in three subregions of northeast Wisconsin and west upper Michigan,USA.

Methods

Four to nine stands were located in each of six habitats and sampled in 200‐m2plots. Increment cores were collected from 1456 trees, and charcoal collected and dated to characterize stand age structure and disturbance history. Stands on upland mesic sites, with strong successional trends toward late‐successional species, were compared to those on ‘marginal’ habitats (rock outcrops, sandy inclusions and lake, river and wetland edges), where competition is comparatively low. We developed a new methodology that utilizes uncertainty in establishment dates to more rigorously distinguish even‐aged stands (the null hypothesis) from those with multiple age classes.

Results

Analysis of tree germination dates suggests that some stands with an apparently broad range of pine ages primarily reflect uncertainty in age estimates rather than actual periods of extended pine recruitment. Nevertheless, multi‐aged populations of pine (rejection of the even‐aged null hypothesis) were found in 86% of the stands and in all habitats. Marginal habitats had more age classes than mesic sites (mean 2.8 vs 1.7;P = 0.007) and greater age diversity. Disturbances that initiated pine cohorts were more often severe and more often caused by fire on mesic sites than on marginal habitats. Pine establishment was somewhat episodic in all three subregions, but age‐class peaks across subregions had limited synchrony and were not strongly correlated with severe drought.

Conclusions

These findings are consistent with growing evidence that age structures of early‐successional tree species in primary forests are often more complex than commonly believed, and that population structure and persistence are strongly influenced by habitat variation. Pine age structures provide indirect support for ‘refuge‐based’ landscape persistence, with dispersal limitation overcome by persistent seed sources in nearby marginal habitats.
Plot and Irony in Childbirth Narratives of Middle‐Class Brazilian Women
Authors: O'Dougherty Maureen
Published: May 2013

Brazil's rate of cesarean deliveries is among the highest in the world and constitutes the majority of childbirths in private hospitals. This study examines ways middle‐class Brazilian women are exercising agency in this context. It draws from sociolinguistics to examine narrative structure and dramatic properties of 120 childbirth narratives of 68 low‐ to high‐income women. Surgical delivery constituted 62% of the total. I focus on 20 young middle‐class women, of whom 17 had C‐sections. Doctors determined mode of childbirth pre‐emptively or appeared to accommodate women's wishes, while framing the scenario as necessitating surgical delivery. The women strove to imbue C‐section deliveries with value and meaning through staging, filming, familial presence, attempting induced labor, or humanized childbirth. Their stories indicate that class privilege does not lead to choice over childbirth mode. The women nonetheless struggle over the significance of their agency in childbirth.
“The Weight on Our Shoulders Is Too Much, and We Are Falling”
Authors: Kral Michael J.
Published: May 2013

Inuit youth suicide is at an epidemic level in the circumpolar north. Rapid culture change has left Inuit in a state of coloniality that destabilized their kin‐based social organization, and in spite of advances in self‐governance social problems such as suicide continue. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork I carried out in Nunavut, Canada (2004–2005), including 27 interviews with Inuit between the ages of 17 and 61, I examine male youth in particular in the context of recent colonial change, gender ideologies and behavior, youth autonomy, and the family. Anger is common among Inuit male youth, often directed toward girlfriends and parents, and suicide is embedded in some of these relationships. Many Inuit male youth are struggling with a new cultural model of love and sexuality. Inuit speak about a need for more responsible parenting. Evidence is beginning to show, however, that local, community‐based suicide prevention may be working.
“Love Isn't There in Your Stomach”
Authors: Nading Alex M.
Published: May 2013

Drawing on participant‐observation in Nicaraguan dengue prevention campaigns and a series of semistructured interviews with Nicaraguan health ministry personnel, this article shows how community health workers (CHWs) balanced two kinds of “medical citizenship.” In some situations, CHWs acted as professional monitors and models of hygienic behavior. At other times, CHWs acted as compassionate advocates for their poor neighbors. In 2008, Nicaragua's Sandinista government moved to end a long‐standing policy of paying CHWs, recasting them as citizen–volunteers in a “popular struggle” against dengue. Although CHWs approved of the revival of grassroots advocacy, they were hostile to the elimination of compensation. Framing this ambivalence as part of CHWs’ desire to serve as “brokers” between the poor and the state, I suggest that attention to medical citizenship provides insight into the sometimes contradictory ways in which CHWs engage the participatory health policies now taking hold in Latin America and elsewhere.
Somos Muchos (We Are So Many)
Authors: Braff Lara
Published: May 2013

Although Mexican state officials have long attributed Mexico's “overpopulation problem” to its “high” fertility rate, that rate is almost at replacement level today. Nevertheless, anxieties about overpopulation rooted in reproduction persist. Based on my ethnographic fieldwork in Mexico City fertility clinics, this article examines how overpopulation anxieties affect infertile women as they use assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) to try to conceive children. I examine how these women attempt to justify their seemingly out‐of‐place use of ARTs in this “overpopulated” context by evoking discourses of “reproductive othering.” Through these discourses they lay claim to a whiter, worthier status than racialized Others on the basis of their purported reproductive practices. I contend that their discourses reveal that infertility and its care are potent sites for the local production and reproduction of personhood, parenthood, and citizenship.
Unconventional Results with Surrogate Production Functions
Authors: Opocher Arrigo , Steedman Ian
Published: May 2013

Starting from Samuelson's famous 1962 Surrogate Production Function, we show that some such functions are perfectly consistent with a ‘return of the machine type’. This is so when we introduce a distinctly conventional possibility—that of machine–labour substitution—instead of Samuelson's fixed proportions, within every technique. We also show that, in the presence of two primary inputs, the surrogate model can give distinctly unconventional primary input use/input price relations at the level of the consumer good industry, even if the rate of interest is identically null.
Metabolite‐dependent regulation of gene expression in Trypanosoma brucei
Authors: Kim Dong‐Hyun , Barrett Michael Peter
Published: May 2013

Mechanisms regulating gene expression in trypanosomatid protozoa differ significantly from those in other eukaryotes. Transcription of the genome appears to be more or less constitutive with the polyadenylation and trans‐splicing of large polycistronic RNAs producing monocistronic RNAs whose translation may then depend upon information within their 3′ untranslated regions (3′UTRs). Various 3′UTR sequences involved in life‐cycle stage‐dependent differential gene expression have been described. Moreover, several RNA‐binding proteins have been implicated in regulating expression of these transcripts through altering either their stability or their ability to interact with ribosomes. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology Xiao et al. report on a regulatory element within the 3′UTR of the transcript that encodes the polyamine pathway regulatory protein called prozyme. It appears that the RNA element controls translation of the prozyme RNA causing expression to be upregulated when levels of decarboxylated S‐adenosylmethionine (dcAdoMet) are depleted. Since prozyme activates the enzyme S‐adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC), which is responsible for the production of dcAdoMet, losing this metabolite leads to upregulation of prozyme, activation of AdoMetDC and restoration of optimal levels of dcAdomet. The system thus represents a novel metabolite‐sensing regulatory circuit that maintains polyamine homeostasis in these cells.
Multiple loci and genetic interactions involving flowering time genes regulate stem branching among natural variants of Arabidopsis
Authors: Huang Xueqing , Ding Jia , Effgen Sigi , Turck Franziska , Koornneef Maarten
Published: May 2013

Shoot branching is a major determinant of plant architecture. Genetic variants for reduced stem branching in the axils of cauline leaves of Arabidopsis were found in some natural accessions and also at low frequency in the progeny of multiparent crosses.

Detailed genetic analysis using segregating populations derived from backcrosses with the parental lines and bulked segregant analysis was used to identify the allelic variation controlling reduced stem branching.

Eight quantitative trait loci (QTLs) contributing to natural variation for reduced stem branching were identified (REDUCED STEM BRANCHING 1–8 (RSB1–8)). Genetic analysis showed that RSB6 and RSB7, corresponding to flowering time genes FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) and FRIGIDA (FRI), epistatically regulate stem branching. Furthermore, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), which corresponds to RSB8 as demonstrated by fine‐mapping, transgenic complementation and expression analysis, caused pleiotropic effects not only on flowering time, but, in the specific background of active FRI and FLC alleles, also on the RSB trait.

The consequence of allelic variation only expressed in late‐flowering genotypes revealed novel and thus far unsuspected roles of several genes well characterized for their roles in flowering time control.
Hydraulic tuning of vein cell microstructure in the evolution of angiosperm venation networks
Authors: Feild Taylor S. , Brodribb Timothy J.
Published: May 2013

High vein density (DV) evolution in angiosperms represented a key functional transition. Yet, a mechanistic account on how this hydraulic transformation evolved remains lacking. We demonstrate that a consequence of producing high DV is that veins must become very small to fit inside the leaf, and that angiosperms are the only clade that evolved the specific type of vessel required to yield sufficiently conductive miniature leaf veins.

From 111 species spanning key divergences in vascular plant evolution, we show, using analyses of vein conduit evolution in relation to vein packing, that a key xylem innovation associated with high DV evolution is a strong reduction in vein thickness and simplification of the perforation plates of primary xylem vessels.

Simple perforation plates in the leaf xylem occurred only in derived angiosperm clades exhibiting high DV (> 12 mm mm−2). Perforation plates in the vessels of other species, including extant basal angiosperms, consisted of resistive scalariform types that were associated with thicker veins and much lower DV.

We conclude that a reduction in within‐vein conduit resistance allowed vein size to decrease. We suggest that this adaptation may have been a critical evolutionary step that enabled dramatic DV elaboration in angiosperms.