bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detecting intimate partner abuse within clinical settings: self‐report or an interview
Authors: Svavarsdottir Erla Kolbrun
Published: March 2010

Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 224–232
 
Detecting intimate partner abuse within clinical settings: self‐report or an interview

Background:  Routine screening for intimate partner abuse (IPA) has been recommended within health‐care settings. However, the instruments and methods that are most effective in detecting abuse continues to be debated in the literature.

Objectives:  To evaluate the effectiveness of two screening procedures/methods, a self‐reporting questionnaire and an interview, in detecting women abuse within an emergency department (ED) and a high‐risk prenatal care clinic (HRPCC). Comparison was made related to missing data based on the frequency of missing data.

Design:  Cross‐sectional design was used in the study.

Settings:  Data were collected at one time in 2006, over a period of 7 months, from 101 women seeking health‐care services at an ED and 107 pregnant women in their first trimester attending a HRPCC.

Methods:  Two methods were used, a self‐reporting instrument and a face‐to‐face interview with a nurse or a midwife to compare the frequency of women’s disclosure of abuse.

Results:  A variety of prior and current abuse experiences were disclosed by each method. The women however disclosed physical abuse more often in the face‐to‐face interview. The women at the ED disclosed emotional and sexual abuse by an intimate partner more often when using the self‐reporting instrument; but the women at the HRPCC disclosed the same ratio of emotional and sexual abuse regardless of the method used. The face‐to‐face interview had fewer missing data regarding disclosure of abuse. Contradictory to what has previously been reported in the literature, there were no clear‐cut results found regarding which of the methods were more effective in revealing abuse; rather, for some of the women, disclosure was based on a combination of the two methods used and the type of abuse inquired about.

Conclusion:  Implications might focus on using different methods within different clinical settings, e.g. face‐to‐face interviews at an ED, but questionnaire(s) at a HRPCC; or by using the mixed methods approach within the same clinical setting. Such a decision should however be based on the purpose of screening for women abuse and on how and in what way clinicians and researchers would intervene with the women.
Did the National Minimum Wage Affect UK Prices?*
Authors: Wadsworth Jonathan
Published: March 2010

One potential channel through which the effects of the minimum wage could be directed is that firms that employ minimum‐wage workers could have passed on any higher labour costs resulting from the minimum wage in the form of higher prices. This study looks at the effects of the minimum wage on the prices of UK goods and services by comparing prices of goods and services produced by industries in which UK minimum‐wage workers make up a substantial share of total costs with prices of goods and services that make less use of minimum‐wage labour. Using sectoral‐level price data matched to Labour Force Survey data on the share of minimum‐wage workers in each sector, it is hard to find much evidence of significant price changes in the months that correspond immediately to the uprating of the national minimum wage. However, over the longer term, prices in several minimum‐wage sectors – notably, take‐away food, canteen meals, hotel services and domestic services – do appear to have risen significantly faster than prices in non‐minimum‐wage sectors. These effects were particularly significant in the four years immediately after the introduction of the minimum wage.
Augurin stimulates the hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal axis via the release of corticotrophin‐releasing factor in rats
Authors: Tadross JA , Patterson M , Suzuki K , Beale KE , Boughton CK , Smith KL , Moore S , Ghatei MA , Bloom SR
Published: March 2010

Background and purpose:  The functional characterization of secreted peptides can provide the basis for the development of novel therapeutic agents. Augurin is a recently identified secreted peptide of unknown function expressed in multiple endocrine tissues, and in regions of the brain including the hypothalamus. We therefore investigated the effect of hypothalamic injection of augurin on the hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis in male Wistar rats.

Experimental approach:  Augurin was given as a single injection into the third cerebral ventricle (i.c.v.) or into the paraventricular nucleus (iPVN) of the hypothalamus. Circulating hormone levels were then measured by radioimmunoassay. The effect of augurin on the release of hypothalamic neuropeptides was investigated ex vivo using hypothalamic explants. The acute effects of iPVN augurin on behaviour were also assessed.

Key results:  i.c.v. injection of augurin significantly increased plasma ACTH and corticosterone, compared with vehicle‐injected controls, but had no effect on other hypothalamo‐pituitary axes hormones. Microinjection of lower doses of augurin into the PVN caused a similar increase in plasma ACTH and corticosterone, without significant alteration in behavioural patterns. Incubation of hypothalamic explants with increasing doses of augurin significantly elevated corticotrophin‐releasing factor (CRF) and arginine vasopressin release. In vivo, peripheral injection of a CRF1/2 receptor antagonist prevented the rise in ACTH and corticosterone caused by i.c.v. augurin injection.

Conclusions and implications:  These data suggest that augurin stimulates the release of ACTH via the release of hypothalamic CRF. Pharmacological manipulation of the augurin system may therefore be a novel target for regulation of the HPA axis.
Preferential in vivo action of F15599, a novel 5‐HT1Areceptor agonist, at postsynaptic 5‐HT1Areceptors
Authors: Lladó‐Pelfort L , Assié M‐B , Newman‐Tancredi A , Artigas F , Celada P
Published: March 2010

Background and purpose: F15599, a novel 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT)1Areceptor agonist with 1000‐fold selectivity for 5‐HT compared with other monoamine receptors, shows antidepressant and procognitive activity at very low doses in animal models. We examined thein vivoactivity of F15599 at somatodendritic autoreceptors and postsynaptic 5‐HT1Aheteroreceptors.

Experimental approach: In vivosingle unit and local field potential recordings and microdialysis in the rat.

Key results: F15599 increased the discharge rate of pyramidal neurones in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) from 0.2 µg·kg−1i.v and reduced that of dorsal raphe 5‐hydroxytryptaminergic neurones at doses >10‐fold higher (minimal effective dose 8.2 µg·kg−1i.v.). Both effects were reversed by the 5‐HT1Aantagonist (±)WAY100635. F15599 did not alter low frequency oscillations (∼1 Hz) in mPFC. In microdialysis studies, F15599 increased dopamine output in mPFC (an effect dependent on the activation of postsynaptic 5‐HT1Areceptors) with an ED50of 30 µg·kg−1i.p., whereas it reduced hippocampal 5‐HT release (an effect dependent exclusively on 5‐HT1Aautoreceptor activation) with an ED50of 240 µg·kg−1i.p. Likewise, application of F15599 by reverse dialysis in mPFC increased dopamine output in a concentration‐dependent manner. All neurochemical responses to F15599 were prevented by administration of (±)WAY100635.

Conclusions and implications: These results indicate that systemic administration of F15599 preferentially activates postsynaptic 5‐HT1Areceptors in PFC rather than somatodendritic 5‐HT1Aautoreceptors. This regional selectivity distinguishes F15599 from previously developed 5‐HT1Areceptor agonists, which preferentially activate somatodendritic 5‐HT1Aautoreceptors, suggesting that F15599 may be particularly useful in the treatment of depression and of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
Hepatic inflammation and insulin resistance in pre‐diabetes – further evidence for the beneficial actions of PPAR‐γ agonists and a role for SOCS‐3 modulation
Authors: Chatterjee Prabal K
Published: March 2010

Pre‐diabetes is a condition affecting increasing numbers of the population who find themselves caught in the grey area between normal glucose regulation and diabetes mellitus and who experience impaired glucose tolerance or fasting glucose. The ability of thiozolidinediones (TZDs) to ameliorate the clinical signs of diabetes mellitus is well‐known but there is also emerging evidence for the benefits of PPAR‐γ agonists in pre‐diabetes. In this issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology, Collino and colleagues report that pioglitazone can reduce hepatic inflammation and insulin resistance in rats administered a high cholesterol and fructose diet. Furthermore, pioglitazone reduced the expression of suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS)‐3 – considered to be a key link between inflammation and insulin resistance. Although much work remains to be performed in fully understanding how TZDs modulate the cellular mechanisms which underlie pre‐diabetes, these findings provide preliminary evidence that administration of TZDs to pre‐diabetics could be beneficial.

This article is a commentary on Collino et al., pp. 1892–1902 of this issue. To view this paper visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476‐5381.2010.00671.x
Thermal Degradation and Aging of High‐Temperature Piezoelectric Ceramics
Authors: Gotmare Sunil W. , Leontsev Serhiy O. , Eitel Richard E.
Published: March 2010

The perovskite solid solution (1−x)BiScO3–xPbTiO3 (BSPT) represents a new family of piezoelectric ceramics that are promising for high‐temperature actuator applications. In the current work, BSPT and PZT ceramics were synthesized by the conventional mixed oxide method. Thermal degradation and aging at 250°C for 1000 h for undoped BSPT with morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) x=0.64 and tetragonal x=0.66 compositions are compared with pure PZT with the MPB composition. The BSPT system showed reduced aging rates of the piezoelectric coefficient (2.1% and 0.8%/decade for MPB and tetragonal compositions, respectively), compared with the unmodified PZT ceramics (4.2%/decade). The Rayleigh measurement approach was used to conclude that in both the BSPT and PZT, the dominant aging mechanism was the suppression of the domain wall contributions associated with charge defect accumulation at domain walls. The large thermal stability of the poled domain state and low domain wall contributions yielded the lowest observed aging rates in the tetragonal BSPT samples suggesting that this material would be a strong candidate for high‐temperature actuator applications above 200°C.
Clinical findings associated with abnormal lung function in children aged 3–26 months with recurrent respiratory symptoms
Authors: Pelkonen AS , Kotaniemi‐Syrjänen A , Malmström K , Malmberg LP , Mäkelä MJ
Published: March 2010

Aim:  To evaluate whether there are any associations between parentally reported symptoms, clinical findings and lung function in young children with recurrent lower respiratory tract symptoms.

Methods:  In 2000–2003, 148 children, aged 3–26 months, with recurrent lower respiratory tract symptoms underwent physical examination, investigation of a chest radiograph, whole body plethysmography and skin prick testing to common food and inhalant allergens.

Results:  Lung function was considered abnormal (i.e. functional residual capacity z‐score of ≥1.65 and/or specific conductance z‐score of ≤−1.65) in 83 (56%) children. Findings of increased work of breathing (p < 0.001) and nonspecific noisy breathing sounds (p < 0.001) in the physical examination, as well as an abnormal chest radiograph (p = 0.028) were independently associated with abnormal lung function, explaining up to 34% of the variation in lung function. In contrast, parentally reported respiratory symptoms, environmental exposures or atopic trait were not associated with lung function abnormalities.

Conclusion:  The results of this study emphasize the importance of the meticulous clinical examination in the evaluation of early childhood respiratory disorders. As physical examination alone cannot predict lung function abnormalities reliably in preschool children with troublesome respiratory symptoms, lung function testing may be considered in such patients to obtain additional objective information.
Prevalence and characteristics of child physical abuse in Sweden – findings from a population‐based youth survey
Authors: Annerbäck E‐M , Wingren G , Svedin CG , Gustafsson PA
Published: March 2010

Aim:  To examine prevalence rates of child physical abuse perpetrated by a parent/caretaker, abuse characteristics and the extent of disclosures.

Methods:  A population‐based survey was carried out in 2008 amongst all the pupils in three different grades (n = 8494) in schools in Södermanland County, Sweden. The pupils were asked about their exposure to violence and their experiences of parental intimate‐partner violence. Data were analysed with bi‐ and multivariate models and a comparison between means of accumulating risk factors between three groups were performed.

Results:  A total of 15.2% of the children reported that they had been hit. There were strong associations between abuse and risk factors and there was a dose–response relationship between risks and reported abuse. It was shown that children who reported parental intimate‐partner violence were at a considerably higher risk for abuse than other children and that only 7% of the children exposed to violence had disclosed this to authorities.

Conclusion: Even though child abuse in Sweden has decreased markedly during the last 40 years, violence against children is still a considerable problem. It is a challenge to develop methods of assessment and interventions that will ensure that the violence and its underlying causes are directly addressed.
Sexuality and Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with Alfuzosin: SAMBA Thailand
Authors: Leungwattanakij Somboon , Watanachote Damrongpun , Noppakulsatit Patra , Petchpaibuol T. , Choeypunt Nopporn , Tongbai Thanasak , Wanamkang Teerawan , Lojanapiwat Bunnakij , Permpongkosol Sompol , Tantiwong Anupan , Pripatnanont Chusak , Akarasakul Danaipan , Kongwiwatanakul Somsak , Chotikawanich Ekarat
Published: March 2010

Introduction

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition among elderly men. The aim of therapy is to improve lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and quality of life (QoL) and to prevent complications.

Aim

The primary objective was to assess the effect on ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) of 6 months treatment with alfuzosin (XATRAL) 10 mg once daily (OD) in men with LUTS suggestive of BPH in Thailand. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the efficacy of alfuzosin on LUTS, bother score (International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS] 8th question), erectile dysfunction (ED), onset of action, and tolerability.

Methods

Overall, 99 men with moderate to severe LUTS suggestive of BPH (mean IPSS 18.9, bother score 4.3) were enrolled in an open-label study. Sexual function was evaluated at baseline and after 6 months treatment, using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 and the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ) ejaculation score, a new validated questionnaire assessing seven EjD symptoms.

Main Outcome Measure

The main outcome measure is mean change from baseline to the end of treatment in the MSHQ Ejaculation score.

Results

MHSQ ejaculation score significantly improved from 23.09 at baseline to 21.54 at 6 months (P = 0.022). Overall, 70% of patients perceived an improvement in LUTS within 1 week (36.3% within 3 days). IPSS total score significantly improved from 18.93 at baseline to 9.59 at 6 months (P <0.001). IPSS voiding and irritative subscores also significantly improved. The percentage of patients with moderate or severe ED decreased from 35.3% at baseline to 21.8% at 6 months. Most adverse events were dizziness (3%) and orthostatic hypotension (1%) with minor intensity. No significant change in blood pressure and heart rate was observed.

Conclusions

Alfuzosin 10 mg OD administered for 6 months provides a marked and rapid (within 1 week) improvement in LUTS and bother score while improving both ED and EjD.
The Berlin ‘Cream&Sugar’ Study: the Prognostic Impact of an Oral Triglyceride Tolerance Test in Patients after Acute Ischaemic Stroke
Authors: Ebinger M. , Heuschmann P. U. , Jungehuelsing G. J. , Werner C. , Laufs U. , Endres M.
Published: March 2010

Rationale

Stratification according to risk factors is crucial for secondary prevention after acute ischaemic stroke. Nonfasting triglyceride levels seem to be associated with stroke in the general population. However, the exact role of triglyceride levels for the risk of recurrent stroke is unknown.

Hypothesis

We hypothesise that the results of a standardised oral triglyceride tolerance test in the subacute setting (3–7 days) after the first ischaemic stroke are associated with the risk of recurrent stroke within 12 months after the index event.

Design

Prospective observational study.

Study outcome(s)

The primary end-point of the study is recurrent fatal or nonfatal stroke within 12 months. The secondary outcomes are myocardial infarction, coronary revascularisation, cardiovascular death (death due to any cardiovascular or cerebrovascular event), or a transient ischaemic attack within 12 months after the qualifying event.

Discussion

The study has the potential to change clinical practice. It will show whether the oral triglyceride tolerance test in the subacute setting is a useful tool to predict the risk of recurrent stroke.
The Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive (VISTA): Results and Impact on Future Stroke Trials and Management of Stroke Patients
Authors: Weimar C. , Ali M. , Lees K. R. , Bluhmki E. , Donnan G. A. , Diener H. C.
Published: March 2010

Background

The Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive was established to improve stroke care and trial design through the collation, categorization and potential access to data sets from clinical trials for the treatment of stroke.

Methods

Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive currently provides access to a combined data set of 29 anonymised acute stroke trials and one acute stroke registry with data on >27 500 patients aged between 18 and 103 (mean 71) years.

Results

Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive has facilitated research across a broad canvas. The prognosis was poor in patients with very high blood pressure at the time of admission or with a wide variability of systolic blood pressure during the acute phase. The late occurrence of hyperthermia following an ischaemic stroke worsens the prognosis. Stroke lateralisation is not an important predictor of cardiac adverse events or 90-day mortality. Haemorrhagic transformation is seen frequently in patients with cardio-embolic strokes and is associated with a poor prognosis when occurring after the acute phase. Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive has allowed various prognostic models for patients with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke to be established and validated. More direct outcomes such as lesion volume can be useful in phase II clinical trials for determining whether a phase III trial should be undertaken. New outcome measures such as ‘home time’ may also strengthen future trials. On a worldwide level, the prognosis of stroke patients differs considerably between various countries.

Conclusion

Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive provides an excellent opportunity for analysis of natural history data and prognosis. It has the potential to influence clinical trial design and implementation through exploratory data analyses.
The Second (Main) Phase of an Open, Randomised, Multicentre Study to Investigate the Effectiveness of an Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trial (Interact2)
Authors: Delcourt C. , Huang Y. , Wang J. , Heeley E. , Lindley R. , Stapf C. , Tzourio C. , Arima H. , Parsons M. , Sun J. , Neal B. , Chalmers J. , Anderson C.
Published: March 2010

Rationale:

The INTERACT pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of the protocol, safety of early intensive blood pressure lowering and effects on haematoma expansion within 6h of onset of intracerebral haemorrhage. This article describes the design of the second, main phase, INTERACT2.

Aims:

To compare the effects of a management strategy of early intensive blood pressure lowering with a more conservative guideline-based blood pressure management policy in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage.

Design:

INTERACT2 is a prospective, randomized, open label, assessor-blinded end-point (PROBE). Patients with a systolic blood pressure greater than 150 mmHg and no definite indication for or contraindication to blood pressure-lowering treatment are centrally randomised to either of two treatment groups within 6h onset of intracerebral haemorrhage. Those allocated to intensive blood pressure lowering will receive primarily intravenous, hypotensive agents to achieve a systolic blood pressure target of <140 mmHg within 1 h of randomisation and to maintain this level for up to 7 days in hospital. The control group will receive blood pressure-lowering treatment to a target systolic blood pressure of < 180 mmHg. Both groups are to receive similar acute stroke unit care, therapy and active management. Oral antihypertensive therapy is recommended in patients before hospital discharge with a long-term systolic blood pressure goal of 140 mmHg according to secondary stroke prevention guidelines. A projected 2800 subjects are to be enrolled from approximately 140 centres worldwide to provide 90% power (α 0·05) to detect a 14% difference in the risk of death and dependency between the groups, which equates to one or more cases of a poor outcome prevented in every 15 patients treated.

Study outcomes:

The primary outcome is the combined end-point of death and dependency according to the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days. The secondary outcomes are the separate components of the primary end-point in patients treated <4 hours of ICH onset, grades of physical function on the modified Rankin Scale, health-related quality of life on the EuroQoL, recurrent stroke and other vascular events, days of hospitalisation, requirement for permanent residential care and unexpected serious adverse events. The study is registered under NCT00716079, ISRCTN73916115 and ACTRN12608000362392.
A hydrological investigation using a lumped water balance model: the Aison River Basin case (Greece)
Authors: Karpouzos D. K. , Baltas E. A. , Kavalieratou S. , Babajimopoulos C.
Published: March 2010

The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the hydrological components of the Aison River Basin in northern Greece. The orography of the area and the increasing irrigation needs require a specifically adapted hydrological model in order to address water management issues. With this aim in view, a parsimonious lumped simulation–optimization model with a snowmelt routine is elaborated in a monthly time step. The Nelder–Mead algorithm is applied for automatic optimization of the model parameters using the Nash criterion as an objective function. The model results are also evaluated by additional statistical criteria. In order to further reduce data uncertainty influence, annual actual evapotranspiration values are compared with those derived using three empirical methods (Turk, Coutagne and Schreiber methods). Model outputs were shown to be a good estimation of the hydrological cycle components, indicating that water losses represent almost 62% of the total precipitation volume.
The Effect of the Dye Aquashade® on Water Quality, Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, and Sunshine Bass, Morone chrysops×M. saxatilis, Fingerling Production in Fertilized Culture Ponds
Authors: Ludwig Gerald M. , Perschbacher Peter , Edziyie Regina
Published: March 2010

Rooted macrophytes make harvesting fingerling fish difficult because they can smother fish or tangle in the seines during harvest. Aquashade®, a dye, is used to reduce macrophyte growth. Fingerling culturists are reluctant to use it because it may reduce phytoplankton concentrations and zooplankton food supplies of larval fish. Aquashade was applied at 4 mg/L (twice the recommended rate) to three ponds when filled and to three ponds when fry were started on prepared feed. Three ponds served as a control. All ponds were stocked with sunshine bass larvae at 15,000/0.04 ha. Water quality and plankton were monitored daily until harvest. Few differences were found among treatment ponds for water quality, chlorophyll a, primary productivity, phytoplankton and zooplankton concentrations, or weight of rooted macrophytes. Unionized ammonia and pH increased to potentially harmful levels in ponds that did not receive the dye. No differences were found in the number, total weight or percent survival of fingerlings harvested. No differences in average individual total length, total weight, or coefficient of condition were found either. At the concentration of dye used, the dye was not effective for rooted macrophyte control but may offer fish some protection from high pH or unionized ammonia concentrations.
Gentamycin Controls Bacterial Growth during Refrigerated Storage of Piracanjuba, Brycon orbignyanus, Semen
Authors: Viveiros Ana T. M. , Isaú Ziara A. , Figueiredo Henrique C. P. , Leite Marco A. S. , Maria Alexandre N.
Published: March 2010

Piracanjuba, Brycon orbignyanus, is an endangered Brazilian freshwater fish species. Refrigerated storage of semen is a simple and useful tool for artificial reproduction, especially when the number of brood fish is reduced. In our previous study, some extenders containing gentamycin were tested during refrigerated storage of piracanjuba semen. It was observed that semen stored in extender containing gentamycin did not retain sperm motility for longer periods compared to samples diluted in extender only, as expected. We hypothesized that the bacterial population present in piracanjuba semen was not susceptible to gentamycin, the gentamycin concentration tested did not control bacterial growth, or extender pH was not optimum for sperm storage. To test these hypothesis we (a) stored semen in NaCl‐tris solution with the pH adjusted to different values; (b) quantified bacterial growth during the refrigerated storage of semen; (c) submitted some colony‐forming units of different strains to susceptibility profile to penicillin, streptomycin, lincomicin, ampicillin, and gentamycin; and (d) evaluated the effects of gentamycin (0, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/mL) on bacterial growth, sperm motility and fertilization rate. Higher sperm motilities were yielded when extender pH was adjusted to 7.6. A progressive increase in bacterial population and a gradual reduction in sperm motility were observed during the 8 d of storage. Ninety‐two percent of the bacterial colonies tested were susceptible to gentamycin. Semen diluted in NaCl‐tris containing gentamycin at 0.1 mg/mL yielded higher motility and fully inhibited bacterial growth during refrigerated storage, and did not affect the fertilization process. Thus, the addition of gentamycin at 0.1 mg/mL of NaCl‐tris pH 7.6 can be used as a routine when storage of semen for 4–6 d is necessary. The refrigerated storage of semen improves the efficiency of artificial reproduction and consequently can promote a better recovery of this species.
Seasonal Changes in Perkinsus olseni Infection and Gametogenesis in Manila Clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, from Seonjaedo Island in Incheon, off the West Coast of Korea
Authors: Jasim Uddin M. , Yang Hyun‐Sung , Choi Kwang‐Sik , Kim Hyo‐Jin , Hong Jae‐Sang , Cho Moonjae
Published: March 2010

Seasonal changes in Perkinsus olseni infection and gametogenesis in the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, were investigated over a 14‐mo period at a commercial clam bed on Seonjaedo Island, off the west coast of Korea. The prevalence, infection intensity, and gametogenic stages were histologically evaluated. The prevalence and monthly mean infection intensity ranged from 38 to 97% and 0.77–2.48 on a 4‐point scale. The infection intensity in autumn was significantly higher than in summer (2003 and 2004, P < 0.05). In 2003, the timing of gametogenesis and spawning varied with respect to infection level; uninfected clams matured earlier than moderately or heavily infected clams. In contrast, no such temporal variation in spawning was observed among infection groups in 2004. The resting period of heavily infected clams was longer than that of moderately infected or uninfected clams. A high level of P. olseni infection appears to disrupt the maturation of the clams, although our numerical scoring of infection intensity based on histopathology was not sufficiently sensitive to establish this.
The Effect of Different Substrates on Larvae Settlement in Sea Cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus Selenka
Authors: Li Li , Li Qi , Kong Lingfeng
Published: March 2010

In this study, the effect of various substrata on the settlement of sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus, was evaluated. The settlement of the larvae in the experiments with three different substrata was compared and showed that a polyethylene plastic sheet attracted significantly more larvae (P < 0.05) than plastic film and monofilament nylon. In addition, the highest setting rate was achieved for the plastic sheet with diatom‐based films, followed by effective microorganisms (EMs)‐based films and natural microbial films, and the least recorded was on the plastic sheet without biofilms. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the mean setting rates of the treatments, except between the diatom‐based films and the EM‐based films. Plastic sheets also appeared attractive to setting larvae when coated with tissue extracts of the same species. The number of settled larvae on substrates with tissue extracts was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than that on the control.
Prior infection with classical swine H1N1 influenza viruses is associated with protective immunity to the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus
Authors: Kash John C. , Qi Li , Dugan Vivien G. , Jagger Brett W. , Hrabal Rachel J. , Memoli Matthew J. , Morens David M. , Taubenberger Jeffery K.
Published: March 2010

Please cite this paper as: Kash et al. (2010) Prior infection with classical swine H1N1 influenza viruses is associated with protective immunity to the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 4(3), 121–127.

Background  The 2009 H1N1 pandemic emerged even though seasonal H1N1 viruses have circulated for decades. Epidemio‐logical evidence suggested that the current seasonal vaccine did not offer significant protection from the novel pandemic, and that people over the age of 50 might were less susceptible to infection.

Objectives  In a mouse challenge study with the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus, we evaluated protective immune responses elicited by prior infection with human and swine influenza A viruses.

Results  Mice infected with A/Mexico/4108/2009 (Mex09) showed significant weight loss and 40% mortality. Prior infection with a 1976 classical swine H1N1 virus resulted in complete protection from Mex09 challenge. Prior infection with either a 2009 or a 1940 seasonal H1N1 influenza virus provided partial protection and a >100‐fold reduction in viral lung titers at day 4 post‐infection.

Conclusions  These findings indicate that in experimental animals recently induced immunity to 1918‐derived H1N1 seasonal influenza viruses, and to a 1976 swine influenza virus, afford a degree of protection against the 2009 pandemic virus. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of accumulating data suggesting partial protection of older persons during the 2009 pandemic.
Immunizing Effects of Cocultures of H22 Hepatocarcinoma Cells and Cartilage Polysaccharide on Murine H22 Hepatocarcinoma
Authors: Han Xue , Liu An‐Jun , Zhao Xi‐Hua , Li Yan‐Dong , Zheng Guo‐Qiang , Zhang Guo‐Rong
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT:  Hepatocarcinoma is a malignant cancer, which is threatening human lives. In order to disclose the immunizing effects of the cells and cartilage polysaccharide (CHCP) on liver cancer, murine H22 hepatocarcinoma model was set up. The survival time, life span, and survival rate of the CHCP group were better than model group or other groups which was immunized with cartilage short‐chain polysaccharide (CPS) only or H22 cell lysate only. A series of experiments were proceeded and the results confirmed that the humoral immunity and cellular immunity were strengthened. HE staining, TUNEL assay, and Alcian staining were used to research the mechanism of the tumor specific antigen production which may be related to the apoptosis of H22 hepatocarcinoma cells induced by CPS or some new polysaccharide compound emerged. The animal experiment testified the relationship between H22 hepatocarcinoma cell apoptosis induced by CPS and the effect of murine H22 hepatocarcinoma immunoprophylaxis. Our data demonstrated that the coculture of cartilage polysaccharide and cancer cells may serve as a novel source of antihepatocarcinoma agent that may play an important role in future liver cancer immunoprophylaxis.
Identification of Natural Antimicrobial Substances in Red Muscadine Juice against Cronobacter sakazakii
Authors: Kim T.J. , Weng W.L. , Silva J.L. , Jung Y.S. , Marshall D.
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT:  Red muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.) juices with natural organic, phenolic acids and polyphenol compounds were tested against Cronobacter sakazakii. The concentration of total phenolic compounds of commercial baby juices ranged from 176.7 to 347.7 mg/mL. Commercial baby juices showed poor antimicrobial activity, reducing less than 1‐log of C. sakazakii in juice samples for 2 h at 37 °C. Red muscadine juices, regardless of processing methods (filtration, pasteurization, and sterilization), achieved a 6‐log reduction of C. sakazakii in the same time period (2 h). The mixture of synthetic organic acids (malic and tartaric acids) and polyphenolic acid (tannic acid) showed strong antimicrobial activity against C. sakazakii. Among synthetic organic acids, tannic acid was undetected in commercial baby juices. Tannic acid showed the highest antimicrobial activity (1.4‐ to 3.8‐log reduction) against C. sakazakii, while malic and tartaric acids showed less than 0.5‐log reduction. These results suggest that red muscadine juice could be utilized as a natural antimicrobial in baby food formulations to inhibit C. sakazakii.
Comparing Antioxidant Effectiveness of Natural and Synthetic Free Radical Scavengers in Thermally‐Oxidized Lard using DPPH Method
Authors: Yeo Ju Dong , Jeong Min Kyu , Park Chan Uk , Lee JaeHwan
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT:  Antioxidant effectiveness of free radical scavengers (FRSs) of α‐tocopherol, sesamol, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and tert‐butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) were evaluated in thermally‐oxidized lard using methods of 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), conjugated dienoic acid (CDA), and p‐anisidine value (p‐AV). Absorbance of DPPH with lard containing 2.5 μmol/g FRSs were low before oxidation while those with control lard was high due to the hydrogen atom donating ability of FRSs. During oxidation, DPPH absorbance with lard containing FRSs increased differently up to the certain point depending on the types of FRSs. DPPH absorbance of lard without FRSs started to decrease upon oxidation, which indicates that free radical scavenging compounds were generated from oxidized lipids. Results of CDA and p‐AV showed that the highest antioxidant capacity was in the order of TBHQ = sesamol, BHT, and α‐tocopherol. Antioxidant effectiveness of FRS should consider the hydrogen atom donating rates of FRS, the reactivity and stability of FRS at treatment temperature, and characteristics of radicals from FRSs, which may be predicted by the results of DPPH method.
Long‐term study of vascular perfusion effects following arteriovenous sheathotomy for branch retinal vein occlusion
Authors: Muqit Mahiul M. K. , Saidkasimova Shohista , Keating David , Murdoch John R.
Published: March 2010

Purpose:  To evaluate the perfusion effects and long‐term visual outcome of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with arteriovenous sheathotomy (AVS) with or without triamcinolone for nonischaemic branch retinal vein occlusion (NI‐BRVO).

Methods:  Prospective, interventional case series of eight patients with NI‐BRVO and haemorrhagic macular oedema. Patients underwent PPV and AVS (n = 5), or PPV, AVS and intravitreal triamcinolone (IVT, n = 3). A masked grading technique assessed fundus photographs and fluorescein angiography (FFA) following surgery. Scanning laser ophthalmoscopy/optical coherence tomography (SLO/OCT) evaluated macular oedema and outer retinal architecture. Main outcomes examined included visual acuity (VA), retinal reperfusion, collateral vessel regression, vascular dilatation, cystoid macular oedema (CMO), and ocular neovascularization.

Results:  Seven of eight patients underwent uncomplicated surgery, with increased intraretinal perfusion and reduced engorgement of distal retinal veins. The mean pre‐logMAR VA was 0.8 (SD 0.17) and did not improve significantly after surgery (post‐logMAR 0.6, SD 0.38; p = 0.11, paired t‐test). SLO/OCT showed persistent CMO in four patients, and subfoveal thinning of the photoreceptor layer. Collateral vessels disappeared at the blockage site post‐AVS in 7/8 eyes, and this was associated with improved retinal perfusion. Six of eight patients developed epiretinal membrane. No patients developed ocular neovascularization. The average follow‐up was 34.5 months.

Conclusions:  PPV with AVS is a safe procedure, and adjunctive IVT had no additional effects on vascular perfusion. Successful decompressive surgery was followed by disappearance of collateral vessels at the BRVO blockage site and was a clinical marker for intravascular reperfusion. Long‐term epiretinal gliosis and subfoveal photoreceptor atrophy limited functional and visual recovery.
Did The Earth Move For You? The anti‐Mabl Debate1
Authors: Cowlishaw Gillian
Published: March 2010

This paper engages with the arguments which circulated in the public domain in opposition to the recognition of native title, and sets out the ‘truths’ they constructed concerning the nature and position of Aborigines within the Australian nation. These ‘truths’ rely on a nescience in the public domain of Aboriginal cultural forms and of the actuality of contemporary race relations. It is argued that the assumptions about cultural and racial domains and boundaries which were being accorded a new legitimacy, comprised an attempt to re‐legitimise racial inequality as the norm for Australian society.
A Novel Approach to Tradition: Torres Strait Islanders and Ion Idriess
Authors: Fuary Maureen
Published: March 2010

This paper considers the significance of the novel Drums of Mer (1941) in contemporary Torres Strait Islanders' lives. Its use as narrative by many Islanders today constitutes one means by which men especially have come to know themselves, white others, and their past. In particular, I explore the ways in which this story appeals to and is appealed to by Yam Island people. Contrary to literary deconstructions of Idriess's representations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, my paper argues that in seriously attending to Torres Strait readings of Drums of Mer we can see that for contemporary Islander readers, it is not themselves who are other but rather the white protagonists.

I employ Said's (1994) notion of ‘cultural overlap’ and de Certeau's (1988) understandings of reading and writing as ‘everyday practices’ to frame my analysis of the differing impacts of the historical novel, Drums of Mer, and the Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits. It is through story telling that Yam Island selves are placed in the past and the present, and in Idriess's memorable story a similar effect is achieved. In his novel approach, the past becomes his‐story, a romanticised refraction of the Reports. Unlike the Reports, this novel is a sensual rendering of a Torres Strait past, and at this level it operates as a mnemonic device for Yam Island people, triggering memories and the imagination through the senses. This Torres Strait Islander detour by way of a past via a story, can be understood as a means by which Yam Island people continue to actively produce powerful images of themselves, for both themselves and for others.
Agta Foragers: Alternative Histories, and Cultural Autonomy in Luzon
Authors: Griffin Marcus B. , Griffin P. Bion
Published: March 2010

This paper looks at how the Agta are perceived by non‐Agta and the relevance such perception has on Agta involvement in logging, environmental conservation, evangelical Christianity, and hosting their admirers: the anthropologists. We focus on two groups of Agta: (1) the people of the municipality of Palanan, site of the World Bank and Dutch government funded Sierra Madre Wilderness Park, and (2) the people of Maconacon north of Palanan, the location of a defunct logging operation, missionary effort, and Armed Forces Philippines/New People's Army struggle. While inundated with outside pressures, the Agta people are increasingly asserting their own identity and becoming active players in a global and post‐colonial context. We suggest that the Agta are not completely subordinate to their petty capitalist and farming neighbours. While the Agta are participants and consumers of global culture, they have retained a degree of cultural autonomy and an ability to create their own history.
Higaûnon Resistance and Ethnic Politics in Northern Mindanao1
Authors: Paredes Oona Thommes
Published: March 2010

The root causes of armed aggression among Higaûnon people in northern Mindanao, Philippines, have changed over the centuries. Prior to the 20th century, its primary aim was raiding for slaves and for redress of personal grievances. At the turn of the 20th century, armed aggression became tied to the loss of ancestral lands, an issue which grew more acute as Mindanao became the target of government resettlement policies and economic ventures. In the 1970s, Higaûnon aggression culminated in the ‘Higaûnon War’ against commercial logging on their ancestral lands. Rhetoric employed in this ‘war’ changed over the years, from limited personal grievances to Marxist ideology to radical environmentalism, all of which have engendered violent responses from the government. Recently, Higaûnons have conflated environmentalist rhetoric with expressions of their ethnic identity, and emphasised their economic as well as cultural dependence on the land. This peaceful strategy has produced some positive results but, because of continuing land insecurity, it has not completely eliminated the prospect of armed aggression in the future.
Re‐embodying Sand Drawing and Re‐evaluating the Status of the Camp: The Practice and Iconography of Women's Public Sand Drawing in Balgo, W.A.
Authors: Watson Christine
Published: March 2010

The documentation of Aboriginal women's sand‐drawing practice in Central Australia has to date been based largely on Munn's research amongst the Warlpiri at Yuendumu. Data from Kutjungka women from the Balgo area of Western Australia show that there are marked geographic differences in the styles of public sand drawing used by women from the two areas, as well as differences in gender coding between the two systems. The account of Balgo women's public sand drawing presented here uses methodologies grounded in recent developments in phenomenology, practice theory and embodiment theory, to examine layers of meaning encoded in this everyday practice. It suggests that women's public sand drawing in this area is linked to Kutjungka thought about the Dreaming, through webs of thought about the significance of penetrating the surface of the land, in some ways foreshadowing aspects of the women's ceremonial practices. This account suggests that the relationship between male and female ‘graphic’ systems may be more accurately described as dialogical than dichotomous.
Dancing The Past Into Life: The Rasa, Nrtta and Rāga of Immigrant Existence.
Authors: Ram Kalpana
Published: March 2010

This paper attempts to explore the significant place that Indian ‘classical’ dance has held, both in postcolonial Indian nationalism, and in the middle‐class Indian diaspora's efforts to transmit the cultural past. While arguing that this orientation towards culture as a set of representations signals a fundamental breakdown in a more primary relation to the past, the paper turns to Indian dance and music for a language with which to appreciate both the full magical force of representations and the persistence of a level of embodied experience which is coherent and meaningful without being representational.

If the past were available to us only in the form of express recollections, we should be continually tempted to recall it in order to verify its existence, and thus resemble the patient mentioned by Scheler, who was constantly turning round in order to reassure himself that things were really there—whereas in fact we feel it behind us as an incontestable acquisition. (Merleau‐Ponty, 1986:418)
The Meaning of the Steps is in Between: Dancing and the Curse of Compliments
Authors: Tamisari Franca
Published: March 2010

This paper shows how Yolngu dancing embodies statements about being‐in‐the‐world and being‐with‐others and, from a performance perspective based on participation, explores the sensuous and affective nature of intercorporeality. By focusing on virtuosity and the practice of the ‘curse of compliments’, the paper argues that the meaning of Yolngu dancing is between the steps, between the performers and other participants in a ceremony—in the empathic space one enters through dancing. Empathy, both in the context of Yolngu performance and of engagement in fieldwork, is thus a modality of co‐presence and co‐presencing, an encounter at a level of intensity which opens the way to an ever‐deepening involvement with others.
Dancing with a Difference: Reconfiguring the Poetic Politics of Aboriginal Ritual as National Spectacle1
Authors: Magowan Fiona
Published: March 2010

This paper argues that indigenous dance is a poetic politics of cross‐cultural encounter that engages Aboriginal identities with those of the Australian nation. I question the nature of this encounter in terms of a performative dialogue that is both musically and kinesically presented by indigenous communities and ‘translated’ into political discourse by the government. The sentiments of ‘translation’ raise questions as to how local ritual expressions of Aboriginal dance can mediate dialogue when presented as national spectacle. What is being meditated? What is happening in the process of evocation? In this performative nexus, I focus specifically on the poetic politics of Yolngu ritual as spectacle; the nature of performative dialogue in terms of shared dance forms between indigenous communities; the problem of the authentication of dance identities; and how corporeal dispositions of indigenous dance genres influence national sentiment by their symbolic power. I pursue these issues through an analysis of how ancestral dances have been repositioned in national performance venues, such as concerts, cultural centres and ritual arenas, as a means of asserting performative statements about indigenous positioning within the nation‐state. The nature of this dialogue raises questions of authenticity and processes of authentication. It highlights indigenous concerns to control representations of indigeneity as national event, as well as a desire to convey something of the sentiment and sentience embodied in the poetics of their ancestral performances.