bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diversity patterns along and across the Chilean margin: a continental slope encompassing oxygen gradients and methane seep benthic habitats
Authors: Sellanes Javier , Neira Carlos , Quiroga Eduardo , Teixido Núria
Published: October 2009

In the present study we review datasets available for the Chilean margin to assess the relationship between environmental (or habitat) heterogeneity and benthic diversity. Several factors, such as the presence of different water masses, including the oxygen‐deficient Equatorial Sub‐surface Waters (ESSW) at the continental shelf and upper slope, and the Antarctic Intermediate Waters (AIW) at mid slope depths appear to control the bathymetric distribution of benthic communities. The presence of methane seeps and an extended oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) add complexity to the benthic distribution patterns observed. All these factors generate environmental heterogeneity, which is predicted to affect the diversity patterns both along and across the Chilean continental margin. The response to these factors differs among different faunal size groups: meio‐, macro‐, and megafauna. Physiological adaptations to oxygen deficiency and constraints related to body size of each group seem to explain the larger‐scale patterns observed, while sediment/habitat heterogeneity (e.g. at water mass boundaries, hardgrounds, biogeochemical patchiness, sediment organic content, grain size) may influence the local fauna diversity patterns.
Prediction model of blood pressure control in community‐dwelling hypertensive adults in Korea
Authors: Yang Sook Ja , Jung Dukyoo , Choi Ae‐Sook
Published: October 2009

The purpose of the present descriptive study was to test a hypothetical model explaining the factors that influence blood pressure control among hypertensive Korean adults ≥ 20 years of age. Subjects were 1041 individuals with hypertension identified from 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Twelve of the 24 hypothesized paths in the structural model were significant. Gender (β = 0.09, P < 0.00), medication (β = −0.24, P < 0.00), regular physical activity (β = 0.06, P = 0.02) and comorbidity (β = 0.14, P < 0.00) were significantly associated with blood pressure control, representing 10% of the variance therein. The fit of the model to the data was supported. The study results indicate that health professionals should develop strategies to motivate compliance with antihypertensive medication and regular physical activity of hypertensive adults.
Efficacy of repeat hepatic resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinomas
Authors: Nagano Yasuhiko , Shimada Hiroshi , Ueda Michio , Matsuo Kenichi , Tanaka Kuniya , Endo Itaru , Kunisaki Chikara , Togo Shinji
Published: October 2009

Background:  This study evaluated the efficacy of repeat hepatic resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the clinicopathological factors influencing overall survival after resection.

Methods:  From 1992 to 2005, 231 patients underwent curative hepatic resection for HCC at Yokohama City University, Japan. Of these, 105 patients developed intrahepatic recurrence, and 24 repeat hepatectomies were performed for recurrent HCC. Survival data were analysed, and prognostic factors for repeat hepatic resection were determined.

Results:  The overall cumulative 1‐, 3‐ and 5‐year survival rates and the median survival time of the patients after initial hepatic resection (n= 231) did not differ from those of the patients after repeat hepatic resection (n= 24), with values of 91.3, 70.2 and 49.1%, and 57 months, versus 91.7, 73.1 and 50.9%, and 61.5 months, respectively (P= 0.875). The operative time and blood loss in patients who underwent repeat hepatic resection did not differ from those who underwent primary resection. Multivariate analysis identified portal invasion at the first hepatic resection and a disease‐free interval of ≤1.5 years after primary hepatic resection as independent risk factors for survival after repeat hepatic resection. The 12 patients who did not show either of the two prognostic factors had 3‐ and 5‐year survival rates of 91.7 and 68.8%, respectively, after repeat hepatic resection.

Conclusions:  Our findings suggest repeat hepatic resection as the treatment of choice for recurrent HCC patients without portal invasion at the first resection whose recurrence develops after a disease‐free interval of >1.5 years since the previous surgery.
Is there just one lesion? The need for whole body skin examination in patients presenting with non‐melanocytic skin cancer
Authors: Terrill Patricia Jane , Fairbanks Sian , Bailey Michael
Published: October 2009

Background:  In patients presenting with non‐melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) the frequency of concurrently presenting tumours is poorly documented. Whole body skin examination is recommended but in a recent survey of Australian General Practitioners and skin cancer clinics doctors it was infrequently performed. The aim of this study was to examine the incidence of concurrent skin cancer at initial presentation and therefore to examine the need for whole body skin examination for NMSC presentations.

Method:  One hundred consecutive patients with a referral diagnosis indicative of NMSC were examined. Data was analysed as to the referring doctor's diagnosis, whole body skin examination findings and histology of excised lesions. Epidemiological data was obtained by patient questionnaire.

Results:  One hundred patients, 41 males and 59 females, with a mean age of 70 years (range 39–91 years) underwent whole body skin examination. Sixty‐seven per cent of patients were found to have additional lesions requiring treatment, 46% skin cancers (30 patients basal cell carcinomas, five squamous cell carcinomas, seven basal and squamous cell carcinomas, two lentigo maligna, two adenexal tumours) and 21% solar keratoses. Thirty‐four of the additional lesions detected were in areas covered by clothing. Sixty‐eight patients had a past history of skin cancer excision.

Conclusions:  In the Australian patient population, the need for whole body skin examination is essential to avoid missing concurrent lesions. Ongoing surveillance is also essential as these patients have a high risk of developing future NMSC.
Neural basis of timing and anticipatory behaviors
Authors: Antle Michael C. , Silver Rae
Published: October 2009

The ability to anticipate physiological needs and to predict the availability of desirable resources optimizes the likelihood of survival for an organism. The neural basis of the complex behaviors associated with anticipatory responses is now being delineated. Anticipation likely involves learning and memory, reward and punishment, memory and cognition, arousal and feedback associated with changes in internal and external state, homeostatic processes and timing mechanisms. While anticipation can occur on a variety of timescales (seconds to minutes to hours to days to a year), there have been great strides made towards understanding the neural basis timing of events in the circadian realm. Anticipation of daily events, such as scheduled access to food, may serve as a useful model for a more broadly based understanding the neurobiology of anticipation. In this review we examine the historical, conceptual and experimental approaches to understanding the neural basis of anticipation with a focus on anticipation of scheduled daily meals. We also introduce the key topics represented in the papers in this issue. These papers focused on food anticipation, to explore the state of the art in the studies of the neural basis of timing and anticipatory behaviors.
Food‐anticipatory circadian rhythms: concepts and methods
Authors: Mistlberger Ralph E.
Published: October 2009

Rats, mice and other species can behaviorally anticipate a predictable daily mealtime by entrainment of circadian oscillators (food‐entrainable oscillators) distinct from those (light‐entrainable oscillators) that regulate light‐dark entrained rhythms of behavior and physiology. Neurobiological analysis of food‐anticipatory rhythms has progressed slowly but is gaining pace. Food‐anticipatory rhythms have proven to be surprisingly robust to many neural and circadian clock gene perturbations. A few neural ablation sites or gene mutations have been associated with loss or marked attenuation of anticipatory rhythms, but in each case there are apparently conflicting reports. Attenuation of food‐anticipatory rhythms following neural or genetic perturbations could result from actions upstream or downstream from the clock mechanism, and could be limited to certain behavioral endpoints or recording conditions. Failure to observe attenuation could reflect compensation by alternate timing mechanisms that do not involve food‐entrainable oscillators. To facilitate progress in neurobiological analysis of food‐anticipatory rhythms, criteria for distinguishing among formally distinct mechanisms by which animals might anticipate a daily meal are reviewed, and procedural variables that can affect the expression of food‐anticipatory rhythms in neurobiologically intact or compromised animals are identified.
Peripheral oscillators: the driving force for food‐anticipatory activity
Authors: Escobar Carolina , Cailotto Cathy , Angeles‐Castellanos Manuel , Delgado Roberto Salgado , Buijs Ruud M.
Published: October 2009

Food‐anticipatory activity (FAA) and especially the food‐entrained oscillator (FEO) have driven many scientists to seek their mechanisms and locations. Starting our research on FAA we, possibly like many other scientists, were convinced that clock genes held the key to the location and the underlying mechanisms for FAA. In this review, which is aimed especially at discussing the contribution of the peripheral oscillators, we have put together the accumulating evidence that the clock gene machinery as we know it today is not sufficient to explain food entrainment. We discuss the contribution of three types of oscillating processes: (i) within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), neurons capable of maintaining a 24‐h oscillation in electrical activity driven by a set of clock genes; (ii) oscillations in metabolic genes and clock genes in other parts of the brain and in peripheral organs driven by the SCN or by food, which damp out after a few cycles; (iii) an FEO which, we propose, is a system built up of different oscillatory processes and consisting of an as‐yet‐unidentified network of central and peripheral structures. In view of the evidence that clock genes and metabolic oscillations are not essential for the persistence of FAA we propose that food entrainment is initiated by a repeated metabolic state of scarcity that drives an oscillating network of brain nuclei in interaction with peripheral oscillators. This complex may constitute the proposed FEO and is distributed in our peripheral organs as well as within the central nervous system.
The SCN‐independent clocks, methamphetamine and food restriction
Authors: Honma Ken‐ichi , Honma Sato
Published: October 2009

The circadian system in mammals consists of the central clock in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and the peripheral clocks in a variety of tissues and organs. The SCN clock entrains to a light–dark cycle and resets the peripheral clocks. In addition, there are at least two other clocks in the circadian domain which are independent of the SCN and which entrain to nonphotic time cues: methamphetamine (MAP)‐induced and restricted daily feeding (RF)‐induced clocks. Neither the site nor the mechanism of SCN‐independent clocks is known. Canonical clock genes for circadian oscillation are not required for the expression of either SCN‐independent rhythm. The central catecholaminergic system is probably involved in the expression of the SCN‐independent rhythms, especially of the MAP‐induced rhythm. MAP‐induced activity rhythms in rats and the sleep–wake cycles in humans share unique phenomena such as spontaneous internal desynchronization, circabidian rhythm and nonphotic entrainment, suggesting overlapping oscillatory mechanisms. The SCN‐independent clock is an adaptation that regulates behavior in response to nonphotic time cues, and seems to be closely related to the arousal mechanism.
Chronic kidney disease among men with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia
Authors: Hong Sung Kyu , Lee Seung Tae , Jeong Sung Jin , Byun Seok‐Soo , Hong Young Kwon , Park Dong Soo , Hong Jae Yup , Son Jeong Hwan , Kim Cheil , Jang Seok Heun , Lee Sang Eun
Published: October 2009

Study Type – Diagnosis (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To analyse potential association of various clinical characteristics of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) among men presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to BPH of varying severity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We reviewed the data of 2741 consecutive patients who presented to our clinic with LUTS secondary to BPH. For our analysis, CKD was defined by an elevated serum creatinine level or decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to address associations of CKD with various clinical characteristics.

RESULTS

Of the 2741 patients, 161 (5.9%) were initially classified as having CKD (serum creatinine ≥133 µmol/L). In multivariate analysis, peak flow rate (P = 0.001) and a history of hypertension and/or diabetes (both P < 0.001) were significantly associated with CKD, whereas age, body mass index, prostate‐specific antigen level, prostate volume, postvoid residual, or International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) were not. When individual symptoms from the IPSS were analysed, only weak stream (P = 0.041) and hesitancy (P = 0.048), both obstruction‐related, were significantly associated with CKD status in age and comorbidity‐adjusted analyses. The results of secondary analysis with CKD defined as an eGFR of <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 were similar.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that decreased peak flow rate and a history of hypertension and/or diabetes are significantly associated with CKD in men seeking management for LUTS from BPH of varying severity.
Outcome analysis of robotic pyeloplasty: a large single‐centre experience
Authors: Gupta Narmada P. , Nayyar Rishi , Hemal Ashok K. , Mukherjee Satyadeep , Kumar Rajeev , Dogra Prem N.
Published: October 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To present our experience and outcomes of robot‐assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RALP) for pelvi‐ureteric junction obstruction (PUJO).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a prospective study of 85 consecutive patients who had RALP for PUJO at our institute from July 2006 to December 2008. The preoperative evaluation included intravenous urography (IVU) and diuretic renography. The type of pyeloplasty was decided based on the size of the pelves, presence of crossing vessel, level of ureteric insertion and the length of obstruction. All surgery was done through a transperitoneal approach using four or five ports. The follow‐up comprised IVU and renal dynamic scintigraphy. Relevant data were collected and analysed for perioperative morbidity, complications and long‐term functional outcomes.

RESULTS

In all, 86 RALPs were performed, including one bilateral, 41 right‐sided and 43 left‐sided cases. The mean operative time was 121 min, including an anastomosis time of 47 min. The mean estimated blood loss was 45 mL. The drain was removed within 48 h. The mean hospital stay was 2.5 days. Three patients had stents that migrated upwards, and prolonged drainage. The success rate was 97% (82/85) with a mean follow‐up of 13.6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

RALP is highly effective for managing PUJO, with low morbidity, quick recovery and a durable success rate.
Synchronous panniculectomy with stomal revision for obese patients with stomal stenosis and retraction
Authors: Katkoori Devendar , Samavedi Srinivas , Kava Bruce , Soloway Mark S. , Manoharan Murugesan
Published: October 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To report our experience of synchronous panniculectomy with stomal revision in morbidly obese patients after radical cystectomy (RC) and ileal conduit urinary diversion (UD). Abnormal skin folds with an uneven surface, stomal retraction and stomal stenosis result in a poorly fitting appliance which leads to urinary leakage, need for frequent change of appliances and skin excoriation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 302 RCs with UD were done by one surgical team between 2002 and 2008, with ileal conduit diversion in 182 (60%); 18 had a body mass index (BMI) of >35 kg/m2, and among them four had severe stomal stenosis with retraction. We report the technique we used for managing stomal stenosis in these patients.

RESULTS

The mean (range) BMI of the patients was 42 (38–46) kg/m2; all were women. The mean (sd) operative duration was 2 (0.5)h. The drain was removed once the drainage was <25 mL in 24 h. The mean (sd) hospital stay was 3 (1) days; there were no significant complications. After a mean follow‐up of 3 years there was no recurrent stomal stenosis or retraction.

CONCLUSIONS

The unique advantage of this procedure is that it avoids laparotomy in a morbidly obese patient, and it provides excellent cosmesis while correcting the stomal complication.
Initial experience of teaching robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy to surgeons‐in‐training: can training be evaluated and standardized?
Authors: Davis John W. , Kamat Ashish , Munsell Mark , Pettaway Curtis , Pisters Louis , Matin Surena
Published: October 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To measure the time and subjective quality of individual steps of robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), as RARP performed by trainees has recently become the most common technique of RP in the USA, and although outcomes from expert surgeons are reported, limited data are available to document training experiences.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The patients studied were from a prospective cohort of 178 participants (124 with training data). Transperitoneal RARP was performed by one faculty surgeon and one assistant from a rotation of four urological oncology fellows and three residents. RARP was divided into 11 steps, and staff times were recorded for each step. Trainee times and quality scores were recorded for each step, the later defined as grade A equal to staff (A+, no verbal coaching); B, minor corrections; and C, major corrections. Short‐term outcomes were recorded to assess the safety of the training.

RESULTS

The mean (range) console time/case of trainees was 40 (10–123) min. The median console time for a complete case by faculty and by trainees (pooled group) was 128 and 231 min, respectively, an increase in 81%. Individual trainee‐performed steps increased in time (compared to staff) by a median range of 50–177%, and the incidence of quality grades < A of 9–100%. Trainee quality grades for basic tissue‐dissection steps were higher than for advanced tissue dissection and suturing. There was no downgrading for a major correction. Analysis of short‐term outcomes suggested acceptable results in a training environment. The study is limited by no available validated training measurement tools, and a low frequency of beginner trainees advancing to more difficult steps during the rotation.

CONCLUSIONS

During the initial exposure of trainees to RARP of <40 cases, we measured time and subjective quality grading of basic steps, and introduction to advanced steps. Training requires more procedure time, but does not appear to diminish expected outcomes.
Communication, neighbourhood belonging and household hurricane preparedness
Authors: Kim Yong‐Chan , Kang Jinae
Published: October 2009

This paper reports on an examination of data on how local residents in Tuscaloosa, a mid‐sized city in the state of Alabama, United States, responded to Hurricane Ivan of September 2004. The evaluation revealed that an integrated connection to community‐level communication resources—comprising local media, community organisations and interpersonal networks—has a direct impact on the likelihood of engaging in pre‐hurricane preparedness activities and an indirect effect on during‐hurricane preparedness activities. Neighbourhood belonging mediated the relation between an integrated connection to community‐level communication resources and during‐hurricane preparedness activities. Neighbourhood belonging was determined to increase the likelihood of taking preparedness actions during Hurricane Ivan, but not prior to it. In addition, we discovered an interesting pattern for two different types of risk perceptions: social and personal risk perceptions. Social risk perceptions increase the likelihood of taking preventative steps before a hurricane while personal risk perceptions are positively related to engaging in preventative action during a hurricane.
The temporal relation between depression and comorbid psychopathology in adolescents at varied risk for depression
Authors: Gallerani Catherine M. , Garber Judy , Martin Nina C.
Published: October 2009

Background:  This study examined the temporal comorbidity of depressive disorders with anxiety, externalizing, and substance use disorders in adolescents who varied in risk for depression.

Methods:  Participants were 240 adolescents and their mothers who had either a history of depression (high‐risk, n = 185) or were lifetime‐free of psychiatric disorders (low‐risk, n = 55). Children (54.2% females) were first evaluated in 6th grade (mean age = 11.86, SD = .57) with the K‐SADS‐PL to assess current and lifetime diagnoses, and then annually through 12th grade with the A‐LIFE to assess diagnoses since the previous evaluation.

Results:  For girls, the rate of depression was high regardless of prior anxiety, whereas for boys, the odds that those with prior subthreshold anxiety would have subsequent subthreshold depression were 1.5 times those of boys with no prior subthreshold anxiety, controlling for risk. In addition, the odds that girls with prior substance use disorders would have a threshold depressive disorder subsequently were three times those of girls with no prior substance use disorders, controlling for risk.

Conclusions:  These results highlight the importance of early detection of various forms of psychopathology in youth who then can be targeted for intervention. The prospective paths to comorbidity differed by sex, thus suggesting that interventions need to be constructed with sensitivity to these distinct diagnostic trajectories.
Research Review: ‘Ain’t misbehavin’: Towards a developmentally‐specified nosology for preschool disruptive behavior
Authors: Wakschlag Lauren S. , Tolan Patrick H. , Leventhal Bennett L.
Published: October 2009

There is increasing consensus that disruptive behavior disorders and syndromes (DBDs) are identifiable in preschool children. There is also concomitant recognition of the limitations of the current DBD nosology for distinguishing disruptive behavior symptoms from the normative misbehavior of early childhood. In particular, there appears to be substantial insensitivity to heterotypic manifestations of this developmental period and problems in identifying meaningful heterogeneity. As a result, the developmental basis for much of the current nosology may be called into question. To address these and other critical issues, this paper reviews the foundational elements of clinical and developmental science pertinent to developmental differentiation of disruptive behavior in the preschool period as paradigmatic for developmental specification across the lifespan and generates an agenda for future research. We begin by reviewing evidence of the validity of DBDs in preschool children. This is followed by an outline of key developmental concepts and a review of the corollary evidence from developmental science. These provide a basis for conceptualizing disruptive behavior in reference to developmental deviation in four core dimensions hypothesized to mark the core features of disruptive behavior syndromes. Finally, we propose a program of research to establish an empirical basis for determining the incremental utility of a developmentally specified nosology. Central to this approach is a contention that the benefits of developmental specification are extensive and outweigh any disadvantages. This is because a developmentally specified approach holds substantial promise for increasing sensitivity and specificity for differentiating disruptive behavior from normative misbehavior and from other related syndromes as well as for improving prediction. Further, more precisely defined, developmentally based phenotypes are likely to elucidate distinct mechanisms within translational studies and to serve as a catalyst for the generation of novel treatments.
A point mutation in the ectodomain‐transmembrane 2 interface eliminates the inhibitory effects of ethanol in P2X4 receptors
Authors: Popova Maya , Asatryan Liana , Ostrovskaya Olga , Wyatt Letisha R. , Li Kaixun , Alkana Ronald L. , Davies Daryl L.
Published: October 2009

J. Neurochem.(2010)112, 307–317.

ATP‐gated P2X4 receptors (P2X4R) are abundantly expressed in the CNS. However, little is known about the molecular targets for ethanol action in P2X4Rs. The current investigation tested the hypothesis that the ectodomain‐transmembrane (TM) interface contains residues that are important for the action of ethanol in P2X4Rs. Wild type (WT) and mutant P2X4R were expressed inXenopusoocytes. ATP concentration–response curves and ethanol (10–200 mM)‐induced changes in ATP EC10‐gated currents were determined using two‐electrode voltage clamp (−70 mV). Alanine substitution at the ectodomain‐TM1 interface (positions 50–61) resulted in minimal changes in ethanol response. On the other hand, alanine substitution at the ectodomain‐TM2 interface (positions 321–337) identified two key residues (D331 and M336) that significantly reduced ethanol inhibition of ATP‐gated currents without causing marked changes in ATPImax, EC50, or Hill’s slope. Other amino acid substitutions at positions 331 and 336 significantly altered or eliminated the modulatory effects of ethanol. Linear regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between hydropathy and polarity, but not molecular volume/molecular weight of the residues at these two positions. The results support the proposed hypothesis and represent an important step toward developing ethanol‐insensitive receptors for investigating the role of P2X4Rs in mediating behavioral effects of ethanol.
Vitamin D – a new treatment for airway remodelling in asthma?
Authors: Clifford Rachel L , Knox Alan J
Published: October 2009

Increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass plays a critical role in chronic asthmatic airway remodelling. ASM cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia are likely to contribute to increased ASM mass and a variety of mitogens induce ASM proliferation in cell culture. Recent recognition of widespread vitamin D deficiency and identification of the vitamin D receptor on many cells has implicated vitamin D as a potential therapeutic target for many disorders including cancer, infection and asthma. In this issue of British Journal of Pharmacology, Damera et al. show that calcitriol, a secosteroidal modulator of vitamin D receptors, inhibited thrombin and platelet‐derived growth factor‐induced ASM cell proliferation. They also, perhaps surprisingly, show the glucocorticoid dexamethasone to potentiate mitogen‐induced ASM proliferation. Their results begin to elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) utilized by calcitriol to inhibit cell proliferation and suggest hyperphosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein and activation of checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) as critical to this process. This study identifies inhibition of ASM proliferation as a cellular effect of vitamin D and supports the hypothesis that vitamin D is a potential treatment for airway remodelling in asthma.

This is a Commentary on the Research Paper in this issue by Damera et al. (pp. 1429–1441). To view this article visit http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121548564/issueyear?year=2009
The Idea of Power and the Role of Ideas
Authors: Béland Daniel
Published: October 2009

Since the mid-1970s, the social science debate over the meaning of the idea of power has intensified. Offering a critical discussion of the work of Steven Lukes, this brief article puts forward an amended definition of political power before exploring the relationship between ideas, interests and power relations. Drawing on the recent social science literature on the role of ideas in politics, the article suggests that, among other things, ideational processes help actors make sense of their perceived interests. As argued, this recognition of the power of ideas sheds new light on the idea of political power. Finally, following Craig Parsons, the article discusses the relationship between four types of explanatory factor in political analysis: structural, institutional, ideational and psychological.
Evaluating the Predicted Local Extinction of a Once‐Common Mouse
Authors: PERGAMS OLIVER R.W. , NYBERG DENNIS W.
Published: October 2009

Abstract:  In an earlier paper (Pergams & Nyberg 2001) we found that the proportion of the prairie deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii), among all local Peromyscus museum specimens collected in the Chicago region, had significantly declined over time. This proportion changed from about 50% before 1900 to <10% in the last 25 years. Based on this proportion a regression model predicted the local extinction of the prairie deer mouse in 2009. To evaluate that prediction, we estimated current deer mouse abundance by live trapping small mammals at 15 preserves in Cook and Lake counties, Illinois (USA) at which prairie deer mice had previously been caught or that still contained their preferred open habitat. In 1900 trap nights, 477 mammals were caught, including 251 white‐footed mice (P. leucopus), but only one prairie deer mouse. The observed proportion of Peromyscus that were prairie deer mice, 0.4%, was even lower than the 4.5% predicted for 2000. Here we also introduce a simple, new community proportions model, which for any given geographic region compares the proportions of species recently caught with the proportions of species in museums. We compared proportions of seven species collected in Cook and Lake counties and examined by Hoffmeister (1989) with proportions of these species that we caught. Ten percent of the museum community was prairie deer mice, but only 0.2% of our catch was. The current local scarcity of the prairie deer mouse is consistent with the regression‐based prediction of its eminent local extinction. More conservation attention should be paid to changes in relative abundance of once‐common species.
Performance of Macrolichens and Lichen Genera as Indicators of Lichen Species Richness and Composition
Authors: BERGAMINI ARIEL , SCHEIDEGGER CHRISTOPH , STOFER SILVIA , CARVALHO PALMIRA , DAVEY SIMON , DIETRICH MICHAEL , DUBS FLORENCE , FARKAS EDIT , GRONER URS , KÄRKKÄINEN KATI , KELLER CHRISTINE , LÖKÖS LÁSZLÓ , LOMMI SAMPSA , MÁGUAS CRISTINA , MITCHELL RUTH , PINHO PEDRO , RICO VÍCTOR J. , ARAGÓN GREGORIO , TRUSCOTT ANNE‐MARIE , WOLSELEY PAT , WATT ALAN
Published: October 2009

Abstract: In the search for cost‐effective methods for measuring and monitoring lichen diversity, we tested the performance of two possible indicators: lichen genus diversity and macrolichen diversity. We studied the lichen vegetation of eight European countries situated in six different biogeographic regions. In each country, six land‐use units (each 1 km2) representing a land‐use gradient ranging from old‐growth forest to farmland were sampled (n= 48) for terricolous, saxicolous, and epiphytic lichens at 16 plots each. We found 768 different lichen species belonging to 157 genera. Relationships between richness and density of genera and species, species and macrolichens, and crustose lichens and macrolichens were highly significant (p< 0.001) for all substrates combined and for epiphytic and saxicolous lichens. Richness and density of genera and macrolichens explained a large amount of variation of the species richness and density (R2: 71.9%–98.0%). The relationship between crustose lichens and macrolichens explained less of the variation (R2: 37.7%–70.1%). Effects of land‐use intensity on the richness and density of genera, species, and crustose lichens were similar, except for a strong difference between the forested and the more open land‐use units for epiphytic crustose lichens. For epiphytic macrolichens there were fewer significant effects. Detrended correspondence analysis indicated similar ordering of sites along the major gradients and similar length of these gradients for genera, species, macrolichens, and crustose lichens. Both genera and macrolichens are useful indicators of total lichen species richness and density. Macrolichens, however, are more suitable indicators than genera owing to (1) their more stable taxonomy of species than of genera, (2) the potential that nonspecialists could do the sampling, (3) the limited use of genera data for species conservation, and (4) the fact that species extinctions will not be indicated by nonmonotypic genera.
The Value of Species and the Ethical Foundations of Assisted Colonization
Authors: SANDLER RONALD
Published: October 2009

Abstract:  Discourse around assisted colonization focuses on the ecological risks, costs, and uncertainties associated with the practice, as well as on its technical feasibility and alternative approaches to it. Nevertheless, the ethical underpinnings of the case for assisted colonization are claims about the value of species. A complete discussion of assisted colonization needs to include assessment of these claims. For each type of value that species are thought to possess it is necessary to determine whether it is plausible that species possess the type of value and, if so, to what extent their possessing it justifies assisted colonization. I conducted such an assessment for each of the predominant types of value ascribed to species: ecological, instrumental (including option value), existence, and intrinsic value (including interest‐based, objective, and valuer‐dependent intrinsic value). The vast majority of species, including several that have been proposed as candidates for assisted colonization, have much less value than is often presumed. Moreover, with respect to some types of value, assisted colonization would not fully preserve the value of the target species even if it were to keep the target species in existence. Therefore, the case for assisted colonization is significantly weaker and more qualified than its advocates often suppose. There may be exceptional species for which assisted colonization is well justified—and for this reason, case‐by‐case assessment is necessary—but in general the burden of justification generated by the ecological risks associated with assisted colonization is not met by the value potentially preserved by assisted colonization. This suggests that assisted colonization ought to have, at most, a very minor role in the portfolio of ecosystem management practices, even as it pertains to species conservation under conditions of rapid climate change.
Development of beak polymorphism in the African seedcracker,Pyrenestes ostrinus
Authors: Clabaut Celine , Herrel Anthony , Sanger Thomas J. , Smith Thomas B. , Abzhanov Arhat
Published: October 2009

SUMMARYThe black‐bellied African seedcracker,Pyrenestes ostrinus, exhibits a non‐sex‐related polymorphism in beak size that enables the small‐, large‐, and mega‐billed morphs to utilize different trophic niches. The bill polymorphism between small‐ and large‐billed individuals was previously shown to be under genetic control of a single autosomal locus with the allele for a large bill being dominant. African seedcrackers offer a novel opportunity to study the genetic basis of an adaptive polymorphism driven by disruptive selection and differential niche use in wild populations. In this study, we further explore the morphology and molecular development of the beak skeleton and of the cranial musculature in all morphs, both in adults and juveniles (nestlings). We find a close correlation in growth between the two tissues, even though juvenile birds (nestlings) of all morphs are fed a soft mostly insect diet by their parents until they fledge and become independent. Molecular and histological analyses suggest a heterochronic co‐option of the mechanotransduction pathway into beak development program to produce the resource polymorphism. We also find that this plasticity is diminished after the nestling period. We suggest that a mutation affecting cranial muscle mass led to a corresponding change in jawbone morphology, allowing for apparent rapid evolution of novel functional adaptations of multiple tissues, a mechanism previously thought to be hard to achieve.
Evolution of digit identity in the three‐toed Italian skink Chalcides chalcides: a new case of digit identity frame shift
Authors: Young Rebecca L. , Caputo Vincenzo , Giovannotti Massimo , Kohlsdorf Tiana , Vargas Alexander O. , May Gemma E. , Wagner Günter P.
Published: October 2009

SUMMARY Digit identity in the avian wing is a classical example of conflicting anatomical and embryological evidence regarding digit homology. Anatomical in conjunction with phylogenetic evidence supports the hypothesis that the three remaining digits in the bird wing are digits 1, 2, and 3. At the same time, various lines of embryological evidence support the notion that these digits develop in positions that normally produce digits 2, 3, and 4. In recent years, gene expression as well as experimental evidence was published that supports the hypothesis that this discrepancy arose from a digit identity shift in the evolution of the bird wing. A similar but less well‐known controversy has been ongoing since the late 19th century regarding the identity of the digits of the three‐toed Italian skink, Chalcides chalcides. Comparative anatomy identifies these digits as 1, 2, and 3, while embryological evidence suggests their derivation from embryological positions 2, 3, and 4. Here we re‐examine this evidence and add gene expression data to determine the identity of the three digits of C. chalcides. The data confirm that the adult and the embryological evidence for digit identity are in conflict, and the expression of Hoxd11 suggests that digits 1, 2, and 3 develop in positions 2, 3, and 4. We conclude that in C. chalcides, and likely in its close relatives, a digit identity frame shift has occurred, similar to the one in avian evolution. This result suggests that changes in of digit identity might be a more frequent consequence of digit reduction than previously assumed.
Developmental pathways of Glossotermes oculatus (Isoptera, Serritermitidae): at the cross‐roads of worker caste evolution in termites
Authors: Bourguignon Thomas , Šobotník Jan , Hanus Robert , Roisin Yves
Published: October 2009

SUMMARY
The onset of a specialized (“true”) worker caste is a crucial step in the evolution of termite societies. Such workers, permanently excluded from wing development, repeatedly evolved from totipotent immatures, called “false” workers or pseudergates. In the family Rhinotermitidae, the presence of true workers and the level of specialization of this caste are highly variable, and key taxa illustrate transitional situations providing clues about worker evolution. Here we focused on the status of working immatures of Glossotermes oculatus, from the family Serritermitidae, now thought to represent either the sister‐group of the Rhinotermitidae or a basal lineage nested within them. Contrary to previous assumptions, we show that the apterous immatures performing worker tasks in G. oculatus are the source of the single wing‐budded nymphal instar preceding the alate. Consequently, they qualify as pseudergates rather than true workers. However, the sex ratio is strongly male biased in pseudergates and soldiers, which is a trait usually restricted to termites with true workers. We therefore argue that pseudergates of G. oculatus are close to a point where the species could easily shift toward the differentiation of a true worker caste, and that G. oculatus pinpoints a new possible route for the evolution of true workers from pseudergates.
Paxβ: a novel family of lophotrochozoan Pax genes
Authors: Schmerer Matthew , Savage Robert M. , Shankland Marty
Published: October 2009

SUMMARY
Paxβ is a novel gene family restricted to the bilaterian superphylum Lophotrochozoa. The Paxβ paired domain is highly diverged from other bilaterian Pax genes, and we were unable to identify an unambiguous sister‐group by phylogenetic sequence analysis. However, conservation of a paired domain intron suggests that the Paxβ genes arose by duplication and divergence from an ancestral Pax2/5/8 gene. We have identified Paxβ genes in annelids, molluscs, a nemertean, a brachiopod, and a flatworm, indicating that the founding gene duplication occurred before the separation of those taxa and therefore early in the lophotrochozoan radiation. The leech Helobdella has two genes in this family, Hau‐Paxβ1 and ‐Paxβ2, which are expressed during embryonic development. Hau‐Paxβ1 is present in the zygote as a localized maternal transcript, and both show dynamic patterns of apparently zygotic expression during later stages. These later expression patterns differ significantly, but both genes are expressed broadly in the mesoderm and also in the central nervous system during organogenesis.
Preservation of Endothelium Nitric Oxide Release by Pulsatile Flow Cardiopulmonary Bypass When Compared With Continuous Flow
Authors: Lanzarone Ettore , Gelmini Fabrizio , Tessari Maddalena , Menon Tiziano , Suzuki Hisanori , Carini Marina , Costantino Maria Laura , Fumero Roberto , Luciani Giovanni Battista , Faggian Giuseppe
Published: October 2009

The aim of this work is to analyze endothelium nitric oxide (NO) release in patients undergoing continuous or pulsatile flow cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Nine patients operated under continuous flow CPB, and nine patients on pulsatile flow CPB were enrolled. Plasma samples were withdrawn for the chemiluminescence detection of nitrite and nitrate. Moreover the cellular component was withdrawn for the detection of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in the erythrocytes, and an estimation of systemic inflammatory response was carried out. Significant reduction in the intraoperative concentration with respect to the preoperative was observed only under continuous flow CPB for both nitrite and NOx (nitrite + nitrate) concentration (P = 0.010 and P = 0.016, respectively). Significant difference in intraoperative nitrite concentration was also observed between the groups (P = 0.012). Finally, erythrocytes showed a certain endothelial NOS activity, which did not differ between the groups, and no differences in the inflammatory response were pointed out. The significant reduction of NO2‐ concentration under continuous perfusion revealed the strong connection among perfusion modality, endothelial NO release, and plasmatic nitrite concentration. The similar erythrocyte eNOS activity between the groups revealed that the differences in blood NO metabolites are mainly ascribable to the endothelium release.
Vascular Function Measured by Fingertip Thermal Reactivity Is Impaired in Patients With Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Ahmadi Naser , Hajsadeghi Fereshteh , Gul Khawar , Leibfried Michael , DeMoss Daniel , Lee Robert , Flores Ferdinand , Nasir Khurram , Hecht Harvey , Naghavi Morteza , Budoff Matthew J.
Published: October 2009

Digital thermal monitoring (DTM) of vascular function has already been shown to correlate well with coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and coronary artery disease. To determine its utility in the metabolic syndrome (MS) and diabetes mellitus (DM), 233 asymptomatic patients with DM/MS but without coronary artery disease underwent DTM during and after 5 minutes of supra‐systolic arm cuff inflation, as well as CAC. Post‐cuff deflation adjusted temperature rebound (aTR) was lower in MS and DM compared with the normal group. The odds ratio of lowest vs upper 2 tertiles of aTR was 2.3 for MS and 3.5 for DM compared with the normal group, independent of age, sex, and risk factors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve to predict CAC ≥100 was 0.69 for metabolic status (DM/MS), 0.79 for aTR, and 0.87 for both. This study demonstrates that vascular dysfunction measured by DTM is associated with DM/MS and could potentially be used to detect asymptomatic individuals with increased subclinical atherosclerosis.
Dedifferentiation of human articular chondrocytes is associated with alterations in expression patterns of GDF‐5 and its receptors
Authors: Schlegel Werner , Albrecht Christian , Eckl Peter , Freudenthaler Harald , Berger Angelika , Vécsei Vilmos , Marlovits Stefan
Published: October 2009

Human articular chondrocytes are expanded in monolayer culture in order to obtain sufficient cells for matrix‐associated cartilage transplantation. During this proliferation process, the cells change their shape as well as their expression profile. These changes resemble those that occur during embryogenesis, when the limb anlagen form the interzone that later develops the joint cleft. We analysed the expression profile of genes that are reportedly important for these changes during embryogenesis within the dedifferentiation process of adult articular chondrocytes. We found GDF‐5, BMPR‐Ib and connexin 43 up‐regulated, as well as a down‐regulation of BMPR‐Ia and noggin. Connexin 32 could not be detected in either native cartilage or in dedifferentiated cells. The newly synthesized proteins were detected by immunofluorescence. There is evidence from our results that dedifferentiated chondrocytes resemble the cells from the interzone in developing synovial joints.
Inhibitory effect of baicalein on IL‐6‐mediated signaling cascades in human myeloma cells
Authors: Liu Shangqin , Ma Zi , Cai Huili , Li Qian , Rong Wenyu , Kawano Michio
Published: October 2009

Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is an important growth factor for myeloma cells. IL‐6 promotes the survival and proliferation of multiple myeloma (MM) cells through the phosphorylated proteins, including STAT3, MAPK, and Akt. Chemical components that suppress the signaling proteins’ phosphorylation have a potential role for MM therapy. We recently identified that baicalein, a component of Scutellaria radix, suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis of myeloma cells by blocking IκB‐α degradation followed by down‐regulating IL‐6 and XIAP gene expression. In the present study of four myeloma cell lines, namely U266, NOP2, AMO1, and ILKM2, we demonstrated that baicalein not only inhibited IL‐6‐mediated phosphorylation of signaling proteins, such as Jak, STAT3, MAPK, and Akt, but also inhibited the expression of their target genes, such as bcl‐xl. Finally, baicalein facilitated myeloma cell proliferation inhibited by dexamethasone. In contrast, baicalin, another major flavonoid derived from Scutellaria radix, had no significant effect on IL‐6‐mediated protein phosphorylation. Baicalein had no effect on Akt phosphorylation induced by the insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) in NOP2 cells. Compared with PD98059, an MAPK inhibitor, baicalein exhibited a stronger inhibitory effect on Erk1/2 phosphorylation. Our results demonstrate that baicalein is a potent inhibitor of protein phosphorylation induced by IL‐6, and thus may be a useful agent for the treatment of MM.