bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Continuous monitoring of interface pressure distribution in intensive care patients for pressure ulcer prevention
Authors: Sakai Kozue , Sanada Hiromi , Matsui Noriko , Nakagami Gojiro , Sugama Junko , Komiyama Chieko , Yahagi Naoki
Published: February 2009

Title.  Continuous monitoring of interface pressure distribution in intensive care patients for pressure ulcer prevention.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to examine whether continuous interface pressure monitoring of postoperative patients in an intensive care unit is feasible in clinical practice.

Background.  The interface pressure between skin and surfaces is generally evaluated for pressure ulcer prevention. However, the intensity and duration of interface pressure necessary for pressure ulcer development remains unclear because the conventional interface pressure sensors are unsuitable for continuous monitoring in clinical settings.

Methods.  A total of 30 postoperative patients in an intensive care unit participated in this study in 2006–2007. A sensor was built into a thermoelastic polymer mattress. The whole‐body interface pressure was recorded for up to 48 hours. Pressure ulcer development was observed during the morning bed‐bath. For analysis, the intensity and duration of the maximal interface pressure was evaluated.

Findings.  The mean age of the study group was 62·0 ± 15·4 years. Two participants developed stage I pressure ulcer and blanchable redness at the sacrum. The longest duration of pressures greater than 100 mmHg were 487·0, 273·5 and 275·7 minutes in the pressure ulcer, blanchable redness and no redness groups respectively.

Conclusion.  Continuous monitoring of the intensity and duration of whole‐body interface pressure using the KINOTEX sensor is feasible in intensive care patients.
An evaluation of the process and initial impact of disseminating a nursing e‐thesis
Authors: Macduff Colin
Published: February 2009

Title.  An evaluation of the process and initial impact of disseminating a nursing e‐thesis.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to evaluate product, process and outcome aspects of the dissemination of a nursing PhD thesis via an open‐access electronic institutional repository.

Background.  Despite the growth of university institutional repositories which make theses easily accessible via the world wide web, nursing has been very slow to evaluate related processes and outcomes.

Method.  Drawing on Stake’s evaluation research methods, a case study design was adopted. The case is described using a four‐phase structure within which key aspects of process and impact are reflexively analysed.

Findings.  In the conceptualization/re‐conceptualization phase, fundamental questions about the purpose, format and imagined readership for a published nursing PhD were considered. In the preparation phase, seven key practical processes were identified that are likely to be relevant to most e‐theses. In the dissemination phase email invitations were primarily used to invite engagement. The evaluation phase involved quantitative indicators of initial impact, such as page viewing and download statistics and qualitative feedback on processes and product.

Conclusion.  Analysis of process and impact elements of e‐thesis dissemination is likely to have more than intrinsic value. The advent of e‐theses housed in web‐based institutional repositories has the potential to transform thesis access and use. It also offers potential to transform the nature and scope of thesis production and dissemination. Nursing scholars can exploit and evaluate such opportunities.
The psychosocial impact of recurrence on cancer survivors and family members: a narrative review
Authors: Vivar Cristina G. , Canga Navidad , Canga Ana D. , Arantzamendi Maria
Published: February 2009

Title. The psychosocial impact of recurrence on cancer survivors and family members: a narrative review.

Aim. This paper is a report of a review undertaken to identify, critically analyse and synthesize the psychosocial experience of cancer recurrence for survivors and family members.

Background. Recurrence of cancer is an event after which life changes for families. Individuals move from being short‐ or long‐term survivors of cancer to being patients once more. Families move from a state of fear of recurrence to one of uncertainty and distress as a result of the new crisis.

Data sources. MEDLINE, CINAHL and CancerLit databases were searched for the period January 1980–2007. Reference lists of papers were conducted for relevant studies. The search termsrecurrence, recurrent cancer, experience, survivor and familywere searched for separately and in combination.

Review methods. A narrative review was conducted. Data were categorized in terms of issues during survivorship and concerns after recurrence.

Results. Three main categories were identified that explained survivors' and families' experiences of recurrent cancer: (1) fear of recurrence during survivorship, (2) when cancer recurs: families facing new challenges and (3) distress because of recurrence.

Conclusion. Recurrence is a distressing experience for survivors and families because they have to face again psychosocial effects of cancer, such as uncertainty, distress and concerns about death. Care should not be addressed simply to survivors, but should include the general well‐being of families beyond their survivorship and support to manage better psychosocial issues occurring when a member has a recurrence of cancer.
The emotional experiences of family carers in Huntington disease
Authors: Williams Janet K. , Skirton Heather , Paulsen Jane S. , Tripp‐Reimer Toni , Jarmon Lori , McGonigal Kenney Meghan , Birrer Emily , Hennig Bonnie L. , Honeyford Joann
Published: February 2009

Title. The emotional experiences of family carers in Huntington disease.

Aim. This paper is a report of a study conducted to examine the emotional experience of caregiving by family carers of people with Huntington disease and to describe strategies they used to deal with that experience.

Background. Huntington disease, commonly diagnosed in young to middle adulthood, is an inherited single gene disorder involving loss of cognitive, motor and neuropsychiatric function. Many family members become caregivers as well as continuing as parents and wage earners. The emotional aspects of caregiving contribute to mental health risks for family members.

Methods. Focus groups were conducted with 42 adult carers of people with Huntington disease in four United States and two Canadian Huntington disease centers between 2001 and 2005. Data were analyzed through descriptive coding and thematic analysis.

Findings. All participants reported multiple aspects of emotional distress. Being a carer was described as experiencing disintegration of one’s life. Carers attempted to cope by seeking comfort from selected family members, anticipating the time when the care recipient had died and/or using prescription medications. Spousal carers were distressed by the loss of their relationship with their spouse and dealt with this by no longer regarding the person as an intimate partner. Carers were concerned about the disease risk for children in their families and hoped for a cure.

Conclusion. Emotional distress can compromise the well‐being of family carers, who attempt to maintain multiple roles. Nurses should monitor carer mental health, identify sources of emotional distress and support effective strategies used by carers to mediate distress.
Impact of invasive plants on the species richness, diversity and composition of invaded communities
Authors: Hejda Martin , Pyšek Petr , Jarošík Vojtěch
Published: February 2009

Much attention has been paid to negative effects of alien species on resident communities but studies that quantify community‐level effects of a number of invasive plants are scarce. We address this issue by assessing the impact of 13 species invasive in the Czech Republic on a wide range of plant communities.

Vegetation in invaded and uninvaded plots with similar site conditions was sampled. All species of vascular plants were recorded, their covers were estimated and used as importance values for calculating the Shannon diversity index H′, evenness J and Sørensen index of similarity between invaded and uninvaded vegetation.

With the exception of two invasive species, species richness, diversity and evenness were reduced in invaded plots. Species exhibiting the greatest impact reduced species numbers per plot and the total number of species recorded in the communities sampled by almost 90%. A strong reduction of species number at the plot scale resulted in a marked reduction in the total species number at the landscape scale, and in less similarity between invaded and uninvaded vegetation. The decrease in species richness in invaded compared to uninvaded plots is largely driven by the identity of the invading species, whereas the major determinants of the decrease in Shannon diversity and evenness are the cover and height of invading species, and differences between height and cover of invading and dominant native species, independent of species identity.

Synthesis. Management decisions based on impact need to distinguish between invasive species, as their effects on diversity and composition of resident vegetation differ largely. Tall invading species capable of forming populations with the cover markedly greater than that of native dominant species exert the most severe effects on species diversity and evenness. Since a strong impact on the community scale is associated with reduction in species diversity at higher scales, invaders with a high impact represent a serious hazard to the landscape.
Frayed at the edges: selective pressure and adaptive response to abiotic stressors are mismatched in low diversity edge populations
Authors: Pearson Gareth A. , Lago‐Leston Asuncion , Mota Catarina
Published: February 2009

Theory predicts that population structure and dynamics affect a population's capacity for adaptation to environmental change. For isolated, small and fragmented populations at the trailing edge of species distributions, loss of genetic diversity through random genetic drift may reduce adaptive potential and fitness levels for complex traits. This has important consequences for understanding population responses to, for example changing climate, but has rarely been tested in natural populations.

We measured the intertidal thermal environment and tidal exposure (emersion) times for natural populations of the intertidal seaweed Fucus serratus at the centre (southwest UK) and southern edge (northern Portugal) of its range in the Eastern Atlantic, and for a congener, F. vesiculosus, whose range extends further south to Morocco. Fitness‐related traits of individuals at each location were measured in common garden experiments: physiological resilience to desiccation and heat shock (PSII quantum yield), and the molecular phenotype of the heat shock response (quantitative PCR of heat shock protein gene transcripts).

The realized thermal environment experienced by F. serratus was similar at the centre and southern edge of its distribution because the maximum shore height (and emersion period) was reduced in southern populations. For F. vesiculosus, thermal maxima were higher and occurred more frequently in the south, although maximum vertical height (emersion time) remained similar to central populations.

Edge populations of F. serratus were less resilient to desiccation and heat shock than central populations, and expression of heat shock genes was higher at the same temperature, suggesting greater cellular stress. In contrast, there was no evidence for physiological divergence in heat shock response in F. vesiculosus, and little variation in gene expression.

Synthesis. We provide evidence that compared with range‐centre populations upper intertidal limits of F. serratus at the southern edge are ‘pruned back’ by abiotic stressors. Rather than being locally adapted, these small populations are less resilient to abiotic stresses and experience greater cellular stress during heat shock. These results suggest that ongoing climate forcing factors may threaten small, fragmented rear edge populations because of inherently reduced fitness and lower adaptive capacity relative to larger central populations.
Modelling sea lice dispersion under varying environmental forcing in a Scottish sea loch
Authors: Amundrud T L , Murray A G
Published: February 2009

The spread of infectious larval sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1838), between wild salmonids and farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, remains a contentious area of uncertainty. However, as laboratory and field experiments increase our knowledge of sea lice behaviour under environmental forcing, numerical modelling tools can be used to predict the spread of infectious sea louse larvae from a point source. A three‐dimensional numerical model has been developed and recently validated within Loch Torridon, a fjordic sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. Output from the numerical model is used to drive a particle tracking model which follows statistical representations of sea lice through the planktonic stages of a louse life cycle. By including maturation and mortality, the models can be used to predict the dispersion and transport of infectious sea lice from a point source and can be used to produce maps of infectivity under varying environmental conditions. Results highlight the importance of the wind‐driven circulation for larval lice transport and suggest that local environmental conditions have considerable impact on the probability of sea lice infection spreading between wild and farmed fish populations.
A review of host finding behaviour in the parasitic sea louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Caligidae: Copepoda)
Authors: Mordue (Luntz) A J , Birkett M A
Published: February 2009

Ectoparasitic sea lice are the most important parasite problem to date for the salmon farming industry in the northern and southern hemispheres. An understanding of host location in the specialist species, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, the most important louse species in the North Atlantic, is now being realized using behavioural in vitro and in vivo bioassays coupled with chemical analysis of fish conditioned waters. Both physical and chemical cues are important in host location. Responses of sea lice to physical cues such as light and salinity may enable them to gather in areas where host fish are likely to be found. Mechanoreception is an important sensory modality in host location and acts by switching on specific behaviours that enable landing on a fish. Chemoreception plays a defining role in host location and recognition. The detection of host kairomones switches on ‘host search’ behavioural patterns and also induces landing responses whereas non‐host kairomones fail to induce attraction or significant landing behaviour. Semiochemicals derived from salmon and also non‐host fish have been identified, and may prove useful for the development of integrated pest management strategies, by the introduction of odour traps for monitoring lice numbers, and by the use of stimulo‐deterrent diversionary (push:pull) strategies in their control.
Seasonal epizootics of sea lice, Caligus spp., on southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau), in a long‐term farming trial
Authors: Hayward C J , Bott N J , Nowak B F
Published: February 2009

Within the typical 2–8 month (January to August inclusive) farming cycle for southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau), in Spencer Gulf, South Australia, counts of a sea louse, Caligus chiastos Lin et Ho, 2003, were strongly statistically associated with both fish condition and severity of eye damage. During a trial examining the feasibility of maintaining T. maccoyii in farms for more than 1 year, including over the summer season when temperatures may exceed 24 °C, we collected additional epidemiological data on burdens of sea lice over a 17‐month period (April 2005 to August 2006 inclusive), on a total of 200 T. maccoyii and 40 ‘control’T. maccoyii farmed and harvested within 2006. In the first farming season, an epizootic of C. chiastos was characterized by a significant increase in prevalence from 0% to 55% in the first 6 weeks after transfer to farms from the wild, which was followed by a significant decline to zero over the next 12 weeks. A single specimen of a second species of Caligus was also detected within this 4.5‐month period. In the second farming season, we recorded a third species of sea louse, C. amblygenitalis Tripathi, 1961. In March 2006, a second epizootic peak occurred, this time with mixed infections of C. chiastos and C. amblygenitalis, with a combined prevalence of 100%. The prevalence of both sea lice species then declined significantly over the second winter period (June to August inclusive). On all but one date that sea lice were detected, sea lice counts were significantly associated with the severity of gross eye damage. Because both peaks in infection occurred in summer months (December to February inclusive), we conclude that infections of sea lice pose a risk to the farming of T. maccoyii under certain summer conditions within Spencer Gulf.
Evolution of hepatitis C virus hypervariable region 1 in immunocompetent children born to HCV‐infected mothers
Authors: Gismondi M. I. , Becker P. D. , Díaz Carrasco J. M. , Guzmán C. A. , Campos R. H. , Preciado M. V.
Published: February 2009

Summary.  Hepatitis C virus (HCV) hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) is the most variable region of the viral genome and its heterogeneity reflects the virus‐host interplay during chronicity. Paediatric HCV‐infected patients develop liver disease with typical clinical features. Here, the evolution of HVR1 and its adjacent regions were ascertained in plasma samples of two HCV‐positive children during a 5‐year follow‐up period. We report an almost complete conservation of the HVR1 amino acid sequence over time, with underlying nucleotide variability both within and outside HVR1, suggesting some kind of constraint on virus evolution, particularly within HVR1. Although overall dN/dS rates [rates of nonsynonymous nucleotide substitutions per nonsynonymous site (dN) and synonymous nucleotide substitutions per synonymous site (dS)] were <1 in both patients, a high resolution analysis of selection pressures exerted at the codon level revealed few sites subject to selection and an absolute predominance of invariable positions within HVR1. The HVR1 amino acid sequences showed the antigenic properties expected for this region. Taken together, these data suggest peculiar evolutionary dynamics in our patients, which could be attributed to a mechanism of nucleotide invariability along with purifying selection operating on the HVR1. The lack of HVR1 variability may reflect the adaptation of the virus to a particular environment within each patient or a phenomenon of immune tolerance generated in these immunocompetent patients earlier in life.
Clinical course and duration of viremia in vertically transmitted hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in babies born to HEV‐infected mothers
Authors: Khuroo M. S. , Kamili S. , Khuroo M. S.
Published: February 2009

Summary.  Infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes a self‐limiting acute hepatitis. However, prolonged viremia and chronic hepatitis has been reported in organ transplant recipients. Vertically transmitted HEV infection is known to cause acute hepatitis in newborn babies. The clinical course and duration of viremia in vertically transmitted HEV infection in neonates in not known. We studied 19 babies born to HEV infected mothers. Babies were studied at birth and on a monthly basis to evaluate clinical profile, pattern of antibody response and duration of viremia in those infected with HEV. Fifteen (78.9%) babies had evidence of vertically transmitted HEV infection at birth (IgM anti‐HEV positive in 12 and HEV RNA reactive in 10) and three had short‐lasting IgG anti‐HEV positivity because of trans‐placental antibody transmission. Seven HEV‐infected babies had icteric hepatitis, five had anicteric hepatitis and three had high serum bilirubin with normal liver enzymes. Seven babies died in first week of birth (prematurity 1, icteric HEV 3, anicteric HEV 2 and hyperbilirubinemia 1). Nine babies survived and were followed up for clinical, biochemical, serological course and duration of viremia. Five of 9 babies who survived were HEV RNA positive. HEV RNA was not detectable by 4 weeks of birth in three babies, by 8 weeks in one and by 32 weeks in one. All surviving babies had self‐limiting disease and none had prolonged viremia. Thus HEV infection is commonly transmitted from mother‐to‐foetus and causes high neonatal mortality. HEV infection in survivors is self‐limiting with short lasting viremia.
An in‐situ baiting bioassay for detecting Phytophthora species in irrigation runoff containment basins
Authors: Ghimire S. R. , Richardson P. A. , Moorman G. W. , Lea‐Cox J. D. , Ross D. S. , Hong C. X.
Published: February 2009

Experiments were conducted in irrigation runoff containment basins to assess the effects of bait species (Camellia japonica, Ilex crenata or Rhododendron catawbiense), bait type (whole leaf vs. leaf disc), baiting duration (1, 2, 7 or 14 days), baiting depth and growth media (modified PARP‐V8 or PARPH‐V8) on the recovery of Phytophthora species. A two‐rope, flexible bait‐deployment system was compared with a one‐rope fixed system for bait stability at designated locations and depths. A total of 907 Phytophthora isolates were subjected to PCR‐based single‐strand conformation polymorphism (PCR‐SSCP) analysis to identify to species level. Seven distinct SSCP patterns representing six morphospecies: P. citricola (Cil I), P. citrophthora (Cip I), P. hydropathica (Hyd), P. insolita (Ins), P. megasperma (Meg I & II) and an unidentified Phytophthora species were identified. Irrespective of culture medium, 7 days of baiting with rhododendron leaves consistently resulted in the recovery of the greatest diversity and populations of Phytophthora species with minimum interference from Pythium species. The flexible bait‐deployment system was superior to the fixed system, minimizing the risk of bait loss and dislocation of baiting units and allowing baits to remain at designated depths from the surface under inclement weather.
Pepino mosaic virus isolates and differential symptomatology in tomato
Authors: Hanssen I. M. , Paeleman A. , Vandewoestijne E. , Van Bergen L. , Bragard C. , Lievens B. , Vanachter A. C. R. C. , Thomma B. P. H. J.
Published: February 2009

Based on a survey conducted in commercial tomato production in Belgium in 2006, four Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) isolates that differed in symptom expression in the crop of origin were selected for greenhouse trials. The selected isolates were inoculated onto tomato plants grown in four separate plastic tunnels. PepMV symptom development was assessed regularly and extensive sampling followed by ELISA analyses, genotyping and sequencing was performed to study viral presence and variation in PepMV sequences throughout the trial period. Two isolates (EU‐mild and CH2‐mild) that were selected based on mild symptom expression in the crop of origin caused only mild symptoms in the trial, while two other isolates (CH2‐aggressive and EU + CH2) that were selected for severe symptom display, caused considerably more severe symptoms. Sequence homology between CH2‐mild and CH2‐aggressive was as high as 99·4%. Results of this study show that differential symptom expression can, at least partially, be attributed to the PepMV isolate, which may be related to minor differences at the nucleotide level between isolates.
Eocene tortoise beetles from the Green River Formation in Colorado, U.S.A. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae)
Authors: CHABOO CAROLINE S. , ENGEL MICHAEL S.
Published: February 2009

Abstract The fossil history of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) is relatively poorly documented despite an abundance of available material. Of particular interest is the origin and radiation of the diverse tortoise beetles, a derived group within Cassidinae s.l. (=Cassidinae + Hispinae) defined by the exophagous life history and specialized morphology of the immature stages. Cassidinae is also a group with relatively few fossil records that can be assigned with any degree of certainty. Here we report two of the oldest definitive tortoise beetle fossils, Eosacantha delocranioidesgen.n. et sp.n. and Denaeaspis chelonopsisgen.n. et sp.n., from the Eocene Green River Formation (ca. 47 million years old) in northwestern Colorado, U.S.A. Owing to the fine level of preservation, many important features can be observed and are coded into the recent cladistic analysis for the subfamily. Phylogenetic analysis highlights that both genera have affinities with modern lineages, one restricted to the Old World and the other restricted to the Neotropics. Although Cassidinae as a whole extend into the Cretaceous, the available information suggests that the tortoise beetles perhaps originated and diversified during the Early Tertiary. As such, the morphological and biological transitions from the leaf‐mining hispiforms to the distinctive tortoise‐like cassidiforms, with their elaborate defensive larval shields and other unique behaviours, probably took place during the latest Paleocene or earliest Eocene. These Green River fossils are the oldest yet to document the specialized morphology associated with the transition in cassidine feeding and immature biology.
Analyses of GA20ox‐ and GID1‐over‐expressing aspen suggest that gibberellins play two distinct roles in wood formation
Authors: Mauriat Mélanie , Moritz Thomas
Published: February 2009

Gibberellins (GAs) are involved in many aspects of plant development, including shoot growth, flowering and wood formation. Increased levels of bioactive GAs are known to induce xylogenesis and xylem fiber elongation in aspen. However, there is currently little information on the response pathway(s) that mediate GA effects on wood formation. Here we characterize an important element of the GA pathway in hybrid aspen: the GA receptor, GID1. Four orthologs of GID1 were identified in Populus tremula × P. tremuloides (PttGID1.1–1.4). These were functional when expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, and appear to present a degree of sub‐functionalization in hybrid aspen. PttGID1.1 and PttGID1.3 were over‐expressed in independent lines of hybrid aspen using either the 35S promoter or a xylem‐specific promoter (LMX5). The 35S:PttGID1 over‐expressors shared several phenotypic traits previously described in 35S:AtGA20ox1 over‐expressors, including rapid growth, increased elongation, and increased xylogenesis. However, their xylem fibers were not elongated, unlike those of 35S:AtGA20ox1 plants. Similar differences in the xylem fiber phenotype were observed when PttGID1.1, PttGID1.3 or AtGA20ox1 were expressed under the control of the LMX5 promoter, suggesting either that PttGID1.1 and PttGID1.3 play no role in fiber elongation or that GA homeostasis is strongly controlled when GA signaling is altered. Our data suggest that GAs are required in two distinct wood‐formation processes that have tissue‐specific signaling pathways: xylogenesis, as mediated by GA signaling in the cambium, and fiber elongation in the developing xylem.
Spatial clustering of pulmonary tuberculosis and impact of the care factors in Antananarivo City
Authors: Randremanana Rindra Vatosoa , Sabatier Philippe , Rakotomanana Fanjasoa , Randriamanantena Arthur , Richard Vincent
Published: February 2009

Objective  To analyse the spatial distribution of TB in Antananarivo and investigate risk factors.

Methods  Pulmonary TB data were collected through passive case detection in 16 Tuberculosis Diagnostic and Treatment Centers (DTC). New cases listed in the DTC registers from 2004 to 2006 and resident in Antananarivo were included in the study. Field workers of the national control program conducted household surveys of all cases to collect complementary information on socio‐economic status. TB spatial organization and risk factors were analysed over two successive periods (August 2004–July 2005, August 2005–July 2006); analysis was done at the neighbourhood level, by searching for spatial clusters with the spatial scan test.

Results  3075 pulmonary tuberculosis new cases were reported in Antananarivo from 2004 to 2006. The average incidence during the study period was 74/100 000 inhabitants (95% CI: 64.9–84.5). Spatial clusters occurred in three of the six arrondissements (districts) of the city (192 neighbourhoods). A decrease in clustering was observed with movement towards the southern neighbourhood.

Conclusion  The change in risk of a TB cluster was linked to socio‐economic (e.g. household amount of ownership of tap water) and patient care factors (e.g. patients lost to follow‐up).
Elimination of lymphatic filariasis in the Republic of Korea: an epidemiological survey of formerly endemic areas, 2002–2006
Authors: Cheun Hyeong‐Il , Lee Jong‐Soo , Cho Shin‐Hyeong , Kong Yoon , Kim Tong‐Soo
Published: February 2009

Objectives  To determine the current status of lymphatic filariasis (LF) in Korea.

Methods  Epidemiological surveys between 2002 and 2006 in areas where LF was previously endemic: remote and coastal areas Jeollanam‐do, Gyeongsangnam‐do, and Jeju‐do, and inland Gyeongsangbuk‐do. We took night blood smears from 9426 people for microfilaria testing and assayed samples from 3049 children (10‐ to 13‐year‐olds) and 1526 adults for Brugia malayi antibodies.

Results  We found two cases (0.01%) with low microfilaria density in their peripheral blood (1–2/20 μl) on the remote island of Jeollanam‐do in the southern part of the Korean peninsula. These patients, males over 60‐years old, were treated with diethylcarbamazine (DEC). None of the 4575 people surveyed tested positive for specific B. malayi antibodies.

Conclusion  Lymphatic filariasis appears to have been eliminated in Korea.
Suboptimal management of acute food‐allergic reactions by patients, emergency departments and general practitioners
Authors: Le T. M. , Van Hoffen E. , Pasmans S. G. , Bruijnzeel‐Koomen C. A. F. M. , Knulst A. C.
Published: February 2009

Suboptimal food allergy management by patients and doctors.
Liver transplantation in recipients over 65 yr old: a single center experience
Authors: Audet M. , Piardi T. , Panaro F. , Cag M. , Ghislotti E. , Habibeh H. , Giulini S.M. , Jaeck D. , Wolf P.h.
Published: February 2009

Audet M, Piardi T, Panaro F, Cag M, Ghislotti E, Habibeh H, Giulini SM, Jaeck D, Wolf Ph. Liver transplantation in recipients over 65 yr old: a single center experience. Clin Transplant 2010: 24: 84–90. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  Introduction:  The advanced age of the recipient is considered a “relative contraindication” to liver transplantation (LT). However, recently some studies reported a morbidity rate and an overall survival comparable with those of younger patients. Here, we reported the outcome after LT in recipients aged >65 yr.

Methods:  Between January 2000 and December 2006, 565 LT was performed in 502 recipients in our institution. Of these, 34 were recipients of >65 yr old (aged group). We focused our study comparing: donor age, co‐morbidities, model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, duration of operation, transfusions and outcome between the two groups (young/aged).

Results:  For the group aged >65: the mean donor age was 52.5 (range 16–75) yr and the graft weight 1339 g (890–1880 g). Co‐morbidity was recorded in 25 (73.5%), coronary artery disease (CAD) in 17 (50%), diabetes mellitus (DM) and chronic renal insufficiency in four (11.7%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in three patients (8.8%). Mean MELD score was 14.9 (range 12–29) and ASA score was two in 15 (44.1%); and three in 19 (55.8%) recipients. Mean operation time was four h 45 min, three patients also received combined kidney transplantation. Twenty‐five (73.5%) recipients received blood transfusions (mean 3.2). Morbidity was observed in 20 patients (58.8%); of these two had hepatic artery thrombosis requiring re‐LT. Overall survival was 80% (40 months of follow‐up), in particularly, at 30‐d, one yr, three yr was 91%, 84%, 80%, respectively. The only two statistical differences reported (p = 0.02) are: the lower rate of CAD in the younger group of recipients (12%), compared with the aged group (50%) and the subsequently lower mortality rate secondary to cardiac causes in the younger group (1.4%) compared with aged group (8.8%).

Conclusion:  Our results suggest that the recipient age should not be considered an absolute contraindication for LT when the graft/recipient matching is optimal and when an adequate cardiac assessment is performed.
Sympathovagal effects of spinal anaesthesia with intrathecal or intravenous fentanyl assessed by heart rate variability
Authors: FUJIWARA Y. , KUROKAWA S. , SHIBATA Y. , ASAKURA Y. , HARADO M. , KOMATSU T.
Published: February 2009

Background: Although many investigators previously reported the sympathovagal effect of spinal anaesthesia, there is no information about the sympathovagal effects of supplementation with fentanyl. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sympathovagal effects of intrathecal or intravenous fentanyl added to spinal anaesthesia.

Methods: One hundred and twenty patients undergoing elective transurethral surgery under spinal anaesthesia were randomly allocated to receive intrathecally either isobaric bupivacaine alone (Group B), bupivacaine supplemented with intrathecal (Group Ft) or with intravenous fentanyl (Group Fv). Heart rate variability was estimated using the MemCalc method (Tarawa, Suwa Trust, Japan) before and after spinal anaesthesia.

Results: In all groups, spinal anaesthesia significantly decreased low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) as a marker of sympathovagal balance. However, patients in Group B with a low block height developed a marked increase in LF/HF after spinal anaesthesia, which was attenuated in Group Ft. Meanwhile, intravenous fentanyl did not attenuate this response.

Conclusion: We conclude that sympathetic activation observed in patients with a low block height was attenuated by intrathecal fentanyl but not by intravenous fentanyl.
Pre‐hospital use of ketamine in paediatric trauma
Authors: BREDMOSE P. P. , GRIER G. , DAVIES G. E. , LOCKEY D. J.
Published: February 2009

Objectives: To describe the use of ketamine in children by a pre‐hospital physician‐based service.

Methods: A five and a half year retrospective database review of all patients aged <16 years who were attended by London's Helicopter Emergency Medical Service and given ketamine.

Results: One hundred and sixty‐four children met the inclusion criteria. The median age was 10 years (range 0–15 years). One hundred and four (63%) had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 15 and 153 (93%) had a GCS>8 before administration of ketamine. Patients received from 2 to 150 mg ketamine IV (mean=1.0 mg/kg) and 112 (68%) received concomitant midazolam (0.5–18 mg, mean=0.1 mg/kg). One hundred and forty‐one (86%) received ketamine intravenously and 23 (14%) intramuscularly. Only 12 patients (7%) were trapped. The most common mechanisms of injury in those who received ketamine were road traffic collisions, burns and falls.

Conclusion: The safe delivery of adequate analgesia and appropriate sedation is a priority in paediatric pre‐hospital care. Ketamine was predominantly used in awake non‐trapped patients with blunt trauma for procedural sedation and analgesia. Detailed database searches did not demonstrate loss of airway, oxygen desaturation or clinically significant emergence reactions after ketamine administration. This study failed to demonstrate any major side effects of the drug and reassured us that the safety profile of the drug in this environment is likely to be satisfactory. The use of ketamine in trapped children was rare.
Wound infiltration with magnesium sulphate and ropivacaine mixture reduces postoperative tramadol requirements after radical prostatectomy
Authors: TAUZIN‐FIN P. , SESAY M. , SVARTZ L. , KROL‐HOUDEK M.‐C. , MAURETTE P.
Published: February 2009

Purpose: This prospective, randomized, double‐dummy study was undertaken to compare the effects of magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) administered by the intravenous vs. the infiltration route on postoperative pain and analgesic requirements.

Methods: Forty ASA I or II men scheduled for radical retropubic prostatectomy under general anaesthesia were randomized into two groups (n=20 each). Two medication sets A and B were prepared at the pharmacy. Each set contained a minibag of 50 ml solution for IV infusion and a syringe of 45 ml for wound infiltration. Group MgSO4.IV patients received set A with 50 mg/kg MgSO4 in the minibag and 190 mg of ropivacaine in the syringe. Group MgSO4/L received set B with isotonic saline in the minibag and 190 mg of ropivacaine +750 mg of MgSO4 in the syringe. The IV infusion was performed over 30 min at induction of anaesthesia and the surgical wound infiltration was performed during closure. Pain was assessed every 4 h, using a 100‐point visual analogue scale (VAS). Postoperative analgesia was standardized using IV paracetamol (1 g/6 h) and tramadol was administered via a patient‐controlled analgesia system. The follow‐up period was 24 h.

Results: The total cumulative tramadol consumption was 221 ± 64.1 mg in group MgSO4.IV and 134 ± 74.9 mg in group MgSO4.L (P<0.01). VAS pain scores were equivalent in the two groups throughout the study. No side‐effects, due to systemic or local MgSO4 administration, were observed.

Conclusion: Co‐administration of MgSO4 with ropivacaine for postoperative infiltration analgesia after radical retropubic prostatectomy produces a significant reduction in tramadol requirements.
Differences in parasite susceptibility and costs of resistance between naturally exposed and unexposed host populations
Authors: HASU T. , BENESH D. P. , VALTONEN E. T.
Published: February 2009

It is generally assumed that resistance to parasitism entails costs. Consequently, hosts evolving in the absence of parasites are predicted to invest less in costly resistance mechanisms than hosts consistently exposed to parasites. This prediction has, however, rarely been tested in natural populations. We studied the susceptibility of three naïve, three parasitized and one recently isolated Asellus aquaticus isopod populations to an acanthocephalan parasite. We found that parasitized populations, with the exception of the isopod population sympatric with the parasite strain used, were less susceptible to the parasite than the naïve populations. Exposed but uninfected (resistant) isopods from naïve populations, but not from parasitized populations, exhibited greater mortality than controls, implying that resistance entails survival costs primarily for naïve isopods. These results suggest that parasites can drive the evolution of host resistance in the wild, and that co‐existence with parasites may increase the cost‐effectiveness of defence mechanisms.
Methyl Jasmonate Counteract UV‐B Stress in Barley Seedlings
Authors: Fedina I. , Nedeva D. , Georgieva K. , Velitchkova M.
Published: February 2009

The role of exogenously applied phytohormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in counteracting the ultraviolet B (UV‐B) stress in barley seedlings was investigated. Barley seedlings (Hordeum vulgare L., cv. Alfa) 4 days old were supplied with 5 × 10−5 m MeJA through the roots for 3 days and then exposed for 2 days for 5 h per day to UV‐B (312 nm, biological effectiveness of UV‐B radiation 28.8 kJ m−2day−1). The rate of 14CO2 fixation, PSI and PSII activities and chlorophyll content decreased, but flavonoids, H2O2, malondialdehyde, proline and UV‐B induced compounds increased after UV‐B treatment. The rate of photosynthetic oxygen evolution was more strongly inhibited by UV‐B‐irradiation than PSI and PSII efficiency. MeJA itself increased the content of free proline, which acts as a stress protector due to its radical scavenging ability. Increased superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase (POX) activities in the leaves and in the roots and the POX isoforms induction revealed the MeJA involvement in plant tolerance to oxidative stress caused by UV‐B irradiation. It was shown that pre‐treatment with MeJA counteracted UV‐B stress. Therefore, it was suggested that MeJA could acts as a mediator in plant defense responses to UV‐B irradiation by enhancing the activity of antioxidant system and free radical scavenging capability of plant cells.
Deltamethrin‐induced feeding plasticity in pyrethroid‐susceptible and ‐resistant strains of the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais
Authors: Guedes N. M. P. , Guedes R. N. C. , Silva L. B. , Cordeiro E. M. G.
Published: February 2009

Phenotypic plasticity contributes to the adaptative evolution of populations exposed to new or altered environments. Feeding plasticity is a component of phenotypic plasticity not usually considered in insect strains adapted to insecticide‐altered environments, but which may either accentuate or mitigate insecticide resistance. This is a concern in the pyrethroid‐resistant strains of the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. (Col., Curculionidae), and the reason for this study. A pyrethroid‐susceptible and two pyrethroid‐resistant strains of maize weevil were subjected to free‐choice and no‐choice tests with maize grains sprayed with increasing doses of the pyrethroid, deltamethrin. The insects from the pyrethroid‐resistant strains exhibited higher feeding avoidance with increased deltamethrin doses than insects from the susceptible strain when subjected to free‐choice tests. The strains of maize weevil physiologically resistant to pyrethroids were also behaviourally resistant to deltamethrin – an additional management concern. The resistant strains avoid deltamethrin‐sprayed grains and are less nutritionally affected by this compound, with divergent responses from the susceptible strain with increased doses of deltamethrin. Furthermore, the higher relative growth rate and consequently higher efficiency of food conversion observed in the insecticide‐resistant strains were significant even without insecticide exposure, indicating that these traits are stimulus‐independent and may persist even without further insecticide selection, potentially limiting the options available for their management.
Effects of selection for maize resistance to Sesamia nonagrioides on the additive and dominant components of genetic variance
Authors: Sandoya G. , Malvar R. A. , Revilla P. , Butrón A.
Published: February 2009

Sesamia nonagrioides causes high yield losses in maize in northwestern Spain. Therefore, a recurrent selection programme to improve resistance against this pest has been carried out in a maize synthetic population. The main purposes of this investigation were to determine which are the main components of genetic variance for stem tunnelling and yield under infestation, to determine the variance remaining after selection, and, finally, to establish the genetic relationship between traits used as selection criteria and other ear resistance and agronomic traits. A North Carolina Design I mating system was used. Individual analyses by year were carried out and additive variance was identified as the only significant component of the genetic variance for stem tunnel length while a dominant variance was significant for yield. Those variances have decreased due to selection, but not significantly. Selection could continue for more cycles as there is enough variance. Additive genetic correlation coefficients between tunnel length and yield could not be determined. Thereafter, we propose three different methodologies of the selection to determine the relationship between resistance and yield under infestation.
Chromitite and peridotite from Rayat, northeastern Iraq, as fragments of a Tethyan ophiolite
Authors: Ismail Sabah A. , Arai Shoji , Ahmed Ahmed H. , Shimizu Yohei
Published: February 2009

Ophiolitic rocks (chromitites and serpentinized peridotites) were petrologically examined in detail for the first time from Rayat, in the Iraqi part of the Zagros thrust zone, an ophiolitic belt. Almost all the primary silicates have been altered out, but chromian spinel has survived from alteration and gives information about the primary petrological characteristics. The protolith of the serpentinite was clinopyroxene‐free harzburgite with chromian spinel of intermediate Cr# (= Cr/[Cr + Al] atomic ratio) of 0.5 to 0.6. The harzburgite with that signature is the most common in the mantle section of the Tethyan ophiolites such as the Oman ophiolite, and is the most suitable host for chromitite genesis. Except for one sample, which has Cr# = 0.6 for spinel, the Cr# of spinel is high, around 0.7, in chromitite. The variation in Cr# of spinel in chromitite observed here has been also reported in the Oman ophiolite. The peridotite with chromitite pods exposed at Rayat was derived from an ophiolite similar in petrological character to the Oman ophiolite, one of the typical Tethyan ophiolites (fragments of Tethyan oceanic lithosphere). This result is consistent with the previous interpretation based on geological analysis.
Petrogenesis and tectonic setting of bimodal volcanism in the Sakoli Mobile Belt, Central Indian shield
Authors: Ahmad Talat , Longjam Kabita C. , Fouzdar Baishali , Bickle Mike J. , Chapman Hazel J.
Published: February 2009

The Sakoli Mobile Belt comprises bimodal volcanic rocks that include metabasalt, rhyolite, tuffs, and epiclastic rocks with metapelites, quartzite, arkose, conglomerate, and banded iron formation (BIF). Mafic volcanic rocks are tholeiitic to quartz‐tholeiitic with normative quartz and hypersthene. SiO2shows a large compositional gap between the basic and acidic volcanics, depicting their bimodal nature. Both the volcanics have distinct geochemical trends but display some similarity in terms of enriched light rare earth element–large ion lithophile element characteristics with positive anomalies for U, Pb, and Th and distinct negative anomalies for Nb, P, and Ti. These characteristics are typical of continental rift volcanism. Both the volcanic rocks show strong negative Sr and Eu anomalies indicating fractionation of plagioclases and K‐feldspars, respectively. The high Fe/Mg ratios for the basic rocks indicate their evolved nature. Whole rock Sm–Nd isochrons for the acidic volcanic rocks indicate an age of crystallization for these volcanic rocks at about 1675 ± 180 Ma (initial143Nd/144Nd = 0.51017 ± 0.00017, mean square weighted deviate [MSWD] = 1.6). The εNdt(t = 2000 Ma) varies between −0.19 and +2.22 for the basic volcanic rock and between −2.85 and −4.29 for the acidic volcanic rocks. Depleted mantle model ages vary from 2000 to 2275 Ma for the basic and from 2426 to 2777 Ma for the acidic volcanic rocks, respectively. These model ages indicate that protoliths for the acidic volcanic rocks probably had a much longer crustal residence time. Predominantly basaltic magma erupted during the deposition of the Dhabetekri Formation and part of it pooled at crustal or shallower subcrustal levels that probably triggered partial melting to generate the acidic magma. The influence of basic magma on the genesis of acidic magma is indicated by the higher Ni and Cr abundance at the observed silica levels of the acidic magma. A subsequent pulse of basic magma, which became crustally contaminated, erupted as minor component along with the dominantly acidic volcanics during the deposition of the Bhiwapur Formation.