bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety and Efficacy of High‐dose Acarbose Treatment for Dumping Syndrome
Authors: De Cunto Angela , Barbi Egidio , Minen Federico , Ventura Alessandro
Published: June 2011

Dumping syndrome (DS) is a complication of Nissen fundoplication. Dietary strategies can ameliorate symptoms, but this approach is not always foolproof. Limited evidence reports the efficacy of acarbose for children who are unresponsive to feeding manipulations. We report 8 patients with DS aged between 7 and 24 months. In 4 of 8 nutritional strategies failed, and acarbose treatment was started. The initial dose was 25 mg for meals, and increased until postprandial glucose was stable. In 3 of 4 children the final dose was higher than previously reported, without adverse effects. Acarbose is useful to treat DS in cases of failure of dietary strategies.
Helicobacter pylori Eradication Rates in Children Upon Susceptibility Testing Based on Noninvasive Stool Polymerase Chain Reaction Versus Gastric Tissue Culture
Authors: Vécsei Andreas , Innerhofer Albina , Graf Ulrike , Binder Christa , Giczi Heidemarie , Hammer Karin , Bruckdorfer Andrea , Hirschl Alexander M , Makristathis Athanasios
Published: June 2011

Background and Objectives:

In children with clarithromycin‐resistant Helicobacter pylori, clarithromycin‐containing therapies often fail. The present study aimed to assess the outcome of tailored therapy upon noninvasive versus invasive H pylori susceptibility testing.

Patients and Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a pediatric outpatient clinic located in a region where H pylori clarithromycin resistance is highly prevalent. Between June 2007 and September 2009, 96 infected children (mean age 10.8 years), naïve to H pylori eradication treatment, were prescribed triple eradication therapies. These therapies were individually tailored upon susceptibility testing performed either noninvasively using stool polymerase chain reaction (stool PCR group) or invasively using endoscopy, biopsy, and culturing of gastric biopsies (gastric biopsy group). Eradication was defined by negative results upon noninvasive testing including stool PCR at least 5 weeks after the end of treatment.

Results:

H pylori was eradicated in 43 of 55 stool PCR group versus 30 of 41 gastric biopsy group children (78.2% vs 73.2%, P = 0.63). Of those H pylori strains with pretherapeutic clarithromycin susceptibility, 78.8% were eradicated in the stool PCR group and 69.2% in the gastric biopsy group (P = 0.41) following clarithromycin‐containing therapy; clarithromycin resistance was acquired by 4.1% of strains in the former group versus 12% in the latter (P = 0.33).

Conclusions:

Stool PCR is as effective as the invasive approach of H pylori susceptibility testing for targeting resistance‐guided eradication treatments in children. Furthermore, stool PCR is a useful tool for tracking the emergence of clarithromycin resistance following eradication treatment.
Measurement of Mucosal Conductivity by MII Is a Potential Marker of Mucosal Integrity Restored in Infants on Acid‐suppression Therapy
Authors: Loots Clara M , Van Wijk Michiel P , Smits Marije J , Wenzl Tobias G , Benninga Marc A , Omari Taher I
Published: June 2011

Esophageal multichannel intraluminal impedance (MII) allows measurement of the conductivity of adjacent contents. During esophageal rest, raw impedance levels may represent mucosal integrity. We assessed the influence of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on presumed mucosal integrity by reanalyzing raw MII levels of 21 pH‐MII tracings from infants with gastroesophageal reflux (GER) disease before and after esomeprazole treatment. Median (interquartile range) esophageal MII increased during treatment, 938 (652–1304) versus 1885 (1360–2183) Ohm, P < 0.0001. Patients with lower MII levels demonstrated a larger increase on therapy: Spearman r2 = 0.28, P = 0.014. No correlation with standard GER parameters was observed. In conclusion, PPI therapy increases MII levels in infants with symptomatic GER disease.
Integrative analysis of environmental sequences using MEGAN4
Authors: Huson Daniel H. , Mitra Suparna , Ruscheweyh Hans-Joachim , Weber Nico , Schuster Stephan C.
Published: June 2011

A major challenge in the analysis of environmental sequences is data integration. The question is how to analyze different types of data in a unified approach, addressing both the taxonomic and functional aspects. To facilitate such analyses, we have substantially extended MEGAN, a widely used taxonomic analysis program. The new program, MEGAN4, provides an integrated approach to the taxonomic and functional analysis of metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, metaproteomic, and rRNA data. While taxonomic analysis is performed based on the NCBI taxonomy, functional analysis is performed using the SEED classification of subsystems and functional roles or the KEGG classification of pathways and enzymes. A number of examples illustrate how such analyses can be performed, and show that one can also import and compare classification results obtained using others' tools. MEGAN4 is freely available for academic purposes, and installers for all three major operating systems can be downloaded from www-ab.informatik.uni-tuebingen.de/software/megan.
Realism in systematics through biogeographical consilience
Authors: Capellari Renato S. , Santos Charles Morphy D.
Published: June 2011

There is an overlooked gap between any phylogenetic hypothesis and the natural world shaped by historical evolutionary processes, since the main concern during phylogenetic analyses is solely the search for congruence among characters under a defined criterion. Given a scientific realistic view, however, phylogenetic hypotheses are scientific theories that try to depict the historical series of cladogenetic events among biological entities. In this sense, the challenge is to establish a form of measuring the degree of truthfulness of our phylogenetic hypotheses. Here, we advocate the use of consilient biogeographical hypotheses to recognize the biological meaning of a phylogenetic inference apart from its instrumentalist value. Our proposal is based on the assumption that robust biogeographical hypotheses allows us to be close to the real evolutionary history of taxa.

© The Willi Hennig Society 2011.
Peer Support as an Intervention to Counteract School Bullying: Listen to the Children
Authors: Cowie Helen
Published: June 2011

In this article, we discuss a range of ways in which children and young people themselves can give adults insights into bullying and how to resolve it. The adoption of peer support within a school can create opportunities for children and young people to be proactive in challenging bullying when they observe it.
The Relationship Between Use of School‐Based Peer Support Initiatives and the Social and Emotional Well‐Being of Bullied and Non‐bullied Students
Authors: Houlston Catherine , Smith Peter K. , Jessel John
Published: June 2011

This study investigated whether use of peer support initiatives in three secondary schools was related to Year 7 students’ positive perception of social support from peers and self‐esteem. Results suggest that the use of these frameworks was related to higher perceived frequency of social support from other students, but not close friend support or self‐esteem. The findings also provide support for a buffering model based on victim status. The relationship between the use of peer support schemes and well‐being variables was stronger for bullied students. Using structured peer support schemes may provide protection from the negative associations of victimisation.
School Bullying and Social and Moral Orders
Authors: Horton Paul
Published: June 2011

This article provides a theoretical consideration of the ways in which school bullying relates to social and moral orders and the relations of power that are central to the upholding of such orders. Moving away from the focus on individual aggressive intentionality that has hitherto dominated school bullying research, the article argues that understanding the social processes of bullying requires not only understanding bullying as a group interactional process but also how such interaction is part of power relations within both the immediate context of the school and the wider society.
Bullies as Guardians of the Moral Order or an Ethic of Truths?
Authors: Davies Bronwyn
Published: June 2011

This article offers a critique of the individualisation and pathologisation that underpin most current working definitions of bullying. In lieu of this usual mode of thinking about bullying, this article draws on concepts from Foucault, Deleuze, Butler and Badiou, to re‐cast bullying not as pathological, but as an excessive and misguided defence of a fixed and dominant normative moral order. A very different approach to dealing with school bullying is sketched out, where it is proposed that children learn a new form of ethical relationality in which they are open to difference and to their own ongoing creative evolution. This approach argues for the importance of the teachers working with children, rather than selecting out individuals as bullies and victims to be treated.
Intelligence quotient (IQ) in adolescence and later risk of alcohol‐related hospital admissions and deaths—37‐year follow‐up of Swedish conscripts
Authors: Sjölund Sara , Allebeck Peter , Hemmingsson Tomas
Published: June 2011

Aims  To investigate the relationship between intelligence measured at ages 18–19 and later alcohol‐related hospital admission and mortality among men, while controlling for possible confounders.

Design  Cohort study.

Setting and participants  A total of 49 321 Swedish men who were conscripted for military training in 1969–70 and followed until 2007.

Measurements  Intelligence quotient (IQ) measured at conscription is the exposure, while alcohol‐related hospital admission and death are the two outcomes. Adjustments for following variables were made: early life circumstances [childhood socio‐economic position (SEP), father's drinking], mental health, social adjustment and behavioural factors measured at age 18 (psychiatric diagnosis, contact with police and child care, low emotional control, daily smoking, risky use of alcohol) and adult social position (attained education, SEP and income at age 40).

Findings  IQ had an inverse and graded association with later alcohol‐related problems. For alcohol‐related hospital admissions the crude hazard ratio (HR) was 1.29 (95% CI = 1.26–1.31) and for alcohol‐related mortality it was 1.21 (95% CI = 1.17–1.24) for every one point decrease on the nine‐point IQ scale. Adjustment for risk factors measured at age 18 attenuated the association somewhat for both outcomes. After adjustment for social position as adult, the HR was considerably lower resulting in a HR of 1.06 (95% CI = 1.02–1.10) for alcohol‐related hospital admissions and 1.01 (95% CI = 0.95–1.08) for alcohol‐related mortality.

Conclusions  In Swedish men there is an association between IQ in early adulthood and later alcohol‐related hospital admission and death. Social position as adult could be an important contributory factor.
Skin conditions are the commonest new reason people present to general practitioners in England and Wales
Authors: Schofield J.K. , Fleming D. , Grindlay D. , Williams H.
Published: June 2011

Background Knowledge of the prevalence and incidence of skin conditions is a prerequisite for designing clinical services and providing appropriate training for primary health care professionals. In the U.K. the general practitioner and practice nurse are the first point of medical contact for persons with skin conditions.

Objectives We aimed to obtain contemporary data in age-, gender- and diagnosis-specific detail on persons presenting to primary care with skin problems. Comparisons were made with similar data for other major disease groups and with similar data from other recent years.

Methods We used surveillance data collected in the Weekly Returns Service (WRS) of the Royal College of General Practitioners during 2006 and trend data for subsequent years. The WRS sentinel practices monitor all consultations by clinical diagnosis in a representative population of 950 000 in England and Wales.

Results For conditions included in chapter XII of the International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision (ICD9), 15% of the population consulted; a further 9% presented with skin problems classified elsewhere in the ICD9, making a total of 24%. There was no evidence of increasing or decreasing trend since 2006. Skin infections were the commonest diagnostic group, while 20% of children < 12 months were diagnosed with atopic eczema. Considered collectively, the incidence of new episodes of skin disorders (including diagnoses outside chapter XII) exceeded incidences for all other major disease groupings.

Conclusions Compared with other major disease groups, skin conditions are the most frequent reason for consultation in general practice. This result emphasizes the need for appropriate education and training for all medical students and particularly for continuing education in dermatology for all primary health care professionals.
A comparative split-face study of photodynamic therapy with indocyanine green and indole-3-acetic acid for the treatment of acne vulgaris
Authors: Jang M.S. , Doh K.S. , Kang J.S. , Jeon Y.S. , Suh K.S. , Kim S.T.
Published: June 2011

Background Recently, photodynamic therapy (PDT) using a variety of light sources and photosensitizers has been used for the treatment of acne vulgaris. PDT with aminolaevulinic or methylaminolaevulinic acid has also been used in clinical trials as a treatment for acne, but adverse effects such as pain, erythema and pustular eruption are common. Indocyanine green (ICG) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), newer photosensitizers, are known to have minimal adverse effects.

Objectives This study was designed to compare the safety and efficacy of PDT using ICG and PDT using IAA in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris.

Methods In this prospective, single-blind, clinical trial, 34 patients with mild to moderate acne were treated with IAA with green light (520 nm) on half of the face and with ICG with near-infrared radiation (805 nm) on the other half. The procedure was carried out five times at 1-week intervals.

Results With regard to acne lesions (inflammatory and noninflammatory) and sebum secretion, there were statistically significant reductions at each time point compared with the baseline values (P <0·05). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two treatment types (P >0·05). Both ICG-PDT and IAA-PDT showed better responses for inflammatory lesions than for noninflammatory lesions (P <0·05). Subjective satisfaction score were statistically significant at 4 and 5 weeks of treatment as well as at 1, 2 and 3 months follow-up (P <0·05).

Conclusions Both PDT with ICG and PDT with IAA are safe and effective for the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris.
Early UK experience in the use of clofarabine in the treatment of relapsed and refractory paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
Authors: O’Connor David , Sibson Keith , Caswell Mark , Connor Philip , Cummins Michelle , Mitchell Chris , Motwani Jayashree , Taj Mary , Vora Ajay , Wynn Robert , Kearns Pamela R.
Published: June 2011

Clofarabine is a second‐generation purine nucleoside analogue, which has shown promising activity in relapsed and refractory paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). This report summarizes the early United Kingdom experience of clofarabine for the treatment of paediatric ALL in 23 patients, outside of the context of a clinical trial. Our results demonstrated that clofarabine‐based chemotherapy regimes were effective and well‐tolerated in this heavily pre‐treated group, with an overall response rate of 67% when used in combination regimes. Responses were seen in both B and T cell disease and in patients with adverse cytogenetics.
Chromosome abnormalities in advanced stage T‐cell lymphoblastic lymphoma of children and adolescents: a report from Japanese Paediatric Leukaemia/Lymphoma Study Group (JPLSG) and review of the literature
Authors: Sekimizu Masahiro , Sunami Shosuke , Nakazawa Atsuko , Hayashi Yasuhide , Okimoto Yuri , Saito Akiko M. , Horibe Keizo , Tsurusawa Masahito , Mori Tetsuya
Published: June 2011

T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T‐ALL) and T‐cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T‐LBL) are combined into one category as T lymphoblastic leukaemia/lymphoma in the current World Health Organization (WHO) classification. However, there is still ongoing discussion on whether T‐ALL and T‐LBL are two separate entities or represent two variant phenotypes of the same disease. Cytogenetic analysis has been used to identify the molecular background of haematological malignancies. To compare the distribution of chromosomal abnormalities of T‐ALL and T‐LBL, large series of cytogenetic data are required, but are absent in T‐LBL in contrast to the abundant data in T‐ALL. Among 111 T‐LBL cases in our clinical trial, we obtained complete cytogenetic data from 56 patients. The comparison between our cytogenetic findings and those from three published T‐LBL studies revealed no significant difference. However, meta‐analysis showed that translocations involving chromosome region 9q34 were significantly more common in T‐LBL than in T‐ALL. In particular, four out of the 92 T‐LBL cases, but none of the 523 paediatric T‐ALL cases, showed translocation t(9;17)(q34;q22–23) (P = 0·0004). Further studies are needed for the possible linkage between abnormal expression of genes located at 9q34 and/or 17q22–23 and the unique ‘lymphoma phenotype’ of T‐LBL.
Dry deposition of ammonia gas drives species change faster than wet deposition of ammonium ions: evidence from a long‐term field manipulation
Authors: Sheppard Lucy J. , Leith Ian D. , Mizunuma Toshie , Neil Cape John , Crossley Alan , Leeson Sarah , Sutton Mark A. , van Dijk Netty , Fowler David
Published: June 2011

Although the effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on species composition are relatively well known, the roles of the different forms of nitrogen, in particular gaseous ammonia (NH3), have not been tested in the field. Since 2002, we have manipulated the form of N deposition to an ombrotrophic bog, Whim, on deep peat in southern Scotland, with low ambient N (wet + dry = 8 kg N ha−1 yr−1) and S (4 kg S ha−1 yr−1) deposition. A gradient of ammonia (NH3, dry N), from 70 kg N ha−1 yr−1 down to background, 3–4 kg N ha−1 yr−1 was generated by free air release. Wet ammonium (NH4+, wet N) was provided to replicate plots in a fine rainwater spray (NH4Cl at +8, +24, +56 kg N ha−1 yr−1). Automated treatments are coupled to meteorological conditions, in a globally unique, field experiment. Ammonia concentrations were converted to NH3‐N deposition (kg N ha−1) using a site/vegetation specific parameterization. Within 3 years, exposure to relatively modest deposition of NH3, 20–56 kg NH3‐N ha−1 yr−1 led to dramatic reductions in species cover, with almost total loss of Calluna vulgaris, Sphagnum capillifolium and Cladonia portentosa. These effects appear to result from direct foliar uptake and interaction with abiotic and biotic stresses, rather than via effects on the soil. Additional wet N by contrast, significantly increased Calluna cover after 5 years at the 56 kg N dose, but reduced cover of Sphagnum and Cladonia. Cover reductions caused by wet N were significantly different from and much smaller than those caused by equivalent dry N doses. The effects of gaseous NH3 described here, highlight the potential for ammonia to destroy acid heathland and peat bog ecosystems. Separating the effects of gaseous ammonia and wet ammonium deposition, for a peat bog, has significant implications for regulatory bodies and conservation agencies.
Climate change and the invasion of California by grasses
Authors: Sandel Brody , Dangremond Emily M.
Published: June 2011

Over the next century, changes in the global climate are expected to have major consequences for plant communities, possibly including the exacerbation of species invasions. We evaluated this possibility in the grass flora of California, which is economically and ecologically important and heavily invaded. We used a novel, trait‐based approach involving two components: identifying differences in trait composition between native and exotic components of the grass flora and evaluating contemporary trait–climate relationships across the state. The combination of trait–climate relationships and trait differences between groups allows us to predict changes in the exotic‐native balance under climate change scenarios. Exotic species are more likely to be annual, taller, with larger leaves, larger seeds, higher specific leaf area, and higher leaf N percentage than native species. Across the state, all these traits are associated with regions with higher temperature. Therefore, we predict that increasing temperatures will favor trait states that tend to be possessed by exotic species, increasing the dominance of exotic species. This prediction is corroborated by the current distribution of exotic species richness relative to native richness in California; warmer areas contain higher proportions of exotic species. This pattern was very well captured by a simple model that predicts invasion severity given only the trait–climate relationship for native species and trait differences between native and exotic species. This study provides some of the first evidence for an important interaction between climate change and species invasions across very broad geographic and taxonomic scales.
Pain, discomfort, and use of analgesics following the extraction of primary canines in children with palatally displaced canines
Authors: NAOUMOVA JULIA , KJELLBERG HEIDRUN , KUROL JÜRI , MOHLIN BENGT
Published: June 2011

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2011; 22: 17–26

Background.  Pain following the extraction of the primary canine in children with palatally displaced canines (PDC) as an interceptive treatment has not been investigated.

Aims.  To describe pain, discomfort, dental anxiety, and use of analgesics following the extraction of primary canines in children with PDC.

Design.  Forty‐four children, aged 10–13 with PDC, were included. Pain intensity, discomfort, and analgesic consumption were rated the first evening and 1 week after the extraction of the primary canine. Dental anxiety was assessed pre‐extraction, using the dental anxiety scale (DAS). A matched reference group also completed the DAS.

Results.  No significant differences were found between the study and the reference group regarding the pre‐extraction assessments. Post‐extraction pain and discomfort was low. The experience of the injection was graded worse than the extraction, and more pain was rated at the evening post‐extraction than during the extraction. Analgesics were used only the first evening. High correlation was detected between DAS and pain during injection and extraction.

Conclusions.  The experience of pain and discomfort during and after extraction of the primary canines is low, despite that 42% of the children used analgesics. Therefore, appropriate analgesics and recommendation doses pre‐ and post‐extraction should be prescribed.
Snails can survive passage through a bird’s digestive system
Authors: Wada Shinichiro , Kawakami Kazuto , Chiba Satoshi
Published: June 2011

Aim  Predation is generally viewed as a factor that limits the distribution of animal prey species. However, in certain instances, such as seed dispersal, predation may enhance the dispersal capability of prey species. In a prior study, we found that land snails are preyed upon by the Japanese white‐eye (Zosterops japonicus) and the brown‐eared bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis) in the Ogasawara Islands. In this paper we provide experimental and field evidence indicating that land snails could potentially be dispersed through bird predation.

Location  Hahajima Island of the Ogasawara Islands in the western Pacific.

Methods  Experimentation was first performed to test whether the land snail Tornatellides boeningi could remain alive after being swallowed and passed through the bird digestive system. Next, in order to investigate the potential role of internal bird transport and dispersal of this snail, we investigated the relationship between the distribution of population genetic diversity in the snail and the regional geographical abundance of predatory birds. The population genetic structure of T. boeningi and isolation by distance were inferred with Arlequin. The association between nucleotide diversity in T. boeningi populations and population density of predators was examined using a generalized linear mixed model. We conducted a likelihood ratio test for the full model and for another model that removed the fixed effect.

Results  Of the 119 snails fed to Japanese white‐eyes and 55 snails fed to brown‐eared bulbuls, 14.3% and 16.4% of the snails, respectively, passed through the gut alive. Additionally, one snail gave birth to juveniles after emerging from a bird’s gut. Significant heterogeneity among the populations of T. boeningi on Hahajima was indicated using AMOVA; however, there was no evidence of isolation by distance. A positive correlation was found between levels of mitochondrial DNA variation among and within T. boeningi populations and the density of Japanese white‐eyes in the wild.

Main conclusions  Bird predation appears to be a method of dispersal for T. boeningi, and our results suggest that bird‐mediated dispersal plays a role in land snail population structure.
Research utilisation and critical thinking among newly graduated nurses: predictors for research use. A quantitative cross‐sectional study
Authors: Wangensteen Sigrid , Johansson Inger S , Björkström Monica E , Nordström Gun
Published: June 2011

Aim.  The aim was to describe research utilisation among newly graduated nurses and to explore critical thinking dispositions and other individual and contextual factors as possible predictors for research use.

Background.  Nurses are expected to be research users, and variations in research utilisation are explained by individual and contextual factors. To our knowledge, critical thinking dispositions have not earlier been explored as predictors for research use.

Design.  A cross‐sectional design was chosen.

Methods.  Data collection was carried out from October 2006 to April 2007 using the Research Utilization Questionnaire (RUQ) and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). The response rate was 33% (n = 617). Pearson’s chi‐square test and regression analyses were used for statistical calculations.

Results.  The respondents reported a positive attitude towards research, but only 24% (n = 148) were defined as research users. A significantly higher proportion of research users reported high critical thinking scores. Critical thinking explained 20% of the variance in attitude towards research and 11% of the variance in research use. Availability and support to implement research findings was the second strongest predictor for research use.

Conclusions.  Critical thinking, a significant predictor for attitude towards research and for the use of research, should be recognised and strengthened in nursing education and clinical practice. Contextual factors seem to be important for newly graduated nurses’ use of research.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurse leaders play an important role in nurturing newly graduated nurses’ critical thinking and assisting them in transferring their positive attitude towards research into research use. Nurse educators play a significant role in supporting, challenging and supervising nursing students to be critical thinkers and strong believers in research utilisation.
From limitation to mastery: exercise experience for adolescents with mild congenital heart disease
Authors: Chiang Yueh‐Tao , Chen Chi‐Wen , Chen Yueh‐Chih
Published: June 2011

Aim. To describe the subjective experience of engaging in exercise for adolescents with mild congenital heart disease (CHD).

Background. Most children with mild CHD are now expected to survive to adolescence and even into adulthood. With early intervention, cardiopulmonary function and exercise capacity in most are comparable to those of normal peers. However, the exercise behaviours of these adolescent patients and their determinants remain largely undefined.

Design. A descriptive phenomenological design was used.

Methods. Eight adolescents with CHD who perceived no or only mild symptoms after engaging in exercise were individually interviewed using a semi‐structured interview. Interviews were transcribed and non‐verbal communication recorded within 24 hours of the interview. Transcriptions were analysed and perceptions and attitudes grouped according to theme expressed.

Findings. The essence of the adolescents with mild CHD engaging in exercise was from limitation to mastery. Four themes emerged: (1) self‐awareness: understanding the limitations of their disease and its impact on exercise; (2) perception: focusing on strengths and admitting limitations; (3) transcendence: developing coping strategies and maintaining balance; and (4) living with the disease: mastering oneself and living a normal life.

Conclusions. The findings indicated that, when adolescents faced and accepted their exercise limitation, they would assess their condition, develop coping strategies from their accumulated experience and participate in exercise to maintain a healthy body and mind.

Relevance to clinical practice. The findings provide a scientific knowledge base for nursing professionals to instruct adolescents with mild CHD in exercise and help families build the confidence of these adolescents.
A novel type of Potato virus Y recombinant genome, determined for the genetic strain PVYE
Authors: Galvino‐Costa S. B. F. , dos Reis Figueira A. , Camargos V. V. , Geraldino P. S. , Hu X‐J. , Nikolaeva O. V. , Kerlan C. , Karasev A. V.
Published: June 2011

Two Potato virus Y (PVY) isolates collected in Brazil, PVY‐AGA and PVY‐MON, were identified as recombinants between two parent genomes, PVYNTN and PVY‐NE‐11, with a novel type of genomic pattern. The new recombinants had an ordinary PVYNTN genome structure for approximately 6·7‐kb from the 5′‐end of the genome whereas the 3′‐terminal 3·0‐kb segment had two fragments of NE‐11‐like sequence separated by another small PVYNTN‐like fragment. PVY strains are defined based on the hypersensitive resistance (HR) response in potato indicators. Both PVY‐AGA and PVY‐MON isolates did not induce the HR in potato cultivars carrying Ny, Nc, or (putative) Nz genes and thus were able to overcome all known resistance genes to PVY. Only one of the two isolates, PVY‐AGA, induced a vein necrosis reaction in tobacco. The biological responses of the potato indicators and tobacco defined PVY‐MON as an isolate of the PVYE strain. To distinguish PVY‐AGA and PVY‐MON from other PVYNTN isolates, an RT‐PCR test was developed utilizing new specific primers from the capsid protein gene area and producing a characteristic 955‐bp band. Serological profiling of these PVY isolates with three monoclonal antibodies revealed an unusual reactivity, where one of the two commercial PVYN‐specific monoclonal antibodies did not recognize PVY‐AGA. The ability of these new PVY recombinants to overcome resistance genes in potato producing mild or no symptoms, combined with the lack of serological reactivity towards at least one PVYN‐specific antibody may present a significant threat posed by these isolates to seed potato production areas.
Long‐term population trends in three grassland insect groups: a comparative analysis of 1951 and 2009
Authors: Schuch S. , Bock J. , Krause B. , Wesche K. , Schaefer M.
Published: June 2011

Development of farming practices has caused drastic changes in European agricultural landscapes during the past 50 years. As a consequence of these changes, insect diversity is widely expected to decline. We performed a comparative analysis with long‐term data of three insect groups: Auchenorrhyncha, Heteroptera and Orthoptera. In 2009, we revisited nine grassland sites in northern Germany that were originally sampled in 1951 using the same techniques and during a similar time frame. We found that the insect community exhibited no consistent trends between years. Species richness of Auchenorrhyncha and Heteroptera increased on plot level as well as on landscape level but remained unchanged for Orthoptera. Abundance of Auchenorrhyncha and Orthoptera significantly decreased, while Heteroptera increased. There is a strong trend towards homogeneity in community composition for Heteroptera and a weak one for Auchenorrhyncha. The frequency and abundance of species preferring disturbed and/or eutrophic habitats increased, whereas the number of species preferring low‐productive habitats declined. This trend is especially pronounced in Auchenorrhyncha. Generalistic species were more abundant in relative proportions as well as in absolute numbers. We hypothesize that these trends arise from alterations of Central European landscapes because of agricultural intensification over the last several decades.
Prostate cancer detection after a negative prostate biopsy: Lessons learnt in the Cleveland Clinic experience
Authors: Zaytoun Osama M , Jones J Stephen
Published: June 2011

Urologists are often faced with the dilemma of managing patients with a negative initial prostate biopsy in whom clinical or pathological risk for prostate cancer still exists. Such real‐life challenging scenarios might raise questions such as: Who should undergo further biopsies? What are the optimal predictors for prostate cancer on subsequent biopsies? What is the optimal biopsy protocol that should be used? When to stop the biopsy cascade? The last decade has witnessed numerous studies that have analyzed factors conferring a significant risk for cancer discovered on repeat biopsies. We and others have developed predictive models to aid decision‐making regarding pursuing further biopsies. For decades, high‐grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia has been considered a strong risk indicator for subsequent cancer. However, it has been recently shown that only through segmentation of this heterogeneous population does the real risk profile emerge. Biopsy templates underwent modification regarding the number and location of cores with emergence of the transrectal or brachytherapy grid transperineal saturation biopsy. However, the best biopsy protocol remains controversial. We have refined the initial biopsy template to a 14 core initial biopsy template that optimizes cancer detection, and have shown that transrectal saturation biopsy significantly improves cancer detection for repeat biopsy. Another concern is the overdiagnosis of clinically insignificant cancer on repeat biopsies, so we explored ways to limit this, and to deal with its ramifications. Through carrying out a Medline literature search, we critically evaluated pertinent articles together with emphasis of our own journey in this arena to assist in the decision‐making process for repeat biopsy population.
Satisfaction with continuous glucose monitoring in adults and youths with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Tansey M. , Laffel L. , Cheng J. , Beck R. , Coffey J. , Huang E. , Kollman C. , Lawrence J. , Lee J. , Ruedy K. , Tamborlane W. , Wysocki T. , Xing D. ,   on behalf of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Continuous Glucose Monitoring Study Group
Published: June 2011

Diabet. Med. 28, 1118–1122 (2011)

Aims  To describe satisfaction with continuous glucose monitoring in Type 1 diabetes; to correlate continuous glucose monitoring satisfaction scores with usage; and to identify common themes in perceived benefits and barriers of monitoring reported by adults, youths and the parents of youths in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation continuous glucose monitoring trials.

Methods  The Continuous Glucose Monitoring Satisfaction Scale questionnaire was completed after 6 months of monitoring. Participants also answered open‐ended queries of positive and negative attributes of continuous glucose monitoring.

Results  More frequent monitoring was associated with higher satisfaction for adults (n = 224), youths (n = 208) and parents of youths (n = 192) (all P < 0.001) in both the ‘benefits’ and ‘hassles’ sub‐scales of the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Satisfaction Scale, but the greatest differences between the two groups involved scores on hassle items. Common barriers to monitoring use included insertion pain, system alarms and body issues; while common benefits included glucose trend data, opportunities to self‐correct out‐of‐range glucose levels and to detect hypoglycaemia.

Conclusions  As frequent use of continuous glucose monitoring is associated with improved glycaemic control without increased hypoglycaemia it is important to overcome barriers, reinforce benefits and set realistic expectations for this technology in order to promote its more consistent and frequent use in individuals with Type 1 diabetes.
Export Premia and Subcontracting Discount: Passive Strategies and Performance in Domestic and Foreign Markets
Authors: Razzolini Tiziano , Vannoni Davide
Published: June 2011

This paper contributes to the literature on firms’ productivity and exporting decisions by analysing the role played by organisational choice aspects. Rather than setting up a vertically integrated structure, manufacturers may act as subcontractors in both domestic and foreign markets, and produce to satisfy the requirements of other firms. The predictions that the most productive firms self‐select into exporting, whereas the least productive ones work as subcontractors serving the domestic market only, are tested on a sample of Italian firms observed during the 1998–2003 period. The results of our estimates highlight a ranking of firms consistent with a priori expectations, and provide a clear indication that passive exporters (i.e. those using subcontracting in foreign markets) display lower total factor productivity (TFP) values when compared with direct exporters. Moreover, only the latter category exhibits higher pre‐entry productivity levels and growth rates as well as higher post‐entry TFP growth rates. Such findings are consistent with both the self‐selection hypothesis and the learning‐by‐exporting explanation.
Political Connection, Bank Credits and Growth: Evidence from Turkey
Authors: Onder Zeynep , Ozyildirim Süheyla
Published: June 2011

The pervasive existence of government‐owned banks in emerging economies is often justified by their provision of access to credit in remote and underdeveloped regions that are ignored by private banks. This paper analyses whether credits provided by government‐owned and private banks have a significant role in regional growth and whether this role changes in politically connected areas in Turkey. Our findings imply that private banks significantly improve the economic well‐being in all Turkish provinces regardless of their development level or their political connection with the ruling party. However, credits by government‐owned banks are found to be positively related to the per capita growth rate only in the less developed provinces that are advocates of the ruling political party and also developed but not politically connected provinces. These results suggest that government‐owned bank credits, as implied by the political view, are used for funding politically desirable projects or politically connected borrowers.
Foreign Acquisition, Wages and Productivity
Authors: Bandick Roger
Published: June 2011

This paper studies the effect of foreign acquisition on wages and total factor productivity (TFP) in the years following a takeover by using unique detailed firm‐level data for Sweden for the period 1993–2002. The paper takes particular account of potential endogeneity of the acquisition decision (for example, due to ‘cherry picking’) by implementing an instrumental variable approach and propensity score matching with difference‐in‐difference estimation. Moreover, in line with the recent literature on firm heterogeneity and trade, this paper allows for the acquisition effect to differ depending on whether the targeted firms were domestic multinational or non‐multinationals before the foreign takeover. This paper also allows for the acquisition effect to differ depending on whether the acquisition is horizontal or vertical. Our results show that foreign acquisition has no effects on overall, skilled or less‐skilled wage growth, either in targeted Swedish MNEs or in targeted Swedish non‐MNEs or if the acquisition was motivated by vertical or horizontal motives. However, the results indicate that both targeted Swedish MNEs and non‐MNEs have better growth in TFP after vertical foreign acquisition only but no such impact from horizontal foreign acquisition.
Dangerous Interactions: Problems in Interpreting Tests of Conditional Aid Effectiveness
Authors: Fielding David , Knowles Stephen
Published: June 2011

There is now a substantial empirical literature examining the determinants of aid effectiveness. A large part of this makes inferences based on a regression incorporating aid (as a share of recipient GDP) interacted with some institutional or policy variable. Recently, some authors have questioned the statistical robustness of such regressions, pointing out that results vary according to the way aid is measured and the estimator applied to the data. Moreover, the regression equations used to test hypotheses about the determinants of aid effectiveness are often introduced without any corresponding formal theory. We explore aid‐policy interaction terms in the context of a simple theoretical model, showing how different nonlinearities may be conflated. The resulting difficulties in the interpretation of aid‐growth regressions are illustrated in the context of a seminal paper in the conditional aid effectiveness literature. One simple change in the way that aid is measured – in per capita terms rather than as a fraction of GDP – completely changes the regression results. This indicates that adding interaction terms to otherwise linear regression equations is an inadequate way of capturing the nonlinearities in the growth process. Our aim is to re‐emphasise the importance of grounding.
The Agrarian Roots of Contemporary Violent Conflict in Mindanao, Southern Philippines
Authors: VELLEMA SIETZE , BORRAS JR SATURNINO M. , LARA JR FRANCISCO
Published: June 2011

The decades‐old conflict in Mindanao, southern Philippines, is often framed as a Muslim–Christian conflict and reinterpreted as such within the US‐led global war on terror, with the Muslim secessionist movement standing accused of providing a hub for international jihad. In the meantime, global economic integration has made it easier to ignore the agrarian roots of violent conflict in Mindanao, enabling national and sub‐national actors, including the international community and the Muslim or Moro separatists, to dismiss the issue of agrarian justice. We counter these arguments by using an agrarian political economy framework to uncover the roots of resilient violence in Mindanao, using historical narratives of the region from the end of the nineteenth century that accentuate the links between state‐making, control of land and labour, and processes of agrarian modernization. We emphasize the critical role played by the Muslim landed elites who shaped processes of state‐making by brokering the interests of their clans with exogenous actors at the national and international level. We shed light on emerging state policies and competing interests among other landed and agribusiness elites that resulted in the spread of a parallel underground economy, renewing opportunities for violence and crime within semi‐autonomous social worlds.
Violence and War in Agrarian Perspective
Authors: CRAMER CHRISTOPHER , RICHARDS PAUL
Published: June 2011

The bulk of analysis and commentary on violent conflicts in developing countries over the past 20 years or so has neglected the dynamics and tensions of agrarian political economy. Introducing a special issue devoted to these agrarian dimensions of armed conflict, non‐war violence and post‐war repertoires of political mobilization, this paper argues for a new research and policy agenda. In doing so, we revive some older analytical approaches and suggest that they can refresh and enhance current scholarship. We argue too for a historical perspective: not simply to highlight precedents but, rather, because such a perspective helps to clarify the issues involved and their centrality to processes of rural change, as well as to show that there may be long‐run continuities in patterns of conflict. Bringing the agrarian back in to the study of violent conflict means investigating access to land and capital and means of mobilizing labour; it means investigating changes in the institutional regulation of such access and control; and it means identifying the tensions, techniques of compulsion and modes of resistance developed around productive relations in, typically, a globalized context.
The Agrarian Question and Violence in Colombia: Conflict and Development
Authors: THOMSON FRANCES
Published: June 2011

This article examines connections between Colombia's internal armed conflict and agrarian questions. It pays attention to the country's specific historical trajectory of agrarian change, the violent expression of social tensions that this elicited, and the particular ways in which these dynamics were influenced by a changing global context. This analysis of the intimate ties between violent conflict and agrarian questions in Colombia, both in terms of their historical development and their contemporary manifestations, challenges popular notions of the relationship between armed conflict and development. In particular, the article contributes to a critique of the conventional version of the conflict–development nexus by illustrating ways in which the experience of capitalist development in Colombia has been violent and produced poverty.
Rebellion and Agrarian Tensions in Sierra Leone
Authors: PETERS KRIJN , RICHARDS PAUL
Published: June 2011

This paper assesses the extent to which customary governance in Sierra Leone can be held responsible for an increasingly unstable two‐class agrarian society. A case is made for regarding the civil war (1991–2002) as being an eruption of long‐term, entrenched agrarian tensions exacerbated by chiefly rule. Evidence is presented to suggest that the main rebel movement embodied in its plans to reorganize agricultural production some grasp of these longer‐term agrarian problems. Postwar attempts to implement co‐operative farming and mining are then described. The failure of these schemes is linked to the reinstitution of customary land law and local patronage systems. Current struggles over land now involve international capital. Deep agrarian reforms will be required as the price of keeping international capital engaged in the Sierra Leone countryside.