bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PRECLINICAL STUDY: FULL ARTICLE: Tolerance to 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine is associated with impaired serotonin release
Authors: Jones Karen , Brennan Katharine A. , Colussi‐Mas Joyce , Schenk Susan
Published: May 2010

Tolerance to the behavioural effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) following high dose exposure has been attributed to alterations in serotonergic systems. The present study aimed to determine whether decreased 5‐HT release and/or 5‐HT2A/Creceptor desensitization might play a role in tolerance by measuring the response to selective ligands following MDMA exposure. To this end, the latency to nose poke and emerge from a hide box to an open field arena following administration of various ligands to MDMA pre‐treated and control rats was measured. Acute exposure to MDMA (0.0–3.3 mg/kg), the 5‐HT releasing stimulant fenfluramine (0.0–2.0 mg/kg) and the 5‐HT2receptor agonist m‐CPP (0.0–1.25 mg/kg) increased nose poke and emergence latency. Following administration of doses that produce 5‐HT2Areceptor‐mediated behaviours, the 5‐HT2receptor agonist (±)‐1‐(2,5‐dimethoxy‐4‐iodophenyl)‐2‐aminopropane failed to alter nose poke and emergence latency, suggesting a limited role of this receptor subtype in these behaviours. Activation of 5‐HT2Creceptors was implicated in the behavioural response to both MDMA and m‐CPP since the increased emergence latency was dose‐dependently attenuated by pre‐treatment with the selective 5‐HT2Creceptor antagonist RS102221 (0.0–1.0 mg/kg). Tolerance to the behavioural effect of MDMA and fenfluramine but not m‐CPP was produced by prior exposure to MDMA (10 mg/kg administered at two‐hour intervals, total 40 mg/kg), and tissue levels of 5‐HT and 5‐HIAA were decreased. These findings suggest that tolerance to the increased nose poke and emergence latency produced by MDMA is due to impaired 5‐HT release.
Prospective study of infectious complications in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients
Authors: Martín‐Peña Almudena , Aguilar‐Guisado Manuela , Espigado Ildefonso , Parody Ricardo , Miguel Cisneros José
Published: May 2010

Martín‐Peña A, Aguilar‐Guisado M, Espigado I, Parody R, Cisneros JM. Prospective study of infectious complications in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Clin Transplant 2011: 25: 468–474. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  This is a prospective, observational study of a consecutive cohort of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT) adult recipients conducted between July 2003 and May 2006, with the aim of identifying the current incidence, etiology, risk factors for infections and associated mortality up to two yr after allo‐HSCT. Seventy‐four episodes of infection were recorded in 38 patients, 50 consecutive adult patients underwent 54 allo‐HSCT. The incidence of infection was 1.36 (68/50) episodes/patient after the first year of transplantation and 1.48 (74/50) episodes/patient after first two yr of transplantation. The most common syndrome was cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, followed by catheter‐related bloodstream infection and pneumonia. An etiological diagnosis was established in 85.1% of the episodes. Bacteria were the most common etiology (55.5%), followed by viruses (41.3%) and fungi (4.8%). CMV was the most common viral agent (73%), and all fungal infections were caused by molds. Myeloablative conditioning regimen, chronic graft‐versus‐host disease, and medical complications post‐transplant were independent risk factors for infection. The global mortality two yr after transplantation was 32%, and death was infection related in 12%. In spite of advances, infections continue to be a common cause of morbidity and mortality following allo‐HSCT.
Sensitive Detection of Viruses in Pollen Using Conventional and Real‐time Reverse Transcription‐polymerase Chain Reaction
Authors: Shiller Jason B. , Lebas Bénédicte S. M. , Horner Mary , Pearson Michael N. , Clover Gerard R. G.
Published: May 2010

Pollen is traded internationally as a source of germplasm and for pollination. Thirty‐nine viruses and five viroids are known to be pollen transmitted. We investigated whether reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) could be used to detect viruses reliably in pollen. Four extraction methods yielded nucleic acid in appropriate quantity and quality from Tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV)‐infected pollen for RT‐PCR amplification. One method, the RNeasy® Plant Mini Kit was used subsequently to extract nucleic acid of amplifiable quality from nine plant species, and pollen infected with three ilarvirus and two nepovirus species. A real‐time TaqMan™ RT‐PCR for the detection of TRSV was reliable and specific using 167 extracts of pollen from plants of Nicotiana glutinosa. The assay was highly sensitive, with extracts testing positive to a 10−6 dilution, equivalent to a single pollen grain. This demonstrated that RT‐PCR methods can detect virus‐infected pollen reliably, sensitively and specifically. The possible application of these RT‐PCR methods to replace current quarantine procedures without compromising biosecurity is discussed.
Which finger? Early effects of attentional selection within the hand are absent when the hand is viewed
Authors: Gillmeister Helge , Sambo Chiara F. , Forster Bettina
Published: May 2010

The sight of a hand can bias the distribution of spatial attention, and recently it has been shown that viewing both hands simultaneously can facilitate spatial selection between tactile events at the hands when these are far apart. Here we directly compared the electrophysiological correlates of within‐hand and between‐hands tactile–spatial selection to investigate whether within‐hand selection is similarly facilitated by viewing the fingers. Using somatosensory event‐related potentials, we have shown that effects of selection between adjacent fingers of the same hand at early somatosensory components P45 and N80 were absent when the fingers were viewed. Thus, we found a detrimental effect of vision on tactile–spatial within‐body part (i.e. hand) selection. In contrast, effects of tactile–spatial selection between hands placed next to each other, which were first found at the P100 component, were unaffected by vision of the hands. Our findings suggest that (i) within‐hand and between‐hands selection can operate at different stages of processing, and (ii) the effects of vision on within‐hand and between‐hands attentional selection may reflect fundamentally different mechanisms.
Multisensory determinants of orientation perception: task‐specific sex differences
Authors: Barnett‐Cowan M. , Dyde R. T. , Thompson C. , Harris L. R.
Published: May 2010

Females have been reported to be more ‘visually dependent’ than males. When aligning a rod in a tilted frame to vertical, females are more influenced by the frame than are males, who align the rod closer to gravity. Do females rely more on visual information at the cost of other sensory information? We compared the subjective visual vertical and the perceptual upright in 29 females and 24 males. The orientation of visual cues presented on a shrouded laptop screen and of the observer’s posture were varied. When upright, females’ subjective visual vertical was more influenced by visual cues and their responses were more variable than were males’. However, there were no differences between the sexes in the perceptual upright task. Individual variance in subjective visual vertical judgments and in the perceptual upright predicted the level of visual dependence across both sexes. When lying right‐side down, there were no reliable differences between the sexes in either measure. We conclude that heightened ‘visual dependence’ in females does not generalize to all aspects of spatial processing but is probably attributable to task‐specific differences in the mechanisms of sensory processing in the brains of females and males. The higher variability and lower accuracy in females for some spatial tasks is not due to their having qualitatively worse access to information concerning either the gravity axis or corporeal representation: it is only when gravity and the long body axis align that females have a performance disadvantage.
Independent mechanisms for ventriloquism and multisensory integration as revealed by theta‐burst stimulation
Authors: Bertini Caterina , Leo Fabrizio , Avenanti Alessio , Làdavas Elisabetta
Published: May 2010

The visual and auditory systems often concur to create a unified perceptual experience and to determine the localization of objects in the external world. Co‐occurring auditory and visual stimuli in spatial coincidence are known to enhance performance of auditory localization due to the integration of stimuli from different sensory channels (i.e. multisensory integration). However, auditory localization of audiovisual stimuli presented at spatial disparity might also induce a mislocalization of the sound towards the visual stimulus (i.e. ventriloquism effect). Using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation we tested the role of right temporoparietal (rTPC), right occipital (rOC) and right posterior parietal (rPPC) cortex in an auditory localization task in which indices of ventriloquism and multisensory integration were computed. We found that suppression of rTPC excitability by means of continuous theta‐burst stimulation (cTBS) reduced multisensory integration. No similar effect was found for cTBS over rOC. Moreover, inhibition of rOC, but not of rTPC, suppressed the visual bias in the contralateral hemifield. In contrast, cTBS over rPPC did not produce any modulation of ventriloquism or integrative effects. The double dissociation found in the present study suggests that ventriloquism and audiovisual multisensory integration are functionally independent phenomena and may be underpinned by partially different neural circuits.
Are surface properties integrated into visuohaptic object representations?
Authors: Lacey Simon , Hall Jenelle , Sathian K.
Published: May 2010

Object recognition studies have almost exclusively involved vision, focusing on shape rather than surface properties such as color. Visual object representations are thought to integrate shape and color information because changing the color of studied objects impairs their subsequent recognition. However, little is known about integration of surface properties into visuohaptic multisensory representations. Here, participants studied objects with distinct patterns of surface properties (color in Experiment 1, texture in Experiments 2 and 3) and had to discriminate between object shapes when color or texture schemes were altered in within‐modal (visual and haptic) and cross‐modal (visual study followed by haptic test and vice versa) conditions. In Experiment 1, color changes impaired within‐modal visual recognition but had no effect on cross‐modal recognition, suggesting that the multisensory representation was not influenced by modality‐specific surface properties. In Experiment 2, texture changes impaired recognition in all conditions, suggesting that both unisensory and multisensory representations integrated modality‐independent surface properties. However, the cross‐modal impairment might have reflected either the texture change or a failure to form the multisensory representation. Experiment 3 attempted to distinguish between these possibilities by combining changes in texture with changes in orientation, taking advantage of the known view‐independence of the multisensory representation, but the results were not conclusive owing to the overwhelming effect of texture change. The simplest account is that the multisensory representation integrates shape and modality‐independent surface properties. However, more work is required to investigate this and the conditions under which multisensory integration of structural and surface properties occurs.
Seeing the body modulates audiotactile integration
Authors: Aspell Jane E. , Lavanchy Tom , Lenggenhager Bigna , Blanke Olaf
Published: May 2010

Audiotactile integration has been studied using various experimental setups but so far crossmodal congruency effects (CCEs) have not been found for tactile targets paired with auditory distractors. In the present study we investigated whether audiotactile CCEs exist and, if so, whether these CCEs have similar characteristics to those found by previous authors with visual distractors. We measured audiotactile CCEs by attaching four vibrators to the backs of participants and presented auditory stimuli from four loudspeakers placed, in separate blocks, at different distances in front of or behind the participant’s body. Participants discriminated the elevation of tactile stimuli while ignoring the auditory distractors. CCEs were found only when participants were provided with noninformative vision of their own body, as seen from behind via a camera and head‐mounted display; they were absent when participants did not view their body. Furthermore, in contrast to visuotactile CCEs, audiotactile CCEs did not depend on whether the distractors were presented on the same or different side as the tactile targets. The present study provides the first demonstration of an audiotactile CCE: incongruent auditory distractors impaired performance on a tactile elevation discrimination task relative to performance with congruent distractors. We show that audiotactile CCEs differ from visuotactile CCEs as they do not appear to be as sensitive to the spatial relations between the distractors and the tactile stimuli. We also show that these CCEs are modulated by vision of the body.
Onset timing of cross‐sensory activations and multisensory interactions in auditory and visual sensory cortices
Authors: Raij Tommi , Ahveninen Jyrki , Lin Fa‐Hsuan , Witzel Thomas , Jääskeläinen Iiro P. , Letham Benjamin , Israeli Emily , Sahyoun Cherif , Vasios Christos , Stufflebeam Steven , Hämäläinen Matti , Belliveau John W.
Published: May 2010

Here we report early cross‐sensory activations and audiovisual interactions at the visual and auditory cortices using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to obtain accurate timing information. Data from an identical fMRI experiment were employed to support MEG source localization results. Simple auditory and visual stimuli (300‐ms noise bursts and checkerboards) were presented to seven healthy humans. MEG source analysis suggested generators in the auditory and visual sensory cortices for both within‐modality and cross‐sensory activations. fMRI cross‐sensory activations were strong in the visual but almost absent in the auditory cortex; this discrepancy with MEG possibly reflects the influence of acoustical scanner noise in fMRI. In the primary auditory cortices (Heschl’s gyrus) the onset of activity to auditory stimuli was observed at 23 ms in both hemispheres, and to visual stimuli at 82 ms in the left and at 75 ms in the right hemisphere. In the primary visual cortex (Calcarine fissure) the activations to visual stimuli started at 43 ms and to auditory stimuli at 53 ms. Cross‐sensory activations thus started later than sensory‐specific activations, by 55 ms in the auditory cortex and by 10 ms in the visual cortex, suggesting that the origins of the cross‐sensory activations may be in the primary sensory cortices of the opposite modality, with conduction delays (from one sensory cortex to another) of 30–35 ms. Audiovisual interactions started at 85 ms in the left auditory, 80 ms in the right auditory and 74 ms in the visual cortex, i.e., 3–21 ms after inputs from the two modalities converged.
The electrophysiological time course of the interaction of stimulus conflict and the multisensory spread of attention
Authors: Zimmer U. , Itthipanyanan S. , Grent‐’t‐Jong T. , Woldorff M.G.
Published: May 2010

Previously, we have shown that spatial attention to a visual stimulus can spread across both space and modality to a synchronously presented but task‐irrelevant sound arising from a different location, reflected by a late‐onsetting, sustained, negative‐polarity event‐related potential (ERP) wave over frontal–central scalp sites, probably originating in part from the auditory cortices. Here we explore the influence of cross‐modal conflict on the amplitude and temporal dynamics of this multisensory spreading‐of‐attention activity. Subjects attended selectively to one of two concurrently presented lateral visually‐presented letter streams to perform a sequential comparison task, while ignoring task‐irrelevant, centrally presented spoken letters that could occur synchronously with either the attended or unattended lateral visual letters and could be either congruent or incongruent with them. Extracted auditory ERPs revealed that, collapsed across congruency conditions, attentional spreading across modalities started at approximately 220 ms, replicating our earlier findings. The interaction between attentional spreading and conflict occurred beginning at approximately 300 ms, with attentional‐spreading activity being larger for incongruent trials. Thus, the increased processing of an incongruent, task‐irrelevant sound in a multisensory stimulation appeared to occur some time after attention has spread from the attended visual part to the ignored auditory part, presumably reflecting the conflict detection and associated attentional capture requiring accrual of some multisensory interaction processes at a higher‐level semantic processing stage.
Tactile capture of auditory localization: an event‐related potential study
Authors: Bruns Patrick , Röder Brigitte
Published: May 2010

The well‐known ventriloquist illusion arises when sounds are mislocalized towards a synchronous but spatially discrepant visual stimulus, and a similar effect of touch on audition has also been reported. By manipulating hand position, we recently demonstrated that this audiotactile ventriloquism effect predominantly operates in an external coordinate system. Using event‐related potentials, the present study investigated the neural correlates of this audiotactile ventriloquism effect. Participants reported the perceived location of brief auditory stimuli that were presented either alone or with concurrent tactile stimuli to the fingertips, which were situated at the left and right side of the speaker array. Concurrent electroencephalogram recordings suggested a biasing of cortical activity by the tactile stimuli, which was only observed for trials in which a ventriloquist illusion was elicited. Irrespective of the physical location of the sound source in the bimodal trials, centrally perceived sounds elicited an enhanced centrally distributed negativity, compared to laterally perceived sounds, between 260 and 400 ms following stimulus onset, similar to unimodal auditory stimuli that were actually presented from central and lateral positions, respectively. Moreover, this effect was modulated by hand posture. When external and anatomically centred reference frames were in conflict, the event‐related potential effect was reduced for small audiotactile spatial discrepancies, which corresponded to the behavioural finding of a reduced audiotactile ventriloquism effect compared to a parallel hand posture. The present data suggest that the cortical representation of auditory space is adjusted to coincide with spatially disparate tactile input.
Cold adaptation in the marine bacterium, Sphingopyxis alaskensis, assessed using quantitative proteomics
Authors: Ting Lily , Williams Timothy J. , Cowley Mark J. , Lauro Federico M. , Guilhaus Michael , Raftery Mark J. , Cavicchioli Ricardo
Published: May 2010

The cold marine environment constitutes a large proportion of the Earth's biosphere. Sphingopyxis alaskensis was isolated as a numerically abundant bacterium from several cold marine locations, and has been extensively studied as a model marine bacterium. Recently, a metabolic labelling platform was developed to comprehensively identify and quantify proteins from S. alaskensis. The approach incorporated data normalization and statistical validation for the purpose of generating highly confident quantitative proteomics data. Using this approach, we determined quantitative differences between cells grown at 10°C (low temperature) and 30°C (high temperature). Cold adaptation was linked to specific aspects of gene expression: a dedicated protein‐folding system using GroESL, DnaK, DnaJ, GrpE, SecB, ClpB and PPIase; polyhydroxyalkanoate‐associated storage materials; a link between enzymes in fatty acid metabolism and energy generation; de novo synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the membrane and cell wall; inorganic phosphate ion transport by a phosphate import PstB homologue; TonB‐dependent receptor and bacterioferritin in iron homeostasis; histidine, tryptophan and proline amino acid metabolism; and a large number of proteins without annotated functions. This study provides a new level of understanding on how important marine bacteria can adapt to compete effectively in cold marine environments. This study is also a benchmark for comparative proteomic analyses with other important marine bacteria and other cold‐adapted organisms.
Risk management for fisheries
Authors: Sethi Suresh A
Published: May 2010

Risk management methods provide means to address increasing complexity for successful fisheries management by systematically identifying and coping with risk. The objective of this study is to summarize risk management practices in use in fisheries and to present strategies that are not currently used but may be applicable. Available tools originate from a variety of disciplines and are as diverse as the risks they address, including algorithms to aid in making decisions with multiple stakeholders, reserves to buffer against economic or biological surprises, and insurance instruments to help fishermen cope with economic variability. Techniques are organized in a two‐stage framework. In the first stage, risks are identified and analysed. Strategies presented in this category focus on decision analysis, including multicriteria decision‐making tools, and the related concept of risk assessment. Then in the treatment stage, identified risks can be transferred, avoided, or retained using tools such as the Precautionary Approach, portfolio management, financial contracts to manage price risk and horizontal integration. Published fishery applications are reviewed, and some empirical examples of risks and risk management using US fisheries data are presented.
Enclosure: Palestinian Landscape in a “Not‐Too‐Distant Mirror”
Authors: FIELDS GARY
Published: May 2010

This article develops an explanation for the fractured and partitioned landscape in Palestine by comparing it to the early modern enclosures in England, and framing this comparison within a theory of “territoriality.” Territoriality is a practice of power and refers to the efforts of individuals or groups to reorganize the economic life, politics, and culture of a place by reshaping landscape. The argument is that the Palestinian landscape is part of a long‐standing narrative in which groups with power seek to transform the economy, demography, and culture of territorial space through the time‐honored territorial practice of enclosing land. Enclosure consists of two basic instruments: alegalelement that redefines rights of property by reorganizing systems of use, access, and socio‐economic relations on the land; andarchitecturalelements that reshape the landscape itself. English estate owners and Israeli Zionists are parallel actor groups using law and the built environment to remake life on the landscape. Mobilizing the institutional power of property law and the material power of the built environment, these groups reorder land ownership, use, and circulation on the landscape in an effort to consolidate systems of control over subalterns and reorganize socio‐economic life and demography in a place. By exploring the contours of this pattern, this article seeks to uncover a more general meaning in the enclosure landscape of Palestine today.
MORE ON BENCHMARKS OF FAIRNESS: RESPONSE TO BALLANTYNE
Authors: PHILLIPS TRISHA
Published: May 2010

This paper challenges the fitness of Angela Ballantyne's proposed theory of exploitation by situating her ‘fair risk account’ in an ongoing dialogue about the adequacy conditions for benchmarks of fairness. It identifies four adequacy conditions: (1) the ability to focus on level rather than type of benefit; (2) the ability to focus on micro‐level rather than macro‐level fairness; (3) the ability to prevent discrimination based on need; and (4) the ability to prescribe a certain distribution as superior to all others. While the fair risk account satisfies the first condition, this paper argues that it has difficulty satisfying the last three conditions. Ballantyne's proposal includes several new and promising features, but in order for the fair risk account to be useful in identifying and preventing exploitation, Ballantyne must either clarify and augment her theory or challenge the relevance of the adequacy conditions it fails to meet.
Limits to self‐organising systems of learning—the Kalikuppam experiment
Authors: Mitra Sugata , Dangwal Ritu
Published: May 2010

What and how much can children learn without subject teachers? In an attempt to find a limit to self organized learning, we explored the capacity of 10–14 year old Tamil‐speaking children in a remote Indian village to learn basic molecular biology, initially on their own with a Hole‐in‐the‐Wall public computer facility, and later with the help of a mediator without knowledge of this subject. We then compared these learning outcomes with those of similarly‐aged children at a nearby average‐below average performing state government school who were not fluent in English but were taught this subject and another group of children at a high‐performing private school in New Delhi who were fluent in English and had been taught this subject by qualified teachers. We found that the village children who only had access to computers and Internet‐based resources in the Hole‐in‐the‐Wall learning stations achieved test scores comparable with those at the local state school and, with the support of the mediator, equal to their peers in the privileged private urban school. Further experiments were conducted with unsupervised groups of 8–12 year‐olds in several English schools using the Internet to study for GCSE questions they normally would be examined on at the age of 16. We conclude that, in spite of some limitations, there are opportunities for self‐organised and mediated learning by children in settings where they would otherwise be denied opportunities for good, or indeed any, schooling. We also show that this approach can be enhanced by the use of local or online mediators.
Risk factors, etiology, and outcome of first‐ever ischemic stroke in young adults aged 15 to 45 – the Athens young stroke registry
Authors: Spengos K. , Vemmos K.
Published: May 2010

Background and purpose:  Data regarding stroke in young adults from Greece is scarce. We aimed to evaluate risk factors, etiology, and outcome in a hospital‐based prospective observational study.

Methods:  Data from a series of 253 first‐ever ischemic stroke patients aged 15–45 were collected over 10 years. Stroke etiology was classified according to the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria. Comparisons were done between groups stratified by gender and age. The probability of death or composite vascular events during follow‐up was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. We used Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses to determine the effect of different factors on mortality and occurrence of composite cardiovascular events.

Results:  Although male patients predominate in our cohort (ratio 1.3:1), females outnumber males significantly at ages under 30. Smoking (59.3%) and dyslipidemia (41.1%) were the most frequent risk factors. Small vessel disease was identified as cause of stroke in 17.4%, whereas cardioembolism caused 13.4% of all strokes. No definite etiology was found in 33.6%, whereas other causes of stroke, including dissection (6.7%), were documented in 26.5%. The probability of 10‐year survival was 86.3% (95%CI: 79.1–93.6). The corresponding probability of composite vascular events was 30.4% (95%CI: 19.6–41.2). Stroke severity and heart failure were the main predictors of mortality. At the end of the follow‐up period, most patients (92.7% of survivors) were independent.

Conclusion:  There are gender‐ and age‐related differences regarding risk factors and causes of ischemic stroke in young patients. Survival and long‐term outcome is generally favorable.
Influence of ferutinin on bone metabolism in ovariectomized rats. II: Role in recovering osteoporosis
Authors: Ferretti Marzia , Bertoni Laura , Cavani Francesco , Zavatti Manuela , Resca Elisa , Carnevale Gianluca , Benelli Augusta , Zanoli Paola , Palumbo Carla
Published: May 2010

The aim of the present investigation, which represents an extension of a previous study, was to investigate the effect of ferutinin in recovering severe osteoporosis due to estrogen deficiency after rat ovariectomy and to compare phytoestrogen effects with those of estrogens commonly used in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. The animal model used was the Sprague–Dawley ovariectomized rat. Ferutinin was orally administered (2 mg kg−1 per day) for 30 or 60 days starting from 2 months after ovariectomy (i.e. when osteoporosis was clearly evident) and its effects were compared with those of estradiol benzoate (1.5 μg per rat twice a week, subcutaneously injected) vs. vehicle‐treated ovariectomized (OVX) and sham‐operated (SHAM) rats. Histomorphometric analyses were performed on trabecular bone of lumbar vertebrae (4th and 5th) and distal femoral epiphysis, as well as on cortical bone of femoral diaphysis. Bone histomorphometric analyses showed that ferutinin seems to display the same effects on bone mass recorded with estradiol benzoate, thus suggesting that it could enhance the recovery of bone loss due to severe estrogen deficiency in OVX rats. On this basis, the authors propose listing ferutinin among the substances representing a potential alternative for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, which occurs as a result of estrogen deficiency.
Detection of milk fat adulteration with admixture of foreign oils and fats using a fractionation technique and the apparent solidification time test
Authors: KUMAR ARUN , LAL DARSHAN , SETH RAMAN , SHARMA VIVEK
Published: May 2010

A fractionation technique followed by the apparent solidification time (AST) test was adopted for detecting the admixture of foreign oils and fats in milk fat. The AST values of the solid fraction obtained at 20°C, and solid and liquid fractions obtained at 18°C for pure cow milk fat, were 2 min 30 s, and 3 min 21 s and 3 min 31 s, while for buffalo milk fat they were 1 min 58 s, and 2 min 47 s and 3 min 10 s respectively. This new approach can detect some mixtures of foreign oils and fats in cow milk fat but not in buffalo milk fat.
Microbial characterisation and stability of a farmhouse natural fermented milk from Spain
Authors: ALEGRÍA ÁNGEL , FERNÁNDEZ MARÍA ELENA , DELGADO SUSANA , MAYO BALTASAR
Published: May 2010

This work reports the microbial characterisation of a farmhouse natural fermented milk (NFM) with good sensorial properties produced in Spain. Culturing and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses showed thatLactococcus lactissubsp.lactis and L. lactissubsp.cremoris(approximate levels of 109 cfu/mL) were dominant in this NFM, whileLactobacillus plantarumappeared at a lower level (106–107 cfu/mL). Repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP)‐PCR typing of the isolates identified single strains each ofLc. lactissubsp.lactis, Lc. lactissubsp.cremorisandLb. plantarum. These three strains formed a stable microbial association which has been maintained for at least some decades.
Acceptability and experience of supportive companionship during childbirth in Malawi
Authors: Banda G , Kafulafula G , Nyirenda E , Taulo F , Kalilani L
Published: May 2010

Please cite this paper as: Banda G, Kafulafula G, Nyirenda E, Taulo F, Kalilani L. Acceptability and experience of supportive companionship during childbirth in Malawi. BJOG 2010;117:937–945.

Objective  To study the acceptability and experience of supportive companionship during childbirth by mothers, health professionals and supportive companions.

Design  Cross‐sectional surveys before and after introducing supportive companionship.

Setting  Maternity facilities in Blantyre City, Malawi.

Population  Mothers who had normal deliveries before discharge from hospital, health professionals in health facilities and women from the community, who had given birth before and had interest in providing or had provided support to fellow women during childbirth.

Methods  Combined qualitative and quantitative methods.

Main outcome measure  Perceptions on labour companionship among participants.

Results  The majority of supported women (99.5%), companions (96.6%) and health professionals (96%) found the intervention beneficial, mainly for psychological and physical support to the labouring woman and for providing assistance to healthcare providers. Some companions (39.3%) unwillingly accompanied the women they were supporting and 3.5% of companions mentioned that their presence in the labour ward was an opportunity for them to learn how to conduct deliveries.

Conclusion  Supportive companionship for women during childbirth is highly acceptable among mothers and health professionals, and the community in Malawi, but should be governed by clear guidelines to avoid potential harm to labouring women. Women require information regarding the need for a supportive companion and their expected role before they present at a health facility in labour. Such notification will provide an opportunity for the pregnant woman to identify someone of their choice who is ready and capable of safely taking up the role of a companion.
Appropriate antenatal corticosteroid use in women at risk for preterm birth before 34 weeks of gestation
Authors: Mahony R , McKeating A , Murphy T , McAuliffe F , O’Herlihy C , Foley M
Published: May 2010

Please cite this paper as: Mahony R, McKeating A, Murphy T, McAuliffe F, O’Herlihy C, Foley M. Appropriate antenatal corticosteroid use in women at risk for preterm birth before 34 weeks of gestation. BJOG 2010;117:963–967.

Objective  To determine the utilisation of antenatal corticosteroid administration in women presenting at risk of preterm birth (PTB) in a centre where tocolytics are not prescribed.

Design  A prospective cohort study.

Setting  Tertiary referral centre, Dublin, Ireland.

Population  Four hundred and fourteen consecutive women presenting at risk of PTB.

Methods  Clinical details were collated prospectively on all booked patients who presented at risk of PTB (i.e. at <34 weeks of gestation) during 2008.

Main outcome measure  Rate of administration of antenatal corticosteroids in PTB.

Results  Of 8985 deliveries, 414 women (5%) presented at <34 weeks of gestation with a clinical potential for PTB, of whom 277 (67%) received antenatal corticosteroids. Amongst women delivering at <34 weeks of gestation, 93% (80/86) received any corticosteroids and 76% (65/86) received a complete course. The ratio of women given a complete course of corticosteroids to the number who actually delivered before 34 weeks of gestation was 4:1 overall. Analysis by indication for PTB revealed this ratio to be 15:1 in suspected preterm labour (PTL), 8:1 in antepartum haemorrhage (APH), and 2:1 in both preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM) and medically indicated PTB (MIPTB). Seven of ten multiparae (70%) who delivered prematurely during the study period following PTL had a history of previous PTL before 34 weeks of gestation.

Conclusion  The ratio of maternal antenatal corticosteroid administration for potential versus actual PTB at <34 weeks of gestation was high in categories such as PTL and substantial APH, whereas selection in PPROM and MIPTB approached 100%. There should be a low threshold for single course therapy for women with prior PTL before 34 weeks of gestation.
No change in the regional distribution of tidal volume during lateral posture in mechanically ventilated patients assessed by electrical impedance tomography
Authors: Bein Thomas , Ploner Franz , Ritzka Markus , Pfeifer Michael , Schlitt Hans J. , Graf Bernhard M.
Published: May 2010

We assessed the distribution of regional lung ventilation during moderate and steep lateral posture using electrical impedance tomography (EIT) in mechanically ventilated patients. Seven patients were placed on a kinetic treatment table. An elastic belt containing 16 electrodes was placed around the chest and was connected to the EIT device. Patients were moved to left and right lateral positions in a stepwise (10°) mode up to 60°. EIT images [arbitrary units (AU)] were generated and scanned for assessment of relative ventilation distribution changes [tidal volume (VT)]. A calibration procedure of arbitrary units (AUs) versus ventilator‐derived VT performed in all patients during three predefined positions (supine, 60°‐left dependent and 60°‐right‐dependent) showed a significant correlation between VT in supine, left and right lateral positions with the corresponding AUs (r2 = 0·356, P<0·05). Changes in VT were calculated and compared to supine position, and specific regions of interest (ROIs) were analysed. In our study, in contrast to recent findings, a change in lateral positions did not induce a significant change in regional tidal volume distribution. In right lateral positions, a broader variation of VT with a trend towards an increase in the dependently positioned lung was observed in comparison with supine. Lateral positioning promotes the redistribution of ventilation to the ventral regions of the lung. The use of EIT technology might become a helpful tool for understanding and guiding posture therapy in mechanically ventilated patients.
Perfusion heterogeneity does not explain excess muscle oxygen uptake during variable intensity exercise
Authors: Laaksonen Marko S. , Björklund Glenn , Heinonen Ilkka , Kemppainen Jukka , Knuuti Juhani , Kyröläinen Heikki , Kalliokoski Kari K.
Published: May 2010

The association between muscle oxygen uptake (VO2) and perfusion or perfusion heterogeneity (relative dispersion, RD) was studied in eight healthy male subjects during intermittent isometric (1 s on, 2 s off) one‐legged knee‐extension exercise at variable intensities using positron emission tomography and a‐v blood sampling. Resistance during the first 6 min of exercise was 50% of maximal isometric voluntary contraction force (MVC) (HI‐1), followed by 6 min at 10% MVC (LOW) and finishing with 6 min at 50% MVC (HI‐2). Muscle perfusion and O2 delivery during HI‐1 (26 ± 5 and 5·4 ± 1·0 ml 100 g−1 min−1) and HI‐2 (28 ± 4 and 5·8 ± 0·7 ml 100 g−1 min−1) were similar, but both were higher (P<0·01) than during LOW (15 ± 3 and 3·0 ± 0·6 ml 100 g−1 min−1). Muscle VO2 was also higher during both HI workloads (HI‐1 3·3 ± 0·4 and HI‐2 4·1 ± 0·6 ml 100 g−1 min−1) than LOW (1·4 ± 0·4 ml 100 g−1 min−1; P<0·01) and 25% higher during HI‐2 than HI‐1 (P<0·05). O2 extraction was higher during HI workloads (HI‐1 62 ± 7 and HI‐2 70 ± 7%) than LOW (45 ± 8%; P<0·01). O2 extraction tended to be higher (P = 0·08) during HI‐2 when compared to HI‐1. Perfusion was less heterogeneous (P<0·05) during HI workloads when compared to LOW with no difference between HI workloads. Thus, during one‐legged knee‐extension exercise at variable intensities, skeletal muscle perfusion and O2 delivery are unchanged between high‐intensity workloads, whereas muscle VO2 is increased during the second high‐intensity workload. Perfusion heterogeneity cannot explain this discrepancy between O2 delivery and uptake. We propose that the excess muscle VO2 during the second high‐intensity workload is derived from working muscle cells.
Accuracy of a continuous glucose monitoring system in dogs and cats with diabetic ketoacidosis
Authors: Reineke Erica L. , Fletcher Daniel J. , King Lesley G. , Drobatz Kenneth J.
Published: May 2010

Objective –(1) To determine the ability of a continuous interstitial glucose monitoring system (CGMS) to accurately estimate blood glucose (BG) in dogs and cats with diabetic ketoacidosis. (2) To determine the effect of perfusion, hydration, body condition score, severity of ketosis, and frequency of calibration on the accuracy of the CGMS.

Design –Prospective study.

Setting –University Teaching Hospital.

Animals –Thirteen dogs and 11 cats diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis were enrolled in the study within 24 hours of presentation.

Interventions –Once BG dropped below 22.2 mmol/L (400 mg/dL), a sterile flexible glucose sensor was placed aseptically in the interstitial space and attached to the continuous glucose monitoring device for estimation of the interstitial glucose every 5 minutes.

Measurements and Main Results –BG measurements were taken with a portable BG meter every 2–4 hours at the discretion of the primary clinician and compared with CGMS glucose measurements. The CGMS estimates of BG and BG measured on the glucometer were strongly associated regardless of calibration frequency (calibration every 8 h:r=0.86,P<0.001; calibration every 12 h:r=0.85,P<0.001). Evaluation of this data using both the Clarke and Consensus error grids showed that 96.7% and 99% of the CGMS readings, respectively, were deemed clinically acceptable (Zones A and B errors). Interpatient variability in the accuracy of the CGMS glucose measurements was found but was not associated with body condition, perfusion, or degree of ketosis. A weak association between hydration status of the patient as assessed with the visual analog scale and absolute percent error (Spearman's rank correlation, ρ=−0.079, 95% CI=−0.15 to −0.01,P=0.03) was found, with the device being more accurate in the more hydrated patients.

Conclusions –The CGMS provides clinically accurate estimates of BG in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.
Potential risks, prognostic indicators, and diagnostic and treatment modalities affecting survival in dogs with presumptive aspiration pneumonia: 125 cases (2005–2008)
Authors: Tart Kelly M. , Babski Danielle M. , Lee Justine A.
Published: May 2010

Objective –To evaluate a clinical population of dogs diagnosed with presumptive aspiration pneumonia (AP) and determine diagnostic and treatment modalities contributing to survival.

Design –Retrospective study.

Setting –A university veterinary teaching hospital in an urban setting.

Animals –One hundred and twenty‐five dogs with presumed AP treated from 2005 to 2008.

Interventions –None.

Measurements and Main Results –Dogs with presumptive AP identified by a review of medical records had an overall survival of 81.6% (102/125). Male large‐breed dogs (mean 24.9 kg; 82/125) were overrepresented and were more likely to develop AP in this study population. Recent anesthesia had been performed in 16% (20/125), and vomiting was reported in 64% (80/125). The most common radiographic findings were a predominantly alveolar pattern (187/272, [68.8%] total lung lobes) in the right middle lung lobe (80/115, [69.6%]). A mean of 2 lung lobes were involved radiographically, and the relationship between survival and the number of lung lobes affected was statistically significant (P=0.04). Neutrophilia with a left shift was common with no significant change on consecutive daily evaluations. The mean PaO2was 77.7 mm Hg (SD, 17.5 mm Hg) (range, 40.7–100 mm Hg) with a median alveolar‐arterial gradient of 41.1 mm Hg (range, 8.1–81.8 mm Hg). In this study population, 37.6% (47/125) of dogs had microbial cultures performed and of these, 76.6% (36/47) were positive for growth;Escherichia coli(38.8%),Mycoplasmaspp. (21.3%),Pasturellaspp. (19.1%), andStaphylococcusspp. (17%) were the most common isolates in either single or multiagent infections. No treatment modality was statistically associated with increased survival. Colloid therapy was a negative prognostic indicator.

Conclusions –In this study the overall prognosis for AP was good. Patients with only 1 affected lung lobe appeared more likely to survive. Supportive treatment modalities are warranted for the hospitalized patient, although no individual treatment method was found to be clearly superior to others.
The treatment of diabetic foot ulcers with uncultured, processed lipoaspirate cells: A pilot study
Authors: Han Seung‐Kyu , Kim Hong‐Ryul , Kim Woo‐Kyung
Published: May 2010

Human processed lipoaspirate (PLA) cells are relatively easy to obtain in large quantities without cell culture. The purpose of this study was to present the possibility of using uncultured PLA cell autografts for the treatment of diabetic ulcers. An in vitro study was designed initially to determine the effect of PLA cell autografts on the proliferation and collagen synthesis of diabetic fibroblasts (n=4). In a subsequent clinical study, 26 patients with diabetic foot ulcers were treated using PLA cell autografts. Control treatment was also performed in 26 patients. Eight weeks after treatment, the percentages of complete healing and mean healing times were compared. Cell proliferation and collagen synthesis in the PLA cell treatment group were 28 and 44% higher than that in the control group in vitro, respectively. Our clinical study showed that 100% of the PLA cell‐treated group and 62% of the control group achieved complete healing. The PLA cell treatment was also superior to the conventional method in terms of the healing time. No adverse events related to the study treatment occurred. Uncultured PLA cell autografts stimulate the activity of diabetic fibroblasts and may offer a simple and effective treatment for diabetic ulcers.
Image analysis of chronic wounds for determining the surface area
Authors: Papazoglou Elisabeth S. , Zubkov Leonid , Mao Xiang , Neidrauer Michael , Rannou Nicolas , Weingarten Michael S.
Published: May 2010

Progress in wound healing is primarily quantified by the rate of change of the wound's surface area. The most recent guidelines of the Wound Healing Society suggest that a reduction in wound size of <40% within 4 weeks necessitates a reevaluation of the treatment. However, accurate measurement of wound size is challenging due to the complexity of a chronic wound, the variable lighting conditions of examination rooms, and the time constraints of a busy clinical practice. In this paper, we present our methodology to quantify a wound boundary and measure the enclosed wound area reproducibly. The method derives from a combination of color‐based image analysis algorithms, and our results are validated with wounds in animal models and human wounds of diverse patients. Images were taken by an inexpensive digital camera under variable lighting conditions. Approximately 100 patient images and 50 animal images were analyzed and a high overlap was achieved between the manual tracings and the calculated wound area by our method in both groups. The simplicity of our method combined with its robustness suggests that it can be a valuable tool in clinical wound evaluations. The basic challenge of our method is in deep wounds with very small surface areas where color‐based detection can lead to erroneous results and which could be overcome by texture‐based detection methods. The authors are willing to provide the developed MATLAB code for the work discussed in this paper.