bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationships of people with learning disabilities in Ireland
Authors: Bane Geraldine , Deely Marie , Donohoe Brian , Dooher Martin , Flaherty Josephine , Iriarte Edurne Garcia , Hopkins Rob , Mahon Ann , Minogue Ger , Donagh Padraig Mc , Doherty Siobháin O’ , Curry Martin , Shannon Stephen , Tierney Edel , Wolfe Marie
Published: May 2012

Accessible summary

The inclusive research network is a group of researchers with learning disabilities, their supporters and paid professional researchers who do research about things important to people with learning disabilities in Ireland. In this research, we asked people with learning disabilities what they thought about relationships and supports. We asked people in focus groups: (i) What makes a good friend?, (ii) What do you think about having a boyfriend or a girlfriend?, and (iii) What supports do you need to have friends, a boyfriend or a girlfriend? Ninetyseven people (52 women and 45 men) took part in 16 focus groups. We found that people talked about:

 Wanting to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

 Being embarrassed talking about it.

 Needing more support from family and staff to keep relationships and deal with them.

 Wanting more transport to get around at night and to visit people.

 Wanting a house of their own to invite friends, boyfriends and girlfriends.

We talk about the importance of these findings. We also talk about how we have used these findings to advocate for changing the laws in Ireland.

This study explored the perspectives of people with learning disabilities on relationships and supports in the Republic of Ireland. A national research network consisting of 21 researchers with learning disabilities, 12 supporters, and 7 university researchers conducted the study. Researchers with learning disabilities and their supporters ran 16 focus groups with peers with learning disabilities. A total of 97 adults with learning disabilities from across the country took part in the focus groups. Findings suggest that people with learning disabilities have a diversity of experiences and views on relationships and support needed to keep them. People with learning disabilities taking part in the focus groups identified that they need more support from friends, family, and services staff to develop new relationships and keep their existing ones. This support includes both emotional and systematic changes such as accessible transport, own housing, and changed laws. The article discusses how the research team used the findings to advocate for a change in the laws concerning sexuality and learning disability in the Republic of Ireland.
Checking Up On Des: My Life My Choice's research into annual health checks for people with learning disabilities in Oxfordshire
Authors: Michell Bryan
Published: May 2012

This is about research an Oxfordshire Self‐Advocacy Organisation did into annual health checks for people with learning disabilities. The self‐advocates worked with Oxfordshire's Primary Care Health Facilitator and a Professor to find out why only one in four people in our area had a health check in 2009/10 (Emerson & Glover 2010a,b). The article tells you what we did in ‘Easy Read’ with pictures.
How we like to live when we have the chance
Authors: Deguara Marthese , Jelassi Omar , Micallef Brian , Callus Anne‐Marie
Published: May 2012

Accessible summary

This article has been written by a group of persons with intellectual disability which is called the Consultative Committee of Persons with Intellectual Disability. This group works in Malta.

The article is about how we would like to live. It looks at two things: where we would like to live and going out in the community.

This article shows the different opinions of persons with intellectual disability.

We have a right to choose. Other people should not decide for us about what we would like to do in our lives.

Different people have different opinions. This is why it is important that service providers talk to us about how we would like to live.

We need help in our lives and more accessibility so that we can do what we would like to do.

This article has been written by a group of persons with intellectual disability, which is called the Consultative Committee of Persons with Intellectual Disability. This group works in Malta. The article is about how we would like to live. It looks at two things: ‘where we would like to live’ and ‘going out in the community’. This article shows the different opinions of persons with intellectual disability about these subjects. The fact that different people have different opinions shows why it is important that service providers talk to us about how we would like to live. We have a right to choose. Other people should not decide for us about what we would like to do in our lives. But it is also important to remember that we need help in our lives and more accessibility so that we can do what we would like to do.
What contributes to the outcomes of moderate and late preterm birth?
Authors: FAWKE JOE
Published: May 2012

This commentary is on the original article by Odd et al. on pages 704‐709 of this issue
No effect of the FitFor2 exercise programme on blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, and birthweight in pregnant women who were overweight and at risk for gestational diabetes: results of a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Oostdam N , van Poppel MNM , Wouters MGAJ , Eekhoff EMW , Bekedam DJ , Kuchenbecker WKH , Quartero HWP , Heres MHB , van Mechelen W
Published: May 2012

Please cite this paper as: Oostdam N, van Poppel M, Wouters M, Eekhoff E, Bekedam D, Kuchenbecker W, Quartero H, Heres M, van Mechelen W. No effect of the FitFor2 exercise programme on blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, and birthweight in pregnant women who were overweight and at risk for gestational diabetes: results of a randomised controlled trial. BJOG 2012;119:1098–1107.

Objective  To evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise programme for pregnant women who were overweight or obese and at risk for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Design  Randomised controlled trial.

Setting  Hospitals and midwifery practices in the Netherlands.

Population  Pregnant women who were overweight or obese and at risk for GDM between 2007 and 2011.

Methods  Normal care was compared with an exercise training programme during pregnancy. The training consisted of aerobic and strength exercises, and was aimed at improving maternal fasting blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, and birthweight. Linear regression analyses were performed to determine the effects.

Main outcome measures  Maternal outcome measures were fasting blood glucose (mmol/l), fasting insulin (pmol/l) and HbA1c (%), body weight (kg), body mass index (kg/m2), and daily physical activity (minute/week). Offspring outcome measures were birthweight and fetal growth.

Results  A total of 121 women were randomly allocated to either a control (n = 59) or an intervention (n = 62) group. Intention‐to‐treat analysis showed that the exercise programme did not reduce maternal fasting blood glucose levels nor insulin sensitivity. Also, no effect was found on birthweight.

Conclusions  The exercise intervention performed over the second and third trimester of pregnancy had no effects on fasting blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, and birthweight, most probably because of low compliance. The high prevalence of women at risk for GDM calls for further research on possible interventions that can prevent GDM, and other types of interventions to engage this target group in physical activity and exercise.
The role of informal caregivers during cancer patients’ recovery from chemotherapy
Authors: Ockerby Cherene , Livingston Patricia , O’Connell Bev , Gaskin Cadeyrn J.
Published: May 2012

Scand J Caring Sci; 2013; 27; 147–155

The role of informal caregivers during cancer patients’ recovery from chemotherapy

Aims:  (i) To investigate the availability, perceived importance and roles of informal caregivers in the recovery of patients treated at day oncology centres and (ii) identify differences between patients with and without informal caregivers in the extent to which they experienced symptoms, and the level of bother symptoms caused.

Method:  Patients from three Australian hospitals (n = 122) were recruited during cycles 1 or 2 of adjuvant chemotherapy. Participants completed a modified version of the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL) each day for 5 days after chemotherapy. A telephone interview conducted 10 days post‐treatment explored the availability, importance and roles of caregivers. During the interview, participants also completed the modified RSCL in which they were asked about the extent to which they experienced, and were bothered by, each symptom over the prior 5 days combined.

Results:  Overall, 71% of participants had an informal caregiver in the 5 days postchemotherapy, commonly a partner. More women (71%) than men (48%) had a caregiver (p < 0.05). Caregivers were perceived to be highly important; they were more important for women than men (U = 213.50, p < 0.01). The most common assistance caregivers provided was meal preparation and emotional support and companionship. On days 6–10 postchemotherapy, the extent to which overall physical symptoms were experienced was higher for patients with a caregiver than without (U = 987.50, p < 0.05); similarly their symptoms caused more bother (U = 966.00, p < 0.01).

Conclusions:  These findings highlighted the importance of informal caregivers to patients postchemotherapy. It is imperative that patients are informed of the importance of this support so a caregiver can be arranged, if possible. Understanding the needs of patients following chemotherapy would enable health professionals to advise patients, with or without caregivers, how to best prepare for and manage their recovery at home.
Impairment of osteoblast differentiation due to proliferation‐independent telomere dysfunction in mouse models of accelerated aging
Authors: Wang Haitao , Chen Qijun , Lee Seoung‐Hoon , Choi Yongwon , Brad Johnson Frederick , Pignolo Robert J.
Published: May 2012

We undertook genetic and nongenetic approaches to investigate the relationship between telomere maintenance and osteoblast differentiation, as well as to uncover a possible link between a known mediator of cellular aging and senile bone loss. Using mouse models of disrupted telomere maintenance molecules, including mutants in the Werner helicase (Wrn−/−), telomerase (Terc−/−), and Wrn−/− Terc−/− double mutants predisposed to accelerated bone loss, we measured telomere dysfunction‐induced foci (TIFs) and markers of osteoblast differentiation in mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs). We found that telomere maintenance is directly and significantly related to osteoblast differentiation, with dysfunctional telomeres associated with impaired differentiation independent of proliferation state. Telomere‐mediated defects in osteoblast differentiation are associated with increased p53/p21 expression and concomitant reduction in RUNX2. Conversely, MPCs from p53−/− mice do not have substantial telomere dysfunction and spontaneously differentiate into osteoblasts. These results suggest that critical telomere dysfunction may be a prominent mechanism for age‐related osteoporosis and limits MPC differentiation into bone‐forming cells via the p53/p21 pathway.
Domestication and the dog: embodying home
Authors: Power Emma R
Published: May 2012

Domestication is one of the most significant relations shaping human and nonhuman livelihoods. Traditional examinations of the relation have emphasised the centrality of human intentionality and control. In contrast, research in geography in the last 10 years has demonstrated the limitations of human agency, and the role of surprise, experiment and uncertainty in these relations. Despite this burgeoning interest, there has been little detailed empirical research into these relations, and particularly into the ways that domestication is imagined, practised and maintained in the everyday. Focusing on dogs as companion animals, the paper addresses this gap, examining everyday relations taking place between people and dogs in the house‐as‐home. It argues that everyday practices of home have long been central to domestication, but that these relations have expanded and consolidated in the contemporary period. In this context, the everyday domestication of dogs is entwined with the performance of ‘respectable’ middle‐class identities through home.
Soil hydrodynamics and controls in prairie potholes of central Canada
Authors: Gala T S , Trueman R J , Carlyle S
Published: May 2012

The soil moisture contents of the upland soils surrounding prairie wetlands are significant in regulating processes (e.g. infiltration, run‐off and evapotranspiration) that control the prairie wetlands' water balances and fluctuations. In this research, the soil moisture data were collected with Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) and their distributions were characterised across sites with varying climatic regime, basins with varying wetland classes and various topographic positions, during the snow‐free period. The soil moisture contents of basins were variable among regions of Prairie Potholes Region (e.g. Hartt = 0.35 m3 m−3 and Old Wives = 0.18 m3 m−3) and their variability was related to regional Precipitation–Potential Evapotranspiration (P‐PET) gradient, particularly for the northern sites (r2= 0.98). Additionally, the soil moisture statuses was temporally variable during the snow‐free period (e.g. June = 0.27 m3 m−3 and August = 0.17 m3 m−3) and the variability displayed considerable relationship with daily P‐PET (r2= 0.63). At a local scale, the soil moisture content of the basins were structured by wetland class, position within the prairie basin (uplands = 0.17 m3 m−3 and lowlands = 0.27 m3 m−3), reflective of topographic effects, and the presence and permanence of wetlands (e.g. Class I = 0.18 m3 m−3, Class II = 0.21 m3 m−3, Class III = 0.22 m3 m−3 and Class IV = 0.24 m3 m−3).
Effects of pyrazole partial agonists on HCA2‐mediated flushing and VLDL‐triglyceride levels in mice
Authors: Li Zhaosha , Blad Clara C , van der Sluis Ronald J , de Vries Henk , Van Berkel Theo JC , IJzerman Adriaan P , Hoekstra Menno
Published: May 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Niacin can effectively treat dyslipidaemic disorders. However, its clinical use is limited due to the cutaneous flushing mediated by the nicotinic acid receptor HCA2. In the current study, we evaluated two partial agonists for HCA2, LUF6281 and LUF6283, with respect to their anti‐dyslipidaemic potential and cutaneous flushing effect.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH In vitro potency and efficacy studies with niacin and the two HCA2 partial agonists were performed using HEK293T cells stably expressing human HCA2. Normolipidaemic C57BL/6 mice received either niacin or the HCA2 partial agonists (400 mg·kg−1·day−1) once a day for 4 weeks for evaluation of their effects in vivo.

KEY RESULTS Radioligand competitive binding assay showed Ki values for LUF6281 and LUF6283 of 3 and 0.55 µM. [35S]‐GTPγS binding revealed the rank order of their potency as niacin > LUF6283 > LUF6281. All three compounds reduced plasma VLDL‐triglyceride concentrations similarly, while LUF6281 and LUF6283, in contrast to niacin, did not also exhibit the unwanted flushing side effect in C57BL/6 mice. Niacin reduced the expression of lipolytic genes HSL and ATGL in adipose tissue by 50%, whereas LUF6281 and LUF6283 unexpectedly did not. In contrast, the decrease in VLDL‐triglyceride concentration induced by LUF6281 and LUF6283 was associated with a parallel >40% reduced expression of APOB within the liver.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The current study identifies LUF6281 and LUF6283, two HCA2 partial agonists of the pyrazole class, as promising drug candidates to achieve the beneficial lipid lowering effect of niacin without producing the unwanted flushing side effect.
Strategic Complementarity, Stabilization Policy, and the Optimal Degree of Publicity
Authors: JAMES JONATHAN G. , LAWLER PHILLIP
Published: May 2012

This paper examines the welfare implications of public information dissemination within a model in which information is heterogeneous across agents and where a strategic complementarity is present. The focus of the analysis is on how the presence of stabilization policy affects the case for transparency. In considering this issue, it extends James and Lawler's (2011) contribution by incorporating an alternative payoff function and by employing a different representation of public disclosure. The study's key finding is that the conclusions drawn in its precursor are robust to these modifications; specifically, in the presence of optimally designed policy intervention zero transparency maximizes welfare.
The Role of Financial Market Structure and the Trade Elasticity for Monetary Policy in Open Economies
Authors: RABITSCH KATRIN
Published: May 2012

Imperfect international risk sharing and exchange rate volatility matter for how monetary policy should optimally be conducted in an open economy through affecting policymakers’ terms of trade considerations. I study these motives for a classical and long‐standing question in international monetary economics: the size of potential gains from international policy coordination. In a relatively standard model I allow for various degrees of risk sharing by considering different assumptions on international financial markets, and a large region for the crucial parameter of the trade elasticity. When incomplete markets give rise to high volatility of international prices and poor risk sharing—such as in Corsetti, Dedola, and Leduc (2008)—gains from policy coordination are an order of magnitude larger than previous studies, working under the assumptions of complete markets, suggest.
The Role of Lending Banks in Forced CEO Turnovers
Authors: OZELGE SADI , SAUNDERS ANTHONY
Published: May 2012

This article investigates the governance role of banks exercised through the replacement of underperforming CEOs in borrowing firms. An average level of bank loans outstanding implies a 22% to 47% increase in the forced turnover probability of a borrowing firm’s CEO if a firm’s industry adjusted performance is one standard deviation below average. This increase is much larger, 68% to 92%, when an underperforming firm violates its loan covenants. Overall, the paper’s findings suggest that banks play a key role in the governance of underperforming firms, especially when covenants are violated.
Too Dispersed to Monitor? Ownership Dispersion, Monitoring, and the Prediction of Bank Distress
Authors: AUVRAY TRISTAN , BROSSARD OLIVIER
Published: May 2012

This paper conducts an empirical assessment of the theories stating that ownership concentration improves the quality of shareholders’ monitoring. In contrast with other studies, we do not use regressions of risk/performance on ownership concentration. Instead, we build an early warning model of bank distress that includes a leading indicator derived from banks’ share price, the Merton‐KMV distance to default (DD). The significance of this indicator depends on the efficacy of shareholders’ monitoring. On a sample of European banks, we show that the predictive power of the DD is satisfactory only when banks’ shareholding is characterized by the presence of blockholders.
Experimental Analysis of the Elastic–Plastic Transition During Nanoindentation of Single Crystal Alpha‐Silicon Nitride
Authors: Jang Jae‐il , Bei Hongbin , Becher Paul F. , Pharr George M.
Published: May 2012

The elastic‐to‐plastic transition in single crystal α‐silicon nitride was experimentally characterized through a series of nanoindentation experiments using a spherical indenter. The experimental results provide a quantitative description of the critical shear strengths for the transition, as well as estimates of the shear modulus and nanohardness of the material.
Quantitative Analysis of Sildenafil and Tadalafil in Various Fake Drugs Recently Distributed in Korea
Authors: Park Meejung , Ahn Suyoun
Published: May 2012

Abstract:  Illicit distribution of various illicit or counterfeit drugs containing sildenafil and tadalafil has increased and caused noticeable problems in Korea. This study has been performed to determine the content range of sildenafil and tadalafil in various fake drugs. Among the illicit or counterfeit drugs seized by Korean authorities, 105 exhibits were used for the quantification. HPLC–UV analysis of methanol extractions was used for separation and quantitation of the two target compounds. The most abundant type of fake drug was counterfeit Viagra® tablets. Sildenafil was found in 73 exhibits, and tadalafil was found in seven exhibits. Twenty‐five exhibits out of the 105 contained both sildenafil and tadalafil. The contents of sildenafil ranged from 4.3 to 453.2 mg; for tadalafil, the range was 2.2–40.4 mg. The proportion of cases of having more than 100 mg of sildenafil was 50% and 78% had more than 20 mg of tadalafil.
Facial Soft Tissue Thickness Database for Craniofacial Reconstruction in Korean Adults
Authors: Hwang Hyeon‐Shik , Park Myoung‐Kyu , Lee Won‐Joon , Cho Jin‐Hyoung , Kim Byung‐Kuk , Wilkinson Caroline M.
Published: May 2012

Abstract: One hundred Korean adults (50 men, 50 women) were scanned in the upright position using a cone‐beam CT (CBCT) scanner. The soft tissue (ST) thicknesses were measured at 31 landmarks, 10 midline and 21 bilateral landmark sites, and the means and standard deviations were obtained for male and female subjects. While 18 of 31 landmarks showed sex differences, the majority showed higher values for male subjects with the exception of a few landmark sites corresponding to the zygoma area, which showed smaller values in men than in women. The mandibular area showed greater differences between the right and left sides. Overall, the ST thickness measurements obtained in this study can be used as a database for the forensic craniofacial reconstruction of Korean adult faces.
Utility of the Frontonasal Suture for Estimating Age at Death in Human Skeletal Remains*
Authors: Alesbury Helen S. , Ubelaker Douglas H. , Bernstein Robin
Published: May 2012

Abstract:  This project evaluated the utility of the frontonasal suture for estimating age at death. Utilizing human remains of known age at death with varying degrees of fusion, curated at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, data were collected from the ectocranial surface of 522 crania; 68 of these were sagittally sectioned, allowing collection of internal data and observation of suture closure through the bone. Degree of ectocranial suture closure does not significantly predict age, even when sex and ancestry are accounted for. Suture closure progression data were converted into a Hershkovitz ratio (sum of the measurement of open portion divided by the total suture length), and regression models demonstrate that the effect of age accounts for only 13% of variation in suture closure.
Internal Morphological Analysis for Age Estimation of Blow Fly Pupae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Postmortem Interval Estimation*
Authors: Davies Katherine , Harvey Michelle L.
Published: May 2012

Abstract:  Larvae and pupae of blow fly species are frequently used in postmortem interval estimation, their age indicating minimum time since death. Most studies have considered age estimation of larvae, neglecting study of pupae. Relative development of external pupal features is useful, but there are also internal changes during metamorphosis that may be indicators of age, utilizing histological techniques. This study aimed to optimize preservation and histological analysis of blow fly pupae, specifically Calliphora vicina Robineau‐Desvoidy and Lucilia sericata (Meigen), and to examine internal features with potential for age estimation. Effect of hot‐water‐killing and different preservatives were examined. It was determined that blow fly pupae should be pierced through the three tagma, hot‐water‐killed, and preserved in 80% ethanol as the optimal preservation for subsequent analyses. Hematoxylin and eosin stained pupal sections revealed differences in brain and thoracic muscle development throughout the pupal stage with potential for age estimation.
Symptomatic and functional remission in patients with first‐episode psychosis
Authors: Verma S. , Subramaniam M. , Abdin E. , Poon L. Y. , Chong S. A.
Published: May 2012

Verma S, Subramaniam M, Abdin E, Poon LY, Chong SA. Symptomatic and functional remission in patients with first‐episode psychosis.

Objective:  For patients suffering from psychotic disorders and their caregivers, ‘recovery’ remains important. Our study aims to examine the rates of both symptomatic and functional remission in first‐episode psychosis (FEP) patients at 2 years and identify sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with recovery.

Method:  In this naturalistic study, all consecutive FEP patients presenting to an early psychosis intervention programme were recruited. Symptomatic remission was defined by the Schizophrenia Working Group’s criteria; functional remission was defined as a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) disability score of ≥61 with engagement in age‐appropriate vocation. Simple and multiple logistic regressions using stepwise method were used.

Results:  Out of 1175 patients, 636 (54.1%) met criteria for symptomatic remission, 686 (58.4%) for functional remission, while 345 (29.4%) met for both. Multiple logistic regression revealed female gender (OR 1.47; 95%CI, 1.12–1.93), those married (OR 1.49; 95%CI, 1.02–2.18), younger age (OR 0.98; 95%CI, 0.95–0.99), tertiary education (OR 1.56; 95%CI, 1.02–2.38), shorter DUP (OR 0.99; 95%CI, 0.98–0.99), lower baseline PANSS negative scores (OR 0.97; 95%CI, 0.95–0.99), and early response at month 3 (OR 1.78; 95%CI, 1.31–2.42), as significant predictors of recovery at year 2.

Conclusion:  Our results indicate that strategies to reduce DUP and achieve early response could improve remission rates in FEP patients.
Use of specific‐pathogen‐free (SPF) rhesus macaques to better model oral pediatric cytomegalovirus infection
Authors: dela Pena Myra G. , Strelow Lisa , Barry Peter A. , Abel Kristina
Published: May 2012

Background  Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection can result in lifelong neurological deficits. Seronegative pregnant woman often acquire primary HCMV from clinically asymptomatic, but HCMV‐shedding children.

Methods  Potential age‐related differences in viral and immune parameters of primary RhCMV infection were examined in an oral rhesus CMV infection model in specific pathogen free macaques. RhCMV shedding was measured by real time PCR in plasma, saliva and urine. Immune parameters, including neutralizing and binding antibodies and RhCMV‐specific T cell responses, were assessed in longitudinally collected blood samples.

Results  The oral RhCMV infection model in infant SPF rhesus macaques demonstrated that (i) the susceptibility to oral RhCMV infection declines with age, and (ii) infant macaques shed RhCMV more persistently and at higher titers compared to adult macaques. (iii)

Conclusions  The oral infant RhCMV infection model appears to reflect viral pathogenesis in human HCMV‐infected children. Larger studies are needed to define immune parameters associated with better control of RhCMV in adult compared to young animals.
Acute traumatic spinal cord injury induces glial activation in the cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Authors: Miller A. D. , Westmoreland S .V. , Evangelous N. R. , Graham A. , Sledge J. , Nesathurai S.
Published: May 2012

Background  Traumatic spinal cord injury leads to direct myelin and axonal damage and leads to the recruitment of inflammatory cells to site of injury. Although rodent models have provided the greatest insight into the genesis of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI), recent studies have attempted to develop an appropriate non‐human primate model.

Methods  We explored TSCI in a cynomolgus macaque model using a balloon catheter to mimic external trauma to further evaluate the underlying mechanisms of acute TSCI.

Results  Following 1 hour of spinal cord trauma, there were focal areas of hemorrhage and necrosis at the site of trauma. Additionally, there was a marked increased expression of macrophage‐related protein 8, MMP9, IBA‐1, and inducible nitric oxide synthase in macrophages and microglia at the site of injury.

Conclusions  This data indicate that acute TSCI in the cynomolgus macaque is an appropriate model and that the earliest immunohistochemical changes noted are within macrophage and microglia populations.
Hematologic abnormalities associated with simian immunodeficieny virus (SIV) infection mimic those in HIV infection
Authors: Gill Amy F. , Ahsan Muhammad H. , Lackner Andrew A. , Veazey Ronald S.
Published: May 2012

Background  Studies of hematologic abnormalities in HIV‐infected patients are confounded by a multitude of factors. A retrospective data analysis of simian immunodeficieny virus (SIV)‐infected rhesus macaques (RM) of Indian origin was performed to determine the prevalence of hematologic abnormalities free of these confounds.

Methods  Hematologic data from RM inoculated with SIV and without antiviral therapy were examined pre‐inoculation, and throughout infection and the development of AIDS.

Results  Anemia, thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia, eosinophilia, and neutropenia all increased in prevalence with SIV infection. Significant increases in prevalence for both neutropenia and neutrophilia were also detected in SIV‐infected macaques. SIV‐infected macaques also had lower lymphocyte counts and increased prevalence of lymphopenia compared with non‐infected subjects. The prevalence of eosinophilia was significantly increased during SIV infection.

Conclusions  Concordance of hematologic abnormalities during SIV infection of macaques with similar changes in HIV infection of humans suggests that, like in HIV infection, hematologic abnormalities are major complications of SIV infection.
Massive visceral Pentastomiasis in a long‐tailed macaque – an incidental finding
Authors: Mätz‐Rensing Kerstin , Lampe Karen , Rohde Gerlinde , Roos Christian , Kaup Franz‐Josef
Published: May 2012

Background  An unusual case of visceral pentastomiasis in a male adult long‐tailed macaque imported from China is reported.

Methods  The monkey was part of a toxicologic study. A massive accumulation of C‐shaped parasites in various visceral organs was found post‐mortem.

Results  Based on the morphology of the nymphs, pentastomiasis was diagnosed etiopathologically. The pentastome genus and species was identified as Armillifer agkistrodontis by PCR and respective sequencing.

Conclusion  Molecular diagnostic methods are necessary tools to determine the exact species involved.
Lipid metabolism in cancer
Authors: Santos Claudio R. , Schulze Almut
Published: May 2012

Lipids form a diverse group of water‐insoluble molecules that include triacylglycerides, phosphoglycerides, sterols and sphingolipids. They play several important roles at cellular and organismal levels. Fatty acids are the major building blocks for the synthesis of triacylglycerides, which are mainly used for energy storage. Phosphoglycerides, together with sterols and sphingolipids, represent the major structural components of biological membranes. Lipids can also have important roles in signalling, functioning as second messengers and as hormones. There is increasing evidence that cancer cells show specific alterations in different aspects of lipid metabolism. These alterations can affect the availability of structural lipids for the synthesis of membranes, the synthesis and degradation of lipids that contribute to energy homeostasis and the abundance of lipids with signalling functions. Changes in lipid metabolism can affect numerous cellular processes, including cell growth, proliferation, differentiation and motility. This review will examine some of the alterations in lipid metabolism that have been reported in cancer, at both cellular and organismal levels, and discuss how they contribute to different aspects of tumourigenesis.
Impairment of Sexual Function in Rats with Epilepsy
Authors: Andersen Monica L. , Alvarenga Tathiana A. , Scorza Fulvio A. , Matos Gabriela , Sonoda Eliza Y. , Hirotsu Camila , Cavalheiro Esper A. , Tufik Sergio
Published: May 2012

Introduction

Epilepsy is a chronic disease that affects men and women of all ages, with different levels of severity. Many individuals with epilepsy also suffer from impairments in sexual function. However, it is difficult to differentiate between the impact of the disease and the impact of antiepileptic drugs on sexual function in human subjects.

Aims

To evaluate sexual behavior in adult male rats submitted to chronic pilocarpine-induced epilepsy.

Methods

First, non-epileptic rats were exposed to nine training sessions to acquire sexual experience, and their baseline sexual performance was evaluated. Then, the same rats were given pilocarpine to induce status epilepticus followed by chronic epilepsy. Once the animals had developed spontaneous recurrent seizures, their sexual behavior was evaluated during three sessions.

Main Outcome Measures

Examine changes in latencies to first mount, intromission, and ejaculation, and the total number of mounts, intromissions, and ejaculations.

Results

All outcome measures related to sexual motivation and sexual performance were markedly impaired during chronic epilepsy compared with the baseline and the control group.

Conclusion

These findings will aid in understanding the interaction between sexual behavior and epilepsy, as well as encouraging further experimental studies in human patients with epilepsy suffering from sexual dysfunction.
Emotional States of Love Moderate the Association Between Catecholamines and Female Sexual Responses in the Laboratory
Authors: Dundon Carolyn M. , Rellini Alessandra H.
Published: May 2012

Introduction

Research suggests that there are three interrelated, yet distinct, emotion motivation brain systems for human love (lust, romantic love, and attachment), each associated with a unique catecholaminergic and hormonal profile. Of interest for the current study are norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA), which have a hypothesized connection with romantic love. As NE and DA are also known to facilitate sexual arousal, it is plausible that NE and DA may have a greater positive association with the sexual arousal responses of women in romantic love compared with women in lust.

Aim

This study investigated if the effects of NE and DA activity on sexual arousal responses would differ depending on emotion motivation state (Lust or Romantic).

Main Outcome Measures

Physiological sexual arousal was assessed by photoplethysmography and subjective sexual arousal was assessed with a participant controlled lever.

Methods

Seventeen women were included in the Lust group and 29 in the Romantic group. All participants provided a urine sample (to assess NE and DA) and completed a psychophysiological assessment.

Results

Elevated NE was positively and significantly associated with greater subjective and physiological sexual arousal for the Lust group, but not for the Romantic group. Similarly, elevated DA was positively and significantly associated with greater subjective sexual arousal for the Lust group, but not for the Romantic group.

Conclusions

The sexual arousal responses of women in the Lust group, but not in the Romantic group, were positively and significantly associated with elevated NE and DA. It is feasible that, when women are seeking a partner (Lust), NE and DA may facilitate attention toward sexually relevant stimuli.
Implementing independent regulatory agencies in Brazil: The contrasting experiences in the electricity and telecommunications sectors
Authors: Prado Mariana Mota
Published: May 2012

This paper explores hypotheses that could explain both the creation of independent regulatory agencies (IRAs) in Brazil, and the differences in the design of the Brazilian IRAs in the telecommunications and electricity sectors. To formulate specific hypotheses that make sense of the Brazilian case, the paper critically interrogates the “weak state” hypothesis and the “political bias” hypothesis. The first argues that countries with flawed governance structures, such as Latin American countries, are less likely to establish independent regulators than European countries. The second argues that “political bias” is a determinant factor in predicting the implementation of IRAs in Latin America. The first part of the paper uses these two general hypotheses as a basis to formulate specific hypotheses to explain the creation of IRAs in Brazil. The second part of the paper formulates specific hypotheses that could explain why institutional guarantees of IRA independence are stronger in the telecommunications sector, than in the electricity sector. In particular, the paper argues in support of a revised version of the “political bias” hypothesis to explain sectoral divergence, suggesting that bureaucratic resistance to reform may be the cause for the variations observed in Brazil between regulatory reform in electricity and in telecommunications.
Effect of intra‐abdominal pressure on hepatic microcirculation: Implications of the endothelin‐1 receptor
Authors: SÁNCHEZ‐ETAYO Gerard , BORRAT Xavier , ESCOBAR Bibiana , HESSHEIMER Amelia , RODRIGUEZ‐LAIZ Gonzalo , TAURA Pilar
Published: May 2012

OBJECTIVE:  To investigate the effect of endothelin receptor A (ETA) and endothelin receptor B (ETB) blockade on liver microcirculation and oxygenation during intra‐abdominal pressure (IAP) increase.

METHODS:  Fifteen anesthetized pigs were randomized to receive either nonselective endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) blocker tezosentan (TG, n = 7) or saline (CG, n = 8). Helium was insufflated to increase IAP from 0 to 25 mmHg. Stroke volume variability was maintained ≤ 12% with colloid infusion. Total liver blood flow (TLBF), hepatic microcirculatory blood flow (MBF), hepatic tissue oxygenation (HpO2), hyaluronic acid and plasma disappearance rate (PDR) of indocyanine green (ICG) were recorded.

RESULTS:  TLBF remained mostly unaltered in both groups at low IAP and decreased only in CG at the IAP of 25 mmHg. As IAP increased, a significant decline in MBF was observed without correlation with cardiac output or TLBF. In CG, HpO2 decreased as early as IAP of 10 mmHg to high levels of pressure. However, in TG the decrease was significant only at the IAP of 25 mmHg. PDR of ICG decreased in both groups at IAP of 25 mmHg (P = 0.046 and P = 0.009 in TG and CG, respectively). These changes correlated with MBF (r = 0.793).

CONCLUSION:  Blocking ETA and ETB receptors partially protects sinusoidal circulation and tissue oxygenation against stress induced by high IAP.
Correlation between CT attenuation value and iodine concentration in vitro: Discrepancy between gemstone spectral imaging on single‐source dual‐energy CT and traditional polychromatic X‐ray imaging
Authors: Wang Le , Liu Bin , Wu Xing‐wang , Wang Jie , Zhou Yong , Wang Wan‐qin , Zhu Xiao‐hong , Yu Yong‐qiang , Li Xiao‐hu , Zhang Shuai , Shen Yun
Published: May 2012

Introduction: To assess the relation between CT attenuation value and iodine concentration in vitro, using gemstone spectral imaging (GSI) with single‐source dual‐energy CT and traditional polychromatic X‐ray imaging (TPXI), respectively.

Methods: A polypropylene phantom with eight test tubes in which iodine concentrations of solution were 0.4, 0.7, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 50 mg/mL underwent GSI and traditional polychromatic X‐ray scans (80, 100, 120 and 140 kV(p)), using single‐source dual‐energy spectral CT (Discovery CT750HD; GE Healthcare Technologies, Milwaukee, WI, USA) at the same tube speed of 0.8 s/rotation. All spectral imaging data were analysed with GSI viewer to obtain monochromatic images (50–140 keV, interval of 10 keV). Computed tomography attenuation values of iodine solution were measured with the same size of regions of interest and at the exact same level for both monochromatic and polychromatic images. The relation between CT attenuation value and iodine concentration was examined.

Results: A linear correlation was found between CT attenuation value and iodine concentration for both monochromatic and polychromatic images. Moreover, the fitting coefficients for CT attenuation values and iodine concentrations were closer to one with GSI (r2 = 0.99824–0.99996) than that with TPXI (r2 = 0.99640–0.99736).

Conclusions: Owing to the better correlation coefficients between CT attenuation value and iodine concentration, GSI may be a preferred method for quantitative measurement compared with TPXI.
Response of a desert shrub to past geological and climatic change: A phylogeographic study of Reaumuria soongarica (Tamaricaceae) in western China
Authors: LI Zhong‐Hu , CHEN Jian , ZHAO Gui‐Fang , GUO Yu‐Peng , KOU Yi‐Xuan , MA Ya‐Zheng , WANG Gang , MA Xiao‐Fei
Published: May 2012

Abstract  Past geological and climatic events have promoted intraspecific divergence and range shifts in numerous plant species. This is particularly true for temperate species in climate‐sensitive regions. Few previous studies have examined whether such genetic footprints were also shaped in desert plants, which can survive in arid habitats and might be “static” under the past climatic oscillations. We therefore studied the phylogeographical history of Reaumuria soongarica, a shrub species that is widely distributed across the deserts of western China. We sequenced chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments of 27 natural populations across western China. Eight cpDNA haplotypes were identified, which clustered into three clades. The clades were located in the western (clade II) or eastern regions (clades I and III) of western China. Analysis of molecular variance also supported this major partitioning (∼67%) of the cpDNA variation between regions. However, within each region, genetic differentiation was low (29%–37%) and a single dominant haplotype was fixed; this indicated past regional range expansion. The deep divergence and regional range expansions of this species may have corresponded to the most recent uplift of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and the development of desert ecosystems during the last glacial age in western China. This is the first study to show that the evolutionary history of plants in desert habitats has been seriously affected by past geological and climatic change.
Petrologic and textural diversity among the PCA 02 howardite group, one of the largest pieces of the Vestan surface
Authors: BECK Andrew W. , WELTEN Kees C. , McSWEEN Harry Y. , VIVIANO Christina E. , CAFFEE Marc W.
Published: May 2012

Abstract— Nine howardites and two diogenites were recovered from the Pecora Escarpment Icefield (PCA) in 2002. Cosmogenic radionuclide abundances indicate that the samples are paired and that they constituted an approximately 1 m (diameter) meteoroid prior to atmospheric entry. At about 1 m in diameter, the PCA 02 HED group represents one of the largest single pre‐atmospheric pieces of the Vestan surface yet described. Mineral and textural variations were measured in six of the PCA 02 howardites to investigate meter‐scale diversity of the Vestan surface. Mineral compositions span the range of known eucrite and diogenite compositions. Additional non‐diogenitic groups of Mg‐ and Fe‐rich olivine are observed, and are interpreted to have been formed by exogenic contamination and impact melting, respectively. These howardites contain olivine‐rich impact melts that likely formed from dunite‐ and harzburgite‐rich target rocks. Containing the first recognized olivine‐rich HED impact melts, these samples provide meteoritic evidence that olivine‐rich lithologies have been exposed on the surface of Vesta. Finally, we present a new method for mapping distributions of lithologies in howardites using 8 elemental X‐ray maps. Proportions of diogenite and eucrite vary considerably among the PCA 02 howardites, suggesting they originated from a heterogeneous portion of the Vestan surface. While whole sample modes are dominated by diogenite, the finer grain size fractions are consistently more eucritic. This discrepancy has implications for near‐infrared spectral observations of portions of Vesta’s surface that are similar to the PCA 02 howardites, as the finer grained eucritic material will disproportionately dominate the spectra.
δ-Opioid receptor agonist SNC80 induces central antinociception mediated by Ca2+-activated Cl- channels
Authors: Pacheco Daniela da Fonseca , Pacheco Cinthia Mara da Fonseca , Duarte Igor Dimitri Gama
Published: May 2012

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine whether Ca2+-activated Cl- channels (CaCCs) are involved in central antinociception induced by the activation of µ-, δ- and κ-opioid receptors.

Methods

The nociceptive threshold for thermal stimulation was measured using the tail-flick test in Swiss mice. The drugs were administered via the intracerebroventricular route. Probabilities values of P < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant (analysis of variance/Bonferroni test).

Key findings

The results demonstrate that exposure to the CaCC blocker niflumic acid (2, 4 and 8 µg) partially reverses the central antinociception induced by the δ-opioid receptor agonist SNC80 ((+)-4-[(αR)-α-((2S,5R)-4-allyl-2,5-dimethyl-1-piperazinyl)-3-methoxybenzyl]-N,N-diethylbenzamide; 4 µg). In contrast, niflumic acid did not modify the antinociceptive effect of the µ-opioid receptor agonist [D-Ala2, N-Me-Phe4, Gly5-ol]-enkephalin (0.5 µg) or κ-opioid receptor agonist bremazocine (4 µg).

Conclusions

These data provide evidence for the involvement of CaCCs in δ-opioid receptor-induced central antinociception resulting from receptor activation by the agonist SNC80. CaCC activation does not appear to be involved when µ- and κ-opioid receptors are activated.
Exhaust Emissions Characterization of a Turbocharged 2-Stroke Tier 0+ Locomotive Engine: NOx, Particulate Matter and Soluble Organic Fraction Composition
Authors: Bohac Stanislav V. , Feiler Eric , Bradbury Ian
Published: May 2012

This study presents a detailed exhaust emission characterization of a 2-Stroke turbocharged line haul locomotive diesel engine fitted with an early-development Tier 0 + emissions kit. The objective of this work is to use emissions characterization to gain insight into engine operation and mechanisms of pollutant formation for this family of engine, and identify areas of potential future engine emissions improvement. Results show that at the notches tested (notches 3–8) the largest contributor to particulate matter (PM)mass is insolubles (mostly elemental carbon), but that the soluble component of PM, comprising 14–32% of PM, is also significant. Gas chromatography (GC) analysis of the soluble portion shows that it is composed of 55–77% oil-like C22–C30+ hydrocarbons, with the remainder being fuel-like C9–C21 hydrocarbons. The emissions characterization suggests that advancing combustion timing should be effective in reducing PM mass by reducing the insoluble portion (elemental carbon) of PM at all notches. NOx will likely increase, but the current level of NOx is sufficiently below Tier 0+ limits to allow a moderate increase. Reducing engine oil consumption should also reduce PM mass at all notches, although to a smaller degree than measures that reduce the insoluble portion of PM.