bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enzymatic transformation of nonfood biomass to starch
Authors: You Chun , Chen Hongge , Myung Suwan , Sathitsuksanoh Noppadon , Ma Hui , Zhang Xiao-Zhou , Li Jianyong , Zhang Y.-H. Percival
Published: April 2013

The global demand for food could double in another 40 y owing to growth in the population and food consumption per capita. To meet the world’s future food and sustainability needs for biofuels and renewable materials, the production of starch-rich cereals and cellulose-rich bioenergy plants must grow substantially while minimizing agriculture’s environmental footprint and conserving biodiversity. Here we demonstrate one-pot enzymatic conversion of pretreated biomass to starch through a nonnatural synthetic enzymatic pathway composed of endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolyase, cellobiose phosphorylase, and alpha-glucan phosphorylase originating from bacterial, fungal, and plant sources. A special polypeptide cap in potato alpha-glucan phosphorylase was essential to push a partially hydrolyzed intermediate of cellulose forward to the synthesis of amylose. Up to 30% of the anhydroglucose units in cellulose were converted to starch; the remaining cellulose was hydrolyzed to glucose suitable for ethanol production by yeast in the same bioreactor. Next-generation biorefineries based on simultaneous enzymatic biotransformation and microbial fermentation could address the food, biofuels, and environment trilemma.
Acetyl-CoA induces transcription of the key G1 cyclin
CLN3
to promote entry into the cell division cycle in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Shi Lei , Tu Benjamin P.
Published: April 2013

In budding yeast cells, nutrient repletion induces rapid exit from quiescence and entry into a round of growth and division. The G1 cyclin
CLN3
is one of the earliest genes activated in response to nutrient repletion. Subsequent to its activation, hundreds of cell-cycle genes can then be expressed, including the cyclins
CLN1/2
and
CLB5/6
. Although much is known regarding how
CLN3
functions to activate downstream targets, the mechanism through which nutrients activate
CLN3
transcription in the first place remains poorly understood. Here we show that a central metabolite of glucose catabolism, acetyl-CoA, induces
CLN3
transcription by promoting the acetylation of histones present in its regulatory region. Increased rates of acetyl-CoA synthesis enable the Gcn5p-containing Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase transcriptional coactivator complex to catalyze histone acetylation at the
CLN3
locus alongside ribosomal and other growth genes to promote entry into the cell division cycle.
Coordinated elevation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and autophagy help drive hepatocyte polarization
Authors: Fu Dong , Mitra Kasturi , Sengupta Prabuddha , Jarnik Michal , Lippincott-Schwartz Jennifer , Arias Irwin M.
Published: April 2013

Cell polarization requires increased cellular energy and metabolic output, but how these energetic demands are met by polarizing cells is unclear. To address these issues, we investigated the roles of mitochondrial bioenergetics and autophagy during cell polarization of hepatocytes cultured in a collagen sandwich system. We found that as the hepatocytes begin to polarize, they use oxidative phosphorylation to raise their ATP levels, and this energy production is required for polarization. After the cells are polarized, the hepatocytes shift to become more dependent on glycolysis to produce ATP. Along with this central reliance on oxidative phosphorylation as the main source of ATP production in polarizing cultures, several other metabolic processes are reprogrammed during the time course of polarization. As the cells polarize, mitochondria elongate and mitochondrial membrane potential increases. In addition, lipid droplet abundance decreases over time. These findings suggest that polarizing cells are reliant on fatty acid oxidation, which is supported by pharmacologic inhibition of β-oxidation by etomoxir. Finally, autophagy is up-regulated during cell polarization, with inhibition of autophagy retarding cell polarization. Taken together, our results describe a metabolic shift involving a number of coordinated metabolic pathways that ultimately serve to increase energy production during cell polarization.
Targeted mutagenesis of mitochondrial carbonic anhydrases VA and VB implicates both enzymes in ammonia detoxification and glucose metabolism
Authors: Shah Gul N. , Rubbelke Timothy S. , Hendin Joshua , Nguyen Hien , Waheed Abdul , Shoemaker James D. , Sly William S.
Published: April 2013

Prior studies with carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors implicated mitochondrial CA in ureagenesis and gluconeogenesis. Subsequent studies identified two mitochondrial CAs. To distinguish the contribution of each enzyme, we studied the effects of targeted disruption of the murine CA genes, called
Car5A
and
Car5B
. The
Car5A
mutation had several deleterious consequences.
Car5A
null mice were smaller than wild-type littermates and bred poorly. However, on sodium–potassium citrate-supplemented water, they produced offspring in expected numbers. Their blood ammonia concentrations were markedly elevated, but their fasting blood sugars were normal. By contrast,
Car5B
null mice showed normal growth and normal blood ammonia levels. They too had normal fasting blood sugars.
Car5A
/
B
double-knockout (DKO) mice showed additional abnormalities. Impaired growth was more severe than for
Car5A
null mice. Hyperammonemia was even greater as well. Although fertile, DKO animals were produced in less-than-predicted numbers even when supplemented with sodium-potassium citrate in their drinking water. Survival after weaning was also reduced, especially for males. In addition, fasting blood glucose levels for DKO mice were significantly lower than for controls (153 ± 33 vs. 230 ± 24 mg/dL). The enhanced hyperammonemia and lower fasting blood sugar, which are both seen in the DKO mice, indicate that both
Car5A
and
Car5B
contribute to both ammonia detoxification (ureagenesis) and regulation of fasting blood sugar (gluconeogenesis).
Car5A
, which is expressed mainly in liver, clearly has the predominant role in ammonia detoxification. The contribution of
Car5B
to ureagenesis and gluconeogenesis was evident only on a
Car5A
null background.
Recollections of emerging hybrid ethnic identities in Soviet Central Asia: the case of Uzbekistan
Authors: Dadabaev Timur
Published: April 2013

This paper is a contribution to the debate about how people in Central Asia recall Soviet ethnic policies and their vision of how these policies have shaped the identities of their peers and contemporaries. In order to do so, this paper utilizes the outcomes of in-depth interviews about everyday Soviet life in Uzbekistan conducted with 75 senior citizens between 2006 and 2009. These narratives demonstrate that people do not explain Soviet ethnic policies simply through the “modernization” or “victimization” dichotomy but place their experiences in between these discourses. Their recollections also highlight the pragmatic flexibility of the public's adaptive strategies to Soviet ethnic policies. This paper also argues that Soviet ethnic policy produced complicated hybrid units of identities and multiple social strata. Among those who succeeded in adapting to the Soviet realities, a new group emerged, known asRussi assimilados(Russian-speaking Sovietophiles). However, in everyday life, relations between theassimiladosand their “indigenous” or “nativist” countrymen are reported to have been complicated, with clear divisions between these two groups and separate social spaces of their own for each of these strata.
Attenuating homologous recombination stimulates an AID-induced antileukemic effect
Authors: Lamont Kristin R. , Hasham Muneer G. , Donghia Nina M. , Branca Jane , Chavaree Margaret , Chase Betsy , Breggia Anne , Hedlund Jacquelyn , Emery Ivette , Cavallo Francesca , Jasin Maria , Rüter Jens , Mills Kevin D.
Published: April 2013

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is critical in normal B cells to initiate somatic hypermutation and immunoglobulin class switch recombination. Accumulating evidence suggests that AID is also prooncogenic, inducing cancer-promoting mutations or chromosome rearrangements. In this context, we find that AID is expressed in >40% of primary human chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cases, consistent with other reports. Using a combination of human B lymphoid leukemia cells and mouse models, we now show that AID expression can be harnessed for antileukemic effect, after inhibition of the RAD51 homologous recombination (HR) factor with 4,4′-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2-2′-disulfonic acid (DIDS). As a proof of principle, we show that DIDS treatment inhibits repair of AID-initiated DNA breaks, induces apoptosis, and promotes cytotoxicity preferentially in AID-expressing human CLL. This reveals a novel antineoplastic role of AID that can be triggered by inhibition of HR, suggesting a potential new paradigm to treat AID-expressing tumors. Given the growing list of tumor types with aberrant AID expression, this novel therapeutic approach has potential to impact a significant patient population.
The food dye FD&C Blue No. 1 is a selective inhibitor of the ATP release channel Panx1
Authors: Wang Junjie , Jackson David George , Dahl Gerhard
Published: April 2013

The food dye FD&C Blue No. 1 (Brilliant Blue FCF [BB FCF]) is structurally similar to the purinergic receptor antagonist Brilliant Blue G (BBG), which is a well-known inhibitor of the ionotropic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R). The P2X7R functionally interacts with the membrane channel protein pannexin 1 (Panx1) in inflammasome signaling. Intriguingly, ligands to the P2X7R, regardless of whether they are acting as agonists or antagonists at the receptor, inhibit Panx1 channels. Thus, because both P2X7R and Panx1 are inhibited by BBG, the diagnostic value of the drug is limited. Here, we show that the food dye BB FCF is a selective inhibitor of Panx1 channels, with an IC50 of 0.27 µM. No significant effect was observed with concentrations as high as 100 µM of BB FCF on P2X7R. Differing by just one hydroxyl group from BB FCF, the food dye FD&C Green No. 3 exhibited similar selective inhibition of Panx1 channels. A reverse selectivity was observed for the P2X7R antagonist, oxidized ATP, which in contrast to other P2X7R antagonists had no significant inhibitory effect on Panx1 channels.

Based on its selective action, BB FCF can be added to the repertoire of drugs to study the physiology of Panx1 channels. Furthermore, because Panx1 channels appear to be involved directly or indirectly through P2X7Rs in several disorders, BB FCF and derivatives of this “safe” food dye should be given serious consideration for pharmacological intervention of conditions such as acute Crohn’s disease, stroke, and injuries to the central nervous system.
Counterproductive Counternarcotic Strategies?
Authors: Andersson Camilla I.M.
Published: April 2013

We model the economic incentives surrounding opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. Specifically, we examine the impact of eradication policies when opium is used as a means of obtaining credit, and when the crops are cultivated in sharecropping arrangements. The analysis suggests that when perfect credit markets are available, an increased risk of eradication will lead to less land being allocated to opium poppy. However, when opium is used as a means of obtaining credit, an eradication policy can rather increase land under poppy cultivation. Furthermore, the unintended effects of eradication can be augmented in sharecropping arrangements.
Discarded fish in European waters: general patterns and contrasts
Authors: Uhlmann Sebastian S. , van Helmond Aloysius T. M. , Kemp Stefánsdóttir Elísabet , Sigurðardóttir Sigríður , Haralabous John , Bellido Jose Maria , Carbonell A. , Catchpole Tom , Damalas Dimitrios , Fauconnet Laurence , Feekings Jordan , Garcia Teresa , Madsen Niels , Mallold Sandra , Margeirsson Sveinn , Palialexis Andreas , Readdy Lisa , Valeiras Julio , Vassilopoulou Vassiliki , Rochet Marie-Joëlle
Published: April 2013

To reduce the practice of discarding commercially fished organisms, several measures such as a discard ban and extra allowances on top of landings quotas (“catch quota”) have been proposed by the European Commission. However, for their development and successful implementation, an understanding of discard patterns on a European scale is needed. In this study, we present an inter-national synthesis of discard data collected on board commercial, towed-gear equipped vessels operating under six different national flags spanning from the Baltic to the Mediterranean Seas mainly between 2003 and 2008. We considered discarded species of commercial value such as Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), European hake (Merluccius merluccius), and European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa). Comparisons of discard per unit effort rates expressed as numbers per hour of fishing revealed that in the Mediterranean Sea minimum size-regulated species such as hake are generally discarded in much lower numbers than elsewhere. For most species examined, variability in discard rates across regions was greater than across fisheries, suggesting that a region-by-region approach to discard reduction would be more relevant. The high uncertainty in discard rate estimates suggests that current sampling regimes should be either expanded or complemented by other data sources, if they are to be used for setting catch quotas.
ENHANCED DEPTH IMAGING SPECTRAL DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY IN SYPHILITIC CHORIORETINITIS
Authors: Say Emil Anthony T. , Ulrich J. Niklas
Published: April 2013

Purpose:

To describe the enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography features in syphilitic chorioretinitis.

Methods:

This is a case report.

Results:

A 69-year-old man was diagnosed with syphilitic chorioretinitis after presenting with a 3-week history of blurred vision in his right eye. Fundus examination revealed vitritis and retinal whitening along the inferotemporal arcade. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography showed choroidal thickening and increased reflectivity of the overlying retina. Intravenous penicillin G was started and clinical improvement followed with corresponding reduction in choroidal thickness and decreased reflectivity of the overlying retina.

Conclusion:

Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography can be used in conjunction with clinical examination to localize tissue involvement in syphilitic chorioretinitis and monitor treatment response.
ADVERSE REACTIONS TO PLAIN GUT, POLYGLYCOLIC ACID, AND POLYGLACTIN 910 SUTURES FOR SCLEROTOMY CLOSURE AT PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY
Authors: Croskrey Jason A. , Han Dennis P.
Published: April 2013

Purpose:

To evaluate the rates of adverse reactions to suture materials and compare the rates for plain gut, polyglycolic acid, and polyglactin 910.

Methods:

Postoperative adverse suture reaction rates were compared using Fisher exact test. One hundred and forty-six patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy were included in this study.

Results:

Adverse suture reaction rates were 2% (1/48) for plain gut, 30% (6/20) for polyglycolic acid, and 12% (11/78) for polyglactin 910.

Conclusion:

Plain gut suture was associated with fewer adverse suture reactions when compared with polyglycolic acid and polyglactin 910 and seems to be suitable for sclerotomy closure.
High Prevalence of Nausea in Children With Pain‐Associated Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
Authors: Kovacic Katja , Williams Sara , Li B U.K. , Chelimsky Gisela , Miranda Adrian
Published: April 2013

Objectives:

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of nausea in pediatric patients with pain‐associated functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), examine the effect on social and school functioning, and examine the applicability of pediatric Rome III criteria.

Methods:

A total of 221 pediatric patients (6–18 years of age) with chronic abdominal pain prospectively completed a demographic, history, and gastrointestinal symptom questionnaire adapted from the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms (QPGS). The 6‐item, revised Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment Score tool was used to assess the effect of symptoms on school, home, and social disability. Rome III criteria were applied to all subjects.

Results:

A total of 183 patients with pain and nausea for a minimum of 2 months were identified. Ninety‐six patients were studied after excluding those with vomiting and/or organic disease. Among these, 53% had nausea at least 2 times per week and 28% experienced daily nausea. Frequency of nausea was significantly correlated with poor school and social functioning, and uniquely predicted social disability beyond pain. Although 87% met adult Rome criteria for functional dyspepsia, only 29% met corresponding pediatric Rome criteria. Additionally, 22% met the criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)‐diarrhea, 13% for IBS‐constipation, 13% for abdominal migraine, and 31% were classified as having functional abdominal pain. Pediatric IBS‐diarrhea and IBS‐constipation overlapped in 5% of patients.

Conclusions:

Nausea is a prevalent symptom in patients with pain‐associated FGIDs and correlates with poor school and social functioning. There is substantial overlap among FGIDs in children with nausea.
Mathematics applied to the climate system: outstanding challenges and recent progress
Authors: Williams Paul D. , Cullen Michael J. P. , Davey Michael K. , Huthnance John M.
Published: April 2013

The societal need for reliable climate predictions and a proper assessment of their uncertainties is pressing. Uncertainties arise not only from initial conditions and forcing scenarios, but also from model formulation. Here, we identify and document three broad classes of problems, each representing what we regard to be an outstanding challenge in the area of mathematics applied to the climate system. First, there is the problem of the development and evaluation of simple physically based models of the global climate. Second, there is the problem of the development and evaluation of the components of complex models such as general circulation models. Third, there is the problem of the development and evaluation of appropriate statistical frameworks. We discuss these problems in turn, emphasizing the recent progress made by the papers presented in this Theme Issue. Many pressing challenges in climate science require closer collaboration between climate scientists, mathematicians and statisticians. We hope the papers contained in this Theme Issue will act as inspiration for such collaborations and for setting future research directions.
A BDNF sensitive mechanism is involved in the fear memory resulting from the interaction between stress and the retrieval of an established trace
Authors: Giachero Marcelo , Bustos Silvia G. , Calfa Gaston , Molina Victor A.
Published: April 2013

The present study investigates the fear memory resulting from the interaction of a stressful experience and the retrieval of an established fear memory trace. Such a combination enhanced both fear expression and fear retention in adult Wistar rats. Likewise, midazolam intra-basolateral amygdala (BLA) infusion prior to stress attenuated the enhancement of fear memory thus suggesting the involvement of a stress-induced reduction of the GABAergic transmission in BLA in the stress-induced enhancing effect. It has been suggested that, unlike the immediate-early gene Zif268 which is related to the reconsolidation process, the expression of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is highly correlated with consolidation. We therefore evaluate the relative contribution of these two neurobiological processes to the fear memory resulting from the above-mentioned interaction. Intra-dorsal hippocampus (DH) infusions of either the antisense Zif268 or the inhibitor of the protein degradation (Clasto-Lactacystin β-Lactone), suggested to be involved in the retrieval-dependent destabilization process, did not affect the resulting contextual memory. In contrast, the knockdown of hippocampal BDNF mitigated the stress-induced facilitating influence on fear retention. In addition, the retrieval experience elevated BDNF level in DH at 60 min after recall exclusively in stressed animals. These findings suggest the involvement of a hippocampal BDNF sensitive mechanism in the stress-promoting influence on the fear memory following retrieval.
Delaying interference training has equivalent effects in various Pavlovian interference paradigms
Authors: Powell Elizabeth J. , Escobar Martha , Kimble Whitney
Published: April 2013

Spontaneous recovery in extinction appears to be inversely related to the acquisition-to-extinction interval, but it remains unclear why this is the case. Rat subjects trained with one of three interference paradigms exhibited less spontaneous recovery of the original response after delayed than immediate interference, regardless of whether interference resulted in attenuated fear (extinction, CS-Shock followed by CS-noShock), acquisition of conditioned fear (latent inhibition, CS-noShock followed by CS-Shock), or acquisition of a response (counterconditioning, CS-Shock followed by CS-Sucrose). We suggest that delaying interference treatment increases the relative similarity of the interference and test contexts, facilitating retrieval of the interfering association and attenuating recovery of the original response.
Chronic intrauterine exposure to endotoxin does not alter fetal nephron number or glomerular size
Authors: Ryan Danica , Atik Anzari , De Matteo Robert , Harding Richard , Black Mary J
Published: April 2013

A reduced nephron endowment early in life adversely impacts on long‐term functional reserve in the kidney. A recent study has shown that acute exposure to chorioamnionitis during late gestation can adversely impact on nephrogenesis. The present study aimed to examine the effects of chronic, low‐dose endotoxin exposure in utero, during the period of nephrogenesis, on nephron number and glomerular size in preterm lambs.

 Ewes were administered either endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; 1 mg/day) or saline at 110–133 days of gestation (term approximately 147 days) via surgically implanted osmotic minipumps within the amniotic cavity. The ewes were induced to deliver preterm at 133 days gestation and the kidneys of the lambs were analysed at 8 weeks after term‐equivalent age. Nephron number per kidney was determined using a combined optical disector and fractionator stereological approach; renal corpuscle size was also measured stereologically.

 At 8 weeks after term‐equivalent age there was no significant effect of in utero exposure to endotoxin on bodyweight or kidney weight and there were no significant differences in nephron number, nephron density or renal corpuscle volume between groups.

 We conclude that chronic intrauterine inflammation during the period of nephrogenesis may not adversely impact on the number of nephrons formed within the kidney or on the volume of the renal corpuscle.
Chronic restraint stress induces intestinal inflammation and alters the expression of hexose and lipid transporters
Authors: Lee Chooi Yeng
Published: April 2013

Psychosocial stress is reported to be one of the main causes of obesity. Based on observations in studies that relate stress and gut inflammation to obesity, the present study hypothesized that chronic stress, via inflammation, alters the expression of nutrient transporters and contributes to the development of metabolic syndrome.

Rats were exposed to restraint stress for 4 h/day for 5 days/week for eight consecutive weeks. Different segments of rat intestine were then collected and analysed for signs of pathophysiological changes and the expression of Niemann‐Pick C1‐like‐1 (NPC1L1), sodium‐dependent glucose transporter‐1 (SLC5A1, previously known as SGLT1) and facilitative glucose transporter‐2 (SLC2A2, previously known as GLUT2). In a separate experiment, the total anti‐oxidant activity (TAA)–time profile of control isolated intestinal segments was measured.

Stress decreased the expression of NPC1L1 in the ileum and upregulated SLC5A1 in both the jejunum and ileum and SLC2A2 in the duodenum. Inflammation and morphological changes were observed in the proximal region of the intestine of stressed animals. Compared with jejunal and ileal segments, the rate of increase in TAA was higher in the duodenum, indicating that the segment contained less anti‐oxidants; anti‐oxidants may function to protect the tissues.

In conclusion, stress alters the expression of hexose and lipid transporters in the gut. The site‐specific increase in the expression of SLC5A1 and SLC2A2 may be correlated with pathological changes in the intestine. The ileum may be protected, in part, by gut anti‐oxidants. Collectively, the data suggest that apart from causing inflammation, chronic stress may promote sugar uptake and contribute to hyperglycaemia.
Ticagrelor: Positive, negative and misunderstood properties as a new antiplatelet agent
Authors: Steiner Jennifer B , Wu Zhenbiao , Ren Jun
Published: April 2013

Dual antiplatelet therapy is essential for the management of acute coronary syndrome. In particular, combination therapy using aspirin with a platelet ADP (i.e. P2Y12) receptor inhibitor, such as clopidogrel, prasugrel or, more recently, ticagrelor, has been recommended for patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Pharmacological agents that reversibly inhibit platelet aggregation without metabolic activation in the liver are believed to reduce cardiovascular mortality compared with the current drug of choice for antiplatelet therapy, namely clopidogrel. These findings are based on a multicentre, double‐blind, double‐dummy, randomized controlled trial. Numerous factors are postulated to contribute to the improved survival of patients who take ticagrelor compared with those taking clopidogrel, including the risk of myocardial infarction, heart failure, arrhythmia and bleeding. In addition, clopidogrel may lead to a much higher incidence of infection. Although ticagrelor has recently been approved for use in the US and exhibits superiority over other antiplatelet agents, certain concerns remain regarding its use, including lung injury and dyspnoea, thus raising the issue of its true superiority over clopidogrel or prasugrel.

Recent studies into ticagrelor report conflicting data, with certain aspects of its mechanisms of action still not fully understood. Ticagrelor has beneficial effects following its clinical application, such as achieving overall higher reductions in mortality compared with the use of clopidogrel and prasugrel. Harmful effects associated with the use of ticagrelor include a higher incidence of dyspnoea and major bleeding compared with clopidogrel.
International Statebuilding and the Ideology of Resilience
Authors: Chandler David
Published: April 2013

This article seeks to draw out the ideological nature of discourses of resilience, and traces their rise in international statebuilding approaches. It suggests that this shift to resilience follows disillusionment with liberal internationalist understandings that Western or international actors could resolve problems of development, democracy and peace through the export of liberal institutions. Interventionist discourses have increasingly stressed the importance of local capacities, vulnerabilities and agencies and, in doing so, have facilitated the evasion of Western responsibility for the outcomes of statebuilding interventions through problematising local practices and understandings as productive of risks and threats and as barriers to liberal progress.
Midwifery Care at a Freestanding Birth Center: A Safe and Effective Alternative to Conventional Maternity Care
Authors: Benatar Sarah , Garrett A. Bowen , Howell Embry , Palmer Ashley
Published: April 2013

Objective

To estimate the effect of a midwifery model of care delivered in a freestanding birth center on maternal and infant outcomes when compared with conventional care.

Data Sources/Study Setting

Birth certificate data for women who gave birth in Washington D.C. and D.C. residents who gave birth in other jurisdictions.

Study Design

Using propensity score modeling and instrumental variable analysis, we compare maternal and infant outcomes among women who receive prenatal care from birth center midwives and women who receive usual care. We match on observable characteristics available on the birth certificate, and we use distance to the birth center as an instrument.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Birth certificate data from 2005 to 2008.

Principal Findings

Women who receive birth center care are less likely to have a C‐section, more likely to carry to term, and are more likely to deliver on a weekend, suggesting less intervention overall. While less consistent, findings also suggest improved infant outcomes.

Conclusions

For women without medical complications who are able to be served in either setting, our findings suggest that midwife‐directed prenatal and labor care results in equal or improved maternal and infant outcomes.
Effects of Switch From Sevelamer Hydrochloride to Lanthanum Carbonate on Serum K and Bone Metabolic Turnover
Authors: Ota Satoshi , Hirose Masayo , Izumiya Yoshiaki , Ishida Yoichi
Published: April 2013

Effects of switch from sevelamer hydrochloride (Sev) to lanthanum carbonate (La) on serum potassium (K) and bone metabolic markers in maintenance dialysis patients were examined. A switch from Sev to La was made for 14 dialysis patients (mean dialysis period and age: 65.3 months and 58.5 years old) to examine changes of biochemical and bone metabolic markers after 8 weeks. The Sev dosage immediately before the switch was 1857 ± 1325 mg/day, and the La dosage 8 weeks after the switch was 821 ± 301 mg/day. The serum calcium (Ca) level, which was 8.9 mg/dL before the switch, increased to 9.5 mg/dL after the switch (P < 0.05) whereas there was no change in the serum phosphorus level (P levels) or the calcium × phosphorus product. A decrease in the serum K level (4.6 vs. 4.4 mEq/L, P < 0.05), an increase in the total cholesterol level (131 vs. 142 mg/dL, P < 0.05), and a decrease in the serum ALP level (334.5 vs. 282 IU/L, P < 0.05) were observed, but there was no change in the intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) level. A significant negative correlation between the HCO3 level and the serum K level before dialysis was observed. These results suggest that a switch from Sev to La provided a decrease in the serum K level and normalization of bone metabolic markers, which was not mediated by PTH.
Innovation in the Agri‐food System
Authors: Davis John
Published: April 2013

A supporting podcast with OECD Trade and Agriculture Director Ken Ash explaining the role that innovation will play in the future of food is available here
Promoting EU Research and Innovation in Agri‐food
Authors: Cioloş Dacian , Geoghegan‐Quinn Máire
Published: April 2013

summary

Promoting EU Research and Innovation in Agri‐food

Solving the future challenge of producing more with less and in a more sustainable manner requires a fundamental shift towards a different growth path. There is a need to invest in research and innovation, ensure investments translates into concrete results and get added value by better coordination at EU level. This is what the European Commission seeks to stimulate with the EU’s Research and Innovation programme for 2014 to 2020 –Horizon 2020. But agricultural innovation is more than the result of one‐way transfers of scientific results to practice. Innovation prospers when the gap between the worlds of research and farming is closed by permanent interaction – sharing knowledge, ideas and thinking together. This is the objective of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP). Together the EIP and Horizon 2020 can promote a participatory approach which facilitates the mainstreaming of new solutions since it strengthens focus, speeds up the acceptance and dissemination of new ideas, and which can help target the research agenda. It is worrying to think that the research budget for Horizon 2020 might become the major victim of the cuts in the EU budget which EU governments want. Researchers, innovative businesses and the science community at large must stand up and make the case against cuts in research budgets.
Growth kinetics and energetics of a deep‐sea hyperthermophilic methanogen under varying environmental conditions
Authors: Ver Eecke Helene C. , Akerman Nancy H. , Huber Julie A. , Butterfield David A. , Holden James F.
Published: April 2013

A hyperthermophilic deep‐sea methanogen, Methanocaldococcus strain JH146, was isolated from 26°C hydrothermal fluid at Axial Volcano to model high temperature methanogenesis in the subseafloor. Emphasis was placed on defining growth kinetics, cell yields and growth energy demand (GE) across a range of conditions. The organism uses H2 and CO2 as its sole carbon and energy sources. At various temperatures, pHs, and chlorinities, its growth rates and cell yields co‐varied while GE remained uniform at 1.69 × 10−11 J cell−1 s−1 ± 0.68 × 10−11 J cell−1 s−1 (s.d., n = 23). An exception was at superoptimal growth temperatures where GE increased to 7.25 × 10−11 J cell−1 s−1 presumably due to heat shock. GE also increased from 5.1 × 10−12 J cell−1 s−1 to 7.61 × 10−11 J cell−1 s−1 as NH4+ concentrations decreased from 9.4 mM to 0.14 mM. JH146 did not fix N2 or assimilate NO3−, lacked the N2‐fixing (cluster II) nifH gene, and became nitrogen limited below 0.14 mM NH4Cl. Nitrogen availability may impact growth in situ since ammonia concentrations at Axial Volcano are < 18 μM. Our approach contributes to refining bioenergetic and carbon flux models for methanogens and other organisms in hydrothermal vents and other environments.
The Effects of Rat Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Injury Progression In a Rat Model
Authors: Singer Daniel D. , Singer Adam J. , Gordon Chris , Brink Peter
Published: April 2013

Objectives

Burns are common injuries that can result in significant scarring, leading to poor function and disfigurement. Unlike mechanical injuries, burns often progress both in depth and in size over the first few days after injury, possibly due to inflammation and oxidative stress. A major gap in the field of burns is the lack of an effective therapy that reduces burn injury progression. Because stem cells have been shown to improve healing in several injury models, the authors hypothesized that species‐specific mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) would reduce injury progression in a rat comb‐burn model.

Methods

Using a brass comb preheated to 100°C, the authors created four rectangular burns, separated by three unburned interspaces on both sides of the backs of male Sprague‐Dawley rats. The interspaces represented the ischemic zones surrounding the central necrotic core. In an attempt to reduce burn injury progression, 20 rats were randomized to tail vein injections of 1 mL of rat‐specific MSCs, 106 cells/mL (n = 10), or normal saline (n = 10), 60 minutes after injury.

Results

While the authors were unable to identify any quantum dot (Q‐dot)‐labeled MSCs in the injured skin, at 7 days the mean percentage of the unburned interspaces that became necrotic in the MSC group was significantly less than in the control group (80% vs. 100%, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Intravenous injection of rat MSCs reduced burn injury progression in a rat comb‐burn model.
Psychological management of unipolar depression
Authors: Lampe L. , Coulston C. M. , Berk L.
Published: April 2013

Objective

To be used in conjunction with ‘Pharmacological management of unipolar depression’ [Malhi et al. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2013;127(Suppl. 443):6–23] and ‘Lifestyle management of unipolar depression’ [Berk et al. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2013;127(Suppl. 443):38–54]. To provide clinically relevant recommendations for the use of psychological treatments in depression derived from a literature review.

Method

Medical databases including MEDLINE and PubMed were searched for pertinent literature, with an emphasis on recent publications.

Results

Structured psychological treatments such as cognitive behaviour therapy and interpersonal therapy (IPT) have a robust evidence base for efficacy in treating depression, even in severe cases of depression. However, they may not offer benefit as quickly as antidepressants, and maximal efficacy requires well‐trained and experienced therapists. These therapies are effective across the lifespan and may be preferred where it is desired to avoid pharmacotherapy. In some instances, combination with pharmacotherapy may enhance outcome. Psychological therapy may have more enduring protective effects than medication and be effective in relapse prevention. Newer structured psychological therapies such as mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy lack an extensive outcome literature, but the few published studies yielding positive outcomes suggest they should be considered options for treatment.

Conclusion

Cognitive behaviour therapy and IPT can be effective in alleviating acute depression for all levels of severity and in maintaining improvement. Psychological treatments for depression have demonstrated efficacy across the lifespan and may present a preferred treatment option in some groups, for example, children and adolescents and women who are pregnant or postnatal.
Lifestyle management of unipolar depression
Authors: Berk M. , Sarris J. , Coulson C. E. , Jacka F. N.
Published: April 2013

Objective

To be used in conjunction with ‘Pharmacological management of unipolar depression’ [Malhi et al. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2013;127(Suppl. 443):6–23] and ‘Psychological management of unipolar depression’ [Lampe et al. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2013;127(Suppl. 443):24–37]. To provide clinically relevant recommendations for lifestyle modifications in depression, derived from a literature review.

Method

A search of pertinent literature was conducted up to August 2012 in the area of lifestyle factors and depression. A narrative review was then conducted.

Results

There is evidence that level of physical activity plays a role in the risk of depression, and there is a large and validated evidence base for exercise as a therapeutic modality. Smoking and alcohol and substance misuse appear to be independent risk factors for depression, while the new epidemiological evidence supports the contention that diet is a risk factor for depression; good quality diets appear protective and poor diets increase risk.

Conclusion

Lifestyle modification, with a focus on exercise, diet, smoking and alcohol, may be of substantial value in reducing the burden of depression in individuals and the community.
The inverse agonist of CB1 receptor SR141716 blocks compulsive eating of palatable food
Authors: Dore Riccardo , Valenza Marta , Wang Xiaofan , Rice Kenner C. , Sabino Valentina , Cottone Pietro
Published: April 2013

Dieting and the increased availability of highly palatable food are considered major contributing factors to the large incidence of eating disorders and obesity. This study was aimed at investigating the role of the cannabinoid (CB) system in a novel animal model of compulsive eating, based on a rapid palatable diet cycling protocol. Male Wistar rats were fed either continuously a regular chow diet (Chow/Chow, control group) or intermittently a regular chow diet for 2 days and a palatable, high‐sucrose diet for 1 day (Chow/Palatable). Chow/Palatable rats showed spontaneous and progressively increasing hypophagia and body weight loss when fed the regular chow diet, and excessive food intake and body weight gain when fed the palatable diet. Diet‐cycled rats dramatically escalated the intake of the palatable diet during the first hour of renewed access (7.5‐fold compared to controls), and after withdrawal, they showed compulsive eating and heightened risk‐taking behavior. The inverse agonist of the CB1 receptor, SR141716 reduced the excessive intake of palatable food with higher potency and the body weight with greater efficacy in Chow/Palatable rats, compared to controls. Moreover, SR141716 reduced compulsive eating and risk‐taking behavior in Chow/Palatable rats. Finally, consistent with the behavioral and pharmacological observations, withdrawal from the palatable diet decreased the gene expression of the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase in the ventromedial hypothalamus while increasing that of CB1 receptors in the dorsal striatum in Chow/Palatable rats, compared to controls. These findings will help understand the role of the CB system in compulsive eating.
Physical activity in three regional communities in Queensland
Authors: Brown Wendy J. , Burton Nicola W. , Sahlqvist Shannon , Heesch Kristiann C. , McCarthy Kylah B. , Ng Norman , van Uffelen Jannique G.Z.
Published: April 2013

Objective

To describe physical activity participation in three Queensland regional communities.

Design

Cross‐sectional mail survey of randomly selected residents, stratified by age and sex.

Setting

Esk, Mareeba and Mount Isa.

Participants

1219 (58% women) adults, with a mean age 46.7 (standard deviation 14.7) years.

Main outcome measures

Proportion of people inactive, meeting Australian activity guidelines (a minimum of 150 min week−1 and five sessions week−1) and walking a dog daily; time spent walking and cycling for transport; location and type of recreational physical activities.

Results

Overall, 18% of respondents were inactive, with the highest proportions among women (22.3%) and older adults in Mount Isa (24.3%). The proportion meeting activity guidelines was 47%, with the lowest proportion among women in Mount Isa (40.4%). Although 63% reported owning a dog, only 22% reported walking a dog daily. Few people reported walking or cycling for transport. The most common types of activities were walking, home‐based exercise, running/jogging and swimming, and the most common location was at or near home.

Conclusions

Physical activity levels were lower in these regional communities than the state average. The findings indicate a need for physical activity policy and intervention strategies targeting regional and rural areas. This could focus on women and older adults, dog walking and physical activity opportunities in or near the home.
The sociodemographic and health‐related characteristics of a regional population with chronic disease at an interprofessional student‐assisted clinic in Queensland Capricornia Allied Health Partnership
Authors: Frakes Kerrie‐Anne , Brownie Sharon , Davies Lauren , Thomas Janelle , Miller Mary‐Ellen , Tyack Zephanie
Published: April 2013

Objective

This paper describes the sociodemographic and health‐related characteristics of people with chronic disease attending an interprofessional student‐assisted clinic in regional Queensland.

Design

A retrospective review of data collected during the first 10 months of operation of the clinic was conducted.

Setting, participants and outcome measures

Data was collected on up to 378 patients during an intake appointment at the Capricornia Allied Health Partnership (CAHP) community‐based clinic and compared with normative reference groups where available. Sociodemographic characteristics included age, gender and education level; health‐related characteristics included body mass index and hospitalisations in the previous 12 months; and risk factors included prescribed medications, smoking status and general practitioner‐diagnosed medical conditions.

Results

Patients attending the CAHP clinic had a mean number of chronic conditions of 4.9 ± 2.1 per patient, and 97% of patients had multimorbidities. A high level of socioeconomic disadvantage was found in comparison with normative comparison groups based on employment, highest level of schooling completed and the index of social disadvantage. Patients predominantly lived in inner regional areas (76.7%). The most common diagnoses of patients attending the clinic for the first time were hypertension, osteoarthritis, high cholesterol, diabetes and chronic back pain.

Conclusions

The CAHP clinic offers a unique student‐assisted service model for interprofessional management of patients who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, have multimorbid chronic disease and live in regional areas. The description of baseline data in this paper is important to refine clinic services, to guide other chronic disease clinics and to inform future research study designs.
Augmentation index and pulse wave velocity in normotensive and pre‐eclamptic pregnancies
Authors: Franz Maximilian B. , Burgmann Maximiliane , Neubauer Anna , Zeisler Harald , Sanani Ramona , Gottsauner‐Wolf Michael , Schiessl Barbara , Andreas Martin
Published: April 2013

Objective

Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy remain a major health burden. Normal pregnancy is associated with systemic cardiovascular adaptation. The augmentation index and pulse wave velocity measures may serve as surrogate markers of cardiovascular pathology, including pre‐eclampsia. We evaluated these parameters during and after normotensive and pre‐eclamptic pregnancies.

Design

Longitudinal cohort trial involving a case–control analysis of healthy women and women with pre‐eclampsia.

Setting

University hospital.

Population

Fifty‐three healthy pregnant women between 11+6 and 13+6 gestational weeks, as well as 21 patients with pre‐eclampsia.

Methods

The augmentation index and pulse wave velocity were measured seven times during pregnancy and postpartum.

Main outcome measures

Changes in augmentation index and pulse wave velocity during and after healthy pregnancies were measured. The influence of early‐onset and late‐onset pre‐eclampsia on these measurements both during and after pregnancy was evaluated.

Results

The normotensive pregnancies exhibited a significant decrease in the augmentation index from the first trimester to the end of the second trimester; however, the normotensive pregnancies showed an increase in the augmentation index during the third trimester as term approached. The patients with early‐onset and late‐onset pre‐eclampsia displayed a significantly elevated augmentation index during pregnancy. The postpartum augmentation index and pulse wave velocity were significantly elevated in the early‐onset pre‐eclampsia group.

Conclusion

After pregnancy, early‐onset and late‐onset pre‐eclamptic patients exhibit differences in vascular function. This result indicates the presence of a higher cardiovascular risk in patients after early‐onset pre‐eclampsia.
Validation study of uterine rupture registration in the Medical Birth Registry of Norway
Authors: Al‐Zirqi Iqbal , Stray‐Pedersen Babill , Forsén Lisa , Daltveit Anne Kjersti , Vangen Siri ,   The NUR group
Published: April 2013

Objective

To validate uterine rupture registration in the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) between 1999 and 2008, and to identify rupture type and causes of incorrect or missed registration during 1967–2008.

Design

Population‐based study.

Population

The validation sample was 392 958 maternities from 21 maternity units registered in MBRN and local Patient Administration Systems in 1999–2008. In addition we identified type of rupture and causes of incorrect registration among 2 422 934 maternities from 48 units, and 1 449 201 maternities from 21 units during 1967–2008.

Methods

Information about uterine rupture in MBRN was compared with information in medical records.

Main outcome measures

Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of uterine rupture registration in MBRN.

Results

In 1999–2008, there were 10 false positive cases among 151 uterine ruptures registered in MBRN. In addition, 82 ruptures not registered in MBRN, were identified through Patient Administration Systems. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of the MBRN to detect uterine rupture was 63.2, 99.99, 93.4 and 99.98%, respectively. The incidence of uterine rupture changed after correction from 0.38 to 0.56/1000. During 1967–2008, false positive cases (125) were mainly due to wrong coding by MBRN. Around 60% of 141 false negative cases were due to lack of reporting by maternity units. Complete rupture accounted for 63.9% of ruptures registered in MBRN.

Conclusions

The validity of MBRN data on uterine rupture is not optimal, diagnosis being under‐reported by around 37%. Ticked boxes may improve the quality of registration.