bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Remineralization of enamel subsurface lesions in situ by the use of three commercially available sugar‐free gums
Authors: MANTON DAVID J. , WALKER GLENN D. , CAI FAN , COCHRANE NATHAN J. , SHEN PEIYAN , REYNOLDS ERIC C.
Published: April 2008

Background.  Commercially available sugar‐free chewing gums have been claimed to provide oral health benefits.

Aim.  The aim of this randomized, double‐blind crossover in situ study was to compare the efficacy of three commercially available sugar‐free chewing gums: Trident White, Orbit, and Orbit Professional, in remineralizing enamel subsurface lesions in situ.

Design.  Specimens containing enamel subsurface lesions were sectioned into test and control half‐slabs with the test half‐slabs inserted into removable palatal appliances. For each test chewing period, subjects were randomly allocated one of three test gums. Subjects (n = 10) chewed the randomly allocated gum for a 20‐min period four times per day for 14 days. Each subject chewed all three test gums, with a 7‐day washout period between crossovers. After each 14‐day cycle, test and control half‐slabs were paired, embedded in resin, sectioned, and subjected to microradiography to determine remineralization.

Results.  The gum TW produced significantly greater remineralization (18.4 ± 0.9%) than Orbit (8.9 ± 0.5%) and Orbit Professional (10.5 ± 0.9%).

Conclusion.  The superior remineralization activity of the TW gum in situ was attributed to the presence of casein phosphopeptide–amorphous calcium phosphate nanocomplexes.
Glacial vicariance in the Pacific Northwest: evidence from a lodgepole pine mitochondrial DNA minisatellite for multiple genetically distinct and widely separated refugia
Authors: GODBOUT JULIE , FAZEKAS ARON , NEWTON CRAIG H. , YEH FRANCIS C. , BOUSQUET JEAN
Published: April 2008

The Canadian side of the Pacific Northwest was almost entirely covered by ice during the last glacial maximum, which has induced vicariance and genetic population structure for several plant and animal taxa. Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex. Loud.) has a wide latitudinal and longitudinal distribution in the Pacific Northwest. Our main objective was to identify relictual signatures of glacial vicariance in the population structure of the species and search for evidence of distinct glacial refugia in the Pacific Northwest. A maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA minisatellite‐like marker was used to decipher haplotype diversity in 91 populations of lodgepole pine located across the natural range. Overall population differentiation was sizeable (GST = 0.365 and RST = 0.568). Four relatively homogeneous groups of populations, possibly representative of as many genetically distinct glacial populations, were identified for the two main subspecies, ssp. latifolia and ssp. contorta. For ssp. contorta, one glacial lineage is suggested to have been located at high latitudes and possibly off the coast of mainland British Columbia (BC), while the other is considered to have been located south of the ice sheet along the Pacific coast. For ssp. latifolia, two genetically distinct glacial populations probably occurred south of the ice sheet: in the area bounded by the Cascades and Rocky Mountains ranges, and on the eastern side of the Rockies. A possible fifth refugium located in the Yukon may have also been present for ssp. latifolia. Zones of contact between these ancestral lineages were also apparent in interior and northern BC. These results indicate the role of the Queen Charlotte Islands and the Alexander Archipelago as a refugial zone for some Pacific Northwest species and the vicariant role played by the Cascades and the American Rocky Mountains during glaciation.
High frequency of multiple paternity in broods of a socially monogamous cichlid fish with biparental nest defence
Authors: SEFC KRISTINA M. , MATTERSDORFER KARIN , STURMBAUER CHRISTIAN , KOBLMÜLLER STEPHAN
Published: April 2008

In several animal taxa, genetic analyses have demonstrated that social monogamy and biparental brood care do not preclude polygamous reproduction. Few studies have been conducted in fish, but in fish species without alternative reproductive phenotypes, social monogamy was largely congruent with genetic parentage. In contrast to these findings, we report an exceptionally high level of multiple paternity in a socially monogamous cichlid fish with biparental nest defence (Variabilichromis moorii), inferred from microsatellite and mitochondrial data of 10 broods. Whereas all offspring in a nest shared a common mother, each brood was sired by 2 to > 10 males. None of the inferred sires was assigned a large proportion of the brood. Paternity was estimated as the minimum number of sires required to explain multilocus offspring genotypes, and as the maximum‐likelihood number of sires given population allele frequencies. Analysis of simulated brood genotypes suggested that, although these two methods tend to under‐ and overestimate, respectively, the true number of sires, primary sires with many offspring in a brood would have been detected. Hence, the genetic data indicate that the nest tending males suffer substantial cuckoldry and provide alloparental care for a large number of unrelated fry. We have no data on the social status of the cuckolding males, but due to synchronous spawning of pairs and commitment to brood care of paired males, it is possible that most of the parasitic spawners are solitary males.
Landscape genetics and hierarchical genetic structure in Atlantic salmon: the interaction of gene flow and local adaptation
Authors: DIONNE MÉLANIE , CARON FRANÇOIS , DODSON JULIAN J. , BERNATCHEZ LOUIS
Published: April 2008

Disentangling evolutionary forces that may interact to determine the patterns of genetic differentiation within and among wild populations is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. The objective of this study was to assess the genetic structure and the potential influence of several ecological variables on the extent of genetic differentiation at multiple spatial scales in a widely distributed species, the Atlantic salmon,Salmo salar. A total of 2775 anadromous fish were sampled from 51 rivers along the North American Atlantic coast and were genotyped using 13 microsatellites. A Bayesian analysis clustered these populations into seven genetically and geographically distinct groups, characterized by different environmental and ecological factors, mainly temperature. These groups were also characterized by different extent of genetic differentiation among populations. Dispersal was relatively high and of the same magnitude within compared to among regional groups, which contrasted with the maintenance of a regional genetic structure. However, genetic differentiation was lower among populations exchanging similar rates of local as opposed to inter‐regional migrants, over the same geographical scale. This raised the hypothesis that gene flow could be constrained by local adaptation at the regional scale. Both coastal distance and temperature regime were found to influence the observed genetic structure according to landscape genetic analyses. The influence of other factors such as latitude, river length and altitude, migration tactic, and stocking was not significant at any spatial scale. Overall, these results suggested that the interaction between gene flow and thermal regime adaptation mainly explained the hierarchical genetic structure observed among Atlantic salmon populations.
Differential gene expression in incipient species of Anopheles gambiae
Authors: CASSONE BRYAN J. , MOULINE KARINE , HAHN MATTHEW W. , WHITE BRADLEY J. , POMBI MARCO , SIMARD FREDERIC , COSTANTINI CARLO , BESANSKY NORA J.
Published: April 2008

A speciation process is ongoing in the primary vector of malaria in Africa, Anopheles gambiae. Assortatively mating incipient species known as the M and S forms differentially exploit larval breeding sites associated with different ecological settings. However, some ongoing gene flow between M and S limits significant genomic differentiation mainly to small centromere‐proximal regions on chromosomes X and 2L, termed ‘speciation islands’ with the expectation that they contain the genes responsible for reproductive isolation. As the speciation islands exhibit reduced recombination and low polymorphism, more detailed genetic analysis using fine‐scale mapping is impractical. We measured global gene expression differences between M and S using oligonucleotide microarrays, with the goal of identifying candidate genes that could be involved in this ongoing speciation process. Gene expression profiles were examined in two independent colonies of both forms at each of three developmental periods of interest: fourth instar larvae, virgin females, and gravid females. Patterns were validated on a subset of genes using quantitative real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction of RNA samples from laboratory colonies and wild mosquitoes collected from Cameroon and Burkina Faso. Considered across all three developmental periods, differentially expressed genes represented ~1–2% of all expressed genes. Although disproportionately represented in the X speciation island, the vast majority of genes were located outside any speciation island. Compared to samples from the other developmental periods, virgin females were characterized by more than twice as many differentially expressed genes, most notably those implicated in olfaction and potentially, mate recognition.
Speciation in the highlands of Mexico: genetic and phenotypic divergence in the Mexican jay (Aphelocoma ultramarina)
Authors: McCORMACK J. E. , PETERSON A. T. , BONACCORSO E. , SMITH T. B.
Published: April 2008

The pine‐oak woodlands of the Mexican highlands harbour significant biological diversity, yet little is known about the evolutionary history of organisms inhabiting this region. We assessed genetic and phenotypic differentiation in 482 individuals representing 27 populations of the Mexican jay (Aphelocoma ultramarina) — a widespread bird species of the Mexican highlands — to test whether populations in the central and northern Mexican sierras display discrete breaks between groups, which would be consistent with a role for the different mountain chains in divergence and speciation. We found abrupt breaks in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; ND2 and control region) delineating four major genetic groups found in the Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, southern Central Plateau (Bajio), and Transvolcanic Belt. These mtDNA groups were largely corroborated by data from nuclear microsatellites and phenotypic data, except that clades from the Central Plateau and Sierra Madre Oriental showed clinal change in these data sets. Uncertainty about the mutation rate for our mitochondrial markers warrants considerable caution with regard to estimating divergence times, but the major genetic groups appear to have split before the most extreme period of glacial cycling that marked the last 0.7 million years and after Mexico's period of major mountain formation. The fact that some genetic breaks do not coincide with well‐known geographic barriers suggests a role for ecology in divergence and speciation, and we discuss implications for taxonomy and conservation.
The expansion and radio spectral index of G21.5−0.9: is PSR J1833−1034 the youngest pulsar?
Authors: Bietenholz M. F. , Bartel N.
Published: April 2008

We report on new 5-GHz Very Large Array (VLA) radio observations of the pulsar-powered supernova remnant G21.5−0.9. These observations have allowed us to make a high-quality radio image of this remnant with a resolution of ∼0.7 arcsec. It has a filamentary structure similar to that seen in the Crab Nebula. Radio structure suggestive of the torus seen around the Crab pulsar is tentatively identified. We also compared the new image with one taken ∼15 yr earlier at 1.5 GHz, both to find the expansion speed of the remnant and to make a spectral index image. Between 1991 and 2006, we find that the average expansion rate of the remnant is 0.11 ± 0.02 per cent yr−1, corresponding, for a distance of 5 kpc, to a speed of 910 ± 160 km s−1 with respect to the centre of the nebula. Assuming undecelerated expansion, this expansion speed implies that the age of G21.5−0.9 is 870+200−150 yr, which makes PSR J1833−1034 one of the youngest, if not the youngest, known pulsars in the Galaxy.
Characterization of T‐cell immune responses of Echinococcus multilocularis‐infected C57BL/6J mice
Authors: EMERY ISABELLE , LIANCE MARTINE , DERIAUD EDITH , VUITTON DOMINIQUE ANGELE , HOUIN RENE , LECLERC CLAUDE
Published: April 2008

Specific and non‐specific parasite‐induced changes in lymphocyte responses were analysed in C57BL/6J mice after intrahepatic infection with Echinococcus multilocularis. Spleen cells harvested at selected times after infection were in vitro stimulated with mitogens or a crude soluble parasitic extract (EmAg) at an optimized dose. Cell proliferative responses to Con‐A were not modified by the infection over the first 22 weeks. In contrast, LPS‐induced responses were decreased from the 13th week. A strong CD4 + proliferative T‐cell response to the parasitic extract of infected mouse spleen cells was observed at the early stage of infection. This response then progressively decreased but remained significantly higher than that of control mice until the 19th week of infection. Cytokine production was investigated after in vitro EmAg stimulation of spleen cells. IFN‐γ, IL‐2. IL‐5 were produced within the first weeks after infection whereas the detection of IL‐10 was slightly delayed. Thus, the promotion of the disease does not appear associated with the expansion of one rather than another T‐cell subset in C57BL/6J mice. A general immunosuppression affecting both mitogenic and parasite‐specific T‐cell responses was observed at the end of the infection.
Microfilarial clearance in loiasis involves elevation of Th1 and Th2 products and emergence of a specific pattern of T‐cell populations
Authors: WINKLER STEFAN , PAIHA SABINE , WINKLER HEIDI , GRANINGER WOLFGANG , MARBERGER MICHAEL , STEINER GEORG E.
Published: April 2008

Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) induced clearance of microfilaraemia in loiasis is associated with severe posttreatment reactions. To define the switch from hypo‐ to hyper‐responsiveness associated with DEC treatment, phenotypic alterations of T‐lymphocytes, characterized by flow cytometry, and cytokines, determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, were monitored in a microfilaraemic patient. In contrast to reports on onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariases, no elevation of interleukin (IL)‐6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α was observed. The most severe side effects coincided with an elevation of interferon (IFN)‐γ on day 3, followed by IL‐10, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β2 and macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α (MIP‐1α) peaking on day 5. Phenotypieally, T‐cell activation markers CD38, CD54 and CD25 were significantly expressed before treatment, with high CD38 expression still existing one year after clearance of microfilaraemia. Treatment‐related increases were observed with anti‐CD 122, anti‐HLA‐DR and anti‐CD69. CD28 was expressed before treatment on almost 100% qf'CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and dropped to 20% by day 5, reaching again baseline levels on day 21. Furthermore, there emerged 20% TCRαβ‐/CD3+ T cells and 10%) anti‐βV5(e) + T cells, altogether indicating a specific pattern of T‐helper (Th)1 and Th2 cytokines as well as expansion of certain pauciclonal T‐cell populations in response to microfilarial clearance.
Virtual community consultation? Using the literature and weblogs to link community perspectives and health technology assessment
Authors: Street Jackie M. , Braunack‐Mayer Annette J. , Facey Karen , Ashcroft Richard E. , Hiller Janet E.
Published: April 2008

Background  Community views, expressed in social impact assessments and collected through community consultation, should play an important role in health technology assessment (HTA). Yet HTA methodologists have been slow to include outcomes of these forms of inquiry in analyses, in part because collecting community views is time‐consuming and resource intensive.

Objective  To explore how community views sourced from published studies, grey literature and informal internet web pages can inform HTA.

Methods  A technology reviewed by Adelaide HTA in 2004 was selected: retinal photography for detection of diabetic retinopathy. Published literature, ‘grey’ literature and informal web pages were searched to examine the availability of evidence about service community and user community views with respect to this technology. Particular efforts were made to source evidence relating to rural, remote and Aboriginal populations.

Results  We found that journal articles, reports from the grey literature and informal internet web pages (including blogs and discussion forums) can provide valuable insight into community views. Although there was little empirical evidence relating to the experience of diabetes and diabetes management in rural, remote and Aboriginal communities, there were indications that some evidence may be transferable from other populations.

Conclusions  Community perspectives on selected health technologies can be gauged from available resources in published and grey literature and perspectives collected in this way can provide insight into whether the introduction of the technology would be acceptable to the community. The limitations of this approach are discussed.
Excised shoots of top‐pruned red pine seedlings, a source of inoculum of the Diplodia blight pathogen
Authors: Munck I. A. , Stanosz G. R.
Published: April 2008

Diplodia pinea causes shoot blight and collar rot diseases of pines in forest tree nurseries and sporulates on colonized seedling needles and stems. In late summer 2005, pycnidia of D. pinea were observed on shoots that had been excised by top pruning red pine seedlings earlier that summer during the third season of growth. This observation prompted surveys to determine the incidence and abundance of D. pinea conidia on excised shoots. At each of two nurseries, excised shoots were collected from the seedling canopy and adjacent alleyway soil in two subplots in each of five beds (plots). Excised shoots from both nurseries bore pycnidia with conidia of D. pinea. A water washing and filtration technique was used to quantify D. pinea conidia extracted from these shoots. Excised shoots collected from the seedling canopy yielded more D. pinea conidia than shoots collected from adjacent alleyway soil. Collection and removal of excised shoots resulting from top pruning of pine nursery seedlings should be considered as a means of reducing inoculum in areas where D. pinea is present.
Auswirkungen differenzierter Bodenbearbeitung auf das Bodengefüge und die Stickstoffdynamik von Lößböden bei viehloser und viehstarker Bewirtschaftung
Authors: Maidl F. X. , Fischbeck G.
Published: April 2008

Effect of different tillage practices on soil structure and nitrogen dynamic in loess soils with and without longterm application of farmyard manure

Field trials were conducted in 1979 and 1980 on two farms with and without longterm application of farmyard manure respectively, to study the effect of different tillage practices (ploughing at low soil moisture in summer and autumn and ploughing at highsoil moisture in autumn) on soil structure and nitrogen dynamic. Soil structure measurements showed great differences between ploughing at low and high soil moisture contents. Ploughing soil at high moisture contents caused a rise in penetrometer resistance as in bulk density and a decrease of macropors as well as in oxygen concentration in top soil and in tillage pan. But little differences were observed between ploughing in summer and autumn at low soil moisture contents.

Ploughing soil at high moisture contents caused a higher soil compaction on the farm without longterm application of farmyard manure compared to the farm with longterm application of farmyard manure.

The differences in soil nitrate content were strongly correlated with soil compaction. Very large differences in soil nitrate content between ploughing at low and high soil moisture contents were always observed in May, when the soil temperature was higher than 15°C These differences in soil nitrate content are due to reduced nitrogen mineralization and an increase of denitrification activity after ploughing at high soil moisture contents.
Einfluß des schwermetallhaltigen Bodens auf die Getreidekultur
Authors: Babalonas D. , Karagiannakidou V.
Published: April 2008

Influence of metalliferous soil on grain cultivation

The effect of metalliferous soil (rich in Zn and Pb) over development and productivity of cultivated Triticum aestivum L. is considered. After statistical elaboration of the morphological parameters of the above mentioned species is concluded that the height of the plant, the length of spike, the number of seeds per spike, the weight of seeds per spike, the width and the length of seeds, are diminished.
Role of DNA repair systems in malignant tumor development in the elderly
Authors: Arai Tomio , Sawabe Motoji , Hosoi Takayuki , Tanaka Noriko
Published: April 2008

The increased incidence of malignant neoplasms in the elderly is related to the accumulation of damaged DNA. We focused on the molecular mechanisms of the DNA repair system and examined its relationship to malignant neoplasms in the elderly. Hypermethylation of the promoter region of a mismatch repair gene is strongly associated with gastric and colorectal carcinomas occurring in the elderly. These tumors have characteristic features such as the absence of hMLH1 expression, microsatellite instability, poorly differentiated histology, low incidence of lymph node metastasis and favorable prognosis. On the other hand, we analyzed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the genes in the DNA repair system such as hOGG1, p53, XRCC1 and hMLH1 in autopsy cases. Although no significant associations were found between the SNP and the number of malignant neoplasms, a few SNP were associated with specific tumors. These findings suggest that epigenetic changes in the DNA mismatch repair genes play important roles in the development of gastric and colorectal carcinomas and that the SNP of DNA repair genes have little influence on the occurrence of carcinoma in the elderly.
White matter lesions as a feature of cognitive impairment, low vitality and other symptoms of geriatric syndrome in the elderly
Authors: Sonohara Kazuki , Kozaki Koichi , Akishita Masahiro , Nagai Kumiko , Hasegawa Hiroshi , Kuzuya Masafumi , Yokote Koutaro , Toba Kenji
Published: April 2008

Aim:  White matter lesions (WML) are common findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in elderly persons. In this study, we analyzed the relation of WML with global cognitive function, depression, vitality/volition, and 19 symptoms of geriatric syndrome in Japanese elderly patients who attended three university geriatric outpatient clinics.

Methods:  Two hundred and eighty‐six subjects (103 men and 183 women; mean ± standard deviation age, 74.5 ± 7.8 years) were included in this study. MRI scans were performed for the diagnosis of WML, and the severity of periventricular and deep white matter hyperintensities (PVH and DWMH) was rated semiquantitatively. Concurrently, all subjects underwent tests of cognitive function, depressive state and vitality, and were examined for 19 symptoms of geriatric syndrome.

Results:  The study subjects showed cognitive decline, depression and low vitality, all to a mild extent. Univariate linear regression analysis showed a negative correlation between the severity of WML and cognitive function or vitality. Multiple logistic analysis revealed that the severity of WML was a significant determinant of cognitive impairment and low vitality, after adjustment for confounding factors such as age, sex and concomitant diseases. PVH and/or DWMH score was significantly greater in subjects who exhibited 13 out of 19 symptoms of geriatric syndrome. Logistic regression analysis indicated that WML were associated with psychological disorders, gait disturbance, urinary problems and parkinsonism.

Conclusion:  WML were associated with various symptoms of functional decline in older persons. Evaluating WML in relation to functional decline would be important for preventing disability in elderly people.
Successful treatment of spondylolisthesis with medicinal herbs
Authors: Tsuji Kazuyuki , Koizumi Hideki , Okabe Tetsuro
Published: April 2008

It has been reported that some herbal medicines may be effective for acute episodes of chronic nonspecific lower back pain. Spondylolisthesis is one of the causes of lower back or neck pain. To our knowledge, successful treatment of symptomatic spondylolisthesis with medicinal herbs has not been previously reported in the published work. A 63‐year‐old female had suffered from back pain for 4 years. Radiographs revealed spondylolisthesis at the L3 level. In another case, an 82‐year‐old female suffered from neck pain. X‐ray examinations revealed cervical spondylolisthesis at the C4 level. Several herbs were administered to these patients with symptomatic spondylolisthesis according to the guidelines for herbal medicine. Significant improvements in pain were obtained within 4 weeks in both patients. The pain completely disappeared after 20 weeks (case 1) and 6 weeks (case 2) of treatment. Although surgical treatment is often performed for symptomatic spondylolisthesis, the findings of the present cases imply the therapeutic potential of herbal medicine in selected patients.
Multidisciplinary approach to “accidental” falls in the elderly: A case report
Authors: Galizia Gianluigi , Testa Gianluca , Mazzella Francesca , Cacciatore Francesco , Ungar Andrea , Masotti Giulio , Rengo Franco , Abete Pasquale
Published: April 2008

Falls in the elderly are commonly and often wrongly identified as “accidental”. We report a case of an elderly woman admitted to first aid for a trauma due to an accidental fall. Geriatric multidisciplinary evaluation revealed mild cognitive impairment associated with depressive symptoms; both findings made the anamnesis uncertain. Syncope algorithm was applied and “tachy‐brady form of sick sinus syndrome” was diagnosed. Differential diagnosis between “accidental” and “apparently accidental” falls in elderly patients is very difficult but a multidisciplinary geriatric evaluation can clarify the correct diagnosis.
Ischemic nephropathy in an elderly patient
Authors: Hoshide Satoshi , Kario Kazuomi , Shimada Kazuyuki
Published: April 2008

Congestive heart failure often occurs in patients with bilateral renal artery stenosis. Recently, Jacobson and Breyer, and Jacobson introduced the term “ischemic nephropathy”, which implies critical bilateral involvement or global ischemia. Ischemic nephropathy is not only a cause of hypertension but also an important cause of end‐stage renal disease. However, the aging kidney often show that the renal artery does not demonstrate stenosis of the main trunks, but stenosis of an atherosclerotic branch. We present a case of multiple atherosclerotic peripheral renal arteries, which might have caused ischemic nephropathy in an elderly hypertensive patient with advanced atherosclerosis.
Biocontrol strain Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS365 inhibits germination of Fusarium oxysporum spores in tomato root exudate as well as subsequent formation of new spores
Authors: Kamilova Faina , Lamers Gerda , Lugtenberg Ben
Published: April 2008

Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.radicis‐licopersici (Forl) is a soilborne pathogenic fungus which can cause tomato foot and root rot (TFRR). Tomato root exudate is a good source of nutrients for both Forl and the TFRR‐suppressing biocontrol bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens strain WCS365. Incubation of Forl microconidia in tomato root exudate stimulates their germination. This phenomenon is observed, to a lesser extent, upon incubation in plant nutrient solution supplemented with citrate or glucose, the major organic acid and sugar components, respectively, of tomato root exudate. Here we show that induction of germination of microconidia is significantly reduced in the presence of P. fluorescens WCS365 in all tested media. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that P. fluorescens WCS365 colonizes developing hyphae. Efficient colonization correlates with low nutrient availability. Eventually, new microconidia are formed. The presence of P. fluorescens WCS365 reduces the number of newly formed microconidia. This reduction does not depend on physical contact between bacteria and hyphae. We discuss that the ability of P. fluorescens WCS365 to slow down the processes of microconidia germination and development of new microconidia of the phytopathogen, and therefore the ability to reduce fungal dissemination, is likely to contribute to the biocontrol efficacy of this strain.
Glycaemic control and adverse events in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with metformin + sulphonylurea: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Belsey J. , Krishnarajah G.
Published: April 2008

Aim:  The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of a sulphonylurea on glycaemic control and the risk adverse events when incorporated into the treatment regimen of patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin.

Methods:  A systematic review was carried out to identify randomized controlled trials of sulphonylurea therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes whose glycaemic control was inadequate after maximal treatment with metformin. Data on reductions in haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and risk of hypoglycaemic events were extracted from each study and pooled in meta‐analyses. Data on weight change were also extracted and tabulated.

Results:  Six studies including 1364 patients were identified. Based on random effects meta‐analysis, the pooled estimate of change in HbA1C from baseline was 0.9% (95% CI 0.7–1.1, p = 0.00011 vs. baseline) and for change in FPG from baseline was 1.8 mmol/l (95% CI 1.1–2.5, p = 0.0026 vs. baseline). The odds of experiencing a hypoglycaemic event was significantly higher in sulphonylurea‐treated patients than in those on comparator treatments (OR = 5.3, 95% CI 1.7–16.3, p = 0.03). Mean weight change ranged from +2.5 to −0.1 kg, depending on the comparator treatment.

Conclusions:  This analysis has demonstrated that, in patients with type 2 diabetes whose control is inadequate on metformin monotherapy, the magnitude of incremental HbA1C reduction achieved by the addition of a sulphonylurea is unlikely to exceed 1%, even after titration to maximum tolerated doses. Additionally, clinically relevant side‐effects such as symptomatic hypoglycaemia and weight gain may be experienced.
Land Privatization and Pastoralist Well‐being in Kenya
Authors: Lesorogol Carolyn K.
Published: April 2008

East African pastoralists have well‐developed systems of communal land management that have been challenged by recent demands from some pastoralists for land privatization. This article analyses the impact on household well‐being of privatizing land among a community of Samburu pastoralists in northern Kenya. Using longitudinal data from household surveys conducted in 2000 and 2005, trends in wealth, income, stratification and livelihood strategies are analysed comparing the privatized community and a community where land remains communally managed. Results indicate few significant differences in wealth and income between the privatized and communal areas, although cultivation has become an important additional strategy in the privatized community. Significant levels of wealth stratification are present in both communities but are mitigated to some extent by mobility across wealth quintiles over time. Wealthy and poor groups exhibit different livelihood strategies with wealthier groups relying more on livestock trade and home consumption while poorer groups depend on wage labour and trade for their income. Policy implications of this analysis include the need for development strategies specific to different wealth groups, greater investment in education and infrastructure, and more attention to employment creation in pastoral areas.
Gender, Caste and Matchmaking in Kerala: A Rationale for Dowry
Authors: Kodoth Praveena
Published: April 2008

The matrilineal castes of northern Kerala consider dowry demeaning and resort to it only in ‘exceptional’ circumstances. In local discourse, dowry is transacted when women are considered ‘old’ by the standards of the marriage market, where over‐age is a condition reached usually on account of what is considered a deficit of a normative conception of femininity. Dowry is practised openly only by poor and socially vulnerable households, as the relatively affluent could mask dowry with hidden compensations. This article explores the ways in which gender mediates matchmaking and generates a residual category of women for whom dowry is openly negotiated. Open negotiation on the margins of the marriage market expose the terms of exchange in ‘respectable’ society, where matchmaking strategies reveal the emphasis placed on conjugality and on caste in the social construction of women's interests and identity. Up to the mid‐twentieth century, matrilineal women derived their identity from their natal families. The political economy of marriage in Kerala brought a new emphasis to bear on conjugality and on caste, which generated new restrictions on women and produced a rationale for dowry.
Threshold Dynamics of Short‐term Interest Rates: Empirical Evidence and Implications for the Term Structure
Authors: Archontakis Theofanis , Lemke Wolfgang
Published: April 2008

This paper studies a nonlinear one‐factor term structure model in discrete time. The short‐term interest rate follows a self‐exciting threshold autoregressive (SETAR) process that allows for shifts in the intercept and the variance. In comparison with a linear model, we find empirical evidence in favour of the threshold model for Germany and the US. Based on the estimated short‐rate dynamics we derive the implied arbitrage‐free term structure of interest rates. Since analytical solutions are not feasible, bond prices are computed by means of Monte Carlo integration. The resulting term structure captures stylized facts of the data. In particular, it implies a nonlinear relation between long rates and the short rate.
Monetary Policy Rules for a Small Open Economy
Authors: Berger Wolfram
Published: April 2008

In this paper, the optimal choice of a monetary target is investigated for a small open economy that is subject to foreign monetary policy shocks. In contrast to large parts of the literature, pegging the exchange rate is never the best policy choice for the small open economy in our model. Instead, monetary targeting and, depending on the parameter combination, producer price index targeting come closest to the optimal policy rule in terms of welfare. Generally, the welfare performance of the simple targeting rules under consideration hinge critically on the degree of pass‐through in the home economy and in the rest of the world.
AN ARGUMENT OVER ‘METHODOLOGICAL NATURALISM’ AT THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY
Authors: JACOBS PHILIP J.
Published: April 2008

This paper is framed as a continuation of a 12th century debate over whether a ‘profane’ account of nature without reference to arbitrary divine acts in its workings (secundum phisicam) threatens the unity of scriptura et natura that was assumed in the natural philosophy which developed out of the Platonic/Augustinian tradition. Currently this issue takes the form of either a commitment to or circumvention of the protocol of ‘methodological naturalism’ in the explanation of natural history, most clearly with regard to evolutionary theory. The focus of the paper is on the latent disagreement over this issue between two poles of the steering committee which oversaw a series of conferences co‐sponsored by the Vatican Observatory. One sidei was willing to make a sustained commitment to ‘methodological naturalism’, arguing that while nature was not self‐explanatory, its inherent characteristics were sufficient for explaining the course of natural history. The other sideii was initially willing to concede the protocol, but ultimately saw the unity of scriptura et natura threatened. After the introduction, Section II analyzes specific disagreements between the two groups over theological epistemology, theological language, and God as a necessary factor in the explanans of natural history. That analysis becomes the basis in Section III for the assertion that the strategy of the second group involves returning to an older form of natural philosophy with a doxa‐episteme progression that allows it to augment the ‘profane’ epistemology of ‘methodological naturalism’ with an esoteric insight in order to recognize what is ‘objectively’ the case. Natural philosophies of this sort permit a ‘semantic variability’ such that the designation of a claim as ‘theological’ can mean that it both is and is not a semantic alternative to claims that follow the protocol of ‘methodological naturalism’. The strength given the claim will depend on the discourse context. The paper concludes with a chart of the multiple and significant differences between the two groups.
THE MORAL REQUIREMENT IN THEISTIC AND SECULAR ETHICS
Authors: LOOBUYCK PATRICK
Published: April 2008

One of the central tasks of meta‐ethical inquiry is to accommodate the common‐sense assumptions deeply embedded in our moral discourse. A comparison of the potential of secular and theistic ethics shows that, in the end, theists have a greater facility in achieving this accommodation task; it is easier to appreciate the action‐guiding authority and binding nature of morality in a theistic rather than in a secular context. Theistic ethics has a further advantage in being able to accommodate not only this essential conceptual feature of morality, but also theexistenceof moral requirements and their source of normativity.
The Prehistory of the Crusades: Toward a Developmental Taxonomy
Authors: Reynolds Burnam W.
Published: April 2008

The Crusades are frequently depicted as if they materialized without sufficient antecedence in the late eleventh century. On those occasions when the lines of development that produced this epochal movement are discussed, they are often examined in a piece‐meal and non‐chronological fashion. The end result is to downplay the important conceptual preconditions necessary for a Crusade and to convey the impression that the endeavor either sprang ‘full blown’ from nowhere or was created on the fly. This article suggests that the components of crusading must be identified and ordered into a type of chronological taxonomy so that the full import of the movement might be understood. While there are numerous, and excellent, histories of the Crusades, I suggest a workable prehistory of this trans‐epochal phenomenon is not only desirable, but essential. Borrowing from the well‐established field of prehistory, I seek to place the antecedents for crusading into paleo‐, meso‐, and neo‐prehistory categories. In this way the sequential emergence of the preconditions of crusading may better illuminate its eventual emergence.
Ethanol Sensitivity and Tolerance in Long‐Term Memory Mutants of Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Berger Karen H. , Kong Eric C. , Dubnau Josh , Tully Tim , Moore Monica S. , Heberlein Ulrike
Published: April 2008

Background:  It has become increasingly clear that molecular and neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory and drug addiction are largely shared. To confirm and extend these findings, we analyzed ethanol‐responsive behaviors of a collection of Drosophila long‐term memory mutants.

Methods:  For each mutant, sensitivity to the acute uncoordinating effects of ethanol was quantified using the inebriometer. Additionally, 2 distinct forms of ethanol tolerance were measured: rapid tolerance, which develops in response to a single brief exposure to a high concentration of ethanol vapor; and chronic tolerance, which develops following a sustained low‐level exposure.

Results:  Several mutants were identified with altered sensitivity, rapid or chronic tolerance, while a number of mutants exhibited multiple defects.

Conclusions:  The corresponding genes in these mutants represent areas of potential overlap between learning and memory and behavioral responses to alcohol. These genes also define components shared between different ethanol behavioral responses.
Distinctions between short‐ and long‐term human growth studies
Authors: Karlberg J. , Gelander L. , Albertsson‐Wikland K.
Published: April 2008

It is known what the aim is in a complete long‐term growth study; the final height is the outcome measure, although the annual height velocity values provide additional information. Strictly, short‐term growth studies are also defined in terms of minimum length of observation, i.e. one month, as well as the type of measurement errors to be considered. The poor correlation between short‐ and long‐term growth velocity values has led to the conclusion that the short‐term study cannot be interpreted in long‐term perspectives, and vice versa. There is a need to debate the way in which results of short‐term studies should be interpreted. This is especially important when short‐term growth is taken as the outcome measure in a controlled study. Our proposal is that such studies must include information about the growth achieved for a period after the treatment has ended in order to describe possible compensatory growth. Without weighing in some long‐term consequences, we may incorrectly document short‐term growth as a positive or negative effect of a certain treatment.
Prevention of vitamin K deficiency in infancy by weekly administration of vitamin K
Authors: Cornelissen EAM , Kollée LAA , Abreu RA De , Motohara K. , Monnens LAH
Published: April 2008

Vitamin K prophylaxis has been developed to prevent classic haemorrhagic disease of the newborn. Single vitamin K administration after birth has been reported to fail, resulting in late haemorrhagic disease of the newborn. The preventive effect of oral administration of vitamin K1 1 mg, repeated weekly during the first three months of life, was studied in 48 healthy breast‐fed infants, by determination of thrombotest, PIVKA‐II and vitamin K1 concentrations at the age of 4, 8 and 12 weeks. All infants showed normal thrombotcst values and PIVKA‐II was not detectable. Vitamin K1 concentrations were negatively correlated with the number of days elapsed since the most recent vitamin K administration. Six to seven days after the latest application, mean levels were 1223,927 and 748 pg/ml at ages 4, 8 and 12 weeks, respectively. In conclusion, weekly administration of vitamin K1 1 mg offers complete protection against vitamin K deficiency and does not result in an accumulation of vitamin K1 in the blood.
Prenatal diagnosis of familial neonatal hyperinsulinemia
Authors: Aparicio L. , Carpenter MW , Schwartz R. , Gruppuso PA
Published: April 2008

A kindred with familial neonatal hyperinsulinemia is described. Infant A was macrosomatic and stillborn. Infant B was macrosomatic at birth following a pregnancy uncomplicated by maternal diabetes. Following diagnosis of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, this patient was treated with oral diazoxide. Therapy continued until hyperinsulinemia resolved by two years of age. Based on this history, the pregnancy with infant C was intensively monitored using ultrasonography and amniocentesis. Insulin and C‐peptide concentrations in amniotic fluid were markedly increased compared to control pregnancies. Based on these results, infant C was delivered immediately upon obtaining evidence of lung maturation. Neonatal hyperinsulinemia was confirmed by a markedly increased cord plasma insulin concentration. Based on our experience, we recommend that insulin concentrations in amniotic fluid be used as an indicator of fetal hyperinsulinemia in kindreds with prior newborn hyperinsulincmic hypoglycemia. This information may be used to direct timing of delivery and therapy in the immediate postnatal period.
Neonatal bacterial septicemia in a tropical area. Four‐year experience in Guadeloupe (French West Indies)
Authors: Robillard Pierre‐Yves , Nabeth Pierre , Hulsey Thomas C. , Sergent Marie‐Pierre , Périanin José , Janky Eustase
Published: April 2008

During a four‐year study (1987–1990) at the Neonatal Department, University Hospital Pointe‐à‐Pitre (French West Indies), blood culture was systematically performed on all admitted newborns. The incidence of septicemia was 48 of 1000 admissions and 8.9 of 1000 inborn live births. Among the 107 neonatal positive blood cultures, group B streptococcus accounted for 37% of blood culture isolates and was the most frequent cause of septicemia. The overall mortality rate was 8.4%. The incidence of neonatal bacterial septicemia was among the high rates reported in the literature. The incidence of neonatal bacterial septicemia is discussed as a public health problem in perinatology in Guadeloupe in spite of good medical care. A review of the literature on bacterial septicemia in tropical or developing countries compared to the Guadeloupean experience allows speculation that this problem might be underestimated in third world countries.
Early determinants of cardiovascular risk factors in adults. A. Plasma lipids
Authors: Kolaček Sanja , Kapetanović Tomislava , Zimolo Ana , Lužar Vesna
Published: April 2008

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of birth weight, infant nutrition, body mass and social status from early childhood and adulthood on plasma lipid levels in 192 adult subjects examined in the first three years of life (mean age 1.4 years in males and 1.3 years in females) and again as adults (mean age 19.9 years in males and 19.6 in females). According to the results obtained, total cholesterol was significantly higher in adult male subjects breast fed for the shortest period of time (p<0.05). Those males who were leanest in the first three years of life and fattest as adults had the highest levels of total cholesterol (p = 0.03) and LDL cholesterol (p = 0.02). Birth weight had no significant influence on plasma lipid levels in adult subjects. When data on nutrition, anthropometry and social status from both age periods were included in multivariate regression analyses, the most significant predictors of higher levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in males were lower adult height and poor social status in early childhood, while in females they were a shorter duration of breast feeding and earlier introduction of solids.
Improving the delivery room setting in developing countries: the opinion of local health caregivers
Authors: Trevisanuto Daniele , Lincetto Ornella , Doglioni Nicoletta , Micaglio Massimo , Zanardo Vincenzo
Published: April 2008

Objective: Neonatal mortality has remained steady or increased in many developing countries. A pragmatic approach to the organization of the delivery room setting, where a large part of neonatal deaths occurs, could detect the priorities for potential ameliorative interventions. We evaluated the local health caregivers' opinions regarding the priority areas for improving the hospital delivery room setting in developing countries.

Methods: Twenty‐eight participants to a World Health Organization (WHO) workshop were asked to fill out an anonymous, written questionnaire regarding the priorities that could significantly improve their hospital delivery room setting.

Results: The three most important interventions for improving the delivery room setting were classified as following: education of all staff in newborn care (28%), optimize doctor–nurse/patient ratio (15%), equipment (14%), maternal‐antenatal care (13%), role and responsibilities (8%), salary (8%), neonatal intensive care unit facilities (6%), availability of a specialized team for neonatal resuscitation (5%) and improve the building (3%).

Conclusion: Education of health staff in newborn care, personnel organization and equipment availability are valued as high priorities by local health caregivers for improving the delivery room setting in developing countries. The opinion of operators involved in maternal and neonatal health may contribute to better design interventions in setting with limited resources.