bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Carbohydrate scarcity increases foraging activities and aggressiveness in the ant Prolasius advenus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Authors: GRANGIER JULIEN , LESTER PHILIP J. 
Published: September 2014

1. Behavioural responses to varying macronutrient availability are increasingly studied in highly invasive ant species to better understand their ecological success. However, such work is lacking in relation to native ant species confronted with biological invaders.2. Here the link between diet and behaviour was examined in Prolasius advenus, a native ant from New Zealand facing intense competition for food with invasive insects, including social wasps. A long‐term laboratory experiment was conducted to assess the impact of protein and carbohydrate restriction on several behavioural parameters.3. Ants shifted their food‐collecting activity towards the least available macronutrient in both protein‐limited and carbohydrate‐limited colonies. But when lacking carbohydrate, they also strongly increased their efforts to discover resources. After 10 weeks, the proportion of the colony patrolling outside of the nest was eight times higher than at the initiation of the experiment. This high patrolling activity was then maintained for several weeks and resulted in a higher efficiency to explore a novel territory. Moreover, ants fed a carbohydrate‐limited diet engaged in longer aggressive acts towards conspecifics.4. These behavioural responses to carbohydrate scarcity may, in part, enhance the ability of P. advenus to resist a competing invader under natural conditions. While much of the previous research has linked diet and behavioural dominance in invasive ants, the present study shows that conducting similar investigations in the native species to which they are confronted may shed light on the mechanisms behind biotic resistance and the ability of some native species to coexist with highly abundant invaders.
Historical analysis of mangrove leaf traits throughout the 19th and 20th centuries reveals differential responses to increases in atmospheric CO2
Authors: Reef Ruth , Lovelock Catherine E 
Published: September 2014

AbstractAimTo reconstruct the historic response of two dominant mangrove species to increases in atmospheric CO2 over the past two centuries.LocationIndo‐Pacific.MethodsWe use a novel approach to assess plant responses to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations by measuring leaf traits of herbarium specimens of two dominant and widespread mangrove species.ResultsLeaf traits were correlated with atmospheric CO2 concentration and latitude, but not with rainfall or the multidecadal multivariate El Niño–Southern Oscillation index. Rhizophora stylosa and Avicennia marina exhibited significant differences in their response to elevated CO2. Increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations over the past 165 years have led to a corresponding rise in photosynthetic carbon gain by the widespread mangrove A. marina, but not by R. stylosa.Main conclusionsCO2 fixation is at the heart of plant energy acquisition, global primary productivity and CO2 sequestration. Given that atmospheric CO2 concentrations have been rapidly rising for the past two centuries, surprisingly few datasets have examined the long‐term response of trees to rising CO2. Our results suggest changes to interspecific interactions, nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration in these globally significant forests are expected as CO2 concentrations continue to increase.
Environmental and socio‐economic factors shaping the geography of floristic collections in China
Authors: Yang Wenjing , Ma Keping , Kreft Holger 
Published: September 2014

AbstractAimEffort in collecting biodiversity information often varies strongly in space and may be driven by environmental, cultural and socio‐economic factors. Understanding the constraints on collecting effort is crucial for identifying potential bias in distributional databases and for making future surveys more efficient. Here we test six competing hypotheses on drivers of geographical variation in collecting effort and identify the main factors shaping the geography of floristic collections in China.LocationChina.MethodsWe used the most comprehensive database of Chinese vascular plant distributions including 4,338,516 county‐level occurrences derived from herbarium specimens and literature sources. Explanatory variables were assembled representing six different hypotheses: accessibility, human population density, the ‘botanist effect’, mountains, water availability and conservation priority. Ordinary least‐squares models with eigenvector‐based spatial filters were applied to investigate their effects on spatial patterns of two different facets of collecting effort, i.e. collection density and inventory incompleteness.ResultsAll hypotheses except accessibility and human population density received significant support. Elevational range was the strongest predictor with a positive effect on collection density. Inventory incompleteness in turn was best predicted by human population density, but unexpectedly showed a positive effect. In contrast to previous studies, collecting effort was only weakly and negatively related to road density. Counties with herbaria had significantly higher collecting effort, and the presence of herbaria had weakly positive effects on neighbouring counties.Main conclusionsOur results indicate that China's mountains are most intensively and completely collected, whereas densely populated areas are surprisingly under‐sampled. Because densely populated areas are more seriously threatened by land‐use change, our results show a need to increase biological collections in those areas for conservation assessment and monitoring. More generally, our study suggests that collecting effort and its environmental and socio‐economic constraints have a strong region‐specific component influenced by cultural context and by different botanical traditions.
Trophic effects of polynucleotides and hyaluronic acid in the healing of venous ulcers of the lower limbs: a clinical study
Authors: De Caridi Giovanni , Massara Mafalda , Acri Ignazio , Zavettieri Salvatore , Grande Raffaele , Butrico Lucia , de Franciscis Stefano , Serra Raffaele 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate the results of treatment of venous lower limbs ulcers through the topical application of polynucleotides and hyaluronic acid gel (PNHA): Nucliaskin S™ (Mastelli srl, San Remo, Italy). This study was carried out in 39 consecutive patients who were randomly allocated to two groups: group I (20 patients) received treatment with PNHA (topical gel application two times a week, for a total of 6 weeks); group II (19 patients) received only hyaluronic acid (HA) topical application. All patients received a surgical debridement of the ulcerative lesions before topical treatment with PNHA or HA. Pre‐treatment data indicated the area of ulceration. The number of healed ulcers and the variation in area of ulceration were considered as endpoints. The endpoints were observed after 45 days from the beginning of treatment. Complete wound healing occurred in 60% of limbs of group I and in 22% of those of group II patients. The average area reduction was 67% versus 34% in patients of group I and II, respectively. No side effects were recorded in both groups. Our experience shows that PNHA has an elevated trophic effect and speeds the healing rate of venous lower limb ulcers. This treatment may be a valid option in clinical practice.
Assessment and documentation of non‐healing, chronic wounds in inpatient health care facilities in the Czech Republic: an evaluation study
Authors: Pokorná Andrea , Leaper David 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThe foundation of health care management of patients with non‐healing, chronic wounds needs accurate evaluation followed by the selection of an appropriate therapeutic strategy. Assessment of non‐healing, chronic wounds in clinical practice in the Czech Republic is not standardised. The aim of this study was to analyse the methods being used to assess non‐healing, chronic wounds in inpatient facilities in the Czech Republic. The research was carried out at 77 inpatient medical facilities (8 university/faculty hospitals, 63 hospitals and 6 long‐ term hospitals) across all regions of the Czech Republic. A mixed model was used for the research (participatory observation including creation of field notes and content analysis of documents for documentation and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data). The results of this research have corroborated the suspicion of inconsistencies in procedures used by general nurses for assessment of non‐healing, chronic wounds. However, the situation was found to be more positive with regard to evaluation of basic/fundamental parameters of a wound (e.g. size, depth and location of a wound) compared with the evaluation of more specific parameters (e.g. exudate or signs of infection). This included not only the number of observed variables, but also the action taken. Both were significantly improved when a consultant for wound healing was present (P = 0·047). The same applied to facilities possessing a certificate of quality issued by the Czech Wound Management Association (P = 0·010). In conclusion, an effective strategy for wound management depends on the method and scope of the assessment of non‐healing, chronic wounds in place in clinical practice in observed facilities; improvement may be expected following the general introduction of a ‘non‐healing, chronic wound assessment’ algorithm.
Delayed cutaneous wound closure in HO‐2 deficient mice despite normal HO‐1 expression
Authors: Lundvig Ditte M. S. , Scharstuhl Alwin , Cremers Niels A. J. , Pennings Sebastiaan W. C. , te Paske Jeroen , van Rheden René , van Run‐van Breda Coby , Regan Raymond F. , Russel Frans G. M. , Carels Carine E. , Maltha Jaap C. , Wagener Frank A. D. T. G. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractImpaired wound healing can lead to scarring, and aesthetical and functional problems. The cytoprotective haem oxygenase (HO) enzymes degrade haem into iron, biliverdin and carbon monoxide. HO‐1 deficient mice suffer from chronic inflammatory stress and delayed cutaneous wound healing, while corneal wound healing in HO‐2 deficient mice is impaired with exorbitant inflammation and absence of HO‐1 expression. This study addresses the role of HO‐2 in cutaneous excisional wound healing using HO‐2 knockout (KO) mice. Here, we show that HO‐2 deficiency also delays cutaneous wound closure compared to WT controls. In addition, we detected reduced collagen deposition and vessel density in the wounds of HO‐2 KO mice compared to WT controls. Surprisingly, wound closure in HO‐2 KO mice was accompanied by an inflammatory response comparable to WT mice. HO‐1 induction in HO‐2 deficient skin was also similar to WT controls and may explain this protection against exaggerated cutaneous inflammation but not the delayed wound closure. Proliferation and myofibroblast differentiation were similar in both two genotypes. Next, we screened for candidate genes to explain the observed delayed wound closure, and detected delayed gene and protein expression profiles of the chemokine (C‐X‐C) ligand‐11 (CXCL‐11) in wounds of HO‐2 KO mice. Abnormal regulation of CXCL‐11 has been linked to delayed wound healing and disturbed angiogenesis. However, whether aberrant CXCL‐11 expression in HO‐2 KO mice is caused by or is causing delayed wound healing needs to be further investigated.
Simple self‐reported behavioral or psychological characteristics as risk factors for future type 2 diabetes in Japanese individuals: Toranomon Hospital Health Management Center Study 14
Authors: Heianza Yoriko , Arase Yasuji , Kodama Satoru , Tsuji Hiroshi , Fujihara Kazuya , Saito Kazumi , Hara Shigeko , Sone Hirohito 
Published: September 2014

AbstractAims/IntroductionDepression, anger, sleep disorders and cognitive impairment are regarded as presenting a high risk for diabetes. We investigated whether responses to single statements on a self‐report questionnaire on the presence of each of these four factors were associated with the development of type 2 diabetes.Materials and MethodsWe investigated 3,211 Japanese individuals without diabetes. Cumulative incidence rate and hazard ratios (HRs) for future type 2 diabetes over 7–13 years were evaluated according to the presence of lack of perseverance, anger, memory loss or sleep disorders.ResultsResults of Cox regression analysis showed that lack of perseverance (age‐ and sex‐adjusted HR 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.07–1.84), anger, (HR 1.51, 95% confidence interval 1.07–2.12) or memory loss (HR 1.47, 95% confidence interval 1.14–1.90) was predictive of the development of diabetes. Even after adjustment for metabolic factors including glycemic measurements, anger was significantly associated with an increased risk of future diabetes. Individuals with both anger and memory loss had a 1.94‐fold (95% confidence interval 1.19–3.15) increased risk of type 2 diabetes than those without those two symptoms.ConclusionsResponses to a simple self‐report questionnaire as to whether individuals were aware of anger or memory loss were associated with the development of type 2 diabetes independent of traditional risk factors for diabetes in this cohort of Japanese individuals.
Literature review on clinical decision support system reducing medical error
Authors: Jia Peng Li , Zhang Pei Fang , Li Han Dong , Zhang Long Hao , Chen Ying , Zhang Ming Ming 
Published: September 2014

AbstractObjectivesQuite a number of studies on clinical decision support systems (CDSS) have been published in recent years to assess the characteristics and architecture of CDSS and evaluate the effects of CDSS on clinical work. However, until now there have been no relevant studies to investigate the quantity of these, and their contribution to present day thinking. The aim of this study was to explore the areas of theme, and the study design of research on CDSS in literature published in English and Chinese‐language journals.MethodsWe searched the major database including MEDLINE, EMbase, Cochrane Library and four Chinese databases including Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang Data, Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), and Chinese Journals Full‐text Database (CNKI) and to analyze the publication years, research themes, authors’ affiliations and methodologies of studies. Quality and statistical method were only appraised by classification of study designs.ResultsA total of 616 studies published from 1990 to 2013 were included in our research. In the year of 2011 the number of studies reached its peak with 96 studies accounting for 15.58% of the years’ publication. We grouped the included studies into six major topic areas of which computerized clinical decision support systems dominated the included studies accounting for 51.46% of all studies. Commentary reviews and cross‐sectional studies which took up approximately 46.10% of the included studies, with 30.52% (188 studies) and 15.58% (96 studies) respectively. Most included studies on CDSS were conducted in the following four institutions: universities, hospitals, research institutions and companies.ConclusionsThere is a growing change trend in the number of studies on CDSS research in recent two decades, most of which are non‐comparative studies (46.10%) . Only 21 systematic reviews and 22 randomized controlled trails were published with the percentage of 3.41% and 3.57% of the included studies. More methodologically rigorous designs are needed to improve the research quality on CDSS.
Perceptual clustering for automatic hotspot detection from Ki‐67‐stained neuroendocrine tumour images
Authors: KHAN NIAZI M. KHALID , YEARSLEY MARTHA M. , ZHOU XIAOPING , FRANKEL WENDY L. , GURCAN METIN N. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryHotspot detection plays a crucial role in grading of neuroendocrine tumours of the digestive system. Hotspots are often detected manually from Ki‐67‐stained images, a practice which is tedious, irreproducible and error prone. We report a new method to segment Ki‐67‐positive nuclei from Ki‐67‐stained slides of neuroendocrine tumours. The method combines minimal graph cuts along with the multistate difference of Gaussians to detect the individual cells from images of Ki‐67‐stained slides. It, then, automatically defines the composite function, which is used to determine hotspots in neuroendocrine tumour slide images. We combine modified particle swarm optimization with message passing clustering to mimic the thought process of the pathologist during hotspot detection in neuroendocrine tumour slide images. The proposed method was tested on 55 images of size 10 × 5 K and resulted in an accuracy of 94.60%. The developed methodology can also be part of the workflow for other diseases such as breast cancer and glioblastomas.
High resolution SEM imaging of gold nanoparticles in cells and tissues
Authors: GOLDSTEIN A. , SOROKA Y. , FRUŠIĆ‐ZLOTKIN M. , POPOV I. , KOHEN R. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryThe growing demand of gold nanoparticles in medical applications increases the need for simple and efficient characterization methods of the interaction between the nanoparticles and biological systems. Due to its nanometre resolution, modern scanning electron microscopy (SEM) offers straightforward visualization of metallic nanoparticles down to a few nanometre size, almost without any special preparation step. However, visualization of biological materials in SEM requires complicated preparation procedure, which is typically finished by metal coating needed to decrease charging artefacts and quick radiation damage of biomaterials in the course of SEM imaging. The finest conductive metal coating available is usually composed of a few nanometre size clusters, which are almost identical to the metal nanoparticles employed in medical applications. Therefore, SEM monitoring of metal nanoparticles within cells and tissues is incompatible with the conventional preparation methods. In this work, we show that charging artefacts related to non‐conductive biological specimen can be successfully eliminated by placing the uncoated biological sample on a conductive substrate. By growing the cells on glass pre‐coated with a chromium layer, we were able to observe the uptake of 10 nm gold nanoparticles inside uncoated and unstained macrophages and keratinocytes cells. Imaging in back scattered electrons allowed observation of gold nanoparticles located inside the cells, while imaging in secondary electron gave information on gold nanoparticles located on the surface of the cells. By mounting a skin cross‐section on an improved conductive holder, consisting of a silicon substrate coated with copper, we were able to observe penetration of gold nanoparticles of only 5 nm size through the skin barrier in an uncoated skin tissue. The described method offers a convenient modification in preparation procedure for biological samples to be analyzed in SEM. The method provides high conductivity without application of surface coating and requires less time and a reduced use of toxic chemicals.
Ultrafast photon counting applied to resonant scanning STED microscopy
Authors: WU XUNDONG , TORO LIGIA , STEFANI ENRICO , WU YONG 
Published: September 2014

SummaryTo take full advantage of fast resonant scanning in super‐resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, we have developed an ultrafast photon counting system based on a multigiga sample per second analogue‐to‐digital conversion chip that delivers an unprecedented 450 MHz pixel clock (2.2 ns pixel dwell time in each scan). The system achieves a large field of view (∼50 × 50 μm) with fast scanning that reduces photobleaching, and advances the time‐gated continuous wave STED technology to the usage of resonant scanning with hardware‐based time‐gating. The assembled system provides superb signal‐to‐noise ratio and highly linear quantification of light that result in superior image quality. Also, the system design allows great flexibility in processing photon signals to further improve the dynamic range. In conclusion, we have constructed a frontier photon counting image acquisition system with ultrafast readout rate, excellent counting linearity, and with the capacity of realizing resonant‐scanning continuous wave STED microscopy with online time‐gated detection.
Pharmacokinetics of danofloxacin andN‐desmethyldanofloxacin in adult horses and their concentration in synovial fluid
Authors: Lopez B. S. , Giguère S. , Berghaus L. J. , Mullins M. A. , Davis J. L. 
Published: September 2014

The objectives of this study were to investigate the pharmacokinetics of danofloxacin and its metaboliteN‐desmethyldanofloxacin and to determine their concentrations in synovial fluid after administration by the intravenous, intramuscular or intragastric routes. Six adult mares received danofloxacin mesylate administered intravenously (i.v.) or intramuscularly (i.m.) at a dose of 5 mg/kg, or intragastrically (IG) at a dose of 7.5 mg/kg using a randomized Latin square design. Concentrations of danofloxacin andN‐desmethyldanofloxacin were measured by UPLC‐MS/MS. After i.v. administration, danofloxacin had an apparent volume of distribution (mean ± SD) of 3.57 ± 0.26 L/kg, a systemic clearance of 357.6 ± 61.0mL/h/kg, and an elimination half‐life of 8.00 ± 0.48 h. Maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) ofN‐desmethyldanofloxacin (0.151 ± 0.038 μg/mL) was achieved within 5 min of i.v. administration. Peak danofloxacin concentrations were significantly higher after i.m. (1.37 ± 0.13 μg/mL) than after IG administration (0.99 ± 0.1 μg/mL). Bioavailability was significantly higher after i.m. (100.0 ± 12.5%) than after IG (35.8 ± 8.5%) administration. Concentrations of danofloxacin in synovial fluid samples collected 1.5 h after administration were significantly higher after i.v. (1.02 ± 0.50 μg/mL) and i.m. (0.70 ± 0.35 μg/mL) than after IG (0.20 ± 0.12 μg/mL) administration. Monte Carlo simulations indicated that danofloxacin would be predicted to be effective against bacteria with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≤0.25 μg/mL for i.v. and i.m. administration and 0.12 μg/mL for oral administration to maintain an area under the curve:MIC ratio ≥50.
Physicochemical characterization and pharmacokinetics in broiler chickens of a new recrystallized enrofloxacin hydrochloride dihydrate
Authors: Gutierrez L. , Miranda‐Calderon J. E. , Garcia‐Gutierrez P. , Sumano H. 
Published: September 2014

Enrofloxacin, a key antimicrobial agent in commercial avian medicine, has limited bioavailability (60%). This prompted its chemical manipulation to yield a new solvate‐recrystallized enrofloxacin hydrochloride dihydrate entity (enroC). Its chemical structure was characterized by means of mass spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, and thermal analysis. Comparative oral pharmacokinetics (PK) of reference enrofloxacin (enroR) and enroCin broiler chickens after oral administration revealed noticeable improvements in key parameters andPK/PDratios. Maximum serum concentration values were 2.61 ± 0.21 and 5.9 ± 0.42 μg/mL for enroRand enroC, respectively; mean residence time was increased from 5.50 ± 0.26 h to 6.20 ± 0.71 h and the relative bioavailability of enroCwas 336%. Considering Cmax/MICandAUC/MICratios and theMICvalues for a wild‐typeEscherichia coliO78/H12 (0.25 μg/mL), optimal ratios will only be achieved by enroC(Cmax/MIC = 23.6 andAUC/MIC = 197.7 for enroC; vs. Cmax/MIC = 10.4 andAUC/MIC = 78.1 for enroR). Furthermore, enroCmay provide in most cases mutant prevention concentrations (Cmax/MIC ≥ 16). Ready solubility of powder enroCin drinking water at concentrations regularly used (0.01%) to provide an additional advantage of enroCin the field. Further development of enroCis warranted before it can be recommended for clinical use in veterinary medicine.