bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Contrasting changes in taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity during a long‐term succession: insights into assembly processes
Authors: Purschke Oliver , Schmid Barbara C. , Sykes Martin T. , Poschlod Peter , Michalski Stefan G. , Durka Walter , Kühn Ingolf , Winter Marten , Prentice Honor C. 
Published: May 2013

Summary

Theory predicts that the processes generating biodiversity after disturbance will change during succession. Comparisons of phylogenetic and functional (alpha and beta) diversity with taxonomic diversity can provide insights into the extent to which community assembly is driven by deterministic or stochastic processes, but comparative approaches have yet to be applied to successional systems.

We characterized taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional plant (alpha and beta) diversity within and between four successional stages in a > 270‐year‐long arable‐to‐grassland chronosequence. Null models were used to test whether functional and phylogenetic turnover differed from random expectations, given the levels of species diversity.

The three facets of diversity showed different patterns of change during succession. Between early and early‐mid succession, species richness increased but there was no increase in functional or phylogenetic diversity. Higher than predicted levels of functional similarity between species within the early and early‐mid successional stages, indicate that abiotic filters have selected for sets of functionally similar species within sites. Between late‐mid and late succession, there was no further increase in species richness, but a significant increase in functional alpha diversity, suggesting that functionally redundant species were replaced by functionally more dissimilar species. Functional turnover between stages was higher than predicted, and higher than within‐stage turnover, indicating that different assembly processes act at different successional stages.

Synthesis. Analysis of spatial and temporal turnover in different facets of diversity suggests that deterministic processes generate biodiversity during post‐disturbance ecosystem development and that the relative importance of assembly processes has changed over time. Trait‐mediated abiotic filtering appears to play an important role in community assembly during the early and early‐mid stages of arable‐to‐grassland succession, whereas the relative importance of competitive exclusion appears to have increased towards the later successional stages. Phylogenetic diversity provided a poor reflection of functional diversity and did not contribute to inferences about underlying assembly processes. Functionally deterministic assembly suggests that it may be possible to predict future post‐disturbance changes in biodiversity, and associated ecosystem attributes, on the basis of species’ functional traits but not phylogeny.
Comparison of the ability of alternative birthweight and fetal weight standards to identify preterm newborns at increased risk of perinatal death
Authors: Ferdynus C , Quantin C , Abrahamowicz M , Burguet A , Sagot P , Gouyon J‐B 
Published: May 2013

ObjectiveTo compare prediction of perinatal deaths among preterm infants based on fetal weight standards versus a new subpopulation‐based birthweight standard.DesignPopulation‐based cohort study.SettingFrance.PopulationA total of 9100 preterm singletons, born between 24 and 36 weeks of gestation in 2000–09, in Burgundy (France).MethodsWe first classified all newborns as either small for gestational age (SGA) or not, based on alternative fetal weight or birthweight standards, including a new birthweight standard that excludes infants born to mothers with disease related to the weight of a fetus. Based on discrepancies between the different classifications, we then divided the newborns into four groups, and compared their risks of stillbirth and in‐hospital death, using a generalised linear model with relative risks (RR).Main outcome measuresPerinatal deaths, including, in separate analyses, stillbirths and in‐hospital deaths.ResultsThe preterm infants classified as SGA by our new subpopulation‐based birthweight standard but not by the conventional birthweight standard had a significantly higher risk of both stillbirth (RR = 2.6; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.9–3.6) and in‐hospital death (RR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.8–4.5). In contrast, no risk increase was found for infants classified as SGA by the fetal standard only (RR = 1.1; 95% CI = 0.7–1.7 for stillbirths, and RR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.3–1.3 for in‐hospital deaths).ConclusionsOur subpopulation‐based birthweight standard identified a subgroup of preterm newborns who have significantly increased risks of perinatal death but are not classified as SGA by the conventional birthweight standard. In contrast, the subgroup classified as SGA by the fetal standards only, but not by our subpopulation‐based birthweight standard, had no increased risk of mortality, compared with non‐SGA infants.
Phase I trials involving radiation therapy, quantifying the risks
Authors: Lawrence Yaacov Richard , Glass Charles , Symon Zvi , Dicker Adam P. , Den Robert B. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractIntroductionOver one third of cancer patients receive radiation therapy (RT) at some point. Our purpose was to quantify the risks to patients associated with enrolment onto RT‐based phase I trials.MethodsAll phase I and phase I/II clinical trials involving RT published in English between 2001 and 2010 were identified via a PubMed search. For pragmatic reasons, we focused on trials from 2001, 2005 and 2009. For each trial we calculated a ‘toxicity ratio’ equal to the number of grade 3/4/5 toxic events divided by the number of patients in the trial. Linear regression was used to determine which variables were associated with higher toxicity ratios.ResultsThere were a total of 33 treatment‐related deaths, and 1812 acute grade 3/4 toxicities among the 2994 subjects in 98 trials. The median toxicity ratio over 98 trials was 0.46 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34 to 0.58). Multivariate regression analysis showed that toxicity ratios were significantly higher in trials with chemotherapy (P = 0.002) and in trials for cancers of the head‐and‐neck (P < 0.001). The median toxicity ratio in chemotherapy trials was 0.60 (95% CI: 0.48 to 0.72) compared with trials without chemotherapy 0.08 (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.13).ConclusionsAlthough the risk of grade 5 toxicity is low, the risk of major toxicity is significant in phase I RT trials. These values are comparable to published risk estimates for phase I non‐RT trials.
Minimum intervention dentistry: periodontics and implant dentistry
Authors: Darby IB , Ngo L 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThis article will look at the role of minimum intervention dentistry in the management of periodontal disease. It will discuss the role of appropriate assessment, treatment and risk factors/indicators. In addition, the role of the patient and early intervention in the continuing care of dental implants will be discussed as well as the management of peri‐implant disease.
Randomised clinical trial: arbaclofen placarbil in gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease – insights into study design for transient lower sphincter relaxation inhibitors
Authors: Vakil N. B. , Huff F. J. , Cundy K. C. 
Published: May 2013

SummaryBackgroundArbaclofen placarbil is a pro‐drug of the gamma‐aminobutyric acid‐B agonist R‐baclofen that has been shown to reduce reflux episodes in patients with gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GERD).AimTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of arbaclofen placarbil vs. placebo as adjunctive therapy in subjects with troublesome GERD symptoms despite therapy with once‐daily doses of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and to identify the characteristics of patients who were responders.MethodsPatients (n = 460) with symptomatic GERD experiencing troublesome symptoms on once‐daily PPI therapy were enrolled in this phase II, randomised, multicentre, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, dose‐ranging study. Patients were randomised to receive placebo or arbaclofen placarbil (20 or 40 mg once daily, 20 or 30 mg twice daily) with their current PPI for 6 weeks. Patients recorded heartburn and other GERD symptoms in a daily diary and rated severity of each event. The primary endpoint was percent change from baseline in heartburn events per week.ResultsIn the primary analysis, there was no significant difference between arbaclofen placarbil and placebo. Post hoc analyses removing mild and very mild heartburn events resulted in greater percent reductions for all arbaclofen placarbil doses with nominal P values <0.05 for each dose compared with placebo. There was a dose‐related increase for the most common adverse events.ConclusionsArbaclofen placarbil was not superior to placebo in the primary analysis. Post hoc analyses suggest that subjects with more clinically relevant moderate or severe symptoms are more likely to respond to arbaclofen placarbil (clinicaltrials.gov NCT00978016).
Edge effects of linear canopy openings on understorey communities in a lowland Atlantic tropical forest
Authors: Prieto Pablo V. , Sansevero Jerônimo B.B. , Garbin Mário L. , Braga João M.A. , Rodrigues Pablo J.F.P. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractQuestionDoes the creation of linear canopy openings in a lowland Atlantic tropical forest cause edge effects on understorey treelets, saplings and shrubs?LocationUnião Biological Reserve, Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil (22°25′30″S, 42°02′30″W).MethodsWe sampled shrub, sapling and treelet communities at forest edges adjacent to two linear canopy openings (gas pipeline and power line) and in forest interiors far from any edge. Rarefaction curves were plotted to assess differences in species richness among treatments. Variation partitioning was used to assess main drivers of species composition and abundance. Partial Mantel correlations were calculated to verify edge effects controlling for effect of space on the abundance of Euterpe edulis palm and two ecological groups. For this purpose, species were classified either as disturbance‐tolerant or disturbance‐sensitive.ResultsEdge effects of linear canopy openings affect understorey species composition, but not species richness. Disturbance‐tolerant species were more abundant in edges than in forest interiors, while disturbance‐sensitive species did not show differences among treatments. However, the late‐successional palm Euterpe edulis, which is abundant in forest interiors, was significantly less common at edges. Response to edge effects was stronger among treelets than shrubs and saplings.ConclusionsThe creation of infrastructure‐related linear canopy openings caused edge effects that significantly affected understorey communities in the studied lowland Atlantic forest remnant. Such effects however were clearly distinct from those found at typical edges of tropical forest fragments.
Fulfilment of intention and desire in children's judgements of emotion for sociomoral events
Authors: Shiverick Sean M. , Moore Colleen F. 
Published: May 2013

This study investigated whether children appreciate that enacting an intention can emotionally affect an agent separately from whether the agent's desire is fulfilled. Children ages 5–11 years and adults heard several vignettes about an agent who intended to take another child's toy in which the agent's intention was either enacted or blocked and desire was fulfilled or unfulfilled. The effect of intention on judgements of the agent's emotion varied according to desire fulfilment and age. Overall, participants judged that an agent who acted intentionally to fulfil a desire felt happier than an agent whose intention was blocked. When the agent's desire was unfulfilled, the effect of enacting an intention varied by age. Five‐ to 6‐year‐olds judged that acting intentionally could decrease the negative emotion associated with an unfulfilled desire. The findings show relatively early appreciation of intentionality in children's judgements of emotion. Happy victimizer attributions decreased between 5 and 8 years, but attributions of positive emotion to transgressors did not vary by intentionality. The relationships between intentionality, agency, and emotion are discussed.
Effects of maternal exposure to thiamazole on behavioral development in infant cynomolgus monkeys
Authors: Inoue Ayumi , Arima Akihiro , Kato Hirohito , Yamashita Nobuyoshi , Nishida Yoshiro , Ooshima Yojiro , Ebihara Shizufumi 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThiamazole, an anti‐hyperthyroidism agent, was administered orally to pregnant cynomolgus monkeys at doses of 2.0 and 3.5 mg/kg per day from GD 120 to GD 150 to investigate effects on behavioral development of their infants. Swelling of the throat region due to enlargement of the thyroid glands was observed at birth in thiamazole‐treated infants, and it returned to normal around postnatal day (PND) 30. At necropsy of infants at 12 months of age, thyroidal weight in the thiamazole groups was increased. This finding suggested the likelihood that administration of thiamazole to maternal animals during the late gestational period induced thyroid goiter in fetal/infant monkeys through placental transfer of thiamazole. No clear changes were noted in thyroid histopathology or serum thyroid hormone levels in maternal animals or infants, but goiter formation might have been indicative of exposure to high thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and low T3 or T4 in utero from maternal treatment with thiamazole. Age‐related changes were observed in the control in behavioral development tests, while infants at 3.5 mg/kg showed no age‐related decrease in contact behavior and no increase in exploratory activity on PND 90 or PND 170. In addition, the number of eye contacts between PND 210 and PND 240 was less frequent. This indicated that maternal exposure to thiamazole induced mental retardation‐like behaviors in infants. Thiamazole may directly inhibit thyroid hormone synthesis in the fetus by placental transfer. From these results, it was speculated that oral administration of thiamazole to maternal animals during the late gestational period induced retardation of behavioral development in their infants.
The effectiveness of the combination of rituximab and high‐dose immunoglobulin in the immunomodulation of sensitized kidney transplant candidates
Authors: Taber Tim , Mujtaba Muhammad Ahmad , Goggins William , Higgins Nancy , Sharfuddin Asif , Yaqub Muhammad Sohail , Mishler Dennis , Book Benita , Chen Jeanne , Lobashevsky Andrew 
Published: May 2013

AbstractKidney transplantation faces many challenges not the least of which is the presence of pre‐formed HLA antibodies. At our institution, we have used a combination of methods to immunomodulate sensitized patients. Most recently, this has been attempted with a combination of immunoglobulin (IVIG) and rituximab (Rituxan; Genetech, CA, USA). A total of 31 patients were followed for up to one yr following treatment with IVIG (2 gm/kg on day 1 and day 30) and rituximab (1 g – day 15). Antibody levels were followed serially at designated time points via solid‐phase single‐antigen beads (SAB) method (One Lambda, Inc., Canoga Park, CA, USA). Concentration of antibodies was based on median fluorescence intensity (MFI). The majority of patients had both class I and class II antibodies (79%). Our results showed that this protocol appeared to be patient and antibody specific. The most pronounced MFI reduction in antibodies occurred within the 30‐ to 100‐d period post‐treatment. Calculated panel‐reactive antibodies decreased but rebound tended to occur by 104 d after antibody MFI nadir. Because of this rebound, it can be inferred that the patients did not show a durable increase in their potential for transplantation. The search for a more effective method to immunomodulate patients continues.
Engaging Diverse Social and Cultural Worlds: Perspectives on Benefits in International Clinical Research From South African Communities
Authors: Zvonareva Olga , Engel Nora , Ross Eleanor , Berghmans Ron , Dhai Ames , Krumeich Anja 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThe issue of benefits in international clinical research is highly controversial. Against the background of wide recognition of the need to share benefits of research, the nature of benefits remains strongly contested. Little is known about the perspectives of research populations on this issue and the extent to which research ethics discourses and guidelines are salient to the expectations and aspirations existing on the ground. This exploratory study contributes to filling this void by examining perspectives of people in low‐income South African communities on benefits in international clinical research. Twenty‐four individuals with and without experience of being involved in clinical research participated in in‐depth interviews. Respondents felt that ancillary care should be provided to clinical research participants, while a clinical study conducted in particular community should bring better health to its members through post‐trial benefits. Respondents' perspectives were grounded in the perception that the ultimate goal of international clinical research is to improve local health. We argue that perspectives and understandings of the respondents are shaped by local moral traditions rather than clinical research specificities and require attention as valid moral claims. It is necessary to acknowledge such claims and cultural worlds from which they emerge, thus building the foundation for equal and embracing dialogue to bridge different perspectives and handle contradicting expectations.
Exploitation and community engagement: Can Community Advisory Boards successfully assume a role minimising exploitation in international research?
Authors: Pratt Bridget , Lwin Khin Maung , Zion Deborah , Nosten Francois , Loff Bebe , Cheah Phaik Yeong 
Published: May 2013

AbstractIt has been suggested that community advisory boards (CABs) can play a role in minimising exploitation in international research. To get a better idea of what this requires and whether it might be achievable, the paper first describes core elements that we suggest must be in place for aCABto reduce the potential for exploitation. The paper then examines aCABestablished by the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit under conditions common in resource‐poor settings – namely, where individuals join with a very limited understanding of disease and medical research and where an existing organisational structure is not relied upon to serve as theCAB. Using the Tak Province BorderCommunity EthicsAdvisoryBoard (T‐CAB) as a case study, we assess the extent to which it might be able to take on a role minimising exploitation were it to decide to do so. We investigate whether, aftertwo yearsin operation,T‐CABis capable of assessing clinical trials for exploitative features and addressing those found to have them. The findings show that, althoughT‐CABmembers have gained knowledge and developed capacities that are foundational for one‐day taking on a role to reduce exploitation, their ability to critically evaluate studies for the presence of exploitative elements has not yet been strongly demonstrated. In light of this example, we argue thatCABsmay not be able to perform such a role for a number of years after initial formation, making it an unsuitable responsibility for many short‐termCABs.
p.E66Q mutation in the GLA gene is associated with a high risk of cerebral small‐vessel occlusion in elderly Japanese males
Authors: Nakamura K. , Sekijima Y. , Nakamura K. , Hattori K. , Nagamatsu K. , Shimizu Y. , Yazaki M. , Sakurai A. , Endo F. , Fukushima Y. , Ikeda S.‐I. 
Published: May 2013

Background and purposeGLA is the causative gene of Fabry disease, an X‐linked lysosomal storage disorder resulting from α‐galactosidase A (α‐GAL) deficiency. Stroke is an important manifestation of Fabry disease, and recent epidemiological studies have indicated that up to 4.9% of young male cryptogenic stroke patients have GLA mutations. To determine the importance of GLA mutations in the general stroke population, the frequency of GLA mutations in Japanese male ischaemic stroke (IS) patients with various risk factors and ages was measured.MethodsA total of 475 male IS patients (mean age 69.7 ± 12.5 years), were enrolled in this study. A blood sample was obtained to produce blood spots for measurement of α‐GAL activity. Blood samples with decreased enzymatic activity were reassayed and the entire GLA gene was analyzed by direct DNA sequencing if α‐Gal A activity was consistently low.Resultsα‐Gal A activity was decreased in 10 men, five of whom (1.1%) had the GLA gene mutation, p.E66Q. All IS patients with p.E66Q mutation had substantial residual α‐Gal A activity, in contrast to patients with classic‐type Fabry disease. Clinically, all patients with p.E66Q mutation were > 50 years old and had multiple small‐vessel occlusions (lacunar infarctions). Statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test showed the allele frequency of GLA p.E66Q in patients with small‐vessel occlusion to be significantly higher than that in the general Japanese population [odds ratio (OR) = 3.34, P = 0.025).ConclusionsGLA p.E66Q mutation is a genetic risk factor for cerebral small‐vessel occlusion in elderly Japanese males.
BCL2 and BCLxL are key determinants of resistance to antitubulin chemotherapeutics in melanoma cells
Authors: Watanabe Ayano , Yasuhira Shinji , Inoue Tsuyoshi , Kasai Shuya , Shibazaki Masahiko , Takahashi Kazuhiro , Akasaka Toshihide , Masuda Tomoyuki , Maesawa Chihaya 
Published: May 2013

AbstractMalignant melanoma is refractory to various chemotherapeutics including antitubulin agents such as paclitaxel. Previous studies have suggested a link between βIII‐tubulin overexpression and paclitaxel resistance through alterations in the properties of the mitotic spindle. We found that paclitaxel treatment induced temporary mitotic arrest in 7 melanoma cell lines irrespective of the βIII‐tubulin level, suggesting that βIII‐tubulin had no significant influence on spindle properties. On the other hand, the amount of BCL2, an anti‐apoptotic protein, was well correlated with paclitaxel resistance. Treatment of the paclitaxel‐resistant cell lines with ABT‐737, an inhibitor of BCL2 and BCLxL, or simultaneous knock‐down of BCL2 and BCLxL dramatically increased the cells’ sensitivity, while knock‐down of MCL1, another member of the BCL2 family, had only a minimal effect. Our results suggest that the paclitaxel sensitivity of melanoma cells is attributable to apoptosis susceptibility rather than a change in spindle properties and that BCL2 and BCLxL play a pivotal role in the former.