bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Variation in the response of an Arctic top predator experiencing habitat loss: feeding and reproductive ecology of two polar bear populations
Authors: Rode Karyn D. , Regehr Eric V. , Douglas David C. , Durner George , Derocher Andrew E. , Thiemann Gregory W. , Budge Suzanne M. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractPolar bears (Ursus maritimus) have experienced substantial changes in the seasonal availability of sea ice habitat in parts of their range, including the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas. In this study, we compared the body size, condition, and recruitment of polar bears captured in the Chukchi and Bering Seas (CS) between two periods (1986–1994 and 2008–2011) when declines in sea ice habitat occurred. In addition, we compared metrics for the CS population 2008–2011 with those of the adjacent southern Beaufort Sea (SB) population where loss in sea ice habitat has been associated with declines in body condition, size, recruitment, and survival. We evaluated how variation in body condition and recruitment were related to feeding ecology. Comparing habitat conditions between populations, there were twice as many reduced ice days over continental shelf waters per year during 2008–2011 in the SB than in the CS. CS polar bears were larger and in better condition, and appeared to have higher reproduction than SB bears. Although SB and CS bears had similar diets, twice as many bears were fasting in spring in the SB than in the CS. Between 1986–1994 and 2008–2011, body size, condition, and recruitment indices in the CS were not reduced despite a 44‐day increase in the number of reduced ice days. Bears in the CS exhibited large body size, good body condition, and high indices of recruitment compared to most other populations measured to date. Higher biological productivity and prey availability in the CS relative to the SB, and a shorter recent history of reduced sea ice habitat, may explain the maintenance of condition and recruitment of CS bears. Geographic differences in the response of polar bears to climate change are relevant to range‐wide forecasts for this and other ice‐dependent species.
Fiscal Austerity and the Multiplier in Times of Crisis
Authors: Müller Gernot J. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractTo address concerns about the sustainability of public debt, most industrialized countries shifted towards fiscal austerity after 2010. A popular concern is that austerity is self-defeating, because fiscal multipliers can be large. Specifically, a number of recent studies find that multipliers tend to be large during financial crises and/or if monetary policy is constrained by the zero lower bound. However, public debt crises tend to have an offsetting effect by making multipliers smaller than during normal times. Consequently, while austerity is no cure for all, it is unlikely to be literally self-defeating when sovereign risk is high.
Length of Carotid Stenosis Predicts Peri-Procedural Stroke or Death and Restenosis in Patients Randomized to Endovascular Treatment or Endarterectomy
Authors: Bonati Leo H. , Ederle Jörg , Dobson Joanna , Engelter Stefan , Featherstone Roland L. , Gaines Peter A. , Beard Jonathan D. , Venables Graham S. , Markus Hugh S. , Clifton Andrew , Sandercock Peter , Brown Martin M. 
Published: July 2013

Background The anatomy of carotid stenosis may influence the outcome of endovascular treatment or carotid endarterectomy. Whether anatomy favors one treatment over the other in terms of safety or efficacy has not been investigated in randomized trials. Methods In 414 patients with mostly symptomatic carotid stenosis randomized to endovascular treatment (angioplasty or stenting; n = 213) or carotid endarterectomy ( n = 211) in the Carotid and Vertebral Artery Transluminal Angioplasty Study (CAVATAS), the degree and length of stenosis and plaque surface irregularity were assessed on baseline intraarterial angiography. Outcome measures were stroke or death occurring between randomization and 30 days after treatment, and ipsilateral stroke and restenosis ⩾50% during follow-up. Results Carotid stenosis longer than 0·65 times the common carotid artery diameter was associated with increased risk of peri-procedural stroke or death after both endovascular treatment [odds ratio 2·79 (1·17–6·65), P = 0·02] and carotid endarterectomy [2·43 (1·03–5·73), P = 0·04], and with increased long-term risk of restenosis in endovascular treatment [hazard ratio 1·68 (1·12–2·53), P = 0·01]. The excess in restenosis after endovascular treatment compared with carotid endarterectomy was significantly greater in patients with long stenosis than with short stenosis at baseline (interaction P = 0·003). Results remained significant after multivariate adjustment. No associations were found for degree of stenosis and plaque surface. Conclusions Increasing stenosis length is an independent risk factor for peri-procedural stroke or death in endovascular treatment and carotid endarterectomy, without favoring one treatment over the other. However, the excess restenosis rate after endovascular treatment compared with carotid endarterectomy increases with longer stenosis at baseline. Stenosis length merits further investigation in carotid revascularisation trials.
Familial confounding of the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and ADHD in offspring
Authors: Skoglund Charlotte , Chen Qi , D′Onofrio Brian M , Lichtenstein Paul , Larsson Henrik 
Published: July 2013

BackgroundMaternal Smoking During Pregnancy (SDP) has consistently been associated with increased risk of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring, but recent studies indicate that this association might be due to unmeasured familial confounding.MethodsA total of 813,030 individuals born in Sweden between 1992 and 2000 were included in this nationwide population‐based cohort study. Data on maternal SDP and ADHD diagnosis were obtained from national registers and patients were followed up from the age of 3 to the end of 2009. Hazard Ratios (HRs) were estimated using stratified Cox regression models. Cousin and sibling data were used to control for unmeasured familial confounding.ResultsAt the population level maternal SDP predicted ADHD in offspring (HRModerateSDP = 1.89; HRHighSDP = 2.50). This estimate gradually attenuated toward the null when adjusting for measured confounders (HRModerateSDP = 1.62; HRHighSDP = 2.04), unmeasured confounders shared within the extended family (i.e., cousin comparison) (HRModerateSDP = 1.45; HRHighSDP = 1.69), and unmeasured confounders within the nuclear family (i.e., sibling comparison) (HRModerateSDP = 0.88; HRHighSDP = 0.84).ConclusionsOur results suggest that the association between maternal SDP and offspring ADHD are due to unmeasured familial confounding.
Delirium Outcomes in a Randomized Trial of Blood Transfusion Thresholds in Hospitalized Older Adults with Hip Fracture
Authors: Gruber‐Baldini Ann L. , Marcantonio Edward , Orwig Denise , Magaziner Jay , Terrin Michael , Barr Erik , Brown Jessica P. , Paris Barbara , Zagorin Aleksandra , Roffey Darren M. , Zakriya Khwaja , Blute Mary‐Rita , Hebel J. Richard , Carson Jeffrey L. 
Published: July 2013

ObjectivesTo determine whether a higher blood transfusion threshold would prevent new or worsening delirium symptoms in the hospital after hip fracture surgery.DesignAncillary study to a randomized clinical trial.SettingThirteen hospitals in the United States and Canada.ParticipantsOne hundred thirty‐nine individuals hospitalized with hip fracture aged 50 and older (mean age 81.5 ± 9.1) with cardiovascular disease or risk factors and hemoglobin concentrations of less than 10 g/dL within 3 days of surgery recruited in an ancillary study of the Transfusion Trigger Trial for Functional Outcomes in Cardiovascular Patients Undergoing Surgical Hip Fracture Repair.InterventionIndividuals in the liberal treatment group received one unit of packed red blood cells and as much blood as needed to maintain hemoglobin concentrations at greater than 10 g/dL; those in the restrictive treatment group received transfusions if they developed symptoms of anemia or their hemoglobin fell below 8 g/dL.MeasurementsDelirium assessments were performed before randomization and up to three times after randomization. The primary outcome was severity of delirium according to the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS). The secondary outcome was the presence or absence of delirium defined according to the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM).ResultsThe liberal group received a median two units of blood and the restrictive group zero units of blood. Hemoglobin concentration on Day 1 after randomization was 1.4 g/dL higher in the liberal group. Treatment groups did not differ significantly at any time point or over time on MDAS delirium severity (P = .28) or CAM delirium presence (P = .83).ConclusionBlood transfusion to maintain hemoglobin concentrations greater than 10 g/dL alone is unlikely to influence delirium severity or rate in individuals with hip fracture after surgery with a hemoglobin concentration less than 10 g/dL.
Hepatic and gastrointestinal first-pass effects of vitexin-4″-O-glucoside in rats
Authors: Chen Yinghui , Zhang Wenjie , Li Di , Ai Junjun , Meng Yihan , Ying Xixiang , Kang Tingguo 
Published: July 2013

Abstract

Objectives
This paper was to clarify the reasons of low bioavailability of vitexin-4″-O-glucoside (VOG) in rats via hepatic combined with gastrointestinal first-pass effect.

Methods
Observed the hepatic first-pass effect through the comparison of area under the plasma concentration-time curve from zero to infinity (AUC0→∞) of VOG in arterial plasma after femoral and portal vein administration (10 mg/kg), similarly, evaluated the gastrointestinal first-pass effect after portal vein (10 mg/kg) and gastrointestinal administration (20 mg/kg). For the study on regulatory mechanisms of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) on the bioavailability of VOG, the solution of verapamil hydrochloride (60 mg/kg) was instilled into intestine at 10 min before the infusion of VOG.

Key findings
The bioavailability of VOG after intraportal, intestinal as well as gastric administration was 45.1%, 8.1% and 9.8%, respectively. The value of AUC0→∞ for verapamil group was approximately 1.4-fold higher than that for normal saline group, meaning that perhaps CYP3A participated in the metabolism of VOG or P-gp transported VOG outside.

Conclusions
The hepatic and intestinal first-pass effect were considered to mostly contribute to the low bioavailability of VOG in rats, and the gastric first-pass effect should be neglected. Also, the contribution of CYP3A to metabolism and P-gp mediated efflux have played a significant role in low bioavailability of VOG.
Modulation of P-glycoprotein in rat brain microvessel endothelial cells under oxygen glucose deprivation
Authors: Ji Bian-Sheng , Cen Juan , He Ling , Liu Meng , Liu Yan-Qing , Liu Lu 
Published: July 2013

Abstract

Objectives
To investigate modulation of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in rat brain microvessel endothelial cells (rBMECs) under oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD).

Methods
The coculture of rBMECs and astrocytes was established to investigate the time course of P-gp, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), endothelin-1 (ET-1), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and protein kinase C (PKC) expression in the rBMECs as well as rhodamine 123 (Rh123) transendothelial transfer under OGD using Western blot and HPLC, respectively. The influence of pharmacological tools including H398, JKC-301, RES-701-1, L-NMMA, BIM and SN50 on the P-gp expression as well as Rh123 transendothelial transfer was evaluated at 3 h time point of OGD.

Key findings
Elevated P-gp, TNF-α, ET-1, NOS and PKC expression in the rBMECs, as well as increased P-gp efflux activity were observed after 2 h or more time of OGD. Incubation of H398 and other pharmacological tools downregulated P-gp expression and functional activity in the rBMECs at 3 h time point of OGD.

Conclusions
This report suggested that TNF-α, ET-1, NOS and PKC may mediate upregulation of P-gp in the rBMECs under OGD, which may be worthy of being referenced for the investigation of P-gp at the blood–brain barrier in the early period of stroke.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Peyronie's Disease: Results of a Placebo-Controlled, Prospective, Randomized, Single-Blind Study
Authors: Hatzichristodoulou Georgios , Meisner Christoph , Gschwend Jürgen E. , Stenzl Arnulf , Lahme Sven 
Published: July 2013

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for treatment of Peyronie's disease (PD) is controversial.

Aim
To study the efficacy of ESWT by a placebo-controlled, randomized trial.

Methods
Patients with PD (n = 102) were randomly assigned (n = 51) to each group (ESWT or placebo). All patients were given 6 weekly treatments. Patients in the ESWT-group received 2,000 shock waves per session, using the Piezoson 100 lithotripter (Richard Wolf, Knittlingen, Germany). Patients in the placebo-group were treated with interposition of a plastic membrane, which prevented any transmission of shock waves.

Main Outcome Measures
Primary end point was decrease of pain between baseline and after 4 weeks follow-up. Secondary end points were changes in deviation, plaque size, and sexual function. Pain was assessed by a visual analog scale. Deviation was measured by a goniometer after artificial erection using Alprostadil (Viridal®, Schwarz Pharma, Monheim, Germany). Plaque size was measured with a ruler and sexual function assessed by a scale regarding the ability to perform sexual intercourse.

Results
Overall, only 45 patients experienced pain at baseline. In the subgroup analysis of these patients, pain decreased in 17/20 (85.0%) patients in the ESWT group and 12/25 (48.0%) patients in the placebo group (P = 0.013, relative risk [RR] = 0.29, 95% confidence interval: 0.09–0.87). Penile deviation was not reduced by ESWT (P = 0.66) but worsened in 20/50 (40%) and 12/49 (24.5%) patients of the ESWT and placebo-group, respectively (P = 0.133). Plaque size reduction was not different between the two groups (P = 0.33). Additional, plaque size increased in five patients (10.9%) of the ESWT group only. An improvement in sexual function could not be verified (P = 0.126, RR = 0.46).

Conclusions
Despite some potential benefit of ESWT in regard to pain reduction, it should be emphasized that pain usually resolves spontaneously with time. Given this and the fact that deviation may worsen with ESWT, this treatment cannot be recommended.
High mortality and annual fecundity in a free‐ranging basal placental mammal, Setifer setosus (Tenrecidae: Afrosoricida)
Authors: Levesque D. L. , Lovasoa O. M. A. , Rakotoharimalala S. N. , Lovegrove B. G. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThe spiny tenrecs, an endemic subfamily of Malagasy insectivores (Tenrecinae), are wide ranging and fairly conspicuous, yet long‐term studies on free‐ranging populations remain sparse. Basal to most eutherian mammals, they share many ecological and morphological traits with proposed eutherian ancestors. Understanding of their unusual life histories is therefore important to the understanding of mammalian evolution. Here we present the results of a 3‐year study on a population of Setifer setosus in the dry deciduous forest of Western Madagascar. The annual activity cycle of this species includes a 5–7‐month hibernation period, during the dry season, and a dramatic increase in body mass during the active season. Females, observed giving birth to up to three litters in a single season, entered hibernation later than males, after weaning their last litter. Short intervals between parturition dates and simultaneous gestation and lactation provide evidence of post‐partum oestrus, previously observed in only one other species of tenrec (Geogale aurita, subfamily:Geogalinae). High levels of mortality, primarily by snakes and ground predators, were also observed and likely contribute, along with the unpredictability of Madagascar's climate, to the unusually fast life history of these mammals.
Reproduction in the East African root rat (Tachyoryctes splendens; Rodentia: Spalacidae) from Tanzania: the importance of rainfall
Authors: Katandukila J. V. , Faulkes C. G. , Chimimba C. T. , Bennett N. C. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThe East African root rat Tachyoryctes splendens (Rüppell, 1835) is a solitary subterranean rodent mole. The present study investigated breeding patterns in both sexes of T. splendens from data collected at monthly intervals over an entire calendar year. The study focused on the analyses from post‐mortem examination of male and female East African root rats to assess the presence of foetuses, gonadal histology, reproductive tract morphometrics, measurement of gonadal steroids (plasma progesterone and oestradiol‐17β in females and testosterone in males) and field observations (i.e. the presence of infants, juveniles, subadults and lactating females). The objective of this study was to assess if the reproductive biology of root rats reflected the bimodal pattern of rainfall that is characteristic of East Africa. Rainfall has been suggested to trigger breeding in many subterranean rodents and as a consequence, this study aimed to assess the relationship between rainfall and reproductive characteristics of T. splendens. Peaks in mean gonadal mass, increases in concentration of reproductive hormones and the presence of graafian follicles and corpora lutea in the ovaries of females, and testes mass, seminiferous tubule diameter and testosterone titre mirrored the annual peaks of precipitation at the study area. Together with field observations of the temporal occurrence of pregnancies, infants, juveniles and subadults, the data show that T. spendens cues its breeding with the patterns of rainfall, such that offspring are born in the latter half of each rainy season, from April to July and November to December.
Gene expression under chronic heat stress in populations of the mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) from different thermal environments
Authors: Kenkel C. D. , Meyer E. , Matz M. V. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractRecent evidence suggests that corals can acclimatize or adapt to local stress factors through differential regulation of their gene expression. Profiling gene expression in corals from diverse environments can elucidate the physiological processes that may be responsible for maximizing coral fitness in their natural habitat and lead to a better understanding of the coral's capacity to survive the effects of global climate change. In an accompanying paper, we show that Porites astreoides from thermally different reef habitats exhibit distinct physiological responses when exposed to 6 weeks of chronic temperature stress in a common garden experiment. Here, we describe expression profiles obtained from the same corals for a panel of 9 previously reported and 10 novel candidate stress response genes identified in a pilot RNA‐Seq experiment. The strongest expression change was observed in a novel candidate gene potentially involved in calcification, SLC26, a member of the solute carrier family 26 anion exchangers, which was down‐regulated by 92‐fold in bleached corals relative to controls. The most notable signature of divergence between coral populations was constitutive up‐regulation of metabolic genes in corals from the warmer inshore location, including the gluconeogenesis enzymes pyruvate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and the lipid beta‐oxidation enzyme acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase. Our observations highlight several molecular pathways that were not previously implicated in the coral stress response and suggest that host management of energy budgets might play an adaptive role in holobiont thermotolerance.
Novel statistical methods for integrating genetic and stable isotope data to infer individual‐level migratory connectivity
Authors: Rundel Colin W. , Wunder Michael B. , Alvarado Allison H. , Ruegg Kristen C. , Harrigan Ryan , Schuh Andrew , Kelly Jeffrey F. , Siegel Rodney B. , DeSante David F. , Smith Thomas B. , Novembre John 
Published: July 2013

AbstractMethods for determining patterns of migratory connectivity in animal ecology have historically been limited due to logistical challenges. Recent progress in studying migratory bird connectivity has been made using genetic and stable‐isotope markers to assign migratory individuals to their breeding grounds. Here, we present a novel Bayesian approach to jointly leverage genetic and isotopic markers and we test its utility on two migratory passerine bird species. Our approach represents a principled model‐based combination of genetic and isotope data from samples collected on the breeding grounds and is able to achieve levels of assignment accuracy that exceed those of either method alone. When applied at large scale the method can reveal specific migratory connectivity patterns. In Wilson's warblers (Wilsonia pusilla), we detect a subgroup of birds wintering in Baja that uniquely migrate preferentially from the coastal Pacific Northwest. Our approach is implemented in a way that is easily extended to accommodate additional sources of information (e.g. bi‐allelic markers, species distribution models, etc.) or adapted to other species or assignment problems.
Live imaging of symbiosis: spatiotemporal infection dynamics of a GFP‐labelled Burkholderia symbiont in the bean bug Riptortus pedestris
Authors: Kikuchi Yoshitomo , Fukatsu Takema 
Published: July 2013

AbstractMany insects possess endosymbiotic bacteria inside their body, wherein intimate interactions occur between the partners. While recent technological advancements have deepened our understanding of metabolic and evolutionary features of the symbiont genomes, molecular mechanisms underpinning the intimate interactions remain difficult to approach because the insect symbionts are generally uncultivable. The bean bug Riptortus pedestris is associated with the betaproteobacterial Burkholderia symbiont in a posterior region of the midgut, which develops numerous crypts harbouring the symbiont extracellularly. Distinct from other insect symbiotic systems, R. pedestris acquires the Burkholderia symbiont not by vertical transmission but from the environment every generation. By making use of the cultivability and the genetic tractability of the symbiont, we constructed a transgenic Burkholderia strain labelled with green fluorescent protein (GFP), which enabled detailed observation of spatiotemporal dynamics and the colonization process of the symbiont in freshly prepared specimens. The symbiont live imaging revealed that, at the second instar, colonization of the symbiotic midgut M4 region started around 6 h after inoculation (hai). By 24 hai, the symbiont cells appeared in the main tract and also in several crypts of the M4. By 48 hai, most of the crypts were colonized by the symbiont cells. By 72 hai, all the crypts were filled up with the symbiont cells and the symbiont localization pattern continued during the subsequent nymphal development. Quantitative PCR of the symbiont confirmed the infection dynamics quantitatively. These results highlight the stinkbug‐Burkholderia gut symbiosis as an unprecedented model for comprehensive understanding of molecular mechanisms underpinning insect symbiosis.