bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The secondary effect of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) catch crop in sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata) cultivation
Authors: Rosa Robert , Zaniewicz-Bajkowska Anna , Kosterna Edyta , Franczuk Jolanta 
Published: August 2013

Abstract
A field experiment was carried out in central-eastern Poland (52°06’N, 22°55’E) to investigate the effect of a sunflower catch crop used as green manure sown on three different dates (21st July, 4th and 18th August) on sweet corn yield and growth. The ‘Challenger F1’ and ‘Sweet Wonder F1’ corn cultivars were cultivated in the first year following organic fertilization. Sunflower was plowed in the third week of October. The effect of the catch crop’s green manure was compared to farmyard manure applied at a dose of 40 t ha-1 as well as a control without organic manuring. The biomass quantity and the amount of macroelements absorbed with the sunflower catch crop sown on the 21st of July was similar to the quantity absorbed with farmyard manure applied at a rate of 40 t ha-1. The quantity of organic mass and macroelements absorbed with the sunflower sown on the 4th of August was smaller by 20%, and by 50% for the 18th of August set, compared with the corn treated with farmyard manure. The effects of farmyard manure and sunflower catch crop sown on the 21st of July on the yield were similar. The marketable yield of cobs of corn plants cultivated following farmyard manure treatment and catch crop sown on the 21st of July amounted to 12.6 and 12.4 t ha-1, respectively. An application of sunflower sown as a green manure on the 2nd and 3rd date prior to corn cultivation decreased marketable cob yields by 8% and 25% as compared to the farmyard manure. The corn cobs cultivated following the sunflower sown on the 21st of July and treated with farmyard manure had the greatest mass. The corn cobs cultivated with farmyard manure were characterized by the highest biological productivity (72.1%); similar was the cob production of corn cultivated with catch crops sown on the 21st of July and the 4th of August. The ‘Challenger F1’ and ‘Sweet Wonder F1’ yields were similar. ‘Challenger F1’ produced cobs with higher mass whereas ‘Sweet Wonder F1’ produced cobs characterized by greater biological productivity.
Phytoremediation efficiency of crop plants in removing cadmium, lead and zinc from soil
Authors: Poniedziałek Małgorzata , Sękara Agnieszka , Jędrszczyk Elżbieta , Ciura Jarosław 
Published: August 2013

Abstract
The experiment was carried out in 1999-2001 at the University of Agriculture in Krakow (Poland) to study the capacity of nine crops (red beet, field pumpkin, chicory, bean, barley, white cabbage, maize, alfalfa, and parsnip) to remove cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from different soil horizons (0-20, 20-40, 40-60 cm). The content of exchangeable Cd, Pb, and Zn decreased along with the depth in the soil profile. Red beet cultivation reduced the exchangeable Cd content in the soil by 10.3% and by 8.6% in field pumpkin, barley and maize cultivation in the 0-20 cm horizon. White cabbage and maize decreased Cd in the 20-40 cm horizon by 40.0 and 28.8%, respectively. White cabbage was found to be the most effective in removing Pb from the soil profile. Common bean, maize, and alfalfa reduced exchangeable Pb in two upper horizons of the soil: 0-20 and 20-40 cm. After field pumpkin cultivation, the decrease in Pb contamination in the 0-20 cm horizon was 7.4%. White cabbage and chicory reduced exchangeable Zn content in the surface horizon by 21.5 and 14.1%, respectively. According to their efficiency in metal reduction, maize and red beet may be indicated as potential removers of Cd, cabbage and field pumpkin, of Pb, and cabbage, of Zn.
Effect of soil and plant covering and sowing time on the yield of fennel bulbs grown from sowing directly in the field
Authors: Błażewicz-Woźniak Marzena 
Published: August 2013

Abstract
A field experiment on fennel growing (Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum Mill.) was conducted at the Experimental Farm of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, on a grey-brown podzolic soil. The experiment included the following factors: three kinds of covers - soil covering with black polyethylene film (PE 0.05 mm), soil covering with black polypropylene non-woven fabric (PP 50 g m-2) and flat covering of plants with white polypropylene non-woven fabric (PP 17 g m-2); three sowing terms - April, May, June; two fennel cultivars - ‘Rudy F1’ and ‘Zefa Fino’. Soil mulching with PP50 and, to a slightly lesser degree, black PE, caused an increase in the total and marketable yield of fennel bulbs and had a favourable effect on the yield structure. The lowest yield, with the highest share of non-marketable bulbs, was obtained following plant covering with PP17. The bulbs were the largest in the experimental treatments with PP50 mulching. The smallest bulbs were harvested following PP17 plant covering. For fennel growing, the most favourable sowing time was April. The lowest yield was obtained from the June sowings. The cultivars studied did not vary in terms of yield level and structure. The bulbs of the ‘Zefa Fino’ cultivar were longer and more slender than those of the ‘Rudy F1’ cultivar
Long-term melatonin administration improves glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance state in high-fat-diet fed rats
Authors: Wan Xue-Dong , Li San-Qiang , Xi Shou-Min , Wang Jian-Fei , Guo Yan-Chun , Wang Xi-Ming 
Published: August 2013

Abstract
Emerging evidence support an important role of reactive oxygen species in various forms of insulin resistance. It is identified that melatonin has antioxidant properties and prevents toxic effects of reactive oxygen species. In this study, we sought to assess the involvement of melatonin in the progression of insulin resistance in response to a high-fat diet (HFD) and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Male rats were fed with a control diet, a high-fat diet, or a high-fat diet supplemented with melatonin (5 mg kg−1, i.p.) for 10 weeks. Glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, antioxidative potency, and metabolic profiles in the rats were evaluated. Our results showed that a HFD led to increasing body mass, adipose tissue weight, plasma insulin, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), free fatty acids (FFA), and decreased HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) in rats. There was also a significant increase in the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, oxidative stress markers both in the plasma and liver. An enhanced hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy-kinase (PEPCK) activity and RNA expression were observed. Impaired insulin signaling was evidenced by reducing insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) tyrosine phosphorylation and protein kinase B (PKB) serine phosphorylation in response to insulin. Overactivation of stress-activated protein kinases JNK was also observed in the liver of HFD rats. However, simultaneous administration of melatonin to HFD rats significantly reduced oxidative stress in the system and liver, markedly improved impaired glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, antioxidative potency, metabolic profiles and all the aforesaid adverse changes in HFD rats. Our results demonstrated that anti-oxidative property of melatonin is sufficient to ameliorate the insulin resistance condition, leading to the improvement of glucose homeostasis and the restoration of hepatic insulin signaling in a rat model of HFD-induced insulin resistance.
Cryopreservation of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) in vitro shoot tips
Authors: Marković Zvjezdana , Chatelet Philippe , Sylvestre Isabelle , Kontić Jasminka , Engelmann Florent 
Published: August 2013

Abstract
In this work, we compared the efficiency of encapsulation-dehydration and droplet-vitrification techniques for cryopreserving grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Portan shoot tips. Recovery of cryopreserved samples was achieved with both techniques; however, droplet-vitrification, which was used for the first time with grapevine shoot tips, produced higher regrowth. With encapsulationdehydration, encapsulated shoot tips were precultured in liquid medium with progressively increasing sucrose concentrations over a 2-day period (12 h in medium with 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 M sucrose), then dehydrated to 22.28% moisture content (fresh weight). After liquid nitrogen exposure 37.1% regrowth was achieved using 1 mm-long shoot tips and only 16.0% with 2 mm-long shoot tips. With droplet-vitrification, 50% regrowth was obtained following treatment of shoot tips with a loading solution containing 2 M glycerol + 0.4 M sucrose for 20 min, dehydration with half-strength PVS2 vitrification solution (30% (w/v) glycerol, 15% (w/v) ethylene glycol, 15% dimethylsulfoxide and 0.4 M sucrose in basal medium) at room temperature, then with full strength PVS2 solution at 0°C for 50 min before direct immersion in liquid nitrogen. No regrowth was achieved after cryopreservation when shoot tips were dehydrated with PVS3 vitrification solution (50% (w/v) glycerol and 50% (w/v) sucrose in basal medium).
Incidence of heterotopic ossification after implantation of interspinous process devices
Authors: Tian Nai-Feng , Wu Ai-Min , Wu Li-Jun , Wu Xin-Lei , Wu Yao-Sen , Zhang Xiao-Lei , Xu Hua-Zi , Chi Yong-Long 
Published: August 2013

Object
This study aimed to investigate the incidence rate of heterotopic ossification (HO) after implantation of Coflex interspinous devices. Possible risk factors associated with HO were evaluated.

Methods
The authors retrospectively analyzed patients who had undergone single-level (L4–5) implantation of a Coflex device for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. Patient data recorded were age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, smoking habits, and surgical time. Heterotopic ossification was identified through lumbar anteroposterior and lateral view radiographs. The authors developed a simple classification for defining HO and compared HO-positive and HO-negative cases to identify possible risk factors.

Results
Among 32 patients with follow-up times of 24–57 months, HO was detectable in 26 (81.2%). Among these 26 patients, HO was in the lateral space of the spinous process but not in the interspinous space in 8, HO was in the interspinous space but did not bridge the adjacent spinous process in 16, and interspinous fusion occurred at the level of the device in 2. Occurrence of HO was not associated with patient age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, smoking habits, or surgical time.

Conclusions
A high incidence of HO has been detected after implantation of Coflex devices. Clinicians should be aware of this possible outcome, and more studies should be conducted to clarify the clinical effects of HO.
Neuronavigation in minimally invasive spine surgery
Authors: Moses Ziev B. , Mayer Rory R. , Strickland Benjamin A. , Kretzer Ryan M. , Wolinsky Jean-Paul , Gokaslan Ziya L. , Baaj Ali A. 
Published: August 2013

Object
Parallel advancements in image guidance technology and minimal access techniques continue to push the frontiers of minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS). While traditional intraoperative imaging remains widely used, newer platforms, such as 3D-fluoroscopy, cone-beam CT, and intraoperative CT/MRI, have enabled safer, more accurate instrumentation placement with less radiation exposure to the surgeon. The goal of this work is to provide a review of the current uses of advanced image guidance in MISS.

Methods
The authors searched PubMed for relevant articles concerning MISS, with particular attention to the use of image-guidance platforms. Pertinent studies published in English were further compiled and characterized into relevant analyses of MISS of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbosacral regions.

Results
Fifty-two studies were included for review. These describe the use of the iso-C system for 3D navigation during C1–2 transarticular screw placement, the use of endoscopic techniques in the cervical spine, and the role of navigation guidance at the occipital-cervical junction. The authors discuss the evolving literature concerning neuronavigation during pedicle screw placement in the thoracic and lumbar spine in the setting of infection, trauma, and deformity surgery and review the use of image guidance in transsacral approaches.

Conclusions
Refinements in image-guidance technologies and minimal access techniques have converged on spinal pathology, affording patients the ability to undergo safe, accurate operations without the associated morbidities of conventional approaches. While percutaneous transpedicular screw placement is among the most common procedures to benefit from navigation, other areas of spine surgery can benefit from advances in neuronavigation and further growth in the field of image-guided MISS is anticipated.
Short-term and long-term outcomes of minimally invasive and open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions: is there a difference?
Authors: Cheng Jason S. , Park Priscilla , Le Hai , Reisner Lori , Chou Dean , Mummaneni Praveen V. 
Published: August 2013

Object
Previous studies comparing minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MITLIF) with open TLIF have demonstrated that MITLIF reduces blood loss and decreases postoperative pain while preserving fusion rates and reducing complications. In this study, the authors wanted to compare outcomes of MITLIF with those of open TLIF to determine whether MITLIF also improves postoperative functional mobility and decreases the usage of pain medication.

Methods
In total, 75 consecutive patients who underwent either single-level open TLIF or MITLIF at the University of California, San Francisco, between 2006 and 2011 were included, and patients were followed up for an average of 5.05 years. Fifty patients underwent MITLIF and 25 underwent open TLIF. Primary outcomes included administration of morphine-equivalent narcotics and functional status on postoperative Day 1. Secondary outcomes included operative characteristics, complications, long-term fusion rates, and visual analog scale (VAS) scores.

Results
No statistically significant differences in age, sex, body mass index (BMI), level of disease, or surgical indication were detected between the open TLIF and MITLIF groups. Similarly, preoperative medication usage did not significantly differ between these groups. Intraoperatively, compared with TLIF, MITLIF resulted in decreased lengths of operation, lower blood loss, and fewer complications (p < 0.05). Total administration of morphine-equivalent pain medication in the hospital also tended to be lower in the MITLIF than in the TLIF group. Functional assessment by physical therapy on postoperative Day 1 demonstrated higher function in the MITLIF patients for transfer-related tasks, ambulatory ability, and distance walked than in the TLIF patients (p < 0.05). This translated to shorter inpatient hospitalizations (6.05 vs 4.8 days for open TLIF vs MITLIF patients, respectively, p = 0.006) and an average cost reduction of $3885 per MITLIF patient. Long-term fusion rates were 92% in the MITLIF group and 100% in the open TLIF group (p = 0.09). Preoperative VAS pain scores were 7.1 for the MITLIF patients and 7.6 for the TLIF patients (p = 0.26). At the last follow-up, the reported VAS pain score was 2.9 in the MITLIF patients and 3.5 in the open TLIF patients, but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.25). There was also no statistically significant difference in the degree change in this score (p = 0.44).

Conclusions
The MITLIF approach achieves improved functional mobility, decreases the usage of postoperative pain medication, and significantly reduces cost compared with open TLIF while preserving long-term fusion rates. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study comparing the postoperative usage of pain medication between treatments in the postoperative period before discharge.
Surgery for low-grade glioma infiltrating the central cerebral region: location as a predictive factor for neurological deficit, epileptological outcome, and quality of life
Authors: Schucht Philippe , Ghareeb Fadi , Duffau Hugues 
Published: August 2013

Object
A main concern with regard to surgery for low-grade glioma (LGG, WHO Grade II) is maintenance of the patient's functional integrity. This concern is particularly relevant for gliomas in the central region, where damage can have grave repercussions. The authors evaluated postsurgical outcomes with regard to neurological deficits, seizures, and quality of life.

Methods
Outcomes were compared for 33 patients with central LGG (central cohort) and a control cohort of 31 patients with frontal LGG (frontal cohort), all of whom had had medically intractable seizures before undergoing surgery with mapping while awake. All surgeries were performed in the period from February 2007 through April 2010 at the same institution.

Results
For the central cohort, the median extent of resection was 92% (range 80%–97%), and for the frontal cohort, the median extent of resection was 93% (range 83%–98%; p = 1.0). Although the rate of mild neurological deficits was similar for both groups, seizure freedom (Engel Class I) was achieved for only 4 (12.1%) of 33 patients in the central cohort compared with 26 (83.9%) of 31 patients in the frontal cohort (p < 0.0001). The rate of return to work was lower for patients in the central cohort (4 [12.1%] of 33) than for the patients in the frontal cohort (28 [90.3%] of 31; p < 0.0001).

Conclusions
Resection of central LGG is feasible and safe when appropriate intraoperative mapping is used. However, seizure control for these patients remains poor, a finding that contrasts markedly with seizure control for patients in the frontal cohort and with that reported in the literature. For patients with central LGG, poor seizure control ultimately determines quality of life because most will not be able to return to work.
Über wirtschaftliche und synökologische Bedeutungen der Nachhaltigkeit (Essay)
Authors: Hennig Rolf 
Published: August 2013

On the economic and synecological significance of sustainability (essay)
Today's concept of sustainability in forestry has roots in both economics and synecology. It shows the way, at the national and global levels to management in perpetuity of natural resources through sustainable use and, in general, for management of the natural foundations of life on our planet. Thus the concept has high philosophical significance, especially for environmental ethics.
Nachhaltigkeit in Wald und Gesellschaft trotz «Überalterung» und «Unterjüngung» (Essay)
Authors: Schärer Werner 
Published: August 2013

Sustainability in forest and society despite “overmaturity” and “lack of regeneration” (essay)
This essay compares efforts to move towards sustainability in the forests with those in the care for the elderly in Switzerland, and tries to draw conclusions which may promote sustainability. It is wrong, for forests and human populations, to talk of “overmaturity”, as this assumes the primacy of economic reasoning. To guarantee sustainability, the balance between all aspects is crucial. To attain true sustainability, we need binding guidelines and the “right” scale of implementation programme. Civil society organisations have been working for decades – often longer than the state itself – to improve sustainability. In many different areas, good cooperation and effective distribution of tasks between these institutions can be observed. This is important, among other things, because the ever greater speed of technical progress may overwhelm the adaptive capacity of both forests and people, which would influence sustainability in a negative way.
Safety and Effectiveness of 6 Months’ Etanercept Monotherapy and Combination Therapy in Japanese Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Effect of Concomitant Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs
Authors: Koike Takao , Harigai Masayoshi , Inokuma Shigeko , Ishiguro Naoki , Ryu Junnosuke , Takeuchi Tsutomu , Tanaka Yoshiya , Yamanaka Hisashi , Hirose Tomohiro , Yoshinaga Takunari , Suzukawa Michio 
Published: August 2013

Objective.To assess real-world safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of etanercept monotherapy, etanercept plus methotrexate (MTX), or etanercept plus other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) in Japanese patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) despite previous treatment with DMARD.Methods.In this 24-week, all-cases postmarketing surveillance study, adverse events (AE) were coded using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities. Effectiveness was assessed every 4 weeks using the 28-joint Disease Activity Score and the European League Against Rheumatism response criteria.Results.Of 13,861 patients (81% women) in the analysis, 3616, 2506, and 7739, respectively, were classified into etanercept monotherapy (ETN-mono), etanercept plus DMARD other than MTX (ETN + DMARD), and etanercept plus MTX (ETN + MTX) groups. Rates of AE and serious AE (SAE) in the ETN + MTX group were lower than in other groups. Risk of SAE or serious infections was not significantly increased with higher versus lower MTX doses at baseline or with concomitant use of salazosulfapyridine or bucillamine in ETN + DMARD versus ETN-mono groups. A greater likelihood of achieving clinical remission was seen with ETN + MTX versus ETN-mono (OR 1.36; 95% CI, 1.16–1.60; p < 0.001). Higher MTX dose at baseline was associated with a higher remission rate (> 8 mg vs 0 to ≤ 4 mg, OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.07–2.00, p = 0.016; 6 to ≤ 8 mg vs 0 to ≤ 4 mg, OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.01–1.60, p = 0.038).Conclusion.Combination therapies with etanercept plus MTX or other DMARD were reasonably well tolerated, and ETN + MTX at higher doses was more effective than ETN-mono in Japanese patients with RA.
Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction — Early Cardiac Impairment in Patients with Polymyositis/Dermatomyositis: A Tissue Doppler Imaging Study
Authors: Lu Zhang , Wei Qiao , Ning Zu , Qian-Zi Zhao , Xiao-Ming Shu , Guo-Chun Wang 
Published: August 2013

Objective.To investigate early cardiac involvement in patients with polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM), and to evaluate the risk factors for early cardiac impairment.Methods.The study population included 46 patients with PM/DM who did not have overt cardiovascular manifestations and 21 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Traditional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) were used to evaluate cardiac function in both groups. Clinical characteristics were recorded. Multivariate logistics regression analysis was applied to investigate risk factors for early cardiac impairment in patients with PM/DM.Results.No significant difference was found between patients and controls by traditional echocardiography. However, compared to controls, PM/DM patients had a significantly lower ratio of early diastolic mitral annulus velocity to late diastolic mitral annulus velocity (Em/Am; 1.23 ± 0.52, 1.79 ± 0.37, respectively; t = −4.485, p < 0.001) and a higher ratio of peak early diastolic transmitral flow velocity to Em (E/Em; 8.26 ± 2.57, 6.76 ± 1.17; t = 3.287, p < 0.05) as found by TDI measurements. There was no significant difference between the TDI variables of patients with PM and DM. The multivariate regression analysis showed that female sex (OR 11.044, 95% CI 1.066–114.357, p = 0.044), late onset (OR 1.157, 95% CI 1.047–1.278, p = 0.004), and duration of disease (OR 1.060, 95% CI 1.008–1.115, p = 0.023) were risk factors for abnormal left ventricular filling pressures.Conclusion.TDI is useful for detecting early cardiac impairment in patients with PM/DM. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is an early feature of cardiac involvement. Female sex, late onset, and long course of disease are 3 independent risk factors for predicting left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with PM/DM.