bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sevoflurane has no adverse effects on renal function in cirrhotic patients: a comparison with propofol
Authors: SONG J‐C. , ZHANG M‐Z. , WU Q‐C. , LU Z‐J. , SUN Y‐M. , YANG L‐Q. , YU W‐F. 
Published: March 2013

BackgroundCirrhotic patients are prone to developing renal dysfunction after anaesthesia and surgery. However, no consensus has been reached whether sevoflurane could have adverse effects on renal function in cirrhotic patients. We hypothesised that the use of sevoflurane for general anaesthesia would lead to post‐operative renal dysfunction in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver resection.MethodsA total of 200 patients undergoing liver resection were randomly assigned to a propofol or sevoflurane group. The influence of sevoflurane or propofol on renal function was evaluated by the maximal change, the difference between the pre‐operative baseline and the highest values of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen measured at day 1, 3 and 6 post‐operatively.ResultsThe maximal change in serum creatinine after liver resection was −4.52 (5.78) μmol/l and −3.37 (7.34) μmol/l with P = 0.398, and that in blood urea nitrogen was 0.41 (1.49) mmol/l and 0.93 (1.54) mmol/l with P = 0.098 between the sevoflurane group (n = 52) and the propofol group (n = 50), respectively.ConclusionsSevoflurane does not seem to impair post‐operative renal function in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver resection.
Feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen utilization, ruminal condition and blood metabolites in wethers fed ground bamboo pellets cultured with white‐rot fungus (Ceriporiopsis subvermispora) and mixed with soybean curd residue and soy sauce cake
Authors: Oguri Michimasa , Okano Kanji , Ieki Hajime , Kitagawa Masayuki , Tadokoro Osamu , Sano Yoshinori , Oishi Kazato , Hirooka Hiroyuki , Kumagai Hajime 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThree types of bamboo pellets as a ruminant feed: P1 (ground bamboo (GB) cultured with the fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora (CGB) : soybean curd residue (T) : soy sauce cake (S) in a 5:4:1 ratio on a dry matter (DM) basis); P2 (GB : T : S = 5:4:1 on a DM basis); and P3 (CGB : T : S = 5.5:0.8:3.7 on a DM basis) were prepared. Four wethers were assigned in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the applicability of the bamboo pellets. The experimental treatments were C (control): fed alfalfa hay cubes (AC) only, and T1, T2 and T3: fed P1, P2, and P3 with AC by 1:1 on a DM basis, respectively. The digestibility of the DM, organic matter and acid detergent fiber of P1 were significantly higher than those of P2 and P3 (P < 0.05). The total digestible nutrient (TDN) contents of AC, P1, P2 and P3 were 56.5%, 60.2%, 53.2% and 47.0%, respectively. No significant differences in nitrogen retention or ruminal pH and NH3 were observed among the treatment groups. The results indicate that bamboo pellets cultured with C. subvermispora and mainly mixed with soybean curd residue improved nutritional quality of ground bamboo because of its high digestibility and TDN content.
Salvage therapy using FLT3 inhibitors may improve long‐term outcome of relapsed or refractory AML in patients with FLT3‐ITD
Authors: Takahashi Koichi , Kantarjian Hagop , Pemmaraju Naveen , Andreeff Michael , Borthakur Gautam , Faderl Stefan , Garcia‐Manero Guillermo , Pierce Sherry , Luthra Rajyalakshmi , Cardenas‐Turanzas Marylou , Estrov Zeev , Ravandi Farhad , Cortes Jorge 
Published: March 2013

SummaryTo determine the long‐term efficacy of FLT3 inhibitors (FLT3i) in the salvage setting for relapsed and refractory (rel/ref) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FLT3 internal tandem duplication (AML FLT3‐ITD), we conducted a retrospective study of 120 patients with rel/ref AML FLT3‐ITD who received salvage therapy with either FLT3i‐containing regimen (FLT3i group, N = 45) or conventional cytotoxic regimen (conventional group, N = 75). The median overall survival (OS) after the first salvage in the FLT3i group was 6·9 vs. 4·6 months in the conventional group (P = 0·17). The OS was better in the FLT3i group among patients with initial complete remission (CR) duration ≤12 months or with primary refractory disease (6·9 vs. 3·7 months; P < 0·01). The OS was better when FLT3i was combined with cytotoxic agents versus monotherapy (17 vs. 4·8 months; P = 0·017). Multivariate analysis revealed that the use of FLT3i was an independent predictor of OS (hazard ratio 0·58; 95% confidence interval, 0·38–0·88). Incorporating FLT3i into salvage strategies may improve long‐term outcome of patients with AML FLT3‐ITD. Prospective studies to validate this conclusion are warranted.
Renal function is independently associated with red cell distribution width in kidney transplant recipients: a potential new auxiliary parameter for the clinical evaluation of patients with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Ujszaszi Akos , Molnar Miklos Z. , Czira Maria E. , Novak Marta , Mucsi Istvan 
Published: March 2013

SummaryRed cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of heterogeneity in the size of circulating erythrocytes, reportedly predicts mortality. Similarly to RDW, impaired renal function is also associated with inflammation and protein‐energy wasting. This study assessed if renal function is associated with RDW independent of relevant confounders in stable kidney transplant recipients. We examined the association between RDW and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in a cohort of 723 prevalent kidney transplanted recipients who were not receiving erythropoietin‐stimulating agents. Associations were examined in regression models adjusted for age, sex, comorbidity, blood haemoglobin, iron indices, markers of nutritional status and inflammation, markers of bone and mineral metabolism and the use of immune suppressants. Lower eGFR was significantly associated with higher RDW (r = −0·382, P < 0·001). This association remained highly significant even after multivariate adjustments where 10 ml/min decrease in the eGFR was significantly associated with an increase of the RDW values (B10 ml/min decrease = 0·078; 95% confidence interval: 0·044–0·111). The results were consistent in subgroups of patients with different levels of haemoglobin, chronic kidney disease status and various markers of inflammation and iron status. Lower eGFR is associated with higher RDW, independent of comorbidity, iron deficiency, inflammation and nutritional status in kidney transplant recipients.
Modulation of the conformational state of the SV2A protein by an allosteric mechanism as evidenced by ligand binding assays
Authors: Daniels V , Wood M , Leclercq K , Kaminski R M , Gillard M 
Published: March 2013

Background and PurposeSynaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) is the specific binding site of the anti‐epileptic drug levetiracetam (LEV) and its higher affinity analogue UCB30889. Moreover, the protein has been well validated as a target for anticonvulsant therapy. Here, we report the identification of UCB1244283 acting as a SV2A positive allosteric modulator of UCB30889.Experimental ApproachUCB1244283 was characterized in vitro using radioligand binding assays with [3H]UCB30889 on recombinant SV2A expressed in HEK cells and on rat cortex. In vivo, the compound was tested in sound‐sensitive mice.Key ResultsSaturation binding experiments in the presence of UCB1244283 demonstrated a fivefold increase in the affinity of [3H]UCB30889 for human recombinant SV2A, combined with a twofold increase of the total number of binding sites. Similar results were obtained on rat cortex. In competition binding experiments, UCB1244283 potentiated the affinity of UCB30889 while the affinity of LEV remained unchanged. UCB1244283 significantly slowed down both the association and dissociation kinetics of [3H]UCB30889. Following i.c.v. administration in sound‐sensitive mice, UCB1244283 showed a clear protective effect against both tonic and clonic convulsions.Conclusions and ImplicationsThese results indicate that UCB1244283 can modulate the conformation of SV2A, thereby inducing a higher affinity state for UCB30889. Our results also suggest that the conformation of SV2A per se might be an important determinant of its functioning, especially during epileptic seizures. Therefore, agents that act on the conformation of SV2A might hold great potential in the search for new SV2A‐based anticonvulsant therapies.
The effects of patient characteristics and geographical region on hospitalization in patients with Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Zaman M. J. , Patel A. , Chalmers J. , Woodward M. , Clarke P. , Li Q. , Zoungas S. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractAimsThe ADVANCE trial recruited participants from 20 countries worldwide. We analyse here regional variations and causes of hospitalization for people with Type 2 diabetes from Asia, Established Market Economies and Eastern Europe.MethodsA cohort analysis examining the effects of region on causes of first hospitalization, and the association of participant characteristics on all‐cause first hospitalization across regions, using multivariable (adjusted for clinical, physiological, behavioural and socio‐demographic factors) Cox models.ResultsOf 11 140 individuals (6407 men), all‐cause hospitalization rates were highest in Established Market Economies, followed by Eastern Europe then Asia. Eastern Europe had rates of hospitalization for diabetic causes four times greater than Established Market Economies [multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratio 4.02 (95% CI 2.86–5.63)]. There were no significant regional variations in hospitalization rates for cardiovascular disease (P = 0.534), but much lower rates for musculoskeletal and non‐specific causes in Eastern Europe [multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratio 0.44 (95% CI 0.32–0.60) and 0.19 (95% CI 0.12–0.29)] and Asia [hazard ratio 0.21 (95% CI 0.16–0.29) and 0.09 (95% CI 0.06–0.14)] compared with Established Market Economies. In all regions, participants hospitalized for any cause were more likely to be older, male, hypertensive, smokers, have higher glycated haemoglobin and a history of macrovascular or macrovascular disease.ConclusionsAcross three markedly different regions of the world, regional rates and causes of hospitalization varied widely in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Adjustment for a range of patient characteristics did not explain these regional differences in hospitalization, which appear to be attributable to health system factors.
Screening for obstructive sleep apnoea in obesity and diabetes – potential for future approaches
Authors: Seetho Ian W. , Wilding John P.H. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractBackgroundIt is recognised that sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB), in particular, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with obesity and diabetes. The complications of OSA include dysregulation of metabolic and cardiovascular homeostasis. With the growing population of diabetes and obesity globally, it is becoming apparent that identifying and screening patients who are at risk is becoming increasingly crucial. Many patients may remain unaware of the potential diagnosis and continue to be undiagnosed. The high prevalence of OSA poses a demanding challenge to healthcare providers in order to provide sufficient resources and facilities for patient diagnosis and treatment.DesignIn this article, we review the evidence in favour of screening populations deemed to be at increased risk of OSA, with particular reference to patients with obesity and diabetes. We consider the recent advances in potential screening methods that may allow new prognostic and predictive tools to be developed. A detailed search of Medline and Web of Science electronic databases for relevant articles in English was performed.ResultsApart from the use of screening tools such as questionnaires and clinical decision models, there is increasing evidence to suggest that there are differences in biological parameters in patients with OSA. Although further studies are required, there may be potential for such biomarkers to contribute to and augment the screening process. However, the significance of such biological tools remains to be elucidated.ConclusionsA fundamental role for improved screening in patients with conditions such as obesity and diabetes can enable early interventions that may improve health outcomes relating to the adverse consequences of OSA. The future will see further research being carried out in the development of potential screening methods with emphasis on the selection of patients at risk of sleep disorders, thereby allowing more detailed physiological studies to be carried out where needed.
Survival and growth of European eels stocked as glass‐ and farm‐sourced eels in five lakes in the first years after stocking
Authors: Simon Janek , Dörner Hendrik 
Published: March 2013

AbstractEuropean eels Anguilla anguilla stocked as wild‐sourced glass eels showed a better overall performance of growth and survival compared with farm‐sourced eels after stocking in five isolated lakes within a 7‐year study period. Eels stocked as farm eels lost their initial size advantage over eels stocked as glass eels within 3–5 years after stocking. Population sizes estimated for consecutive stocking batches indicated that 8–17% of eels stocked as farm eels survived 3–6 years after stocking compared with 5–45% of eels stocked as glass eels. This study coupled with results of previous studies suggests that stocking of farm eels may have no advantage in growth and survival compared with stocking of glass eels if stocking occurs at an optimal time in spring. In addition, the use of relatively expensive farm eels may provide no general advantage over stocking of glass eels. However, if glass eels are only available for stocking purposes very early in the year, lower survival rates than obtained in the present study can be assumed and stocking with relatively more expensive farm eels could possibly be a better option.
Social IT outsourcing and development: theorising the linkage
Authors: Madon Shirin , Sharanappa Sandesh 
Published: March 2013

AbstractIn recent years, a growing number of social enterprises have focused their attention on harnessing the benefits of trade in software by involving underprivileged communities from developing countries in the production of information technology (IT). The goal of this type of activity, known as social IT outsourcing, is not only to provide employment and income to low‐income individuals but also to address wider development priorities within the locality. This paper focuses on strengthening our understanding of social IT outsourcing as a promoter of development. Based on research in Jharkhand, eastern India, we seek to understand how social IT outsourcing activity is interpreted from the perspective of employees who provide data services for the market and from the perspective of the social enterprise that balances its market orientation with its social development goals. Our findings generate new insights into the mechanisms at play through which social IT outsourcing is able to provide a variety of developmental advantages to rural poor communities leading to policy implications for governments and development agencies.
Coping with the unemployment crisis in Europe
Authors: Sarfati Hedva 
Published: March 2013

Abstract.Since the 1970s, Europe has been plagued by a chronic unemployment crisis, which has escalated with the current Great Recession. The author discusses a number of relevant elements in this regard, including the extent to which social dialogue and social pacts have been successful in reforming labour markets and pension systems, the effect of active labour market policies and the characteristics of “resilient” economies. She concludes with the need to rethink social dialogue, social safety nets, the granting of loans – especially to SMEs – and the coordination of macroeconomic policies to increase labour demand.
The European Union at the Horn of Africa: The Contribution of Critical Geopolitics to Piracy Studies
Authors: Germond Basil 
Published: March 2013

AbstractCritical geopolitics highlights the construction of threats, space and identities along an inside‐outside line, and the subsequent normalization of the practice of power projection beyond one’s own external boundary so as to obtain security within. When applied to the EU’s response to piracy at the Horn of Africa, this approach allows understanding the role of geographical representations and the subsequent normalization of power projection activities as a response to piracy. Ultimately, this article demonstrates that the EU’s geopolitical discourse and power projection activities transcend the somewhat benign image given by the Union as a civilian or normative power, although geopolitical interests and global governance principles are not incompatible.
Limited plasticity in the phenotypic variance‐covariance matrix for male advertisement calls in the black field cricket,Teleogryllus commodus
Authors: Pitchers W. R. , Brooks R. , Jennions M. D. , Tregenza T. , Dworkin I. , Hunt J. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractPhenotypic integration and plasticity are central to our understanding of how complex phenotypic traits evolve. Evolutionary change in complex quantitative traits can be predicted using the multivariate breeders’ equation, but such predictions are only accurate if the matrices involved are stable over evolutionary time. Recent study, however, suggests that these matrices are temporally plastic, spatially variable and themselves evolvable. The data available on phenotypic variance‐covariance matrix (P) stability are sparse, and largely focused on morphological traits. Here, we comparedPfor the structure of the complex sexual advertisement call of six divergent allopatric populations of the Australian black field cricket,Teleogryllus commodus. We measured a subset of calls from wild‐caught crickets from each of the populations and then a second subset after rearing crickets under common‐garden conditions for three generations. In a second experiment, crickets from each population were reared in the laboratory on high‐ and low‐nutrient diets and their calls recorded. In both experiments, we estimatedPfor call traits and used multiple methods to compare them statistically (Flury hierarchy, geometric subspace comparisons and random skewers). Despite considerable variation in means and variances of individual call traits, the structure ofPwas largely conserved among populations, across generations and between our rearing diets. Our finding thatPremains largely stable, among populations and between environmental conditions, suggests that selection has preserved the structure of call traits in order that they can function as an integrated unit.
Microsatellite and single‐nucleotide polymorphisms indicate recurrent transitions to asexuality in a microsporidian parasite
Authors: Haag K. L. , Sheikh‐Jabbari E. , Ben‐Ami F. , Ebert D. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractAssessing the mode of reproduction of microparasites remains a difficult task because direct evidence for sexual processes is often absent and the biological covariates of sex and asex are poorly known. Species with geographically divergent modes of reproduction offer the possibility to explore some of these covariates, for example, the influence of life‐history traits, mode of transmission and life‐cycle complexity. Here, we present a phylogeographical study of a microsporidian parasite, which allows us to relate population genetic structure and mode of reproduction to its geographically diverged life histories. We show that in microsporidians from the genus Hamiltosporidium, that use the cladoceran Daphnia as host, an epidemic population structure has evolved, most probably since the last Ice Age. We partially sequenced three housekeeping genes (alpha tubulin, beta tubulin and hsp70) and genotyped seven microsatellite loci in 51 Hamiltosporidium isolates sampled within Europe and the Middle East. We found two phylogenetically related asexual parasite lines, one each from Fennoscandia and Israel, which share the unique ability of being transmitted both vertically and horizontally from Daphnia to Daphnia. The sexual forms cannot transmit horizontally among Daphnia, but presumably have a complex life cycle with a second host species. In spite of the similarities between the two asexual lineages, a clustering analysis based on microsatellite polymorphisms shows that asexual Fennoscandian parasites do not share ancestry with any other Hamiltosporidium that we have sampled. Moreover, allele sequence divergence at the hsp70 locus is twice as large in Fennoscandian than in Israeli parasites. Our results indicate that asexual reproduction evolved twice independently, first in Fennoscandian and more recently in the Israeli parasites. We conclude that the independent origin of asexuality in these two populations is associated with the altered parasite mode of transmission and the underlying dynamics of host populations.
Biodiversity and Molecular Phylogeny of Australian Clevelandella Species (Class Armophorea, Order Clevelandellida, Family Clevelandellidae), Intestinal Endosymbiotic Ciliates in the Wood‐Feeding Roach Panesthia cribrata Saussure, 1864
Authors: Lynn Denis H. , Wright André‐Denis G. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThere are over 100 species in the Order Clevelandellida distributed in many hosts. The majority is assigned to one of the five families, the Nyctotheridae. Our knowledge of clevelandellid genetic diversity is limited to species of Nyctotherus and Nyctotheroides. To increase our understanding of clevelandellid genetic diversity, species were isolated from intestines of the Australian wood‐feeding roach Panesthia cribrata Saussure, 1864 from August to October, 2008. Four morphospecies, similar to those reported in Java and Japan by Kidder [Parasitologica, 29:163–205], were identified: Clevelandella constricta, Clevelandella nipponensis, Clevelandella parapanesthiae, and Clevelandella panesthiae. Small subunit rRNA gene sequences assigned all species to a “family” clade that was sister to the clade of species assigned to the Family Nyctotheridae in the Order Clevelandellida. Genetics and morphology were consistent for the first three Clevelandella species, but isolates assigned to C. panesthiae were assignable to three different genotypes, suggesting that this may be a cryptic species complex.