bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High variability in results of semen analysis in andrology laboratories in Tuscany (Italy): the experience of an external quality control (EQC) programme
Authors: Filimberti E. , Degl'Innocenti S. , Borsotti M. , Quercioli M. , Piomboni P. , Natali I. , Fino M. G. , Caglieresi C. , Criscuoli L. , Gandini L. , Biggeri A. , Maggi M , Baldi E. 
Published: January 2013

SummaryWe report the results of the first three trials of an external quality control (EQC) programme performed in 71 laboratories executing semen analysis in Tuscany Region (Italy). At the end of the second trial, participants were invited to attend a teaching course illustrating and inviting to adhere to procedures recommended by WHO (V edition). Results of the first three trials of the EQC documented a huge variability in the procedures and the results. The highest variability was found for morphology (CV above 80% for all the trials), followed by count (CV of about 60% for all the trials) and motility (CV below 30% for all the trials). When results of sperm count and morphology were divided according to the used method, mean CV values did not show significant differences. CV for morphology dropped significantly at the third trial for most methods, indicating the usefulness of the teaching course for morphology assessment. Conversely, no differences were observed after the course for motility and for most methods to evaluate count, although CV values were lower at the second and third trial for the laboratories using the Burker cytometer. When results were divided according to tertiles of activity, the lowest mean bias values (difference between each laboratory result and the median value of the results) for count and morphology were observed for laboratories in the third tertile (performing over 200 semen analysis/year). Of interest, mean bias values for concentration dropped significantly at the third trial for low activity laboratories. In conclusion, lack of agreement of results of semen analysis in Tuscany is mainly because of the activity and the experience of the laboratory. Our study points out the importance of participating in EQC programmes and periodical teaching courses as well as the use of WHO recommended standardized procedures to increase precision and to allow the use of WHO reference values.
Evolution of acoustic and visual signals in Asian barbets
Authors: Gonzalez‐Voyer A. , den Tex R.‐J. , Castelló A. , Leonard J. A. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe study of animal communication systems is an important step towards gaining greater understanding of the processes influencing diversification because signals often play an important role in mate choice and can lead to reproductive isolation. Signal evolution can be influenced by a diversity of factors such as biophysical constraints on the emitter, the signalling environment, or selection to avoid heterospecific matings. Furthermore, because signals can be costly to produce, trade‐offs may exist between different types of signals. Here, we apply phylogenetic comparative analyses to study the evolution of acoustic and visual signals in Asian barbets, a clade of non‐Passerine, forest‐dependent birds. Our results suggest that evolution of acoustic and visual signals in barbets is influenced by diverse factors, such as morphology and signalling environment, suggesting a potential effect of sensory drive. We found no trade‐offs between visual and acoustic signals. Quite to the contrary, more colourful species sing significantly longer songs. Song characteristics presented distinct patterns of evolution. Song frequency diverged early on and the rate of evolution of this trait appears to be constrained by body size. On the other hand, characteristics associated with length of the song presented evidence for more recent divergence. Finally, our results indicate that there is a spatial component to the evolution of visual signals, and that visual signals are more divergent between closely related taxa than acoustic signals. Hence, visual signals in these species could play a role in speciation or reinforcement of reproductive isolation following secondary contacts.
Costs of growing up as a subordinate sibling are passed to the next generation in blue‐footed boobies
Authors: Drummond H. , Rodríguez C. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractAs stresses in early development may generate costs in adult life, sibling competition and conflict in infancy are expected to diminish the reproductive value of surviving low‐status members of broods and litters. We analysed delayed costs to blue‐footed booby fledglings,Sula nebouxii, of junior status in the brood, which involves aggressive subordination, food deprivation and elevated corticosterone, but little or no deficit in size at fledging. In ten cohorts observed for up to 16 years, juniors showed no deficit in breeding success at any age, independent of lifespan, including in a sample of sibling pairs. Among females, juniors actually outreproduced seniors across the 16‐year span. However, offspring produced by juniors in the first 3 years of life were less likely to recruit into the breeding population than offspring of seniors. Since junior fledglings survive, recruit and compete as well as seniors (shown earlier), and breed as successfully as seniors across the lifespan, it appears the delayed cost of subordination is passed to offspring, and only to those few offspring produced in the first 3 years of life. These correlational results indicate that systematic competition‐related differences in developmental conditions of infant siblings can alter their reproductive value by affecting the viability of their eventual offspring.
Microcephaly genes and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in primate brain size
Authors: Montgomery S. H. , Mundy N. I. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractMicrocephaly genes are amongst the most intensively studied genes with candidate roles in brain evolution. Early controversies surrounded the suggestion that they experienced differential selection pressures in different human populations, but several association studies failed to find any link between variation in microcephaly genes and brain size in humans. Recently, however, sex‐dependent associations were found between variation in three microcephaly genes and human brain size, suggesting that these genes could contribute to the evolution of sexually dimorphic traits in the brain. Here, we test the hypothesis that microcephaly genes contribute to the evolution of sexual dimorphism in brain mass across anthropoid primates using a comparative approach. The results suggest a link between selection pressures acting on MCPH1 and CENPJ and different scores of sexual dimorphism.
Long‐term panmixia in a cosmopolitan Indo‐Pacific coral reef fish and a nebulous genetic boundary with its broadly sympatric sister species
Authors: Horne J. B. , van Herwerden L. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractPhylogeographical studies have shown that some shallow‐water marine organisms, such as certain coral reef fishes, lack spatial population structure at oceanic scales, despite vast distances of pelagic habitat between reefs and other dispersal barriers. However, whether these dispersive widespread taxa constitute long‐term panmictic populations across their species ranges remains unknown. Conventional phylogeographical inferences frequently fail to distinguish between long‐term panmixia and metapopulations connected by gene flow. Moreover, marine organisms have notoriously large effective population sizes that confound population structure detection. Therefore, at what spatial scale marine populations experience independent evolutionary trajectories and ultimately species divergence is still unclear. Here, we present a phylogeographical study of a cosmopolitan Indo‐Pacific coral reef fish Naso hexacanthus and its sister species Naso caesius, using two mtDNA and two nDNA markers. The purpose of this study was two‐fold: first, to test for broad‐scale panmixia in N. hexacanthus by fitting the data to various phylogeographical models within a Bayesian statistical framework, and second, to explore patterns of genetic divergence between the two broadly sympatric species. We report that N. hexacanthus shows little population structure across the Indo‐Pacific and a range‐wide, long‐term panmictic population model best fit the data. Hence, this species presently comprises a single evolutionary unit across much of the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. Naso hexacanthus and N. caesius were not reciprocally monophyletic in the mtDNA markers but showed varying degrees of population level divergence in the two nuclear introns. Overall, patterns are consistent with secondary introgression following a period of isolation, which may be attributed to oceanographic conditions of the mid to late Pleistocene, when these two species appear to have diverged.
Genetic polymorphism at the cytochrome oxidase I gene in mediterranean populations of Batrocera Oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Authors: Matallanas B. , Lantero E. , M'Saad M. , Callejas C. , Ochando M. D. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe tephritid Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) is a harmful pest of olive crops that cause important agricultural and economic losses in the Mediterranean area where 90% of the world olive trees are cultivated. The knowledge of the genetic diversity in insect pest species populations is critical for decisions concerning appropriate control management strategies. In the present work, the genetic variability within and among 7 populations ‐five from Spain, one from Italy and one from Tunisia‐, was assessed by sequencing 1151 bp of the COI gene. A total of 21 haplotypes were observed. The intraspecific diversity was high, particularly in the Spanish populations (haplotype and nucleotide diversity 0.84 and 0.00137, respectively). However, the genetic differentiation among the populations was low in the case of Spanish ones (Fst between 0 and 0.041), and higher –and statistically significant– when comparing with the Italian and Tunisian samples. The haplotypes distribution and the PCoA analysis show three clear groups of populations: Spanish, Italian and Tunisian. The results might indicate the length of time elapsed since B. oleae became established in the Mediterranean region, the large effective sizes expected of its populations and the high gene flow among Iberian populations. The information could be relevant for integrated control programmes coordination.
Immunostimulation of Salmo salar L., and its effect on Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer) P‐glycoprotein mRNA expression following subsequent emamectin benzoate exposure
Authors: Igboeli O O , Purcell S L , Wotton H , Poley J , Burka J F , Fast M D 
Published: January 2013

AbstractControl of sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, on farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, relies heavily on chemotherapeutants. However, reduced efficacy of many treatments and need for integrated sea lice management plans require innovative strategies. Resistance to emamectin benzoate (EMB), a major sea lice parasiticide, has been linked with P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) expression. We hypothesized that host immunostimulation would complement EMB treatment outcome. Lepeophtheirus salmonis‐infected Atlantic salmon were fed immunostimulatory or control feeds. Sea lice were collected for 24‐h EMB bioassays 1 and 2 weeks prior to commencement of EMB treatment of the fish. Two weeks after cessation of immunostimulant‐treated feed, EMB was administered at 150 μg kg−1 fish biomass for 7 days. The bioassay revealed stage, gender and immunostimulant‐related differences in EMB EC50. Sea lice attached to salmon with a history of immunostimulation exhibited significantly greater survival than those on control feeds, despite similar levels of EMB in host tissues. Lepeophtheirus salmonis from salmon with a history of immunostimulation also exhibited higher P‐gp mRNA expression as well as greater survivability compared to controls. Administration of immunostimulants prior to EMB treatment caused increased expression of P‐gp mRNA which could have consequently caused decreased efficacy of the parasiticide.
Viral susceptibility, transfection and growth of SPB – a fish neural progenitor cell line from the brain of snubnose pompano, Trachinotus blochii (Lacépède)
Authors: Wen C‐M , Ku C‐C , Wang C‐S 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis study investigates the susceptibilities of the SPB cell line to fish viruses including giant seaperch iridovirus (GSIV‐K1), red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV‐Ku), grouper nervous necrosis virus (GNNV‐K1), chum salmon reovirus (CSV) and eel herpesvirus (HVA). GSIV‐K1, RSIV‐Ku and CSV replicated well in SPB cells, with a significant cytopathic effect and virus production. However, the cells were HVA and GNNV refractory. To examine the ability of SPB cells to stably express foreign protein, expression vectors encoding GNNV B1 and B2 fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and GSIV ORF35L fused to DsRed were constructed and introduced by transfection into SPB cells. Stable transfectants displayed different morphologies compared with SPB and with each other. EGFP‐B1 was predominantly localized in the nuclei, EFPF‐B2 was distributed throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus, and granular 35L‐DsRed was localized with secreted vesicles. The expression of EFPF‐B2 in SPB cells produced blebs on the surface, but the cells showing stable expression of EGFP, EGFP‐B1 or 35L‐DsRed showed normal morphologies. Results show the SPB cells and the transfected cells grow well at temperatures between 20 and 35 °C and with serum‐dependent growth. SPB cells are suitable for studies on foreign protein expression and virology.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Outcomes in Hospitalized Community‐Dwelling Individuals and Nursing Home Residents Based on Activities of Daily Living
Authors: Abbo Elmer D. , Yuen Trevor C. , Buhrmester Luke , Geocadin Romergryko , Volandes Angelo E. , Siddique Juned , Edelson Dana P. 
Published: January 2013

ObjectivesTo determine whether poor functional status is associated with worse outcomes after attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).DesignRetrospective study of individuals who experienced cardiac arrest stratified according to dependence in activities of daily living (ADLs) and residential status (nursing home (NH) or community dwelling).SettingTwo hundred thirty‐five hospitals throughout North America.ParticipantsAdult inpatients aged 65 and older who had experienced a cardiac arrest as reported to the Get with the Guidelines—Resuscitation registry between 2000 and 2008.MeasurementsPrimary outcomes were return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to discharge.ResultsTwenty‐six thousand three hundred twenty‐nine individuals who experienced cardiac arrest met inclusion criteria. NH residents dependent in ADLs had a lower odds than community‐dwelling independent participants of achieving ROSC (odds ratio (OR) = 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.63–0.85), whereas participants dependent in ADLs from either residential setting had lower odds of survival (community‐dwelling: OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.63–0.92; NH: OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.64–0.96) after adjusting for participant and arrest characteristics. Duration of resuscitation and doses of epinephrine or vasopressin were similar between groups and had no significant effect on ROSC or survival, although participants dependent in ADLs were more likely to have a do‐not‐resuscitate (DNR) order placed after ROSC. Overall, median time to signing a DNR order after resuscitation was 10 hours (interquartile range 2–70).ConclusionFunctional and residential status are important predictors of survival after in‐hospital cardiac arrest. Contrary to the hypothesis but reassuring from a quality‐of‐care perspective, less‐aggressive attempts at resuscitation do not appear to contribute to poorer outcomes in individuals dependent in ADL, regardless of residential status.
National Trends in Emergency Department Use, Care Patterns, and Quality of Care of Older Adults in the United States
Authors: Pines Jesse M. , Mullins Peter M. , Cooper James K. , Feng Lisa B. , Roth Katalin E. 
Published: January 2013

ObjectivesTo describe trends in use of emergency departments (EDs) of older adults, reasons for visits, resource use, and quality of care.DesignAnalysis of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.SettingU.S. emergency departments from 2001 to 2009.ParticipantsIndividuals aged 65 and older visiting U.S. EDs.MeasurementsEmergency departments (ED) visits by patients aged 65 and older were identified, and demographic, clinical, and resource use characteristics and outcomes were assessed.ResultsFrom 2001 to 2009, annual visits increased from 15.9 to 19.8 million, a 24.5% increase. Numbers of outpatients grew less than hospital admissions (20.2% vs 33.1%); intensive care unit admissions increased 131.3%. Reasons for visits were unchanged during the study; the top complaints were chest pain, dyspnea, and abdominal pain. Resource intensity grew dramatically: computed tomography 167.0%, urinalyses 87.1%, cardiac monitoring 79.3%, intravenous fluid administration 59.8%, blood tests 44.1%, electrocardiogram use 43.4%, procedures 38.3%, and radiographic imaging 36.4%. From 2005 to 2009, magnetic resonance imaging use grew 84.6%. The proportion receiving a potentially inappropriate medication decreased from 9.6% in 2001 to 4.9% in 2009, whereas the proportion seen in the ED, discharged, and subsequently readmitted to the hospital rose from 2.0% to 4.2%.ConclusionOlder adults accounted for 156 million ED visits in the United States from 2001 to 2009, with steady increases in visits and resource use across the study period. Hospital admissions grew faster than outpatient visits. If changes in primary care do not affect these trends, facilities will need to plan to accommodate increasingly greater demands for ED and hospital services.
Chronological transition of mitochondrial morphology in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Chlorophyceae) poststationary phase growth1
Authors: Aoyama Hiroaki , Kuroiwa Tsuneyoshi , Nakamura Soichi 
Published: January 2013

In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii P. A. Dangeard, mitochondrial morphology has been observed during asexual cell division cycle, gamete and zygote formation, zygote maturation, and meiotic stages. However, the chronological transition of mitochondrial morphology after the stationary phase of vegetative growth, defined as the poststationary phase, remains unknown. Here, we examined the mitochondrial morphology in cells cultured for 4 months on agar plates to study mitochondrial dynamics in the poststationary phase. Fluorescence microscopy showed that the intricate thread‐like structure of mitochondria gradually changed into a granular structure via fragmentation after the stationary phase in cultures of about 1 week of age. The number of mitochondrial nucleoids decreased from about 30 per cell at 1 week to about five per cell after 4 months of culture. The mitochondrial oxygen consumption decreased exponentially, but the mitochondria retained their membrane potential. The total quantity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of cells at 4 months decreased to 20% of that at 1 week. However, the mitochondrial genomic DNA length was unchanged, as intermediate lengths were not detected. In cells in which the total mtDNA amount was reduced artificially to 16% after treatment with 5‐fluoro‐2‐deoxyuridine (FdUrd) for 1 week, the mitochondria remained as thread‐like structures. The oxygen consumption rate of these cells corresponded to that of untreated cells at 1 week of culture. This suggests that a decrease in mtDNA does not directly induce the fragmentation of mitochondria. The results suggest that during the late poststationary phase, mitochondria converge to a minimum unit of a granular structure with a mitochondrial nucleoid.
Chloroplast phylogeny of Cucurbita: Evolution of the domesticated and wild species
Authors: ZHENG Yi‐Hong , ALVERSON Andrew J. , WANG Qing‐Feng , PALMER Jeffrey D. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe genus Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae) includes five species that were domesticated independently in the Americas, giving rise to an immense diversity of squashes, pumpkins, and gourds. To gain an improved understanding of the evolution of Cucurbita and its domesticated taxa, we used four chloroplast loci to estimate the phylogeny of 23 taxa that represent the broad‐level diversity within Cucurbita. Our results provide a strongly supported framework hypothesis for the phylogeny of the genus, robustly confirming the basal position of the C. digitata group of xerophytic perennials and the monophyly of a large group of mesophytic annuals that represent most of the known diversity in the genus, both wild and domesticated. The chloroplast evidence provides strong support for a novel grouping of the mesophytic annual C. ficifolia (known only from cultivation) with the xerophytic perennials C. foetidissima and C. pedatifolia. This study also provides the first DNA‐based evidence in support of the isozyme‐based hypothesis that C. pepo subsp. ovifera var. ovifera (represented by most ornamental gourds and several squashes) was domesticated from the wild taxon C. pepo subsp. ovifera var. ozarkana. This lends support to the hypothesis that var. ovifera was domesticated in the eastern United States and that this region served as one of about 10 independent centers of origin of human agriculture. Although the level of bootstrap support for this and certain other peripheral relationships in Cucurbita is low, definitive resolution of these issues is within reach, as next‐generation sequencing should soon deliver entire organelle genome sequences from a comprehensive sampling of the genus.
Analysis of genotype 2 and 3 hepatitis C virus variants in patients treated with telaprevir demonstrates a consistent resistance profile across genotypes
Authors: De Meyer S. , Ghys A. , Foster G. R. , Beumont M. , Van Baelen B. , Lin T.‐I. , Dierynck I. , Ceulemans H. , Picchio G. 
Published: January 2013

SummaryStudy C209 evaluated the activity of telaprevir in treatment‐naïve patients with genotypes 2 or 3 (G2, G3) hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Telaprevir monotherapy showed potent activity against HCV G2, but limited activity against G3. This analysis was performed to characterize HCV viral variants emerging during telaprevir‐based treatment of G2/G3 HCV‐infected patients. Patients were randomized to receive 2 weeks of treatment with telaprevir (telaprevir monotherapy), telaprevir plus peginterferon alfa‐2a and ribavirin (triple therapy), or placebo plus peginterferon alfa‐2a and ribavirin (control), followed by 22–24 weeks of peginterferon/ribavirin alone. Viral breakthrough was defined as an increase >1 log10 in HCV RNA from nadir, or HCV RNA >100 IU/mL in patients previously reaching <25 IU/mL. Twenty‐three patients (47%) had G2 and 26 (53%) had G3 HCV. Viral breakthrough occurred during the initial 2‐week treatment phase in six G2 patients (66.7%; subtypes 2, 2a and 2b) and three G3 patients (37.5%; all subtype 3a), all in the telaprevir monotherapy arm. Four breakthrough patients (three G2, one G3) subsequently achieved sustained virologic response (SVR). In all patients with breakthrough and available sequence data, mutations associated with reduced susceptibility to telaprevir in genotype 1 (G1) HCV were observed. No novel G2/G3‐specific mutations were associated with telaprevir resistance. The telaprevir resistance profile appeared consistent across HCV genotypes 1, 2 and 3. Although viral breakthrough with resistance occurred in patients receiving telaprevir monotherapy, half of these patients achieved an SVR upon addition of peginterferon/ribavirin highlighting the importance of combination therapy.