bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
More rapid and severe disease outbreaks for aquaculture at the tropics: implications for food security
Authors: Leung Tommy L. F. , Bates Amanda E. 
Published: December 2012

Summary

Aquaculture is replacing capture fisheries in supplying the world with dietary protein. Although disease is a major threat to aquaculture production, the underlying global epidemiological patterns are unknown.

We analysed disease outbreak severity across different latitudes in a diverse range of aquaculture systems.

Disease at lower latitudes progresses more rapidly and results in higher cumulative mortality, in particular at early stages of development and in shellfish.

Tropical countries suffer proportionally greater losses in aquaculture during disease outbreaks and have less time to mitigate losses.

Synthesis and applications. Disease can present a major problem for food production and security in equatorial regions where fish and shellfish provide a major source of dietary protein. As the incidences of some infectious diseases may increase with climate change, adaptation strategies must consider global patterns in disease vulnerability of aquaculture and develop options to minimize impacts on food production.
Comparison of the transduction efficiency of tyrosine‐mutant adeno‐associated virus serotype vectors in kidney
Authors: Qi Yan F. , Li Qiu H. , Shenoy Vinayak , Zingler Michael , Jun Joo Y. , Verma Amrisha , Katovich Michael J. , Raizada Mohan K. 
Published: December 2012

Summary

Gene therapy has a distinct potential to treat kidney diseases. However, the efficient transduction of a significant number of renal cells by viral vectors has been difficult to accomplish. Previous studies indicate that adeno‐associated virus (AAV) can transduce renal cells with variable and suboptimal efficiency. Because new and innovative mutants of AAV are now available, we compared their efficacy in transducing rat kidneys.

We compared five types of AAV mutants (AAV2 mut‐triple, AAV2 sextuple, AAV8 mut447, AAV8 mut733 and AAV9 mut446) carrying a green fluorescence protein (GFP) reporter gene. A pressure microinjection technique was used to inject either 1.5 × 1011 vector genome (vg) AAV mutants or three dose of AAV2 sextuple into the renal cortex of rats. The microinjection approach has not been used in AAV‐mediated renal gene transfer thus far. Slow and sustained microinjection enables continuous administration of the viral vector to the kidney cortex and limits any damage to the kidney, because the tip of a glass micropipette is very small.

Three weeks after injection, the kidneys were collected and evaluated for GFP expression. Among the various mutated AAV serotypes studied, only AAV2 sextuple showed robust GFP expression in renal tissue. The AAV2 sextuple serotype appears to be an efficient gene transfer vector to preferentially target renal tubular epithelial cells. A combination of the AAV2 sextuple and the microinjection technique holds the key to the future of therapeutic treatments for kidney diseases.
Effects of exercise training on nitric oxide synthase in the kidney of spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Ito Daisuke , Ito Osamu , Cao Pengyu , Mori Nobuyoshi , Suda Chihiro , Muroya Yoshikazu , Takashima Kenta , Ito Sadayoshi , Kohzuki Masahiro 
Published: December 2012

Summary

Exercise training is known to have antihypertensive effects in humans and animals with hypertension, as well as to exhibit renal protective effects in animal models of hypertension and chronic renal failure. However, the mechanisms regulating these effects of exercise training remain unclear.

The present study examined the effects of exercise training on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the kidneys of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY) rats.

Male SHR and WKY rats were randomly divided into a sedentary group and a treadmill exercise group for 8 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured every 2 weeks by the tail‐cuff method and urine and blood samples were collected after the exercise protocol. Nitric oxide synthase activity and protein expression and endothelial (e) NOS phosphorylation in the kidney were examined.

Exercise training significantly lowered SBP, decreased urinary albumin excretion, thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances levels and renal NADPH oxidase activity, and increased creatinine clearance in SHR. Exercise training significantly increased plasma and urinary nitrate/nitrite, NOS activity and eNOS and neuronal NOS expression, but decreased eNOS phosphorylation at Ser1177 and Thr495 in kidneys of SHR and WKY rats.

Renal NOS may be involved in the antihypertensive and renal protective effects of exercise training in SHR.
A crisis of integration? The development of transnational dyadic trust in theEuropeanUnion, 1954–2004
Authors: Klingemann Hans‐Dieter , Weldon Steven 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThe healthy functioning and long‐term viability of theEuropeanUnion (EU) ultimately depend on its citizens finding common cause and developing a shared sense of political community. However, in recent years, scholars and pundits alike have expressed doubts about whether theEU's growing cultural, religious and economic diversity is undermining the development of citizens' shared sense of political community, especially following eastern expansion. In this article, this question is examined using data on a key aspect of political community: transnational dyadic trust. Drawing on a unique set of opinion surveys from the formative years of theEUto the first wave of eastward expansion (1954–2004), the development and sources of dyadic trust amongEU MemberStates is studied. While recognising the importance of diversity for trust judgments in the short‐term, the prevailing viewpoint that it is also a long‐term obstacle to integration is challenged. Instead, it is argued that citizens from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds can learn to trust one another and build a sense of political community over time through greater cooperation and interconnectedness. This theory is tested with data on bilateral trade density, which is seen as a proxy and precursor for other forms of cross‐national interconnectedness. Employing longitudinal models, the article also goes beyond existing research to test the theories over time. The study makes a contribution to the research onEuropean integration, suggesting that over time mutual trust and a shared sense of political community can indeed develop in diverse settings.
‘When I find myself in times of trouble …’ : The conditional effect of international organisations on policy convergence
Authors: Fink Simon 
Published: December 2012

AbstractMost quantitative analyses of policy convergence treat transnational communication in international organisations and domestic economic problems as additive factors. By contrast, this article argues that domestic economic problems motivate governments to search for successful policies, while international organisations offer channels for policy learning. Thus, both factors interact, magnifying each other's effects. The argument is corroborated by a quantitative analysis of the privatisation of telecommunications providers in the Western OECD world. A dyadic logit model shows that joint membership in international organisations increases the likelihood of policy convergence if governments face budget deficits. The argument of the article builds a bridge between theories of international organisations and domestic theories of policy making. Theories of the former gain an important scope condition specifying the conditions under which transnational communication works, while exploring the latter gains a theory specifying where new policy ideas come from.
Elections inWesternEuropean parliaments
Authors: Sieberer Ulrich 
Published: December 2012

AbstractParliaments often elect holders of important extra‐parliamentary offices such as heads of state, constitutional judges, heads of audit institutions and ombudsmen. What drives the behaviour of parliamentary actors and the outcome of such elections? This article explains actor behaviour theoretically, drawing on spatial factors, principal‐agent arguments about the importance of nonspatial candidate characteristics and signaling arguments about competitive considerations beyond the specific election. Empirically, it provides the first comparative analysis of such elections outside theUnitedStatesSenate using original data on 100 elections for four external offices in 14WesternEuropean parliaments. The findings show that spatial variables, nonspatial candidate characteristics and features of the competitive context systematically affect the election outcome. The article contributes to comparative parliamentary research in general by demonstrating how parliamentary activities, other than lawmaking, can be analysed using established theories and by showing that consensual aggregate outcomes can be explained within a competition‐based rational choice model.
Organizational Status of Dialysis Facilities and Patient Outcome: Does Higher Injectable Medication Use Mediate Increased Mortality?
Authors: Zhang Yi , Thamer Mae , Kshirsagar Onkar , Cotter Dennis J. 
Published: December 2012

ObjectiveExamine the mediating effect of injectable drugs in the relationship between dialysis facility organizational status and patient mortality.Study SettingMedicare dialysis population.Study DesignData from the U.S. Renal Data System (USRDS) were used to identify 3,884 freestanding dialysis facilities and 37,942 Medicare patients incident to end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) in 2006. The role of injectable medications was evaluated during a 2‐year follow‐up period by mediational analyses using mixed‐effect regression models.Data CollectionUSRDS data were matched with Dialysis Facility Report data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and census data.Principal FindingsThere was a strong association found between organizational status and use of injectable drugs. Large for‐profit chains used significantly higher injectable medications compared with nonprofit chains and independent facilities. However, the relationship between facility organizational status and patient mortality was not found to be mediated through the higher use of injectable drugs.ConclusionsLarge for‐profit chain facilities administered higher IV epoetin, iron, and vitamin D dosages, but this did not result in improved survival. Given the associated costs and lack of a survival benefit, the overuse of injectable medications among the U.S. dialysis patients will likely end under the recent bundling of injectable medications without jeopardizing patient outcomes.
Squeezing the Balloon: Propensity Scores and Unmeasured Covariate Balance
Authors: Brooks John M. , Ohsfeldt Robert L. 
Published: December 2012

ObjectiveTo assess the covariate balancing properties of propensity score‐based algorithms in which covariates affecting treatment choice are both measured and unmeasured.Data Sources/Study SettingA simulation model of treatment choice and outcome.Study DesignSimulation.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsEight simulation scenarios varied with the values placed on measured and unmeasured covariates and the strength of the relationships between the measured and unmeasured covariates. The balance of both measured and unmeasured covariates was compared across patients either grouped or reweighted by propensity scores methods.Principal FindingsPropensity score algorithms require unmeasured covariate variation that is unrelated to measured covariates, and they exacerbate the imbalance in this variation between treated and untreated patients relative to the full unweighted sample.ConclusionsThe balance of measured covariates between treated and untreated patients has opposite implications for unmeasured covariates in randomized and observational studies. Measured covariate balance between treated and untreated patients in randomized studies reinforces the notion that all covariates are balanced. In contrast, forced balance of measured covariates using propensity score methods in observational studies exacerbates the imbalance in the independent portion of the variation in the unmeasured covariates, which can be likened to squeezing a balloon. If the unmeasured covariates affecting treatment choice are confounders, propensity score methods can exacerbate the bias in treatment effect estimates.
Prospective observational study of the practice of endotracheal intubation in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia
Authors: Fogg Toby , Annesley Nick , Hitos Kerry , Vassiliadis John 
Published: December 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo describe the practice of endotracheal intubation in the ED of a tertiary hospital in Australia, with particular emphasis on the indication, staff seniority, technique, number of attempts required and the rate of complications.MethodsA prospective observational study.ResultsTwo hundred and ninety‐five intubations occurred in 18 months. Trauma was the indication for intubation in 30.5% (95% CI 25.3–36.0) and medical conditions in 69.5% (95% CI 64.0–74.5). Emergency physicians were team leaders in 69.5% (95% CI 64.0–74.5), whereas ED registrars or senior Resident Medical Officers made the first attempt at intubation in 88.1% (95% CI 83.9–91.3). Difficult laryngoscopy occurred in 24.0% (95% CI 19.5–29.3) of first attempts, whereas first pass success occurred in 83.4% (95% CI 78.7–87.2). A difficult intubation occurred in 3.4% (95% CI 1.9–6.1) and all patients were intubated orally in five or less attempts. A bougie was used in 30.9% (95% CI 25.8–36.5) of first attempts, whereas a stylet in 37.5% (95% CI 32.1–43.3). Complications occurred in 29.0% (95% CI 23.5–34.1) of the patients, with desaturation the commonest in 15.7% (95% CI 11.9–20.5). Cardiac arrest occurred in 2.2% (95% CI 0.9–4.4) after intubation. No surgical airways were undertaken.ConclusionAlthough the majority of results are comparable with overseas data, the rates of difficult laryngoscopy and desaturation are higher than previously reported. We feel that this data has highlighted the need for practice improvement within our department and we would encourage all those who undertake emergent airway management to audit their own practice of this high‐risk procedure.
Penetrating head injury with bilateral eye avulsion due to Himalayan bear bite
Authors: Roka Yam B , Roka Narayani , Shrestha Manzil , Puri Puspa R , Adhikari Hari B 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThe Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus), although an omnivore, is more carnivorous than its American counterpart. It is also more aggressive towards humans and is a threatened species because of the deforestation in the Himalayas. Furthermore, poverty, encroachment of the forest, extensive deforestation, lack of education and living near the forest are factors that increase the probability of such animal injuries. We report the case of a 35‐year‐old woman who suffered a severe penetrating head injury with scalp and bilateral eye avulsion, which was managed successfully.
Lemierre's syndrome: Diagnosis in the emergency department
Authors: Davies Owen , Than Martin 
Published: December 2012

AbstractA 15‐year‐old boy presented with signs of sepsis and a history of sore throat, fevers and shortness of breath. Full examination revealed an erythematous oropharynx and mild tonsillar swelling. He rapidly deteriorated requiring admission to intensive care. Blood cultures grew Fusobacterium necrophorum and an ultrasound scan performed for left neck tenderness confirmed internal jugular vein thrombosis. He was diagnosed with Lemierre's syndrome. This condition results from pharyngitis or tonsillitis with bacterial spread to the lateral pharyngeal space. Internal jugular vein thrombosis ensues with septic emboli and metastatic infections that most frequently involve the lungs. Although increasing in incidence, diagnosis is often delayed. We discuss why and describe its clinical presentation, investigations of choice and treatment strategies.
Association between emergency department length of stay and outcome of patients admitted either to a ward, intensive care or high dependency unit
Authors: Flabouris Arthas , Jeyadoss Jellsingh , Field John , Soulsby Tom 
Published: December 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the association of ED length of stay (EDLOS) and outcome of patients admitted to a ward, intensive care (ICU) or stepdown (high dependency) unit (SDU).MethodsDesign: Retrospective cohort study using linked administrative and clinical data. Setting: 650‐bed, university‐affiliated, tertiary referral hospital, whose ED has approximately 60 000 patient presentations per annum. Participants: Adult patients admitted via the ED, to a ward (ED to ward), ICU (ED to ICU) or SDU (ED to SDU), and whose EDLOS was <24 h. Outcome measures: Hospital outcome and LOS.ResultsA total of 43 484 patients over 4 years. Median EDLOS was 2:36 h for ICU, 5:07 h for SDU and 7:19 h for ward (P < 0.01) patients. EDLOS differed significantly, based on hospital outcome, for ward (alive, 7:18 h vs died, 7:44 h, P < 0.001), but not SDU or ICU patients. At an EDLOS of 4 and 8 h, 19.4% and 5.2% of ICU, 52.1% and 15.5% of SDU and 77.9% and 32.6% of ward patients remained in the ED. EDLOS was not a significant predictor of death, in comparison with increasing age and admitting unit across all three groups, and higher triage acuity for ED to ward and ED to ICU.ConclusionsEDLOS was greater for ED to ward patients, and of the ED to ward patients who died. At an EDLOS of 4 h there were fewer ICU, in comparison with ward, patients remaining in the ED. Future studies that report on EDLOS should differentiate for patients admitted from the ED to the ward, ICU or SDU.
Male attacks on infants and infant death during male takeovers in wild white‐headed langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus)
Authors: YIN Lijie , JIN Tong , WATANABE Kunio , QIN Dagong , WANG Dezhi , PAN Wenshi 
Published: December 2012

AbstractInfanticide was first observed in langurs nearly 50 years ago, and this rare phenomenon has been inferred to have either an evolutionarily adaptive function or to be a pathological and non‐functional behavior. In this study, we report 5 male takeover events in one‐male groups of white‐headed langurs in the Nongguan Karst Hills, Guangxi, China from 1998 to 2006. We recorded 13 attacks on 9 infants by extra‐group males or new resident males. During the male takeovers, all of the infants younger than 6 months (with an average age of 3.6 months [N= 11]) in the groups disappeared. The infant death rate during the 4.2 months after takeover by a new male was significantly higher than the infant death rate calculated for most of the year. Older infants that were still nursing (with an average age of 14.1 months [N= 7]) were often attacked and seriously wounded by the extra‐group males or new resident males, but all of them survived. The interbirth intervals of females whose infants were assumed to be killed by males were significantly reduced relative to those of females in groups with stable male tenure (mean = 10 monthsvs25 months). Our data suggest that males kill unrelated and unweaned infants during the takeover period to decrease the time until the infants’ mothers resume fertility. Thus, infanticide would support sexual selection theory in white‐headed langurs. The data also show that infanticidal behavior was directed toward the infants, especially those who were still nursing. Female dispersal may function as a counter‐strategy to avoid infanticide.
An inhaled tumor necrosis factor‐alpha‐derived TIP peptide improves the pulmonary function in experimental lung injury
Authors: HARTMANN E. K. , BOEHME S. , DUENGES B. , BENTLEY A. , KLEIN K. U. , KWIECIEN R. , SHI C. , SZCZYRBA M. , DAVID M. , MARKSTALLER K. 
Published: December 2012

IntroductionThe lectin‐like domain of TNF‐α enhances the fluid clearance across the alveolar barrier. For experimental purposes, the lectin‐like domain can be mimicked by a synthetic peptide representing the TIP‐motif of TNF‐α. The present study aims to assess the acute effect of TIP on the pulmonary function in a porcine model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).MethodsLung injury was induced in 16 pigs (25–27 kg) by bronchoalveolar lavage followed by injurious ventilation. Following randomisation, either nebulised TIP (1 mg/kg; AP301, APEPTICO, Vienna, Austria) or water for injection (control group) was administered. During 5 h of monitoring, the extravascular lung water index (EVLWI), the quotient of partial pressure of oxygen and inspired oxygen concentration (PaO2/FiO2) and the pulmonary shunt fraction were repetitively assessed. The data were evaluated by an analysis of variance including Bonferroni–Holm correction.ResultsComparable baseline conditions in both groups were achieved. Ventilatory parameters were standardised in both groups. In the TIP group, a significant reduction of the EVLWI and a simultaneous increase in the PaO2/FiO2 ratio was shown (each P < 0.0001). No changes in the control group were observed (EVLWI: P = 0.43, PaO2/FiO2: P = 0.60). The intergroup comparison demonstrates a significant advantage of TIP inhalation over placebo (EVLWI: P < 0.0001, PaO2/FiO2: P = 0.004, shunt fraction: P = 0.0005).ConclusionsThe inhalation of TIP induces an amelioration of clinical surrogate parameters of the lung function in a porcine lung injury model. By mimicking the lectin‐like domain, the synthetic TIP peptide AP301 is an innovative approach as supportive therapy in ARDS.
Rediscovering catatonia: the biography of a treatable syndrome
Authors: Fink Max 
Published: December 2012

ObjectiveCatatonia, a disorder of movement and mood, was described and named in 1874. Other observers quickly made the same recognition. By the turn of the century, however, catatonia was incorporated as a type within a conjured syndrome of schizophrenia. There, catatonia has lain in the psychiatric classification for more than a century.MethodWe review the history of catatonia and its present status. In the 1970s, the tie was questioned when catatonia was recognized among those with mood disorders. The recognition of catatonia within the neuroleptic malignant syndrome offered effective treatments of high doses of benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), again questioning the tie. A verifying test for catatonia (the lorazepam sedation test) was developed. Soon the syndromes of delirious mania, toxic serotonin syndrome, and the repetitive behaviors in adolescents with autism were recognized as treatable variations of catatonia.ResultsOngoing studies now recognize catatonia among patients labeled as suffering from the Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, anti‐NMDAR encephalitis, obsessive–compulsive disease, and various mutisms.ConclusionApplying the treatments for catatonia to patients with these syndromes offers opportunities for clinical relief. Catatonia is a recognizable and effectively treatable neuropsychiatric syndrome. It has many faces. It warrants recognition outside schizophrenia in the psychiatric disease classification.