bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vestibular‐mediated synaptic inputs and pathways to sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the neonatal mouse
Authors: Kasumacic Nedim , Glover Joel C. , Perreault Marie‐Claude 
Published: September 2012

Key pointsWhen the body is tilted from horizontal to vertical, blood tends to accumulate in the legs, and blood pressure may fall in the upper body and head, a phenomenon known as orthostatic hypotension.The vestibulosympathetic reflexes triggered by stimulation of vestibular afferents help to counteract orthostatic hypotension, especially during its initial onset.We used anex vivopreparation of the brainstem and spinal cord of the neonatal mouse, and high‐throughput optical recording to assess when vestibulosympathetic projections become functional postnatally.Vestibulosympathetic synaptic connections are present in the mouse, and are already functional at birth. The organization of the projections includes many of the key features seen in adult mammals.The demonstration of similarity between vestibulosympathetic pathways in mice and other mammals is exciting because mouse models provide the possibility to use powerful molecular genetic techniques to make discoveries that may be very relevant for human vestibulo‐autonomic dysfunction.Abstract To assess when vestibulosympathetic projections become functional postnatally, and to establish a preparation in which vestibulosympathetic circuitry can be characterized more precisely, we used an optical approach to record VIIIth nerve‐evoked synaptic inputs to thoracic sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs) in newborn mice. Stimulation of the VIIIth nerve was performed in an isolated brainstem–spinal cord preparation after retrogradely labelling with the fluorescent calcium indicator Calcium Green 1‐conjugated dextran amine, the SPNs and the somatic motoneurons (MNs) in the thoracic (T) segments T2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. Synaptically mediated calcium responses could be visualized and recorded in individual SPNs and MNs, and analysed with respect to latency, temporal pattern, magnitude and synaptic pharmacology. VIIIth nerve stimulation evoked responses in all SPNs and MNs investigated. The SPN responses had onset latencies from 90 to 200 ms, compared with much shorter latencies in MNs, and were completely abolished by mephenesin, a drug that preferentially reduces polysynaptic over monosynaptic transmission. Bicuculline and picrotoxin, but not strychnine, increased the magnitudes of the SPN responses without changing the onset latencies, suggesting a convergence of concomitant excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs. Lesions strategically placed to test the involvement of direct vestibulospinal pathwaysversusindirect pathways within the brainstem showed that vestibulosympathetic inputs in the neonate are mediated predominantly, if not exclusively, by the latter. Thus, already at birth, synaptic connections in the vestibulosympathetic reflex are functional and require the involvement of the ventrolateral medulla as in adult mammals.
Low‐fidelity GABA transmission within a dense excitatory network of the solitary tract nucleus
Authors: McDougall Stuart J. , Andresen Michael C. 
Published: September 2012

Key pointsSuccessful transmission of information to the brain relies on a balance of excitation and inhibition, and this balance is different across different brain regions.In the brain areas responsible for initiating homeostatic reflex control of visceral organs, excitation is known to be particularly powerful whereas inhibition is often less obvious.Using minimal focal activation of single axons, this study shows that elementary inhibitory transmission in this brainstem region is founded on an intrinsically weak process with limited transmitter release that is surprisingly prone to failures.Strong inhibitory transmission requires multi‐axon convergence of modestly reliable synapses, whereas primary afferent excitation arises from single, multi‐contact axons with highly reliable neurotransmitter release.The results suggest that the entry of primary afferent information along cranial nerves enjoys a high safety factor in part due to the fundamental weakness of inhibitory transmission at these initial central neurons.Abstract Visceral primary afferents enter the CNS at the caudal solitary tract nucleus (NTS), and activate central pathways key to autonomic and homeostatic regulation. Excitatory transmission from primary solitary tract (ST)‐afferents consists of multiple contacts originating from single axons that offer a remarkably high probability of glutamate release and high safety factor for ST afferent excitation. ST afferent activation sometimes triggers polysynaptic GABAergic circuits, which feedback onto second‐order NTS neurons. Although inhibitory transmission is observed at second‐order neurons, much less is known about the organization and mechanisms regulating GABA transmission. Here, we used a focal pipette to deliver minimal stimulus shocks near second‐order NTS neurons in rat brainstem slices and directly activated single GABAergic axons. Most minimal focal shocks activated low jitter EPSCs from single axons with characteristics resembling ST afferents. Much less commonly (9% of sites), minimal focal shocks activated monosynaptic IPSCs at fixed latency (low jitter) that often failed (30%) and had no frequency‐dependent facilitation or depression. These GABA release characteristics contrasted markedly to the unfailing, large amplitudes for glutamate released during ST‐EPCSs recorded from the same neurons. Surprisingly, unitary GABAergic IPSCs were only weakly calcium dependent. In some neurons, strong focal shocks evoked compound IPSCs indicating convergent summation of multiple inhibitory axons. Our studies demonstrate that second‐order NTS neurons receive GABAergic transmission from a diffuse network of inhibitory axons that rely on an intrinsically less reliable and substantially weaker release apparatus than ST excitation. Effective inhibition depends on co‐activation of convergent inputs to blunt excitatory drive.
Are complementary therapies and integrative care cost-effective? A systematic review of economic evaluations
Authors: Herman Patricia M , Poindexter Beth L , Witt Claudia M , Eisenberg David M 
Published: September 2012

ObjectiveA comprehensive systematic review of economic evaluations of complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) to establish the value of these therapies to health reform efforts.Data sourcesPubMed, CINAHL, AMED, PsychInfo, Web of Science and EMBASE were searched from inception through 2010. In addition, bibliographies of found articles and reviews were searched, and key researchers were contacted.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesStudies of CIM were identified using criteria based on those of the Cochrane complementary and alternative medicine group. All studies of CIM reporting economic outcomes were included.Study appraisal methodsAll recent (and likely most cost-relevant) full economic evaluations published 2001–2010 were subjected to several measures of quality. Detailed results of higher-quality studies are reported.ResultsA total of 338 economic evaluations of CIM were identified, of which 204, covering a wide variety of CIM for different populations, were published 2001–2010. A total of 114 of these were full economic evaluations. And 90% of these articles covered studies of single CIM therapies and only one compared usual care to usual care plus access to multiple licensed CIM practitioners. Of the recent full evaluations, 31 (27%) met five study-quality criteria, and 22 of these also met the minimum criterion for study transferability (‘generalisability’). Of the 56 comparisons made in the higher-quality studies, 16 (29%) show a health improvement with cost savings for the CIM therapy versus usual care. Study quality of the cost-utility analyses (CUAs) of CIM was generally comparable to that seen in CUAs across all medicine according to several measures, and the quality of the cost-saving studies was slightly, but not significantly, lower than those showing cost increases (85% vs 88%, p=0.460).ConclusionsThis comprehensive review identified many CIM economic evaluations missed by previous reviews and emerging evidence of cost-effectiveness and possible cost savings in at least a few clinical populations. Recommendations are made for future studies.
Protocol Evaluating the effectiveness of a school-based group programme for parents of children at risk of ADHD: the ‘PArents, Teachers and CHildren WORKing Together (PATCHWORK)’ cluster RCT protocol
Authors: Sayal Kapil , Daley David , James Marilyn , Yang Min , Batty Martin J , Taylor John A , Pass Sarah , Sampson Christopher James , Sellman Edward , Valentine Althea , Hollis Chris 
Published: September 2012

IntroductionEarly intervention for childhood behavioural problems may help improve health and educational outcomes in affected children and reduce the likelihood of developing additional difficulties. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common childhood behavioural disorder, recommend a stepped care approach for the identification and management of these problems. Parents of children with high levels of hyperactivity and inattention may benefit from intervention programmes involving behavioural management and educational approaches. Such interventions may be further enhanced by providing training and feedback to teachers about the strategies discussed with parents. In relation to children with high levels of hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattention, we aim to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a parenting programme (with and without an accompanying teacher session) in primary schools.Methods and analysisThis clustered (at the level of school) randomised controlled trial (RCT) focuses on children in their first four school years (ages 4–8 years) in the East Midlands area of England. Parents will complete a screening measure, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, to identify children with high levels of hyperactivity/inattention. Three approaches to reducing hyperactivity and attention problems will be compared: a group programme for parents (parent-only intervention); group programme for parents combined with feedback to teachers (combined intervention); and waiting list control (no intervention). Differences between arms on the short version of Conners’ Parent and Teacher Rating Scales Revised will be compared and also used to inform the sample size required for a future definitive cluster RCT. A preliminary cost-effectiveness analysis will also be conducted.Ethics and disseminationThe outcomes of this study will inform policy makers about the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of delivering targeted behavioural interventions within a school setting. The study has received ethical approval from the University of Nottingham Medical School Ethics Committee.Trial registrationISRCTN87634685
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: severe structural alterations are associated with inflammation
Authors: Campuzano Oscar , Alcalde Mireia , Iglesias Anna , Barahona-Dussault Catherine , Sarquella-Brugada Georgia , Benito Begoña , Arzamendi Dabit , Flores Jose , Leung Tack Ki , Talajic Mario , Oliva Antonio , Brugada Ramon 
Published: September 2012

AimArrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a rare cardiomyopathy associated with sudden cardiac death. It is characterised by a progressive right ventricle (RV) fibrofatty replacement, although biventricular replacement (BV) is also common. Inflammation believed to be a key player in disease progression and outcome. Our study investigates the relationship between the presence of inflammatory infiltrates in myocardium and the severity of structural heart alterations in ARVC.MethodsOur study included eight control and 36 ARVC postmortem human heart samples. We performed macroscopic assessment and microscopic analysis for different inflammatory cell types.ResultsFibrofatty replacement of RV was present in all our cases. Thirteen cases showed sole RV involvement (36.11%). Of these, only one showed inflammatory infiltrates (7.69%). Sixteen cases showed severe ARVC phenotypic forms characterised by BV involvement and right auricular (RA) fatty accumulation plus RV dilation (44.44%); eight of them also showed inflammatory infiltrates (50%). Immunohistochemical studies revealed ventricular multifocal inflammatory infiltrates, showing seven T-lymphocytes as the main infiltrate cell types.ConclusionsThe presence of inflammatory infiltrates in ventricular myocardium of ARVC samples is associated with severe structural heart changes, indicating that an inflammatory process may be a modulator of severity in ARVC.
Rock magnetism and identification of remanence components in the Marcellus Shale, Pennsylvania
Authors: Manning E. B. , Elmore R. D. 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
With increasing interest in the middle Devonian Marcellus Shale as a gas play in the Appalachians, a study of the rock magnetic characteristics and remanence components was undertaken. Samples were collected from outcrops of the Union Springs Formation and the underlying Onondaga Formation in a syncline immediately east of the Broadtop synclinorium in the Valley and Ridge province in Pennsylvania. The rocks contain an intermediate-temperature (IT) component with south-southeasterly declinations and shallow up inclinations that was removed by 310–350 °C, interpreted as a chemical remanent magnetization (CRM) that resides in pyrrhotite. At higher temperatures (350–480 °C) a component with more southerly declinations and shallow down inclinations, interpreted as a CRM in magnetite, is removed. Low-temperature treatments resulted in more stable decay during thermal demagnetization which allowed the IT component to be more easily identified. Cumulative log-Gaussian analysis of an isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and triaxial thermal decay of the IRM indicate the presence of two dominant minerals: pyrrhotite and magnetite. Low-temperature saturation IRM experiments show the 32 K Besnus transition and saturation of magnetization between 200 and 250 K, indicative of pyrrhotite. Some specimens showed the Verwey transition at 120 K, indicating magnetite.
From Sentimentality to Masculine Excess in Galician National Discourse
Authors: Miguélez-Carballeira Helena 
Published: September 2012

This article studies the gendered meanings of Galician national discourse with particular focus on the notion of masculinity. The first part of the article analyzes cultural writings in the early stages of Galician regionalism and establishes how the metaphor of Galicia as feminine (and, as a consequence, of Galician manhood as marked with the notions of sentimentality and submissiveness) gradually became an important stumbling block for nationalism’s emergence as a viable political movement. In the second section, the author studies how the early texts of Galician political nationalism reacted against such metaphors by means of a heightened masculinist discourse bent on recasting national insurgence as a question of virility. Finally, the author analyzes Ricardo Carvalho Calero’s Historia da literatura galega contemporánea (1963/1981) in line with this rhetoric of national virility and as an example of what the author will call the masculine excess present in the seminal texts of Galician cultural nationalism.
Alimentación no saludable, inactividad física y obesidad en la población infantil colombiana: un llamado urgente al estado y la sociedad civil para emprender acciones efectivas
Authors: Gómez Luis Fernando , Ibarra Marian Lorena , Lucumí Diego Iván , Arango Carlos Mario , Parra Angela , Cadena Yazmín , Erazo Viviana , Parra Diana Celmira 
Published: September 2012

Resumen Colombia, al igual que la mayoría de los países de América Latina, ha experimentado una rápida transición nutricional, la cual se ha dado en un contexto caracterizado por altos niveles de pobreza, inequidad y exclusión social; sumado a acelerados procesos de globalización y una creciente influencia política y mediática de las grandes corporaciones de bebidas y alimentos ultra-procesados. Esta situación tiene un impacto potencialmente negativo en la salud infantil, al afectar sus patrones de actividad física y alimentación. Existen acciones poblacionales efectivas para la promoción de la actividad física y la alimentación saludable en niños, niñas y adolescentes, que podrían implementarse en Colombia si se contara con la voluntad política del gobierno y la participación activa de la sociedad civil.
Continuité de soins à l’hôpital et médecins étrangers : la régulation d’un système et ses limites en France
Authors: Le Vigouroux Alain 
Published: September 2012

Résumé La démographie médicale est un problème de santé majeur pour la réflexion sur les politiques de santé en France comme ailleurs dans le monde. Les médias se font régulièrement l’écho d’une sous médicalisation de la France. Cette affirmation mérite d’être modulée. Les inégalités de répartition territoriale, déjà importantes, iront en s’aggravant. On sait que la distribution sur le territoire français obéit au tropisme solaire bien connu des professions libérales. Le nord de la France est démographiquement déficitaire en médecins par rapport au sud, et la Champagne-Ardenne n’échappe pas à cette tendance. Cette distribution, loin d’être homogène, concentre les médecins dans les zones citadines, à telle enseigne que l’arrière-pays niçois est une zone aussi désertique que le Santerre picard. Le maintien d’une continuité des soins dans les services de soins continus dans les hôpitaux devient un exercice difficile. Un focus sur la région Champagne Ardenne, région européenne de migration, nous permet de comprendre le rôle des médecins étrangers dans le maintien de la continuité des soins en milieu hospitalier. Les enjeux et limites d’un tel dispositif doivent être perçus à l’échelon européen et mondial. Si les médecins étrangers représentent une manne pour les services des hôpitaux en France et dans d’autres pays d’Europe du Nord, cette migration nécessite d’être mieux régulée afin de freiner une désertification massive en particulier de pays d’Europe de l’Est et d’Afrique sub-saharienne.
Comparison of whole-genome prediction models for traits with contrasting genetic architecture in a diversity panel of maize inbred lines
Authors: Riedelsheimer Christian , Technow Frank , Melchinger Albrecht E 
Published: September 2012

AbstractBackgroundThere is increasing empirical evidence that whole-genome prediction (WGP) is a powerful tool for predicting line and hybrid performance in maize. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the sensitivity of WGP models towards the genetic architecture of the trait. Whereas previous studies exclusively focused on highly polygenic traits, important agronomic traits such as disease resistances, nutrifunctional or climate adaptational traits have a genetic architecture which is either much less complex or unknown. For such cases, information about model robustness and guidelines for model selection are lacking. Here, we compared five WGP models with different assumptions about the distribution of the underlying genetic effects. As contrasting model traits, we chose three highly polygenic agronomic traits and three metabolites each with a major QTL explaining 22 to 30% of the genetic variance in a panel of 289 diverse maize inbred lines genotyped with 56,110 SNPs.ResultsWe found the five WGP models to be remarkable robust towards trait architecture with the largest differences in prediction accuracies ranging between 0.05 and 0.14 for the same trait, most likely as the result of the high level of linkage disequilibrium prevailing in elite maize germplasm. Whereas RR-BLUP performed best for the agronomic traits, it was inferior to LASSO or elastic net for the three metabolites. We found the approach of genome partitioning of genetic variance, first applied in human genetics, as useful in guiding the breeder which model to choose, if prior knowledge of the trait architecture is lacking.ConclusionsOur results suggest that in diverse germplasm of elite maize inbred lines with a high level of LD, WGP models differ only slightly in their accuracies, irrespective of the number and effects of QTL found in previous linkage or association mapping studies. However, small gains in prediction accuracies can be achieved if the WGP model is selected according to the genetic architecture of the trait. If the trait architecture is unknowne.g.for novel traits which only recently received attention in breeding, we suggest to inspect the distribution of the genetic variance explained by each chromosome for guiding model selection in WGP.
Drug resistance-conferring mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Madang, Papua New Guinea
Authors: Ballif Marie , Harino Paul , Ley Serej , Coscolla Mireia , Niemann Stefan , Carter Robyn , Coulter Christopher , Borrell Sonia , Siba Peter , Phuanukoonnon Suparat , Gagneux Sebastien , Beck Hans-Peter 
Published: September 2012

Abstract

Background
Monitoring drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential to curb the spread of tuberculosis (TB). Unfortunately, drug susceptibility testing is currently not available in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and that impairs TB control in this country. We report for the first time M. tuberculosis mutations associated with resistance to first and second-line anti-TB drugs in Madang, PNG. A molecular cluster analysis was performed to identify M. tuberculosis transmission in that region.

Results
Phenotypic drug susceptibility tests showed 15.7% resistance to at least one drug and 5.2% multidrug resistant (MDR) TB. Rifampicin resistant strains had the rpoB mutations D516F, D516Y or S531L; Isoniazid resistant strains had the mutations katG S315T or inhA promoter C15T; Streptomycin resistant strains had the mutations rpsL K43R, K88Q, K88R), rrs A514C or gidB V77G. The molecular cluster analysis indicated evidence for transmission of resistant strain.

Conclusions
We observed a substantial rate of MDR-TB in the Madang area of PNG associated with mutations in specific genes. A close monitoring of drug resistance is therefore urgently required, particularly in the presence of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis transmission. In the absence of phenotypic drug susceptibility testing in PNG, molecular assays for drug resistance monitoring would be of advantage.