bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Ghrelin Antagonists [D‐Lys3]‐GHRP‐6 or JMV2959 on Ethanol, Water, and Food Intake in C57BL/6J Mice
Authors: Gomez Juan L. , Ryabinin Andrey E. 
Published: September 2014

BackgroundAlcohol use and abuse patterns have created a need for novel treatment models. Current research has turned its focus on reward pathways associated with intrinsic necessities, such as feeding. Theories suggest that drugs of abuse seize control of natural reward pathways and dysregulate normal function, leading to chronic addiction. One such pathway involving the hunger stimulating peptide, ghrelin, is the focus of our study.MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to groups and treated with vehicle or a ghrelin antagonist, either [D‐Lys3]‐GHRP‐6 (DLys) or JMV2959. Three experiments tested ghrelin antagonism using different doses; experiment 1 tested 12 mg/kg JMV2959; experiment 2 tested 15 mg/kg DLys; experiment 3 tested 9 mg/kg JMV2959. Using a 2‐bottle choice 24‐hour access paradigm, data were collected for ethanol intake, preference, water intake, and food intake at 4 and 24 hours after injection.ResultsExperiment 1 showed that 12 mg/kg of JMV2959 decreased ethanol, water, and food intake, without affecting preference. Experiment 2 showed that 15 mg/kg of DLys decreased ethanol intake, preference, and water intake only on the first day of treatment. Experiment 3 showed that 9 mg/kg of JMV2959 decreased only ethanol and food intake. No change was seen during deprivation, and JMV2959 was still effective at reducing ethanol intake upon reintroduction. Despite the change in food intake, there were no differences in body weight throughout the experiments. It should be noted that the majority of significant effects were only found 4 hours postinjection.ConclusionsThe results show that compounds that block ghrelin receptor activity are effective at decreasing ethanol intake. However, DLys was only effective at reducing intake and preference on the first day, suggesting a quick tolerance and selectivity for ethanol. JMV2959 consistently reduced ethanol intake, but at the higher dose also reduced all other consummatory behaviors. Thus, ghrelin antagonists provide a viable potential for treatment of alcohol abuse disorders, but further research is needed to determine an appropriate dose and administration paradigm.
Chronic Binge Alcohol Consumption Does Not Diminish Effectiveness of Continuous Antiretroviral Suppression of Viral Load in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus‐Infected Macaques
Authors: Molina Patricia E. , Amedee Angela M. , Veazey Ron , Dufour Jason , Volaufova Julia , Bagby Gregory J. , Nelson Steve 
Published: September 2014

BackgroundAlcohol use disorders (AUDs) are a frequent comorbidity in a large percentage of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). PLWHA with comorbid AUDs are consistently found to perform poorly at most levels of the HIV treatment cascade, resulting in a higher likelihood of virologic nonsuppression. This has been partly attributed to lower rates of persistence with and adherence to antiretroviral therapies (ART). Focus groups of in‐care PLWHA identify the need to suspend ART on drinking days because of the potential for toxicity and/or lack of therapeutic effectiveness. The aim of this study was to examine whether chronic binge alcohol (CBA) consumption decreases the effectiveness of uninterrupted ART, specifically that of nucleoside reverse‐transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) tenofovir and emtricitabine in suppressing viral replication, or results in drug toxicity in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)‐infected rhesus macaques.MethodsDaily CBA or isocaloric sucrose (SUC) administration was initiated 3 months prior to intrarectal SIVmac251 inoculation and continued throughout the study period. ART was initiated 2.5 months after SIV infection and continued through the study period.ResultsCBA administration did not prevent or delay the ART‐mediated reduction in viral load. Following ART, circulating levels of total protein and creatinine were significantly higher than baseline values in both SUC‐ and CBA‐treated animals, but still within a normal range. No evidence of ART toxicity was observed in either CBA‐ or SUC‐administered macaques.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that CBA does not attenuate effectiveness of NRTI suppression of viral load, nor does it appear to interact with NRTI to produce toxicity during the initial 2 months of treatment. We conclude that while efforts to reduce AUD in PLWHA should be a priority, counseling on the importance of adherence to ART even on drinking days should also be promoted.
Tolcapone Suppresses Ethanol Intake in Alcohol‐Preferring Rats Performing a Novel Cued Access Protocol
Authors: McCane Aqilah M. , Czachowski Cristine L. , Lapish Christopher C. 
Published: September 2014

BackgroundDopamine (DA) has been shown to play a central role in regulating motivated behavior and encoding reward. Chronic drug abuse elicits a state of hypodopaminergia in the mesocorticolimbic (MCL) system in both humans and preclinical rodent models of addiction, including those modeling alcohol use disorders (AUD).MethodsWorking under the hypothesis that reductions in the bioavailability of DA play an integral role in the expression of the excessive drinking phenotype, the catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor tolcapone was used as a means to amplify cortical DA concentration and drinking behaviors were then assessed. Sucrose and ethanol (EtOH) consumption were measured in P and Wistar rats in both a free choice drinking protocol and a novel cued access protocol.ResultsTolcapone attenuated the consumption of EtOH, and to a lesser extent sucrose, in P rats in the cued access protocol, while no effect was observed in the free choice drinking protocol. Tolcapone also decreased EtOH consumption in high drinking Wistar rats. A follow‐up experiment using the indirect DA agonist d‐amphetamine showed no change in EtOH consumption.ConclusionsCollectively, these data suggest that COMT inhibitors may be capable of alleviating the extremely motivating or salient nature of stimuli associated with alcohol. The hypothesis is put forth that the relative specificity of tolcapone for cortical DA systems may mediate the suppression of the high seeking/drinking phenotype.
Tubal ligation and salpingectomy and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer and borderline ovarian tumors: a nationwide case–control study
Authors: Madsen Cecilie , Baandrup Louise , Dehlendorff Christian , Kjær Susanne K. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractObjectiveAccording to the recent theories on the ovarian cancer origin, any protective effect of tubal ligation may vary with histologic subtype of ovarian cancer. Furthermore, bilateral salpingectomy may represent an opportunity for surgical prevention of serous ovarian cancer.DesignNationwide register‐based case–control study.SettingDenmark during 1982–2011.PopulationCases were all Danish women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer (n = 13 241) or borderline ovarian tumor (n = 3605) in the study period. Age‐matched female population controls were randomly selected by risk set sampling. We required that cases and controls have no previous cancer and that controls have no previous bilateral oophorectomy.MethodsConditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals, adjusting for potential confounders.Main outcome measuresEpithelial ovarian cancer and borderline ovarian tumors stratified according to histology.ResultsTubal ligation reduced overall epithelial ovarian cancer risk (odds ratios 0.87; 95% confidence interval 0.78–0.98). We observed significant risk variation according to histology (p = 0.003) with the strongest risk reductions associated with endometrioid cancer (odds ratios 0.66; 95% confidence interval 0.47–0.93) and epithelial ovarian cancer of “other” histology (odds ratios 0.60; 95% confidence interval 0.43–0.83). Tubal ligation was not associated with risk of borderline ovarian tumors. Finally, bilateral salpingectomy reduced epithelial ovarian cancer risk by 42% (odds ratios 0.58; 95% confidence interval 0.36–0.95).ConclusionsWe confirmed that tubal ligation reduces the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer and particularly endometrioid cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first observational publication to report on salpingectomy and ovarian cancer risk and our promising findings warrant further investigation.
Long‐term monitoring, permanent plots and the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle
Authors: Ferretti Marco 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThe value of a monitoring programme for the management of ecological resources, and interpretation of the role of environmental drivers, relies on its ability to detect change. Semboli et al. 2014 (Applied Vegetation Science 17: 737–743, this issue) show that the simple act of repeated measuring significantly affects species composition in permanent tropical forest plots, but not species richness, species evenness or tree demography.
Adverse effects of plant food supplements and botanical preparations: a systematic review with critical evaluation of causality
Authors: Di Lorenzo Chiara , Ceschi Alessandro , Kupferschmidt Hugo , Lüde Saskia , De Souza Nascimento Elizabeth , Dos Santos Ariana , Colombo Francesca , Frigerio Gianfranco , Nørby Karin , Plumb Jenny , Finglas Paul , Restani Patrizia 
Published: September 2014

AimsThe objective of this review was to collect available data on the following: (i) adverse effects observed in humans from the intake of plant food supplements or botanical preparations; (ii) the misidentification of poisonous plants; and (iii) interactions between plant food supplements/botanicals and conventional drugs or nutrients.MethodsPubMed/MEDLINE and Embase were searched from database inception to June 2014, using the terms ‘adverse effect/s’, ‘poisoning/s’, ‘plant food supplement/s’, ‘misidentification/s’ and ‘interaction/s’ in combination with the relevant plant name. All papers were critically evaluated according to the World Health Organization Guidelines for causality assessment.ResultsData were obtained for 66 plants that are common ingredients of plant food supplements; of the 492 papers selected, 402 (81.7%) dealt with adverse effects directly associated with the botanical and 89 (18.1%) concerned interactions with conventional drugs. Only one case was associated with misidentification. Adverse effects were reported for 39 of the 66 botanical substances searched. Of the total references, 86.6% were associated with 14 plants, including Glycine max/soybean (19.3%), Glycyrrhiza glabra/liquorice (12.2%), Camellia sinensis/green tea ( 8.7%) and Ginkgo biloba/gingko (8.5%).ConclusionsConsidering the length of time examined and the number of plants included in the review, it is remarkable that: (i) the adverse effects due to botanical ingredients were relatively infrequent, if assessed for causality; and (ii) the number of severe clinical reactions was very limited, but some fatal cases have been described. Data presented in this review were assessed for quality in order to make the results maximally useful for clinicians in identifying or excluding deleterious effects of botanicals.
Two Agendas for Bioethics: Critique and Integration
Authors: Garrett Jeremy R. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractMany bioethicists view the primary task of bioethics as ‘value clarification’. In this article, I argue that the field must embrace two more ambitious agendas that go beyond mere clarification. The first agenda, critique, involves unmasking, interrogating, and challenging the presuppositions that underlie bioethical discourse. These largely unarticulated premises establish the boundaries within which problems can be conceptualized and solutions can be imagined. The function of critique, then, is not merely to clarify these premises but to challenge them and the boundaries they define. The second agenda, integration, involves honoring and unifying what is right in competing values. Integration is the morally ideal response to value conflict, offering the potential for transcending win/lose outcomes. The function of integration, then, is to envision actions or policies that not only resolve conflicts, but that do so by jointly realizing many genuine values in deep and compelling ways.My argument proceeds in stages. After critically examining the role and dominant status of value clarification in bioethical discourse, I describe the nature and value of the two agendas, identify concrete examples of where each has been and could be successful, and explain why a critical integrative bioethics – one that appreciates the joint necessity and symbiotic potential of the two agendas – is crucial to the future of the field. The ultimate goal of all of this is to offer a more compelling vision for how bioethics might conduct itself within the larger intellectual and social world it seeks to understand and serve.
A Bayesian Approach to Estimate the Biomass of Anchovies Off the Coast of Perú
Authors: Quiroz Zaida C. , Prates Marcos O. , Rue Håvard 
Published: September 2014

Summary
The Northern Humboldt Current System (NHCS) is the world's most productive ecosystem in terms of fish. In particular, the Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens) is the major prey of the main top predators, like seabirds, fish, humans, and other mammals. In this context, it is important to understand the dynamics of the anchovy distribution to preserve it as well as to exploit its economic capacities. Using the data collected by the “Instituto del Mar del Perú” (IMARPE) during a scientific survey in 2005, we present a statistical analysis that has as main goals: (i) to adapt to the characteristics of the sampled data, such as spatial dependence, high proportions of zeros and big size of samples; (ii) to provide important insights on the dynamics of the anchovy population; and (iii) to propose a model for estimation and prediction of anchovy biomass in the NHCS offshore from Perú. These data were analyzed in a Bayesian framework using the integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA) method. Further, to select the best model and to study the predictive power of each model, we performed model comparisons and predictive checks, respectively. Finally, we carried out a Bayesian spatial influence diagnostic for the preferred model.
Epidemiology of asthma exacerbations and their relation with environmental factors in theBasqueCountry
Authors: Altzibar J. M. , Tamayo‐Uria I. , De Castro V. , Aginagalde X. , Albizu M. V. , Lertxundi A. , Benito J. , Busca P. , Antepara I. , Landa J. , Mokoroa O. , Dorronsoro M. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryBackgroundAsthma is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease characterised by reversible airflow obstruction and hyperreactivity and inflammation of the airways. Factors that cause and/or trigger asthma attacks include host‐related factors (genetic predisposition, obesity and sex) and environmental factors (allergens, infections, occupational sensitisation, smoking status, pollution and diet).ObjectiveTo describe the epidemiology of asthma exacerbations (AEs) in theBasqueCountry and to explore its relationship with potentially associated environmental variables. We studied a total of 31 579 emergency department(ED)visits and 28 189 hospitalisations due to asthma. We describe the trends, incidence, seasonality and the influence of age and sex, as well as of exposure toNO2,CO,PM,O3, and pollen, temperature, relative humidity and flu status. We calculated the Pearson′sRcorrelation coefficient for the study variables.ResultsThe incidence was 486 and 88.9 cases per 100 000 people forEDvisits and hospitalisations, respectively. Slightly over half (53.5%) of theEDcases were male, while females represented 62.6% of the hospital admissions. Hospitalisations are tending to decrease in children and increase in over 64‐year‐olds. Peaks in cases occur at the beginning of autumn in children and in winter in adults.AEs were correlated positively with exposure toNO2,COand to the influenza virus and negatively with temperature and exposure toO3. These relationships vary, however, with age and season.Conclusions and Clinical RelevanceRates of hospitalisation forAEs and trends in these rates over time are different in adults and children with the patterns varying by sex, season and environmental conditions.
Characterization of anti-P monoclonal antibodies directed against the ribosomal protein–RNA complex antigen and produced using Murphy Roths large autoimmune-prone mice
Authors: Sato H , Onozuka M , Hagiya A , Hoshino S , Narita I , Uchiumi T 
Published: September 2014

SummaryAutoantibodies, including anti-ribosomal P proteins (anti-P), are thought to be produced by an antigen-driven immune response in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To test this hypothesis, we reconstituted the ribosomal antigenic complex in vitro using human P0, phosphorylated P1 and P2 and a 28S rRNA fragment covering the P0 binding site, and immunized Murphy Roths large (MRL)/lrp lupus mice with this complex without any added adjuvant to generate anti-P antibodies. Using hybridoma technology, we subsequently obtained 34 clones, each producing an anti-P monoclonal antibody (mAb) that recognized the conserved C-terminal tail sequence common to all three P proteins. We also obtained two P0-specific monoclonal antibodies, but no antibody specific to P1, P2 or rRNA fragment. Two types of mAbs were found among these anti-P antibodies: one type (e.g. 9D5) reacted more strongly with the phosphorylated P1 and P2 than that with their non-phosphorylated forms, whereas the other type (e.g. 4H11) reacted equally with both phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of P1/P2. Both 9D5 and 4H11 inhibited the ribosome/eukaryotic elongation factor-2 (eEF-2)-coupled guanosine triphosphate (GTP)ase activity. However, preincubation with a synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal sequence common to all three P proteins, but not the peptide that lacked the last three C-terminal amino acids, mostly prevented the mAb-induced inhibition of GTPase activity. Thus, at least two types of anti-P were produced preferentially following the immunization of MRL mice with the reconstituted antigenic complex. Presence of multiple copies of the C-termini, particularly that of the last three C-terminal amino acid residues, in the antigenic complex appears to contribute to the immunogenic stimulus.
Household stress and adolescent behaviours in urban families: the mediating roles of parent mental health and social supports
Authors: Reynolds Andrew D. , Crea Thomas M. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractUsing exploratory data analysis techniques, we propose a model of parent psychosocial well‐being that links financial strains and household stressors to adolescents' pro‐social behaviours and vulnerability through parent mental health and social supports. Parents of urban youth (n= 781) who planned to attend a summer camp for at‐risk youth responded to questions surveying household, parent and child factors related to early adolescent development. We expected that the relationship of household stressors – including financial strain and household difficulties – with adolescent behaviours would be mediated by parent depression and anxiety. We also anticipated that parent social supports would have both direct and indirect effects (via parent mental health) on adolescents' pro‐social behaviours. Study findings are consistent with our hypotheses and the model performed similarly for both adolescent males and females. Implications for practice and policy in the context of programmes for urban youth are discussed.
Foreign Body Reaction to Biomaterials: On Mechanisms for Buildup and Breakdown of Osseointegration
Authors: Trindade Ricardo , Albrektsson Tomas , Tengvall Pentti , Wennerberg Ann 
Published: September 2014

AbstractBackgroundThe last few decades have seen a progressive shift in paradigm, replacing the notion of body implants as inert biomaterials for that of immune‐modulating interactions with the host.PurposeThis text represents an attempt at understanding the current knowledge on the healing mechanisms controlling implant–host interactions, thus interpreting osseointegration and the peri‐implant bone loss phenomena also from an immunological point of view.Materials and MethodsA narrative review approach was taken in the development of this article.ResultsOsseointegration, actually representing a foreign body reaction (FBR) to biomaterials, is an immune‐modulated, multifactorial, and complex healing process where a number of cells and mediators are involved. Thebuildupof osseointegration seems to be an immunologically and inflammatory‐driven process, with the ultimate end to shield off the foreign material placed in the body, triggered by surface protein adsorption, complement activation, and buildup of a fibrin matrix, followed by recruitment of granulocytes, mesenchymal stem cells, and monocytes/macrophages, with the latter largely controlling the longer term response, further fusing into foreign body giant cells (FBGC), while bone cells make and remodel hydroxyl apatite. The above sequence results in theFBRthat we call osseointegration and use for clinical purposes. However, the long‐term clinical function is dependent on a foreign body equilibrium, that if disturbed may lead to impaired clinical function of the implant, through abreakdownprocess where macrophages are again activated and may further fuse intoFBGCs, now seen in much greater numbers, resulting in the start of bone resorption – due to cells such as osteoclasts with different origins and possibly even macrophages degrading more bone than what is formed via osteoblastic activity – and rupture of mucosal seals, through complex mechanisms in need of further understanding. Infection may follow as a secondary event, further complicating the clinical scenario. Implant failure may ensue.ConclusionsDentistry is still to embrace the concept of the biomaterials' healing‐ and immune‐modulating effect when in contact with body tissues. The presented knowledge has the potential to open the door for a different interpretation of past, current, and future observations in dental implant science. From a clinical standpoint, it seems recommendable to react as rapidly as possible when facing peri‐implant bone loss, trying to reestablish a foreign body equilibrium if with some bone resorption.
793. IRIS WALLISIAE
Authors: Hall Tony , Seisums Arnis 
Published: September 2014

SummaryA new juno iris for the Flora of Lebanon and Syria, Iris wallisiae T. Hall & Seisums, is described and illustrated. Recent work on the systematics and phylogeny of Iris subgenus Scorpiris is reviewed. The relationship of I. wallisiae with related species, and particularly with I. persica L., is discussed.