bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The potential of mass spectrometry for the global profiling of parasite metabolomes
Authors: WATSON D. G. 
Published: December 2009

SUMMARYThe strengths and limitations of existing mass spectrometry methods for metabolite detection and identification are discussed. A brief review is made of the methods available for quenching and extraction of cells or organisms prior to instrumental analysis. The techniques available for carrying out mass spectrometry-based profiling of metabolomes are discussed using the analysis of extracts from trypanosomes to illustrate various points regarding methods of separation and mass spectrometric analysis. The advantages of hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) for the analysis of polar metabolites are discussed. The challenges of data processing are outlined and illustrated using the example of ThermoFisher's Sieve software. The existing literature on applications of mass spectrometry to the profiling of parasite metabolomes is reviewed.
Spelling and word recognition in Grades 1 and 2: Relations to phonological awareness and naming speed in Dutch children
Authors: VERHAGEN WIM G. M. , AARNOUTSE COR A. J. , VAN LEEUWE JAN F. J. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTThe influences of early phonological awareness and naming speed on Dutch children's later word spelling were investigated in a longitudinal study. Phonological awareness and naming speed predicted spelling in early Grade 1, later Grade 1, and later Grade 2. Phonological awareness, however, predominated over naming speed for the prediction of early Grade 1 spelling. Comparison of the present results with those from an earlier study of children's word recognition using the same dataset and also structural equation modeling showed word recognition speed at the ends of Grades 1 and 2 in the earlier study to be uniquely predicted by early naming speed. Nonetheless, naming speed may measure almost the same in word recognition and word spelling accuracy.
Young children's sensitivity to new and given information when answering predicate-focus questions
Authors: SALOMO DOROTHÉ , LIEVEN ELENA , TOMASELLO MICHAEL 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTIn two studies we investigated 2-year-old children's answers to predicate-focus questions depending on the preceding context. Children were presented with a successive series of short video clips showing transitive actions (e.g., frog washing duck) in which either the action (action-new) or the patient (patient-new) was the changing, and therefore new, element. During the last scene the experimenter asked the question (e.g., “What's the frog doing now?”). We found that children expressed the action and the patient in the patient-new condition but expressed only the action in the action-new condition. These results show that children are sensitive to both the predicate-focus question and newness in context. A further finding was that children expressed new patients in their answers more often when there was a verbal context prior to the questions than when there was not.
Peanut consumption and cardiovascular risk
Authors: Ghadimi Nouran Mina , Kimiagar Masoud , Abadi Alireza , Mirzazadeh Majid , Harrison Gail 
Published: December 2009

AbstractObjectiveWe evaluated the effects of peanut consumption on lipid profiles, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and CHD risk in hypercholesterolaemic men.DesignRandomised crossover clinical trial.SettingParticipants were randomly assigned to two groups. They were asked to consume peanut supplements (about 77 g) with their habitual diet for 4 weeks.SubjectsFifty-four hypercholesterolaemic men with total cholesterol (TC) concentrations between 200 and 350 mg/dl.ResultsCompared with the habitual diet, peanut supplementation of the habitual diet significantly reduced TC/HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (mean 1 (se 0·3) P = 0·001) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C)/HDL-C ratio (mean 0·7 (se 0·2); P = 0·001). Peanut consumption increased HDL-C (mean 6·1 (se 1·5) mg/dl; P < 0·001) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (mean 1·2 (se 0·6) U/mL P = 0·04). In addition, peanut consumption significantly reduced the AIP (mean 0·1 (se 0·03) P = 0·01) and CHD estimated risk over 10 years based on systolic and diastolic blood pressures (mean 1·4 % (se 0·5 %) P = 0·004 and mean 2·2 % (se 0·5 %) P < 0·001, respectively).ConclusionsShort-term peanut consumption might improve lipid profiles, the AIP and CHD risk in free-living hypercholesterolaemic men.
Kainate receptors and signal integration by NG2 glial cells
Authors: Kukley Maria , Dietrich Dirk 
Published: December 2009

It is well established that NG2 cells throughout the young and adult brain consistently detect the release of single vesicles filled with glutamate from nearby axons. The released neurotransmitter glutamate electrically excites NG2 cells via non-NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartic acid) glutamate receptors but the individual contribution of AMPA and kainate receptors to neuron-NG2 cell signalling, is not well understood. Here we pharmacologically block AMPA-type glutamate receptors and investigate whether hippocampal NG2 cells also express the kainate subtype of glutamate receptors and what may be their contribution to synaptic connectivity. It has been shown previously that vesicular glutamate release does not lead to a detectable activation of kainate receptors on NG2 cells. Here we report that while bath application of 250 nM–1 μM kainate does not have a major effect on NG2 cells it consistently induces a small and persistent depolarising current. This current was not mimicked by ATPA, suggesting that this current is carried by non-GluR5 containing kainate receptors. In addition to this inward current, nanomolar concentrations of kainate also produced a dramatic increase in the frequency of spontaneous GABA-A receptor-mediated synaptic currents (IPSCs) in NG2 cells. This increase in spontaneous IPSC frequency was even more pronounced on application of the GluR5-specific agonist ATPA (approximately 15-fold increase in frequency). In contrast, mono-synaptic stimulated IPSCs recorded in NG2 cells were unaffected by kainate receptor activation. Those and further experiments show that the occurrence of the high frequency of IPSCs is due to action potential firing of hippocampal interneurons caused by activation of GluR5 receptors on the somatodendritic membrane of the interneurons. Our data suggest that hippocampal kainate receptors are not only important for communication between neurons but may also play a dual and subtype-specific role for neuron–glia signalling: Firstly, extra-synaptic non-GluR5 kainate receptors in the membrane of NG2 cells are ideally suited to instruct NG2 cells on the population activity of local excitatory neurons via ambient glutamate. Secondly, based on the known importance of GluR5 receptors on hippocampal interneurons for the generation of network rhythms and based on our finding that these interneurons heavily project onto NG2 cells, it appears that synaptic activation of interneuronal GluR5 receptors triggers signalling to NG2 cells which transmits the phase and frequency of ongoing network oscillations in the developing hippocampus.
The role of glial cells in influencing neurite extension by dorsal root ganglion cells
Authors: Ng Kai-Yu , Wong Yung H. , Wise Helen 
Published: December 2009

When pretreated with pertussis toxin (PTX), the neurites of adult rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells in mixed cell cultures retract over a period of 2 h following the initial stimulus of removal from the cell culture incubator for brief periods of observation. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether this PTX-dependent response was specific to any one of the three subpopulations of DRG neurons. However, no neurite retraction response was observed in neuron-enriched populations of cells, or in cultures enriched in isolectin B4 (IB4)-positive neurons or in IB4-negative neurons. But, the addition of non-neuronal cells, and/or medium conditioned by non-neuronal cells, was sufficient to restore the PTX-dependent neurite retraction response, but only in large diameter IB4-negative neurons. In conclusion, we have identified a regulatory response, mediated by Gi/o-proteins, which prevents retraction of neurites in large diameter IB4-negative cells of adult rat DRG. The non-neuronal cells of adult rat DRG constitutively release factor/s that can stimulate neurite retraction of a subset of isolated DRG neurons, but this property of non-neuronal cells is only observed when the Gi/o-proteins of large diameter IB4-negative cells are inhibited.
Effects of drought on avian community structure
Authors: ALBRIGHT THOMAS P. , PIDGEON ANNA M. , RITTENHOUSE CHADWICK D. , CLAYTON MURRAY K. , FLATHER CURTIS H. , CULBERT PATRICK D. , WARDLOW BRIAN D. , RADELOFF VOLKER C. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractDroughts are expected to become more frequent under global climate change. Avifauna depend on precipitation for hydration, cover, and food. While there are indications that avian communities respond negatively to drought, little is known about the response of birds with differing functional and behavioural traits, what time periods and indicators of drought are most relevant, or how response varies geographically at broad spatial scales. Our goals were thus to determine (1) how avian abundance and species richness are related to drought, (2) whether community variations are more related to vegetation vigour or precipitation deviations and at what time periods relationships were strongest, (3) how response varies among avian guilds, and (4) how response varies among ecoregions with different precipitation regimes. Using mixed effect models and 1989–2005 North American Breeding Bird Survey data over the central United States, we examined the response to 10 precipitation‐ and greenness‐based metrics by abundance and species richness of the avian community overall, and of four behavioural guilds. Drought was associated with the most negative impacts on avifauna in the semiarid Great Plains, while positive responses were observed in montane areas. Our models predict that in the plains, Neotropical migrants respond the most negatively to extreme drought, decreasing by 13.2% and 6.0% in abundance and richness, while permanent resident abundance and richness increase by 11.5% and 3.6%, respectively in montane areas. In most cases, response of abundance was greater than richness and models based on precipitation metrics spanning 32‐week time periods were more supported than those covering shorter time periods and those based on greenness. While drought is but one of myriad environmental variations birds encounter, our results indicate that drought is capable of imposing sizable shifts in abundance, richness, and composition on avian communities, an important implication of a more climatically variable future.
Functional changes in the control of carbon fluxes after 3 years of increased drought in a Mediterranean evergreen forest?
Authors: MISSON LAURENT , ROCHETEAU ALAIN , RAMBAL SERGE , OURCIVAL JEAN‐MARC , LIMOUSIN JEAN‐MARC , RODRIGUEZ RAQUEL 
Published: December 2009

AbstractOur objective was to test how a long‐term increased water limitation affects structural and functional properties of a Mediterranean ecosystem, and how these changes modify the response of the main carbon fluxes to climatic controls. In 2003, a 27% throughfall exclusion experiment was installed in a Quercus ilex L. forest in France. Gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (RECO) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) were estimated in a control and a dry treatment. Decreasing throughfall decreased GPP by 14% and had a smaller effect on RECO (−12%), especially soil respiration RS (−11%). Interannual variability of GPP (29%) was higher than for RECO (12%). Error propagation was used to estimates uncertainties in the NEE fluxes, which ranged from 3% to 10% in the control treatment but up to 167% for NEE in the dry treatment because more steps and data types were involved in the scaling. After 3 years of throughfall exclusion, we found no acclimation of RS to climatic drivers. Functional properties of the response of RS to soil water, temperature and rain pulse remained similar in the control and the dry treatments. A diurnal clockwise hysteresis in RS was probably controlled by canopy photosynthesis with a 3 h lag. The proportion of diurnal variation of respiration due to photosynthesis was similar in all treatments (4–5%). Because of the characteristic of rain in Mediterranean climates, a continuous decrease of water input in these environments have an effect on topsoil water and consequently on RS only during short periods when rainfall is characterized by infrequent and small events that does not allow the topsoil to reach field capacity and does not allow to dry completely. However, in the longer term, we expect a stronger decrease in RS in the dry treatment driven by the decrease in GPP.
Proliferation and apoptotic rates and increased frequency of p63‐positive cells in the prostate acinar epithelium of alloxan‐induced diabetic rats
Authors: Arcolino Fanny Oliveira , Ribeiro Daniele Lisboa , Gobbo Marina Guimarães , Taboga Sebastião Roberto , Góes Rejane Maira 
Published: December 2009

SummaryThe effects of experimental type 1 diabetes were investigated in the acinar epithelium of rat ventral prostate, focusing on the rates of cell proliferation and the frequency of apoptosis and p63‐positive cells. Type 1 diabetes was induced in adult male Wistar rats by a single alloxan administration (42 mg/kg b.w.) and its effects were analysed for 1 week and 3 months after the establishment of the disease. A group of diabetic rats was treated daily with 5 IU of insulin during 1 week after diabetes had been diagnosed. Immunocytochemical methods for the localization of cell proliferation antigen (PCNA), androgen receptor (AR) and p63 protein were carried out, and apoptotic cells were identified by TUNEL essay. In diabetic rats, testosterone levels reduced drastically after 1 week and in a lower degree after 3 months. In short‐term diabetic rats, cell proliferation decreased, and in medium‐term, epithelial apoptotic rates increased. In both periods after the onset of diabetes, the frequency of p63‐positive cells doubled. Insulin treatment was effective in preventing testosterone decrease, p63‐positive cell increase and apoptotic rates, but did not interfere in cell proliferation. This investigation shows that, soon after diabetes onset, there are important modifications in cell proliferation within the acinar prostatic epithelium, and in longer term, there is a marked impact on kinetics of differentiation and cell death, which may initially be attributable to an androgenic fall, but is probably also because of other factors related to diabetes, as changes are considerably different from those resulting from castration.
Quality of life after surgery for rectal cancer with special reference to pelvic floor dysfunction
Authors: Varpe P. , Huhtinen H. , Rantala A. , Salminen P. , Rautava P. , Hurme S. , Grönroos J. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAim  Conventional outcomes such as survival, tumour recurrence and complication rates after surgery for rectal cancer have been rigorously assessed, but the importance of maintaining quality of life (QOL) after surgery for rectal cancer has received less attention. The aim of the current study was to analyse QOL and the occurrence of pelvic dysfunction after the surgical treatment of rectal cancer.Method  Between May 2005 and May 2008, 150 patients with rectal cancer underwent abdominoperineal resection (APR) or anterior resection (AR). Seventy‐four answered two preoperative questionnaires. At a follow up of 1 year, 65 were alive without sign of recurrence and answered the same questionnaires: (a) validated RAND 36‐item health survey QOL questionnaire; and (b) self‐administered disease‐related questionnaire with special reference to anorectal and urogenital function.Results  The postoperative general QOL was similar after surgery, and mental functioning was better (P < 0.001). Problems with physical functions were associated with anal dysfunction after AR (P < 0.001) and problems with social functioning were associated with urinary dysfunction (P = 0.038). At 1 year after surgery, urinary incontinence was worse (P = 0.026) after all operations, and the incidence of dysuria was higher after APR than AR (P = 0.001). Male sexual function also worsened (P = 0.060). Anorectal dysfunction caused more inconvenience among patients who underwent AR (P = 0.028). Preoperative radiation was associated with postoperative ejaculation problems (P = 0.028) and anal incontinence (P = 0.012).Conclusion  Factors affecting QOL and pelvic floor function should be taken into account when making treatment decisions in rectal cancer.
An open study of maintenance antibiotic therapy for chronic antibiotic‐dependent pouchitis: efficacy, complications and outcome
Authors: McLaughlin S. D. , Clark S. K. , Tekkis P. P. , Ciclitira P. J. , Nicholls R. J. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAim  About 5% of restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) patients develop chronic antibiotic‐dependent pouchitis. These require antibiotic maintenance therapy. We report our experience in managing this patient group.Method  Patients with RPC that was treated with antibiotic maintenance therapy were identified from the hospital pouch database. Data including faecal antibiotic sensitivity, functional outcome, side effects and Cleveland Global Quality of Life (CGQOL) score were recorded.Results  Twenty‐five patients were identified. The median length of treatment was 15.8 (range 3–62) months. Ten (40%) patients had pouchitis with co‐existing prepouch ileitis. The median frequency of defecation was 7 (range 4–11)/24 h, the median clinical Pouch Disease Activity Index (PDAI) was 0 (range 0–1) and the CQGOL score was 0.7 (range 0.5–1.0). Of those who relapsed, three (50%) patients had achieved mucosal healing following the induction of remission. Failure of mucosal healing did not predict a reduced time to relapse (P = 0.18). Prepouch ileitis was associated with an increased risk of developing antibiotic resistance (P = 0.023). Treatment of this with alternating antibiotic combination therapy was successful in all cases.Conclusion  Antibiotic maintenance therapy appears safe, well‐tolerated and effective for the treatment of chronic antibiotic‐dependent pouchitis. It results in an improved quality of life and function. Prepouch ileitis, but not failure of mucosal healing, is associated with an increased risk of developing antibiotic resistance.
The National Bowel Cancer Audit: the risks and benefits of moving to open reporting of clinical outcomes
Authors: Thompson M. R. , Tekkis P. P. , Stamatakis J. , Smith J. J. , Wood L. F. , Von Hildebrand M. , Poloniecki J. D. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractBackground  The government’s proposals to openly report clinical outcomes poses challenges to the National Bowel Cancer Audit now funded by the UK department of health.Aim  To identify the benefits and risks of open reporting and to propose ways the risks might be minimized.Methods  A review of the literature on clinical audit and the consequences of open reporting.Results  There are significant potential benefits of a national audit of bowel cancer including protecting patients from sub‐standard care, providing clinicians with externally validated evidence of their performance, outcome data for clinical governance and evidence that increases in government expenditure are achieving improvements in survival from bowel cancer. These benefits will only be achieved if the audit captures most of the cases of bowel cancer in the UK, the data collected is complete and accurate, the results are risk adjusted and these are presented to the public in a way that is fair, clear and understandable. Involvement of clinicians who have confidence in the results of the audit and who actively compare their own results against a national standard is essential. It is suggested that a staged move to open reporting should minimise the risk of falsely identifying an outlying unit.Conclusion  The fundamental aim of the National Bowel Cancer Audit is the pursuit of excellence by identification and adoption of best practice. This could achieve a continuous improvement in the care of all patients with bowel cancer in the UK. The ACPGBI suggests a safer way of transition to open reporting to avoid at least some of its pitfalls.
Interaction between synchronous bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy in female patients with locally advanced colorectal cancer
Authors: Cai G. X. , Xu Y. , Tang D. F. , Lian P. , Peng J. J. , Wang M. H. , Guan Z. Q. , Cai S. J. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAim  In this study we explored the prognostic impact of synchronous bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy in female patients with primary colorectal cancer undergoing radical surgery.Method  From 1991 to 2000, 267 female patients with stage II or stage III colorectal cancer, who had undergone curative resection, were retrospectively reviewed. In 224 patients, the ovaries were preserved. The other 43 patients underwent synchronous bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy. Univariate and multivariate analyses (Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression, respectively) were used to evaluate the effect of prophylactic oophorectomy and other clinical factors on the prognosis of patients.Results  Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that tumor stage and adjuvant chemotherapy were the only two significant clinical factors that affected the 5‐year overall survival of patients (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the 5‐year overall survival between patients who had, or had not, undergone prophylactic oophorectomy (75%vs 73%, P > 0.05). In the subgroup analysis by adjuvant chemotherapy, the 5‐year overall survival in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy was similar between nonoophorectomy and oophorectomy groups. However, in patients without adjuvant chemotherapy, the oophorectomy group was shown to have a significantly better 5‐year overall survival than the nonoophorectomy group (76%vs 51%, P = 0.047).Conclusion  Prophylactic oophorectomy may improve the overall survival of female patients with locally advanced colorectal cancer without adjuvant chemotherapy, but its survival benefit vanished in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. The role of prophylactic oophorectomy may be substituted by adjuvant chemotherapy, which makes prophylactic oophorectomy unnecessary during surgery for locally advanced colorectal cancer.
How Does Cross‐Border Activity Affect EU Banking Markets?
Authors: Lozano‐Vivas Ana , Weill Laurent 
Published: December 2009

AbstractCross‐border activity in the EU is widely viewed as a necessary condition for the implementation of a single banking market and therefore as a positive factor for the enhancement of competition and cost performance in the region. In this paper, we analyse the relevance of this view by investigating whether cross‐border activity really promotes competition and cost efficiency in EU banking markets. We also consider the potential role of a bank's mode of entry by comparing existing domestic banks that foreign banks take over (mergers and acquisitions) with new branches created by foreign banks, often through subsidiaries (greenfield operations). We consider the impact of cross‐border banks on cost efficiency (measured by the stochastic frontier approach), profitability (assessed through return on assets) and competition (measured by the Lerner index). We find that greenfield banks enhance cost efficiency and competition, while mergers and acquisitions hamper competition and cost efficiency. Therefore, our results suggest that EU authorities should promote only greenfield banks rather than all cross‐border entries.