bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Safety evaluation of vitamin A in growing dogs
Authors: Morris Penelope J. , Salt Carina , Raila Jens , Brenten Thomas , Kohn Barbara , Schweigert Florian J. , Zentek Jürgen 
Published: February 2012

The safe upper limit for inclusion of vitamin A in complete diets for growing dogs is uncertain, with the result that current recommendations range from 5.24 to 104.80 μmol retinol (5000 to 100 000 IU vitamin A)/4184 kJ (1000 kcal) metabolisable energy (ME). The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of feeding four concentrations of vitamin A to puppies from weaning until 1 year of age. A total of forty-nine puppies, of two breeds, Labrador Retriever and Miniature Schnauzer, were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. Following weaning at 8 weeks of age, puppies were fed a complete food supplemented with retinyl acetate diluted in vegetable oil and fed at 1 ml oil/100 g diet to achieve an intake of 5·24, 13·10, 78·60 and 104·80 μmol retinol (5000, 12 500, 75 000 and 100 000 IU vitamin A)/4184 kJ (1000 kcal) ME. Fasted blood and urine samples were collected at 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 26, 36 and 52 weeks of age and analysed for markers of vitamin A metabolism and markers of safety including haematological and biochemical variables, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, cross-linked carboxyterminal telopeptides of type I collagen and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Clinical examinations were conducted every 4 weeks. Data were analysed by means of a mixed model analysis with Bonferroni corrections for multiple endpoints. There was no effect of vitamin A concentration on any of the parameters, with the exception of total serum retinyl esters, and no effect of dose on the number, type and duration of adverse events. We therefore propose that 104·80 μmol retinol (100 000 IU vitamin A)/4184 kJ (1000 kcal) is a suitable safe upper limit for use in the formulation of diets designed for puppy growth.
An analysis of the implications of a change to the seasonal milk supply profile in the Irish dairy industry utilizing a seasonal processing sector model
Authors: GEARY U. , LOPEZ-VILLALOBOS N. , GARRICK D. J. , SHALLOO L. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYA seasonal processing sector model was developed to simulate dairy product manufacture in Ireland. Outputs include the quantity of product manufactured, net returns and component values of milk (protein and fat) per month of year. Two milk supply profiles representative of mean calving dates of mid-February and mid-March were evaluated across three milk processing plants with differing capacities for cheese and casein. The analysis was carried out based on average Dutch National quotations over the period 2008–10. The mid-February mean calving date resulted in a lower peak supply with proportionately more milk produced in the months of January–March and October–December, which resulted in higher net returns across the three capacities analysed. Increasing the cheese and casein processing capacity resulted in higher net returns being generated.
Economic and agronomic impact of commercialized GM crops: a meta-analysis
Authors: AREAL F. J. , RIESGO L. , RODRÍGUEZ-CEREZO E. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThe present paper presents a meta-analysis of the economic and agronomic performance of genetically modified (GM) crops worldwide. Bayesian, classical and non-parametric approaches were used to evaluate the performance of GM cropsv.their conventional counterparts. The two main GM crop traits (herbicide tolerant (HT) and insect resistant (Bt)) and three of the main GM crops produced worldwide (Bt cotton, HT soybean and Bt maize) were analysed in terms of yield, production cost and gross margin. The scope of the analysis covers developing and developed countries, six world regions, and all countries combined. Results from the statistical analyses indicate that GM crops perform better than their conventional counterparts in agronomic and economic (gross margin) terms. Regarding countries’ level of development, GM crops tend to perform better in developing countries than in developed countries, with Bt cotton being the most profitable crop grown.
A hierarchy of reverse bisimulations on stable configuration structures
Authors: PHILLIPS IAIN , ULIDOWSKI IREK 
Published: February 2012

Van Glabbeek and Goltz (and later Fecher) have investigated the relationships between various equivalences on stable configuration structures, including interleaving bisimulation (IB), step bisimulation (SB), pomset bisimulation and hereditary history-preserving (H-H) bisimulation. Since H-H bisimulation may be characterised by the use of reverse as well as forward transitions, it is of interest to investigate these and other forms of bisimulations where both forward and reverse transitions are allowed. Bednarczyk asked whether SB with reverse steps is as strong as H-H bisimulation. We answer this question negatively. We give various characterisations of SB with reverse steps, showing that forward steps do not add power. We strengthen Bednarczyk's result that, in the absence of auto-concurrency, reverse IB is as strong as H-H bisimulation, by showing that we need only exclude auto-concurrent events at the same depth in the configuration.We consider several other forms of observations of reversible behaviour and define a wide range of bisimulations by mixing the forward and reverse observations. We investigate the power of these bisimulations and represent the relationships between them as a hierarchy with IB at the bottom and H-H at the top.
Relationship between breast-feeding and adiposity in infants and pre-school children
Authors: Gopinath Bamini , Subramanian Indhu , Flood Victoria M , Baur Louise A , Pfund Natalie , Burlutsky George , Mitchell Paul 
Published: February 2012

AbstractObjectivesWe aimed to establish associations of duration of breast-feeding with mean BMI and waist circumference, as well as the likelihood of being overweight/obese, during early childhood.DesignCross-sectional, population-based study. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured and BMI calculated. Interviewer-administered questionnaire determined whether the child was ever breast-fed and the duration of breast-feeding.SettingSydney, Australia.SubjectsInfants and pre-school children (n 2092) aged 1–6 years were examined in the Sydney Paediatric Eye Disease Study during 2007–2009.ResultsOf the children aged 1–6 years, 1270 had been breast-fed compared with 822 who were never breast-fed. After multivariable adjustment, 1–6-year-old children who were ever breast-fed compared with those who were not had significantly lower BMI, 16·7 (se 0·1) kg/m2v. 17·1 (se 0·2) kg/m2 (P = 0·01). Decreasing BMI was associated with increasing duration of breast-feeding (Ptrend = 0·002). After multivariable adjustment, each month increase in breast-feeding was associated with an average BMI decrease of 0·04 kg/m2 (P = 0·002) and 0·03 kg/m2 (P = 0·03) among children aged 1–2 years and 3–4 years, respectively. In 1–2-year-old children, each month increase in breast-feeding duration was associated with a 0·06 cm decrease in waist circumference (P = 0·04). Significant associations were not observed among 5–6-year-old children. Children who were ever breast-fed v. those never breast-fed were less likely to be overweight/obese (multivariable-adjusted OR = 0·54; 95 % CI 0·36, 0·83).ConclusionsWe demonstrated a modest influence of breast-feeding on children's BMI during early childhood, particularly among those aged less than 5 years.
Trends of BMI and prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portugal (1995–2005): a systematic review
Authors: Carreira Helena , Pereira Marta , Azevedo Ana , Lunet Nuno 
Published: February 2012

AbstractObjectiveLocale-specific data on BMI and overweight/obesity are necessary to understand how the obesity epidemic is evolving in each setting. We aimed to describe the temporal trends of mean BMI and prevalences of overweight/obesity in studies that evaluated Portuguese adults and older people.DesignSystematic review, conducted via a PubMed search up to January 2011 and independent reference screening and data extraction. Twenty-one eligible studies were identified. Data were extracted from the published reports and obtained from the authors of seven of the largest studies. Adjusted ecological estimates of mean BMI and prevalences of overweight/obesity were computed by linear regression.ResultsBetween 1995 and 2005, when using data obtained from anthropometric measurements, overweight prevalence increased by 3·2 % and 3·5 % and obesity prevalence by 7·4 % and 1·3 % among women and men, respectively, while mean BMI did not vary meaningfully. When using self-reported information, mean BMI increased by 0·8 kg/m2and 0·9 kg/m2, overweight prevalence by 3·5 % and 3·7 % and obesity prevalence by 5·8 % and 5·5 % among women and men, respectively. Results from the 20-year-old conscripts (1960–2000) showed a marked increase in these outcomes in the last decades.ConclusionsOur results show an important increase in overweight/obesity in younger ages. The trends in the indicators derived from self-reported data suggest an increase in awareness of the importance of overweight/obesity among the population.
Thermal degradation of organic material by portable laser Raman spectrometry
Authors: Som Sanjoy M. , Foing Bernard H. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractRaman spectrometry has been established as an instrument of choice for studying the structure and bond type of known molecules, and identifying the composition of unknown substances, whether geological or biological. This versatility has led to its strong consideration for planetary exploration. In the context of the ExoGeoLab and ExoHab pilot projects of ESA-ESTEC & ILEWG (International Lunar Exploration Working Group), we investigated samples of astrobiological interest using a portable Raman spectrometer lasing at 785 nm and discuss implications for planetary exploration. We find that biological samples are typically best observed at wavenumbers >1100 cm−1, but their Raman signals are often affected by fluorescence effects, which lowers their signal-to-noise ratio. Raman signals of minerals are typically found at wavenumbers <1100 cm−1, and tend to be less affected by fluorescence. While higher power and/or longer signal integration time improve Raman signals, such power settings are detrimental to biological samples due to sample thermal degradation. Care must be taken in selecting the laser wavelength, power level and integration time for unknown samples, particularly if Raman signatures of biological components are anticipated. We include in the Appendices tables of Raman signatures for astrobiologically relevant organic compounds and minerals.
Water reservoir maintained by cell growth fuels the spreading of a bacterial swarm
Authors: Wu Yilin , Berg Howard C. 
Published: February 2012

Flagellated bacteria can swim across moist surfaces within a thin layer of fluid, a means for surface colonization known as swarming. This fluid spreads with the swarm, but how it does so is unclear. We used micron-sized air bubbles to study the motion of this fluid within swarms of
Escherichia coli
. The bubbles moved diffusively, with drift. Bubbles starting at the swarm edge drifted inward for the first 5 s and then moved outward. Bubbles starting 30 μm from the swarm edge moved inward for the first 20 s, wandered around in place for the next 40 s, and then moved outward. Bubbles starting at 200 or 300 μm from the edge moved outward or wandered around in place, respectively. So the general trend was inward near the outer edge of the swarm and outward farther inside, with flows converging on a region about 100 μm from the swarm edge. We measured cellular metabolic activities with cells expressing a short-lived GFP and cell densities with cells labeled with a membrane fluorescent dye. The fluorescence plots were similar, with peaks about 80 μm from the swarm edge and slopes that mimicked the particle drift rates. These plots suggest that net fluid flow is driven by cell growth. Fluid depth is largest in the multilayered region between approximately 30 and 200 μm from the swarm edge, where fluid agitation is more vigorous. This water reservoir travels with the swarm, fueling its spreading. Intercellular communication is not required; cells need only grow.
Do larger pictorial health warnings diminish the need for plain packaging of cigarettes?
Authors: Wakefield Melanie , Germain Daniella , Durkin Sarah , Hammond David , Goldberg Marvin , Borland Ron 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTAims  To assess the effects on brand appeal of plain packaging and size of pictorial health warnings (PHWs).Design  Three (30%, 70% and 100% size front‐of‐pack PHWs) by two (branded versus plain) between‐subjects online experiment.Setting  Australia.Participants  A total of 1203 adult smokers.Measurements  Rating of cigarette brands, smoking attitudes and intentions, purchase intent.Findings  Compared to branded packs, plain packs reduced smokers' ratings of ‘positive pack characteristics’ (P < 0.001), ‘positive smoker characteristics’ (P < 0.001) and ‘positive taste characteristics’ (P = 0.039). Plain packs were rated as being smoked by people who were more ‘boring’ than those who smoked branded packs (P = 0.001). By contrast, increasing size of PHW above 30% only reduced ratings of ‘positive pack characteristics’ (P = 0.001), but also decreased ratings of smokers as being ‘boring’ (P = 0.027). Plainness and size of PHW interacted in predicting ratings of ‘positive pack characteristics’ (P = 0.008), so that when packs were plain, increasing the size of PHW above 30% did not further reduce ratings. Presentation of only plain packs increased the likelihood that smokers would not choose to purchase any pack (20.3%) compared to presentation of only branded packs (15.3%) (odds ratio = 1.4; P = 0.026), while size of PHWs had no influence upon purchase choice.Conclusions  Plain packaging probably plays a superior role in undermining brand appeal and purchase intent to increasing health warning size. Policymakers should not rely solely upon large health warnings, which are designed primarily to inform consumers about smoking harms, to also reduce brand appeal: both strategies are likely to be required.
Evaluation of a drop‐in rolling‐group model of support to stop smoking
Authors: Bauld Linda , Ferguson Janet , McEwen Andy , Hiscock Rosemary 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTAims  To assess longer‐term outcomes of a drop‐in rolling‐group model of behavioural support for smoking cessation and the factors that influence cessation outcomes.Design  Prospective observational cohort study.Setting  Fag Ends NHS Stop Smoking Service in Liverpool and Knowsley, UK.Participants  A total of 2585 clients, aged 16 or over, setting a quit date.Measurements  Routine monitoring data were collected from Fag Ends service users and were supplemented by survey data on socio‐economic circumstances, smoking‐related behaviour and self‐report and carbon monoxide (CO)‐validated smoking status at 52‐week follow‐up.Findings  The CO‐validated prolonged abstinence rate at 52 weeks for smokers attending the groups was 5.6%, compared with 30.7% at 4 weeks (a relapse rate of 78.2%). The sample was particularly disadvantaged: 68% resided in the most deprived decile of the English Index of Multiple Deprivation. Higher socio‐economic status within the sample was a predictor of quitting. Other predictors of long‐term cessation in multivariate analysis included older age, being female, lower levels of nicotine dependence, having a live‐in partner, stronger determination to quit and use of varenicline versus other medication.Conclusions  A wholly state‐reimbursed clinical stop‐smoking service providing behavioural support and medication in a region of high economic and social disadvantage has reached a significant proportion of the smoking population. Long‐term success rates are lower than are found typically in clinical trials, but higher than would be expected if the smokers were to try and quit unaided. Research is needed into how to improve on the success rates achieved.
Randomised clinical trial: high‐dose vs. standard‐dose proton pump inhibitors for the prevention of recurrent haemorrhage after combined endoscopic haemostasis of bleeding peptic ulcers
Authors: Chen C.‐C. , Lee J.‐Y. , Fang Y.‐J. , Hsu S.‐J. , Han M.‐l. , Tseng P.‐H. , Liou J.‐M. , Hu F.‐C. , Lin T.‐l. , Wu M.‐S. , Wang H.‐P. , Lin J.‐T. 
Published: February 2012

SummaryBackgroundThe optimal dosage of intravenous proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for the prevention of peptic ulcer rebleeding remains unclear.AimTo compare the rebleeding rate of high‐dose and standard‐dose PPI use after endoscopic haemostasis.MethodsA total of 201 patients with bleeding ulcers undergoing endoscopic treatment with epinephrine injection and heater probe thermocoagulation were randomised to receive a high‐dose regimen (80 mg bolus, followed by pantoprazole 8 mg/h infusion, n = 100) or a standard‐dose regimen (pantoprazole 40 mg bolus daily, n = 101). After 72 h, all patients were given 40 mg pantoprazole daily orally for 27 days.ResultsThere were no statistical differences in mean units of blood transfused, length of hospitalisation ≦5 days, surgical or radiological interventions and mortality within 30 days between two groups. Bleeding recurred within 30 days in six patients [6.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–11.1%] in the high‐dose group, as compared to five patients (5.2%, 95% CI 0.6–9.7%) in the standard‐dose group (P = 0.77). The stepwise Cox regression analysis showed end‐stage renal disease, haematemesis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (hazard ratio: 37.15, 10.07, 9.12, 95% CI: 6.76–204.14, 2.07–49.01, 1.66–50.00 respectively) were independent risk factors for rebleeding and Helicobacter pylori infection was associated with lower risk of rebleeding (hazard ratio: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.04–0.94).ConclusionsFollowing combined endoscopic haemostasis of bleeding ulcers, co‐morbidities, haematemesis and H. pylori Status, but not PPI dosage, are associated with rebleeding (http://www.Clinical Trials.gov.ID: NCT00709046).
Infant health effects of a nurse–community health worker home visitation programme: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Meghea C. I. , Li B. , Zhu Q. , Raffo J. E. , Lindsay J. K. , Moore J. S. , Roman L. A. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackground  Home visiting is supported as a way to improve child health and development. Home visiting has been usually provided by nurses or community health workers (CHWs). Few studies compared the child health advantages of a nurse–CHW team approach over nurse prenatal and postnatal home visiting.Methods  A randomized trial was conducted with Medicaid‐insured pregnant women in Kent County, Michigan. Pregnant women were assigned to a team intervention including nurse–CHW home visitation, or standard community care (CC) including nurse home visitation. Morbidity was assessed in 530 infants over their first 12 months of life from medical claims and reported by the mother.Results  There were no differences in overall child health between the nurse–CHW intervention and the CC arm over the first year of life. There were fewer mother‐reported asthma/wheezing/croup diagnostics in the team intervention group among infants whose mothers have low psychosocial resources (13% vs. 27%, P = 0.01; adjusted OR = 0.4, P = 0.01). There were no differences in diagnosed asthma/wheezing/croup documented by medical claims. There were no differences in immunizations, hospitalizations and ear infections.Conclusions  There was no strong evidence that infant health was improved by the addition of CHWs to a programme of CC that included nurse home visitation. Targeting such interventions at common health problems of infancy and childhood or at diagnosed chronic conditions may prove more successful.
Measurement of family‐centred care: translation, adaptation and validation of the Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC‐56 and ‐20) for use in Japan
Authors: Himuro N. , Kozuka N. , Mori M. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackground The Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC) that was developed in Canada is a widely used quantitative measure of parents' perceptions of the extent to which family‐centred care is conducted. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the MPOC.Methods The translation of the MPOC was performed according to international standards for translation of questionnaires. The Canadian validation procedures were followed, consisting of concurrent validity, construct validity and test–retest reliability. The Japanese version of the MPOC was completed by 261 families with children receiving rehabilitation services.Results The Japanese version of the MPOC showed adequate internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha, varying between 0.76 and 0.94. The construct validity was examined with confirmative analysis of each scale structure. Correlations between the MPOC scale scores and satisfaction questions scores were positive, and that to a question about parents' stress was negative. For test–retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficients were between 0.76 and 0.89.Conclusions The Japanese version of the MPOC has good psychometric properties and can be recommended for evaluation of the processes of child rehabilitation in Japan.
Temozolomide in the management of dopamine agonist–resistant prolactinomas
Authors: Whitelaw B. C. , Dworakowska D. , Thomas N. W. , Barazi S. , Riordan‐Eva P. , King A. P. , Hampton T. , Landau D. B. , Lipscomb D. , Buchanan C. R. , Gilbert J. A. , Aylwin S. J. B. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackgroundThe majority of prolactinomas respond to dopamine agonist therapy, but a proportion are resistant, requiring other treatments including surgery and/or radiotherapy. Temozolomide is an oral chemotherapy agent, which has been used as a salvage therapy to treat aggressive pituitary adenomas and carcinomas, including prolactinomas, unresponsive to all conventional treatment.Case SeriesWe report three patients where temozolomide was used in the treatment of refractory prolactinomas. Case 1 describes a patient with a highly invasive prolactinoma, resistant to all conventional therapy, which responded dramatically to temozolomide used as a salvage treatment. In case 2, temozolomide was used after incomplete surgical resection to relieve chiasmal compression and avoid chiasm exposure to radiotherapy. In case 3, temozolomide enabled radiotherapy to be deferred in a 16‐year old with a resistant prolactinoma. In all three cases, the tumours were negative by immunostaining for methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT).Literature Review and DiscussionA review of the published literature reveals 51 reported cases of temozolomide treatment for pituitary tumours, including 20 prolactinomas. Fifteen of the 20 prolactinomas showed a good response to temozolomide. Our analysis demonstrates a strong association between MGMT‐negative staining and a good response to temozolomide (OR 9·35, P = 0·0030). Current clinical practice is to use temozolomide as a salvage therapy after all conventional modalities of treatment have failed. We suggest that, in selected cases, consideration should be given to using temozolomide earlier in the treatment algorithm.