bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of rectal distension on gallbladder emptying and circulating gut hormones
Authors: Van Hoek F. , Mollen R. M. H. G. , Hopman W. P. M. , Kuijpers H. H. C. , Jansen J. B. M. 
Published: August 2009

Abnormalities of upper gut motility, including a delay of gastric emptying and small bowel transit, found in patients with constipation may be secondary to factors originating in the colon or rectum as a result of faecal stasis. The aim was to determine if stimulation of mechanosensory function by rectal distension affects postprandial gallbladder emptying and release of gastrointestinal peptides participating in control of upper gut motility.Eight healthy volunteers were studied with an electronic barostat and a plastic bag positioned in the rectum. Intrabag pressure was maintained at minimal distension pressure + 2 mmHg on one occasion and on a pressure that induced a sensation of urge on the other. Gallbladder volume and plasma concentrations of cholecystokinin (CCK), pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and peptide YY (PYY) were measured before and after ingestion of a 450‐kcal mixed liquid meal.Rectal distension enhanced maximum gallbladder emptying from 66 ± 7% to 78 ± 5% (P < 0·05). Distension tended to increase integrated plasma PYY from 77 ± 30 pM min to 128 ± 40 pM min in the first hour after the meal (P = 0·08) and it suppressed integrated plasma PP from 1133 ± 248 pM min to 269 ± 284 pM min in the second hour (P < 0·05). Integrated plasma CCK concentrations were not significantly affected.Mechanosensory stimulation of the rectum enhances postprandial gallbladder emptying and influences postprandial release of gut hormones involved in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility in healthy subjects. These mechanisms may play a role in the pathogenesis of the upper gastrointestinal motor abnormalities observed in constipated patients.
Chronology of the transition from a spreading ridge to an accretional seamount in the Marsili backarc basin (Tyrrhenian Sea)
Authors: Cocchi L. , Caratori Tontini F. , Muccini F. , Marani M. P. , Bortoluzzi G. , Carmisciano C. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractInversion of new high‐resolution magnetic data from the Marsili seamount and the surrounding basin in the Tyrrhenian Sea reveals NNE–SSW magnetization stripes ranging from the Matuyama chron to the Brunhes chron, including the short positive Jaramillo subchron. The detailed magnetic chronology shows that from the late Matuyama (1.77 Ma), the average half spreading rate was about 1.5 cm yr−1, with a slight decrease between the Jaramillo and the Brunhes events, when the growth of the volcanic edifice overcame lateral spreading. Analysis of spreading rate and volume of erupted lava indicates that at the beginning of the Jaramillo subchron (1.07 Ma), the Marsili basin evolved from pure horizontal spreading to a superinflated seamount as a consequence of tearing of the Ionian slab. Our data give us a snapshot of the geodynamic transition from an active backarc spreading phase to the vertical accretion of the seafloor because of a radical change in the subduction dynamics.
Childhood Asthma Control Test and airway inflammation evaluation in asthmatic children
Authors: Piacentini G. L. , Peroni D. G. , Bodini A. , Bonafiglia E. , Rigotti E. , Baraldi E. , Liu A. H. , Boner A. L. 
Published: August 2009

Background:  The Childhood Asthma Control Test (C‐ACT) has been proposed as a tool in assessing the level of disease control in asthmatic children. To evaluate the position of C‐ACT in the clinical management of asthmatic children, in relationship to the level of airway inflammation as assessed by fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and with lung function.Methods:  A total of 200 asthmatic children were included in the study: 47 children with newly diagnosed asthma (‘New’) and without any regular controller therapy; and 153 children with previously diagnosed asthma, treated according to GINA guidelines, and evaluated during a scheduled follow‐up visit (‘Follow‐up’). Childhood Asthma Control Test, FeNO and lung function [forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC)] were evaluated.Results:  In New vs Follow‐up participants, C‐ACT score (P < 0.001), FVC (P < 0.005) and FEV1 (P < 0.05) were significantly lower, and FeNO (P = 0.011) were significantly higher. In New, but not in Follow‐up participants, significant correlations were observed between C‐ACT score and FeNO (r = −0.51; P < 0.001), FEV1 (r = 0.34; P = 0.022) and FEV1/FVC (r = 0.32; P = 0.03). This lack of correlation in Follow‐up visits seemed attributable to dissociation between inadequately controlled asthma by C‐ACT ratings with normalization of other measures such as FeNO levels.Conclusions:  This study confirms and expands the concept that C‐ACT is complementary to, but not a substitute for, other markers of disease control in asthmatic children, especially in the context of follow‐up visits.
Association of high IFN‐γ plasma levels with low B‐cell counts in renal transplant recipients with stable long‐term graft function
Authors: Daniel Volker , Naujokat Cord , Sadeghi Mahmoud , Renner Fabrice Christoph , Weimer Rolf , Opelz Gerhard 
Published: August 2009

Daniel V, Naujokat C, Sadeghi M, Renner FC, Weimer R, Opelz G. Association of high IFN‐γ plasma levels with low B‐cell counts in renal transplant recipients with stable long‐term graft function. Clin Transplant 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2009.01067.x © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  Recently, we reported that patients with long‐term stable good graft function had higher interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) and lower IL‐4 plasma levels late as compared with early post‐transplant. These patients had more often detectable CD3+CD4+CD25+IFN‐γ+Foxp3+ peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) late post‐transplant than patients with impaired graft function. We therefore speculated that high plasma IFN‐γ late post‐transplant might contribute to the maintenance of graft acceptance. Using ELISA and four‐color flow cytometry, plasma cytokines and PBL subpopulations were measured in 65 renal transplant recipients with stable graft function late post‐transplant. High IFN‐γ plasma levels were associated with low CD19+ B PBL (r = −0.329; p = 0.009) and low activated CD3+CD8+DR+ T PBL (r = −0.266; p = 0.035). Plasma IFN‐γ increased with time post‐transplant (r = 0.288; p = 0.022) and was not associated with the dose of immunosuppressive drugs (p = n.s.). High plasma IFN‐γ was not associated with serum creatinine (r = 0.038; p = 0.765). Five patients showed evidence of chronic allograft nephropathy in previous biopsies and none of them exhibited increased plasma IFN‐γ. In patients with good long‐term graft function, high IFN‐γ plasma levels were associated with low numbers of B PBL and activated CD8+ T PBL. High IFN‐γ plasma levels might prevent the development of an immunological alloresponse and thereby contribute to the maintenance of graft acceptance.
What is the best biomarker for diagnosis of rejection in heart transplantation?
Authors: Martínez‐Dolz L. , Almenar L. , Reganon E. , Vila V. , Sánchez‐Soriano R. , Martínez‐Sales V. , Moro J. , Agüero J. , Sánchez‐Lázaro I. , Salvador A. 
Published: August 2009

Abstract: Introduction:  Acute cellular rejection is a major cause of graft loss in heart transplantation (HT). Endomyocardial biopsy remains the gold standard for its diagnosis, but it is an invasive procedure not without risk. A proinflammatory state exists in rejection that could be assessed by determining plasma levels of inflammatory biomarkers.Objective:  To analyze the utility of various inflammatory markers, which is most important and what values best classify patients to diagnose rejection.Materials and methods:  A prospective study in 123 consecutive cardiac transplant recipients was conducted from January 2002 to December 2006. Fibrinogen protein (Fgp) and function (Fgf), C‐reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and sialic acid (SA) determinations were performed at one, two, four, six, nine, and 12 months post‐HT at the same time as biopsies. Coronary arteriography and intravascular ultrasound were performed on the first and last follow‐up visits. Heart‐lung transplants, retransplants, pediatric transplants, patients who died in the first month, and patients who refused consent were excluded. Also excluded were determinations that coincided with renal dysfunction, active infection, hemodynamic instability, or a non‐evaluable biopsy. The final analysis included 79 patients and 294 determinations. The correlation between the levels of these biomarkers and the presence of rejection in the biopsy (≥ISHLT grade 3) was studied.Results:  We did not find significant differences in the values of any of the markers analyzed on the six follow‐up visits. Only CRP showed significant and sustained differences between the two groups (with and without rejection) from the second follow‐up visit (month 2). The area under the curve showed significant differences in Fgp (0.614, p = 0.013), Fgf (0.585, p = 0.05), TNF‐α (0.605, p = 0.02), SA (0.637, p = 0.002) and mainly CRP (0.765, p = 0.0001). CRP levels below 0.87 mg/dL ruled out rejection with a specificity of 90%.Conclusions:  Among the inflammatory markers analyzed, CRP was the most useful parameter for non‐invasive screening of acute cellular rejection in the first year post‐HT.
Effects of Predation Threat on the Structure and Benefits from Vacancy Chains in the Hermit Crab Pagurus bernhardus
Authors: Briffa Mark , Austin Mark 
Published: August 2009

AbstractVacancy chains occur when individuals occupy discrete re‐useable resource units, which once abandoned by the current owner can then be occupied by a new owner. In order to enter the newly vacated resource the new owner must first vacate its current resource unit, such that a vacancy chain consists of a series of linked moves between resource units of different value, equivalent to different ‘strata’ in the chain. Vacancy chains may represent an important route by which resources are distributed through populations. Indeed, the arrival of a new resource has the potential to initiate a series of moves propagating beyond the individual that encounters the new resource unit. Thus, the chain participants as a whole may experience ‘aggregate benefits’ from the arrival of the new resource unit. The extent of these benefits, however, may not necessarily be evenly distributed between all chain participants; some individuals could receive greater than average benefits by moving through more than one stratum (‘skipping’) and some individuals could experience a reduction in resource value by moving to a resource unit of lower quality than that occupied initially (a ‘backward move’). Such moves represent deviations from the ‘ideal’ vacancy chains assumed by theory. Here we analyse the aggregate benefits and benefits to individuals participating in vacancy chains of empty gastropod shells in the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus. We also investigate the effect of predation risk on these two levels of benefits and on chain structure. Adding a new shell at the top of the chain causes an overall increase in shell quality after 24 h but the distribution of benefits between strata in the chain varies with the presence and absence of the predator cue. Although there was significant concordance between chain structure in the presence and absence of the predator cue, the structure was significantly different from an ideal vacancy chain in the absence but not the presence of the predator cue.
Tachycardia in adults with cystic fibrosis is associated with normal autonomic function
Authors: Szollosi I. , King S. J. , Wilson J. W. , Naughton M. T. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractBackground: Whether autonomic dysfunction contributes to tachycardia in cystic fibrosis (CF) is unknown.Methods: Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed to determine high frequency power and the low/high frequency power ratio (HF, LF/HF) as markers of vagal and sympathovagal balance, respectively, under spontaneous and controlled breathing (15 breaths per minute (bpm)) conditions in 17 CF and 17 healthy control subjects.Results: Under spontaneously breathing conditions, the CF group was tachycardic (75.4 ±11.2 vs 60.2 ±9.0 br/min P < 0.001) and tachypnoeic (22.6 ±5.8 vs 13.6 ±4.1 br/min, P= 0.001) compared with controls. No significant difference in HRV was observed between groups during spontaneous or controlled breathing. Coexistent diabetes mellitus and β2 agonist use were not associated with altered autonomic control. During controlled breathing, the CF group showed a negative correlation between forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) % predicted and HF power (P= 0.013, r=−0.59) and a positive correlation between FEV1 % predicted and LF/HF ratio (P= 0.002, r= 0.69) suggesting an exaggerated normal vagal response.Conclusion: CF patients have normal autonomic function.
Variation in the use of recombinant activated factor VII in critical bleeding
Authors: Willis C. D. , Cameron P. A. , Phillips L. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractBackground:  Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) is being increasingly used as a treatment option in settings of uncontrolled bleeding. Despite this, national practice guidelines are lacking, resulting in widespread practice variation between providers. This investigation aimed to describe the differences in use of rFVIIa across Australian and New Zealand hospitals.Methods:  Data were extracted from the Haemostasis Registry that collects both contemporaneous and retrospective cases of off‐licence (i.e. in non‐haemophilia patients) rFVIIa use in participating institutions. Hospitals were classified according to geographical location and service provision.Results:  2075 cases from 87 hospitals were recorded on the Haemostasis Registry. Across all hospital categories, over 41% of cases received rFVIIa in relation to cardiac surgery. Case complexity varied between providers, with large urban centres treating more severely ill patients. This was reflected in significant differences in the use of blood components and products before rFVIIa administration. Despite differences in patient complexity and use of blood products between hospital categories, response to treatment and patient outcomes remained similar across providers, with survival rates ranging from 68.29% to 70.41%.Conclusion:  This is the largest study of off‐licence use of rFVIIa. There is significant regional variation in the administration of rFVIIa in Australian and New Zealand hospitals, with little documentation of adherence to guidelines. National consensus guidelines based on available evidence should be developed and promulgated to ensure optimal outcomes.
Targets, receptors and effects of muscarinic neuromodulation on giant neurones of the rat dorsal cochlear nucleus
Authors: Pál B. , Kőszeghy Á. , Pap P. , Bakondi G. , Pocsai K. , Szűcs G. , Rusznák Z. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractAlthough cholinergic modulation of the cochlear nucleus (CN) is functionally important, neither its cellular consequences nor the types of receptors conveying it are precisely known. The aim of this work was to characterise the cholinergic effects on giant cells of the CN, using electrophysiology and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Application of the cholinergic agonist carbachol increased the spontaneous activity of the giant cells; which was partly the consequence of the reduction in a K+conductance. This effect was mediated via M4 and M3 receptors. Cholinergic modulation also affected the synaptic transmission targeting the giant cells. Excitatory synaptic currents evoked by the stimulation of the superficial and deep regions of the CN were sensitive to cholinergic modulation: the amplitude of the first postsynaptic current was reduced, and the short‐term depression was also altered. These changes were mediated via M3 receptors alone and via the combination of M4, M2 and M3 receptors, when the superficial and deep layers, respectively, were activated. Inhibitory synaptic currents evoked from the superficial layer showed short‐term depression, but they were unaffected by carbachol. In contrast, inhibitory currents triggered by the activation of the deep parts exhibited no significant short‐term depression, but they were highly sensitive to cholinergic activation, which was mediated via M3 receptors. Our results indicate that pre‐ and postsynaptic muscarinic receptors mediate cholinergic modulation on giant cells. The present findings shed light on the cellular mechanisms of a tonic cholinergic modulation in the CN, which may become particularly important in evoking contralateral excitatory responses under certain pathological conditions.
Neural generators of sustained activity differ for stimulus‐encoding and delay maintenance
Authors: Malecki Ulrike , Stallforth Sabine , Heipertz Dorothee , Lavie Nilli , Duzel Emrah 
Published: August 2009

AbstractThe ability to maintain information online beyond sensory stimulation is regarded as a key contribution of working memory to goal‐directed behaviour. It is widely accepted that sustained neural activity is a key mechanism of stimulus maintenance, but it is unclear to what extent the neural generators of sustained activity change from stimulus‐encoding to maintenance. Using event‐related potentials in humans, we show that, in a delayed match‐to‐sample task, slow shifts over parieto‐occipital electrode sites had a different topography and polarity during encoding and delay maintenance of images depicting scenes. This clearly demonstrates that neural generators of sustained activity associated with stimulus‐encoding and delay maintenance differed, and that the change between these generators occurred time‐locked to the onset of the delay period. We also investigated how monetary reward incentives modulated the amplitude and topography of sustained delay activity and the ability to suppress irrelevant distracting information during the delay. Reward incentives improved maintenance performance and this was correlated with an expansion of the parieto‐occipital electrode sites that were entrained into sustained delay activity (rather than improved distractor suppression), suggesting that under the influence of reward, the parieto‐occipital regions that contributed to delay maintenance expanded in size.
The second brain and Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Lebouvier Thibaud , Chaumette Tanguy , Paillusson Sébastien , Duyckaerts Charles , Bruley des Varannes Stanislas , Neunlist Michel , Derkinderen Pascal 
Published: August 2009

AbstractParkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. It has been classically considered that the pathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease, namely Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, affect primarily the substantia nigra. Nevertheless, it has become increasingly evident in recent years that Parkinson’s disease is a multicentric neurodegenerative process that affects several neuronal structures outside the substantia nigra, among which is the enteric nervous system. Remarkably, recent reports have shown that the lesions in the enteric nervous system occurred at a very early stage of the disease, even before the involvement of the central nervous system. This led to the postulate that the enteric nervous system could be critical in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease, as it could represent a route of entry for a putative environmental factor to initiate the pathological process (Braak’s hypothesis). Besides their putative role in the spreading of the pathological process, it has also been suggested that the pathological alterations within the enteric nervous system could be involved in the gastrointestinal dysfunction frequently encountered by parkinsonian patients. The scope of the present article is to review the available studies on the enteric nervous system in Parkinson’s disease patients and in animal models of the disease. We further discuss the strategies that will help in our understanding of the roles of the enteric nervous system, both in the pathophysiology of the disease and in the pathophysiology of the gastrointestinal symptoms.
Effects of early vs. late initiation of levodopa treatment in hemiparkinsonian rats
Authors: Marin C. , Aguilar E. , Mengod G. , Cortés R. , Obeso J. A. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractWe investigated the effect of early vs. late initiation of levodopa treatment on dyskinetic movements, rotational behavior and molecular markers in hemiparkinsonian rats. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats received a unilateral 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) administration in the nigrostriatal pathway. Rats were divided into three groups treated with: (i) levodopa (6 mg/kg) twice daily for 22 days starting at 4 weeks after 6‐OHDA (Early group); (ii) levodopa at the same dose, regimen and duration but starting at 12 weeks after 6‐OHDA (Late group), and (iii) saline starting at 4 weeks after 6‐OHDA and continuing until the Late group finished treatment. Dyskinesias were quantified on days 1 and 22 of levodopa treatment. Striatal expression of preproenkephalin and preprodynorphin mRNAs, subthalamic cytochrome oxidase mRNA, and glutamate decarboxylase 67 mRNA in the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra was measured byin‐situhybridization. After 22 days of levodopa treatment, the percentage of rats showing dyskinesia was lower in the Early group than in the Late group (60% vs. 100%, respectively). No significant differences in total dyskinesia score were observed between both groups with the exception of the orolingual dyskinesias that were significantly less frequent in the Late group (P < 0.01). No significant differences were observed in the molecular markers between the Early and Late groups. Prompt initiation of levodopa treatment might be able to delay some of the basal ganglia molecular and circuitry changes underlying the development of dyskinesia but, once developed, they are behaviorally and molecularly similar to those appearing after late initiation of levodopa.
Embryonic and adult stem cells promote raphespinal axon outgrowth and improve functional outcome following spinal hemisection in mice
Authors: Boido Marina , Rupa Rosita , Garbossa Diego , Fontanella Marco , Ducati Alessandro , Vercelli Alessandro 
Published: August 2009

AbstractSpinal cord injury (SCI) often results in permanent neurological deficits below the injury site. Serotonergic raphespinal projections promote functional recovery after SCI, but spontaneous regeneration of most severed axons is limited by the glial cyst and scar that form at the lesion site. Stem cell (SC) transplantation offers a promising approach for inducing regeneration through the damaged area. Here we compare the effects of transplantation of embryonic neural precursors (NPs) or adult mesenchymal SCs, both of which are potential candidates for SC therapy. The spinal cord was hemisected at the L2 neuromer in adult mice. Two weeks post‐injury, we transplanted neural precursors or mesenchymal SCs into the cord, caudal to the hemisection. Injured mice without a graft served as controls. Mice were tested for functional recovery on a battery of motor tasks, then killed and analysed for survival of grafted cells, for effects of engraftment on the local cellular environment and for the sprouting of serotonergic axons. Both types of SCs survived and were integrated into the host tissue, but only the NPs expressed neuronal markers. All transplanted animals displayed an increased number of serotonin‐positive fibres caudal to the hemisection, compared with untreated mice. And both cell types led to improved motor performance. These results point to a therapeutic potential for such cell grafting.