bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of vitamin D3in reducing metabolic and oxidative stress in the liver of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Authors: George Naijil , Peeyush Kumar T. , Antony Sherin , Jayanarayanan S. , Paulose C. S. 
Published: January 2012

Diabetes mellitus is a growing health problem worldwide and is associated with severe liver complications. The aim of the present study is to analyse the status of metabolic and free-radical-scavenging enzymes and second messengers in the liver of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, and to determine the hepatoprotective role of vitamin D3. All studies were performed using the liver of adult male Wistar rats. Gene expression studies were carried out using real-time PCR with specific probes. Second messenger levels were determined using3H-labelled Biotrak assay kits, and glucose uptake assay withd-[14C]glucose. The present results show that there was a decrease in hepatic glucose uptake, malate dehydrogenase activity, glycogen content, inositol triphosphate (IP3) and cyclic GMP levels, and superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, phospholipase C, cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein, vitamin D receptor (VDR) and insulin receptor (INSR) gene expression in the diabetic rats when compared with the controls (allP < 0·05), while cyclic AMP levels and GLUT2 expression were increased (P < 0·05). Treatment of the diabetic rats with vitamin D3and insulin reversed the altered parameters to near control values. In conclusion, the data suggest a novel role of vitamin D3in restoring impaired liver metabolism in STZ-induced diabetic rats by regulating glucose uptake, storage and metabolism. We demonstrated that the restoring effect of vitamin D3is mediated through VDR modulation, thereby improving signal transduction and controlling free radicals in the liver of diabetic rats. These data suggest a potential role for vitamin D3in the treatment of diabetes-associated hepatic complications.
FACTORS AFFECTING SEX RATIO AT BIRTH IN CROATIA 1998–2008
Authors: PAVIC DARIO 
Published: January 2012

SummaryThis investigation aims to contribute to the existing literature on demographic and ecological factors affecting the sex ratio at birth, by analysing the births in Croatia from 1998 to 2008. Data from birth certificates for all Croatian births for the investigated period (n=420,256) were used to establish the link between parental ages, birth order, region of birth, parental occupation and parental education level, and sex of the child. The χ2 test and t-test were used to assess the significance of each of the factors, along with multiple logistic regression to control for possible confounding effects. The results suggest that a joint higher age of both parents significantly lowers the sex ratio at birth. There is also a regional variation in sex ratio at birth, the lowest value being in Central Croatia and the highest in the City of Zagreb. Changes in the reproductive physiology of older parents are most probably responsible for the lower sex ratio, although the limited sample size warns against widespread generalizations. The causes of the regional variation in sex ratio at birth are most likely the different regional levels of obesity and physical inactivity.
Study on stability and growth rate of the dust acoustic waves in vortex-like ion distribution
Authors: ZHENG SHAO-SHAN , CHEN YAN 
Published: January 2012

AbstractFor vortex-like ion distribution dusty plasmas, the modified KP equation is obtained by using the traditional perturbation method. The growth rate of a solitary wave solution for a higher order disturbance propagating in an arbitrary direction is obtained. We find that the solitary wave is stable under higher order disturbance in this system. However, the growth rate is different with different propagating direction.
Transcriptional changes inTeladorsagia circumcinctaupon encountering host tissue of differing immune status
Authors: HALLIDAY AILEEN M. , LAINSON F. ALEX , YAGA RAJA , INGLIS NEIL F. , BRIDGETT STEPHEN , NATH MINTU , KNOX DAVE P. 
Published: January 2012

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to elucidate transcriptional changes in the parasitic nematodeTeladorsagia circumcinctaupon encountering either naïve or immune ovine hosts. Pools of 100 000 exsheathed 3rd- stageT. circumcinctalarvae were exposedin vitroto either an immune or naïve ovine abomasal environment, RNA was extracted from the larvae and sequenced using the Roche 454 platform. Each sample produced approximately 82 000 reads that assembled to give approximately 5500 Isotigs (contigs). The two sequence datasets were clustered together to give a total of 6969 clusters of which 18 were differentially expressed (P<0·001) between the two groups. Clusters with a predominance of reads in larvae exposed to the immune abomasal environment encoded homologues of peptidyl-glycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase, heat shock-protein 16-2 and IDA-1, a tyrosine phosphatase-like receptor protein. Clusters with a predominance of reads in the naïve environment encoded homologues of cytochrome b, EGg Laying defective family member 21 and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5. Gene ontology analyses indicated that larvae exposed to the immune environment showed an increase in expression of genes involved in ‘carbon utilization’, ‘response to stimulus’ and ‘developmental process’. These data suggest thatT. circumcinctamodulates gene expression in response to the immune status of the host.
Crystalloid body, refractile body and virus-like particles in Apicomplexa: what is in there?
Authors: LEMGRUBER LEANDRO , LUPETTI PIETRO 
Published: January 2012

SUMMARYThe phylum of Apicomplexa comprises parasitic protozoa that share distinctive features such as the apical complex, the apicoplast, specialized cytoskeletal components and secretory organelles. Other unique cytoplasmic inclusions sharing similar features have been described in some representatives of Apicomplexa, although under different denominations. These are the crystalloid body, present for example inCryptosporidium, PlasmodiumandCystoisospora; the refractile body inEimeriaandLankesterella; and virus-like particles, also present inEimeriaandCryptosporidium. Yet, the specific role of these cytoplasmic inclusions in the cell cycle of these protozoa is still unknown. Here, we discuss their morphology, possible inter-relatedness and speculate upon their function to bring these organelles back to the attention of the scientific community and promote new interest towards original research on these elusive structures.
Nestling development and the timing of tick attachments
Authors: HEYLEN D. J. A. , WHITE J. , ELST J. , JACOBS I. , VAN DE SANDE C. , MATTHYSEN E. 
Published: January 2012

SUMMARYParasites exposed to fast-developing hosts experience a variety of conditions over a short time period. Only few studies in vertebrate-ectoparasite systems have integrated the timing of ectoparasite infestations in the host's development into the search for factors explaining ectoparasite burden. In this study we examined the temporal pattern of attachment in a nidicolous tick (Ixodes arboricola) throughout the development of a songbird (Parus major). In the first experiment, we exposed bird clutches at hatching to a mix of the 3 tick instars (larvae, nymphs and adults), and monitored the ticks that attached in relation to the average broods' age. In a complementary experiment we focused on the attachment in adult female ticks – the largest and most significant instar for the species' reproduction – after releasing them at different moments in the nestlings’ development. Our observations revealed a positive association between the size of the attached instar and the broods' age. Particularly, adult females were less likely to be found attached to recently hatched nestlings, which contrasts with the smaller-sized larvae and nymphs. These differences suggest either an infestation strategy that is adapted to host physiology and development, or a result of selection by the hosts' anti-tick resistance mechanisms. We discuss the implications of our results in terms of tick life-history strategies.
Four- and six-year-olds use pragmatic competence to guide word learning
Authors: VÁZQUEZ MARIA D. , DELISLE SARAH S. , SAYLOR MEGAN M. 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACTThe present study investigates whether four- and six-year-old children use pragmatic competence as a criterion for learning from someone else. Specifically, we ask whether children use others' adherence to Gricean maxims to determine whether they will offer valid labels for novel objects. Six-year-olds recognized adherence to the maxims of quality and relation and subsequently trusted the labels provided by a maxim adherer. Four-year-olds displayed this pattern when judging adherence to quality but not relation. A linear regression revealed that children's ability to identify maxim adherers predicted their ability to choose the correct object during word-learning trials. This research demonstrates that children use others' pragmatic history when judging the reliability of the information they offer.
Charting the Course of Uyghur Unrest
Authors: Hastings Justin V. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractWhat explains the course of Uyghur-related violence in Xinjiang and Central Asia since 1990? Using data derived from a variety of sources, I argue that the locations and types of violent incidents were influenced by a combination of Chinese government policies and the political geography of Xinjiang. Specifically, 1990 to 1996 were dominated by logistically complex incidents in a low-level violent campaign in Xinjiang. The Strike Hard campaign in 1996 brought about an increase in logistically simple incidents in Xinjiang and some violence in Central Asia as Uyghur separatists had trouble moving people, information and weapons across the well-guarded, difficult terrain of Xinjiang's borders. China's rapprochement with Central Asian countries in the late 1990s led after 2001 to a dramatic decrease in Uyghur-related violence in general, but also signalled the appearance of logistically creative attacks that required little planning or materials. My findings suggest that Uyghur rebels will have a difficult time mounting a large-scale violent campaign as long as China retains even minimal control of Xinjiang.
Multimedia Quake Poetry: Convergence Culture after the Sichuan Earthquake
Authors: Inwood Heather 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThis article examines a wave of Chinese poetry sparked by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. “Quake Poetry” was published online before being re-circulated through digital, print and live media. Multimedia adaptations of one poem are examined to investigate the relationship between the authors of Quake Poetry, the different media platforms, and the people and institutions involved in its proliferation. Media convergence enabled Quake Poetry to fulfil several functions in the aftermath of the earthquake. Most prominently, it served as an emotional outlet for those affected by the quake, while giving its netizen-producers a sense of creative agency as they engaged in participatory cultural production. Members of the contemporary poetry scene cited Quake Poetry as evidence of poetry's ongoing hold over the Chinese national consciousness. Finally, certain poems were appropriated and promoted by China's state-controlled media to propagate a politically expedient image of Chinese unity in the face of tragedy.
Agency and Famine in China's Sichuan Province, 1958–1962
Authors: Bramall Chris 
Published: January 2012

AbstractA revisionist literature on the Great Chinese Famine has emerged in recent years. These revisionists focus primarily on the question of agency. They claim that that neither poor weather nor the excesses of local cadres can explain the extent of mortality; rather, responsibility lies squarely with Mao and the CCP leadership. Using county-level data on mortality, output, rainfall and temperature for Sichuan province, I argue that this revisionist view is unconvincing. Weather admittedly played only a minor role, and the zealotry of the Party centre contributed significantly to the death toll. However, variations in mortality between Sichuan's counties appear to have been essentially random – suggesting that differences in local cadre responses to central government policy were decisive in determining the scale of famine.
The use and meaning of the continuous performance test in schizophrenia
Authors: Bellani Marcella , Brambilla Paolo 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThe continuous performance test (CPT) is a behavioural assessment of attentional modulation of the motor system (Rosvold et al., 1956). It has firstly been used in patients with brain injuries and then applied to assess sustained attention and vigilance in epilepsy, brain tumor, dementia, schizophrenia and other psychiatric diseases, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorders (Rosvold et al., 1956; Honey et al., 2005; Kanaka et al., 2008). There are several versions of the test. For instance, the X-CPT version presents randomly different stimuli and subjects are asked to push a button only on presentation of the target stimuli (X). In the AX-CPT version, the subjects are required to push the button only when a cue stimulus is presented before the target one (A before X). The following items are measured for the X and AX tasks: omission errors (number of times subjects fail to respond to target stimulation), commission errors (number of times subjects respond to non target stimulation), average reaction time and coefficient of variance for both correct reactions and commission errors (Suwa et al., 2004). There are other versions, such as the CPT-not X version where the subjects are asked not to push a button when the target stimulus (X) is presented; the Degraded Stimuli (DS)-CPT (Nuechterlein, 1983); the CPT playing card version (Rutschmann et al., 1977); and the CPT Identical Pairs version (Cornblatt et al., 1988), which is a more difficult task prepared to assess high risk population. Interestingly, the Identical Pairs version has been included in the Matrics neurocognitive assessment, a consensus cognitive battery for clinical trials of cognition in schizophrenia (Nuechterlein et al., 2008).
Cross-cultural studies of personality traits and their relevance to psychiatry
Authors: Terracciano Antonio , McCrae Robert R. 
Published: January 2012

SUMMARYAims – This article provides a brief review of recent cross-cultural research on personality traits at both individual and culture levels, highlighting the relevance of recent findings for psychiatry. Method – In most cultures around the world, personality traits can be clearly summarized by the five broad dimensions of the Five-Factor Model (FFM), which makes it feasible to compare cultures on personality and psychopathology. Results – Maturational patterns and sex differences in personality traits generally show cultural invariance, which generates the hypothesis that age of onset, clinical evolution, and sex differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders might follow similar universal patterns. The average personality profiles from 51 cultures show meaningful geographical distributions and associations with culture-level variables, but are clearly unrelated to national character stereotypes. Conclusions – Aggregate personality scores can potentially be related to epidemiological data on psychiatric disorders, and dimensional personality models have implications for psychiatric diagnosis and treatment around the world.Declaration of Interest: This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute on Aging. Robert R. McCrae receives royalties from the Revised NEO Personality Inventory.
Magnesium intake and prevalence of metabolic syndrome in adults: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study
Authors: Mirmiran Parvin , Shab-Bidar Sakineh , Hosseini-Esfahani Firoozeh , Asghari Golaleh , Hosseinpour-Niazi Somayeh , Azizi Fereidoun 
Published: January 2012

AbstractObjectiveWe examined the association of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components with dietary intakes of Mg in Tehran adults.DesignIn a cross-sectional study, dietary intakes were assessed using a valid and reliable FFQ. MetS was defined according to the modified guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Waist circumference (WC) was coded according to the newly introduced cut-off points for Iranian adults (≥95 cm for both genders).SettingParticipants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (2006–2008).SubjectsAdults (n2504; 1120 men and 1384 women) aged 18–74 years.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 40·8 (sd14·6) years and 38·2 (sd13·5) years for men and women, respectively. The reported mean intake of Mg was 349 (sd109) mg/d. After adjustment for confounding factors, dietary Mg intake was inversely associated with fasting blood glucose (β= −0·08,P= 0·006), TAG (β= −0·058,P= 0·009) and WC (β= −0·013,P= 0·006); however, there were no associations between dietary Mg and diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure or HDL cholesterol. An association was observed between MetSZ-score and Mg intake (crudeβ= −0·017,P= 0·001), independent of age, gender, smoking, physical activity and BMI; this association was attenuated following further adjustment for dietary factors and menopausal status (β= −0·034,P= 0·061).ConclusionsOur findings suggest a significant inverse association between dietary Mg, MetS and its components.
Neurobehavioural activation during peripheral immunosuppression
Authors: Pacheco-López Gustavo , Doenlen Raphael , Krügel Ute , Arnold Myrtha , Wirth Timo , Riether Carsten , Engler Andrea , Niemi Maj-Britt , Christians Uwe , Engler Harald , Schedlowski Manfred 
Published: January 2012

AbstractLike other physiological responses, immune functions are the subject of behavioural conditioning. Conditioned immunosuppression can be induced by contingently pairing a novel taste with an injection of the immunosuppressant cyclosporine A (CsA) in an associative learning paradigm. This learned immunosuppression is centrally mediated by the insular cortex and the amygdala. However, the afferent mechanisms by which the brain detects CsA are not understood. In this study we analysed whether CsA is sensed via the chemosensitive vagus nerve or whether CsA directly acts on the brain. Our experiments revealed that a single peripheral administration of CsA increases neuronal activity in the insular cortex and the amygdala as evident from increased electric activity, c-Fos expression and amygdaloid noradrenaline release. However, this increased neuronal activity was not affected by prior vagal deafferentation but rather seems to partially be induced by direct action of CsA on cortico-amygdaloid structures and the chemosensitive brainstem regions area postrema and nucleus of the solitary tract. Together, these data indicate that CsA as an unconditioned stimulus may directly act on the brain by a still unknown transduction mechanism.
Active behaviours produced by antidepressants and opioids in the mouse tail suspension test
Authors: Berrocoso Esther , Ikeda Kazutaka , Sora Ichiro , Uhl George R. , Sánchez-Blázquez Pilar , Mico Juan Antonio 
Published: January 2012

AbstractMost classical preclinical tests to predict antidepressant activity were initially developed to detect compounds that influenced noradrenergic and/or serotonergic activity, in accordance with the monoaminergic hypothesis of depression. However, central opioid systems are also known to influence the pathophysiology of depression. While the tail suspension test (TST) is very sensitive to several types of antidepressant, the traditional form of scoring the TST does not distinguish between different modes of action. The present study was designed to compare the behavioural effects of classical noradrenergic and/or serotonergic antidepressants in the TST with those of opioids. We developed a sampling technique to differentiate between behaviours in the TST, namely, curling, swinging and immobility. Antidepressants that inhibit noradrenaline and/or serotonin re-uptake (imipramine, venlafaxine, duloxetine, desipramine and citalopram) decreased the immobility of mice, increasing their swinging but with no effect on their curling behaviour. No differences were observed between antidepressants that act on noradrenergic or serotoninergic transmission. While opioid compounds also decreased the immobility of the mice [morphine, codeine, levorphanol, (−)-methadone, (±)-tramadol and (+)-tramadol], they selectively increased curling behaviour. Blocking opioid receptors with naloxone prevented the antidepressant-like effect of codeine, and µ-opioid receptor knockout decreased normal curling behaviour and blocked (±)-tramadol-induced curling, further demonstrating the reliability and validity of this approach. These results show that at least two behaviourally distinct processes occur in the TST, highlighting the antidepressant-like effects of opioids evident in this test. Furthermore, our data suggest that swinging and curling behaviours are mediated by enhanced monoamine and opioid neurotransmission, respectively.
Théorème de Paley—Wiener pour les fonctions de Whittaker sur un groupe réductif p-adique
Authors: Delorme Patrick 
Published: January 2012

RésuméSoit G un groupe réductif p-adique et U0 le radical unipotent d'un sous-groupe parabolique minimal de G. Nous introduisons une transformation de Fourier pour l'espace des fonctions de Whittaker lisses sur G et à support compact modulo U0. Nous en déterminons l'image. La preuve suit celle d'Heiermann pour les fonctions sur le groupe.Au cours de la preuve, une formule d'inversion est prouvée. Celle-ci permet de montrer qu'une représentation lisse irréductible de G, qui possède modèle de Whittaker dans les fonctions de Whittaker à support compact modulo U0, est cuspidale.Ce travail nous a donné l'opportunité de préparer un cadre pour l'analyse harmonique sur les espaces symétriques réductifs p-adiques: B-matrices et terme constant, propriétés des paquets d'ondes.
Reflections on the evolution of health technology assessment in Europe
Authors: Sorenson Corinna , Chalkidou Kalipso 
Published: January 2012

AbstractHealth technology assessment (HTA) has assumed an increasing role in health systems in recent years, with many countries establishing agencies or programmes to evaluate health technology and other interventions to inform policy decisions and clinical practice. This paper reflects upon its development and evolution in Europe over the last decade, with a focus on England, France, Germany and Sweden. In particular, we explore how HTA has evolved over time as well as its impact on policy and practice. While countries share many of the same objectives, there are differences in the way HTA agencies and programmes are organised, operate, and influence decision making. Despite these differences, all systems are faced with opportunities and challenges related to stakeholder involvement and acceptance, the suitability and transparency of assessment requirements and methods, balancing evidence and values in decision making, and demonstrating impact.