bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Behaviour of pollinator insects within inflorescences of Scrophularia species from Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Valtueña F. J. , Ortega‐Olivencia A. , Rodríguez‐Riaño T. , Pérez‐Bote J. L. , Mayo C. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractSeveral hypotheses have been proposed to explain the pattern of pollinator visits to vertical inflorescences. These range from a response to a pattern of resources to merely instinctive behaviour. In dichogamous plants, such behaviour has been associated with promoting outcrossing and avoiding geitonogamy. We here analyse behaviour of the principal pollinator groups in five protogynous species of Scrophularia with different flower sizes (S. sambucifolia, S. grandiflora, S. lyrata, S. scorodonia and S. canina), and the distribution of sexual phases along the inflorescences. The results in all cases show that pollinators follow a pattern of ascending visits accompanied by movements between flowers of the same whorl (horizontal movements). The relative frequency of these horizontal movements depends on the flower size, with a higher frequency in species with large flowers. In vertical movements of the three more common pollinator groups to several plant species (bumblebees, wasps and small bees), the behaviour was essentially independent of flower size, with bumblebees having the highest ratio of ascents to descents. Behaviour of the pollinators, together with the absence of a definite pattern of distribution of the sexual phases along the inflorescence, implies that geitonogamy is not avoided in any of the Scrophularia species studied.
Effects of intrauterine infection or inflammation on fetal lung development
Authors: Westover Alana J , Moss Timothy JM 
Published: July 2012

Summary

Intrauterine infection or inflammation is common in cases of preterm birth. Preterm infants are at risk of acute respiratory distress as a result of lung immaturity; evidence of exposure to infection and/or inflammation before birth is associated with a reduced risk of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Experimentally induced intrauterine inflammation or infection in sheep causes a precocious increase in pulmonary surfactant in the preterm lungs that improves preterm lung function, consistent with the reduced risk of RDS in human infants exposed to infection and/or inflammation before birth.
The effects of intrauterine inflammation on fetal lung development appear to result from direct action of proinflammatory stimuli within the lungs rather than by systemic signals, such as the classical glucocorticoid‐mediated lung maturation pathway. However, paracrine and/or autocrine production and/or metabolism of glucocorticoids in fetal lung tissue may occur as a result of inflammation‐induced changes in the expression of 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (types 1 and 2).
Likely candidates that mediate inflammation‐induced surfactant production by the preterm lung include prostaglandin E2 and/or other arachidonic acid metabolites. Intrauterine inflammation induces the expression of enzymes responsible for prostaglandin production in fetal lung tissue. Inhibition of prostaglandin production prevents, at least in part, the effects of inflammation on fetal lungs.
Our experiments are identifying mechanisms of surfactant production by the preterm lungs that may be exploited as novel therapies for preventing respiratory distress in preterm infants. Elucidation of the effects of inflammation on the fetal lungs and other organs will allow more refined approaches to the care of preterm infants exposed to inflammation in utero.
Acute tubulointerstitial nephritis, treatment with steroid and impact on renal outcomes
Authors: RAZA MUHAMMAD N , HADID MUHAMMAD , KEEN CHARLES E , BINGHAM CORALIE , SALMON ANDREW HJ 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT:Background:  The use and timing of steroids in the management of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (ATIN) remains debatable.Aims:  To determine the incidence and aetiology of ATIN in our unit, and to examine trends in the use of steroids and their impact on renal outcomes.Methods:  Patients with a histological diagnosis of ATIN over a 9‐year period were identified and divided into steroid‐treated (StG) and steroid‐naïve groups (SnG). Mean change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was determined.Results:  Forty‐nine patients had ATIN as their main diagnosis, 67% of cases were drug‐induced, and proton pump inhibitors (PPI) were the second commonest implicated drug category. Majority (75%) of patients received steroids, and eGFR improved to a significantly greater degree in these steroid‐treated patients (3.4‐fold improvement vs 2.0‐fold in SnG; P < 0.05, unpaired t‐test). Despite comparable eGFR at presentation (StG: 11.7; SnG: 15.4), steroid‐treated patients were less likely to receive dialysis, although not significantly so (OR 0.27; 95% CI 0.06–1.15, P = 0.066, chi‐squared test). However, there was no significant relation between the degree of eGFR improvement and delay in starting steroids (Pearson r = −0.25, P > 0.45), and no difference in eGFR at the time of last follow‐up (StG: 33 ± 3; SnG: 32 ± 7; P > 0.9, unpaired t‐test).Conclusion:  StG patients had a greater degree of improvement in renal function, but with no correlation between degree of improvement in eGFR and delay in starting steroids, and similar eGFR values at final follow‐up. PPI were the second commonest drug category among drug‐induced cases.
Serum carcinoembryonic antigen correlates with severity of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: FAHIM AHMED , CROOKS MICHAEL G. , WILMOT RACHEL , CAMPBELL ANNE P. , MORICE ALYN H. , HART SIMON P. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the commonest idiopathic interstitial pneumonia and carries a poor prognosis. Epidemiological evidence suggests that patients with IPF have an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has a close association with epithelial malignancy. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum CEA concentrations in patients with IPF and to perform correlation with pulmonary function.Methods:  Serum CEA concentrations were measured by two‐site sequential chemiluminescent immunometric assay in 41 non‐smoking patients with IPF. Patients with a history of gastrointestinal tract malignancy or other disorder known to be associated with raised serum CEA were excluded.Results:  A total of 41 patients were evaluated. The mean (±standard deviation) age of patients was 73 ± 7 years. The mean (±standard deviation) forced vital capacity was 88 ± 20% of predicted, and the mean (±standard deviation) diffusing factor for carbon monoxide (DLco) was 52 ± 19% of predicted. Twenty‐one (51%) patients had a serum CEA concentration higher than upper limit of the normal range (0–5 ng/mL). CEA concentration was significantly negatively correlated with lung function (P = 0.005; R2 = 0.20 for forced vital capacity and P = 0.006; R2 = 0.20 for DLco). Raised CEA level also correlated significantly with the extent of fibrosis. A lung biopsy specimen from a patient with IPF demonstrated strong staining for CEA in metaplastic epithelium lining the honeycombed cysts and respiratory bronchioles.Conclusions:  Serum CEA concentration is elevated in approximately half of patients with IPF and is correlated with disease severity. Immunohistochemical staining reveals that CEA localizes to metaplastic epithelium lining honeycombed bronchioles.
Genome‐wide microarray comparison reveals downstream genes of Pax6 in the developing mouse cerebellum
Authors: Ha Thomas J. , Swanson Douglas J. , Kirova Roumyana , Yeung Joanna , Choi Kunho , Tong Yiai , Chesler Elissa J. , Goldowitz Daniel 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe Pax6 transcription factor is expressed in cerebellar granule cells and when mutated, as in the Sey/Sey mouse, produces granule cells with disturbed survival and migration and with defects in neurite extension. The impact of Pax6 on other genes in the context of cerebellar development has not been identified. In this study, we performed transcriptome comparisons between wildtype and Pax6‐null whole cerebellar tissue at embryonic day (E) 13.5, 15.5 and 18.5 using Affymetrix arrays (U74Av2). Statistical analyses identified 136 differentially regulated transcripts (FDR 0.05, 1.2‐fold change cutoff) over time in Pax6‐null cerebellar tissue. In parallel we examined the Math1‐null granuloprival cerebellum and identified 228 down‐regulated transcripts (FDR 0.05, 1.2‐fold change cutoff). The intersection of these two microarray datasets produced a total of 21 differentially regulated transcripts. For a subset of the identified transcripts, we used qRT‐PCR to validate the microarray data and demonstrated the expression in the rhombic lip lineage and differential expression in Pax6‐null cerebellum within situhybridisation analysis. The candidate genes identified in this way represent direct or indirect Pax6‐downstream genes involved in cerebellar development.
Resveratrol prevents CA1 neurons against ischemic injury by parallel modulation of both GSK‐3β and CREB through PI3‐K/Akt pathways
Authors: Simão Fabrício , Matté Aline , Pagnussat Aline S. , Netto Carlos A. , Salbego Christianne G. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAccumulating evidence indicates that resveratrol potently protects against cerebral ischemia damage due to its oxygen free radicals scavenging and antioxidant properties. However, cellular mechanisms that may underlie the neuroprotective effects of resveratrol in brain ischemia are not fully understood yet. This study aimed to investigate the potential association between the neuroprotective effect of resveratrol and the apoptosis/survival signaling pathways, in particular the glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK‐3β) and cAMP response element‐binding protein (CREB) through phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3‐K)‐dependent pathway. An experimental model of global cerebral ischemia was induced in rats by the four‐vessel occlusion method for 10 min and followed by different periods of reperfusion. Nissl staining indicated extensive neuronal death at 7 days after ischemia/reperfusion. Administration of resveratrol by i.p. injections (30 mg/kg) for 7 days before ischemia significantly attenuated neuronal death. Both GSK‐3β and CREB appear to play a critical role in resveratrol neuroprotection through the PI3‐K/Akt pathway, as resveratrol pretreatment increased the phosphorylation of Akt, GSK‐3β and CREB in 1 h in the CA1 hippocampus after ischemia/reperfusion. Furthermore, administration of LY294002, an inhibitor of PI3‐K, compromised the neuroprotective effect of resveratrol and decreased the level of p‐Akt, p‐GSK‐3β and p‐CREB after ischemic injury. Taken together, the results suggest that resveratrol protects against delayed neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 by maintaining the pro‐survival states of Akt, GSK‐3β and CREB pathways. These data suggest that the neuroprotective effect of resveratrol may be mediated through activation of the PI3‐K/Akt signaling pathway, subsequently downregulating expression of GSK‐3β and CREB, thereby leading to prevention of neuronal death after brain ischemia in rats.
Incidence and causes of perioperative endotracheal reintubation in children: a review of 28 208 anesthetics
Authors: Ing Caleb , Chui Inca , Ohkawa Susumu , Kakavouli Athina , Sun Lena 
Published: July 2012

SummaryObjectives/Aim:  To determine the incidence, risk factors, and causes of endotracheal reintubation in children and identify methods to reduce the occurrence.Background:  Reintubation during the perioperative period is a serious and potentially preventable adverse event that can result in significant morbidity.Methods:  A total of 28 208 anesthetics were delivered to pediatric patients at our institution between May 2006 and May 2009. Reintubations were identified with our quality assurance (QA) surveillance database coupled with chart review by our QA nurse. Cases were classified as planned versus inadvertent extubations, and adverse events were assessed.Results:  We discovered 27 cases of reintubation with an incidence of 9.6 : 10 000 anesthetics. Reintubated patients were found to be younger than the general population (P = 0.001) with a high rate of comorbid disease. While most reintubations could be attributed to respiratory causes, 30% were attributed to inadvertent displacement of the endotracheal tube. No mortalities were seen, but 22% of patients needed resuscitative medications and 7% received chest compressions. Of the patients who failed planned extubations, 53% were left intubated with an average duration of postoperative intubation of 2.4 ± 1.9 days.Conclusions:  The incidence of endotracheal reintubation in children is low, but can result in significant morbidity. Because of the high frequency of inadvertent extubation, a significant number of reintubations could be prevented with greater care during transfer of patients with endotracheal tubes, and in procedures near the airway. Increased vigilance in younger children is also recommended as children under 3 years old required the majority of the reintubations.
A prospective observational quality improvement study of the sustained effects of a program to reduce unplanned extubations in a pediatric intensive care unit
Authors: Rachman Bonnie R. , Mink Richard B. 
Published: July 2012

SummaryBackground:  The use of endotracheal intubation is routine in the care of critically ill children. Unplanned extubation exposes the patient to morbidity and mortality over and above that associated with the patient’s underlying disease. All unplanned extubations are unacceptable because of their potential for causing unnecessary harm to the patient.Objective:  To prospectively determine whether a quality improvement program adopted 9 years ago has continued to be successful in maintaining a low rate of unplanned extubation in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).Design:  Prospective, observational study.Setting:  10‐bed PICU in an urban, county, teaching hospital.Patients:  All intubated pediatric patients in the PICU from February 15, 2009 to February 14, 2010.Intervention:  None.Measurements and Results:  Prior to the implementation of the program in 2000, our PICU had an unplanned extubation rate of 6.4 unplanned extubations per 100 ventilated days. After implementation of the quality improvement program, the rate of unplanned extubation decreased to 1.0 unplanned extubation per 100 ventilated days. In this study, we reevaluated the unplanned extubation rate 9 years after the implementation of the quality improvement program. We found that the rate had remained unchanged (P > 0.05): 1.5 unplanned extubations per 100 ventilated days as compared to 1.0 unplanned extubation per 100 ventilated days. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in age, weight, endotracheal tube size, duration of intubation or rate of unplanned extubation.Limitations:  In this study, no randomization took place, in which one group was not subject to the quality improvement program. We did not account for potential changes in severity of illness or staffing issues.Conclusions:  In the 9 years since implementation, our program has remained successful in decreasing unplanned extubations. It is important to periodically reevaluate quality improvement programs to determine whether they have continued to achieve their intended goals.The initiative is reported here using the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE).
What are the symptoms of internal rectal prolapse?
Authors: Wijffels N. A. T. , Jones O. M. , Cunningham C. , Bemelman W. A. , Lindsey I. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAim  Although high‐grade internal rectal prolapse is believed to cause functional symptoms such as obstructed defaecation, little has been published on the exact distribution and frequency of symptoms. The aim of this study was to identify the most common symptoms of patients with high‐grade internal rectal prolapse.Method  Patients were diagnosed with high‐grade prolapse (grade 3 and 4) on proctography using the Oxford Rectal Prolapse Grade. Information from a prospectively collected database was supplemented by a retrospective case note review.Results  Eighty eight patients (94% of them women) were included for analysis. Faecal incontinence (56%) was the most common symptom at presentation. Symptoms related to obstructed defaecation syndrome were the next most common, including incomplete evacuation (45%), straining (34%), digital assistance (34%) and repetitive toilet visits (33%).Conclusion  A variety of symptoms may be caused by high‐grade internal rectal prolapse Although symptoms of obstructed defaecation were frequent, urge faecal incontinence was the most common.
THE ART OF WAR CORPUS AND CHINESE JUST WAR ETHICS PAST AND PRESENT
Authors: Lo Ping‐cheung 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTThe idea of “just war” is not alien to Chinese thought. The term “yi zhan” (usually translated as “just war” or “righteous war” in English) is used in Mencius, was renewed by Mao Zedong, and is still being used in China today (zhengyi zhanzheng). The best place to start exploring this Chinese idea is in the enormous Art of War corpus in premodern China, of which the Seven Military Classics is the best representative. This set of treatises served as the military bible in imperial China from 1078 CE. Ideas analogous to ius ad bellum and ius in bello can be found in these texts. These norms are present in these military texts, elaborated in subsequent commentaries, understood as a matter of fact in Chinese political history, and recently and briefly acknowledged by a few Chinese military scholars in the mainland and in Taiwan. This Chinese just war ethics has its distinctiveness vis‐à‐vis James Turner Johnson's articulation of the Western classic view. It differs from Johnson's claims that military lethal violence is intrinsically morally neutral and that last resort is not a primary consideration in deciding for war. Contemporary Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) military publications show that the PLA understands the general idea of just war, but they acknowledge only the ad bellum part, not the in bello components.
Heritage in the Dynamic City: The Politics and Practice of Urban Conservation on the Swahili Coast
Authors: HEATHCOTT JOSEPH 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThis study presents a series of everyday spaces in Swahili cities in order to problematize current urban heritage practices and to call for a more critical approach to conservation. Efforts to save elements of the Swahili built environment are hampered by colonial legacies that frame conservation in terms of pure archetypes, static taxonomies, and racially distinct building cultures. Conservationists draw on these legacies in defining particular architectural and landscape forms as ‘traditional’, and therefore worthy of protection. Ironically, these ‘traditional’ forms emerged within the crucible of an ever‐changing urban condition where the ‘tradition’ was innovation. The question thus arises as to the ultimate object of conservation practice: select buildings or the cultural processes that produced them? Through a careful reading of the Swahili built environment, this article examines key locations where urban spaces are formed, contested, and remade. The study concludes that to reflect the dynamic, multifaceted and cosmopolitan character of Swahili cities, conservationists must pay close attention to the ill‐fitting spaces where landscape innovations arise. Not only will this approach augur a more socially just organization of urban cultural resources, it will more accurately reflect the lived realities of Swahili cities in a global age.RésuméÀ travers plusieurs espaces du quotidien dans des villes swahilies, cette étude met en question les pratiques actuelles liées au patrimoine urbain et appelle à une approche plus critique de la préservation. Les démarches de sauvegarde d'éléments de l'environnement bâti swahili sont entravées par des héritages coloniaux qui enferment la conservation dans des archétypes purs, des taxonomies statiques et des cultures de construction racialisées. Les défenseurs de l'environnement utilisent ces héritages pour qualifier certaines formes d'architecture et de paysage de ‘traditionnelles’, donc dignes d'être protégées. Paradoxalement, ces formes sont apparues dans un cadre urbain en constante évolution où la ‘tradition’était une innovation. Ce qui pose la question du but ultime de la sauvegarde pratiquée: des bâtiments privilégiés ou les processus culturels qui les produisent? Tout en déchiffrant l'environnement bâti swahili, l'article examine les lieux prépondérants où les espaces urbains sont façonnés, contestés et remaniés. D'après les conclusions, s'ils veulent traduire le caractère dynamique et cosmopolite des villes swahilies aux multiples facettes, les défenseurs de cet environnement doivent prêter une attention particulière aux espaces mal adaptés où naissent des paysages innovants. Non seulement cette approche annoncera une meilleure justice sociale dans l'organisation des ressources culturelles urbaines, mais elle offrira aussi une image plus exacte des réalités vécues dans les villes swahilies à l'ère de la mondialisation.
The Capitalization of Public Services and Amenities into Land Prices — Empirical Evidence from German Communities
Authors: Ebertz Alexander 
Published: July 2012

AbstractApplying the hedonic approach to land prices, this article investigates the capitalization of public services and pure amenities in a cross section of German communities. Possible spillover effects from neighboring municipalities are explicitly included in the analysis and prove to be of considerable importance. Estimates of the impacts of local attributes on land prices are obtained taking into account the spatial structure among unobserved variables. The results confirm that differences in land prices are largely attributable to local conditions and policies. This implies a significant degree of mobility as well as high estimation of local attributes on the part of German households.
International Migration, Remittances and Subsistence Farming: Evidence from Nepal
Authors: Maharjan Amina , Bauer Siegfried , Knerr Beatrice 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAlthough international migration is playing an increasingly important role in Nepal, at both the macro and household levels, and in particular for the poverty reduction of rural families, empirical work focusing on this phenomenon has been largely absent. With a special view on the rural poor, in this paper we investigate the impact of international labour migration on subsistence agricultural production in the Western Mid Hills of Nepal, based on a survey conducted among smallholders with migrating family members. The results demonstrate that international migration leads to negligence of cereals – paddy, wheat, maize and millet, in particular, being the major subsistence crops. While bearing a negative impact on family labour input, its impact on hired farm labour is positive. Yet it does not affect material inputs such as fertilizer, and although it helps to ease households’ liquidity and capital constraints, it does not contribute to moving subsistence farming towards more profitable commercial farming. Therefore, although migration reduces poverty in the short run and also allows for higher daily consumption, its negative impact on cereal production requires attention by policymakers.