bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rosuvastatin restored adrenergic and nitrergic function in mesenteric arteries from obese rats
Authors: Blanco‐Rivero Javier , de las Heras Natalia , Martín‐Fernández Beatriz , Cachofeiro Victoria , Lahera Vicente , Balfagón Gloria 
Published: September 2010

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We investigated whether high‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced obesity was associated with changed function of components of the mesenteric innervation (adrenergic, sensory and nitrergic), the mechanisms involved and the possible effects of rosuvastatin on these changes.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups. (i) rats fed a standard diet (control group); (ii) rats fed a HFD (33.5% fat) for 7 weeks; and (iii) rats fed a HFD and treated with rosuvastatin (15 mg·kg−1·day−1) for 7 weeks. Segments of isolated mesenteric arteries were exposed to electric field stimulation (EFS) with or without tetrodotoxin, phentolamine, 7‐nitroindazole (7NI) or Nω nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME). Noradrenaline, ATP and NO release, and nNOS expression were also measured.KEY RESULTS EFS induced a greater frequency‐dependent contraction in obese than in control rats. In HFD rats, phentolamine reduced contractions elicited by EFS, but noradrenaline release was greater and ATP release decreased. L‐NAME and 7NI increased contractions to EFS in segments from control rats, but not in those from HFD rats. NO release and nNOS expression were lower in arterial segments from HFD rats than in control rats. All these changes in HFD rats were reversed by treatment with rosuvastatin.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Neural control of mesenteric vasomotor tone was altered in HFD rats. Enhanced adrenergic and diminished nitrergic components both contributed to increased vasoconstrictor responses to EFS. All these changes were reversed by rosuvastatin, indicating novel mechanisms of statins in neural regulation of vascular tone.
Intra-executive Conflict and Cabinet Instability: Effects of Semi-presidentialism in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Sedelius Thomas , Ekman Joakim 
Published: September 2010

AbstractComparing eight post-communist semi-presidential systems (Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and Russia), comprising a total of 65 instances of intra-executive coexistence between 1991 and 2007, this article asks to what extent and in what ways president–cabinet conflicts increase the risk of cabinet instability. Previous studies of intra-executive conflicts in semi-presidential regimes have mainly been occupied with explaining why conflicts occur in the first place, and have neglected the question of how such conflicts are actually related to political outcomes. The present empirical investigation demonstrates that the occurrence of intra-executive conflict in transitional semi-presidential systems is likely to produce high rates of cabinet turnover.
Marshall Revisited: The Sequence of Citizenship Rights in the Twenty-first Century
Authors: Møller Jørgen , Skaaning Svend-Erik 
Published: September 2010

AbstractAs described by T. H. Marshall sixty years ago, the Western itinerary to modern democracy and the welfare state followed the sequence of civil, political and social citizenship rights. We demonstrate that Marshall's sequence is no longer the prevalent one in the developing and transformation countries of the contemporary era. Instead, political rights are generally at least as effective as civil liberties which are at least as effective as social rights. This new sequencing is attributable to the combination of ‘liberal hegemony’ and inauspicious structural constraints. More generally, our results suggest that the historical route to liberal democracy and the welfare state – beginning with liberal constitutionalism – is unlikely in today's world.
Seasonal life cycle of Zatypota albicoxa (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), an ectoparasitoid of Achaearanea tepidariorum (Araneae: Theridiidae), in northern Japan
Authors: TANAKA Kazuhiro 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe seasonal life cycle of Zatypota albicoxa (Walker, 1874), a koinobiont ectoparasitoid of the house spider, Achaearanea tepidariorum, was examined at Hirosaki (40°36′N), Japan. In winter, larvae were found on the abdomen of host spiders. They grew rapidly, emerged as adults in mid‐May, and reproduced shortly after emergence. The seasonal occurrence of the developmental stages in the field indicated that this parasitoid is multivoltine in Aomori Prefecture.
Maintenance of Helicobacter pylori Cultures in Agar Stabs
Authors: Xu Jinghua , Czinn Steven J. , Blanchard Thomas G. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBackground:  Helicobacter pylori requires frequent passage at 37 °C with reduced oxygen tension to maintain viability, and recovery from frozen stocks can be unpredictable and slow. Agar stab cultures were assessed as a possible means of maintaining viability without the need to passage every 4–7 days.Materials and Methods:  Agar stabs prepared from either Brucella or Brain Heart Infusion media were inoculated deeply with H. pylori strains or H. felis and grown under varying conditions for up to 13 weeks. Subcultures were prepared from these stabs at various intervals to test for viability.Results:  Established cultures in agar stabs failed to survive at room temperature but did survive at 37 °C with 10% CO2 for up to 56 days. H. felis remained viable for up to 28 days. No difference was observed between the two media formulations.Conclusion:  H. pylori grown in agar stabs remains viable for prolonged periods of time without the need to subculture and may represent an improved method for storing H. pylori for infrequent use.
The Bifidogenic Growth Stimulator Inhibits the Growth and Respiration of Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Nagata Kumiko , Inatsu Sakiko , Tanaka Mamoru , Sato Harumi , Kouya Tomoaki , Taniguchi Masayuki , Fukuda Yoshihiro 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBackground:  Triple therapy with amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and a proton‐pump inhibitor is a common therapeutic strategy for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). However, frequent appearance of clarithromycin‐resistant strains is a therapeutic challenge. While various quinones are known to specifically inhibit the growth of H. pylori, the quinone 1,4‐dihydroxy‐2‐naphthoic acid (DHNA) produced by Propionibacterium has strong stimulating effect on Bifidobacterium. We were interested to see whether DHNA could inhibit the growth of H. pylori in in vitro or in vivo experimental setting.Materials and Methods:  The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of DHNA was determined by the agar dilution method. The inhibitory action of DHNA on the respiratory activity was measured by using an oxygen electrode. Germ‐free mice infected with H. pylori were given DHNA in free drinking water containing 100 μg/mL for 7 days.Results:  DHNA inhibited H. pylori growth at low MIC values, 1.6–3.2 μg/mL. Likewise, DHNA inhibited clinical isolates of H. pylori, resistant to clarithromycin. However, DHNA did not inhibit other Gram negative or anaerobic bacteria in the normal flora of the human intestine. Both H. pylori cellular respiration and adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP) generation were dose‐dependently inhibited by DHNA. Similarly, the culture filtrates of propionibacterial strains inhibited the growth of H. pylori, and oral administration of DHNA could eradicate H. pylori in the infected germ‐free mice.Conclusions:  The bifidogenic growth stimulator DHNA specifically inhibited the growth of H. pylori including clarithromycin‐resistant strains in vitro and its colonization activity in vivo. The bactericidal activity of DHNA was via inhibition of cellular respiration. These actions of DHNA may have clinical relevance in the eradication of H. pylori.
Is the Association Between Helicobacter pylori Infection and Anemia Age Dependent?
Authors: Muhsen Khitam , Barak Mira , Henig Clara , Alpert Gershon , Ornoy Asher , Cohen Dani 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBackground:  The relationship between H. pylori infection and anemia in childhood is still unclear. The aim of the study was to examine the association between H. pylori infection and anemia or iron deficiency in school‐age children and in infants.Materials and Methods:  Six‐ to 9‐ year‐old Israeli Arab children (N = 202) and infants (N = 197) were examined for hemoglobin and ferritin levels. ELISA was used to detect H. pylori antigens in stool specimens collected from the participants. Household characteristics were obtained through personal interviews with the mothers.Results:  The prevalence of anemia was 15.5 versus 5.5% in H. pylori‐positive and ‐negative school‐age children, respectively and 34.5 versus 29.8% in H. pylori‐positive and ‐negative infants, respectively. The Mantel–Haenszel age‐adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 1.6 (95%CI 1.0, 2.6). In multivariate analysis controlling for socioeconomic variables, H. pylori infection was associated with 2.8 higher prevalence of anemia only in school‐age children: adjusted PR 2.8 (95% CI 0.9, 9.3). The adjusted mean difference in hemoglobin levels between H. pylori infected school‐age children and uninfected ones was −0.372 gr/dL (95% CI −0.704, −0.039) (p = .04). The respective mean ferritin difference was −6.74 μg/L (95% CI −13.38, −.011) (p = .04). Such differences were not found in infants.Conclusions:  H. pylori infection is associated with higher prevalence of anemia in school‐age children independently of socioeconomic variables. Such association was not observed in infants. These findings are of clinical and public health importance.
Integrating Human and Ecosystem Health in the Great Lakes Basin: The Rationale for Sunsetting Industrial Chlorine
Authors: Vallentyne J. R. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTPollution from persistent toxic substances, interpreted as downward causation from the Biosphere, was the primary factor causing the integration of human and ecosystem health in the Great Lakes Basin. Institutional measures that set the political stage for integration were the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreements of 1972 and 1978 (the latter with an accent on an ecosystem approach and persistent toxic substances). Fish and wildlife biologists played a crucial role as “eco‐catalysts” in alerting the public and the International Joint Commission (IJC) to reproductive and developmental health problems associated with persistent toxic substances in fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, and—by implication—humans.The rationale for the recommendation to sunset industrial chlorine stemmed from the IJC’s conclusion that persistent toxic substances, including many organochlorines, are harmful to humans and the Biosphere. It is conjectured that the focus on chlorinated chemicals arose from the fact that more than half of the 373 persistent toxic substances identified in the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem were organochlorines; the uncontrollability of many organochlorines in the production phase, in long‐range transport in air and water, in chemical transformations in the environment, and in bioaccumulation in food chains; and the need for a strategic spearhead to break the dysfunctional, after‐the‐fact, one‐by‐one approach to regulating persistent toxic substances. Generic controls are necessary whenever public health or property is threatened by environmental conversion from harmless to harmful forms (as in the case of phosphorus, lead, mercury, and PCBs).Attention is drawn to the rarity of organochlorines in vertebrates and their general use in defense also to the bypassing of lower halogens in favor of iodine (as thyroxine) in regulating basal metabolism in vertebrates. The sunsetting of industrial chlorine is considered essential to the protection of human and biospheric health; however, because of the current requirement for proof of harm, chemical by chemical, the process is likely to take decades.
An Agenda for Studying Human and Ecosystem Health in the Boreal Forest
Authors: Guidotti Tee L. , Teschke Kay , Wein Eleanor , Soskolne Colin L. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThe Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE) in Sustainable Forestry Management is a new research initiative in Canada that examines management practices that protect boreal forest resources while permitting controlled economic development. A critical factor in the viability of such practices is socioeconomic and cultural acceptability in the communities of the region. Health is an essential factor in this dimension of sustainability. The NCE includes a health component that examines issues of human and ecosystem health related to boreal forest communities in western and northern Canada. These may be direct, involving direct health effects on the human body, or indirect, mediated by social mechanisms. Communities in the region are generally small, remote, limited in economic resources, and support a mixed economic development of forest products, oil and gas, and traditional aboriginal activities. The small and dispersed population and the time frame for the study do not permit application of the usual methods of broad‐based community health research. Instead, emphasis is placed on four main elements with a variety of robust and sometimes qualitative methods to suit the problems. The four elements are: (1) ”Population health,“ a conceptual model of determinants of health, as interpreted for boreal forest communities; (2) application of the population health model to anticipate and prevent human health problems associated with various scenarios of sustainable forestry management; (3) occupational health and safety issues associated with increased activity in the forest products sector; and (4) large‐scale ecosystem change and human health. The NCE presents an unusual opportunity to study both the ecosystem and human health implications of an ecological intervention. Its activities may provide insight into the complex relationship between human and ecosystem health.
Ecological Risk Assessment and Ecosystem Health: Fallacies and Solutions
Authors: Shrader‐Frechette Kristin 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTAfter surveying the two main paradigms for ecological risk assessment, this commentary discusses two mistakes often associated with the paradigm based on ecosystem health. These are the beard fallacy and the pragmatist fallacy. The argument is that if you really learn from experience with quantitative (human health) risk assessment, you can avoid importing similar fallacies into ecological risk assessment. The commentary suggests strategies for avoiding each of these fallacies and thus for improving analyses of ecosystem health.
Making Tradeoffs for Agroecosystem Health
Authors: Forsyth Margaret , VanLeeuwen John 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTExisting definitions of agroecosystem health do not address one of the most important issues, namely, how tradeoffs should be made among different components of an agroecosystem. To resolve this issue, it is important to be clear on which perspective is being taken in any health assessment. An internal perspective would focus on the health of the biophysical components of the agroecosystem, whereas an external perspective would focus on human communities. This article proposes a three‐stage, transdisciplinary approach to agroecosystem health, called a Framework for Agroecosystem Health Tradeoffs, which uses internal and external perspectives at different stages. In the first stage, the type of ecosystem and the time and spatial scale of concern are identified. Once this is established, required levels of biophysical indicators are set and monitored to ensure that basic internal needs for agroecosystem survival are met. In determining levels of biophysical indicators, “positivistic” scientific analysis would be required as well as normative judgments by society on acceptable levels of risk. The third stage involves determining the potential for making tradeoffs in the agroecosystem that would be beneficial to society without affecting the required levels of biophysical indicators specified in the second stage. Economic analysis and community consultation would be used to determine which agroecosystem components or services are valued most by society so that decisions on tradeoffs could be made. Although there remain practical problems in implementing this approach, the notion of setting minimum constraints which human activity cannot violate and making the best tradeoffs possible after these constraints are met provides a useful framework to begin putting agroecosystem health into practice.
Is Economic Development Compatible with Ecosystem Health?
Authors: Rapport D.J. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThe incessant quest for economic growth has dominated human energies for centuries. However, the costs in terms of social and ecological disruption have seldom been taken into account. In consequence, the Earth’s ecosystems have been increasingly disabled. The root problem lies in archaic economic thinking that is completely divorced from natural process. This thinking entrains the notions of unlimited substitution for scarce resources, growth without limits, and the myth that nature’s services are in never‐ending supply. If there is to be a viable future for humankind, this thinking must give way to the realization that the economic process has steadily undermined one of the most critical societal goals, namely, that of preserving the health and integrity of the earth’s ecosystems. If we are to find our way, economic development must be tempered by ecological and social realities.
Electrographic Aspects of “Epileptic” Neuronal Aggregates
Authors: MARSAN C. AJMONE 
Published: September 2010

RÉSUMÉCourt exposé des principaux traits morphologiques caractéristiques de I'activité électrique des agglomérations neuronales épieptiques (ANE) tel qu'on les enregistre au moyen de macro‐ et microélectrodes. L'auteur étudie quelques phénomtnes neurophysiologiques fondamentaux par la comparaison du r&#x006f;&#x030c;le qu'ils jouent dans le comportement des agglomérations neurales normales et dans celui des ANE; il reléve les caractères différentiels qui se montrent les plus semblables dans les deux situations. Il analyse et discute les mécanismes fondamentaux susceptibles dlětre impliqués dans la génération et le maintien d'une activité épileptiforme. On distingue deux aspects dans I'activité des ANE: inter‐ictale et ictale. L'analyse des procès responsables d'un “firing” (interictal) cyclique paroxysmal et de I'activité organisée, répétitive, autosoutenue (ictale) dans l'ANE, ainsi que celle du passage de l'un à l'autre, éveille la pensée que, outre de simples différences quantitatives, autre chose encore caractérise ces deux types d'activité. L'auteur suggère que, tandis que le premier phénomène peut, théoriquement, se produire dans le neurone isolé, le second ne peut se présenter que dans l'ANE. La signification des éléments nerveux spécifiques et/ou le r&#x006f;&#x030c;le de certaines parties de la cellule en un ANE donné est considérée comme de moindre importance.
Triggering Mechanisms in Epilepsy The Electroclinical Point of View
Authors: GASTAUT H. , TASSINARI C. A. 
Published: September 2010

RÉSUMÉLes auteurs distinguent trois variétés de crises épileptiques suivant leurs conditions d'apparition:A. Les crises épileptiques fortuitesB. Les crises épileptiques cycliques1. avec une périodicité latente;2. avec une distribution cyclique manifeste liée au cycle nyctohémérique ou à des facteurs hormonaux (cycle oestral, puberté, ménopause).C. Les crises épileptiques provoquées

Crises provoquées par des facteurs déclenchants non‐sensoriels:(a) hyperthermie, (b) ingestion d'alcool, (c) hyperpnée, (d) désordres métaboliques, (e) fatique physique et privation de sommeil, (f) émotions, (g) lecture (variété intrinsèque ou perceptive de l'épilepsie de la lecture), (h) audition (épilepsie musicogénique), (i) exploration visuelle (variété intrinsèque ou perceptive de l'épilepsie par exploration visuelle).
Crises provoquées par des facteurs déclenchants sensoriels ou épilepsie réflexe stricto‐sensu:(a) crises provoquées par des stimuli visuels:(i) crises provoquées par la lumière intermittente (y compris l'épilepsie de la télévision)(ii) crises provoquées par la lecture et l'exploration visuelle (variété extrinsèque ou sensorielle de l'épilepsie de la lecture et de l'exploration visuelle)(iii) crises provoquées par la fermeture des yeux.(b) crises provoquées par des stimuli sensoriels végétatifs.(c) crises provoquées par des stimulations sensorielles inopinées entraînant une réaction de surprise (épilepsie sursaut):(i) épilepsie‐sursaut provoquée par des stimulations auditives(ii) épilepsie‐sursaut provoquée par des stimulations extéroceptives ou proprioceptives (y compris l'épilepsie du mouvement).
Crises volontairement provoquées par le sujet lui‐même (épilepsie auto‐provoquée).
Crises provoquées par des stimuli conditionnels.Dans leurs conclusions les auteurs proposent l'hypothèse de travail suivante: chez l'homme, les facteurs qui transforment un foyer au repos (cortical ou “centrencéphalique) en foyer générateur d'une activité épileptique propagée, n'agissent pas par l'intermédiaire d'un mécanisme réflexe spécifique, mais agissent sur l'ensemble du cerveau, soit directement, soit indirectement par l'intermédiaire des structures souscorticales à projections diffuses.
Medical Student Perspectives on Geriatrics and Geriatric Education
Authors: Bagri Anita S. , Tiberius Richard 
Published: September 2010

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain medical students' perspectives on geriatrics.DESIGN: Interpretative phenomenological analysis.SETTING: An allopathic, Liaison Committee on Medical Education–accredited, former Donald W. Reynolds Foundation grant recipient, U.S. medical school.PARTICIPANTS: Thirty fourth‐year medical students who completed geriatric educational activities in all 4 years of medical school.MEASUREMENTS: Two researchers independently reviewed verbatim transcripts from five focus groups and identified themes using the constant comparative method.RESULTS: Seventeen themes that elaborate on students' perspectives on geriatrics were identified. Students reported not feeling appropriately engaged in geriatrics, despaired at the futility of care, were depressed by the decline and death of their patients, were frustrated by low reimbursement rates and low prestige despite fellowship training, were concerned about patients' unrealistic expectations and opportunities for litigation, felt unsure how to handle ethical dilemmas, and found communicating with older adults to be enjoyable but time consuming and challenging. They felt they had too much exposure to geriatrics in medical school.CONCLUSION: Current attitude scales fail to capture some of the dimensions uncovered in this study, whereas students did not mention other dimensions commonly included in attitude scales. Regarding curriculum development, students may find an integrated preclinical geriatric curriculum to be more relevant to their careers than a stand‐alone curriculum. Clinical clerkships might be in a better position to emphasize the positive aspects of geriatrics and develop strategies to address students' negative attitudes.