bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Linking genetic diversity and temporal fluctuations in population abundance of the introduced feral cat (Felis silvestris catus) on the Kerguelen archipelago
Authors: DEVILLARD S. , SANTIN‐JANIN H. , SAY L. , PONTIER D. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractLinking temporal variations of genetic diversity, including allelic richness and heterozygosity, and spatio‐temporal fluctuations in population abundance has emerged as an important tool for understanding demographic and evolutionary processes in natural populations. This so‐called genetic monitoring was conducted across 12 consecutive years (1996–2007) at three sites for the feral cat, introduced onto the Kerguelen archipelago fifty years ago. Temporal changes in allelic richness and heterozygosity at 18 microsatellite DNA loci were compared with temporal changes in the adult population abundance index, obtained by typical demographic monitoring. No association was found at the island spatial scale, but we observed an association between genetic diversity and adult population indices from year to year within each study site. More particularly, the magnitude of successive increases or decreases in the adult population abundance index appeared to be the major factor linking the trajectories of genetic diversity and adult population abundance indices. Natal dispersal and/or local recruitment, both facilitated by high juvenile survival when the adult population size is small, is proposed as the major demographic processes contributing to such an observed pattern. Finally, we suggested avoiding the use of the harmonic mean as an estimator of long‐term population size to study the relationships between demographic fluctuations and heterozygosity in populations characterized by strong multiannual density fluctuations.
Parallel allochronic divergence in a winter moth due to disruption of reproductive period by winter harshness
Authors: YAMAMOTO SATOSHI , SOTA TEIJI 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThe disruption of reproductive timing by climatic harshness may result in the temporal isolation of conspecific populations and, ultimately, in speciation. However, whether temporal isolation alone can act as the force initiating speciation and how often the same type of climatic disruption results in the divergence of allochronic populations in a lineage are largely unknown. The reproductive period of the winter geometrid moth Inurois punctigera is separated into early and late winter in habitats with severe winters, but not in habitats with mild winters, suggesting that the reproductive season is disrupted by the harshness of the mid‐winter period. Here, we show that sympatric pairs of early‐ and late‐winter populations that differ in origin exist in different regions, suggesting a parallel divergence of reproductive timing. In each region, significant genetic differentiation exists between these early‐ and late‐winter populations, suggesting that the temporal reproductive isolation has persisted. Moreover, we demonstrate that the temporal isolation, in comparison with geographic isolation, contributes greatly to the genetic differentiation among geographic and temporal populations by an analysis of molecular variance and by a comparison of genetic differentiations (FST) between geographic populations with and without difference in reproductive season. Our results suggest that adaptive divergence of allochronically reproducing populations has occurred independently in different regions, implying the generality of the role of temporal isolation in initiating speciation in a winter moth lineage.
The Holocene shallowing‐upward parasequence of north‐west Andros Island, Bahamas
Authors: MALOOF ADAM C. , GROTZINGER JOHN P. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractMany pre‐Mesozoic records of Earth history are derived from shallow water carbonates deposited on continental shelves. While these carbonates contain geochemical proxy records of climate change, it is the stratal architecture of layered carbonate units that often is used to build age models based on the idea that periodic astronomical forcing of sea‐level controls the layering. Reliable age models are crucial to any interpretation of rates and durations of environmental change, but the physical processes that actually control this stratal architecture in shallow water carbonates are controversial. In particular, are upward‐shallowing stacks of carbonate beds bounded by flooding surfaces (‘parasequences’) truly a record of relative sea‐level change? The purpose of this study is to examine a tidal flat that is actively accumulating carbonate stratigraphy, and to determine the relative importance of tidal channel migration (poorly known, but investigated here) and Holocene sea‐level rise (well‐known) in controlling post‐glacial parasequence architecture. This work represents a field study of peritidal carbonate accumulation at Triple Goose Creek, north‐west Andros Island. By integrating surface facies maps with differential global positioning system topographic surveys, a quantitative relationship between facies and elevation is derived. Sedimentary facies are sensitive to elevation changes as small as 5 cm, and are responding to both internal (distance to nearest tidal channel) and external (sea‐level rise) controls. The surface maps also are integrated with 187 sediment cores that each span the entire Holocene succession. While flooding of the Triple Goose Creek area should have occurred by ca 4500 years ago, preservation of Holocene sediment did not begin until 1200 years ago. The tidal channels are shown to be stationary, or to migrate sluggishly at up to 6 cm per year. Therefore, while the location of tidal channels is responsible for the modern mosaic of surface facies, these facies and the channels that control them have not migrated substantially during the ca 1200 years of sediment accumulation at Triple Goose Creek. Once the region was channellized, vertical and lateral shifts in facies, such as the landward retreating shoreline, expanding mangrove ponds and seaward advancing inland algal marsh, are driven by changes in relative sea‐level and sediment supply, not migrating channels. While stratigraphic columns look different depending on the distance to the nearest tidal channel, the overall parasequence architecture everywhere at Triple Goose Creek records an upward‐shallowing trend controlled by the infilling of accommodation space generated by post‐glacial sea‐level rise.
Correlation and agreement of self‐assessed and objective skin disease severity in a cross‐sectional study of patients with acne, psoriasis, and atopic eczema
Authors: Magin Parker J. , Pond C. Dimity , Smith Wayne T. , Watson Alan B. , Goode Susan M. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  Previous studies have shown variable correlation of patients’ self‐assessed skin severity measures and clinician‐assessed objective measures of severity. But, generally, correlation has not been as good as might be expected for conditions in which the objective physical extent of skin disease is apparent to the sufferer to an extent that is not applicable in many other diseases.Methods  This paper reports agreement and correlation of self‐assessed and objective severity measures in a study of 108 subjects with acne, psoriasis, or atopic eczema. The study was a cross‐sectional study examining psychological associations of these skin diseases. Objective severity was assessed with the Leeds technique (acne), the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, and Six Area Six Sign Atopic Dermatitis instruments. Agreement is a more appropriate measure than correlation in this situation and was measured with weighted kappa, while correlation was measured with Spearman’s rank correlation.Results  There was a modest correlation of ρ = 0.46 and similarly very modest agreement of 0.35 (weighted kappa) of self‐assessed and clinician‐assessed disease severity. Furthermore, self‐assessed (but not clinician‐assessed) severity was statistically associated with psychological morbidity in this study; i.e. – depression, anxiety, and overall psychological morbidity.Conclusions  Clinicians should consider psychological sequelae of skin disease, not only in those with objectively more severe disease but in patients across the severity spectrum. Both observational and interventional studies of skin disease should include both clinician‐assessed and self‐assessed measures of severity among assessed variables.
Radiotherapy‐induced pemphigus vulgaris with autoantibodies targeting a 110 kDa epidermal antigen
Authors: Badri Talel , Hammami Houda , Lachkham Ali , Benmously‐Mlika Rym , Mokhtar Inçaf , Fenniche Samy 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  Pemphigus is an autoimmune intraepidermal blistering disease mediated by autoantibodies targeting desmosomes. It can be induced by many triggers, such as ionizing radiation.Methods  We report a case of radiotherapy‐induced pemphigus (RIP) with a review of the published cases in the English and French literature.Results  A 61‐year old man was diagnosed to have epidermoid carcinoma of the piriform sinus and then received a 70 Gy radiation therapy. One month after the treatment completion, multiple blisters and erosions occurred initially on the site of irradiation, then in other skin areas. Histological examination showed an intraepidermal blister with acantholysis and necrosis of individual keratinocytes. Direct immunofluorescence and indirect immunofluorescence were typical of pemphigus. Immunoblot revealed antibodies reacting with a 110 kDa antigen. This feature was consistent with the diagnosis of RIP. Less than 20 cases of RIP have been reported previously. Mean age at diagnosis was 64.2 years, and there is a slight female preponderance. RIP occurred, in most cases, initially within the area of irradiation.Conclusion  Our patient showed some distinctive findings never reported previously in RIP: a histological focal keratinocyte necrosis, and the presence of autoantibodies reacting with a 110 kDa keratinocytic protein in immunoblot analysis. Because of a different prognosis, it is important to differentiate RIP and paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP), although cases of ionizing radiation‐induced PNP had also been described. As in our patient, RIP seems to respond well to systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy, which induce remission within a few months.
Linear sclerodermic lupus erythematosus, a distinct variant of linear morphea and chronic cutaneous lupus erythematous
Authors: Khelifa Elhem , Masouye Isabelle , Pham Hoang Chinh , Parmentier Laurent , Borradori Luca 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  Overlap syndromes represent disorders that combine diagnostic criteria of two or more different connective tissue diseases.Methods  We herein describe the case of a 34‐year‐old patient.Results  Our patient developed a lesion on the scalp and forehead following Blaschko’s line typical for linear morphea “en coup de sabre”, while histopathological features were consistent with both chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus and linear morphea, a cutaneous overlap syndrome previously described as linear sclerodermiform lupus erythematosus. The patient was given oral antimalarials in association with topical steroids and calcineurin inhibitors with good response.Conclusions  Knowledge of this peculiar cutaneous overlap syndrome is warranted, since its management and prognosis is probably different from classical linear morphea.
Interesting effect of Malassezia spp. infection on dermatoses of other origins
Authors: Pakran Jaheersha , Riyaz Najeeba 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  Tinea versicolor (TV) is a superficial fungal infection affecting as many as 40% of the population in the tropics. We noticed an unusual affect of TV on dermatoses of other origins.Methods  In this prospective clinical study, we examined patients attending our dermatology outpatient department over a period of one year for coexistence of TV with any unrelated dermatoses. We confirmed the diagnosis of TV by microscopy of skin scrapings. Skin biopsy was performed when necessary to confirm the diagnosis of associated dermatoses.Results  We describe four cases in which unrelated dermatoses (viral exanthem, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, polymorphous light eruption, and irritant contact dermatitis) specifically spared sites affected with TV.Conclusions  Recent research has elucidated the immunomodulatory properties of Malassezia spp. in vitro. Our cases serve as possible in vivo models illustrating such properties. Further studies based on these reports could lead to the isolation of molecules from Malassezia, which may have potential use in anti‐inflammatory drug formulations.
Diagnosing leprosy: revisiting the role of the slit‐skin smear with critical analysis of the applicability of polymerase chain reaction in diagnosis
Authors: Banerjee Surajita , Biswas Nibir , Kanti Das Nilay , Sil Amrita , Ghosh Pramit , Hasanoor Raja Abu Hena , Dasgupta Sarbani , Kanti Datta Pijush , Bhattacharya Basudev 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  Diagnosing leprosy is challenging, especially in early‐stage cases, and the need for a sensitive diagnostic tool is urgent. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) holds promise as a simple and sensitive diagnostic tool, but its usefulness in the Indian context requires further evaluation. Slit‐skin smear (SSS) remains the conventional method of leprosy detection. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate and compare the diagnostic efficacy of PCR versus that of SSS.Methods  Punch biopsy of skin and SSS were obtained from the active margins of lesions. Cases were clinically grouped according to whether they were multibacillary (MB) or paucibacillary (PB) and classified into tuberculoid (TT), borderline tuberculoid (BT), borderline lepromatous (BL), lepromatous (LL), histoid, and indeterminate groups after clinicopathological correlation. DNA was extracted from biopsy specimens, and multiplex PCR was carried out incorporating primers intended for the amplification of a specific 372‐bp fragment of a repetitive sequence of Mycobacterium leprae DNA.Results  Among 164 patients, PCR was positive in 82.3%. The sensitivity of PCR was significantly greater (P < 0.0001) than that of SSS in both the MB (85.9% vs. 59.8%) and PB (75.4% vs. 1.8%) subgroups; the difference in sensitivity in the PB subgroup is remarkable. Positivity by PCR and SSS was found in 100% of LL and histoid leprosy, but PCR had significantly greater (P < 0.0001) positivity in BT leprosy and was of definite increased value in indeterminate and TT leprosy.Conclusions  Polymerase chain reaction had higher sensitivity compared with SSS, especially in diagnostically challenging and PB cases. Thus, the use of this costly but sensitive tool should be restricted to this subgroup, because SSS is sufficiently sensitive in the diagnosis of LL and histoid leprosy.
Hematological abnormalities and the use of granulocyte‐colony‐stimulating factor in patients with Stevens–Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis
Authors: Ang Chia‐Chun , Tay Yong‐Kwang 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  Derangements in blood cell counts have been described in patients with Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) but are not well characterized. We aim to describe the relationship between our patients’ hematological results and the evolution of disease and hypothesize on the possible roles of granulocyte‐colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) in the management of these conditions.Materials and methods  Clinical records of our patients with SJS and TEN from January 2005 to 2010 were analyzed.Results  Anemia and lymphopenia were most commonly seen, while thrombocytopenia was uncommon. Leukopenia and neutropenia were seen in patients with more severe disease, and the trend of leukopenia and neutropenia followed the evolution of disease. Two patients received G‐CSF for febrile neutropenia and had a rapid recovery of their neutrophil counts as well as a shorter time to re‐epithelialization.Conclusion  Our patients tended to have leukopenia and neutropenia that followed a predictable trend of decline and subsequent improvement depending on the stage of disease. This may be of pathogenic significance, and G‐CSF may be used in these cases to manage febrile neutropenia and aid re‐epithelialization. Further basic science research is required to prove our hypotheses.
A method for distinguishing the intended margins for a melanoma from the tissue cones after surgical excision
Authors: Kriegel David , Marmur Ellen , Shan Hui Yi , Mercer Stephen E. , Birge Miriam B. , Lee Arnold 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  Surgical excision of severely dysplastic nevi and thin cutaneous melanomas (<1 mm in depth) remains the most effective treatment to date. However, sometimes a severely dysplastic nevus may be upstaged to a melanoma in situ, or a melanoma in situ may be upgraded to an invasive melanoma once the completely excised specimen is reviewed microscopically. This then requires a re‐excision around the entire scar at follow‐up as the dermatological surgeon can be perplexed as to where the precise locations of the pigmented lesion and the tissue cones are, thereby generating a longer scar.Objective  We want to introduce a simple, cost‐effective and easy‐to‐implement approach that permits the dermatological surgeon to distinguish from a linear scar the site of the original pigmented lesion and the lengths of the tissue cones. Therefore, if a re‐excision is necessary, instead of surgical removal around the entire scar, only a focal directed excision of the pigmented lesion is necessary and this will result in a shorter scar; this will be useful for cosmetically sensitive areas on the face. A case is included to illustrate our objective.Results and Discussion  Using our surgical method on a patient’s left cheek pigmented lesion originally diagnosed as melanoma in situ with a subsequent revised diagnosis of invasive melanoma generated a shorter scar and a favorable cosmetic outcome.
Systemic contact dermatitis
Authors: Veien Niels K. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractSystemic contact dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease that may occur in persons with contact allergy when they are exposed to the hapten orally, transcutaneously, per rectum, intravesically, intravenously, or by inhalation. The most common causes of systemic contact dermatitis are drugs used both topically and systemically. Other causes are ubiquitously occurring haptens, such as the metals nickel, cobalt, gold, and chromate, and aromatic substances such as spices. Avoidance of the offending hapten is the most obvious treatment. For some haptens, such as nickel, diet treatment may be effective. Chelation therapy with disulfiram is another therapeutic option in nickel‐allergic patients with systemic contact dermatitis. Hyposensitization therapy has been attempted with some success in systemic contact dermatitis caused by nickel andParthenium hysterophorus.
Heart rate limitation and cardiac unloading in sevoflurane post‐conditioning
Authors: LARSEN J. R. , SIVESGAARD K. , CHRISTENSEN S. D. , HØNGE J. L. , HASENKAM J. M. 
Published: November 2011

BackgroundSevoflurane post‐conditioning (SePost) has been found to alleviate ischemic myocardial reperfusion injury through the activation of prosurvival kinases. Lowered myocardial oxygen demand from reduced cardiac work may also contribute to cardioprotection, and is much less well‐studied. Our aim was to examine the simultaneous effects of SePost on cardiac work (here, rate–pressure product, RPP) and myocardial infarct size in a porcine model.MethodsAnesthetized 25 kg pigs were randomly allocated to two groups and underwent 45 min regional coronary artery balloon occlusion and subsequent 2 h reperfusion. SePost (n = 10) was given as sevoflurane 1.5–3% end‐tidal concentration during reperfusion while controls (n = 12) were untreated. Aortic blood pressure was measured directly, while mixed‐venous oxygen saturation and cardiac output were measured in the pulmonary artery. Cardiac work was determined as RPP. Post‐mortem, histologic myocardial infarct size (IS), and area at risk were determined in transverse heart slices after tetrazolium stain.ResultsMyocardial infarct size was reduced from (control) 55.0 (mean) ± 13.6% (standard deviation) to 32.5 ± 13.4% in group SePost (P = 0.0009). During reperfusion, SePost resulted in lower heart rate (P = 0.0003), cardiac output (P = 0.0123), mixed‐venous oxygen saturation (P = 0.0103), blood pressure, and RPP (P < 0.0001). RPP was highly correlated to IS (P = 0.0055).ConclusionSePost (1.5–3%) reduced infarct size after regional myocardial ischemia in vivo and reduced cardiac work was significantly correlated to myocardial salvage.
Short stay and less pain after ambulatory anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair: COX‐2 inhibitor versus glucocorticoid versus both combined
Authors: DAHL V. , SPRENG U. J. , WAAGE M. , RAEDER J.C. 
Published: November 2011

BackgroundMany studies have demonstrated that either COX‐2 antagonists or glucocorticoids are efficient analgesics after orthopaedic surgery. We wanted to evaluate if the combination of these two drugs was better than one drug alone when added to paracetamol, local anaesthesia, and cryo‐cuff for outpatient anterior crucial ligament (ACL) surgery.MethodsIn a double‐blind design, 89 adult patients scheduled for day‐case ACL repair in general anaesthesia were randomly assigned into three groups: The COXIB group (n = 30) received either 40 mg parecoxib iv or 120 mg etoricoxib orally 1 h before surgery. The STEROID group (n = 30) received 8 mg dexamethasone iv, and the combination group (Group COMBI, n = 29) received both.ResultsAt 24 h, Group COMBI had significantly lower visual analogue scale (0–10 cm) scores during rest (2.1 ± 1.3) (mean ± standard deviation) and movement (4.2 ± 2.5) when compared to both the COXIB group (P = 0.04) and the STEROID group (P = 0.035). The accumulated consumption of rescue opioids (5.2 ± 4,5 mg morphine) was also significantly lower at 24 h compared to the other groups (P = 0.02). Mean time to discharge from hospital was about 3 h in all groups. The pain scores in the post‐anaesthetic care unit, mobilization at 24 h and 7 days, and general level of satisfaction were similar between the groups.ConclusionThe combination of a COX‐2 inhibitor and dexamethasone results in better pain relief 24 h after surgery in patients undergoing outpatient ACL surgery, compared to COX‐2 inhibitor alone or dexamethasone alone. With a dedicated multimodal pain regime, most ACL patients may be discharged within 3 h.