bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evidence of the restricted gene flow within a small spatial scale in the Japanese common intertidal goby Chaenogobius annularis
Authors: Hirase Shotaro , Kanno Manami , Ikeda Minoru , Kijima Akihiro 
Published: March 2012

AbstractElucidating the scale of gene flow among populations is an important challenge for understanding the ecological dynamics and local adaptation of marine organisms. We assessed whether gene flow is restricted even at a small spatial scale in the Japanese common intertidal goby Chaenogobius annularis, using highly polymorphic DNA markers, involving the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and 15 microsatellite DNA (msDNA), because past ecological studies have suggested low dispersal ability for rocky intertidal fishes. We found significant heterogeneities between four neighboring local populations by both mtDNA and msDNA analyses. In addition, no genetic heterogeneity was detected by either method across generations within a population; it was considered that such genetic differentiation is retained across generations and that the gene flow of this species is restricted to within a radius of a few kilometers. This is the first report showing a clear genetic subdivision in rocky intertidal fish.
A prospective, multicentre survey on antifungal therapy in neutropenic paediatric haematology patients
Authors: Cesaro Simone , Pagano Livio , Caira Morena , Carraro Francesca , Luciani Matteo , Russo Delia , Colombini Antonella , Morello William , Viale Pierluigi , Rossi Giuseppe , Tridello Gloria , Pegoraro Anna , Nosari Annamaria , Aversa Franco ,   on behalf of Hema‐e‐chart Group
Published: March 2012

SummaryInvasive fungal infections are a frequent complication after intensive chemotherapy. The aims of this prospective study were to describe the use of antifungal therapy and to report which strategy was routinely adopted to guide the introduction of antifungal therapy. A total of 321 febrile episodes in 160 paediatric patients affected by acute leukaemia or non‐Hodgkin‐lymphoma were investigated. Antifungal therapy was used in 100 of 321 febrile episodes (31%), and classified as empiric in 73 episodes, diagnostic‐driven in 25 episodes and targeted in 2 episodes. Switching to a second‐line antifungal therapy was needed in 28 of 100 episodes (28%) and was classified as empiric in 10 episodes (36%), diagnostic‐driven in 17 episodes (61%) and targeted in 1 episode (4%). In 9 of 28 episodes (32%), switching to a third‐line antifungal therapy was performed and was classified as empiric in 2 episodes (22%), diagnostic‐driven in 6 episodes (67%) and targeted in 1 episode (11%). Invasive fungal infections was reported in 23 of 100 episodes: confirmed in 4 episodes, probable in 8 episodes, and possible in 11 episodes. Attributable mortality was 2.8%. Antifungal therapy was still used mostly empirically, whereas as fever persisted, its modification was guided by a diagnostic‐driven approach.
Frequency and expression of ALS and HWP1 genotypes in Candida albicans strains isolated from Mexican patients suffering from vaginal candidosis
Authors: Monroy‐Pérez Eric , Sáinz‐Espuñes Teresita , Paniagua‐Contreras Gloria , Negrete‐Abascal Erasmo , Rodríguez‐Moctezuma José Raymundo , Vaca Sergio 
Published: March 2012

SummaryTo detect the frequency and expression of eight ALS (agglutinin‐like sequence) genes and the HWP1 genotype in a group of Candida albicans strains isolated from Mexican women suffering from vaginal candidosis. A group of 264 women (age 15–57 years) with vaginal infections were evaluated. C. albicans was identified by PCR amplification of the rRNA internal transcribed spacer regions ITS1 and ITS2. The ALS and HWP1 genes were identified by conventional PCR, and their expression levels were determined by real‐time PCR after growing C. albicans strains in reconstituted human vaginal epithelium (RHVE). C. albicans was identified in 50 women (18.9%). The genotypic frequencies were ALS1 100%, ALS2 60%, ALS3 36%, ALS4 54%, ALS5 70%, ALS6 56%, ALS7 64%, ALS9 66% and HWP1 92%. The most frequently expressed genes in the strains harbouring all of the genes were ALS4 (100%), ALS1 (87.5%), ALS2 (87.5%), ALS3 (87.5%), ALS5 (87.5%), ALS7 (87.5%) and HWP1 (75.0%). Nineteen per cent of the vaginal infections were caused by C. albicans, and a high proportion of the strains carried genes encoding proteins involved in adhesion to epithelia. The ALS and HWP1 genes were expressed in RHVE, suggesting that the Als and Hwp1 proteins play an important role in the pathogenesis of the infection.
Effect of statins on chronic inflammation and nutrition status in renal dialysis patients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: DENG JIN , WU QIAOYUAN , LIAO YUNHUA , HUO DONGMEI , YANG ZHENHUA 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACT:Aim:  3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG‐CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) may have an adjunctive effect on chronic inflammation and nutrition status in renal dialysis patients. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials to assess the effect of statins on chronic inflammation and nutrition status in dialysis patients.Methods:  The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of statins versus placebo or no treatment for renal dialysis patients were searched from PubMed, EMbase and Cochran Central Register of Controlled Trials. We screened relevant studies according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, evaluated the quality of the included studies, and performed meta‐analyses by using the Cochrane Collaboration's Revman 5.1 software.Results:  We identified nine trials including 3098 patients. Meta‐analysis showed statins can significantly decrease the serum C‐reactive protein (CRP) (SMD, −0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI), −1.04 to −0.05; P = 0.03) and high sensitivity CRP (hs‐CRP) level (SMD, −0.72; 95% CI, −1.14 to −0.31; P = 0.0007) of dialysis patients compared with that of the control group. However, statins did not differ significantly from the control group in increasing the serum Alb level (SMD, −0.13; 95% CI, −0.42 to 0.15; P = 0.37).Conclusions:  Statins can improve the chronic inflammation status reflected by the decreasing of serum CRP and hs‐CRP levels, whereas there is no conclusive evidence that it can improve the nutrition status. However, this result needs to be further confirmed in more high‐quality randomized clinical trials.
Association between corneal biomechanical properties and optic nerve head morphology in newly diagnosed glaucoma patients
Authors: Prata Tiago S , Lima Verônica C , Guedes Lia M , Biteli Luis G , Teixeira Sergio H , de Moraes Carlos G , Ritch Robert , Paranhos Jr Augusto 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground:  To investigate the association between corneal biomechanics and optic nerve head morphology in newly diagnosed primary open‐angle glaucoma patients.Design:  Hospital based prospective study.Participants:  Forty‐two untreated newly diagnosed primary open‐angle glaucoma patients.Methods:  Patients underwent corneal hysteresis measurement using the Ocular Response Analyzer and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy for optic nerve head topography evaluation. One eye was selected randomly for analysis. Data collected included age, race, gender, intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness.Main Outcome Measures:  Multiple regression analysis (controlling for baseline intraocular pressure and disc area) was used to investigate factors associated with the following optic nerve head topographic parameters: linear cup‐to‐disc ratio and mean cup depth.Results:  Mean age of participants was 66.7 ± 11.8 years. Corneal hysteresis was the only factor significantly associated with both mean cup depth (correlation coefficient [r] = −0.34, P = 0.03) and cup‐to‐disc ratio (r = −0.41, P = 0.01). Central corneal thickness was significantly associated with mean cup depth (r = −0.35, P = 0.02), but not with cup‐to‐disc ratio (r = −0.25, P = 0.13). Although a trend towards a positive association between age and cup‐to‐disc ratio was identified (r = 0.26, P = 0.08), age was not significantly associated with mean cup depth (r = 0.06, P = 0.72). When comparing fellow eyes of patients with bilateral glaucoma, the eye with higher corneal hysteresis had smaller cup‐to‐disc ratio in 75% of the cases.Conclusions:  In untreated newly diagnosed primary open‐angle glaucoma patients, those with thinner corneas and mainly lower corneal hysteresis values had a larger cup‐to‐disc ratio and deeper cup, independently of intraocular pressure values and disc size.
Enhanced age‐related cataract in copper‐zinc superoxide dismutase null mice
Authors: Olofsson Eva M , Marklund Stefan L , Behndig Anders 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground:  As the lens is constantly exposed to light and oxygen that generate harmful reactive oxygen species, the importance of the intracellular antioxidant enzyme copper‐zinc superoxide dismutase for the protection against age‐related cataract development was explored.Methods:  The development of lens opacities and the lens oxidative status were studied in different age groups of mice lacking copper‐zinc superoxide dismutase and in wild‐type mice. The lens opacities were quantified from lens photographs using digital image analysis. Thereafter, the lenses were homogenized and analysed regarding their contents of reduced glutathione and protein carbonyls suggestive of protein oxidation.Results:  The 18‐week‐old mice of both genotypes had clear lenses. At 1 year of age, the copper‐zinc superoxide dismutase null mice had developed cortical lens opacities, whereas the wild‐type mice did not show equivalent changes until 2 years of age. The lens contents of glutathione decreased only in the 2‐year‐old wild‐type mice, whereas the carbonyls increased over time without any differences between the two genotypes.Conclusions:  This study indicates that the lack of copper‐zinc superoxide dismutase may accelerate age‐related lens opacity development and that intracellular superoxide‐derived oxidative stress may be damaging to the lens during ageing. Participation of the anti‐oxidant enzyme copper‐zinc superoxide dismutase in the protection against age‐related cataract was thus suggested.
Treatment of corneal defects with delayed re‐epithelization with a medical device/drug delivery system for epidermal growth factor
Authors: Holland Simon , Morck Douglas , Schultz Clyde 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground: Human recombinant epidermal growth factor has been shown to be effective in corneal healing when applied topically. The purpose of this preliminary study was to observe whether re‐epithelization occurred in patients with non‐healing corneal defects treated with a bandage contact lenses impregnated with epidermal growth factor.Design: Prospective non‐comparative interventional case series study. Epidermal growth factor‐impregnated bandage contact lenses (created through passive transfer of epidermal growth factor into hydrogel contact lenses of high water content) were used to passively release epidermal growth factor to the corneal surface of the damaged eye.Participants: Nine clinical patients who presented for tertiary care at the University of British Columbia Eye Care Centre at Vancouver General Hospital.Methods: All patients had clinically significant delayed corneal re‐epithelization that had not healed despite standard treatments including conventional bandage contact lenses and topical medications. Causes of delayed re‐epithelization varied from corneal injuries (e.g. alkali burns, recurrent corneal erosions) to recent corneal surgery (photorefractive keratectomy, phototherapeutic keratectomy, penetrating keratoplasty).Main Outcome Measures: Closure of wounds.Results: Re‐epithelialization was seen in the corneas of seven of the nine patients within 8 days after insertion of the epidermal growth factor‐treated bandage contact lens into the damaged eye. The drug delivery system appeared to be most effective in non‐inflamed corneas.Conclusions: Preliminary results indicate that bandage contact lenses impregnated with epidermal growth factor may be helpful in promoting re‐epithelization in corneas with delayed healing. Efficacy appears to be reduced for vascularized and significantly inflamed corneas.
Distinct cortical networks support the planning and online control of reaching‐to‐grasp in humans
Authors: Glover Scott , Wall Matthew B. , Smith Andrew T. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractA number of brain imaging studies have identified regions involved in the planning and control of complex actions. Here we attempt to contrast activity related to planning and online control in the human brain during simple reaching and grasping movements. In four conditions, participants did one of the following: passively observed a grasp target; planned a grasping movement without executing; planned and then executed a grasp; or immediately executed a grasp. Neural activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging and activity in the various conditions compared. Two large, independent networks of brain activity were identified: (i) a planning network including the premotor cortex, basal ganglia, anterior cingulate, posterior medial parietal area, superior parietal occipital cortex and middle intraparietal sulcus; and (ii) a control network including sensorimotor cortex, the cerebellum, the supramarginal gyrus and the superior parietal lobule. These findings provide evidence that the planning and control of even simple reaching and grasping actions use different brain regions, including different parts of the frontal and parietal lobes.
Parvalbumin‐producing cortical interneurons receive inhibitory inputs on proximal portions and cortical excitatory inputs on distal dendrites
Authors: Kameda Hiroshi , Hioki Hiroyuki , Tanaka Yasuyo H. , Tanaka Takuma , Sohn Jaerin , Sonomura Takahiro , Furuta Takahiro , Fujiyama Fumino , Kaneko Takeshi 
Published: March 2012

AbstractTo examine inputs to parvalbumin (PV)‐producing interneurons, we generated transgenic mice expressing somatodendritic membrane‐targeted green fluorescent protein specifically in the interneurons, and completely visualized their dendrites and somata. Using immunolabeling for vesicular glutamate transporter (VGluT)1, VGluT2, and vesicular GABA transporter, we found that VGluT1‐positive terminals made contacts 4‐ and 3.1‐fold more frequently with PV‐producing interneurons than VGluT2‐positive and GABAergic terminals, respectively, in the primary somatosensory cortex. Even in layer 4, where VGluT2‐positive terminals were most densely distributed, VGluT1‐positive inputs to PV‐producing interneurons were 2.4‐fold more frequent than VGluT2‐positive inputs. Furthermore, although GABAergic inputs to PV‐producing interneurons were as numerous as VGluT2‐positive inputs in most cortical layers, GABAergic inputs clearly preferred the proximal dendrites and somata of the interneurons, indicating that the sites of GABAergic inputs were more optimized than those of VGluT2‐positive inputs. Simulation analysis with a PV‐producing interneuron model compatible with the present morphological data revealed a plausible reason for this observation, by showing that GABAergic and glutamatergic postsynaptic potentials evoked by inputs to distal dendrites were attenuated to 60 and 87%, respectively, of those evoked by somatic inputs. As VGluT1‐positive and VGluT2‐positive axon terminals were presumed to be cortical and thalamic glutamatergic inputs, respectively, cortical excitatory inputs to PV‐producing interneurons outnumbered the thalamic excitatory and intrinsic inhibitory inputs more than two‐fold in any cortical layer. Although thalamic inputs are known to evoke about two‐fold larger unitary excitatory postsynaptic potentials than cortical ones, the present results suggest that cortical inputs control PV‐producing interneurons at least as strongly as thalamic inputs.
Results of Schirmer tear test in clinically normal llamas (Lama glama)
Authors: Trbolova Alexandra , Gionfriddo Juliet R. , Ghaffari Masoud Selk 
Published: March 2012

AbstractPurpose To determine the normal reference range for Schirmer tear test (STT) values in clinically normal llamas (Lama glama)Animals Nine captive llamas (Lama glama) (seven females and two males) were used in this study.Procedure Complete ophthalmic examinations were performed without chemical restraint. STT I values were evaluated in both eyes of all llamas using a commercial STT strip of a single lot number (Schirmer‐Tränentest®, Germany). STT II value was also measured in both eyes of seven female llamas.Results No statistically significant differences among ages or between right and left eyes were found for any of the results. The mean ± SD STT I of 18 eyes of nine llamas was 17.3 ± 1.1 mm/min (Range 15–19 mm/min). The mean ± SD STT II of 14 eyes of seven llamas was 15.4 ± 1.7 mm/min (Range 12.5–17.5 mm/min). A paired samplest‐test demonstrated that there was a significant difference between the STT I and II values (P = 0.001).Conclusion This study provides novel data for normal reference ranges of STT I and II values in healthy llamas. Results of this study may assist veterinarians in the diagnosis of ocular surface disease and syndromes affecting the tear film in these species.
Robotic paediatric urology
Authors: Orvieto Marcelo A. , Large Michael , Gundeti Mohan S. 
Published: March 2012

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Robot assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) is slowly gaining acceptance in the field of paediatric urology. Accumulating data on safety and efficacy when performing paediatric robotic urologic procedures has led paediatric urologists to gradually embrace increasingly more complex reconstructive surgeries. Indeed, the unique and delicate movements generated by the robotic system make this technology ideal for children who often require reconstructive procedures.We critically review the current role of RALS in paediatric urology and to analyse the published data, with a special emphasis on the most common applications. We also propose a structured plan to expedite training and the surgical ‘learning curve’.OBJECTIVES
To critically review the current role of robot‐assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) in paediatric urology and to analyse the published data, with a special emphasis on the most common applications.
One of the greatest benefits of RALS has been the ability to truly spread the application of minimally invasive surgery to paediatric surgical patients. The unique attributes of the robotic interface make this technology ideal for children with congenital anomalies, who often require reconstructive procedures.
We also propose a structured plan to expedite training and the surgical ‘learning curve’.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Currently, almost all urological surgical procedures in children have been performed with the assistance of the robotic interface.
The most commonly performed procedures include pyeloplasty, nephrectomy/hemi‐nephrectomy and surgery for vesico‐ureteric reflux.
Initial series of bladder augmentation and appendicovesicostomy are available.
RESULTS
Initial results with RALS are encouraging and have shown safety similar to open procedures, and outcomes at least equivalent to standard laparoscopy.
Accumulating data have consistently shown that postoperative analgesia requirements and overall hospital stay are decreased.
However, operative durations are significantly longer than their open counterparts, but this is decreasing as experience accumulates.
CONCLUSIONS
RALS is already part of paediatric urological surgery.
Larger single‐institution case series and comparative studies with the open approach and multi‐institutional meta‐analyses will help to identify the benefits of RALS in paediatric urology.
Who should study instructional technology? Vocational personality approach
Authors: Perkmen Serkan , Sahin Sami 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between vocational personality and departmental satisfaction of instructional technology students. Holland's theory of personalities in work environments served as the theoretical framework. The participants were 103 undergraduate students enrolled in the department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology in Turkey. Findings revealed a significant relationship between vocational personality and departmental satisfaction. Based on the results of the current study, it seems that Holland's theory offers a useful framework for addressing the question of who should study instructional technology or work as an instructional technologist.Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic
It seems that theories of career choice have received no attention in the field of instructional technology.
Studies which focused on personality in the field of instructional technology generally examined the relationship between personality and the level of technology use or motivation.
Holland's theory has been tested and validated extensively in other fields.
What this paper adds
The current study seems to be the first study which examined the utility of a career theory in the field of instructional technology.
The current study offers a useful perspective for addressing the question of who should study instructional technology.
The current study helps us understand why some students have low satisfaction in studying in the department of instructional technology.
Implications for practice and/or policy
Holland's theory can be used as a vocational guide to those who wish to study in the area of instructional technology or choose an instructional technology‐related career.
The Vocational Interest Scale helps academic advisors measure vocational personality of their students.
The academic advisors should consider personality when guiding their students.