bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Population pharmacokinetics and Bayesian estimator of mycophenolic acid in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome
Authors: Zhao Wei , Elie Valéry , Baudouin Véronique , Bensman Albert , André Jean Luc , Brochard Karine , Broux Françoise , Cailliez Mathilde , Loirat Chantal , Jacqz‐Aigrain Evelyne 
Published: January 2010

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • MMF has been proposed as a treatment of steroid‐dependent nephrotic syndrome and in the recent years, several studies have suggested its positive effect in preventing relapses. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS • The population pharmacokinetics of MPA was first evaluated in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and data fitted well with a two‐compartment model with first‐order absorption and lag time.• Body weight and serum albumin had a significant impact on oral clearance.• A three‐point (T0, T1 and T4h) Bayesian estimator of AUC0–12 was developed.AIMS To develop a population pharmacokinetic model for mycophenolic acid (MPA) in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), identify covariates that explain variability and determine the Bayesian estimator of the area under the concentration–time curve over 12 h (AUC0–12).METHODS The pharmacokinetic model of MMF was described from 23 patients aged 7.4 ± 3.9 years (range 2.9–14.9) using nonlinear mixed‐effects modelling (NONMEM) software. A two‐compartment model with lag–time and first‐order absorption and elimination was developed. The final model was validated using visual predictive check. Bayesian estimator was validated using circular permutation method.RESULTS The population pharmacokinetic parameters were apparent oral clearance 9.7 l h−1, apparent central volume of distribution 22.3 l, apparent peripheral volume of distribution 250 l, inter‐compartment clearance 18.8 l h−1, absorption rate constant 5.16 h−1, lag time 0.215 h. The covariate analysis identified body weight and serum albumin as individual factors influencing the apparent oral clearance. Accurate Bayesian estimation of AUC0–12 was obtained using the combination of three MPA concentrations measured just before (T0), 1 and 4 h (T1 and T4) after drug intake with a small error of 0.298 µg h−1 ml−1 between estimated and reference AUC0–12.CONCLUSIONS The population pharmacokinetic model of MPA was developed in children with INS. A three‐point (T0, T1 and T4h) Bayesian estimator of AUC0–12 was developed and might be used to investigate the relation between MPA pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics in children with INS and determine if there is any indication to monitor MPA exposure in order to improve patient outcome based on individual AUC‐controlled MMF dosing.
Fungal endophyte negative effects on herbivory are enhanced on intact plants and maintained in a subsequent generation
Authors: JABER LARA R. , VIDAL STEFAN 
Published: January 2010

1. Fungal endophytes are ubiquitous associates of virtually all plant species. Although many studies have focused on the role of these microorganisms as mediators of plant–herbivore interactions, these studies have usually been conducted using short‐term experiments.2. Truly effective defences against herbivores may require normal functioning of the plant, as excised leaves may be less resistant as compared with those still attached to the plant. Yet, most studies investigating possible effects of endophytes in conferring host resistance to herbivores have been conducted with plant parts rather than intact plants.3. Using the root endophytic fungus (Acremonium strictum)—broad bean (Vicia faba)—generalist herbivore (Helicoverpa armigera) model, we conducted experiments to examine whether endophyte effects on herbivory would depend on the experimental setting used in the investigation and whether they would translate into a subsequent generation of the herbivore.4. Acremonium strictum negative effects on the fitness of H. armigera first generation were more evident when the larvae foraged freely on inoculated intact whole plants than when offered leaf discs of inoculated plants. Furthermore, these effects were carried over into H. armigera second generation reared on an artificial diet.5. Acremonium strictum could not be re‐isolated from V. faba leaves; hence direct contact between the endophyte and the insect could be excluded. Alternatively, loss of volatiles or inhibitory effects of compounds that were stronger in situ might have caused changes in larval feeding and performance on leaf discs as compared with intact plants, regardless of infection status.6. We suggest that the reduction in fitness parameters of H. armigera across two generations is caused indirectly via an endophyte‐triggered reduction in plant quality.
Expansion of the winter moth outbreak range: no restrictive effects of competition with the resident autumnal moth
Authors: AMMUNÉT TEA , HEISSWOLF ANNETTE , KLEMOLA NETTA , KLEMOLA TERO 
Published: January 2010

1. Both direct and indirect competition can have profound effects on species abundance and expansion rates, especially for a species trying to strengthen a foothold in new areas, such as the winter moth (Operophtera brumata) currently in northernmost Finland. There, winter moths have overlapping outbreak ranges with autumnal moths (Epirrita autumnata), who also share the same host, the mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii). Competitive interactions are also possible, but so far unstudied, are explanations for the observed 1–3 years phase lag between the population cycles of the two moth species.2. In two field experiments, we studied host plant‐mediated indirect inter‐specific competition and direct interference/exploitation competition between autumnal and winter moths. The experimental larvae were grown either with the competing species or with the same number of conspecifics until pupation. Inter‐specific competition was judged from differences in pupal mass (reflecting lifespan fecundity), larval development time and larval survival.3. Larval performance measurements suggested that neither direct nor indirect inter‐specific competition with the autumnal moth reduce the growth rate of winter moth populations. Winter moths even had a higher probability of survival when reared together with autumnal moths.4. Thus, we conclude that neither direct nor indirect inter‐specific competition is capable of suppressing the spread of the winter moth outbreak range and that both are also an unlikely cause for the phase lag between the phase‐locked population cycles of the two moth species.
Predation and facilitation determine chironomid emergence in a bromeliad‐insect food web
Authors: STARZOMSKI BRIAN M. , SUEN DARYL , SRIVASTAVA DIANE S. 
Published: January 2010

1. Ecological theory has focused on negative interactions, such as competition and predation, to explain species' effects on one another. This study demonstrates the importance of considering both positive and negative interactions in explaining how species influence abundances at the local scale.2. Two experiments were conducted using the aquatic insect food web in Costa Rican bromeliad phytotelmata. Manipulations contrasted the strength of predation between trophic levels versus facilitation within a trophic level on the emergence of detritivore chironomids.3. Predation had a strong negative effect on chironomids, reducing emergences by 81% overall. Most predation was as a result of the top predator, the odonate Mecistogaster modesta; the intermediate predator, a tanypodine chironomid, had little effect. In the absence of predators, shredder and scraper detritivores (tipulid and scirtid larvae) increased the emergence rate of chironomid larvae by 86%. The mechanism of facilitation was likely the processing, by tipulids and scirtids, of intact detritus into fine particles that the detritivore chironomids consume or use to build protective cases.4. This study is among the first demonstrations of a processing chain in a multi‐species context, and in bromeliad‐insect food webs. Our finding that top‐down effects are of similar magnitude to facilitative effects suggests that the relative importance of processing chains in nature will depend on food web context.
Diet mixing enhances the performance of a generalist caterpillar, Platyprepia virginalis
Authors: KARBAN RICHARD , KARBAN CLAIRE , HUNTZINGER MIKAELA , PEARSE IAN , CRUTSINGER GREGORY 
Published: January 2010

1. Platyprepia virginalis caterpillars are dietary generalists and feed on multiple host species within a single day. We conducted field experiments to evaluate their performance on diets consisting of only their primary food, Lupinus arboreus, or diets consisting of L. arboreus plus other acceptable host species.2. We found that relative growth rates and rates of survival were higher when they fed on mixed diets compared to lupine only. These results were consistent with hypotheses that mixed diets provided balanced nutrition, diluted toxins, and/or allowed recovery from parasitoids, although our data did not allow us to separate these non‐exclusive explanations.3. We assayed alkaloids in their host foliage, in the caterpillars themselves, in parasitoids within caterpillars, in food boluses passing through their guts, and in frass that they excreted. We consistently found positive assays for alkaloids in foliage and in frass but negative assays in caterpillars, parasitoids, and food boluses. This suggests that the alkaloids that they ingest are metabolised or rendered non‐reactive by unknown means during passage through the gut. We found no support for the hypothesis that mixed diets prevented caterpillars from exhausting food supplies or allowed them to sequester chemicals from their alkaloid‐containing hosts.4. Behavioural observations revealed that previous experience influenced a caterpillar's likelihood of moving to a different host. Caterpillars that had previously fed on other hosts were more likely to move to lupine while caterpillars previously collected on lupine were equally likely to choose more lupine or a different host.5. These results are unusual in providing a clear and consistent benefit of diet mixing in a natural field setting where multiple ecological factors act upon the caterpillars.
Consequences of adaptive foraging in diverse communities
Authors: Loeuille Nicolas 
Published: January 2010

Summary 1. Selective pressures acting on foraging activities constrain the strength of interaction, hence the stability and energetic availability in food webs. 2. Because such selective pressures are usually measured at the individual level and because most experimental and theoretical works focus on simple settings, linking adaptive foraging with community scale patterns is still a far stretch. 3. Some recent models incorporate foraging adaptation in diverse communities. The models vary in the way they incorporate adaptation, via evolutionary or behavioural changes, and define individual fitness in various ways. 4. In spite of these differences, some general results linking adaptation to community structure and functioning emerge. In the present article, I introduce these different models and highlight their common results. 5. Adaptive foraging provides stability to large food web models and predicts successfully interaction patterns within food webs as well as other topological features such as food chain length. 6. The relationships between adaptive foraging and other structuring factors particularly depend on how well connected the local community is with surrounding communities (metacommunity aspect).
Linking learning adaptation to trophic interactions: a brain size‐based approach
Authors: Kondoh Michio 
Published: January 2010

Summary1. Given that food web structure potentially affects species coexistence and ecosystem functioning, exploration of the patterns and determinants of the resource–consumer interactions, the building blocks of food webs, should be of particular importance for successful maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services.2. Ecological theory has demonstrated that rapid ‘adaptation’ via learning potentially alters the strength of trophic interaction, and thus, population dynamics. Increasing evidence suggests that learning improves foraging and anti‐predator defence behaviours in diverse animal taxa and that cognitive ability is related to population establishment or persistence. However, only a few empirical studies have evaluated the community‐level consequences of learning, probably owing to the difficulty in detecting learning‐mediated changes at levels higher than the individual and in evaluating the learning ability of individual species.3. Comparative studies, mostly conducted to identify selection pressures in brain evolution, suggest that brain size is an aggregate proxy for an organism’s learning ability. Therefore, I propose a framework to analyse resource–consumer relationships based on information about the brain size of individual species, which will allow investigation into the effects of learning on food webs.4. Evidence shows that brain size is related to trophic interactions. Earlier comparative analyses have revealed that diet is correlated with brain size in primates, mammals and insects. My analysis of 623 prey–predator pairs comprising 277 fish species indicates that a larger‐brained predator tends to prey on a larger‐brained prey; that relative brain size of prey is, on average, larger than that of the predator; and that our understanding of prey–predator pairs is improved by information about brain size.5. A number of questions remain unanswered. Studies on how brain size is related to trophic interactions are limited to a few animal taxa. The factors leading to brain‐related patterns in trophic interactions remain to be addressed. Brain‐related patterns with respect to higher level biological organizations, such as whole food webs or chains, and inter‐community comparison remain unexplored. Further studies are needed to confirm the general applicability of the hypotheses that relate brain size to trophic interactions and to evaluate the role of learning in shaping biological communities.
Weight status, energy‐balance behaviours and intentions in 9–12‐year‐old inner‐city children
Authors: Jansen W. , Mackenbach J. P. , Zwanenburg E. Joosten‐van , Brug J. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractBackground:  Dutch youth health care promotes four so‐called energy‐balance behaviours for the prevention of obesity: increasing physical activity, reducing sedentary behaviour and sugar‐containing drinks, and eating breakfast. However, data on the prevalence of these behaviours and intentions to engage in them among primary schoolchildren is limited, especially for multi‐ethnic, inner‐city populations. The present study aimed to provide these data and explore differences according to socio‐demographic characteristics and weight status.Methods:  Data on behaviours and accompanying intentions were collected using classroom questionnaires. Stature and body weight were measured by trained staff. Twenty primary schools in Rotterdam participated. Data on 1095 9–12 year olds (81.7% response rate) were available for analysis. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine associations between behaviours (favourable or unfavourable), intentions (positive or not), gender, age, ethnicity, neighbourhood income level and weight status.Results:  The prevalence of being overweight was 30.4%, including 9.0% obesity. Engagement in energy‐balance behaviours varied from 58.6% for outdoor play (>1 h previous day) to 85.9% for active transportation to school (day of survey). The highest positive intentions were reported for taking part in sports (83.9%), and lowest for reducing computer time (41.3%). Small differences in behaviours and intentions according to socio‐demographic characteristics were found, most notably a lower engagement in physical activity by girls. Skipping breakfast and total number of energy‐balance behaviours were associated with being overweight.Conclusions:  The prevalence of being overweight among Dutch inner‐city schoolchildren is high. A general rather than a differentiated approach is needed to improve engagement in energy‐balance behaviours among inner‐city schoolchildren.
Family caregivers’ perceptions of hospital‐based allied health services post‐stroke: Use of the Measure of Processes of Care to investigate processes of care
Authors: Lovat Annette , Mayes Rachel , McConnell David , Clemson Lindy 
Published: January 2010

Aim:  To investigate family caregiver perceptions of allied health professional processes of care and support in hospital following stroke, and to test an adapted version of the Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC) for its suitability of use in the stroke care setting. Methods:  The first stage involved the adaptation and refinement of the MPOC, designed to measure caregiver perceptions of processes of professional care and support across five care dimensions. The second stage involved mailing out of questionnaires to primary caregivers of stroke survivors. A total of 107 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. The reliability of the adapted questionnaire was assessed and summary statistics were computed. Results:  The reliability of the adapted MPOC was found to be high, with good internal consistency of items within each subscale. Mean scores indicated that caregivers were most likely to report negative perceptions of the way allied health professionals engaged with and supported them, particularly in the area of information provision. Conclusion:  The number of families being affected by stroke is predicted to rise substantially in the near future. Allied health professionals have a significant role to play in supporting family caregivers. Results highlight caregiver‐identified areas of weakness in current clinical practice.
Prevalence, self‐care behaviors, and self‐care activities for peripheral neuropathy symptoms of HIV/AIDS
Authors: Nicholas Patrice K. , Voss Joachim , Wantland Dean , Lindgren Teri , Huang Emily , Holzemer William L. , Cuca Yvette , Moezzi Shahnaz , Portillo Carmen , Willard Suzanne , Arudo John , Kirksey Kenn , Corless Inge B. , Rosa María E. , Robinson Linda , Hamilton Mary J. , Sefcik Elizabeth , Human Sarie , Rivero‐Mendez Marta , Maryland Mary , Nokes Kathleen M. , Eller Lucille , Kemppainen Jeanne , Dawson‐Rose Carol , Brion John M. , Bunch Elli H. , Shannon Maureen , Nicholas Thomas P. , Viamonte‐Ros Ana , Bain Catherine A. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractAs part of a larger randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of an HIV/AIDS symptom management manual (n = 775), this study examined the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in HIV‐infected individuals at 12 sites in the USA, Puerto Rico, and Africa. Neuropathy was reported by 44% of the sample; however, only 29.4% reported initiating self‐care behaviors to address the neuropathy symptoms. Antiretroviral therapy was found to increase the frequency of neuropathy symptoms, with an increased mean intensity of 28%. A principal axis factor analysis with Promax rotation was used to assess the relationships in the frequency of use of the 18 self‐care activities for neuropathy, revealing three distinct factors: (i) an interactive self‐care factor; (ii) a complementary medicine factor; and (iii) a third factor consisting of the negative health items of smoking, alcohol, and street drugs. The study's results suggest that peripheral neuropathy is a common symptom and the presence of neuropathy is associated with self‐care behaviors to ameliorate HIV symptoms. The implications for nursing practice include the assessment and evaluation of nursing interventions related to management strategies for neuropathy.
Survival of patients with bladder cancer from a UK hospital: a 10‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Low Vincent J. , Wang Duolao , Abel Paul D. 
Published: January 2010

Study Type – Prognosis (case series) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVETo compare 10‐year overall (OS) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS) of a cohort of consecutively presenting patients with bladder cancer of all pT categories from one UK institution.PATIENTS AND METHODSData were collected on 144 patients with newly diagnosed bladder tumours presenting from 1983 to 1985 followed up for 10 years. Histological variables were reviewed by one pathologist who had no knowledge of the clinical details. Bladder muscle was present in 95% of the transurethral resection specimens. Date and causes of death were ascertained through death certificates, primary care physicians and/or hospital case notes. Data were analysed using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox model.RESULTSThere were 69 patients (48%) with pTa, 32 (22%) with pT1 and 43 (30%) with pT2/3/4 tumours. The 10‐year OS was 54%, 34% and 16% and the CSS was 97%, 50% and 29%, respectively. There were only two cancer‐related deaths in the pTa category whereas half the pT1 cases and half the muscle‐invasive cases died within 5 and 2 years of diagnosis, respectively.CONCLUSIONSThis study compared the 10‐year OS and CSS of a cohort of patients with bladder cancer from the UK, where such data are lacking, and showed marked differences. The CSS was higher in all pT categories compared with OS, especially within pTa cancers in which almost all patients died of competing causes. It is important to be aware of such a significant difference between the two survival measures and to use them appropriately in the right context.
Suture versus staple ligation of the dorsal venous complex during robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Wu Simon D. , Meeks Joshua J. , Cashy John , Perry Kent T. , Nadler Robert B. 
Published: January 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVESTo present our operative and postoperative functional outcomes of sutured compared with endovascular staple ligation of the dorsal venous complex (DVC) during robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP). Ligation of the DVC during RALP with an endovascular stapler has purported advantages of decreased apical positive surgical margin (PSM) rate, blood loss, and operative time when compared with suture ligation.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 162 patients who underwent RALP between October 2005 and April 2008 by one surgeon (R.B.N.) were assessed. We retrospectively analysed two different treatment groups: group 1 underwent DVC ligation with a single suture, while group 2 underwent endovascular staple ligation.RESULTSOf the 162 patients evaluated, 67 had suture ligation (group 1) and 95 had staple ligation (group 2) of the DVC. Baseline patient characteristics (age, body mass index, biopsy Gleason score, clinical stage) and tumour characteristics (specimen weight, tumour volume, pathological Gleason score and stage) did not differ between the groups. Estimated blood loss (494 mL vs 288 mL), time to dissect out, ligate and transect the DVC (30 min vs 24 min), apical PSM rate (13.4% vs 2.1%) differed significantly between groups 1 and 2 respectively, favouring staple ligation of the DVC. At 6 months follow‐up, there was no difference between the groups for PSA recurrence (3.7% vs 0%), complete continence (63.4% vs 55.7%) and Sexual Health Inventory for Men score (8.4 vs 8.6).CONCLUSIONSIn the present study, staple ligation of the DVC during RALP resulted in improved apical PSM rates, faster operative times and less blood loss.