bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Humour appreciation and comprehension in children with intellectual disability
Authors: Degabriele James , Walsh Irene P. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractBackground  Data on typically developing children show that humour development starts from an early age. Studies investigating humour in children with intellectual disability (ID) are few and have generally focused on identifying differences between this population and other groups of children. This study focuses on children with ID as a heterogeneous group and seeks to answer the following questions: (1) what kinds of humour do children with ID appreciate most in a video cartoon? (2) How does the mode of presentation of jokes influence humour comprehension?Method  This study examines humour appreciation and comprehension in school‐aged children (n = 9; chronological age: 7–11 years) with mild/moderate ID. Specific tools were developed to explore each aspect. Participants rated short scenes from a video cartoon to show their appreciation for different kinds of humour. A set of video‐recorded jokes, with different modes of presentation, were used in the comprehension task.Results  The greatest appreciation was expressed for physical and visual humour. Non‐specific scenes (i.e. scenes with no particularly funny elements) were also rated highly. Jokes presented with gesture were understood more than jokes told without supports. These differences in comprehension, arising from supported/unsupported jokes, were statistically significant within the group studied.Conclusions  The context of humour (e.g. being part of a video cartoon) is important in determining what children with ID find funny. The significant difference in comprehension brought about by a change in mode of presentation (i.e. supported/unsupported joke telling) suggests that humour comprehension can be facilitated.
Isolation and characterization of a pigeonpea cyclophilin (CcCYP) gene, and its over‐expression in Arabidopsis confers multiple abiotic stress tolerance
Authors: SEKHAR KAMBAKAM , PRIYANKA BHYRI , REDDY VUDEM DASHAVANTHA , RAO KHAREEDU VENKATESWARA 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACTA full‐length cDNA clone of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) encoding cyclophilin (CcCYP) has been isolated from the cDNA library of plants subjected to drought stress. Amino acid sequence of CcCYP disclosed similarity with that of single‐domain cytosolic cyclophilins of various organisms. Expression profile of CcCYP in pigeonpea plants is strongly induced by different abiotic stresses, indicating its stress‐responsive nature. Compared to the control plants, the transgenic Arabidopsis lines expressing CcCYP exhibited high‐level tolerance against major abiotic stresses, viz., drought, salinity and extreme temperatures as evidenced by increased plant survival, biomass, chlorophyll content and profuse root growth. The CcCYP transgenics, compared to the controls, revealed enhanced peptidyl‐propyl cis‐trans isomerase (PPIase) activity under stressed conditions, owing to transcriptional activation of stress‐related genes besides intrinsic chaperonic activity of the cyclophilin. The transgenic plants subjected to salt stress exhibited higher Na+ ion accumulation in roots as compared to shoots, while a reverse trend was observed in the salt‐stressed control plants, implicating the involvement of CcCYP in the maintenance of ion homeostasis. Expression pattern of CcCYP:GFP fusion protein confirmed the localization of CcCYP predominantly in the nucleus as revealed by intense green fluorescence. The overall results amply demonstrate the implicit role of CcCYP in conferring multiple abiotic stress tolerance at whole‐plant level.
PRECLINICAL STUDY: FULL ARTICLE: Altered architecture and functional consequences of the mesolimbic dopamine system in cannabis dependence
Authors: Spiga Saturnino , Lintas Alessandra , Migliore Michele , Diana Marco 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACTCannabinoid withdrawal produces a hypofunction of mesencephalic dopamine neurons that impinge upon medium spiny neurons (MSN) of the forebrain. After chronic treatment with two structurally different cannabinoid agonists, Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol and CP55 940 (CP) rats were withdrawn spontaneously and pharmacologically with the CB1 antagonist SR141716A (SR). In these two conditions, evaluation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)‐positive neurons revealed significant morphometrical reductions in the ventrotegmental area but not substantia nigra pars compacta of withdrawn rats. Similarly, confocal analysis of Golgi–Cox‐stained sections of the nucleus accumbens revealed a decrease in the shell, but not the core, of the spines' density of withdrawn rats. Administration of the CB1 antagonist SR to control rats, provoked structural abnormalities reminiscent of those observed in withdrawal conditions and support the regulatory role of cannabinoids in neurogenesis, axonal growth and synaptogenesis by acting as eu‐proliferative signals through the CB1 receptors. Further, these measures were incorporated into a realistic computational model that predicts a strong reduction in the excitability of morphologically altered MSN, yielding a significant reduction in action potential output. These pieces of evidence support the tenet that withdrawal from addictive compounds alters functioning of the mesolimbic system and provide direct morphological evidence for functional abnormalities associated with cannabinoid dependence at the level of dopaminergic neurons and their postsynaptic counterpart and are coherent with recent hypothesis underscoring a hypodopaminergic state as a distinctive feature of the ‘addicted brain’.
CLINICAL STUDY: BRIEF REPORT: Ecstasy (MDMA)‐addicted subjects show increased serum levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, independently from a rise of drug‐induced psychotic symptoms
Authors: Angelucci Francesco , Ricci Valerio , Martinotti Giovanni , Palladino Ilaria , Spalletta Gianfranco , Caltagirone Carlo , Bria Pietro 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACTThe recreational drug ‘ecstasy’[3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)] exerts a potent action on central serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons. These neurons utilize neurotrophins for their survival and function. In order to explore MDMA effects on neurotrophins, we measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay the serum levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in ‘ecstasy‐addicted’, ‘ecstasy‐addicted with signs of psychosis’ and ‘healthy’ subjects. We found that BDNF serum levels were significantly increased in both groups of ‘ecstasy‐addicted’ as compared with ‘healthy subjects’, supporting the hypothesis that BDNF is involved in MDMA action.
PRECLINICAL STUDY: FULL ARTICLE: Effects of fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibition on neuronal responses to nicotine, cocaine and morphine in the nucleus accumbens shell and ventral tegmental area: involvement of PPAR‐α nuclear receptors
Authors: Luchicchi Antonio , Lecca Salvatore , Carta Stefano , Pillolla Giuliano , Muntoni Anna L. , Yasar Sevil , Goldberg Steven R. , Pistis Marco 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACTThe endocannabinoid system regulates neurotransmission in brain regions relevant to neurobiological and behavioral actions of addicting drugs. We recently demonstrated that inhibition by URB597 of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the main enzyme that degrades the endogenous cannabinoid N‐acylethanolamine (NAE) anandamide and the endogenous non‐cannabinoid NAEs oleoylethanolamide and palmitoylethanolamide, blocks nicotine‐induced excitation of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons and DA release in the shell of the nucleus accumbens (ShNAc), as well as nicotine‐induced drug self‐administration, conditioned place preference and relapse in rats. Here, we studied whether effects of FAAH inhibition on nicotine‐induced changes in activity of VTA DA neurons were specific for nicotine or extended to two drugs of abuse acting through different mechanisms, cocaine and morphine. We also evaluated whether FAAH inhibition affects nicotine‐, cocaine‐ or morphine‐induced actions in the ShNAc. Experiments involved single‐unit electrophysiological recordings from DA neurons in the VTA and medium spiny neurons in the ShNAc in anesthetized rats. We found that URB597 blocked effects of nicotine and cocaine in the ShNAc through activation of both surface cannabinoid CB1‐receptors and alpha‐type peroxisome proliferator‐activated nuclear receptor. URB597 did not alter the effects of either cocaine or morphine on VTA DA neurons. These results show that the blockade of nicotine‐induced excitation of VTA DA neurons, which we previously described, is selective for nicotine and indicate novel mechanisms recruited to regulate the effects of addicting drugs within the ShNAc of the brain reward system.
Identifying a targeted population at high risk for infections after liver transplantation in the MELD era
Authors: Sun Hsin‐Yun , Cacciarelli Thomas V. , Singh Nina 
Published: May 2010

Sun H‐Y, Cacciarelli TV, Singh N. Identifying a targeted population at high risk for infections after liver transplantation in the MELD era. Clin Transplant 2011: 25: 420–425. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  Impact of model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) scoring system on post‐transplant infections and associated risk factors are unknown. Infections <90 d post‐transplant were assessed in 277 consecutive liver transplant recipients from 1999 to 2008. “High‐risk” factors for infections were pre‐defined as MELD score >30, ICU stay >48 h prior to transplant, intraoperative transfusion ≥15 units, retransplantation, post‐transplant dialysis, or reoperation. Of the 240 recipients in the MELD era (2002–2008), 48.5% had any high‐risk factor. The OR for infection was 1.69, 2.00, 18.00, and 4.50 in recipients with any 1, 2, 3, and ≥4 high‐risk factors, respectively (χ2 for trend, p < 0.001). In logistic regression model, recipient age (OR 1.12, p < 0.05) and any high‐risk factor (OR 2.42, p < 0.05) were associated with infections. Compared with 37 pre‐MELD recipients, the overall infections and mortality at 12 months did not differ in the two eras. In Cox regression model, recipient age (OR 1.09, p < 0.05) and any high‐risk factor (OR 2.42, p < 0.05) remained associated with infections. The overall frequency of infections did not increase in the MELD era. Pre‐defined risk factors accurately predicted the risk of infections in these patients.
Impact of oral care prior to HSCT on the severity and clinical outcomes of oral mucositis
Authors: da Silva Santos Paulo Sérgio , Coracin Fábio Luiz , Barros José Carlos de Almeida , Dulley Frederico Luiz , Nunes Fábio Daumas , Magalhães Marina Gallottini 
Published: May 2010

da Silva Santos PS, Coracin FL, Barros JCA, Dulley FL, Nunes FD, Magalhães MG. Impact of oral care prior to HSCT on the severity and clinical outcomes of oral mucositis.  Clin Transplant 2011: 25: 325–328. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  Patients who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) frequently experience gastrointestinal toxicity as a result of their preparative regimen. The most frequent manifestation is oral mucositis (OM) and diarrhea. We studied the effects of oral care prior to HSCT on the severity of OM. Seventy patients suffering from hematologic malignancies who had undergone HSCT were divided into two groups (35 patients – Study Group [SG] and 35 – Control Group [CG]), and the severity of OM was evaluated by two calibrated dentists, using the WHO scale. The patients from the SG received oral care prior to HSCT and those from CG did not receive any dental care. The results showed no differences (p = 0.20) in the incidence or severity of OM among the groups. However, patients from the SG presented a shorter time elapsed (p < 0.001) when compared with the CG (median: 10 vs. 20 d). Our results show the importance of simple, inexpensive preventive intervention to control the time elapsed of OM, which reduces morbidity and, as a consequence, the cost of the treatment.
Acquired prior knowledge modulates audiovisual integration
Authors: Van Wanrooij Marc M. , Bremen Peter , John Van Opstal A. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractOrienting responses to audiovisual events in the environment can benefit markedly by the integration of visual and auditory spatial information. However, logically, audiovisual integration would only be considered successful for stimuli that are spatially and temporally aligned, as these would be emitted by a single object in space–time. As humans do not have prior knowledge about whether novel auditory and visual events do indeed emanate from the same object, such information needs to be extracted from a variety of sources. For example, expectation about alignment or misalignment could modulate the strength of multisensory integration. If evidence from previous trials would repeatedly favour aligned audiovisual inputs, the internal state might also assume alignment for the next trial, and hence react to a new audiovisual event as if it were aligned. To test for such a strategy, subjects oriented a head‐fixed pointer as fast as possible to a visual flash that was consistently paired, though not always spatially aligned, with a co‐occurring broadband sound. We varied the probability of audiovisual alignment between experiments. Reaction times were consistently lower in blocks containing only aligned audiovisual stimuli than in blocks also containing pseudorandomly presented spatially disparate stimuli. Results demonstrate dynamic updating of the subject’s prior expectation of audiovisual congruency. We discuss a model of prior probability estimation to explain the results.
Neuromagnetic oscillations to emotional faces and prosody
Authors: Chen Yu‐Han , Edgar J. Christopher , Holroyd Tom , Dammers Jürgen , Thönneßen Heike , Roberts Timothy P.L. , Mathiak Klaus 
Published: May 2010

AbstractHigher association cortices as well as unisensory areas can support multisensory integration [D. Senkowskiet al.(2008)Trends Neurosci., 31, 401–409]. The present study investigated whether audiovisual integration of emotional information emerges early at unisensory or later at higher association cortices. Emotional stimuli were presented in three blocks: audiovisual (AV), auditory (A) and visual (V). Eighteen participants performed a delayed emotional recognition task (happy, angry or neutral prosody and/or facial expression) while whole‐brain magnetoencephalography (MEG) data were obtained. Time–frequency evoked and total power analyses were performed on the sensor data, and source localization of the frequencies of interest performed via a synthetic aperture magnetometry beamformer. To examine crossmodal integration between bimodal and unimodal conditions, two contrasts were specified: AV > A and AV > V. In the AV > A contrast, early effects were observed on both the temporal and the occipital evoked responses. However, at the source level, early alpha suppression was limited to the occipital sources without changes in temporal cortices. In the AV > V contrast, sensor and source findings revealed increased alpha suppression only in temporal cortices, with no changes in visual cortex. Thus, no crossmodal effect in unisensory areas emerged. Instead, increased frontal alpha activity in both the AV > A and AV > V contrasts supports the view that affective information from face and prosody converges at higher association cortices.
Defining overweight and obesity in pre‐school children: IOTF reference or WHO standard?
Authors: Monasta L. , Lobstein T. , Cole T. J. , Vignerová J. , Cattaneo A. 
Published: May 2010

SummaryTwo international datasets are used to define overweight and obesity in pre‐school children: the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) reference and the WHO standard. This study compares the performance of the two datasets in defining overweight and obesity in 24–60 months old children. This was done by plotting the IOTF cut‐offs against WHO curves and by comparing the prevalence of overweight and obesity, as defined by the IOTF reference and by the WHO standard, using 2001 data from the Czech Republic. The IOTF cut‐off for overweight in 24–60 months old children goes from 1.7 to 1.1 z‐scores on the WHO chart, and for obesity it shifts with age from 2.7 to 2.2 z‐scores. As a consequence, at 5 years of age the prevalence of overweight in Czech girls is 3.4% using the WHO and 15.3% using the IOTF definition. These discrepancies are due to the choice of cut‐offs and to the different criteria used to select the sample for the IOTF reference and the WHO standard. Research is urgently needed to identify, for the WHO standard, BMI cut‐offs associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity, and associated health outcomes later in life.
Parental influence and obesity prevention in pre‐schoolers: a systematic review of interventions
Authors: Skouteris H. , McCabe M. , Swinburn B. , Newgreen V. , Sacher P. , Chadwick P. 
Published: May 2010

SummaryObesity is difficult to reverse in older children and adults and calls have been made to implement obesity prevention strategies during the formative pre‐school years. Childhood obesity experts suggest that prevention of overweight in the pre‐school years should focus on parents, because parental beliefs, attitudes, perceptions and behaviours appear to contribute to children's development of excessive weight gain. While evidence suggests that parental variables may be instrumental in the development of obesity, there has been no systematic evaluation of whether intervening to change such variables will positively influence the development of excess adiposity during the pre‐school years. This paper is a conceptual and methodological review of the literature on the parental variables targeted in interventions designed to modify risk factors for obesity by promoting healthy eating and/or physical activity and/or reducing sedentary behaviours in families of children aged 2–6 years. There were significant methodological limitations of existing studies and the scientific study of this area is in its infancy. However, the results suggest that the modification of parental variables known to be associated with obesity‐promoting behaviours in pre‐school children may show promise as an obesity prevention strategy; further research is needed.
HARD PATERNALISM, FAIRNESS AND CLINICAL RESEARCH: WHY NOT?
Authors: EDWARDS SARAH J.L. , WILSON JAMES 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACTJansen and Wall suggest a new way of defending hard paternalism in clinical research. They argue that non‐therapeutic research exposing people to more than minimal risk should be banned on egalitarian grounds: in preventing poor decision‐makers from making bad decisions, we will promote equality of welfare. We argue that their proposal is flawed for four reasons.First, the idea of poor decision‐makers is much more problematic than Jansen and Wall allow. Second, pace Jansen and Wall, it may be practicable for regulators to uncover the values that a potential research participant holds when agreeing to enter a research project, so their claim that we must ban such research projects for all if we are to ban them for poor decision‐makers looks to be unmotivated. Third, there seem to be cases where the liberty to enter the sort of research project Jansen and Wall discuss is morally weighty, and arguably should outweigh concerns of egalitarian distribution. Fourth, banning certain types of research, which seem on the face of it to offer an unfavourable risk‐benefit ratio, would have unwelcome consequences for all clinical research, which Jansen and Wall do not recognize.
Hope‐in‐the‐Wall? A digital promise for free learning
Authors: Arora Payal 
Published: May 2010

AbstractHole‐in‐the‐Wall as a concept has attracted worldwide attention. It involves providing unconditional access to computer‐equipped kiosks in playgrounds and out‐of‐school settings, children taking ownership of their learning and learning driven by the children's natural curiosity. It is posited that this approach, which is being used in India, Cambodia and several countries in Africa, can pave the way for a new education paradigm and be the key to providing literacy and basic education and bridging the digital divide in remote and disadvantaged regions. This paper seeks to establish why two such open access, self‐directed and collaborative learning systems failed to take root in the Central Himalaya communities of Almora and Hawalbagh. The purpose of this study is not to deny the achievements and potential of such an approach in other settings, but to examine the tenets and sustainability of such initiatives. It is argued that there is a need to distinguish between Hole‐in‐the‐Wall as an idea and as an institution and to reflect on the key suppositions on how unsupervised access, informal, public, self‐guided and collaborative work can help in children's learning.
Circulating cytokines and growth factors in professional soccer players: correlation with in vitro‐induced motor neuron death
Authors: De Paola M. , Visconti L. , Vianello E. , Mattana F. , Banfi G. , Corsi M. M. , Beghi E. , Mennini T. 
Published: May 2010

Background:  Professional soccer players are susceptible to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Strenuous physical activity has been associated with persistent inflammatory conditions and elevation of systemic cytokine levels, which could contribute to the vulnerability of these athletes. To investigate changes induced by playing soccer in the systemic profiles of growth factors and of the principal cytokines involved in the inflammatory response, we compared the serum concentrations of these factors in Italian professional soccer players and sedentary subjects. We also investigated the effects of the sera on primary cultured motor neurons in relation to their cytokine and growth factor content.Methods:  Serum concentrations of cytokines and growth factors were measured by a biochip array analyzer. Neurotoxicity of sera was assessed by immunocytochemical assays in primary motor neuron cultures from mouse embryos.Results:  Circulating levels of interleukin‐8, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha and interleukin‐4 were lower in soccer players than controls. However, the viability of primary cultured mouse motor neurons treated with sera from the two groups did not differ significantly. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) independently emerged as a systemic protective factor for motor neurons.Conclusions:  We found significant alterations in circulating pro‐inflammatory cytokines in Italian professional soccer players, showing an unbalanced inflammatory condition in these subjects. VEGF was a protective serum factor affecting motor neuron survival.