bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The positive deviance/hearth approach to reducing child malnutrition: systematic review
Authors: Bisits Bullen Piroska A. 
Published: July 2011

SummaryObjectives  The Positive Deviance/Hearth approach aims to rehabilitate malnourished children using practices from mothers in the community who have well‐nourished children despite living in poverty. This study assesses its effectiveness in a range of settings.Methods  Systematic review of peer reviewed intervention trials and grey literature evaluation reports of child malnutrition programs using the Positive Deviance/Hearth approach.Results  Ten peer reviewed studies and 14 grey literature reports met the inclusion criteria. These described results for 17 unique Positive Deviance/Hearth programs in 12 countries. Nine programs used a pre‐ and post‐test design without a control, which limited the conclusions that could be drawn. Eight used more robust designs such as non‐randomized trials, non‐randomized cross‐sectional sibling studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Of the eight programs that reported nutritional outcomes, five reported some type of positive result in terms of nutritional status – although the improvement was not always as large as predicted, or across the entire target population. Both the two RCTs demonstrated improvements in carer feeding practices. Qualitative results unanimously reported high levels of satisfaction from participants and recipient communities.Conclusions  Overall this study shows mixed results in terms of program effectiveness, although some Positive Deviance/Hearth programs have clearly been successful in particular settings. Sibling studies suggest that the Positive Deviance/Hearth approach may have a role in preventing malnutrition, not just rehabilitation. Further research is needed using more robust study designs and larger sample sizes. Issues related to community participation and consistency in reporting results need to be addressed.
Evaluation of four rapid diagnostic tests for the diagnosis of Plasmodium vivax in Korea
Authors: Kim Kyung Hee , Jang Jin Woo , Woo Mi Kyung , Oh Jun Seo , Han Eun Taek , Lee Won Ja , An Seong Soo A. , Lim Chae Seung 
Published: July 2011

SummaryObjective  To evaluate 4 rapid malaria diagnostic kits (RDTs) in Korea: OptiMAL test, SD BIOLINE Malaria Ag P.f/Pan test, Humasis Malaria P.f/Pan antigen test and CareStart™ Malaria Pf/Pv Combo test.Methods  Hundred malaria patients with Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) and 100 healthy volunteers were recruited. The results from earlier four RDTs were compared with the reference standard, the Giemsa‐stained traditional microscopic diagnosis.Results  Compared with the reference standard, the sensitivity and specificity for Plasmodium vivax were 92.7 and 100% for SD BIOLINE Malaria Ag P.f/Pan; and 94.6% and 100% for OptiMAL; 95.5% and 100% for both Humasis Malaria P.f/Pan antigen test and CareStart™ Malaria Pf/Pv Combo test.Conclusion  The performances of all four malaria RDT kits were acceptable, although Humasis Malaria P.f/Pan antigen test and CareStartTM Malaria Pf/Pv Combo test gave superior performances with ROK isolates.
A multicenter study of histoplasmosis and blastomycosis after solid organ transplantation
Authors: Grim S.A. , Proia L. , Miller R. , Alhyraba M. , Costas‐Chavarri A. , Oberholzer J. , Clark N.M. 
Published: July 2011

S.A. Grim, L. Proia, R. Miller, M. Alhyraba, A. Costas‐Chavarri, J. Oberholzer, N.M. Clark. A multicenter study of histoplasmosis and blastomycosis after solid organ transplantation. Transpl Infect Dis 2011. All rights reserved
Aim. A review of the clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of 30 solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) with histoplasmosis or blastomycosis from 3 Midwestern academic medical centers.
Background. The endemic fungal pathogens, Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis, may cause severe infection in SOTRs. In this report, we describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of these endemic fungal infections (EFIs) among SOTRs at 3 academic transplant centers.
Methods. A retrospective review was conducted of SOTRs with histoplasmosis or blastomycosis from 3 Midwestern medical centers in the United States. Data collected included demographics, immunosuppression, clinical presentation, method of diagnosis, antifungal treatment, response to therapy, and patient and graft survival.
Results. Between 1996 and 2008, 30 transplant recipients with histoplasmosis or blastomycosis were identified, giving a cumulative incidence of infection of 0.50% (30/5989); 73% of the study patients were renal transplant recipients, and the median time to disease onset after transplantation was 10.5 months. The lungs were the most common site of infection (83%), and 60% had disseminated disease. Urine antigen testing was positive in all patients in whom it was performed (23/23). Initial antifungal therapy consisted of amphotericin B in 70%, and 87% received azoles, typically itraconazole (83%). Two patients developed relapsed infection and 7 patients had graft failure after EFI. Overall mortality was 30%, with an attributable mortality of 13%.
Conclusions. As in several previous single‐center studies, the incidence of post‐transplant histoplasmosis and blastomycosis was <1%, but often resulted in disseminated infection. In this cohort, EFI was associated with a high rate of allograft loss and overall mortality.
An improved Fc function assay utilizing CMV antigen‐coated red blood cells generated with synthetic function–spacer–lipid constructs
Authors: Georgakopoulos T. , Komarraju S. , Henry S. , Bertolini J. 
Published: July 2011

Background and Objectives  The Fc function assessment of immunoglobulin products is performed to confirm that the biological activity of immunoglobulin products is not affected by manufacturing and storage conditions. The European Pharmacopoeia (EP) test is cumbersome and time‐consuming especially with respect to the derivatization of red blood cells (RBC) with rubella antigen via tanninization. We investigated the KODE biosurface engineering technology for inserting specific antigens into red blood cell membranes to create kodecytes and evaluated their suitability for use in the Fc function assay.Materials and Methods  Human RBC were derivatized with function–spacer–lipid (FSL) constructs comprising of a peptide epitope of a cytomegalovirus (CMV) surface protein, conjugated to a spacer and lipid tail. These kodecytes were used in an Fc function assay based on the monitoring of complement‐mediated haemolysis of immunoglobulin‐coated red cells. Optimization of FSL construct, immunoglobulin and complement concentration was undertaken. Fc values obtained for various immunoglobulin batches were compared with those from the EP‐based method. Carbohydrate‐bearing FSLs Galili (Galα1‐3Galβ1‐4GlcNAcβ), Galα1‐4GlcNAcβ and GalNAcα1‐3Galβ were also evaluated.Results  Fc function indices determined with CMV peptide construct–coated red cells were comparable to those obtained with the EP‐based method with respect to specificity and precision. Carbohydrate‐bearing FSLs revealed Fc indices lower than expected.Conclusion  The use of CMV kodecytes was shown to be a convenient means of generating red cells for the determination of Fc function of immunoglobulin products and offers the possibility of significantly reducing the time required to perform this assay.
Drift across the Atlantic: genetic differentiation and population structure in Brazilian and Portuguese native goat breeds
Authors: Ribeiro M.N. , Bruno‐de‐Sousa C. , Martinez‐Martinez A. , Ginja C. , Menezes M.P.C. , Pimenta‐Filho E.C. , Delgado J.V. , Gama L.T. 
Published: July 2011

SummaryBrazilian goat breeds are believed to derive mainly from animals brought by Portuguese settlers since the 16th century. We used microsatellite markers in a sample of 436 animals to study genetic variability and differentiation of the six Portuguese (PT) and six Brazilian (BR) goat breeds currently recognized in the two countries. These breeds were also compared with an outgroup represented by a sample of Alpine (ALP) goats. The effective number of alleles and allelic richness were slightly higher in PT than in BR breeds. The global FST was nearly 0.11 when PT and BR breeds were considered, with a mean pairwise FST of about 0.03 among PT breeds, 0.07 among BR breeds and 0.15 between PT and BR breeds. The dendrogram illustrating relationships between populations and the correspondence analysis indicate the existence of two very distinct clusters, corresponding to the countries of origin of the breeds studied, which are nearly equidistant from the Alpine outgroup. The analysis with structure confirmed the separation between PT and BR breeds but suggests that some BR breeds, especially Graúna and Canindé, may share a common ancestry with PT breeds. The divergence observed between PT and BR breeds may result from founder effects and genetic drift but could also reflect the introduction in Brazil of goats originating from other regions, e.g., West Africa.
Oral health promotion interventions on oral yeast in hospitalised and medically compromised patients: a systematic review
Authors: Lam Otto L. T. , Bandara H. M. H. N. , Samaranayake Lakshman P. , McGrath Colman , Li Leonard S. W. 
Published: July 2011

SummaryYeast are major aetiological agents of localised oral mucosal lesions, and are also leading causes of nosocomial bloodstream infections. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of oral health promotion interventions on the prevalence and incidence of these opportunistic oral pathogens in hospitalised and medically compromised patients. The PubMed, ISI Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were searched for clinical trials assessing the effect of oral health promotion interventions on oral yeast. Chlorhexidine delivered in a variety of oral hygiene products appeared to have some effect on oral yeast, although some studies found equivocal effects. Although a wide array of other compounds have also been investigated, their clinical effectiveness remains to be substantiated. Likewise, the utility of mechanical oral hygiene interventions and other oral health promotion measures such as topical application of salivary substitute, remains unsettled. Although many chemical agents contained in oral hygiene products have proven in vitro activity against oral yeast, their clinical effectiveness and potential role as adjuncts or alternative therapies to conventional treatment remains to be confirmed by further high‐quality randomised controlled trials. This is pertinent, given the recent emergence of yeast resistance to conventional antifungal agents.
Maturation Competence of Swamp Buffalo Oocytes Obtained by Ovum Pick‐Up and from Slaughterhouse Ovaries
Authors: Yindee M , Techakumphu M , Lohachit C , Sirivaidyapong S , Na‐Chiangmai A , Roelen BAJ , Colenbrander B 
Published: July 2011

ContentsThis study was designed with the final goal of improving in vitro embryo production in the Thai swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis carabensis). Oocytes were collected by ovum pick‐up (OPU) from six non‐lactating multiparous swamp buffalo twice per week for 10 consecutive sessions followed by once‐weekly collection for 10 consecutive sessions without hormone stimulation. In addition, oocytes were collected from slaughterhouse ovaries that were classified as follows: ovaries from non‐pregnant cows with a visible corpus luteum (NPCL); pregnant cows with a corpus luteum (P); and non‐pregnant cows without a corpus luteum (NP). Follicles in each group of ovaries were categorized as small (2–4 mm), medium‐sized (5–8 mm) or large follicles (≥9 mm). The quality of the oocytes was assessed by their capacity to undergo in vitro maturation. The total number of observed follicles per session (all sizes combined) was larger in the once‐weekly OPU group compared with the twice‐weekly OPU group. In particular, the numbers of small and large follicles were higher in the once‐weekly OPU group (5.2 ± 0.7 and 0.9 ± 0.2, respectively) than in the twice‐weekly OPU group (3.9 ± 0.5 and 0.5 ± 0.1). The number of medium‐sized follicles did not differ between the groups. The percentages of oocytes with an abnormal spindle morphology were not different between oocytes from the twice‐weekly (30.0%) and the once‐weekly (28.6%) OPU groups. A higher percentage of oocytes obtained in vitro (49.5%) exhibited nuclear abnormalities compared with those obtained in vivo (≤34.8%) after in vitro maturation. In conclusion, oocytes can be successfully collected by OPU in the swamp buffalo, without hormonal pretreatment, and per week more good‐quality oocytes can be collected by twice‐weekly OPU. In addition, oocytes collected from slaughterhouse ovaries can be used with the reproductive status of the cow having no influence on the maturation competence of oocytes.
Electrocardiographic Changes in Normal and Abnormal Canine Pregnancy
Authors: Blanco PG , Batista PR , Re NE , Mattioli GA , Arias DO , Gobello C 
Published: July 2011

ContentsThe aim of this study was to describe the canine electrocardiographic changes in the course of normal and abnormal pregnancy. Twenty‐three Brucellosis‐negative pregnant bitches were retrospectively classified as normal (n = 12) or abnormal (n = 11). A control group of non‐pregnant dioestrous bitches (n = 10) was also included. Normal pregnant females delivered healthy puppies at term while abnormal animals interrupted their pregnancy between days 52–60 (from estimated luteinizing hormone peak) or presented perinatal litter death higher than 60%. All the bitches were electrocardiographically evaluated every 10 days from day 0 to day 65 of the oestrous cycle, to parturition or abortion. Percentage heart rate change increased 31.3% from day 40 to 60 in normal gestation while it decreased −1.8% in dioestrous bitches, although it did not change in the abnormal group (p < 0.01). In the abnormal pregnant group but not in the others, percentage QRSa change fell to −34% on day 60 (p < 0.01). At the same time point, percentage QRSd change was 6.2% vs −4.9% in normal gestations and dioestrous animals, respectively (p < 0.05). Corrected QT interval augmented from day 40 onwards up to 9.9% and 4.3% in the normal pregnant and dioestrous groups, respectively, while it remained unchanged in abnormal gestations (p < 0.05). It is concluded that during normal canine pregnancy, some electrocardiographic parameters begin changing from day 40 onwards, and that pathological gestations differ from normality from day 30. The use of electrocardiography in canine obstetrics might contribute to identify abnormal outcomes before they become clinically evident.
Efficacy of Ozone as a Novel Treatment Option for Urovagina in Dairy Cows
Authors: Zobel R , Tkalčić S , Štoković I , Pipal I , Buić V 
Published: July 2011

ContentsUrovagina is detrimental to the health and fertility of cows worldwide. Surgery, the only known treatment, is not economically pragmatic to dairy practice, and it has some medical drawbacks. The objective of this study was to determine whether reproductive problems associated with urovagina could be alleviated through more practical and less‐invasive treatment options to allow successful conception and term‐pregnancy. Cows diagnosed with urovagina (n = 1219) were divided into three treatment groups, each containing an equal number of cows with mild, moderate and severe urovagina. The groups received one of three treatment options: saline (group A, n = 400), streptomycin (group B, n = 400) or ozone (group C, n = 419) flush, regardless of the severity of the urovagina condition within the group. The ozone treatment was found to be the most effective treatment modality, resulting in the shortest period of days open (95, 89 and 79 days in groups A, B and C, respectively; p < 0.05), the fewest number of inseminations until pregnancy (2.38, 1.84 and 1.63 in groups A, B and C, respectively; p < 0.05) and the smallest number of culled cows (20, 23 and 12 in groups A, B and C, respectively; p < 0.05). The ozone flush coupled with intracornual insemination presents an effective treatment option for urovagina that can lead to successful conceptions and pregnancies in dairy cows.
Evolution and coevolution in mutualistic networks
Authors: Guimarães Jr Paulo R. , Jordano Pedro , Thompson John N. 
Published: July 2011

Ecology Letters (2011) 14: 877–885AbstractA major current challenge in evolutionary biology is to understand how networks of interacting species shape the coevolutionary process. We combined a model for trait evolution with data for twenty plant‐animal assemblages to explore coevolution in mutualistic networks. The results revealed three fundamental aspects of coevolution in species‐rich mutualisms. First, coevolution shapes species traits throughout mutualistic networks by speeding up the overall rate of evolution. Second, coevolution results in higher trait complementarity in interacting partners and trait convergence in species in the same trophic level. Third, convergence is higher in the presence of super‐generalists, which are species that interact with multiple groups of species. We predict that worldwide shifts in the occurrence of super‐generalists will alter how coevolution shapes webs of interacting species. Introduced species such as honeybees will favour trait convergence in invaded communities, whereas the loss of large frugivores will lead to increased trait dissimilarity in tropical ecosystems.
When should we save the most endangered species?
Authors: Wilson Howard B. , Joseph Liana N , Moore Alana L. , Possingham Hugh P. 
Published: July 2011

Ecology Letters (2011) 14: 886–890AbstractAt the heart of our efforts to protect threatened species, there is a controversial debate about whether to give priority to cost‐effective actions or whether focusing solely on the most endangered species will ultimately lead to preservation of the greatest number of species. By framing this debate within a decision‐analytic framework, we show that allocating resources solely to the most endangered species will typically not minimise the number of extinctions in the long‐term, as this does not account for the risk of less endangered species going extinct in the future. It is only favoured when our planning timeframe is short or we have a long‐term view and we are optimistic about future conditions. Conservation funding tends to be short‐term in nature, which biases allocations to more endangered species. Our work highlights the need to consider resource allocation for biodiversity over the long‐term; ‘preventive conservation’, rather than just short‐term fire‐fighting.
Phylogenetic relationships and divergence date estimates among Australo‐Papuan mosaic‐tailed rats from the Uromys division (Rodentia: Muridae)
Authors: Bryant Litticia M. , Donnellan Steve C. , Hurwood David A. , Fuller Susan J. 
Published: July 2011

Bryant, L. M., Donnellan, S. C., Hurwood, D. A. & Fuller, S. J. (2011). Phylogenetic relationships and divergence date estimates among Australo‐Papuan mosaic‐tailed rats from the Uromys division (Rodentia: Muridae). —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 433–447.We inferred phylogenetic relationships and divergence date estimates among four genera of mosaic‐tailed rats from the Uromys division in Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands from both mitochondrial (16S rRNA) and nuclear (AP5 and DHFR introns) nucleotide sequence data. Phylogenetic analysis of our combined data shows that Melomys species from Australia and New Guinea are monophyletic to the exclusion of Paramelomys, which last shared a common ancestor with other members of the Uromys division approximately 3 MYA. However, Melomys was found to be paraphyletic with respect to the Solomon Islands endemic Solomys, suggesting the taxonomic distinction of the latter may need revision. The radiation of this group was estimated to have occurred between 2.1 MYA and 900 000 years ago. A currently undescribed taxon, species nova, which is apparently morphologically indistinguishable from sympatric M. cervinipes, was found to be a highly distinctive lineage and was not monophyletic with Melomys from Australia or New Guinea. Australian Uromys share a sister group relationship with sp. n. and the Melomys/Solomys clade. Australian Melomys were not monophyletic with respect to New Guinean Melomys. The New Guinean M. lutillus and Australian M. burtoni appear to be conspecific, supporting a previous suggestion that M. burtoni has an extralimital distribution encompassing New Guinea as M. lutillus. This also suggests sustained contact between these taxa, most likely enabled through historical landbridges that linked the two landmasses during periods of lower sea level. Melomys rubicola, found only on Bramble Cay, 50 km south of New Guinea, is more closely related to Australian Melomys, particularly M. capensis, than to any of the New Guinean species. Results suggest that M. rubicola and M. capensis last shared a common ancestor in the early Pleistocene, a time when land bridges existed connecting Bramble Cay to Cape York. Finally, polyphyly within M. cervinipes was also detected, corresponding to reciprocally monophyletic northern and southern clades. The northern M. cervinipes clade diverged from the M. capensis/rubicola clade approximately 1.2 MYA, with this split possibly resulting from isolation across the Normanby gap in far north Queensland.
The State, the Rebel and the Chief: Public Authority and Land Disputes in Assam, India
Authors: Vandekerckhove Nel 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTBased upon an ethnographic study of two land disputes in the rural Assamese district of Karbi Anglong (India), this article challenges the idea that the entry of new institutional players, with their multiple sets of rules, inevitably leads to open institutional conflict. Although a wide range of political actors are involved in the regulation of land tenure in Karbi Anglong, they cannot be regarded as institutional structures ready to undercut one another. As in other parts of Northeast India, none of the claimants of public power involved —‘the state’, ‘the rebel’ or ‘the chief’— attain full sovereignty, which forces them to exercise authority predominantly through practices of negotiation and accommodation, and only selective contestation. If open institutional conflict does occur, as in the Dhansiri forest and the Singhason plateau cases studied here, this is due to the fact that one of the institutional players has overstretched and attempted to exercise authority beyond its realm of power. This article thus argues for a more agency‐oriented method of analysis in the study of land relations. The focus on everyday interactions between ‘the state’, ‘the rebel’ and ‘the chief’ in Karbi Anglong is a first attempt in that regard.
‘The Law is to Blame’: The Vulnerable Status of Common Property Rights in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Wily Liz Alden 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTThe context of this article is the surge in large‐scale land acquisitions of African lands by local and foreign investors for commercial food, livestock, oil palm and carbon trading purposes. Involuntary loss of rural lands at scale is not new to Africa's majority rural poor, nor is it driven by a single factor. Historically inequitable land relations within communities, compounded by a century of capitalist transformation, take their toll. This study argues, however, that the weak legal status of communal rights is the most pernicious enabler in their demise, allowing governments to take undue liberties with their citizens’ lands, and particularly those which are unfarmed and by tradition held in common. While international acquiescence to abusive domestic law helps entrench the diminishment of majority land rights, the domestic laws themselves are principally at fault and necessarily the target for change. This legal vulnerability is explored here through an examination of more than twenty African land laws.