bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Brief exposure of juvenile rats to noise impairs the development of the response properties of inferior colliculus neurons
Authors: Grécová Jolana , Bureš Zbyněk , Popelář Jiří , Šuta Daniel , Syka Josef 
Published: April 2009

AbstractTemporary impairment of the auditory periphery during the sensitive period of postnatal development of rats may result in a deterioration of neuronal responsiveness in the central auditory nuclei of adult animals. In this study, juvenile rats (postnatal day 14) were exposed for 8 min to intense broad‐band noise; at the age of 3–6 months, the excitatory and inhibitory response areas of neurons in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus were recorded under ketamine–xylazine anaesthesia in these animals and compared with those of age‐matched controls. The response thresholds were similar in the exposed and control animals. The frequency selectivity of low‐frequency neurons was comparable in both groups; however, high‐frequency neurons had significantly wider excitatory response areas in the exposed rats, indicating disrupted development of high‐frequency hearing. Forty‐one per cent and 25% of neurons in exposed animals and in controls, respectively, lacked a distinct inhibitory area; these neurons had similar frequency selectivity in the exposed and control rats. As the presence of an inhibitory sideband was associated with sharper frequency tuning in both groups, it appears that lateral inhibition substantially influences neuronal frequency selectivity. If present, the inhibitory areas had comparable bandwidths in both groups; however, they were shifted to the side in the exposed animals, allowing the expansion of the excitatory areas. The results indicate that a brief exposure of juvenile rats to noise leads to a significant worsening of the frequency selectivity of inferior colliculus neurons in adult animals; the poorer frequency selectivity may be due to missing or displaced inhibitory sidebands.
TRPV1 controls acid‐ and heat‐induced calcitonin gene‐related peptide release and sensitization by bradykinin in the isolated mouse trachea
Authors: Kichko Tatjana I. , Reeh Peter W. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractChronic cough derives from inflammatory hypersensitivity of tracheobronchial nerve endings, most of which express the polymodal capsaicin receptor‐channel transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) type 1 and the secretory neuropeptide calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP). An isolated mouse trachea preparation was established to measure chemically and thermally stimulated CGRP release as an index for sensory transduction of potential cough‐inducing stimuli. TRPV1 knockout mice were employed to assess the TRPV1 contribution to tracheal responsiveness and sensitization. Graded heat‐induced CGRP release depended entirely on extracellular calcium and partly on TRPV1; knockout mice showed 60% less CGRP release at 45°C (for 5 min) than wild‐types. This heat response was facilitated by the TRPV1 agonist ethanol and the TRPV1–3 agonist 2‐aminoethoxydiphenyl borate, effects that were reduced or absent in TRPV1−/−, respectively. The TRPV1 antagonists ruthenium red and N‐(4‐t‐butylphenyl)‐4‐(3‐chloropyridin‐2‐yl) tetrahydropyrazine‐1(2H)‐carboxamide were ineffective on the basal heat response. A step increase of temperature from 22 to 40°C caused a TRPV1‐independent CGRP release that was doubled by bradykinin in wild‐types but not TRPV1−/−. Proton stimulation resulted in a bell‐shaped concentration–response curve with threshold at pH 6.7 and a maximum at pH 5.7; responses were greatly reduced but not abolished in TRPV1−/−. Coadministration of amiloride (30 μm), the blocker of acid‐sensing ion channels, was ineffective in both TRPV1 genotypes. The data suggest that tracheal acid sensing mainly involves TRPV1 but not acid‐sensing ion channels, whereas noxious heat responsiveness partly depends and (inflammatory) sensitization to heat largely depends on the capsaicin receptor in tracheal nerve endings. Lowering of their heat threshold to near body temperature may sustain hypersensitivity and neurogenic inflammation of the upper airways.
A novel transcriptomic approach to identify candidate genes for grain quality traits in wheat
Authors: Wan Yongfang , Underwood Claudia , Toole Geraldine , Skeggs Peter , Zhu Tong , Leverington Michelle , Griffiths Simon , Wheeler Tim , Gooding Mike , Poole Rebecca , Edwards Keith J. , Gezan Salvador , Welham Sue , Snape John , Mills E. N. Clare , Mitchell Rowan A. C. , Shewry Peter R. 
Published: April 2009

SummaryA novel methodology is described in which transcriptomics is combined with the measurement of bread‐making quality and other agronomic traits for wheat genotypes grown in different environments (wet and cool or hot and dry conditions) to identify transcripts associated with these traits. Seven doubled haploid lines from the Spark × Rialto mapping population were selected to be matched for development and known alleles affecting quality. These were grown in polytunnels with different environments applied 14 days post‐anthesis, and the whole experiment was repeated over 2 years. Transcriptomics using the wheat Affymetrix chip was carried out on whole caryopsis samples at two stages during grain filling. Transcript abundance was correlated with the traits for approximately 400 transcripts. About 30 of these were selected as being of most interest, and markers were derived from them and mapped using the population. Expression was identified as being under cis control for 11 of these and under trans control for 18. These transcripts are candidates for involvement in the biological processes which underlie genotypic variation in these traits.
Source populations in carnivore management: cougar demography and emigration in a lightly hunted population
Authors: Cooley H. S. , Wielgus R. B. , Koehler G. , Maletzke B. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractWildlife agencies typically attempt to manage carnivore numbers in localized game management units through hunting, and do not always consider the potential influences of immigration and emigration on the outcome of those hunting practices. However, such a closed population structure may not be an appropriate model for management of carnivore populations where immigration and emigration are important population parameters. The closed population hypothesis predicts that high hunting mortality will reduce numbers and densities of carnivores and that low hunting mortality will increase numbers and densities. By contrast, the open population hypothesis predicts that high hunting mortality may not reduce carnivore densities because of compensatory immigration, and low hunting mortality may not result in more carnivores because of compensatory emigration. Previous research supported the open population hypothesis with high immigration rates in a heavily hunted (hunting mortality rate=0.24) cougar population in northern Washington. We test the open population hypothesis and high emigration rates in a lightly hunted (hunting mortality rate=0.11) cougar population in central Washington by monitoring demography from 2002 to 2007. We used a dual sex survival/fecundity Leslie matrix to estimate closed population growth and annual census counts to estimate open population growth. The observed open population growth rate of 0.98 was lower than the closed survival/fecundity growth rates of 1.13 (deterministic) and 1.10 (stochastic), and suggests a 12–15% annual emigration rate. Our data support the open population hypothesis for lightly hunted populations of carnivores. Low hunting mortality did not result in increased numbers and densities of cougars, as commonly believed because of compensatory emigration.
Effects of hunting on the behaviour and spatial distribution of farmland birds: importance of hunting‐free refuges in agricultural areas
Authors: Casas F. , Mougeot F. , Viñuela J. , Bretagnolle V. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractHunting is one of the human activities that directly affect wildlife and has received increasing attention given its socioeconomic dimensions. Most studies have been conducted on coastal and wetland areas and showed that hunting activity can greatly affect bird behaviour and distribution. Hunting‐free reserves for game species are zones where birds find an area of reduced disturbance. We evaluated the effect of hunting activities on the behaviour and use of hunting‐free areas of lapwings Vanellus vanellus, golden plovers Pluvialis apricaria and little bustards Tetrax tetrax in agricultural areas. We compared the habitat use and behaviour of birds on days before, during and after hunting took place. All three studied species showed strong behavioural responses to hunting activities. Hunting activity increased flight probability and time spent vigilant (higher on hunting days than just before and after a hunting day), to the detriment of resting. We also found distributional (use of hunting‐free reserve) responses to hunting activities, with hunting‐free reserves being used more frequently during hunting days. Thus, reserves can mitigate the disturbance caused by hunting activities, benefiting threatened species in agricultural areas. Increasing the size or number of hunting‐free areas might be an important management and conservation tool to reduce the impacts of hunting activities.
Animal decisions and conservation: the recolonization of a severely polluted river by the Eurasian otter
Authors: Delibes M. , Cabezas S. , Jiménez B. , González M. J. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAnimals make decisions relying on environmental cues associated to high survival or breeding success along their evolutionary history. However, because of rapid anthropogenic changes in the environment, they may lack useful cues, making bad decisions with potential consequences for individuals and populations. Contaminants are difficult or impossible to detect for animals, so polluted habitats could be used in spite of their dangerous effects. The Eurasian otterLutra lutrareoccupied the Guadiamar River (SW Spain) <1 year after a toxic spill that killed the fauna living in it. The levels of heavy metals and arsenic (As) in the river trophic web at that moment were probably harmful for otters. To investigate this, we determined the amount of several heavy metals including copper, cadmium, zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) and metalloids such as As in otter faeces and estimated the exposure of otters to these elements as average ingestion. Concentrations of Zn, Pb and As were statistically higher in faeces collected along the Guadiamar River than in those collected along the Guadalete River (reference area). An ‘average otter’ in the Guadiamar River would consume 3–4 mg of Pb and more than 5 mg of As daily. Such doses must be hazardous for the species and challenge the usual assertion that otter presence is a good indicator of river quality.
Gene expression profiling to define host response to baculoviral transduction in the brain
Authors: Boulaire Jérôme , Zhao Ying , Wang Shu 
Published: April 2009

AbstractRecombinant baculoviral vectors efficiently transduce several types of cells in the brain. To characterize host responses to virus challenge, thus verifying the suitability of using baculovirus for the development of gene therapy strategies in the central nervous system, we used cDNA microarray technology to examine in vitro and in vivo global cellular gene expression profiles in the rat brain, cultured human astrocytes and human neuronal cells after viral transduction. We demonstrated that the transduction induced host antiviral responses as a major reaction in all three types of samples profiled. The related genes were mainly those associated with innate immunity, including several of the genes involved in Toll‐like receptor signaling pathway and cytokine‐cytokine receptor interaction. These findings should be useful in understanding the molecular basis for neural cell response to baculoviral transduction and in guiding rational therapeutic applications of baculoviral vectors in the central nervous systems.
Bone mineral density in children, adolescents, and young adults with epilepsy
Authors: Coppola Giangennaro , Fortunato Delia , Auricchio Gianfranca , Mainolfi Ciro , Operto Francesca Felicia , Signoriello Giuseppe , Pascotto Antonio , Salvatore Marco 
Published: April 2009

SummaryPurpose:  The aim of this study was to assess bone mineral density (BMD) in a large population of children, adolescents, and young adults with epilepsy alone or in association with cerebral palsy and/or mental retardation.Methods:  Ninety‐six patients were enrolled in the study. The group comprised 50 males and 46 females, aged between 3 and 25 years (mean age 11 years). The control group consisted of 63 healthy children and adolescents (23 males, 40 females), aged between 3 and 25 years (mean age 12.1 years). Patients underwent a dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan of the lumbar spine (L1–L4) and the z scores were calculated for each patient; the t score was considered for patients 18 years of age or older.Results:  Abnormal BMD was found in 56 patients (58.3%), with values documenting osteopenia in 42 (75%) and osteoporosis in 14 (25%). A significant difference emerged between epileptic patients and the control group in BMD, z score, and body mass index (BMI) (p = <0.001). Lack of autonomous gait, severe mental retardation, long duration of antiepileptic treatment, topiramate adjunctive therapy, and less physical activity significantly correlated with abnormal BMD.Discussion:  This study detected abnormal BMD in more than half of a large pediatric population with epilepsy with or without cerebral palsy and/or mental retardation. The clinical significance of these findings has yet to be clarified.
Proepileptic phenotype of SV2A‐deficient mice is associated with reduced anticonvulsant efficacy of levetiracetam
Authors: Kaminski Rafal M. , Gillard Michel , Leclercq Karine , Hanon Etienne , Lorent Geneviève , Dassesse Donald , Matagne Alain , Klitgaard Henrik 
Published: April 2009

SummaryPurpose: Synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) constitutes a distinct binding site for an antiepileptic drug levetiracetam (Keppra). In the present study we characterized SV2A (+/−) heterozygous mice in several seizure models and tested if the anticonvulsant efficacy of levetiracetam is reduced in these mice.Methods: Seizure thresholds of male SV2A (+/−) mice and their wild‐type littermates were assessed in pilocarpine (i.p.), kainic acid (s.c.), pentylenetetrazol (i.v.), 6‐Hz and maximal electroshock models. Kindling development was compared in amygdala and corneal kindling models. Ex vivo binding of levetiracetam to SV2A was also performed.Results: Long‐term electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring and behavioral observations of SV2A (+/−) mice did not reveal any spontaneous seizure activity. However, a reduced seizure threshold of SV2A (+/−) mice was observed in pilocarpine, kainic acid, pentylenetetrazol, and 6‐Hz models, but not in maximal electroshock seizure model. Accelerated epileptogenesis development was also demonstrated in amygdala and corneal kindling models. Anticonvulsant efficacy of levetiracetam, defined as its ability to increase seizure threshold for 6 Hz electrical stimulation, was significantly reduced (approx. 50%) in the SV2A (+/−) mice, consistently with reduced binding to SV2A in these mice. In contrast, valproate produced the same anticonvulsant effect in both SV2A (+/+) and SV2A (+/−) mice.Discussion:The present results evidence that SV2A is involved in mediation of the in vivo anticonvulsant activity of levetiracetam, in accordance with its previously proposed mechanism of action. Furthermore, the present data also indicate that even partial SV2A deficiency may lead to increased seizure vulnerability and accelerated epileptogenesis.
Antagonists of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors and cortical afterdischarges in immature rats
Authors: Lojková‐Janečková Denisa , Ng Jessica , Mareš Pavel 
Published: April 2009

SummaryPurpose: Antagonists of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are known to exhibit anticonvulsant action without serious side effects. Recently we found anticonvulsant effects of specific antagonists of mGluR subtypes 1 and 5 (AIDA and MTEP) against pentetrazol‐induced convulsions in developing rats. In order to determine if the effects of these two antagonists are not exclusively restricted to pentetrazol‐induced seizures, we studied their action in a novel seizure model involving immature rats.Methods: Epileptic afterdischarges were elicited by low‐frequency stimulation of sensorimotor cortical region in 12‐, 18‐, and 25‐day‐old rats with implanted electrodes. Drugs were administered intraperitoneally after the first afterdischarge: AIDA in doses from 5 to 40 mg/kg; MTEP in doses from 2.5 to 40 mg/kg. The stimulation was then repeated five more times with the same current intensity. Electrocorticographic and motor phenomena were recorded and evaluated.Results: AIDA did not significantly influence movements during stimulation, afterdischarges as well as clonic seizures accompanying afterdischarges. In contrast, MTEP was able to significantly shorten afterdischarges without changes in the two motor phenomena. The effect of MTEP was best expressed in 12‐day‐old rats; in 25‐day‐old rats the trials exhibited only a transient shortening of afterdischarges after high doses of MTEP.Discussion: In contrast to similar action against pentetrazol‐induced seizures, AIDA and MTEP substantially differ in their action on cortical epileptic afterdischarges. The anticonvulsant action of MTEP in the present model diminishes with age.
Complexity in Urban Development and Management
Authors: Baynes Timothy M. 
Published: April 2009

SummarySystems dynamics, cellular automata, agent‐based modeling, and network analyses have been used in population, land use, and transport planning models. An overview of complex systems science as applied to urban development is presented, and examples are given of where the problems of housing people and anticipating their movements have been addressed with complex approaches, sometimes in concert with deterministic, large‐scale urban models. Planning for cities today has additional environmental and social priorities in common with many topics that concern industrial ecology. The research agenda suggested here is that this, too, can be enriched with complex systems thinking and models to complement the often static assessment of environmental performance and better inform decision processes.
Environmental Risk Factors for Community‐Acquired Pneumonia Hospitalization in Older Adults
Authors: Loeb Mark , Neupane Binod , Walter Stephen D. , Hanning Rhona , Carusone Soo Chan , Lewis David , Krueger Paul , Simor Andrew E. , Nicolle Lindsay , Marrie Thomas J. 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk of hospitalization for pneumonia in older adults in relation to biophysical environmental factors.DESIGN: Population‐based case control study with collection of personal interview data.SETTING: Hamilton, Ontario, and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred seventeen people aged 65 and older hospitalized for community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) from September 2002 to April 2005 and 867 controls aged 65 and older randomly selected from the same communities as the cases.MEASUREMENTS: Odds ratios (ORs) for risk of pneumonia in relation to environmental and other variables.RESULTS: Exposure to secondhand smoke in the previous month (OR=1.73, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.04–2.90); poor nutritional score (OR=1.83, 95% CI=1.19–2.80); alcohol use per month (per gram; OR=1.69, 95% CI=1.08–2.61); history of regular exposure to gases, fumes, or chemicals at work (OR=3.69, 95% CI=2.37–5.75); history of regular exposure to fumes from solvents, paints, or gasoline at home (OR=3.31, 95% CI=1.59–6.87); and non‐English language spoken at home (OR=5.31, 95% CI=2.60–10.87) were associated with a greater risk of pneumonia hospitalization in multivariable analysis. Age, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive lung disease, dysphagia, renal disease, functional status, use of immunosuppressive disease medications, and lifetime history of smoking of more than 100 cigarettes were other variables associated with hospitalization for pneumonia.CONCLUSION: In elderly people, present and past exposures in the physical environmental are associated with hospitalization for CAP.
Awareness of Functional Difficulties in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Multidomain Assessment Approach
Authors: Okonkwo Ozioma C. , Griffith H. Randall , Vance David E. , Marson Daniel C. , Ball Karlene K. , Wadley Virginia G. 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are fully aware of and provide reliable estimates of their functional status.DESIGN: Controlled, matched‐samples, cross‐sectional study.SETTING: University medical and research centers.PARTICIPANTS: Fifty‐seven persons with amnestic MCI and 68 normal controls.MEASUREMENTS: The study examined accuracy of self‐report in MCI across five functional domains (driving, financial abilities, medication management, grocery shopping, and telephone use) by comparing patients' report of functioning with their performance on laboratory‐based measures of function.RESULTS: The discrepancy between self‐report and objective performance was significantly higher in patients with MCI than in their cognitively normal peers only on financial abilities. Patients with MCI overestimated their abilities on this functional domain. Patients with MCI also tended to overestimate their driving abilities, although this was not statistically significant.CONCLUSION: These findings provide evidence that awareness of functional difficulties is not a unitary construct; rather, it varies across functional domains. They also suggest that self‐report of functional abilities in MCI may be, on the whole, as accurate as in cognitively intact older adults. Even so, the self‐objective discrepancies noted for both study groups suggest that supplementing self‐reported information with objective functional assessment might improve detection of older adults who have begun to experience more functional restriction than is normal for age. In turn, timely identification would permit the targeted implementation of interventions that delay or forestall further deterioration in function.