bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Short‐term assessment of dung beetle response to carbosulfan treatment against desert locust in Sudan
Authors: Eriksson H. , Isaksson D. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe beneficial role of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is well known. Potential risks to these beetles from the widespread use of insecticides against the desert locust, a significant plant pest in Africa, the Near East and South West Asia, have not been studied previously. Short‐term responses of dung beetles to carbamate carbosulfan (Marshal®, ultra low‐volume formulation, 100 g active ingredient ha−1) were assessed during desert locust control operations at five sites within two major biotopes:Acacia tortilisshrubland and cultivated wetland; on the Red Sea Coast of Sudan. The study took place during January–February 2004. At each site, fresh dung from Zebu cows was placed in areas targeted for desert locust control. Dung pats were placed in plots in two areas and left for 24 h, before and after insecticide application. Beetles were extracted by floatation. There was a significant decrease in abundance between the pre‐ and post‐spray period in treated areas for the Scarabaeinae speciesOnthophagus margaritifer(a dark colour morph). In contrast, it was found thatAphodius lucidusand beetles at the subfamily level of Aphodiinae increased in numbers after insecticide treatment. Mortality and sublethal impacts as well as a repellent effect of the insecticide may explain the decrease inOnthophagus margaritifer, while the increase in Aphodiinae beetles could be an indirect response to lower numbers of Scarabaeinae beetles in competing for the same resource. These organisms and the applied methodology may be useful for environmental monitoring of desert locust control, thus further studies are suggested. The assessment also revealed a marked difference between the two biotopes with high abundance and species richness of dung beetles inA. tortilisshrubland, while these measures were low in the cultivated wetland. Five new species of dung beetles for Sudan were found in this study.
Co‐localization of quantitative trait loci for foliar disease resistance in sorghum
Authors: Mohan S. M. , Madhusudhana R. , Mathur K. , Howarth C. J. , Srinivas G. , Satish K. , Reddy R. N. , Seetharama N. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractQuantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of resistance to three foliar diseases, viz. target leaf spot, zonate leaf spot and drechstera leaf blight was undertaken in sorghum using 168 F7 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between ‘296B’ (resistant) and ‘IS18551’ (susceptible) parents. The genomic region flanked by plant colour locus (Plcor) and simple sequence repeat marker Xtxp95 on chromosome SBI‐06 harboured disease‐response QTL for all the three diseases caused by different fungal pathogens. It is hypothesized that this region on sorghum chromosome SBI‐06 could harbour a cluster of disease‐response loci to different pathogens as observed in the syntenic regions on rice chromosome 4 and maize chromosome 2. The information gained in this study can be used in deploying marker‐assisted selection for foliar resistance and map‐based isolation of important disease resistance genes in sorghum.
Clinical effectiveness of steroid pulse therapy combined with tonsillectomy in patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy presenting glomerular haematuria and minimal proteinuria
Authors: KAWAGUCHI TAKEHIKO , IEIRI NORIO , YAMAZAKI SHIN , HAYASHINO YASUAKI , GILLESPIE BRENDA , MIYAZAKI MARIKO , TAGUMA YOSHIO , FUKUHARA SHUNICHI , HOTTA OSAMU 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACT:Aim:  The effectiveness of steroid pulse therapy combined with tonsillectomy (ST) has been shown in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) patients with moderate or severe urinary abnormalities. The present study aimed to clarify whether the effectiveness may be extrapolated to IgAN with minor urinary abnormalities, and whether the effectiveness may depend on the histological severity with minor urinary abnormalities.Methods:  Data on 388 IgAN patients diagnosed by renal biopsies between 1987 and 2000 in Sendai Shakaihoken Hospital, who presented glomerular haematuria and minimal proteinuria (≤0.5 g/day) at baseline, were analyzed. Cox regression was used to examine associations between baseline use of ST and subsequent clinical remission (CR), defined as negative proteinuria by dipstick and urinary erythrocytes of less than 1/high‐power field. The instrumental variable method was also used to overcome confounding by treatment indication.Results:  During a median follow up of 24 months, we observed 170 CR cases. Patients receiving ST were younger and showed a better case‐mix profile. Patients with ST had a significantly higher rate of CR than patients without tonsillectomy or steroid pulse in an unadjusted (hazard ratio (HR) = 5.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.33–9.12, P < 0.001) or adjusted Cox model (HR = 4.65, 95% CI = 2.43–8.88, P < 0.001). Less severe histological findings were substantially associated with higher CR rate in ST group. Adjusting for confounding by treatment indication showed an attenuated but still significant effect of ST (HR = 3.10, 95% CI = 2.02–4.77, P < 0.001).Conclusion:  ST significantly increased the probability of CR in IgAN patients with glomerular haematuria and minimal proteinuria, and it was more effective in those with less severe histological findings.
Pyrosequencing analysis of endosymbiont population structure: co‐occurrence of divergent symbiont lineages in a single vesicomyid host clam
Authors: Stewart Frank J. , Cavanaugh Colleen M. 
Published: April 2009

SummaryBacteria–eukaryote endosymbioses are perhaps the most pervasive co‐evolutionary associations in nature. Here, intracellular chemosynthetic symbionts of deep‐sea clams (Vesicomyidae) were analysed by amplicon pyrosequencing to explore how symbiont transmission mode affects the genetic diversity of the within‐host symbiont population. Vesicomyid symbionts (Gammaproteobacteria) are presumed to be obligately intracellular, to undergo nearly strict vertical transmission between host generations, and to be clonal within a host. However, recent data show that vesicomyid symbionts can be acquired laterally via horizontal transfer between hosts or uptake from the environment, potentially creating opportunities for multiple symbiont strains to occupy the same host. Here, genotype‐specific PCR and direct sequencing of the bacterial internal transcribed spacer initially demonstrated the co‐occurrence of two symbiont strains, symA and symB (93.5% nt identity), in 8 of 118 Vesicomya sp. clams from 3 of 7 hydrothermal vent sites on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. To confirm multiple strains within individual clams, amplicon pyrosequencing of two symbiont loci was used to obtain deep‐coverage measurements (mean: ∼1500× coverage per locus per clam) of symbiont population structure. Pyrosequencing confirmed symA–symB co‐occurrence for two individuals, showing the presence of both genotypes in amplicon pools. However, in the majority of clams, the endosymbiont population was remarkably homogenous, with > 99.5% of sequences collapsing into a single symbiont genotype in each clam. These results support the hypothesis that a predominantly vertical transmission strategy leads to the fixation of a single symbiont strain in most hosts. However, mixed symbiont populations do occur in vesicomyids, potentially facilitating the exchange of genetic material between divergent symbiont lineages.
How is Well‐Being Related to Membership in New Religious Movements? An Application of Person–Environment Fit Theory
Authors: Namini Sussan , Appel Claudia , Jürgensen Ralph , Murken Sebastian 
Published: April 2009

Ongoing public discussion about the consequences of membership in new religious movements (NRMs) and the lack of studies concerning the relationship between the fit of the person with his or her NRM and well‐being together call for a theoretically based investigation of the phenomenon. Hence, this German study on new members of three NRMs applied person–environment fit theory to investigate whether the fit between persons’ needs for autonomy and relatedness, on the one hand, and the commensurate supplies of the groups, on the other, are related to well‐being and mental health. The regression model followingEdwards (1994)predicted satisfaction with religious affiliation, mental health, and depression, but not life satisfaction and anxiety. Results indicate that, for autonomy and relatedness, well‐being measures tend to decrease as supplies exceed needs. Little support was found for a moderator effect of centrality of religiosity. Overall, findings encourage the application of person–environment fit theory to the study of membership in (new) religious groups and call for further research.L’actuel débat public sur les conséquences de l’adhésion à un nouveau mouvement religieux et l’absence d’études sur la relation entre l’adaptation de la personne à son groupe et son bien‐être nécessitent une investigation fondée théoriquement. D’où cette recherche allemande sur les nouveaux membres de trois de ces mouvements: on est parti de la théorie de l’adéquation personne‐environnement pour savoir si l’ajustement entre les besoins personnels d’autonomie et autres besoins analogues d’une part, et les réponses du groupe dans ce domaine d’autre part, étaient reliés au bien‐être et à la santé mentale. Le modèle de régression d’Edwards (1994)porte sur la satisfaction concernant l’engagement religieux, la santé mentale et la dépression, mais pas sur l’anxiété et la satisfaction liée à l’existence. Les résultats indiquent que, pour ce qui est de l’autonomie et ce qui en dépend, les mesures relatives au bien‐être ont tendance à décroître à mesure que l’offre excède les attentes. L’effet modérateur de la centralité de la religiosité n’a pas vraiment été confirmé. Globalement, ce que l’on a obtenu est en faveur de l’application de la théorie de l’ajustement personne‐environnement à l’étude de l’adhésion à de (nouveaux) groupes religieux et incite à développer d’autres recherches.
Crunch Time: A Policy to Avoid the ‘Announcement Effect’ when Terminating a Subsidy
Authors: Gürtler Marc , Sieg Gernot 
Published: April 2009

Abstract
If the government announces the termination of a subsidy paid for an irreversible investment under uncertainty, investors might decide to realize their investment so as to obtain the subsidy. These investors might have postponed an investment if future payment were assured. Depending on the degree of uncertainty and the time preference, the termination of the subsidy might cost the government more in toto than granting the subsidy on a continuing basis. A better strategy would be to reduce the subsidy in parts rather than to terminate the subsidy in its entirety.
On the Fairness of Early-Retirement Provisions
Authors: Breyer Friedrich , Hupfeld Stefan 
Published: April 2009

Abstract
A crucial parameter for increasing the retirement age is the early retirement discount of the public pension system. Critics of the present German system argue that the downward adjustment of the pension for early retirees is too small compared with a ‘fair’ system and thus encourages early retirement. We discuss several notions of ‘fairness’ of early-retirement provisions and propose a concept called ‘distributive neutrality’, which states that the ratio between total benefits and total contributions should not depend systematically on the individual’s ability. By applying this concept to the German retirement benefit formula and taking empirically estimated relationships between annual income (as a proxy for ability), life expectancy and retirement age into account, we show that at the present discount rate of 3.6% per year there is redistribution from low to high earners, which, surprisingly, could be attenuated by raising the discount rate.
Survey on the Shadow Economy and Undeclared Earnings in OECD Countries
Authors: Feld Lars P. , Schneider Friedrich 
Published: April 2009

Abstract
In most OECD countries the policy instrument of choice to prevent people from working in the shadows has been deterrence. While deterrence is well founded from a theoretical point of view, the empirical evidence on its success is weak: tax policies and state deregulation appear to work much better. The discussion of the recent literature underlines that in addition to economic opportunities, the overall situation in the labor market and unemployment are crucial for an understanding of the dynamics of the shadow economy.
An unbiased stereological study on subpopulations of rat liver macrophages and on their numerical relation with the hepatocytes and stellate cells
Authors: Santos Marta , Marcos Ricardo , Santos Nádia , Malhão Fernanda , Monteiro Rogério A. F. , Rocha Eduardo 
Published: April 2009

AbstractStudies on liver macrophages have elucidated their key roles in immunological, fibrotic and regenerative responses, and shown that macrophages are not a homogeneous population. In the rat, two sets of liver macrophages coexist, identified by ED1 and ED2 antibodies. Those sets have different quantitative responses in liver injuries and may have different tasks throughout the injury and recovery phases. Nevertheless, the total number (N), number per gram (N g−1) and proportion of those macrophages in relation to other liver cells has never been quantified using design‐based stereology. Thus, we combined immunocytochemistry with those tools to produce an unbiased estimate of the N of ED1+ and of ED2+ cells. A smooth fractionator sampling scheme was applied to the liver of five male Wistar rats (3 months old), to obtain systematic uniform random sections (30 µm thick); these were immunostained with the monoclonal antibodies: ED1, a pan‐macrophagic marker; and ED2, which identifies the completely differentiated macrophages, i.e. Kupffer cells. The N of ED1+ cells was 340 × 106, estimated with a coefficient of error (CE) of 0.04, and that of ED2+ cells was 283 × 106, with a CE of 0.05. These figures correspond to 10.7% and 8.9%, respectively, of the total liver cells. The new data constitute reference values for correlative inferences. Also, the methodological strategy, by its accuracy and precision, is valuable for future investigations on the liver cell composition in various models of disease, and especially for studying the more subtle variations that occur during the injury and recovery phases.
Performance of colposcopy in five sub‐Saharan African countries
Authors: Muwonge R , Mbalawa CG , Keita N , Dolo A , Nouhou H , Nacoulma M , Malanda JN , Koulibaly M , Bayo S , Sankaranarayanan R ,   IARC Multicentre Study Group on Cervical Cancer Early Detection
Published: April 2009

Objective  The performance of colposcopy provided in a screening study in five African countries was evaluated.Design  Cross‐sectional study.Setting  Burkina Faso, Congo Brazzaville, Guinea Conakry, Mali and Niger.Population  Women aged 25–59 years.Methods  A total of 29 294 women participated in a cervical screening study in the five study sites, and newly trained local doctors performed colposcopy and directed biopsies as indicated. Using meta‐analytical tools, four measures of colposcopy performance at different thresholds of colposcopic abnormalities were assessed. Sources of heterogeneity were also assessed.Main outcome measures  Proportions of women receiving biopsies, adequate biopsies and women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).Results  Among 28 553 women with satisfactory colposcopy, 3101 had a colposcopic diagnosis of probable low‐grade or worse lesions and 1128 probable high‐grade or worse lesions. Overall, the measures that reached the set standards were proportion of biopsy taken at colposcopy threshold of probable high‐grade or worse lesions (95%, 95% CI 90–100%) and proportion of adequate biopsy samples. The set standards were not met for the proportions of women diagnosed with CIN at different colposcopic abnormality thresholds. Detection of CIN2 or worse lesions increased with increasing colposcopic abnormality.Conclusions  The performance of colposcopy in some of the African sites studied was comparable to that previously observed in other studies. With appropriate training, monitoring, continuing practice and quality assurance, adequate standards of colposcopy can be attained in sub‐Saharan Africa.
Transfusional fetal complications after single intrauterine death in monochorionic multiple pregnancy are reduced but not prevented by vascular occlusion
Authors: O’Donoghue K , Rutherford MA , Engineer N , Wimalasundera RC , Cowan FM , Fisk NM 
Published: April 2009

Objective  To document co‐twin death/pregnancy loss and brain injury after single intrauterine death (sIUD) in monochorionic pregnancies.Design  A total of 135 pregnancies with sIUD were reviewed for co‐twin IUD, miscarriage and abnormal antenatal and postnatal neuro‐imaging.Setting  A tertiary referral fetal medicine unit from 2000 to 2007.Population or Sample  All cases referred with a single fetal death in monochorionic pregnancy, including those where sIUD was spontaneous or occurred after fetoscopic laser treatment, or resulted from selective termination by cord occlusion with bipolar diathermy or intrafetal vascular ablation with interstitial laser.Methods  Clinical details and ultrasound findings of the study population were retrieved from ultrasound and institutional databases. Delivery and neonatal outcome data were obtained from discharge summaries supplemented by individual chart review.Main outcome measures  Co‐twin death or pregnancy loss and neurologic injury assessed on antenatal ultrasound and MR‐imaging.Results  A total of 81 sIUDs resulted from vascular occlusive feticide (diathermy or interstitial laser), 22 followed placental laser and 32 were spontaneous. In 22 pregnancies (16.8%), the co‐twin died in utero and eight pregnancies miscarried (6.1%). Antenatal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in 76/91 (83.5%) continuing pregnancies detected antenatal brain injury in five (6.6%). Three infants (two not scanned antenatally) had abnormalities detected postnatally. Brain abnormality was detected less often after procedure related (2.6%, 2/77) than spontaneous sIUD (22.2%, 6/27, P = 0.003) and after early compared with late gestation sIUD (3.6%, 4/111 versus 20.0%, 4/20; P = 0.02).Conclusions  We confirm substantial co‐twin loss (22.9%) after monochorionic sIUD, but a low risk of antenatally acquired MRI‐identified brain injury, suggesting this risk has been overestimated. Procedures restricting inter‐twin transfusion reduce, but do not negate risk of brain injury.
Do mtDNA deletions drive premature aging in mtDNA mutator mice?
Authors: Kraytsberg Yevgenya , Simon David K. , Turnbull Douglas M. , Khrapko Konstantin 
Published: April 2009

SummaryDeletions in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have long been suspected to be involved in mammalian aging, but their role remains controversial. Recent research has demonstrated that relatively higher levels of mtDNA deletions correlate with premature aging in mtDNA mutator mice, which led to the conclusion that premature aging in these mice is driven by mtDNA deletions. However, it is reported here that the absolute level of deletions in mutator mice is quite low, especially when compared with the level of point mutations in these mice. It is thus argued that the available data are insufficient to conclude that mtDNA mutations drive premature aging in mtDNA mutator mice. It remains possible that clonal expansion of mtDNA deletions may result in sufficiently high levels to play a role in age‐related dysfunction in some cells, but assessing this possibility will require studies of the distribution of these deletions among different cell types and in individual cells.
T‐Cell tropism of simian T‐cell leukaemia virus type 1 and cytokine profiles in relation to proviral load and immunological changes during chronic infection of naturally infected mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx)
Authors: Souquière Sandrine , Mouinga‐Ondeme Augustin , Makuwa Maria , Beggio Paola , Radaelli Antonia , De Giuli Morghen Carlo , Mortreux Franck , Kazanji Mirdad 
Published: April 2009

AbstractBackground  Although a wide variety of non‐human primates are susceptible to simian T‐cell leukaemia virus type 1 (STLV‐1), little is known about the virological or molecular determinants of natural STLV‐1 infection.Methods  We determined STLV‐1 virus tropism in vivo and its relation to the immune response by evaluating cytokine production and T‐cell subsets in naturally infected and uninfected mandrills.Results  With real‐time PCR methods, we found that STLV‐1 in mandrills infects both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells; however, proviral loads were significantly higher (P = 0.01) in CD4+ than in CD8+ cells (mean STLV‐1 copies number per 100 cells (± SD) was 7.8 ± 8 in CD4+ T cells and 3.9 ± 4.5 in CD8+ T cells). After culture, STLV‐1 provirus was detected in enriched CD4+ but not in enriched CD8+ T cells. After 6 months of culture, STLV‐1‐transformed cell lines expressing CD3+, CD4+ and HLADR+ were established, and STLV‐1 proteins and tax/rex mRNA were detected. In STLV‐1 infected monkeys, there was a correlation between high proviral load and elevated levels of interleukin (IL)‐2, IL‐6, IL‐10, interferon‐γ and tumour necrosis factor‐α. The two monkeys with the highest STLV‐1 proviral load had activated CD4+HLADR+ and CD8+HLADR+ T‐cell subsets and a high percentage of CD25+ in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.Conclusions  Our study provides the first cellular, immunological and virological characterization of natural STLV‐1 infection in mandrills and shows that they are an appropriate animal model for further physiopathological studies of the natural history of human T‐cell leukaemia viruses.
Sexual Dysfunction Is Frequent in Premenopausal Women with Diabetes, Obesity, and Hypothyroidism, and Correlates with Markers of Increased Cardiovascular Risk. A Preliminary Report
Authors: Veronelli Annamaria , Mauri Chiara , Zecchini Barbara , Peca Maria Grazia , Turri Olivia , Valitutti Maria Teresa , Dall’Asta Chiara , Pontiroli Antonio E. 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is characterized by reduced sexual appetite and altered psychologic and physiologic response to sexual intercourse; it is reported to be frequent in diabetes mellitus, but no data have been reported in thyroid disorders.

Aims
To compare the prevalence of FSD in diabetic, in obese, and in hypothyroid women vs. healthy women, and to correlate FSD with endocrine and metabolic profiles.

Methods
We evaluated, through a questionnaire (Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI]), the prevalence of FSD in 91 women affected by diabetes mellitus, obesity, or hypothyroidism, and in 36 healthy women, all aged 22–51 years and in premenopausal state.

Main Outcome Measures
FSFI score, endocrine and metabolic parameters (triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] and low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, free-triiodothyronine (FT3), free-thyroxine (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH], 17-beta-estradiol, testosterone, glycated hemoglobin 1c (HbA1c), thyroid autoantibodies, E-selectin, P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 [ICAM-1], plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 [PAI-1]), and anthropometric parameters (body mass index, waist, blood pressure [BP]).

Results
A reduced FSFI score was more frequent in diabetic, obese, and hypothyroid women vs. healthy women (P &lt; 0.01). In the different groups of women, FSFI score was inversely correlated (pairwise correlation) with at least one of the following: HbA1c, TSH, LDL-cholesterol, PAI-1, diastolic BP, presence of thyroid Ab, and directly correlated with HDL-cholesterol (always P &lt; 0.05 or less). At stepwise regression analysis, HDL-cholesterol (protective) and HbA1c, LDL-cholesterol, PAI-1, and diastolic BP (negatively) predicted reduced FSFI score.

Conclusion
These data indicate an increased prevalence of sexual dysfunction in diabetic, in obese, and in hypothyroid women, associated with markers of cardiovascular risk.