bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evidence for mast cell, leukotriene and nitric oxide involvement in the regulation of the adrenoceptor number of inflamed small intestine in guinea pigs
Authors: MARTINOLLE I.‐P. , GARCIA‐VILLAR R. , MORE J. , BUENO L. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractChanges in the populations of neurotransmitter receptors involved in the control of intestinal smooth muscle function have been associated with the altered motility of the inflamed gut. Thus, trinitroben‐zenesulphonic acid (TNBS)‐induced gut inflammation is accompanied by an increase in α‐ and a decrease in β‐adrenoceptor numbers in guinea pig small intestine. In the present study, we investigated the effects of anti‐inflammatory compounds (cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin, lipooxygenase inhibitor MK‐886, nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl‐ester (l‐NAME), mast cell stabilizer doxantrazole) on TNBS‐induced adrenoceptor changes. Smooth muscle adrenoceptor populations, labelled by subtype‐specific radioligands 6 days after TNBS, were significantly different from those of sham‐treated controls: α1‐ and α2‐adrenoceptor numbers increased by more than 50%, while β‐adrenoceptor numbers decreased by more than 50%. These changes, associated with severe inflammation as assessed histologically and by myeloperoxidase assay, were prevented by doxantrazole orl‐NAME, and only partly by MK‐886. In contrast, indomethacin did not prevent these changes. It appears then that: (a) mast cell mediators, nitric oxide and leukotrienes are likely to contribute to TNBS‐induced changes in adrenoceptor populations in the guinea pig inflamed intestine; (b) there is no evidence for prostanoid involvement in this process. It was suggested that changes in smooth muscle adrenoceptor populations may be an important mechanism by which gut inflammation alters intestinal motility.
Contribution of acetylcholine, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and nitric oxide to CNS‐evoked vagal gastric relaxation in the rat
Authors: KROWICKI Z. K. , HORNBY P. J. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractSeveral in vitro models of gastric relaxation have elucidated a role of nitric oxide (NO) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in non‐adrenergic, non‐cholinergic (NANC) vagally mediated gastric relaxation. However, these models do not necessarily mimic the events leading to gastric relaxation in the whole animal. We have recently described a vagally mediated gastric relaxation evoked by micro‐injection of substance P (SP) into the nucleus raphe obscurus (NRO). The present study was performed to elucidate whether this CNS‐stimulated in vivo gastric relaxation involved acetylcholine, NO and VIP.Atropine (1 mg kg−1i.v.), reduces both the rapid nadir and sustained gastric relaxation evoked by SP in the NRO, and the residual responses are abolished by NG‐Nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L‐NAME, 10 mg kg−1i.v.), an NO synthase inhibitor. Blockade of NO synthase alone is not sufficient to abolish the effect of SP into the NRO on intragastric pressure. A VIP antagonist, [p‐chloro‐D‐Phe6, Leu17]VIP (32 μg i.v.) alone, or with the addition of L‐NAME, does not affect the nadir of the gastric relaxation in response to SP microinjected into the NRO; however, both antagonists reduce the CNS‐evoked sustained intragastric pressure relaxation. We conclude that, in CNS‐evoked gastric relaxation, inhibition of cholinergic pathways is potentially important for both the rapid nadir and sustained gastric relaxation, and both NO and VIP contribute to sustained gastric relaxation.
Abscisic Acid and the Germination of Thermodormant Lettuce Fruits (Lactuca sativa cv. Grand Rapids). The Fate of Isotopically Labelled Abscisic Acid
Authors: ROBERTSON J. , BERRIE A. M. M. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractABA inhibits the germination of Grand Rapids lettuce seeds at a temperature at which photoblastism is not observed. This ABA inhibition can be overcome by GA, or cytokinin, or red light acting alone or in concert. At high levels of ABA the ameliorative effects of GA, cytokinin or red light are not manifest and it is suggested that lettuce seeds' response to a given level of ABA is temperature dependent, and any interaction which may be observed between ABA and other regulators, or red light, likewise is temperature dependent.Seeds only actively metabolize ABA after germination is complete though ABA does influence the germination process proper. Some radioactivity, originally applied as 14C ABA, cannot be extracted from 14C ABA treated seeds by methanol, and this “fixed” ABA can constitute more than 50% of the activity taken up by the seeds. High levels of “fixed” ABA are found in seeds which do not germinate. As well as this “fixed” ABA two labelled metabolites arise in seeds treated with 14C ABA. The levels of these rise in seed extracts as the level of extractable ABA decreases.Whilst ABA can affect germination our results do not allow us to assign a specific regulatory role to ABA in seed germination.
Getting on Target with Community Health Advisors (GOTCHA): an innovative stroke prevention project
Authors: Story Lachel , Mayfield‐Johnson Susan , Downey Laura H , Anderson‐Lewis Charkarra , Young Rebekah , Day Pearlean 
Published: November 2010

STORY L, MAYFIELD‐JOHNSON S, DOWNEY LH, ANDERSON‐LEWIS C, YOUNG R and DAY P. Nursing Inquiry 2010; 17: 373–384 Getting on Target with Community Health Advisors (GOTCHA): an innovative stroke prevention projectHealth disparities along with insufficient numbers of healthcare providers and resources have created a need for effective and efficient grassroots approaches to improve community health. Community‐based participatory research (CBPR), more specifically the utilization of community health advisors (CHAs), is one such strategy. The Getting on Target with Community Health Advisors (GOTCHA) project convened an interdisciplinary team to answer the call from 10 counties in the rural Mississippi Delta area of ‘The Stroke Belt’ to meet the region’s identified health needs, and to impact the health of a disparaged state. This article explores this CBPR project including the community involvement strategies, innovative CHA training curriculum, evaluation plan, and implications to healthcare professionals, particularly nurses.
Are corporate governance attributes associated with accounting conservatism?
Authors: Lim Roslinda 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThis article investigates the association between the board of directors, the audit committee and the external auditor (as well as an aggregate governance index) and the extent of conservatism evident in Australian firms’ financial reporting. Overall, the results provide only weak evidence that firms with certain governance characteristics report more conservatively. Evidence of any such link is restricted to measures of board composition and leadership, and even then the results are sensitive to the method used to measure the extent of conservatism in financial reporting.
Red blood cell (RBC) survival determined in humans using RBCs labeled at multiple biotin densities
Authors: Mock Donald M. , Matthews Nell I. , Zhu Shan , Strauss Ronald G. , Schmidt Robert L. , Nalbant Demet , Cress Gretchen A. , Widness John A. 
Published: November 2010

BACKGROUND: Safe, accurate methods permitting simultaneous and/or repeated measurement of red blood cell (RBC) survival (RCS) are important to investigate pathophysiology and therapy of anemia. Methods using chromium 51 (51Cr)‐labeled RBCs are unacceptable for infants, children, and pregnant women. We report RCS measured in vivo using RBCs labeled with several densities of biotin (BioRBCs).STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Aliquots of autologous RBCs from eight healthy adult subjects were labeled separately at four discrete biotin densities, mixed, and infused. The proportion of each population of BioRBCs circulating was determined serially by flow cytometry over 20 weeks. For each population, RCS was assessed by the following: 1) posttransfusion BioRBC recovery at 24 hours (PTR24); 2) time to decrease to 50% of the enrichment at 24 hours (T50); and 3) mean potential lifespan (MPL).RESULTS: Among the four BioRBC densities, no significant differences in PTR24 were observed. T50 and MPL were similar for the two lowest BioRBC densities. In contrast, the two highest BioRBC densities demonstrated progressively decreased T50 and MPL.CONCLUSIONS: RBCs labeled at four biotin densities can be used to independently and accurately measure PTR24 and two lowest biotin densities can accurately quantitate long‐term RCS. This method provides a tool for investigating anemia in infants, fetuses, and pregnant women with the following advantages over the standard 51Cr method: 1) study subjects are not exposed to radiation; 2) small blood volumes (e.g., 20 µL) are required; and 3) multiple independent RCS measurements can be made simultaneously in the same individual.
Corporate Fraud and Business Conditions: Evidence from IPOs
Authors: WANG TRACY YUE , WINTON ANDREW , YU XIAOYUN 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTWe examine how a firm's incentive to commit fraud when going public varies with investor beliefs about industry business conditions. Fraud propensity increases with the level of investor beliefs about industry prospects but decreases when beliefs are extremely high. We find that two mechanisms are at work: monitoring by investors and short‐term executive compensation, both of which vary with investor beliefs about industry prospects. We also find that monitoring incentives of investors and underwriters differ. Our results are consistent with models of investor beliefs and corporate fraud, and suggest that regulators and auditors should be vigilant for fraud during booms.
Collateral, Risk Management, and the Distribution of Debt Capacity
Authors: RAMPINI ADRIANO A. , VISWANATHAN S. 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTCollateral constraints imply that financing and risk management are fundamentally linked. The opportunity cost of engaging in risk management and conserving debt capacity to hedge future financing needs is forgone current investment, and is higher for more productive and less well‐capitalized firms. More constrained firms engage in less risk management and may exhaust their debt capacity and abstain from risk management, consistent with empirical evidence and in contrast to received theory. When cash flows are low, such firms may be unable to seize investment opportunities and be forced to downsize. Consequently, capital may be less productively deployed in downturns.
The financial crisis and its impacts on global agriculture
Authors: Lin Justin Yifu , Martin Will 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe financial crisis arose in the industrial countries, but has affected developing countries through higher interest rates, sharp changes in commodity prices, and reductions in investment, trade, migration, and remittances. For most low‐income countries, shocks that affect food prices or wage rates for unskilled workers seem likely to have the biggest impact on poverty, with the declines in key food prices associated with the crisis helping to reduce poverty. Policies to address the crisis must include measures to deal with: financial sector problems; the resulting reductions in aggregate demand; and the particular vulnerabilities of poor people.
Infant‐feeding practices and associated factors of HIV‐positive mothers at Gert Sibande, South Africa
Authors: Ladzani Rendani , Peltzer Karl , Mlambo Motlatso G. , Phaweni Khanyisa 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAim:  To assess knowledge, infant‐feeding education and practices, factors that affect choice of infant feeding option, determinants of mixed feeding, psychosocial challenges and attitudes of HIV‐positive women with infants between ages 3–6 months who attended prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission of HIV services in Gert Sibande district.Methods:  A cross‐sectional study was conducted with 815 HIV‐positive mothers at 47 postnatal clinics. Trained field workers collected data at health facilities, using structured questionnaires. HIV‐infected women who were at least 18 years of age were interviewed.Results:  The mean age was 27.7 years (SD 6.4). Seventy‐eight percent agreed that HIV could be transmitted by breastfeeding. Fifty per cent were exclusively formula feeding, 35.6% breastfed exclusively and 12.4% mixed fed. In multivariate analysis, having a vaginal delivery, infant hospital admissions, and currently pregnant were associated with mixed feeding. Being older, knowing the HIV status of the infant and higher knowledge on HIV transmission through breastfeeding were associated with formula feeding.Conclusion:  The study identified gaps in prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission (PMTCT) knowledge and infant feeding policy which seem to affect appropriate infant feeding. Various determinants of mixed feeding and exclusive formula feeding in the context of PMTCT were identified that can guide infant feeding counselling and support services of PMTCT programmes.
Decriminalization of Cannabis – potential risks for children?
Authors: Amirav Israel , Luder Anthony , Viner Yuri , Finkel Martin 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes is becoming increasingly widespread worldwide. The anticipated growing ease of access to cannabis may create an increased risk for passive and/or active ingestion by children. We report a case of a 1.5‐year‐old infant who presented with unexplained coma that was later proved to be associated with the ingestion of cannabis. This case highlights the importance of considering cannabis ingestion in the differential diagnosis of infantile and toddler coma and the need for public education regarding the risks of childhood exposure in the light of the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes and its greater availability.
Impact of C1q deficiency on the severity and outcome of childhood systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: AL‐MAYOUF Sulaiman M. , ABANOMI Hind , ELDALI Abdelmoneim 
Published: November 2010

AbstractObjective:  To delineate the clinical and laboratory features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in C1q‐deficient Saudi children and to compare them with sporadic SLE patients with respect to their clinical and laboratory features and disease outcome.Methods:  The C1q‐deficient SLE patient group comprised 14 patients, while the comparative group comprised 11 patients selected by systemic sampling from our pediatric lupus clinic database. The two groups were compared with respect to: demographic, clinical and laboratory variables and outcome.Results:  The C1q‐deficient SLE patients had an earlier age of onset of disease (P = 0.003); 43% had familial SLE and none of the comparative group had family histories of SLE. The two groups were comparable with respect to gender, disease duration and follow‐up. Scarring alopecia, discoid rash and nail changes were more frequent in the C1q‐deficient SLE patient group. However, there were no significant differences. The mean white blood cell count was lower (P = 0.04) and the level of anti‐Sm and anti‐phospholipid antibodies were higher (P = 0.04) in the C1q‐deficient SLE patients. Other variables did not show significant differences. Two patients from the C1q‐deficient SLE patient group died due to infection. All patients from the control group are alive. Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index mean was higher in the C1q‐deficient SLE patients group but was not statistically significant.Conclusion:  C1q‐deficient SLE patients tend to be younger and more likely to have familial disease with severe cutaneous manifestations. The mortality among them is more frequent, which may reflect disease severity.
A two‐tier model of polymyxin B resistance in Burkholderia cenocepacia
Authors: Loutet Slade A. , Mussen Lauren E. , Flannagan Ronald S. , Valvano Miguel A. 
Published: November 2010

Summary Burkholderia cenocepacia is an environmental bacterium causing serious human opportunistic infections and is extremely resistant to multiple antibiotics including antimicrobial peptides, such as polymyxin B (PmB). Extreme antibiotic resistance is attributed to outer membrane impermeability (‘intrinsic’ resistance). Previous work showed that production of full‐length lipopolysaccharide (LPS) prevents surface binding of PmB. We hypothesized that two tiers of resistance mechanisms rendering different thresholds of PmB resistance exist in B. cenocepacia. To test this notion, candidate genes were mutated in two isogenic strains expressing full‐length LPS or truncated LPS devoid of heptose (‘heptoseless LPS’) respectively. We uncovered various proteins required for PmB resistance only in the strain with heptoseless LPS. These proteins are not involved in preventing PmB binding to whole cells or permeabilization of the outer membrane. Our results support a two‐tier model of PmB resistance in B. cenocepacia. One tier sets a very high threshold mediated by the LPS and the outer membrane permeability barrier. The second tier sets a lower threshold that may play a role in PmB resistance only when outer membrane permeability is compromised. This model may be of general applicability to understanding the high antimicrobial peptide resistance of environmental opportunistic pathogens.
Depigmentation of oral mucosa as the earliest possible manifestation of oral submucous fibrosis in Sri Lankan preschool children
Authors: Sitheeque Mohaideen , Ariyawardana Anura , Jayasinghe Ruwan , Tilakaratne Wanninayake 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThis article reports the presentation of oral submucous fibrosis in five Sri Lankan preschool children, aged 2–3 years, with loss of pigmentation of the lips as the sole clinical feature. Oral submucous fibrosis has not been reported in this age group of children. The five 2–3 year olds did not display any classical features of oral submucous fibrosis, due to the disease having been detected at a very early stage. The present study attempts to establish that depigmentation of the lips and oral mucosa is perhaps the earliest feature to develop in the natural history of oral submucous fibrosis. The differential diagnosis of oral mucosal depigmentation relevant to these cases is also discussed. Previously‐reported cases of oral submucous fibrosis in children are reviewed.
Progressive periodontal disease has a simultaneous incremental elevation of gingival crevicular fluid and serum CRP levels
Authors: Pradeep A.R. , Manjunath R.G. Shiva , Kathariya Rahul 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAim:  Increased C‐reactive protein levels have been found in all active inflammations, including periodontitis. This study aims to assess the C‐reactive protein levels in periodontal disease progression.Methods:  Forty‐five patients were divided into the following three groups (n = 15) based on gingival index, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment level: healthy (group I), gingivitis (group II), and chronic periodontitis (group III). Gingival crevicular fluid and serum samples were quantified for C‐reactive protein using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results:  The mean C‐reactive protein concentration in gingival crevicular fluid and serum was found to be highest in group III (1233.33 ng/mL for gingival crevicular fluid, 5483.33 ng/mL for serum), and least in group I (60 ng/mL and 413 ng/mL for gingival crevicular fluid and serum, respectively) The mean C‐reactive protein concentration in group II (453.33 ng/mL for gingival crevicular fluid and 3565.33 ng/mL for serum) was found to be intermediate.Conclusions:  C‐reactive protein levels in gingival crevicular fluid and serum increased proportionately with the severity of periodontal disease. They correlated positively with clinical parameters, including gingival index, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment level. Thus, it can be considered as a periodontal inflammatory biomarker and deserves further consideration.
Physiological angiogenesis is a graded, not threshold, response
Authors: Egginton Stuart , Badr Iman , Williams James , Hauton David , Baan Guus C. , Jaspers Richard T. 
Published: November 2010

Non‐technical summaryThe formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) is important during development and tissue repair. In many diseases the biggest drive for this process clearly comes from chemical signals. However, normal physiological angiogenesis, such as seen with increased muscle activity, appears to be more driven by mechanical signals including increased friction on the inside of blood vessels, and stretch of vessels caused by the surrounding muscle fibres. It is unclear whether the signals required to stimulate capillary growth act in an all‐or‐none manner. When muscles were subjected to varying degrees of stretch, angiogenesis was recruited in a graded fashion, although chemical signals were increased to a similar extent. This may prove to be important in the design of targeted therapies to alleviate problems associated with too many or too few vessels.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: a diagnostic challenge
Authors: Zeb Mehmood , Sambu Nalyaka , Scott Paul , Curzen Nick 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACT
The frequency of the diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy has increased rapidly over the past few years, possibly due to increasing awareness among cardiologists. At initial presentation the diagnosis remains a challenge because of the close similarity between the presentation of takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and that of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Recognition of salient aspects of the medical history at presentation are important in order to organise further appropriate investigations such as echocardiography and left ventriculography at the time of coronary angiogram. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy can be easily missed without ventriculography early after presentation because of the transient nature of left ventricular dysfunction, and in many centres left ventriculogram is not done as standard in the setting of STEMI. The authors advocate left ventriculography in all cases of ST elevation who have unobstructed coronaries. The correct diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy is very important for future advice and management of the patient. The prognosis of this condition is generally excellent with almost all patients returning to normal within a few weeks. This article examines the takotsubo cardiomyopathy literature and discusses the pathophysiology, clinical features, management, and prognosis of this condition in the context of an illustrated case.