bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Physico‐chemical characteristics of non‐irradiated and γ‐irradiated yams cultivars (Dioscorea rotundata, Dioscorea alata) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam)
Authors: Falade Kolawole O. , Ighravwe Ernest , Ikoyo Sylvester S. 
Published: March 2011

SummaryPhysico‐chemical (pasting) properties of non‐irradiated (fresh) and γ‐irradiated yam cultivars and sweet potato were determined using Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA). Generally, pasting characteristics of the commodities decreased significantly with increased γ‐irradiation dose. Non‐irradiated sweet potato showed significantly higher peak (45.79), trough (35.25), breakdown (10.54), final (75.21) and setback (39.96) viscosities (in RVU) than γ‐irradiated samples. Also, peak time (6.97 min) and pasting temperature (50.18 RVU) significantly reduced with increased γ‐irradiation dose of tubers. The pasting properties of non‐irradiated and γ‐irradiated sweet potato showed similar but clearer trend compared with yam flours. Also, non‐irradiated and γ‐irradiated Dioscorea rotundata and Dioscorea alata showed significantly higher values of each of the pasting characteristics than values noted in sweet potato. Aside from the TDr 03/00196, peak time did not vary significantly with γ‐irradiation dose.
Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extracts of Bidens frondosa Linn
Authors: Rahman Atiqur , Bajpai Vivek K. , Dung Nguyen Thi , Kang Sun Chul 
Published: March 2011

SummaryAntibacterial and antioxidant potential of essential oil, extract and its fractions of Bidens frondosa Linn were evaluated. Sixty‐one components representing 95.41% of the total oil were identified. The essential oil (7.5 μL disc−1), methanol extract and its different organic subfractions (0.5 μg disc−1) of B. frondosa displayed a great potential of antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538 and KCTC 1916), Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19116, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Pseudomonas aeruginosa KCTC 2004, Salmonella enteritidis KCTC 12021 and Enterobacter aerogenes KCTC 2190. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by using 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The free radical scavenging activity of ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction was superior to all other fractions (IC50 = 11.96 μg mL−1), which was higher than synthetic antioxidant butylated hydroxyanisole, (IC50 = 18.27 μg mL−1). Furthermore, the amount of total phenolic compounds was determined and its content in EtOAc fraction was the highest as compared to methanol extract or other fractions. The results indicate that the oil and extracts of B. frondosa could serve as an important bio‐resource of antimicrobial agents and antioxidants for using in the food industries.
Effect of enzymatic treatment on tannins and phytate in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and its nutritional study in rats
Authors: Schons Patrícia Fernanda , Ries Edi Franciele , Battestin Vania , Macedo Gabriela Alves 
Published: March 2011

SummarySorghum is a cereal used as a food source by humans and animals. However, it presents antinutritional factors such as tannins and phytic acid, compounds that form complexes with proteins and minerals, respectively, decreasing sorghum’s digestive value. The purpose of this study was to apply tannase and phytase to sorghum and evaluate the effect on tannins and phytate level and the effect of the enzymatic treatment on Wistar rats. Tannin sorghum was treated with tannase and phytase, the effect of this treatment was measured in a study with rats, a group received a diet with raw sorghum and the other one a diet with treated sorghum. The enzymatic treatment was effective in reducing tannins and promoting the increase of inorganic phosphorus. The biological assay showed that the enzymatically treated sorghum was better than raw sorghum in the apparent digestibility of phosphorus, in the level of glucose, cholesterol and triacylglycerol. Treatment of the sorghum also resulted in lower activity of the enzymes aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in rat serum. The enzymatic treatment of sorghum could improve the nutritional value of this cereal while also decreasing environmental pollution.
Influence of olive storage period on volatile compounds and oil quality of two Tunisian cultivars of Olea europea, Chemlali and Chetoui
Authors: Youssef Ouni , Youssef Nabil Ben , Mokhtar Zarrouk , Guido Flamini 
Published: March 2011

SummaryOlives (Olea europaea cv. Chemlali and Chetoui) used for oil production were stored, in plastic containers, at 5 °C for four different periods (0–3 weeks) before oil extraction. After storage, the oils were extracted from the fruits, and the acidity, peroxide value, coefficients of specific extinction at 232 and 270 nm, stability, pigments, total phenols, fatty acids, and volatile compounds were determined. The results showed that storage of fruits produced losses in the olive oil quality. During storage, a marked decrease in total phenols content was observed. The cultivar richer in phenols (862.16 mg kg−1 in Chétoui) had a lower loss (25%). On the contrary, in Chemlali olive oil, the starting value of 728.52 mg kg−1 decreased to 469.25 mg kg−1, with a loss of 35%. Chétoui and Chemlali olive oils presented the highest oxidative stability before storage (58.76 and 47.05 h, respectively), while the lowest values were recorded using olives stored for 3 weeks (54.46 and 43.43 h, respectively). The changes in the volatile bouquet were determined using headspace solid phase microextraction (HS‐SPME). Thirty compounds were characterised by GC–FID and GC–MS. Compounds belonging mainly to alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones and hydrocarbons chemical classes characterised the volatile profiles.
Calpain mediates degradation of cytoskeletal proteins during Jurkat T‐cell death induced by Entamoeba histolytica
Authors: LEE Y. A. , KIM K. A. , SHIN M. H. 
Published: March 2011

Summary Entamoeba histolytica is known to induce host cell death via activation of calpain and caspases. In this study, we investigated the specific proteases involved in the degradation of cytoskeletal proteins during Jurkat T‐cell death induced by E. histolytica. Amoebic trophozoites induced marked degradation of paxillin, Cas, vimentin, vinculin and talin, as well as α‐ or β‐spectrin, in Jurkat T cells. The cleavage effects of E. histolytica were strongly retarded by pretreatment with a calpain inhibitor, but not with a pan‐caspase inhibitor. In addition, calpain knockdown with siRNA in Jurkat T cells effectively inhibited E. histolytica‐induced PARP, paxillin, α‐spectrin, β‐spectrin and talin degradation, as compared to scrambled siRNA. These results suggest that calpain plays a crucial role in the cleavage of cytoskeletal proteins during cell death induced by E. histolytica.
Association Analysis Between Variants in Bovine Progesterone Receptor Gene and Superovulation Traits in Chinese Holstein Cows
Authors: Yang WC , Tang KQ , Li SJ , Yang LG 
Published: March 2011

ContentsThe objective of this study was to identify a predictor to forecast superovulation response on the basis of associations between superovulation performance and gene polymorphism. The PCR‐RFLP method was applied to detect two reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of G59752C and T81637C (rs41614030) located in introns 3 and 4 of the bovine progesterone receptor (PGR) gene in 171 Chinese Holstein cows treated for superovulation and evaluate its associations with superovulation traits. In polymorphic locus 81637, all cows without superovulation response were g.81637TC and g.81637TT genotypes. Association analysis showed that these two SNPs had significant effects on the total number of ova (TNO) (p < 0.05), and the T81637C polymorphism was significantly associated with the number of transferable embryos (p < 0.05). In addition, significant additive effects (p < 0.05) on TNO were detected in the polymorphisms of G59752C and T81637C. These results showed for the first time that the G59752C and T81637C polymorphisms in PGR gene were associated with superovulation traits and indicated that PGR gene can be used as a predictor for superovulation in Chinese Holstein cows.
Time‐course effect of a single dose of hydrocortisone for refractory hypotension in preterm infants
Authors: Mizobuchi Masami , Yoshimoto Seiji , Nakao Hideto 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground:  The aim of this study was to determine the time‐course effect of a single dose of hydrocortisone (HC) on arterial blood pressure in extremely low gestational age newborns (ELGAN) with refractory hypotension during the first 3 days of life.Methods:  We carried out a matched case–control study of a cohort of 116 infants born between 23 and 27 weeks' gestation at a tertiary center. Twelve infants (10%) were treated with HC for refractory hypotension (HC group). HC was administered at a dose of 2 mg/kg when mean arterial pressure (MAP) was below 30 mmHg (25 mmHg for infants <25 weeks of gestational age) despite the use of inotropes and volume expanders. Changes in the MAP after the HC administration were compared with those in the infants who were not treated with HC and matched for gestational age (Control group).Results:  The mean MAP before administration of HC was significantly lower in the HC group than that in the control group (24.0 ± 3.2 vs 33.3 ± 4.8 mmHg; P < 0.01). The mean MAP in the HC group increased significantly at 2 h after HC treatment, and then reached levels comparable to those in the Control group at 5 h (31.3 ± 4.0 vs 33.9 ± 4.7 mmHg; P= 0.18), and remained at normal levels until 12 h after HC treatment.Conclusion:  A single dose of HC treatment induces a rapid and sustained improvement in blood pressure in ELGAN with refractory hypotension.
Nursing and midwifery education, practice, and issues in Israel
Authors: Ben Natan Merav , Ehrenfeld Mally 
Published: March 2011

AbstractNurses deliver most of Israel's healthcare services, yet its nurse per population ratio is only 5.9 per 1000, one of the lowest in the developed world. For several years, the managers of the profession have been pushing to upgrade nursing and to move it into the academic sphere. The semiskilled qualification of the practical nurse has been eliminated and training programs for registered nurses are being transformed from diploma training to academic degree programs. A midwifery license is accessible only to registered nurses who take a further 1 year of advanced training and sit the State Midwifery Licensing Examination. Most deliveries in Israel are carried out by midwives. Alongside the Western‐standard hospital system there operates both a well‐developed community nursing network and a strong mother‐and‐child clinic system. The acute shortage of nurses in Israel is now coinciding with a rising number of academic job‐seekers, which has encouraged the Ministry of Health to offer university graduates a career‐change program. Special scholarships are on offer in return for a 4 year commitment to work in nursing after completing an accelerated training curriculum (2.5 years instead of the usual 3 years), plus a starting monthly wage that is higher than the national average wage.
Depression and religiosity and/or spirituality in college: A longitudinal survey of students in the USA
Authors: Berry Devon M. , York Kate 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe aim of this study was to conduct a longitudinal test of an explanatory model of depression, where religiosity and/or spirituality (R/S) represents a potentially protective factor in college students in the USA. A Web‐based survey was administered monthly to 214 students from religious and public colleges. At 1 month and 6 months, the measures of R/S, depression, stress, and cognitive vulnerability were administered. Between 2 and 5 months, only the measures of stress and depression were administered. The data were analyzed to test the hypothesis that R/S buffers the effect of stress on depression over time in the context of cognitive vulnerability. The results supported a direct and protective effect over time between R/S and depression, but a buffering effect on the relationship between stress and depression was not found. Although all aspects of R/S were demonstrated to protect the participants from depression, it did not appear that the relationship between R/S and stress or R/S and cognitive vulnerability explains this relationship. Nurses who are working with college students should take holistic approaches to their emotional difficulties, realizing the potentially beneficial effects of students' religiousness or spirituality.
Complementary therapies in health care
Authors: van der Riet Pamela 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIn the past two decades, complementary therapies have grown in popularity in Western countries. The interest in complementary therapies could be explained by a “new consciousness” and the shift to a postmodern society. These therapies, embracing holistic practice, are derived from traditions of Eastern healing. There are many advantages of the complementary therapies that are playing a therapeutic role in the health care of individuals and, through the use of such therapies, nursing is developing a richness in holistic care. However, there are still barriers to be overcome; namely, the reluctance to accept complementary therapies in many contemporary healthcare settings. Through research and education, these barriers can be overcome.
Ethnicity and lupus nephritis: an Australian single centre study
Authors: Ong C. , Nicholls K. , Becker G. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground: The clinical impression of Australian physicians is that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is more prevalent and more severe in Asian patients than in their Caucasian counterparts. The presence and severity of lupus nephritis is a major determinant of prognosis in SLE, and largely determines disease impact.Aim: To analyse the relationships between ethnicity and the prevalence and severity of lupus nephritis (LN) in patients attending a tertiary referral centre (The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH)).Methods: The ethnicity of all known patients with biopsy‐proven LN was determined according to three definitions of ethnicity – ancestry, country of origin and primary language spoken. The prevalence of Asian ethnicity in the LN cohort was analysed across severity class, and was compared with the prevalences of Asian ethnicity in the general population within the hospital's geographic area, and with that in the relevant RMH cohorts of inpatients and outpatients, over the same time period.Results: Within this single tertiary centre, Asian patients were disproportionately represented in both the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the LN patient groups, although the distribution of histological severity of LN was not significantly different from Caucasian patients.Conclusion: This study supports the common clinical impression that SLE is more common and more severe in the Asian‐Australian population. Asian patients with SLE were more commonly diagnosed with LN. However, the spectrum of histological severity of LN was similar in Asian and Caucasian patients.
Scurvy: historically a plague of the sailor that remains a consideration in the modern intensive care unit
Authors: Holley A. D. , Osland E. , Barnes J. , Krishnan A. , Fraser J. F. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractWe report the case of the case of a 56 year old female with sepsis on a background of rheumatoid arthritis and steroid use manifesting with overt clinical features of scurvy. Ascorbic acid assays were able to demonstrate severe deficiency and confirm a diagnosis of scurvy. Clinical resolution of signs and symptoms following commencement of vitamin C replacement was rapid. The intensivist and dietitian need to consider this diagnosis even in the first world setting, particularly in the presence of sepsis, inflammatory conditions, steroid use and importantly malnutrition.
Oral anti‐diabetic drugs for the prevention of Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Phung O. J. , Sood N. A. , Sill B. E. , Coleman C. I. 
Published: March 2011

Diabet. Med. 28, 948–964 (2011)AbstractAim  To determine the comparative efficacy of oral anti‐diabetic drugs in preventing the development of Type 2 diabetes.Methods  A systematic literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane CENTRAL was conducted for randomized controlled trials evaluating oral anti‐diabetic drugs in patients at high risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Mixed‐treatment comparison meta‐analysis methods were used to evaluate the relative risks and risk differences of developing Type 2 diabetes, along with associated 95% credible intervals.Results  Overall, 20 trials (n = 23 230 participants) were included. Upon mixed‐treatment comparison meta‐analysis, thiazolidinediones, alpha‐glucosidase inhibitors and biguanides significantly reduced the relative risk of developing diabetes by 64, 40 and 27%, respectively, compared with control. Sulphonylureas and glinides showed no significant effect. Moreover, thiazolidinediones significantly reduced the relative risk of diabetes by 50% compared with biguanides and trended towards a 40% risk reduction vs. alpha‐glucosidase inhibitors [relative risk 0.60 (95% credible intervals 0.34–1.02)]. None of the results were appreciably altered upon subgroup or sensitivity analyses. When evaluating risk differences compared with control, thiazolidinediones (−9%, number needed to treat = 11), alpha‐glucosidase inhibitors (−7%, number needed to treat = 14) and biguanides (−7%, number needed to treat = 14) continued to show significant benefit.Conclusions  Of the oral anti‐diabetic drugs evaluated to prevent Type 2 diabetes, thiazolidinediones were associated with the greatest risk reduction compared with control and associated with greater risk reduction than biguanides. Alpha‐glucosidase inhibitors and biguanides performed similarly, and better than control, while sulphonylureas and glinides provided no significant benefit.
Tobacco plastidial thioredoxins as modulators of recombinant protein production in transgenic chloroplasts
Authors: Sanz‐Barrio Ruth , Millán Alicia Fernández‐San , Corral‐Martínez Patricia , Seguí‐Simarro José M. , Farran Inmaculada 
Published: March 2011

SummaryThioredoxins (Trxs) are small ubiquitous disulphide proteins widely known to enhance expression and solubility of recombinant proteins in microbial expression systems. Given the common evolutionary heritage of chloroplasts and bacteria, we attempted to analyse whether plastid Trxs could also act as modulators of recombinant protein expression in transgenic chloroplasts. For that purpose, two tobacco Trxs (m and f) with different phylogenetic origins were assessed. Using plastid transformation, we assayed two strategies: the fusion and the co‐expression of Trxs with human serum albumin (HSA), which was previously observed to form large protein bodies in tobacco chloroplasts. Our results indicate that both Trxs behave similarly as regards HSA accumulation, although they act differently when fused or co‐expressed with HSA. Trxs–HSA fusions markedly increased the final yield of HSA (up to 26% of total protein) when compared with control lines that only expressed HSA; this increase was mainly caused by higher HSA stability of the fused proteins. However, the fusion strategy failed to prevent the formation of protein bodies within chloroplasts. On the other hand, the co‐expression constructs gave rise to an absence of large protein bodies although no more soluble HSA was accumulated. In these plants, electron micrographs showed HSA and Trxs co‐localization in small protein bodies with fibrillar texture, suggesting a possible influence of Trxs on HSA solubilization. Moreover, the in vitro chaperone activity of Trx m and f was demonstrated, which supports the hypothesis of a direct relationship between Trx presence and HSA aggregates solubilization in plants co‐expressing both proteins.
The Optimal Level of Debt in an OLG Model with Endogenous Fertility
Authors: Spataro Luca , Fanti Luciano 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
In the present work we extend Diamond’s OLG model by allowing for endogenous fertility and look at the consequences of such an extension on the rules for optimal public debt issuing. In particular, we show that the condition according to which the rate of growth of population should be higher than the interest rate is no longer sufficient for obtaining welfare improvements via debt increases and that the level of optimal debt is, ceteris paribus, lower than the one arising with exogenous fertility. Finally, a sensitivity analysis shows that the optimal level of debt is higher the lower the capital share, the higher individuals’ degree of patience, the bigger the child-rearing cost and the lower the preference for children. On policy grounds we argue that debt-tightening policies may be optimal in the long run provided that the cost of rearing children does not increase (or, if anything, does decrease).
First record of Leucothyreus albopilosus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Geniatini) in lesions on stem of Eucalyptus citriodora and beehives of Apis mellifera
Authors: PUKER Anderson , MORÓN Miguel A. , DE OLIVEIRA JUNIOR Osni , MESSAGE Dejair 
Published: March 2011

AbstractSome species of the genus Leucothyreus MacLeay (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Geniatini) may cause damage to agricultural crops, principally due to action of adults that defoliate the plants. The aim of this study is to register the occurrence of the adults of Leucothyreus albopilosus Ohaus in lesions of plants of Eucalyptus citriodora Hook (Myrtaceae) and beehives of Africanized honeybees Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae). In Mundo Novo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, on average 52 beetles per injured plant were found in E. citriodora that showed lesions on their stems. The beetles remained under the bark and used it as a shelter. On average, nine insects were found inside the beehives (Langstroth standard) of A. mellifera, where they were located between the cover and the frames, in cracks and in places with large amounts of propolis.