bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nucleolar disruption and apoptosis are distinct neuronal responses to etoposide‐induced DNA damage
Authors: Pietrzak Maciej , Smith Scott C. , Geralds Justin T. , Hagg Theo , Gomes Cynthia , Hetman Michal 
Published: April 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 117, 1033–1046.AbstractAlthough DNA damaging topoisomerase inhibitors induce apoptosis in developing neurons, their effects on adult neurons have not yet been characterized. We report a blockage of RNA‐Polymerase‐1‐driven transcription and nucleolar stress in neocortical neurons of adult rats after intracarotid injection of the DNA‐topoisomerase‐2 inhibitor, etoposide. Intracerebroventricular injection of etoposide induced a similar response in neonatal rats. In contrast, etoposide triggered neuronal apoptosis in the neonates, but not the adults. Nucleolar disruption and apoptosis were also observed in etoposide‐challenged cultured cortical neurons from newborn rats. In that system, activation of the DNA double strand break signaling kinase ataxia telangiectasia‐mutated protein kinase, p53 and p53‐dependent apoptosis required lower etoposide concentrations than did the p53‐independent induction of nucleolar stress. These distinct responses may be coupled to different forms of etoposide‐induced DNA damage. Indeed, double strand breaks by the over‐expressed endonuclease I‐Ppo1 were sufficient to induce p53‐dependent apoptosis. Moreover, nucleolar transcription was insensitive to such damage implying single strand breaks and/or topoisomerase‐2‐DNA adducts as triggers of nucleolar stress. Because nucleolar stress is not age‐restricted, it may underlie non‐apoptotic neurotoxicity of chemotherapy‐ or neurodegeneration‐associated DNA damage by reducing ribosomal biogenesis in adult brain. Conversely, nucleolar insensitivity to double strand breaks likely contributes to mature neuron tolerance of such lesions.
Hippocampal CA3 calcineurin activity participates in depressive‐like behavior in rats
Authors: Zhu Wei‐Li , Shi Hai‐Shui , Wang Shen‐Jun , Wu Ping , Ding Zeng‐Bo , Lu Lin 
Published: April 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 117, 1075–1086.AbstractCalcineurin is a serine/threonine protein phosphatase that regulates neurotransmission, neuronal structure and plasticity, and neuronal excitability in mood disorders, including depression. Increasing evidence has suggested that calcineurin is involved in the regulation of depressive‐like behavior. However, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the mood‐regulating effects of calcineurin. We investigated the potential mechanism by which calcineurin mediates the development of depressive‐like behavior and the involvement of calcineurin in the action of antidepressant medication in the chronic mild stress (CMS) model. The results showed that rats exposed to CMS had decreased calcineurin activity, measured by increased phospho‐synapsin I S62/67 (pSynapsin) and decreased calcineurin‐Aα levels, specifically in the CA3 but not CA1 or dentate gyrus (DG) subfields of the hippocampus. Calcineurin inhibition in the CA3 but not DG by microinfusion of cyclosporine‐A (2 μg) induced depressive‐like behavior in normal rats and exacerbated depressive‐like performance in CMS‐treated rats. Additionally, calcineurin inhibition in the CA3 but not DG reversed the antidepressant‐like activity of venlafaxine. Calcineurin inhibition in the CA3 also reduced metabotropic glutamate 2/3 receptor (mGluR2/3) expression levels. mGluR2/3 activation by its agonist LY354740 (100 ng) in the CA3 reversed the depressive‐like behavior induced by cyclosporine‐A administration. Finally, chronic venlafaxine (40 mg/kg) treatment increased calcineurin activity, reflected by decreased pSynapsin and increased calcineurin‐Aα protein levels in the CA3 but not CA1 or DG. These findings indicate that CA3 calcineurin signaling probably mediated through mGluR2/3 participates in the development of depression and the behavioral responses to antidepressant treatment.
The importance of incorporating imperfect detection in biodiversity assessments: a case study of small mammals in an Australian region
Authors: Gibson Lesley A. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAim  Assessments of biodiversity are an essential requirement of conservation management planning. Species distributional modelling is a popular approach to quantifying biodiversity whereby occurrence data are related to environmental covariates. An important confounding factor that is often overlooked in the development of such models is uncertainty due to imperfect detection. Here, I demonstrate how an analytical approach that accounts for the bias due to imperfect detection can be applied retrospectively to an existing biodiversity survey data set to produce more realistic estimates of species distributions and unbiased covariate relationships.Location  Pilbara biogeographic region, Australia.Methods  As a component of the Pilbara survey, presence/absence (i.e. undetected) data on small ground‐dwelling mammals were collected. I applied a multiseason occupancy modelling approach to six of the most common species encountered during this survey. Detection and occupancy rates, as well as extinction and colonization probabilities, were determined, and the influence of covariates on these parameters was examined using the multi‐model inference approach.Results  Detection probabilities for all six species were considerably lower than 1.0 and varied across time and species. Naïve estimates of occupancy underestimated occupancy rates corrected for species detectability by up to 45%. Seasonal variation in occupancy status was attributed to changes in detection for two of the focal species, while reproductive events explained variation in occupancy in three others. Covariates describing the substrate strongly influenced site occupancy for most of the species modelled. A comparison of the occupancy model with a generalized linear model, assuming perfect detection, showed that the effects of the covariates were underestimated in the latter model.Main conclusions  The application of the multiseason occupancy modelling approach to the Pilbara mammal data set demonstrated a powerful framework for examining changes in site occupancy, as well as local colonization and extinction rates of species which are not confounded by variable species detection rates.
Chronic wound fluid—thinking outside the box
Authors: Widgerow Alan David 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTChronic wounds are associated with an altered wound milieu that results from an imbalance in extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis. This alteration is characterized by an increased destruction and degradation of components of the ECM with a concomitant lack of synthesis of these elements. Traditionally wound fluid has been considered a reflection of the internal wound milieu. It has been used to monitor and reflect on the chronic status of a wound or to measure the efficacy of wound treatment. However, on closer inspection of chronic wound fluid, certain components of the fluid, particularly matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their subcomponents (MMP‐9) have been found to exist at higher levels in wound fluid than in the corresponding wound. There is mounting evidence that much of the destructive effects observed in chronic wounds may be compounded by components of the wound exudate which are corrosive in nature resulting in a continuum of ECM breakdown. Isolation of these components has identified MMPs, in particular MMP‐9 as dominant in this destructive process. Additionally an association has been made between high bacterial levels and elevated MMP9 in chronic wounds. Agents that have efficacy against MMP‐9 and significant antibacterial potency thus provide a dual defense against chronic wounds. It is likely that these agents cause a change in the chronic wound fluid components that more closely resemble the balance of proteases and growth factors seen acute wounds, thus triggering a positive wound healing process. Nanocrystalline silver appears to fulfill these criteria. A strategy is suggested whereby wound fluid is directly targeted to diminish the corrosive wound fluid elements in an attempt to break the ongoing destructive inflammatory cycle. This presents a relatively new treatment paradigm attempting to influence wound healing by working from without to initiate changes within.
Sonophoresis‐mediated permeation and retention of peptide dendrimers across human epidermis
Authors: Mutalik Srinivas , Nayak Usha Y. , Kalra Rohit , Kumar Aravind , Kulkarni Raghavendra V. , Parekh Harendra S. 
Published: April 2011

Purpose: The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of sonophoresis on the permeation rate of peptide dendrimers through human skin.
Methods: Peptide dendrimers containing arginine and histidine as terminal amino acids and having varying positive charges (arginine group: R4, R8 and R16 dendrimers, having 4+, 8+ and 16+ charges, respectively; histidine group: H4, H8 and H16 dendrimers, having 4+, 8+ and 16+ charges, respectively) were synthesized by Fmoc solid‐phase peptide synthesis. The in vitro skin permeation studies were conducted using vertical‐type diffusion cells and ultrasound was applied using a probe sonicator to the donor solution. The effects of varying concentrations of dendrimer with differing pH of the donor solution on the permeation rate were studied.
Results: All the dendrimers exhibited significantly (P<0.05) higher permeation rates with the application of ultrasound in comparison with passive diffusion studies (without ultrasound). High concentrations of H4 and R4 dendrimers were found in the receptor media compared with other dendrimers at all the concentrations tested, indicating appreciable permeation of low‐molecular‐weight dendrimers across the skin, assisted by sonophoresis. The opposite was true when assessing dendrimer ‘retention’ in skin, where it was shown to improve upon increasing dendrimer generation/molecular weight. Negligible loss of all the dendrimers (<2%) during skin permeation studies indicates that neither skin nor ultrasound adversely affects the stability of dendrimers.
Conclusion: The present study reveals the successful application of sonophoresis in enhancing the permeation of peptide dendrimers across human skin.
Skin tumor area extraction using an improved dynamic programming approach
Authors: Abbas Qaisar , Celebi M. E. , García Irene Fondón 
Published: April 2011

Background/purpose: Border (B) description of melanoma and other pigmented skin lesions is one of the most important tasks for the clinical diagnosis of dermoscopy images using the ABCD rule. For an accurate description of the border, there must be an effective skin tumor area extraction (STAE) method. However, this task is complicated due to uneven illumination, artifacts present in the lesions and smooth areas or fuzzy borders of the desired regions.Methods: In this paper, a novel STAE algorithm based on improved dynamic programming (IDP) is presented. The STAE technique consists of the following four steps: color space transform, pre‐processing, rough tumor area detection and refinement of the segmented area. The procedure is performed in the CIE L*a*b* color space, which is approximately uniform and is therefore related to dermatologist's perception. After pre‐processing the skin lesions to reduce artifacts, the DP algorithm is improved by introducing a local cost function, which is based on color and texture weights.Results: The STAE method is tested on a total of 100 dermoscopic images. In order to compare the performance of STAE with other state‐of‐the‐art algorithms, various statistical measures based on dermatologist‐drawn borders are utilized as a ground truth. The proposed method outperforms the others with a sensitivity of 96.64%, a specificity of 98.14% and an error probability of 5.23%.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that this STAE method by IDP is an effective solution when compared with other state‐of‐the‐art segmentation techniques. The proposed method can accurately extract tumor borders in dermoscopy images.
Formative evaluation to improve prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS): a prospective study
Authors: D’Halluin Amélie Ryckewaert , Roussey Michel , Branger Bernard , Venisse Anne , Pladys Patrick 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAim:  To evaluate formative evaluation, a pedagogic method that sensitizes mothers to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), as a new way to improve prevention of SIDS.Methods:  Prospective and randomized study. Mothers in a test group (n = 148) received an educative questionnaire about SIDS during maternity stay. Three months later, we evaluated, by a telephonic interview, their scores of knowledge and observance of the recommendations in comparison with a control group (n = 144).Results:  Mothers’ scores at the educative questionnaire was 5.12 (1.52) [mean(standard deviation)]. The scores performed 3 months later were better in test group for knowledge [7.64 (1.56) vs. 7.16 (1.61), p < 0.01] and for observance [8.28 (1.51) vs. 7.62 (1.72), p < 0.001]. Logistic regression analysis confirmed the benefits in test group regarding knowledge of SIDS risk factors [ORa = 1.69 (1.02–2.77), p < 0.05], of the advice to avoid overheating infants [ORa = 2.50 (1.43–4.38), p < 0.01] and of the risks of bed sharing [ORa = 2.7 (1.6–4.5), p < 0.001]. There was a significant association between non‐compliance with the sleeping position recommendation and unemployment (p < 0.01) and absence of postsecondary school education (p < 0.01).Conclusion:  Formative evaluation using an educative questionnaire could improve maternal awareness on SIDS risk factors and their compliance with recommendations about SIDS prevention.
Investing in Bulgarian Agriculture  Investir dans l’agriculture bulgare  Investitionen in die bulgarische Landwirtschaft
Authors: Naydenov Miroslav 
Published: April 2011

summaryInvesting in Bulgarian AgricultureThe Programme for European Development of Bulgaria has set agricultural development as a basis for economic growth. The first strategic objective of the Programme is to make agriculture an attractive industry and to guarantee a high standard of living for people working in the sector by stabilising and increasing their incomes. The priorities of the Bulgarian government regarding agriculture follow the priorities of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and we strictly adhere to the two pillars of the CAP. A Food Safety Agency is being established to guarantee the safety and increase the quality of food and a legislative base is being created to allow producers to supply directly to consumers thus enhancing market opportunities. Bulgaria is in the middle of the first programming period of the Rural Development Programme (2007–2013) and expectations of the programme are high. It has the largest budget in Bulgaria and the fund absorption rate of about 20 per cent is the highest in the country. Bulgarian government priorities are consistently focused on the goal of increasing the competitiveness of Bulgarian agriculture through technical and technological modernization of the sector and on the sustainable development and stabilization of rural areas under the conditions of EU membership.
The CAP Bond Revisited: A Serious Option for Reform?  Nouvelle perspective sur la titrisation de la PAC : une option sérieuse de réforme?  Noch einmal zu den Bonds der GAP: Eine echte Option für die Reform?
Authors: Harvey David , Jambor Attila 
Published: April 2011

summaryThe CAP Bond Revisited: A Serious Option for Reform?The debate on direct payments and the future of CAP is at a critical stage. A review of the current literature on direct payments strongly suggests that they are unsustainable as effectively unconditional and universal support. As a consequence, their eventual and effective elimination appears inevitable, despite the likelihood that they will be continued in some form post‐2013. The Bond scheme is worth serious consideration as a potential bridge between the European Commission’s present options for CAP reform. Using the Bond allows for the removal of an obsolete policy instrument from the CAP while providing the opportunity and the financial basis for farm families to adjust, either within or outside agriculture. This option would also provide clear indications of where more targeted support and environmental payments are required. We argue that until markets are allowed to adapt and adjust to a substantially less supported future, the SFP policy will continue to generate wasteful argument and political debate. It will also continue largely unproductive, unjustified and illegitimate assistance, while doing nothing to reduce the long‐term uncertainty which threatens to cripple the EU farm sector.
A randomised controlled trial comparing spontaneous healing, gelfoam patching and edge‐approximation plus gelfoam patching in traumatic tympanic membrane perforation with inverted or everted edges
Authors: Lou Z.‐C. , He J.‐G. 
Published: April 2011

Clin. Otolaryngol. 2011, 36, 221–226Objective:  To compare the outcome of patients with dry traumatic tympanic membrane perforation after spontaneous healing and gelfoam patching with or without perforation edge approximation.Design:  Prospective clinical study.Setting:  University‐affiliated teaching hospital.Participants:  Ninety‐one patients with acute dry traumatic tympanic membrane perforation inverted or everted edges were recruited. They were randomly allocated to three groups: spontaneous healing (n = 31), gelfoam patching (n = 30) and edge‐approximation plus gelfoam patching (n = 30). Otoscopy and tympanometry were performed before the treatment and at follow‐up visits.Main outcome measures:  Healing rate, healing time, ear infection rate and morphological changes during healing process.Results:  The overall healing rate was 85% in the spontaneous healing group, lower than that in the two gelfoam patching groups (97%), but the difference failed to reach a statistical significance (P > 0.05). The average healing time was 30 ± 10.1 days in the spontaneous healing group, significantly longer (P < 0.01) than that in the other two groups (16 ± 5.6 and 18 ± 4.7 days, respectively). Middle ear infection rate did not differ significantly (7%, 3% and 3%, respectively). Spontaneous healing resulted in formation of scabs at the perforation edges, which was effectively prevented by gelfoam patching.Conclusions:  Gelfoam patching may facilitate healing of traumatically perforated tympanic membrane. Approximation of folded perforation edges is not necessary in gelfoam patching.
Low Medication Adherence and the Incidence of Stroke Symptoms Among Individuals With Hypertension: The REGARDS Study
Authors: Muntner Paul , Halanych Jewell H. , Reynolds Kristi , Durant Raegan , Vupputuri Suma , Sung Victor W. , Meschia James F. , Howard Virginia J. , Safford Monika M. , Krousel‐Wood Marie 
Published: April 2011

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2011;13:479–486.©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.The authors analyzed data on 9950 participants taking antihypertensive medications in the nationwide Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study to determine the association between medication adherence and incident stroke symptoms. Medication adherence was assessed using a validated 4‐item self‐report scale and participants were categorized into 4 groups (scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 or 4, with higher scores indicating worse adherence). The incidence of 6 stroke symptoms (sudden weakness on one side of the body, numbness, painless loss of vision in one or both eyes, loss of half vision, losing the ability to understand people, and losing the ability to express oneself verbally or in writing) was assessed via telephone interviews every 6 months. During a median of 4 years, the incidence of any stroke symptom was 14.6%, 17.9%, 20.2%, and 24.9% among participants with adherence scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 or 4, respectively (P<.001). The multivariable adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for any stroke symptom associated with adherence scores of 1, 2, and 3 or 4, vs 0, was 1.20 (1.04–1.39), 1.23 (0.94–1.60), and 1.59 (1.08–2.33), respectively (P<.001). Worse adherence was also associated with higher multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for each of the 6 stroke symptoms.
Measuring the Impact of a Continuing Medical Education Program on Patient Blood Pressure
Authors: Allaire Benjamin T. , Trogdon Justin G. , Egan Brent M. , Lackland Daniel T. , Masters Dory 
Published: April 2011

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2011;13:517–522. ©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.An increased focus on hypertension prevention and control, especially in high‐risk populations, may have a substantial impact on cardiovascular health outcomes. A continuing medical education (CME) program trained primary care providers in evidence‐based guidelines for hypertension prevention and control. This study evaluated its effectiveness in reducing patients’ blood pressure for the sessions occurring from 2003 to 2007. Using the Hypertension Initiative Database, 8183 patients of CME providers (CME patients) were paired with controls and changes in blood pressure, provider visits, prescription months, and the proportion of patients with blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg before and after the intervention date were estimated. In the 2‐year period before training and the 2‐year period afterwards, CME patients’ systolic blood pressure decreased by 1.99 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure decreased by 1.49 mm Hg. The CME patients displayed an increase in provider visits but no statistically significant change in prescription months. Restricting the analysis to the subsample of patients with uncontrolled hypertension (>140/90 mm Hg), the changes in blood pressure were similar in magnitude to those in the entire population. The CME program, by promoting evidence‐based practice, improves patients’ blood pressure and could serve as a positive model for future hypertension interventions.
Transcriptional control of the main aromatic hydrocarbon efflux pump in Pseudomonas
Authors: Fillet Sandy , Daniels Craig , Pini Cecilia , Krell Tino , Duque Estrella , Bernal Patricia , Segura Ana , Lu Duo , Zhang Xiadong , Ramos Juan‐Luis 
Published: April 2011

SummaryBacteria of the species Pseudomonas putida are ubiquitous soil inhabitants, and a few strains are able to thrive in the presence of extremely high concentrations of toxic solvents such as toluene and related aromatic hydrocarbons. Toluene tolerance is multifactorial in the sense that bacteria use a wide range of physiological and genetic changes to overcome solvent damage. This includes enhanced membrane impermeabilization through cis to trans isomerization of unsaturated fatty acids, activation of a stress response programme, and induction of efflux pumps that expulse toxic hydrocarbons to the outer medium. The most relevant element in this toluene tolerance arsenal is the TtgGHI efflux pump controlled by the TtgV regulator. We discuss here how TtgV controls expression of this efflux pump in response to solvents.