bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The combined treatment of praziquantel with osteopontin immunoneutralization reduces liver damage inSchistosoma japonicum-infected mice
Authors: CHEN BO-LIN , ZHANG GUI-YING , WANG SHI-PING , LI QIAN , XU MEI-HUA , SHEN YUE-MING , YAN LU , GU HUAN , LI JIA , HUANG Y. L. , MU YI-BING 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of osteopontin neutralization treatment on schistosome-induced liver injury in BALB/C mice. We randomly divided 100 BALB/C mice into groups A, B, C, D and group E. Mice in all groups except group A were abdominally infected with schistosomal cercariae to induce a schistosomal hepatopathological model. Mice in group C, D and group E were respectively administered with praziquantel, praziquantel plus colchicine and praziquantel plus neutralizing osteopontin antibody. We extracted mouse liver tissues at 3 and 9 weeks after the ‘stool-eggs-positive’ day, observed liver histopathological changes by haematoxylin-eosin and Masson trichrome staining and detected the expression of osteopontin, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1) by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blot. We found that praziquantel plus neutralizing osteopontin antibody treatment significantly decreased the granuloma dimension, the percentage of collagen and the expression of osteopontin,α-SMA and TGF-β1 compared to praziquantel plus colchicine treatment in both the acute and chronic stage of schistosomal liver damage (P<0·05). So we believe that the combined regimen of osteopontin immunoneutralization and anti-helminthic treatment can reduce the granulomatous response and liver fibrosis during the schistosomal hepatopathologic course.
Why infest the loved ones – inherent human behaviour indicates former mutualism with head lice
Authors: RÓZSA LAJOS , APARI PÉTER 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYHead lice transmit to new hosts when people lean their heads together. Humans frequently touch their heads to express friendship or love, while this behaviour is absent in apes. We hypothesize that this behaviour was adaptive because it enabled people to acquire head lice infestations as early as possible to provoke an immune response effective against both head lice and body lice throughout the subsequent periods of their life. This cross-immunity could provide some defence against the body-louse-borne lethal diseases like epidemic typhus, trench fever, relapsing fever and the classical plague. Thus the human ‘touching heads’ behaviour probably acts as an inherent and unconscious ‘vaccination’ against body lice to reduce the threat exposed by the pathogens they may transmit. Recently, the eradication of body-louse-borne diseases rendered the transmission of head lice a maladaptive, though still widespread, behaviour in developed societies.
Effects of miltefosine treatment in fibroblast cell cultures and in mice experimentally infected withNeospora caninumtachyzoites
Authors: DEBACHE KARIM , HEMPHILL ANDREW 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYMiltefosine was investigated for its activity againstNeospora caninumtachyzoitesin vitro,and was shown to inhibit the proliferation ofN. caninumtachyzoites cultured in human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) with an IC50of 5·2μM. Treatment of infected cells with 25μM miltefosine for a period of 10 h had only a parasitostatic effect, while after 20 h of treatment parasiticidal effects were observed. This was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy ofN. caninum-infected and miltefosine-treated HFF. Administration of miltefosine toN. caninum-infected Balb/c female mice at 40 mg/kg/day for 14 days resulted in 6 out of 10 mice exhibiting weight loss, ruffled coat and apathy between days 7 and 13 post-infection. In the group that received placebo, only 2 out of 8 mice succumbed to infection, but the cerebral burden was significantly higher compared to the miltefosine treatment group. In a second experiment, the time-span of treatment was reduced to 5 days, and mice were maintained without further treatment for 4 weeks. Only 2 out of 9 mice in the miltefosine treatment group exhibited signs of disease, while 8 out of 10 mice succumbed to infection in the placebo group. These results showed that miltefosine hampered the dissemination of parasites into the CNS during experimentalN. caninuminfection in mice.
Update on field use of the available drugs for the chemotherapy of human African trypanosomiasis
Authors: SIMARRO P. P. , FRANCO J. , DIARRA A. , POSTIGO J. A. RUIZ , JANNIN J. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYDespite the fact that eflornithine was considered as the safer drug to treat human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and has been freely available since 2001, the difficulties in logistics and cost burden associated with this drug meant that the toxic melarsoprol remained the drug of choice. The World Health Organization responded to the situation by designing a medical kit containing all the materials needed to use eflornithine, and by implementing a training and drugs distribution programme which has allowed a transition to this much safer treatment. The introduction of the combination of nifurtimox and eflornithine (NECT) has accelerated the shift from melarsoprol to the best treatment available, due to reduced dosage and treatment time for eflornithine that has significantly lessened the cost and improved the burden of logistics encountered during treatment and distribution. The decrease in the use of more dangerous but cheaper melarsoprol has meant a rise in the per patient cost of treating HAT. Although NECT is cheaper than eflornithine monotherapy, an unexpected consequence has been a continuing rise in the per patient cost of treating HAT. The ethical decision of shifting to the best available treatment imposes a financial burden on HAT control programmes that might render long-term application unsustainable. These factors call for continuing research to provide new safer and more effective drugs that are simple to administer and cheaper when compared to current drugs.
The Terms of Reference of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf: A Creeping Legal Mandate
Authors: KUNOY BJØRN 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf is neither fish nor fowl. Its primary purpose is to consider coastal states’ proposed limits of the outer continental shelf and to make recommendations thereto. Albeit the establishment of the outer limits is an act within the sole discretion of a state, the role of the Commission in the establishment of such limits is of pivotal importance. Due to its mandate, it can reasonably be argued that the Commission is, by way of implication, deemed to be vested with rights that cannot be seen to be limited to a technical review stricto sensu. This paper seeks to determine the exact terms of reference of the Commission and to what extent it comprises powers to undertake legal interpretations of the Convention. It will be concluded that a fair balance governs the operations of the Commission, although they, at times, comprise tasks that are essentially of a legal nature.
The Principle of Non-Intervention 25 Years after the Nicaragua Judgment
Authors: KOHEN MARCELO 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThis article focuses on the analysis by the International Court of Justice of the principle of non-intervention in domestic affairs in its judgment of 27 June 1986 in the case concerning Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua and contrasts it with the evolution of international law and practice in this field. It is proposed that the Court's 1986 analysis not only remains of actuality today, but also constitutes a precursor to legal developments that have since taken place. This is particularly the case with regard to the relationship between the protection of human rights on the one hand and the safeguard of state sovereignty and the collective security regime on the other. The 1986 judgment helped to clarify the content of humanitarian assistance. It constituted the starting point for the development of this concept in a series of GA resolutions that were subsequently adopted. The controversial doctrine of ‘humanitarian intervention’, as well as state practice in violation of this principle, in no way led to modifying existing international law. Similarly, the new concept of ‘responsibility to protect’, which places emphasis on collective security and discounts unilateral action, has not led to the disappearance of the principle of non-intervention either.
Amacrine cell-mediated input to bipolar cells: Variations on a common mechanistic theme
Authors: GRIMES WILLIAM N. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractFeedback is a ubiquitous feature of neural circuits in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Analogous to pure electronic circuits, neuronal feedback provides either a positive or negative influence on the output of upstream components/neurons. Although the particulars (i.e., connectivity, physiological encoding/processing/signaling) of circuits in higher areas of the brain are often unclear, the inner retina proves an excellent model for studying both the anatomy and physiology of feedback circuits within the functional context of visual processing. Inner retinal feedback to bipolar cells is almost entirely mediated by a single class of interneurons, the amacrine cells. Although this might sound like a simple circuit arrangement with an equally simple function, anatomical, molecular, and functional evidence suggest that amacrine cells represent an extremely diverse class of CNS interneurons that contribute to a variety of retinal processes. In this review, I classify the amacrine cells according to their anatomical output synapses and target cell(s) (i.e., bipolar cells, ganglion cells, and/or amacrine cells) and discuss specifically our current understandings of amacrine cell-mediated feedback and output to bipolar cells on the synaptic, cellular, and circuit levels, while drawing connections to visual processing.
Establishment of a new, secure colony of Endangered Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow by translocation of near-fledged nestlings
Authors: CARLILE NICHOLAS , PRIDDEL DAVID , MADEIROS JEREMY 
Published: February 2012

SummaryUntil recently, Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow (IUCN Category: ‘Endangered’) bred only in sub-optimal habitat on four small islets in north-east Bermuda. Although intensive management of the population since 1962 has led to a substantial increase in population size (now approaching 100 pairs), the nesting habitat on these four islets is being increasingly inundated, eroded and destroyed by high seas associated with hurricanes and storms. To ensure the long-term conservation of the species a decision was made to establish a new colony at a more secure site on nearby Nonsuch Island, where they once bred in large numbers. Between 2004 and 2008, 104 near-fledged nestlings were translocated to artificial burrows on Nonsuch Island, where they were hand-fed meals of fish and squid. All but three translocated birds fledged successfully, with the first returning to Nonsuch Island in February 2008. The first Bermuda Petrel egg on Nonsuch Island in more than 300 years was laid in January 2009, and the resultant fledgling departed in June of the same year. By the end of the 2009/10 breeding season, a total of 18 Bermuda Petrels have been recorded on Nonsuch Island, 17 were translocated as near-fledged nestlings, and one bird came from the existing colonies. A total of five eggs have been produced, resulting in two fledglings. The establishment of this new colony, at a site that is much more secure than the existing nesting sites, greatly enhances the conservation prospects of the species and demonstrates the importance of translocation as a tool for the conservation of threatened seabirds.
The changing abundance and distribution of Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons in the Yangtze River floodplain: impacts of recent hydrological changes
Authors: ZHAO MEIJUAN , CONG PEIHAO , BARTER MARK , FOX ANTHONY D. , CAO LEI 
Published: February 2012

SummaryCount data show that wintering Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons numbers in their Chinese stronghold (the Yangtze River catchment) have fallen from about 140,000 in the late 1980s and early 1990s to c.18,000 now, despite increases in the overall flyway population (mostly wintering in South Korea and Japan). Declines have occurred in Jiangxi, but most markedly in Hunan (predominantly at East Dongting Lake) where the decline has been steady since 2003/2004, with few left from 2008/2009 onwards. Numbers have increased substantially in Anhui (predominantly at Shengjin Lake), which now supports more Greater White-fronted Geese than Jiangxi and Hunan combined. The species appears a habitat specialist in China, confined to grazing short-sward recessional Carex sedge meadows. At East Dongting Lake, reductions in Greater White-fronted Geese numbers correlated with declines in availability of suitable sedge swards, caused by earlier water table recession, which in recent years has meant swards were too tall for geese to utilise from their arrival in autumn. The hydrological changes are most probably due to the commissioning of the Three Gorges Dam in mid-2003. At Shengjin Lake, the increases may be due to recent stable first exposure dates and slow water recession rates which favour short Carex swards attractive to geese; high buffalo grazing density at this lake may also assist in maintaining suitable sward heights. These hypotheses require investigation.
Anomalies of the coronary arteries: nomenclature and classification
Authors: Jacobs Marshall L. , Mavroudis Constantine 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAbnormalities of the coronary arterial circulation represent a broad spectrum of anomalies. Some of these coronary arterial anomalies are of little clinical significance and are generally discovered either as incidental findings at autopsy or at the time of diagnostic coronary angiography in patients with atherosclerotic ischaemic cardiac disease. Some of these coronary arterial anomalies, however, are associated with a markedly abnormal natural history that may include significant cardiac morbidity very early in infancy, or increased risk of cardiac sudden death in childhood or adolescence. It is therefore important that we have a system for the naming and classification of these anomalies, to stratify them according to the associated risk and to develop rational approaches to evaluation and management. To apply any system of nomenclature reliably and responsibly, it is essential that each term be associated with a definition that is known and accepted by users of terminology. Such definitions are included in the specifications of both the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Congenital Heart Surgery Database. These databases use the Diagnostic Short List of the version of the International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code derived from the nomenclature of the International Congenital Heart Surgery Nomenclature and Database Project of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. This article will provide the nomenclature and definitions used by these databases for anomalies of the coronary arteries.
Undernutrition among Kenyan children: contribution of child, maternal and household factors
Authors: Gewa Constance A , Yandell Nanette 
Published: February 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the contribution of selected child-, maternal- and household-related factors to child undernutrition across two different age groups of Kenyan under-5s.DesignDemographic and Health Survey data, multistage stratified cluster sampling methodology.SettingRural and urban areas of Kenya.SubjectsA total of 1851 children between the ages of 0 and 24 months and 1942 children between the ages of 25 and 59 months in Kenya.ResultsThirty per cent of the younger children were stunted, 13 % were underweight and 8 % were wasted. Forty per cent of the older children were stunted, 17 % were underweight and 4 % were wasted. Longer breast-feeding duration, small birth size, childhood diarrhoea and/or cough, poor maternal nutritional status and urban residence were associated with higher odds of at least one form of undernutrition, while female gender, large birth size, up-to-date immunization, higher maternal age at first birth, BMI and education level at the time of the survey and higher household wealth were each associated with lower odds of at least one form of undernutrition among Kenyan children. The more proximal child factors had the strongest impact on the younger group of children while the intermediate and more distal maternal and household factors had the strongest impact on child undernutrition among the older group of children.ConclusionsThe present analysis identifies determinants of undernutrition among two age groups of Kenyan pre-school children and demonstrates that the contribution of child, maternal and household factors on children's nutritional status varies with children's age.
Chronic agomelatine treatment corrects the abnormalities in the circadian rhythm of motor activity and sleep/wake cycle induced by prenatal restraint stress in adult rats
Authors: Mairesse Jerome , Silletti Viviana , Laloux Charlotte , Zuena Anna Rita , Giovine Angela , Consolazione Michol , van Camp Gilles , Malagodi Marithe , Gaetani Silvana , Cianci Silvia , Catalani Assia , Mennuni Gioacchino , Mazzetta Alessandro , van Reeth Olivier , Gabriel Cecilia , Mocaër Elisabeth , Nicoletti Ferdinando , Morley-Fletcher Sara , Maccari Stefania 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
Agomelatine is a novel antidepressant acting as an MT1/MT2 melatonin receptor agonist/5-HT2C serotonin receptor antagonist. Because of its peculiar pharmacological profile, this drug caters the potential to correct the abnormalities of circadian rhythms associated with mood disorders, including abnormalities of the sleep/wake cycle. Here, we examined the effect of chronic agomelatine treatment on sleep architecture and circadian rhythms of motor activity using the rat model of prenatal restraint stress (PRS) as a putative ‘aetiological’ model of depression. PRS was delivered to the mothers during the last 10 d of pregnancy. The adult progeny (‘PRS rats') showed a reduced duration of slow wave sleep, an increased duration of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, an increased number of REM sleep events and an increase in motor activity before the beginning of the dark phase of the light/dark cycle. In addition, adult PRS rats showed an increased expression of the transcript of the primary response gene, c-Fos, in the hippocampus just prior to the beginning of the dark phase. All these changes were reversed by a chronic oral treatment with agomelatine (2000 ppm in the diet). The effect of agomelatine on sleep was largely attenuated by treatment with the MT1/MT2 melatonin receptor antagonist, S22153, which caused PRS-like sleep disturbances on its own. These data provide the first evidence that agomelatine corrects sleep architecture and restores circadian homeostasis in a preclinical model of depression and supports the value of agomelatine as a novel antidepressant that resynchronizes circadian rhythms under pathological conditions.
Electroconvulsive seizure, but not imipramine, rapidly up-regulates pro-BDNF and t-PA, leading to mature BDNF production, in the rat hippocampus
Authors: Segawa Masahiro , Morinobu Shigeru , Matsumoto Tomoya , Fuchikami Manabu , Yamawaki Shigeto 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy is the most effective treatment for antidepressant-resistant depression, although its mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Previous studies have demonstrated that electroconvulsive seizures (ECS) induce expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the rat hippocampus. However, in contrast with mature BDNF (mBDNF) known to have antidepressant effects, its precursor (pro-BDNF) has harmful effects on neurons. We therefore hypothesized that efficient processing of pro-BDNF is a critical requirement for the antidepressant effects of ECS. We found that single administration of ECS rapidly increased not only hippocampal levels of pro-BDNF but also those of prohormone convertase 1 (PC1) and tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA), which are proteases involved in intra- and extracellular pro-BDNF processing, respectively. Interestingly, pro-BDNF and t-PA levels were increased in hippocampal synaptosomes after single ECS, suggesting their transport to secretory sites. In rats receiving 10-d repeated ECS, accumulation of pro-BDNF and a resultant increase in mBDNF levels were observed. While t-PA levels increased and accumulated following repeated ECS, PC1 levels did not, suggesting that intracellular processing capacity is limited. Finally, chronic administration of imipramine significantly increased mBDNF levels, but not pro-BDNF and protease levels, indicating that the therapeutic mechanism of imipramine differs from that of ECS. Taken together, these results suggest that, while intra- and extracellular proteases are involved in pro-BDNF processing in single ECS, t-PA plays a dominant role following repeated ECS. Such efficient pro-BDNF processing as well as strong induction of BDNF expression may contribute to the antidepressant effects of ECS.
Assessing genetic diversity, population structure and gene flow in the Korean red bean [Vigna angularis(Willd.) Ohwi & Ohashi] using SSR markers
Authors: Banni Kim , Moe Kyaw Thu , Park Yong-Jin 
Published: February 2012

Red bean, also known as azuki bean [Vigna angularis(Willd.) Ohwi & Ohashi], belongs to a group of legumes (familyFabaceae). The nameazukiis a transliteration of the native Japanese name from the Chinese wordShōzu, which means small bean. In Korea, it is known aspat. In total, 178 red bean accessions were taken to analyse the genetic diversity, population structure and gene flow using 39 polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers. A total of 431 alleles were detected, with an average of 11 alleles per locus, among the 178 tested red bean accessions. Forty-six specific alleles were identified with 20 loci. Locus CEDG090 had the highest number (n = 22) of alleles, whereas only two alleles were observed at loci CEDG144 and CEDC018. The proportion of different alleles for microsatellite loci was analysed using a microsatellite toolkit. In locus CEDG029, one allele was shared in all the three groups of varieties and species, and three alleles were shared between the wild ancestors and cultivated varieties, while in locus CEDG090, one allele was shared in all the three groups and 12 alleles were shared between the wild ancestors and cultivated varieties. Our findings describe the genetic relationships and population structure of the red bean in Korea and will be useful for designing effective breeding programmes and broadening the genetic base of commercial varieties. Moreover, the results demonstrate substantial gene flow from the red bean to nearby wild relatives in a given region.