bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Use of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs and risk of incident myocardial infarction and heart failure, and all‐cause mortality in the Australian veteran community
Authors: Mangoni Arduino A. , Woodman Richard J. , Gaganis Paraskevi , Gilbert Andrew L. , Knights Kathleen M. 
Published: January 2010

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Current evidence suggests the use of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk of myocardial infarction and heart failure. However, some studies have failed to demonstrate a significant relationship.• Differences in patient demographics, study design, and the varying types and classes of NSAIDs studied might either confound or modify the association between NSAID use and risk of myocardial infarction and heart failure, and prevent accurate data interpretation. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • NSAID use is not associated with an increased risk of either incident myocardial infarction or heart failure in elderly patients.• NSAID use is associated with a reduction in all‐cause mortality in this cohort.AIMS We studied the association between either non‐selective NSAIDs (ns‐NSAIDs), selective COX‐2 inhibitors, or any NSAID and risk of incident myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure (HF), and all‐cause mortality in elderly subjects.METHODS We conducted a retrospective nested case‐control study on Australian veterans using nationwide hospital admission and pharmacy dispensing data. We estimated adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the risk of events for three different measures of prescription supply exposure over the last 2 years: (i) supplied at least once, (ii) supply frequency: supplied more than twice within the last 30 days, once or twice within the last 30 days, and once or more 30 days to 2 years and (iii) total supplies.RESULTS We identified 83 623 cases and 1 662 099 matched controls (1:20) contributing 3 862 931 persons‐years of observation. NSAID use at least once within the last 2 years did not significantly affect the risk of MI (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.96, 1.04) but was associated with a mildly reduced risk of HF (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.92, 0.98). There was a reduced all‐cause mortality with at least one supply of either ns‐NSAIDs (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.90, 0.97), selective COX‐2 inhibitors (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.88, 0.93), or any NSAID (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.85, 0.90). Risk of death was also inversely associated with the number of prescription supplies.CONCLUSIONS NSAID use is not associated with an increased risk of incident MI and HF but is associated with a reduction in all‐cause mortality in Australian veterans.
The recording of drug sensitivities for older people living in care homes
Authors: Alldred David P. , Standage Claire , Zermansky Arnold G. , Barber Nicholas D. , Raynor D. K. , Petty Duncan R. 
Published: January 2010

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Care home residents are a frail and vulnerable population who are at a high risk of adverse drug reactions.• The recording of drug sensitivities is important to avoid the inadvertent prescribing, dispensing and administration of an offending drug to a sensitive resident.• There have been no studies investigating the recording of drug sensitivities for care home residents. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • The recording of drug sensitivities for care home residents is suboptimal and there are large discrepancies between records.• It is concerning that over 90% of sensitivities are not recorded on the care home medicines administration record.• Systems improvements are required, including the sharing of drug sensitivity status with community pharmacists; this could be achieved by printing sensitivities on prescriptions.AIMS The aims of this study were to determine the recording of drug sensitivities of elderly care home residents, to describe the nature of sensitivities and to identify and describe discrepancies in the documentation of drug sensitivity status in general practices, pharmacies and care homes.METHODS A random sample of residents within a purposive sample of care homes (nursing and residential) was selected. A clinical pharmacist inspected the GP medical record, the medicines administration record, and the care home record for each resident to identify drug sensitivities and discrepancies between records and to describe the nature of the recorded sensitivities.RESULTS The records of 121 residents in 31 care homes were studied. Thirty‐one (26%) residents had at least one documented drug sensitivity in one of the sources inspected, with 48 sensitivities in total recorded. There was no description of the nature of the sensitivities recorded in 39/48 (81%) cases. The number of sensitivities recorded on the medicines administration record, care home record and the GP record were 3 (6%), 29 (60%) and 35 (73%), respectively. Only two sensitivities were simultaneously recorded on all three records.CONCLUSIONS It was of concern that over 90% of drug sensitivities were not recorded on the medicines administration record which is the final checking document when administering medication. The reason for this was that the dispensing pharmacy was responsible for generating the medicines administration record; however, drug sensitivity status is seldom shared between the GP and the dispensing pharmacy. Printing sensitivities on prescriptions would help to resolve this.
Response of circulating T‐lymphocytes to a coccidian infection: insights from a parasitization‐vaccination experiment
Authors: Lemus Jesús. A. , Vergara Pablo , Fargallo Juan A. 
Published: January 2010

Summary1. Knowledge of how pathogens activate different components of the immune system to combat infections in the wild is a first step towards building a more global picture of the role that immunocompetence plays in host‐parasite evolution and host life history. Ecological immunology is currently situated in this first step due, in part, to the scarcity of simple techniques to reliably evaluate immunocompetence in the field. In fact, controversy remains as to whether parasites act as immuno‐stimulators promoting immune responses or as immune‐depressors via immune resource depletion.2. In this study we manipulated parasite infection (Caryospora, Protozoa, Apicomplexa) and vaccinated captive Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) to study potential immunological responses in different components of the immune system: circulating lymphocyte lineages (CD4, CD5 and CD8), counts of total lymphocytes and white blood cells (WBC) and plasma immunoglobulins (α‐1, α‐2, β‐1, β‐2 and δ).3. We also evaluated the efficacy of the PHA‐assay, a common test used in ecological immunology, to gain information about T‐cell‐mediated immune response.4. Experimentally infected and vaccinated (inoculated with attenuated parasites) birds showed drastic increases in CD4 and CD5 lymphocyte lineages, but not in CD8s, nor in total counts of lymphocytes or WBCs and no significant variation was observed in plasma globulins and in inflammatory reaction to PHA as a consequence of infection. PHA assay values were not correlated with initial (before vaccination) or final (after vaccination) values or with the response (final – initial) of T‐lymphocyte lineages.5. Individuals with initially lower numbers of CD4 showed higher numbers (higher immune response) after vaccination. In the case of CD5s, initial and final numbers were positively correlated.6. This study shows that parasites clearly provoke immune activity stimulation through proliferation of T‐lymphocytes (CD4 and CD5) and also reveals that other commonly used measurements, considered to be related to T‐cell‐mediated immunity, such as single‐time‐point measurements (total lymphocyte and WBC counts) or PHA assays, have a questionable capacity to provide information about immunological capacity to combat pathogens.
Impacts of experimentally imposed drought on leaf respiration and morphology in an Amazon rain forest
Authors: Metcalfe Daniel B. , Lobo‐do‐Vale Raquel , Chaves Manuela M. , Maroco Joao P. , C Aragão Luiz E. O. , Malhi Yadvinder , Da Costa Antonio L. , Braga Alan P. , Gonçalves Paulo L. , De Athaydes Joao , Da Costa Mauricio , Almeida Samuel S. , Campbell Catherine , Hurry Vaughan , Williams Mathew , Meir Patrick 
Published: January 2010

Summary 1. The Amazon region may experience increasing moisture limitation over this century. Leaf dark respiration (R) is a key component of the Amazon rain forest carbon (C) cycle, but relatively little is known about its sensitivity to drought. 2. Here, we present measurements of R standardized to 25 °C and leaf morphology from different canopy heights over 5 years at a rain forest subject to a large‐scale through‐fall reduction (TFR) experiment, and nearby, unmodified Control forest, at the Caxiuanã reserve in the eastern Amazon. 3. In all five post‐treatment measurement campaigns, mean R at 25 °C was elevated in the TFR forest compared to the Control forest experiencing normal rainfall. After 5 years of the TFR treatment, R per unit leaf area and mass had increased by 65% and 42%, respectively, relative to pre‐treatment means. In contrast, leaf area index (L) in the TFR forest was consistently lower than the Control, falling by 23% compared to the pre‐treatment mean, largely because of a decline in specific leaf area (S). 4. The consistent and significant effects of the TFR treatment on R, L and S suggest that severe drought events in the Amazon, of the kind that may occur more frequently in future, could cause a substantial increase in canopy carbon dioxide emissions from this ecosystem to the atmosphere.
Oxygen stores plasticity linked to foraging behaviour and pregnancy in a diving predator, the Galapagos sea lion
Authors: Villegas‐Amtmann Stella , Costa Daniel P. 
Published: January 2010

Summary 1. Survival of a population can be influenced by foraging success that is determined by ecological and physiological factors. Foraging in air‐breathing marine vertebrates is constrained by the duration of their dives, which is in part determined by their oxygen stores. Such organisms are excellent models to study how and when physiology limits behaviour and the associated role of ecological factors such as seasonal change. 2. The Galapagos sea lion (GSL) Zalophus wollebaeki is endangered and its population is declining. Previous work found that GSL exhibited three distinct foraging strategies during a warm season when resources are less abundant, possibly caused by intraspecific competition. 3. We examined adult female GSL diving behaviour during a cold, productive season compared to a warm season to test the hypothesis that they would converge onto one foraging strategy as a consequence of increased productivity. We investigated intra and inter‐seasonal changes in GSL oxygen stores during a warm (March 2005, n = 11) and cold season (August–September 2006, n = 12) at Caamaño Islet, Galapagos. 4. GSL exhibited persistence of three foraging strategies during the cold, productive season similar to those found during the warm season. This suggests that intraspecific competition associated with limited resources in this area of the Galapagos Islands is maintained throughout the year. 5. GSL exhibited contrasting seasonal changes in their oxygen stores. During the warm season haemoglobin (Hb) and blood volume (Bv) were significantly higher while myoglobin (Mb) was significantly lower compared to that in the cold season. Given that diving behaviour was similar between seasons, these changes are attributed to other causes such as pregnancy as most females were pregnant during the cold season. 6. GSL exhibited physiological plasticity within each season that was attributed to dive behaviour. Oxygen stores of the three foraging strategies, increased according to dive durations: haematocrit, Hb and Mb during the warm season and Hb, Mb and Bv during the cold season. 7. Knowledge of an organism’s physiological plasticity is important to assess its vulnerability to climate change. We document for the first time inter and intraseasonal physiological response coupled with diving behaviour in the same sex and age class of an air‐breathing diving vertebrate.
Mixture effects of endocrine disrupting compounds in vitro
Authors: Kjærstad M. B. , Taxvig C. , Andersen H. R. , Nellemann C. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryFour different equi‐molar mixtures were investigated for additive endocrine disrupting effects in vitro using the concentration addition model. It was found that additive effects on the same molecular target (the androgen receptor; AR) can be predicted for both mixtures of compounds with effect on the AR (flutamide, procymidone and vinclozolin) and of compounds with and without effects on the AR [finasteride, mono‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate, prochloraz and vinclozolin]. For a paraben mixture (methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben and iso‐butyl paraben) antagonistic effect on AR could not be predicted under assumption of additivity in our model system. For a mixture containing three azole fungicides (epoxiconazole, propiconazole and tebuconazole), the observed AR antagonistic effects were close to the predicted effect assuming additivity. Azole fungicides are known inhibitors of androgen biosynthesis and in the steroid synthesis assay using H295R cells, the inhibition of testosterone production was close to additive, whereas the inhibition of oestradiol production was over‐estimated for the mixture of azole fungicides, when compared with the effect predicted when assuming additivity. Overall these and other studies show that weak endocrine disrupting compounds, like parabens and azole fungicides, give rise to combination effects when they occur in mixtures. These combination effects should be taken into account in regulatory risk assessment not to under‐estimate the risks for adverse effects associated with exposure to disrupting chemicals.
How widespread is woody plant encroachment in temperate Australia? Changes in woody vegetation cover in lowland woodland and coastal ecosystems in Victoria from 1989 to 2005
Authors: Lunt Ian D. , Winsemius Lisa M. , McDonald Simon P. , Morgan John W. , Dehaan Remy L. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractAim  Encroachment or densification by woody plants affects natural ecosystems around the world. Many studies have reported encroachment in temperate Australia, particularly in coastal ecosystems and grassy woodlands. However, the degree to which published studies reflect broad‐scale changes is unknown because most studies intentionally sampled areas with conspicuous densification. We aimed to estimate changes in woody vegetation cover within lowland grassy woodland and coastal ecosystems in Victoria from 1989 to 2005 to determine whether published reports of recent encroachment are representative of broad‐scale ecosystem changes.Location  All lowland grassy woodland and coastal ecosystems (c. 6.11 × 105 ha) in Victoria, Australia. Four major ecosystems were analysed: Plains woodlands, Herb‐rich woodlands, Riverine woodlands and Coastal vegetation.Methods  Changes in woody vegetation cover from 1989 to 2005 were assessed based on state‐wide vegetation maps and Landsat analyses of woody vegetation cover conducted by the Australian Greenhouse Office’s National Carbon Accounting System. The results show changes in woody cover within mapped patches of native vegetation, rather than changes in the extent of woody vegetation resulting from clearing and revegetation.Results  When pooled across all ecosystems, woody vegetation increased by 18,730 ha from 1989 to 2005. Woody cover within Riverine woodlands and within Plains woodlands each increased by >7000 ha. At the patch scale, the mean percentage cover of woody vegetation in each polygon increased by >5% in all four ecosystems: Riverine woodlands (+9.2% on average), Herb‐rich woodlands (+7.6%), Plains woodlands (+6.7%) and Coastal vegetation (+5.9%). Regression models relating degree of encroachment to geographic and climatic variables were extremely weak (r2 ≤ 0.026), indicating that most variation occurred at local scales rather than across broad geographic gradients.Main conclusions  At the scale of observation, woody vegetation cover increased in all lowland woodland and coastal ecosystems over the 16‐year period. Thus, published examples of encroachment in selected coastal and woodland patches do appear to reflect widespread increases in woody vegetation cover in these ecosystems. This densification appears to be associated with changes in land management rather than with post‐fire vegetation recovery and is likely to be ongoing and long‐lasting, with substantial implications for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services.
Evidence for selection on coloration in a Panamanian poison frog: a coalescent‐based approach
Authors: Brown Jason L. , Maan Martine E. , Cummings Molly E. , Summers Kyle 
Published: January 2010

AbstractAim  The strawberry poison frog, Oophaga pumilio, has undergone a remarkable radiation of colour morphs in the Bocas del Toro archipelago in Panama. This species shows extreme variation in colour and pattern between populations that have been geographically isolated for < 10,000 years. While previous research has suggested the involvement of divergent selection, to date no quantitative test has examined this hypothesis.Location  Bocas del Toro archipelago, Panama.Methods  We use a combination of population genetics, phylogeography and phenotypic analyses to test for divergent selection in coloration in O. pumilio. Tissue samples of 88 individuals from 15 distinct populations were collected. Using these data, we developed a gene tree using the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) d‐loop region. Using parameters derived from our mtDNA phylogeny, we predicted the coalescence of a hypothetical nuclear gene underlying coloration. We collected spectral reflectance and body size measurements on 94 individuals from four of the populations and performed a quantitative analysis of phenotypic divergence.Results  The mtDNA d‐loop tree revealed considerable polyphyly across populations. Coalescent reconstructions of gene trees within population trees revealed incomplete genotypic sorting among populations. The quantitative analysis of phenotypic divergence revealed complete lineage sorting by colour, but not by body size: populations showed non‐overlapping variation in spectral reflectance measures of body coloration, while variation in body size did not separate populations. Simulations of the coalescent using parameter values derived from our empirical analyses demonstrated that the level of sorting among populations seen in colour cannot reasonably be attributed to drift.Main conclusions  These results imply that divergence in colour, but not body size, is occurring at a faster rate than expected under neutral processes. Our study provides the first quantitative support for the claim that strong diversifying selection underlies colour variation in the strawberry poison frog.
Energy regulation and neuroendocrine–immune control in chronic inflammatory diseases
Authors: Straub R. H. , Cutolo M. , Buttgereit F. , Pongratz G. 
Published: January 2010

Abstract.  Straub RH, Cutolo M, Buttgereit F, Pongratz G (University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany; University of Genova, Genova, Italy; and Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany). Energy regulation and neuroendocrine–immune control in chronic inflammatory diseases (Review). J Intern Med 2010; 267:543–560.Energy regulation (EnR) is most important for homoeostatic regulation of physiological processes. Neuroendocrine pathways are involved in EnR. We can separate factors that provide energy‐rich fuels to stores [parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), insulin, insulin‐like growth factor‐1, oestrogens, androgens and osteocalcin] and those that provide energy‐rich substrates to consumers [sympathetic nervous system (SNS), hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, thyroid hormones, glucagon and growth hormone]. In chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs), balanced energy‐rich fuel allocation to stores and consumers, normally aligned with circadian rhythms, is largely disturbed due to the vast fuel consumption of an activated immune system (up to 2000 kJ day−1). Proinflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor or interleukins 1β and 6, circulating activated immune cells and sensory nerve fibres signal immune activation to the rest of the body. This signal is an appeal for energy‐rich fuels as regulators are switched on to supply energy‐rich fuels (‘energy appeal reaction’). During evolution, adequate EnR evolved to cope with nonlife‐threatening diseases, not with CIDs (huge negative selection pressure and reduced reproduction). Thus, EnR is inadequate in CIDs leading to many abnormalities, including sickness behaviour, anorexia, hypovitaminosis D, cachexia, cachectic obesity, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinaemia, dyslipidaemia, fat deposits near inflamed tissue, hypoandrogenaemia, mild hypercortisolaemia, activation of the SNS (hypertension), CID‐related anaemia and osteopenia. Many of these conditions can contribute to the metabolic syndrome. These signs and symptoms become comprehensible in the context of an exaggerated call for energy‐rich fuels by the immune system. We propose that the presented pathophysiological framework may lead to new therapeutical approaches and to a better understanding of CID sequence.
Is physician‐diagnosed allergic rhinitis a risk factor for the development of asthma?
Authors: Van Den Nieuwenhof L. , Schermer T. , Bosch Y. , Bousquet J. , Heijdra Y. , Bor H. , Van Den Bosch W. , Van Weel C. 
Published: February 2010

To cite this article: van den Nieuwenhof L, Schermer T, Bosch Y, Bousquet J, Heijdra Y, Bor H, van den Bosch W, van Weel C. Is physician‐diagnosed allergic rhinitis a risk factor for the development of asthma? Allergy 2010; 65: 1049–1055.AbstractBackground:  There is strong evidence that there is a relationship between allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma, but it is unclear whether there is a causal relation between AR and asthma. The aim of this study was to assess prospectively whether AR is a risk factor for the diagnosis of asthma in a large primary care population.Methods:  We performed a historic cohort study of life‐time morbidity that had been recorded prospectively since 1967 in four general practices. Two groups of subjects were selected: (i) patients with diagnosis of AR, (ii) a control group matched using propensity scores. We assessed the risk of physician‐diagnosed asthma in patients with physician‐diagnosed AR compared to subjects without a diagnosis of AR (controls).Results:  The study population consisted of 6491 subjects (n = 2081 patients with AR). Average study follow‐up was 8.4 years. In patients with AR, the frequency of newly diagnosed asthma was 7.6% (n = 158) compared to 1.6% (n = 70) in controls (P < 0.001). After adjusting the effect of AR on asthma diagnosis for registration time, age, gender, eczema and socioeconomic status, having AR was a statistically significant risk factor for asthma (hazard ratio: 4.86, P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval: 3.50–6.73, controls as reference).Conclusion:  A diagnosis of AR was an independent risk factor for asthma in our primary care study population. Having physician‐diagnosed AR increased the risk almost fivefold for a future asthma diagnosis.