bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Feed consumption, diet digestibility and mineral utilization in captive blackbuck (Antelope cervicapra) fed different levels of concentrates
Authors: Das A. , Katole S. , Choubey M. , Gupta S. P. , Saini M. , Kumar V. , Swarup D. 
Published: November 2011

SummaryA feeding trial was conducted to know the level of concentrates in the diet of Antelope cervicapra at which diet digestibility and mineral utilization were optimum. Fifteen blackbucks (25–33 kg BW) were distributed into three groups of five each. Fresh oat (Avena sativa) and berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) fodders were offered ad libitum to all the animals. In addition, animals in groups II and III received concentrate mixture at the rate of 0.5 and 1% of BW, whereas animals in group I received no concentrates. As the level of concentrates increased, consumption of fodder decreased resulting in decreased consumption of neutral detergent fibre (NDFom), acid detergent fibre (ADFom), hemicellulose and cellulose. However, overall total dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) intake was not significantly different between the groups. Digestibility of DM, OM and gross energy (GE) increased while that of NDFom and ADFom decreased with increased level of concentrates in the diet. Intake of P, Zn, Cu and Mn increased with increased level of concentrate supplementation; however, consumption of Ca and Fe followed the reverse trend. Absorption of P and Zn increased with increased level of concentrate supplementation. Serum concentration of Zn increased when concentrate was supplemented at the rate of 0.5% BW beyond which there was no further improvement. Increasing the level of concentrates in the diet was resulted in increased serum glucose and cholesterol levels. Forage‐only diet was inadequate in supply of energy, P and zinc. Supplementation of concentrates at the rate of 0.5% BW was able to meet the requirement of these nutrients. Supplementation at the rate of 1% BW supplied energy and P in excess of requirement. It was concluded that the feeding of concentrates to the captive blackbuck fed forage‐based diets should be restricted to 0.5% of BW.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections due to electronic faucets in a neonatal intensive care unit
Authors: Yapicioglu Hacer , Gokmen Tulin Guven , Yildizdas Dincer , Koksal Fatih , Ozlu Ferda , Kale‐Cekinmez Eren , Mert Kurthan , Mutlu Birgul , Satar Mehmet , Narli Nejat , Candevir Aslihan 
Published: November 2011

Aim:  To evaluate the role of electronic faucets in a newborn intensive care unit during a Pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak.Methods:  After three patients had P. aeruginosa bacteremia, environmental cultures including those from patient rooms, incubator, ventilators, total parenteral nutrition solutions, disinfection solutions, electronic and hand‐operated faucet filters/water samples after removing filters and staff hands were taken.Results:  Only filters of electronic faucets and water samples after removing filters and one liquid hand soap showed P. aeruginosa (3–7 × 106 cfu/mL). We have removed the electronic faucets and new elbow‐operated faucets were installed. Pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis analysis of outbreak‐blood culture isolates from two patients and isolates from electronic water faucets/one liquid hand soap indicated the presence of 90.7% genetically related subtype, probably from the same clone. Water cultures from new faucets were all clean after installation and after 7 months.Conclusion:  We suggest that electronic faucets may be considered a potential risk for P. aeruginosa in hospitals, especially in high‐risk units.
Does body size influence thermal biology and diet of a python (Morelia spilota imbricata)?
Authors: BRYANT GILLIAN L. , DE TORES PAUL J. , WARREN KRISTIN A. , FLEMING PATRICIA A. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractCurrent theory predicts that larger‐bodied snakes not only consume larger prey (compared with smaller individuals), but may also have a different range of prey available to them due to their thermal biology. It has been argued that smaller individuals, with lower thermal inertia (i.e. faster cooling rates at nightfall when air temperature falls and basking opportunities are limited), may be thermally restricted to foraging and hunting during the day on diurnally active prey, and have reduced capacity to hunt crepuscular and nocturnal prey species. This predictive theory was investigated by way of dietary analysis, assessment of thermal biology and thermoregulation behaviour in an ambush forager, the south‐west carpet python (Morelia spilota imbricata, Pythonidae). Eighty‐seven scats were collected from 34 individual pythons over a 3‐year radiotelemetry monitoring study. As predicted by gape size limitation, larger pythons took larger prey; however, 65% of prey items of small pythons were represented by nocturnally active, small mammals, a larger proportion than present in larger snakes. Several measures of thermal biology (absolute body temperature, thermal differential of body temperature to air temperature, maximum hourly heating and cooling rates) were not strongly affected by python body mass. Additionally, body temperature was only influenced by the behavioural choice of microhabitat selection and was not affected by python body size or position, suggesting that these behavioural choices do not allow smaller pythons to vastly increase their temporal foraging window. By coupling dietary analysis, measures of body temperature and behavioural observations of free‐ranging animals, we conclude that, contrary to theoretical predictions, a small body size does not thermally restrict the temporal window for ambush foraging in M. s. imbricata. An ontogenetic or size‐determined switch from ambush feeding to actively foraging on slower prey would account for the differences in prey taken by these animals. The concept of altered foraging behaviour warrants further investigation in this species.
Cost‐effectiveness analysis of newer anticholinergic drugs for urinary incontinence vs oxybutynin and no treatment using data on persistence from the Swedish prescribed drug registry
Authors: Nilsson Fredrik O.L. , Linnér Love , Samuelsson Eva , Milsom Ian 
Published: November 2011

Study Type – Therapy (cost effectiveness)Level of Evidence 2aWhat's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Anticholinergic drugs are a common treatment alternative in urinary incontinence, which results in large costs for caregivers. So far, most cost‐effectiveness analyses of anticholinergic drugs have focused on small putative differences between the newer anticholinergics. This study takes a novel approach by treating the clinical effects of the newer alternatives as similar and evaluating them as a group in relation to no treatment and oxybutynin (immediate release). It also uses registry data to account for persistence.OBJECTIVE
To analyse the cost‐effectiveness of newer anticholinergic drugs in relation to oxybutynin immediate release (IR) and no treatment for patients with urgency urinary incontinence.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
A decision analytic model was constructed.
Results were collected from randomized trials and combined with registry data on persistence of medicine use and estimated number of severe adverse events.
The setting corresponds to Swedish clinical practice.
The costs and effects of the treatment options were analysed over a period of 1 year. Costs included drug costs, treatment costs and costs for pad use. Patients' utilities were based on treatment effect and the lack or presence of adverse events.
RESULTS
No treatment was the least costly treatment but also resulted in the fewest number of quality adjusted life years (QALYs).
Treatment with newer anticholinergic drug medications is the most costly option but also the most efficient treatment. Sensitivity analyses showed that the results were robust.
Treatment with newer anticholinergics resulted in a cost per QALY gained of €21 045 compared with no treatment and no effect and €65 435 compared with no treatment and placebo effect. Compared with oxybutynin IR, the cost per QALY gained was €37 119. These calculations are based on relatively low pad costs, resulting in higher costs per QALY for the original drugs.
CONCLUSIONS
The newer anticholinergic medications are likely to be cost effective in relation to oxybutynin IR.
The cost‐effectiveness of the newer anticholinergics compared with no treatment depends on assumptions of the effect of no treatment, the severity of the treated condition and the treated individual's risk of adverse events.
Treatment is less likely to be cost effective for elderly persons or for persons otherwise at higher risk for adverse events.
On the Validity of the Likelihood Ratio Test and Consistency of Resulting Parameter Estimates in Joint Linkage and Linkage Disequilibrium Analysis under Improperly Specified Parametric Models
Authors: Hiekkalinna Tero , Göring Harald H. H. , Terwilliger Joseph D. 
Published: November 2011

SummaryIt has been shown that parametric analysis of linkage disequilibrium conditional on linkage using an overly deterministic model can be optimal for family‐based association analysis. However, if one applies this strategy carelessly, there is a risk of false inference. We analyse properties of such likelihood ratio tests when the assumed disease mode of inheritance is inaccurate. Under some conditions, problems result if one is not careful to consider what null hypothesis is being tested. We show that: (a) tests for which the null hypothesis assumes the absence of both linkage and association are independent of the true mode of inheritance; (b) likelihood ratio tests assuming either linkage or association under the null hypothesis may depend on the true mode of inheritance, leading to inconsistent parameter estimates, in particular under extremely deterministic models; (c) this problem cannot be eliminated by increasing sample size or adding population controls – as sample size increases, the chance of false positive inference goes to 100%; (d) this issue can lead to systematic false positive inference of association in regions of linkage. This is important because highly deterministic models are often used intentionally in model‐based analyses because they can have more power than the true model, and are implicit in many model‐free analysis methods.
Keeping it simple: flowering plants tend to retain, and revert to, simple leaves
Authors: Geeta R. , Dávalos Liliana M. , Levy André , Bohs Lynn , Lavin Mathew , Mummenhoff Klaus , Sinha Neelima , Wojciechowski Martin F. 
Published: November 2011

Summary
A wide range of factors (developmental, physiological, ecological) with unpredictable interactions control variation in leaf form. Here, we examined the distribution of leaf morphologies (simple and complex forms) across angiosperms in a phylogenetic context to detect patterns in the directions of changes in leaf shape.
Seven datasets (diverse angiosperms and six nested clades, Sapindales, Apiales, Papaveraceae, Fabaceae, Lepidium, Solanum) were analysed using maximum likelihood and parsimony methods to estimate asymmetries in rates of change among character states.
Simple leaves are most frequent among angiosperm lineages today, were inferred to be ancestral in angiosperms and tended to be retained in evolution (stasis). Complex leaves slowly originated (‘gains’) and quickly reverted to simple leaves (‘losses’) multiple times, with a significantly greater rate of losses than gains. Lobed leaves may be a labile intermediate step between different forms. The nested clades showed mixed trends; Solanum, like the angiosperms in general, had higher rates of losses than gains, but the other clades had higher rates of gains than losses.
The angiosperm‐wide pattern could be taken as a null model to test leaf evolution patterns in particular clades, in which patterns of variation suggest clade‐specific processes that have yet to be investigated fully.
The p66Shc knockout mice are short lived under natural condition
Authors: Giorgio Marco , Berry Alessandra , Berniakovich Ina , Poletaeva Inga , Trinei Mirella , Stendardo Massimo , Hagopian Kevork , Ramsey Jon J. , Cortopassi Gino , Migliaccio Enrica , Nötzli Sarah , Amrein Irmgard , Lipp Hans P. , Cirulli Francesca , Pelicci Pier G. 
Published: November 2011

SummaryDeletion of the p66Shc gene results in lean and healthy mice, retards aging, and protects from aging‐associated diseases, raising the question of why p66Shc has been selected, and what is its physiological role. We have investigated survival and reproduction of p66Shc−/− mice in a population living in a large outdoor enclosure for a year, subjected to food competition and exposed to winter temperatures. Under these conditions, deletion of p66Shc was strongly counterselected. Laboratory studies revealed that p66Shc−/− mice have defects in fat accumulation, thermoregulation, and reproduction, suggesting that p66Shc has been evolutionarily selected because of its role in energy metabolism. These findings imply that the health impact of targeting aging genes might depend on the specific energetic niche and caution should be exercised against premature conclusions regarding gene functions that have only been observed in protected laboratory conditions.
Prostaglandin E2 potentiates methylmalonate‐induced seizures
Authors: Salvadori Mirian Graciela Silva Stiebbe , Banderó Cristina Ruedell Reschke , Jesse Ana Cláudia , Gomes Anajara Teixeira , Rambo Leonardo Magno , Bueno Lívia Maronesi , Bortoluzzi Vanessa Trindade , Oliveira Mauro Schneider , Mello Carlos Fernando 
Published: November 2011

SummaryPurpose:  Methylmalonic acidemias are inherited metabolic disorders characterized by methylmalonate (MMA) accumulation and neurologic dysfunction, including seizures. It is known that metabolic crises in affected patients are precipitated by infections. Although growing evidence supports that inflammation facilitates seizures, it is not known whether inflammatory mediators facilitate MMA‐induced seizures. Therefore, in this study we investigate the involvement of cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in MMA‐induced seizures.Methods:  Adult male Wistar rats were implanted with electrodes over the parietal cortex for electroencephalography (EEG) recording and a cannula in the right lateral ventricle. Animals were injected with PGE2 (100 ng/2 μl, i.c.v.) or phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) (2 μl, i.c.v.), 15 min before MMA (2.5 μmol/2.5 μl, i.c.v.) or NaCl (2.5 μmol/2.5 μl, i.c.v.). The anticonvulsant effect of celecoxib (0.2; 2 or 20 mg/kg, p.o., 60 min before MMA) on MMA‐induced seizures, and whether PGE2 (10 or 100 ng/2 μl, i.c.v.) prevented the anticonvulsant effect of celecoxib (2 mg/kg, p.o.) were also investigated.Key Findings:  PGE2 decreased the latency to MMA‐induced jerks and generalized seizures, and increased the amplitude of generalized seizure EEG recordings. The selective COX‐2 inhibitor celecoxib at the dose 2 mg/kg, but not at the dose 20 mg/kg, completely prevented MMA‐induced seizures. The protective effect of celecoxib (2 mg/kg) against MMA‐induced seizures was prevented by PGE2.Significance:  These results support a role for PGE2 in the seizures elicited by MMA, which is in agreement with the view that infections may precipitate and exacerbate neurologic dysfunction in patients with MMA acidemic.
Postoperative Delirium and Functional Decline After Noncardiac Surgery
Authors: Quinlan Nicky , Rudolph James L. 
Published: November 2011

ObjectivesTo determine whether delirium after noncardiac surgery is associated with functional decline 3 months postoperatively.DesignSecondary analysis of a prospective study.SettingThirteen hospitals in eight countries.ParticipantsOne thousand two hundred eighteen individuals aged 60 and older undergoing noncardiac surgery.MeasurementsParticipants were interviewed before surgery and 3 months postoperatively using six items pertaining to social and independent function. Functional decline was determined according to a loss in function in at least one item at the 3‐month assessment from baseline. Postoperatively, a trained interviewer assessed delirium daily using a standardized battery. The primary outcome of this analysis was an examination of the risk of functional decline with delirium.ResultsOf the 948 participants who completed functional assessment at 3 months, 20% (n = 189) had a decline in function. In unadjusted analysis, postoperative delirium increased the odds of functional decline (odds ratio (OR) = 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4–4.2). After adjustment for age, sex, education, cognition, and surgery duration, delirium remained associated with functional decline (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.2–3.8).ConclusionAlthough considered an acute event, delirium can have lasting functional consequences. Clinicians should give strong consideration to preoperative delirium risk assessment, delirium prevention strategies, and delirium surveillance programs after noncardiac surgery.
A pilot feasibility trial of allocation of freshest available red blood cells versus standard care in critically ill patients
Authors: Aubron Cecile , Syres Gillian , Nichol Alistair , Bailey Michael , Board Jasmin , Magrin Geoff , Murray Lynnette , Presneill Jeffrey , Sutton Joanne , Vallance Shirley , Morrison Siouxzy , Bellomo Rinaldo , Cooper D. Jamie 
Published: November 2011

BACKGROUND: Prolonged storage of red blood cells (RBCs) may increase posttransfusion adverse events in critically ill patients. We aimed to evaluate in intensive care unit (ICU) patients 1) the feasibility of allocating freshest available compatible RBCs versus standard care and 2) the suitability of this approach in the design of a large randomized controlled trial (RCT).STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Eligible patients from two adult ICUs were randomly assigned to receive either the freshest available compatible RBCs or the standard care (the oldest compatible available RBCs) for all transfusions during their ICU stay. Study group allocation was concealed from patients and bedside clinicians, but the transfusion service was unblinded. The study endpoints were the feasibility of the study procedures, including success of the ICU Web randomization, the ICU staff blinding, and the correct delivery of the RBC units by the transfusion service in accordance with the allocated study group. In addition, we measured the difference in age of RBC units between the two groups.RESULTS: During a 3‐month period, 177 RBC units were delivered to 51 patients. All study procedures, including randomization, blinding, and delivery of blood in accordance with the study group were successful. The mean (±SD) of the mean age of the RBC received by each patient was lower in the “fresher blood” group compared with the standard care group (12.1 [±3.8] days vs. 23 [±8.4] days; p < 0.001).CONCLUSION: Randomized delivery of the freshest available RBCs versus standard care to ICU patients who were prescribed transfusion for clinical reasons is feasible, with a clinically relevant degree of storage duration separation achievable between the two study groups. These findings support the feasibility of a future large pragmatic RCT.
Midwives’ Perceptions of Providing Stop‐Smoking Advice and Pregnant Smokers’ Perceptions of Stop‐Smoking Services Within the Same Deprived Area of London
Authors: Herberts Carolina , Sykes Catherine 
Published: November 2011

Introduction: To identify and juxtapose midwives’ perceptions of providing stop‐smoking advice and pregnant smokers’ perceptions of stop‐smoking services.Methods: A qualitative design was used in an attempt to expose and compare in‐depth perceptions of midwives and pregnant smokers. Three focus groups lasting approximately 1 hour and involving 15 midwives were carried out, and 10 pregnant smokers participated in semistructured interviews. The qualitative data were analyzed by using the full version of grounded theory.Results: The perceptions of midwives regarding provision of advice were related to outcome of advice, the relationship with patients, personal experiences, attributes, perception of role, the impact of external factors, and aspects related to pregnant smokers and pregnancy. Pregnant smokers’ perceived barriers and facilitators to approaching stop‐smoking services were categorized into areas of smoking behavior, advice from health professionals, stop‐smoking services, and negative perceptions of pregnant women who smoke.Discussion: In theory, many of the perceived barriers to providing advice could be overcome by implementing effective mandatory training for midwives. However, real issues, such as lack of time, have a major impact on the provision of advice. Pregnant smokers expect and appreciate receiving stop‐smoking advice from midwives. Yet, they tend to have negative expectations of stop‐smoking services, although the experiences of those who have attended these services are positive. Raising awareness of stop‐smoking support for pregnant women is crucial in empowering women to make informed choices about their health and the health of their children.
Nusta Juira's Gift of Quinoa: Peasants, Trademarks, and Intermediaries in the Transformation of a Bolivian Commodity Economy
Authors: Ofstehage Andrew 
Published: November 2011

AbstractFarmers and activists in the Los Lipez region of Bolivia have created a symbolic commons that links their identity, quinoa crop, and work. Since 2005, farmers have worked with regional activists and marketers to create a denomination of origin in order to project their work and connection with quinoa into international markets for their crop. Yet sales certified with the denomination of origin trademark have not significantly displaced other sales to buyers for the national cooperatives or to local intermediaries. Based on 4 months of ethnographic research with growers, local resellers, and leaders of the denomination of origin initiative, this case documents how the Bolivian quinoa market is a composite of varied market channels, interests, and values that inhibit the full realization of any single development approach. However, the complexity that actor agency introduces into commodity circulation results in earnings at different scales, the movement of multiple qualities of quinoa, transactions in formal and informal settings, and a more resilient life sphere of agricultural production.