bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
THE DEVELOPMENT OF BEHAVIOUR IN ELEUTHERODACTYLUS MARTINICENSIS (AMPHIBIA, ANURA)
Authors: HUGHES ARTHUR 
Published: October 2009

In the genus Eleutherodactylus, development is wholly embryonic. Among other features of ontogeny which are thereby modified is the development of behaviour. Within the egg envelope, the embryo is largely still, but wriggles from time to time. These movements represent all that remains of the axial swimming behaviour of larval Amphibia. The embryo develops normally when removed from the envelopes, and its reactions to light touch can then be studied from day to day. In E. martinicensis, which develops from first cleavage to hatching in 13‐14 days, the first movement of the legs is seen during trunk wriggles at 7 1/2 days, but a day later they can move independently. The first reaction of the leg is a slow withdrawal; at 9 1/2 days flexion is followed by a vigorous extension. By then, reflexes affecting all four limbs can be elicited.Towards the end of embryonic life, limb movements can be maintained in continuous cycles, and the animal can then swim. When it is allowed normally to emerge from the envolopes, the juvenile toad, smaller than a house fly, can jump a distance of over a foot. These observations are discussed in relation to the ontogeny of behaviour in other vertebrates, particularly in regard to the views of G. E. Coghill.
Caffeine and an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist prevent memory impairment and synaptotoxicity in adult rats triggered by a convulsive episode in early life
Authors: Cognato Giana P. , Agostinho Paula M. , Hockemeyer Jörg , Müller Christa E. , Souza Diogo O. , Cunha Rodrigo A. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractSeizures early in life cause long‐term behavioral modifications, namely long‐term memory deficits in experimental animals. Since caffeine and adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) antagonists prevent memory deficits in adult animals, we now investigated if they also prevented the long‐term memory deficits caused by a convulsive period early in life. Administration of kainate (KA, 2 mg/kg) to 7‐days‐old (P7) rats caused a single period of self‐extinguishable convulsions which lead to a poorer memory performance in the Y‐maze only when rats were older than 90 days, without modification of locomotion or anxiety‐like behavior in the elevated‐plus maze. In accordance with the relationship between synaptotoxicity and memory dysfunction, the hippocampus of these adult rats treated with kainate at P7 displayed a lower density of synaptic proteins such as SNAP‐25 and syntaxin (but not synaptophysin), as well as vesicular glutamate transporters type 1 (but not vesicular GABA transporters), with no changes in PSD‐95, NMDA receptor subunits (NR1, NR2A, NR2B) or α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazole‐4‐propionate receptor subunits (GluR1, GluR2) compared with controls. Caffeine (1 g/L) or the A2AR antagonist, KW6002 (3 mg/kg) applied in the drinking water from P21 onwards, prevented these memory deficits in P90 rats treated with KA at P7, as well as the accompanying synaptotoxicity. These results show that a single convulsive episode in early life causes a delayed memory deficit in adulthood accompanied by a glutamatergic synaptotoxicity that was prevented by caffeine or adenosine A2AR antagonists.
A register study of the impact of stopping third trimester selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor exposure on neonatal health
Authors: Warburton W. , Hertzman C. , Oberlander T. F. 
Published: October 2009

Warburton W, Hertzman C, Oberlander TF. A register study of the impact of stopping third trimester selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor exposure on neonatal health.Objective:  To determine whether risk for adverse neonatal outcomes are reduced by stopping SSRI use before the end of pregnancy.Method:  Using population health data, maternal health and prenatal SSRI prescriptions were linked to neonatal birth records (N = 119 547) (1998–2001). Neonates SSRI‐exposed in the last 14 days (L14) of gestation were compared with infants who had gestational exposure, but not during the last 14 days (NL14). Propensity score matching was used to control for potential confounders (total exposure, maternal health characteristics).Results:  Increased risk for neonatal respiratory distress was present where L14 exposure occurred compared with risk where exposure stopped before L14. However, controlling for potential maternal and neonatal confounders, differences disappeared.Conclusion:  Controlling for maternal illness severity, reducing exposure to SSRI’s at the end of pregnancy had no significant clinical effect on improving neonatal health. These findings raise the possibility that some adverse neonatal outcomes may not be an acute pharmacological condition such as toxicity or withdrawal.
Childhood life events and childhood trauma in adult patients with depressive, anxiety and comorbid disorders vs. controls
Authors: Hovens J. G. F. M. , Wiersma J. E. , Giltay E. J. , Van Oppen P. , Spinhoven P. , Penninx B. W. J. H. , Zitman F. G. 
Published: October 2009

Hovens JGFM, Wiersma JE, Giltay EJ, van Oppen P, Spinhoven P, Penninx BWJH, Zitman FG. Childhood life events and childhood trauma in adult patients with depressive, anxiety and comorbid disorders vs. controls.Objective:  To investigate the association between childhood life events, childhood trauma and the presence of anxiety, depressive or comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders in adulthood.Method:  Data are from 1931 adult participants in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). Childhood life events included divorce of parents, early parental loss and ‘placed in care’, whereas childhood trauma was assessed as experienced emotional neglect, psychological, physical and sexual abuse prior to age 16.Results:  Childhood life events were not associated with psychopathology, except for ‘placed in care’ in the comorbid group. All types of childhood trauma were increasingly prevalent in the following order: controls, anxiety, depression, and comorbid group (P < 0.001). The higher the score was on the childhood trauma index, the stronger the association with psychopathology (P < 0.001).Conclusion:  Childhood trauma rather than childhood life events are related to anxiety and depressive disorders. The strong associations with the comorbid group suggest that childhood trauma contributes to the severity of psychopathology. Our study underscores the importance of heightened awareness of the possible presence of childhood trauma, especially in adult patients with comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders.
Environmental enrichment for captive stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides)
Authors: Márquez‐Arias A. , Santillán‐Doherty A.M. , Arenas‐Rosas R.V. , Gasca‐Matías M.P. , Muñoz‐Delgado J. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractBackground  The behavior of animals is modified by captivity. Environmental enrichment (EE) is a program designed to enhance the welfare of confined animals by providing them with a more stimulating background. This is carried out by the implementation of a series of activities that encourages them to present behaviors typical of their species, as well as keeps them active. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the influence of the EE in the behavioral variables in a colony of 24 stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides). Our hypothesis is that the application of this program will reduce aggression, stereotypes and coprophilia behaviors and, at the same time, will increase exploration and solitary play.Methods  The behavioral frequency previous to EE was compared with that during EE implementation.Results  Our results showed that aggression, coprophilia stereotypic behaviors and social play were significantly reduced during EE, whereas exploration was significantly enhanced. The response of the individuals according to gender was similar for both sexes.Conclusions  Environmental enrichment programs are indispensable for captive animals’ wellbeing as they reduce aggression and stress while providing animals both physical and cognitive entertainment.
Does Concomitant Administration of Sevelamer and Calcium Carbonate Modify the Control of Phosphatemia?
Authors: Ouellet Georges , Cardinal Héloïse , Mailhot Marjolaine , Ste‐Marie Louis‐Georges , Roy Louise 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThere is no guideline regarding the concomitant or distant administration of sevelamer and calcium carbonate. Our aim was to determine whether serum phosphate varied when sevelamer and calcium carbonate were administered concomitantly in comparison to administration at separate meals. Fourteen chronic hemodialysis patients were enrolled in this cross‐over, randomized trial. Each subject underwent two four‐week study periods. During the “concomitant” period, subjects were instructed to take both sevelamer and calcium carbonate together at each meal, whereas in the “separate” period, they were required to take them at separate meals. The order of the “concomitant” and “separate” periods was randomized. Phosphate‐binding agents were stopped for a one‐week washout period before each study period. The total dose of sevelamer and calcium carbonate for each subject remained the same for the whole duration of the study and had been determined according to their usual dose of phosphate binders. Patients were instructed to keep their usual eating habits constant and a nutritionist evaluated the daily phosphate intake three times per week. Dialysis parameters were kept constant. Pre‐dialysis serum phosphate, calcium, bicarbonate, and albumin were measured at the end of each week. The average daily dietary phosphate intake remained unchanged throughout the study. At the end of the two study periods there was no significant difference in serum phosphate (1.50 ± 0.46 mmol/L in the “concomitant” period vs. 1.51 ± 0.31 mmol/L in the “separate” period, P = 0.97), calcium (2.26 ± 0.19 mmol/L in the “concomitant” period vs. 2.27 ± 0.15 mmol/L in the “separate” period, P = 0.64), calcium × phosphate product (3.36 ± 0.94 mmol2/L2 in the “concomitant” period vs. 3.41 ± 0.71 mmol2/L2 in the “separate” period, P = 0.84) and bicarbonate levels (21.5 ± 3.3 mmol/L for the “concomitant” period vs. 21.6 ± 3.1 mmol/L for the “separate” period, P = 0.81). Our results show that simultaneous administration of calcium carbonate and sevelamer does not decrease phosphate‐binding capacity. Hence, patients can choose to take their phosphate binders concomitantly or at separate meals, according to their preference.
Comparing the Autoantibody Levels and Clinical Efficacy of Double Filtration Plasmapheresis, Immunoadsorption, and Intravenous Immunoglobulin for the Treatment of Late‐onset Myasthenia Gravis
Authors: Liu Jun‐Feng , Wang Wei‐Xin , Xue Jun , Zhao Chong‐Bo , You Huai‐Zhou , Lu Jia‐Hong , Gu Yong 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of double‐filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP), immunoadsorption (IA) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in the treatment of late‐onset myasthenia gravis (MG). A total of 40 late‐onset MG patients were randomly divided into three groups: 15 patients were treated with DFPP; 10 patients were treated with IA; and 15 patients received IVIg. The titers of titin antibodies (Titin‐ab), acetylcholine receptor antibodies (AChR‐ab), presynaptic membrane antibody (Prsm‐ab) were detected before and after the treatment, and the quantitative MG score (QMG score) was assessed by blinded examiners before and immediately after the entire course of treatment. The clinical efficacy, duration of respiratory support, hospital stay, and the correlation between the three antibodies and the QMG score were also analyzed. Compared to pre‐treatment, the values of Titin‐ab, AChR‐ab, and PrsmR‐ab were all dramatically decreased (P < 0.05); meanwhile the value of Titin‐ab in the DFPP and IA groups decreased much more than in the IVIg group (P < 0.01); however, no statistical difference was found between the DFPP and IA groups (P > 0.05). Although the QMG score significantly improved in all three groups, it decreased much more in both the DFPP and IA groups than that in the IVIg group (P < 0.01). Symptoms were also effectively ameliorated by all treatments, but the clinical efficacy of the DFPP and IA groups was higher than the IVIg group (P < 0.05), as was the remission time (P < 0.01), the duration of hospital stay (P < 0.05), and the number of respiratory supports required (P < 0.05). Using Pearson's correlation, the decrease of Titin‐ab showed a longitudinal correlation with the decrease of QMG score (r = 0.6107, P < 0.01). Both DFPP and IA showed better short‐term clinical effectiveness than immunoglobulin transfusion, rapidly and effectively clearing the pathogenic antibodies in late‐onset MG patients, especially for Titin‐ab.
Simultaneous measurement of intraocular pressure in the anterior chamber and the vitreous cavity
Authors: Hernández‐Verdejo José Luis , Teus Miguel A. , Bolivar Gema 
Published: October 2009

Acta Ophthalmol. 2010: 88: e265–e268Abstract.Purpose:  To simultaneously measure, using manometry, the changes of intraocular pressure (IOP) in the anterior chamber and in the vitreous cavity of a single porcine eye, induced by an external column of water.Methods:  We prospectively measured IOP simultaneously in seven freshly enucleated porcine eyes in both the anterior chamber and the vitreous cavity. Measurements were obtained through blood‐pressure transducers connected to 21‐gauge catheters. A third cannula was inserted into the anterior chamber to increase the IOP; when the cannula was connected to the water column, the pressure increased rapidly from 0 to 180 mmHg. Changes were registered every 5 seconds during the first minute. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.Results:  Before the IOP was increased, the median basal IOP value was 18 mmHg in the anterior chamber and 23 mmHg in the vitreous cavity (P > 0.05). Sixty seconds after the end of the experiment, the median IOP value was 135 mmHg (range 122–145) in the anterior chamber and 55 mmHg (range 16–68) in the vitreous cavity (P < 0.01).Conclusion:  Cannulation of the anterior chamber measures the actual IOP; however, the IOP measured by cannulation in the vitreous cavity using the same catheter diameter was different, possibly because of the viscosity of the vitreous. The viscosity of the vitreous probably makes the cannulation method of IOP evaluation in the vitreous cavity inaccurate.
Who should consent for research in adult intensive care? Preferences of patients and their relatives: a pilot study
Authors: Chenaud C , Merlani P , Verdon M , Ricou B 
Published: October 2009

Introduction:Research in intensive care is necessary for the continuing advancement of patient care. In research, informed consent is considered essential for patient protection. In intensive care, the modalities of informed consent are currently being debated by both lawyers and the medical community. The preferences of patients and their relatives regarding informed consent for research in intensive care have never been assessed. The aim of this study was to investigate these preferences.Methods:A pilot study conducted via a questionnaire mailed to patients and relatives who had experienced intensive care.Results:52/400 patient–relative pairs completed the questionnaire fully. If the patient was imagined to be conscious, 75% of patients and 77% of relatives believed the patient should be the person who should consent. If the patient was imagined to be unconscious, 72% of patients and 67% of relatives thought that a relative should be asked to consent. The majority of responders thought that at least two persons should consent. Their answers were concordant in 61–80% of cases, depending on the question. Patients (25%) and relatives (30%) did not feel free in their decision to participate in a study. The majority of patients and relatives wanted to consent by writing, indifferently with or without a witness.Conclusion:Patients are willing to decide on their own participation in a study. If they lose their capacity to decide for themselves, in the great majority of cases, they would agree to delegate the decision to a relative.
The acceptability among French lay persons of ending the lives of damaged newborns
Authors: Teisseyre N , dos Reis I Duarte , Sorum P C , Mullet E 
Published: October 2009

Background:Lay persons’ judgements of the acceptability of the not uncommon practice of ending the life of a damaged neonate have not been studied.Methods:A convenience sample of 1635 lay people in France rated how acceptable it would be for a physician to end a neonate’s life—by withholding care, withdrawing care, or active euthanasia—in 54 scenarios in which the neonate was diagnosed either with perinatal asphyxia or a genetic abnormality. The scenarios were all combinations of four factors: three levels of maturity or immaturity, three levels of severity of the health problem, three levels of parents’ preference concerning prolonging care and two levels of decision-making (with or without consulting the other caregivers).Analyses:Analyses of variance of the participants’ responses were performed to determine the importance of each factor; the interactions among factors, with methods of ending life and with other patient characteristics; and the differences between asphyxia and genetic abnormality. A cluster analysis was performed to look for groups with different patterns of responses.Results:Lay people assigned most importance to the parents’ request and to the severity of the problem. Except for a small group (12%) always opposed to ending life, they used a simple additive-type rule in integrating the information.Implications:Most of this sample of French lay people are not categorically for or against ending the life of a damaged neonate, but judge its degree of acceptability by adding up those factors that seem most salient to them.
Harmonisation of ethics committees' practice in 10 European countries: Figure 1
Authors: Hernandez R , Cooney M , Dualé C , Gálvez M , Gaynor S , Kardos G , Kubiak C , Mihaylov S , Pleiner J , Ruberto G , Sanz N , Skoog M , Souri P , Stiller C O , Strenge-Hesse A , Vas A , Winter D , Carné X 
Published: October 2009

Background:The Directive 2001/20/EC was an important first step towards consistency in the requirements and processes for clinical trials across Europe. However, by applying the same rules to all types of drug trials and transposing the Directive’s principles into pre-existing national legislations, the Directive somewhat failed to meet its facilitation and harmonisation targets. In the field of ethics, the Directive 2001/20/EC conditioned the way of understanding and transposing the “single opinion” process in each country. This led to a situation in which two models of research ethics committees organisation systems exist, being the model in which the “single opinion” is considered to be the decision made by a single ethics committee more effective and simpler in terms of administrative and logistic workload.Method:A survey was conducted in 10 European countries. Members of the European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network working party number 1, with expertise in the field of ethics, responded.Results:There is a major heterogeneity in the composition of ethics committees among the surveyed countries based on the number of members, proportion of experts versus lay members and expertise of the scientific members. A harmonised education of the ethics committees’ membership based in common curricula is recommended by the majority of countries.Conclusions:Despite the efforts for harmonisation of the European Clinical Trial Directive, from an ethical point of view, there remains a plurality of ethics committees' systems in Europe. It is important to comprehend the individual national systems to understand the problems they are facing.
A NOVEL APPROACH TO VERIFY GRAPH SCHEMA-BASED SOFTWARE SYSTEMS
Authors: RAFE VAHID , RAHMANI ADEL T. 
Published: October 2009

Graph Grammars have recently become more and more popular as a general formal modeling language. Behavioral modeling of dynamic systems and model to model transformations are a few well-known examples in which graphs have proven their usefulness in software engineering. A special type of graph transformation systems is layered graphs. Layered graphs are a suitable formalism for modeling hierarchical systems. However, most of the research so far concentrated on graph transformation systems as a modeling means, without considering the need for suitable analysis tools. In this paper we concentrate on how to analyze these models. We will describe our approach to show how one can verify the designed graph transformation systems. To verify graph transformation systems we use a novel approach: using Bogor model checker to verify graph transformation systems. The AGG-like graph transformation systems are translated to BIR — the input language of Bogor — and Bogor verifies that model against some properties defined by combining LTL and special purpose graph rules. Supporting schema-based and layered graphs characterize our approach among existing solutions for verification of graph transformation systems.
Children’s Representatives in Psychiatric Services: What Is the Outcome?
Authors: Östman Margareta , Afzelius Maria 
Published: October 2009

Background: Psychiatric services have established children’s representatives in an effort to support children of mentally ill patients. Material: Twenty two specially designated children’s representatives and 19 other staff members were asked how they conceived the role of children’s representatives and if those representatives had the responsibility of identifying children of mentally ill patients. Discussion: Children’s representatives expressed difficulty in functioning as advocates for children whose parents were being treated for mental illness. Members of the psychiatric staff, although aware their patients had children, seldom met them since they focused on the adults. Conclusions: More than one third of all patients seeking psychiatric care have children, yet children’s representatives and other staff members seldom meet them.
Pneumolysin induces release of matrix metalloproteinase-8 and -9 from human neutrophils
Authors: Cockeran R. , Mitchell T. J. , Feldman C. , Anderson R. 
Published: October 2009

The research question addressed in the current study was: does the pneumococcal pore-forming toxin, pneumolysin, mobilise matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -8 and -9 from isolated human blood neutrophils at sublytic concentrations of 5, 10 and 20 ng·mL−1?MMPs were measured in the supernatants of unstimulated neutrophils and of cells exposed to pneumolysin and the chemoattractantN-formyl-l-methionyl-l-leucyl-l-phenylalanine (f-MLP; 0.1 μM), individually and in combination, using ELISA procedures, and alterations in cytosolic Ca2+concentrations were monitored using a fura-2 acetoxymethyl ester (fura-2/AM)-based spectrofluorimetric method.Treatment of neutrophils with pneumolysin alone caused dose-related release of both MMPs, whereas f-MLP caused modest increases; the combination of both activators was, however, most effective. Pneumolysin/f-MLP-activated release of the MMPs from the cells was paralleled by increases in cytosolic Ca2+.Exposure of human neutrophils to pneumolysin is accompanied by mobilisation of MMPs, which is potentiated by f-MLP. If operativein vivo, pneumolysin-mediated release of MMPs from neutrophils and other cell types may contribute to the pathogenesis of severe pneumococcal disease.