bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comprehensive model of care for rehabilitation of children with acquired brain injuries
Authors: Chevignard M. , Toure H. , Brugel D. G. , Poirier J. , Laurent‐Vannier A. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBackground  Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a leading cause of death and lifelong acquired disability in children and remains a significant public health issue. Deficits may only become fully apparent when developmental demands increase and once cognitive processes are expected to be fully developed. It is therefore necessary to provide organized long‐term follow‐up for children post ABI. Despite these recommendations, it has been shown that only a small proportion of children received specialized rehabilitation and adequate follow‐up after ABI.Aims  The aims are: (i) to describe a comprehensive model of care devoted to children with acquired brain injuries; and (ii) to provide descriptive data analysing the characteristics of children followed up, the type/amount of services provided and general outcomes.Programme description  The programme features an in‐ and outpatient rehabilitation facility, where multidisciplinary rehabilitation and specialized schooling are provided. The ultimate goal of the programme is to promote each child's successful reintegration in school and in the community. Adequate preparation of discharge is essential, long‐term follow‐up is organized, and an outreach programme has been developed to deal with the complex delayed psychosocial issues.Results  Overall outcome, as measured by the Glasgow Outcome Scale, improved dramatically between admission (3.3; SD = 0.45) and discharge (2.15; SD = 0.74). Most of the children were discharged home with an adequate personalized plan for ongoing rehabilitation and school adaptations. Analysis of the outreach programme underlines the more challenging issues arising in late adolescence‐early adulthood.Conclusion  Given the specificities of childhood ABI, long‐term specific care must be organized and co‐ordinated, regardless of injury severity.
Comparison of adjuvant and adjuvant‐free murine experimental asthma models
Authors: Conrad M. L. , Yildirim A. Ö. , Sonar S. S. , Kılıç A. , Sudowe S. , Lunow M. , Teich R. , Renz H. , Garn H. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryIntroduction
The most widely used protocol for the induction of experimental allergic airway inflammation in mice involves sensitization by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of the antigen ovalbumin (OVA) used in conjunction with the adjuvant aluminium hydroxide (alum). Although adjuvants are frequently used, there are questions regarding the necessity of alum for murine asthma studies due to the non‐physiological nature of this chemical.Objective
The objective of this study was to compare experimental asthma phenotypes between adjuvant and adjuvant‐free protocols of murine allergic airway inflammation in an attempt to develop a standardized alternative to adjuvant use.Method
An adjuvant‐free OVA model of experimental asthma was investigated in BALB/c mice using i.p. or subcutaneous (s.c.) sensitization routes. For the s.c. sensitization, β‐galactosidase (β‐gal) was also tested as an antigen. In addition, OVA adjuvant and adjuvant‐free sensitization protocols were compared in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. Open‐field testing was performed to assess the effect of alum on mouse behaviour.Results
Comparison of adjuvant vs. adjuvant‐free and i.p. vs. s.c. protocols revealed that both adjuvant use and route of antigen application significantly influenced OVA‐specific antibody production. Comparison of adjuvant and adjuvant‐free protocols in this study clearly demonstrated the non‐requirement of alum for the induction of acute allergic airway inflammation, as both protocols induce a similar disease phenotype. BALB/c mice were significantly more susceptible than C57BL/6 mice to sensitization. Using the improved s.c. adjuvant‐free protocol, it was demonstrated that alternative antigens such as β‐gal can also be utilized. Behavioural studies indicated severe distress in mice treated with alum.Conclusion
The OVA s.c. adjuvant‐free protocol used in this study generates a phenotype comparable to the benchmark adjuvant protocol widely used in the literature. The adjuvant‐free alternative avoids the added complication of non‐physiological adjuvants that may interfere with asthma treatment or prevention strategies.
A mouse model of lupin allergy
Authors: Vinje N. E. , Larsen S. , Løvik M. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryBackground
Lupin has been introduced as a new food ingredient in an increasing number of European countries, resulting in reports of allergic reactions mostly due to cross‐reactions in peanut‐allergic individuals. Some cases of primary lupin allergy have also been reported.Objective
The aim of our study was to develop a food allergy model of lupin in mice with anaphylaxis as the endpoint and further, to develop an approach to estimate the allergen dose inducing maximal sensitization using a statistical design requiring a limited number of animals.Methods
Mice were immunized by intragastric gavage using cholera toxin as an adjuvant. A two‐compartment response surface design with IgE as the main variable was used to estimate the maximal sensitizing dose of lupin in the model. This estimated dose was further used to evaluate the model. The mice were challenged with a high dose of lupin and signs of an anaphylactic reaction were observed. Antibody reactions (IgE and IgG2a), serum mast cell protease [mouse mast cell protease‐1 (MMCP‐1)] and ex vivo production of cytokines (IL‐4, IL‐5 and IFN‐γ) by spleen cells were measured. An immunoblot with regard to IgE binding was also performed.Results
The dose that elicited the maximal sensitization measured as IgE was 5.7 mg lupin protein per immunization. Mice that received this dose developed anaphylactic reactions upon challenge, IgE against several proteins in the lupin extract, and high levels of MMCP‐1, and showed a general shift towards a T‐helper type 2 response. Post‐challenge serum MMCP‐1 levels corresponded to the seriousness of the anaphylactic reactions.Conclusion
We have established a mouse model with clinical symptoms of lupin allergy, with an optimized dose of lupin protein. A statistical design that can be used to determine an optimal immunization dose with the use of a minimum of laboratory animals is described.
Land‐cover data improve bioclimatic models for anurans and turtles at a regional scale
Authors: Tingley R. , Herman T. B. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractAim We investigated whether accounting for land cover could improve bioclimatic models for eight species of anurans and three species of turtles at a regional scale. We then tested whether accounting for spatial autocorrelation could significantly improve bioclimatic models after statistically controlling for the effects of land cover.Location Nova Scotia, eastern Canada.Methods Species distribution data were taken from a recent (1999–2003) herpetofaunal atlas. Generalized linear models were used to relate the presence or absence of each species to climate and land‐cover variables at a 10‐km resolution. We then accounted for spatial autocorrelation using an autocovariate or third‐order trend surface of the geographical coordinates of each grid square. Finally, variance partitioning was used to explore the independent and joint contributions of climate, land cover and spatial autocorrelation.Results The inclusion of land cover significantly increased the explanatory power of bioclimatic models for 10 of the 11 species. Furthermore, including land cover significantly increased predictive performance for eight of the 11 species. Accounting for spatial autocorrelation improved model fit for rare species but generally did not improve prediction success. Variance partitioning demonstrated that this lack of improvement was a result of the high correlation between climate and trend‐surface variables.Main conclusions The results of this study suggest that accounting for the effects of land cover can significantly improve the explanatory and predictive power of bioclimatic models for anurans and turtles at a regional scale. We argue that the integration of climate and land‐cover data is likely to produce more accurate spatial predictions of contemporary herpetofaunal diversity. However, the use of land‐cover simulations in climate‐induced range‐shift projections introduces additional uncertainty into the predictions of bioclimatic models. Further research is therefore needed to determine whether accounting for the effects of land cover in range‐shift projections is merited.
Genetic, morphological, and feather isotope variation of migratory willow warblers show gradual divergence in a ring
Authors: BENSCH STAFFAN , GRAHN MATS , MÜLLER NILS , GAY LAURENE , ÅKESSON SUSANNE 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe circular distribution of the willow warblerPhylloscopus trochilusaround the Baltic Sea shares many features with the classic examples of ring species; however, the system is much younger. It has previously been shown that a secondary contact zone is located in central Scandinavia, where there are narrow clines for several morphological traits coincident with a migratory divide. Here we analyse multiple traits and genes from > 1700 males captured on breeding territories at 77 sites spread around the Baltic Sea to test the following hypothesis. If the secondary contact zone in Scandinavia is a result of divergence in two allopatric refuge populations during the last glaciation, we expect to find a similar secondary contact zone somewhere else around the circular distribution. Our results show that the trait clines were wider and displaced from each other along the eastern side of the Baltic Sea. Analyses of 12 microsatellite loci confirmed that the genome is very similar between the terminal forms (FST = 0). Two AFLP‐derived markers filtered out from a genomic scan instead appear to be maintained by selection. These markers exhibited steep clines at the secondary contact zone in Scandinavia, but as for the phenotypic traits, had vastly different cline centres east of the Baltic Sea. The trait clines along the ring distribution outside the Scandinavian secondary contact zone thus seem to have been shaped by independent action of selection or drift during the process of postglacial colonization.
Divergence population genetic analysis of hybridization between rhesus and cynomolgus macaques
Authors: STEVISON LAURIE S. , KOHN MICHAEL H. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe geographic ranges of rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus (M. fascicularis) macaques adjoin in Indochina where they appear to hybridize. We used published and newly generated DNA sequences from 19 loci spanning ~20 kb to test whether introgression has occurred between these macaque species. We studied introgression at the level of nuclear DNA and distinguished between incomplete lineage sorting of ancestral polymorphisms or interspecific gene flow. We implemented a divergence population genetics approach by fitting our data to an isolation model implemented in the software IMa. The model that posits no gene flow from the rhesus into the cynomolgus macaque was rejected (P = 1.99 × 10−8). Gene flow in this direction was estimated as 2Nm~1.2, while gene flow in the reverse direction was nonsignificantly different from zero (P = 0.16). The divergence time between species was estimated as ~1.3 million years. Balancing selection, a special case of incomplete sorting, was taken into consideration, as well as potential crossbreeding in captivity. Parameter estimates varied between analyses of subsets of data, although we still rejected isolation models. Geographic sampling of the data, where samples of cynomolgus macaques derived from Indochina were excluded, revealed a lost signature of gene flow, indicating that interspecific gene flow is restricted to mainland Indochina. Our results, in conjunction with those by others, justify future detailed analyses into the genetics of reproductive barriers and reticulate evolution in these two genome‐enabled primates. Future studies of the natural hybridization between rhesus and cynomolgus macaques would expand the repertoire of systems available for speciation studies in primates.
Identification of heterotic metabolite QTL in Arabidopsis thaliana RIL and IL populations
Authors: Lisec Jan , Steinfath Matthias , Meyer Rhonda C. , Selbig Joachim , Melchinger Albrecht E. , Willmitzer Lothar , Altmann Thomas 
Published: May 2009

SummaryTwo mapping populations of a cross between the Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Col‐0 and C24 were cultivated and analyzed with respect to the levels of 181 metabolites to elucidate the biological phenomenon of heterosis at the metabolic level. The relative mid‐parent heterosis in the F1 hybrids was <20% for most metabolic traits. The first mapping population consisting of 369 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and their test cross progeny with both parents allowed us to determine the position and effect of 147 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for metabolite absolute mid‐parent heterosis (aMPH). Furthermore, we identified 153 and 83 QTL for augmented additive (Z1) and dominance effects (Z2), respectively. We identified putative candidate genes for these QTL using the aracyc database (http://www.arabidopsis.org/biocyc), and calculated the average degree of dominance, which was within the dominance and over‐dominance range for most metabolites. Analyzing a second population of 41 introgression lines (ILs) and their test crosses with the recurrent parent, we identified 634 significant differences in metabolite levels. Nine per cent of these effects were classified as over‐dominant, according to the mode of inheritance. A comparison of both approaches suggested epistasis as a major contributor to metabolite heterosis in Arabidopsis. A linear combination of metabolite levels was shown to significantly correlate with biomass heterosis (r = 0.62).
Methodology and implications of knemometry in growth assessment of inhaled glucocorticoids
Authors: Wolthers O. D. 
Published: May 2009

Wolthers OD. Methodology and implications of knemometry in growth assessment of inhaled glucocorticoids.  Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: e190–e198. © 2009 The Author Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell MunksgaardWhen validated recommendations for standardization and measurement procedures are used short‐term assessment of lower leg growth by knemometry is a highly accurate and reproducible method for assessment of systemic activity of inhaled glucocorticoids. Crossover and parallel designs applying consistent measurement intervals can be used. Crossover designs with a single‐blind run in and washout and double‐blind active periods are as sensitive as designs using randomized placebo periods. In populations of children, short‐term knemometry appears to be capable of defining specific glucocorticoids, application devices and doses that do not suppress long‐term height growth. Although no specific cut‐off level can be identified in individuals from the available randomized, double‐blind short‐term knemometry and intermediate‐term height growth rate studies, good evidence have been provided that if the short‐term lower leg growth suppression in populations of children is higher than approximately 25%, the risk of intermediate‐term growth suppression becomes significant with a mean height growth rate retardation in the range of approximately 0.5–1.5 cm during the first year of treatment. Short‐term knemometry should be performed as an integral part of the safety assessments of new inhaled glucocorticoids and inhalation devices in children with asthma, before intermediate‐term height growth evaluations are initiated.
Optimization of mate selection based on genotypic information with overlapping generations
Authors: Nishio M. , Kahi A.K. , Hirooka H. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryThe objective of this study was to develop a method to optimize the selection and mating decisions based on genotypic information with overlapping generations by applying mate selection algorithm. In this study, differential evolution algorithm was used to optimize numbers of mating between genotypes and the optimal numbers of males and females selected from each genotype over planning horizon. This method assumed a single biallelic QTL (Q and q) and was applied to a simple situation in a herd of pigs as an example. Four dominance degrees of gene: recessive, additive, complete‐dominance and over‐dominance were considered. For all dominance degrees, the frequency of the favourable allele in males selected for replacement increased rapidly. In contrast, the frequency of favourable allele in females selected for replacement increased more gradually. The superiorities in cumulative discounted performance (CDP) when the initial allele frequency was 0.5 over a case when the frequency was 0.05 over the planning horizon were greatly affected by dominance degrees. The CDP superiorities ranged from 24% for an over‐dominant QTL to 91% for a recessive QTL.
A meta‐analysis of impacts of alien vs. native plants on pollinator visitation and reproductive success of co‐flowering native plants
Authors: Morales Carolina Laura , Traveset Anna 
Published: May 2009

AbstractAlien plant species can alter pollinator visitation and, in turn, the sexual reproduction of natives. Using a conventional and a phylogenetically controlled meta‐analytical approach on a data set of 40 studies, we evaluated the effect of alien neighbour plant species (aliens) on visitation to and reproduction of native co‐flowering focal species (focals), and compared such effect to that of native neighbours (natives). An overall significantly negative effect of aliens on visitation to and reproduction of focals was confirmed. Interestingly, aliens differed from natives in their effect on visitation, but not on reproductive success. The negative effect of aliens on visitation and reproductive success increased at high relative alien plant abundance, but this increase was proportionally lower than the increase in relative plant abundance. Likewise, effect of aliens on visitation and reproductive success was most detrimental when alien and focal species had similar flower symmetry or colour. The phylogenetic relatedness between alien neighbours and focals influenced the reproductive success effect size. Results of the phylogenetic meta‐analysis were only partly consistent with those of the conventional meta‐analysis, depending on the response variable and on whether we controlled for the phylogeny of neighbour or focal species, which calls for special attention to control for species relatedness in this type of review. This study demonstrates the predominant detrimental impact of alien plants on pollination and reproduction of natives, and highlights the importance of phenotypic similarity to the outcome of the interaction.
Radiofrequency ablation of small renal cortical tumours in healthy adults: renal function preservation and intermediate oncological outcome
Authors: Stern Joshua M. , Gupta Amit , Raman Jay D. , Cost Nicholas , Lucas Steven , Lotan Yair , Raj Ganesh V. , Cadeddu Jeffrey A. 
Published: May 2009

OBJECTIVESTo present the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and oncological outcomes in a series of patients with cT1a renal cortical tumours treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a non‐ischaemic minimally invasive ablative method, as nephron‐sparing surgery gives excellent oncological outcomes and preserves renal function.PATIENTS AND METHODSHealthy (American Society of Anesthesiologists, ASA, I and II) patients with cT1a renal masses were identified, and clinical and radiographic data were reviewed to assess indications, complications, radiological evidence of disease recurrence, and renal function. Changes in GFR were calculated. Radiological recurrence was defined as any new enhancement (>10 Hounsfield units) after absence of enhancement on initial 6‐week computed tomography.RESULTSFour patients were ASA I and 59 were ASA II; the median (range) age was 58 (20–84.6) years and the lesion diameter 2.1 (1–4.0) cm. Preoperative needle biopsy was diagnostic in 89% of patients, including 75% diagnostic of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). At a median (range) follow‐up of 34 (1.0–80) months the renal preservation rate was 97%. One patient had a nephrectomy for biopsy‐confirmed recurrence of RCC at 55 months; a second had a nephrectomy at 24 months for suspected radiographic recurrence, but had no evidence of disease on final pathology. A fifth (20%) of the patients had chronic kidney disease at the time of diagnosis. The median GFR before and after RFA was 76.3 and 74.3 mL/min/m2 (difference 2.0 mL/min/m2).CONCLUSIONRFA might be a reasonable treatment choice for the healthy patient, with appropriate informed consent. Intermediate results suggest excellent oncological outcomes and preservation of renal function.
Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency among patients with prostate cancer
Authors: Trump Donald L. , Chadha Manpreet K. , Sunga Annette Y. , Fakih Marwan G. , Ashraf Umeer , Silliman Carrie G. , Hollis Bruce W. , Nesline Mary K. , Tian Lili , Tan Wei , Johnson Candace S. 
Published: May 2009

OBJECTIVETo assess the frequency of vitamin D deficiency among men with prostate cancer, as considerable epidemiological, in vitro, in vivo and clinical data support an association between vitamin D deficiency and prostate cancer outcome.PATIENTS, SUBJECTS AND METHODSThe study included 120 ambulatory men with recurrent prostate cancer and 50 with clinically localized prostate cancer who were evaluated and serum samples assayed for 25‐OH vitamin D levels. Then 100 controls (both sexes), matched for age and season of serum sample, were chosen from a prospective serum banking protocol. The relationship between age, body mass index, disease stage, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, season and previous therapy on vitamin D status were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses.RESULTSThe mean 25‐OH vitamin D level was 25.9 ng/mL in those with recurrent disease, 27.5 ng/mL in men with clinically localized prostate cancer and 24.5 ng/mL in controls. The frequency of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) and insufficiency (20–31 ng/mL) was 40% and 32% in men with recurrent prostate; 28% had vitamin D levels that were normal (32–100 ng/mL). Among men with localized prostate cancer, 18% were deficient, 50% were insufficient and 32% were normal. Among controls, 31% were deficient, 40% were insufficient and 29% were normal. Metastatic disease (P = 0.005) and season of blood sampling (winter/spring; P = 0.01) were associated with vitamin D deficiency in patients with prostate cancer, while age, race, performance status and body mass index were not.CONCLUSIONSVitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were common among men with prostate cancer and apparently normal controls in the western New York region.