bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predation by domestic cats in rural areas of central Poland: an assessment based on two methods
Authors: Krauze‐Gryz D. , Gryz J. , Goszczyński J. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractStudies of cat trophic behaviour can be based on collections of the prey brought home or the prey eaten by cats (i.e. analyses of scat/gut contents). Both methods involve biases with respect to palatability, prey size and assessment of hunting rates. Furthermore, these methods are often used on different groups of cats (i.e. house‐based vs. feral), thus results are difficult to compare. In the present study, cats from the same area (rural areas in central Poland) were studied by both methods: prey brought home and prey eaten (scat and gut analyses). Both methods identified mammals as the most frequent prey (followed by birds). However, differences occurred in the percentages of the four main vertebrate groups brought home versus eaten by cats: reptiles tended to be brought home, whereas amphibians tended to be eaten. No such difference was found for birds and mammals. Second, the relative proportions of presumably more palatable and presumably less palatable prey differed. The relative proportions of mice and voles (the latter eaten more frequently) and the relative proportions of soricomorphs and rodents (the latter eaten more frequently) were different. Finally, small prey items (i.e. invertebrates) were recorded incompletely for the brought‐home method. Overall, the prey‐brought‐home method underrepresented small prey and underestimated the predation rate for cats, whereas the prey‐eaten method was less likely to record unpalatable prey. We thus recommend to combine these two methods to obtain fuller and truer assessment of cat predation.
Cranial size and shape variation in mainland and island populations of the quokka
Authors: Dawson R. , Milne N. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe disjunct distribution of the quokka enabled this study to investigate cranial morphological variation in relation to insularity and latitude. Crania from mainland locations in south‐westernAustralia and from two islands were examined. Thirty‐eight three‐dimensional homologous landmarks were digitized on 110 quokka crania. The landmark data were first subjected to generalizedProcrustes Analysis, followed by principal components analysis. General linear regression was used to test whether quokka cranial size obeys the Island rule andBergmann's rule. Crania from the islands were found to be smaller than crania from the adjacent mainland. Crania of quokkas from cooler climates (higher latitudes) were larger than those from warmer climates (lower latitudes), and this trend was observed in both mainland and island samples. Multivariate regression of the combined principal components on the independent variable, latitude, showed shape of the snout of quokkas from cooler southern climates tended to be relatively longer and narrower than those from further north. General linear regressions was also used to ensure that latitude was significantly influencing shape (principal components) independent of age, sex and whether the crania were from the mainland or island populations. Results showed that 40.2% of cranial shape variation was significantly related to latitude, irrespective of age, sex and population type. The variation in size and shape of the quokka crania appears to reflect the eco‐geographic variation within the distribution of the species.
Essential oils from medicinal and aromatic plants: a review of the gastroprotective and ulcer‐healing activities
Authors: Rozza Ariane Leite , Pellizzon Cláudia Helena 
Published: July 2012

AbstractGastric ulcer is an excoriated area of the gastric mucosa. It is among the predominant gastrointestinal chronic diseases. The essential oils represent an important part of the traditional pharmacopoeia in many countries and have been successfully used for gastroprotection and ulcer healing. Thus, this review presents the experimental activity of essential oils traditionally used in the gastric ulcer prevention and treatment, considering their families, part of the plant studied, bioassays, and their mechanisms of gastroprotection and ulcer healing, with the aim of stimulating novel studies in the search for a new phytomedicine to treat gastric diseases.
Involvement of monoaminergic system in the antidepressant‐like effect of riparin I from Aniba riparia (Nees) Mez (Lauraceae) in mice
Authors: de Sousa Francisca Cléa Florenço , Oliveira Iris Cristina Maia , Silva Maria Izabel Gomes , de Melo Carla Thiciane Vasconcelos , Santiago Vívian Romero , de Castro Chaves Raquell , Fernandes Mariana Lima , Gutierrez Stanley Juan Chaves , Vasconcelos Silvânia Maria Mendes , Macêdo Danielle Silveira , Filho José Maria Barbosa 
Published: July 2012

AbstractIn past studies conducted by our group, riparin I (rip I) isolated from the green fruit of Aniba riparia presented antianxiety effects in mice, while its analogs rip II and III showed anxiolytic and antidepressant‐like actions. This time around, we investigated a possible antidepressant activity of rip I using the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) as predictive tests for antidepressant activity in rodents. In addition, the involvement of the monoaminergic system in this effect was also assessed. rip I was acutely administered by intraperitoneal (i.p.) and oral (p.o) routes to male mice at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg. Results showed that rip I at both tested doses and administration routes produced a significant decrease in immobility time in FST and TST. The pretreatment of mice with prazosin (1 mg/kg, i.p., an α1‐adrenoceptor antagonist), yohimbine (1 mg/kg, i.p., an α2‐adrenoceptor antagonist), SCH23390 (15 μg/kg, i.p., a dopamine D1 receptor antagonist), sulpiride (50 mg/kg, i.p., a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist), p‐chlorophenylalanine (100 mg/kg, an inhibitor of serotonin synthesis) or ritanserin (4 mg/kg, a serotonin 5‐HT2a/2c receptor antagonist) blocked the anti‐immobility effects elicited by rip I (50 mg/kg, p.o.) in the FST. Taken together, results indicate that rip I produces significant antidepressant‐like activity in the FST and TST, and this effect seems to be dependent on its interaction with noradrenergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic systems.
Isobolographic analysis of interaction between nisoxetine‐ and mepivacaine‐induced spinal blockades in rats
Authors: Leung Yuk‐Man , Chu Chin‐Chen , Kuo Chang‐Shin , Chen Yu‐Wen , Hung Ching‐Hsia , Wang Jhi‐Joung 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAlthough nisoxetine has been shown to elicit cutaneous (peripheral) anesthesia, spinal (central) anesthesia with nisoxetine was not exposed. The aim of this study was to examine spinal anesthesia of nisoxetine and its influence on the antinociceptive action of mepivacaine. We compared nisoxetine with an established local anesthetic mepivacaine for spinal anesthesia after rats were intrathecally injected with drugs. The drugs were spinally administered alone as well as in combination, and their potencies were compared via dose–response curves and isobolographic analysis. We showed that nisoxetine, as well as mepivacaine elicited spinal anesthesia in dose‐dependent manners. On a 50% effective dose (ED50) basis, the spinal block effect of nisoxetine in motor function, proprioception, and nociception [0.99 (0.91–1.10), 0.85 (0.76–0.95), 0.82 (0.74–0.89)] was more potent (P < 0.05) than that of mepivacaine [1.28 (1.21–1.34), 1.14 (1.07–1.22), 0.99 (0.93–1.05)], respectively. Furthermore, the nociceptive/sensory blockade (ED50) was greater than the motor blockade in both nisoxetine and mepivacaine groups (P < 0.05). Saline group (vehicle) produced no spinal anesthesia. Coadministration of nisoxetine with mepivacaine displayed an additive effect. Our data reported nisoxetine produced significant anesthesia at spinal level, and additive interaction with the local anesthetic, mepivacaine. Intrathecal nisoxetine elicited more potent spinal anesthesia than mepivacaine.
[Dmt1]N/OFQ(1–13)‐NH2: a potent nociceptin/orphanin FQ and opioid receptor universal agonist
Authors: Molinari S , Camarda V , Rizzi A , Marzola G , Salvadori S , Marzola E , Molinari P , McDonald J , Ko MC , Lambert DG , Calo' G , Guerrini R 
Published: July 2012

Background and PurposeIntrathecally (i.t.) administered nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) evokes antinociceptive effects in rodents. Recent studies in monkeys demonstrated that i.t. co‐application of N/OFQ and morphine elicits synergistic antinociceptive actions suggesting mixed N/OFQ peptide (NOP) and μ opioid receptor agonists as innovative spinal analgesics. Thus, novel N/OFQ related peptides were synthesized in order to identify and pharmacologically characterize a mixed NOP/ μ opioid receptor agonist.Experimental ApproachThe following in vitro assays were used: calcium mobilization in cells expressing the human NOP or classical opioid receptors and chimeric G proteins, receptor and [35S]‐GTPγS binding, [35S]‐GTPγS binding in rat spinal cord membranes, guinea pig ileum bioassay. In vivo experiments were performed in monkeys using the tail withdrawal assay.Key ResultsFrom calcium mobilization studies [Dmt1]N/OFQ(1–13)‐NH2 was selected as the most potent and least selective compound. The mixed NOP/opioid full agonist activity and high affinity of [Dmt1]N/OFQ(1–13)‐NH2 was confirmed at human recombinant receptors in receptor binding, calcium mobilization and/or [35S]‐GTPγS binding studies, at rat spinal cord receptors in [35S]‐GTPγS binding experiments, and at guinea pig receptors inhibiting neurogenic contractions in the ileum. In vivo in the tail withdrawal assay in monkeys i.t. [Dmt1]N/OFQ(1–13)‐NH2 was able to elicit robust and long‐lasting antinociceptive effects.Conclusions and ImplicationsCollectively, these results demonstrate that [Dmt1]N/OFQ(1–13)‐NH2 behaves as NOP/opioid receptor universal agonist and substantiate the suggestion that such mixed ligands are worthy of development as innovative spinal analgesics.
Massive Intravascular Hemolysis with Mechanical Rheolytic Thrombectomy of a Hemodialysis Arteriovenous Fistula
Authors: Carrera Louis A. , Reddy Rachita , Pamoukian Vicken N. , Michelis Michael F. , DeVita Maria V. , Rosenstock Jordan 
Published: July 2012

AbstractA 57‐year‐old man with chronic kidney disease stage 5 presented for ambulatory evaluation of his arteriovenous fistula. He underwent rheolytic thrombectomy with tissue plasminogen activator infusion, angioplasty, and brachial artery stenting under local sedation. His immediate postoperative course was complicated by hypotension, cardiac dysrhythmias and hyperkalemia requiring emergent hemodialysis, due to severe intravascular hemolysis. This case illustrates that mechanical thrombectomy can cause clinically significant intravascular hemolysis, thus careful postoperative monitoring is recommended.
Political Astuteness of Baccalaureate Nursing Students Following an Active Learning Experience in Health Policy
Authors: Byrd Mary E. , Costello Joanne , Gremel Kathleen , Schwager Jeanne , Blanchette Lynn , Malloy Thomas E. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjectivesTo describe changes in political astuteness after baccalaureate nursing student participation in a series of public policy learning activities.Design and SampleThis one‐group pretest/posttest design included 300 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in the public/community health nursing course. Data collection occurred each semester beginning spring 2008 and ending summer 2011.MeasuresThe Political Astuteness Inventory (PAI) was used to compare levels of political astuteness and to identify conceptual factors contributing to political involvement prior to and at the completion of the public policy learning activities.InterventionThe public policy learning activities were a central clinical component of the senior level public/community health nursing course. These activities included information sessions at the State Department of Health and State House, a legislative assignment, and a public policy group project.ResultsAfter participating in the public policy learning activities, students' political astuteness mean scores significantly increased (p = .000). Participation in professional organizations and knowledge of the legislative and policy processes significantly predicted posttest political involvement (p = .000).ConclusionThe PAI was a useful outcome measure for the public policy activities. Active learning experiences in public policy can increase the knowledge and skills that future nurses need to influence public policy.
Association of Liver Stiffness with Hepatic Expression of Pharmacokinetically Important Genes in Alcoholic Liver Disease
Authors: Theile Dirk , Haefeli Walter Emil , Seitz Helmut Karl , Millonig Gunda , Weiss Johanna , Mueller Sebastian 
Published: July 2012

BackgroundEnhanced drug elimination in alcoholics remains largely indefinable. In contrast, the reduced elimination of drugs in patients with advanced alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is normally owing to hepatic end‐stage disease such as cirrhosis. We here study the mRNA expression of various hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters in association with liver stiffness (LS) being a novel noninvasive parameter for the assessment of cirrhosis to unravel the dynamic relationship between ALD and determinants of pharmacokinetics such as drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters.MethodsWe quantified mRNA expression levels of various cytochrome P‐450 isoenzymes (CYPs) and drug transporters in 26 liver specimens of chronic alcoholics and 5 controls by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, liver histology, clinical data, and LS evaluated by transient elastography (Fibroscan) were obtained.ResultsEighteen patients had a normal or moderate LS < 8 kPa (69.2%), while in the remaining 8 patients (30.7%) advanced F3 or F4 fibrosis could be established with an LS > 8 kPa. Overall, CYP3A4, CYP2E1, and solute carrier organic anion transporter 1B1 (SLCO1B1) were negatively correlated with increasing LS. CYPs and drug transporters tended to be up‐regulated in alcoholics without advanced fibrosis (LS < 8.0 kPa) compared to healthy controls supporting data of boosted drug elimination in alcoholics without advanced ALD. However, in alcoholics with severely increased LS (>8 kPa), expression levels of CYP2E1, SLC22A2, and SLCO1B1 were significantly lower.ConclusionsIn conclusion, CYPs and drug transporters seem to be induced in chronic alcoholics without irreversible liver damage but decline in case of manifest cirrhosis. Our study also suggests that noninvasive measurements of LS could be useful for pharmacokinetic predictions and individualized pharmacotherapy.
Understanding Men's Aggression in Bars: Development of the Beliefs and Attitudes toward Male Alcohol‐Related Aggression (BAMARA) Inventory
Authors: Wells Samantha , Tremblay Paul F. , Graham Kathryn 
Published: July 2012

BackgroundWhile several qualitative studies suggest that beliefs and attitudes are important in explaining men's alcohol‐related aggression, no quantitative instrument measuring men's beliefs and attitudes about male alcohol‐related aggression has been developed. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a theoretically based multidimensional inventory measuring Beliefs and Attitudes toward Male Alcohol‐Related Aggression (BAMARA) consisting of 9 dimensions: (i) expected negative consequences; (ii) expected positive consequences; (iii) personal approval; (iv) perceived male peer approval; (v) perceived female peer approval; (vi) perceived normality; (vii) relaxed norms when drinking; (viii) alcohol as an excuse; and (ix) male honor/protection of masculinity.MethodsA random sample of 1,343 young adult male college and university students participated in an online survey. Item analyses using confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) and item‐response theory (IRT) procedures were conducted to select a refined pool of items promoting high internal consistency and discriminant validity of the 9 scales. We evaluated the criterion validity of the 9 scales, the BAMARA total score (BAMARA‐Total), and a short form of the inventory (BAMARA‐SF) in terms of their association with experiences of barroom aggression and other theoretically linked constructs.ResultsCFA and IRT analyses resulted in a 53‐item inventory consisting of the 9 scales with adequate model fit and good internal consistency indices. Criterion validity was demonstrated, with the BAMARA scales correlating well with reports of actual experiences of aggression in bars. BAMARA‐Total and BAMARA‐SF were found to be significantly associated with barroom aggression controlling for a number of important control variables.ConclusionsThis new instrument is expected to have many important applications in the male aggression literature, with the full BAMARA being employed for the assessment of specific beliefs and attitudes and the BAMARA‐SF used as a general attitudinal measure.
Pedometer‐Determined Physical Activity and Body Composition in Chinese Working Adults
Authors: Lam Simon C. , Lee Linda Y. K. , Wong S. L. , Wong Alisa K. P. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractPurpose: Overweight and obesity are prevalent public health problems in many developed and developing regions. Despite extensive documentation on the health benefits of physical activities, little is known about the level of physical activity in the Hong Kong Chinese population. Working adults, in particular, deserve primary attention because they account for the largest proportion of Hong Kong society. The purposes of this study were to investigate pedometer‐determined physical activity and examine the associations between physical activity and body composition variables among Chinese working adults in Hong Kong.Design: This study adopted a descriptive cross‐sectional design.Methods: A quota sample of 913 working adults from nine major occupational categories was recruited. Demographic characteristics and body composition parameters (weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences) were assessed. Body mass index and waist‐to‐hip ratio were then calculated. Physical activity was measured in terms of daily walking steps using a pedometer over 1 week. Participants were then categorized as “inactive,”“somewhat active,” or “regularly active.” Descriptive and inferential statistics (analysis of variance, t test, and χ2 test) were used appropriately.Findings: Of the 913 participants, 893 returned complete step count records. The completion rate was 97.8%. Participants on average walked 8,661 steps per day, suggesting a “somewhat active” populace. Significant differences were found between the group “regularly active” and “inactive” in most of the body composition parameters. However, a significant weak correlation was found between physical activity and body mass index (r= 0.12, p= .001). Such findings deserve further investigation.Conclusions: The Chinese working adults in Hong Kong were found to be somewhat active in physical activity.Clinical Relevance: Findings pose implications for healthcare professionals who are responsible for health promotion in the Asian community setting. Leisure‐type physical activity, such as walking, can be incorporated into daily routines.
Exchange Rising? Karl Polanyi and Contentious Politics in Contemporary Latin America
Authors: Silva Eduardo 
Published: July 2012

AbstractFree-market reforms in the last quarter of the twentieth century weakened the point of production—labor unions—asthesource of effective nonparty political countermovement to liberal capitalism. Has another significant source of societal resistance arisen in association with the resurgence of market economics? Building on the work of Karl Polanyi, this article argues that circuits of exchange—the commodification of labor, land, and money—can be powerful sources of movement against contemporary forms of free-market capitalism. It draws on the cases of Argentina, Bolivia, and Ecuador to explore how Polanyi's exchange-based approach helps to elucidate three phenomena: the great variety of identities behind the myriad movements against free-market capitalism, the emergence of community as a powerful locus for organizing, and the proliferation of new forms of transgressive and highly disruptive direct action to reinforce the debilitated effectiveness of the strike.
Death Following Injection Sclerotherapy Due to Phenol Toxicity
Authors: Philip Abraham T. , Marraffa Jeanna M. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractProlapse rectum (PR) or protrusion of the rectum beyond the anus occurs frequently in populations at both extremes of age. In the pediatric population, in developed countries, the commonest cause for PR is thought to be cystic fibrosis (CF). Treatment options for CF include conservative management, surgical resection and fixation, suturing, and injection sclerotherapy (IS). The last is considered an attractive treatment option because it is minimally invasive. In this case report, the authors present the details about a 2‐year‐old female child, with PR and CF, who died after IS, using phenol as the sclerotherapeutic agent. Autopsy findings and toxicology tests performed to establish phenol toxicity are documented. The available literature is reviewed. This case report underscores the risks of using phenol for IS and emphasizes the point that the procedure is not innocuous and an adverse outcome including fatality is a possibility.
The clinical antidepressant effect of exogenous agmatine is not reversed by parachlorophenylalanine: a pilot study
Authors: Shopsin Baron 
Published: July 2012

ObjectivesTo examine and record the clinical antidepressant effect of exogenous agmatine, an amino acid derived central glutamaergic modulator in endogenously depressed subjects. It was also the author's intention to examine the effects of parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA) in therapeutic responders to determine if serotonergic mechanisms mediate agmatine's antidepressant effect.MethodologyExogenous agmatine was ingested in doses of 2‐3mg/day by depressed subjects with Major Depresssive Disorder (MDD), clinically assessed using the 21 item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM‐D), the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Antidepressant responders volunteered to concommittantly ingest parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA) at starting doses of 250mg/day, and increased until depressive relapse, mitigating side effects, or a maximum dosage of 1250mg/day.ResultsThree depressed subjects showing total illness remission with exogenous agmatine did not relapse after concomitantly adding PCPA. Effective in relieving both psychomotor agitation and retardation, the antidepressant effect was free of physical or behavioural side effects: gastrointestinal discomfort and loose stools in one subject resolved spontaneously within days. All three subjects refused to risk depressive relapse by temporarily stopping agmatine after PCPA was stopped.ConclusionThe antidepressant effect of exogenous agmatine was documented in a small number of MDD subjects, and was not reversed/modified by PCPA confirming findings in animals that therapeutic response is not mediated by serotonergic mechanisms. A NAMDA (N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate) receptor antagonist, agmatine's recognized function in brain as inhibitory modulator of excitatory glutamatergic transmission suggests a pivotal role for brain glutamate, contributing to the ripening glutamatergic basis of depression, and a rational basis for future antidepressant pharmacotherapy.