bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diet and exercise in the prevention of diabetes
Authors: Walker K. Z. , O’Dea K. , Gomez M. , Girgis S. , Colagiuri R. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackground:  Individuals with impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance are at high risk of progression to type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle modification through change to diet and exercise habit has considerable potential to prevent or delay the onset of this disease.Methods:  A systematic literature search was undertaken of Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane library and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature for journal articles relevant to the question of whether type 2 diabetes can be prevented by lifestyle change.Results:  Four cohort studies in a total of 4864 high risk individuals followed for a period of 2.5–6 years were identified. These showed that lifestyle change may reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 28–59%. Moreover, follow‐up studies also indicate that diabetes incidence rates continue to be depressed many years after the discontinuation of a lifestyle intervention. Evidence from a meta‐analysis confirms this evidence and suggests that it would be necessary to treat 6.4 (95% confidence interval 5.0–8.4) individuals to prevent or delay one case of diabetes through lifestyle intervention. An examination of weight loss diets (low fat, high protein or Mediterranean) suggests each may be effective but each has limitations requiring care in food selection. Evidence also suggests that the maintenance of weight loss also requires regular exercise with an additional expenditure of approximately 8.4 MJ week−1 (2000 kcal week−1).Conclusions:  Diabetes can be prevented by lifestyle change. The challenge is to develop public health approaches to support individuals with respect to incorporating the lifestyle changes needed to reduce the risk of diabetes into their everyday life.
Pharmacokinetics of an orally administered methylcellulose formulation of gallium maltolate in neonatal foals
Authors: CHAFFIN M. K. , FAJT V. , MARTENS R. J. , ARNOLD C. E. , COHEN N. D. , O’CONOR M. , TAYLOR R. J. , BERNSTEIN L. R. 
Published: March 2010

Chaffin, M. K., Fajt, V., Martens, R. J., Arnold, C. E., Cohen, N. D., O’Conor, M., Taylor, R. J., Bernstein, L. R. Pharmacokinetics of an orally administered methylcellulose formulation of gallium maltolate in neonatal foals.J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. doi: 10.1111/j.1365‐2885.2009.01150.x.Gallium is a trivalent semi‐metal with anti‐microbial effects because of its incorporation into crucial iron‐dependent reproductive enzyme systems. Gallium maltolate (GaM) provides significant gallium bioavailability to people and mice following oral administration and to neonatal foals following intragastric administration. To study the prophylactic and therapeutic effects of GaM againstRhodococcus equipneumonia in foals, we developed a methylcellulose formulation of GaM (GaM‐MCF) for oral administration to neonatal foals. Normal neonatal foals were studied. Six foals received 20 mg/kg and another six foals received 40 mg/kg of GaM‐MCF orally. Serial serum samples were collected and serum gallium concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. Gallium was rapidly absorbed (Tmaxof 4 h), and a meanCmaxof 0.90 or 1.8 μg/mL was achieved in foals receiving 20 or 40 mg/kg respectively. Marked variability existed inCmaxamong foals: only half of the foals receiving 20 mg/kg attained serum concentrations of >0.7 μg/mL, a level suggested to be therapeutic againstR. equiby previous studies. Mean elimination half‐life was 32.8 or 32.4 h for foals receiving 20 or 40 mg/kg respectively. The results of this study suggest that at least 30 mg/kg orally every 24 h should be considered in future pharmacodynamic and efficacy studies.
Modelling the effect of light intensity and duration of exposure on seed germination of Phalaris minor and Poa annua
Authors: OHADI S , RAHIMIAN MASHHADI H , TAVAKKOL‐AFSHARI R , BEHESHTIAN MESGARAN M 
Published: March 2010

Ohadi S, Rahimian Mashhadi H, Tavakkol‐Afshari R & Beheshtian Mesgaran M (2010). Modelling the effect of light intensity and duration of exposure on seed germination of Phalaris minor and Poa annua. Weed Research50, 209–217.SummaryPhotocontrol of weeds requires a better understanding of the effect of light on seed germination. Therefore, the effect of light intensity and exposure duration was tested on seed germination of two winter annual weeds, Phalaris minor and Poa annua. Photo‐sensitised seeds of both species were subjected to four light intensities, including 130, 250, 500 and 1000 μmol m−2 s−1, each at six exposure durations of 0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1000 and 10 000 s. Light stimulated the germination of both weeds. A modelling approach was used to describe the relationship between light intensity and exposure duration with the germination of weed seeds. A combination of logistic and Gaussian models provided good fits to P. minor percentage germination data, whereas in the case of P. annua, the incorporation of logistic and quadratic models better described the relationships. According to the model, increasing light intensity from 0 (full darkness) to 1000 μmol m−2 s−1 increased the germination of P. minor and P. annua from 28% to 57% and from 0% to 35% respectively. The seed germination of both weed species increased with exposure duration, but declined at duration periods longer than 100 s in P. minor or 1000 s in P. annua. The model predicted a trade‐off between light intensity and light duration for both weeds. That is, a high light intensity irradiated for a short time exposure may result in the same percentage germination as one with a low light intensity, but at longer exposure duration.
Outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplant in children with congenital heart disease*
Authors: Guinan Eva C. , Hewett Elizabeth K. , Domaney Nicholas M. , Margossian Renee 
Published: March 2010

Guinan EC, Hewett EK, Domaney NM, Margossian R. Outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplant in children with congenital heart disease. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15:75–80. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  CHD is the most commonly occurring birth defect in the United States. Improvements in supportive care for CHD result in increasing numbers of survivors who may develop benign or malignant conditions for which HSCT is indicated. However, the ability of individuals with CHD to tolerate HSCT is unknown. Retrospective medical record review of 1031 patients who underwent HSCT at Children’s Hospital Boston between 1989 and 2007 identified those with CHD. Ten patients with CHD that required repair or palliation before or after HSCT, or with CHD that would have required repair had they survived HSCT, were identified. These patients tolerated chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy uneventfully. Although half experienced febrile neutropenia and two had documented bacteremia, no endocarditis was observed. During the first 100 days post‐HSCT, combined rates of grade 3, 4, and 5 cardiac, renal, and pulmonary toxicity for these patients were 10%, 0%, and 10%, respectively. In children with underlying CHD, there was no clinical evidence of impaired ability to tolerate febrile neutropenia, volume challenge, or other regimen‐related toxicities that might require significant cardiac reserve. CHD alone should not be considered an absolute contraindication for indicated HSCT.
Hamsters Use Predator Odors as Indirect Cues of Predation Risk
Authors: McPhee M. Elsbeth , Segal Andrea , Johnston Robert E. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractGolden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) use olfactory cues to assess traits of conspecifics such as kinship, individual identity, and reproductive status. The environment, however, is full of a wide variety of other olfactory information such as signals emitted by some of the hamster’s primary predators. Given this, we hypothesized that hamsters use odors from predators as an indirect sign of increased predation risk in the environment. In addition, based on data that show that wild hamsters are diurnal while laboratory hamsters are nocturnal, we hypothesized that if golden hamsters did respond to the predator odors, perceived predator risk might influence daily activity patterns in hamsters. We tested male and female hamsters over 5 d with scent gland secretion from domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) and compared their behavior to that observed when they were exposed to a clean arena. In response to the predator odor, subjects significantly decreased the amount of time active outside of their burrow, returned to their burrow more quickly, and spent less time near the predator odor than the clean control stimulus. These results strongly support our hypothesis that hamsters, like other species of small mammals, avoid predator odors. The results did not, however, support our second hypothesis that exposure to predator odors during the dark phase of the light cycle would elicit a switch to a more diurnal pattern of activity. More work is needed to understand how environmental cues and internal mechanisms interact to shape activity patterns.
Female Control of Offspring Sex Ratios Based on Male Attractiveness in the Guppy
Authors: Sato Aya , Karino Kenji 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe sex allocation hypothesis predicts that females manipulate the offspring sex ratios according to mate attractiveness. Although there is increasing evidence to support this prediction, it is possible that paternal effects may often obscure the relationship between female control of offspring sex ratios and male attractiveness. In the present study, we examined whether females played a primary role in the manipulation their offspring sex ratios based on male attractiveness, in the guppy Poecilia reticulata, a live‐bearing fish. We excluded the paternal effects by controlling the relative sexual attractiveness of the male by presenting them to the females along with a more attractive or less attractive stimulus male. The test male was perceived to be relatively more attractive by females when it was presented along with a less attractive stimulus male, or vice versa. Subsequently, test male was mated in two different roles (relatively more and less attractive) with two females. If females were responsible for offspring sex ratio manipulation, the sex ratio of the brood would be altered on the basis of the relative attractiveness of the test male. On the other hand, if males play a primary role in offspring sex ratio manipulation, the sex ratios would not differ with the relative attractiveness of the test male. We found that females gave birth to more male‐biased broods when they mated with test males in the attractive role than when they mated with males in the less attractive role. This finding suggests that females are responsible for the manipulation of offspring sex ratios based on the attractiveness of their mates.
Home Range Analysis in the Study of Spatial Organization on the Comb in the Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus
Authors: Baracchi David , Zaccaroni Marco , Cervo Rita , Turillazzi Stefano 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIn order to understand how the apparent freedom of individual movements can concur with social order in a colony, we investigated spatial relationships between foundresses, workers and immature brood in a paper wasp. This is the first time an ecological analytical approach (home range analysis) has been employed to describe small scale spatial use in a social context. In this study, home range was not used in its strictly ecological sense, but rather applied to the comb. Our results show that the positions individual wasps assumed on Polistes dominulus combs are spatially structured. Workers and foundresses do not occupy the comb in random distribution, but rather follow predictable spatial patterns. Each active wasp has its own spatial fidelity area, at least over a 1 d observation period, spending the majority of its time within a very small area averaging approx. 12% of the comb but occasionally it may cover an area of up to 50% of the comb surface. Dominant females occupied a significantly smaller area that either subordinate foundresses or workers. Areas patrolled by workers varied in shape and size, with no relation to time spent on the comb, wasp density or position of immature brood. All the wasps clumped around the dominant female, who proved to be the only individual affected by cell content. Nevertheless, although the wasps tended to clump together, average superimposition rates among nest‐mates was very low (higher in workers than foundresses), suggesting that the wasps limit each other’s individual spaces.
Comparison of the gene expression profiles of resistant and non‐resistant Japanese black pine inoculated with pine wood nematode using a modified LongSAGE technique
Authors: Nose M. , Shiraishi S. 
Published: March 2010

SummaryThe Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) is highly susceptible to pine wilt disease caused by the pine wood nematode (PWN; Bursaphelenchus xylophilus). To cope with this disease, researchers and tree breeders selected PWN‐resistant individuals in a previous breeding program. In an attempt to understand the mechanisms of resistance in the Japanese black pine, we created four LongSAGE (serial analysis of gene expression) libraries. A total of 20 818 tags were studied, including 5194 tags from a PWN inoculated resistant pine, 5218 a non‐inoculated resistant pine, 5194 an inoculated non‐resistant pine, and 5212 a non‐inoculated non‐resistant pine. The analysis of the libraries indicated that 14 tag species were significantly up‐regulated (e.g., pathogenesis‐related proteins 2 and 4, osmotin, lipoxygenase, and chalcone synthase), and nine were down‐regulated (eukaryotic translation initiation factor SUI1, translationally controlled tumor protein, and xyloglucan endotransglycosylase) by the PWN inoculation in both the resistant and non‐resistant pines. On the other hand, 38 tag species were significantly expressed at a higher level only in the resistant pine (catalase, dienelactone hydrolase family protein) and 25 were expressed at a higher level in the non‐resistant pine (pathogenesis‐related proteins 1, 2, and 3, and leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase). These differentially expressed genes are presumed to reflect some of the differences between the resistant and non‐resistant pines. Our results provide valuable information on the complex responses induced in the resistant and non‐resistant pine trees in response to PWN invasion.
A Universal Index of Uterine Discharge Symptoms from Calving to 6 Weeks Postpartum
Authors: Gorzecka J , Friggens NC , Ridder C , Callesen H 
Published: March 2010

ContentsIn this paper, a new uterine discharge index (D‐index) was created and tested. It was based on a principal component analysis (PCA) of clinical findings of classical uterine discharge symptoms and rectal temperature during the postpartum period of dairy cattle. The PCA analysis revealed how uterine discharge features relate to each other and how they cluster together possibly representing different degrees of uterine inflammation. The D‐index was the result of the multivariate PCA‐analysis, and the D‐index gives a continuous value between 0 and 10. It was demonstrated that the same scale, i.e. the D‐index, can be used without any adjustment from 1 to 6 weeks post‐calving. It is valid for any type of uterine discharge without defining the type of infection or differentiating between infection and contamination. The D‐index was tested using the uterine involution data. Uterine involution was significantly delayed in the high‐D‐index group of cows. Similarly, in the test with all cows, involution was progressively delayed and the rate of involution of the pregnant horn was slowed down with the increase of the D‐index values. It is concluded that the D‐index can be a new practical, universal, tool for improved management of dairy cows in the postpartum period under commercial conditions.
Association of IRF5 gene polymorphisms and lupus nephritis in a Chinese population
Authors: QIN LIANXIANG , LV JICHENG , ZHOU XUJIE , HOU PING , YANG HAIZHEN , ZHANG HONG 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTAim:  Recently, several studies have provided convincing evidence that polymorphisms in the interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) gene were significantly associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in several populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between IRF5 and lupus nephritis in a Chinese cohort and analyze the relationship between the rs2004640 genotype and the clinical and pathological phenotypes of lupus nephritis.Methods:  The IRF5 rs2004640 polymorphism in a cohort of 190 Chinese lupus nephritis patients and 182 healthy Chinese blood donors was analyzed. The polymorphism examined was genotyped using the TaqMan assay.Results:  The IRF5 rs2004640 T allele was associated with the susceptibility to lupus nephritis (rs2004640 T, 41.6% in patients, 30.8% in healthy controls, odds ratio = 1.6, P = 0.002). It was also found that the Chinese population had a much lower minor allele frequency of rs2004640 than Western populations studied to date. In the present cohort, 30.8% individuals in the control group had the detrimental T allele, compared to frequencies in the range of 44–56% that exist in Western populations. No association was found between IRF5 rs2004640 and pathology, or clinical presentation of lupus nephritis in the Chinese cohort examined.Conclusion:  The results suggested that the rs2004640 T allele was associated with susceptibility to lupus nephritis and that the IRF5 polymorphism analyzed did not seem to be implicated in the pathology and clinical manifestation of lupus nephritis in the Chinese population.
Review: Metformin: Potential benefits and use in chronic kidney disease
Authors: PILMORE HELEN L 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTDiabetes mellitus is the commonest cause of end‐stage renal failure in both Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the burden of diabetes is prominent in those with chronic kidney disease who have not yet reached the requirement for renal replacement therapy. While diabetes is associated with a higher incidence of mortality and morbidity in all populations studied with kidney disease, little is known about optimal treatment strategies for hyperglycaemia and the effects of glycaemic treatment in this large group of patients. Metformin is recommended as the drug of first choice in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the USA, Europe and Australia. There are potential survival benefits associated with the use of metformin in additional to recent studies suggesting benefits in respect to cardiovascular outcomes and metabolic parameters. The use of metformin has been limited in patients with renal disease because of the perceived risk of lactic acidosis; however, it is likely that use of this drug would be beneficial in many with chronic kidney disease. Thus the potential benefits and harms of metformin are outlined in this review with suggestions for its clinical use in those with kidney disease.
Pre‐zygotic parental environment modulates seed longevity
Authors: KOCHANEK JITKA , BUCKLEY YVONNE M. , PROBERT ROBIN J. , ADKINS STEVE W. , STEADMAN KATHRYN J. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe potential for the pre‐zygotic plant growth environment to play a role in determining seed longevity was investigated for a species that inhabits arid to semi‐arid Australia. Seed longevity is particularly important for wild populations in fluctuating environments because the longer a seed‐lot is able to survive in the soil seed bank the more likely it is to buffer the population from unpredictable environments. Thus Wahlenbergia tumidifructa plants received wet or dry soil moisture within a warm or cool glasshouse until flowering. Seeds subsequently produced by flowers that opened on the day that plants were moved to a common environment were collected at maturity and longevity assessed by controlled ageing at 60% relative humidity and 45°C. Mean seed longevity was similar for seeds produced by plants that grew in warm‐wet, warm‐dry and cool‐dry conditions (P50 of about 20 days), but extended for plants in cool‐wet conditions (P50 = 41.7 days). Cool temperatures resulted in seeds with a wider distribution of lifespans (σ = 20 days) than warm conditions (σ = 12 days); the large σ caused the extended P50 for cool‐wet plants, but not cool‐dry as a result of a concomitant reduction in initial seed germination (Ki). After moving to the common environment, all plants generated new vegetative material, which went on to produce seeds with similar longevity (P50 approx. 20 days) irrespective of original environment. Visible phenotypic responses of the parent to environmental conditions correlated with longevity and quality parameters of the progeny seeds, suggesting that a parental effect modified seed longevity. Our study provides novel empirical data showing that environmental conditions expected under climate change scenarios may potentially cause seed longevity to decline for a species that inhabits arid to semi‐arid Australia. These negative impacts on population buffering may weaken the storage effect mechanism of species coexistence in fluctuating environments.
Attitudes of physicians and public to pharmaceutical industry ‘gifts’
Authors: Macneill P. U. , Kerridge I. H. , Newby D. , Stokes B. J. , Doran E. , Henry D. A. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackground: Few studies have reported the attitudes of both individual doctors and members of the public toward the appropriateness of ‘gifts’ from pharmaceutical companies.Aims: To investigate the attitudes of both doctors and members of the public toward the appropriateness of receiving particular ‘gifts’ from pharmaceutical companies, and to consider whether public acceptability is a suitable criterion for determining the ethical appropriateness of ‘gifts’.Methods: A survey questionnaire of medical specialists in Australia and a survey questionnaire of members of the public itemised 23 ‘gifts’ (valued between AU$10 and AU$2500) and asked whether or not each was appropriate.Results: Both medical specialists and members of the public believe certain ‘gifts’ from pharmaceutical companies are appropriate but not others. There was a tendency for members of the public to be more permissive than medical specialists.Conclusion: Although some professional guidelines place importance on the attitudes of the general public to ‘gift’ giving, and other guidelines give importance to a need for transparency and public accountability, we question whether public acceptability is a suitable criterion for determining the ethical appropriateness of ‘gifts’. We suggest that more weight be given to the need for independence of clinical decision making, with empirical evidence indicating that even small ‘gifts’ can bias clinicians’ judgments, and to important values such as the primacy of patient welfare, autonomy and social justice. We conclude that it is time to eliminate giving and receiving of promotional items between the pharmaceutical industry and members of health professions.