bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pravastatin modulates liver bile acid and cholesterol homeostasis in rats with chronic cholestasis
Authors: Kolouchova Gabriela , Brcakova Eva , Hirsova Petra , Sispera Ludek , Tomsik Pavel , Cermanova Jolana , Hyspler Radek , Slanarova Martina , Fuksa Leos , Lotkova Halka , Micuda Stanislav 
Published: April 2011

AbstractBackground and Aim:  The administration of pravastatin to patients with cholestatic liver disease has suggested the potential of the drug with regard to reducing raised plasma cholesterol and bile acid levels. Information about the mechanisms associated with this effect is lacking. Thus, the aim of the present study is to evaluate pravastatin effects on the liver bile acid and cholesterol homeostasis in healthy and cholestatic rats.Methods:  Control sham‐operated and reversibly bile duct‐obstructed (BDO) rats were treated with pravastatin (1 or 5 mg/kg) or the vehicle alone for 7 days after surgery.Results:  Lower doses of pravastatin reduced bile acid plasma concentrations in cholestatic animals. The effect was associated with reduced liver mRNA expression of Cyp7a1, Cyp8b1, Mrp2, Ugt1a1 and the increased expression of Bsep. In addition, BDO‐induced increase in the liver content of cholesterol was normalized by pravastatin. The change was accompanied by the reduced liver expression of Hmg‐CoA reductase, LDL receptor, and Acat2, and induced the expression of Abca1 and Mdr2. These changes corresponded with the upregulation of nuclear receptors LXRα and PPARα, and the downregulation of FXR, CAR, SREBP‐2 and HNF1α. High doses of pravastatin lacked any positive effects on bile acids and cholesterol homeostasis, and blocked bile formation through the reduction of the biliary excretion of bile acids.Conclusions:  Pravastatin rendered a positive reduction in BDO‐induced increases in plasma bile acid concentrations and cholesterol liver content, mainly through the transcriptionally‐mediated downregulation of genes involved in the synthesis of these compounds in the liver.
The economics of robotic cystectomy: cost comparison of open versus robotic cystectomy
Authors: Lee Richard , Ng Casey K. , Shariat Shahrokh F. , Borkina Anna , Guimento Robert , Brumit Kevin F. , Scherr Douglas S. 
Published: April 2011

Study Type – Therapy (cost minimisation)Level of Evidence 2bOBJECTIVE• To assess and compare the economic burden of open radical cystectomy (OC) vs robotic‐assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy (RC) with pelvic lymph node dissection and urinary diversion.PATIENTS AND METHODS• A series of 103 and 83 consecutive patients undergoing OC and RC, respectively, were prospectively studied at a tertiary care institution from April 2002 to February 2009.• Data were collected on patient demographics, perioperative parameters and length of stay (LOS) in hospital. Cohorts were subdivided into ileal conduit (IC), continent cutaneous diversion (CCD) and orthotopic neobladder (ON) subgroups.• A linear cost model was created to simulate treatment with OC vs RC. Procedural costs were derived from the Medicare Resource Based Relative Value Scale. Materials costs were obtained from the respective suppliers. The indirect costs of complications were considered.• Sensitivity analyses were performed.RESULTS• Despite a higher cost of materials, RC was less expensive than OC for IC and CCD, although the cost advantage deteriorated for ON.• The per‐case costs of RC with IC, CCD and ON were $20 659, $22 102 and $22 685, respectively, compared to $25 505, $22 697 and $20 719 for their OC counterparts.• The largest cost driver in the study was LOS in hospital.• RC showed a shorter LOS compared to OC, although this effect was insufficient to offset the higher cost of robotic surgery.• Complications materially affected cost performance.CONCLUSIONS• Despite a higher cost of materials, RC can be more cost efficient than OC as a treatment for bladder cancer at a high‐volume, tertiary care referral centre, particularly with IC.• Complications significantly impact cost performance.
Can stochastic geographical evolution re‐create macroecological richness–environment correlations?
Authors: Tello J. Sebastián , Stevens Richard D. 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTAim Richness gradients are frequently correlated with environmental characteristics at broad geographic scales. In particular, richness is often associated with energy and climate, while environmental heterogeneity is rarely its best correlate. These correlations have been interpreted as evidence in favour of environmental determinants of diversity gradients, particularly energy and climate. This interpretation assumes that the expected‐by‐random correlation between richness and environment is zero, and that this is equally true for all environmental characteristics. However, these expectations might be unrealistic. We investigated to what degree basic evolutionary/biogeographical processes occurring independently of environment could lead to richness gradients that correlate with environmental characteristics by chance alone.Location Africa, Australia, Eurasia and the New World.Methods We produced artificial richness gradients based on a stochastic simulation model of geographic diversification of clades. In these simulations, species speciate, go extinct and expand or shift their distributions independently of any environmental characteristic. One thousand two hundred repetitions of this model were run, and the resulting stochastic richness gradients were regressed against real‐world environmental variables. Stochastic species–environment relationships were then compared among continents and among three environmental characteristics: energy, environmental heterogeneity and climate seasonality.Results Simulations suggested that a significant degree of correlation between richness gradients and environment is expected even when clades diversify and species distribute stochastically. These correlations vary considerably in strength; but in the best cases, environment can spuriously account for almost 80% of variation in stochastic richness. Additionally, expected‐by‐chance relationships were different among continents and environmental characteristics, producing stronger spurious relationships with energy and climate than with heterogeneity.Main conclusions We conclude that some features of empirical species–environment relationships can be reproduced just by chance when taking into account evolutionary/biogeographical processes underlying the construction of species richness gradients. Future tests of environmental effects on richness should consider structure in richness–environment correlations that can be produced by simple evolutionary null models. Research should move away from the naive non‐biological null hypotheses that are implicit in traditional statistical tests.
Processes at multiple scales affect richness and similarity of non‐native plant species in mountains around the world
Authors: Seipel Tim , Kueffer Christoph , Rew Lisa J. , Daehler Curtis C. , Pauchard Aníbal , Naylor Bridgett J. , Alexander Jake M. , Edwards Peter J. , Parks Catherine G. , Arevalo José Ramon , Cavieres Lohengrin A. , Dietz Hansjörg , Jakobs Gabi , McDougall Keith , Otto Rüdiger , Walsh Neville 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTAim To investigate how species richness and similarity of non‐native plants varies along gradients of elevation and human disturbance.Location Eight mountain regions on four continents and two oceanic islands.Methods We compared the distribution of non‐native plant species along roads in eight mountainous regions. Within each region, abundance of plant species was recorded at 41–84 sites along elevational gradients using 100‐m2plots located 0, 25 and 75 m from roadsides. We used mixed‐effects models to examine how local variation in species richness and similarity were affected by processes at three scales: among regions (global), along elevational gradients (regional) and with distance from the road (local). We used model selection and information criteria to choose best‐fit models of species richness along elevational gradients. We performed a hierarchical clustering of similarity to investigate human‐related factors and environmental filtering as potential drivers at the global scale.Results Species richness and similarity of non‐native plant species along elevational gradients were strongly influenced by factors operating at scales ranging from 100 m to 1000s of km. Non‐native species richness was highest in the New World regions, reflecting the effects of colonization from Europe. Similarity among regions was low and due mainly to certain Eurasian species, mostly native to temperate Europe, occurring in all New World regions. Elevation and distance from the road explained little of the variation in similarity. The elevational distribution of non‐native species richness varied, but was always greatest in the lower third of the range. In all regions, non‐native species richness declined away from roadsides. In three regions, this decline was steeper at higher elevations, and there was an interaction between distance and elevation.Main conclusions Because non‐native plant species are affected by processes operating at global, regional and local scales, a multi‐scale perspective is needed to understand their patterns of distribution. The processes involved include global dispersal, filtering along elevational gradients and differential establishment with distance from roadsides.
The effects of humor and depression labels on reactions to social comments
Authors: IBARRA‐ROVILLARD M. SOL , KUIPER NICHOLAS A. 
Published: April 2011

Ibarra‐Rovillard, M. S. & Kuiper, N. A. (2011). The effects of humor and depression labels on reactions to social comments. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 448–456.Humor is generally considered to facilitate social relationships, whereas depression has been related to difficulties in relationships. This study investigated the effects of labeling social comments as humorous, as well as labeling the presenter of the comments as feeling depressed, on recipients’ reactions to these comments. To this end, 350 university students were presented with vignettes describing four styles of comments (i.e., affiliative, self‐enhancing, self‐defeating, and aggressive) made by a casual acquaintance. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. These conditions varied in terms of whether the four styles of comments were described as humorous or not, and whether the acquaintance making the comments was described as feeling depressed or not. Findings indicated that humor led to more positive reactions. Labeling the acquaintance as depressed led to more negative reactions than when the acquaintance was labeled non‐depressed, particularly when the comments were self‐defeating. Interestingly, when the acquaintance was described as feeling depressed, affiliative comments made in a humorous fashion led to more positive reactions than did non‐humorous affiliative comments. These findings are discussed in terms of the effects of humor and depression on interpersonal interactions.
Participatory Budgeting in Italy: An Analysis of (Almost Democratic) Participatory Governance Arrangements
Authors: BASSOLI MATTEO 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThis article addresses definitory problems concerning participatory budgeting (PB), the purpose being to underline the governance nature of this instrument. More specifically, considering PB as a particular type of participatory governance arrangement, it focuses on the democratic outcomes of concrete experiences. Adopting the Dahlian process‐oriented concept of democracy, three Italian cases are depicted and analysed, according to four critical variables: inclusion, participation, the role of the opposition, and transparency. This enables full description of how PB affects local democracy, both positively and negatively. The article concludes by highlighting two variables that give account of the democratic implications of these practices: the role of the political leadership, and the inclusive strategy adopted. Further, it underlines three additional factors that embody what is commonly referred to as political investment in public–private partnerships: an active role for the opposition, outward communication, and effective participation. While assessing the democratic outcomes, the study highlights how the presence and maintenance of these practices are linked to the role played by civil society and the presence of administrative ties.RésuméCet article porte sur des problèmes de définition liés au ‘budget participatif’, l'objectif étant de souligner que cet instrument relève de la gouvernance. Plus précisément, en le présentant comme un type particulier de dispositif de gouvernance participative, l'étude s'intéresse aux résultats démocratiques d'expériences concrètes. Reprenant le processus défini par le concept de démocratie de Dahl, trois cas italiens sont présentés et analysés en fonction de quatre variables critiques: inclusion, participation, rôle de l'opposition, transparence. Il est ainsi possible de décrire précisément l'impact, tant positif que négatif, du budget participatif sur la démocratie locale. La conclusion met en avant deux variables qui rendent compte des implications démocratiques de ces pratiques: le rôle des autorités politiques et la stratégie d'inclusion adoptée. En outre, elle souligne trois autres facteurs qui traduisent ce qu'on appelle couramment l'investissement politique dans les partenariats public‐privé: le rôle actif de l'opposition, une communication extérieure et une participation efficace. Tout en évaluant les résultats démocratiques, l'étude montre comment la présence et la continuité de ces pratiques sont liées au rôle de la société civile et à l'existence de connexions administratives.
Small molecule analysis and imaging of fatty acids in the zebra finch song system using time‐of‐flight‐secondary ion mass spectrometry
Authors: Amaya Kensey R. , Sweedler Jonathan V. , Clayton David F. 
Published: April 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 118, 499–511.AbstractFatty acids are central to brain metabolism and signaling, but their distributions within complex brain circuits have been difficult to study. Here we applied an emerging technique, time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS), to image specific fatty acids in a favorable model system for chemical analyses of brain circuits, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). The zebra finch, a songbird, produces complex learned vocalizations under the control of an interconnected set of discrete, dedicated brain nuclei ‘song nuclei’. Using ToF‐SIMS, the major song nuclei were visualized by virtue of differences in their content of essential and non‐essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids (arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) showed distinctive distributions across the song nuclei, and the 18‐carbon fatty acids stearate and oleate discriminated the different core and shell subregions of the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium. Principal component analysis of the spectral data set provided further evidence of chemical distinctions between the song nuclei. By analyzing the robust nucleus of the arcopallium at three different ages during juvenile song learning, we obtain the first direct evidence of changes in lipid content that correlate with progression of song learning. The results demonstrate the value of ToF‐SIMS to study lipids in a favorable model system for probing the function of lipids in brain organization, development and function.
Loss of intestinal nuclei and intestinal integrity in aging C. elegans
Authors: McGee Matthew D. , Weber Darren , Day Nicholas , Vitelli Cathy , Crippen Danielle , Herndon Laura A. , Hall David H. , Melov Simon 
Published: April 2011

SummaryThe roundworm C. elegans is widely used as an aging model, with hundreds of genes identified that modulate aging (Kaeberlein et al., 2002. Mech. Ageing Dev.123, 1115–1119). The development and bodyplan of the 959 cells comprising the adult have been well described and established for more than 25 years (Sulston & Horvitz, 1977. Dev. Biol.56, 110–156; Sulston et al., 1983. Dev. Biol.100, 64–119.). However, morphological changes with age in this optically transparent animal are less well understood, with only a handful of studies investigating the pathobiology of aging. Age‐related changes in muscle (Herndon et al., 2002. Nature419, 808–814), neurons (Herndon et al., 2002), intestine and yolk granules (Garigan et al., 2002. Genetics161, 1101–1112; Herndon et al., 2002), nuclear architecture (Haithcock et al., 2005. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA102, 16690–16695), tail nuclei (Golden et al., 2007. Aging Cell6, 179–188), and the germline (Golden et al., 2007) have been observed via a variety of traditional relatively low‐throughput methods. We report here a number of novel approaches to study the pathobiology of aging C. elegans. We combined histological staining of serial‐sectioned tissues, transmission electron microscopy, and confocal microscopy with 3D volumetric reconstructions and characterized age‐related morphological changes in multiple wild‐type individuals at different ages. This enabled us to identify several novel pathologies with age in the C. elegans intestine, including the loss of critical nuclei, the degradation of intestinal microvilli, changes in the size, shape, and cytoplasmic contents of the intestine, and altered morphologies caused by ingested bacteria. The three‐dimensional models we have created of tissues and cellular components from multiple individuals of different ages represent a unique resource to demonstrate global heterogeneity of a multicellular organism.
MicroRNA‐18 and microRNA‐19 regulate CTGF and TSP‐1 expression in age‐related heart failure
Authors: van Almen Geert C. , Verhesen Wouter , van Leeuwen Rick E. W. , van de Vrie Mathijs , Eurlings Casper , Schellings Mark W. M. , Swinnen Melissa , Cleutjens Jack P. M. , van Zandvoort Marc A. M. J. , Heymans Stephane , Schroen Blanche 
Published: April 2011

SummaryTo understand the process of cardiac aging, it is of crucial importance to gain insight into the age‐related changes in gene expression in the senescent failing heart. Age‐related cardiac remodeling is known to be accompanied by changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) gene and protein levels. Small noncoding microRNAs regulate gene expression in cardiac development and disease and have been implicated in the aging process and in the regulation of ECM proteins. However, their role in age‐related cardiac remodeling and heart failure is unknown. In this study, we investigated the aging‐associated microRNA cluster 17–92, which targets the ECM proteins connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and thrombospondin‐1 (TSP‐1). We employed aged mice with a failure‐resistant (C57Bl6) and failure‐prone (C57Bl6 × 129Sv) genetic background and extrapolated our findings to human age‐associated heart failure. In aging‐associated heart failure, we linked an aging‐induced increase in the ECM proteins CTGF and TSP‐1 to a decreased expression of their targeting microRNAs 18a, 19a, and 19b, all members of the miR‐17–92 cluster. Failure‐resistant mice showed an opposite expression pattern for both the ECM proteins and the microRNAs. We showed that these expression changes are specific for cardiomyocytes and are absent in cardiac fibroblasts. In cardiomyocytes, modulation of miR‐18/19 changes the levels of ECM proteins CTGF and TSP‐1 and collagens type 1 and 3. Together, our data support a role for cardiomyocyte‐derived miR‐18/19 during cardiac aging, in the fine‐tuning of cardiac ECM protein levels. During aging, decreased miR‐18/19 and increased CTGF and TSP‐1 levels identify the failure‐prone heart.
Conventional versus acupuncture‐like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on cold‐induced pain in healthy human participants: effects during stimulation
Authors: Francis Richard P. , Marchant Paul , Johnson Mark I. 
Published: April 2011

SummaryObjectives:  To compare the hypoalgesic effects of conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) (high frequency, low intensity) and acupuncture‐like TENS (AL‐TENS, low frequency, high intensity) on cold‐induced pain.Design:  Randomized controlled parallel group study comparing the effects of strong non‐painful AL‐TENS, conventional TENS and placebo (no current) TENS on cold‐pressor pain threshold (CPT) and pain intensity. Two baseline (pre‐intervention) measures and three during intervention measures of CPT and cold pain intensity (four point category scale) were recorded.Setting:  Physiology laboratory in Leeds Metropolitan University.Participants:  One hundred and twenty‐one healthy participants.Interventions:  Each participant received one of three TENS interventions over their flexor digitorum profundus: (i) high pulse rate TENS with a strong non‐painful paraesthesia (conventional), (ii) low‐rate burst mode TENS that caused strong non‐painful phasic muscle twitching (acupuncture like) or (iii) no current (placebo) TENS.Main outcome measure:  Difference between conventional TENS and AL‐TENS in cold pain threshold relative to pre‐TENS baseline after 25 min of stimulation.Results:  No differences were detected for CPT or cold pain intensity during conventional TENS compared with AL‐TENS. When compared with placebo TENS, the confidence intervals for the ratio of intervention CPT to baseline CPT, for both AL‐TENS (0·966, 1·424) and conventional TENS (0·948, 1·401), were close to the positive side of one, although neither reached statistical significance.Conclusions:  Unlike some previous studies, the present study detected no differences in hypoalgesia between AL‐TENS, conventional TENS and placebo (no current) TENS during stimulation.
The selective anandamide transport inhibitor VDM11 attenuates reinstatement of nicotine seeking behaviour, but does not affect nicotine intake
Authors: Gamaleddin Islam , Guranda Mihail , Goldberg Steven R , Le Foll Bernard 
Published: April 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The endocannabinoid system appears to play a pivotal role in mediating the rewarding and reinforcing effects of nicotine. Recent studies have shown that the inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) attenuates reinstatement of nicotine‐seeking induced by nicotine priming and nicotine‐associated cues. FAAH hydrolyses the endogenous endocannabinoid anandamide, as well as other non‐cannabinoid ligands such as oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA). As OEA and PEA can attenuate both nicotine‐taking and nicotine‐seeking behaviour, the specific role of anandamide remains unclear. In this study, we have tested the selective anadamide uptake inhibitor, VDM11, which elevates anandamide levels without affecting levels of OEA/PEA, on nicotine‐taking and nicotine‐seeking behaviour.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We used a nicotine intravenous self‐administration model in rats to assess the effect of VDM11, given i.p., on nicotine taking using fixed and progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement as well as on reinstatement of nicotine‐seeking induced by nicotine priming and nicotine‐associated cues.KEY RESULTS VDM11 did not affect levels of responding for nicotine under fixed‐ratio and progressive‐ratio schedules of reinforcement. In contrast, VDM11 dose‐dependently attenuated reinstatement of nicotine‐seeking behaviour induced by nicotine‐associated cues and nicotine priming.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These results indicate that ligands elevating anandamide levels could have therapeutic value for preventing relapse into nicotine‐seeking behaviour and should be tested in humans trying to quit smoking.