bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prospects for cannabinoid therapies in basal ganglia disorders
Authors: Fernández‐Ruiz Javier , Moreno‐Martet Miguel , Rodríguez‐Cueto Carmen , Palomo‐Garo Cristina , Gómez‐Cañas María , Valdeolivas Sara , Guaza Carmen , Romero Julián , Guzmán Manuel , Mechoulam Raphael , Ramos José A 
Published: March 2011

Cannabinoids are promising medicines to slow down disease progression in neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD), two of the most important disorders affecting the basal ganglia. Two pharmacological profiles have been proposed for cannabinoids being effective in these disorders. On the one hand, cannabinoids like Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabidiol protect nigral or striatal neurons in experimental models of both disorders, in which oxidative injury is a prominent cytotoxic mechanism. This effect could be exerted, at least in part, through mechanisms independent of CB1 and CB2 receptors and involving the control of endogenous antioxidant defences. On the other hand, the activation of CB2 receptors leads to a slower progression of neurodegeneration in both disorders. This effect would be exerted by limiting the toxicity of microglial cells for neurons and, in particular, by reducing the generation of proinflammatory factors. It is important to mention that CB2 receptors have been identified in the healthy brain, mainly in glial elements and, to a lesser extent, in certain subpopulations of neurons, and that they are dramatically up‐regulated in response to damaging stimuli, which supports the idea that the cannabinoid system behaves as an endogenous neuroprotective system. This CB2 receptor up‐regulation has been found in many neurodegenerative disorders including HD and PD, which supports the beneficial effects found for CB2 receptor agonists in both disorders. In conclusion, the evidence reported so far supports that those cannabinoids having antioxidant properties and/or capability to activate CB2 receptors may represent promising therapeutic agents in HD and PD, thus deserving a prompt clinical evaluation.LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed issue on Cannabinoids in Biology and Medicine. To view the other articles in this issue visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2011.163.issue‐7
Resistin: functional roles and therapeutic considerations for cardiovascular disease
Authors: Jamaluddin Md S , Weakley Sarah M , Yao Qizhi , Chen Changyi 
Published: March 2011

Resistin, originally described as an adipocyte‐specific hormone, has been suggested to be an important link between obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes. Although its expression was initially defined in adipocytes, significant levels of resistin expression in humans are mainly found in mononuclear leukocytes, macrophages, spleen and bone marrow cells. Increasing evidence indicates that resistin plays important regulatory roles apart from its role in insulin resistance and diabetes in a variety of biological processes: atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD), non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune disease, malignancy, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and chronic kidney disease. As CVD accounts for a significant amount of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes and without diabetes, it is important to understand the role that adipokines such as resistin play in the cardiovascular system. Evidence suggests that resistin is involved in pathological processes leading to CVD including inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, thrombosis, angiogenesis and smooth muscle cell dysfunction. The modes of action and signalling pathways whereby resistin interacts with its target cells are beginning to be understood. In this review, the current knowledge about the functions and pathophysiological implications of resistin in CVD development is summarized; clinical translations, therapeutic considerations and future directions in the field of resistin research are discussed.LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on Fat and Vascular Responsiveness. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2012.165.issue‐3
New K103 β3 allele identified in a context of severe neonatal thrombocytopenia
Authors: Jallu Vincent , Bianchi Frederic , Bertrand Gerald , Kaplan Cecile 
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND: A new β3 allele was identified in a severe case of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (<7 × 109/L).STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Diagnosis was done by use of monoclonal antibody–specific immobilization of platelet (PLT) antigen for serologic analyses and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–sequence‐specific primers (SSP) and PCR–restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for genotyping. Direct sequencing of PCR product was done and mutant αIIbβ3 expressed in HEK‐293 cells.RESULTS: Serologic analysis revealed in the maternal serum an anti‐human PLT alloantigen (HPA)‐1a alloantibody associated to an anti‐α2β1. Anti‐HPA‐1a alloimmunization diagnosis was confirmed by genotyping showing maternofetal incompatibility. However, investigation of rare HPA polymorphisms revealed discrepant HPA‐16b assignation between PCR‐RFLP and PCR‐SSP. Sequencing revealed a new c.385C>A mutation in the β3 coding sequence resulting in a false assignation of the HPA‐16b allele by PCR‐RFLP. This mutation leads to a Q103K substitution in mature β3. The K103‐β3 form of the complex was expressed in HEK‐293 cells but did not react with the maternal serum.CONCLUSION: We have characterized a new rare allele (frequency < 1%) of β3 that yields false HPA‐16b genotyping in PCR‐RFLP. This new case of false typing assignation emphasizes the necessity to use two genotyping techniques in diagnosis. This particularly applies for rare HPA polymorphisms when PLT phenotyping cannot be used.
The air we breathe: three vital respiratory gases and the red blood cell: oxygen, nitric oxide, and carbon dioxide
Authors: Dzik Walter H. 
Published: March 2011

Three vital respiratory gases—oxygen (O2), nitric oxide (NO), and carbon dioxide (CO2)—intersect at the level of the human red blood cell (RBC). In addition to hemoglobin (Hb)'s central role in O2transport, interaction of Hb with the Band 3 metabolon balances RBC energy flow. 2,3‐Diphosphoglycerate enhances O2transport across the placenta and plays an important role in regulating RBC plasticity.NO is a key mediator of hypoxic vasodilation, but the precise role of RBC Hb remains controversial. In addition to established theories that depend on RBC uptake, delivery, and discharge of NO or its metabolites, an alternative hypothesis based on RBC permeability is suggested. NO depletion by free Hb may account for several clinical features seen during intravascular hemolysis or during deliberate infusion of Hb solutions used as RBC substitutes.CO2released by tissues triggers oxygen release through a series of well‐coordinated reactions centered on the Band 3 metabolon. While RBC carbonic anhydrase and the Band 3 anion exchanger are central to this process, there is surprisingly little research on the kinetics of CO2clearance by transfusion.The three RBC gases are directly related to the three principal gases of Earth's atmosphere. Human fossil fuel consumption dumps 90 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere annually. Increasing CO2levels are linked to global warming, melting Arctic ice, rising sea levels, and climate instability. Just as individual cells depend on balance of the three vital gases, so too will their balance determine survival of life on Earth.
Epitope mapping of antibodies directed against the human neutrophil alloantigen 3a
Authors: Berthold Tom , Wesche Jan , Kuhnert Kathleen , Fürll Birgitt , Hippe Holger , Hoppen Jens , Reil Angelika , Muschter Stefan , Bux Jürgen , Greinacher Andreas 
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND: Severe transfusion‐related acute lung injury is often caused by antibodies directed against the human neutrophil alloantigen (HNA)‐3a. HNA‐3a results from an amino acid exchange (Arg154Gln) in the first extracellular loop of the choline transporter‐like protein 2 (CTL2). The characteristics of the binding domain(s) of HNA‐3a antibodies are unknown.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: For epitope mapping, a library of 23 different HNA‐3a (R154) and three HNA‐3b (Q154) peptides covering different parts of the first extracellular loop of CTL2 (aa55‐231) was synthesized in Escherichia coli and tested by Western blot with two HNA‐3a alloantibody–containing plasma samples and by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) with different HNA‐3a‐ (n = 21) and HNA‐3b‐ (n = 1) positive plasma samples.RESULTS: Despite promising Western blot results using highly reactive plasma samples, we found widely varying reactivities of different HNA‐3a plasmas in the EIA, with only 11 of 21 HNA‐3a antibodies binding to any of the tested HNA‐3a peptides and with no peptide recognized by more than nine of the 21 antibodies. The HNA‐3b plasma did not react with R154 peptides in the EIA nor with R154 or Q154 peptides in Western blot experiments. Plasma reactivity profiles with the peptides did not correlate with those observed using granulocyte agglutination and granulocyte immunofluorescence tests.CONCLUSION: Binding of HNA‐3a alloantibodies depends on the conformation of the intact CTL2 protein and their binding sites may differ substantially. Peptide‐based assays for detection of HNA‐3a antibodies bear the risk to be insensitive and require systematic validation with a large panel of antibodies.
Alloexposed blood donors and transfusion‐related acute lung injury: a case‐referent study
Authors: Middelburg Rutger A. , van Stein Daniëlle , Atsma Femke , Wiersum‐Osselton Johanna C. , Porcelijn Leendert , Beckers Erik A.M. , Briët Ernest , van der Bom Johanna G. 
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND: Donor white blood cell (WBC) antibodies are thought to increase the risk of transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI). WBC antibodies can be present in blood products from donors who have been alloexposed. Alloexposed donors are increasingly excluded from donating plasma, but can still donate plasma‐poor products. We aimed to quantify the contribution of alloexposed donors to the occurrence of TRALI for different blood product types.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed a case‐referent study including all reported TRALI patients and all Dutch blood donors. Data on alloexposure status of donors of all TRALI cases reported between January 2004 and October 2008, in the Netherlands, were compared to information on the total donor population.RESULTS: Alloexposure status of all 223 involved donors was compared to the expected status. The overall percentage of TRALI cases that could have been prevented by the deferral of all alloexposed donors (i.e., population‐attributable risk [PAR]) was 51% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14%‐88%). In 19 recipients of exclusively plasma‐poor products (mostly red blood cells [RBCs]), alloexposure of the donors was not associated with TRALI, while in 28 recipients of both plasma‐poor and plasma‐rich products (>200 mL plasma), the PAR was 94% (95% CI, 34%‐100%).CONCLUSIONS: Alloexposed donors conferred an increased risk of TRALI in recipients of plasma‐rich products, but not in recipients of plasma‐poor products. Although WBC antibodies are an important risk factor for TRALI, among RBC recipients another risk factor must be more important.
Red blood cell transfusion practice in patients presenting with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: a survey of 815 UK clinicians
Authors: Jairath Vipul , Kahan Brennan C. , Logan Richard F.A. , Travis Simon P.L. , Palmer Kelvin R. , Murphy Michael F. 
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND: Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) accounts for 14% of all red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in the United Kingdom, despite little evidence to guide optimal blood transfusion strategies and few data on the variation in practice. We aimed to survey UK clinicians about their RBC transfusion practice in AUGIB.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A survey describing six clinical vignettes of AUGIB was sent to practicing gastroenterologists, acute care physicians, and upper gastrointestinal surgeons. Respondents were asked to select a hemoglobin (Hb) trigger at which they would ordinarily transfuse RBCs.RESULTS: The response rate was 48% (815/1709). Transfusion triggers differed significantly between all six cases (p < 0.001). There was significant variation in the selected Hb trigger between different clinical specialties for five of the six scenarios. Surgeons were more likely to select a lower Hb transfusion trigger than physicians across all six scenarios (p < 0.005), as were clinicians who had graduated more recently (p < 0.05 for Scenarios 1‐3). The responses suggested the belief that restrictive use of RBCs is appropriate, which is in part discordant with actual observed practice. Only 70% of respondents reported familiarity with national guidelines for AUGIB.CONCLUSIONS: There is significant variation in the reported approach to transfusion practice among clinicians caring for patients with AUGIB, with both patient‐ and clinician‐related factors accounting for these differences. Further studies are needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of differing blood transfusion strategies in patients presenting with AUGIB.
The Importance of Ownership Arrangements in U.S. Agriculture1
Authors: Welsh Rick 
Published: March 2011

Abstract According to a number of observers of the U.S. economy, large publicly traded corporations can be viewed as a social problem primarily because of their association with the concentration of wealth and power. In agriculture, nine states have laws which restrict or proscribe public corporations from engaging in farming. Also, groups and individuals have attempted to preserve non‐corporate production enterprises in agriculture through the establishment of direct markets such as farmers' markets. Proponents of such efforts believe public corporations have negative economic impacts; opponents of such efforts, especially efforts to establish and retain anti‐corporate farming laws, argue that corporations can provide economic benefits to rural areas.These debates beg the question of whether ownership and direct marketing arrangements have important influences on economic outcomes such as levels of cash returns from farming and increases in the number of farms realizing cash gains. Using multi‐year, county‐level data from the Census of Agriculture, this study finds that, even when holding a number of important variables constant, ownership arrangements, as well as the (interaction between the percentage of total sales which are direct sales and the percentage of farms selling directly, are important determinants of both net cash returns and the percentage of farms realizing cash gains.
Mondialisation de la migration des personnels infirmiers: problématique et approches politiques
Authors: YEATES Nicola 
Published: March 2011

Résumé.De nombreux pays sont engagés dans «l'exportation ou l'importation» de personnels de santé en réaction à la «crise de l'offre de cette main‐d'œuvre» dans les économies industrialisées. Mais la répartition des gains et des pertes provenant de la migration de ces travailleurs devient inégalitaire, et la nécessité de nouvelles politiques s'intensifie. L'auteure compare la pertinence des approches politiques des migrations des personnels infirmiers au regard des critères suivants: pérennité, équité sociale, «solidarité communautaire», développement social. Elle conclut qu'une coopération et une coordination internationales soutenues s'imposent pour répondre aux principaux défis en matière de santé publique, reproduction sociale et développement social.
Extension et réforme des services sociaux: conséquences pour les travailleurs de ce secteur en République de Corée
Authors: PENG Ito 
Published: March 2011

Résumé.En République de Corée, la chute de la fécondité, l'augmentation de la longévité, les stratégies d'«investissement social» du gouvernement pour passer d'une économie industrielle à postindustrielle et son aide aux femmes pour concilier responsabilités familiales et professionnelles ont produit des résultats mitigés pour les travailleuses des activités de soin, peu rémunérées et au statut professionnel médiocre. L'auteure présente les politiques menées et fait part d'entretiens avec ces travailleuses, ainsi qu'avec des experts et des chercheurs. Elle montre que davantage de réglementation et de garderies publiques ont certes amélioré leur situation, mais la déréglementation et la marchandisation des services aux personnes âgées l'ont aussi détériorée.
Les travailleurs des services à autrui en Argentine: entre institutions du marché du travail et services
Authors: ESQUIVEL Valeria 
Published: March 2011

Résumé.En Argentine, le secteur des services à autrui emploie un tiers des femmes qui travaillent contre 3 pour cent seulement des hommes. Leur salaire et leurs conditions de travail ne dépendent pas seulement de la réglementation du marché du travail et de son application, mais aussi de l'organisation de ces services: engagement du secteur public; diversité des prestataires; caractère de la prestation, institutionnelle ou autre comme les ménages. L'auteure compare deux professions –éducateur de la petite enfance et domestique – et avance que ces activités relatives à la garde d'enfants, qui peuvent se compléter, s'entrecroisent, ce qui explique les différences de situation des travailleurs sur le marché du travail.
Soins infirmiers et prise en charge à domicile en Tanzanie: une (dis)continuité des soins
Authors: MEENA Ruth 
Published: March 2011

Résumé.Les soins à domicile prodigués par des auxiliaires extérieurs à la famille ont été présentés comme un moyen d'alléger la surcharge imposée par le sida aux familles de Tanzanie. Ils visent aussi à soulager les établissements de santé qui croulent sous les demandes dues à la pandémie et dont les moyens sont extrêmement limités. Ces auxiliaires ont une activité qui se situe entre travail non rémunéré et professionnel aux fins de la continuité des soins – continuité qui souffre de la défaillance du système de prise en charge des patients, de la surcharge de travail des professionnels de santé et d'un grave manque d'effectifs.
Increased host acceptance in experienced females of the parasitoid Brachymeria intermedia: which types of oviposition behaviour contribute to experience?
Authors: Kerguelen V. , Cardé R. T. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBrachymeria intermedia (Nees) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) is a solitary endoparasitoid of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). The probability that a wasp will parasitise this host is increased if she had a previous oviposition experience. We investigated which types of pre‐oviposition and oviposition behaviour induced this change by comparing the acceptance behaviour of wasps with zero to five oviposition experiences as well as wasps with various partial host handling experiences (from no contact with a host to one complete oviposition sequence). The percentage of females accepting the host increased gradually with both the number of previous oviposition experiences and the amount of handling of a single host. Furthermore, the naive females were less likely (44%) to walk to the host than females with a variety of experiences (72–100%). A single antennal contact with the host was sufficient to increase the probability of walking to the host. Additional handling and additional oviposition experiences further elevated the propensity to oviposit. Thus, the modification of the acceptance behaviour through experience was essentially a gradual process in which antennal contact with a pupa was a major element. It is suggested that naive wasps learned the host odour when they first antennated a pupa. As a result, they were attracted to the host odour in subsequent encounters.
Temperature influence on cohort parameters and demographic characteristics of the two cowpea coreids Clavigralla tomentosicollis and C. shadabi
Authors: Dreyer Hans , Baumgärtner Johann 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAge‐specific life tables of two important pests of cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp., the pod sucking bugs Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stål and C. shadabi Dolling (Heteroptera: Coreidae), were obtained from observations carried out at different temperatures. A biophysical model was found satisfactory to describe the temperature‐response of developmental and mortality rates of egg and nymphal stages, with a peak developmental rate around 34 °C in both species. The variability in development times was small and the experimental data did not permit any conclusion with regard to the Erlang probability density function. Survival of eggs and nymphs remained high between 20 ° and 30 °C for both species. At temperatures above 34 °C, C. tomentosicollis survivorship and fecundity was higher than that of C. shadabi, which in turn laid more eggs at temperatures between 20 ° and 30 °C. Maximum fecundity is estimated to be at 29 °C for C. tomentosicollis (99 eggs/female) and 26 °C for C. shadabi (261 eggs/female). At 30 °C, the intrinsic rate of increase reached a maximum in both species, 0.152 per day for C. tomentosicollis and 0.145 per day for C. shadabi, and remained high for C. tomentosicollis until 36 °C. C. tomentosicollis performed significantly better on pigeonpea, Cajanus cajan Millsp., than on cowpea at higher temperatures.
Inbreeding and incompatibility in Trichogramma nr. brassicae: evidence and implications for quality control
Authors: Sorati Matthew , Newman Miriam , Hoffman Ary A. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractInbreeding effects and incompatibility relationships were examined in strains of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma nr brassicae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) from southeastern Australia. Crosses between strains provided weak evidence of incompatibility in a few cases. However, sex ratio in crosses within strains tended to be more female‐biased than in crosses between strains. Inbreeding was imposed for four generations (F>0.59) of sib mating. The fitness of inbred strains was compared to that of outbred strains generated by crossing the inbred strains. No effects of inbreeding were found for any of the four female traits examined (fecundity, body length, head width and hind tibia length), indicating that T. nr. brassicae is not subjected to inbreeding depression. Inbreeding effects were also not found for male mating success as expected for the haploid sex. There were differences among strains for all traits apart from fecundity, indicating heritable variation. Strain differences for fitness measures were uncorrelated with wasp size. The potential use of inbreeding in the quality control of Trichogramma for mass‐release is discussed. Inbreeding may be a useful tool in minimising the effects of laboratory adaptation, thereby extending the useful life of a strain.
Probing behaviour of Diuraphis noxia on five cereal species with different hydroxamic acid levels
Authors: Mayoral A. M. , Tjallingii W. F. , Castañera P. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe feeding behaviour of Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov) (Homoptera: Aphididae) was electronically monitored on five cereal species (Triticum aestivum L., T. turgidum L., Secale cereale L. and x Triticosecale Wittmack) containing different hydroxamic acids levels and on Hordeum vulgare L., lacking these compounds, by means of a DC‐System. With increasing DIMBOA (2,4‐dihydroxy‐7‐methoxy‐1,4‐benzoxazin‐3‐one) levels D. noxia showed less probing particularly before reaching the phloem phase and a lower percentage of aphids achieved sustained phloem ingestion. However, no significant correlation was found between DIMBOA levels and the total time of phloem feeding. These findings indicate that factors from the mesophyll and vascular tissues appear to be involved in the effects of resistance. The underlying mechanism, however, remains unclear. Thus, DIMBOA seems to be only part of the chemical defenses of the cereal plants that might be implicated in D. noxia resistance.