bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effects of clonidine on symptoms and anorectal sensorimotor function in women with faecal incontinence
Authors: Bharucha A. E. , Seide B. M. , Zinsmeister A. R. 
Published: July 2010

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 681–688SummaryBackground  Women with faecal incontinence and rectal urgency have increased rectal stiffness and sensation.Aim  To evaluate the effects of clonidine, an α2‐adrenergic agonist, in faecal incontinence.Methods  In this open‐label uncontrolled study, bowel symptoms and anorectal functions (anal pressures, rectal compliance, and sensation) were assessed before and during treatment with transdermal clonidine (0.2 mg daily, 4 weeks) in 12 women with urge‐predominant faecal incontinence.Results  Clonidine reduced the frequency (17.8 ± 3.1 before vs. 8.8 ± 3.9 after, P = 0.03) and number of days with faecal incontinence (11.8 ± 1.6 before vs. 6.1 ± 1.8 after, P = 0.02), faecal incontinence symptom severity score (max = 13, 8.3 ± 0.7 vs. 5.6 ± 0.9, P < 0.01), and allowed patients to defer defecation for a longer duration (P = 0.03). Although overall effects on anorectal functions were not significant, the treatment‐associated reduction in faecal incontinence episodes was associated with increased rectal compliance (r = −0.58, P < 0.05) and reduced rectal sensation. (r = −0.73, P = 0.007 vs. desire to defecate pressure threshold).Conclusions  Clonidine improves symptoms in women with faecal incontinence; this improvement is associated with increased rectal compliance and reduced rectal sensitivity. A controlled study is necessary to confirm these observations.
Effects of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and safety of rivaroxaban, an oral, direct Factor Xa inhibitor
Authors: Kubitza Dagmar , Becka Michael , Mueck Wolfgang , Halabi Atef , Maatouk Haidar , Klause Norbert , Lufft Volkmar , Wand Dominic D. , Philipp Thomas , Bruck Heike 
Published: July 2010

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Prior to the commencement of this study, it was already known that rivaroxaban is partially cleared via the kidneys and an influence of renal insufficiency on rivaroxaban pharmacokinetics and exposure was anticipated. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • As many patients in the target indications of rivaroxaban will be elderly, a precise quantitative knowledge of the influence of renal function on rivaroxaban pharmacokinetics and exposure is mandatory for adequate labelling recommendations (in the context of benefit/risk provided by phase III studies) to guide therapy. This study provided detailed insight on both rivaroxaban pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic behaviour in renal impairment including severely renally impaired subjects.AIMThis study evaluated the effects of impaired renal function on the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and safety of rivaroxaban (10 mg single dose), an oral, direct Factor Xa inhibitor.METHODSSubjects (n= 32) were stratified based on measured creatinine clearance: healthy controls (≥80 ml min−1), mild (50–79 ml min−1), moderate (30–49 ml min−1) and severe impairment (<30 ml min−1).RESULTSRenal clearance of rivaroxaban decreased with increasing renal impairment. Thus, plasma concentrations increased and area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) LS‐mean values were 1.44‐fold (90% confidence interval [CI] 1.1, 1.9; mild), 1.52‐fold (90% CI 1.2, 2.0; moderate) and 1.64‐fold (90% CI 1.2, 2.2; severe impairment) higher than in healthy controls. Corresponding values for the LS‐mean of the AUC for prolongation of prothrombin time were 1.33‐fold (90% CI 0.92, 1.92; mild), 2.16‐fold (90% CI 1.51, 3.10 moderate) and 2.44‐fold (90% CI 1.70, 3.49 severe) higher than in healthy subjects, respectively. Likewise, the LS‐mean of the AUC for Factor Xa inhibition in subjects with mild renal impairment was 1.50‐fold (90% CI 1.07, 2.10) higher than in healthy subjects. In subjects with moderate and severe renal impairment, the increase was 1.86‐fold (90% CI 1.34, 2.59) and 2.0‐fold (90% CI 1.44, 2.78) higher than in healthy subjects, respectively.CONCLUSIONSRivaroxaban clearance is decreased with increasing renal impairment, leading to increased plasma exposure and pharmacodynamic effects, as expected for a partially renally excreted drug. However, the influence of renal function on rivaroxaban clearance was moderate, even in subjects with severe renal impairment.
Preparation and planning for face‐to‐face contact after adoption: the experience of adoptive parents in a UK study
Authors: Logan Janette 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTWhilst there is a general international trend towards more open adoption, there is considerable variation between agencies in the extent to which they are prepared to support different forms of contact arrangements. Agencies have a pivotal role to play in decisions about contact and early planning that is integrated into the assessment and preparation of prospective adopters is fundamental to its success. This paper reports on adoptive parents' experiences of the process of preparation and planning for direct, face‐to‐face contact. During preparation, agencies were clearly getting the message across to prospective adopters about the importance of contact for the child's well being. However, insufficient attention was directed at helping adopters to anticipate their feelings towards birth relatives and their responses to the kinds of management issues that might arise after adoption. There was considerable variation in the extent to which adopters were involved in the process of planning detailed contact arrangements, and this seemed to bear relevance on the success or otherwise of subsequent contact arrangements.
Negotiating cultural values and expectations within the public child welfare system: A look atfamilismoandpersonalismo
Authors: Ayón Cecilia , Aisenberg Eugene 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTThis paper examines, from the perspective of parents and child welfare workers, how cultural values and expectations are integrated and negotiated in public child welfare cases. The study focuses on the experiences and interactions of Mexican families with the public child welfare system in Southern California. Grounded theory is used to complete the content analysis. Findings indicate that workers' efforts to provide culturally congruent services are limited by organizational structural factors. Consistent with the value ofpersonalismo, parents stress the importance of a good relationship with their worker and the implications to their case. Specific recommendations to enhance service delivery include (1) developing services models that are informed by families served; (2) developing/providing ongoing training and evaluation to ascertain if services are in fact culturally competent; and (3) promoting a change in child welfare policy that reflects the diverse needs of families.
The Parent Concerns Questionnaire and Parenting Stress Index: comparison of two Common Assessment Framework‐compatible assessment instruments
Authors: Sheppard Michael , McDonald Paula , Welbourne Penelope 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTThere is a long‐standing interest in finding ways to develop systematic and consistent means for conducting assessments. Behind this lies a concern with issues such as adequate responses to need, prevention, early intervention and evidence‐based practice. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) has been developed for wide use for families with additional needs, for various contexts, including children's centres. This, however, has been subject to some criticism. Two instruments with considerable potential relevance to areas consistently important in child and family assessment, focusing on parents (and hence likely to be of generic use with CAF), are the Parent Concerns Questionnaire (PCQ), developed specifically in relation to children's social care populations, and Parenting Stress Index (PSI). The way forward is to investigate empirically what they offer to practice. This paper examines their potential for practice in children's centres through a comparative methodology, an approach particularly suitable to identifying the distinctive qualities and contribution of each. The findings demonstrate both have considerable potential relevance for practice, outlines what each offers, with the detailed individual assessments and its ecological framework characteristic of the PCQ providing benefits additional to the PSI.
Occurrence, ecology and potential impact of the New Zealand wheat bug Nysius huttoni White (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) in Belgium
Authors: Bonte J. , Casteels H. , Maes M. , De Clercq P. 
Published: July 2010

In 2002 the New Zealand wheat bug Nysius huttoni White was observed for the first time in the Netherlands and Belgium. The introduction of N. huttoni to these regions presumably occurred via overseas transport of apple and kiwi fruits from New Zealand. Laboratory experiments showed that both eggs and adults of N. huttoni were capable of surviving cold conditions similar to those in overseas transportation. Specimens were sampled in Belgium and the Netherlands, and a DNA sequence analysis indicated a 100% similarity with N. huttoni material collected in Christchurch, New Zealand. The distribution of the lygaeid in Belgium in 2008 was studied based on a systematic sampling at 105 locations. The bug had been able to spread over most of the Belgian territory, with the exception of the most southern and eastern provinces. Given the poor flight capacity of Belgian N. huttoni populations, other methods of dispersal may be involved. N. huttoni occurred primarily in ruderal habitats, and its weedy host plants belong to very common plant families. Several observations support N. huttoni not being a threat for agricultural crops in Belgium under the present conditions of climate and soil usage.
The spiculum: an additional useful character for the identification of Ditylenchus dipsaci and D. destructor (Nematoda: Anguinidae)
Authors: Karssen G. , Willemsen N. M. 
Published: July 2010

The quarantine nematodes Ditylenchus dipsaci and D. destructor are often routinely identified by morphology. This study identifies optimal conditions for specimen preparation of samples in order that the spiculum shape is clearly observable without distortion and allows the 2 species to be distinguished.
Taller and larger: shifts in Arctic tundra leaf traits after 16 years of experimental warming
Authors: HUDSON J. M. G. , HENRY G. H. R. , CORNWELL W. K. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractUnderstanding plant trait responses to elevated temperatures in the Arctic is critical in light of recent and continuing climate change, especially because these traits act as key mechanisms in climate‐vegetation feedbacks. Since 1992, we have artificially warmed three plant communities at Alexandra Fiord, Nunavut, Canada (79°N). In each of the communities, we used open‐top chambers (OTCs) to passively warm vegetation by 1–2 °C. In the summer of 2008, we investigated the intraspecific trait responses of five key species to 16 years of continuous warming. We examined eight traits that quantify different aspects of plant performance: leaf size, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), plant height, leaf carbon concentration, leaf nitrogen concentration, leaf carbon isotope discrimination (LCID), and leaf δ15N. Long‐term artificial warming affected five traits, including at least one trait in every species studied. The evergreen shrub Cassiope tetragona responded most frequently (increased leaf size and plant height/decreased SLA, leaf carbon concentration, and LCID), followed by the deciduous shrub Salix arctica (increased leaf size and plant height/decreased SLA) and the evergreen shrub Dryas integrifolia (increased leaf size and plant height/decreased LCID), the forb Oxyria digyna (increased leaf size and plant height), and the sedge Eriophorum angustifolium spp. triste (decreased leaf carbon concentration). Warming did not affect δ15N, leaf nitrogen concentration, or LDMC. Overall, growth traits were more sensitive to warming than leaf chemistry traits. Notably, we found that responses to warming were sustained, even after many years of treatment. Our work suggests that tundra plants in the High Arctic will show a multifaceted response to warming, often including taller shoots with larger leaves.
Dental pulp fibroblasts express neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor but not neuropeptide Y
Authors: Killough S. A. , Lundy F. T. , Irwin C. R. 
Published: July 2010

Killough SA, Lundy FT, Irwin CR. Dental pulp fibroblasts express neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor but not neuropeptide Y. International Endodontic Journal, 43, 835–842, 2010.AbstractAim  To investigate whether dental pulp fibroblasts express neuropeptide Y (NPY) and NPY‐Y1 in vitro and to determine the effects of the cytokines including interlukin‐1β (IL‐1β), TGF‐ β1, substance P and NPY on the expression of NPY Y1.Methodology  Three primary fibroblast cell strains were obtained from freshly extracted human third molar teeth. RT‐PCR was utilized to detect expression of NPY and mRNA expression. Membrane protein samples were isolated, and protein expression was determined by Western blotting. Radioimmunoassay was used to quantify NPY expression in healthy (n = 35) and carious (n = 39) whole pulp samples, and the student’s t‐test was used to test for statistical significance. In addition, the 3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol,2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to assay fibroblast cell growth.Results  mRNA transcripts were found in all three fibroblast cell populations with the cytokines having a stimulatory effect on its expression (P < 0.05). NPY mRNA was not detected in the cell strains. NPY‐Y1 receptor protein expression was visualized by Western blotting, and there was no effect of IL‐1β or TGF‐ β1 on its expression. The mean concentration of NPY‐Ir determined by radioimmunoassay in non‐carious teeth was 19.40 ng g−1 (±17.03 SD) compared to 29.95 ng g−1 (±20.99 SD) in carious teeth (P < 0.05).Conclusion  Human dental pulp fibroblasts express, but do not synthesize, NPY, demonstrating that the fibroblast is a target cell for NPY. The effect of proinflammatory cytokines suggests that fibroblasts play a neuroimmunomodulatory role in the pulpal response to dental caries and injury.
Composites made of flame‐sprayed bioactive glass 45S5 and polymers: bioactivity and immediate sealing properties
Authors: Mohn D. , Bruhin C. , Luechinger N. A. , Stark W. J. , Imfeld T. , Zehnder M. 
Published: July 2010

Mohn D, Bruhin C, Luechinger NA, Stark WJ, Imfeld T, Zehnder M. Composites made of flame‐sprayed bioactive glass 45S5 and polymers: bioactivity and immediate sealing properties. International Endodontic Journal, 43, 1037–1046, 2010.AbstractAim  To engineer systems using polyisoprene (PI) or polycaprolactone (PCL) and nanometric bioactive glass 45S5 (BG) that could create a hydroxyapatite interface and thus ultimately make the use of an endodontic sealer unnecessary.Methodology  Different composites using PI or PCL as matrix material were prepared with BG contents of up to 30 wt%. Unfilled PI and PCL, commercially available filled PI (Obtura gutta‐percha) and PCL pellets (Resilon) served as control materials. Bioactivity (in vitro precipitate formation in simulated body fluid) was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis. To test immediate sealing ability, simulated root canals were filled with heated materials, and dye leakage was assessed. Leakage was statistically compared between groups using Kruskal–Wallis analysis of variance followed by Mann–Whitney U tests and Bonferroni correction. The alpha‐type error was set at 0.05.Results  Both composite systems revealed hydroxyapatite formation on their surface. This was not observed on control materials. Incorporating 30 wt% BG into PI and PCL significantly (P < 0.05) improved their immediate sealing ability compared to that of unfilled polymers, so that dye leakage in simulated root canals was prevented completely.Conclusion  Polyisoprene and PCL composites with BG showed promising results as single root canal filling materials. Incorporation of BG fillers into the polymers under investigation made the resulting composite materials bioactive and improved their immediate sealing ability.
Disentangling the mechanistic drivers of ecosystem‐size effects on species diversity
Authors: Blakely Tanya J. , Didham Raphael K. 
Published: July 2010

Summary 1. Species richness is typically positively correlated with ecosystem size, yet there is no general consensus on the proximate mechanisms (resource concentration, disturbance, colonization–extinction dynamics or habitat heterogeneity) driving this relationship. Ecosystem‐size effects are often attributed to increasing resource concentration, but the inherent intercorrelation of resource concentration with other potential proximate mechanisms has led to strong debate over its significance as a mediator of ecosystem‐size effects. 2. We disentangle the proximate mechanisms underlying ecosystem‐size effects on species richness by experimentally reversing resource concentration and enhancing drought disturbance, while holding colonization–extinction dynamics and habitat heterogeneity constant, in field microcosms. 3. Contrary to theory and much empirical evidence, species richness decreased with increasing ecosystem size, due explicitly to experimental manipulation of the resource‐concentration gradient. Structural equation modelling revealed that resource concentration was the principal driver of ecosystem‐size effects on species richness, while drought disturbance and habitat quality strongly determined the identity and composition of colonizing species. 4. Our results support the logical contention that ‘ecosystem size’ is not a mechanism of effect in its own right, and that with appropriate experimental manipulation it is possible to tease apart the multiple underlying proximate drivers of ecosystem‐size effects on species richness. 5. Our results imply that the universally accepted relationship between ecosystem size and biodiversity can be reversed by nutrient enrichment, an increasingly observed human‐induced driver of global environmental change.
Phylogeography of Ophiorrhiza japonica (Rubiaceae) in continental islands, the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan
Authors: Nakamura Koh , Denda Tetsuo , Kokubugata Goro , Suwa Rempei , Yang T. Y. Aleck , Peng Ching‐I , Yokota Masatsugu 
Published: July 2010

AbstractAim  Phylogeographical patterns in the Ryukyu Archipelago have been explained primarily by landbridge formation and the opening of two straits in the Pliocene, namely the Tokara and Kerama gaps. These old straits have been considered to be the barriers most likely to determine genetic boundaries. To test this, we conducted a molecular analysis of the herb Ophiorrhiza japonica. We discuss the causes of and processes involved in its phylogeographical structure and explore aspects of island separation other than the duration of the straits to explain genetic boundaries at the gaps.Location  Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan.Methods  Plants were collected from 40 localities in the archipelago and vicinity. Non‐coding regions of chloroplast DNA were sequenced. The genealogical relationships among haplotypes were estimated using a statistical parsimony network. To examine the phylogeographical structure, we compared two parameters of population differentiation, namely GST and NST, and conducted correlation analysis of genetic and geographical distances. Genetic boundaries were identified using Monmonier’s maximum difference algorithm. To test vicariance–dispersal hypotheses, that is, vicariance after migration via the Pliocene landbridge or over‐sea dispersal in the Pleistocene, molecular dating analysis was conducted.Results  A statistical parsimony network revealed that the haplotypes from the Ryukyu Archipelago and northwards coalesce to one ancestral haplotype in Taiwan. A clear phylogeographical structure was observed: plants within the same population and populations in geographical proximity were phylogenetically close. A genetic boundary was recognized across the Kerama Gap, but not across the Tokara Gap. Dating analysis suggested that population divergence across the Kerama Gap occurred in the early to late Pleistocene.Main conclusions  The statistical parsimony network suggests migration from Taiwan and northward range expansion in the archipelago. Based on the divergence time, over‐sea dispersal in the Pleistocene is likely, although migration via a Pliocene landbridge is not totally rejected. Negligible genetic differentiation across the Tokara Gap suggests recent over‐sea dispersal, possibly facilitated by the small geographical width of the gap. Conversely, the large genetic differentiation across the Kerama Gap is probably explained by the large geographical distance across it. The past splitting of a landbridge would have had a significant influence on population differentiation after a certain geographical distance was reached.
Perceptions about intellectual disability: a qualitative study from Vellore, South India
Authors: Edwardraj S. , Mumtaj K. , Prasad J. H. , Kuruvilla A. , Jacob K. S. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackground  Cultural and religious beliefs influence perceptions about health and illness. Data, from India, on perceptions about intellectual disability are scant. This study explored people's cultural beliefs and attitudes about intellectual disability, perceived needs and burden associated with care in Vellore, south India.Method  A qualitative methodology using focus groups was employed. Eight focus groups were conducted in three settings and included the mothers of children and adolescents with intellectual disability (four groups, n = 29), community health workers (two groups, n = 17) and schoolteachers (two groups, n = 16).Results  Our results suggest that cultural and religious beliefs perpetuated negative attitudes towards disability. This meant that caregivers bore a high burden of care with little support from family or society. The study confirmed the presence of diverse, multiple and contradictory models of disability drawing from biomedical and local religious, social and cultural constructs.Conclusions  Public awareness, education and community‐level interventions for reducing the misconceptions and stigma related to intellectual disability are needed in addition to culturally sensitive treatment methods to improve the attitude towards and management of intellectual disability.