bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Growth hormone treatment and adverse events in Prader–Willi syndrome: data from KIGS (the Pfizer International Growth Database)
Authors: Craig Maria E. , Cowell Christopher T. , Larsson Pontus , Zipf William B. , Reiter Edward O. , Albertsson Wikland Kerstin , Ranke Michael B. , Price David A. ,   on behalf of the KIGS International Board
Published: June 2006

SummaryObjective  To evaluate the response to recombinant GH treatment and adverse events in children with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) from KIGS, the Pfizer International Growth Database.Patients  A total of 328 children (274 prepubertal, median age 6·0 years; 54 pubertal, median age 12·7 years) were treated for 1 year and 161 children were treated for 2 years with GH.Results   Height standard deviation score (SDS) increased significantly during treatment; the response was greater in prepubertal (−0·7 vs.−1·8 pretreatment) compared with pubertal children (−1·5 vs.−1·8). Predictors of first‐year height velocity in multiple regression analysis were GH dose, body weight (positively correlated), height SDS minus mid‐parental height SDS and chronological age (negatively correlated), together accounting for 39% of the variation in response to GH. Body mass index (BMI) SDS did not change significantly during 2 years of treatment. Of all the 675 GH‐treated PWS patients in KIGS, there were five cases of sudden death (age range 3–15 years). Three were obese (weight for height > 200%) and causes of death included bronchopneumonia, respiratory insufficiency and sleep apnoea. Scoliosis was the most commonly reported adverse event (n = 24), four children developed hyperglycaemia and six had presumptive diabetes (type 2 in five, and one case of type 1).Conclusions   Short‐term growth improved in response to conventional doses of GH in children with PWS. Prior to commencement of GH, examination of the upper airways and sleep studies should be performed in PWS patients. GH should be used with caution in those with extreme obesity or disordered breathing and all patients should be closely monitored for adverse events.
Lifestyle factors and forearm bone density in young Greek men
Authors: Kyriazopoulos P. , Trovas G. , Charopoulos J. , Antonogiannakis E. , Galanos A. , Lyritis G 
Published: June 2006

SummaryObjective  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary factors (calcium, proteins, alcohol, coffee and tea intake), exercise, sunlight exposure and immobilization on bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in young men.Patients and measurements  We examined a group of 300 healthy men, aged 18–30. Mean weight was 80‐81 kg (53–125 kg range) and height 179 cm (160–195 cm range). Distal BMC (dBMC), distal BMD (dBMD) and ultradistal BMD (udBMD) at the radius were measured by single X‐ray absorptiometry (Osteometer DTX). The data concerning lifestyle factors were obtained through a questionnaire. The 300 men were divided in four groups according to calcium intake, four groups taking into account protein and three groups alcohol intake. There also were five groups of exercise level, six groups of sun exposure and two groups of duration of immobilization.Results  In the group with the lowest levels of calcium intake (< 400 mg/day), dBMD and udBMD were lower than in the other groups of calcium intake (P = 0·002). dBMC and udBMD were lower (P = 0·043 and 0·015, respectively) in subjects with low physical activity (< 2 h/week), whereas dBMC and udBMD were higher (P < 0·0005) in subjects with frequent sun exposure (group labelled ‘very often’). Multiple regression analysis on bone mineral density of the forearm showed that, calcium intake, exercise and sunlight were also independent predictors of bone mass. No significant correlation between the other examined factors and BMD or BMC was detected.Conclusions  Calcium intake, exercise level and sun exposure showed a statistically significant correlation with distal BMD and BMC in young adult men.
Presentation and evolution of organic central precocious puberty according to the type of CNS lesion
Authors: Trivin Christine , Couto‐Silva Ana‐Claudia , Sainte‐Rose Christian , Chemaitilly Wassim , Kalifa Chantal , Doz François , Zerah Michel , Brauner Raja 
Published: June 2006

SummaryObjective  To evaluate the influence of the type and treatment of CNS lesion causing central precocious puberty (CPP) on the presentation, hypothalamic‐pituitary function and final height.Patients  One hundred patients with CPP caused by central nervous system (CNS) lesion.Results  The CPP was the presenting symptom of the lesion in 25 (10 boys) and occurred in 75 patients (23 boys) previously treated for lesions. These were optic glioma or astrocytoma (n = 45), hydrocephalus (n = 22), hypothalamic hamartoma (n = 15), suprasellar arachnoid cyst (n = 10) and others (n = 8).The percentages of patients with increased height, bone age advance, testicular volume, LH/FSH peaks ratio after gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) test and plasma testosterone concentration in boys and oestradiol in girls varied from one aetiology to another. The boys with hamartoma were significantly taller and had greater bone age advance, LH peak and testosterone than boys with optic glioma. The girls with hamartoma and suprasellar arachnoid cyst were significantly younger and had greater LH peak than girls in the other groups.All patients treated for optic glioma had hypothalamic–pituitary deficiencies, including GH (100%), thyrotrophin (71·4%), corticotrophin (12·5%) and pubertal (34·3%) deficiencies. Sixty percent of those with suprasellar cysts lacked GH.Final height was below −2 SD in 15/59 (25%) patients, including 5/11 not treated with GnRH analogue, 3/5 not treated with GH despite GH deficiency, and 2 with hydrocephalus as a result of meningomyelocele.Conclusions  The type of CNS lesion influences the presentation of CPP. This is probably caused by differences in the mechanisms inducing puberty and to the hypothalamic‐pituitary deficiencies associated with the CPP as a result of a lesion and/or its treatment.
Abortive activation precedes functional deletion of CD8+ T cells following encounter with self‐antigens expressed by resting B cells in vivo
Authors: Fraser Joanne M. , Janicki Claire N. , Raveney Ben J. E. , Morgan David J. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryInsHA mice express the haemagglutinin (HA) protein from influenza virus A/PR/8 H1N1 (PR8) as a self antigen on pancreatic islet β cells. We have utilized these mice to investigate the ability of resting B cells expressing Kd to induce self‐tolerance among naive KdHA‐specific clone 4 CD8+ T cells. Adoptive transfer of KdHA‐peptide‐pulsed resting B cells into clone 4→InsHA recipients resulted in the activation and proliferation of clone 4 CD8+ T cells throughout the peripheral lymphoid tissues. Significantly, proliferation was not associated with the acquisition of T cell effector function; as evidenced by a lack of interferon‐γ production and the complete absence of any autoimmune pathology even after immunization of recipient mice with PR8. These data demonstrate that resting B cells pulsed with self‐epitopes can induce abortive activation of potentially self‐reactive naive CD8+ T cells resulting in their functional deletion from the peripheral T‐cell repertoire in the absence of any associated autoimmunity.
Importance of gastrointestinal ingestion and macromolecular antigens in the vein for oral tolerance induction
Authors: Wakabayashi Ayako , Kumagai Yoshihiro , Watari Eiji , Shimizu Masumi , Utsuyama Masanori , Hirokawa Katsuiku , Takahashi Hidemi 
Published: June 2006

SummaryOral administration of a certain dose of antigen can generally induce immunological tolerance against the same antigen. In this study, we showed the temporal appearance of ovalbumin (OVA) antigens in both portal and peripheral blood of mice after the oral administration of OVA. Furthermore, we detected 45 000 MW OVA in mouse serum 30 min after the oral administration of OVA. Based on this observation, we examined whether the injection of intact OVA into the portal or peripheral vein induces immunological tolerance against OVA. We found that the intravenous injection of intact OVA did not induce immunological tolerance but rather enhanced OVA‐specific antibody production in some subclasses, suggesting that OVA antigens via the gastrointestinal tract but not intact OVA may contribute to establish immunological tolerance against OVA. Therefore, we examined the effects of digesting intact OVA in the gastrointestinal tract on the induction of oral tolerance. When mice were orally administered or injected into various gastrointestinal organs, such as the stomach, duodenum, ileum, or colon and boosted with intact OVA, OVA‐specific antibody production and delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) response were significantly enhanced in mice injected into the ileum or colon, compared with orally administered mice. These results suggest that although macromolecular OVA antigens are detected after oral administration of OVA in tolerant‐mouse serum, injection of intact OVA cannot contribute to tolerance induction. Therefore, some modification of macromolecular OVA in the gastrointestinal tract and ingestion may be essential for oral tolerance induction.
Enhancement of CD8 T‐cell function through modifying surface glycoproteins in young and old mice
Authors: Sadighi Akha Amir A. , Berger Scott B. , Miller Richard A. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryPrevious work from our laboratory has shown that modifying cell surface glycosylation with either a Clostridium perfringens‐derived sialidase (CP‐Siase), or an O‐linked glycoprotein endopeptidase (OSGE) can enhance the function of CD4 T cells from both young and old mice at multiple levels. Here we have re‐assessed the effect of age on CD8 T‐cell function, and examined the outcome of enzymatic treatment with CP‐Siase and OSGE on its different aspects. Pre‐treatment of CD8 T cells with either CP‐Siase or OSGE led to a significant increase in anti‐CD3‐mediated Ca2+ response in both young and old mice. Pre‐treated CD8 T cells from both age groups also displayed a significant increase in activation‐induced CD69 and CD25 expression, and produced significantly higher amounts of interleukin‐2 and interferon‐γ in comparison to their untreated counterparts. Furthermore, pretreatment with either enzyme enhanced granzyme B expression in CD8 T cells, and increased their cytolytic activity in vitro. These data support the notion that glycosylated surface proteins hinder CD8 T‐cell activation and function in both young and old mice, and raise the possibility of significantly improving CD8 T cell function in older individuals through enzymatic alteration of surface glycoproteins.
The evaluation of grape pomace distillates from selected red grape varieties
Authors: Gerogiannaki‐Christopoulou Maria , Kyriakidis Nikolaos V. , Athanasopoulos Panagiotis E. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryThis report describes the composition of the volatiles from grape pomace distillated that are commercially available in Greece. These spirits, which are a valuable by‐product of the winemaking industry, were obtained by distillation of grape pomace after fermentation under anaerobic conditions. The volatiles were distilled twice. Each distillate was separated in to 4 equal (by volume) fractions and the changes in volatile concentration during distillation were measured. Assays were done by gas/liquid chromatography (for alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters and aldehydes). The average values for volatile concentrations obtained for Greek grape pomace distillates were compared with the corresponding values for grape pomace manufactured in other Mediterranean countries.
Utilization of peanut fines in the optimization of peanut polvoron using mixture response surface methodology
Authors: San Juan Edith M. , Edra Ermina V. , Sales Jocelyn M. , Lustre Alicia O. , Resurreccion Anna. V. A. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryPercentages of peanut fines, sugar and butter in a peanut polvoron formulation were optimized using mixture response surface methodology (RSM). A consumer panel evaluated colour, appearance, flavour, texture and overall acceptance of a control and 15 experimental formulations of peanut polvoron containing various levels of peanut fines, sugar and butter. Texture was found to be the limiting factor for the optimization of peanut polvoron. Formulations with a 9‐point hedonic scale score minima of ≥6 for overall acceptance and acceptance of colour, appearance, flavour and texture were considered optimum. Optimum formulations can be obtained in all blends containing 22–36% peanut fines, 24% butter and 40–54% sugar.
Textural attributes of commercial biscuits. Effect of relative humidity on their quality
Authors: Mandala I. G. , Ioannou C. A. , Kostaropoulos A. E. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryTwo commercial biscuits of semi‐sweet type, ‘Marie’ and ‘Petit Beurre’ were used for investigating: (i) their texture variability as a function of the location and the side of puncturing and (ii) the influence of storage under different relative humidity on their texture, porosity and colour. Significant texture differences were found as a function of the location of puncturing (centre or periphery of biscuit area), as well as between the upper and the opposite side of a biscuit. At small relative humidity changes (11–32%) a distinct relationship between texture and moisture content was not noticed. In ‘Petit Beurre’ at aw 0.32 a peak was observed in the puncture force values. In both biscuits porosity increased with their moisture content, accompanied by an area expansion. Significant differences in colour were mainly noticed between the upper and opposite side of the biscuits. Colour was less influenced by relative humidity changes.
Digital imaging for evaluation of potato after‐cooking darkening and its comparison with other methods
Authors: Wang‐Pruski Gefu 
Published: June 2006

SummaryAfter‐cooking darkening (ACD) phenomenon occurs when potato tubers develop greyish dark colour after boiling, frying, or steaming. The pigment responsible for ACD is a complex of chlorogenic acid and iron, which is formed during cooking and oxidised during cooling. The evaluation of ACD is thus based either on the amount of chlorogenic acid in raw tubers or the greyish colour intensity on cooked tuber surfaces. This study introduced a new method, the digital imaging method, for evaluation of potato ACD. The comparison of this new method with visual evaluation and the measurement of chlorogenic acid using HPLC were also presented. The digital imaging method is based on the direct measurement of the degree of dark colour on cut tuber surfaces, expressed by pixel levels. The new method is faster, more reliable and simpler when compared with any methods presently used. It is particularly applicable to handling large sample numbers.
Improving the nutritional quality and maintaining consumption quality of akara using curdlan and composite flour
Authors: Plahar Minerva A. , Hung Yen‐Con , McWatters Kay H. 
Published: June 2006

SummarySoybean flour and curdlan were incorporated into cowpea flour to determine their effect on lowering the fat content and on the physical properties of akara. At 20% substitution, soybean flour lowered the fat content of akara by 7.7% and increased the protein content by 28.7% without significantly affecting the firmness or the colour of akara. Addition of 1% curdlan decreased the fat content by 32.2% but significantly increased the firmness of akara and produced a darker‐coloured product. The paste moisture content of akara containing 20% soybean flour and 1% curdlan was modified to obtain product characteristics comparable with the control (100% cowpea flour) while maintaining a lower fat content. Optimum results were obtained for paste with 63% moisture content. Firmness of this modified product was similar to the control and the fat content was lower (17%) compared with the control (26%).
The time‐dependent rheological characteristics of a chickpea flour dispersion as a function of temperature and shear rate
Authors: Ravi Ramasamy , Bhattacharya Suvendu 
Published: June 2006

SummaryChickpea or Bengalgram (Cicer arietinum L.) flour is used as a raw material to prepare several oriental snacks. Time‐dependent rheological studies were done on chickpea flour dispersions at different temperatures (10–40 °C) and shear rates (5–200 s−1) by using a controlled stress rheometer with a coaxial cylinder attachment. The loss in shear stress with time of shearing was a function of both the temperature and the shear rate used; low temperatures coupled with high shear rates yielded high losses in shear stress. The common time‐dependent rheological models such as the Weltmann, Hahn‐Ree‐Eyring and Peleg were suitable to characterize the time‐dependent rheological behaviour of chickpea flour dispersions. The Peleg model was marginally the best as evidenced by the lower root mean square error values of 0.77–5.17% (average 1.40%) compared with Weltmann (0.90–5.58%, average 2.00%) and Hahn‐Ree‐Eyring (0.96–5.97%, average 2.74%) models.
Nest ornamentation by female spotless starlings in response to a male display: an experimental study
Authors: POLO VICENTE , VEIGA JOSÉ P. 
Published: June 2006

Summary

The use of behavioural traits by females in signalling condition has been practically ignored in evolutionary theory. However, females may also exhibit ornaments and behavioural displays, although less elaborated than those of males.
In this study we suggest that the carrying of feathers by spotless starlings Sturnus unicolor Temminck females to decorate the nest represents an elaborated and costly behaviour that is displayed in response to a courtship male behaviour: the carrying of nest green plants.
By experimentally increasing the amount of green plants in the nests, to give the appearance that highly attractive males defended them, we induced females to increase their feather carrying rates.
The amount of feathers carried to the nest was correlated to female reproductive experience and laying date, two variables correlated with female body condition. These results suggests that this behaviour may work as an honest indicator of female quality.
We conclude that male carrying plants and female carrying feathers can be viewed as two sex‐specific functionally related signalling behaviours involved in mutual courtship or status signalling.
Resource partitioning in sympatric delphinids: space use and habitat preferences of Australian snubfin and Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins
Authors: PARRA GUIDO J. 
Published: June 2006

Summary

Many species of delphinids co‐occur in space and time. However, little is known of their ecological interactions and the underlying mechanisms that mediate their coexistence.
Snubfin Orcaella heinsohni, and Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins Sousa chinensis, live in sympatry throughout most of their range in Australian waters. I conducted boat‐based surveys in Cleveland Bay, north‐east Queensland, to collect data on the space and habitat use of both species. Using Geographic Information Systems, kernel methods and Euclidean distances I investigated interspecific differences in their space use patterns, behaviour and habitat preferences.
Core areas of use (50% kernel range) for both species were located close to river mouths and modified habitat such as dredged channels and breakwaters close to the Port of Townsville. Foraging and travelling activities were the dominant behavioural activities of snubfin and humpback dolphins within and outside their core areas.
Their representative ranges (95% kernel range) overlapped considerably, with shared areas showing strong concordance in the space use by both species. Nevertheless, snubfin dolphins preferred slightly shallower (1–2 m) waters than humpback dolphins (2–5 m). Additionally, shallow areas with seagrass ranked high in the habitat preferences of snubfin dolphins, whereas humpback dolphins favoured dredged channels.
Slight differences in habitat preferences appear to be one of the principal factors maintaining the coexistence of snubfin and humpback dolphins. I suggest diet partitioning and interspecific aggression as the major forces determining habitat selection in these sympatric species.
Application of random effects to the study of resource selection by animals
Authors: GILLIES CAMERON S. , HEBBLEWHITE MARK , NIELSEN SCOTT E. , KRAWCHUK MEG A. , ALDRIDGE CAMERON L. , FRAIR JACQUELINE L. , SAHER D. JOANNE , STEVENS CAMERON E. , JERDE CHRISTOPHER L. 
Published: June 2006

Summary

Resource selection estimated by logistic regression is used increasingly in studies to identify critical resources for animal populations and to predict species occurrence.
Most frequently, individual animals are monitored and pooled to estimate population‐level effects without regard to group or individual‐level variation. Pooling assumes that both observations and their errors are independent, and resource selection is constant given individual variation in resource availability.
Although researchers have identified ways to minimize autocorrelation, variation between individuals caused by differences in selection or available resources, including functional responses in resource selection, have not been well addressed.
Here we review random‐effects models and their application to resource selection modelling to overcome these common limitations. We present a simple case study of an analysis of resource selection by grizzly bears in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains with and without random effects.
Both categorical and continuous variables in the grizzly bear model differed in interpretation, both in statistical significance and coefficient sign, depending on how a random effect was included. We used a simulation approach to clarify the application of random effects under three common situations for telemetry studies: (a) discrepancies in sample sizes among individuals; (b) differences among individuals in selection where availability is constant; and (c) differences in availability with and without a functional response in resource selection.
We found that random intercepts accounted for unbalanced sample designs, and models with random intercepts and coefficients improved model fit given the variation in selection among individuals and functional responses in selection. Our empirical example and simulations demonstrate how including random effects in resource selection models can aid interpretation and address difficult assumptions limiting their generality. This approach will allow researchers to appropriately estimate marginal (population) and conditional (individual) responses, and account for complex grouping, unbalanced sample designs and autocorrelation.