bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimating Human Inbreeding Coefficients: Comparison of Genealogical and Marker Heterozygosity Approaches
Authors: Carothers A. D. , Rudan I. , Kolcic I. , Polasek O. , Hayward C. , Wright A. F. , Campbell H. , Teague P. , Hastie N. D. , Weber J. L. 
Published: March 2006

SummaryWe have used genealogies and genomic polymorphisms to estimate individual inbreeding coefficients (F) in 50 subjects with an expected range (based on recent genealogies) of F from 0.0 to 0.0625. The estimates were based on two approaches, using genotypes respectively from 410 microsatellite markers (410‐STR panel) and from 10,000 SNPs (10K‐SNP panel). The latter was performed in a sub‐sample of 15 individuals. We concluded that for both marker panels measures of inbreeding based on the excess of homozygosity over Hardy‐Weinberg expectation were not closely correlated with 4‐5 generation genealogical F‐values. For the 10K‐SNP panel we found two alternative measures which correlated more closely with F, based respectively on standard errors and on paired homozygosity of nearby SNPs over distances of 2‐4 cM. We propose an empirical method for estimating standard errors and hence individual F‐values, based on the variation between individual autosomes. This method could provide useful estimates of average F‐values for groups of individuals in population‐based studies of the effects of inbreeding/homozygosity on quantitative traits.
The Merits of Testing Hardy‐Weinberg Equilibrium in the Analysis of Unmatched Case‐Control Data: A Cautionary Note
Authors: Yong Zou Guang , Donner Allan 
Published: March 2006

SummaryTesting for departures from the assumption of Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) has been widely recommended as a preliminary step in the analysis of genetic case‐control studies. Some authors suggest using a two‐stage procedure in which gene/disease associations are ultimately evaluated using either the Pearson chi‐square procedure or the Cochran‐Armitage test for trend. Other authors go further and encourage investigators to discard data that are in violation of HWE, essentially using the test as a tool for identifying genotyping errors. In this paper we show that 1) testing for HWE should not be used as a tool to identify genotyping errors; and 2) it is not necessary, and possibly even harmful, to test the HWE assumption before testing for association between alleles and disease. Instead one should inherently account for deviations from HWE with an adjusted chi‐square test statistic, a procedure which in the present context is identical to the trend test. Examples from previous reports are used to illustrate the methodology.
Investigating the Relationship Between FMR1 Allele Length and Cognitive Ability in Children: A Subtle Effect of the Normal Allele Range on the Normal Ability Range?
Authors: Loat C. S. , Craig G. , Plomin R. , Craig I. W. 
Published: March 2006

SummaryThe FMR1 gene contains a trinucleotide repeat tract which can expand from a normal size of around 30 repeats to over 200 repeats, causing mental retardation (Fragile X Syndrome). Evidence suggests that premutation males (55‐200 repeats) are susceptible to a late‐onset tremor/ataxia syndrome and females to premature ovarian failure, and that intermediate alleles (∼41‐55 repeats) and premutations may be in excess in samples with special educational needs. We explored the relationship between FMR1 allele length and cognitive ability in 621 low ability and control children assessed at 4 and 7 years, as well as 122 students with high IQ. The low and high ability and control samples showed no between‐group differences in incidence of longer alleles. In males there was a significant negative correlation between allele length and non‐verbal ability at 4 years (p = 0.048), academic achievement in maths (p = 0.003) and English (p = 0.011) at 7 years, and IQ in the high ability group (p = 0.018). There was a significant negative correlation between allele length and a standardised score for IQ and general cognitive ability at age 7 in the entire male sample (p = 0.002). This suggests that, within the normal spectrum of allele length, increased repeat numbers may have a limiting influence on cognitive performance.
Winter distribution of small mammals in relation to snow cover in the subalpine zone, Australia
Authors: Sanecki G. M. , Cowling A. , Green K. , Wood H. , Lindenmayer D. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractWe present the results of a study that is the first to investigate the landscape‐scale distribution of small mammals in direct relation to the spatial and temporal variation of snow cover. We investigated the distribution of the dusky antechinus Antechinus swainsonii and bush rat Rattus fuscipes in the subalpine zone of Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains of south‐eastern Australia. A new hair tube technique was used to detect the presence of small mammals active in the subnivean space. In 2002, we sampled 72 sites stratified by elevation (1501–1600, 1601–1700, 1701–1800 m), aspect (accumulating, ablating) and habitat type (woodland, wet heath, dry heath, grassland). These factors were considered important in influencing snow accumulation and generally reflected the types of habitats available to small mammals. In 2003, the presence of small mammals was investigated at 30 high‐elevation sites including six boulderfields. The development of the subnivean space in the Snowy Mountains is dependent on the presence of structures such as shrubs, boulders and microtopographic features that are capable of supporting a snow layer above ground level. When snow was present, small mammal detections were negatively correlated with snow depth and duration, and positively correlated with the complexity of structures and microtopography. At high elevations detections were largely confined to boulderfields, and at mid and low elevations small mammals were detected primarily in habitats where the subnivean space was most extensive. Antechinus swainsonii and R. fuscipes responded differently to snow cover, with the latter seeming better able to overwinter where snow cover was shallow and patchy, in contrast to A. swainsonii whose occurrence was correlated to the size of the subnivean space.
Seasonal, sexual and anatomical variability in the adipose tissue of polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Authors: Thiemann G. W. , Iverson S. J. , Stirling I. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractWe collected 245 adipose tissue biopsies from adult polar bears Ursus maritimus in north‐eastern Manitoba during the course of long‐term population studies between fall 2001 and spring 2004. In summer, the sea ice of Hudson Bay melts completely and the entire polar bear population is forced to fast on land for c. 4 months. During this period, the adipose tissue of females contained significantly more lipid than that of males, consistent with preparation for pregnancy and lactation. The adipose tissue of females with cubs contained less lipid than that of solitary females, likely reflecting greater mobilization of lipid during lactation. Although most of the population returns to the sea ice to hunt after freeze‐up in mid‐November, pregnant females enter maternity dens where they continue to fast for an additional 4 months. As a result, the adipose tissue of females emerging from dens at the end of this 8‐month ‘reproductive fast’ contained significantly less lipid than females in the fall. There was also evidence of a decline in the adipose tissue lipid content of females emerging from dens over the course of the study. Although this trend was based on limited sample sizes, it suggests that the overall condition of new mothers may be declining. Fat biopsies collected from 20 adult polar bears during a mark–recapture survey on the winter sea ice of south‐eastern Beaufort Sea showed that the fatty acid (FA) composition of the superficial adipose layer was largely uniform with depth; however, lipid content significantly increased from skin to muscle. Finally, adipose tissue collected from the belly, rump and baculum depots of bears killed by native subsistence hunters showed no site‐specific differences in either FA composition or lipid content. These data suggest that a single sample from any large superficial depot will accurately reflect a polar bear's total superficial adipose store. We suggest that lipid content of adipose tissue may provide valuable information on changes in polar bear condition in response to changes in arctic climate and prey distribution.
Gynaecological oncology: The role of colposcopy in the follow up of women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
Authors: Soutter WP , Butler JSB , Tipples M 
Published: March 2006

Objective  To determine the effect of colposcopy on the sensitivity and specificity of follow‐up procedures in the detection of residual or recurrent disease after treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).Design  A retrospective study of information held in a colposcopy database.Setting  A teaching hospital colposcopy clinic.Population  A total of 2244 women treated in Hammersmith Hospital for histologically confirmed CIN between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 2002.Methods  Data from the records of women treated with some form of local conservative therapy for CIN1–CIN3 between January 1988 and December 2002 were extracted from the colposcopy database. Women with histological confirmation of post‐treatment disease were identified.Main outcome measures  The sensitivity and specificity of cytology alone was compared with the sensitivity and specificity of the combination of colposcopy and cytology.Results  Colposcopy improved the sensitivity of cytology for the detection of high‐grade disease from 64 to 91% but reduced the specificity from 95 to 88%. With a 3% rate of post‐treatment high‐grade disease, colposcopy detected 8 extra cases per 1000 women but resulted in 88 more false alarms per 1000 women. Among women in whom the treatment margins were involved or uncertain, colposcopy detected 13 extra cases per 1000 women but resulted in 12 fewer false alarms per 1000 women because the prevalence of post‐treatment disease was higher.Conclusions  Colposcopy does improve the detection rate of post‐treatment disease but at a cost of additional false alarms. The benefit of colposcopy will be greater in high‐risk groups of women with higher rates of treatment failure.
Species‐specific PCR primers for the mitochondrial genome control region hypervariable region 1 of the reef fish Lutjanus sebae
Authors: ASPDEN WILLIAM , PEGG GRAHAM , BRISKEY LEICA , SINCLAIR WILLIAM 
Published: March 2006

Abstract Lutjanus sebae is an important commercial and recreational fish found throughout the Indo‐West Pacific region. Using universal primers for the mitochondrial genome control region hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), we isolated a 385‐bp fragment of HVR1 then designed specific primers near each end of this sequence in the conserved regions flanking the hypervariable region. These primers were shown to yield good quantity and quality of product and to be species specific. Of 20 L. sebae studied, there were eight segregating sites and eight haplotypes. These primers will provide a useful tool for population genetics studies, identification of larvae and eggs and for wildlife forensics.
Primers for 10 polymorphic microsatellites from Caulanthus amplexicaulis var. barbarae, and cross‐amplification in other species within the Streptanthoid Complex (Brassicaceae)
Authors: BURRELL A. MILLIE , PEPPER ALAN E. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractTen microsatellite primer pairs, developed from Caulanthus amplexicaulis var. barbarae (J. Howell) Munz, specifically amplified target loci across a diverse range of taxa from the Streptanthoid Complex, Brassicaceae. All primer pairs produced amplification products from at least 22 of the 23 accessions tested. Product size variation and observable heterozygosity were consistent with what would be expected from the amplification of polymorphic microsatellites across the complex. Our findings demonstrate that microsatellites developed for C. amplexicaulis var. barbarae will be useful for population‐genetic studies in taxa throughout the Streptanthoid Complex.
Effect of Spirulina, a blue green algae, on gentamicin‐induced oxidative stress and renal dysfunction in rats
Authors: Kuhad Anurag , Tirkey Naveen , Pilkhwal Sangeeta , Chopra Kanwaljit 
Published: March 2006

AbstractGentamicin (GM), an aminoglycoside, is widely employed in clinical practice for the treatment of serious Gram‐negative infections. The clinical utility of GM is limited by the frequent incidence of acute renal failure. Experimental evidences suggest that oxidative and nitrosative stress play an important role in GM nephrotoxicity. Spirulina fusiformis is a blue green algae with potent free radical scavenging properties. The present study was designed to investigate renoprotective potential of S. fusiformis, against GM‐induced oxidative stress and renal dysfunction. Spirulina fusiformis (500, 1000, 1500 mg/kg, p.o.) was administered 2 days before and 8 days concurrently with GM (100 mg/kg, i.p.). Renal injury was assessed by measuring serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine clearance and serum nitrite levels. Renal oxidative stress was determined by renal malondialdehyde levels, reduced glutathione levels and by enzymatic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Chronic GM administration resulted in marked renal oxidative and nitrosative stress and significantly deranged renal functions. Treatment with S. fusiformis significantly and dose‐dependently restored renal functions, reduced lipid peroxidation and enhanced reduced glutathione levels, SOD and catalase activities. The results of present study clearly demonstrate the pivotal role of reactive oxygen species and their relation to renal dysfunction and point to the therapeutic potential of S. fusiformis in GM‐induced nephrotoxicity.
Clinical methods for the evaluation of endothelial function – a focus on resistance arteries
Authors: Joannides Robinson , Bellien Jeremy , Thuillez Christian 
Published: March 2006

AbstractEndothelial dysfunction is a key event in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases and appears as a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular events. In this context, biological evaluation of endothelial circulating markers can be helpful. However, functional tests using pharmacological stimuli appear more specific for the study of resistance arteries. These methods consist in the evaluation of the endothelium‐dependent changes in regional vascular flow in response to local infusion of substances that act through endothelial receptors without modification of systemic arterial pressure and in comparison with a non endothelium‐dependent relaxation. Flow is measured by Doppler and intravascular ultrasound in coronary circulation, laser Doppler in skin and by venous occlusion plethysmography in peripheral muscular arteries. Similar studies can be performed ex vivo using isolated resistance arteries obtained from fat subcutaneous biopsies. In addition, other information can be obtained from reactive hyperemia and the study of the flow‐mediated dilatation of conduit arteries to enable a selective and comprehensive approach of the heterogeneity of endothelial function in pathophysiology.
Age‐specific fecundity and life table of Trissolcus semistriatus, an egg parasitoid of the sunn pest Eurygaster integriceps
Authors: KIVAN Müjgan , KILIC Nihal 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe effects of temperature on age‐specific fecundity and life table parameters of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus semistriatus (Nees, 1834) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) were examined under four constant temperature conditions (17, 20, 26 and 32°C), using eggs of the sunn pest Eurygaster integriceps Puton, 1881 (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae), an important pest of wheat, as hosts. The intrinsic rate of increase increased linearly, while the mean generation time and the doubling time decreased with increases in temperature. The net reproductive rate, however, varied without clear correlation with temperature. Fecundity tended to be higher at higher temperatures. The total number of eggs per female was estimated as 52.0 and 116.4 eggs, respectively, at 17°C and 32°C, with the highest fecundity rate during the first day of oviposition. The oviposition rate fluctuated from 4.4 to 14.3 eggs per day. Oviposition and postoviposition periods and longevity decreased when temperature increased. Maximum longevity for females was 21.6 days at 20°C, and female parasitoids lived longer than males at all temperatures. The development period ranged from 7.1 days (32°C) to 35.6 days (17°C) for males and from 8.4 days (32°C) to 37.2 days (17°C) for females. The development of female T. semistriatus required 166.7 degree‐days (DD) above a theoretical threshold of 11.8°C and the development of males required 142.9 DD above 13.1°C. The numbers of generations per year for female and male T. semistriatus, given the temperature in Tekirdag, Turkey, were estimated to be 9.0 and 8.8, respectively. The potential of the egg parasitoid for the control of E. integriceps is discussed.
Induced sterility of Glossina pallidipes Austen males after irradiation in a nitrogen atmosphere
Authors: MUTIKA Gratian N. , PARKER Andrew G. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe sterile insect technique relies on sterilization of males using ionizing radiation. Life cycle stage, and the environmental conditions under which irradiation is carried out are crucial to the provision of good‐quality insects. To identify an optimal radiation strategy for Glossina pallidipes Austen, 1903, 13‐day‐old males were irradiated at different doses in a nitrogen atmosphere. The following day the males were mated with 8‐day‐old virgin females. Pupal production of mated females was monitored for 6 weeks, and induced sterility was determined by probit analysis. Survival of the males that mated was also monitored. At least 95% sterility of irradiated males was achieved with a 158 Gy dose in nitrogen and a 125 Gy in air. Irradiation significantly lowered the probability of survival between 30 and 100 days of age (especially flies irradiated in air), but probabilities of survival were similar outside this period for irradiated and unirradiated flies. Exposure of 2‐ or 13‐day‐old males to sterilizing radiation induced similar levels of sterility in both air and nitrogen.
Phylogenetic analysis of the insect order Odonata using 28S and 16S rDNA sequences: a comparison between data sets with different evolutionary rates
Authors: HASEGAWA Eisuke , KASUYA Eiiti 
Published: March 2006

AbstractMolecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted for the insect order Odonata with a focus on testing the effectiveness of a slowly evolving gene to resolve deep branching and also to examine: (i) the monophyly of damselflies (the suborder Zygoptera); and (ii) the phylogenetic position of the relict dragonfly Epiophlebia superstes. Two independent molecular sources were used to reconstruct phylogeny: the 16S rRNA gene on the mitochondrial genome and the 28S rRNA gene on the nuclear genome. A comparison of the sequences showed that the obtained 28S rDNA sequences have evolved at a much slower rate than the 16S rDNA, and that the former is better than the latter for resolving deep branching in the Odonata. Both molecular sources indicated that the Zygoptera are paraphyletic, and when a reasonable weighting for among‐site rate variation was enforced for the 16S rDNA data set, E. superstes was placed between the two remaining major suborders, namely, Zygoptera and Anisoptera (dragonflies). Character reconstruction analysis suggests that multiple hits at the rapidly evolving sites in the 16S rDNA degenerated the phylogenetic signals of the data set.
Pollination mutualism between a new species of the genus Colocasiomyia de Meijere (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and Steudnera colocasiifolia (Araceae) in Yunnan, China
Authors: TAKENAKA Kohei , YIN Jian‐Tao , WEN Shuo‐Yang , TODA Masanori J. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractA new species of the genus Colocasiomyia de Meijere (Diptera: Drosophilidae) was discovered from inflorescences of Steudnera colocasiifolia K. Koch (Araceae) in Yunnan, China. The new species is described as Colocasiomyia steudnerae Takenaka and Toda, sp. nov., and we investigated the reproductive ecology of both the fly and the plant species. This fly species reproduces in the inflorescences/infructescences of the plant, and depends almost throughout its entire life cycle on the host plant. The fly species is the most abundant flower visitor for S. colocasiifolia and behaves intimately with the flowering events, suggesting that it is the unique and most efficient pollinator for the host plant. Bagging (insect‐exclusion) treatment of inflorescences resulted in no fruits. These findings strongly suggest that intimate pollination mutualism has evolved between the fly and the host plant, as are known in other Colocasiomyia flies and Araceae plants. One notable feature of this system is that the new species almost monopolizes the host‐plant inflorescence as a visitor, without any cohabiting Colocasiomyia species. In comparison to other cases where two Colocasiomyia species share the same inflorescence and infructescence of Araceae host plants for reproduction by separating their breeding niches microallopatrically between the staminate (upper male‐flower) and the pistillate (lower female‐flower) regions on the spadix, C. steudnerae exhibits a mixture of stamenicolous and pistillicolous breeding habits.
Tooth survival and periodontal tissues healing of allogenic‐transplanted teeth in the mice
Authors: Kim E , Cho SW , Yang JY , Cai J , Lee SJ , Ohshima H , Jung HS 
Published: March 2006

Objective:  For the successful organ transplantation, immune rejection has to be considered. Autogenic transplantation of human teeth is generally carried out free of clinical difficulty because of the lack of immune reaction, whereas allogenic tooth transplantations easily induce host immune rejection to donor tissues. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the replacement of donor tissue by host cells after allogenic tooth transplantationMaterials and methods:  First molars extracted from lacZ transgenic ROSA26 mice were transplanted into the alveolar socket and the tongue of host wildtype mice, where the first molar had existed.Results:  Donor cells from lacZ transgenic mice were not detected in the periodontal ligament space, but rather in the pulp chamber of the donor tooth. Furthermore, if the pulp chamber was widely open to an affluent blood supply, odontoblasts and fibroblasts in the donor tissue survived in the dental pulp.Conclusions:  Our experimental models using lacZ transgenic ROSA26 mice clearly demonstrate that donor periodontal tissue cells are replaced by host cells and that periodontal tissue can regenerate after allogenic tooth transplantation. Furthermore, our models suggest that donor pulpal cells can survive if the vascular supply into the pulp chamber is sufficient.