bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Australian issues in the provision of after‐hours primary medical care services in rural communities
Authors: Zeitz Kathryn , Malone Geri , Arbon Paul , Fleming Jenny 
Published: May 2006

AbstractObjective:  In 2003 the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency in South Australia (SA) facilitated the ‘SA Rural Hospital After Hours Triage Education and Training Program’. It was designed to improve communication between rural general practitioners (GPs) and nurses undertaking after‐hours triage, provide training in triage for rural nurses and develop local collaborative after‐hours primary medical care models that can be applied in other settings. Design:  The program consisted of a series of three workshops. The first workshop provided an opportunity for GPs and nurses to discuss local issues relating to after‐hours primary medical care service delivery. This was followed by a one‐day workshop on triage for nurses. A follow‐up refresher workshop was conducted approximately six months later. Setting:  Twenty‐three rural communities in SA. Participants:  Rural GPs and nurses working in rural communities. Results:  This paper reports on the issues highlighted by clinicians in providing after‐hours primary medical care in rural and remote communities. These included community expectations, systems of care, scope of practice, private practice/public hospital interface, and medico legal issues. Conclusion:  The issues facing after‐hours health services in rural communities are not new. There are many opportunities for improvement of systems. A formal program including workshops and training has provided a useful forum to commence service improvements.
Subjective leisure experiences of older Australians
Authors: Sellar Ben , Boshoff Kobie 
Published: May 2006

Background:  Previous studies into leisure have employed methodologies that may understate the significance of experiential components. This exploratory study investigated the leisure experiences of retired Australians over 65 years of age. Methods:  Five semistructured interviews were used to explore the leisure experience of older people from metropolitan Adelaide. Data were coded and analysed thematically. Results:  Relaxation and engrossment emerged as commonly expressed experiences, yet were found to emerge as a result of engagement in occupations predefined as leisure. Experiences of freedom from both necessary duties and a sense of obligation were discussed as potential determinants of leisure consciousness. Practice implications:  This study highlights a need for therapists to actively access clients’ subjective leisure experiences to enable engagement in personally meaningful leisure occupations.
Use of high‐dose botulinum A toxin in benign essential blepharospasm: is too high too much?
Authors: Pang Anna L‐Y , O’Day Justin 
Published: May 2006

AbstractBackground:  Botulinum toxin (Botox) is the mainstay treatment for benign essential blepharospasm. Current treatment practice appears restricted by several reports demonstrating adverse effects and resistance to high‐frequency, higher‐dose therapy. This study aimed to explore whether high‐dose, high‐frequency treatments could be used without developing secondary resistance and without significant side‐effects in patients refractory to conventional Botox doses.Methods:  From a cohort of 120 patients being treated with Botox therapy for benign essential blepharospasm and idiopathic hemifacial spasm, case notes from six patients were retrospectively examined. In these patients, therapy had exceeded the recommended 50 units per side for a duration greater than 12 months and at less than 3 monthly intervals. Patterns in subjective severity grading and percentage of improvement as well as reported side‐effects were analysed.Results:  All patients described greater than 60% improvement and 0–2 severity grading over a 3‐ to 15‐year period with no evidence of secondary resistance. Side‐effects were minor, transient and less frequently reported at higher doses.Conclusion:  In a select group of patients, Botox therapy can be used effectively at doses higher than recommended over long periods with minimal side‐effects and little evidence of secondary resistance.
Spike‐timing‐dependent plasticity at resting and conditioned lateral perforant path synapses on granule cells in the dentate gyrus: different roles of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate and group I metabotropic glutamate receptors
Authors: Lin Yi‐Wen , Yang Hsiu‐Wen , Wang Hui‐Ju , Gong Chi‐Li , Chiu Tsai‐Hsien , Min Ming‐Yuan 
Published: May 2006

AbstractWe examined the mechanisms underlying spike‐timing‐dependent plasticity induction at resting and conditioned lateral perforant pathway (LPP) synapses in the rat dentate gyrus. Two stimulating electrodes were placed in the outer third of the molecular layer and in the granule cell layer in hippocampal slices to evoke field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) and antidromic field somatic spikes (afSSs), respectively. Long‐term potentiation (LTP) of LPP synapses was induced by paired stimulation with fEPSP preceding afSS. Reversal of the temporal order of fEPSP and afSS stimulation resulted in long‐term depression (LTD). Induction of LTP or LTD was blocked by d,l‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5), showing that both effects were N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR)‐dependent. Induction of LTP was also blocked by inhibitors of calcium–calmodulin kinase II, protein kinase C or mitogen‐activated/extracellular‐signal regulated kinase, suggesting that these are downstream effectors of NMDAR activation, whereas induction of LTD was blocked by inhibitors of protein kinase C and protein phosphatase 2B. At LPP synapses previously potentiated by high‐frequency stimulation or depressed by low‐frequency stimulation, paired fEPSP–afSS stimulation resulted in ‘de‐depression’ at depressed LPP synapses but had no effect on potentiated synapses, whereas reversal of the temporal order of fEPSP–afSS stimulation resulted in ‘de‐potentiation’ at potentiated synapses but had no effect on depressed synapses. Induction of de‐depression and de‐potentiation was unaffected by ap5 but was blocked by 2‐methyl‐6‐(phenylethynyl) pyridine hydrochloride, a group I metabotropic glutamate receptor blocker, showing that both were NMDAR‐independent but group I metabotropic glutamate receptor‐dependent. In conclusion, our results show that spike‐timing‐dependent plasticity can occur at both resting and conditioned LPP synapses, its induction in the former case being NMDAR‐dependent and, in the latter, group I metabotropic glutamate receptor‐dependent.
CaV1.2 and CaV1.3 neuronal L‐type calcium channels: differential targeting and signaling to pCREB
Authors: Zhang Hua , Fu Yu , Altier Christophe , Platzer Josef , Surmeier D. James , Bezprozvanny Ilya 
Published: May 2006

AbstractNeurons express multiple types of voltage‐gated calcium (Ca2+) channels. Two subtypes of neuronal L‐type Ca2+ channels are encoded by CaV1.2 and CaV1.3 pore‐forming subunits. To compare targeting of CaV1.2 and CaV1.3 L‐type Ca2+ channels, we transfected rat hippocampal neuronal cultures with surface‐epitope‐tagged sHA‐CaV1.2 or sHA‐CaV1.3a constructs and found that: (i) both sHA‐CaV1.2 and sHA‐CaV1.3a form clusters on the neuronal plasma membrane surface; (ii) when compared with sHA‐CaV1.2 surface clusters, the sHA‐CaV1.3a surface clusters were 10% larger and 25% brighter, but 35% less abundant; (iii) 81% of sHA‐CaV1.2 surface clusters, but only 48% of sHA‐CaV1.3a surface clusters, co‐localized with synapsin clusters; (iv) co‐expression with GFP‐Shank‐1B had no significant effect on sHA‐CaV1.2 surface clusters, but promoted formation and synaptic localization of sHA‐CaV1.3a surface clusters. In experiments with dihydropyridine‐resistant CaV1.2 and CaV1.3a mutants we demonstrated that CaV1.3a L‐type Ca2+ channels preferentially mediate nuclear pCREB signaling in hippocampal neurons at low, but not at high, levels of stimulation. In experiments with primary neuronal cultures from CaV1.3 knockout mice we discovered that CaV1.3 channels play a more important role in pCREB signaling in striatal medium spiny neurons than in hippocampal neurons. Our results provide novel insights into the function of CaV1.2 and CaV1.3 L‐type Ca2+ channels in the brain.
Two PEST‐like motifs regulate Ca2+/calpain‐mediated cleavage of the CaVβ3 subunit and provide important determinants for neuronal Ca2+ channel activity
Authors: Sandoval Alejandro , Oviedo Norma , Tadmouri Abir , Avila Traudy , De Waard Michel , Felix Ricardo 
Published: May 2006

AbstractAn increase in intracellular Ca2+ due to voltage‐gated Ca2+ (CaV) channel opening represents an important trigger for a number of second‐messenger‐mediated effects ranging from neurotransmitter release to gene activation. Ca2+ entry occurs through the principal pore‐forming protein but several ancillary subunits are known to more precisely tune ion influx. Among them, the CaVβ subunits are perhaps the most important, given that they largely influence the biophysical and pharmacological properties of the channel. Notably, several functional features may be associated with specific structural regions of the CaVβ subunits emphasizing the relevance of intramolecular domains in the physiology of these proteins. In the current report, we show that CaVβ3 contains two PEST motifs and undergoes Ca2+‐dependent degradation which can be prevented by the specific calpain inhibitor calpeptin. Using mutant constructs lacking the PEST motifs, we present evidence that they are necessary for the cleavage of CaVβ3 by calpain. Furthermore, the deletion of the PEST sequences did not affect the binding of CaVβ3 to the ion‐conducting CaV2.2 subunit and, when expressed in human embryonic kidney‐293 cells, the PEST motif‐deleted CaVβ3 significantly increased whole‐cell current density and retarded channel inactivation. Consistent with this observation, calpeptin treatment of human embryonic kidney‐293 cells expressing wild‐type CaVβ3 resulted in an increase in current amplitude. Together, these findings suggest that calpain‐mediated CaVβ3 proteolysis may be an essential process for Ca2+ channel functional regulation.
The comparable size and overlapping nature of upper limb distal and proximal muscle representations in the human motor cortex
Authors: Devanne Hervé , Cassim François , Ethier Christian , Brizzi Laurent , Thevenon André , Capaday Charles 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the relative size and location of proximal and distal upper limb muscle representations in the human motor cortex. Motor‐evoked potentials (MEPs) evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation were recorded in the proximal muscle anterior deltoid (AD) and in the distal muscles extensor carpi radialis (ECR) and first dorsal interosseus (1DI). The coil was moved in steps of 1 cm along a grid drawn on a tight‐fitting polyester cap placed on the subject's head. At each location, four stimuli were delivered at 1.2 times the active motor threshold (AMT), and MEPs averaged in real‐time. The peak‐to‐peak amplitude of each muscle's mean MEP was measured at each stimulation site. The area of a muscle's representation was measured by a pixel‐counting algorithm. The optimal point of each muscle's areal representation, which corresponds to the locus near which the largest MEPs are obtained, was determined by fitting a 3D Lorentzian function to the data points. The optimal point of distal muscles tended to be situated more laterally along the motor strip than that of proximal muscles. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the size of the areal representations and they overlapped considerably. Additionally, in another five subjects, using a small 45‐mm coil placed in a hyper‐focal orientation, maps were obtained at a stimulus intensity of 1.1–1.15 times the AMT of the muscle with the lowest threshold, usually the 1DI. Even in this very stringent condition, the mapped representations of the AD, ECR and 1DI overlapped, notwithstanding that sharp demarcations between borders were also apparent. These observations demonstrate that stimulus spread alone does not explain the overlap of muscle representations. These results show that commonly used proximal and distal upper‐limb muscles, taken individually, are controlled by motor cortical territories of approximately equal size that significantly overlap despite differences in the location of their optimal points.
Lesions of an avian forebrain nucleus prevent changes in protein kinase C levels associated with deafening‐induced vocal plasticity in adult songbirds
Authors: Watanabe Aiko , Li Rui , Kimura Takeji , Sakaguchi Hironobu 
Published: May 2006

AbstractWe investigated the participation of protein kinase C (PKC) in the regulation of vocal plasticity in songbirds. Deafening of adult Bengalese finches causes initial song alteration, followed by stabilization. In parallel, the expression of PKC β1 increases transiently 2 weeks after deafening, and then decreases gradually in the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) of Bengalese finches, similar to the pattern observed during developmental song learning. First, we showed that in adult zebra finches, whose songs change more gradually after auditory deprivation than those of Bengalese finches, PKC in RA also increased to an equal degree 2 weeks after deafening, despite the species difference. Second, double‐labeling with an anterograde tracer and PKC immunofluorescence revealed that PKC immunoreactivity in RA was detected on the synaptic terminals from a high premotor vocal nucleus (HVC), but not from the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (LMAN). To determine what causes deafening‐induced PKC increases, we blocked signals from LMAN, the final output nucleus to RA in the anterior forebrain pathway (AFP), by a unilateral LMAN lesion prior to auditory deprivation of adult Bengalese finches. The PKC immunoreactivity increased in RA of the intact hemisphere; however, in RA on the lesioned side, it was less intense than that of the unlesioned side. Thus, the deafening‐induced PKC expression was suppressed by lesioning of LMAN. These results suggest that an output signal from the AFP via LMAN induces the increase in PKC activity on HVC‐RA synapses that may regulate song plasticity.
Compensatory changes in the hippocampus of somatostatin knockout mice: upregulation of somatostatin receptor 2 and its function in the control of bursting activity and synaptic transmission
Authors: Cammalleri Maurizio , Cervia Davide , Monte Massimo Dal , Martini Davide , Langenegger Daniel , Fehlmann Dominique , Feuerbach Dominik , Pavan Barbara , Hoyer Daniel , Bagnoli Paola 
Published: May 2006

AbstractSomatostatin‐14 (SRIF) co‐localizes with γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the hippocampus and regulates neuronal excitability. A role of SRIF in the control of seizures has been proposed, although its exact contribution requires some clarification. In particular, SRIF knockout (KO) mice do not exhibit spontaneous seizures, indicating that compensatory changes may occur in KO. In the KO hippocampus, we examined whether specific SRIF receptors and/or the cognate peptide cortistatin‐14 (CST) compensate for the absence of SRIF. We found increased levels of both sst2 receptors (sst2) and CST, and we explored the functional consequences of sst2 compensation on bursting activity and synaptic responses in hippocampal slices. Bursting was decreased by SRIF in wild‐type (WT) mice, but it was not affected by either CST or sst2 agonist and antagonist. sst4 agonist increased bursting frequency in either WT or KO. In WT, but not in KO, its effects were blocked by agonizing or antagonizing sst2, suggesting that sst2 and sst4 are functionally coupled in the WT hippocampus. Bursting was reduced in KO as compared with WT and was increased upon application of sst2 antagonist, while SRIF, CST and sst2 agonist had no effect. At the synaptic level, we observed that in WT, SRIF decreased excitatory postsynaptic potentials which were, in contrast, increased by sst2 antagonist in KO. We conclude that sst2 compensates for SRIF absence and that its upregulation is responsible for reduced bursting and decreased excitatory transmission in KO mice. We suggest that a critical density of sst2 is needed to control hippocampal activity.
Motor facilitation during action observation: topographic mapping of the target muscle and influence of the onlooker's posture
Authors: Urgesi Cosimo , Candidi Matteo , Fabbro Franco , Romani Michela , Aglioti Salvatore M. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies report that viewing a given action performed by a model activates the neural representation of the onlooker's muscles that are activated during the actual execution of the observed action. Here we sought to determine whether this mirror observation‐execution facilitation reflects only muscular specificity or whether it is also influenced by postural congruency between onlooker/model body parts. We recorded motor potentials evoked by single‐pulse TMS from the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) and abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscles during observation of the right index and little finger abduction/adduction movements of models who kept their hands in a palm‐down or palm‐up position. Moreover, in different experiments observers kept their right hand palm down or palm up. Selective motor facilitation was observed during observation of movements that map the motor function of the targeted muscles, regardless of the posture of the observed hand. Modulation of FDI, however, was obtained only when participants kept their hand palm down; by contrast, modulation of ADM was obtained only when participants kept their hand palm up. Interestingly, electromyographic recordings showed that FDI is mostly active when index abduction/adduction movements are performed in the palm‐down position, whereas ADM is mostly active when little finger abduction/adduction movements are performed in the palm‐up position. Results show that the influence of the onlooker's hand posture is comparable in action execution and observation, thus indicating a fine‐grain functional correspondence between these two processes.
Functional and effective connectivity in an fMRI study of an auditory‐related task
Authors: Caclin Anne , Fonlupt Pierre 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThis study investigates the sets of brain areas that are functionally connected during an auditory goal‐directed task. We used a paradigm including a resting state condition and an active condition, which consisted in active listening to the footsteps of walking humans. The regional brain activity was measured using fMRI and the adjusted values of activity in brain regions involved in the task were analysed using both principal component analysis and structural equation modelling. A first set of connected areas includes regions located in Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale, posterior superior temporal sulcus (in the so‐called ‘social cognition’ area), and parietal lobe. This network could be responsible for the perceptual integration of the auditory signal. A second set encompassing frontal regions is related to attentional control. Dorsolateral‐ and medial‐prefrontal cortex have mutual negative influences which are similar to those described during a visual goal‐directed task [T. Chaminade & P. Fonlupt (2003) Eur. J. Neurosci., 18, 675–679.]. Moreover, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) exerts a positive influence on the auditory areas during the task, as well as a strong negative influence on the visual areas. These results show that: (i) the negative influence between the medial and lateral parts of the frontal cortex during a goal‐directed task is not dependent on the input modality (visual or auditory), and (ii) the DLPFC activates the pathway of the relevant sensory modality and inhibits the nonrelevant sensory modality pathway.
A novel RNA binding protein that interacts with NMDA R1 mRNA: regulation by ethanol
Authors: Anji Antje , Kumari Meena 
Published: May 2006

AbstractExcitatory NMDA receptors are an important target of ethanol. Chronic ethanol exposure, in vivo and in vitro, increases polypeptide levels of NR1 subunit, the key subunit of functional NMDA receptors. In vitro, chronic ethanol treatment increases the half‐life of NR1 mRNA and this observation is dependent on new protein synthesis. The present study was undertaken to locate cis‐acting region(s) within the NR1 3′‐untranslated region (UTR) and identify NR1 3′‐UTR binding trans‐acting proteins expressed in mouse fetal cortical neurons. Utilizing RNA gel shift assays we identified a 156‐nt cis‐acting region that binds to polysomal trans‐acting proteins. This binding was highly specific as inclusion of cyclophilin RNA or tRNA did not interfere with cis–trans interactions. Importantly, the 3′‐UTR binding activity was significantly up‐regulated in the presence of ethanol. UV cross‐link analysis detected three NR1 3′‐UTR binding proteins and their molecular mass calculated by Northwestern analysis was ∼88, 60 and 47 kDa, respectively. Northwestern analysis showed a significant up‐regulation of the 88‐kDa protein after chronic ethanol treatment. The 88‐kDa protein was purified and identified by tandem mass spectrometry as the beta subunit of alpha glucosidase II (GIIβ). That GIIβ is indeed a trans‐acting protein and binds specifically to 3′‐UTR of NR1 mRNA was confirmed by RNA gel mobility supershift assays and immuno RT‐PCR. Western blotting data established a significant increase of GIIβ polypeptide in chronic ethanol‐exposed fetal cortical neurons. We hypothesize that the identified cis‐acting region and the associated RNA‐binding proteins are important regulators of NR1 subunit gene expression.
OprF polymorphism as a marker of ecological niche in Pseudomonas
Authors: Bodilis Josselin , Hedde Mickaël , Orange Nicole , Barray Sylvie 
Published: May 2006

SummaryOprF is the major outer‐membrane protein of Pseudomonas sensu stricto (rRNA group I). In addition to playing a role as porin, membrane structural protein and root adhesion, this pleiotropic protein shows a length polymorphism corresponding to two types of OprF, termed OprF type 1 and OprF type 2. In a previous work, all the P. fluorescens isolated from bulk soil (non‐rhizospheric) were shown to possess oprF type 1, while all the clinical P. fluorescens isolates and most rhizospheric strains corresponded to type 2. In this study, we further investigated the relation between the OprF polymorphism and the ecological niche by developing a culture‐independent approach (a ratio polymerase chain reaction) to measure the percentage of each oprF type in environmental DNA samples, including two different soils and three different cultured plants (flax, wheat and grassland). Although the proportions of oprF type 2 between rhizospheric samples were quite variable, they were always very significantly higher (P < 0.001) than the proportions of oprF type 2 of the adjacent bulk soil where the vast majority of oprF (> 95%) corresponded to type 1. We discuss the potential applications of this ecological fingerprint in an agronomic and taxonomic point of view.