bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ibudilast in healthy volunteers: safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics with single and multiple doses
Authors: Rolan Paul , Gibbons Jacqueline A. , He Lin , Chang Eppie , Jones Drew , Gross Matthew I. , Davidson Jennifer Bahr , Sanftner Laura M. , Johnson Kirk W. 
Published: July 2008

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Ibudilast is an oral drug approved in Asia for asthma.• Tolerability of 10‐mg regimens has been described previously.• Published pharmacokinetics (PK) are limited: single or 7‐day repeat oral administration of 10 mg in healthy male Asian volunteers. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • Safety/tolerability and PK of a single 30‐mg dose and a 30‐mg twice daily (b.i.d.) 2‐week regimen in male and female healthy volunteers.• Higher‐dose regimens are relevant for testing in new neurological indications.• LC‐MS/MS analytics for quantification of plasma and urine levels of ibudilast parent and its primary metabolite (6,7‐dihydrodiol‐ibudilast).AIMSTo investigate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics (PK) of ibudilast after a single‐dose and a multiple‐dose regimen.METHODSHealthy adult male (n = 9) and female (n = 9) volunteers were evaluated over a 17‐day stay in a Phase 1 unit. Subjects were randomized 1 : 3 to either oral placebo or ibudilast at 30‐mg single administration followed by 14 days of 30 mg b.i.d. Complete safety analyses were performed and, for PK, plasma and urine samples were analysed for ibudilast and its major metabolite.RESULTSIbudilast was generally well tolerated. No serious adverse events occurred. Treatment‐related adverse events included hyperhidrosis, headache and nausea. Two subjects discontinued after a few days at 30 mg b.i.d. because of vomiting. Although samples sizes were too small to rule out a sex difference, PK were similar in men and women. The mean half‐life for ibudilast was 19 h and median Tmax was 4–6 h. Mean (SD) steady‐state plasma Cmax and AUC0–24 were 60 (25) ng ml−1 and 1004 (303) ng h ml−1, respectively. Plasma levels of 6,7‐ dihydrodiol‐ibudilast were approximately 30% of the parent.CONCLUSIONSIbudilast is generally well tolerated in healthy adults when given as a single oral dose of 30 mg followed by 30 mg b.i.d. (60 mg day−1) for 14 days. Plasma PK reached steady state within 2 days of starting the b.i.d. regimen. Exposure to ibudilast was achieved of a magnitude comparable to that associated with efficacy in rat chronic pain models.
The effects and safety of dexibuprofen compared with ibuprofen in febrile children caused by upper respiratory tract infection
Authors: Yoon Jong Seo , Jeong Dae‐Chul , Oh Jae‐Won , Lee Keun Young , Lee Hyun Seung , Koh Young Yull , Kim Jin Tack , Kang Jin Han , Lee Joon Sung 
Published: July 2008

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • The analgesic and anti‐inflammatory efficacy of dexibuprofen compared with ibuprofen in adults with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and dental pain. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • Dexibuprofen is as effective and tolerable as ibuprofen, and a dose of 5 mg kg−1 of dexibuprofen would be sufficient to control fever caused by upper respiratory tract infection in children.AIMTo evaluate the antipyretic efficacy and tolerability of dexibuprofen compared with ibuprofen in children with fever caused by upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).METHODSThe study population consisted of children aged 6 months to 14 years. At the time of visit to the hospital, the children had fever; the cause of fever was determined to be URTI by a paediatrician based on history taking and physical examination. The study was a multicentre, randomized, double‐blind, controlled parallel group, comparative, Phase 3 clinical trial, conducted at three hospitals. By using a computer‐based random assignment program, the subjects were allocated to the following three groups: 5 mg kg−1 dexibuprofen group, 7 mg kg−1 dexibuprofen group, and 10 mg kg−1 ibuprofen group.RESULTSIn the clinical trial of the antipyretic action of dexibuprofen in patients with fever caused by URTI, there was no statistically significant difference in maximal decrease of temperature and mean time to become apyrexial among the 5 mg kg−1 dexibuprofen, 7 mg kg−1 dexibuprofen and 10 mg kg−1 ibuprofen groups (P > 0.05). There also was no significant difference in adverse drug reaction (P > 0.05).CONCLUSIONSDexibuprofen is as effective and tolerable as ibuprofen. A dose of 5 mg kg−1 and 7 mg kg−1 dexibuprofen in place of 10 mg kg−1 ibuprofen would be sufficient to control fever caused by URTI in children.
Phenotypic changes and reduced genetic diversity have accompanied the rapid decline of the garden tiger moth (Arctia caja) in the U.K.
Authors: ANDERSON SARAH J. , CONRAD KELVIN F. , GILLMAN MIKE P. , WOIWOD IAN P. , FREELAND JOANNA R. 
Published: July 2008

Abstract 1. Previous studies have quantified the recent decline of numerous Lepidopteran species in the U.K., including the garden tiger moth (Arctia caja), in which abundance has decreased by 85% over the past 30 years. At the same time that overall numbers have been falling, the distribution of abundance of this species has been moving northwards. In this study, morphological and genetic data were used to investigate the possibility that these changes in abundance and distribution have been accompanied by microevolutionary changes.2. A comparison of wing size and shape in current and historical moth samples revealed that wing shape has altered significantly over the past century, resulting in longer, narrower hindwings and narrower forewings for a given forewing length. Habitat fragmentation and increased suitability of northerly sites provide a plausible explanation for the selection of increasingly dispersive individuals.3. Mitochondrial DNA revealed no phylogeographic structuring either before or after the population decline. However, a comparison of mtDNA haplotypes from current and museum specimens indicated that the recent population decline across the U.K. has been accompanied by a significant loss of genetic diversity.4. The changes in wing shape suggest recent adaptation to environmental change, whereas a loss of genetic diversity may limit the ability of garden tiger moths to adapt to future environmental change.
Colour morph related performance in the meadow grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus (Orthoptera, Acrididae)
Authors: UNSICKER SYBILLE B. , KÖHLER GÜNTER , LINZ JEANINE , STEIN CLAUDIA , WEISSER WOLFGANG W. 
Published: July 2008

Abstract 1. Polymorphism has been described for a number of herbivorous insects, but little is known about whether differences in body colour cause fitness differences. In Chorthippus parallelus, three main colour morphs occur, namely brown, green, and dorsally striped.2. The present study examined colour morph abundances and morph‐related differences in body size, oviposition rate, and offspring numbers in females of C. parallelus collected in 15 montane grasslands. The study also examined the effect of plant species richness, composition, community productivity, and solar radiation on colour morph frequency and fitness.3. The relative frequencies of the three colour morphs was 31.7% (brown), 33.1% (green), and 35.2% (dorsally striped), but the morphs were not evenly distributed across the 15 sites.4. There was no effect of the habitat variables on the distribution of the green and the striped morph in the study sites, however 80% of the variation in the abundances of the brown morph was explained by plant species richness and composition.5. Grasshopper size was equal among the morphs. Brown females laid significantly more egg pods than the green and dorsally striped morphs. There were no significant differences in offspring numbers among the colour morphs.6. Body colour in C. parallelus seems to be a fitness‐relevant trait, raising the question of the evolutionary maintenance of polymorphism.
Assembly of zooplankton communities in newly created ponds
Authors: LOUETTE GERALD , DE MEESTER LUC , DECLERCK STEVEN 
Published: July 2008

Summary1. The creation or severe disturbance of habitat patches is generally followed by a phase of community (re)assembly. After such an event, the trajectory of community assembly in habitat patches may be highly variable because of stochasticity during the dispersal and colonization process. Conversely, assembly patterns may also be deterministic if communities are shaped by prevalent environmental conditions in the habitat patches (species sorting), or by systematic differences in the dispersal capacities of species.2. In this study, we investigated the pattern of community assembly of zooplankton species in 25 newly created ponds at 13 different sites in Flanders (Belgium). Over a period of three consecutive years, we assessed at what rate and with what frequency species of the regional species pool colonized the newly created ponds. We also studied the development of community structure over time and tested whether the dynamics were consistent across different ponds at the different locations. In addition, we characterized the dynamics of metacommunity features, such as alpha, beta and gamma diversity in clusters of ponds.3. Even within the first year after their creation, the new ponds were rapidly colonized by a small subset of species from the regional species pool (Daphnia obtusa, Chydorus sphaericus and Simocephalus vetulus). These species dominated the cladoceran assemblages during the subsequent years. Other species in the regional species pools were only sporadically able to colonize ponds.4. During the entire study period, we observed no significant shifts in species lists or in the occurrences of species among years. The low incidence of the majority of species may be the result of dispersal limitation or the failure of immigrants to establish due to priority effects exerted by the first colonizers. There was, nevertheless, a consistent change in the relative abundance of species, which was most probably mediated by differences in the hatching time among species influencing species composition in the first year.5. In contrast to expectations, we observed no increase in average alpha diversity (local species richness) and gamma diversity (total richness of entire pond clusters) during the course of the study period. Beta diversity was relatively low from the beginning and remained constant throughout the study period. These deterministic patterns can mainly be attributed to the dominance of the three first colonizing species and the low success rate of other species in colonizing the ponds.
Dispersal of freshwater invertebrates by large terrestrial mammals: a case study with wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Mediterranean wetlands
Authors: VANSCHOENWINKEL BRAM , WATERKEYN ALINE , VANDECAETSBEEK TIM , PINEAU OLIVIER , GRILLAS PATRICK , BRENDONCK LUC 
Published: July 2008

Summary1. Many invertebrates inhabiting insular aquatic habitats rely on external agents or vectors to disperse. Besides water connections and wind, waterfowl and amphibians are known to mediate passive dispersal of freshwater invertebrates. However, the possibility of dispersal by terrestrial mammals has been largely overlooked.2. We investigated the potential of both external and internal zoochorous dispersal of aquatic invertebrates by the wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Mediterranean wetlands in the Camargue (France). As wild boar frequently visit wetlands for feeding and wallowing purposes, we hypothesized that they may be important passive dispersal vectors of aquatic invertebrates at a local scale. Dried mud was collected from selected ‘rubbing trees’ used by boars to dispose of parasites. Additionally, faecal pellets were collected from different locations in the wetland area.3. Seventeen freshwater invertebrate taxa including rotifers, cladocerans, copepods and ostracods hatched from sediment obtained from ‘rubbing trees’, while invertebrates hatching from dried faeces (10 taxa) were mainly rotifers. Dispersing invertebrates were collected up to 318 m from a nearest potential dispersal source. Both abundance and richness of invertebrates significantly decreased with dispersal distance.4. Our results demonstrate that large mammals such as wild boar can act as dispersal vectors of aquatic invertebrates at a local scale in the wetland area of the Camargue and suggest that external transport may be quantitatively more important than internal transport. As wallowing (mud bathing) is common in many terrestrial mammals, this mode of dispersal may be quite widespread.
Feeding rates, assimilation efficiencies and growth of two amphipod species on biodeposited material from zebra mussels
Authors: GERGS RENÉ , ROTHHAUPT K.‐O. 
Published: July 2008

Summary1. Accumulation of organic material by the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha is assumed to be the source of a biodeposition‐based food web. However, only little is known about the importance of the biodeposited material as a food source and its contribution to increased abundances of macroinvertebrates in the presence of D. polymorpha.2. Feeding, assimilation and growth of the amphipods Gammarus roeselii and Dikerogammarus villosus on food sources directly and indirectly associated with D. polymorpha (biodeposited material and chironomids) and on conditioned alder leaves were measured. The stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus of the diets was measured as an important determining factor of food quality.3. Chironomids had the highest nitrogen and phosphorus contents, alder leaves were depleted in nitrogen and phosphorus, and the stoichiometry of biodeposited material was intermediate.4. Both amphipod species had highest feeding rates and assimilation efficiencies on chironomids. Gammarus roeselii fed more on biodeposited material than on alder leaves, but assimilation efficiencies were similar; D. villosus also had similar feeding rates and assimilation efficiencies on the two diets.5. Both amphipod species had highest growth rates on chironomids and lowest growth rates on alder leaves. Both grew at intermediate rates on biodeposited material of D. polymorpha. The growth rates of the amphipod species were related to food stoichiometry. Overall, the invasive D. villosus grew faster than the indigenous G. roeselii.6. Food resources directly and indirectly associated with D. polymorpha are potential diets for amphipods, providing further evidence for a D. polymorpha biodeposition‐based food web.
Simple three‐pool model accurately describes patterns of long‐term litter decomposition in diverse climates
Authors: ADAIR E. CAROL , PARTON WILLIAM J. , DEL GROSSO STEVEN J. , SILVER WHENDEE L. , HARMON MARK E. , HALL SONIA A. , BURKE INGRID C. , HART STEPHEN C. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractAs atmospheric CO2increases, ecosystem carbon sequestration will largely depend on how global changes in climate will alter the balance between net primary production and decomposition. The response of primary production to climatic change has been examined using well‐validated mechanistic models, but the same is not true for decomposition, a primary source of atmospheric CO2. We used the Long‐term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team (LIDET) dataset and model‐selection techniques to choose and parameterize a model that describes global patterns of litter decomposition. Mass loss was best represented by a three‐pool negative exponential model, with a rapidly decomposing labile pool, an intermediate pool representing cellulose, and a recalcitrant pool. The initial litter lignin/nitrogen ratio defined the size of labile and intermediate pools. Lignin content determined the size of the recalcitrant pool. The decomposition rate of all pools was modified by climate, but the intermediate pool's decomposition rate was also controlled by relative amounts of litter cellulose and lignin (indicative of lignin‐encrusted cellulose). The effect of climate on decomposition was best represented by a composite variable that multiplied a water‐stress function by the Lloyd and Taylor variableQ10temperature function. Although our model explained nearly 70% of the variation in LIDET data, we observed systematic deviations from model predictions. Below‐ and aboveground material decomposed at notably different rates, depending on the decomposition stage. Decomposition in certain ecosystem‐specific environmental conditions was not well represented by our model; this included roots in very wet and cold soils, and aboveground litter in N‐rich and arid sites. Despite these limitations, our model may still be extremely useful for global modeling efforts, because it accurately (R2=0.6804) described general patterns of long‐term global decomposition for a wide array of litter types, using relatively minimal climatic and litter quality data.
Carbon exchange of a mature, naturally regenerated pine forest in north Florida
Authors: POWELL THOMAS L. , GHOLZ HENRY L. , CLARK KENNETH L. , STARR GREGORY , CROPPER WENDELL P. , MARTIN TIMOTHY A. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractWe used eddy covariance and biomass measurements to quantify the carbon (C) dynamics of a naturally regenerated longleaf pine/slash pine flatwoods ecosystem in north Florida for 4 years, July 2000 to June 2002 and 2004 to 2005, to quantify how forest type, silvicultural intensity and environment influence stand‐level C balance. Precipitation over the study periods ranged from extreme drought (July 2000–June 2002) to above‐average precipitation (2004 and 2005). After photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), vapor pressure deficit (VPD) >1.5 kPa and air temperature <10 °C were important constraints on daytime half‐hourly net CO2exchange (NEEday) and reduced the magnitude of midday CO2exchange by >5 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1. Analysis of water use efficiency indicated that stomatal closure at VPD>1.5 kPa moderated transpiration similarly in both drought and wet years. Night‐time exchange (NEEnight) was an exponential function of air temperature, with rates further modulated by soil moisture. Estimated annual net ecosystem production (NEP) was remarkably consistent among the four measurement years (range: 158–192 g C m−2 yr−1). In comparison, annual ecosystem C assimilation estimates from biomass measurements between 2000 and 2002 ranged from 77 to 136 g C m−2 yr−1. Understory fluxes accounted for approximately 25–35% of above‐canopy NEE over 24‐h periods, and 85% and 27% of whole‐ecosystem fluxes during night and midday (11:00–15:00 hours) periods, respectively. Concurrent measurements of a nearby intensively managed slash pine plantation showed that annual NEP was three to four times greater than that of the Austin Cary Memorial Forest, highlighting the importance of silviculture and management in regulating stand‐level C budgets.
Functional leaf traits, plant communities and acclimation processes in relation to oxidative stress in trees: a critical overview
Authors: BUSSOTTI FILIPPO 
Published: July 2008

AbstractTropospheric ozone exercises pressure on vegetation in combination with other oxidative factors such as strong sunlight, UV‐B radiation, high temperatures and water shortage. The relationship established between these factors and the plants can be either antagonistic (cross‐resistance) or synergistic. Response mechanisms are activated involving physiological, chemical and morphological features. Overall sensitivity (or resistance) is determined by the amount of total oxidative pressure in relation to the plant's physiological plasticity [i.e. its ability (within its own resilience potential) to alter its structure and functions in order to react to the oxidative pressure]. Within different populations of the same species, functional leaf traits (leaf area and thickness, leaf mass per area or specific leaf area, tissue thickness) may vary in relation to the extent that the plant succeeds in acclimating to ambient oxidative pressure. The behaviour of a tree in an oxidative environment can be interpreted by means of leaf structure analysis. Leaves presenting high tissue density (and thus low intercellular space content) display a high degree of acclimation to stressors, react little to environmental changes and are characterized by remarkable longevity. Leaves of this type also have a high photosynthesis capacity per surface unit (due to the N content per surface unit) and a highPN/GW(or water use efficiency, WUE). Thus, they are able to support detoxification processes. These morphological traits are to be found in adult plants in late successional stands and, above all, in ambients that have already been subjected to oxidative pressure. However, in early successional species and during the dynamic stages of growth (e.g. in the renewal occurring along forest edges), it is the opposite leaf traits that prevail: low leaf density, high photosynthesis capacity per dry weight unit, low WUE, low leaf longevity. These traits make plants far more reactive to environmental changes (e.g. they exploit the light from sun flecks much more effectively), but enable them to achieve only a low degree of acclimation and a poor ability to support detoxification processes. Whereas adult forests display a high level of ecological resilience and have a relatively good tolerance of ozone, the renewal stages are (at least potentially) more vulnerable. In these environments, ozone can alter the competition among genotypes and favour more resistant ones. Among the sectors most at risk, we must include communities growing at the edge of their ecological range, for whom even a slight increase in oxidative pressure can trigger substantial degenerative processes.
Life history buffering in Antarctic mammals and birds against changing patterns of climate and environmental variation
Authors: FORCADA JAUME , TRATHAN PHILIP N. , MURPHY EUGENE J. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe consequences of warming for Antarctic long‐lived organisms depend on their ability to survive changing patterns of climate and environmental variation. Among birds and mammals of different Antarctic regions, including emperor penguins, snow petrels, southern fulmars, Antarctic fur seals and Weddell seals, we found strong support for selection of life history traits that reduce interannual variation in fitness. These species maximize fitness by keeping a low interannual variance in the survival of adults and in their propensity to breed annually, which are the vital rates that influence most the variability in population growth rate (λ). All these species have been able to buffer these rates against the effects of recent climate‐driven habitat changes except for Antarctic fur seals, in the Southwest Atlantic. In this region of the Southern Ocean, the rapid increase in ecosystem fluctuation, associated with increasing climate variability observed since 1990, has limited and rendered less predictable the main fur seal food supply, Antarctic krill. This has increased the fitness costs of breeding for females, causing significant short‐term changes in population structure through mortality and low breeding output. Changes occur now with a frequency higher than the mean female fur seal generation time, and therefore are likely to limit their adaptive response. Fur seals are more likely to rely on phenotypic plasticity to cope with short‐term changes in order to maximize individual fitness. With more frequent extreme climatic events driving more frequent ecosystem fluctuation, the repercussions for life histories in many Antarctic birds and mammals are likely to increase, particularly at regional scales. In species with less flexible life histories that are more constrained by fluctuation in their critical habitats, like sea‐ice, this may cause demographic changes, population compensation and changes in distribution, as already observed in penguin species living in the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands.