bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Staphylococcus aureusinfection after splenectomy and splenic autotransplantation in BALB/c mice
Authors: Teixeira F M , Fernandes B F , Rezende A B , Machado R R P , Alves C C S , Perobelli S M , Nunes S I , Farias R E , Rodrigues M F , Ferreira A P , Oliveira S C , Teixeira H C 
Published: October 2008

SummarySplenectomy results in an increased risk of sepsis. The autogenous transplant of the spleen is an option for preserving splenic functions after total splenectomy. In this study, the capacity of animals undergoing autogenous spleen transplantation to respond to Staphylococcus aureus infection was investigated. BALB/c mice were divided into three groups: splenectomy followed by autotransplantation in the retroperitonium (AT), splenectomized only (SP) and operated non-splenectomized sham control (CT). Thirty days after surgery the mice were infected intravenously with S. aureus. Splenectomized mice had a higher number of colony-forming units (CFU) of S. aureus in liver and lungs in comparison with either AT or with CT mice (P &lt; 0·05). Higher CFU numbers in lung of SP mice correlated with elevated production of interleukin-10 associated with a lower production of interferon-γ and tumour necrosis factor-α. However, systemically, the level of tumour necrosis factor-α was higher in the SP group than in CT or AT. Lower titres of specific anti-S. aureus immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG1 were observed 6 days after infection in SP mice in comparison either with the AT or CT groups. Thus, splenectomy is detrimental to the immune response of BALB/c mice against infection by S. aureus which can be re-established by autogenous implantation of the spleen.
High mortality rate of (NZW × BXSB)F1 mice induced by administration of lipopolysaccharide attributes to high production of tumour necrosis factor-α by increased numbers of dendritic cells
Authors: Koike-Kiriyama N , Adachi Y , Iwasaki M , Amou Y , Shigematsu A , Koike Y , Minamino K , Mukaide H , Shi M , Yanai S , Matsumura M , Ikehara S 
Published: October 2008

Summary(NZW × BXSB)F1 mice (W/BF1 mice) have been reported to be a type of autoimmune-prone mice, showing symptoms of proteinuria, anti-DNA antibodies and anti-platelet antibodies. In this paper, we report that W/BF1 mice show hyperproduction of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, responding to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in comparison with normal mice, resulting in induction of death. In normal mice, monocytes/macrophages (Mo/MØ) are the main producer of TNF-α, while both Mo/MØ and dendritic cells (DCs) produce TNF-α in W/BF1 mice. Because the number of DCs is higher in W/BF1 mice, the main producers of TNF-α in W/BF1 mice are thought to be DCs. Moreover, administration of anti-TNF-α antibodies rescued the W/BF1 mice from death induced by LPS, suggesting that TNF-α is crucial for the effect of LPS. Although there is no significant difference in the expression of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) on DCs between B6 and W/BF1 mice, nuclear factor kappa b activity of DCs from W/BF1 mice is augmented under stimulation of LPS in comparison with that of normal mice. These results suggest that the signal transduction from TLR-4 is augmented in W/BF1 mice in comparison with normal mice, resulting in the hyperproduction of TNF-α and reduced survival rate. The results also suggest that not only the quantity of endotoxin, but also the host conditions, the facility to translate signal from TLR, and so on, could reflect the degree of bacterial infections and prognosis.
Octreotide LAR vs. surgery in newly diagnosed patients with acromegaly: a randomized, open‐label, multicentre study
Authors: Colao Annamaria , Cappabianca Paolo , Caron Philippe , De Menis Ernesto , Farrall Andrew J. , Gadelha Monica R. , Hmissi Abdel , Rees Aled , Reincke Martin , Safari Mitra , T'Sjoen Guy , Bouterfa Hakim , Cuneo Ross C. 
Published: October 2008

SummaryObjective  This prospective randomized study evaluated the efficacy and safety of octreotide LAR vs. surgery in newly diagnosed acromegalic patients.Methods  Totally 104 male and female patients were enrolled in a 50‐week, exploratory, open‐label and randomized study. Eligible patients were randomized to receive either octreotide LAR 20 mg every 28 days or to undergo surgery. Efficacy was assessed by changes in mean GH and IGF‐I serum concentrations, at weeks 12, 24 and 48. Tumour volume was assessed by contrast‐enhanced MRI. In both groups, treatment adjustment was performed for patients uncontrolled at week 12 or 24. Octreotide LAR patients received a dose increased to 30 mg or, if already receiving this dose, investigator and patients could decide to cross‐over to surgery. Patients uncontrolled after surgery received octreotide LAR 20 mg, increased to 30 mg if acromegaly was still uncontrolled.Results  Overall success rates at weeks 24 and 48 were 25% and 28% for the octreotide LAR group and 49% and 39% for the surgery group. Only the difference observed at week 24 was statistically significant (P = 0·047). Both groups had a significant (> 20%) tumour shrinkage: 73% of patients in the octreotide LAR group and 95% in the surgery group. Major differences between octreotide LAR and surgery group in the occurrence of adverse events were gastrointestinal (71%vs. 27%), hepatobiliary (41%vs. 8%) and respiratory (5%vs. 28%).Conclusion  This first randomized study in unselected patients indicates that the 48‐week treatment outcome of octreotide LAR as first‐line treatment of acromegaly does not significantly differ from surgery. As a complete response to surgery in GH‐secreting macro‐adenomas can be difficult, first‐line therapy with octreotide LAR can be considered as a viable alternative for most patients with acromegaly, due to its low complication rate.
Intra‐specific variation affects the structure of the natural enemy assemblage attacking pea aphid colonies
Authors: HAZELL STEAPHAN P. , FELLOWES MARK D. E. 
Published: October 2008

Abstract 1. Intra‐specific variation in plant defence traits has been shown to profoundly affect herbivore community structure. Here we describe two experiments designed to test whether similar effects occur at higher trophic levels, by studying pea aphid–natural enemy interactions in a disused pasture in southern England.2. In the first experiment, the numbers and identity of natural enemies attacking different monoclonal pea aphid colonies were recorded in a series of assays throughout the period of pea aphid activity.3. In the summer assay, there was a significant effect of clone on the numbers of aphidophagous hoverfly larvae and the total number of non‐hoverfly natural enemies recruited. Clone also appeared to influence the attack rate suffered by the primary predator in the system, the hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus, by Diplazon laetatorius, an ichneumonid parasitoid. Colonies were generally driven to extinction by hoverfly attack, resulting in the recording of low numbers of parasitoids and entomopathogens, suggesting intense intra‐guild predation.4. To further examine the influence of clonal variation on the recruitment of natural enemies, a second experiment was performed to monitor the temporal dynamics of community development. Colonies were destructively sampled every other day and the numbers of natural enemies attacking aphid colonies were recorded. These data demonstrated that clonal variation influenced the timing, abundance, and identity of natural enemies attacking aphid colonies.5. Taken together, these data suggest that clonal variation may have a significant influence on the patterns of interactions between aphids and their natural enemies, and that such effects are likely to affect our understanding of the ecology and biological control of these insect herbivores.
Low serum fetuin‐A concentration predicts poor outcome only in the presence of inflammation in prevalent haemodialysis patients
Authors: Metry G. , Stenvinkel P. , Qureshi A. R. , Carrero J. J. , Yilmaz M. I. , Bárány P. , Snaedal S. , Heimbürger O. , Lindholm B. , Suliman M. E. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTBackground  Fetuin‐A, a negative acute phase protein that inhibits vascular calcification, has a controversial association with mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Chronic inflammation, which is common in CKD, may promote vascular calcification.Materials and methods  We investigated the impact of inflammation on the relationship between serum fetuin‐A and mortality (42 months) in 222 prevalent haemodialysis (HD) patients.Results  Serum fetuin correlated negatively with comorbidity score (assessed by Davies score) and circulating inflammatory markers. Patients with low fetuin‐A levels (< median) had higher mortality (Hazard ratio ‘HR’ 2·2; CI 1·4–3·5, P < 0·001), but this association was lost after adjustment for age, gender, comorbidities score, dialysis vintage and inflammation (CRP > median). In inflamed patients with low fetuin a significantly independent association with mortality (HR 2·3; CI 1·2–4·5, P = 0·01) was observed compared to non‐inflamed patients with high fetuin‐A, after adjusting for the same variables. Non‐inflamed patients with low fetuin‐A and inflamed patients with high fetuin‐A did not have increased mortality compared to non‐inflamed patients with high fetuin‐A.Conclusions  The results show that low levels of serum fetuin‐A are associated with increased mortality in HD patients only in the presence of inflammation. This suggests that coexistence of a low serum fetuin‐A level and low‐grade inflammation exerts an additive effect on the risk of death in HD patients.
Migration velocity analysis and waveform inversion
Authors: Symes William W. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTLeast‐squares inversion of seismic reflection waveform data can reconstruct remarkably detailed models of subsurface structure and take into account essentially any physics of seismic wave propagation that can be modelled. However, the waveform inversion objective has many spurious local minima, hence convergence of descent methods (mandatory because of problem size) to useful Earth models requires accurate initial estimates of long‐scale velocity structure. Migration velocity analysis, on the other hand, is capable of correcting substantially erroneous initial estimates of velocity at long scales. Migration velocity analysis is based on prestack depth migration, which is in turn based on linearized acoustic modelling (Born or single‐scattering approximation). Two major variants of prestack depth migration, using binning of surface data and Claerbout's survey‐sinking concept respectively, are in widespread use. Each type of prestack migration produces an image volume depending on redundant parameters and supplies a condition on the image volume, which expresses consistency between data and velocity model and is hence a basis for velocity analysis. The survey‐sinking (depth‐oriented) approach to prestack migration is less subject to kinematic artefacts than is the binning‐based (surface‐oriented) approach. Because kinematic artefacts strongly violate the consistency or semblance conditions, this observation suggests that velocity analysis based on depth‐oriented prestack migration may be more appropriate in kinematically complex areas. Appropriate choice of objective (differential semblance) turns either form of migration velocity analysis into an optimization problem, for which Newton‐like methods exhibit little tendency to stagnate at nonglobal minima. The extended modelling concept links migration velocity analysis to the apparently unrelated waveform inversion approach to estimation of Earth structure: from this point of view, migration velocity analysis is a solution method for the linearized waveform inversion problem. Extended modelling also provides a basis for a nonlinear generalization of migration velocity analysis. Preliminary numerical evidence suggests a new approach to nonlinear waveform inversion, which may combine the global convergence of velocity analysis with the physical fidelity of model‐based data fitting.
Yield and nutritive value of timothy as affected by temperature, photoperiod and time of harvest
Authors: Bertrand A. , Tremblay G. F. , Pelletier S. , Castonguay Y. , Bélanger G. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractScenarios of global climate change forecast an increase in air temperature of 3°C over the next 100 years in eastern Canada. Growth and nutritive value of cool‐season grasses are known to be affected by air temperature. It is also believed that grasses grown at high latitude have a greater nutritive value. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of four combinations of day/night temperature and photoperiod (15 h–17/5°C; 15 h–22/10°C; 15 h–28/15°C; and 17 h‐17/5°C) on dry‐matter (DM) yield, in vitro true DM digestibility (IVTD), in vitro digestibility of neutral‐detergent fibre (NDF), and concentrations of NDF, acid‐detergent fibre (ADF), lignin, minerals and non‐structural carbohydrates (NSC) in timothy grown under controlled conditions. Furthermore, herbage was harvested in the morning and in the afternoon to assess the impact of the time of harvest. The dietary cation–anion difference [DCAD = (K+ + Na+) − (Cl− + 0·6 S2−)] and the grass tetany index [GT index = K+/(Ca2+ + Mg2+)] were also calculated. Higher temperature regimes significantly decreased IVTD and digestibility of NDF but had a limited effect on concentrations of NDF, ADF and lignin. DM yield of herbage was less and the concentration of NSC was greater in timothy grown under a temperature regime of 28/15°C than the 17/5°C and 22/10°C regimes; this effect is mainly explained by a response to temperature stress. Values of DCAD and the GT index of herbage were also lower under the 28/15°C than the 17/5°C and 22/10°C regimes as a result of a decreased plant K concentration. Under the 17/5°C regime, an increase in 2 h of photoperiod resulted in increased DM yield, decreased concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, Cl and N, and an increased starch concentration; IVTD or digestibility of NDF were not affected, although lignin concentration was reduced. Harvesting timothy in the afternoon rather than in the morning resulted in higher NSC, mainly sucrose, concentrations, and decreased ADF and NDF concentrations. The forecasted increase in air temperature in eastern Canada over the next 100 years will result in lower yields and nutritive value of timothy.
Determinants of diversity in afrotropical herbivorous insects (Lepidoptera: Geometridae): plant diversity, vegetation structure or abiotic factors?
Authors: Axmacher Jan C. , Brehm Gunnar , Hemp Andreas , Tünte Henry , Lyaruu Herbert V. M. , Müller‐Hohenstein Klaus , Fiedler Konrad 
Published: October 2008

AbstractAim  This study was conducted to investigate the potential of predicting alpha diversity and turnover rates of a highly diverse herbivorous insect family (Geometridae) based on vascular plant species richness and vegetation structure.Location  The study was carried out on the south‐western slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro within a wide range of habitats between 1200 and 3150 m elevation.Methods  The floristic and structural composition of the vegetation was recorded at 48 plots of 400 m2. Geometrid moths were sampled manually at light sources located at the plot centres. Principal components analysis, redundancy analysis and multiple linear regression were used to explore how alpha diversity and species turnover of geometrid moths are related to vegetation structure and plant species richness.Results  Alpha diversity of geometrid moths was significantly correlated with species diversity patterns in the most common vascular plant families (R2 = 0.49) and with plant structural parameters (R2 = 0.22), but not with overall floristic diversity. Species turnover of geometrid moths was strongly linked to diversity changes in a range of plant families (40% explained variance), less strongly to changes in vegetation physiognomy (25%), and only weakly to overall floristic diversity (5%). Changes in elevation were a better predictor of both alpha diversity and species turnover of geometrid moths than any principal component extracted from the vegetation data.Main conclusions  Vegetation composition, diversity and structure all showed significant correlations with the diversity and species composition of geometrid moth assemblages. Nevertheless, in most cases relationships were indirect, via environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity, which influenced both vegetation and moth fauna. Possible direct links between geometrid diversity and potential food plants were much weaker. The lack of a significant correlation between overall plant species richness and geometrid diversity indicates that tropical geometrid moths may not be very selective in their food plant choice. Accordingly, a clear correlation between floral diversity and herbivore species richness must be regarded as overly simplistic, and the diversity of vascular plants cannot universally be used as a suitable biodiversity indicator for diverse insect taxa at higher trophic levels.
Phylogeographic structure of Pinus strobiformis Engelm. across the Chihuahuan Desert filter‐barrier
Authors: Moreno‐Letelier Alejandra , Piñero Daniel 
Published: October 2008

AbstractAim  To explore the genetic and phylogeographic structure of a temperate forest species, Pinus strobiformis Englem., in a subtropical region in the context of climate change during the Pleistocene. It is expected that the colder conditions during glacial stages favoured range expansions of P. strobiformis, thus promoting gene flow.Location  Mexico and the United States.Methods  Estimates of genetic diversity and structure were obtained using chloroplast microsatellite loci of 23 populations of P. strobiformis across its entire range, seven neighbouring populations of Pinus ayacahuite Ehrenb. ex. Schtdl, and one population of Pinus flexilis James.Results  The genetic diversity of P. strobiformis (He = 0.856) was found to be high, especially in western populations, whereas eastern populations were less variable and more genetically similar to P. ayacahuite of central Mexico. We found evidence of significant phylogeographic structure (NST = 0.444; P = 0.026), high genetic structure (RST = 0.270), and isolation by distance. Pairwise RST and samova (spatial analysis of molecular variance) results indicated an east–west partition of genetic variation, with populations within each group showing little differentiation and no isolation by distance.Main conclusions  The phylogeographic structure of P. strobiformis across the entire range was pronounced, with two main genetic and geographic groups separated by the Chihuahuan Desert. However, within each of the two groups there was little population differentiation and no isolation by distance, suggesting genetic connectivity as a result of population expansions within these areas during glacial stages.
Perceived adverse patient outcomes correlated to nurses’ workload in medical and surgical wards of selected hospitals in Kuwait
Authors: Al‐Kandari Fatimah , Thomas Deepa 
Published: October 2008

Aim.  This study was carried out to identify the perceived adverse patient outcomes as related to nurses’ workload. It also assessed nurses’ perception of variables contributing to the workload and adverse patient outcomes.Background.  Several studies have been published on adverse patient outcomes in which a correlation was found between nurses’ workload and some adverse patient outcomes.Design.  A cross‐sectional survey was conducted between registered nurses (n = 780) working in medical and surgical wards of five general governmental hospitals in Kuwait.Data collection instruments.  Data were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire consisting of three sections to elicit information about the sample characteristics, perception of workload and perceived adverse patient outcomes during the last shift and last working week.Results.  The three major perceived adverse outcomes reported by the nurses while on duty during their last shift were: complaints from patients and families (2%), patients received a late dose or missed a dose of medication (1·8%) and occurrences of pressure ulcer (1·5%). Similarly, the reported adverse outcomes over the past week were complaints from patients and families (5%), patients received a late dose or missed a dose of medication (5·3%) and discovery of a urinary tract infection (3·7%). Increases in nurse‐patient load, bed occupancy rate, unstable patients’ condition, extra ordinary life support efforts and non‐nursing tasks; all correlated positively with perceived adverse patient outcomes.Conclusion.  This study sheds light on an important issue affecting patient safety and quality of care as perceived by the nurses themselves as caregivers.Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurses’ perception of variables contributing to adverse patient outcomes and their workload could significantly affect the provided nursing care and nursing care recipients. The findings could help in policy formulation and planning strategies to decrease adverse patient outcomes in many countries with a health care structure similar to that of Kuwait.
Working memory functioning in children with learning disabilities: does intelligence make a difference?
Authors: Maehler C. , Schuchardt K. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractBackground  Children with learning disabilities are identified by their severe learning problems and their deficient school achievement. On the other hand, children with sub‐average school achievement and sub‐average intellectual development are thought to suffer from a general intellectual delay rather than from specific learning disabilities. The open question is whether these two groups are characterised by differences in their cognitive functioning. The present study explored several functions of working memory.Method  A working memory battery with tasks for the phonological loop, the visual–spatial sketchpad and central executive skills was presented in individual sessions to 27 children with learning disabilities and normal IQ (ICD‐10: mixed disorders of scholastic skills), 27 children with learning disabilities and low IQ (intellectual disabilities), and a control group of 27 typically developing children with regular school achievement levels and normal IQ.Results  The results reveal an overall deficit in working memory of the two groups with learning disabilities compared with the control group. However, unexpectedly, there were no differences between the two groups of children with disabilities (normal vs. low IQ).Conclusions  These findings do not support the notion of different cognitive functioning because of differences in intelligence of these two groups. In the ongoing discussion about the role of intelligence (especially as to the postulated discrepancy between intelligence and school achievement in diagnosis and special education), our findings might lead to rethinking the current practice of treating these two groups as fundamentally different.