bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nitric oxide induces endometrial secretion at implantation time
Authors: Mörlin B. , Andersson E. , Byström B. , Hammarström M. 
Published: October 2005

Background.  Uterine cervical secretory cells receive a sympathetic cholinergic secretomotor innervation. Glandular nitric oxide (NO) production has been proposed to be a prerequisite for muscarine‐induced carbohydrate secretion from endometrial glands and cervical glands at ovulation time and from the seminal vesicle glands. Nitric oxide has also been suggested to have a significant role in the process of implantation and early pregnancy in the mouse, a process, which has also been compared with an inflammatory response.Methods.  The carbohydrate secretion from everted guinea pig uterine horns placed in organ baths was estimated. Polymerase chain reaction was performed in order to identify the isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS).Results.  Carbamylcholine chloride (Carbachol) induced carbohydrate secretion of the endometrium, whereas L‐NNA and L‐NAME inhibited the Carbachol‐induced secretion. The isomer D‐NAME had no effect on Carbachol‐induced secretion. The NO donor GTN induced carbohydrate secretion of the endometrium. The addition of the nitrergic inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) ODQ to Carbachol and to the NO donor GTN gave a reduced response. No synergism was seen when the sGC stimulator YC‐1 was applied together with Carbachol. Three isoforms of NOS – endothelial NOS (eNOS), cytokine‐inducible NOS (iNOS), and neuronal (nNOS) – were identified at implantation time and may take place in the endometrial cell.Conclusions.  The results of this study suggest that glandular NO production is a prerequisite for the autonomic nervous modulation of endometrial secretion in the guinea pig and that NO may play a role in the implantation time.
In pregnant women who smoke, caffeine consumption is associated with an increased level of homocysteine
Authors: Carlsen Sven M. , Jacobsen Geir , Vatten Lars , Romundstad Pål 
Published: October 2005

Aim.  To investigate whether maternal caffeine consumption is associated with increased maternal homocysteine (Hcy) levels in uncomplicated pregnancies.Methods.  Ninety‐two pregnant women were randomly selected, and maternal serum levels of folate, vitamin B12, and Hcy at gestational weeks 17 and 33 were measured. Caffeine consumption was estimated from dietary records collected at the same gestational ages.Results.  In women who smoked, Hcy levels were associated with caffeine consumption both in gestational weeks 17 and 33 and with folate at week 33. Consumption of one cup of coffee was associated with an increase in maternal Hcy of 0.26 µmol/l at week 17 and 0.69 µmol/l at week 33, indicating that one extra cup (150 ml) of coffee per day may increase Hcy by 5–10% in pregnant smokers. In non‐smokers, caffeine consumption was not associated with Hcy levels.Conclusions.  In uncomplicated pregnancies, maternal caffeine consumption early in the second and in the third trimester is associated with increased maternal Hcy levels in women who smoked, but not in non‐smokers.
Urinary cyclic guanosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate and cyclic adenosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate changes in spontaneous and induced onset active labor
Authors: Chen Da‐Chung , Yuan Shyng‐Shiou F. , Su Her‐Young , Lo Shin‐Chieh , Ren Shin‐Sia , Wu Gwo‐Jang 
Published: October 2005

Background.  The aim of this prospective, randomized study was to investigate the changes in urinary cyclic guanosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate (cGMP) and cyclic adenosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate (cAMP) between the latent and the active phases of spontaneous and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1)‐induced labor.Methods.  Seventy singleton pregnant women at 36–41+ weeks' gestation without signs of fetal distress were enrolled. The first group consisted of 35 pregnant women in whom labor was induced by PGE1 applied intravaginally. The second group consisted of 35 women who had spontaneous active labor. Clinical data of the two groups were assessed as labor progressed.Results.  After the onset of active labor, urinary cGMP/creatinine (U cGMP/Cr) decreased in both groups with the percentage decline of 35.2 and 9.7, respectively, but this difference was only significant in the PGE1‐induced group (P = 0.033). After the onset of active labor, urinary cAMP/creatinine (U cAMP/Cr) decreased in both groups with the percentage decline of 36.5 and 15.6, respectively, but this difference was only significant in the PGE1‐induced group (P = 0.001). The duration of the latent phase was significantly shortened in the PGE1‐induced group compared with the spontaneous labor group (P < 0.05).Conclusions.  Decreased U cGMP/Cr and U cAMP/Cr may be a transition from the latent to the active phase in PGE1‐induced labor. Our results suggest that U cGMP/Cr and U cAMP/Cr can serve as easily obtained secondary messenger markers of myometrial contractility and cervical ripening at the onset of active labor. The NO‐cGMP system and the G‐protein α‐cAMP system in the human uterus may concomitantly contribute to uterine quiescence during pregnancy and show downregulation in U cGMP/Cr and U cAMP/Cr at the initiation of active labor.
Improved survival with clinical guidelines? Evaluation of a quality register linked to clinical guidelines for ovarian cancer in the western health care region in Sweden between 1 September 1993 and 1 June 1998
Authors: Åkeson Margaretha , Zetterqvist Britt‐Marie , Holmberg Erik , Horvath György 
Published: October 2005

Background.  New clinical guidelines (CGs) for ovarian cancer in the western health care region in Sweden were established, beginning in September 1993 and still in effect.Methods.  A retrospective evaluation of 5 years of quality registration linked to CGs for ovarian cancer in this region was undertaken. The study material comprised 718 patients. Relative survival rates for the studied patients were compared with National Cancer Register data for the western health care region during the same period. The National Cancer Register data were also used to compare survival rate during the studied period and the preceding 5‐year period.Results.  Relative 5‐year survival rate in our material was 46.1%. Relative survival in western Sweden during the studied period was found to be improved compared with that during the preceding period (P < 0.02).Conclusions.  The CGs have led to an improved, tighter organization, with fewer clinicians in special ‘tumor teams’ performing more aggressive tumor reduction surgery. Chemotherapy prescription is centralized, while the actual administration is decentralized. This has probably been important for the good 5‐year survival results.
Folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine levels in South Asian women with growth‐retarded fetuses
Authors: Lindblad Bo , Zaman Shakila , Malik Aisha , Martin Helena , Ekström Anna Mia , Amu Sylvie , Holmgren Arne , Norman Mikael 
Published: October 2005

Objective.  To investigate whether intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and preterm delivery in a poor population of South Asia was associated with altered maternal and fetal levels of folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine.Subjects and methods.  Hundred and twenty‐eight pregnant women from a low socio‐economic strata in the city of Lahore, Pakistan were followed with ultrasound of fetal growth from the 12th week of pregnancy. Blood samples were drawn from the woman and the cord at delivery. Serum was analyzed by a chemiluminescent immunoassay for folate and vitamin B12 and by fluorescence polarization immunoassay for total homocysteine (tHcy).Results.  Fourty‐six infants showed IUGR. In term, but not preterm, deliveries with IUGR, maternal and cord blood folate levels were half of those in deliveries of normal birth weight infants (P = 0.004 and P = 0.005). The risk of IUGR was reduced among women with folate levels in the highest quartile (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.10–0.84). There was no association between vitamin B12 and IUGR. Total homocysteine levels were higher in women delivering IUGR infants (P = 0.02). There was an inverse correlation between cord blood folate and tHcy levels (r = −0.26, P = 0.006). We also found increased risks for hypertensive illness (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.4–8.6) and premature delivery (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.1–6.2) in women in the highest quartile of tHcy.Conclusions.  The occurrence of IUGR increased with low maternal and cord concentrations of folate and high maternal levels of tHcy. Further studies on the effects of vitamin B supplementation through pregnancy are warranted.
Perinatal results following the prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of single umbilical artery
Authors: Cristina Martínez‐Payo , Ana Gaitero , Inés Tamarit , Manuel García‐Espantaleón , Enrique Iglesias Goy 
Published: October 2005

Objective.  To study the perinatal results in our population, following the prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of a single umbilical artery (SUA), as this alteration is associated with fetal malformations, chromosomal abnormality, and poor perinatal results.Materials and methods.  A retrospective review of all obstetric ultrasounds carried out between October 2000 and December 2003 in our service, obtaining the postnatal results of the fetuses diagnosed with an SUA.Results.  From a total of 5987 pregnant patients examined by ultrasound scan at 20th week, an SUA was found in 40 cases, representing an incidence of 0.7%. Of these, 84.6% were normal pregnancies at birth and 15.4% presented other malformations and/or chromosomal abnormalities. No aneuploidy was found in pregnancies where there were no other associated findings in the ultrasound scan at 20 weeks. All cases with serious congenital malformations accompanying the SUA were diagnosed prenatally. There was a 5% of perinatal mortality rate among our fetuses with SUA, which represents a mortality rate 10 times greater than the overall rate among our patients.Conclusions.  The ultrasound discovery of an SUA implies the meticulous search for other associated malformations, and in the absence of these, the risk of a chromosomal abnormality is very low, unless it is a high‐risk patient. However, the growth and wellbeing of the fetus must be carefully monitored in the last 3 months, although the ultrasound scan does not show any other associated alterations.
Bilateral notching of uterine arteries at 12–14 weeks of gestation for prediction of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
Authors: Vainio Merja , Kujansuu Erkki , Koivisto Anna‐Maija , Mäenpää Johanna 
Published: October 2005

Objective.  To assess the value of transvaginal uterine artery Doppler ultrasound at 12–14 weeks of gestation in predicting hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in high‐risk women.Methods.  One hundred and twenty high‐risk women were evaluated prospectively by Doppler ultrasound of uterine and umbilical arteries at 12–14 weeks of gestation. The presence of bilateral notches, resistance and pulsatility index (PI), mean and maximum flow velocities of uterine arteries, and resistance and PI of umbilical arteries were investigated. Those with bilateral notching were randomized to acetylsalicylic acid (n = 43) or placebo groups (n = 43) and were followed up twice during pregnancy with the same ultrasound measurements. The women without bilateral notches (n = 29) served as controls. In this study, we compared 43 women in the placebo group to 29 controls without bilateral notches. The outcome measures were pregnancy‐induced hypertension, pre‐eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction.Results.  The sensitivity of bilateral notching in predicting hypertensive disorders of pregnancy decreased with advancing pregnancy from 91 to 35%, and the specificity and the positive predictive values increased from 41 to 94% and from 7 to 70%, respectively. The negative predictive values ranged from 86 to 97%.Conclusion.  Bilateral notching of uterine arteries at 12–14 weeks is a useful tool in predicting the development of hypertensive disorders in high‐risk pregnancies. It is also a suitable test for surveillance of high‐risk pregnancies.
Global Environmental Governance and the Challenge of Shadow States: The Impact of Illicit Sapphire Mining in Madagascar
Authors: Duffy Rosaleen 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThe environment has become a key site of global governance because of its transboundary nature: forests, wildlife and oceans have all become central foci for networks of global governance which link international organizations, international financial institutions, states and non‐governmental organizations. This article examines how contemporary forms of global governance can be challenged and even subverted. It uses the concept of shadow states introduced by William Reno to explore how invisible global networks flow through developing states, to show how they constitute important political and economic interest groups, and to assess what kinds of environmental impact they have. It explores how powerful these networks are, and whether they are able to challenge or subvert attempts to manage, control or govern the environment. The author provides an analysis of the ways in which the clandestine networks of shadow states impact on conservation initiatives in the developing world, focusing on the features of global environmental governance and the problems posed by illicit gem mining and trafficking in Madagascar.
Donor‐Driven Justice and its Discontents: The Case of Rwanda
Authors: Oomen Barbara 
Published: October 2005

AbstractNever before was a process of doing justice driven so strongly from the outside as in post‐genocide Rwanda. Not only did the 1994 genocide lead to the founding of the International Tribunal, but it also induced intensive donor involvement in domestic attempts to ‘break the cycle of hatred’— from the work done by the national courts and the Unity Commission to the gacaca. In this sense, Rwanda became the forerunner of a much wider trend, towards a judicialization of international relations, for instance through an emphasis on international criminal law. However, the past decade of donor involvement in Rwanda in general, and the case of the gacaca in particular, show us how this specific — technocratic, de‐contextualized — emphasis on justice might seem innocuous at first glance, but carries dangers within it, particularly if it takes place in an increasingly autocratic and oppressive political environment like that of contemporary Rwanda.
Pharmacokinetic profile of lanreotide Autogel® in patients with acromegaly after four deep subcutaneous injections of 60, 90 or 120 mg every 28 days
Authors: Bronstein M. , Musolino N. , Jallad R. , Cendros J. M. , Ramis J. , Obach R. , Leselbaum A. , Catus F. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryObjective  To investigate the pharmacokinetic profile of a prolonged release, aqueous Autogel® formulation of the somatostatin analogue lanreotide (Lan‐ATG).Design  A phase II, randomized, double‐blind study, during which patients received 60, 90 or 120 mg Lan‐ATG for four fixed administrations at 28‐day intervals.Patients  A total of 18 patients with acromegaly were recruited; six patients were randomized to each treatment.Measurements  Lanreotide minimum concentration (Cmin), maximum serum concentration (Cmax) and area under the concentration–time curve during a dosing interval (AUCτ) were assessed after a single dose and at steady state (ss). Serum GH and IGF‐1 levels were assessed before each administration and at the end of the study.Results  After a single administration, dose proportionality for Cmin,1, Cmax and AUCτ was demonstrated statistically. After repeated administrations, Lan‐ATG exhibited linear pharmacokinetics over the dose range and ss values of Cmin, Cmax and AUCτ increased in a dose‐dependent, linear manner. Mean Cmax,ss values were only two‐ to fourfold greater than Cmin,ss values, and there was good control over the entire release profile. Serum levels of GH and IGF‐1 declined over the course of the study and acromegaly symptoms improved. The treatment was well tolerated.Conclusions  Lan‐ATG showed linear pharmacokinetic profiles over the three dose levels after both single and repeated dosing, no initial burst effect and good control over the entire release profile. Despite the absence of dose adaptation, four injections of Lan‐ATG were effective in lowering serum levels of GH and IGF‐1.
Investigating a trade‐off in root morphological responses to a heterogeneous nutrient supply and to flooding
Authors: JANSEN C. , VAN DE STEEG H. M. , DE KROON H. 
Published: October 2005

Summary

Flood‐sensitive plant species are restricted to highly elevated sites in floodplains, but why flood‐tolerant plants do not grow at higher elevations is much less clear. We test the hypothesis that a trade‐off exists between flood‐tolerance and selective root placement in nutrient‐rich patches, a putatively important trait in the more competitive highly elevated sites.
Achillea ptarmica, Achillea millefolium, Rumex palustris, Rumex thyrsiflorus, Ranunculus repens, Ranunculus bulbosus, Festuca arundinacea and Festuca rubra were subjected to a drained, waterlogged or partially submerged treatment to test their flood‐tolerance. Within each species pair, the former are more tolerant to flooding while the latter are relatively flood‐sensitive. In another experiment, plants were grown in soil with either a homogeneous or a heterogeneous nutrient distribution. All species placed their roots selectively in the enriched patch, but overall the flood‐tolerant species were less selective than the flood‐sensitive ones. The wetland species R. palustris was an exception, with very high root plasticity in response to both flooding and nutrient heterogeneity.
The negative correlation between selective root placement and flood‐tolerance for seven out of eight species suggests that each of these traits has been selected for in its own environment. The exception of R. palustris indicates that there are no physiological or genetic trade‐offs involved in explaining this correlation. Species from more frequently flooded habitats were less able to respond morphologically to nutrient‐rich patches in the soil, and are therefore more likely to be outcompeted at the more highly elevated sites. Rumex palustris may use its ability to place roots selectively in nutrient‐enriched patches to benefit from the nutrients released during drained periods in its dynamic habitat.
Condition, reproduction and survival of barn swallows from Chernobyl
Authors: MØLLER A. P. , MOUSSEAU T. A. , MILINEVSKY G. , PEKLO A. , PYSANETS E. , SZÉP T. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryWe investigated the relationship between radiation arising from the fall‐out due to the explosion of the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, Ukraine, and body condition, rate of reproduction and survival in a migratory passerine bird, the barn swallowHirundo rusticaL., by comparing a contaminated region and a control region (Kanev) during 6 years between 1991 and 2004.The fraction of nonreproducing adults was on average 23% in Chernobyl compared with close to zero in Kanev and other European populations.Body condition as estimated from body mass was similar in Chernobyl and Kanev. Although laying date did not differ significantly between the two regions, clutch was reduced by 7%, brood size by 14% and hatching success by 5% in the Chernobyl region relative to the control area.Annual adult survival, estimated from mark–recapture analyses, was on average 28% in the Chernobyl region, but 40% in Kanev.The relationships were generally confirmed in rank correlation analyses between response variables and ambient radiation levels in different colonies.The overall findings are consistent with the hypothesis that radioactive contamination in the Chernobyl region has significant negative impact on rates of reproduction and survival of the barn swallow. We hypothesize that these effects are mediated by antioxidants and/or mutations.
Interspecific variation in antipredator behaviour leads to differential vulnerability of mule deer and white‐tailed deer fawns early in life
Authors: LINGLE SUSAN , PELLIS SERGIO M. , WILSON W. FINBARR 
Published: October 2005

SummaryUngulates are viewed as being highly susceptible to predation during the initial weeks or months of life. Yet aggressive defence by adult females is common in many ungulates and has the potential to reduce the vulnerability of the young significantly.We observed naturally occurring predatory encounters between coyotesCanis latransSay and deer fawns to test the hypothesis that a difference in aggressive defence leads to the differential vulnerability of mule deerOdocoileus hemionusRafinesque and white‐tailed deerO. virginianusZimmermann fawns in summer, when fawns are 0–14 weeks in age. Whitetail fawns suffer higher levels of coyote predation than do mule deer fawns at that time. The two species of deer are similar in size, but are known to differ in their antipredator behaviour in winter when fawns are older.Coyotes were less likely to attack mule deer than whitetail fawns they encountered, and were less likely to kill mule deer than whitetail fawns they attacked.The presence of a mule deer, but not a whitetail, female with a fawn deterred coyotes from attacking the fawn. Once attacked, fawns of both species were less likely to be killed when females defended them, but mule deer females were far more likely to defend fawns.Mule deer females defended fawns that were not their own offspring, including heterospecific fawns. Mule deer fawns were more likely to be defended if they had a larger number of females nearby when encountered. These observations raise the possibility that mule deer, and even whitetail, fawns may have improved survival in areas with higher densities of mule deer females.These results show that higher levels of defence by mule deer females reduced the vulnerability of mule deer fawns, contributing to the lower predation rates reported for mule deer than for whitetail fawns of this age group.
Multiple predator effects in an intertidal food web
Authors: VAN SON THIJS CHRISTIAAN , THIEL MARTIN 
Published: October 2005

Summary

We examined the effects of multiple predators from an intertidal boulder food web to test whether and how three different predator species affected the survival of a small amphipod species.
Predators were chosen because they differ in their foraging mode, two feeding at the bottom and in benthic refuges (nemertean and shrimp) and one in the water‐column (juveniles of a fish).
Mortality of amphipods was not affected by nemerteans, but was high in the presence of shrimp or fish. Highest mortalities were observed in predator‐combinations that contained both shrimp and fish. Amphipods responded to shrimp by escaping into the water column, while they avoided fish by remaining in the refuge. We conclude that predator‐specific defence causes conflicts for prey when both shrimp and fish are present.
Comparing observed effects of multiple predators with expected effects revealed risk enhancement for the shrimp + fish combination. A comparison of different predictive models revealed that the multiplicative model was most appropriate, although additive models may work well under certain conditions.
Based on known consumption‐ranges of the predators used, we conclude that nemerteans were saturated with prey while fish were far from their saturation point. A predator's functional response curve (prey consumption in relation to prey abundance) determines its impact on prey populations. This knowledge appears essential in order to predict whether prey organisms face risk enhancement, risk reduction or additive effects of multiple predators.