bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiopulmonary distress during obstetrical anaesthesia: attempts to diagnose amniotic fluid embolism in a case series of suspected allergic anaphylaxis
Authors: Harboe T. , Benson M. D. , Oi H. , Softeland E. , Bjorge L. , Guttormsen A. B. 
Published: February 2006

Background:  Cardiopulmonary distress during obstetrical anaesthesia may result from a drug‐induced allergic reaction, but, in the obstetrical setting, allergic anaphylaxis may be inseparable from amniotic fluid embolism in terms of the clinical presentation. Further investigations, using allergy tests and other laboratory analyses, are then needed to pursue a diagnostic clarification.Methods:  Twelve women suspected of having developed anaphylaxis during obstetrical anaesthesia underwent allergy follow‐up investigations and further serological tests with the amniotic fluid embolism marker sialyl Tn and complement factors (C3 and C4) in an attempt to differentiate amniotic fluid embolism from drug‐induced allergic anaphylaxis.Results:  The diagnostic programme revealed one case of probable amniotic fluid embolism and four cases of probable drug‐induced allergic anaphylaxis. Of the remaining seven cases, there were two cases that, by diagnostic exclusion, could be classified as possible cases of amniotic fluid embolism. The cause of the reactions remained unresolved in five cases.Conclusions:  It can be difficult to differentiate between anaphylaxis and amniotic fluid embolism, especially amongst survivors. Diagnostic markers that can be applied on peripheral blood samples are promising, but larger studies are needed to validate their use in the diagnosis of causes of cardiopulmonary distress during obstetrical anaesthesia.
B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N‐terminal‐proBNP for heart failure diagnosis in shock or acute respiratory distress
Authors: Bal L. , Thierry S. , Brocas E. , Van de Louw A. , Pottecher J. , Hours S. , Moreau M. H. , Perrin Gachadoat D. , Tenaillon A. 
Published: February 2006

Background:  Plasma B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) assay is recommended as a diagnostic tool in emergency‐room patients with acute dyspnea. In the intensive care unit (ICU), the utility of this peptide remains a matter of debate. The objectives of this study were to determine whether cut‐off values for BNP and N‐terminal‐proBNP (NT‐proBNP) reliably diagnosed right and/or left ventricular failure in patients with shock or acute respiratory distress, and whether non‐cardiac factors led to an increase in these markers.Methods:  Plasma BNP and NT‐proBNP levels and echocardiographic parameters of cardiac dysfunction were determined in 41 patients within 24 h of the onset of shock or acute respiratory distress.Results:  BNP and NT‐proBNP levels were higher in the 25 patients with heart failure than in the other 16 patients: 491.7 ± 418 pg/ml vs. 144.3 ± 128 pg/ml and 2874.4 ± 2929 pg/ml vs. 762.7 ± 1128 pg/ml, respectively (P < 0.05). In the diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction, BNP > 221 pg/ml and NT‐proBNP > 443 pg/ml had 68% and 84% sensitivity, respectively, and 88% and 75% specificity, respectively, but there was a substantial overlap of BNP and NT‐proBNP values between patients with and without heart failure. BNP and NT‐proBNP were elevated, but not significantly, in patients with isolated right ventricular dysfunction. Patients with renal dysfunction and normal heart function had significantly higher levels of BNP (258.6 ± 144 pg/ml vs. 92.4 ± 84 pg/ml) and NT‐proBNP (2049 ± 1320 pg/ml vs. 118 ± 104 pg/ml) than patients without renal dysfunction.Conclusion:  Both BNP and NT‐proBNP can help in the diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction in ICU patients, but cannot replace echocardiography. An elevated BNP or NT‐proBNP level merely indicates the presence of a ‘cardiorenal distress’ and should prompt further investigation.
Analgesic efficacy of parenteral paracetamol (propacetamol) and diclofenac in post‐operative orthopaedic pain
Authors: Hynes D. , McCarroll M. , Hiesse‐Provost O. 
Published: February 2006

Background:  Propacetamol is an injectable pro‐drug of paracetamol (acetaminophen) with analgesic and antipyretic activities, especially used in the post‐operative period. The aim of this study was to assess the analgesic efficacy and safety of intravenous paracetamol, administered as propacetamol, in comparison with placebo and intramuscular diclofenac in patients with post‐operative pain.Methods:  This was a randomized, double‐blind, double‐dummy study. One hundred and twenty patients with moderate to severe pain following total hip arthroplasty received either two administrations of propacetamol 2 g intravenously, 5 h apart (n = 40), one single administration of diclofenac 75 mg intramuscularly (n = 40) or placebo (n = 40). Efficacy measures were assessed before each drug administration, for the 5 h following each study treatment administration and for the total study duration of 10 h. Safety was assessed by reporting adverse events and changes in vital signs, electrocardiogram (ECG) and biochemical investigations before and 24 h after dosing.Results:  Both active treatments were effective and statistically superior to placebo over the whole study period, as indicated by the total pain relief score. No significant differences were found between propacetamol and diclofenac for any measures of analgesic activity. Only minor and common adverse events were reported, with no overall differences between the groups.Conclusion:  Both active treatments were superior to placebo, and the overall efficacy of two intravenous infusions of propacetamol 2 g (equivalent to 1 g of paracetamol), 5 h apart, was not statistically different from that provided by a single intramuscular injection of diclofenac 75 mg over the first 5 h post‐dose and over the total 10‐h study period. The safety was good.
Asynchronous Eye Closure as an Anti‐Predator Behavior in the Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)
Authors: Mathews Christian G. , Lesku John A. , Lima Steven L. , Amlaner Charles J. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAsynchronous eye closure (ASEC), one eye open while the other is closed, is a behavior observed in birds, some aquatic mammals, and reptiles. In birds and aquatic mammals, ASEC is associated with unihemispheric sleep wherein the cerebral hemisphere contralateral to (i.e. neurologically connected to) the closed eye sleeps while the other cerebral hemisphere remains awake with its associated eye open and functional. Evidence from birds suggests that ASEC is an important anti‐predator adaptation to mediate the trade‐off between the need to remain vigilant and the need to sleep. However, the anti‐predator correlates of ASEC remain largely unstudied in other animals. Here, we present behavioral evidence that ASEC in reptiles is also an anti‐predator adaptation used in response to an increase in the risk of predation. ASEC was measured in captive western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) individually exposed to three experimental treatments: (1) an empty terrarium, (2) a terrarium housing a novel moving object, and (3) a terrarium housing a live predator (snake). Predator exposure elicited significantly higher levels of vigilance, mostly due to an increase in ASEC. This increase in ASEC came largely at the expense of synchronous eye closure (both eyes closed). Lizards in ASEC also showed a strong tendency to orient their open eye in the direction of the predator. We suggest that lizards engaged in ASEC are sleeping unihemispherically and are thus able to maintain a level of vigilance concurrent with sleep.
Matter of Size or Matter of Residency Experience? Territorial Contest in a Green Hairstreak, Chrysozephyrus smaragdinus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Authors: Takeuchi Tsuyoshi 
Published: February 2006

AbstractTerritorial residents usually win asymmetrical owner‐intruder contests and a variety of hypotheses have been proposed to explain this phenomenon. In the butterfly Chrysozephyrus smaragdinus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), male territorial residents defended their territories against intruders during numerous contests and kept them for many successive days. Field observations and experiments were conducted to examine the factors related to this superiority of residents. Forewing length did not differ between residents and intruders, suggesting that body size is not correlated with resource holding potential. Removal–replacement experiments demonstrated that residency did not serve as an arbitrary means for contest settlement, and did not support the recently presented alternative hypothesis that males with higher body temperature are more likely to win. New residents fought longer in defense of the territory as their residence duration in the territory increased. I discuss these results in light of game theory and suggest that the superiority of residents in C. smaragdinus may be based on the asymmetry of resource (territory) value for residents and intruders.
Trying to See Red Through Stickleback Photoreceptors: Functional Substitution of Receptor Sensitivities
Authors: Rowe Mickey P. , Baube Charles L. , Phillips John B. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractA key to understanding animal behavior is knowledge of the sensory information animals extract from their environment. For visually motivated tasks, the information animals obtain through their eyes is often assumed to be essentially the same as that perceived by humans. However, known differences in structure and processing among the visual systems of different animals clearly indicate that the world seen by each is different. A well‐characterized difference between human and other animal visual systems is the number of types and spectral sensitivities of their photoreceptors. We are developing a technique, functional substitution, that exploits knowledge of these differences to portray for human subjects, colors as they would appear through the photoreceptors of another animal. In a specific application, we ask human subjects to rank hues of male threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) throats viewed through stickleback photopigments. We compare these ranks to ranks of the same throat hues viewed through normal human photoreceptors. We find essentially no difference between the two sets of rankings. This suggests that any differences in human and stickleback rankings of such hues would result from differences in post‐receptoral neural processing. Using a previously developed model of stickleback neural processing, we established another ranking of the hues which was again essentially the same as the rankings produced by the human subjects. A growing literature indicates that stickleback do rank such hues in the evaluation of males as potential mates or threats. Although our results do not demonstrate that humans and stickleback use the same mechanisms to assess color, our experiments significantly failed to show that stickleback and human rankings of throat huesshouldbe different. Nevertheless, a comparison of all these rankings to ranks derived from subjective color scoring by human observers suggests that color scoring may utilize other cues and should thus be used cautiously.
A Test of Temporal Variation in Risk and Food Stimuli on Behavioral Tradeoffs in the Rusty Crayfish,Orconectes rusticus: Risk Allocation and Stimulus Degradation
Authors: Pecor Keith W. , Hazlett Brian A. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe effects of temporal variation in exposure to predation risk on behavioral tradeoffs were tested in the rusty crayfish,Orconectes rusticus. Based on the risk allocation hypothesis, we predicted that increasing the frequency of encounter with predation risk would yield increasing responses to a food stimulus in the presence of both a risk stimulus and a food stimulus. Crayfish were exposed to risk every 12 h, every 6 h, or left undisturbed for 24 h prior to testing. The risk stimuli used were a plain water control, snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) cue, and conspecific alarm cue. After 24 h of conditioning, the crayfish were exposed to a combination of risk cue and food cue. The behavioral responses of the crayfish were recorded for 5 min immediately following the introduction of the cues and again for 5 min, 1 h after stimulus exposure. The crayfish were observed at the two times to determine how their responses to the combination of risk and food cues changed over time. The responses of the crayfish were significantly influenced by stimulus treatment, time, and the interaction of time and stimulus treatment. Further analysis indicated that responses to the stimulus treatments changed differently over time. Immediately after exposure, the crayfish were more active in the control and snapping turtle treatments than in the conspecific alarm treatment. The high levels of activity initially observed in the control and snapping turtle treatments waned over time, such that the behaviors recorded 1 h after exposure were not significantly affected by stimulus treatment. Neither frequency nor the interactions of frequency with stimulus and/or time significantly affected crayfish behavior. The results of this study did not support the risk allocation model and contrast with results from similar work on the virile crayfish,Orconectes virilis.
Female Choice by Scent Recognition in the Spotted Cucumber Beetle
Authors: Brodt Jeremy F. , Tallamy Douglas W. , Ali Jared 
Published: February 2006

AbstractIn species that demonstrate female choice, geographically distinct populations can vary in their signal‐response behaviors as a result of environmental differences or genetic drift. Observing whether or not females discriminate against males from allopatric populations can establish such signal deviations. Here we compare mating success within and between populations of the spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi) collected from Delaware, Tennessee, Missouri, and New Mexico, USA. A no‐choice cross‐mating experiment was employed to measure female preference for sympatric and allopatric males. While only two of the populations (Tennessee and Missouri) demonstrated statistically significant female preference for sympatric males, this trend was observed in all populations tested. Further, we show that (i) males from Tennessee, Missouri, and New Mexico differ in their scent, (ii) females may use population‐specific scents to discriminate among males, and (iii) females whose antennae have been surgically removed are unable to recognize acceptable mates. New Mexico males, which were never accepted by either Tennessee or Missouri females, became acceptable mates when crowded with Tennessee or Missouri males prior to copulation. We infer that male odor may be an important factor in determining cucumber beetle mating success.
Flower Choice and Learning in Foraging Bumblebees: Effects of Variation in Nectar Volume and Concentration
Authors: Cnaani Jonathan , Thomson James D. , Papaj Daniel R. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractBees collect food from flowers that differ in morphology, color, and scent. Nectar‐seeking foragers can rapidly associate a flower's cues with its profitability, measured as caloric value or ‘net energy gain,’ and generally develop preferences for more profitable species. If two flower types are equally easy to discover and feed from, differences in profitability will arise from differences in the volume or the sugar concentration of their nectar crops. Although there has been much study of how bees respond to one or the other of these two kinds of nectar variation, few studies have considered both at once. We presented free‐foraging bumblebees with two different types of equally rewarding artificial flowers. After a period of familiarization, we made one type more rewarding than the other by increasing its nectar concentration, volume, or both. Bees responded more rapidly to a change in the reward's sugar concentration than to a change in its volume, even if the profitability differences were approximately equal. Sucrose concentration differences (40% vs. 13%) caused bees to virtually abandon the more dilute flower type, whether both types offered the same volume (2 μl) or the less concentrated reward offered higher volume (7 μl vs. 0.85 μl). When the two types of flower differed only in nectar volume (7 μl vs. 0.85 μl), the less rewarding type continued to receive 22% of the visits. We propose three different hypotheses to explain the stronger response of the bees to changes in sugar concentration: (i) their response threshold to sucrose concentration might change; (ii) less time is needed to assess the concentration of a reward than its volume; and (iii) a smaller sample size may be needed for reliable estimation of profitability when flowers differ in concentration.
Influence of mating duration on fecundity and fertility in two aphidophagous ladybirds
Authors: Omkar  , Singh K. , Pervez A. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract:  The influence of different mating durations on fecundity and fertility has been studied in two aphidophagous ladybirds, Cheilomenes sexmaculata and Coelophora saucia. Pre‐oviposition period decreased while fecundity and fertility increased with increase in mating duration in both the ladybird species. The increase in fecundity with longer mating durations is probably due to the female response because of cryptic female choice. Mating of 10‐s duration resulted in oviposition but of unviable eggs probably because of lack of sperm transfer. A minimum duration of 1 min of mating was probably essential for fertilization of the eggs. Absence of spermatophore in the reproductive tract of females is indicative of direct sperm transfer in both the ladybird species. Trend of fertility (similar fertility at 1 and 5 min followed by increase at 60 min which was again similar to that at complete mating) indicates probable sperm transfer in spurts in C. sexmaculata while continuous transfer in C. saucia is indicated by continuous increase in fertility with increase in mating duration.
Pathogenicity of four Phytophthora Species on Wild Cherry and Italian Alder Seedlings
Authors: Santini A. , Biancalani F. , Barzanti G. P. , Capretti P. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractInoculation tests were carried out in the greenhouse on wild cherry (Prunus avium) and Italian alder (Alnus cordata) seedlings, to determine their susceptibility to certain Phytophthora species (P. citrophthora, P. alni, P. megasperma and P. cinnamomi) that are commonly present in the soil. Host susceptibility was evaluated in accordance with a disease index, with the lesion length after stem inoculation, and with a root system disease index. Wild cherry was found to be highly susceptible to P. citrophthora, and was also found to be susceptible to P. alni, although to a lesser extent. Italian alder was very susceptible to P. alni, but had only low susceptibility to P. citrophthora. The other Phytophthora species caused only modest symptoms. The danger to alder and wild cherry is all the greater because these trees not only share the same pathogens, but also commonly planted together in mixed stands. The results will now have to be confirmed by using a more natural inoculation method.
Long‐term Preservation of Podosphaera fusca Using Silica Gel
Authors: Pérez‐García A. , Mingorance E. , Rivera M. E. , Del Pino D. , Romero D. , Torés J. A. , De Vicente A. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract Podosphaera fusca is the main causal agent of cucurbit powdery mildew in Spain and one of the most important limiting factors for cucurbit production worldwide. As an obligate biotrophic parasite, this fungus has been traditionally cultured and conserved by periodical transfers of conidia to fresh plant material. Here we describe a simple protocol for preservation of P. fusca isolates in absence of living tissue based on the dry spore, slow‐freezing technique, and demonstrate that storage of silica gel desiccated conidia at −80°C is an efficient method for the long‐term preservation of the pathogen.
EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON CYTOCHROME P450 ARACHIDONIC ACID METABOLISM AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN RATS AND ITS MODULATION BY RED WINE POLYPHENOLICS
Authors: Cowpland Christine , Su Gloria M , Murray Michael , Puddey Ian B , Croft Kevin D 
Published: February 2006

SUMMARY

Alcohol‐induced hypertension is well recognized with clear evidence for a direct pressor effect of chronic alcohol consumption provided by a number of intervention studies in humans. In experimental animals, the effect of alcohol on blood pressure is less consistent; however, in Sprague‐Dawley rats, alcohol feeding consistently induces a hypertensive response. The mechanism of alcohol‐induced hypertension is not clearly understood. Ethanol is known to induce certain cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, particularly the 2E1 isoform, which has been shown to metabolise arachidonic acid (AA) to the 19‐hydroxy metabolite (19‐HETE), which could have prohypertensive activity; CYP4A, by comparison, is the principal AA ω‐hydroxylase in the liver. Polyphenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, have been shown to inhibit some CYPs.
In this study, we determined the effect of alcohol administration on blood pressure and CYP‐dependent AA metabolism in the rat and its possible modulation by red wine polyphenols.
Thirty male Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly allocated to three groups, which received water, low‐dose ethanol (5% v/v) or red wine (diluted to contain 5% ethanol) for a period of 9 weeks. Bodyweight and blood pressure were measured weekly and 24h urine collected at baseline and every 2 weeks. Animals were killed at 9 weeks and blood and tissue samples were collected. The blood pressure of rats fed with alcohol increased significantly over the period of the study compared with controls (P < 0.001). The blood pressure of animals fed 5% alcohol in the form of red wine was not significantly different from controls over the study period. The urinary excretion of 20‐HETE did not differ significantly among the treatment groups over the study period and there was no effect of any treatment on the metabolism of AA by renal microsomes. Red wine, but not administration of the relatively low dose of alcohol alone, increased the expression of CYP2E1 protein in the liver and kidney and CYP4A in the kidney. Both red wine and alcohol decreased CYP4A protein levels in the liver compared with controls.
Our results suggest that constituents of red wine, possibly polyphenols, can attenuate the alcohol‐induced rise in blood pressure in the Sprague‐Dawley rat, although this effect does not appear to be mediated by the inhibition of CYP‐derived AA metabolism.