bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of fur mites in pet rabbits in South Korea
Authors: Kim Sang‐Hun , Jun Hyung‐Kyou , Song Kun‐Ho , Gram Dunbar , Kim Duck‐Hwan 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe prevalence of fur mites, Cheyletiella parasitovorax and Leporacarus gibbus, in pet rabbits in South Korea was investigated by a diagnostic evaluation of skin surface tape strips and hair coat combings. C. parasitovorax was found in 80 of 140 rabbits (57.1%) and L. gibbus in six of 140 rabbits (4.3%). Clinical signs of pruritus and scaling were observed in 17 of 80 and 76 of 80 infested rabbits, respectively.
Predictors for wheezing phenotypes in the first decade of life
Authors: MIDODZI William K. , ROWE Brian H. , MAJAESIC Carina M. , SAUNDERS L. Duncan , SENTHILSELVAN Ambikaipakan 
Published: April 2008

Background and objective:  This study examined prenatal, perinatal and early childhood predictors of wheezing phenotypes in the first decade of life.Methods:  Information on current wheezing, was collected prospectively from five surveys conducted every 2 years over the first decade of life. Five wheezing phenotypes were defined: non‐wheezers, preschool, primary‐school, intermittent and persistent wheezers. Logistic regression with adjustment for survey design was used to determine the predictors of wheezing phenotypes.Results:  Data on 2711 children were used in the analysis. Early respiratory infection, the child's allergy and parental asthma were significant risk factors for preschool, intermittent and persistent wheeze. The child's allergy and parental asthma had stronger associations with persistent wheeze than with preschool wheeze. Breastfeeding was a significant predictor of both preschool and intermittent wheezing. Daycare attendance was a risk factor for preschool wheeze but a protective factor for primary‐school wheezing. Crowding at home was a protective factor for both preschool and primary‐school wheeze. Parental smoking was a significant factor for preschool wheeze.Conclusion:  This study identified different predictors for each wheezing phenotype with some degree of overlap. The observed differential effects for these conditions raises the possibility that there are different aetiologies for asthma among children.
Diagnosis of pulmonary aspiration: A mouse model using a starch granule test in bronchoalveolar lavage
Authors: PINTO Leonardo A. , DIAS Ana Christina O. , MACHADO Denise C. , JONES Marcus H. , STEIN Renato T. , PITREZ Paulo M. 
Published: April 2008

Background and objective:  Pulmonary aspiration (PA) is a significant respiratory disease in children. However, the diagnosis of aspiration is often difficult owing to the poor efficacy of currently available diagnostic tests. The aim of this study was to assess in a mouse model the specificity of starch granule detection in BAL as a new method for detecting PA in children.Methods:  Twenty BALB/c mice were divided into the following groups according to the solution instilled into the airways: corn flour milk 7.5%—a source of starch (CM), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, normal saline and a control group. BAL was performed 2 days after instillation. Detection of starch granules and lipid‐laden macrophages were compared in BAL.Results:  Starch granules were detected in BAL fluids from all mice in the CM group (food aspiration model), whereas no starch granules were detected in the other three groups, demonstrating a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. On the other hand, lipid‐laden macrophages were found in all mice from all the groups studied.Conclusions:  The detection of starch granules in BAL is a simple and highly specific method for the diagnosis of PA in an experimental model. Clinical studies using the starch granule detection method in BAL should be tested in at risk patients to evaluate the utility of this method for investigating PA.
Observational studies on the effect of dietary antioxidants on asthma: A meta‐analysis
Authors: GAO Jinming , GAO Xiang , LI Weijuan , ZHU Yuanjue , THOMPSON Philip J. 
Published: April 2008

Background and objective:  It has been suggested that the rapid increase in asthma prevalence may in part be due to a decrease in the intake of dietary antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E and β‐carotene. Epidemiological studies investigating the association between dietary antioxidant intake and asthma have generated inconsistent results. A meta‐analysis was undertaken to examine the association between dietary antioxidant intake and the risk of asthma.Methods:  The MEDLINE database was searched for observational studies in English‐language journals from 1966 to March 2007. Data were extracted using standardized forms. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random effects model. Ten studies were eligible for inclusion. Seven studies, comprising 13 653 subjects, used asthma or wheeze as their outcome; three studies explored the effect of antioxidant intake on lung function.Results:  A higher dietary intake of antioxidants was not associated with a lower risk of having asthma. The pooled OR for having asthma were 1.06 (95% CI: 0.79–1.43) for subjects with a higher dietary vitamin C intake compared with those with a lower intake; 0.88 (95% CI: 0.61–1.25) for vitamin E; and 1.12 (95% CI: 0.77–1.62) for β‐carotene. There was no significant association between dietary antioxidant intake and lung function except for a positive association between vitamin C intake and an increase in FEV1 (29.1 mL, 95% CI: −0.4–58.6, P = 0.05).Conclusions:  This meta‐analysis does not support the hypothesis that dietary intake of the antioxidants vitamins C and E and β‐carotene influences the risk of asthma.
Neurotoxic and neurotrophic roles of proNGF and the receptor sortilin in the adult and ageing nervous system
Authors: Al‐Shawi Raya , Hafner Angela , Olson Jessica , Chun Soyon , Raza Saba , Thrasivoulou Christopher , Lovestone Simon , Killick Richard , Simons Paul , Cowen Timothy 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe precursor form of the nerve growth factor (proNGF), forms a heterotrimeric complex with the receptors p75 and sortilin; this complex has been implicated in neuron cell death. However, it is not known whether proNGF and the receptors p75 and sortilin contribute to age‐ and disease‐related neurodegeneration. Here we show that proNGF induces cell death in subpopulations of basal forebrain and peripheral sympathetic neurons of old, but not of young, adult rodents. In contrast, proNGF appears to induce neurite outgrowth rather than cell death of young adult sympathetic neurons. We have examined the neurotoxic role of proNGF in old age, and find that proNGF protein is elevated during ageing in the projection areas of some populations of vulnerable central and peripheral neurons; caloric restriction, which has known neuroprotective effects, partially prevents these increases. Sortilin was found to play a significant part in the observed patterns of age‐related proNGF‐mediated neurotoxicity. In particular, survival of aged neurons was rescued by neurotensin, an alternative sortilin ligand that blocks the sortilin‐mediated effects of proNGF. Furthermore, sortilin immunoreactivity increases markedly in ageing rodent basal forebrain and sympathetic neurons; in contrast, p75 levels are either unchanged or reduced. From these data we propose that selective age‐related neuronal atrophy and neurodegeneration may be mediated by increased sortilin expression in neurons, together with elevated levels of proNGF expression in some targets.
Neuroplasticity in brain reward circuitry following a history of ethanol dependence
Authors: Hansson Anita C. , Rimondini Roberto , Neznanova Olga , Sommer Wolfgang H. , Heilig Markus 
Published: April 2008

AbstractMitogen‐activated and extracellular regulated kinase (MEK) and extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase (ERK) pathways may underlie ethanol‐induced neuroplasticity. Here, we used the MEK inhibitor 1,4‐diamino‐2,3‐dicyano‐1,4‐bis(2‐aminophenylthio)butadiene (UO126) to probe the role of MEK/ERK signaling for the cellular response to an acute ethanol challenge in rats with or without a history of ethanol dependence. Ethanol (1.5 g/kg, i.p.) induced expression of the marker genes c‐fos and egr‐1 in brain regions associated with both rewarding and stressful ethanol actions. Under non‐dependent conditions, ethanol‐induced c‐fos expression was generally not affected by MEK inhibition, with the exception of the medial amygdala (MeA). In contrast, following a history of dependence, a markedly suppressed c‐fos response to acute ethanol was found in the medial pre‐frontal/orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The suppressed ethanol response in the OFC and AcbSh, key regions involved in ethanol preference and seeking, was restored by pre‐treatment with UO126, demonstrating a recruitment of an ERK/MEK‐mediated inhibitory regulation in the post‐dependent state. Conversely, in brain areas involved in stress responses (MeA and PVN), an MEK/ERK‐mediated cellular activation by acute ethanol was lost following a history of dependence. These data reveal region‐specific neuroadaptations encompassing the MEK/ERK pathway in ethanol dependence. Recruitment of MEK/ERK‐mediated suppression of the ethanol response in the OFC and AcbSh may reflect devaluation of ethanol as a reinforcer, whereas loss of an MEK/ERK‐mediated response in the MeA and PVN may reflect tolerance to its aversive actions. These two neuroadaptations could act in concert to facilitate progression into ethanol dependence.
Osmotic modulation of stimulus‐evoked responses in the rat supraoptic nucleus
Authors: Bhumbra G. S. , Orlans H. O. , Dyball R. E. J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractNeural information is conveyed by action potentials along axons to downstream synaptic targets. Synapses permit functionally relevant modulation of the information transmitted by converging inputs. Previous studies have measured the amount of information associated with a given stimulus based either on spike counts or on the relative frequencies of spike sequences represented as binary strings. Here we apply information theory to the phase–interval stimulus histogram (PhISH) to measure the extent of the stimulus‐evoked response using the statistical relationship between each interspike interval and its phase within the stimulus cycle. We used the PhISH as a novel approach to investigate how different osmotic states affect the flow of information through the osmoreceptor complex of the hypothalamus. The amount of information conveyed from one (afferent) element of the complex, the anteroventral region of the third ventricle (AV3V), to another (an efferent element), the supraoptic nucleus, was increased by hypertonic stimulation (intravenous mannitol, z = 4.39, P < 0.001) and decreased by hypotonic stimulation (intragastric water, z = −3.37, P < 0.001). Supraoptic responses to AV3V stimulation differed from those that follow stimulation of a hypothalamic element outside the osmoreceptor complex, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which also projects to the supraoptic nucleus. Thus osmosensitive gain control mechanisms differentially modulate osmotically dependent and osmotically independent inputs, and enhance the osmoresponsiveness of supraoptic cells within a physiological range. The value of the novel approach is that its use is not limited to the osmoreceptor ensemble but it can be used to investigate the flow of information throughout the central nervous system.
Regulation of neurofilament dynamics by phosphorylation
Authors: Shea Thomas B. , Chan Walter K.‐H. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractNeurofilament (NF) phosphorylation has long been considered to regulate axonal transport rate and in doing so to provide stability to mature axons. Studies utilizing mice in which the C‐terminal region of NF subunits (which contains the vast majority of phosphorylation sites) has been deleted has prompted an ongoing challenge to this hypothesis. We evaluate the collective evidence to date for and against a role for NF C‐terminal phosphorylation in regulation of axonal transport and in providing structural support for axons, including some novel studies from our laboratory. We present a few suggestions for further experimentation in this area, and expand upon previous models for axonal NF dynamics. Finally, we address how C‐terminal phosphorylation is regionally and temporally regulated by a balance of kinase and phosphatase activities, and how misregulation of this balance can contribute to motor neuron disease.
Zoophytophagy in the plantbug Nesidiocoris tenuis
Authors: Sanchez Juan Antonio 
Published: April 2008

Abstract1 The zoophytophagy of Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Heteroptera: Miridae) was characterized in relation to prey availability and environmental factors by: (i) monitoring its population dynamics in tomato greenhouses; (ii) analysis of the influence of N. tenuis and whitefly density, temperature and humidity on the intensity of N. tenuis plant feeding; and (iii) laboratory assays under controlled conditions to determine the intensity of plant feeding in relation to prey availability, temperature and humidity.2 A negative relationship was found between plant feeding and predated whiteflies in tomato greenhouses. Plant feeding was directly related to N. tenuis density and temperature and inversely related to whitefly density. The significance of prey availability and temperature was corroborated in laboratory assays. The intensification of plant feeding at low prey density indicates switching from zoophagy to phytophagy as prey become scarce.3 Nesidiocoris tenuis showed a typical predator dynamic in relation to variance in prey density. Populations increased after whitefly outbreaks and decreased after whitefly had been depleted. The rapid decrease of N. tenuis populations after whitefly decreased, however, suggests that plants are a poorer nutrient source than whitefly for this species.
Modelling the effects of inherited sterility for the application of the sterile insect technique
Authors: Kean John M. , Wee Suk Ling , Stephens Andréa E. A. , Suckling D. M. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract1 The sterile insect technique (SIT) involves the release of large numbers of sterile or partially‐sterile insects into a wild pest population to dilute the number of successful wild matings, with the eventual aim of eradication or area‐wide suppression. General population models, encompassing a wide range of SIT types, were used to derive principles for optimizing the success of SIT, with particular emphasis on the application of partial sterility leading to inherited sterility in the F1 population.2 The models show that inherited sterility can only be guaranteed to be more effective than complete sterility if matings between irradiated‐lineage partners are unsuccessful. This is widely assumed but rarely examined experimentally.3 The models allow the critical overflooding ratio, φc, to be calculated for a particular target species, suggesting the release rate required to prevent population increase. Successful eradication using SIT alone should aim for a substantially higher release rate than suggested by φc.4 The models show that pest populations may continue to increase in the first few generations of SIT releases, regardless of release rate, as irradiated‐lineage individuals infiltrate the population. This does not necessarily imply that the SIT programme will be unsuccessful in the longer term.5For pests with overlapping generations, the models suggest that frequent small releases may be more effective than less frequent large releases, particularly when the average release rate is close to the critical threshold for success.
Campylobacter infection of broiler chickens in a free‐range environment
Authors: Colles Frances M. , Jones Tracey A. , McCarthy Noel D. , Sheppard Samuel K. , Cody Alison J. , Dingle Kate E. , Dawkins Marian S. , Maiden Martin C. J. 
Published: April 2008

Summary Campylobacter jejuni is the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, with contaminated chicken meat considered to represent a major source of human infection. Biosecurity measures can reduce C. jejuni shedding rates of housed chickens, but the increasing popularity of free‐range and organic meat raises the question of whether the welfare benefits of extensive production are compatible with food safety. The widespread assumption that the free‐range environment contaminates extensively reared chickens has not been rigorously tested. A year‐long survey of 64 free‐range broiler flocks reared on two sites in Oxfordshire, UK, combining high‐resolution genotyping with behavioural and environmental observations revealed: (i) no evidence of colonization of succeeding flocks by the C. jejuni genotypes shed by preceding flocks, (ii) a high degree of similarity between C. jejuni genotypes from both farm sites, (iii) no association of ranging behaviour with likelihood of Campylobacter shedding, and (iv) higher genetic differentiation between C. jejuni populations from chickens and wild birds on the same farm than between the chicken samples, human disease isolates from the same region and national samples of C. jejuni from chicken meat.
Species traits are associated with the quality of bioclimatic models
Authors: Pöyry Juha , Luoto Miska , Heikkinen Risto K. , Saarinen Kimmo 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTAim  To analyse the effects of nine species trait variables on the accuracy of bioclimatic envelope models built for 98 butterfly species.Location  Finland, northern Europe.Methods  Data from a national butterfly atlas monitoring scheme (NAFI) collected from 1991–2003 with a resolution of 10 × 10 km were used in the analyses. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were constructed for 98 butterfly species to predict their occurrence as a function of climatic variables. Modelling accuracy was measured as the cross‐validation area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver–operating characteristic plot. Observed variation in modelling accuracy was related to species traits using multiple GAMs. The effects of phylogenetic relatedness among butterflies were accounted for by using generalized estimation equations.Results  The values of the cross‐validation AUC for the 98 species varied between 0.56 and 1.00 with a mean of 0.79. Five species trait variables were included in the GAM that explained 71.4% of the observed variation in modelling accuracy. Four variables remained significant after accounting for phylogenetic relatedness. Species with high mobility and a long flight period were modelled less accurately than species with low mobility and a short flight period. Large species (>50 mm in wing span) were modelled more accurately than small ones. Species inhabiting mires had especially poor models, whereas the models for species inhabiting rocky outcrops, field verges and open fells were more accurate compared with other habitats.Main conclusions  These results draw attention to the importance of species traits variables for species–climate impact models. Most importantly, species traits may have a strong impact on the performance of bioclimatic envelope models, and certain trait groups can be inherently difficult to model reliably. These uncertainties should be taken into account by downweighting or excluding species with such traits in studies applying bioclimatic modelling and making assessments of the impacts of climate change.
Converse Bergmann cline in a Eucalyptus herbivore, Paropsis atomaria Olivier (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation?
Authors: Schutze Mark K. , Clarke Anthony R. 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTAim  To measure latitude‐related body size variation in field‐collected Paropsis atomaria Olivier (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) individuals and to conduct common‐garden experiments to determine whether such variation is due to phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation.Location  Four collection sites from the east coast of Australia were selected for our present field collections: Canberra (latitude 35°19′ S), Bangalow (latitude 28°43′ S), Beerburrum (latitude 26°58′ S) and Lowmead (latitude 24°29′ S). Museum specimens collected over the past 100 years and covering the same geographical area as the present field collections came from one state, one national and one private collection.Methods  Body size (pronotum width) was measured for 118 field‐collected beetles and 302 specimens from collections. We then reared larvae from the latitudinal extremes (Canberra and Lowmead) to determine whether the size cline was the result of phenotypic plasticity or evolved differences (= local adaptation) between sites.Results  Beetles decreased in size with increasing latitude, representing a converse Bergmann cline. A decrease in developmental temperature produced larger adults for both Lowmead (low latitude) and Canberra (high latitude) individuals, and those from Lowmead were larger than those from Canberra when reared under identical conditions.Main conclusions  The converse Bergmann cline in P. atomaria is likely to be the result of local adaptation to season length.
ADMINISTRATIVE GATEKEEPING – A THIRD WAY BETWEEN UNRESTRICTED PATIENT ADVOCACY AND BEDSIDE RATIONING
Authors: LAURIDSEN SIGURD 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTThe inevitable need for rationing of healthcare has apparently presented the medical profession with the dilemma of choosing the lesser of two evils. Physicians appear to be obliged to adopt either an implausible version of traditional professional ethics or an equally problematic ethics of bedside rationing. The former requires unrestricted advocacy of patients but prompts distrust, moral hazard and unfairness. The latter commits physicians to rationing at the bedside; but it is bound to introduce unfair inequalities among patients and lack of political accountability towards citizens. In this paper I shall argue that this dilemma is false, since a third intermediate alternative exists. This alternative, which I term ‘administrative gatekeeping’, makes it possible for physicians to be involved in rationing while at the same time being genuine advocates of their patients. According to this ideal, physicians are required to follow fair rules of rationing adopted at higher organizational levels within healthcare systems. At the same time, however, they are prohibited from including considerations of cost in their clinical decisions.
China's Exchange Rate Policy and Its Trade Balance with the US
Authors: Xu Zhenhui 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis paper investigates the claim that China's exchange rate policy causes the US trade deficit with China to grow. Although there is no evidence that changes in the exchange rate cause the trade deficit to rise in the short run, a statistically significant long‐run relationship between the RMB/dollar exchange rate and the US trade deficit with China is detected. As the value of the dollar declines (or RMB appreciates), ceteris paribus, so does the trade deficit. Hence, there is a need for China to adjust its exchange rate policy to help reduce the ever mounting US trade deficit.