bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Changes in Canadian heroin supply coinciding with the Australian heroin shortage
Authors: Wood Evan , Stoltz Jo‐Anne , Li Kathy , Montaner Julio S. G. , Kerr Thomas 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTAims  Previous studies have largely attributed the Australian heroin shortage to increases in local law enforcement efforts. Because western Canada receives heroin from similar source nations, but has not measurably increased enforcement practices or funding levels, we sought to examine trends in Canadian heroin‐related indices before and after the Australian heroin shortage, which began in approximately January 2001.Methods  During periods before and after January 2001, we examined the number of fatal overdoses and ambulance responses to heroin‐related overdoses that required the use of naloxone in British Columbia, Canada. As an overall marker of Canadian supply reduction, we also examined the quantity of heroin seized during this period. Lastly, we examined trends in daily heroin use among injection drug users enrolled in the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS).Results  There was a 35% reduction in overdose deaths, from an annual average of 297 deaths during the years 1998–2000 in comparison to an average of 192 deaths during 2001–03. Similarly, use of naloxone declined 45% in the period coinciding with the Australian heroin shortage. Interestingly, the weight of Canadian heroin seized declined 64% coinciding with the Australian heroin shortage, from an average of 184 kg during 1998–2000 to 67 kg on average during 2001–03. Among 1587 VIDUS participants, the period coinciding with the Australian heroin shortage was associated independently with reduced daily injection of heroin [adjusted odds ratio: 0.55 (95% CI: 0.50–0.61); P < 0.001].Conclusions  Massive decreases in three independent markers of heroin use have been observed in western Canada coinciding with the Australian heroin shortage, despite no increases in funding to Canadian enforcement efforts. Markedly reduced Canadian seizure activity also coincided with the Australian heroin shortage. These findings suggest that external global heroin supply forces deserve greater investigation and credence as a potential explanation for the Australian heroin shortage.
Evaluating the effectiveness of proactive telephone counselling for smoking cessation in a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Gilbert Hazel , Sutton Stephen 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTAim  To evaluate the effectiveness of repeated‐contact proactive telephone counselling for smoking cessation in a UK setting.Design  Randomized controlled trial.Setting  The Quitline®, an established national telephone counselling service available throughout the UK.Participants and intervention  A total of 1457 callers to the Quitline in 2000 and 2001 were allocated randomly to a Control group to receive usual care or to a Repeated Contact group to be offered five proactive calls in addition to usual care. Measurements  Prolonged abstinence and 24‐hour point‐prevalent abstinence 6 and 12 months after recruitment, quit attempts and 24‐hour periods of abstinence in non‐quitters.Findings  No significant differences were found between the Repeated Contact and Control groups on prolonged or point‐prevalent abstinence. On an intention‐to‐treat basis, 9.5% of the Control group were abstinent for longer than 6 months at the 12‐month follow‐up, compared with 9.3% of the Repeated Contact group; 18.9% and 20.2%, respectively, were point‐prevalent abstinent at the 6‐month follow‐up. Significantly more non‐quitters in the Control group made a quit attempt in the first 6 months following recruitment than in the Repeated Contact group (62.6%/56.1%, P < 0.05).Conclusions  Proactive telephone counselling did not significantly increase abstinence rates, and appeared to decrease quit attempts, in callers to the Quitline. A non‐structured, client‐led counselling protocol and insufficient pre‐quit motivational counselling could account for the lack of effect.
Differential regulation of platelet aggregation and aminophospholipid exposure by calpain
Authors: Bachelot‐Loza Christilla , Badol Perrine , Brohard‐Bohn Brigitte , Fraiz Nuria , Cano Ernesto , Rendu Francine 
Published: March 2006

SummaryAggregation, exposure of procoagulant phospholipids and shedding of microparticles are platelet responses that depend on activating conditions. To determine how these different responses are interconnected, we simultaneously measured fibrinogen (Fg) binding and aminophospholipid exposure on activated platelets by means of flow cytometry. Low calcium ionophore (A23187) concentrations induced Fg binding but not annexin V binding. In contrast, high A23187 concentrations induced annexin V binding but not Fg binding. Collagen, both alone and in the presence of thrombin, induced both Fg and annexin V binding. Dual labelling was found on 38 ± 9% of platelets stimulated by thrombin plus collagen. The regulatory role of calpain in these platelet functions was investigated. When calpain was partially inhibited by 2 μg/ml calpeptin, Fg binding still occurred but aminophospholipid exposure was limited. By contrast, complete inhibition of calpain by 100 μg/ml calpeptin or E64d decreased Fg binding but enhanced aminophospholipid exposure. In these latter conditions, cytosolic calcium‐extruding systems were inhibited. The results suggest that (i) conditions that favour aminophospholipid exposure tend to decrease the aggregation process and (ii) calpain determines the switch to either aggregation or aminophospholipid exposure by controlling intracellular calcium.
Monocyte‐derived dendritic cells from horses differ from dendritic cells of humans and mice
Authors: Mauel Susanne , Steinbach Falko , Ludwig Hanns 
Published: March 2006

SummaryDendritic cells (DC) are the initiators of immune responses and are present in most tissues in vivo. To generate myeloid DC from monocytes (MoDC) in vitro the necessary cytokines are granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) and interleukin‐4 (IL‐4). Using degenerated primers delineated from other species and rapid amplification of cDNA ends reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RACE RT‐PCR), the cDNA of equine (eq.) GM‐CSF was cloned and found to have a point deletion at the 3′‐end of eq.GM‐CSF, resulting in a 24‐nucleotide extended open reading frame not described in any species thus far. For differentiating eq.MoDC, monocytes were stimulated with eq.GM‐CSF and eq.IL‐4. The eq.MoDC was analysed by both light and electron microscopy and by flow cytometry and mixed lymphocyte reaction. The eq.MoDC obtained had the typical morphology and function of DC, including the ability to stimulate allogeneic T cells in a mixed lymphocyte reaction. In contrast to the human system, however, monocytes had to be differentiated for 6–7 days before immature DC were obtained. Our data also indicate that lipopolysaccharide or poly(I:C) alone are not sufficient to confer the full phenotypic transition into mature DC. Thus our study contributes to understanding the heterogeneity of immunity and adds important information on the equine immune system, which is clearly distinct from those of mice or man.
Interleukin‐4‐dependent innate collaboration between iNKT cells and B‐1 B cells controls adaptative contact sensitivity
Authors: Campos Regis A. , Szczepanik Marian , Itakura Atsuko , Lisbonne Mariette , Dey Neelendu , Leite‐de‐Moraes Maria C. , Askenase Philip W. 
Published: March 2006

SummaryWe showed that hepatic Vα14+ invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, via their rapid interleukin (IL)‐4 production, activate B‐1 cells to initiate contact sensitivity (CS). This innate collaboration was absent in IL‐4–/– and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)‐6–/– mice and was inhibited by anti‐IL‐4 treatment. These mice have defective CS because they fail to locally recruit the sensitized effector T cells of acquired immunity. Their CS is reconstituted by transfer of downstream‐acting 1‐day immune B‐1 cells from wild‐type mice. Responses were not reconstituted with B‐1 cells from IL‐4 receptor‐α–/– or STAT‐6–/– mice, nor by IL‐4 treatment of B cell‐deficient mice at immunization. Finally, IL‐4 was preferentially and transiently produced by hepatic iNKT cells within 7 min after sensitization to mediate collaboration between innate‐like iNKT cells and the B‐1 B cells that participate in the recruitment of effector T cells in vivo.
Drinking a lot is good for dendritic cells
Authors: Norbury Christopher C. 
Published: March 2006

SummaryMacropinocytosis is the actin‐dependent formation of large vesicles, which allow the internalization of large quantities of fluid‐phase solute. In the majority of cells examined, an exogenous stimulus is required to induce the initiation of this endocytic pathway. However, dendritic cells are thought to constitutively macropinocytose large quantities of exogenous solute as part of their sentinel function. In this review we discuss the evidence that dendritic cells macropinocytose exogenous solute and subsequently present antigenic peptides derived from internalized material to T cells. In addition, we put these data into the context of immune surveillance in vivo.
Long‐term fire exclusion and ant community structure in an Australian tropical savanna: congruence with vegetation succession
Authors: Andersen Alan N. , Hertog Tony , Woinarski John C. Z. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractAim  To examine the extent to which succession from tropical savanna to rain forest in the long‐term absence of fire is matched by successional changes in ant communities. This is done by describing ant community responses to 23 years of fire exclusion in a northern Australian tropical savanna, with a particular focus on the extent of colonization by specialist rain forest taxa.Location  Solar Village, near Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory.Methods  Ants were sampled within 12 plots located inside (‘unburnt’– protected from fire for 23 years) and outside (burnt every 1–2 years) Solar Village in ridge and slope habitat dominated by Eucalyptus spp. The litter, ground‐foraging and arboreal faunas were sampled separately, using Berlese funnels, unbaited pitfall traps and baited pitfall traps attached to tree trunks, respectively. Each species was assigned a forest‐association score ranging from 0 (open savanna species) to 3 (specialist forest species) based on their known habitat preferences in the region.Results  A total of 85 ant species from 35 genera were recorded, with multivariate analysis demonstrating distinct litter, ground and arboreal communities. Ant communities also varied substantially with topographic position, which interacted strongly with fire exclusion. A total of 72 species were recorded in burnt habitat, compared with only 45 in unburnt, and the number of ant species records was also about twice as high in burnt compared with unburnt habitat. Fire exclusion has resulted in a dramatic increase in forest‐associated taxa (those occurring in forest and denser, but rarely open, savanna), with such species representing 51% of species records in unburnt habitat compared with 19% in burnt. However, only five specialist forest species were recorded, representing < 1% of total ant records.Main conclusions  Fire exclusion at Solar Village has markedly increased the prevalence of forest‐associated ant species, but has led to only very minor incursions by specialist rain forest ant taxa. These responses match very closely those of the vegetation.
Media use as a reason for meal skipping and fast eating in secondary school children
Authors: Van den Bulck J. , Eggermont S. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractObjective  This study examined self‐reported meal skipping and eating faster than usual with the goal of watching television or playing computer games.Method  Respondents reported their media use and indicated how often they skipped a meal to watch a favourite television programme or to play a computer game, and how often they ate faster than usual in order to watch television or play a computer game.Subjects  Respondents were 2546 adolescents of 13 (first year of secondary school) and 16 years (fourth year of secondary school) of age.Results  About one respondent in 10 skipped at least one meal every week for either television viewing or computer game playing. Weekly meal skipping for television viewing occurs more regularly in boys and first‐year students, but particularly in teenagers who view 5 h or more daily (15% of the sample). The category of teenagers who play computer games four times a week or more (25.3% of the sample) is at increased risk of meal skipping; those who play more than four times a week are 10 times more likely weekly to skip a meal. A quarter of the adolescents eat faster at least once a week to be able to watch television or play a computer game. Regardless of gender and school year, teenagers’ risk of eating faster progressively increases with their use of the media. Those who watch 4 h or more daily are about seven times more likely to skip a meal for television and those who play computer games at least four times a week are nine times more likely weekly to skip a meal.Conclusions  Unhealthy eating habits can be a side effect of heavy or excessive media use. Teenagers’ use of television or game computers during nonworking or out‐of‐school hours partly displaces the amount of time that needs to be spent at meals. Practitioners and educators may try to encourage or restore a pattern of healthful meal consumption habits by reducing the amount of media use, and by supporting parental rule‐making regarding children's eating habits and media use.
The importance of maltose in transitory starch breakdown
Authors: LU YAN , SHARKEY THOMAS D. 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTStarch content of leaves responds to environmental stresses in various ways. Understanding these environmental effects on starch metabolism has been difficult in the past because the pathways of transitory starch synthesis and degradation are not completely known. Over the past two years there has been a significant increase in our understanding of transitory starch breakdown. The discovery of a maltose transporter (MEX1) and the studies of a cytosolic disproportionating enzyme (D‐enzyme, DPE2) confirmed that maltose is the predominant form of carbon exported from chloroplasts at night. Maltose increases in leaves when starch breakdown is induced during the day under photorespiratory conditions. Maltose metabolism is regulated by a circadian clock, day length and temperature. The expression of maltose‐metabolizing genes shows a pronounced circadian rhythm indicating maltose metabolism is clock regulated. Indeed, the maltose level oscillates under continuous light. The transcript of a β‐amylase gene (BAM3) peaks during the day in long days and peaks at night in short days. This could provide a mechanism for adjusting starch breakdown rates to day length. Under cold‐stress conditions, maltose increases and BAM3 expression is induced. We hypothesize that maltose metabolism is a bridge between transitory starch breakdown and the plants’ adaptation to changes in environmental conditions.
Carotenoid accumulation and function in seeds and non‐green tissues
Authors: HOWITT CRISPIN A. , POGSON BARRY J. 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTCarotenoids are plant pigments that function as antioxidants, hormone precursors, colourants and essential components of the photosynthetic apparatus. Carotenoids accumulate in nearly all types of plastids, not just the chloroplast, and are thus found in most plant organs and tissues, albeit at trace levels in some tissues. In this review we summarise the current knowledge of the carotenoid content of non‐green plastids and discuss what is known about the regulation of their biosynthesis in roots, fruits, flowers, tubers and seeds. The emphasis is on food crops as carotenoids are essential components of human diets, primarily as some are precursors of vitamin A. The low carotenoid content of many staple foods, such as cereals, can exacerbate dietary deficiencies. The World Health Organisation has estimated that more than 100 million children are vitamin A‐deficient and up to 500,000 of these children become blind each year. Many of these children die within 12 months of going blind. Thus, understanding the regulation of carotenoid accumulation in food crops, especially tubers and cereals, should facilitate improvements to nutritional value with potentially significant health benefits.
Can improvement in photosynthesis increase crop yields?
Authors: LONG STEPHEN P. , ZHU XIN‐GUANG , NAIDU SHAWNA L. , ORT DONALD R. 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTThe yield potential (Yp) of a grain crop is the seed mass per unit ground area obtained under optimum growing conditions without weeds, pests and diseases. It is determined by the product of the available light energy and by the genetically determined properties: efficiency of light capture (ɛi), the efficiency of conversion of the intercepted light into biomass (ɛc) and the proportion of biomass partitioned into grain (η). Plant breeding bringsηandɛiclose to their theoretical maxima, leavingɛc, primarily determined by photosynthesis, as the only remaining major prospect for improvingYp. Leaf photosynthetic rate, however, is poorly correlated with yield when different genotypes of a crop species are compared. This led to the viewpoint that improvement of leaf photosynthesis has little value for improvingYp. By contrast, the many recent experiments that compare the growth of a genotype in current and future projected elevated [CO2] environments show that increase in leaf photosynthesis is closely associated with similar increases in yield. Are there opportunities to achieve similar increases by genetic manipulation? Six potential routes of increasingɛcby improving photosynthetic efficiency were explored, ranging from altered canopy architecture to improved regeneration of the acceptor molecule for CO2. Collectively, these changes could improveɛcand, therefore,Ypbyc. 50%. Because some changes could be achieved by transgenic technology, the time of the development of commercial cultivars could be considerably less than by conventional breeding and potentially, within 10–15 years.
Microscopy and outpatient malaria case management among older children and adults in Kenya
Authors: Zurovac D. , Midia B. , Ochola S. A. , English M. , Snow R. W. 
Published: March 2006

SummaryObjective  To evaluate the accuracy of routine malaria microscopy, and appropriate use and interpretation of malaria slides under operational conditions in Kenya.Methods  Cross‐sectional survey, using a range of quality of care assessment tools, at government facilities with malaria microscopy in two Kenyan districts of different intensity of malaria transmission. All patients older than 5 years presenting to outpatient departments were enrolled. Two expert microscopists assessed the accuracy of the routine malaria slide results.Results  We analysed 359 consultations performed by 31 clinicians at 17 facilities. Clinical assessment was suboptimal. Blood slide microscopy was performed for 72.7% of patients, who represented 78.5% of febrile patients and 51.3% of afebrile patients. About 95.5% of patients with a positive malaria microscopy result and 79.3% of patients with a negative result received antimalarial treatment. Sulphadoxine–pyremethamine monotherapy was more commonly prescribed for patients with a negative test result (60.7%) than for patients with a positive result (32.4%). Conversely, amodiaquine or quinine were prescribed for only 14.7% of patients with a negative malaria microscopy result compared to 57.7% of patients with a positive result. The prevalence of confirmed malaria was low in both high (10.0%) and low‐(16.3%) transmission settings. Combining data from both settings, the sensitivity of routine microscopy was 68.6%; its specificity, 61.5%; its positive predictive value, 21.6% and its negative predictive value, 92.7%.Conclusions  The potential benefits of microscopy are currently not realised because of the poor quality of routine testing and irrational clinical practices. Ambiguous clinical guidelines permitting treatment of older children and adults with a negative blood slide also undermine rational use of antimalarial drugs.
Unseen Kala‐azar deaths in south Sudan (1999–2002)
Authors: Collin Simon M. , Coleman Paul G. , Ritmeijer Koert , Davidson Robert N. 
Published: March 2006

SummaryObjective  To estimate the number of deaths due to primary or relapse kala‐azar (KA), which occurred unseen within the catchment area of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) clinics in southern Sudan.Method  Review of clinical records of consecutive KA patients presenting between October 1998 and May 2002 in treatment centres at Wudier (Eastern Upper Nile), Lankien (Bieh State), Magang (Sobat Province) and Nimne and Thonyor (Western Upper Nile). To estimate the proportion of patients who either presented for treatment or died undetected, we compared the time‐to‐presentation of KA patients against the rate at which KA patients died before treatment becomes effective.Results  We estimated that the 2891 KA patients who presented at MSF clinics in south Sudan during the period October 1998 to May 2002 represented 55% (2891/5300; 95% CI 29%–77%) of the total number of cases of KA in that area and that 91% (2409/2649; 95% CI 78%–97%) of deaths from KA were undetected.Conclusion  The huge proportion of undetected KA mortality is deeply troubling and unlikely to improve under prevailing political conditions.
Facial Bones of Long‐Legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)
Authors: Orhan İ. Ö. , Kabak M. 
Published: March 2006

SummaryThe department of National Parks and Protection of Wild Nature sent five (two males, three females) adult long‐legged buzzards for investigation of their deaths to Ankara University Veterinary Faculty. Facial bones of buzzards were evaluated. Distinguishing facial features such as strong os premaxillare, cavum nasale filled with spider webbing‐like structures, prominent os prefrontalis and processes, H‐shaped paraglossum were determined. In this study, we investigated the anatomic properties of facial bones in long‐legged buzzard. We also aimed to identify the data using these bones in order to separate different bird species.
Genetic analysis of Ankamali pigs of India using microsatellite markers and their comparison with other domesticated Indian pig types
Authors: Behl R. , Sheoran N. , Behl J. , Vijh R.K. 
Published: March 2006

SummaryAnkamali pigs, the domesticated native pigs of Kerala province of India were genetically characterized using 23 FAO recommended microsatellite markers and were compared with other native Indian pig types and Large White pigs. Twenty‐six blood samples were collected from genetically unrelated animals from their breeding tract and DNA was isolated by standard procedure of phenol/chloroform. The genomic DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at these 23 microsatellite loci, which were also used earlier to characterize Desi (North Indian) and Gahuri (North‐East Indian) pigs, the other two native domesticated pig types of India. The PCR products were resolved by denaturing urea‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and alleles were visualized after silver nitrate staining. The data were analysed for allele size range, number of alleles, allelic frequencies, heterozygosity and polymorphism information content for each locus. The allele size range varied between 92–108 bp at locus S0026 and 280–296 bp at locus IGF‐1. The total number of alleles varied between five (S0178 and S0386) and 11 (S0355). The mean observed and expected heterozygosities were found to be 0.74 ± 0.09 and 0.83 ± 0.03 respectively. In the neighbour‐joining dendrogram based on DA genetic distances developed after 1000 bootstraps, the Ankamali pigs did not show genetic closeness either with other native Indian pig types or exotic Large White pigs with high bootstrap values indicating genetic distinctness of Ankamali pigs.