bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of inspired air conditions on catecholamine response to exercise in asthma
Authors: Amirav I. , Panz V. , Joffe B. I. , Dowdswell R. , Plit M. , Seftel H. C. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe influence of different inspired air conditions on exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is well appreciated. However, the mechanism by which this influence is exerted is uncertain. To determine if varied inspired air conditions during exercise could affect the catecholamine response to physical exercise, we had 13 asthmatic and 6 healthy children (aged 10–18 years) undergo two bouts of cycle ergometry tests under different air conditions. One test was done while breathing cold dry (CD) air (temperature, −20.2°C; relative humidity, 0%) and the other while breathing warm humid (WH) air (temperature, 34.3%; relative humidity, 100%). Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV,) and plasma catecholamine concentrations were recorded before and after exercise. Marked EIB (48 2 5% SEM fall in FEV, from baseline) developed in all asthmatics after the CD exercise, but no EIB was noted after the WH exercise. Normal controls had no EIB under either test conditions. Plasma levels of catecholamines at rest, and the changes that occurred during and after exercise, were comparable within as well as between the groups in both tests. Catecholamines did not rise in asthmatics following development of EIB. These data demonstrate that inspired air conditions do not influence the sympathoadrenal response to exercise, at least as reflected in plasma catecholamine levels. In fact, this response did not differ between asthmatics and normals, irrespective of the development of EIB. These results are consistent with previous reports about impaired catecholamine response of asthmatics to bronchoconstriction.Pediatr Pulmonol. 1994;18:99–103. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neonatal chronic lung disease, oxygen dependency, and a family history of asthma
Authors: Hagan R. , Minutillo C. , French N. , Reese A. , Landau L. , Lesouëf P. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractWe examined the relationship between a family history of asthma (FHA), neonatal chronic lung disease (CLD), and oxygen dependency in an inception cohort study of all 24‐to 30‐week gestation infants admitted to the sole tertiary perinatal center in Western Australia. One hundred and forty‐four infants were admitted during the study period; 116 had data analyzed, I12 of whom survived to discharge. Respiratory morbidity was common and the prevalence increased with decreasing gestation. Hyaline membrane disease (HMD) occurred in 92 (79%) and CLD (oxygen dependency at 28 days) in 62 (53%); 35 (30%) were oxygen dependent at 36 weeks corrected age, and 16(14%) were oxygen dependent at term. Thirty‐two infants had an FHA which was equally distributed between those infants with and without CLD. Infants with an FHA were more likely to be oxygen dependent at term (relative risk 4.4; 95% Cl 1.7,11.1). Thirty‐eight percent of mothers smoked; 68% of their infants developed HMD compared to 89% of those whose mothers did not smoke. Logistic regression identified GA < 28 weeks (OR 7.3; 95% Cl 1.4,39), severe HMD (OR 4.8; 95% Cl 1.1,22), and FHA (OR 11.O; 95% Cl 2.3,53) as the only factors associated with an increased risk of being oxygen dependent at term. The duration of supplemental oxygen in infants with CLD was significantly related to decreasing gestation, greater degree of barotrauma, presence of HMD, pregnancy‐induced hypertension in the mother, duration of patent ductus arteriosus, and an FHA. An FHA may worsen chronic lung disease in the neonate, but is not involved as a causal factor. Clinicians should be aware of its influence on duration of oxygen supplementation when counselling parents of very preterm infants. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1995; 20:277–283. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of the fungicide triphenyltin hydroxide on soil fauna mediated litter decomposition
Authors: Van Wensem Joke , Jagers Op Akkerhuis Gerard A. J. M. , Van Straalen Nico M. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe effects of an organotin pesticide, fentin hydroxide (triphenyltin (IV) hydroxide; TPTH), on the soil fauna mediated decomposition of poplar leaf litter were examined. The responses of micro‐ecosystems (MES) containing soil animals were compared to MES without fauna. The isopod Porcellio scaber Latr. was chosen as a representative saprotrophic soil fauna species.TPTH was added in four concentrations, ranging from 0.1 to 100 μg (g dry litter)−1. MES respiration was used as a measure of decomposition rate. To measure the nitrogen mineralisation by microflora and isopods, ammonium and nitrate concentrations in the litter were determined.Analyses of the litter showed that TPTH was not degraded during the experiment. TPTH had a short‐term effect on microbial respiration, which diminished after two days. Ammonium production by isopods within the system was the most sensitive parameter for the effects of TPTH. The No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC) was 10 μg g−1. It was concluded that, while TPTH is a fungicide, it does not seem to be very toxic to microbial respiration and ammonification as measured within the micro‐ecosystem; isopod activities are more sensitive.
Prospects and progress for Bacillus thuringiensis‐based pesticides
Authors: Cannon Raymond J. C. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractBacillus thuringiensis (Bt)‐based insecticide products constitute the overwhelming majority of biopesticides but, despite having been commercially available for over 30 years, they have made little impact (<1%) on the crop‐protection market as a whole. This has been largely due to poor cost‐performance factors relative to synthetic organic pesticides. However, recent biotechnological advances—including genetic modification—combined with a variety of emerging opportunities, have created the prospect of the commercialisation of a new range of highly effective Bt‐based biopesticides.Bioencapsulation of single‐gene products—delta‐endotoxins from selected Bt isolates—in killed Pseudomonad cells (Mycogen Corporation's ‘CellCap’ technology), offers a flexible delivery system with enhanced persistence.This versatile approach selects only the most appropriate biotoxins, which can be used to target a number of pest species. It is anticipated that Bt‐based pesticides will continue to fill an increasing number of gaps in the panoply of synthetic crop‐protection chemicals. Genetically modified products offer advantages in terms of efficacy, flexibility and safety but public concerns regarding perceived risks need to be addressed.
Opportunities and problems of control of foliar pathogens with micro‐organisms
Authors: Fokkema Nyckle J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThree different strategies in biological control of diseases of above‐ground plant pans are discussed.(1) Microbial suppression of infection. Undisturbed naturally occurring yeast populations will create unfavourable nutritional conditions for leaf infection by necrotrophic pathogens. Application of biological control agents, operating through nutrient competition, to healthy leaves, however, is generally not very effective, because the pathogen rapidly penetrates the leaf and escapes competition. In contrast, microbial protection of man‐made wounds on fruits looks promising. Field applications of bacterial preparations or aqueous compost extract to leaves reduce disease by necrotrophs as well as biotrophs. The mechanisms are not clear, but involvement of induced resistance may make the establishment of the biological control agents in the phyllosphere less important.(2) Microbial suppression of pathogen sporulation. Suppression of the dissemination of the pathogen is, in principle, effective against diseases with many infection cycles per season. This approach allows a long interaction period between the antagonist and the pathogen. Research on the use of mycoparasites for the control of mildews and rusts is well known in this respect. Promising, and relatively new. is this approach in relation to necrotrophic pathogens sporulating on dead plant material.(3) Microbial suppression of pathogen survival. Mycoparasites may also interfere with the formation and vitality of sclerotia in infected above‐ground plant tissue and crop remains. Depending on the importance of initial inoculum, originating from sclerotia, treatment of infected plant material may reduce the severity of the disease in the following season.
Modulation of P‐glycoprotein‐mediated resistance by kaempferol derivatives isolated from Zingiber zerumbet
Authors: Chung Soo Yeon , Jang Dae Sik , Han Ah‐Reum , Jang Jung Ok , Kwon Youngjoo , Seo Eun‐Kyoung , Lee Hwa Jeong 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThis study examined the effects of the kaempferol derivatives extracted from Zingiber zerumbet on the accumulation and efflux of [3H]‐daunomycin (DNM) in P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) overexpressing multidrug resistant (MDR) human breast cancer cells, MCF‐7/ADR. Of six kaempferol derivatives extracted from Z. zerumbet, kaempferol‐3‐O‐methyl ether (1) and kaempferol‐3,4′‐O‐dimethyl ether (2) showed a potent P‐gp inhibitory effect as great as verapamil, a well‐known P‐gp inhibitor. The P‐gp inhibitory activity of these two compounds was through a 3‐fold increase of the level of [3H]‐DNM accumulation and a decrease of P‐gp‐mediated efflux. These results suggest that the kaempferol derivative components of Z. zerumbet can be used as a scaffold for developing agents that reverse P‐gp‐mediated MDR in human cancer chemotherapy. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improved matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric detection of glycosaminoglycan disaccharides as cesium salts
Authors: Laremore Tatiana N. , Linhardt Robert J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractUltraviolet matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric (UV‐MALDI‐MS) analysis of highly acidic, thermally labile species such as glycosaminoglycan‐derived oligosaccharides is complicated by their poor ionization efficiency and tendency to fragment through the loss of sulfo groups. We have utilized a systematic approach to evaluate the effect of alkali metal counterions on the degree of fragmentation through SO3 loss from a highly sulfated model compound, sucrose octasulfate (SOS). The lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium salts of SOS were analyzed by UV‐MALDI‐time‐of‐flight (TOF)MS using an ionic liquid matrix, bis‐1,1,3,3‐tetramethylguanidinium α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamate. The positive‐ion and negative‐ion MALDI mass spectra of five alkali metal salts of SOS were compared in terms of the degree of analyte fragmentation through the SO3 loss and the absolute intensity of a molecular ion signal. Experimental results demonstrate that the lithium, sodium, and potassium salts of SOS undergo some degree of fragmentation through the loss of SO3, whereas the fragmentation through the loss of SO3 in the rubidium and cesium salts of SOS is suppressed. A high detection sensitivity associated with the stability of sulfate half‐esters was achieved for the cesium salt of SOS using positive‐ion detection. Finally, the cesium salt of chondroitin sulfate A disaccharide was successfully analyzed using UV‐MALDI‐TOFMS. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ultra‐thin SiO2 on Si VIII. Accuracy of method, linearity and attenuation lengths for XPS
Authors: Kim Kyung Joong , Seah M. P. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractIn the study of ultra‐thin films (<10‐nm thick), there is a range of methods that can provide accurate measurements of differences in thickness. However, in a pilot study under the auspices of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM), results for the archetypal system of SiO2 on Si show that the methods have different offsets such that, at all thicknesses, positive or negative amounts in the range up to 1 nm may be observed between methods. All the methods studied give thicknesses that are greater than those measured by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) by amounts between 0.2 nm and approximately 1 nm. Significant parts of these offsets, of other methods with respect to XPS, may be attributed to contaminations which increase the apparent thickness but that do not affect XPS. However, not all of these offsets can yet be explained at the 0.2 nm level. The remaining part of the offsets could be thought to have arisen either from the XPS or from the other methods. In this study, by measuring SiO2 deposited in situ on amorphous Si by XPS it is shown that the XPS linearity is consistent with the previous estimate of ± 0.025 nm, down to fractions of a monolayer, with no significant offset and that, therefore, it is the offsets seen using other methods that need further study. Recent calculations of the film thickness dependence of the attenuation lengths (ALs) for this system, using NIST SESSA software, are not consistent with these data although earlier calculations are. This work shows that XPS, with the AL calibrated by one or more other methods that are valid for differences in thickness, can provide a traceable measurement of thickness in all laboratories. © Crown Copyright 2007. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Implications for neurobiological research of cognitive models of psychosis: a theoretical paper
Authors: GARETY PHILIPPA A. , BEBBINGTON PAUL , FOWLER DAVID , FREEMAN DANIEL , KUIPERS ELIZABETH 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTBackgroundCognitive models of the positive symptoms of psychosis specify the cognitive, social and emotional processes hypothesized to contribute to their occurrence and persistence, and propose that vulnerable individuals make characteristic appraisals that result in specific positive symptoms.MethodWe describe cognitive models of positive psychotic symptoms and use this as the basis of discussing recent relevant empirical investigations and reviews that integrate cognitive approaches into neurobiological frameworks.ResultsEvidence increasingly supports a number of the hypotheses proposed by cognitive models. These are that: psychosis is on a continuum; specific cognitive processes are risk factors for the transition from subclinical experiences to clinical disorder; social adversity and trauma are associated with psychosis and with negative emotional processes; and these emotional processes contribute to the occurrence and persistence of psychotic symptoms. There is also evidence that reasoning biases contribute to the occurrence of delusions.ConclusionsThe benefits of incorporating cognitive processes into neurobiological research include more sophisticated, bidirectional and interactive causal models, the amplification of phenotypes in neurobiological investigations by including emotional processes, and the adoption of more specific clinical phenotypes. For example, there is potential value in studying gene×environment×cognition/emotion interactions. Cognitive models and their derived phenotypes constitute the missing link in the chain between genetic or acquired biological vulnerability, the social environment and the expression of individual positive symptoms.
Conflicting Orders: How Peace Is Waged
Authors: BECKETT JASON A. 
Published: March 2007

William Rasch, Sovereignty and Its Discontents: On the Primacy of Conflict and the Structure of the Political, London, Birkbeck University Press (Cavendish Publishing), 2004, ISBN 1859419844, 208 pp., £23.95 (pb).‘War is for men, for honour and glory.’‘And death,’ she pointed out.‘Of course death. That is why women must be protected. Many babies must be born to replace the dead warriors.’‘It might be better just to stop the wars.’‘Pah! It is always useless to talk to women. They have no understanding.’
Factors that affect the adoption and maintenance of weekly vitamin A supplementation among women in Ghana
Authors: Hill Zelee , Kirkwood Betty , Kendall Carl , Adjei Eunice , Arthur Paul , Agyemang Charlotte Tawiah 
Published: March 2007

AbstractObjectiveTo identify regimen, individual, community and cultural factors that affect adoption and adherence to weekly vitamin A supplementation in Ghana.DesignFifty semi-structured interviews were conducted with women who would be eligible for vitamin A supplementation, 30 with husbands, and 13 with drug sellers, birth attendants and health workers. Six focus group discussions were also conducted with women. These interviews were followed by a 4-month capsule trial with 60 women. Data from a previously conducted communication channel survey of 332 women were also reviewed.SettingThe study was conducted in Kintampo District in central Ghana.SubjectsParticipants for the semi-structured interviews and focus groups were selected from four villages and the district capital, and women in the capsule trial were selected at random from two villages.ResultsKnowledge of vitamins was low and taking ‘medicines’ for long periods and when healthy is a new concept. In spite of this, long-term supplementation will be accepted if motives are explained, specific questions answered and clear instructions are given. Potential barriers included the idea of ‘doctor’ medicines as curative, false expectations of the supplement, forgetting to take the supplement, losing the supplement, travelling, lack of motivation, perceived side-effects, concerns that the supplement is really family planning or will make delivery difficult, and concerns about taking the supplement with other ‘doctor’ or herbal medicine, or when pregnant or breast-feeding, or if childless.ConclusionSuccessful supplementation programmes require appropriately designed information, education and communication strategies. Designing such strategies requires pre-programme formative research to uncover barriers and facilitators for supplementation.
Six-year comparison between organic, IPM and conventional cotton production systems in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, California
Authors: Swezey Sean L. , Goldman Polly , Bryer Janet , Nieto Diego 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThree different cotton production strategies [certified organic, conventionally grown, and reduced insecticide input/integrated pest management (IPM)] were compared in field-sized replicates in the Northern San Joaquin Valley (NSJV), California, from 1996 to 2001. We measured arthropod abundance, plant development, plant density, pesticide use, cost of production, lint quality and yields in the three treatments. Overall pest abundance was low, and a key cotton fruit pest,Lygus hesperusKnight, known as the western tarnished plant bug (WTPB), did not exceed action thresholds in any treatment. Organic fields had significantly more generalist insect predators than conventional fields during at least one seasonal interval in all but one year. While there were no significant differences in plant development, plant densities at harvest were lower in organic than conventional and IPM fields. Some measures of lint quality (color grade and bale leaf rating) were also lower in the organic treatment than in either the IPM or the conventional treatments. Synthetic insecticides, not allowed for use in organic production, were also used in significantly lower quantities in the IPM fields than in the conventional fields. Over the 6-year period of the study, IPM fields averaged 0.63 kg of active ingredient (AI) insecticide per hectare, as opposed to 1.02 kg AI ha−1for conventional fields, a reduction of 38%. Costs of production per bale were on average 37% higher for organic than for conventional cotton. This cost differential was primarily due to greater hand-weeding costs and significantly lower yields in organic cotton, compared with either IPM or conventional cotton. Average 6-year yields were 4.4, 5.4 and 6.7 bales ha−1for organic, IPM and conventional treatments, respectively. Low world cotton prices and the lack of premium prices for organic cotton are the primary obstacles for continued production in the NSJV.
Inflammation as a causative factor in the aetiology of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Whitton P S 
Published: March 2007

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting mainly the elderly, although a small proportion of PD patients develop the illness at a much younger age. In the former group, idiopathic PD patients, the causes of the illness have been the subject of longstanding debate with environmental toxins, mitochondrial dysfunction, abnormal protein handling and oxidative stress being suggested. One problem has been that the epidemiology of PD has offered few clues to provide evidence for a single major causative factor. Comparatively recently it has been found that in both patients and experimental models of PD in animals neuroinflammation appears to be a ubiquitous finding. These cases present with all of the classical features of inflammation including phagocyte activation, increased synthesis and release of proinflammatory cytokines and complement activation. Although this process is vital for normal function and protection in both the CNS, as in the periphery, it is postulated that in the aetiology of PD this process may spiral out of control with over activation of microglia, over production of cytokines and other proinflammatory mediators as well as the release of destructive molecules such as reactive oxygen species. Given that dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra are relatively vulnerable to ‘stress’ and the region has a large population of microglia in comparison to other CNS structures, these events may easily trigger neurodegeneration. These factors are examined in this review along with a consideration of the possible use of anti‐inflammatory drugs in PD.British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 963–976. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707167
Enhanced activity of a hydrogen sulphide‐releasing derivative of mesalamine (ATB‐429) in a mouse model of colitis
Authors: Fiorucci S , Orlandi S , Mencarelli A , Caliendo G , Santagada V , Distrutti E , Santucci L , Cirino G , Wallace J L 
Published: March 2007

Background and Purpose:Mesalamine is the first‐line therapy for colitis, but it lacks potency and is only effective for mild‐to‐moderate forms of this disease. Hydrogen sulphide has been shown to be a potent, endogenous anti‐inflammatory substance, modulating leukocyte‐endothelial adhesion and leukocyte migration. The purpose of this study was to determine if an H2S‐releasing derivative of mesalamine (ATB‐429) would exhibit increased potency and effectiveness in a mouse model of colitis.Experimental Approach:Colitis was induced in mice with trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid and the effects of ATB‐429 and mesalamine were compared in several treatment regimens. The severity of colitis was determined using several indices, including a disease activity score (comprised of scores for diarrhea, weight loss and fecal blood), colonic myeloperoxidase activity and macroscopic/microscopic scoring of tissue injury.Key Results:Irrespective of the treatment regiment, ATB‐429 was more effective than mesalamine in reducing the severity of colitis. ATB‐429 was particularly effective in reducing granulocyte infiltration into the colonic tissue (by ∼70%), as well as reducing the expression of mRNA for several key proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines (e.g., TNFα, IFNγ). Treatment with ADT‐OH, the H2S‐releasing moiety of ATB‐429, did not affect severity of colitis.Conclusions and Implications:ATB‐429 exhibits a marked increase in anti‐inflammatory activity and potency in a murine model of colitis, as compared to mesalamine. These results are consistent with recently described anti‐inflammatory effects of H2S. ATB‐429 may represent an attractive alternative to mesalamine for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 996–1002. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707193