bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fast-scale adaptive changes of directional tuning in fly tangential cells are explained by a static nonlinearity
Authors: Neri Peter 
Published: August 2007

SUMMARYThe response of vertebrate motion-sensitive neurons to a directional stimulus is affected by the direction of the stimulus that immediately preceded it. These nonlinear effects are also observed for orientation tuning and are typically interpreted as fast-scale adaptive changes. We verified that similar effects are observed for spiking tangential cells in the fly lobula plate. We also investigated the spatial selectivity of these effects by presenting multiple patches at different positions within the receptive field,and found that the effects are strictly local.We modelled the data using elementary operators (linear filters and threshold nonlinearities). A satisfactory account of the results is obtained when an early static nonlinearity acts on the outputs of multiple front-end filters that are subsequently pooled in a spatially restricted manner by the tangential cell. In line with recent studies, these findings emphasize the importance of testing simple nonlinear models before attempting more elaborate interpretations of fast-scale adaptive phenomena in single neurons. We discuss a potential neural implementation of the model based on medullar projections to the lobula plate.
Jumping behaviour in a Gondwanan relict insect (Hemiptera: Coleorrhyncha:Peloridiidae)
Authors: Burrows Malcolm , Hartung Viktor , Hoch Hannelore 
Published: August 2007

SUMMARYJumping by a relict insect, Hackeriella veitchi (Hacker 1932),belonging to the ancient Coleorrhynchan line that diverged from other Hemiptera in the late Permian, was analysed from high-speed images captured at rates of 2000 s–1 and from its anatomy. This 3 mm long,flightless insect weighs up to 1.4 mg and can jump by rapid movements of the hind legs that accelerate the body in 1.5 ms to a take-off velocity of 1.5 m s–1. This performance requires an energy expenditure of 1.1μJ and a power output 0.74 mW, and exerts a force of 1.24 mN. It achieves this with a body design that shows few specialisations for jumping compared with those of other groups of Hemipterans such as the froghoppers or leafhoppers. The hind legs are only 10% longer than the front and middle legs by virtue of longer tibiae and tarsi, and are only 65% the length of the body. The main thrust for a jump is provided by the rapid rotation of the fused trochanter and femur about the coxa of a hind leg, in a movement that forces the hind tarsus against the ground and raises the body to take off. In some jumps the two hind legs move together, but in others the movements may not be closely synchronised, thereby imparting a rotation on the body that is maintained once airborne. When the time difference is larger, the rapid movement of just one hind leg results in the insect falling from its perch in an adaptive escape response.
The interactive effects of protein quality and macronutrient imbalance on nutrient balancing in an insect herbivore
Authors: Lee Kwang Pum 
Published: August 2007

SUMMARY
The present study evaluates the interactive effects of protein quality and the ratio of protein to digestible carbohydrate on herbivore performance,various aspects of nutritional homeostasis (feeding and post-ingestive regulation) and food choice. In the first experiment, final-instar caterpillars of generalist-feeding African cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were confined to one of 20 diets varying in protein:carbohydrate (P:C) ratio (35:7, 28:14, 21:21,14:28 and 7:35) and in the quality of dietary protein (0%, 20%, 50% and 80%replacement of casein-based protein mix with the low-quality plant protein,zein). Results indicated that the negative impact of low-quality protein on survival, development and growth was amplified as the P:C ratio of the diet fell. Consumption differences were the main underlying cause of this response. The effect of low protein quality was to reduce the efficiency of nitrogen utilization and to increase the conversion rate of ingested nutrient to lipid growth, irrespective of P:C ratio. In the second experiment, caterpillars were allowed to self-compose their preferred diet, selecting between one of four high-protein diets (all 35:7, but containing 0%, 20%, 50% or 80% zein) and one of four equal-P:C-ratio diets (21:21, again containing 0%, 20%, 50% or 80%zein). Caterpillars showed a compensatory increase in their self-selected P:C intake in response to the moderate decline in protein quality of the 35:7 food. No such response was demonstrated for the insects presented with 35:7 food with the lowest protein quality. The significance of these findings is discussed within the context of herbivore food selection.
Flight and hearing: ultrasound sensitivity differs between flight-capable and flight-incapable morphs of a wing-dimorphic cricket species
Authors: Pollack Gerald S. , Martins Ruben 
Published: August 2007

SUMMARY
We studied frequency sensitivity of flight-capable and flight-incapable forms of the wing-dimorphic cricket Gryllus texensis, using both behavioral and neurophysiological measurements. Behavioral thresholds for negative phonotaxis in response to ultrasound stimuli are lower for long-winged (i.e. flight-capable) crickets than for short-winged(flight-incapable) individuals, whereas thresholds for positive phonotaxis in response to a calling-song model do not differ. Similarly, thresholds of the identified interneurons ON1 and AN2 differ between flight morphs for high sound frequencies but not for the frequency of calling song. Our results show that sensitivity to ultrasound is closely linked to flight ability, and thus to the risk of predation from aerially hawking bats. We suggest that sensitivity to ultrasound is one of a suite of flight-associated characteristics, the development of which may be under common hormonal regulation.
A Multicentre Audit of Single-Use Surgical Instruments (SUSI) for Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy
Authors: O'Flynn P , Silva S , Kothari P , Persaud R 
Published: August 2007

INTRODUCTION Prions are resistant to conventional sterilisation procedures and, therefore, could be transmitted iatrogenically through re-usable adenoid and tonsil surgical instruments. Using disposable instruments would avoid the risk of transmission. We present the results of a complete audit loop using BBraun single-use surgical instruments (SUSI). PATIENTS AND METHODS This was a prospective multicentre audit. Surgeons were asked to fill in a standardised questionnaire recording details including postoperative complications, and evaluation of each piece of equipment compared with their own experience of conventional re-usable instruments. In the first cycle, constructive criticisms of the instruments were noted and the manufacturers modified the instruments accordingly. A second cycle of audit was subsequently undertaken. RESULTS A total of 86 patients were audited in the first cycle and 97 in the second cycle. Postoperative haemorrhage rate for both cycles was well within acceptable range. In the first audit cycle, surgeons generally found the Draffin rods, Boyle-Davis gag and bipolar diathermy forceps of poor quality and difficult to use. These were redesigned and, on repeat evaluation during the second audit cycle, were found to be just as good, if not better, than the re-usable instruments. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that SUSI may be just as good as re-usable instruments. Furthermore, they may be more cost effective.
Theatre Shoes — A Link in the Common Pathway of Postoperative Wound Infection?
Authors: Amirfeyz Rouin , Tasker Andrew , Ali Sami , Bowker Karen , Blom Ashley 
Published: August 2007

INTRODUCTION Operating department staff are usually required to wear dedicated theatre shoes whilst in the theatre area but there is little evidence to support the beneficial use of theatre shoes. PATIENTS AND METHODS We performed a study to assess the level of bacterial contamination of theatre shoes at the beginning and end of a working day, and compared the results with outdoor footwear. RESULTS We found the presence of pathogenic bacterial species responsible for postoperative wound infection on all shoe groups, with outdoor shoes being the most heavily contaminated. Samples taken from theatre shoes at the end of duty were less contaminated than those taken at the beginning of the day with the greatest reduction being in the number of coagulase-negative staphylococcal species grown. Studies have demonstrated that floor bacteria may contribute up to 15% of airborne bacterial colony forming units in operating rooms. The pathogenic bacteria we isolated have also been demonstrated as contaminants in water droplets spilt onto sterile gloves after surgical scrubbing. CONCLUSIONS Theatre shoes and floors present a potential source for postoperative infection. A combination of dedicated theatre shoe use and a good floor washing protocol controls the level of shoe contamination by coagulase-negative staphylococci in particular. This finding is significant given the importance of staphylococcal species in postoperative wound infection.
Circulating obestatin levels and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio in obese women
Authors: Vicennati Valentina , Genghini Silvia , De Iasio Rosaria , Pasqui Francesca , Pagotto Uberto , Pasquali Renato 
Published: August 2007

Objective: We measured blood levels of obestatin, total ghrelin, and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio and their relationship with anthropometric and metabolic parameters, adiponectin and insulin resistance, in overweight/obese and normal-weight women.
Design: Outpatients Unit of Endocrinology of the S Orsola-Malpighi Hospital of Bologna, Italy.
Methods: Fasting obestatin, ghrelin, adiponectin and lipid levels, fasting and glucose-stimulated oral glucose tolerance test insulin, and glucose levels were measured in 20 overweight/obese and 12 controls. The fasting ghrelin/obestatin ratio was calculated; the homeostasis model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR) and insulin sensitivity index (ISIcomposite) were calculated as indices of insulin resistance.
Results: Obese women had higher obestatin and lower ghrelin blood levels, and a lower ghrelin/obestatin ratio compared with controls. In all subjects, obestatin was significantly and positively correlated with total cholesterol and triglycerides, but not with ghrelin, anthropometric, and metabolic parameters. In the obese women, however, obestatin and ghrelin concentrations were positively correlated. By contrast, the ghrelin/obestatin ratio was significantly and negatively correlated with body mass index, waist, waist-to-hip ratio, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR, and positively with ISIcomposite but not with adiponectin. None of these parameters were correlated with the ghrelin/obestatin ratio in the obese.
Conclusions: Increased obestatin, decreased ghrelin levels, and a decreased ghrelin/obestatin ratio characterize obesity in women. This supports the hypothesis that the imbalance of ghrelin and obestatin may have a role in the pathophysiology of obesity. On the other hand, some relevant differences between our data on circulating levels of obestatin and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio in obese subjects and those reported in the few studies published so far imply that further research is needed.
Desmopressin test during petrosal sinus sampling: a valuable tool to discriminate pituitary or ectopic ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome
Authors: Castinetti F , Morange I , Dufour H , Jaquet P , Conte-Devolx B , Girard N , Brue T 
Published: August 2007

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-stimulated petrosal sinus sampling is currently the gold standard method for the differential diagnosis between pituitary and ectopic ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. Our objective was to determine sensitivity and specificity of desmopressin test during petrosal sinus sampling.
Patients and methods: Forty-three patients had petrosal sinus sampling because of the lack of visible adenoma on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or because of discordant cortisol response to high-dose dexamethasone suppression test. ACTH sampling was performed in an antecubital vein, right and left petrosal sinuses, then at each location 5 and 10 min after injection of desmopressin. Diagnosis was based on the ACTH ratio between petrosal sinus and humeral vein ACTH after desmopressin test. Diagnosis was confirmed after surgery. A receiver operating characteristics curve was used to determine optimal sensitivity and specificity.
Results: Thirty-six patients had Cushing’s disease (CD) and seven had ectopic ACTH secretion. A ratio > 2 after desmopressin was found in 35 of the 36 cases of CD (sensitivity: 95%). A ratio ≤ 2 was found in the seven patients with ectopic ACTH secretion (specificity: 100%). Sinus sampling was ineffective in determining the left or right localization of the adenoma (sensitivity = 50%). No major adverse effects were observed during or after the procedure.
Conclusion: Desmopressin test during petrosal sinus sampling is a safe and effective diagnostic procedure in ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. It thus represents a valuable alternative to CRH.
Effectiveness of a Practice-Based, Multimodal Quality Improvement Intervention for Gastroenteritis Within a Medicaid Managed Care Network
Authors: Zolotor Adam J. , Randolph Greg D. , Johnson Julie K. , Wegner Steven , Edwards Lori , Powell Carol , Esporas Megan H. 
Published: August 2007

OBJECTIVE. Acute gastroenteritis results in 220000 hospitalizations yearly in the United States. The substantial geographic variation in gastroenteritis care, coupled with the evidence of effective treatment of dehydration in nonhospital settings, suggests that the majority of these hospitalizations are avoidable. We sought to decrease hospitalizations for gastroenteritis by using practice-based, multimodal quality improvement methods that target multiple care processes to make them consistent with evidence-based guidelines.METHODS. We used a controlled before/after study design to evaluate a quality improvement intervention in a 20-practice Medicaid network. All 20 practices participated in continuing education sessions; received free oral rehydration solution, patient education materials, and performance feedback; and participated in a follow-up conference call. Three practices were chosen to develop and pilot office-process changes. These practices formed interdisciplinary teams to develop and test changes and collaborated with project faculty and each other. They shared their learning with the other 17 practices via a conference call and toolkit. We compared before/after gastroenteritis hospital admissions for children &lt;5 years old covered by Medicaid in the intervention practices with all other Medicaid recipients in North Carolina using claims data from 2000–2002.RESULTS. The 3 high-intensity practices all made numerous changes to care processes. Most of the 17 low-intensity practices reported changes in their gastroenteritis care processes. Gastroenteritis admission rates declined 45% in high-intensity practices and 44% in low-intensity practices during the study compared with 11% in the control practices.CONCLUSIONS. A practice-based, multimodal quality improvement intervention that targets multiple care processes on the basis of evidence-based guidelines lowered rates of gastroenteritis hospitalization in a Medicaid network. This approach could lower costs attributable to gastroenteritis for Medicaid programs.
Language Ability in Children With Permanent Hearing Impairment: The Influence of Early Management and Family Participation
Authors: Watkin Peter , McCann Donna , Law Catherine , Mullee Mark , Petrou Stavros , Stevenson Jim , Worsfold Sarah , Yuen Ho Ming , Kennedy Colin 
Published: August 2007

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to examine the relationships between management after confirmation, family participation, and speech and language outcomes in the same group of children with permanent childhood hearing impairment.
METHODS. Speech, oral language, and nonverbal abilities, expressed as z scores and adjusted in a regression model, and Family Participation Rating Scale scores were assessed at a mean age of 7.9 years for 120 children with bilateral permanent childhood hearing impairment from a 1992–1997 United Kingdom birth cohort. Ages at institution of management and hearing aid fitting were obtained retrospectively from case notes.
RESULTS. Compared with children managed later (&gt;9 months), those managed early (≤9 months) had higher adjusted mean z scores for both receptive and expressive language, relative to nonverbal ability, but not for speech. Compared with children aided later, a smaller group of more-impaired children aided early did not have significantly higher scores for these outcomes. Family Participation Rating Scale scores showed significant positive correlations with language and speech intelligibility scores only for those with confirmation after 9 months and were highest for those with late confirmed, severe/profound, permanent childhood hearing impairment.
CONCLUSIONS. Early management of permanent childhood hearing impairment results in improved language. Family participation is also an important factor in cases that are confirmed late, especially for children with severe or profound permanent childhood hearing impairment.
Socioemotional Effects of Fathers' Incarceration on Low-Income, Urban, School-Aged Children
Authors: Wilbur MaryAnn B. , Marani Jodi E. , Appugliese Danielle , Woods Ryan , Siegel Jane A. , Cabral Howard J. , Frank Deborah A. 
Published: August 2007

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to evaluate whether children of incarcerated fathers are more likely to report or exhibit behavioral symptoms than their equally disadvantaged peers without an incarcerated father.METHODS. During an ongoing longitudinal study of intrauterine cocaine exposure involving 102 children (50% male and 89% black) from urban, low-income homes, questions regarding incarceration of the child's father were asked of the child's primary caregiver at each visit during school age. Children were administered the Children's Depression Inventory between the ages of 6 and 11 years, and their primary caregivers completed the Child Behavior Checklist. In addition, the children's teachers completed the Teacher Report Form. Children's Depression Inventory, Child Behavior Checklist, and Teacher Report Form data obtained at the oldest available age after the first report of paternal incarceration were analyzed.RESULTS. In bivariate analyses, children whose fathers were in jail had higher Children's Depression Inventory total scores compared with children without incarcerated fathers, indicating more depressive symptoms. This finding was robust in multivariate analyses after adjustment for children's age, gender, prenatal cocaine and alcohol exposure, and school-age violence exposure. Teachers reported higher Teacher Report Form externalizing scores for children whose fathers were in jail, after adjustment for age, gender, prenatal cocaine and marijuana exposure, and school-age violence exposure.CONCLUSIONS. Children of incarcerated fathers reported more depressive symptoms and their teachers noted more externalizing behaviors, after controlling for other biopsychosocial risks. Interventions targeted to ameliorate the distress of children with incarcerated fathers should be considered.
Functional Outcomes and Participation in Young Adulthood for Very Preterm and Very Low Birth Weight Infants: The Dutch Project on Preterm and Small for Gestational Age Infants at 19 Years of Age
Authors: Hille Elysée T. M. , Weisglas-Kuperus Nynke , van Goudoever J. B. , Jacobusse Gert W. , Ens-Dokkum Martina H. , de Groot Laila , Wit Jan M. , Geven Wil B. , Kok Joke H. , de Kleine Martin J. K. , Kollée Louis A. A. , Mulder A. L. M. , van Straaten H. L. M. , de Vries Linda S. , van Weissenbruch Mirjam M. , Verloove-Vanhorick S. Pauline ,   for the Dutch Collaborative POPS 19 Study Group
Published: August 2007

OBJECTIVE. Young adults who were born very preterm or with a very low birth weight remain at risk for physical and neurodevelopmental problems and lower academic achievement scores. Data, however, are scarce, hospital based, mostly done in small populations, and need additional confirmation.
METHODS. Infants who were born at &lt;32 weeks of gestation and/or with a birth weight of &lt;1500 g in the Netherlands in 1983 (Project on Preterm and Small for Gestational Age Infants) were reexamined at age 19. Outcomes were adjusted for nonrespondents using multiple imputation and categorized into none, mild, moderate, or severe problems.
RESULTS. Of 959 surviving young adults, 74% were assessed and/or completed the questionnaires. Moderate or severe problems were present in 4.3% for cognition, 1.8% for hearing, 1.9% for vision, and 8.1% for neuromotor functioning. Using the Health Utility Index and the London Handicap Scale, we found 2.0% and 4.5%, respectively, of the young adults to have ≥3 affected areas in activities and participation. Special education or lesser level was completed by 24%, and 7.6% neither had a paid job nor followed any education. Overall, 31.7% had ≥1 moderate or severe problems in the assessed areas.
CONCLUSIONS. A total of 12.6% of young adults who were born very preterm and/or with a very low birth weight had moderate or severe problems in cognitive or neurosensory functioning. Compared with the general Dutch population, twice as many young adults who were born very preterm and/or with a very low birth weight were poorly educated, and 3 times as many were neither employed nor in school at age 19.
Neurocognitive, Functional, and Health Outcomes at 5 Years of Age for Children After Complex Cardiac Surgery at 6 Weeks of Age or Younger
Authors: Creighton Dianne E. , Robertson Charlene M.T. , Sauve Reg S. , Moddemann Diane M. , Alton Gwen Y. , Nettel-Aguirre Alberto , Ross David B. , Rebeyka Ivan M. ,   and the Western Canadian Complex Pediatric Therapies Follow-up Group
Published: August 2007

OBJECTIVE. This work provides neurocognitive, functional, and health outcomes for 5-year survivors of early infant complex cardiac surgery, including those with chromosomal abnormalities.PATIENTS AND METHODS. Of 85 children (22.4% mortality), 61 received multidisciplinary, individual evaluation and parental questionnaires at 5 years. Full-scale, verbal, and performance IQ scores were compared by using analysis of variance among children who received different surgeries (arterial switch, 20; Norwood for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, 14; simple total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, 6; miscellaneous, 21; and chromosomal abnormalities, 8). Predictions from mental scores at 2 years for IQ scores at 5 years were determined.RESULTS. Children with chromosomal abnormalities had lower full-scale and verbal IQs at 5 years than other survivors, with no differences found among the remaining groups. For children post-Norwood, performance IQ scores remained lower than for children after the arterial-switch operation. Prediction of full-scale IQ (&lt;70) from 2-year mental scores for all 61 children were as follows: sensitivity, 87.5%; specificity, 88.1%; positive predictive value, 53.8%; and negative predictive value, 97.9%. For full-scale IQ of &lt;85, predictions were 90.0%, 87.8%, 78.3%, and 94.7%, respectively. For those 53 without chromosomal abnormalities, full-scale IQ &lt;70, respective predictions were 86.7%, 90.0%, 28.6%, and 97.8%, and for full-scale IQ &lt;85, respective predictions were 85.7%, 89.7%, 75.0%, and 94.6%. Parental report indicated good health in 80% and adequate function in 67% to 88% of the children, although health-utilization numbers suggest that these reports are optimistic.CONCLUSIONS. Five-year full-scale and verbal IQs were similar among groups, excluding those with chromosomal abnormalities. Children with chromosomal abnormalities had the lowest scores. Excluding those with chromosomal abnormalities, the mean mental scores for the children as a group tended to increase from 2 to 5 years of age, with an overall high percentage of correct classifications at 2 years.