bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How to repair an anal sphincter injury after vaginal delivery: results of a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Williams Abimbola , Adams Elisabeth J , Tincello Douglas G , Alfirevic Zarko , Walkinshaw Stephen A , Richmond David H 
Published: January 2006

Objective  To compare two surgical techniques and two types of suture material for anal sphincter repair after childbirth‐related injury.Design  Factorial randomised controlled trial.Setting  Tertiary referral maternity unit.Population  Women with an anal sphincter injury sustained during childbirth.Method  Women were randomised into four groups: overlap repair with polyglactin (Vicryl); end‐to‐end repair with polyglactin (Vicryl); overlap repair with polydioxanone (PDS); and end‐to‐end repair with PDS. All repairs were completed as a primary procedure by staff trained in both methods.Main outcome measures  Suture‐related morbidity at six weeks. Bowel symptoms at 3, 6 and 12 months. Anorectal physiology at three months. Quality of life scores at 3 and 12 months.Results  One hundred and fifty women (1.5% of deliveries) were eligible and 112 (75%) were randomised. One hundred and three (92%) attended follow up visit at 6 weeks, 89 (80%) at 3 months, 79 (71%) at 6 months and 60 (54%) at 12 months. At six weeks, there was no difference in suture‐related morbidity between groups (P= 0.11) and 70% patients were completely asymptomatic. Incidence of bowel symptoms and quality of life disturbances were low, with no differences between the four groups.Conclusion  Obstetric anal sphincter repair carried out by appropriately trained staff is associated with low morbidity, irrespective of the suture material and repair method used.
Post‐juvenile dispersal of Hazel GrouseBonasa bonasiain an expanding population of the southeastern French Alps
Authors: MONTADERT MARC , LÉONARD PATRICK 
Published: January 2006

We studied the post‐juvenile dispersal of 18 radiotagged juvenile Hazel GrouseBonasa bonasia(14 males, four females) in an expanding population in the southeastern French Alps between 1998 and 2001. The mean dispersal distances between the capture sites of juveniles in September–October and the centre of the home range in the following spring was 4 km for males (range 0.1–24.9 km) and 2 km for females (range 0.2–5.6 km). The distances recorded for two long‐dispersing males (15 and 24.9 km) are greater than those reported to date for Hazel Grouse. Using our radiotracking data, we interpret the pattern of range expansion that has been occurring since the 1950s around our study area. Barriers to dispersal included rocky ground and other alpine habitats above 2000 m and over 1 km wide, but Hazel Grouse did cross open agricultural land at lower elevation. Two patterns of dispersal movements were recognized in juveniles: erratic movements that led to settlement on or near the natal site, and direct movements to a new range relatively far from the natal area. We discuss the adaptive consequences of these different behaviour patterns.
Effects of egg size, parental quality and hatch‐date on growth and survival of Common Tern Sterna hirundo chicks
Authors: ARNOLD JENNIFER M. , HATCH JEREMY J. , NISBET IAN C. T. 
Published: January 2006

We examined the relative contributions of egg size, parental quality and hatch‐date to growth and survival of second‐hatched chicks (those chicks making the greatest contribution to differences in productivity among pairs) by exchanging clutches among nests of Common Terns Sterna hirundo matched for lay‐date (range 13 May to 9 June). The mass of a second‐laid egg in an exchanged clutch ranged from 17.70 to 23.80 g. Growth and survival were studied during three periods: early (days 0–3), middle (days 3–12) and late (days 12–25). Both egg mass and hatch‐date were important predictors of hatchling mass (positive relationships), although there was no seasonal trend in egg mass. During the middle period, hatch‐date was a significant predictor of mass gain and survival (inverse relationships). After controlling for hatch‐date, other indices of parental quality made only small contributions to chick mass gain and survival. Our results suggest that although breeding early generally leads to greater overall survival of chicks, several important interactions among egg ‘quality’, parental quality and early laying may affect breeding success under specific conditions.
Landscape and anti‐predation determinants of nest‐site selection, nest distribution and productivity in a Mediterranean population of Long‐eared Owls Asio otus
Authors: RODRÍGUEZ ALEJANDRO , GARCÍA ANA M. , CERVERA FRANCISCO , PALACIOS VICENTE 
Published: January 2006

Nest predation is an important determinant of owl breeding success. We studied Long‐eared Owl Asio otus productivity and attributes of nest‐sites at the microhabitat and landscape scales in a Mediterranean locality over an 8‐year period. We examined the effect on nest location and productivity of protective cover in concealing the nest from aerial and terrestrial predators. A dense cover of ivy and tree‐foliage at canopy level favoured nest location but not productivity. By contrast, high shrub cover beneath the nest was selected by Owls and was positively related to both the site reoccupancy rate and the overall number of young fledged. Pre‐fledging Owls use the ground, where they are exposed to terrestrial predators, which are much more abundant in the study area than are aerial predators. Our results therefore support the hypothesis that Owls adapt nest‐site choice to local sources of predation risk. As reported elsewhere, Long‐eared Owls in our study area showed restricted territoriality and nested in clusters. As active nest‐sites during the same breeding season were more than 1 km apart on average, and their productivity was never greater for clustered nests than for more isolated nests, nest aggregation could not be interpreted as a case of facultative colonial breeding, which has been reported for this species in other areas. Neither landscape variables indicative of the availability of foraging areas nor structural attributes that protect young from predators explained the remarkable scarcity of nests in half of the study area. Unmeasured factors such as human disturbance could explain the pattern of distribution of Long‐eared Owl nests.
Regional and temporal variations in prey selected by Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos during the nestling period in Japan
Authors: TAKEUCHI TORU , SHIRAKI SAIKO , NASHIMOTO MAKOTO , MATSUKI RIKYU , ABE SEIYA , YATAKE HITOHO 
Published: January 2006

We examined regional and temporal variations in prey selection by Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos during the nestling period in Japan. We made direct video recordings of a pair of Golden Eagles in Akita prefecture as they delivered prey to the nest for two consecutive nestling periods. We also assembled data from previous studies in Japan, eventually obtaining 14 data sets with which we compared prey composition during nestling periods. Among them, four sets of data were recorded daily by video and used to investigate the temporal change in prey selection and the amount delivered to the nest. The prey item composition varied considerably among the data sets. Japanese Hares Lepus brachyurus were predominantly selected in three data sets, reflecting the lowest dietary breadths that were determined by prey composition. Data sets with higher dietary breadths consisted mainly of Japanese Hares, snakes and Copper Pheasants Syrmaticus soemmerringii. Temporal change in prey selection during nestling periods showed marked variation, but similarities were found in later deliveries of snakes and in total prey weights (83.7–89.9 kg) delivered to successfully fledged broods. Taken together, our results suggest that during nestling periods Golden Eagles in Japan specialized on Japanese Hare. Diet breadth increased through feeding predominantly on snakes, a temporarily available prey, to satisfy the breeding dietary requirement. Regionally varied temporal prey selection may be a key factor for sustaining Eagle populations in the forested mountain habitats of Japan, where prey and habitat conditions change dramatically during the breeding season.
How Adults' Access to Outpatient Physician Services Relates to the Local Supply of Primary Care Physicians in the Rural Southeast
Authors: Pathman Donald E. , Ricketts Thomas C. , Konrad Thomas R. 
Published: January 2006

Objective.To examine how access to outpatient medical care varies with local primary care physician densities across primary care service areas (PCSAs) in the rural Southeast, for adults as a whole and separately for the elderly and poor.Data Sources.Access data from a 2002 to 2003 telephone survey of 4,311 adults living in 298 PCSAs within 150 rural counties in eight Southeastern states were linked geographically with physician practice location data from the American Medical and American Osteopathic Associations and population data from the U.S. Census.Study Design.In a cross‐sectional study design, we used a series of logistic regression models to assess how 26 measures of various aspects of access to outpatient physician services varied for subjects arranged into five groups based on the population‐per‐physician ratios of the PCSAs where they lived.Principal Findings.Among adults as a whole, more individuals reported traveling over 30 minutes for outpatient care in PCSAs with more than 3,500 people per physician than in PCSAs with fewer than 1,500 people per physician (39.1 versus 18.5 percent,p<.001) and more reported travel difficulties. Otherwise, PCSA density of primary care physicians was unrelated to reported barriers to care, unrelated to people's satisfaction with care, and unrelated to indicators of people's use of services. Use rates of six recommended preventive health services varied in no consistent direction with physician densities. Among the elderly, only the proportion traveling over 30 minutes for care was greater in areas with lowest physician densities. Among subjects covered under Medicaid or uninsured, lower local physician densities were associated with longer travel time, difficulties with travel and reaching one's physician by phone, and two areas of dissatisfaction with care.Conclusions.For adults as a whole in the rural South and for the elderly there, low local primary care physician densities are associated with travel inconvenience but not convincingly with other aspects of access to outpatient care. Access for those insured under Medicaid and the uninsured, however, is in more ways sensitive to local physician densities.
The Impact of Dydrogesterone Supplementation on Serum Cytokine Profile in Women with Threatened Abortion
Authors: Kalinka Jarosław , Radwan Michał 
Published: January 2006

Problem  The role of increased Th1 cytokine expression in pregnancy failure has been questioned recently. The therapeutic value of progestogens in threatened abortion (TA) is still debated. The aim of this prospective study was to compare serum cytokine [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin (IL)‐12 and IL‐10] concentrations in women with TA to those in women with normal pregnancy and to evaluate the impact of dydrogesterone supplementation in the former group on cytokine concentration.Methods of study  Twenty‐seven threatened aborters were treated for 10 days with dydrogesterone (30–40 mg/day). Sixteen healthy pregnant controls received no treatment. Serum cytokine concentrations were measured twice in both groups by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results  Mean serum concentrations of Th1‐ and Th2‐type cytokines in women with TA did not differ from those in women with normal pregnancy at first and second sampling. After dydrogesterone supplementation, mean TNF‐α/IL‐10 ratio changed from 1.08 to 1.75 while IL‐12/IL‐10 ratio remained almost the same (0.56–0.61) in the threatened aborters group and did not differ from those in healthy women.Conclusions  The results of this study indicate that peripheral cytokine production in threatened aborters does not differ from that observed among healthy pregnant women. The protective effect of dydrogesterone supplementation in threatened aborters is manifested via restoring progesterone‐induced blocking factor concentration rather than controlling cytokine production.
Cloning and Characterization of a Novel Purple Acid Phosphatase Gene (MtPAP1) from Medicago truncatula Barrel Medic
Authors: Xiao Kai , Harrison Maria , Wang Zeng‐Yu 
Published: January 2006

AbstractA novel purple acid phosphatase gene (MtPAP1) was isolated from the model legume Medicago truncatula Barrel Medic. The cDNA was 1 698 bp in length with an open reading frame (ORF) of 1 398 bp capable of encoding an N‐terminal signal peptide of 23 amino acids. The transcripts of MtPAP1 were mainly detected in leaves under high‐phosphate conditions, whereas under low‐phosphate conditions the transcript level was reduced in leaves and increased in roots, with the strongest hybridization signal detected in roots. A chimeric gene construct fusing MtPAP1 and GFP was made in which the fusion was driven by the CaMV35S promoter. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants carrying the chimeric gene constructs showed that the fusion protein was mainly located at the apoplast based on confocal microscopic analysis, showing that MtPAP1 could be secreted to the outside of the cell directed by the signal peptide at the N‐terminal. The coding region of MtPAP1 without signal peptide was inserted into the prokaryotic expression vector pET‐30a (+) and overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The acid phosphatase (APase) proteins extracted from bacterial culture were found largely based on sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An enzyme activity assay demonstrated that the APase activity in the transformed bacteria was 3.16‐fold higher than that of control. The results imply that MtPAP1 functions to improve phosphorus acquisition in plants under conditions of phosphorus (P) stress.(Managing editor: Li‐Hui Zhao)
Actomyosin is Involved in the Organization of the Microtubule Preprophase Band in Arabidopsis Suspension Cultured Cells
Authors: Li Chun‐Li , Chen Zhi‐Ling , Yuan Ming 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThe microtubule preprophase bands (PPBs) participate in the sequence of events to position cell plates in most plants. However, the mechanism of PPB formation remains to be clarified. In the present study, the organization of PPBs in Arabidopsis suspension cultured cells was investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy combined with pharmacological treatments of reagents specific for the cytoskeleton elements. Double staining of F‐actin and microtubules (MTs) showed that actin filaments were arranged randomly and no colocalization with cortical MTs was observed in the interphase cells. However, cortical actin filaments showed colocalization with MTs during the formation of PPBs. A broad actin band formed with the broad MT band in the initiation of PPB and narrowed down together with the MT band to form the PPB. Nevertheless, broad MT bands were formed but failed to narrow down in cells treated with the F‐actin disruptor latrunculin A. In contrast, in the presence of the F‐actin stabilizer phalloidin, PPB formation did not exhibit any abnormality. Therefore, the integrity, but not the dynamics, of the actin cytoskeleton is necessary for the formation of normal PPBs. Treatment with 2, 3‐butanedine monoxime, a myosin inhibitor, also resulted in the formation of broad MT bands, indicating that actomyosin may be involved in the rearrangement of MTs to form the PPBs. Double staining of MTs and myosin revealed that myosin concentrated on the PPB region during PPB formation. It is suggested that the actin cytoskeleton at the PPB site may serve as a rack to transport cortical MTs by using myosin when the broad MT band narrows down to form the PPB.(Managing editor: Li‐Hui Zhao)
Identification and Quantitative Analysis of Significantly Accumulated Proteins During the Arabidopsis Seedling De‐etiolation Process
Authors: Wang Bai‐Chen , Pan Ying‐Hong , Meng Da‐Zhe , Zhu Yu‐Xian 
Published: January 2006

AbstractProteomic analysis was performed on seedlings after different light treatments. A total of (1 350±31) protein spots was separated and visualized on each silver nitrate‐stained two‐dimensional gel using protein samples prepared from light‐grown or etiolated seedlings with or without 6–9 h light treatment. Twenty‐five protein spots (encoded by 19 genes) that were significantly accumulated upon light treatment were identified using the matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry method. Functional proteomics indicated that these proteins involved mainly in chloroplast development, energy metabolism, cell cycle progression and membrane electron transport. For 18 of the protein‐coding genes we identified through an internet search, the transcript levels of 17 genes matched roughly with their protein content in etiolated and green seedlings, suggesting that these genes were regulated by light mainly at the transcriptional level. Despite a very significant increase in the amount of proteins upon light treatment, similar RNA levels were found in dark‐grown or green seedlings for the carbonic anhydrase gene At3g05100, indicating a possible post‐transcriptional regulatory mechanism. Elucidation of light‐induced protein accumulation will undoubtedly enhance our understanding of plant photomorphogenesis.(Managing editor: Ya‐Qin Han)
EMG amplitude distribution changes over the upper trapezius muscle are similar in sustained and ramp contractions
Authors: Holtermann A. , Roeleveld K. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractAim:  To investigate whether global motor unit recruitment to compensate for muscle fatigue during sustained contraction and to regulate force increase during ramp contraction are controlled in similar manners in the upper trapezius muscle.Methods:  Fourteen subjects performed a 10‐s ramp contraction from 0% to 90% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and a 3‐min sustained contraction at 25% MVC. Both contractions involved isometric shoulder elevation with a multi‐channel surface electromyographical grid placed on the skin above the muscle. To evaluate the global muscle activation pattern, the changes in spatial amplitude distribution of the sustained and the ramp contraction were examined and compared.Results:  In both contraction types, the upper part of the trapezius muscle was spatially non‐uniform (inhomogeneous) activated. Throughout the sustained contraction, the amplitude distribution of the upper trapezius muscle became more similar to the amplitude distribution at higher force levels.Conclusion:  These findings support the hypothesis that global motor unit recruitment to compensate for muscle fatigue during a sustained contraction, and to regulate force increase during a ramp contraction is controlled in a similar manner. Consequently, they confirm fundamental principles of motor unit activation based on recordings of limited motor unit samples.
Physiological and pathophysiological regulation of regional adipose tissue in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
Authors: Rattarasarn C. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractAim:  To survey the latest state of knowledge concerning the regulation of regional adipocytes and their role in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.Methods:  Data from the English‐language literature on regional adipocytes, including abdominal, intramyocellular, intrahepatic and intra‐islet fat as well as the adipokines and their relations to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, were reviewed.Results:  It is not the total amount of fat but the fat that resides within skeletal muscle cell (intramyocellular fat), hepatocytes and intra‐abdominally (visceral fat), via systemic and local secretion of several adipokines, that influences insulin resistance. Among the adipokines that relate to insulin resistance, adiponectin and leptin appear to have clinical relevance to human insulin resistance and others may also contribute, but their role is still inconclusive. The intra‐islet fat also adversely affects β‐cell function and number (β‐cell apoptosis), eventually leading to deterioration of glucose tolerance. The abnormal location of fat observed in patients with type 2 diabetes and their relatives is conceivably partly the results of the genetically determined, impaired mitochondrial fatty acid oxidative capacity. Restriction or elimination of the fat load by weight control, regular exercise and thiazolidinediones has been shown to improve insulin resistance and β‐cell function and to delay the development of type 2 diabetes.Conclusion:  These data support the plausibility of an essential role of regional adipose tissue in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
A Molecular Framework for Plant Regeneration
Authors: Xu Jian , Hofhuis Hugo , Heidstra Renze , Sauer Michael , Friml Jiří , Scheres Ben 
Published: January 2006

Plants and some animals have a profound capacity to regenerate organs from adult tissues. Molecular mechanisms for regeneration have, however, been largely unexplored. Here we investigate a local regeneration response in Arabidopsis roots. Laser-induced wounding disrupts the flow of auxin—a cell-fate–instructive plant hormone—in root tips, and we demonstrate that resulting cell-fate changes require the PLETHORA, SHORTROOT, and SCARECROW transcription factors. These transcription factors regulate the expression and polar position of PIN auxin efflux–facilitating membrane proteins to reconstitute auxin transport in renewed root tips.
Thus, a regeneration mechanism using embryonic root stem-cell patterning factors first responds to and subsequently stabilizes a new hormone distribution.
The Cellular Localization Pattern of Varicella-Zoster Virus ORF29p Is Influenced by Proteasome-Mediated Degradation
Authors: Stallings Christina L. , Duigou Gregory J. , Gershon Anne A. , Gershon Michael D. , Silverstein Saul J. 
Published: January 2006

ABSTRACT
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) open reading frame 29 (ORF29) encodes a single-stranded DNA binding protein. During lytic infection, ORF29p is localized primarily to infected-cell nuclei, whereas during latency it appears in the cytoplasm of infected neurons. Following reactivation, ORF29p accumulates in the nucleus. In this report, we analyze the cellular localization patterns of ORF29p during VZV infection and during autonomous expression. Our results demonstrate that ORF29p is excluded from the nucleus in a cell-type-specific manner and that its cellular localization pattern may be altered by subsequent expression of VZV ORF61p or herpes simplex virus type 1 ICP0. In these cases, ORF61p and ICP0 induce nuclear accumulation of ORF29p in cell lines where it normally remains cytoplasmic. One cellular system utilized by ICP0 to influence protein abundance is the proteasome degradation pathway. Inhibition of the 26S proteasome, but not heat shock treatment, resulted in accumulation of ORF29p in the nucleus, similar to the effect of ICP0 expression. Immunofluorescence microscopy and pulse-chase experiments reveal that stabilization of ORF29p correlates with its nuclear accumulation and is dependent on a functional nuclear localization signal. ORF29p nuclear translocation in cultured enteric neurons and cells derived from an astrocytoma is reversible, as the protein's distribution and stability revert to the previous states when the proteasomal activity is restored. Thus, stabilization of ORF29p leads to its nuclear accumulation. Although proteasome inhibition induces ORF29p nuclear accumulation, this is not sufficient to reactivate latent VZV or target the immediate-early protein ORF62p to the nucleus in cultured guinea pig enteric neurons.