bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adverse reactions to immunization with newer vaccines in the very preterm infant
Authors: Ellison Vanessa J , Davis Peter G , Doyle Lex W 
Published: August 2005

Objective: To study the frequency and types of adverse reactions to currently available vaccines in very preterm infants. Methods: Case notes were obtained for very preterm infants ≤30 weeks' gestational age who received their first immunization at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, during 1999–2003. Data were extracted for the time periods 48 h before and 48 h after immunizations, with the data extraction blinded as to whether the period being evaluated was pre‐ or post‐immunization. Data collected focused on the frequency and severity of apnoea, respiratory support, fever and clinical consequences of adverse reactions. Results: A total of 48 very preterm infants were immunized during the period; 37 infants had Comvax (Haemophilus influenzae type B and hepatitis B vaccine), Infanrix (diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis vaccine) and inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine, and 11 infants had Comvax and Infanrix only. Their mean (SD) gestational age at birth was 26.4 (1.7) weeks with mean birthweight of 872 (235) g. The mean postnatal age at immunization was 76 (20) days. Low‐grade fever (>37.5°C per axilla) occurred in 16 (33%) infants after immunization, but none before immunization (P < 0.001). There was no substantial change in recorded apnoea. No serious adverse events were noted. Four (8%) infants underwent a septic work up post‐immunization. The C‐reactive protein was increased in all four infants, but other tests for sepsis were negative. Conclusion: Fever remains a common adverse event following immunization of the preterm infant in spite of the development of a new generation of vaccines.
Loss of diversity of ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria correlates with increasing salinity in an estuary system
Authors: Bernhard Anne E. , Donn Thomas , Giblin Anne E. , Stahl David A. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryAmmonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) play an important role in nitrogen cycling in estuaries, but little is known about AOB diversity, distribution and activity in relation to the chemical and physical changes encountered in estuary systems. Although estuarine salinity gradients are well recognized to influence microbial community structure, few studies have examined the influence of varying salinity on the diversity and stability of AOB populations. To investigate these relationships, we collected sediment samples from low‐, mid‐ and high‐salinity sites in Plum Island Sound estuary, MA, during spring and late summer over 3 years. Ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria distribution and diversity were assessed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis of the ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene, and fragments were identified by screening amoA clone libraries constructed from each site. Most striking was the stability and low diversity of the AOB community at the high‐salinity site, showing little variability over 3 years. Ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria at the high‐salinity site were not closely related to any cultured AOB, but were most similar to Nitrosospira spp. Ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria at the mid‐ and low‐salinity sites were distributed among Nitrosospira‐like sequences and sequences related to Nitrosomonas ureae/oligotropha and Nitrosomonas sp. Nm143. Our study suggests that salinity is a strong environmental control on AOB diversity and distribution in this estuary.
Cultivation‐independent in situ molecular analysis of bacteria involved in degradation of pentachlorophenol in soil
Authors: Mahmood Shahid , Paton Graeme I. , Prosser James I. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryThe central aim of this study was to determine which components of an indigenous bacterial community in pristine grassland soil were capable of degrading pentachlorophenol (PCP) using two cultivation‐independent, in situ, molecular techniques. The first involved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) amplification of 16S rRNA genes from DNA and RNA, respectively, extracted from PCP‐amended soil. The second involved stable isotope probing (SIP), with incubation of soil with 13C‐PCP and molecular analysis of 13C‐labelled RNA, derived from cells incorporating PCP or its breakdown products, after separation from 12C‐RNA by ultracentrifugation. Bacterial communities were characterized by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of amplification products. PCP was degraded at an approximate rate of 1.18 ± 0.25 (SEM) mg kg−1 day−1 and 39% of the measurable PCP fraction was degraded after incubation for 63 days. PCP degradation was associated with significant changes in bacterial community structure, leading to the appearance of seven bands in both DNA‐ and RNA‐based DGGE profiles, the latter providing clearer evidence of qualitative shifts in community structure. The majority of novel bands increased in relative intensity during the first 35 days and subsequently decreased in relative intensity as incubation continued. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of six of these bands indicated most to have closest database relatives that were uncultured bacteria with sequence homologies to reported hydrocarbon degraders. No band could be detected in RNA‐SIP‐DGGE profiles derived from 13C‐RNA fractions at day 0 but several faint bands appeared in these fractions after incubation of soil for 4 days, indicating assimilation of PCP or its degradation products. These bands increased in intensity during subsequent incubation for 21 days and decreased with further incubation. With one exception, RNA‐SIP‐DGGE and RNA‐DGGE profiles were similar, indicating that RNA‐targeted DGGE, in this case, provided a good indication of the metabolically active microbial community.
Pseudomonas syringae genes induced during colonization of leaf surfaces
Authors: Marco Maria L. , Legac Jennifer , Lindow Steven E. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryThe foliar pathogen and ice nucleator, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a, demonstrates a high level of epiphytic fitness on plants. Using a promoter‐trapping strategy termed habitat‐inducible rescue of survival (HIRS), we identified genes of this organism that are induced during colonization of healthy bean leaf surfaces. These plant‐inducible genes (pigs) encode diverse cellular functions including virulence, transcription regulation, transport, nutrient acquisition and other known and unknown loci, some of which may result in antisense transcripts to annotated P. syringae genes. Prominent among the pigs was ssuE, a gene in the sulfate‐starvation regulon, indicating that sulfate is not abundant on leaf surfaces. inaZ reporter gene fusion assays of the plant‐inducible loci revealed up to 300‐fold higher levels of pig transcriptional activity on plant leaves compared with minimal medium. However, the maximum levels of pig transcriptional activity were typically too weak to be measured using a gfp reporter gene. One exception was orf6 in the hrp/hrc pathogenicity island which was highly induced in epiphytic P. syringae cells. Four pigs were disrupted by insertional mutagenesis. While growth of the ssuE mutant was impaired under certain conditions in laboratory medium, the epiphytic and virulence properties of the mutants on bean plants were identical to wild‐type P. syringae. Our results demonstrate the utility of HIRS to identify genes expressed on leaves and provide new insight into the leaf surface environment.
Novel vacuolate sulfur bacteria from the Gulf of Mexico reproduce by reductive division in three dimensions
Authors: Kalanetra Karen M. , Joye Samantha B. , Sunseri Nicole R. , Nelson Douglas C. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryLarge spherical sulfur bacteria, 180–375 µm in diameter, were found regularly and in abundance in surface sediments collected from hydrocarbon seeps (water depth 525–640 m) in the Gulf of Mexico. These bacteria were characterized by a thin ‘shell’ of sulfur globule‐filled cytoplasm that surrounded a central vacuole (roughly 80% of biovolume) containing high concentrations of nitrate (average 460 mM). Approximately 800 base pairs of 16S rRNA gene sequence data, linked to this bacterium by fluorescent in situ hybridization, showed 99% identity with Thiomargarita namibiensis, previously described only from sediments collected off the coast of Namibia (Western Africa). Unlike T. namibiensis, where cells form a linear chain within a common sheath, the Gulf of Mexico strain occurred as single cells and clusters of two, four and eight cells, which were clearly the product of division in one to three planes. In sediment cores maintained at 4°C, which undoubtedly experienced a diminishing flux of hydrogen sulfide over time, the Thiomargarita‐like bacterium remained viable for up to 2 years. During that long period, each cell appeared to undergo (as judged by change in biovolume) one to three reductive divisions, perhaps as a dispersal strategy in the face of diminished availability of its putative electron donor.
Natural microbial diversity in superficial sediments of Milazzo Harbor (Sicily) and community successions during microcosm enrichment with various hydrocarbons
Authors: Yakimov Michail M. , Denaro Renata , Genovese Maria , Cappello Simone , D’Auria Giuseppe , Chernikova Tatyana N. , Timmis Kenneth N. , Golyshin Peter N. , Giluliano Laura 
Published: August 2005

SummaryHydrocarbon‐contaminated superficial sediments collected from the Harbor of Milazzo (Tirrenean Sea, northern Sicily), a zone strongly affected by anthropogenic activities, were examined for in situ biodegradative capacities. A culture‐independent molecular phylogenetic approach was used to study the influence of hydrocarbon and nutrient addition on the activity and diversity of the indigenous microbiota during a microcosm evaluation. The autochthonous microbial community in non‐polluted sediments was represented by eubacterial phylotypes grouped within Proteobacteria, CFB and Firmicutes. The archaeal domain was represented by members of Marine Group I of Crenarchaeota. The majority of recovered sequences was affiliated with heterotrophic genera Clostridium and Vibrio, typical members of eutrophic coastal environments. Amendments of hydrocarbons and mineral nutrients to microcosms dramatically changed the initial diversity of the microbial community. Only bacterial phylotypes affiliated with Proteobacteria and CFB division were detected. The decrease in diversity observed in several microcosms could be explained by the strong selection for microorganisms belonging to group of marine hydrocarbonoclastic γ‐Proteobacteria, namely Alcanivorax, Cycloclasticus, Marinobacter, Marinobacterium/Neptunomonas and Thalassolituus. This study demonstrated that nutrient amendment to hydrocarbon‐contaminated superficial sediments enhanced the indigenous microbial biodegradation activity and that highly specialized marine hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria, representing a minor fraction in the natural microbial community, play an important role in the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons accidentally entering the coastal environment.
A man with pigmented skin, dark urine and arthritis: what is your diagnosis?
Authors: DAS Rabindra N. , SHETTY K. J. , DHAM S. K. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractA 52‐year‐old Nepali presented with fixed flexion deformity of swollen and painful hips, knees and elbows. He was kyphosed and had bluish black pigmentation in the skin, chonca, sclera and gums. The X‐ray of the dorsolumbar spine shown dense calcification and reduced intervertebral disc space. The freshly voided straw‐coloured urine turned like darkish brown cola on standing in the laboratory. He was taking lots of analgesics and steroids. He developed chronic renal failure. The electrocardiogram showed prolonged QTc which led to torsades de pointes and ventricular fibrillation.
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis‐induced dysphagia or DISHphagia
Authors: OZGOCMEN Salih 
Published: August 2005

SummaryDysphagia related to osteophyte compression in diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) or Forestier's disease and in cervical spondylosis has been identified as a cause of dysphagia. We report an elderly man who had dysphagia due to DISH or namely DISHphagia. Clinical findings, barium esophagogram, and magnetic resonance imaging findings have been presented. Good response to medical treatment with liquid forms of NSAIDs and soft diet has been achieved.
Non‐tumor necrosis factor biological therapies for rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: CHAU Lucia Shuk Yi , MOK Chi Chiu , CHOY Ernest 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe emergence and use of the biological agents is one of the major recent advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Although the tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) inhibitors are superior to conventional disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in terms of efficacy, certain patients may still be unresponsive or intolerant to them. Moreover, infection such as tuberculosis and the possibility of long‐term adverse effects such as malignancies are major concerns of the anti‐TNF‐α agents. Thus, newer and, hopefully, more effective but less toxic biological agents have to be developed as alternative therapies. This article reviews the preliminary clinical data on several non‐TNF‐α biological agents in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Risk factors of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee at a hospital in Indonesia
Authors: SOEROSO Joewono , DANS Leonila F. , AMARILLO Maria L. , SANTOSO Gina H. , KALIM Handono 
Published: August 2005

AbstractAim:  To determine the risk factors of symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.Methods:  Two hundred and thirty‐nine cases of symptomatic OA of the knee (ACR Criteria for OA 1986) with radiographic OA (Kellgren‐Lawrence I or more) taken from a rheumatology outpatient clinic were compared to 279 controls without radiographic (Kellgren‐Lawrence 0) OA taken from general internal medicine outpatient clinic at the same hospital. Independent variables to be assessed were age, sex, ethnic group, body mass index (BMI), education, marital status, parity, smoking, and history of acute trauma, hysterectomy, anatomical abnormality of knee, diabetes mellitus, and uric acid levels. Multiple logistic regression analysis was done to assess the independent risk factors.Results:  After going through the steps of multiple logistic regressions analysis, the results were: symptomatic cases compared to controls: age > 50 (OR: 1.86, 95% CI = 1.78–2.82), being female (OR: 2.08, 95% CI = 1.35–3.50), BMI > 25 units (OR: 3.28, 95% CI = 2.20–4.89), elementary education (OR: 0.29, 95% CI = 0.14–0.61) and genu valgus (OR: 4.07, 95% CI = 2.43–7.93). For the female subset of symptomatic cases compared with controls: age > 50 (OR: 9.34, 95% CI = 4.77–18.24), BMI > 25 units (OR: 5.27, 95% CI = 2.85–9.73) and genu valgus (OR: 13.64, 95% CI = 4.58–41.44).Conclusions:  Age > 50, being female, BMI > 25 units and genu valgus, may be the risk factors for symptomatic OA of the knee.
Efficiency of research investments in the presence of international spillovers: wheat research in developing countries⋆
Authors: Maredia Mywish K. , Byerlee Derek 
Published: August 2005

AbstractExpenditures on agricultural research in the public sector, including the International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs) have stagnated and in some cases, declined sharply in recent years. This has focused attention on issues of efficiency of agricultural research systems, especially the number, size, scope, type, and locations of their programs. This paper examines the issue of research efficiency through a case study of wheat improvement research in developing countries. The basic premise of this study is that the optimal level of research investment should be determined in a global model that incorporates direct research spill‐ins. An analytical framework is developed to determine the threshold levels of crop production in a country (or a region within a country) needed to justify crop improvement research programs of different sizes in the presence of spill‐ins from abroad. Spill‐in coefficients are estimated from yield performance of varieties of different origins grown across a range of environments. The model is then applied to analyze the efficiency of current investments in 69 wheat improvement research programs in 35 developing countries. A major conclusion of the paper is that given the magnitude of potential spill‐ins from the international research system, many wheat research programs could significantly increase the efficiency of resource use by reducing the size of their wheat research programs and focusing on the screening of varieties developed elsewhere. ©2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
An error correction almost ideal demand system for meat in Greece
Authors: Karagiannis G. , Katranidis S. , Velentzas K. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis paper represents a dynamic specification of the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) based on recent developments on cointegration techniques and error correction models. Based on Greek meat consumption data over the period 1958–1993, it was found that the proposed formulation performs well on both theoretical and statistical grounds, as the theoretical properties of homogeneity and symmetry are supported by the data and the LeChatelier principle holds. Regardless of the time horizon, beef and chicken may be considered as luxuries while mutton‐lamb and pork as necessities. In the short‐run, beef was found to have price elastic demand, pork an almost unitary elasticity, whereas mutton‐lamb, chicken and sausages had inelastic demands; in the long‐run, beef, and pork were found to have a demand elasticity greater than one, whereas mutton‐lamb, chicken, and sausages still had inelastic demands. All meat items are found to be substitutes to each other except chicken and mutton‐lamb, and pork and chicken.
The political economy of public research investment and commodity policies in agriculture: an empirical study
Authors: Swinnen Johan F.M. , de Goter Harry , Rausser Gordon C. , Banerjee Anurag N. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe paper tests a political economy theory of simultaneous government decision‐making on income redistribution through commodity policies and on public research investment in agriculture. We use data from 37 countries on agricultural protection and public agricultural research expenditures (PARI). The empirical results are consistent with the political economy hypotheses. The analysis suggest that structural changes in the economy have important effects on the political incentives for governments not only to subsidize or tax farmers, but also to invest in public agricultural research. Furthermore, the analysis supports the hypotheses that the impact of such structural changes on government decision‐making on PARI is non‐linear and conditional on other factors. Regarding the impact of political institutions, the results suggest that more democracy neither leads to more distortionary transfers (agricultural protection), nor to lower investment in public goods (PARI). ©2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Modeling the demand for alcoholic beverages and advertising specifications
Authors: Larivière Éric , Larue Bruno , Chalfant Jim 
Published: August 2005

AbstractIn this paper, the demand for beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks in Ontario is modeled in two parts: an equation is specifiec to endogenize group expenditures and a demand system is set up to allocate budgeted group expenditures across types o beverages. Advertising is allowed to influence both the level of group expenditures and its allocation. Three popula advertising specifications are compared using theJ‐test and the likelihood dominance criterion. Even though all threi specifications fitted well according to standard criteria, the calculated expenditure, price and advertising elasticities wen sensitive to the manner with which advertising is specified. This clearly highlights the need to rely on a sound criterion t< identify a dominant specification. From the identified dominant specification, we found that advertising has very subtle effect on expenditures on alcoholic beverages (group and individual beverages). Thus, advertising is not effective in enlarginj markets and this suggests that firms (especially breweries) use advertising to compete in zero‐sum market share games. From i public policy perspective, our results are comforting but future research should investigate whether the neutral effect o advertising on aggregated expenditures hide substantial offsetting changes in the drinking habits of individuals.
The geography and causes of food insecurity in developing countries
Authors: Smith Lisa C. , El Obeid Amani E. , Jensen Helen H. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractAt the 1996 World Food Summit, 186 countries made a commitment to reduce the number of chronically undernourished people by half by 2015. In order to formulate effective policies for reaching this goal, a thorough understanding of the location and causes of food insecurity is needed. This paper provides a broad overview of the current character of food insecurity in developing countries, focusing on two questions: (1) Why are they food insecure? and (2) Why are the food insecure? To answer the latter question data from 58 developing countries with high prevalences of food insecurity are employed to examine the relative importance of two of food insecurity's most basic causes: national food availability and the inability of people to access food due to poverty. Using child malnutrition as a proxy (along with descriptive controls for non‐food determinants of malnutrition), the paper finds little correlation between national food availabilities and food insecurity. The group of countries that exhibit the highest severity of food insecurity are those with high poverty and food (dietary energy) surpluses, consistent with the view that poverty is the most widespread cause of food insecurity in the 1990s. The paper concludes by considering the implications of the analysis for appropriate geographical and policy targeting to improve food security for the greatest numbers of people at the fastest pace, now and into the 21st century.
Valuing groundwater recharge through agricultural production in the Hadejia‐Nguru wetlands in northern Nigeria
Authors: Acharya Gayatri , Barbier Edward B. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis study applies a production function approach to value the groundwater recharge function of the Hadejia‐Nguru wetlands in northern Nigeria. The groundwater recharge function supports dry season agricultural production which is dependent on groundwater abstraction for irrigation. Using survey data this paper first carries out an economic valuation of agricultural production, per hectare of irrigated land. We then value the recharge function as an environmental input into the dry season agricultural production and derive appropriate welfare change measures. Welfare change is calculated using the estimated production functions and hypothetical changes in groundwater recharge and hence, groundwater levels. By focusing on agricultural production dependent solely on groundwater resources from the shallow aquifer, this study establishes that the groundwater recharge function of the wetlands is of significant importance for the floodplain.