bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Could plant‐feeding nematodes affect the competition between grass species during succession in grasslands under restoration management?
Authors: Verschoor B. C. , Pronk T. E. , De Goede R. G. M. , Brussaard L. 
Published: March 2003

Summary

We examined the effects of plant‐feeding nematodes on competition between Holcus lanatus and Anthoxanthum odoratum. In the Drentse A nature reserve, the Netherlands, a relatively productive grassland, represented by H. lanatus, has gradually been replaced by a less‐productive community, represented by A. odoratum, after the application of fertiliser was stopped. Stressed plants are generally considered to be more sensitive to herbivory.
We hypothesized that plant‐feeding nematodes would exacerbate the competitive disadvantage of H. lanatus resulting from nutrient limitation. We compared performance in an adjusted De Wit replacement series with monocultures, grown in soil that was either treated or untreated with nematicides at both low and high nutrient supply.
The biomass production of both plant species was negatively affected by intra‐ and interspecific competition. Although H. lanatus was a stronger competitor than A. odoratum in mixed cultures, it was more sensitive to plant‐feeding nematodes and nutrient limitation. Nematodes and nutrient stress therefore reduced the competitive suppression of A. odoratum by H. lanatus. Low nutrient availability did not enhance the effect of plant‐feeding nematodes on plant growth and competition, indicating additive rather than synergistic effects on plant performance.
We conclude that plant‐feeding nematodes may contribute to species replacements in grasslands after fertilization has been stopped, albeit to a lesser extent than reduced nutrient availability. Plant species‐specific differences in tolerance to plant‐feeding nematodes in general, rather than host specificity of nematodes, are responsible for any effects.
Influences of fire history and topography on the pattern of a severe wind blowdown in a Colorado subalpine forest
Authors: Kulakowski Dominik , Veblen Thomas T. 
Published: March 2003

Summary

In 1997, a major windstorm blew down over 10 000 hectares of subalpine forest in Routt National Forest in north‐western Colorado. We tested whether fire history and topographic variation, across the landscape, determined subsequent susceptibility to damage from this windstorm.
We combined dendrochronological techniques with a geographical information system (GIS) to examine the relationship between the effects of the blowdown and the spatial heterogeneity of the vegetation. We reconstructed the spatial fire history in a c. 4400 ha area by first identifying distinct patches in the landscape on aerial photographs, and then in the field by determining the disturbance history of each patch by dating fire scars, ages of post‐fire cohorts and releases of remnant trees.
Both topographic position and fire history contribute to susceptibility to wind damage. Stands at higher elevations, on easterly slopes and closer to ridges were most affected. Younger stands (i.e. more recently affected by stand‐initiating fires) were less affected particularly in areas affected by low–moderate severity blowdown (< 80% damage). The ecological effects of the very severe 1997 windstorm were mediated by the legacies of fires which occurred several centuries ago. Interactions between natural disturbances, such as fire and blowdown, lead to synergistic effects on forest dynamics, even when disturbance is infrequent.
Integrating lateral expansion into models of peatland development in temperate New England
Authors: Anderson Rebecca L. , Foster David R. , Motzkin Glenn 
Published: March 2003

Summary

As peatlands form they create a temporal archive of community development, allowing the reconstruction of vegetation dynamics through the analysis of sediments and the development of detailed chronologies of successional change. Peatland formation occurs through two mechanisms: (i) terrestrialization, when a water body fills with sediments and peat; and (ii) paludification, the conversion of dry land to peatland. In temperate regions, where high summer temperatures may limit peat accumulation, general models of peatland development suggest that allogenic factors such as climate change control peatland development and that terrestrialization is the primary mechanism of formation.
This study evaluates this widely accepted model by comparing the developmental histories of three peatlands within the same climate region in New England in order to: (i) describe the development and timing of successional events among peatlands; (ii) document the roles of paludification and terrestrialization as developmental mechanisms; and (iii) evaluate the importance of climate change vs. autogenic factors in peatland development in this temperate region.
Basin morphometry, sediment stratigraphies, and chronologies of community change determined through radiocarbon dating indicate that peatland development at each site involved terrestrialization followed by paludification, with no apparent influence of broad‐scale climate change on the timing of these processes. Paludification was consistently initiated coincident with the consolidation of a shrub mat across each lake‐basin, and was controlled in extent and rate by the topography of the adjoining uplands. The timing of stratigraphic changes varied among sites, suggesting that autogenic factors associated with the accumulation of peat rather than regional climate change controlled development. These results provide the foundation for a model of temperate peatland development driven by autogenic factors and caution against the use of temperate peatland development as a proxy for climatic reconstruction.
The 2‐year costs and effects of a public health nursing case management intervention on mood‐disordered single parents on social assistance
Authors: PhD(C) Maureen Markle‐Reid RegN MScN , PhD Gina Browne RegN , MSc Jacqueline Roberts RegN , PhD Amiram Gafni , PhD Carolyn Byrne RegN 
Published: March 2003

Abstract Rationale, aims and objectives This randomized controlled trial was designed
to evaluate the 2‐year costs and effects of a proactive, public health nursing case
management approach compared with a self‐directed approach for 129 single parents
(98% were mothers) on social assistance in a Canadian setting. A total of
43% of these parents had a major depressive disorder and 38% had
two or three other health conditions at baseline. Methods Study participants
were recruited over a 12 month period and randomized into two groups: one receiving
proactive public health nursing and one which did not. Results At 2 years,
69 single parents with 123 children receiving proactive public health nursing (compared
with 60 parents with 91 children who did not receive public health nursing services)
showed a slightly greater reduction in dysthymia and slightly higher social adjustment.
There was no difference between the public health and control groups in total per
parent annual cost of health and support services. However, costs were averted due
to a 12% difference in non‐use of social assistance in the previous 12 months
for parents in the public health nursing group. This translates into an annual cost
saving of $240 000 (Canadian) of costs averted within 1 year for every 100 parents.
Conclusions In the context of a system of national health and social insurance, this study supports the fact that it is no more costly to proactively service this population of parents on social assistance.
Quantitative evaluation of prostatectomy for benign prostatic hypertrophy under a national health insurance law: a multi‐centre study
Authors: PhD D. Pilpel , MPH A. Porath MD , PhD A. Peleg 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAssessing regional variation between various medical centres in diagnostic and surgical processes is an approach aimed at evaluating the quality of care. This study analyses the differences between eight medical centres in Israel, where all citizens are covered by medical insurance, through the National Health Insurance Law (NHIL). The analysis refers to the diagnostic process, type of surgery and immediate post‐surgical complications associated with prostatectomy for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), which is the most frequent surgical procedure performed on men aged 50+. The study sample was comprized of 261 consecutive prostatectomy patients operated on in eight Israeli medical centres (MC), located in various parts of the country, between November 1996 and April 1997. Co‐operation with participating directors of surgical wards was obtained after confidentiality of information had been assured. Surgeons in selected departments abstracted data routinely recorded in the patient’s file and filled‐out a standard one‐page questionnaire. The following items were included: age, the presence of accompanying chronic diseases, preoperative tests, type of operation, and post‐surgical complications. In the various MCs 32.6% of the patients underwent more than five preoperative tests ranging from 8.9% to 88.9% (<0.01). Assessment of kidney and bladder normality ranged from 75% to 100% (P
< 0.01). The rate of patients whose prostatic symptoms (I‐PSS) were assessed ranged
from 0% to 79% (P < 0.01). There were also differences
in severity of prostatism between the MCs, with severe symptoms ranging from 54.0%
to 89.3% (P < 0.05), for type of operation performed (for ‘open’
prostatectomies, 35.4% to 68.0%, P < 0.01) and post‐operative
complications (19.0% to 41.6%, P = 0.07). After controlling for case‐mix, type of operation was the most important predictor for post‐surgical complications. MCs with low volume of surgeries had a higher rate of postoperative complications. We conclude that diagnostic and type of operation and post‐surgical complications differed between various MCs. Participating surgeons were willing to fill out a one‐page standard questionnaire from data routinely recorded in patients’ files.
The effect of participation in a weight loss programme on short‐term health resource utilization
Authors: FRCPC Carl van Walraven MD MSc , FRCPC Robert Dent MD 
Published: March 2003

AbstractObese people consume significantly greater amounts of health resources. This study set out to determine if health resource utilization by obese people decreases after losing weight in a comprehensive medically supervized weight management programme. Four hundred and fifty‐six patients enrolled in a single‐centred, multifaceted weight loss programme in a universal health care system were studied. Patient information was anonymously linked with administrative databases to measure health resource utilization for 1 year before and after the programme. Mean body mass index (BMI) decreased by more than 15%. The mean annual physician visits (pre = 9.6, post = 9.4) did not change significantly after the programme. However, patients saw a significantly fewer number of different physicians per year following the programme (pre = 4.5, post = 3.9; P < 0.001). Mean annual number of emergency visits (pre = 0.2; post = 0.2) and hospital admissions (pre = 0.05; post = 0.08) did not change. Neither baseline BMI, nor its change during the programme, influenced changes in health resource utilization. Our study suggests that weight loss in a supervized weight management programme does not necessarily decrease short‐term health resource utilization. Further study is required to determine if patients who maintain their weight loss experience a decrease in health utilization.
Clinical governance: vision or mirage?
Authors: Goodman Neville W. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryClinical governance was intended to ensure clinical quality in the National Health Service. Its first full description, in the British Medical Journal in 1998,
seemed to some to be more rhetoric than substance. Now, 3 years on, its proponents
believe it is starting to achieve its purpose. The British Medical Journal has again published a paper, this time subtitled ‘turning vision into reality’. Expectations might have been that this paper would present evidence of how clinical governance is changing practice to ensure quality, but analysis of the paper shows that it does little more than repeat the rhetoric of the earlier description. It describes how clinical governance might be organized and what it might do, but not what it has done. Its authors repeat the idea that everyone can be ‘the best’ and achieve ‘excellence’, which is not reality at all. Anyone introducing a new method of managing the National Health System has the same obligation as those who introduce new treatments to provide evidence that the method works, and that the financial and non‐financial costs are not too high. The new paper fails to provide that evidence.
The role of health informatics in clinical audit: part of the problem or key to the solution?
Authors: Georgiou Andrew , Pearson Michael 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe concepts of quality assurance (for which clinical audit is an essential part), evaluation and clinical governance each depend on the ability to derive and record measurements that describe clinical performance. Rapid IT developments have raised many new possibilities for managing health care. They have allowed for easier collection and processing of data in greater quantities. These developments have encouraged the growth of quality assurance as a key feature of health care delivery. In the past most of the emphasis has been on hospital information systems designed predominantly for the administration of patients and the management of fin‐ancial performance. Large, hi‐tech information system capacity does not guarantee quality information. The task of producing information that can be confidently used to monitor the quality of clinical care requires attention to key aspects of the design and operation of the audit. The Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project (MINAP) utilizes an IT‐based system to collect and process data on large numbers of patients and make them readily available to contributing hospitals. The project shows that IT systems that employ rigorous health informatics methodologies can do much to improve the monitoring and provision of health care.
The evidence base for clinical governance
Authors: Thomas MB ChB, MRCP Matt 
Published: March 2003

AbstractRationale, aims and objectives Clinical governance has been advanced
as a mechanism for continuous quality improvement within the UK National Health Service
(NHS). This study aimed to assess whether evidence exists to support this claim.
Methods A Medline search for evidence to link the introduction of clinical
governance to improvements in the quality of health care was conducted. Results Of
the 335 papers retrieved initially, 114 were potentially relevant to the question,
but only 10 attributed changes in quality to clinical governance directly. Of these,
only three attempted to provide data to support the assertion. Conclusion No sound evidence currently exists to support the claim that clinical governance will increase service quality and moves towards its implementation must therefore be questioned.
If not evidence, then what? Or does medicine really need a base?
Authors: Upshur Ross E. G. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis essay analyses the concept of ‘base’ in relation to its use in evidence‐based medicine (EBM). It evaluates the extent to which evidence provides a sufficient base for health care to rest and discusses whether medicine needs a base, and, if so, what are the other possible candidates. This paper will argue that EBM is linked epistemologically to the theory of foundationalism and shows how important criticisms of EBM emerge from anti‐foundationalist epistemologies and interpretive frameworks. Drawing from recent writings in the philosophy of science, it is argued that there is a need to see multiple perspectives relevant to the practice and understanding of medicine.
The rising cost of health care: can demand be reduced through more effective health promotion?
Authors: Phillips Peter 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe cost of health care continues to rise in the face of an apparently insatiable demand. Unless the actual need for health care can be reduced to manageable levels, the financial burden will probably become economically unacceptable. Although some illnesses are unavoidable, others that are largely due to unhealthy lifestyles are preventable. Circulatory diseases, diabetes and some cancers, which are major causes of morbidity and mortality in western societies, are strongly linked to physical inactivity, psychological stress, unhealthy eating, obesity and smoking. There is ample evidence that promotion of healthy lifestyles, including physical activity, healthy eating and non‐smoking, are effective for the primary and secondary prevention of these diseases. Although there are examples of successful public health programmes that have encouraged more healthy lifestyles and reduced the burden of disease, we need to be much more effective in putting theory into practice. In order to improve the health of the nation and to prevent the economy being overwhelmed by the increasing demand for health care, we need a change of mindset from a consumerist approach to an acceptance of personal and corporate responsibility for more healthy lifestyles. Widespread collaboration among health care agencies, private and public utilities, the entertainment industry and the communications media will be necessary in order to provide the necessary incentives for lifestyle changes.
Waiting for scheduled services in Canada: development of priority‐setting scoring systems
Authors: Noseworthy T. W. , McGurran J. J. , Hadorn D. C. ,   the Steering Committee of the Western Canada Waiting List Project
Published: March 2003

AbstractRationale, aims and objectives An Achilles’ heel of Canadian Medicare is long waits for elective services. The Western Canada Waiting List (WCWL) project is a collaboration of 19 partner organizations committed to addressing this issue and influencing the way waiting lists are structured and managed. The focus of the WCWL project has been to develop and refine practical tools for prioritizing patients on scheduled waiting lists.Methods Scoring tools for priority setting were developed through extensive clinical input and highly iterative exchange by clinical panels constituted in five clinical areas: cataract surgery; general surgery procedures; hip and knee replacement; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning, and children's mental health. Several stages of empirical work were conducted to formulate and refine criteria and to assess and improve their reliability and validity. To assess the acceptability and usability of the priority‐setting tools and to identify issues pertaining to implementation, key personnel in the seven regional health authorities (RHAs) participated in structured interviews. Public opinion focus groups were conducted in the seven western cities.Results Point‐count scoring systems were constructed in each of the clinical areas. Participating clinicians confirmed that the tools offered face validity and that the scoring systems appeared practical for implementation and use in clinical settings. Reliability was strongest for the general surgery and hip and knee criteria, and weakest for the diagnostic MRI criteria. Public opinion focus groups endorsed wholeheartedly the application of point‐count priority measures. Regional health authorities were generally supportive, though cautiously optimistic towards implementation.Conclusions While the WCWL project has not ‘solved’ the problem of waiting lists and times, having a standardized, reliable means of assigning priority for services is an important step towards improved management in Canada and elsewhere.
Dexamethasone treatment increases susceptibility of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), to infections with Gyrodactylus derjavini Mikailov
Authors: Lindenstrøm  , Buchmann  
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe parasite population dynamics of a Danish isolate of Gyrodactylus derjavini Mikailov 1975 on immunosuppressed fry of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), were investigated and compared with immunocompetent fry. Immunosuppression was induced 14 days prior to infection by intraperitoneal injections of dexamethasone (fluoro‐methyl‐prednisolone). Treated and untreated fish were infected by cohabitation with Gyrodactylus‐infected donorfish, carrying 4‐week‐old infections. Initial infections did not differ between the two groups. However, parasite populations increased significantly faster and reached significantly higher levels in the dexamethasone‐treated group from day 13 post‐exposure and during the following 3 weeks when compared with the untreated group. Microhabitat distribution of parasites on the two host groups differed from day 20 post‐exposure, which could indicate a different host response to infection. Changes in the density of superficial mucous cells in the caudal fins were investigated during the course of infection. No differences in mucous cell density between untreated and dexamethasone‐treated groups were found.
Survival, persistence and proliferation of Vibrio anguillarum in juvenile turbot, Scophthalmus maximus (L.), intestine and faeces
Authors: Olsson  , Jöborn  , Westerdahl  , Blomberg  , Kjelleberg  , Conway  
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine whether orally administered V. anguillarum cells could survive passage through the intestinal tract of feeding turbot, and thereafter, proliferate in the released faeces. In addition, the growth of the pathogen in turbot faeces in the presence of a Carnobacterium sp. with inhibitory effects against a number of bacterial fish pathogens was studied. It was found that V. anguillarum cells survived the acidic environment of the stomach for several hours, persisted in the intestine and readily proliferated in the released faeces. The antagonistic Carnobacterium sp. inhibited the growth of V. anguillarum during co‐culture in turbot faecal extracts. From the results, it was concluded that the turbot intestinal tract and faeces can serve as an enrichment site for V. anguillarum, and the use of intestinal bacteria with antagonistic activity against vibrios may be used to reduce the load of fish pathogenic vibrios in turbot hatcheries.
Proliferative kidney disease in Switzerland: current state of knowledge
Authors: Wahli T , Knuesel R , Bernet D , Segner H , Pugovkin D , Burkhardt‐Holm P , Escher M , Schmidt‐Posthaus H 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis study presents an overview of the distribution of proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in wild and farmed fish in Switzerland based on two sources: (1) the results of routine diagnostic work at the National Fish Disease Laboratory, and (2) the results of a country‐wide survey for PKD. The first case of PKD in Switzerland was diagnosed in 1979 and since 1981, a few cases have been found every year. Affected species were rainbow trout, brown trout and grayling from rivers and fish farms. Most of the diseased fish were found in the lower altitude regions of the country (Swiss midlands). A seasonal distribution of the cases was evident: PKD‐positive fish occurred only from June to November withprominent peaks in August and September. Among infected fish all length classes were present, but the highest numbers of affected fish were found in the length classes <10 cm and 16–20 cm. The evaluation of the samples from a survey of the occurrence of PKD in 2000/2001 revealed a much broader geographical distribution of the infection than expected from routine diagnostic observations. Fish from 56 of 139 rivers analysed by histological examination were positive for parasites. Fish from 131 of these sites were examined macroscopically. Of these, trout from 45 sites showed gross alterations indicative for PKD. Most of the positive fish were found in the Swiss midlands north of the Alps. Fish from six of 65 fish farms investigated were found to be PKD‐positive by histopathological analysis, and in four of these cases fish could be identified as infected on the basis of gross examination.