bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An audit of ‘equivocal’ (C3) and ‘suspicious’ (C4) categories in fine needle aspiration cytology of the breast
Authors: Deb R. A. , Matthews P. , Elston C. W. , Ellis I. O. , Pinder S. E. 
Published: March 2003

An audit of ‘equivocal’ (C3) and ‘suspicious’ (C4) categories in fine needle aspiration cytology of the breast We have audited the frequency of use and outcome of the ‘equivocal/atypia probably benign’ (C3) and ‘suspicious of malignancy’ (C4) category for breast cytology in our Unit. A total of 14 935 cytological specimens were reported by at least one of the three pathologists with a special interest in breast pathology, according to five categories of the NHSBSP guidelines for cytology reporting, 1992; 3.7% (555 cases) and 3.9% (587 cases) of cases were classified as equivocal (C3) and suspicious (C4), respectively, giving a total rate (C3 + C4) of 7.6%. Of the C3 cases, 68% were subsequently benign and 32% were malignant. Of the C4 cases, 19% were subsequently benign and 81% malignant. The commonest benign lesions in both categories were fibroadenomas (7.6% of C3 and 19.8% of C4), fibrocystic change (14.3% of C3 and 12.5% of C4), radial scars (6.2% of C3 and 10.4% of C4) and papillomas (6.2% of C3 and 6.3% of C4). Of the malignant lesions (particularly those classified as C3), a high proportion were low grade or special type cancers. The categories of atypia probably benign (C3) and suspicious of malignancy (C4) in breast cytology provide a strategy for classification of problematic or uncertain cases; this maintains the predictive value of the benign (C2) and malignant (C5) categories, and allows separation of these difficult cases into clinically useful groups with differing probabilities of malignancy.
Rapid screening: a comparative study
Authors: Dudding N. , Hewer E. M. , Lancucki L. , Rice S. 
Published: March 2003

Rapid screening: a comparative study Although rapid screening of negative and inadequate cervical smears is a quality assurance requirement for all UK laboratories, there has been little attempt to standardize the method and laboratories make use of a number of different techniques and times. The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity of these various techniques by measuring their ability to pick out known false‐negative smears. Completed questionnaires from 123 laboratories across England revealed that 52% of laboratories use a ‘step’ technique, 19% use ‘turret’, 15% use random paths and 34% attempt to rescreen the whole slide quickly. Twenty‐two percent of laboratories use a mixture of techniques. Timings are also variable, with the majority of laboratories allowing screeners to review slides at a pace decided by themselves but usually between 1 and 2 min. The study involved 120 participants who performed a total of 24 000 rapid screens. The results showed that, of the 90 abnormal slides used in the study, 62 cases (69%) were identified as abnormal or needing review by more than 50% of participants. Overall rapid screening picked out 58% of high‐grade squamous abnormalities, 59% of low‐grade abnormalities and 72% of glandular lesions. Step screening performed best, followed by whole slide/random and then turret. One minute was the optimum time and there was a significant fall in performance once individuals attempted to rescreen large numbers (>50). The most significant finding was the marked variation in the performance of individuals using the same slide sets.
A comparative study: conventional preparation and ThinPrep® 2000 in respiratory cytology
Authors: RANA D. N. , O'DONNELL M. , MALKIN A. , GRIFFIN M. 
Published: March 2003

A comparative study: conventional preparation and ThinPrep 2000 in respiratory cytology In order to compare and contrast conventional preparation (CP) with ThinPrep® 2000 (TP) in respiratory cytology, 207 samples were divided equally and processed by the two different preparation methods, generating three CP and one TP slide per sample. No lesion identified by CP was missed by TP and there were no significant differences between TP and CP in the diagnostic categories. However, two cases of squamous cell carcinoma were detected on TP which had been classified as unsatisfactory and moderate squamous dyskaryosis, respectively, on CP. ThinPrep was found to be superior to CP in many respects as it provided standardized preparations in a greater proportion of cases and problems such as cell overlapping and background debris were markedly reduced. In several instances the diagnostic accuracy in CP was compromised by smears that were either too thick, too thin, or too scanty. Cell preservation was also better on TP when compared with CP, facilitating more accurate diagnosis and significantly reducing the primary screening and reporting time, especially of sputum samples. A major advantage of TP methodology is the fact that it facilitates optimal use of skilled cytotechnologists and streamlines the workflow in the laboratory.
How predictive is a cervical smear suggesting glandular neoplasia?
Authors: MATHERS M. E. , JOHNSON S. J. , WADEHRA V. 
Published: March 2003

How predictive is a cervical smear suggesting glandular neoplasia The prevalence of endocervical adenocarcinoma and its precursors has increased, in part due to increased diagnostic awareness of these lesions. To date, limited information has been published regarding the predictive value of glandular abnormalities in cervical smears.This study details the histological follow up of 418 cervical smears showing glandular abnormality, reported in our department over a six year period from 1993 to 1998. Histological follow up was available for 395 of the 418 smears (94.50%). The overall positive predictive value (PPV) for this group of smears was 72.66% for either significant glandular or squamous pathology (at least low grade cervical glandular intraepithelial neoplasia or CIN2 on follow up biopsy), and 55.70% for significant glandular pathology alone. Examination of subcategories of abnormal glandular smear showed that the PPV increased with the degree of abnormality reported within the smears.
Cytomorphological spectrum in gynaecomastia: a study of 389 cases
Authors: Kapila Kusum , Verma Kusum 
Published: March 2003

Cytomorphological spectrum in gynaecomastia: a study of 389 cases The objective of this study was to document the spectrum of cytomorphological features in aspirates from gynaecomastia. During a 22‐year period (July 1979 to June 2001) fine needle aspirations (FNA) were conducted on 651 males with a breast lesion. Fine needle aspirate slides from 529 benign cases were reviewed along with the histological sections of 54 cases where available. Of the 529 FNA, 140 were excluded (105 unsatisfactory, five cystic fluid aspirated, 30 inflammatory lesions). In 134 of 389 cases reviewed florid gynaecomastia was observed while the remainder showed benign ductal cells (BDC) in varying quantities from less than five to more than 25 groups. Of the 134 cases with florid gynaecomastia, 49 had a fibroadenoma‐like picture (FLP), where a large number of BDC fragments with a staghorn configuration, prominent stromal fragments with contoured stroma and bare bipolar nuclei were seen abundantly in all cases. In 85 cases the features resembled fibroadenomatoid hyperplasia (FH), with only an occasional staghorn configuration of BDC seen in 82% of the cases. In 83% of cases stromal fragments of varying proportions were seen but a contoured stroma was seen in only 3.5% of cases. Both stromal and epithelial atypia were seen in 41% and 86% cases, respectively, of FLP, and in 7% and 69% cases of FH. Columnar cells, apocrine cells and foam cells were seen in approximately similar quantities in both the lesions. Vascularized stroma was seen in 22% of the cases with FLP but in only 4.5% of cases those with FH. Cytohistological correlation performed in 54 cases showed marked variation. Fine needle aspirates showed florid changes in 13 of the 41 cases of simple gynaecomastia and two of the eight cases with florid gynaecomastia on tissue sections. In conclusion, a wide spectrum of morphological features are encountered in FNA from benign male breast lesions. It is important to recognize these to avoid a false‐positive diagnosis.
Payoffs of the two alternative nesting tactics in the African dung beetle, Scarabaeus catenatus
Authors: SATO HIROAKI 
Published: March 2003

1. Scarabaeus catenatus is a ball‐rolling scarab in the subfamily Scarabaeinae. This species, however, makes use of two tactics for nest building: rolling and tunnelling. The tunnelling tactic differs substantially from the rolling tactic in that (1) it always involves repeated movements to and from the dung source and the nest, whereas rolling does not, and (2) it involves a shorter distance between the two sites.2. Brood‐nest founders were usually males and less often females, with about 25% adopting the rolling tactic and 75% adopting the tunnelling tactic. During nest building, the founder paired off with a scarab of the opposite sex, and they co‐operated in the work. The female made one to four brood balls from the dung in the nest, each of which contained one egg.3. Each scarab seemed to be able to employ both tactics. The tactic employed was independent of an individual's status, e.g. body size and timing of nest founding.4. The rolling tactic offered only male founders a greater nest‐defence success than the tunnelling tactic due to a lower intrusion into the rolled nest and a higher intensity of male–male fighting. The tunnelling tactic offered both male and female founders a larger number of brood balls than the rolling tactic because it enabled scarabs to take a larger amount of dung into the nest.5. The reproductive success for the two tactics was estimated from the product of nest‐defence success and the number of brood balls. As a result, the two tactics had equal fitness payoffs for males, but unequal payoffs for females.6. The results suggest that male alternation of tactics is controlled by a mixed strategy. Female alternation, however, cannot be explained by mixed strategy, alternative strategies or conditional strategy.
Cannibalism and the stage‐dependent transmission of a viral pathogen of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella
Authors: BOOTS MICHAEL 
Published: March 2003

1. The transmission of an insect pathogen by cannibalism was studied by a series of choice and no‐choice experiments.2. Infection of Plodia interpunctella larvae with a granulosis virus occurred through cannibalism of infected larvae.3. Depending on the larval instars of the cannibal and the victim relative to each other, preferential cannibalism of both infected and healthy larvae was observed.4. Larvae cannibalise healthy, less vulnerable larvae preferentially, but it is argued that there is no evidence that they are avoiding infection.5. The victim cannibalised can be explained as a balance between the reduced risk of injury and the ease of cannibalism of moribund infected individuals on the one hand and the greater food resource value of healthy individuals on the other.6. The implications for the insect population dynamics of the transmission of the pathogen via cannibalism and the effective removal of infective particles through cannibalism by immune stages are discussed.
Effects of ant exclusion during outbreaks of a defoliator and a sap‐sucker on birch
Authors: KARHU KARI J. 
Published: March 2003

1. The influence of a wood ant, Formica aquilonia, on the defoliation of the white birch, Betula pubescens, and on its invertebrate community was studied in ant‐exclusion experiments during two outbreaks, the decline phase of the autumnal moth, Epirrita autumnata, and the peak year of the birch aphid, Euceraphis punctipennis, not tended by ants.2. The numbers of the wood ant and Symydobius oblongus, a tended aphid, in birch foliage showed a strong positive correlation, and the former decreased rapidly when the distance from the ant mound increased, confirming that there was a distance‐related gradient in arboreal ant predation. There may have been a parallel reduction in soil amelioration by ants through nest construction and food gathering.3. The application of a glue ring around the trunk excluded ants totally from the canopy, inhibiting predation but not fertilization.4. Ant‐exclusion resulted in a 90–95% reduction in the growth of tended aphid colonies by mid‐season.5. Outbreak populations of the autumnal moth and the birch aphid were reduced by 45–67% and 77%, respectively, in control trees and correlated negatively with ant numbers.6. The total percentage of leaf area damaged by moth larvae was 34% lower in ant‐foraged than in unforaged trees.7. Neither the distance from the ant mound nor its interaction with the glue treatment had any effect on the herbivores or folivory, indicating that the possible soil‐ameliorating effect was weaker than predation, which reduced herbivore numbers at every distance studied (4–20 m).8. Predation by ants also affected the abundance of syrphid larvae, predatory on both aphids, the percentage parasitism by a wasp, Aleiodes testaceus, on the autumnal moth, and thereby (or directly) its age (size) distribution. The presence of ants had no influence on spider abundance.9. It is concluded that predation rather than soil amelioration is likely to be the reason why the degree of folivory and, during serious outbreaks, the mortality of trees are lower in the vicinity of wood‐ant mounds.
Persistence of experience effects in the parasitoid Trichogramma nr. brassicae
Authors: BJORKSTEN TRACEY A. , HOFFMANN ARY A. 
Published: March 2003

1. The importance of learning in parasitoids is likely to depend on how long learning effects persist, the number of learned stimuli that can be retained, and whether learning effects are confined to low ranked hosts.2. The duration of learning of host‐specific stimuli was tested in four strains of Trichogramma nr. brassicae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Both the persistence of learning of the rearing host and oviposition experience were tested in separate experiments.3. The response to a non‐preferred host, Sitotroga cerealella, was measured at different times following experience on that host or an alternative host, Heliothis punctigera. Both types of experience persisted for at least 5 days in all four strains.4. The effect of oviposition in a highly preferred host, H. punctigera, following oviposition in S. cerealella was also tested. The increased acceptance of S. cerealella following oviposition on this host persisted despite a subsequent oviposition on H. punctigera.5. The implications for host range at both individual and population levels are discussed.
Temperature dependence of provisioning behaviour and investment allocation in the European beewolf Philanthus triangulum F.
Authors: STROHM ERHARD , LINSENMAIR K. 
Published: March 2003

1. Fisher's sex allocation theory predicts equal investment in sons and daughters. However, in a central European population of the beewolf Philanthus triangulum F. (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), the sex ratio of parental investment is heavily biased towards males.2. Beewolf females hunt for honeybees and carry them to the nest in flight. In order to fly with the additional load, females must have a certain minimum size that can be attained only with at least three bees as larval food. In contrast, sons require only one bee. Storage of bees might be constrained by an increasing risk of parasitism and fungus infestation. Therefore the female needs to gather the necessary bees to produce a daughter within a short period of time. Under bad weather conditions, females might too often not be able to accomplish this and might be compelled to produce an excess of less costly sons. This hypothesis was tested by investigating the temperature dependence of the hunting and provisioning behaviour of beewolf females.3. Under semi‐field and field conditions, the duration of the daily activity period and the number of bees a female brought to the nest correlated positively with two measures of ambient temperature, maximum air temperature, and temperature sum during the activity period. The duration of hunting trips but not the duration of pauses between hunting trips correlated negatively with temperature. An estimate of the investment ratio was not significantly correlated with ambient temperature. The proportion of the variance in investment ratio that was explained by ambient temperature was less than 10%.4. In the laboratory, temperatures affected hunting success but females did not produce more daughters at higher temperatures.5. In a subtropical climate in southern France, the population investment ratio was biased towards males to the same extent as in central Europe.6. Thus, temperature affects several aspects of hunting behaviour, but low temperatures do not lead to an overproduction of male offspring and thus are not a constraint that could explain the observed male‐biased investment ratio.
To fly or not to fly: response of water striders to drying out of habitat
Authors: Harada Tetsuo 
Published: March 2003

Abstract.1. Adults of Aquarius paludum inhabit both temporary and permanent water surfaces; Gerris latiabdominis lives only in temporary habitats. To clarify whether adults of both species stay in position or fly when habitats dry up, overwintered adults of A. paludum and G. latiabdominis collected in spring were reared under one of the following four conditions: (A) on water with sufficient food, (B) on water, starved, (C) on wet paper with sufficient food, (D) on wet paper, starved. All rearings were at LD 15.5:8.5 h, 20 ± 2 °C, resembling natural conditions for April to June.2. Females of A. paludum in group C had lower fecundity than the control group A and some stopped laying eggs. When a water surface was restored, females that had entered reproductive diapause began to lay eggs again. In contrast, females of G. latiabdominis continued to lay eggs even when reared on damp paper.3. Adults of A. paludum lived longer and adopted diapause posture with high frequency when starved and reared without a water surface. There were, however, no significant differences in the longevity or in the number of adults showing diapause posture between groups A and D of G. latiabdominis.4. Females of A. paludum collected in the middle of May had more mature oocytes (mean: 20.8) than females of G. latiabdominis (mean: 8.0), and most had histolysed their indirect flight muscles; most females of G. latiabdominis had retained their flight muscles and flew readily.5. When water surfaces dry, with food shortage, adults of A. paludum may survive in place for a relatively long time until the water surface returns. Adults of G. latiabdominis may fly to other water surfaces and reproduce without delay.
Compact housing in built‐up areas: spatial patterning of nests in aggregations of a ground‐nesting bee
Authors: Potts Simon G. , Willmer Pat. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract.1. The spatial patterning of nests in ten aggregations of a ground‐nesting bee Halictus rubicundus (Christ) was examined using nearest‐neighbour distance analysis.2. Large scale aggregation was demonstrated and attributed to a preference for nesting in limited areas of the most suitable substrate in conjunction with natal site fidelity of nest‐founding females.3. Within patches of high nest density, there was a fine‐scale regularity resulting from competition for sufficient substrate to maintain the structural integrity of the nest.4. The appropriateness of four statistical tests is discussed with respect to analysing the spatial arrangement of nests in populations with both aggregated and regular components.
Seasonal variation in parental care, offspring development, and reproductive success in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespillo
Authors: Meierhofer IngE. , Schwarz Horst H. , Müller Josef K. 
Published: March 2003

Summary1. Beetles of the genus Nicrophorus reproduce on small vertebrate carcasses that they bury in the soil to provide the larvae with food. Usually, both parents cooperate in brood care by feeding and guarding their progeny.2. In pairs of the common European species N. vespillo, the duration of care depended on the time of year when the beetles reproduced. Both in 1990 and in 1991, male and female parents stayed longer with their broods when reproduction started in spring than when reproduction started in early or late summer. This was probably due to the longer development time of the larvae caused by lower temperatures in spring, because laboratory experiments suggested a strong influence of temperature on both the duration of brood care and offspring development.3. The number of adult offspring produced by a beetle pair did not vary among different times of the year.4. The median time required for offspring development, measured as time from burial of the carcass to emergence of young adults, was between 62 and 84 days. When the beetles reproduced in late summer, only about three‐quarters of the offspring left the soil and hibernated as adults. The remaining offspring stayed underground and adults appeared on the soil surface the following spring. They still showed the flexible cuticle typical of newly‐hatched beetles, suggesting that they may have overwintered in a pre‐adult stage.
The interplay between plant traits and herbivore attack: a study of a stem galling midge in the neotropics
Authors: Prado Paulo Inácio K. L. , Vieira Emerson Monteiro 
Published: March 2003

Summary1. The relationship between plant traits and the frequency of attack by a stem galling midge, Neolasioptera sp. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), on Eremanthus erythropappus (Asteraceae) was studied. The morphological changes of the host after a galler attack and the potential effects of these changes on attacks by the next generation of gallers were analysed. The study was conducted in the Serra do Japi, São Paulo, south‐eastern Brazil.2. Galled branches were significantly longer, thicker, and had more leaves than ungalled branches. Accordingly, gall establishment was higher in the longer and more foliose branches. Hence, it is suggested that ovipositing females are maximizing their performance by selecting larger branches.3. Galled branches were larger than ungalled branches of the same age. Two hypotheses, not necessarily exclusive, can explain this pattern: (1) the plant vigour hypothesis that the females are choosing the more vigorous, fast‐growing branches, which still remain more vigorous after galling; or (2) the resource regulation hypothesis that galling increases branch growth rates, thus increasing resource quality for forthcoming conspecifics.4. Co‐occurrence frequencies of current and past generation galls showed that the likelihood of a branch being galled increased when it, or the branch from which it stemmed, had been galled before. The data indicated that this preference was conditioned by the number of previous attacks. Heavier attack intensities, such as one gall in the same branch and another in the branch from which it stemmed, decreased the probability of further galling.5. The suggested links between herbivore attack and plant traits indicate that studies on host selection by phytophagous insects must take into account that herbivory itself may change the plant traits that are postulated to be selected by the insects.