bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of psychiatric comorbidity in alcohol‐dependent subjects in a representative population survey on treatment utilization and natural recovery
Authors: Bischof G. , Rumpf H.‐J. , Meyer C. , Hapke U. , John U. 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACTBackground  It is well known that only a minority of alcohol‐dependent subjects seek help and that the majority of alcohol‐dependent individuals recover without utilization of formal help. Psychiatric comorbidity is highly prevalent among alcohol‐dependent individuals. However, no data are available on the impact of psychiatric comorbidity on natural recovery.Aims  To analyse the impact of non‐psychotic psychiatric comorbid Axis I disorders on remission rate and utilization of formal help in alcohol‐dependent individuals drawn from a representative general population sample in northern Germany (response rate: 70.2%, n = 4075). Psychiatric diagnoses and utilization of help were assessed in a personal interview using standardized instruments. One hundred and fifty‐three life‐time alcohol‐dependent individuals were assessed, among whom 98 fulfilled the criteria for sustained long‐term remission according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version II (DSM‐IV) criteria. Any coincidence of DSM‐IV non‐psychotic Axis I disorders with alcohol dependence was counted as comorbidity. Comorbidity rate in the whole sample was 36.1%.Results  The rate of individuals who remitted from alcohol dependence without formal help was 36.9% in the non‐comorbid and 42.6% in the comorbid group. Utilization of formal help was unrelated to comorbidity. Dually diagnosed subjects without a history of help‐seeking showed minor differences concerning reasons for not seeking help. Seeking help was not related to schooling, severity of dependence and gender.Conclusion  Data reveal that remission without formal help is equally prevalent among non‐comorbid as among comorbid alcohol‐dependent individuals. Axis I comorbidity is not related directly to utilization of alcohol‐related help. Negative prognoses for untreated comorbid alcohol‐dependent individuals are not justified from an epidemiological point of view.
Postprandial changes in LDL phenotypes in patients with myocardial infarction
Authors: Koba S. , Tsunoda F. , Hirano T. , Iso Y. , Suzuki H. , Geshi E. , Katagiri T. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractBackground  Low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size is strongly affected by both fasting and postprandial triglyceride levels. We report here that the LDL phenotype shifts toward the smaller phenotype during oral fat tolerance tests (OFTTs) in some patients with myocardial infarction (MI); a condition closely associated with postprandial increases of triglyceride and remnant‐like particles (RLPs).Methods  Oral fat tolerance tests were performed on 63 MI patients with fasting serum triglyceride levels of less than 2·25 mmol L−1 (= 200 mg dL−1). Remnant‐like particles and other serum lipids were compared among patients characterized by three LDL phenotypes based on nondenaturing gradient gel electrophoresis: pattern A (large LDLs, peak LDL particle size ≥ 260 Å), pattern I (intermediate‐sized LDLs, LDL size > 255 Å, < 260 Å), and pattern B (small, dense LDLs, LDL size ≤ 255 Å).Results  The LDL size decreased significantly in patients with the highest tertile of areas under the incremental curves (AUICs) of triglycerides above the fasting levels. The LDL phenotype shifted toward the smaller phenotype after a fat load in three of eight patients with pattern A and in seven of 35 patients with pattern I. The AUICs of triglyceride‐rich lipoproteins were significantly higher in these patients than in the patients exhibiting little change in LDL size, whereas the fasting metabolic parameters were similar among the patients of the same LDL phenotype in the fasting state.Conclusion  These results suggest that alimentary lipaemia plays an important role in the remodeling of LDL particles into the more atherogenic small, dense LDLs in patients with MI.
Female Preference Intensities on Different Call Characteristics and Symmetry of Preference Above and Below the Mean in the Iberian Midwife Toad Alytes cisternasii
Authors: Bosch Jaime , Márquez Rafael 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThe intensity of female preference for call characteristics is measured in two‐speaker playback tests with female Iberian midwife toads ‘Alytes cisternasii’ using an experimental design that allows quantitative comparisons across characters. Female preferences do not appear to be symmetrical above and below the population mean, female preference being more efficient at discriminating against low quality competing males that at selecting optimum males among good ones. Female preference is significantly more effective selecting males calling at higher call rates (a highly variable call characteristic probably related to the physical state of the male) rather than selecting calls of low dominant frequency (a characteristic of low intra‐individual variation, related to male size and age).
Tonkean Macaques Orient Their Food Search From Olfactory Cues Conveyed by Conspecifics
Authors: Chauvin C. , Thierry B. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractWe investigated the ability of monkeys to use referential information about environmental resources from cues passively transmitted by conspecifics. The subjects and their companions were four young males belonging to a group of semifree‐ranging Tonkean macaques (Macaca tonkeana) raised in a 2‐acre wooded park. In a first experiment, a subject had to orient its search strategy from the information obtained from a conspecific. It first had to smell the mouth of a companion having just eaten a food item, and then search for same quality food in the field. The results showed that subjects adjusted their foraging speed according to the value of the reward to be found. They were able to recognize the food resource on the basis of the item previously eaten by their companion. In a second experiment, we asked whether the subjects could anticipate a given food quantity from smelling a companion associated with that given food quantity. When testing whether subjects oriented their search strategy on the basis of companion's identity, they did not appear to use it as a referential cue to food quantity. They nonetheless adapted their foraging speed according to food value. Both experiments indicated that macaques are liable to assess and select food from information extracted from conspecifics, and hence avoid some costs associated with individual food searching.
Intestinal pseudo‐obstruction complicating multiple sclerosis
Authors: Lane S. W. , Pender M. P. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThree patients with intestinal pseudo‐obstruction secondary to multiple sclerosis are reported. This is a serious complication with significant morbidity and mortality, which is infrequently recognized in clinical practice and rarely reported in the medical literature. (Intern Med J 2005; 35: 191–192)
Selecting the future doctors: the role of graduate medical programmes
Authors: Elliott S. L. , Epstein J. 
Published: February 2005

Abstract Graduate‐entry medical programmes have been introduced in many Australian states. This has coincided with the introduction of learner‐centred, problem‐orientated medical courses and has resulted in a need to develop new selection pathways. Medical schools have complemented their primary selection tool of academic performance with tests of personal attributes considered important in future doctors. Schools with graduate‐entry programmes now employ a combination of the results of the applicant's undergraduate degree, a semistructured interview and a psychometric test (the Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test) to select students. Rationale for the change to graduate entry and the outcomes of this change will be discussed. (Intern Med J 2005; 35: 174–177)
Modulation of glycine receptor subunits and gephyrin expression in the rat facial nucleus after axotomy
Authors: Eleore Lyndell , Vassias Isabelle , Vidal Pierre‐Paul , Triller Antoine , De Waele Catherine 
Published: February 2005

AbstractIn the last decade, numerous studies have investigated molecular changes in excitatory glutamatergic receptors in axotomized motoneurons, but few data are available concerning the modulation of inhibitory amino acid receptors. We report here the effect of axotomy on the expression of glycine receptors, gephyrin, vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter (VIAAT) and synapsin I in rat facial motor neurons as demonstrated by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. The facial nerve trunk was sectioned unilaterally and rats were killed 1, 3, 8, 30 or 60 days after surgery. We investigated the mechanisms underlying the changes in production of these proteins following axotomy by perfusing the facial nerve with colchicine or tetrodotoxin, and injecting cardiotoxin or botulinum toxin independently and unilaterally into the whisker pads of normal rats. Animals were killed 8 days later and processed for immunohistochemistry. The abundance of GlyR subunits and gephyrin fell sharply in the axotomized facial nucleus. This decrease began 1 day after axotomy and was lowest at 8 days, with protein levels returning to normal by day 60. Abnormal synapsin immunolabelling was also observed between days 8 and 60 after axotomy but we detected no change in VIAAT immunoreactivity. The effect of colchicine was similar to, but weaker than, that of axotomy. In contrast, tetrodotoxin, cardiotoxin and botulinum toxin had no significant effect. Thus, axotomy‐induced changes probably resulted from a loss of trophic factor transported from the periphery or a positive injury signal, or both. They did not seem to depend on the disruption of activity.
Increased spinal cord phosphorylation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinases mediates micturition overactivity in rats with chronic bladder inflammation
Authors: Cruz Célia D. , Avelino António , McMahon Stephen B. , Cruz Francisco 
Published: February 2005

AbstractSpinal processing of somatosensory and viscerosensory information is greatly facilitated in some persistent pain states. Growing evidence suggests that the so‐called central sensitization depends in part on intracellular activation and signalling via specific MAP kinases. Here we studied the expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1 and 2 (phosphoERK), the active form of these kinases, in spinal neurons following innocuous and noxious distension of non‐inflamed and cyclophosphamide (CYP)‐inflamed rat urinary bladders. Additionally, we investigated the nature of bladder primary afferents responsible for spinal ERK activation. Finally, we used a specific inhibitor of ERK phosphorylation to study the influence of these kinases on the bladder reflex activity of normal and inflamed bladders. Results indicated that, in non‐inflamed rats, noxious but not innocuous bladder distension significantly increased spinal phosphoERK immunoreactivity from its normal very low level. However, in CYP‐inflamed rats, innocuous and noxious bladder distension significantly increased the number of spinal neurons immunoreactive to phosphoERK. ERK activation was rapid (within minutes) and transient. Desensitization of vanilloid‐sensitive afferents by intravesical resiniferatoxin, a capsaicin analogue, did not decrease phosphoERK immunoreactivity in normal or CYP‐inflamed rats. ERK inhibition by intrathecal PD 98059 had no effect on bladder reflex contractions of non‐inflamed bladders but significantly decreased its frequency in inflamed animals. Our results suggest that spinal ERK intervene in acute and chronic inflammatory pain perception and mediate bladder reflex overactivity accompanying chronic bladder inflammation. In addition, bladder noxious input conveyed in vanilloid‐resistant primary afferents is important to spinal ERK phosphorylation in both noninflamed and CYP‐inflamed animals.
Dopamine modulation of spike dynamics in bursting neurons
Authors: Szücs Attila , Abarbanel Henry D. I. , Rabinovich Michail I. , Selverston Allen I. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThe pyloric network of the lobster stomatogastric ganglion is a prime example of an oscillatory neural circuit. In our previous study on the firing patterns of pyloric neurons we observed characteristic temporal structures termed ‘interspike interval (ISI) signatures’ which were found to depend on the synaptic connectivity of the network. Dopamine, a well‐known modulator of the pyloric network, is known to affect inhibitory synapses so it might also tune the fine temporal structure of intraburst spikes, a phenomenon not previously investigated. In the recent work we study the DA modulation of ISI patterns of two identified pyloric neurons in normal conditions and after blocking their glutamatergic synaptic connections. Dopamine (10–50 µm) strongly regularizes the firing of the lateral pyloric (LP) and pyloric dilator (PD) neurons by increasing the reliability of recurrent spike patterns. The most dramatic effect is observed in the LP, where precisely replicated spike multiplets appear in a normally ‘noisy’ neuron. The DA‐induced regularization of intraburst spike patterns requires functional glutamatergic inputs to the LP neuron and this effect cannot be mimicked by simple intracellular depolarization. Inhibitory synaptic inputs arriving before the bursts are important factors in shaping the intraburst spike dynamics of both the PD and the LP neurons. Our data reveal a novel aspect of chemical neuromodulation in oscillatory neural networks. This effect sets in at concentrations lower than those affecting the overall burst pattern of the network. The sensitivity of intraburst spike dynamics to preceding synaptic inputs also suggests a novel method of temporal coding in neural bursters.
Zinc accumulation after target loss: an early event in retrograde degeneration of thalamic neurons
Authors: Land Peter W. , Aizenman Elias 
Published: February 2005

AbstractAccumulation of cytoplasmic zinc is linked with a cascade of events leading to neuronal death. In many in vivo models of zinc‐induced cell death, toxic concentrations of synaptically released zinc enter vulnerable neurons via neurotransmitter‐ or voltage‐gated ion channels. In vitro studies demonstrate, in addition, that zinc can be liberated from intracellular stores following oxidative stress and contribute to cell death processes, including apoptosis. Here we describe accumulation of intracellular zinc in an in vivo model of cell death in the absence of presynaptic zinc release. We focused on the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) because LGN neurons undergo apoptosis when separated from their target, the primary visual cortex (V1), and the LGN is mostly devoid of zinc‐containing presynaptic terminals. Infant and adult rats and adult mice received unilateral ablation of V1, either by aspiration or kainate injection. One to 14 days later, brain sections were stained with selenium autometallography or fluorescently labeled to localize zinc, or stained immunochemically for activated caspase‐3. V1 lesions led to zinc accumulation in LGN neurons in infant and adult subjects. Zinc‐containing neurons were evident 1–3 days after aspiration lesions, depending on age, but not until 14 days after kainate injection. Zinc accumulation was followed rapidly by immunostaining for activated caspase‐3. Our data indicate that like neurotrauma and excitotoxicity, target deprivation leads to accumulation of zinc in apoptotic neurons. Moreover, zinc accumulation in vivo can occur in the absence of presynaptic zinc release. Together these findings suggest that accumulation of intracellular zinc is a ubiquitous component of the cell death cascade in neurons.
Simple rules for the coexistence and competitive dominance of plants mediated by mycorrhizal fungi
Authors: Umbanhowar James , McCann Kevin 
Published: February 2005

AbstractMycorrhizal fungi have been demonstrated to be important in the makeup of plant communities. Likely, their most important role is in altering mineral nutrition of plants, which, in turn, is thought to be among the most important determinants of plant competitive ability. Using mathematical models we examine what role these fungi can play in determining the competitive outcome between two plants in competition for one mineral resource. Depending on different relationships between the benefit accrued to the plant and the fungi, the presence of mycorrhizal fungi can (i) have no impact on which plant wins in competition, (ii) change the order of competitive dominance or (iii) enable coexistence when compared with the system in the absence of mycorrhizal fungi. Furthermore, environmental conditions, such as light and nutrient levels, can determine if coexistence is possible. We describe the necessary biological trade‐offs for coexistence and experimental tests for these trade‐offs.
Ecological speciation
Authors: Rundle Howard D. , Nosil Patrik 
Published: February 2005

AbstractEcological processes are central to the formation of new species when barriers to gene flow (reproductive isolation) evolve between populations as a result of ecologically‐based divergent selection. Although laboratory and field studies provide evidence that ‘ecological speciation’ can occur, our understanding of the details of the process is incomplete. Here we review ecological speciation by considering its constituent components: an ecological source of divergent selection, a form of reproductive isolation, and a genetic mechanism linking the two. Sources of divergent selection include differences in environment or niche, certain forms of sexual selection, and the ecological interaction of populations. We explore the evidence for the contribution of each to ecological speciation. Forms of reproductive isolation are diverse and we discuss the likelihood that each may be involved in ecological speciation. Divergent selection on genes affecting ecological traits can be transmitted directly (via pleiotropy) or indirectly (via linkage disequilibrium) to genes causing reproductive isolation and we explore the consequences of both. Along with these components, we also discuss the geography and the genetic basis of ecological speciation. Throughout, we provide examples from nature, critically evaluate their quality, and highlight areas where more work is required.
Resources and global avian assemblage structure in forests
Authors: Pautasso Marco , Gaston Kevin J. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractExplaining spatial variation in a number of bird species, particularly from temperate to tropical regions, has been a longstanding challenge. We test at a global scale whether species‐rich forest assemblages are associated with division of a larger resource pool, a finer division of that pool, or some combination of the two. Species richness increases with increasing assemblage abundance, biomass and energy use. As assemblage abundance, biomass and energy use increase with increasing energy availability, and as per species numbers of individuals, biomass and energy use do not decrease with increasing energy availability, we provide direct evidence that the avian species–energy relationship in forests is associated foremost with an increase in the size of the resource pool and not with a finer level of its subdivision.
Children, play, and computers in pre‐school education
Authors: Plowman Lydia , Stephen Christine 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThe paper reports a study designed to inform the development of an information and communication technology strategy for the pre‐school years of education. The main methods of collecting evidence were observations at seven pre‐school settings and interviews with at least two practitioners and a number of children at each site. Practitioners generally referred to children “playing with the computer”. We describe some of the problems to be found in the emphasis on free play in nurseries and play groups when this means children are using computers as complete novices. There were few examples of peer support; adults rarely intervened or offered guidance and the most common form of intervention was reactive supervision. Interaction with a computer was therefore a limited experience for most children, but we provide examples of guided interaction that suggest a way forward for professional development.
Biological energy requirements as quantitative boundary conditions for life in the subsurface
Authors: HOEHLER T. M. 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACTAll life requires energy, which must be extracted from the environment. For all known life, free energy must be available at finite minimum levels in order to be usefully harnessed and must be delivered at finite minimum rates in order to support basic biochemical integrity and function. While seldom tested in the high energy light‐ and oxygen‐based metabolisms of the surface biosphere, the magnitude of these requirements – the biological energy quantum (BEQ) and maintenance energy (ME) requirements, respectively – is considerable with respect to the potential metabolisms and energy sources that characterize the deep subsurface realm. As such, they constitute a fundamental constraint on the possible nature, distribution, and activity of microbial life in that environment. Because the energy released in a chemical transformation can be equated to the concentrations of substrates and products, both the BEQ and ME requirements define the minimum substrate concentration and minimum substrate production rate that must be sustained by a given environment for it to be capable of supporting life. The magnitudes of the BEQ and ME requirements are sensitive to a range of environmental parameters that may vary significantly in the subsurface. Temperature exerts a particularly strong control and is among the most important parameters to be considered in evaluating the energetic habitability of subsurface environments.
Outcome of Older Patients with Severe Pneumonia Predicted by Recursive Partitioning
Authors: El‐Solh Ali A. , Sikka Pawan , Ramadan Fadi 
Published: February 2005

OBJECTIVES: To develop a prognostic model to predict outcome of older patients with severe pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation.DESIGN: A nonconcurrent prospective study.SETTING: A 24‐bed intensive care unit (ICU) within two university‐affiliated tertiary care hospitals.PARTICIPANTS: All patients age 75 and older with severe pneumonia between June 1996 and September 1999 were included. Demographic data including activities of daily living (ADL) index score before admission, and clinical and laboratory data were collected in the first 24 hours of admission to the ICU. One hundred four patients (mean age ± standard deviation (SD) 82.3 ± 5.5 years) met the inclusion criteria.MEASUREMENTS: A classification tree was developed using binary recursive partitioning to predict hospital discharge. The model was compared with a logistic regression model using variables selected by the tree analysis and with the Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II.RESULTS: Outcome predictors for the classification tree were use of vasopressors, presence of multilobar pneumonia on chest radiograph, ratio of blood urea nitrogen to creatinine, Glasgow Coma Scale, urine output, and ADL score before admission. The tree achieved a sensitivity of 83.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 69.2–92.4) and a specificity of 93.3% (95% CI 83–98.1). The predictive accuracy as assessed by the area under the curve (c‐index ± standard error) was significantly higher with the classification tree (0.932 ± 0.03) than with logistic regression and APACHE II, (0.801 ± 0.028 and 0.711 ± 0.049, respectively (P < .05).CONCLUSIONS: The classification tree model demonstrated a superior predictive accuracy to that of logistic regression and APACHE II. If validated prospectively, the classification tree can be used as a tool to assess the outcome of older patients with severe pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation on admission to the ICU. In addition, the classification tree can be used to assist healthcare workers in providing a concise summary of local outcome experience and prognostic information to patients and their surrogates.