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Increasing Tendency (increasing + tendency)
Selected AbstractsChanges in patterns of excessive alcohol consumption in 25 years of high security hospital admissions from England and WalesCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2003Celia McMahon Background It is now generally acknowledged that alcohol abuse increases the risk of violence among people with major mental disorder. Studies in the 1980s and earlier, however, tended to report an inverse relationship between their alcohol use and violence. Aims A study was undertaken to test a hypothesis that among people with major mental disorder considered to pose a serious risk to others the likelihood of excessive alcohol consumption in a period leading up to a violent or dangerous act has increased over time. Methods Analysis was made of annual high security hospital admission cohort case register data of 1 January 1975 to 31 December 1999; alcohol use data were taken from interview and records, and problem drinking defined as consumption of alcohol in excess of 21 units per week during the 12 months prior to the index offence or act. Results There was a linear increase in the proportion of patients in five-year admission cohorts who had engaged in excessive alcohol consumption during the year prior to their index offence or act. The increase was steeper among women than men, but cut across all diagnosis and offending groups. It was strongly associated with increasing tendency to abuse illicit drugs. Conclusions The greater proportion of patients affected by excessive alcohol consumption occurred in spite of a reduction over the same period in admission of people in the diagnostic groups most likely to be implicated in substance misuse (personality disorder). This increased trend may simply reflect similar trends in the general population, but may also be associated with a lack of services or current consensus on appropriate treatment for patients whose mental illness is complicated by excessive alcohol use. Regardless, the trend suggests a growing need for ,dual diagnosis' services within and outside high security hospital. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Genetic polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferases T1, M1 and P1 and susceptibility to reflux esophagitisDISEASES OF THE ESOPHAGUS, Issue 6 2006B. Liu SUMMARY., Recent studies indicate that the prevalence of reflux esophagitis (RE) in China is increasing. RE is one of the most common esophageal complications associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and RE-Barrett's esophagus-esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) sequence has been considered as an histogenesis model for EAC in Western countries. RE is only present in a subset of patients with GERD, suggesting an altered susceptibility to RE may exist in these GERD individuals. However, the genetic changes related with high susceptibility to RE is largely unknown. The polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) T1, M1 and P1 have been reported with high susceptibity to esophageal cancer in Chinese people. The present case-control study was thus undertaken to characterize the genetic polymorphisms of GSTs and their correlation with susceptibility to RE. One hundred and nine patients with RE, 97 patients with nonerosive reflux disease (NERD) and 97 normal controls were recruited in this study. All the subjects were from Beijing, China, and received endoscopic examination and questionnaires for RE. Genomic DNA was extracted from the lymphocytes of peripheral blood for each subject. Genotypes of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes were analyzed by a multiplex PCR method. A,G polymorphism of codon 104 of the GSTP1 gene was detected using PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP). The variant GSTP1 genotypes (*A/*B,*B/*B) was found with a high frequency in the case with RE (40%), and followed by NERD (25%) and normal control (22%). The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The risk for RE increased 2.42-fold [odds ratio (OR); 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 2.42 (1.22,4.80)] in the subjects with variant GSTP1 genotype. The subjects with positive variant GSTP1 genotypes and negative H. pylori infection showed increasing tendency for risk of RE [OR (95% CI), 2.67 (1.06,6.70)]. However, the subjects with GSTT1 and GSTM1 polymorphisms did not show any correlation with high risk for RE or NERD. No significant interactions were identified between the variant GSTs and cigarette smoking, or alcohol drinking and subtype of RE. The present result suggests that GSTP1 genetic polymorphism may be one of the high susceptibility factors involved in the mechanisms of RE. H. pylori infection may play a protective role against RE. [source] Host plants and butterfly biology.ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Do host-plant strategies drive butterfly status? Abstract., 1.,To determine whether rarity and decline is linked to organism ecology, associations have been examined between butterfly larval host-plant competitive, stress-tolerant, ruderal (C-S-R) strategies and butterfly biology. 2.,Associations have been sought between mean C-S-R scores for larval host plants with butterfly life history, morphology and physiology variables, resource use, population attributes, geography, and conservation status. Comparisons are carried out across species and controlled for phylogenetic patterning. 3.,Butterfly biology is linked to host-plant strategies. An increasing tendency of a butterfly's host plants to a particular strategy biases that butterfly species to functionally linked life-history attributes and resource breadth and type. In turn, population attributes and geography are significantly and substantially affected by host choice and the strategies of these host plants. 4.,The greatest contrast is between butterfly species whose host plants are labelled C and R strategists and those whose host plants are labelled S strategists. Increasingly high host-plant C and R strategy scores bias butterflies to rapid development, short early stages, multivoltinism, long flight periods, early seasonal emergence, higher mobility, polyphagy, wide resource availability and biotope occupancy, open, areally expansive, patchy population structures, denser distributions, wider geographical ranges, resistance to range retractions as well as to increasing rarity in the face of environmental changes. Increasing host-plant S strategy scores have reversed tendencies, biasing those butterfly species to extended development times, fewer broods, short flight periods, smaller wing expanse and lower mobility, monophagy, restricted resource exploitation and biotope occupancy, closed, areally limited populations with typical metapopulation structures, sparse distributions, and limited geographical ranges, range retractions, and increased rarity. 5.,Species with S strategy host plants are species vulnerable to current environmental changes and species of conservation concern. [source] Upregulation of glycolytic enzymes in proteins secreted from human colon cancer cells with 5-fluorouracil resistanceELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 12 2009Young-Kyoung Shin Abstract 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agent for colorectal cancer (CRC). However, resistance to this drug is a major obstacle in CRC chemotherapy. Accurate prediction of response to 5-FU would avoid unnecessary chemotherapy and allow the selection of other effective drugs. To identify a candidate predictor of 5-FU resistance, we isolated secreted proteins that were up- or downregulated in a 5-FU-resistant cancer cell line, compared with the parent cell line (SNU-C4), using a stable isotope-coded labeling protocol. For validating the clinical applicability of this method, levels of the identified proteins were determined in the sera of 46 patients treated with 5-FU. In total, 238 proteins with molecular weights ranging from 50 to 75,kDa were identified. Among these, 45 and 35 secreted proteins were up- and downregulated in the 5-FU-resistant cell line, respectively. We observed significant upregulation of glycolytic enzymes, including glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase M2 (PK-M2), transketolase, and NADP(+)-dependent malic enzyme 1. In particular, the level of PK-M2, a key enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, showed an increasing tendency in both sera and tissues from CRC patients displaying no response to 5-FU-based chemotherapy (progressive and stable disease cases), compared with that in complete or partial responders to 5-FU-based chemotherapy; however, it did not reach the statistical significance. In conclusion, increasing pattern of PK-M2 observed with 5-FU resistance induced in vitro and in sera and tissues from CRC patients displaying poor response to 5-FU-based chemotherapy suggest the relevance of dysregulated glycolysis and 5-FU-resistant CRC. [source] Features of cross-Pacific climate shown in the variability of China and US precipitationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 13 2005Q. Li Abstract In this study, we have analyzed the climate features of China and the United States with a focus on the differences, similarities, connectivity, and predictability of precipitation and the relationships between precipitation and large-scale patterns of natural variability. China precipitation is characterized by large seasonality, with a maximum in summer and a minimum in winter. The seasonality of precipitation shows an increasing linear tendency in northwest China, with a change of about 20% from 1901 to 1998. A relatively weaker increasing tendency also appears in the Big Bend of Yellow River (BBYR) and the Tibetan Plateau, while southwest China experiences a decreasing tendency. Furthermore, the seasonality in the BBYR shows particularly significant interdecadal variability, while that of southern and eastern China has decreased slightly in the recent decades. Compared to China, the United States as a whole has less precipitation in summer but more precipitation in other seasons. Here, the seasonality of precipitation is only about 24% of that in China. The annual mean precipitation is 64.1 mm per month in the United States, compared to 54.6 mm per month in China. The seasonality of precipitation exhibits a decreasing tendency in the southeast, Pacific Northwest, and Gulf Coast and an increasing tendency in the Great Lakes. The seasonality in the Great Plains exhibits large interdecadal variability. The long-term variations of precipitation are highly seasonally dependent. In summer, a decreasing trend is observed in north China and an increasing trend is found in eastern-central China. However, these trends are almost opposite in spring. In addition, the fall precipitation decreases with time nearly everywhere in China except for the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley. Results also indicate that the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Arctic Oscillation (AO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and the North Pacific (NP) fluctuation affect strongly the variations of China and US precipitation. Although these influences vary with regions and seasons, we in particular emphasize the importance of AO and NAO for China precipitation and NP and PDO for US precipitation. In fall, ENSO and PDO are the two phenomena that influence predominantly precipitation variability in both China and the United States We also identify the common phenomena that influence China and US regional precipitation and provide a better understanding of the physical mechanism for precipitation variability through the associated changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Furthermore, we develop a linear regression model, based on multiple regression method by combining the regionally and seasonally varying impacts, to increase the skill of precipitation prediction. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Nursing research in Spain: bibliometrics of references of research papers in the decade 1985,1994JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 6 2001Carmen Pardo Nursing research in Spain: bibliometrics of references of research papers in the decade 1985,1994 Background.,Spain is one of the few European countries to have recently totally incorporated the study of nursing into the university sector. Bibliometric studies may be of a great help for the consolidation of nursing research. Aim of the study.,The aim of this paper is to describe bibliographic references in Spanish nursing research papers and their evolution over a decade. Method.,The method consists of a retrospective bibliometric study of a sample (cluster sampling) of 622 research papers (original papers and review papers), which were contained in the Spanish nursing journals Enfermería Científica, Revista ROL de Enfermería, Enfermería Clínica and Enfermería Integral, and published from 1985 to 1994. The journal Nursing Research was selected for qualitative comparative purposes. A series of classic bibliometric indexes were used. Results.,The mean of references per paper is 10·64 ± 10·42; this increased over time (P < 0·001). Review papers have more references (P < 0·001). Price index (percentage of references published during the last 5 years) is 44% and the Insularity (percentage of references published in same country as the article) is 55%. References to journals predominate (58·6%), with a growing tendency for references to Spanish nursing journals, although they are still scarce (18·1% of the references to journals). Spanish is the language of most of the references (60·3%), the second language being English (36·1%). Conclusions.,Bibliographic references in Spanish nursing research papers are scarce and not very specific: this happens both in regard to Nursing Research and to publications in other national and international science areas. However, there is an increasing tendency of references (including references to nursing journals) in the period analysed. The age of the references places Spanish nursing in an intermediate position between the ,hard' sciences and the humanities; and, according to the type of documentation used, we find it halfway between experimental and natural sciences, and technologies and social sciences. There has been a slight increase in references in English in recent years. [source] Nano-AlN functionalization by silane modification for the preparation of covalent-integrated epoxy/poly(ether imide) nanocompositesJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 5 2010Jingkuan Duan Abstract Aluminum nitride nanoparticle (nano-AlN) organically modified with the silane-containing epoxide groups (3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane, GPTMS) was incorporated into a mixture of poly(ether imide) (PEI), and methyl hexahydrophthalic anhydride-cured bisphenol A diglycidyl ether grafted by GPTMS was prepared for nanocomposite. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to investigate the microscopic structures of nanocomposites. According to experimental results, it was shown that addition of nano-AlN and PEI into the modified epoxy could lead to the improvement of the impact and bend strengths. When the concentrations of nano-AlN and PEI were 20 and 10 pbw, respectively, the toughness/stiffness balance could be achieved. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results displayed that two glass transition temperatures (Tg) found in the nanocomposites were assigned to the modified epoxy phase and PEI phase, respectively. As nano-AlN concentration increased, Tg value of epoxy phase had gradually increased, and the storage modulus of the nanocomposite at the ambient temperature displayed an increasing tendency. Additionally, thermal stability of the nanocomposite was apparently improved. The macroscopic properties of nanocomposites were found to be strongly dependent on their components, concentrations, dispersion, and resulted morphological structures. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010 [source] Ozonation of complex industrial park wastewater: effects on the change of wastewater characteristicsJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2009Jen-Mao Fanchiang Abstract BACKGROUND: Ozonation of complex industrial park wastewater was carried out in a semi-batch reactor. The variation of wastewater characteristics was evaluated based on the analysis of 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) concentration, BOD5/chemical oxygen demand (COD) ratio, COD fractionation, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) molecular size distribution before and after ozonation. RESULTS: The experimental results indicated that low efficiency of COD removal with increasing tendency of BOD5 concentration generally appeared after ozonation. Also, the BOD5/COD ratio increased from an initial of 0.27 to a maximum of 0.38. The COD fractionation tests revealed that most of the inert soluble COD was transformed to biodegradable soluble COD at 30 min of reaction time. Additionally, the DOC molecular size distribution tests showed that the fraction larger than 500 kDa was significantly decreased and the fraction smaller than 2 kDa was increased when the reaction time was prolonged to 240 min. CONCLUSION: This study verified that partial oxidation of the complex industrial park wastewater by ozonation could enhance wastewater biodegradability. The biodegradability enhancement was primarily because the inert soluble COD fraction was converted to the biodegradable soluble COD and the high molecular weight fraction of DOC was shifted toward the low molecular weight fraction. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Sustainability of cosmetic products in BrazilJOURNAL OF COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Neila De Paula Pereira PhD Summary Background, The most recent research in the area of cosmetics to sustainability has focused on obtaining formulations rich in nontraditional oils and butters from seeds and fruits native to Brazilian tropical flora. These have contributed to aggregate value for the raw materials and involvement of small farms forming rural production in Brazil, since the plants are cultivated in preservation areas sponsored by companies who are partners in the Government Program for Brazilian Sustainability. Given that the oils extracted from seeds have the potential to replace these cutaneous constituents, it has been verified that new products of strong commercial impact show an increasing tendency to incorporate in their formulas the oils of plants grown in Brazilian soil. [source] Ageing to arrhythmias: conundrums of connections in the ageing heartJOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 12 2006Sandra A. Jones The proportion of the population that is elderly continues to increase, leading to an increasing need to address problems chiefly associated with old age. Progressive ageing of the heart is associated with an increasing incidence of arrhythmias and disorders of the normal origin of the heartbeat, the sinoatrial node. This intrinsic pacemaker of the heart has an increasing tendency with age to lose its dominant role in pacing the heart, and regulation of heart rate becomes erratic. This ,sick sinus syndrome' is associated with fainting, palpitations, shortness of breath and sudden death. Current treatment of this condition is by implantation of an artificial pacemaker, an intervention increasingly required with age. The current evidence suggests that the normal heartbeat fails due to changes in the expression of critical proteins that ensure the correct production and conduction of the cardiac action potential. Depletion of a protein directly responsible for providing electrical connections between the cells of the heart, connexin 43, appears to leave the normal cardiac pacemaker disconnected and unable to drive the heart. This process may be associated with age-dependent changes in stress-related signalling. Simple interventions such as exercise could impact on the processes hypothesized to be involved and may offer a means to preserve the stability of the electrical activity of the heart into old age without pharmacological manipulation. [source] Why Generalisability is not GeneralisableJOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION, Issue 4 2006LYNN FENDLER In the United States there is an increasing tendency to view the only educational research worthy of federal funding as that which is designed as an experiment using randomised controls. One of the foundational assumptions underlying this research design is that the results of such research are meant to be generalisable beyond any particular research study. The purpose of this paper is to historicise the assumption of generalisability by explaining the ways in which it is a particularly modern research project. By historicising generalisability, I show the ways in which the current research standards are products of culturally specific historical circumstances. In other words, generalisability is a local phenomenon and not generalisable to other times and places. [source] Changes of serum melatonin level and its relationship to feto-placental unit during pregnancyJOURNAL OF PINEAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2001Yasuhiko Nakamura Serum melatonin concentrations were studied in normal pregnant women and in women with several types of pathologic pregnancies, e.g., twins, preeclampsia or intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Blood samples were collected from the maternal antecubital vein at 14:00 hr (daytime) and 02:00 hr (nighttime) during pregnancy, and also from the umbilical vein and artery immediately after delivery. Serum melatonin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. Daytime serum melatonin levels in normal (single fetus; singleton) pregnancies were low. While the levels showed an increasing tendency toward the end of pregnancy, no statistically significant changes occurred. On the other hand, the nighttime serum melatonin levels increased after 24 weeks of gestation, with significantly (P<0.01) high levels after 32 weeks; these values decreased to non-pregnant levels on the 2nd day of puerperium. Nighttime serum melatonin levels were significantly (P<0.05) higher in twin pregnancies after 28 weeks of gestation than in singleton pregnancies, whereas the patients with severe preeclampsia showed significantly (P<0.05) lower serum melatonin levels than the mild preeclampsia or the normal pregnant women after 32 weeks of gestation. Melatonin concentrations in umbilical vessels showed a higher tendency in neonates who were born during at night compared with the other neonates; moreover, those in the umbilical artery were generally higher than those in the umbilical vein. The present results indicate that in humans, the maternal serum melatonin levels show a diurnal rhythm, which increases until the end of pregnancy, reflecting some pathologic states of the feto-placental unit. Fetuses may produce melatonin with a circadian rhythm. [source] Embedding 3D models of biological specimens in PDF publicationsMICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE, Issue 11 2008Bernhard Ruthensteiner Abstract By providing two examples, the option for embedding 3D models in electronic versions of life science publications is presented. These examples, presumably representing the first such models published, are developmental stages of an evertebrate (Patella caerulea, Mollusca) and a vertebrate species (Psetta maxima, Teleostei) obtained from histological section series reconstruction processed with the software package Amira. These surface rendering models are particularly suitable for a PDF file because they can easily be transformed to a file format required and components may be conveniently combined and hierarchically arranged. All methodological steps starting from specimen preparation until embedding of resulting models in PDF files with emphasis on conversion of Amira data to the appropriate 3D file format are explained. Usability of 3D models in PDF documents is exemplified and advantages over 2D illustrations are discussed, including better explanation capabilities for spatial arrangements, higher information contents, and limiting options for disguising results by authors. Possibilities for additional applications reaching far beyond the examples presented are suggested. Problems such as long-term compatibility of file format and hardware plus software, editing and embedding of files, file size and differences in information contents between printed and electronic version will likely be overcome by technical development and increasing tendency toward electronic at the cost of printed publications. Since 3D visualization plays an increasing role in manifold disciplines of science and appropriate tools for the popular PDF format are readily available, we propose routine application of this way of illustration in electronic life science papers. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Dermatophytoses in outpatients attending the Dermatology Center of Avicenna Hospital in Qazvin, IranMYCOSES, Issue 2 2008Mohammad Reza Aghamirian Summary Dermatophytosis is still being considered as one of the major public health problems in many parts of the world. To identify the prevalence and etiological agents of dermatophytoses, a study was carried out between 2004 and 2006. Out of 1023 subjects suspected to have cutaneous mycoses, 348 (34%) patients were affected with dermatophytoses. The causative agents were identified macroscopically and microscopically after the clinical samples were subjected to potassium hydroxide examination and culture isolation. Epidermophyton floccosum was the most frequently isolated species representing 32.8% of isolates, followed by T. rubrum (18.1%), T. verrucosum (17.2%), T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale (15.8%), T. mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes (6.6%) and T. violaceum, T. schoenleinii and Microsporum canis (0.9%). The most common type of infection was tinea cruris (31.9%) affecting in particular male patients. Some other most prevalent tinea types were tinea corporis (20.7%), tinea pedis (19%), and tinea unguium (11.2%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on dermatophytoses in Qazvin and the first study that shows tinea cruris as a major type of superficial fungal infection in Iran. The frequency of tinea was higher in males and tinea cruris showed a remarkably increasing tendency and was an important public health issue in Qazvin. [source] Immunotherapy in children and adolescents with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis: a systematic reviewPEDIATRIC ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Esther Röder Allergen-specific immunotherapy is one of the cornerstones of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis treatment. Since the development of non-invasive administration forms with better safety profiles, there is an increasing tendency to prescribe immunotherapy in youngsters. However, no overview is available on the efficacy of immunotherapy in all its different administration forms in youngsters. Therefore, we systematically reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effect of immunotherapy with inhalant allergens on symptoms and medication use in children and adolescents with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trials Register and reference lists of recent reviews and published trials were searched. RCTs including youngsters aged 0,18 yr with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and comparing immunotherapy with placebo, symptomatic treatment or a different administration form of immunotherapy were included. Primary outcome measures were rhinoconjunctivitis symptom and/or medication scores. Methodological quality was assessed using the validated Delphi list. A method of best evidence synthesis, a rating system with levels of evidence based on the overall quality and the outcome of the trials, was used to assess efficacy. Six subcutaneous (SCIT), four nasal (LNIT), seven oral (OIT) and 11 sublingual (SLIT) immunotherapy trials, comprising 1619 youngsters, were included. Only 39% of the trials were of high methodological quality. For the SCIT and OIT subgroups the level of evidence for efficacy was conflicting. Moderate evidence of effect was found for LNIT. Analysis of the SLIT subgroup showed no evidence of effect. The evidence for the perennial and seasonal allergen trials within the subgroups varied from moderate evidence of effect to no evidence of effect. In conclusion, there is at present insufficient evidence that immunotherapy in any administration form has a positive effect on symptoms and/or medication use in children and adolescents with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. [source] REE, Mn, Fe, Mg and C, O Isotopic Geochemistry of Calcites from Furong Tin Deposit, South China: Evidence for the Genesis of the Hydrothermal Ore-forming FluidsRESOURCE GEOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Yan Shuang Abstract The Furong tin deposit in the central Nanling region, South China, consists of three main types of mineralization ores, i.e. skarn-, altered granite- and greisen-type ores, hosted in Carboniferous and Permian strata and Mesozoic granitic intrusions. Calcite is the dominant gangue mineral intergrown with ore bodies in the orefield. We have carried out REE, Mn, Fe, and Mg geochemical and C, and O isotopic studies on calcites to constrain the source and evolution of the ore-forming fluids. The calcites from the Furong deposit exhibit middle negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*= 0.311,0.921), except for one which has an Eu/Eu* of 1.10, with the total REE content of 5.49,133 ppm. The results show that the calcites are characterized by two types of REE distribution patterns: a LREE-enriched pattern and a flat REE pattern. The LREE-enriched pattern of calcites accompanying greisen-type ore and skarn-type ore are similar to those of Qitianling granite. The REE, Mn, Fe, and Mg abundances of calcites exhibit a decreasing tendency from granite rock mass to wall rock, i.e. these abundances of calcites associated with altered granite-type and greisen-type ores are higher than those associated with skarn-type ores. The calcites from primary ores in the Furong deposit show large variation in carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions. The ,13C and ,18O of calcites are ,0.4 to ,12.7, and 2.8 to 16.4,, respectively, and mainly fall within the range between mantle or magmatic carbon and marine carbonate. The calcites from greisen and altered granite ores in the Furong deposit display a negative correlation in the diagram of ,13C versus ,18O, probably owing to the CO2 -degassing of the ore-forming fluids. From the intrusion to wall-rock, the calcites display an increasing tendency with respect to ,13C values. This implies that the carbon isotopic compositions of the ore-bearing fluids have progressively changed from domination by magmatic carbon to sedimentary carbonate carbon. In combination with other geological and geochemical data, we suggest that the ore-forming fluids represent magmatic origin. We believe that the fluids exsolved from fractionation of the granitic magma, accompanying magmatism of the Qitianling granite complex, were involved in the mineralization of the Furong tin polymetallic deposit. [source] Age- and sex-related differences in antibody responses against Schistosoma mansoni soluble egg antigen in a cohort of school children in Ethiopia,APMIS, Issue 12 2001F. ABEBE Acquired immunity is believed to be the main factor in the age-related differences in prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma infections. We studied antibody responses against S. mansoni soluble egg antigen (SEA) by ELISA in children before treatment, 5 weeks and one year after treatment. After screening for S. mansoni infection, positive children were treated with praziquantel (40 mg per kg body weight). Infection rate was significantly higher in boys younger than 12 years than in girls in the same age group. Levels of all antibody isotypes, except IgG1 (before treatment) or IgA (one year after treatment), were higher in children older or equal to 12 years than in those younger. The difference between age groups was significant for IgE, IgM, IgG3 and IgG4 (before treatment) and IgE (one year after treatment). Similarly, all antibody isotypes, except IgE, before treatment were higher in boys than in girls. At 5 weeks after treatment, IgG, IgE and IgG1 showed an increasing tendency, whereas IgM and IgG3 tended to decrease. One year after treatment, significant decreases were observed in IgG, IgG1 and IgG4 and a significant increase in IgG2 levels. The study presents further evidence for the difference in acquired immunity between younger and older children, and between boys and girls. The study also suggests that praziquantel differentially affects antibody responses against S. mansoni SEA. [source] The influence of dietary phospholipid level on the performances of juvenile amberjack, Seriola dumerili, fed non-fishmeal dietsAQUACULTURE NUTRITION, Issue 5 2009O. UYAN Abstract The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary phospholipid (PL) level on growth and feed intake of juvenile amberjack (Seriola dumerili) fed non-fishmeal (non-FM) diet containing alternative protein sources; soybean protein isolate, tuna muscle by-product powder and krill meal. Three non-FM diets were prepared to contain three levels (14, 37 and 54 g kg,1 dry diet) of PL (soybean lecithin acetone insoluble, 886 g kg,1) and growth performance was monitored in a 30-day growth trial by using 2.6 g of fish. The results indicated that final body weight, weight gain and feed intake significantly increased with increasing dietary PL level. At the highest dietary PL level (54 g kg,1 dry diet), the fish consumed 14.8% and 10.2% as much feed as those fish fed diets containing 14 g kg,1 dry diet and 37 g kg,1 dry diet PL, respectively. An increasing tendency with increasing dietary PL level on feed efficiency was observed. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that dietary PL supplementation could increase feed intake, and improve the growth of juvenile S. dumerili fed non-FM diets. Therefore, purified PL might be a good candidate to stimulate the growth of fish through enhancing the feed intake when they are fed diets containing alternative protein sources. [source] Optimum arginine requirement of juvenile black sea bream, Sparus macrocephalusAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 10 2010Fan Zhou Abstract An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the dietary arginine requirement of juvenile black sea bream Sparus macrocephalus in 18 350 L indoors flow-through circular fibreglass tanks. Six isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to contain graded levels of l -arginine (1.85%, 2.23%, 2.51%, 2.86%, 3.20% and 3.46% dry diet) from dietary ingredients and crystalline arginine. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 25 juvenile fish (10.51±0.15 g) twice daily (08:00 and 16:00 hours) to apparent satiation. Results showed that the specific growth rate (SGR) increased with increasing dietary arginine levels up to 2.51% and remained nearly the same thereafter. Feed efficiency ratio, protein efficiency ratio (PER) and protein productive value all showed an increasing tendency and then levelled off. Apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, crude protein and gross energy significantly improved up to 2.86% arginine diet and decreased at different extents thereafter. Fish fed 1.85% arginine diet had significantly lower protein content in the whole body and dorsal muscle than those fed diets supplemented with or >2.86% of arginine. Lipid content decreased and lower value occurred at 3.46% of dietary arginine. The dietary essential amino acid composition in the whole body of the black sea bream was significantly influenced by dietary arginine. Arginine retention increased with an increasing dietary arginine level from 1.85% to 3.20%, then declined slightly at 3.46% arginine diet. Serum biochemical parameters were significantly affected by the dietary arginine level except for the cholesterol content. Broken-line regression based on SGR and second-order polynomial regression based on PER indicated that the optimum dietary arginine requirements for juvenile black sea bream were 2.79% and 3.09% diet, corresponding to 7.74% and 8.13% of the dietary protein respectively. [source] Effects of lysed Enterococcus faecalis FK-23 on allergen-induced serum antibody responses and active cutaneous anaphylaxis in miceCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 11 2004T. Shimada Summary Background Our previous studies have presented evidence that lysed Enterococcus faecalis FK-23 (LFK), a lysozyme and heat-treated probiotic product, can inhibit allergen-induced local accumulation of eosinophils in mice. Objective The purpose of this experimental study was to evaluate the influence of orally administrated LFK on the host immune responses. Methods BALB/c mice were sensitized subcutaneously, and challenged intraperitoneally by cedar pollen allergen. Blood and spleen samples were collected after oral administration of LFK 60 mg/day for 21 days. The serum levels of total and allergen-specific IgE and IgG2a antibodies and the production of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-, generated by allergen-stimulated cultured splenocytes were determined. Additionally, the effect of LFK on active cutaneous anaphylaxis (ACA) induced by ovalbumin (OVA) challenge in mice was measured after 28 days LFK treatment. Results No significant differences in serum immunoglobulin levels, as well as in cytokine production of splenocytes were observed between LFK-treated and control mice (P>0.05). There was, however, an increasing tendency of allergen-specific IgG2a level in mice after LFK treatment for 21 days compared with controls (P=0.060). Furthermore, the serum ratio of specific IgE to IgG2a was found to be significantly decreased in the LFK group (P=0.005). In addition, a significant inhibition of OVA-induced ACA reaction was observed in mice that had been fed for 28 days with LFK compared with control mice (P=0.008). Conclusion These results suggest that LFK shows an anti-inflammatory effect, which may be part of the mechanism for protection against IgE-mediated allergy. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||