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Minimal Impact (minimal + impact)
Selected AbstractsReflections on 30 + years of smoking cessation research: from the individual to the worldDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 1 2006HARRY A. LANDO PhD Abstract This is a personal retrospective in which I describe my career as a smoking cessation researcher and place cessation into an overall perspective of tobacco reduction. I spent approximately the first 15 years focusing primarily upon small group approaches to cessation emphasising relatively intensive behavioural interventions. It became apparent, however, that these types of approaches in isolation, even if broadly disseminated, would have relatively minimal impact on overall tobacco use. In part because I became discouraged with the potential of group programmes to reduce overall smoking prevalence, I began to focus more on population-based studies, especially in the context of ,teachable moments' including pregnancy, hospitalisation, forced abstinence in the military and existing smoking-related disease. I became concerned especially with the fact that there has been relatively little work with hard-core medically compromised smokers. It also became apparent that promoting cessation would be most likely to be effective with a comprehensive evidence-based tobacco reduction strategy including school and community-based prevention programmes, enforcement of ordinances restricting minors' access to tobacco, restrictions on tobacco advertising and promotion, counter advertising and strong smoke-free policies. In recent years I have become very concerned about the overall global tobacco epidemic and the projections of dramatically increasing tobacco morbidity and mortality in developing countries. I am now devoting my primary career emphasis to global tobacco reduction initiatives, including cessation research in India and Indonesia, cessation as part of broader tobacco reduction strategies and networking to increase resources and emphasis devoted to global tobacco reduction. [source] The impact of salinity pulses on the emergence of plant and zooplankton from wetland seed and egg banksFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2007DARYL L. NIELSEN Summary 1. In this study we compared the emergence of aquatic biota from sediments under 14-day pulses of high (5000 mg L,1) and low (1000 mg L,1) salinity with emergence under freshwater and equivalent constant salinity levels. We tested the hypothesis that pulses of high salinity and short duration have no impact on the emergence of aquatic plants and zooplankton from wetland sediment. 2. The way salt is moved through the landscape may alter the response of biota to increases in salinity. Under natural hydrological regimes in rivers and floodplains salinity pulses occur often at concentrations that exceed predicted tolerance levels for aquatic biota. The impacts of natural pulses of high salinity followed by rapid return to fresh conditions may be used to inform management guidelines for the potential release of non-natural saline water into river systems with minimal impact. 3. For both aquatic plants and zooplankton the abundance and richness of the emerging taxa decreased at higher salinities kept at constant levels. In contrast, pulses of salinity followed by return to freshwater conditions did not have a negative impact on the emergence of aquatic plants or zooplankton. For many taxa of zooplankton a positive impact was demonstrated with higher emergence following the salinity pulse. 4. The responses of aquatic plant and zooplankton taxa are grouped into five response types. Type 1: negatively impacted by all salt regimes. Type 2: preference for constant salinities. Type 3: no difference between fresh and either pulse regime. Type 4: preference for high concentration pulses. Type 5: emergence higher under a low concentration pulse. 5. Although previous studies indicate that constant high-level salinity in rivers and wetlands can decrease the species richness of aquatic communities, this current study shows pulses may not have the same impact. Our results support the hypothesis that pulses of high salinity and short duration do not impact on the emergence of aquatic plants and zooplankton from wetland sediments. For zooplankton, pulses of salt may trigger emergence. 6. These trends may be used to explore the potential to use managed water releases to move salt through the landscape with minimal impact of salinity on aquatic biota. However, before such preliminary results are applied in management of saline water releases we need to determine the implications for interacting processes in natural ecosystems. [source] A new multimarker test for family-based association studiesGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Cyril S. Rakovski Abstract We propose a new multimarker test for family-based studies in candidate genes. We use simulations under different genetic models to assess the performance of competing testing strategies, characterized in this study as combinations of the following important factors: genes, statistical tests, tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) methods, number of tag SNPs and family designs. An ANOVA model is employed to provide descriptive summaries of the effects on power of the above-mentioned factors. We find that tag SNP methods, gene characteristics and family designs have minimal impact on the best testing strategy. The familywise error rate (FWER) controlling multiple comparison procedure and the new multimarker test offer the highest power followed by the asymptotic global haplotype test. Both the FWER and the multimarker test are invariant to family designs and gain power as we increase the number of tag SNPs. However, the performance of the global haplotype test is slightly degraded when analyzing larger numbers of tag SNPs. Within the framework of our study, the best strategy for family-based studies in candidate genes that emerged from our analysis is to use the FWER or the multimarker test and select 6,10 tag SNPs using any of the tag SNP methods considered. We confirm the conclusions of our study with an application to Alzheimer's disease data. Genet. Epidemiol. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Occupational Attachment and Met Expectations as Predictors of Retirement Adjustment of Naval Officers,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 8 2007Mary Anne Taylor Attachment to one's former occupation and met expectations regarding retirement were proposed as predictors of the adjustment of military retirees. While results suggested that occupational attachment had a minimal impact, the extent to which expectations of civilian work, financial, and family aspects of life were met emerged as significant predictors of satisfaction and adjustment after military retirement. These findings suggest that the characteristics of the post-retirement environment, and expectations regarding this environment, outweigh the importance of occupational attachment in determining post-retirement adjustment in this setting. [source] Application of Three Dental Methods of Adult Age Estimation from Intact Single Rooted Teeth to a Peruvian SampleJOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 3 2008Douglas H. Ubelaker Ph.D. Abstract:, Methods of estimating adult age at death from such dental features as root translucency, root length, and the extent of periodontosis in intact single rooted teeth have proven useful in studies of modern individuals, especially in estimating age in older adults. Questions remain however, concerning the impact of regional and population variation on accuracy. To examine this issue, three approaches to age estimation were applied to a diverse sample of 100 individuals from Peru. Mean errors of estimation for all three approaches were similar to those originally reported, suggesting minimal impact of population variation of the features measured. A new regression equation, specifically for Peruvian samples, is provided. [source] Evaluation of a primary care-oriented brief counselling intervention for obesity with and without orlistatJOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2006W. S. C. POSTON Abstract. Objective., There is a significant need for an obesity treatment model suitable for the primary care environment. We examined the effectiveness of a brief counselling intervention alone, in combination with orlistat, and drug-alone in a 12-month randomized-clinical trial at a medical school obesity centre. Methods., Participants (N = 250) with body mass index (BMI) ,27 were randomized. Changes in body weight, lipids, blood pressure and serum glucose were examined. Drug adherence and attendance were also evaluated. Results., Completers analysis was conducted on 136 participants with data at baseline, 6 and 12 months and intention-to-treat analyses (ITT) for the total sample. Amongst completers, participants in the drug only (P = 0.012) and drug + brief counselling (P = 0.001) groups lost more weight (mean ± SD: ,3.8 ± 5.8 kg and ,4.8 ± 4.4 kg, respectively) than participants in the brief counselling only group at 6 months (,1.7 ± 3.3 kg), but there were no significant group differences at 12 months. ITT model results were similar to completers at 6 months and remained significant at 12 months, but the weight losses were more modest (<3 kg) for both groups receiving orlistat. For brief counselling alone, participants gained weight (1.7 ± 4.2 kg). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) parameter changes were negligible. Conclusions., Pharmacotherapy alone or combined with brief counselling resulted in modest weight losses that had minimal impact on cardiovascular parameters, but were greater than brief counselling alone. Whilst brief interventions and primary pharmacotherapy have been suggested as viable treatments for implementation in primary care settings, our study suggests that such minimal interventions provide minimal benefits. [source] Simultaneous myocardial and fat suppression in magnetic resonance myocardial delayed enhancement imaging,JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 4 2007Thomas K.F. Foo PhD Abstract Purpose To develop a method for fat suppression in myocardial delayed enhancement (MDE) studies that achieves effective signal intensity reduction in fat but does not perturb myocardial signal suppression. Materials and Methods A new approach to fat suppression that uses a spectrally-selective inversion-recovery (SPEC-IR) tip-up radio frequency (RF) pulse following the conventional nonselective IR RF pulse together with a second SPEC-IR RF pulse is proposed. The tip-up pulse restores the fat longitudinal magnetization after the nonselective IR pulse and allows the fat magnetization to recover more fully toward its equilibrium value, providing for better fat suppression by the second SPEC-IR RF pulse. This new approach was validated in phantom studies and in five patients. Results Effective fat suppression was achieved using the proposed technique with minimal impact on normal myocardial signal suppression. Mean fat suppression achieved using this approach was 67% ± 8%, as measured in the chest wall immediately opposite the heart. Conclusion The results indicate this modular-type approach optimizes fat suppression in myocardial delayed enhancement studies but does not perturb the basic IR pulse sequence or change basic acquisition parameters. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007;26:927,933. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Influence of a Drinking Quantity and Frequency Measure on the Prevalence and Demographic Correlates of DSM-IV Alcohol DependenceALCOHOLISM, Issue 5 2009Katherine M. Keyes Background:, Recent research suggests that adding a quantity/frequency alcohol consumption measure to diagnoses of alcohol use disorders may improve construct validity of the diagnoses for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental and Behavior Disorders (DSM-V). This study explores the epidemiological impact of including weekly at-risk drinking (WAD) in the DMS-IV diagnostic definition of alcohol dependence via 3 hypothetical reformulations of the current criteria. Methods:, The sample was the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample with 43,093 adults aged >18 in the U.S interviewed with the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule IV. The current (DSM-IV) definition of alcohol dependence was compared with 4 hypothetical alcohol dependence reformulations that included WAD: (1) WAD added as an eighth criteria; (2) WAD required for a diagnosis; (3) adding abuse and dependence criteria together, and including WAD with a 3 of 12 symptom threshold; (4) adding abuse and dependence criteria together, and including WAD with a 5 of 12 symptom threshold. Results:, The inclusion of at-risk drinking as an eighth criterion of alcohol dependence has a minimal impact on the sociodemographic correlates of alcohol dependence but substantially increases the prevalence of dependence (from 3.8% to 5.0%). At-risk drinking as a required criterion or as part of a diagnosis that combines abuse with dependence criteria with a higher threshold (5+ criteria) decreases prevalence and has a larger impact on sociodemographic correlates. Blacks, Hispanics, and women are less likely to be included in diagnostic reformulations that include WAD, whereas individuals with low-income and education are more likely to remain diagnosed. Conclusions:, Including WAD as either a requirement of diagnosis or as an additional criterion would have a large impact on the prevalence of alcohol dependence in the general population. The inclusion of a quantity/frequency requirement may eliminate false positives from studies of alcohol disorder etiology and improve phenotype definition for genetic association studies by reducing heterogeneity in the diagnosis, but may also reduce eligibility for treatment services among women and racial/ethnic minorities compared. [source] Quality Improvement and Changes in Diabetic Patient Outcomes in an Academic Nurse Practitioner Primary Care PracticeJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 12 2005FAANP, Thomas A. Mackey PhD Purpose To examine a set of system interventions in the management of patients with diabetes and the outcomes of their care. Data sources Preintervention and postintervention data collected from electronic medical records. Conclusions The sample size was smaller than expected, contributing to a lack of statistical significance from preintervention to postintervention in the patient outcome measures. The systems-level variables that were under the direct control of the clinic staff (e.g., pneumococcal vaccine given) showed great improvement. In the preintervention period, the percentage of "yes" responses to the system-level variables ranged from 8 to 24 and jumped to 16 to 95 after the intervention. Implications for practice Unequivocally, this project demonstrated that systems-level changes result in improved care being provided to patients; however, these had minimal impact on the patient outcome variables. Promoting change in patient behavior is difficult, which may have contributed to the lack of significance in this area, while the variables under the direct control of the clinic staff were more easily changed. [source] A technique for rapid single-echo spin-echo T2 mappingMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2010Marshall S. Sussman Abstract A rapid technique for mapping of T2 relaxation times is presented. The method is based on the conventional single-echo spin echo approach but uses a much shorter pulse repetition time to accelerate data acquisition. The premise of the new method is the use of a constant difference between the echo time and pulse repetition time, which removes the conventional and restrictive requirement of pulse repetition time , T1. Theoretical and simulation investigations were performed to evaluate the criteria for accurate T2 measurements. Measured T2s were shown to be within 1% error as long as the key criterion of pulse repetition time/T2 ,3 is met. Strictly, a second condition of echo time/T1 , 1 is also required. However, violations of this condition were found to have minimal impact in most clinical scenarios. Validation was conducted in phantoms and in vivo T2 mapping of healthy cartilage and brain. The proposed method offers all the advantages of single-echo spin echo imaging (e.g., immunity to stimulated echo effects, robustness to static field inhomogeneity, flexibility in the number and choice of echo times) in a considerably reduced amount of time and is readily implemented on any clinical scanner. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Toxicity of plant essential oils to different life stages of the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae, and non-target invertebratesMEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2010D. R. GEORGE Seven essential oils with potential as acaricides for use against the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer) (Acari: Dermanyssidae), were selected for study. These products (essential oils of manuka, cade, pennyroyal, thyme, garlic, clove bud and cinnamon bark) were deployed against different life stages of D. gallinae in laboratory tests at the (lethal concentration) LC50 level for adult mites. For all essential oils tested, toxicity to D. gallinae juveniles was as high as toxicity to adults, if not higher. However, at the LC50 level determined for adults, some oils were ineffective in preventing hatching of D. gallinae eggs. The essential oils were also tested under laboratory conditions at their LC90 levels for D. gallinae adults on two model non-target species, the brine shrimp, Artemia salina (L.), and the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor (L.). Results showed that not all essential oils were as toxic to A. salina and T. molitor as they were to D. gallinae, suggesting that it may be possible to select certain oils for development as acaricides against D. gallinae that would have minimal impact on non-target organisms. However, the level of toxicity to A. salina and T. molitor was not consistent across the selected essential oils. [source] Reliability of the long caseMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 9 2008Tim J Wilkinson Objectives, The use of long cases for summative assessment of clinical competence is limited by concerns about unreliability. This study aims to explore the reliability of long cases and how reliability is affected by supplementation with short cases. Methods, We performed a statistical analysis of examinations held by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2005 and 2006 to determine overall reliability and sources of variance in reliability according to candidate ability, case difficulty and inter-examiner differences. Results, Scores for 546 long cases in 2005 and 773 long cases in 2006 were analysed. In 2006, 38% of the total variation in long case data was explained by variation in candidate ability, with other significant contributors to variance being candidate × case and candidate × examiner interactions. Similar figures were found for the 2005 examinations. A short case is less reliable than a long case, but when examiner time is taken into account, three short cases are as reliable as one long case. Any combination of short and long cases would require 4,5 hours of testing time in order to achieve dependability > 0.7. Conclusions, Long cases can be optimised for reliability but time limits their use as the sole tool in a high-stakes examination. Further examiner training, better case selection, or greater use of short cases would have minimal impact on reliability. Reliability can be improved by either increasing examination time or including additional methods of summative assessment, such as might be provided by workplace assessment. [source] Non-thermal food processing/preservation technologies: a review with packaging implications,PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 4 2007Caroline Morris Abstract Non-thermal food processing/preservation methods interest food and food packaging scientists, manufacturers and consumers because they exert a minimal impact on the nutritional and sensory properties of foods, and extend shelf life by inhibiting or killing microorganisms. They are also considered to be more energy efficient and to preserve better quality attributes than conventional thermally based processes. Non-thermal processes also meet industry needs by offering value-added products, new market opportunities and added safety margins. ,,This study reviewed non-thermal processing technologies currently available or developmental for the inactivation of microorganisms and thus microbiological shelf life in foods, and to identify packaging interactions that might result. Processes include ultra-high pressure, ionizing radiation, pulsed X-ray, ultrasound, pulsed light and pulsed electric fields, high-voltage arc discharge, magnetic fields, dense phase carbon dioxide and hurdle technologies. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The impact of follicular (FL) and other indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) on work productivity,a preliminary analysisPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Matthew C. Cheung Abstract Introduction: Although much is known about the efficacy, toxicity, and direct costs of treatment for follicular lymphoma (FL), there is no data assessing the impact of this diagnosis on the work productivity of affected individuals. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey study of consecutive patients attending a malignant haematology clinic at a large multi-disciplinary cancer centre. Patients with a diagnosis of FL or other indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma completed questionnaires assessing health status, work productivity, and activity impairment. Results: Eighty-four patients completed the survey study (95% response). Patients who continued to work reported a minimal impact on their work productivity (10%±standard deviation SD 20; 0%=no effect and 100%=complete impairment of activity) and on their daily activities (13%±SD 25) attributable to their cancer. Prior to lymphoma diagnosis, over 71% of patients were working while 14% were retired. At the time of survey administration, only 41% of patients were still able to work with a significant proportion of patients having transitioned to retirement (36%), sick leave (10%), or unemployment (4%). On multivariate analysis, significant activity impairment (daily activity impairment>50%) was predicted by poor self-rated health status (OR 32.1; 95% CI: 5.9,174.2; p<0.0001) and active chemotherapy treatment (OR 14.5; 95% CI: 0.91,230.9; p=0.059). Conclusions: Although few patients with indolent lymphoma identified significant impairment in productivity, many were unable to continue employment following diagnosis, needed to miss days from work, or imposed a significant burden on caregivers. The greatest impact on activity is apparent in patients who rate their health status as poor and in those who are currently receiving systemic therapy. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Tree crop smallholders, capitalism, and adat: Studies in Riau Province1, IndonesiaASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 3 2004Lesley Potter Abstract:,This paper examines the extent to which traditional techniques and practices remain current among a sub-set of Indonesian tree crop smallholders. Village-based studies of independent oil palm and rubber smallholders in Riau (Sumatra) indicate that bio-diverse ,jungle rubber' and multi-cropping techniques still exist, but primarily as components of farmers' coping strategies under low commodity prices. A further strategy, seeking income from non-agrarian sources, notably ,illegal' logging and land sales to migrants, partially fits Rigg's ,deagrarianisation' thesis, though his suggestion that the farm household has become a mere ,shell' is not substantiated. The lack of full legalisation of tenure constrains full capitalist development but does not impede land sales. Land seizures during the Suharto period reduced belief in the efficacy of customary (adat) law, though adat has retained importance in dispute resolution and as a cultural framework. New structures of village governance following decentralisation have so far had minimal impact in either empowering villagers or dispossessing elites. [source] Do Small Farmers Borrow Less When the Lending Rate Increases?ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009Interest Rate Elasticity of Rice Farmers in the Philippines O160; O180; Q140 The new generation of credit programs directed at small borrowers emphasizes financial sustainability. Based on anecdotal information, proponents of cost recovery claim that raising formal lending rates would have a minimal impact on borrowing. However, rigorous evidence for this conjecture is sparse. The present study conducts an econometric test of this conjecture using data from a survey of small rice farmers from the Philippines. Alternative regression techniques tend to reject the conjecture; in particular, a regression that controls for selection effects shows a unitary elastic response of formal borrowing to the lending rate. [source] Lessons for Aboriginal tobacco control in remote communities: an evaluation of the Northern Territory ,Tobacco Project'AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 1 2010David Thomas Abstract Objective: To evaluate a Northern Territory (NT) government-led pilot ,Tobacco Project' in six remote communities. Methods: Monthly surveys of staff, semi-structured interviews with staff and community members, observation of the delivery of tobacco control interventions, review of Project documents, and monitoring of tobacco consumption using sales (or wholesale orders) of tobacco. Results: There was a substantive amount of tobacco control activity delivered in three of the Project communities. In two of these locations, the majority of work was primarily driven and undertaken by resident staff. Overall, most of the Project's efforts related to community education and awareness-raising. There was variable impact of the Project on tobacco consumption across the six communities. More tobacco control activity was consistently associated with a greater reduction in tobacco consumption. An important predictor of local activity was the presence of strong community drivers. A significant obstacle to the Project was the lack of new resources. Conclusions: Despite the minimal impact of this Project on tobacco consumption overall, there was a consistent association between on-the-ground tobacco control activity and reductions in tobacco consumption. Implications: New initiatives will not only need to provide new funding, but identify and then support local staff, who are central to improving local tobacco control activity and so reducing smoking and smoking-related illnesses and deaths. [source] Population structure in an isolated Arctic fox, Vulpes lagopus, population: the impact of geographical barriersBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2009KARIN NORÉN The genetic composition of a population reflects several aspects of the organism and its environment. The Icelandic Arctic fox population exceeds 8000 individuals and is comprised of both coastal and inland foxes. Several factors may affect within-population movement and subsequent genetic population structure. A narrow isthmus and sheep-proof fences may prevent movement between the north-western and central part and glacial rivers may reduce movement between the eastern and central part of Iceland. Moreover, population density and habitat characteristics can influence movement behaviour further. Here, we investigate the genetic structure in the Icelandic Arctic fox population (n = 108) using 10 microsatellite loci. Despite large glacial rivers, we found low divergence between the central and eastern part, suggesting extensive movement between these areas. However, both model- and frequency-based analyses suggest that the north-western part is genetically differentiated from the rest of Iceland (FST = 0.04, DS = 0.094), corresponding to 100,200 generations of complete isolation. This suggests that the fences cannot be the sole cause of divergence. Rather, the isthmus causes limited movement between the regions, implying that protection in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve has a minimal impact on Arctic fox population size in the rest of Iceland. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 18,26. [source] Biomarkers on Admission for the Prediction of Cardiovascular Events After Primary Stenting in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial InfarctionCLINICAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 12 2008Young-Hoon Jeong MD Abstract Background Several cardiac biomarkers have been shown to have predictive values for the development of cardiovascular disease and clinical outcome after events, and are now broadly used by clinicians. Little is known about the utility of these biomarker values on admission in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) cases of primary drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation and intense medical therapy. Hypothesis Because little is known about the utility of these biomarkers on admission in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in cases primary drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation and intense medical therapy, we evaluated clinical outcomes. Methods We enrolled 207 consecutive STEMI patients treated with primary stenting (mean age, 57.3 ± 12.0 y). We evaluated the association between B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) on admission, and death, reinfarction, and new or worsening congestive heart failure (CHF) through 1 y. Results In backward-elimination models including all biomarkers, only the cTnI level was retained as a predictor of 1-y CHF (odds ratio [OR]: 1.017, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.001,1.034, p = 0.039). There were no predictors in terms of 1-y death, reinfarction, and composite endpoint. When we applied a simple score system, in which patients were categorized on the basis of the number of elevated biomarkers, the 1-y risks of death (p = 0.600), reinfarction (p = 0.185), and composite endpoint (p = 0.620) did not increase in proportion to the number of elevated biomarkers on admission. One-y CHF only tended to increase according to the number of elevated biomarkers (p = 0.067). Conclusions The use of cardiac biomarkers on admission, in each or in combination, had only a minimal impact for the prediction of long-term cardiovascular events after primary stenting in STEMI patients. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Assessing the Potential Impact of Cane Toads on Australian SnakesCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2003BEN L. PHILLIPS Anecdotal reports suggest that the invasion of toads into an area is followed by dramatic declines in the abundance of terrestrial native frog-eating predators, but quantitative studies have been restricted to nonpredator taxa or aquatic predators and have generally reported minimal impacts. Will toads substantially affect Australian snakes? Based on geographic distributions and dietary composition, we identified 49 snake taxa as potentially at risk from toads. The impact of these feral prey also depends on the snakes' ability to survive after ingesting toad toxins. Based on decrements in locomotor (swimming) performance after ingesting toxin, we estimate the LD50 of toad toxins for 10 of the at-risk snake species. Most species exhibited a similar low ability to tolerate toad toxins. Based on head widths relative to sizes of toads, we calculate that 7 of the 10 taxa could easily ingest a fatal dose of toxin in a single meal. The exceptions were two colubrid taxa (keelbacks [ Tropidonophis mairii] and slatey-grey snakes [ Stegonotus cucullatus]) with much higher resistance to toad toxins (up to 85-fold) and one elapid (swamp snakes [ Hemiaspis signata]) with low resistance but a small relative head size and thus low maximum prey size. Overall, our analysis suggests that cane toads threaten populations of approximately 30% of terrestrial Australian snake species. Resumen: Los sapos (Bufo marinus) son anuros grandes muy tóxicos que fueron introducidos a Australia en 1937. Reportes anecdóticos sugieren que la invasión de sapos a un área es seguida de declinaciones dramáticas en la abundancia de depredadores terrestres nativos que se alimentan de ranas, pero los estudios cuantitativos se han restringido a taxones no depredadores o a depredadores acuáticos y generalmente han indicado impactos mínimos. ¿Los sapos afectarán sustancialmente a las serpientes australianas? Basado en la distribución geográfica y la composición de la dieta, identificamos 49 taxones de serpientes como potencialmente en riesgo por los sapos. El impacto de estas presas también depende de la habilidad de las serpientes para sobrevivir después de ingerir toxinas, estimamos la LD50 de toxinas de sapo para 10 de las especies de serpientes "en riesgo." La mayoría de las especies presentaron la misma poca habilidad para tolerar toxinas de sapo. Tomando en cuenta la anchura del cráneo en relación al tamaño de los sapos, calculamos que 7 de las 10 especies podrían fácilmente ingerir una dosis letal en una sola comida. Las excepciones fueron dos taxones de colúbridos (Tropidonophis mairii y Stegonotus cucullatus) con mucha más resistencia (hasta 85 veces más) a toxinas de sapos y un elápido (Hemiaspis signata) con resistencia baja pero de tamaño cefálico relativamente pequeño (y por lo tanto, tamaño máximo de presa pequeño). En general, nuestro análisis sugiere que los sapos amenazan a 30% de las poblaciones de especies de serpientes terrestres de Australia aproximadamente. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||