104,929 research outputs found
Hydrobiidae on North Uist
No full textOne of the problems of working on lochs that are slightly saline is a group of tiny (1-4mm) molluscs called mudsnails (Hydrobiidae). The rarest of these, Hydrobia acuta neglecta, was first identified in the UK in the Uists. This project aimed to eliminate any doubt about the identity. Genetic analyses funded by SNH and conducted by scientists at the National Museum of Scotland and Heriot-Watt University confirmed that there were healthy populations of this snail in three lochs in North Uist
Crew of SCOTTISH LOCHS on deck with Captain T. H. Parkhill and a dog, Washington State between 1901 and 1906
No full textThe SCOTTISH LOCHS was a three-masted British ship out of Liverpool built in 1888 by Oswald, Medaunt & Co, Southampton. In 1911 she was renamed the the Norwegian SOFAREREN . She was broken up in 1923.
Handwritten on verso: SCOTTISH LOCHS 3 m. ship Capt. T. H. Parkhill.
PH Coll 318.593To order a reproduction, inquire about permissions, or for information about prices see: http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/services/reproduction-info Please cite the Order Number when ordering
Palaeoecological study of Lochs Arkaig, Huamavat and Shiel
No full textThis is the final report to Marine Harvest on the ‘Palaeoecological study of Lochs
Arkaig, Huamavat and Shiel’. The primary objective was to examine the diatom
assemblages in sediment cores to assess the trophic status of the three lochs over
approximately the last 100-150 years, and to determine conditions prior to the
installation of fish farms at these sites
Antibiotic treatment of Crohn's disease:results of a multicentre double blind randomized placebo controlled trial with Rifamixin
No full text1. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Apr 15;23(8):1117-25.
Antibiotic treatment of Crohn's disease: results of a multicentre, double blind,
randomized, placebo-controlled trial with rifaximin.
Prantera C, Lochs H, Campieri M, Scribano ML, Sturniolo GC, Castiglione F,
Cottone M.
Operative Unit of Gastroenterology, St Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Rome, Italy.
[email protected]
BACKGROUND: Clinicians often employ antibiotics in Crohn's disease. Rifaximin is
active against bacteria frequently found in the intestinal mucosa of Crohn's
disease patients.
AIM: To evaluate the difference in efficacy between once and twice/daily oral
administration of rifaximin and placebo in the treatment of active Crohn's
disease.
METHODS: We enrolled 83 patients with mild-to-moderate Crohn's disease and
randomized to three treatments for 12 weeks: Group A (rifaximin 800 mg o.d. +
placebo), Group B (rifaximin 800 mg b.d.) and Group C (placebo b.d.).
RESULTS: Clinical remission was achieved by 52% of Group B, 32% (A) and 33% (C).
Clinical response was seen in 67% (B), 48% (A) and 41% (C), without reaching a
statistically significant difference. Treatment failures were: 4% (B), 12% (A)
and 33% (C), (P = 0.010). Remission and response rates of rifaximin 800 mg b.d.
were significantly higher than those of placebo and rifaximin 800 mg o.d. in
patients with elevated C reactive protein values (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Rifaximin 800 mg b.d. was superior to placebo in inducing clinical
remission of active Crohn's disease. Although this difference was not
statistically significant, the number of the failures in the placebo group was
significantly higher than those who received rifaximin 800 mg b.d.
PMID: 16611272 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
Palaeoecological study of two lochs: Butterstone Loch and Lindores Loch
No full textButterstone Loch (SSSI, SPA) and Lindores Loch (SSSI) are both designated sites that are
utilised as sports fisheries, and have, historically, been stocked with fish. There are
proposals to re-stock the lochs during autumn 2009. The aim of this research project was to
supply data to assist Scottish Natural Heritage in its role of advising on the impacts of the
proposed fish introductions to the open water interests of the two sites.
The report details the findings of a multi-proxy palaeoecological study of sediment cores
collected from the lochs in 2009 and includes analyses of diatoms, Cladocera and plant
macrofossils. The study aimed to determine the baseline floral and faunal assemblages and
assess ecological change over the last few hundred years. Where possible, any relationship
between the observed shifts and historic fish stocking of the lochs was explored
Palaeoecological study of seven mesotrophic lochs
No full textThis is the final report to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish
Natural Heritage on the ‘Palaeoecological study of seven mesotrophic lochs’. The
aim of the project was to employ multi-proxy palaeoecological methods (diatoms,
Cladocera, plant macrofossils) to define reference conditions and to assess
ecological changes in the seven lochs over approximately the last 100-150 years and
hence to provide valuable information to assist with the development of
environmental improvement plans for these sites. The study sites were Tangy Loch,
Loch Nan Gad, Loch a Phuill, Loch Flemington, Monk Myre, White Loch and
Monzievaird. These are all sites of high conservation interest currently or having
once supported the biodiversity priority species Najas flexilis (slender naiad) or
Potamogeton rutilis (Shetland pondweed)
Rifaximin-Extended Intestinal Release Induces Remission in Patients With Moderately Active Crohn’s Disease
No full textBACKGROUND & AIMS: Bacteria might be involved in
the development and persistence of inflammation in patients
with Crohn’s disease (CD), and antibiotics could be
used in therapy. We performed a clinical phase 2 trial to
determine whether a gastroresistant formulation of rifaximin
(extended intestinal release [EIR]) induced remission in
patients with moderately active CD. METHODS: We performed
a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial of the
efficacy and safety of 400, 800, and 1200 mg rifaximin-EIR,
given twice daily to 402 patients with moderately active CD
for 12 weeks. Data from patients given rifaximin-EIR were
compared with those from individuals given placebo, and
collected during a 12-week follow-up period. The primary
end point was remission (Crohn’s Disease Activity Index
150) at the end of the treatment period. RESULTS: At the
end of the 12-week treatment period, 62% of patients who
received the 800-mg dosage of rifaximin-EIR (61 of 98) were
in remission, compared with 43% of patients who received
placebo (43 of 101) (P .005). A difference was maintained
throughout the 12-week follow-up period (45% [40 of 89] vs
29% [28 of 98]; P .02). Remission was achieved by 54% (56
of 104) and 47% (47 of 99) of the patients given the 400-mg
and 1200-mg dosages of rifaximin-EIR, respectively; these
rates did not differ from those of placebo. Patients given the
400-mg and 800-mg dosages of rifaximin-EIR had low rates
of withdrawal from the study because of adverse events; rates
were significantly higher among patients given the 1200-mg
dosage (16% [16 of 99]). CONCLUSIONS: Administration
of 800 mg rifaximin-EIR twice daily for 12 weeks induced
remission with few adverse events in patients with moderately
active C
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Paleolimnological evidence for variable impacts of fish farms on the water quality of Scottish freshwater lochs
No full textSince the 1980s, fish farming (aquaculture) has been an important contributor to Scotland's economy, but there are concerns that nutrient-rich food waste and excreta from these farms are causing eutrophication. Water quality monitoring preceding the arrival and subsequent expansion of the industry is limited. Therefore, to better understand the impacts of in-lake fish farms on the quality of freshwater ecosystems, we examined the diatom records in sediment cores from seven freshwater lochs in Scotland over a timescale of c.100–200 years, spanning the period before and after installation of the fish cages at these sites. At three lochs (A, C, E) we observed marked diatom assemblage shifts indicative of eutrophication, coincident with arrival of the fish farms, at two lochs (B, G) there was evidence of enrichment over a longer timescale although with some further enrichment occurring with the advent of the fish farms, and at the other two lochs (D, F), diatom shifts were subtle and showed no sign of eutrophication. Thus, while marked ecological shifts are shown to occur with the arrival of fish farms in some sites, this is not always the case. The natural background conditions, the scale of operations, the siting of the fish cages in relation to location of inflows and outflows, the role of flushing rate and additional sources of nutrients are discussed as potential factors for the variable impacts observed across the seven lochs. Such factors should be considered when planning future installation and expansion of fish farms to ensure sustainable development of these resources. Our study provides an understanding of baseline conditions and long-term water quality trajectories in freshwater lakes with fish farms and demonstrates the value of paleolimnology in supporting management decisions with respect to fisheries.</p
Increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines by circulating polymorphonuclear neutrophils and regulation by interleukin 10 during intestinal inflammation
No full textBackground- Concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines are increased in the intestinal mucosa of patients with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes (PMN) are the most abundant cell type in intestinal lesions in IBD. Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is an important contra-inflammatory cytokine which induces downregulation of pro- inflammatory cytokines. Aims- To investigate whether PMN from patients with IBD or infectious colitis, respectively, secrete increased amounts of pro- inflammatory cytokines and can be regulated by IL-10. Methods- Secretion (ELISA) as well as corresponding mRNA levels (semiquantitative RT-PCR) of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α) and of IL-1 receptor antagonist were assessed in peripheral PMN. Results- PMN from patients with IBD are primed to secrete enhanced amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines accompanied by detection of corresponding mRNAs in comparison with normal controls. This finding is not specific for IBD but rather reflects intestinal inflammation in general. IL-10 markedly inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion as well as corresponding mRNA concentrations. Conclusions- PMN are an important source of pro-inflammatory cytokines in patients with intestinal inflammation and can be downregulated by IL-10
Assessing eutrophication and reference conditions for Scottish freshwater lochs using subfossil diatoms
No full textThe definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com1. The European Council Water Framework Directive requires reference conditions to be determined for all water body types including lakes. We examined the role of palaeolimnology, specifically the diatom record, as a tool for assessing eutrophication and for defining lake reference conditions and ecological status. 2. Sediment cores (representing c.1850 to present day) were taken from 26 Scottish freshwater loch basins. Radiometric dating techniques (210Pb and 137Cs) established a chronology for each core. Two levels of diatom analysis were employed: a relatively high resolution (15–20 samples) at 21 lochs considered of high interest, and a lower resolution (four to five samples) at the remaining sites. 3. Detrended correspondence analysis and dissimilarity measures were applied to the core top (present day) and bottom (reference state, c.1850) samples to assess floristic change at each site. Significant floristic change, indicative of nutrient enrichment, occurred in 18 lochs along a broad trophic gradient. 4. Two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) was applied to the bottom (c.1850) samples to classify the ‘reference’ diatom assemblages and thereby characterize the reference floras of the different lake types. TWINSPAN identified four site end-groups, each with a characteristic diatom assemblage, although there was some overlap in the taxa present in the four groups. Water depth and productivity were key factors that explained the groupings. 5. Diatom transfer functions that reconstructed total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were used to evaluate eutrophication. Nineteen lochs had increases in diatom-inferred (DI) TP of > 5{micro}g l-1 (five of these > 20{micro}g l-1), six lochs had no change or negligible increases in DI-TP (< 2{micro}g l-1), and there was evidence of a decline in DI-TP in one loch over the period represented by the sediment cores. The inferred increases were significant at 12 lochs. 6. Synthesis and applications . Our data indicate that it may be difficult to find minimally impacted waters to act as reference sites, particularly for shallow, lowland lake types, in the current population. The derivation of site-specific reference conditions from the sediment record is a particularly valuable approach in such cases. Ordination, clustering and dissimilarity measures applied to palaeodata, combined with transfer functions, offer powerful techniques for characterizing lake types, defining ecological and chemical reference conditions, and assessing deviation from the reference state.Helen Bennion, Jennie Fluin and Gavin L. Simpso
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