bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection and molecular characterization of infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus from major ornamental fish breeding states in Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Subramaniam K , Shariff M , Omar A R , Hair‐Bejo M , Ong B L
Published: August 2013

‘Gold standard’ OIE reference PCR assay was utilized to detect the presence of infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) in freshwater ornamental fish from Malaysia. From total of 210 ornamental fish samples representing 14 species, ISKNV was detected in 36 samples representing 5 fish species. All positive cases did not show any clinical signs of ISKNV. Three restriction enzymes analyses showed that the fish were infected by identical strains of the same virus species within Megalocytivirus genus. Major capsid protein (MCP) genes of 10 ISKNV strains were sequenced and compared with 9 other reference nucleotide sequences acquired from GenBank. Sequence analysis of MCP gene showed that all strains detected in this study were closely related to the reference ISKNV with nucleotide sequence identity that was ranging from 99.8% to 100%. In addition, phylogenetic analysis of MCP gene revealed that viruses from genus Megalocytivirus can be divided into three genotypes: genotype 1 include reference ISKNV and all other strains that were detected in this study, genotype 2 include viruses closely related to red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV), and genotype 3 include viruses closely related turbot reddish body iridovirus (TRBIV).
Metabolomic investigation of pathogenesis of myxosporean emaciation disease of tiger puffer fish Takifugu rubripes
Authors: Kodama H , Otani K , Iwasaki T , Takenaka S , Horitani Y , Togase H
Published: August 2013

Serum biochemical analysis was undertaken to study the pathophysiological details of emaciation disease of the tiger puffer fish Takifugu rubripes (Temminck and Schlegel). Serum parameters were measured by biochemical analysis using automated dry chemistry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Serum concentrations of albumin, amylase, calcium, creatinine, glucose and total protein were significantly lower in the emaciated fish when compared with those of normal fish. Regression analyses found close correlation between concentrations of total protein, albumin, amylase, glucose and progress of the disease. In contrast, serum alanine aminotransferase increased significantly in emaciated fish indicating liver function disorder. Further, GC/MS metabolic profiling of the puffer serum showed that the profile of the emaciated fish was distinct to that of non‐infected control. The serum content of amino acids including glycine, 5‐oxo‐proline and proline, and ascorbic acid, fumaric acid and glycerol increased significantly in serum in moderately emaciated fish. The serum glucose, linolenic acid and tyrosine level decreased significantly in the late phase of the disease. Our results clearly show that prolonged intestinal damage caused by myxosporean infection impairs absorption of nutrients, resulting in extreme emaciation.
Production of recombinant capsid protein of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (r‐MCP43) of giant freshwater prawn, M. rosenbergii (de Man) for immunological diagnostic methods
Authors: Farook M A , Madan N , Taju G , Abdul Majeed S , Nambi K S N , Sundar Raj N , Vimal S , Sahul Hameed A S
Published: August 2013

White tail disease (WTD) caused by Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV) is a serious problem in prawn hatcheries. The gene for capsid protein of MrNV (MCP43) was cloned into pRSET B expression vector. The MCP43 protein was expressed as a protein with a 6‐histidine tag in Escherichia coli GJ1158 with NaCl induction. This recombinant protein, which was used to raise the antiserum in rabbits, recognized capsid protein in different WTD‐infected post‐larvae and adult prawn. Various immunological methods such as Western blot, dot blot and ELISA techniques were employed to detect MrNV in infected samples using the antiserum raised against recombinant MCP43 of MrNV. The dot blot assay using anti‐rMCP43 was found to be capable of detecting MrNV in WTD‐infected post‐larvae as early as at 24 h post‐infection. The antiserum raised against r‐MCP43 could detect the MrNV in the infected samples at the level of 100 pg of total protein. The capsid protein of MrNV estimated by ELISA using anti‐rMCP43 and pure r‐MCP43 as a standard was found to increase gradually during the course of infection from 24 h p.i. to moribund stage. The results of immunological diagnostic methods employed in this study were compared with that of RT‐PCR to test the efficiency of antiserum raised against r‐MCP43 for the detection of MrNV. The Western blot, dot blot and ELISA detected all MrNV‐positive coded samples as detected by RT‐PCR.
Epidermal response of rainbow trout to Ichthyobodo necator: immunohistochemical and gene expression studies indicate a Th1‐/Th2‐like switch
Authors: Chettri J K , Kuhn J A , Jaafar R M , Kania P W , Møller O S , Buchmann K
Published: August 2013

Infections with the parasitic flagellate Ichthyobodo necator (Henneguy, 1883) cause severe skin and gill disease in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792) juveniles. The epidermal disturbances including hyperplasia and mucous cell exhaustion caused by parasitization are known, but no details on specific cellular and humoral reactions have been presented. By applying gene expression methods and immunohistochemical techniques, further details of immune processes in the affected skin can be presented. A population of I. necator was established in the laboratory and used to induce an experimental infection of juvenile rainbow trout. The course of infection was followed by sampling for parasite enumeration, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) on days 0, 5, 9 and 14 post‐infection. IHC showed a significant increase in the occurrence of IgM‐positive cells in the skin of the infected fish, whereas IgT‐positive cells were eliminated and the number of CD8‐positive cells declined. qPCR studies supported the IHC findings showing a significant increase in IgM and a decrease in the CD8 gene expression. In addition, genes encoding innate immune genes such as lysozyme, SAA and cathelicidin 2 were up‐regulated. Expression of cytokines (IL‐1β, IL‐4/13A, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10), the cell marker CD4 and the transcription factor GATA3 showed a significant increase after infection. Cytokine profiling including up‐regulation of IL‐4/13A and IL‐10 genes and transcription factor GATA3 connected to the proliferation of IgM producing lymphocytes suggests a partial shift towards a Th2 response associated with the I. necator infection.
Automatic nuclear bud detection using ellipse fitting, moving sticks or top‐hat transformation
Authors: ZHANG C. , SUN C. , VALLOTTON P. , FENECH M. , PHAM T.D.
Published: August 2013

Micronucleus assays are extensively used by biologists to assess genotoxicity and to monitor human exposure to genotoxic materials. As recent studies suggested that nuclear buds can be a new source of micronuclei formed in interphase, the quantification of nuclear buds, which are micronucleus like objects that are attached to the nuclei in interphase, in normal and control group is needed. Three automatic nuclear bud detection algorithms fit for different situations are proposed in this paper. One is based on ellipse fitting, one is based on a stick model and the other is based on the top‐hat transform. Comparison of the three methods is also given in this paper. Experimental results showed that the proposed algorithms are all effective and efficient for nuclear bud detection.
Presenilin 2 influences miR146 level and activity in microglia
Authors: Jayadev Suman , Case Amanda , Alajajian Betty , Eastman Alison J. , Möller Thomas , Garden Gwenn A.
Published: August 2013

Microglia, the resident innate immune cells of the CNS, are the primary defenders against microbes and critical to CNS remodeling. Dysregulation of microglial behavior can lead to unchecked pro‐inflammatory activity and subsequent neurodegeneration. The molecular mechanisms leading to chronic inflammation and microglial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases are not well‐understood. It is known that patients with Presenilin 2 (PS2) mutations develop autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease. We have shown that a lack of normal PS2 function is associated with exaggerated microglia pro‐inflammatory responses in vitro. To identify pathways by which PS2 regulates microglia and determine how PS2 dysfunction may lead to altered inflammatory pathways, we pursued an unbiased array approach to assess differential expression of microRNAs between murine PS2 knockout (KO) and wild‐type microglia. We identified miR146, a negative regulator of monocyte pro‐inflammatory response, as constitutively down‐regulated in PS2 KO microglia. Consistent with a state of miR146 suppression, we found that PS2 KO microglia express higher levels of the miR146 target protein interleukin‐1 receptor‐associated kinase‐1, and have increased NFκB transcriptional activity. We hypothesize that PS2 impacts microglial responses through modulation of miR146a. PS2 dysfunction, through aging or mutation, may contribute to neurodegeneration by influencing the pro‐inflammatory behavior of microglia.

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Presenilin 2 (PS2), a membrane associated protease, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. We have previously shown that PS2 plays an important role in curbing the proinflammatory response in microglia. Here, we report the novel finding that PS2 participates in maintaining the basal and cytokine induced expression of the innate immunity regulating microRNA, miR146. These data suggest one mechanism by which PS2 works to reign in proinflammatory microglial behavior and that PS2 dysfunction or deficiency could thus result in unchecked proinflammatory activation contributing to neurodegeneration.
Women's attitudes towards mechanisms of action of birth control methods: a cross‐sectional study in five European countries
Authors: Lopez‐del Burgo Cristina , Mikolajczyk Rafael T , Osorio Alfonso , Errasti Tania , de Irala Jokin
Published: August 2013

Aims and objectives

To assess women's attitudes towards the mechanisms of action of birth control methods.

Background

When addressing women's knowledge of and attitudes towards birth control methods, researchers frequently focus on side effects, effectiveness or correct use. Women's opinions about mechanisms of action have been much less investigated, and research is usually concentrated on the EC pill.

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Methods

Women, aged 18–49, from Germany, France, the UK, Sweden and Romania were randomly selected (n = 1137). They were asked whether they would use a method that may work after fertilisation or after implantation and whether they would continue using it after learning it may have such effects. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the influence of certain characteristics on women's attitudes.

Results

Almost half of women in Romania and Germany would not use methods with postfertilisation effects, while the lowest percentages were found in Sweden and in France. Regarding methods with postimplantation effects, higher percentages were found in all the countries. Highly educated women and those using a highly effective method were more likely to use methods with postfertilisation effects. On the contrary, married women, those who stated that human life begins at fertilisation and women with middle/high religiosity were less likely to consider using methods that may act after fertilisation.

Conclusions

One‐third of European women reported that they would not consider using a method that may have postfertilisation effects.

Relevance to clinical practice

Given that postfertilisation effects may not be acceptable to some women, informing them of which methods may have these effects is essential to obtaining complete informed consent and to promoting women's autonomy.
Inhibition of interleukin 1β–stimulated interleukin‐6 production by cranberry components in human gingival epithelial cells: effects on nuclear factor κB and activator protein 1 activation pathways
Authors: Tipton D. A. , Carter T. B. , Dabbous M. Kh.
Published: August 2013

Background and Objective

In periodontitis, gingival epithelial cells can produce interleukin (IL)‐6, a regulator of osteoclastic bone resorption, in response to IL‐1β. IL‐1β regulates cytokine expression via signaling pathways, including nuclear factor (NF)‐κB and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK)/activator protein (AP)‐1. Cranberry proanthocyanidins (PACs) inhibit IL‐1β–stimulated IL‐6 production, but specific mechanisms are unclear. The objectives of this study were to determine effects of cranberry PACs on NF‐κB and MAPK/AP‐1 activation of IL‐1β‐stimulated IL‐6 production in gingival epithelial cells.

Material and Methods

Cranberry high molecular weight non‐dialyzable material (NDM), rich in PACs, was derived from cranberry juice. Human gingival epithelial cells [Smulow‐Glickman (S‐G)] were incubated with IL‐1β in the presence or absence of NDM or inhibitors of NF‐κB, [nemo‐binding domain (NBD) peptide] or AP‐1 (SP600125), and IL‐6 levels were measured by ELISA. Effects of NDM on IL‐1β‐activated NF‐κB and AP‐1 and phosphorylated intermediates in both pathways were measured in cell extracts via binding to specific oligonucleotides and specific sandwich ELISAs, respectively. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Scheffe's F procedure for post hoc comparisons.

Results

IL‐1β (≥ 0.1 nm) caused a time‐ and dose‐dependent stimulation of S‐G epithelial cell IL‐6 production (p < 0.005). This was significantly decreased in a dose‐dependent manner by NBD peptide or SP600125 [maximum inhibition ~30–40% (p < 0.02)], and together, the two inhibitors decreased IL‐6 by ~80%, similar to the inhibition caused by NDM (p < 0.001). IL‐1β stimulated NF‐κB and AP‐1 activation (p < 0.003), which was inhibited by NDM (p < 0.0001). NDM did not significantly affect IL‐1β‐stimulated levels of phosphorylated intermediates in the NF‐κB pathway (IκBα) or the AP‐1 pathway (c‐Jun, ERK1/2).

Conclusion

In S‐G epithelial cells, IL‐1β appeared to upregulate IL‐6 production via activation of both NF‐κB and MAPK/AP‐1 signaling pathways because cranberry NDM decreased nuclear levels of IL‐1β‐activated NF‐κB (p65) and AP‐1 (phospho‐c‐Jun) and strongly inhibited IL‐6 production. Lack of inhibition of phosphorylation of IκBα, c‐Jun or ERK1/2 suggested that NDM might affect both pathways downstream from those points in S‐G cells, such as ubiquitination and proteosomal degradation of IκBα, or inhibition of nuclear activity of c‐Jun and/or ERK1/2. Defining these points of inhibition precisely may help identify molecular targets of cranberry polyphenols.
Discordance between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes in sexual and asexual lineages of the freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum
Authors: Paczesniak Dorota , Jokela Jukka , Larkin Katelyn , Neiman Maurine
Published: August 2013

The presence and extent of mitonuclear discordance in coexisting sexual and asexual lineages provides insight into 1) how and when asexual lineages emerged, and 2) the spatial and temporal scales at which the ecological and evolutionary processes influencing the evolution of sexual and asexual reproduction occur. Here, we used nuclear single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and a mitochondrial gene to characterize phylogeographic structure and the extent of mitonuclear discordance in Potamopyrgus antipodarum. This New Zealand freshwater snail is often used to study the evolution and maintenance of sex because obligately sexual and obligately asexual individuals often coexist. While our data indicate that sexual and asexual P. antipodarum sampled from the same lake population are often genetically similar, suggesting recent origin of these asexuals from sympatric sexual P. antipodarum, we also found significantly more population structure in sexuals vs. asexuals. This latter result suggests that some asexual lineages originated in other lakes and/or in the relatively distant past. When comparing mitochondrial and nuclear population genetic structure, we discovered that one mitochondrial haplotype (‘1A’) was rare in sexuals, but common and widespread in asexuals. Haplotype 1A frequency and nuclear genetic diversity were not associated, suggesting that the commonness of this haplotype cannot be attributed entirely to genetic drift and pointing instead to a role for selection.
Local dynamics of a fast‐evolving sex‐ratio system in Drosophila simulans
Authors: Bastide Héloïse , Gérard Pierre R. , Ogereau David , Cazemajor Michel , Montchamp‐Moreau Catherine
Published: August 2013

By distorting Mendelian transmission to their own advantage, X‐linked meiotic drive elements can rapidly spread in natural populations, generating a sex‐ratio bias. One expected consequence is the triggering of a co‐evolutionary arms race between the sex chromosome that carries the distorter and suppressors counteracting its effect. Such an arms race has been theoretically and experimentally established and can have many evolutionary consequences. However, its dynamics in contemporary populations is still poorly documented. Here, we investigate the fate of the young X‐linked Paris driver in Drosophila simulans from sub‐Saharan Africa to the Middle East. We provide the first example of the early dynamics of distorters and suppressors: we find consistent evidence that the driving chromosomes have been rising in the Middle East during the last decade. In addition, identical haplotypes are at high frequencies around the two co‐evolving drive loci in remote populations, implying that the driving X chromosomes share a recent common ancestor and suggesting that East Africa could be the cradle of the Paris driver. The segmental duplication associated with drive presents an unusual structure in West Africa, which could reflect a secondary state of the driver. Together with our previous demonstration of driver decline in the Indian Ocean where suppression is complete, these data provide a unique picture of the complex dynamics of a co‐evolutionary arms race currently taking place in natural populations of D. simulans.
Low plant density enhances gene dispersal in the Amazonian understory herb Heliconia acuminata
Authors: Côrtes Marina C. , Uriarte María , Lemes Maristerra R. , Gribel Rogério , John Kress W. , Smouse Peter E. , Bruna Emilio M.
Published: August 2013

In theory, conservation genetics predicts that forest fragmentation will reduce gene dispersal, but in practice, genetic and ecological processes are also dependent on other population characteristics. We used Bayesian genetic analyses to characterize parentage and propagule dispersal in Heliconia acuminata L. C. Richard (Heliconiaceae), a common Amazonian understory plant that is pollinated and dispersed by birds. We studied these processes in two continuous forest sites and three 1‐ha fragments in Brazil's Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project. These sites showed variation in the density of H. acuminata. Ten microsatellite markers were used to genotype flowering adults and seedling recruits and to quantify realized pollen and seed dispersal distances, immigration of propagules from outside populations, and reproductive dominance among parents. We tested whether gene dispersal is more dependent on fragmentation or density of reproductive plants. Low plant densities were associated with elevated immigration rates and greater propagule dispersal distances. Reproductive dominance among inside‐plot parents was higher for low‐density than for high‐density populations. Elevated local flower and fruit availability is probably leading to spatially more proximal bird foraging and propagule dispersal in areas with high density of reproductive plants. Nevertheless, genetic diversity, inbreeding coefficients and fine‐scale spatial genetic structure were similar across populations, despite differences in gene dispersal. This result may indicate that the opposing processes of longer dispersal events in low‐density populations vs. higher diversity of contributing parents in high‐density populations balance the resulting genetic outcomes and prevent genetic erosion in small populations and fragments.
On the Validation of Solids Represented with the International Standards for Geographic Information
Authors: Ledoux Hugo
Published: August 2013

The international standards for geographic information provide unambiguous definitions of geometric primitives, with the aim of fostering exchange and interoperability in the geographical information system (GIS) community. In two dimensions, the standards are well accepted and there are algorithms (and implementations of these) to validate primitives, that is given a polygon, they ensure that it respects the standardized definition (and if it does not a reason is given to the user). However, although there exists an equivalent definition in three dimensions (for solids), it is ignored by most researchers and by software vendors. Several different definitions are indeed used, and none is compliant with the standards: for example solids are often defined as two‐manifold objects only, although in fact they can be nonmanifold objects. Exchanging and converting data sets from one format/platform to another is thus highly problematic. I present in this article a methodology to validate solids according to the international standards. It is hierarchical and permits us to validate the primitives of all dimensionalities. To understand and study the topological relationships between the different parts of a solid (the shells) the concept of Nef polyhedron is used. The methodology has been implemented in a prototype, and I report on the main engineering decisions that were made and on its use for the validation of real‐world three‐dimensional data sets.
Associations between child temperament, maternal feeding practices and child body mass index during the preschool years: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Bergmeier H. , Skouteris H. , Horwood S. , Hooley M. , Richardson B.
Published: August 2013

It is a research priority to identify modifiable risk factors to improve the effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention strategies. Research, however, has largely overlooked the role of child temperament and personality implicated in obesogenic risk factors such as maternal feeding and body mass index (BMI) of preschoolers. A systematic review of relevant literature was conducted to investigate the associations between child temperament, child personality, maternal feeding and BMI and/or weight gain in infants and preschoolers; 18 papers were included in the review. The findings revealed an association between the temperament traits of poor self‐regulation, distress to limitations, low and high soothability, low negative affectivity and higher BMI in infants and preschool‐aged children. Temperament traits difficult, distress to limitations, surgency/extraversion and emotionality were significantly associated with weight gain rates in infants. The results also suggested that child temperament was associated with maternal feeding behaviours that have been shown to influence childhood overweight and obesity, such as using restrictive feeding practices with children perceived as having poor self‐regulation and feeding potentially obesogenic food and drinks to infants who are more externalizing. Interestingly, no studies to date have evaluated the association between child personality and BMI/weight gain in infants and preschoolers. There is a clear need for further research into the association of child temperament and obesogenic risk factors in preschool‐aged children.
Economic evaluation of cell salvage in pediatric surgery
Authors: Samnaliev Mihail , Tran Chau M. , Sloan Steven R. , Gasior Izabela , Lightdale Jenifer R. , Brustowicz Robert M.
Published: August 2013

Background

Red blood cells are a scarce resource with demand outstripping supply. Use of intraoperative red cell salvage (CS) – the process of collecting shed blood during surgery and reinfusing it to patients – is often used as an effective blood conservation strategy. However, little is known about the economic impact of CS during pediatric surgery.

Methods

A decision tree model was used to estimate the transfusion‐related costs per patient (2010 USD) from a healthcare system perspective of four transfusion strategies among children undergoing elective orthopedic or cardiac surgery: (i) CS followed by allogeneic transfusion, (ii) CS followed by autologous transfusion, (iii) allogeneic transfusion alone, and (iv) autologous transfusion alone.

Results

Cell salvage and allogeneic transfusion was the least expensive strategy (USD 883.3) followed by CS and autologous blood transfusion (USD 1,269.7), allogeneic transfusion alone (USD 1,443.0), and autologous transfusion alone (USD 1,824.7). Savings associated with CS use persisted in separate analyses of orthopedic and cardiac surgery, as well as in one‐way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions

Use of CS, particularly along with allogeneic blood transfusion, appears cost‐saving and cost‐effective in pediatric surgery.
Latex‐less opium poppy: cause for less latex and reduced peduncle strength
Authors: Chaturvedi Nidarshana , Singh Sharad K. , Shukla Ashutosh K. , Lal Raj K. , Gupta Madan M. , Dwivedi Upendra N. , Shasany Ajit K.
Published: August 2013

A genotype ‘Sujata’ developed earlier at CSIR‐CIMAP from its parent ‘Sampada’ is considered to be the latex‐less variety of Papaver somniferum. These two genotypes are contrasting in terms of latex and stem strength. Earlier we have carried out microarray analysis to identify differentially expressing genes from the capsules of the two genotypes. In this study, the peduncles of the two genotypes were compared for the anatomy revealing less number of laticifers in the cortex and vascular bundles. One of the important cell wall‐related genes (for laccase) from the microarray analysis showing significantly higher expression in ‘Sampada’ capsule was taken up for further characterization in the peduncle here. It was functionally characterized through transient overexpression and RNAi suppression in ‘Sujata’ and ‘Sampada’. The increase in acid insoluble lignin and total lignin in overexpressed tissue of ‘Sujata’, and comparable decrease in suppressed tissue of ‘Sampada’, along with corresponding increase and decrease in the transcript abundance of laccase confirm the involvement of laccase in lignin biosynthesis. Negligible transcript in phloem compared to the xylem tissue localized its expression in xylem tissue. This demonstrates the involvement of P. somniferum laccase in lignin biosynthesis of xylem, providing strength to the peduncle/stem and preventing lodging.
Distinct styles of fluvial deposition in a Cambrian rift basin
Authors: Santos Maurício G. M. , Almeida Renato P. , Godinho Lucas P. S. , Marconato André , Mountney Nigel P.
Published: August 2013

Process‐based and facies models to account for the origin of pre‐vegetation (i.e. pre‐Silurian) preserved fluvial sedimentary architectures remain poorly defined in terms of their ability to account for the nature of the fluvial conditions required to accumulate and preserve architectural elements in the absence of the stabilizing influence of vegetation. In pre‐vegetation fluvial successions, the repeated reworking of bars and minor channels that resulted in the generation and preservation of broad, tabular, stacked sandstone‐sheets has been previously regarded as the dominant sedimentary mechanism. This situation is closely analogous to modern‐day poorly vegetated systems developed in arid climatic settings. However, this study demonstrates the widespread presence of substantially more complex stratigraphic architectures. The Guarda Velha Formation of Southern Brazil is a >500 m‐thick synrift fluvial succession of Cambrian age that records the deposits and sedimentary architecture of three distinct fluvial successions: (i) an early rift‐stage system characterized by coarse‐grained channel elements indicative of a distributive pattern with flow transverse to the basin axis; and two coeval systems from the early‐ to climax‐rift stages that represent (ii) an axially directed, trunk fluvial system characterized by large‐scale amalgamated sandy braid‐bar elements, and (iii) a distributive fluvial system characterized by multi‐storey, sandy braided‐channel elements that flowed transverse to the basin axis. Integration of facies and architectural‐element analysis with regional stratigraphic basin analysis, palaeocurrent and pebble‐provenance analysis demonstrates the mechanisms responsible for preserving the varied range of fluvial architectures present in this pre‐vegetation, rift‐basin setting. Identified major controls that influenced pre‐vegetation fluvial sedimentary style include: (i) spatial and temporal variation in discharge regime; (ii) the varying sedimentological characteristics of distinct catchment areas; (iii) the role of tectonic basin configuration and its direct role in influencing palaeoflow direction and fluvial style, whereby both the axial and transverse fluvial systems undertook a distinctive response to syn‐depositional movement on basin‐bounding faults. Detailed architectural analyses of these deposits reveal significant variations in geometry, with characteristics considerably more complex than that of simple, laterally extensive, stacked sandstone‐sheets predicted by most existing depositional models for pre‐vegetation fluvial systems. These results suggest that the sheet‐braided style actually encompasses a varied number of different pre‐vegetation fluvial styles. Moreover, this study demonstrates that contemporaneous axial and transverse fluvial systems with distinctive architectural expressions can be preserved in the same overall tectonic and climatic setting.
HBcAg‐Specific IL‐21‐Producing CD4+ T Cells are Associated with Relative Viral Control in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B
Authors: Li L. , Liu M. , Cheng L.‐W. , Gao X.‐Y. , Fu J.‐J. , Kong G. , Feng X. , Pan X.‐C.
Published: August 2013

Function exhaustion of specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cell in chronic virus infection partly results from the low levels of CD4 help, but the mechanisms by which CD4 help T cell required to control hepatitis B virus infection are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the role of interleukin‐21‐producing CD4+ T cell response in viral control of hepatitis B virus infection. HBcAg‐specific interleukin‐21‐producing CD4+ T cells in blood were detected in patients with hepatitis B virus infection. Patients with acute hepatitis B had greater HBcAg‐specific interleukin‐21‐producing CD4+ T cells in blood compared with chronic hepatitis B patients, and there was no statistical significance between immune active chronic hepatitis B patients and inactive healthy carrier patients for these cells, whereas frequencies of these cells negatively correlated with HBV DNA levels but positively correlated with HBc18‐27‐specific IFN‐γ‐producing CD8+ T cells. Moreover, interleukin‐21 sustained HBc18‐27‐specific CD8+ T cells in vitro, and interleukin‐21 production by HBcAg‐specific IL‐21‐producing CD4+ T cells of acute hepatitis B patients enhanced IFN‐γ and perforin expression by CD8+ T cells from chronic hepatitis B patients. Our results demonstrate that HBcAg‐specific interleukin‐21‐producing CD4+ T cell responses might contribute to viral control by sustaining CD8+ T cell antiviral function.
Adolescents' Attitudes About the Role of Mental Illness in Suicide, and Their Association with Suicide Risk
Authors: Lake Alison M. , Kandasamy Suganthi , Kleinman Marjorie , Gould Madelyn S.
Published: August 2013

We examined teenagers' attitudes about the role of mental illness in suicidal behavior and the relationship between these attitudes and suicide risk. Serious suicidal ideation or behavior and associated risk factors (gender, depression, substance problems, and first‐hand experience with a suicidal peer) were assessed in 2,419 students at six New York high schools. Less than one fifth of students thought that mental illness was a major contributor to suicide. Suicidal adolescents and those at risk were less likely than their nonsuicidal and low‐risk counterparts to associate suicide with mental illness. Our findings contribute to the debate over whether accepting attitudes toward suicide increase suicide risk.
A Controlled Study of Suicide in Middle‐Aged and Older People: Personality Traits, Age, and Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Draper Brian , Kõlves Kairi , De Leo Diego , Snowdon John
Published: August 2013

Personality traits were examined using the NEO Five‐Factor Inventory–Revised in an Australian psychological autopsy study involving 259 suicide deaths and 181 sudden death controls aged 35 years and over. Interviews included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV to determine the presence of psychiatric disorder. Personality traits of suicide deaths differed significantly from those of controls, scoring higher in the Neuroticism and Openness to Experience domains and lower on the Agreeableness and Extraversion domains. These findings varied with the presence of psychiatric disorder and by age. High Neuroticism scores were the most consistent finding in people who died by suicide, although these scores decreased in older suicides.
Ideas and Norms in Swedish Peace Policy
Authors: Björkdahl Annika
Published: August 2013

Challenging conventional wisdom that powerful states do as they will and small states do as they must, this article advances an analysis of small states and the role they can play as agents of change in the area of peace and security. Insights from constructivist research on foreign policy contribute to explain why some small states adopt norm entrepreneurship as a diplomatic strategy and how such strategy helps small states punch above their weight in international relations. The article is based on an in‐depth case study of Sweden as a norm entrepreneur promoting the norm pertaining to the prevention of violent conflicts in the EU and UN, and it assesses the impact of the following strategies used by such a norm entrepreneur: norm construction, agenda‐shaping, coalition‐building, and support of institutionalisation.
Surfing between the local and the global: identifying spatial divisions in surfing practice
Authors: Anderson Jon
Published: August 2013

Geography emphasises the spatial influence on human identity; however, this influence is often seen as exclusively terrestrial in nature. This paper focuses on a group of individuals for whom geographical identity is both terrestrial and littoral in constitution. It introduces how surfers’ identities are not only defined by the terrestrial co‐ingredience of the shores that support their surfing activity, but also by the littoral space of the surf zone itself. However, due to advances in transport, communication and surf forecasting, surfers are increasingly global in their search for waves. The paper goes on to demonstrate the effect of this mobility on surfer identity. It outlines how mobility dislocates surfer identity from its ‘surf‐shore’ moorings and produces in its place a routed but rootless ‘trans‐local’ surf identity. The paper examines the tensions and contradictions that arise between these spatially divided surfing practices before commenting on how surfers’ shared affiliation to the littoral zone may offer the potential to reconcile them.
‘No more of this macho bullshit’: drug treatment, place and the reworking of masculinity
Authors: Wilton Robert , DeVerteuil Geoffrey , Evans Joshua
Published: August 2013

Health geography has largely failed to engage with the topic of masculinity. This absence is surprising for several reasons, not least because health geography has close ties to social geography, where a burgeoning scholarship on masculinity has developed in recent years. In this paper, we contribute to what Thien and Del Casino () envision as a more robust health geography for men. We do so through a detailed analysis of men's experiences within one form of health care setting, drug treatment programmes, drawing on qualitative data from participant observation and interviews at multiple treatment sites. Particular attention is given to understanding the ways in which the delivery of health care is dependent upon treatment programmes’ ability to problematise masculinities associated with the heavy consumption of drugs and alcohol, while concurrently showing men how to practise an alternative model of healthy masculinity. These objectives are accomplished through the structured domesticity of treatment programmes and through intensive relational work aimed at reworking the masculine self.
PCR Slippage Across the ML‐2 Microsatellite of the Cryptosporidium MIC1 Locus Enables Development of a PCR Assay Capable of Distinguishing the Zoonotic Cryptosporidium parvum From Other Human Infectious Cryptosporidium Species
Authors: Webber M. A. , Sari I. , Hoefel D. , Monis P. T. , King B. J.
Published: August 2013

Cryptosporidium are ubiquitous and significant enteropathogens of all classes of vertebrates and a major cause of human morbidity and mortality worldwide. Of the 24 recognized species, the zoonotic Cryptosporidium parvum and the host‐specific Cryptosporidium hominis cause the majority of cases of human cryptosporidiosis. Here, we report on structural and transcriptional variability between C. parvum and C. hominis at the MIC1 locus, which encodes a microneme localized thrombospondin‐like domain containing protein previously demonstrated to be critical for host cell infection by C. parvum. We demonstrate, using reverse transcription quantitative PCR with the aid of genomic data from the EuPathDB site, that the transcribed product in C. hominis is both truncated and significantly down‐regulated in the sporozoite. We hypothesize that CpMIC1 may be a genetic factor involved in facilitating the wider host range of C. parvum in comparison with the specific host range of C. hominis. Furthermore, we show that the presence of a microsatellite (ML‐2) within the C. parvum MIC‐1 locus enables the development of a PCR marker that can rapidly distinguish the zoonotic C. parvum from C. hominis and other significant human infectious Cryptosporidium species due to reproducible PCR slippage across the ML‐2 microsatellite. Additionally, we demonstrate that this locus is tightly linked to the GP60 locus, a locus commonly used in the genetic characterization of C. parvum and C. hominis isolates. This marker should provide a robust and additional tool to aid in the rapid identification of C. parvum from other Cryptosporidium species.
Use of genetic models of idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism in mice and men to understand the mechanisms of disease
Authors: Lippincott Margaret F. , True Cadence , Seminara Stephanie B.
Published: August 2013

New findings

What is the topic of this review?

This review discusses the genetics of idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, with a focus on how deficiencies in the kisspeptin and neurokinin B pathways result in reproductive dysfunction in both mice and men.

What advances does it highlight?

In humans, deficiencies in kisspeptin signalling lead to a sustained absence of puberty. Mutations in the neurokinin B pathway are also associated with an initial absence of pubertal development, but the hypogonadotrophism can improve later in life with spontaneous activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal cascade. Mouse models with mutations in each of these pathways recapitulate many of the features observed in human patients. Spontaneous recovery of gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone secretion, termed ‘reversal’, indicates that the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis may be capable of awakening in the setting of neurokinin B signalling abnormalities.

Mutations in the genes encoding the neuropeptides kisspeptin and neurokinin B, as well as their receptors, are associated with gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency and a failure to initiate and/or progress through puberty. Although the total number of patients studied to date is small, mutations in the kisspeptin pathway appear to result in lifelong GnRH deficiency. Mice with mutations in kisspeptin and the kisspeptin receptor, Kiss1−/− and Kiss1r−/−, respectively, appear to be phenocopies of the human with abnormal sexual maturation and infertility. In contrast, mutations in the neurokinin B pathway lead to a more variable adult reproductive phenotype, with a subset of hypogonadotrophic individuals demonstrating paradoxical recovery of reproductive function later in life. While ‘reversal’ remains poorly understood, the ability to recover reproductive function indicates that neurokinin B may play different roles in the initiation of sexual maturation compared with the maintenance of adult reproductive function. Mice with mutations in the gene encoding the neurokinin B receptor, Tacr3, have abnormal oestrous cycles and subfertility but, similar to their human counterparts, appear less severely affected than mice with kisspeptin deficiency. Further investigations into the interaction between the kisspeptin and neurokinin B pathways will reveal key insights into how GnRH neuronal modulation occurs at puberty and throughout reproductive life.
Genetic dissection of puberty in mice
Authors: Kumar Devesh , Boehm Ulrich
Published: August 2013

New Findings

What is the topic of this review? 

How is the timely reactivation of gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone neurons at puberty regulated?

What advances does it highlight? 

Conditional ablation of the oestrogen receptor α gene in kisspeptin neurons results in a dramatic advancement of the onset of puberty in female mice, but subsequent pubertal maturation is arrested in these animals, as they fail to acquire normal ovulatory cyclicity. In contrast, the onset of puberty in female mice was unaffected by kisspeptin neuron ablation. Furthermore, the animals attained regular ovulatory cyclicity and were fertile. Consistent with this, female mice lacking neurons that express the kisspeptin receptor GPR54 were also fertile, suggesting female reproductive maturation in the absence of kisspeptin/GPR54 signalling.

Determining the neural mechanisms controlling gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) release is of pivotal importance in understanding central control of reproductive physiology in vertebrates. Targeted genetic manipulation of kisspeptin and GPR54 neurons has provided new insights into the mechanisms modulating GnRH release and thereby regulating hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis activity during reproductive maturation. While conditional ablation of the oestrogen receptor α gene in kisspeptin neurons results in a dramatic advancement of the onset of puberty in female mice, subsequent pubertal maturation is arrested in these animals, as they fail to acquire normal ovulatory cyclicity. These data suggest that two oestrogen receptor α‐dependent mechanisms, one a ‘brake’ and the other an ‘accelerator’, are sequentially operated in kisspeptin neurons during pubertal development of female mice to gate and then to activate GnRH release. In a different experimental approach, we removed entire kisspeptin neurons from the mouse brain and thus from the neural circuits controlling reproduction. Surprisingly, the onset of puberty in females was unaffected by kisspeptin neuron ablation. Furthermore, the animals attained regular ovulatory cyclicity and were fertile. Consistent with this, female mice lacking neurons that express the kisspeptin receptor GPR54 were also fertile, suggesting female reproductive maturation in the absence of kisspeptin/GPR54 signalling. However, acute kisspeptin neuron ablation in adult mice inhibited fertility, indicating that there is developmental compensation for the loss of kisspeptin neurons during reproductive neural circuit formation. Finally, we showed that kisspeptin neurons become an indispensable part of reproductive neural circuitry in the mouse brain before postnatal day 20.
Physiology of invertebrate oxytocin and vasopressin neuropeptides
Authors: Gruber Christian W.
Published: August 2013

New findings

What is the topic of this review?

This article describes the discovery and function of invertebrate oxytocin and vasopressin neuropeptides.

What advances does it highlight?

The novel discovery of oxytocin‐like peptides in arthropods is described. An up‐to date overview is gven of the functional role (physiology and behaviour) of oxytocin and vasopressin signalling. The application of natural peptides for drug development is discussed.

Neuropeptides and regulatory peptide hormones control many developmental, physiological and behavioural processes in animals, including humans. The nonapeptides oxytocin and arginine vasopressin are produced and released by the pituitary gland and have actions on many organs and tissues. Receptive cells possess particular receptors to which the peptides bind as ligands, leading to activation of G‐protein‐coupled receptors, hence cellular responses. In humans and other mammalian species, oxytocin and vasopressin mediate a range of peripheral and central physiological functions that are important for osmoregulation, reproduction, complex social behaviours, memory and learning. The origin of the oxytocin/vasopressin signalling system is thought to date back more than 600 million years. All vertebrate oxytocin‐ and vasopressin‐like peptides have presumably evolved from the ancestral nonapeptide vasotocin by gene duplication and today are present in vertebrates, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Oxytocin‐ and vasopressin‐like peptides have been identified in several invertebrate species, including molluscs, annelids, nematodes and arthropods. Members of this peptide family share high sequence similarity, and it is possible that they are functionally related across the entire animal kingdom. However, it is evident that not all animals express oxytocin/vasopressin neuropeptides and that there is little information available about the biology and physiology of this signalling system of invertebrates and, in particular, of insects, which represent more than half of all known living organisms. This report describes the discovery of novel oxytocin‐ and vasopressin‐like peptides in arthropods and summarizes the status quo of the functional relevance of this neuropeptide signalling system in invertebrates, which will have beneficial implications for the design of selective and potent ligands to human oxytocin and vasopressin receptors.