bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Boar Differences In Artificial Insemination Outcomes: Can They Be Minimized?
Authors: Roca J , Broekhuijse MLWJ , Parrilla I , Rodriguez‐Martinez H , Martinez EA , Bolarin A
Published: July 2015

Contents

In Western countries, where pig breeding and production are intensive, there is a documented variability in fertility between farms with boar‐related parameters only accounting to 6% of this total variation of in vivo fertility. Such low boar effect could be a result of the rigorous control of sires and ejaculates yielding AI‐doses exerted by the highly specialized AI‐centres that monopolize the market. However, some subfertile boars pass through these rigorous controls and consequently reach the AI‐programmes. Here, we discuss why testing young boars for chromosomal defects, sperm nuclear chromatin integrity and in vitro fertilizing ability can be discriminative and economically sound for removing these less fertile boars. Alongside, we discuss why boars differ in the ability of their sperm to tolerate cryopreservation or sex sorting.
Efficient Boar Semen Production and Genetic Contribution: The Impact of Low‐Dose Artificial Insemination on Fertility
Authors: Broekhuijse MLWJ , Gaustad AH , Bolarin Guillén A , Knol EF
Published: July 2015

Contents

Diluting semen from high fertile breeding boars, and by that inseminating many sows, is the core business for artificial insemination (AI) companies worldwide. Knowledge about fertility results is the reason by which an AI company can lower the concentration of a dose. Efficient use of AI boars with high genetic merit by decreasing the number of sperm cells per insemination dose is important to maximize dissemination of the genetic progress made in the breeding nucleus. However, a potential decrease in fertility performance in the field should be weighed against the added value of improved genetics and, in general, is not tolerated in commercial production. This overview provides some important aspects that influence the impact of low‐dose AI on fertility: (i) the importance of monitoring field fertility, (ii) the need for accurate and precise semen assessment, (iii) the parameters that are taken into account, (iv) the application of information from genetic and genomic selection and (v) the optimization when using different AI techniques. Efficient semen production, processing and insemination in combination with increasing use of genetic and genomic applications result in maximum impact of genetic trend.
Recent Advances in Boar Sperm Cryopreservation: State of the Art and Current Perspectives
Authors: Yeste M
Published: July 2015

Contents

While sperm cryopreservation is the best technology to store boar semen for long‐term periods, only 1% of all artificial inseminations (AI) conducted worldwide are made using frozen–thawed boar sperm. With the emergence of long‐term extenders for liquid storage, the use of cryopreserved sperm in routineAIis less required. However, banks of boar semen contain cryopreserved sperm and planning inseminations inAIcentres may benefit from the use of frozen–thawed semen. Therefore, there is an interest in the use of this technology to preserve boar sperm. In this regard, although the first attempts to cryopreserve boar semen date back to the seventies and this technology is still considered as optimal, some relevant improvements have been made in the last decade. After giving a general picture about boar sperm cryodamage, the present review seeks to shed light on these recent cryopreservation advances. These contributions regard to protein markers for predicting ejaculate freezability, sperm selection prior to start cryopreservation procedures, additives to freezing and thawing extenders, relevance of theAI‐technique and insemination‐to‐ovulation interval. In conclusion, most of these progresses have allowed counteracting better boar sperm cryodamage and are thus considered as forward steps for this storage method. It is also worth noting that, despite being lower than fresh/extended semen, reproductive performance outcomes followingAIwith frozen‐thawed boar sperm are currently acceptable.
Regulation of Sperm Function by Oviduct Fluid and the Epithelium: Insight into the Role of Glycans
Authors: Miller DJ
Published: July 2015

Contents

In many vertebrates, females store sperm received at mating in specialized reservoirs until fertilization. In some species, sperm are routinely stored for up to a decade. But the structures used to store sperm vary considerably across taxa, suggesting the underlying mechanisms might be equally variable. In mammals, after mating, sperm pass through the utero‐tubal junction and bind to epithelial cells of the oviduct isthmus to form a reservoir. This reservoir regulates sperm function, including viability and capacitation, ultimately affecting sperm lifespan. In addition, sperm binding to oviduct cells influences oviduct cell gene transcription and translation, perhaps to aid sperm storage and fertility. The sperm reservoir allows successful reproduction in species in which semen deposition and ovulation are not always synchronized. The focus of this review is on recent studies of the functions of oviduct fluid and of the adhesion molecules that allow sperm to adhere to the oviduct epithelium. The important of glycans on the oviduct epithelium is highlighted.
Quality Control of Boar Sperm Processing: Implications from European AI Centres and Two Spermatology Reference Laboratories
Authors: Riesenbeck A , Schulze M , Rüdiger K , Henning H , Waberski D
Published: July 2015

Contents

In recent years, increased automatization has resulted in a higher efficiency of boar semen processing in AI laboratories. Sophisticated laboratory management and efficient quality control programmes are needed for current tendencies in major pork‐producing countries to reduce the sperm number per AI dose, to lengthen semen storage times and to adopt responsible methods for bacterial control and prevention of the development of multiresistant bacteria. The objective of the present review was to outline current trends  in boar semen production and the critical steps in semen processing which affect sperm quality. In addition,  integrated elements of a quality assurance programme in use by thirty European AI centres in association with the two German spermatology reference laboratories are described.
Methods to Explore Uncertainty and Bias Introduced by Job Exposure Matrices
Authors: Greenland Sander , Fischer Heidi J. , Kheifets Leeka
Published: July 2015

Job exposure matrices (JEMs) are used to measure exposures based on information about particular jobs and tasks. JEMs are especially useful when individual exposure data cannot be obtained. Nonetheless, there may be other workplace exposures associated with the study disease that are not measured in available JEMs. When these exposures are also associated with the exposures measured in the JEM, biases due to uncontrolled confounding will be introduced. Furthermore, individual exposures differ from JEM measurements due to differences in job conditions and worker practices. Uncertainty may also be present at the assessor level since exposure information for each job may be imprecise or incomplete. Assigning individuals a fixed exposure determined by the JEM ignores these uncertainty sources. We examine the uncertainty displayed by bias analyses in a study of occupational electric shocks, occupational magnetic fields, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
International Factor Mobility, Wages and Prices
Authors: Podrecca Elena , Rossini Gianpaolo
Published: July 2015

This paper analyzes the joint influence of migration inflows and outward foreign direct investment (FDI) on wage bargaining. Labor migration and offshoring supported by FDI affect wage deals by changing the outside options of workers and firms. Unemployed workers may find alternative jobs either in the legal or in the illegal labor markets. Wages in this latter case are highly affected by migrants crowding this segment more than any other market. Firms may have the option of moving production partly or entirely to foreign low‐cost countries. A wage curve is designed theoretically, reflecting cross‐border labor and capital mobility, and estimated on panel data for 13 European countries over the period 1995–2013. The theoretical predictions of a joint negative effect on wages of FDI outflows and labor migration inflows are confirmed with some novel results.
Productivity Shocks and Real Effective Exchange Rates
Authors: Beckmann Joscha , Belke Ansgar , Czudaj Robert
Published: July 2015

This paper provides new insights into the relationship between exchange rates and productivity developments forEuropean Economies. We focus on the question whether productivity changes have a long‐run impact on real effective exchange rates for a large number ofEuropean economies. Focusing on a sample period running from 1995 until 2013, we adopt a cointegrated vector autoregressive approach and distinguish between long‐run equilibrium, short‐run dynamics and long‐run impact of shocks. Our findings show that for several industrialized economies, real effective exchange rates and labor productivity are not related over the long‐run. A possible explanation for this result is that wage developments do not reflect increases in labor productivity to a large degree, which prevents a transmission to the real effective exchange rate through the price channel. The results forCentral and EasternEuropeanCountries are more encouraging since a positive impact of labor productivity on real effective exchange rate is frequently observed.
Macroeconomic Policy Making, Exchange Rate Adjustment and Current Account Imbalances in Emerging Markets
Authors: Duarte Pablo , Schnabl Gunther
Published: July 2015

Given a series of crisis events after 2007 the discussion about the adjustment channels of current account imbalances has been revived. We examine the role of exchange rates vs macroeconomic policies as determinants of current accounts for a set of 86 mainly emerging market economies between 1990 and 2013 to identify adjustment channels for global imbalances. We find that nominal exchange rates are not the main determinant of current account positions. Instead, depending on the region, monetary and/or fiscal policies are identified as the main driving force of current accounts. For East Asia and the oil exporting countries sterilization policies, i.e. relatively tight monetary policies, are the main determinants. In contrast for many European periphery countries fiscal policy stances are at the core of current account positions. Only for the Latin American countries does the exchange rate play a significant role as determinant of current account positions.
Policy Shifts and Financial Instability in Emerging Markets
Authors: Hoffmann Andreas , Urbansky Björn
Published: July 2015

We explain periods of financial instability following drastic policy shifts within a Hayekian framework. Hayek emphasized that prices, established via the market process, help market participants to form coherent expectations about the future and coordinate plans with one another. In this paper, we elaborate on how policy shifts may undermine planning based on price signals and exacerbate uncertainty about the future, which can contribute to financial instability. Based on our postulated framework, we clarify how financial liberalization in the 1980s/1990s and the recent discretionary monetary policies in the advanced economies may have contributed to recurring episodes of financial instability in emerging markets. In particular, this paper provides an explanation for (1) why we observe financial instability mainly shortly following financial liberalization, and (2) why financial developments in the emerging markets are sensitive to unexpected monetary policy changes in the advanced countries in the current zero‐interest rate environment.
Surviving Asymmetry in Capital Flows and the Business Cycles: The Role of Prudential Capital Controls
Authors: Wong Chin‐Yoong , Eng Yoke‐Kee
Published: July 2015

Past literature of different strands has pointed to a potential asymmetry: while portfolio capital inflows are largely irrelevant to the economy, capital outflows can cause recession. In a model with a convex investment and portfolio balance adjustment cost, and endogenous credit‐in‐advance constraint, we find that investment is determined solely by opportunity cost of physical capital unrelated to portfolio capital inflows when the constraint is slack. However, once credit availability is tightened up by capital outflows, the negative liquidity constraint dominates the opportunity‐cost factor, causing an economic downturn. Financial fragility against capital outflows is an outcome of pecuniary externalities, which, however, can be moderated by prudential capital controls. Even when exchange rates float freely, capital controls ease the macro‐stabilizing burden of monetary policy, as they help shield the economy from financial instability. Prudential tax on foreign debt is most preferred, and works the best when the exchange rate float is managed.
A Big Tent of Dark Personality Traits
Authors: Marcus David K. , Zeigler‐Hill Virgil
Published: July 2015

Researchers have become very interested in socially aversive personality traits in recent years as reflected by the considerable number of publications concerning the Dark Triad of personality (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy). The goal of the present article is to suggest that researchers broaden their view of potentially dark personality features. We provide overviews of two dark personality features that have been largely neglected by psychologists (i.e., spitefulness and greed) and point to the darker aspects of two personality features that have been studied extensively (i.e., perfectionism and dependency). We conclude the article by advocating that researchers consider a broader conceptualization of dark personality features that extends beyond the antagonistic and externalizing features captured by the Dark Triad traits.
Giving and Summoning Autonomy Support in Hierarchical Relationships
Authors: Reeve Johnmarshall
Published: July 2015

It is not easy to motivate and engage others in a way that is welcomed, effective, and relationship‐enriching. In a hierarchical relationship, supervisors' motivating styles and supervisees' agentic engagement–disengagement are often in conflict, rather than in synch. Still, reciprocal causation appears to be a naturally occurring process within these relationships, as supervisors' motivating styles longitudinally transform supervisees' engagement–disengagement, just as supervisees' engagement–disengagement transforms and summons the supervisors' motivating styles. Recognizing this, the article highlights an intervention‐based program of research designed to help infuse greater autonomy support and greater agentic engagement into the supervisor–supervisee relationship. When an experimentally based intervention helps supervisors learn how to become more autonomy supportive, interaction partners become more in synch, and this mutually supportive relationship dynamic yields numerous benefits for the supervisor, the supervisee, and the relationship. Future interventions are needed to understand what happens when supervisees learn how to become more agentically engaged. The conclusion is that relationships need and benefit from infusions of both the giving and the summoning of autonomy support.
The Multifaceted Relationship Between Physical Activity and Affect
Authors: Emerson Jessica A. , Williams David M.
Published: July 2015

The purpose of the present paper is to provide a summary of scientific findings on the relationship between physical activity (PA) and affect. We provide separate narrative reviews of (a) the association between PA and well‐being in the general population; (b) PA as a prophylactic and/or treatment for clinical depression; and (c) immediate affective response to individual PA sessions and the implications for adherence to PA programs. Findings suggest an association between engaging in regular PA and more positive well‐being, decreased risk of future depression, and reduction of depressed mood among those who are already depressed. However, despite the fairly strong evidence for these associations, there is less evidence for causal effects of PA on well‐being and depression. Individual sessions of PA generally result in positive shifts in affective valence from pre‐PA to post‐PA, but during PA, affective response is intensity‐dependent, with considerable variability for moderate intensity PA. In sum, despite the “physical activity feels good” narrative often portrayed in the popular media, the relationship between PA and affect is complex and multifaceted.
Anti‐A and anti‐B: what are they and where do they come from?
Authors: Branch Donald R.
Published: July 2015

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is made from thousands of donors having a variety of blood groups. All of the donors being used for IVIG production, with the exception of group AB donors, have in their plasma antibodies of variable titer commonly known as isohemagglutinins or ABO antibodies. As blood groups O and A are the most commonly found in the world population, most of the plasma used in IVIG production is from donors having these blood groups, with group B and group AB donors being fewer in number. Consequently, all batches of IVIG contain antibodies that are reactive with individuals of group A, group B, and group AB. These antibodies were originally discovered by Dr Karl Landsteiner in the early 1900s and are now known to consist of immunoglobulin (Ig)M, IgG, and IgA classes. As the process for producing IVIG results in almost exclusively IgG, isohemagglutinins contained in IVIG are of this immunoglobulin class. ABO antibodies are highly clinically significant and, because of this, blood bank cross‐matching is done to ensure that blood of the correct type is transfused into recipients to avoid a so‐called major mismatch or major incompatibility that can cause significant morbidity and often death. Administration of IVIG, which contains ABO antibodies, is often infused into individuals who have the corresponding ABO antigens, commonly called a minor mismatch, and although not as significant as a major mismatch, the isohemagglutinins contained in the IVIG have some risk for a significant transfusion reaction due to the ABO incompatibility. Indeed, currently there is no way to match IVIG to recipients according to blood type, so when IVIG is administered to group A, B, or AB recipients, there is potential for transfusion reactions analogous to a blood transfusion mismatch. For this reason, strict guidelines have been put into place to restrict the titers of the ABO antibodies contained in IVIG. This review will provide background information about the discovery and biochemistry of the ABO antigens and discuss the various isohemagglutinins that are found in plasma of the different ABO blood types and their potential clinical significance. In addition, a brief discussion of the controversial topic of the origins of these antibodies will conclude this review.
Possible mechanisms for intravenous immunoglobulin–associated hemolysis: clues obtained from review of clinical case reports
Authors: Padmore Ruth
Published: July 2015

BACKGROUND

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is an efficacious treatment modality for a number of conditions and is usually well tolerated with few reports of serious adverse events; however, the administration of IVIG may occasionally result in clinically significant hemolysis.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The literature was reviewed for case reports and case series of IVIG‐associated hemolysis. The cases were scrutinized for clues as to the possible mechanism(s) of the hemolysis.

RESULTS

Review of the 129 individual cases reported in the literature identifies clinical features shared by the majority of patients. These features included non‐O blood group patients and treatment with high‐dose IVIG as an immune‐modulating agent for an underlying inflammatory or immune‐mediated disorder. Other patient factors such as secretor phenotype, soluble ABH substance, and Fcgamma receptor polymorphisms may also play a role.

CONCLUSIONS

It is known that high‐dose IVIG given to non‐O blood group patients with underlying inflammatory and/or immune‐mediated disorders is associated with increased risk of hemolysis. This review reveals additional patient characteristics in cases of IVIG‐associated hemolysis, including underrepresentation of D– and group B cases, higher incidence in pediatric Kawasaki disease and unique at‐risk patient groups including allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients with group A donor in a group O recipient, and patients in whom soluble AB substance is removed by plasma exchange at the same time as receiving IVIG.
Specifications for anti‐A and anti‐B in intravenous immunoglobulin: history and rationale
Authors: Thorpe Susan J.
Published: July 2015

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) products are generally safe and efficacious, although treatment‐related adverse reactions can occur in recipients. Adverse reactions include hemolysis in non–blood group O recipients linked to the passive transfer of anti‐A and/or anti‐B present in the fractionated immunoglobulin product. In light of the recent increase in reported cases of severe hemolysis associated with anti‐A and/or anti‐B, this article traces the development of pharmacopoeial specifications, tests, and reference reagents to control their titers in IVIG products.
Effects of the manufacturing process on the anti‐A isoagglutinin titers in intravenous immunoglobulin products
Authors: Romberg Val , Hoefferer Liane , El Menyawi Ibrahim
Published: July 2015

BACKGROUND

The first intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) preparations for clinical use were produced from human plasma by Cohn‐like fractionation processes. To achieve higher purity and yield, chromatography‐based processes were developed. Using two products as examples, we compare the capacity of these two manufacturing processes to reduce the levels of anti‐A and anti‐B isoagglutinins in IVIG, which are believed to be responsible for rare hemolytic adverse events.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The isoagglutinin levels of Sandoglobulin (lyophilized, sucrose‐stabilized IVIG produced by Cohn‐like fractionation) and Privigen (10% l‐proline–stabilized IVIG produced by a chromatography‐based process) were measured by the indirect agglutination test (IAT). The intrinsic isoagglutinin reduction capacity of each fractionation step was assessed in laboratory‐ and industry‐scale experiments using the IAT and a flow cytometry–based immunoglobulin‐binding assay, respectively.

RESULTS

The median anti‐A isoagglutinin titer recorded in 248 Sandoglobulin lots was three titer steps lower than the one measured in 651 Privigen lots (1:2 vs. 1:16). Over the entire process, we measured a five‐titer‐step isoagglutinin reduction in laboratory‐scale Cohn‐like fractionation; the largest reduction was observed between Fraction (F)II+III and FII. An overall four‐titer‐step reduction was recorded in the industry‐scale process. In contrast, none of the steps of the chromatography‐based manufacturing process caused any decrease in anti‐A isoagglutinin content. Similar results were obtained for anti‐B isoagglutinin reduction.

CONCLUSION

Unlike Cohn‐like fractionation, chromatography‐based IVIG manufacturing processes do not have an intrinsic capacity for isoagglutinin reduction. The addition of dedicated isoagglutinin reduction steps may help minimize the potential risk of hemolysis in IVIG‐treated patients.
Pathogenesis and mechanisms of antibody‐mediated hemolysis
Authors: Flegel Willy A.
Published: July 2015

BACKGROUND

The clinical consequences of antibodies to red blood cells (RBCs) have been studied for a century. Most clinically relevant antibodies can be detected by sensitive in vitro assays. Several mechanisms of antibody‐mediated hemolysis are well understood. Such hemolysis after transfusion is reliably avoided in a donor‐recipient pair, if one individual is negative for the cognate antigen to which the other has the antibody.

STUDY DESIGN AND RESULTS

Mechanisms of antibody‐mediated hemolysis were reviewed based on a presentation at the Strategies to Address Hemolytic Complications of Immune Globulin Infusions Workshop addressing intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and ABO antibodies. The presented topics included the rates of intravascular and extravascular hemolysis; immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG isoagglutinins; auto‐ and alloantibodies; antibody specificity; A, B, A,B, and A1 antigens; A1 versus A2 phenotypes; monocytes‐macrophages, other immune cells, and complement; monocyte monolayer assay; antibody‐dependent cell‐mediated cytotoxicity; and transfusion reactions due to ABO and other antibodies.

CONCLUSION

Several clinically relevant questions remained unresolved, and diagnostic tools were lacking to routinely and reliably predict the clinical consequences of RBC antibodies. Most hemolytic transfusion reactions associated with IVIG were due to ABO antibodies. Reducing the titers of such antibodies in IVIG may lower the frequency of this kind of adverse event. The only way to stop these events is to have no anti‐A or anti‐B in the IVIG products.
Pseudoholomorphic tori in the Kodaira–Thurston manifold
Authors: Evans Jonathan David , Kędra Jarek
Published: July 2015

The Kodaira–Thurston manifold is a quotient of a nilpotent Lie group by a cocompact lattice. We compute the family Gromov–Witten invariants which count pseudoholomorphic tori in the Kodaira–Thurston manifold. For a fixed symplectic form the Gromov–Witten invariant is trivial so we consider the twistor family of left-invariant symplectic forms which are orthogonal for some fixed metric on the Lie algebra. This family defines a loop in the space of symplectic forms. This is the first example of a genus one family Gromov–Witten computation for a non-Kähler manifold.
Accurate body composition measures from whole‐body silhouettes
Authors: Xie Bowen , Avila Jesus I. , Ng Bennett K. , Fan Bo , Loo Victoria , Gilsanz Vicente , Hangartner Thomas , Kalkwarf Heidi J. , Lappe Joan , Oberfield Sharon , Winer Karen , Zemel Babette , Shepherd John A.
Published: July 2015

Purpose:

Obesity and its consequences, such as diabetes, are global health issues that burden about 171 × 106 adult individuals worldwide. Fat mass index (FMI, kg/m2), fat‐free mass index (FFMI, kg/m2), and percent fat mass may be useful to evaluate under‐ and overnutrition and muscle development in a clinical or research environment. This proof‐of‐concept study tested whether frontal whole‐body silhouettes could be used to accurately measure body composition parameters using active shape modeling (ASM) techniques.

Methods:

Binary shape images (silhouettes) were generated from the skin outline of dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) whole‐body scans of 200 healthy children of ages from 6 to 16 yr. The silhouette shape variation from the average was described using an ASM, which computed principal components for unique modes of shape. Predictive models were derived from the modes for FMI, FFMI, and percent fat using stepwise linear regression. The models were compared to simple models using demographics alone [age, sex, height, weight, and body mass index z‐scores (BMIZ)].

Results:

The authors found that 95% of the shape variation of the sampled population could be explained using 26 modes. In most cases, the body composition variables could be predicted similarly between demographics‐only and shape‐only models. However, the combination of shape with demographics improved all estimates of boys and girls compared to the demographics‐only model. The best prediction models for FMI, FFMI, and percent fat agreed with the actual measures with R2 adj. (the coefficient of determination adjusted for the number of parameters used in the model equation) values of 0.86, 0.95, and 0.75 for boys and 0.90, 0.89, and 0.69 for girls, respectively.

Conclusions:

Whole‐body silhouettes in children may be useful to derive estimates of body composition including FMI, FFMI, and percent fat. These results support the feasibility of measuring body composition variables from simple cameras such as those found in cell phones.
Linguistically-based informational masking in preschool children
Authors: Newman Rochelle S. , Morini Giovanna , Ahsan Faraz , Kidd Gerald
Published: July 2015

Previous work has shown that young children exhibit more difficulty understanding speech in the presence of speech-like distractors than do adults, and are more susceptible to at least some form of informational masking (IM). Yet little is known about how/when the “susceptibility” to linguistically-based IM develops. The authors tested adults, school-age children (aged 8 yrs), and preschool-age children (aged 4 yrs) on sentence recognition in the presence of normal speech, “jumbled” speech, and reversed speech distractors. As has been found previously with adults [e.g., Summers and Molis (2004). J. Speech, Lang. Hear. Res. 47, 245–256], children in both age groups showed a release of masking when the distractor was uninterpretable (reversed speech). This suggests that children already demonstrate linguistically-based IM by the age of 4 yrs.
Researchers seek clear reasons when clinical trials end early
Authors: Couzin-Frankel Jennifer
Published: July 2015

Explanations for abandoning tests of new treatments earlier than planned are often hazy.
Means to an end
Authors: Cohen Jon
Published: July 2015

Cities, states, and provinces are gearing up to halt their AIDS epidemics—though the definition of success varies.
No end in sight
Authors: Cohen Jon
Published: July 2015

Tijuana's fractured response to its HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Neutrophil extracellular traps license macrophages for cytokine production in atherosclerosis
Authors: Warnatsch Annika , Ioannou Marianna , Wang Qian , Papayannopoulos Venizelos
Published: July 2015

Neutrophil NETs drive atherosclerosis

The buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in arteries causes atherosclerosis, which restricts blood flow and can lead to heart attacks and stroke. Inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, but exactly how is not fully understood. Warnatsch
et al.
now show that immune cells called neutrophils release NETs (neutrophil extracellular traps) (see the Perspective by Nahrendorf and Swirski). These NETs are composed of DNA and antimicrobial proteins, and in the setting of atherosclerosis they activate innate immune signaling pathways in macrophages. This causes the macrophages to secrete proinflammatory cytokines, exacerbating the disease. Indirectly, NETS also attract a specialized subset of T cells that further amplify the proinflammatory response.

Science
, this issue p.
316
; see also p.
237
Food for thought
From Field to Fork: Food Ethics for Everyone
Paul B. Thompson
Oxford University Press, 2015. 343 pp.
Authors: Freudenberg Nicholas
Published: July 2015

A beginner's guide to ethical eating
Tracking the merry dance of nanoparticles
Authors: Colliex Christian
Published: July 2015

Electron microscopy provides atomic-resolution structures of nanoparticles in solution

[Also see Report by

Park
et al.

]
Recurrent Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus Bacteremia in an Infant
Authors: Watson Joshua R. , Leber Amy , Velineni Sridhar , Timoney John F. , Ardura Monica I.
Published: July 2015

We describe a case of an infant with recurrent bacteremia caused byStreptococcus equisubsp.zooepidemicus, likely transmitted from mother to infant. Our case highlights the importance of an epidemiological history and molecular diagnostics in ascertaining insights into transmission, pathogenesis, and optimal management.
RNA and Nucleocapsid Are Dispensable for Mature HIV-1 Capsid Assembly
Authors: Mattei Simone , Flemming Annica , Anders-Össwein Maria , Kräusslich Hans-Georg , Briggs John A. G. , Müller Barbara
Published: July 2015

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is released from infected cells in an immature, noninfectious form in which the structural polyprotein Gag is arranged in a hexameric lattice, forming an incomplete spherical shell. Maturation to the infectious form is mediated by the viral protease, which cleaves Gag at five sites, releasing the CA (capsid) protein, which forms a conical capsid encasing the condensed RNA genome. The pathway of this structural rearrangement is currently not understood, and it is unclear how cone assembly is initiated. RNA represents an integral structural component of retroviruses, and the viral nucleoprotein core has previously been proposed to nucleate mature capsid assembly. We addressed this hypothesis by replacing the RNA-binding NC (nucleocapsid) domain of HIV-1 Gag and the adjacent spacer peptide 2 (SP2) by a leucine zipper (LZ) protein-protein interaction domain [Gag(LZ)] in the viral context. We found that Gag(LZ)-carrying virus [HIV(LZ)] was efficiently released and viral polyproteins were proteolytically processed, though with reduced efficiency. Cryo-electron tomography revealed that the particles lacked a condensed nucleoprotein and contained an increased proportion of aberrant core morphologies caused either by the absence of RNA or by altered Gag processing. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of HIV(LZ) particles contained mature capsids with the wild-type morphology. These results clearly demonstrate that the nucleoprotein complex is dispensable as a nucleator for mature HIV-1 capsid assembly in the viral context.

IMPORTANCE
Formation of a closed conical capsid encasing the viral RNA genome is essential for HIV-1 infectivity. It is currently unclear what viral components initiate and regulate the formation of the capsid during virus morphogenesis, but it has been proposed that the ribonucleoprotein complex plays a role. To test this, we prepared virus-like particles lacking the viral nucleocapsid protein and RNA and analyzed their three-dimensional structure by cryo-electron tomography. While most virions displayed an abnormal morphology under these conditions, some particles showed a normal mature morphology with closed conical capsids. These data demonstrate that the presence of RNA and the nucleocapsid protein is not required for the formation of a mature, cone-shaped HIV-1 capsid.
Circulative Nonpropagative Aphid Transmission of Nanoviruses: an Oversimplified View
Authors: Sicard Anne , Zeddam Jean-Louis , Yvon Michel , Michalakis Yannis , Gutiérrez Serafin , Blanc Stéphane
Published: July 2015

Plant virus species of the family
Nanoviridae
have segmented genomes with the highest known number of segments encapsidated individually. They thus likely represent the most extreme case of the so-called multipartite, or multicomponent, viruses. All species of the family are believed to be transmitted in a circulative nonpropagative manner by aphid vectors, meaning that the virus simply crosses cellular barriers within the aphid body, from the gut to the salivary glands, without replicating or even expressing any of its genes. However, this assumption is largely based on analogy with the transmission of other plant viruses, such as geminiviruses or luteoviruses, and the details of the molecular and cellular interactions between aphids and nanoviruses are poorly investigated. When comparing the relative frequencies of the eight genome segments in populations of the species
Faba bean necrotic stunt virus
(FBNSV) (genus
Nanovirus
) within host plants and within aphid vectors fed on these plants, we unexpectedly found evidence of reproducible changes in the frequencies of some specific segments. We further show that these changes occur within the gut during early stages of the virus cycle in the aphid and not later, when the virus is translocated into the salivary glands. This peculiar observation, which was similarly confirmed in three aphid vector species,
Acyrthosiphon pisum
,
Aphis craccivora
, and
Myzus persicae
, calls for revisiting of the mechanisms of nanovirus transmission. It reveals an unexpected intimate interaction that may not fit the canonical circulative nonpropagative transmission.

IMPORTANCE
A specific mode of interaction between viruses and arthropod vectors has been extensively described in plant viruses in the three families
Luteoviridae
,
Geminiviridae
, and
Nanoviridae
, but never in arboviruses of animals. This so-called circulative nonpropagative transmission contrasts with the classical biological transmission of animal arboviruses in that the corresponding viruses are thought to cross the vector cellular barriers, from the gut lumen to the hemolymph and to the salivary glands, without expressing any of their genes and without replicating. By monitoring the genetic composition of viral populations during the life cycle of
Faba bean necrotic stunt virus
(FBNSV) (genus
Nanovirus
), we demonstrate reproducible genetic changes during the transit of the virus within the body of the aphid vector. These changes do not fit the view that viruses simply traverse the bodies of their arthropod vectors and suggest more intimate interactions, calling into question the current understanding of circulative nonpropagative transmission.
Metabolism and Pathogenicity ofPseudomonas aeruginosaInfections in the Lungs of Individuals with Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Palmer Gregory C. , Whiteley Marvin
Published: July 2015

Individuals with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF) accumulate mucus or sputum in their lungs. This sputum is a potent growth substrate for a range of potential pathogens, and the opportunistic bacteriumPseudomonas aeruginosais generally most difficult of these to eradicate. As a result,P. aeruginosainfections are frequently maintained in the CF lung throughout life, and are the leading cause of death for these individuals. While great effort has been expended to better understand and treat these devastating infections, only recently have researchers begun to rigorously examine the roles played by specific nutrients in CF sputum to cueP. aeruginosapathogenicity. This chapter summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding howP. aeruginosametabolism in CF sputum affects initiation and maintenance of these infections. It contains an overview of CF lung disease and the mechanisms ofP. aeruginosapathogenicity. Several model systems used to study these infections are described with emphasis on the challenge of replicating the chronic infections observed in humans with CF. Nutrients present in CF sputum are surveyed, and the impacts of these nutrients on the infection are discussed. The chapter concludes by addressing the future of this line of research including the use of next-generation technologies and the potential for metabolism-based therapeutics.
Acute scaphoidectomy and four-corner fusion for the surgical treatment of trans-scaphoid perilunate fracture dislocation with pre-existing scaphoid non-union
Authors: Roberts Darren , Power Dominic Michael
Published: July 2015

This paper presents a rare case of trans-scaphoid perilunate fracture dislocation with concurrent scaphoid non-union of the left wrist following a motorcycle accident. Emergent CT identified scaphoid non-union advanced collapse and an acute scaphoidectomy, four-corner fusion, denervation and radiocarpal ligament repair was performed.
Adherence to guidelines on antibiotic treatment for respiratory tract infections in various categories of physicians: a retrospective cross-sectional study of data from electronic patient records
Authors: Tell David , Engström Sven , Mölstad Sigvard
Published: July 2015

Objective

To study how prescription patterns concerning respiratory tract infections differ between interns, residents, younger general practitioners (GPs), older GPs and locums.

Design

Retrospective study of structured data from electronic patient records.

Setting

Data were obtained from 53 health centres and 3 out-of-hours units in Jönköping County, Sweden, through their common electronic medical record database.

Participants

All physicians working in primary care during the 2-year study period (1 November 2010 to 31 October 2012).

Outcome measures

Physicians’ adherence to current guidelines for respiratory tract infections regarding the use of antibiotics.

Results

We found considerable differences in prescribing patterns between physician categories. The recommended antibiotic, phenoxymethylpenicillin, was more often prescribed by interns, residents and younger GPs, while older GPs and locums to a higher degree prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics. The greatest differences were seen when the recommendation in guidelines was to refrain from antibiotics, as for acute bronchitis. Interns and residents most often followed guidelines, while compliance in descending order was: young GPs, older GPs and locums. We also noticed that male doctors were somewhat overall more restrictive with antibiotics than female doctors.

Conclusions

In general, primary care doctors followed national guidelines on choice of antibiotics when treating respiratory tract infections in children but to a lesser degree when treating adults. Refraining from antibiotics seems harder. Adherence to national guidelines could be improved, especially for acute bronchitis and pneumonia. This was especially true for older GPs and locums whose prescription patterns were distant from the prevailing guidelines.
Design and care of surgical instruments
Authors: Strong David , Capewell Linda
Published: July 2015

The aim of this article is to provide insight into how surgical instruments are designed and manufactured, what materials are used, and the differences in the care they need in day‐to‐day practice to maintain them at peak efficiency. Protocols for instrument care in general practice are also included, along with troubleshooting advice.
Drug eluting stents versus bare metal stents for the treatment of extracranial vertebral artery disease: a meta-analysis
Authors: Tank Vivek H , Ghosh Ritam , Gupta Vikas , Sheth Nakul , Gordon Shariyah , He Wenzhuan , Modica Steven F , Prestigiacomo Charles J , Gandhi Chirag D
Published: July 2015

Background

While a growing number of reports offer evidence for the potential of drug eluting stents (DES) in treating atherosclerotic stenosis of the extracranial vertebral artery, their efficacy when compared with bare metal stents (BMS) is uncertain due to the lack of a large prospective randomized trial.

Methods

A search strategy using the terms ‘stents’, ‘drug-eluting stents’, ‘atherosclerosis’, ‘vertebral artery’, and ‘vertebrobasilar insufficiency’ was employed through Medline. Five studies met the criteria for a comparative meta-analysis. The technical/clinical success, periprocedural complications, target vessel revascularization (TVR), rates of restenosis, recurrent symptoms, and overall survival were compared.

Results

There was no significant difference in the technical success (OR=1.528, p=0.622), clinical success (OR=1.917, p=0.274), and periprocedural complications (OR=0.741, p=0.614) between the two groups. An OR of 0.388 for no restenosis in the BMS to DES arms (p=0.001) indicated a significantly higher restenosis rate in the BMS group relative to the DES group (33.57% vs 15.49%). When compared with the DES group, the BMS group had a significantly higher rate of recurrent symptoms (2.76% vs 11.26%; OR=3.319, p=0.011) and TVR (4.83% vs 19.21%; OR=4.099, p=0.001).

Conclusions

A significantly lower rate of restenosis, recurrent symptoms, and TVR was noted in the DES group compared with the BMS group.
Eosinophilia predicts poor clinical outcomes in recent-onset arthritis: results from the ESPOIR cohort
Authors: Guellec Dewi , Milin Morgane , Cornec Divi , Tobon Gabriel J , Marhadour Thierry , Jousse-Joulin Sandrine , Chiocchia Gilles , Vittecocq Olivier , Devauchelle-Pensec Valérie , Saraux Alain
Published: July 2015

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of eosinophilia in patients with recent-onset arthritis suggestive of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to describe their features and outcomes.

Methods

We performed an ancillary study of data from a French prospective multicentre cohort study monitoring clinical, laboratory and radiographic data in patients with inflammatory arthritis of 6 weeks to 6 months duration. We determined the proportion of patients with eosinophilia, defined as a count >500/mm3, at baseline and after 3 years. Features of patients with and without baseline eosinophilia were compared.

Results

Baseline eosinophilia was evidenced in 26 of 804 (3.2%) patients; their mean eosinophil count was 637.7±107/mm3. Baseline eosinophilia was ascribed to atopic syndrome in 6 of 26 (23.1%) patients. After 3 years, patients with eosinophilia had higher Health Assessment Questionnaire scores (0.9 vs 0.5, p=0.004), higher patient visual analogue scale activity score and morning stiffness intensity (p=0.05), and were more often taking disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (p=0.02). Baseline eosinophilia was not associated with presence of extra-articular manifestations.

Conclusions

Eosinophilia is rare in recent-onset arthritis suggestive of RA, and is usually directly related to the rheumatic disease. Our data suggest that patients with mild eosinophilia at diagnosis could respond worse to the treatment than those without.
Partial endotracheal tube obstruction by a blood clot in two dogs
Authors: Küls Nina , Murison Pamela J
Published: July 2015

Case 1: A seven‐year‐old lurcher presented after an episode of severe respiratory distress and collapse, which had been treated by the referring veterinary surgeon with a tracheostomy tube placement. Laryngeal paralysis was diagnosed, and the dog was scheduled to undergo left‐sided laryngoplasty. During anaesthesia, the dog developed marked hypercapnia and respiratory acidosis during spontaneous ventilation. Initiation of manual ventilation and endotracheal suctioning did not improve the ventilation. On extubation, a blood clot was discovered, occluding approximately two‐third of the endotracheal tube (ETT) lumen. Case 2: A two‐month‐old Jack Russell terrier was presented for ligation of a patent ductus arteriosus. Intraoperatively, the dog developed sudden severe hypercapnia and hypoxaemia. Manual ventilation was initiated, and two attempts of recruiting the lung were made, which initially improved the ventilation. Postoperatively, before extubation, a second episode of severe hypercapnia and resistance to ventilation was noted. On extubation, a blood clot occluding 60 per cent of the ETT lumen was detected.
On the quantitative determination of coal seam thickness by means of in-seam seismic surveys
Authors: Schott W. , Waclawik P.
Published: July 2015

By means of in-seam seismic (ISS) surveys carried out at Karvina coal mine of OKD, Czech Republic, in two neighbouring panels it is shown how the distribution of coal seam thickness can be investigated if the coal seam consists of almost pure coal. The coal seam under investigation was considerably affected by erosion, which resulted in thickness changes amounting from ∼30 cm up to ∼4.40 m. First, by applying ISS-tomographic inversion to the group travel times for a constant frequency value, the distribution of the related group velocity was determined, which showed the extension of the erosions within the survey areas. By correlating the group velocity distribution with known values of the coal seam thickness along a gate, a relation in terms of a polynomial approximation between these quantities could be derived. This relation is specific for a chosen frequency value and resolves in general only some of the thickness range. For the application presented in this paper, a value of 200 Hz was chosen for the constant frequency value by which a range of coal seam thicknesses from about 100 cm to about 300 cm was resolved. This was the main objective of the surveys. For the investigation of a greater variation of coal seam thickness (or even the complete thickness distribution), the described procedure has to be repeated for different constant frequency values. The final thickness map then has to be combined from the individual results for the different constant frequency values. The thickness range that was investigated by the surveys was in good agreement with the thickness encountered by mining the panel.