bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association Between Childhood Specific Learning Difficulties and School Performance in Adolescents With And Without ADHD Symptoms
Authors: Taanila Anja , Ebeling Hanna , Tiihala Marjo , Kaakinen Marika , Moilanen Irma , Hurtig Tuula , Yliherva Anneli
Published: June 2012

Objective: The authors investigated whether childhood specific learning difficulties (SLDs) predict later school performance in adolescents with ADHD symptoms (ADHDs) and how SLDs associate with educational aspirations. Method: In the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 ( n = 9,432), data about children were collected using questionnaires for parents and teachers at ages 7 and 8 and for parents and adolescents at ages 15/16. Information on school performance was obtained from a national register. Results: The occurrence of SLDs at 8 years was 19.9% ( n = 1,198), ADHDs at 15/16 years was 8.0% ( n = 530), and comorbid ADHDs and SLDs was 3.0% ( n = 179). Having ADHDs but not SLDs or having both was associated with a significantly lower mean value in school grades for theoretical subjects. Adolescents with comorbid ADHDs and SLDs repeated a grade more often, and their educational aspirations were less ambitious than those in other groups. Conclusion: ADHDs and SLDs have a negative influence on academic achievements.
Early Markers in Infants and Toddlers for Development of ADHD
Authors: Gurevitz Mina , Geva Ronny , Varon Maya , Leitner Yael
Published: June 2012

Objective: Characterization of risk factors for ADHD in infancy may enable early intervention to diminish the symptoms that ensue. Method: In a retrospective study, the well-baby-care clinic records from birth to 18 months of age of 58 children diagnosed at school age for ADHD were compared with those of 58 control children, and the differences between the two groups were statistically analyzed. Results: Eight parameters during infancy were found to be significantly associated with later development of ADHD: at 0 to 1 month—advanced maternal age, lower maternal education, family history of ADHD, and social problems; at 3 and 18 months—decrease in head circumference percentile; at 9 and 18 months—delay in motor and language development, and difficult temperament. The predictive regression model accounted for 58% of the variance. Conclusion: This study highlights early risk markers in infants and toddlers that may predict the development of ADHD.
Surgical Considerations in Tracheal and Carinal Resection
Authors: Blasberg Justin D. , Wright Cameron D.
Published: June 2012

Surgical resection of the trachea and carina requires a highly specialized team of thoracic surgeons, anesthesiologists, and operative support staff because of the complex nature of these procedures. Improvements in the design and application of low-pressure cuffed endotracheal tubes and extensive experience in tracheal reconstruction have reduced ventilation associated airway injury and facilitated new techniques for repair. Even with these improvements, tracheal surgery for stenosis is still commonplace, as is the need for resection in cases of benign and malignant lesions of the airway. Surgical consideration of malignant lesions involving the carina remains a challenge for localized cancer and more commonly for tumors arising from the lung with radial involvement of the main bronchus and carina. These patients often require pneumonectomy during carinal resection with complicated reconstructive efforts to establish airway continuity. Careful patient selection, operative planning, and execution by both the thoracic surgery and anesthesia teams are required for optimal results.
Lubrication of 2D soft elastohydrodynamic contacts: Extension of the amplitude reduction theory
Authors: Mora F , Sainsot P , le Chenadec Y , Lubrecht AA
Published: June 2012

Surface roughness plays an important role in the performance of soft elastohydrodynamically lubricated contacts. When a soft and smooth body is in contact with a very rigid and rough one, the roughness creates pressure fluctuations, resulting in the deformation of the soft body. As the contact pressure is low, the fluid can be considered isoviscous and incompressible. An extension of the amplitude reduction theory from the piezoviscous to isoviscous elastic regime is performed under pure rolling conditions. It shows that a single master curve can be obtained by providing an analytic formula, but the power on the load parameter is different in the piezoviscous and isoviscous elastic zones.
How effective are self- and peer assessment of oral presentation skills compared with teachers’ assessments?
Authors: De Grez Luc , Valcke Martin , Roozen Irene
Published: June 2012

Assessment of oral presentation skills is an underexplored area. The study described here focuses on the agreement between professional assessment and self- and peer assessment of oral presentation skills and explores student perceptions about peer assessment. The study has the merit of paying attention to the inter-rater reliability of the teachers. Comparison of the teacher and peer assessment rubric scores points at a positive relationship, but also at critical differences. The lower intra-class correlation suggests that peers and teachers still interpret the criteria and indicators of the rubric in a different way. With regard to the comparison of self-assessment scores and teacher scores, we have to conclude that there are significant differences between these scores. Self-assessment scores are, for the most part, higher than the marks given by teachers. The results also reflect a very positive attitude of students towards peer assessment as a relevant source of external feedback.
Evaluation of an online study skills course
Authors: Pryjmachuk Steven , Gill Anita , Wood Patricia , Olleveant Nicola , Keeley Philip
Published: June 2012

This article describes the evaluation of an online study skills course unit designed, using evidence-based principles, to support undergraduate students. A mixed-methods approach was employed to establish the extent to which the unit was (a) fit for purpose and (b) effective. Data were obtained from an online survey ( n = 63) conducted on entry to the unit and on exit several months later and from face-to-face interviews with students ( n = 12). Moderate to large positive and statistically significant changes between entry and exit measures of student knowledge and confidence in a variety of study-related skills were identified in the survey data. Positive data regarding confidence were also evident in the interview data, which further revealed that, although the unit was generally seen as fit for purpose, there were some issues regarding feedback to students and the supporting face-to-face tutorials that were provided. The literature would benefit from larger-scale and more robustly designed research in this area.
Cosmopolitan Stars, Interactive Audience Labor, and the Digital Economy of Global Care
Authors: Wilson Julie A.
Published: June 2012

Cosmopolitan stars like Angelina Jolie not only urge charity and care; increasingly, they link Western media audiences to international aid and development agencies, enjoining them to become empowered, socially entrepreneurial “world” citizens through online participation in global civil society. These developments are indicative of significant shifts in the cultural life of both media celebrity and citizenship, as charitable stars and the small acts of digital caring they solicit from their media audiences have emerged as central linchpins in global governmentality. Tracing the social, cultural, and political-economic productivity of celebrity branding and media interactivity for global regimes of governing, this essay shows how caring stars and audience labor are mobilized to fuel a digital economy of global care that sustains the social welfare work of the international community.
College and Career Readiness Assessment
Authors: Lombardi Allison R. , Conley David T. , Seburn Mary A. , Downs Andrew M.
Published: June 2012

In this study, the authors examined the psychometric properties of the key cognitive strategies (KCS) within the CollegeCareerReady™ School Diagnostic, a self-report measure of critical thinking skills intended for high school students. Using a cross-validation approach, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted with a randomly selected portion of the sample ( n = 516) and resulted in five reliable factors: (a) problem formulation, (b) research, (c) interpretation, (d) communication, and (e) precision/accuracy. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with the remaining sample ( n = 808). Goodness-of-fit indices indicated acceptable model fit. The five-factor solution is consistent with earlier validity studies of the KCS framework. Implications for use by high school personnel in evaluation of instructional programs and as a value-added assessment are discussed.
Prevalence and Management of Helminthiasis among Underfives Living with HIV/AIDS at Amana Hospital, Tanzania
Authors: Mwambete Kennedy D. , Tunzo Jones , Justin-Temu Mary
Published: June 2012

Objective:

This was a cross-sectional study intended to assess the prevalence and management of helminthiasis (HL) among underfives living with HIV/AIDS (ULHA).

Methodology:

Clinical histories of ULHA were scrutinized for HIV/AIDS status, antiretroviral therapy (ART), HL prevalence, and their management.

Results:

About 364 ULHA were studied, 213 (58.5%) were girls and 151 (41.5%) were boys. Of the 364 ULHA, 171 (47.5%) had HL and 64.3% were treated with albendazole (ABZ). Trichuriasis was ascribed to 23.6% of HL. Majority (72.5%) of ULHA had a CD4 count below 200 cells/mm3. Direct association was observed between CD4 counts and HL. About 55% ULHA were on lamivudine (3TC)-stavudine (d4T)-nevirapine (NVP; LSN) combination therapy. The ABZ-LSN combination was frequently used for HIV/AIDS and HL management.

Conclusion:

High prevalence of HL and vivid correlation between HIV status and HL were observed. The LSN-ABZ combination was frequently employed for management of HIV/AIDS and HL. We recommended prompt diagnosis of HL to avoid acceleration of HIV infection to AIDS.
Rest Is Not Idleness
Authors: Immordino-Yang Mary Helen , Christodoulou Joanna A. , Singh Vanessa
Published: June 2012

When people wakefully rest in the functional MRI scanner, their minds wander, and they engage a so-called default mode (DM) of neural processing that is relatively suppressed when attention is focused on the outside world. Accruing evidence suggests that DM brain systems activated during rest are also important for active, internally focused psychosocial mental processing, for example, when recalling personal memories, imagining the future, and feeling social emotions with moral connotations. Here the authors review evidence for the DM and relations to psychological functioning, including associations with mental health and cognitive abilities like reading comprehension and divergent thinking. This article calls for research into the dimensions of internally focused thought, ranging from free-form daydreaming and off-line consolidation to intensive, effortful abstract thinking, especially with socioemotional relevance. It is argued that the development of some socioemotional skills may be vulnerable to disruption by environmental distraction, for example, from certain educational practices or overuse of social media. The authors hypothesize that high environmental attention demands may bias youngsters to focus on the concrete, physical, and immediate aspects of social situations and self, which may be more compatible with external attention. They coin the term constructive internal reflection and advocate educational practices that promote effective balance between external attention and internal reflection.
Vocational Interests and Performance
Authors: Nye Christopher D. , Su Rong , Rounds James , Drasgow Fritz
Published: June 2012

Despite early claims that vocational interests could be used to distinguish successful workers and superior students from their peers, interest measures are generally ignored in the employee selection literature. Nevertheless, theoretical descriptions of vocational interests from vocational and educational psychology have proposed that interest constructs should be related to performance and persistence in work and academic settings. Moreover, on the basis of Holland’s (1959, 1997) theoretical predictions, congruence indices, which quantify the degree of similarity or person–environment fit between individuals and their occupations, should be more strongly related to performance than interest scores alone. Using a comprehensive review of the interest literature that spans more than 60 years of research, a meta-analysis was conducted to examine the veracity of these claims. A literature search identified 60 studies and approximately 568 correlations that addressed the relationship between interests and performance. Results showed that interests are indeed related to performance and persistence in work and academic contexts. In addition, the correlations between congruence indices and performance were stronger than for interest scores alone. Thus, consistent with interest theory, the fit between individuals and their environment was more predictive of performance than interest alone.
An objective assessment of safety to drive in an upper limb cast
Authors: Stevenson H. L. , Peterson N. , Talbot C. , Dalal S. , Watts A. C. , Trail I. A.
Published: June 2012

Patients managed with upper limb cast immobilization often seek advice about driving. There is very little published data to assist in decision making, and advice given varies between healthcare professionals. There are no specific guidelines available from the UK Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Agency, police, or insurance companies. Evidence-based guidelines would enable clinicians to standardize the advice given to patients. Six individuals (three male, three female; mean age 36 years, range 27–43 years) were assessed by a mobility occupational therapist and driving standards agency examiner while completing a formal driving test in six different types of upper limb casts (above-elbow, below-elbow neutral, and below-elbow cast incorporating the thumb [Bennett’s cast]) on both left and right sides. Of the 36 tests, participants passed 31 tests, suggesting that most people were able to safely drive with upper limb cast immobilization. However, driving in a left above-elbow cast was considered unsafe.
ER stress and autophagy: new discoveries in the mechanism of action and drug resistance of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor flavopiridol
Authors: Mahoney Emilia , Lucas David M. , Gupta Sneha V. , Wagner Amy J. , Herman Sarah E. M. , Smith Lisa L. , Yeh Yuh-Ying , Andritsos Leslie , Jones Jeffrey A. , Flynn Joseph M. , Blum Kristie A. , Zhang Xiaoli , Lehman Amy , Kong Hui , Gurcan Metin , Grever Michael R. , Johnson Amy J. , Byrd John C.
Published: June 2012

Cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors, such as flavopiridol, demonstrate significant single-agent activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but the mechanism of action in these nonproliferating cells is unclear. Here we demonstrate that CLL cells undergo autophagy after treatment with therapeutic agents, including fludarabine, CAL-101, and flavopiridol as well as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-inducing agent thapsigargin. The addition of chloroquine or siRNA against autophagy components enhanced the cytotoxic effects of flavopiridol and thapsigargin, but not the other agents. Similar to thapsigargin, flavopiridol robustly induces a distinct pattern of ER stress in CLL cells that contributes to cell death through IRE1-mediated activation of ASK1 and possibly downstream caspases. Both autophagy and ER stress were documented in tumor cells from CLL patients receiving flavopiridol. Thus, CLL cells undergo autophagy after multiple stimuli, including therapeutic agents, but only with ER stress mediators and CDK inhibitors is autophagy a mechanism of resistance to cell death. These findings collectively demonstrate, for the first time, a novel mechanism of action (ER stress) and drug resistance (autophagy) for CDK inhibitors, such as flavopiridol in CLL, and provide avenues for new therapeutic combination approaches in this disease.
The rhesus macaque is three times as diverse but more closely equivalent in damaging coding variation as compared to the human
Authors: Yuan Qiaoping , Zhou Zhifeng , Lindell Stephen G , Higley J Dee , Ferguson Betsy , Thompson Robert C , Lopez Juan F , Suomi Stephen J , Baghal Basel , Baker Maggie , Mash Deborah C , Barr Christina S , Goldman David
Published: June 2012

Background

As a model organism in biomedicine, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is the most widely used nonhuman primate. Although a draft genome sequence was completed in 2007, there has been no systematic genome-wide comparison of genetic variation of this species to humans. Comparative analysis of functional and nonfunctional diversity in this highly abundant and adaptable non-human primate could inform its use as a model for human biology, and could reveal how variation in population history and size alters patterns and levels of sequence variation in primates.

Results

We sequenced the mRNA transcriptome and H3K4me3-marked DNA regions in hippocampus from 14 humans and 14 rhesus macaques. Using equivalent methodology and sampling spaces, we identified 462,802 macaque SNPs, most of which were novel and disproportionately located in the functionally important genomic regions we had targeted in the sequencing. At least one SNP was identified in each of 16,797 annotated macaque genes. Accuracy of macaque SNP identification was conservatively estimated to be >90%. Comparative analyses using SNPs equivalently identified in the two species revealed that rhesus macaque has approximately three times higher SNP density and average nucleotide diversity as compared to the human. Based on this level of diversity, the effective population size of the rhesus macaque is approximately 80,000 which contrasts with an effective population size of less than 10,000 for humans. Across five categories of genomic regions, intergenic regions had the highest SNP density and average nucleotide diversity and CDS (coding sequences) the lowest, in both humans and macaques. Although there are more coding SNPs (cSNPs) per individual in macaques than in humans, the ratio of dN/dS is significantly lower in the macaque. Furthermore, the number of damaging nonsynonymous cSNPs (have damaging effects on protein functions from PolyPhen-2 prediction) in the macaque is more closely equivalent to that of the human.

Conclusions

This large panel of newly identified macaque SNPs enriched for functionally significant regions considerably expands our knowledge of genetic variation in the rhesus macaque. Comparative analysis reveals that this widespread, highly adaptable species is approximately three times as diverse as the human but more closely equivalent in damaging variation.
Development of efficient catharanthus roseus regeneration and transformation system using agrobacterium tumefaciens and hypocotyls as explants
Authors: Wang Quan , Xing Shihai , Pan Qifang , Yuan Fang , Zhao Jingya , Tian Yuesheng , Chen Yu , Wang Guofeng , Tang Kexuan
Published: June 2012

Background

As a valuable medicinal plant, Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) produces many terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs), such as vindoline, ajamlicine, serpentine, catharanthine, vinblastine and vincristine et al. Some of them are important components of drugs treating cancer and hypertension. However, the yields of these TIAs are low in wild-type plants, and the total chemical synthesis is impractical in large scale due to high-cost and their complicated structures. The recent development of metabolic engineering strategy offers a promising solution. In order to improve the production of TIAs in C. roseus, the establishment of an efficient genetic transformation method is required.

Results

To develop a genetic transformation method for C. roseus, Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 was employed which harbors a binary vector pCAMBIA2301 containing a report β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene and a selectable marker neomycin phosphotransferase II gene (NTPII). The influential factors were investigated systematically and the optimal transformation condition was achieved using hypocotyls as explants, including the sonication treatment of 10 min with 80 W, A. tumefaciens infection of 30 min and co-cultivation of 2 d in 1/2 MS medium containing 100 μM acetosyringone. With a series of selection in callus, shoot and root inducing kanamycin-containing resistance media, we successfully obtained stable transgenic regeneration plants. The expression of GUS gene was confirmed by histochemistry, polymerase chain reaction, and genomic southern blot analysis. To prove the efficiency of the established genetic transformation system, the rate-limiting gene in TIAs biosynthetic pathway, DAT, which encodes deacetylvindoline-4-O-acetyltransferase, was transferred into C. roseus using this established system and 9 independent transgenic plants were obtained. The results of metabolite analysis using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that overexpression of DAT increased the yield of vindoline in transgenic plants.

Conclusions

In the present study, we report an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for C. roseus plants with 11% of transformation frequency. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the establishment of A. tumefaciens mediated transformation and regeneration of C. roseus. More importantly, the C. roseus transformation system developed in this work was confirmed in the successful transformation of C. roseus using a key gene DAT involved in TIAs biosynthetic pathway resulting in the higher accumulation of vindoline in transgenic plants.
Layer-shaped alginate hydrogels enhance the biological performance of human adipose-derived stem cells
Authors: Galateanu Bianca , Dimonie Doina , Vasile Eugeniu , Nae Sorin , Cimpean Anisoara , Costache Marieta
Published: June 2012

Background

The reconstruction of adipose tissue defects is often challenged by the complications that may occur following plastic and reconstructive surgery, including donor-site morbidity, implant migration and foreign body reaction. To overcome these problems, adipose tissue engineering (ATE) using stem cell-based regeneration strategies has been widely explored in the last years. Mounting evidence has shown that adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) represent a promising cell source for ATE. In the context of a small number of reports concerning adipose tissue regeneration using three-dimensional (3-D) systems, the present study was designed to evaluate the biological performance of a novel alginate matrix that incorporates human ADSCs (hADSCs).

Results

Culture-expanded cells isolated from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), corresponding to the third passage which showed the expression of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) markers, were used in the 3-D culture systems. The latter represented a calcium alginate hydrogel, obtained by the diffusion of calcium gluconate (CGH matrix), and shaped as discoid-thin layer. For comparative purposes, a similar hADSC-laden alginate hydrogel cross-linked with calcium chloride was considered as reference hydrogel (RH matrix). Both hydrogels showed a porous structure under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the hADSCs embedded displayed normal spherical morphologies, some of them showing signs of mitosis. More than 85% of the entrapped cells survived throughout the incubation period of 7 days. The percentage of viable cells was significantly higher within CGH matrix at 2 days post-seeding, and approximately similar within both hydrogels after 7 days of culture. Moreover, both alginate-based hydrogels stimulated cell proliferation. The number of hADSC within hydrogels has increased during the incubation period of 7 days and was higher in the case of CGH matrix. Cells grown under adipogenic conditions for 21 days showed that both analyzed 3-D culture systems support adipogenic differentiation in terms of neutral lipid accumulation and perillipin expression. Furthermore, the cells encapsulated in CGH matrix displayed a more differentiated phenotype.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that both CGH and RH matrices successfully support the survival and adipogenesis of hADSC. An enhancement of biological performance was detected in the case of CGH matrix, suggesting its promising application in ATE.
The intriguing Cyclophilin A-HIV-1 Vpr interaction: prolyl cis/trans isomerisation catalysis and specific binding
Authors: Solbak Sara M , Reksten Tove R , Wray Victor , Bruns Karsten , Horvli Ole , Raae Arnt J , Henklein Petra , Henklein Peter , Röder Rene , Mitzner David , Schubert Ulrich , Fossen Torgils
Published: June 2012

Background

Cyclophilin A (CypA) represents a potential target for antiretroviral therapy since inhibition of CypA suppresses human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication, although the mechanism through which CypA modulates HIV-1 infectivity still remains unclear. The interaction of HIV-1 viral protein R (Vpr) with the human peptidyl prolyl isomerase CypA is known to occur in vitro and in vivo. However, the nature of the interaction of CypA with Pro-35 of N-terminal Vpr has remained undefined.

Results

Characterization of the interactions of human CypA with N-terminal peptides of HIV-1 Vpr has been achieved using a combination of nuclear magnetic resonace (NMR) exchange spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR). NMR data at atomic resolution indicate prolyl cis/trans isomerisation of the highly conserved proline residues Pro-5, -10, -14 and -35 of Vpr are catalyzed by human CypA and require only very low concentrations of the isomerase relative to that of the peptide substrates. Of the N-terminal peptides of Vpr only those containing Pro-35 bind to CypA in a biosensor assay. SPR studies of specific N-terminal peptides with decreasing numbers of residues revealed that a seven-residue motif centred at Pro-35 consisting of RHFPRIW, which under membrane-like solution conditions comprises the loop region connecting helix 1 and 2 of Vpr and the two terminal residues of helix 1, is sufficient to maintain strong specific binding.

Conclusions

Only N-terminal peptides of Vpr containing Pro-35, which appears to be vital for manifold functions of Vpr, bind to CypA in a biosensor assay. This indicates that Pro-35 is essential for a specific CypA-Vpr binding interaction, in contrast to the general prolyl cis/trans isomerisation observed for all proline residues of Vpr, which only involve transient enzyme-substrate interactions. Previously suggested models depicting CypA as a chaperone that plays a role in HIV-1 virulence are now supported by our data. In detail the SPR data of this interaction were compatible with a two-state binding interaction model that involves a conformational change during binding. This is in accord with the structural changes observed by NMR suggesting CypA catalyzes the prolyl cis/trans interconversion during binding to the RHFP35RIW motif of N-terminal Vpr.
Latent associations of low serum amylase with decreased plasma insulin levels and insulin resistance in asymptomatic middle-aged adults
Authors: Muneyuki Toshitaka , Nakajima Kei , Aoki Atsushi , Yoshida Masashi , Fuchigami Hiroshi , Munakata Hiromi , Ishikawa San-e , Sugawara Hitoshi , Kawakami Masanobu , Momomura Shin-ichi , Kakei Masafumi
Published: June 2012

Background

Low serum amylase is likely to be associated with obesity and metabolic abnormalities, which are often accompanied by impaired insulin action. However, it is unclear whether low serum amylase is associated with impaired insulin action in clinical settings. Therefore, we investigated the associations of low serum amylase with plasma insulin levels, and obesity-related parameters, including leptin.

Research design and methods

We measured serum amylase, plasma insulin, obesity-related parameters such as leptin, cardiometabolic risk factors, and anthropometric parameters in a cross-sectional study of 54 asymptomatic subjects (mean age 48.6 ± 7.6 years) who were not being treated for diabetes.

Results

Body mass index (BMI) and plasma glucose at 120 min after a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were significantly higher in subjects with low serum amylase (< 60 IU/l, n = 21) than in those with normal-to-high serum amylase (n = 33) (P = 0.04 and P = 0.004, respectively). In univariate correlation analysis, serum amylase was significantly correlated with BMI alone (r = –0.39, P = 0.004). By contrast, multivariate logistic analysis showed that each 1-SD increase in quantitative insulin sensitivity check index, and each 1-SD decrease in plasma insulin OGTT at 0 and 60 min, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA)-R, and HOMA-β were significantly associated with low serum amylase, particularly after adjusting for BMI. When subjects were divided into three groups according to HOMA-R, serum amylase levels were significantly lower in subjects with HOMA-R > 2.5 (n = 23) compared with subjects with HOMA-R 1.6–2.5 (n = 10) (61.1 ± 13.6 U/ml versus 76.9 ± 20.5 U/ml, Bonferroni test, P = 0.02), but not compared with subjects with HOMA-R<1.6 (n = 21; 62.7 ± 17.6 U/ml). Similar trends were observed when subjects were divided according to plasma leptin and fasting plasma insulin levels.

Conclusions

These results suggest that after adjusting for BMI, low serum amylase is associated with decreased basal insulin levels and insulin secretion, as well as high insulin resistance. The nature of these associations remains to be elucidated in further studies.
Comprehensive microarray-based analysis for stage-specific larval camouflage pattern-associated genes in the swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus
Authors: Futahashi Ryo , Shirataki Hiroko , Narita Takanori , Mita Kazuei , Fujiwara Haruhiko
Published: June 2012

Background

Body coloration is an ecologically important trait that is often involved in prey-predator interactions through mimicry and crypsis. Although this subject has attracted the interest of biologists and the general public, our scientific knowledge on the subject remains fragmentary. In the caterpillar of the swallowtail butterflyPapilio xuthus, spectacular changes in the color pattern are observed; the insect mimics bird droppings (mimetic pattern) as a young larva, and switches to a green camouflage coloration (cryptic pattern) in the final instar. Despite the wide variety and significance of larval color patterns, few studies have been conducted at a molecular level compared with the number of studies on adult butterfly wing patterns.

Results

To obtain a catalog of genes involved in larval mimetic and cryptic pattern formation, we constructed expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries of larval epidermis forP. xuthus, andP. polytesthat contained 20,736 and 5,376 clones, respectively, representing one of the largest collections available in butterflies. A comparison with silkworm epidermal EST information revealed the high expression of putative blue and yellow pigment-binding proteins inPapiliospecies. We also designed a microarray from the EST dataset information, analyzed more than five stages each for six markings, and confirmed spatial expression patterns by whole-mountin situhybridization. Hence, we succeeded in elucidating many novel marking-specific genes for mimetic and cryptic pattern formation, including pigment-binding protein genes, the melanin-associated geneyellow-h3, the ecdysteroid synthesis enzyme gene3-dehydroecdysone 3b-reductase, andPapilio-specific genes. We also found many cuticular protein genes with marking specificity that may be associated with the unique surface nanostructure of the markings. Furthermore, we identified two transcription factors,spaltand ecdysteroid signal-relatedE75, as genes expressed in larval eyespot markings. This finding suggests thatE75is a strong candidate mediator of the hormone-dependent coordination of larval pattern formation.

Conclusions

This study is one of the most comprehensive molecular analyses of complicated morphological features, and it will serve as a new resource for studying insect mimetic and cryptic pattern formation in general. The wide variety of marking-associated genes (both regulatory and structural genes) identified by our screening indicates that a similar strategy will be effective for understanding other complex traits.
Phylogenomics supports microsporidia as the earliest diverging clade of sequenced fungi
Authors: Capella-Gutiérrez Salvador , Marcet-Houben Marina , Gabaldón Toni
Published: June 2012

Background

Microsporidia is one of the taxa that have experienced the most dramatic taxonomic reclassifications. Once thought to be among the earliest diverging eukaryotes, the fungal nature of this group of intracellular pathogens is now widely accepted. However, the specific position of microsporidia within the fungal tree of life is still debated. Due to the presence of accelerated evolutionary rates, phylogenetic analyses involving microsporidia are prone to methodological artifacts, such as long-branch attraction, especially when taxon sampling is limited.

Results

Here we exploit the recent availability of six complete microsporidian genomes to re-assess the long-standing question of their phylogenetic position. We show that microsporidians have a similar low level of conservation of gene neighborhood with other groups of fungi when controlling for the confounding effects of recent segmental duplications. A combined analysis of thousands of gene trees supports a topology in which microsporidia is a sister group to all other sequenced fungi. Moreover, this topology received increased support when less informative trees were discarded. This position of microsporidia was also strongly supported based on the combined analysis of 53 concatenated genes, and was robust to filters controlling for rate heterogeneity, compositional bias, long branch attraction and heterotachy.

Conclusions

Altogether, our data strongly support a scenario in which microsporidia is the earliest-diverging clade of sequenced fungi.
Eradication of bovine tuberculosis at a herd-level in Madrid, Spain: study of within-herd transmission dynamics over a 12 year period
Authors: Alvarez Julio , Perez Andres M , Bezos Javier , Casal Carmen , Romero Beatriz , Rodriguez-Campos Sabrina , Saez-Llorente Jose L , Diaz Rosa , Carpintero Jesus , de Juan Lucia , Domínguez Lucas
Published: June 2012

Background

Eradication of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) through the application of test-and-cull programs is a declared goal of developed countries in which the disease is still endemic. Here, longitudinal data from more than 1,700 cattle herds tested during a 12 year-period in the eradication program in the region of Madrid, Spain, were analyzed to quantify the within-herd transmission coefficient (β) depending on the herd-type (beef/dairy/bullfighting). In addition, the probability to recover the officially bTB free (OTF) status in infected herds depending on the type of herd and the diagnostic strategy implemented was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models.

Results

Overall, dairy herds showed higher β (median 4.7) than beef or bullfighting herds (2.3 and 2.2 respectively). Introduction of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) as an ancillary test produced an apparent increase in the β coefficient regardless of production type, likely due to an increase in diagnostic sensitivity. Time to recover OTF status was also significantly lower in dairy herds, and length of bTB episodes was significantly reduced when the IFN-γ was implemented to manage the outbreak.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that bTB spreads more rapidly in dairy herds compared to other herd types, a likely cause being management and demographic-related factors. However, outbreaks in dairy herds can be controlled more rapidly than in typically extensive herd types. Finally, IFN-γ proved its usefulness to rapidly eradicate bTB at a herd-level.
Immunohistochemical and morphological features of a small bowel leiomyoma in a black crested macaque (Macaca nigra)
Authors: Aristizabal-Arbelaez Mónica , Mejía-Restrepo Julian , Montoya-Flórez Mauricio , Grandi Fabrizio , Pedraza-Ordóñez Francisco
Published: June 2012

Background

Spontaneous gastrointestinal neoplasms in non-human primates are commonly seen in aged individuals. Due to genetic similarities between human and non-human primates, scientists have shown increasing interest in terms of comparative oncology studies.

Case presentation

The present study is related to a case of an intestinal leiomyoma in a black crested macaque (Macaca nigra), kept on captivity by Matecaña Zoo, Pereira City, Colombia. The animal had abdominal distension, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea and behavioral changes. Clinical examination showed an increased volume in the upper right abdominal quadrant caused by a neoplastic mass. The patient died during the surgical procedure. Necropsy revealed several small nodules in the peritoneum with adhesion to different portions of the small and large intestines, liver, stomach and diaphragm. Tissue samples were collected, routinely processed and stained by H&E. Microscopic examination revealed a mesenchymal tumor limited to tunica muscularis, resembling normal smooth muscle cells. Neoplastic cells were positive for alpha-smooth muscle actin and vimentin, and negative for cytokeratin AE1/AE3 by immunohistochemistry. Those morphological and immunohistochemical findings allowed to diagnose the intestinal leiomyoma referred above.

Conclusion

Neoplastic diseases in primates have multifaceted causes. Their manifestations are understudied, leading to a greater difficulty in detection and measurement of the real impact provides by this disease.
Effects of annual flow characteristics on the freshwater life history of Chinese sturgeon: concern inferred from the number of seaward migrating juveniles
Authors: Zhang Hui , Wei Qi W , Li Chong , Wu Xiang S , Liao Wen G
Published: June 2012

Since 2003, the flow characteristics of the Yangtze River, currently the only river where the protected Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis, spawns and where the young grows to the 6 to 8 month juvenile stage, has been regulated by the operation of the Three Gorges Project. The number of seaward migrating juveniles captured (NSMJC) in the Yangtze estuary from 2002 to 2010 was significantly positively related (Pearson correlation, P (two tailed) <0.01; Lg (NSMJC) = 0.870 + 3.930 × AASC, R = 0.940, P = 0.000) to the annual sediment load and annual average sediment concentration (AASC) of the previous year, when adults entered the river and migrated upstream, used refuge areas, and spawned, and when early life stages were reared. This suggests that silt content may have a major effect on adult spawning success and rearing of early life stages. Based on the correlation between numbers of juveniles captured and numbers of adults in the spawning areas in the previous year (Pearson correlation, R = 0.965, P (two tailed) = 0.008), we speculated that the sediment characteristics affected the migration and gonad development of mature individuals and, indirectly, the number of juveniles reaching the Yangtze estuary during the following year. Decreased silt levels in the Yangtze River following installation of the Three Gorges Project may be having a deleterious effect on Chinese sturgeon reproduction and needs further research.
Culturable halophilic archaea at the initial and crystallization stages of salt production in a natural solar saltern of Goa, India
Authors: Mani Kabilan , Salgaonkar Bhakti B , Braganca Judith M
Published: June 2012

Background

Goa is a coastal state in India and salt making is being practiced for many years. This investigation aimed in determining the culturable haloarchaeal diversity during two different phases of salt production in a natural solar saltern of Ribandar, Goa. Water and sediment samples were collected from the saltern during pre-salt harvesting phase and salt harvesting phase. Salinity and pH of the sampling site was determined. Isolates were obtained by plating of the samples on complex and synthetic haloarchaeal media. Morphology of the isolates was determined using Gram staining and electron microscopy. Response of cells to distilled water was studied spectrophotometrically at 600nm. Molecular identification of the isolates was performed by sequencing the 16S rRNA.

Results

Salinity of salt pans varied from 3-4% (non-salt production phase) to 30% (salt production phase) and pH varied from 7.0-8.0. Seven haloarchaeal strains were isolated from water and sediment samples during non-salt production phase and seventeen haloarchaeal strains were isolated during the salt production phase. All the strains stained uniformly Gram negative. The orange-red acetone extract of the pigments showed similar spectrophotometric profile with absorption maxima at 393, 474, 501 and 535 nm. All isolates obtained from the salt dilute phase were grouped within the genus Halococcus. This was validated using both total lipid profiling and 16S rRNA data sequencing. The isolates obtained from pre-salt harvesting phase were resistant to lysis. 16S rRNA data showed that organisms belonging to Halorubrum, Haloarcula, Haloferax and Halococcus genera were obtained during the salt concentrated phase. The isolates obtained from salt harvesting phase showed varied lysis on suspension in distilled water and /or 3.5% NaCl.

Conclusion

Salterns in Goa are transiently operated during post monsoon season from January to May. During the pre-salt harvesting phase, all the isolates obtained belonged to Halococcus sp. During the salt harvesting phase, isolates belonging to Halorubrum, Haloarcula, Haloferax and Halococcus genera were obtained. This study clearly indicates that Halococcus sp. dominates during the low salinity conditions.
Symptomatic remission in psychosis and real-life functioning
Authors: Oorschot M. , Lataster T. , Thewissen V. , Lardinois M. , van Os J. , Delespaul P. A. E. G. , Myin-Germeys I.
Published: June 2012

Background

In 2005 Andreasen proposed criteria for remission in schizophrenia. It is unclear whether these criteria reflect symptom reduction and improved social functioning in daily life.

Aims

To investigate whether criteria for symptomatic remission reflect symptom reduction and improved functioning in real life, comparing patients meeting remission criteria, patients not meeting these criteria and healthy controls.

Method

The Experience Sampling Method (ESM), a structured diary technique, was used to explore real-life symptoms and functioning in 177 patients with (remitted and non-remitted) schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 148 controls.

Results

Of 177 patients, 70 met criteria for symptomatic remission. These patients reported significantly fewer positive and negative symptoms and better mood states compared with patients not in remission. Furthermore, patients in remission spent more time in goal-directed activities and had less preference for being alone when they were with others. However, the patient groups did not differ on time spent in social company and doing nothing, and both the remission and non-remission groups had lower scores on functional outcome measures compared with the control group.

Conclusions

The study provides an ecological validation for the symptomatic remission criteria, showing that patients who met the criteria reported fewer positive symptoms, better mood states and partial recovery of reward experience compared with those not in remission. However, remission status was not related to functional recovery, suggesting that the current focus on symptomatic remission may reflect an overly restricted goal.
Minireview: The Androgen Receptor in Breast Tissues: Growth Inhibitor, Tumor Suppressor, Oncogene?
Authors: Hickey T. E. , Robinson J. L. L. , Carroll J. S. , Tilley W. D.
Published: June 2012

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling exerts an antiestrogenic, growth-inhibitory influence in normal breast tissue, and this role may be sustained in estrogen receptor α (ERα)-positive luminal breast cancers. Conversely, AR signaling may promote growth of a subset of ERα-negative, AR-positive breast cancers with a molecular apocrine phenotype. Understanding the molecular mechanisms whereby androgens can elicit distinct gene expression programs and opposing proliferative responses in these two breast cancer phenotypes is critical to the development of new therapeutic strategies to target the AR in breast cancer.
Seeing Black and the Color of Representation
Authors: Wilson Fo
Published: June 2012

This essay examines the tensions between dichotomies concerning the color black through the work of the abstract expressionist Norman Lewis and through some of Lewis’s philosophical ambitions that have found a place in the work of the contemporary artist Ellen Gallagher. Seizing an opportunity that liberated midcentury New York artists from naturalism and the shadows of European hegemony, Lewis may have found a liberation of his own in the abstraction and formalism that Gallagher now deftly manipulates. Gallagher’s work suggests a new aesthetic code that subverts the black subject in a formalist milieu and that, like Lewis’s oeuvre, presents simultaneous themes around the visibility and invisibility of blackness and speaks to an unmistakable black presence in the evolution and miscegenation of modernity.
The Emergence of Black Women Artists: The Founding of “Where We At”
Authors: Brown Kay
Published: June 2012

Although the Black Arts movement of the 1960s and 1970s signaled one of the most significant developments in recent American art history, black women artists, for the most part, were underrepresented in major gallery and museum exhibitions at the movement’s inception. “Where We At” Black Women Artists: 1971, the first show of professional black women artists, was launched at the Acts of Art Gallery. The fourteen participants went on to form an artists’ collective of the same name. The group eventually became a real sisterhood, working together on common aesthetic ideals and developing a professional closeness. This essay, by one of the founding members, discusses the group’s origin and evolution, including its many successes, in the late twentieth century and beyond.
Hh signalling is essential for somatic stem cell maintenance in theDrosophilatestis niche
Authors: Michel Marcus , Kupinski Adam P. , Raabe Isabel , Bökel Christian
Published: June 2012

In the Drosophila testis, germline stem cells (GSCs) and somatic cyst stem cells (CySCs) are arranged around a group of postmitotic somatic cells, termed the hub, which produce a variety of growth factors contributing to the niche microenvironment that regulates both stem cell pools. Here we show that CySC but not GSC maintenance requires Hedgehog (Hh) signalling in addition to Jak/Stat pathway activation. CySC clones unable to transduce the Hh signal are lost by differentiation, whereas pathway overactivation leads to an increase in proliferation. However, unlike cells ectopically overexpressing Jak/Stat targets, the additional cells generated by excessive Hh signalling remain confined to the testis tip and retain the ability to differentiate. Interestingly, Hh signalling also controls somatic cell populations in the fly ovary and the mammalian testis. Our observations might therefore point towards a higher degree of organisational homology between the somatic components of gonads across the sexes and phyla than previously appreciated.