bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prosody on the hands and face
Authors: Brentari Diane , Crossley Laurinda
Published: February 2014

The analysis in this paper deals with the prosodic cues that were present in a one-hour lecture by a native signer of American Sign Language (ASL). Special attention is paid to the interaction of the dominant hand (H1) and the nondominant hand (H2), as well as to facial expressions articulated on the lower face. In our corpus, we found that H1 and H2 interact in several prosodic contexts; we analyze four of them here: Single Prosodic Word, Multiple Prosodic Words in an Intermediate Phrase, Parenthetical, and Forward- Referencing. Our main finding is that, while the spread of the nondominant hand (H2-Spread) is an important redundant cue to prosodic structure, the primary cue is on the lower face. Our findings also confirmed positional cues and domain effects of H2-Spread in Prosodic Words and Phonological Phrases that were previously found in Israeli Sign Language.
Sign Language and Deaf Education: A new tradition
Authors: Pribanić Ljubica
Published: February 2014

Deaf education in Croatia still continues to use a predominantly auditory-speech approach, spoken Croatian only, and simultaneous communication (SC). In the last few years a few changes in tradition have been made: most importantly, educational interpreting is now available in high schools and at the university level. Given the lack of bilingual deaf education and early sign language exposure, deaf children make very slow progress in literacy, compared with deaf children of deaf parents. Benefits of early sign language acquisition can be seen in deaf children of deaf parents not only in better social adaptation skills, but also in their better academic achievement compared with other deaf children. The cultural approach to deaf education views sign language as the most natural linguistic form of deaf people, and a powerful means of communication for all purposes and in all circumstances. Here, we discuss case studies of Sweden and Denmark, with 20 years of tradition in deaf bilingual education; the Netherlands, with about 10 years of deaf bilingual education; and Spain, where deaf bilingual education is in the process of implementation. These examples (Sweden, Spain, Netherlands) demonstrate the processes of policy changes and the shift to deaf education that is aimed at taking care of the needs of deaf children and their families, as well as implementing the human rights protections for linguistic minorities.
Questions and syntactic islands in Tundra Yukaghir
Authors: Matić Dejan
Published: February 2014

No island effects are observable in Tundra Yukaghir questions, which are possible in virtually all syntactic environments. It is argued that this feature of Tundra Yukaghir relates to its capability of explicitly marking focus domains. If a question word occurs in a syntactic island, the whole island is morphologically treated as a focus domain. In order to take scope and function as question markers, question words must remain within the focus domain, i.e. in the island clause. This syntactic configuration is reflected in the semantics of question islands, which are used to inquire about the identity of the whole island, not merely the denotation of the question word. Keywords: Tundra Yukaghir; content question; syntactic island; focus
Switch-reference antecedence and subordination in Whitesands (Oceanic)
Authors: Hammond Jeremy
Published: February 2014

Whitesands is an Oceanic language of the southern Vanuatu subgroup. Like the related languages of southern Vanuatu, Whitesands has developed a clause-linkage system which monitors referent continuity on new clauses – typically contrasting with the previous clause. In this chapter I address how the construction interacts with topic continuity in discourse. I outline the morphosyntactic form of this anaphoric co-reference device. From a functionalist perspective, I show how the system is used in natural discourse and discuss its restrictions with respect to relative and complement clauses. I conclude with a discussion on its interactions with theoretical notions of information structure – in particular the nature of presupposed versus asserted clauses, information back- and foregrounding and how these affect the use of the switch-reference system. Keywords: Anaphora; clause-chaining; Oceanic; subordination
The multiple coreference systems in the Ese Ejja subordinate clauses
Authors: Vuillermet Marine
Published: February 2014

In Ese Ejja, an ergative Takanan language spoken in Peru and Bolivia, four subordinators with three allomorphs each mark referential congruence or incongruence vis-à-vis their matrix clause. While same-subject/different-subject systems in subordinate clauses are well attested crosslinguistically, this language also makes further, less usual, distinctions. On the one hand, it displays two distinct tripartite systems rather than a (mere) binary one. On the other hand, these systems display alignment features that differ from the straightforward ergative alignment found in main clauses. Interestingly, highly elaborated switch reference systems including a similar subject-object coreferentiality have been reported for a number of Panoan languages with which the five Takanan languages are claimed to be related. Keywords: Ese Ejja; switch-reference; argument alignment; grammaticalization; subordination
Intention of activism and radicalism among Muslim and Christian youth in a marginal neighbourhood in a Spanish city / Intención de activismo y radicalismo de jóvenes musulmanes y cristianos residentes en un barrio marginal de una ciudad española
Authors: Moyano Manuel , Trujillo Humberto M.
Published: February 2014

The aim of this research is to assess the intended level of religious and political activism and radicalism in a sample of Muslim and Christian youth living in a marginalised neighbourhood in a southern city in Spain. Interrelations between activism and radicalism and other psychosocial factors potentially contributing to religious and political mobilisation processes are analysed, such as group identification, self-esteem, violent disinhibition, religious extremism and perceived oppression. Important differences in religious and national identification were found. Muslims scored higher in a statistically significant way on various indicators of religious extremism. Both perceived oppression and shared ideology inside the endogroup seem to be contributing factors to having an intention of radicalism in the Muslim group where social identity anchored in religion prevails. These results point to the fact that there is a polarisation that can serve as the threshold of conflict and radical mobilisation in the critical context analysed. The results are discussed within the framework of previous research into psychology of radicalisation and terrorism.
The perception of realistic and symbolic threat and its influence on prejudice, ingroup favouritism and prosocial response: The native population in the face of immigration / Percepción de amenaza realista y simbólica, su influencia sobre el prejuicio, el favoritismo endogrupal y la respuesta prosocial: la población nativa ante la inmigración
Authors: Wlodarczyk Anna , Basabe Nekane , Bobowik Magdalena
Published: February 2014

In a context of inflow of immigration and economic crisis, new forms of prejudice and the activation of the perception of threat (realistic and symbolic) will determine the response to immigrant minorities (outgroups). The antecedents of threat are considered to be: the perception of the intergroup situation and the forms of affective prejudice. The outcome variables are ingroup favouritism, prosocial response, empathy and willingness to help. In a cross-sectional study based on a random survey of Basques ( n = 500), structural equation modelling analyses were applied to test the differences between realistic and symbolic threat. The results indicate that when the majority group status is perceived as legitimate, the perception of realistic threat arises and this increases ingroup favouritism and decreases prosocial response to the outgroup, directly and through the expression of affective prejudice. Symbolic threat, on the other hand, plays a more limited role. Mechanisms of the perception of realistic and symbolic threat regarding attitudes of natives to immigrants are discussed.
Real Options Approach to Inter‐Sectoral Migration of U.S. Farm Labor
Authors: Önel Gülcan , Goodwin Barry K.
Published: February 2014

The core of the literature on inter‐sectoral labor migration is based on net present value models of investment in which individuals are assumed to migrate to take advantage of positive wage differentials. In this article, we argue that a real options approach, taken together with the adjustment costs associated with sectoral relocation, may provide a basis for explaining the migration of farm labor out of the agricultural sector. Given the irreversibility of migration decisions and uncertainty in the economy, potential migrants might choose to postpone migration, even in the face of positive wage differentials. Using annual U.S. employment data from between 1948 and 2009, our results indicate that large elasticities between economic incentives and out‐farm migration are observed after a high threshold of wage differentials between farm and off‐farm sectors is surpassed.
Derivative processes for modelling metabolic fluxes
Authors: Žurauskienė Justina , Kirk Paul , Thorne Thomas , Pinney John , Stumpf Michael
Published: February 2014

Motivation: One of the challenging questions in modelling biological systems is to characterize the functional forms of the processes that control and orchestrate molecular and cellular phenotypes. Recently proposed methods for the analysis of metabolic pathways, for example, dynamic flux estimation, can only provide estimates of the underlying fluxes at discrete time points but fail to capture the complete temporal behaviour. To describe the dynamic variation of the fluxes, we additionally require the assumption of specific functional forms that can capture the temporal behaviour. However, it also remains unclear how to address the noise which might be present in experimentally measured metabolite concentrations.

Results: Here we propose a novel approach to modelling metabolic fluxes: derivative processes that are based on multiple-output Gaussian processes (MGPs), which are a flexible non-parametric Bayesian modelling technique. The main advantages that follow from MGPs approach include the natural non-parametric representation of the fluxes and ability to impute the missing data in between the measurements. Our derivative process approach allows us to model changes in metabolite derivative concentrations and to characterize the temporal behaviour of metabolic fluxes from time course data. Because the derivative of a Gaussian process is itself a Gaussian process, we can readily link metabolite concentrations to metabolic fluxes and vice versa. Here we discuss how this can be implemented in an MGP framework and illustrate its application to simple models, including nitrogen metabolism in Escherichia coli.

Availability and implementation: R code is available from the authors upon request.

Contact:  j.norkunaite@imperial.ac.uk; m.stumpf@imperial.ac.uk

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Accurate computational prediction of the transcribed strand of CRISPR non-coding RNAs
Authors: Biswas Ambarish , Fineran Peter C. , Brown Chris M.
Published: February 2014

Motivation: CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) are a type of small non-coding RNA that form a key part of an acquired immune system in prokaryotes. Specific prediction methods find crRNA-encoding loci in nearly half of sequenced bacterial, and three quarters of archaeal, species. These Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) arrays consist of repeat elements alternating with specific spacers. Generally one strand is transcribed, producing long pre-crRNAs, which are processed to short crRNAs that base pair with invading nucleic acids to facilitate their destruction. No current software for the discovery of CRISPR loci predicts the direction of crRNA transcription.

Results: We have developed an algorithm that accurately predicts the strand of the resulting crRNAs. The method uses as input CRISPR repeat predictions. CRISPRDirection uses parameters that are calculated from the CRISPR repeat predictions and flanking sequences, which are combined by weighted voting. The prediction may use prior coding sequence annotation but this is not required. CRISPRDirection correctly predicted the orientation of 94% of a reference set of arrays.

Availability and implementation: The Perl source code is freely available from http://bioanalysis.otago.ac.nz/CRISPRDirection .

Contact:  chris.brown@otago.ac.nz

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
TRIAD IV: Nationwide Survey of Medical Students’ Understanding of Living Wills and DNR Orders
Authors: Mirarchi Ferdinando L. , Ray Matthew , Cooney Timothy
Published: February 2014

Introduction

Living wills are a form of advance directives that help to protect patient autonomy. They are frequently encountered in the conduct of medicine. Because of their impact on care, it is important to understand the adequacy of current medical school training in the preparation of physicians to interpret these directives.

Methods

Between April and August 2011 of third and fourth year medical students participated in an internet survey involving the interpretation of living wills. The survey presented a standard living will as a “stand-alone,” a standard living will with the addition an emergent clinical scenario and then variations of the standard living will that included a code status designation (“DNR,” “Full Code,” or “Comfort Care”). For each version/ scenario, respondents were asked to assign a code status and choose interventions based on the cases presented.

Results

Four hundred twenty-five students from medical schools throughout the country responded. The majority indicated they had received some form of advance directive training and understood the concept of code status and the term “DNR.” Based on a stand-alone document, 15% of respondents correctly denoted “full code” as the appropriate code status; adding a clinical scenario yielded negligible improvement. When a code designation was added to the living will, correct code status responses ranged from 68% to 93%, whereas correct treatment decisions ranged from 18% to 78%. Previous training in advance directives had no impact on these results.

Conclusion

Our data indicate that the majority of students failed to understand the key elements of a living will; adding a code status designations improved correct responses with the exception of the term DNR. Misunderstanding of advance directives is a nationwide problem and jeopardizes patient safety. Medical School ethics curricula need to be improved to ensure competency with respect to understanding advance directives.
Integrating Data From the UK National Reporting and Learning System With Work Domain Analysis to Understand Patient Safety Incidents in Community Pharmacy
Authors: Phipps Denham L. , Tam W. Vanessa , Ashcroft Darren M.
Published: February 2014

Objectives

To explore the combined use of a critical incident database and work domain analysis to understand patient safety issues in a health-care setting.

Method

A retrospective review was conducted of incidents reported to the UK National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) that involved community pharmacy between April 2005 and August 2010. A work domain analysis of community pharmacy was constructed using observational data from 5 community pharmacies, technical documentation, and a focus group with 6 pharmacists. Reports from the NRLS were mapped onto the model generated by the work domain analysis.

Results

Approximately 14,709 incident reports meeting the selection criteria were retrieved from the NRLS. Descriptive statistical analysis of these reports found that almost all of the incidents involved medication and that the most frequently occurring error types were dose/strength errors, incorrect medication, and incorrect formulation. The work domain analysis identified 4 overall purposes for community pharmacy: business viability, health promotion and clinical services, provision of medication, and use of medication. These purposes were served by lower-order characteristics of the work system (such as the functions, processes and objects). The tasks most frequently implicated in the incident reports were those involving medication storage, assembly, or patient medication records.

Conclusions

Combining the insights from different analytical methods improves understanding of patient safety problems. Incident reporting data can be used to identify general patterns, whereas the work domain analysis can generate information about the contextual factors that surround a critical task.
DNA methylation modulates transcription factor occupancy chiefly at sites of high intrinsic cell-type variability
Authors: Maurano T Matthew , Wang Hao , John Sam , Shafer Anthony , Canfield Theresa , Lee Kristen , Stamatoyannopoulos John A
Published: February 2014

The nuclear genome of every cell harbors millions of unoccupied transcription factor (TF) recognition sequences that harbor methylated cytosines. Although DNA methylation is commonly invoked as a repressive mechanism, the extent to which it actively silences specific TF occupancy sites is unknown. To define the role of DNA methylation in modulating TF binding, we quantified the effect of DNA methyltransferase abrogation on the occupancy patterns of a ubiquitous TF capable of autonomous binding to its target sites in chromatin (CTCF). Here we show that the vast majority of unoccupied, methylated CTCF recognition sequences remain unbound upon depletion of DNA methylation. Rather, methylation-regulated binding is restricted to a small fraction of elements that exhibit high intrinsic variability in CTCF occupancy across cell types. Our results suggest that DNA methylation is not a major groundskeeper of genomic transcription factor occupancy landscapes, but rather a specialized mechanism for stabilizing epigenetically labile sites.
Acemetacin cocrystals and salts: structure solution from powder X-ray data and form selection of the piperazine salt
Authors: Sanphui Palash , Bolla Geetha , Nangia Ashwini , Chernyshev Vladimir
Published: February 2014

Acemetacin (ACM) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which causes reduced gastric damage compared with indomethacin. However, acemetacin has a tendency to form a less soluble hydrate in the aqueous medium. We noted difficulties in the preparation of cocrystals and salts of acemetacin by mechanochemical methods, because this drug tends to form a hydrate during any kind of solution-based processing. With the objective to discover a solid form of acemetacin that is stable in the aqueous medium, binary adducts were prepared by the melt method to avoid hydration. The coformers/salt formers reported are pyridine carboxamides [nicotinamide (NAM), isonicotinamide (INA), and picolinamide (PAM)], caprolactam (CPR),p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and piperazine (PPZ). The structures of an ACM–INA cocrystal and a binary adduct ACM–PABA were solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Other ACM cocrystals, ACM–PAM and ACM–CPR, and the piperazine salt ACM–PPZ were solved from high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction data. The ACM–INA cocrystal is sustained by the acid...pyridine heterosynthon and N—H...O catemer hydrogen bonds involving the amide group. The acid...amide heterosynthon is present in the ACM–PAM cocrystal, while ACM–CPR contains carboxamide dimers of caprolactam along with acid–carbonyl (ACM) hydrogen bonds. The cocrystals ACM–INA, ACM–PAM and ACM–CPR are three-dimensional isostructural. The carboxyl...carboxyl synthon in ACM–PABA posed difficulty in assigning the position of the H atom, which may indicate proton disorder. In terms of stability, the salts were found to be relatively stable in pH 7 buffer medium over 24 h, but the cocrystals dissociated to give ACM hydrate during the same time period. The ACM–PPZ salt and ACM–nicotinamide cocrystal dissolve five times faster than the stable hydrate form, whereas the ACM–PABA adduct has 2.5 times faster dissolution rate. The pharmaceutically acceptable piperazine salt of acemetacin exhibits superior stability, faster dissolution rate and is able to overcome the hydration tendency of the reference drug.
1,1′-Diethyl-4,4′-bipyridine-1,1′-diium bis(1,1,3,3-tetracyano-2-ethoxypropenide): multiple C—H...N hydrogen bonds form a complex sheet structure
Authors: Setifi Zouaoui , Lehchili Fouzia , Setifi Fatima , Beghidja Adel , Ng Seik Weng , Glidewell Christopher
Published: February 2014

In the title salt, C14H18N22+·2C9H5N4O−, the 1,1′-diethyl-4,4′-bipyridine-1,1′-diium dication lies across a centre of inversion in the space groupP21/c. In the 1,1,3,3-tetracyano-2-ethoxypropenide anion, the two independent –C(CN)2units are rotated, in conrotatory fashion, out of the plane of the central propenide unit, making dihedral angles with the central unit of 16.0 (2) and 23.0 (2)°. The ionic components are linked by C—H...N hydrogen bonds to form a complex sheet structure, within which each cation acts as a sixfold donor of hydrogen bonds and each anion acts as a threefold acceptor of hydrogen bonds.
The Two Faces of North Korean State Power
Authors: Kang Jin Woong
Published: February 2014

Approaches to the analysis of North Korean socialism that have been influenced by theories of totalitarianism emphasise the Stalinist aspects of state power in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). I suggest a new understanding of power dynamics and state-society relationships in the DPRK by revealing the two faces of North Korea's state power. Using archival evidence and the testimonies of defectors, I reveal the micro-political face of power that can be found in people's everyday practices during times of national crisis.
e‐Research and learning theory: What do sequence and process mining methods contribute?
Authors: Reimann Peter , Markauskaite Lina , Bannert Maria
Published: February 2014

This paper discusses the fundamental question of how data‐intensive e‐research methods could contribute to the development of learning theories. Using methodological developments in research on self‐regulated learning as an example, it argues that current applications of data‐driven analytical techniques, such as educational data mining and its branch process mining, are deeply grounded in an event‐focused, ontologically flat view of learning phenomena. These techniques provide descriptive accounts of the regularities of events, but have limited power to generate theoretical explanations. Building on the philosophical views of critical realism, the paper argues that educational e‐research needs to adopt more nuanced ways for investigating and theorising learning phenomena that could provide an account of the mechanisms and contexts in which those mechanisms are realised. It proposes that future methodological extensions should include three main aspects: (1) stratified ontological frameworks, (2) multimodal data collection and (3) dynamic analytical methods.
Interleukin levels and their potential association with venous thromboembolism and survival in cancer patients
Authors: Reitter E-M , Ay C , Kaider A , Pirker R , Zielinski C , Zlabinger G , Pabinger I
Published: February 2014

Cytokines have been found to be elevated in cancer patients and have been associated with worse prognosis in single tumour entities. We investigated the association of eight different cytokines with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and prognosis in cancer patients. The Vienna Cancer and Thrombosis Study (CATS), a prospective study, includes patients with newly diagnosed tumour or disease progression. Patients with an overt infection are excluded. Study end-points are VTE, death, loss to follow-up or study completion. Interleukin (IL) serum levels were measured using the xMAP technology developed by Luminex. Among 726 included patients, no associations between IL levels and VTE were found, with the exception of a trend for IL-1β and IL-6 in pancreatic cancer. Elevated levels of IL-6 [as continuous variable per double increase hazard ratio (HR) = 1·07, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1·027–1·114, P = 0·001, IL-8 (HR = 1·12, 95% CI = 1·062–1·170, P < 0·001) and IL-11 (HR = 1·37, 95% CI = 1·103–1·709, P = 0·005] were associated with worse survival. In subgroup analyses based on tumour type, colon carcinoma patients, who had higher IL-6 levels, showed a shorter survival (HR = 2·405, 95% CI = 1·252–4·618, P = 0·008). A significant association of elevated IL-10 levels with a decrease in survival (HR = 1·824, 95% CI = 1·098–3·031, P = 0·020) was seen among patients with lung cancer. No correlation between VTE and IL levels was found, but higher IL-6, IL-8 and IL-11 levels were associated with worse survival in cancer patients. Further, elevated IL-6 levels might be a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer and elevated IL-10 levels in lung cancer patients.
Preferential infiltration of interleukin-4-producing CXCR4+ T cells in the lesional muscle but not skin of patients with dermatomyositis
Authors: Fujiyama T , Ito T , Ogawa N , Suda T , Tokura Y , Hashizume H
Published: February 2014

Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) are collectively termed autoimmune myopathy. To investigate the difference between muscle- and skin-infiltrating T cells and to address their role for myopathy, we characterized T cells that were directly expanded from the tissues. Enrolled into this study were 25 patients with DM and three patients with PM. Muscle and skin biopsied specimens were immersed in cRPMI medium supplemented with interleukin (IL)-2 and anti-CD3/CD28 antibody-conjugated microbeads. The expanded cells were subjected to flow cytometry to examine their phenotypes. We analysed the cytokine concentration in the culture supernatants from the expanded T cells and the frequencies of cytokine-bearing cells by intracellular staining. There was non-biased in-vitro expansion of tissue-infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from the muscle and skin specimens. The majority of expanded T cells were chemokine receptor (CCR) type 7– CD45RO+ effecter memory cells with various T cell receptor (TCR) Vβs. The skin-derived but not muscle-derived T cells expressed cutaneous lymphocyte antigen (CLA) and CCR10 and secreted large amounts of IL-17A, suggesting that T helper type 17 (Th17) cells may have a crucial role in the development of skin lesions. Notably, the frequency of IL-4-producing chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor (CXCR)4+ Th2 cells was significantly higher in the muscle-derived cells and correlated inversely with the serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. stromal-derived factor (SDF)-1/CXCL12, a ligand for CXCR4, was expressed at a high level in the vascular endothelial cells between muscular fasciculi. Our study suggests that T cell populations in the muscle and skin are different, and the Th2 cell infiltrate in the muscle is associated with the low severity of myositis in DM.
Future directions in the study of fingolimod in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Suzumura Akio
Published: February 2014

The efficacy of fingolimod treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) has been shown, but its exact mechanism remains unclear. Fingolimod is an oral disease‐modifying drug that prevents the entry of autoreactive T cells into the central nervous system (CNS) by inhibiting the egress of T cells from the lymph nodes. It binds sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P) receptors on a variety of cells, including cells in the CNS, where it exerts diverse effects. In addition to its immune mechanisms, recent studies suggested that non‐immune mechanisms might play a role in the efficacy of fingolimod for the treatment of MS. Herein, we explore the underlying mechanisms of fingolimod in MS, which will therefore improve the understanding of its beneficial and adverse effects.
Is leptin a key mediator in the link between immune responses and metabolism in autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system?
Authors: Niino Masaaki
Published: February 2014

The non‐glycosylated protein, leptin, plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure. It was also recently shown to be involved in regulating innate and adaptive immune responses. Ehsan et al. reported significantly higher serum leptin levels in patients with multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica, and these levels were correlated with disability in those with progressive multiple sclerosis. Leptin's role as a mediator in the link between the immune responses and metabolic function is clearly important to consider in developing immune therapeutic targets for reducing inflammation and autoimmunity.
Intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate regulates the efficiency of intercellular transmission of human T‐lymphotropic virus type I
Authors: Nakamura Tatsufumi , Satoh Katsuya , Nakamura Hideki , Yamasaki Hironori
Published: February 2014

Objective

To investigate the relationship between the intercellular transmission efficiency of human T‐lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV‐I) and the signaling involved in actin polymerization during cytoskeletal reorganization in a comparative study of HTLV‐I‐infected T‐cell lines derived from an HTLV‐I‐associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) patient or an HTLV‐I carrier.

Methods

HCT‐5 and TL‐Su cells derived from an HAM/TSP patient and an HTLV‐I carrier, respectively, were used as HTLV‐I‐infected T‐cell lines. After co‐cultivation of each HTLV‐I‐infected T‐cell line with H9/K30 luc reporter cells, the relative luc activities were calculated to analyze the efficiency of intercellular transmission of HTLV‐I. The intracellular levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) or cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were measured in enzyme‐linked immunoassays. The expression of phosphorylated vasodilator‐stimulated phosphoprotein (p‐VASP) was analyzed by western blotting.

Results

Treatment of HCT‐5 cells with latrunculin B, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, significantly suppressed the relative luc activity. Western blotting analysis of HCT‐5 cells treated with the adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin showed upregulation of p‐VASP, with a concomitant and significant increase in the intracellular cAMP concentration. Furthermore, the relative luc activity was significantly decreased. The intracellular cAMP, but not cGMP levels, were significantly lower in HCT‐5 than in TL‐Su. Vasodilator‐stimulated phosphoprotein appeared less phosphorylated in HCT‐5 than in TL‐Su. The relative luc activity was significantly higher in HCT‐5 than in TL‐Su.

Conclusions

The intracellular cAMP concentration regulates the efficiency of intercellular HTLV‐I transmission under the control of p‐VASP expression, suggesting the intercellular transmission potential of HTLV‐I‐infected T cells of HAM/TSP patients is enhanced by downregulated intracellular cAMP levels.
Is melatonin ready to be used in preterm infants as a neuroprotectant?
Authors: Biran Valérie , Phan Duy An , Decobert Fabrice , Bednarek Nathalie , Alberti Corinne , Baud Olivier
Published: February 2014

The prevention of neurological disabilities following preterm birth remains a major public health challenge and efforts are still needed to test the neuroprotective properties of candidate molecules. Melatonin serves as a neuroprotectant in adult models of cerebral ischemia through its potent antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects. An increasing number of preclinical studies have consistently demonstrated that melatonin protects the damaged developing brain by preventing abnormal myelination and an inflammatory glial reaction, a major cause of white matter injury. The main questions asked in this review are whether preclinical data on the neuroprotective properties of melatonin are sufficient to translate this concept into the clinical setting, and whether melatonin can reduce white matter damage in preterm infants. This review provides support for our view that melatonin is now ready to be tested in human preterm neonates, and discusses ongoing and planned clinical trials.
Ecdysone response elements in the distal promoter of the Bombyx Broad‐Complex gene, BmBR‐C
Authors: Nishita Y.
Published: February 2014

The Bombyx mori silkworm's homologue of the Broad‐Complex gene (BmBR‐C) is transcribed from two promoters: a distal promoter (Pdist) and a proximal promoter (Pprox). As determined by a luciferase assay, the transcriptional activity of Pdist, but not Pprox, was activated by ecdysone. Further analyses using reporters driven by sequential deletion Pdist mutants indicated that two regions, ecdysone responsive element (EcRE)‐D and EcRE‐P, −4950 bp and −3480 bp upstream from the distal transcription start site, respectively, were important in the responsiveness of Pdist to 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E); however, no significant sequence similarities were found between the canonical EcRE and the EcRE‐D or EcRE‐P regions. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that both the EcRE‐D and ‐P sequences specifically bound to Bombyx protein(s). Sequence analyses and competition assays suggested that the protein(s) bound to EcRE‐P might include components other than the ecdysone receptor (EcR), suggesting that BmBR‐C transcription was indirectly activated by ecdysone through the EcRE‐P. Remarkably, protein binding to the mid‐region of the EcRE‐D, EcRE‐Db, was competitively inhibited by an oligonucleotide containing the Drosophila hsp27 EcRE sequence. Furthermore, an anti‐EcR antibody interfered with the formation of the protein‐EcRE‐Db complex. These results indicated that a functional Bombyx ecdysone receptor binds to EcRE‐D and activates the expression of BmBR‐C.
Involvement of the Wnt‐β‐catenin signalling antagonists, sclerostin and dickkopf‐related protein 1, in chronic periodontitis
Authors: Napimoga Marcelo Henrique , Nametala Cynthia , da Silva Fábio Luiz , Miranda Tamires Szeremeske , Bossonaro Jeruza P. , Demasi Ana Paula Dias , Duarte Poliana Mendes
Published: February 2014

Aim

The regulation of Wnt‐β‐catenin signalling, which is crucial for osteoblast differentiation and for bone resorption, is driven by critical inhibitors such as sclerostin (SOST) and dickkopf‐related protein 1 (DKK1). As such, the aim of this study was to evaluate the involvement of SOST and DKK1 in human chronic periodontitis.

Material and Methods

Gingival biopsies and serum were sampled from systemically healthy non‐periodontitis (n = 15) and chronic periodontitis subjects (n = 15). The mRNA and protein levels of SOST, DKK1 and TNF‐α in periodontal tissues were measured by qPCR and by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. Serum levels of SOST, DKK1 and TNF‐α were assessed by ELISA.

Results

The mRNA and protein levels of SOST, DKK1 and TNF‐α were significantly increased in the gingival tissues of the chronic periodontitis when compared to the non‐periodontitis group (p < 0.05). In addition, circulating levels of SOST and TNF‐α, but not DKK1, were higher in the periodontitis group than in the non‐periodontitis group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

SOST and DKK1 were upregulated in the periodontal tissues of chronic periodontitis subjects, suggesting a possible role of these molecules on periodontal tissues.
Annual Research Review: Child and adolescent mental health interventions: a review of progress in economic studies across different disorders
Authors: Beecham Jennifer
Published: February 2014

Background

Resources for supporting children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders continue to be scarce. Economics research can identify current patterns of expenditure, and help inform allocation of treatment and support resources between competing needs or uses.

Scope and methods

The aim was to identify the costs of supporting children and adolescents, the economic impacts of childhood psychiatric disorders in adulthood and any new evidence on the cost‐effectiveness of interventions. An electronic search of databases (including PubMed, Medline and Psychinfo) identified peer‐reviewed journal articles published between 2005 and 2012.

Findings

Sixty‐seven papers provided data on support and treatment costs now or in the future, or cost‐effectiveness analyses of services. Half the articles came from the United States. Most articles focussed on autism spectrum disorder (ASD; 23 articles), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 15), conduct disorder (CD; n = 7), and anxiety or depression (n = 8).

Conclusion

Only 14 studies used a cost perspective wider than health care; most included education costs (n = 11), but only five included costs to the justice system. The number of studies estimating costs to the family has increased, particularly for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the United Kingdom, support costs for children and adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) appear to be lower than for those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), although for the United States, the opposite may be true. Support costs for children and adolescents with ASD may be higher than both CD and ADHD. However, there were many differences between the samples and the methods employed making comparisons between studies difficult. Outcomes in adulthood include negative impacts on (mental) health, quality of life, public sector services, employment status and income. The evidence base is improving for child and adolescent psychiatric disorders, although only one full cost‐effectiveness analysis was identified since the previous review published in 2012. However, we still do not know enough about the economic implications of support and treatment for specific disorders.
Passive Modified Atmosphere Packaging Extends Shelf Life of Enzymatically and Vacuum‐Peeled Ready‐to‐Eat Valencia Orange Segments
Authors: Barrios Sofía , De Aceredo Alejandra , Chao Gabriela , De Armas Valeria , Ares Gastón , Martín Anabel , Soubes Matilde , Lema Patricia
Published: February 2014

Application of passive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for shelf life extension of enzymatically and nonenzymatically peeled orange segments was evaluated. Oranges (Citrus sinensis cv. Valencia) were washed, sanitized and peeled by applying vacuum pulses only (vacuum peeling) and vacuum pulses followed by incubation in enzymatic solution (enzymatic peeling). Segments were packaged in polypropylene film and stored at 7C for 16 days. Package atmosphere composition, weight loss, respiration rate, color, instrumental texture, pH, soluble solids, sensory attributes, and bacterial and fungal growth were evaluated during storage. Microbiological limits (cfu/g > 106) were reached by enzymatically and vacuum‐peeled segments on days 12 and 8, respectively. Integrity and characteristic odor had significantly changed by this day. Vacuum‐peeled segments presented better texture attributes and integrity (50% higher scores in sensory evaluation). Both types of segments benefited from MAP and are an attractive alternative for commercialization of ready‐to‐eat oranges.

Practical Applications

The information presented in this paper can assist fresh‐cut producers in developing ready‐to‐eat oranges. Quality of segments obtained with two peeling methods was evaluated, and potentials and limitations of the segments obtained by each process were pointed out. Passive MAP in polypropylene at a reasonable storage temperature (7C) resulted to be an inexpensive technology that can extend segment shelf life in eventual cold storage of orange segments.
New fossil fruits of Carya (Juglandaceae) from the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene in Tennessee, eastern United States
Authors: HUANG Yong‐Jiang , LIU Yu‐Sheng (Christopher) , ZAVADA Michael
Published: February 2014

Fossil fruits including nuts and associated husk valves of a new species of Carya (Juglandaceae) are described from the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene in northeastern Tennessee, eastern United States. The husk valves are elliptic, 1.2–4.5 mm thick, with a convex exterior face and a concave interior face; the nuts are globose to ovoid in shape, smooth and longitudinally ribbed on exterior surface, with a short protruding apex and a slightly 4‐angled base; inner ribs, lacunae and primary septa are well‐developed, while secondary septa are absent or weakly developed. The combination of these carpological characteristics clearly shows a close resemblance to the genus Carya in Juglandaceae. Detailed comparisons of carpological morphology and anatomy indicate that the present fossil taxon is different from both living and most other fossil species of the genus, and therefore warrants the designation of a new fossil species, Carya tennesseensis Huang et al., sp. nov. Carya tennesseensis displays a carpological similarity to C. ventricosa from the late Oligocene to early Pliocene in Europe, suggesting a potential species exchange of the genus between Europe and southeastern North America during the late Neogene. The new fossil species represents one of the few fruit fossil species of Carya from its modern distribution range in southeastern North America. It provides crucial information for better understanding the rapid diversification of the genus from the late Miocene to early Pliocene, and the origin and establishment of today's Carya biodiversity in this region.
Prevalence of photosensitivity in chronic hepatitis C virus patients and its relation to serum and urinary porphyrins
Authors: Esmat Serag , Elgendy Dina , Ali Mohamed , Esmat Samia , El‐Nabarawy Eman A. , Mahmoud Sara B. , Shaker Olfat
Published: February 2014

Background & Aims

HCV is a major cause of chronic liver disease in Egypt. The aim was to study the prevalence of photosensitivity among asymptomatic HCV‐infected patients and its possible relation to porphyrins levels and whether it can be considered an alarm for early diagnosis of the disease, which is the most important goal in the management.

Methods

This study included 100 accidentally discovered HCV positive cases and 100 HCV negative healthy controls. All patients and controls were subjected to: Detailed history and clinical examination, dermatological examination including evaluation of reaction to solar exposure, measurement of serum AST, ALT, albumin, bilirubin, serum and urinary porphyrins levels.

Results

The prevalence of photosensitivity among HCV‐positive cases (33%) was significantly higher compared to 10% in the control group. Serum porphyrins were positive in 46 cases (46%), twenty‐three cases (23%) had positive urinary porphyrins, while only four controls (4%) showed positive serum porphyrins and one (1%) showed positive urinary porphyrins, the difference was statistically significant. Cases with photosensitivity showed significantly higher prevalence of serum and urinary porphyrins existence as well as serum porphyrins levels. Levels of viraemia showed statistically significant relation to levels of porphyrins.

Conclusion

Asymptomatic chronic HCV infection cases showed significantly high prevalence of photosensitivity, which is related to the associated disturbance of porphyrins metabolism. Photosensitivity can thus be considered an early marker of HCV infection. Patients discovered to have recently acquired photosensitivity should be screened for HCV infection especially in endemic areas like Egypt.
Current ideas to reduce or salvage radiation damage to salivary glands
Authors: Vissink A , van Luijk P , Langendijk JA , Coppes RP
Published: February 2014

Radiation‐induced hyposalivation is still a major problem after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Current and promising new thoughts to reduce or salvage radiation damage to salivary gland tissue are explored. The main cause underlying radiation‐induced hyposalivation is a lack of functional saliva‐producing acinar cells resulting from radiation‐induced stem cell sterilization. Current methods to prevent that damage are radiation techniques to reduce radiation‐injury to salivary gland tissue, surgical techniques to relocate salivary glands to a region receiving a lower cumulative radiation dose, and techniques to make salivary gland cells more resistant to radiation injury. These preventive techniques cannot be applied in all cases, also reduce tumor sensitivity, or do not result in a sufficient amelioration of the dryness‐related complaints. Therefore, alternative methods on techniques to salvage salivary glands that are damaged by radiation are explored with promising results, such as stem cell therapies and gene transfer techniques to allow the radiation‐injured salivary gland tissue to secrete water.
Potential non‐T cells source of interleukin‐4 in food allergy
Authors: Caubet Jean‐Christoph , Masilamani Madhan , Rivers Neisha A. , Mayer Lloyd , Sampson Hugh A.
Published: February 2014

Background

Recently, a study from the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) showed that allergen‐induced IL‐4 expression in CD25+ mononuclear cells was increased in allergic patients. However, they did not find the expected increase in GATA‐3 expression, suggesting that allergen‐induced IL‐4 might not be of T‐cell origin. We sought to determine whether other cell types were responsible for the increased IL‐4 expression in the CD25+ cell population.

Methods

Comparing six allergic patients and six healthy controls, we analyzed the CD25+ isolated population from PBMC for the presence of potential IL‐4‐expressing non‐T cells. We also compared spontaneous expression levels of surface markers (CD203c, CD63, CD25, and HLA‐DR) on basophils from whole blood of 42 peanut‐allergic patients and from 12 non‐atopic controls. Expression of these markers was also evaluated following basophil activation in eight peanut‐allergic patients selected from the previous cohort.

Results

In addition to CD4+ T cells, a substantial proportion of non‐T cells were found in the CD25+‐isolated cell population: basophils, NK, and NK‐T cells with a mean percentage ± s.e.m. of 5.24 ± 0.63%, 6.65 ± 1.01%, and 6.01 ± 1.04%, respectively. The majority of these cells exhibited positive intracytoplasmic staining for IL‐4. Expression of CD63 and CD25 was significantly higher in allergic patients compared with controls (p < 0.05). Interestingly, we found a significantly higher proportion of activated basophils expressing HLA‐DR, compared with non‐activated basophils (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Our results support the suggested key role of non‐T cells secreting IL‐4 in food allergy, particularly basophils, which may also play a central role in antigen presentation.
Vitamin C, B5, and B6 contents of segregating potato populations detected byGC‐MS: a method facilitating breeding potatoes with improved vitamin content
Authors: Juhász Zsófia , Dancs Gábor , Marincs Ferenc , Vossen Maarten , Allefs Sjefke , Bánfalvi Zsófia
Published: February 2014

Vitamin C, B5, and B6 contents of potato tubers were measured by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Two diploid potato populations derived from two different crosses were analyzed. Plants were grown at two locations under different environmental conditions. Measurements of vitamin content of tubers showed high variation in both populations. A weak correlation was found between the vitamin concentrations of tubers harvested at the two locations. Correlations between the mean values of vitamins in field‐grown tubers and in different tissues derived fromin vitroor greenhouse‐grown potato plants were also determined. A very high correlation between the vitamin content of field‐ and greenhouse‐grown tubers, and between field‐grown tubers and sink leaves of greenhouse‐grown plants was detected. This finding can facilitate breeding by preselection of individuals with improved vitamin content under greenhouse conditions at their early developmental stage.