bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of a Mandatory Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis Vaccination Requirement on Vaccine Uptake over Time
Authors: Weber David J. , Consoli Stephanie A. , Sickbert-Bennett Emily , Rutala William A.
Published: December 2011

Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine is recommended for all healthcare personnel who provide direct patient care unless medically contraindicated. Our university hospital made employment conditional upon receipt of Tdap vaccine. Implementation for newly hired employees quickly resulted in complete compliance, but achieving adherence among current workers required setting a termination date for noncompliance.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2012;33(1):81-83
Association between Contact Precautions and Delirium at a Tertiary Care Center
Authors: Day Hannah R. , Perencevich Eli N. , Harris Anthony D. , Gruber-Baldini Ann L. , Himelhoch Seth S. , Brown Clayton H. , Dotter Emily , Morgan Daniel J.
Published: December 2011

Objective.

To investigate the relationship between contact precautions and delirium among inpatients, adjusting for other factors.

Design.

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting.

A 662-bed tertiary care center.

Patients.

All nonpyschiatric adult patients admitted to a tertiary care center from 2007 through 2009.

Methods.

Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate the association between contact precautions and delirium in a retrospective cohort of 2 years of admissions to a tertiary care center.

Results.

During the 2-year period, 60,151 admissions occurred in 45,266 unique nonpsychiatric patients. After adjusting for comorbid conditions, age, sex, intensive care unit status, and length of hospitalization, contact precautions were significantly associated with delirium (as denned byInternational Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision),medication, or restraint exposure (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.40 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.24–1.51]). The association between contact precautions and delirium was seen only in patients who were newly placed under contact precautions during the course of their stay (adjusted OR, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.60–1.92];P< .01) and was not seen in patients who were already under contact precautions at admission (adjusted OR, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.86–1.09];P= .60).

Conclusions.

Although delirium was more common in patients who were newly placed under contact precautions during the course of their hospital admission, delirium was not associated with contact precautions started at hospital admission. Patients newly placed under contact precautions after admission but during hospitalization appear to be at a higher risk and may benefit from proven delirium-prevention strategies.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2012;33(1):34-39
The Antimicrobial Efficacy of Copper Alloy Furnishing in the Clinical Environment: A Crossover Study
Authors: Karpanen T. J. , Casey A. L. , Lambert P. A. , Cookson B. D. , Nightingale P. , Miruszenko L. , Elliott T. S. J.
Published: December 2011

Objective.

To determine whether copper incorporated into hospital ward furnishings and equipment can reduce their surface microbial load.

Design.

A crossover study.

Setting.

Acute care medical ward with 19 beds at a large university hospital.

Methods.

Fourteen types of frequent-touch items made of copper alloy were installed in various locations on an acute care medical ward. These included door handles and push plates, toilet seats and flush handles, grab rails, light switches and pull cord toggles, sockets, overbed tables, dressing trolleys, commodes, taps, and sink fittings. Their surfaces and those of equivalent standard items on the same ward were sampled once weekly for 24 weeks. The copper and standard items were switched over after 12 weeks of sampling to reduce bias in usage patterns. The total aerobic microbial counts and the presence of indicator microorganisms were determined.

Results.

Eight of the 14 copper item types had microbial counts on their surfaces that were significantly lower than counts on standard materials. The other 6 copper item types had reduced microbial numbers on their surfaces, compared with microbial counts on standard items, but the reduction did not reach statistical significance. Indicator microorganisms were recovered from both types of surfaces; however, significantly fewer copper surfaces were contaminated with vancomycin-resistant enterococci, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, and coliforms, compared with standard surfaces.

Conclusions.

Copper alloys (greater than or equal to 58% copper), when incorporated into various hospital furnishings and fittings, reduce the surface microorganisms. The use of copper in combination with optimal infection-prevention strategies may therefore further reduce the risk that patients will acquire infection in healthcare environments.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2012;33(1):3-9
The C-terminal domain of Nup93 is essential for assembly of the structural backbone of nuclear pore complexes
Authors: Sachdev Ruchika , Sieverding Cornelia , Flötenmeyer Matthias , Antonin Wolfram
Published: December 2011

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are large macromolecular assemblies that control all transport across the nuclear envelope. They are formed by about 30 nucleoporins (Nups), which can be roughly categorized into those forming the structural skeleton of the pore and those creating the central channel and thus providing the transport and gating properties of the NPC. Here we show that the conserved nucleoporin Nup93 is essential for NPC assembly and connects both portions of the NPC. Although the C-terminal domain of the protein is necessary and sufficient for the assembly of a minimal structural backbone, full-length Nup93 is required for the additional recruitment of the Nup62 complex and the establishment of transport-competent NPCs.
Prolonged mitotic arrest triggers partial activation of apoptosis, resulting in DNA damage and p53 induction
Authors: Orth James D. , Loewer Alexander , Lahav Galit , Mitchison Timothy J.
Published: December 2011

Mitotic arrest induced by antimitotic drugs can cause apoptosis or p53-dependent cell cycle arrest. It can also cause DNA damage, but the relationship between these events has been unclear. Live, single-cell imaging in human cancer cells responding to an antimitotic kinesin-5 inhibitor and additional antimitotic drugs revealed strong induction of p53 after cells slipped from prolonged mitotic arrest into G1. We investigated the cause of this induction. We detected DNA damage late in mitotic arrest and also after slippage. This damage was inhibited by treatment with caspase inhibitors and by stable expression of mutant, noncleavable inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase, which prevents activation of the apoptosis-associated nuclease caspase-activated DNase (CAD). These treatments also inhibited induction of p53 after slippage from prolonged arrest. DNA damage was not due to full apoptosis, since most cytochrome C was still sequestered in mitochondria when damage occurred. We conclude that prolonged mitotic arrest partially activates the apoptotic pathway. This partly activates CAD, causing limited DNA damage and p53 induction after slippage. Increased DNA damage via caspases and CAD may be an important aspect of antimitotic drug action. More speculatively, partial activation of CAD may explain the DNA-damaging effects of diverse cellular stresses that do not immediately trigger apoptosis.
seeQTL: a searchable database for human eQTLs
Authors: Xia Kai , Shabalin Andrey A. , Huang Shunping , Madar Vered , Zhou Yi-Hui , Wang Wei , Zou Fei , Sun Wei , Sullivan Patrick F. , Wright Fred A.
Published: December 2011

Summary: seeQTL is a comprehensive and versatile eQTL database, including various eQTL studies and a meta-analysis of HapMap eQTL information. The database presents eQTL association results in a convenient browser, using both segmented local-association plots and genome-wide Manhattan plots.

Availability and implementation: seeQTL is freely available for non-commercial use at http://www.bios.unc.edu/research/genomic_software/seeQTL/.

Contact:  fred_wright@unc.edu; kxia@bios.unc.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Models in animal collective decision-making: information uncertainty and conflicting preferences
Authors: Conradt Larissa
Published: December 2011

Collective decision-making plays a central part in the lives of many social animals. Two important factors that influence collective decision-making are information uncertainty and conflicting preferences. Here, I bring together, and briefly review, basic models relating to animal collective decision-making in situations with information uncertainty and in situations with conflicting preferences between group members. The intention is to give an overview about the different types of modelling approaches that have been employed and the questions that they address and raise. Despite the use of a wide range of different modelling techniques, results show a coherent picture, as follows. Relatively simple cognitive mechanisms can lead to effective information pooling. Groups often face a trade-off between decision accuracy and speed, but appropriate fine-tuning of behavioural parameters could achieve high accuracy while maintaining reasonable speed. The right balance of interdependence and independence between animals is crucial for maintaining group cohesion and achieving high decision accuracy. In conflict situations, a high degree of decision-sharing between individuals is predicted, as well as transient leadership and leadership according to needs and physiological status. Animals often face crucial trade-offs between maintaining group cohesion and influencing the decision outcome in their own favour. Despite the great progress that has been made, there remains one big gap in our knowledge: how do animals make collective decisions in situations when information uncertainty and conflict of interest operate simultaneously?
Determination of the layer-specific distributed collagen fibre orientations in human thoracic and abdominal aortas and common iliac arteries
Authors: Schriefl Andreas J. , Zeindlinger Georg , Pierce David M. , Regitnig Peter , Holzapfel Gerhard A.
Published: December 2011

The established method of polarized microscopy in combination with a universal stage is used to determine the layer-specific distributed collagen fibre orientations in 11 human non-atherosclerotic thoracic and abdominal aortas and common iliac arteries (63 ± 15.3 years, mean ± s.d.). A dispersion model is used to quantify over 37 000 recorded fibre angles from tissue samples. The study resulted in distinct fibre families, fibre directions, dispersion and thickness data for each layer and all vessels investigated. Two fibre families were present for the intima, media and adventitia in the aortas, with often a third and sometimes a fourth family in the intima in the respective axial and circumferential directions. In all aortas, the two families were almost symmetrically arranged with respect to the cylinder axis, closer to the axial direction in the adventitia, closer to the circumferential direction in the media and in between in the intima. The same trend was found for the intima and adventitia of the common iliac arteries; however, there was only one preferred fibre alignment present in the media. In all locations and layers, the observed fibre orientations were always in the tangential plane of the walls, with no radial components and very small dispersion through the wall thickness. A wider range of in-plane fibre orientations was present in the intima than in the media and adventitia. The mean total wall thickness for the aortas and the common iliac artery was 1.39 and 1.05 mm, respectively. For the aortas, a slight thickening of the intima and a thinning of the media in increasingly distal regions were observed. A clear intimal thickening was present distal to the branching of the celiac arteries. All data, except for the media of the common iliac arteries, showed two prominent collagen fibre families for all layers so that two-fibre family models seem most appropriate.
Myosin II motor activity in the lateral amygdala is required for fear memory consolidation
Authors: Gavin Cristin F. , Rubio Maria D. , Young Erica , Miller Courtney , Rumbaugh Gavin
Published: December 2011

Learning induces dynamic changes to the actin cytoskeleton that are required to support memory formation. However, the molecular mechanisms that mediate filamentous actin (F-actin) dynamics during learning and memory are poorly understood. Myosin II motors are highly expressed in actin-rich growth structures including dendritic spines, and we have recently shown that these molecular machines mobilize F-actin in response to synaptic stimulation and learning in the hippocampus. In this study, we report that Myosin II motors in the rat lateral amygdala (LA) are essential for fear memory formation. Pretraining infusions of the Myosin II inhibitor, blebbistatin (blebb), disrupted long term memory, while short term memory was unaffected. Interestingly, both post-training and pretesting infusions had no effect on memory formation, indicating that Myosin II motors operate during or shortly after learning to promote memory consolidation. These data support the idea that Myosin II motor-force generation is a general mechanism that supports memory consolidation in the mammalian CNS.
Hippocampus is required for paired associate memory with neither delay nor trial uniqueness
Authors: Yoon Jinah , Seo Yeran , Kim Jangjin , Lee Inah
Published: December 2011

Cued retrieval of memory is typically examined with delay when testing hippocampal functions, as in delayed matching-to-sample tasks. Equally emphasized in the literature, on the other hand, is the hippocampal involvement in making arbitrary associations. Paired associate memory tasks are widely used for examining this function. However, the two variables (i.e., delay and paired association) were often mixed in paired associate tasks, and this makes it difficult to localize the cognitive source of deficits with hippocampal perturbation. Specifically, a few studies have recently shown that rats can learn arbitrary paired associations between certain locations and nonspatial items (e.g., object or flavor) and later can retrieve the paired location when cued by the item remotely. Such tasks involve both (1) delay between sampling the cue and retrieving the target location and (2) arbitrary association between the cueing object and its paired location. Here, we tested whether delay was necessary in a cued paired associate task by using a task in which no delay existed between object cueing and the choice of its paired associate. Moreover, fixed associative relationships between the cueing objects and their paired locations were repeatedly used, thus involving no trial-unique association. Nevertheless, inactivations of the dorsal hippocampus with muscimol severely disrupted retrieval of paired associates, whereas the same manipulations did not affect discriminating individual objects or locations. The results powerfully demonstrate that the hippocampus is inherently required for retrieving paired associations between objects and places, and that delay and trial uniqueness of the paired associates are not necessarily required.
The Function of RH22, a DEAD RNA Helicase, in the Biogenesis of the 50S Ribosomal Subunits of Arabidopsis Chloroplasts
Authors: Chi Wei , He Baoye , Mao Juan , Li Qiannan , Ma Jinfang , Ji Daili , Zou Meijuan , Zhang Lixin
Published: December 2011

The chloroplast ribosome is a large and dynamic ribonucleoprotein machine that is composed of the 30S and 50S subunits. Although the components of the chloroplast ribosome have been identified in the last decade, the molecular mechanisms driving chloroplast ribosome biogenesis remain largely elusive. Here, we show that RNA helicase 22 (RH22), a putative DEAD RNA helicase, is involved in chloroplast ribosome assembly in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). A loss of RH22 was lethal, whereas a knockdown of RH22 expression resulted in virescent seedlings with clear defects in chloroplast ribosomal RNA (rRNA) accumulation. The precursors of 23S and 4.5S, but not 16S, rRNA accumulated in rh22 mutants. Further analysis showed that RH22 was associated with the precursors of 50S ribosomal subunits. These results suggest that RH22 may function in the assembly of 50S ribosomal subunits in chloroplasts. In addition, RH22 interacted with the 50S ribosomal protein RPL24 through yeast two-hybrid and pull-down assays, and it was also bound to a small 23S rRNA fragment encompassing RPL24-binding sites. This action of RH22 may be similar to, but distinct from, that of SrmB, a DEAD RNA helicase that is involved in the ribosomal assembly in Escherichia coli, which suggests that DEAD RNA helicases and rRNA structures may have coevolved with respect to ribosomal assembly and function.
Histone modifications in herpesvirus infections
Authors: Van Opdenbosch Nina , Favoreel Herman , Van de Walle Gerlinde R.
Published: December 2011

In eukaryotic cells, gene expression is not only regulated by transcription factors but also by several epigenetic mechanisms including post‐translational modifications of histone proteins. There are numerous histone modifications described to date and methylation, acetylation, ubiquitination and phosphorylation are amongst the best studied. In parallel, certain viruses interact with the very same regulatory mechanisms, hereby manipulating the normal epigenetic landscape of the host cell, to fit their own replication needs. This review concentrates on herpesviruses specifically and how they interfere with the histone‐modifying enzymes to regulate their replication cycles. Herpesviruses vary greatly with respect to the cell types they infect and the clinical diseases they cause, yet they share various common features including their capacity to encode viral proteins which affect and interfere with the normal functions of histone‐modifying enzymes. Studying the epigenetic manipulation/dysregulation of herpesvirus–host interactions not only generates novel insights into the pathogenesis of these viruses but may also have important therapeutic implications.
The oncogenic TBC domain protein USP6/TRE17 regulates cell migration and cytokinesis
Authors: Rueckert Christine , Haucke Volker
Published: December 2011

Background information

Cancer cells are characterized by their intrinsic ability to rapidly divide and migrate and to invade other tissues. How these processes are regulated at a molecular level is largely unknown.

Results

Here, we identify the oncogenic TBC (Tre‐2/Bub2/Cdc16) domain protein USP6 (also termed TRE17) as a regulator of both cell migration and division. We show that manipulating USP6 expression levels alters the ability of cells to migrate and to divide. Furthermore, we observe that cell proliferation and progression through cytokinesis depend on USP6 expression via a pathway that involves the small GTPase Arf6 and its GTPase‐activating protein ACAP1.

Conclusions

Our data suggest a model whereby the oncogenic potential of USP6 is linked to its ability to integrate cell migration and cytokinesis by regulating Arf6/ACAP1.
Interplay between modifications of chromatin and meiotic recombination hotspots
Authors: Brachet Elsa , Sommermeyer Vérane , Borde Valérie
Published: December 2011

Meiotic recombination lies at the heart of sexual reproduction. It is essential for producing viable gametes with a normal haploid genomic content and its dysfunctions can be at the source of aneuploidies, such as the Down syndrome, or many genetic disorders. Meiotic recombination also generates genetic diversity that is transmitted to progeny by shuffling maternal and paternal alleles along chromosomes. Recombination takes place at non‐random chromosomal sites called ‘hotspots’. Recent evidence has shown that their location is influenced by properties of chromatin. In addition, many studies in somatic cells have highlighted the need for changes in chromatin dynamics to allow the process of recombination. In this review, we discuss how changes in the chromatin landscape may influence the recombination map, and reciprocally, how recombination events may lead to epigenetic modifications at sites of recombination, which could be transmitted to progeny.
Multicenter randomized controlled trial on combination therapy with 0.1% adapalene gel and oral antibiotics for acne vulgaris: Comparison of the efficacy of adapalene gel alone and in combination with oral faropenem
Authors: HAYASHI Nobukazu , KAWASHIMA Makoto
Published: December 2011

We conducted a randomized controlled trial in patients with acne vulgaris with moderate to severe inflammatory lesions. The patients were assigned to the following three treatment groups: group A received monotherapy with 0.1% topical adapalene gel for 4 weeks; group B received combination therapy with 0.1% topical adapalene gel and 600 mg oral faropenem for 2 weeks followed by 0.1% topical adapalene gel alone for 2 weeks; and group C received combination therapy with 0.1% topical adapalene gel and 600 mg oral faropenem for 4 weeks. The result of the analysis indicated that the percentage reduction in inflammatory lesion counts after 2 weeks of treatment was significantly higher in groups B and C than in group A (P < 0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, group C showed significantly higher percentage reduction in inflammatory lesion counts than in groups A and B (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was noted between the latter two groups. Adverse reactions included dryness and irritation at the adapalene application sites that were observed in 10.1% of cases (16/158 patients) and diarrhea and loose stool because of oral faropenem that were observed in 7.5% of cases (8/106 patients). Taken together, our results suggest that combination therapy with oral antibiotics and adapalene results in earlier improvement in patients with moderate to severe inflammatory acne compared to the application of adapalene alone, and that 4 weeks of the combination therapy is preferable to 2 weeks of treatment.
Microribonucleic acids and gastric cancer
Authors: Ma Ying‐Yu , Tao Hou‐Quan
Published: December 2011

Gastric carcinogenesis is a multistep process involving genetic and epigenetic alteration of protein‐coding proto‐oncogenes and tumor‐suppressor genes. Microribonucleic acids (miR) are a recently‐described class of genes encoding small non‐coding RNA molecules, which primarily act by downregulating the translation of target mRNA. It has become apparent that miR are also key factors in cancer, playing both oncogenic and tumor‐suppressing roles in gastric cancer. Recent studies have shown that a substantial number of miR show differential expression in gastric cancer tissues, and they are turning out to be just like any other regulatory gene. In this connection, miR dysregulation are reported to be associated with incidence, early diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer. Therefore, investigation of the biological aspects of miR dysregulation might help us better understand the pathogenesis of gastric cancer and promote the development of miR‐directed therapeutics against this deadly disease. The aim of the present review was to describe the mechanisms of several known miR, summarize recent studies on oncogenic miR (e.g. miR‐21, miR‐106a and miR‐17), tumor suppressor miR (e.g. miR‐101, miR‐181, miR‐449, miR‐486, let‐7a) and controversial roles of miR (e.g. miR‐107, miR‐126) for gastric cancer. In addition, their potential clinical applications and prospects in gastric cancer, such as biomarkers and clinical therapy tools, are also briefly discussed. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 620–625)
Role of activation‐induced cytidine deaminase in the progression of follicular lymphoma
Authors: Shikata Hisaharu , Yakushijin Yoshihiro , Matsushita Natsuki , Sakai Akira , Sugita Atsuro , Nakamura Naoya , Yamanouchi Jun , Azuma Taichi , Hato Takaaki , Yasukawa Masaki
Published: December 2011

Activation‐induced cytidine deaminase (AID/AICDA) is required for somatic hypermutation and class‐switch recombination of the immunoglobulin gene, and for c‐myc translocation of germinal center‐derived B‐cell lymphoma. In the present study, we attempted to clarify the significance of AID associated with c‐myc in the progression of follicular lymphoma (FL) using RT‐PCR and quantitative real‐time PCR. Tissues from the patients with grade 3 FL expressed relatively higher levels of c‐myc and AID. The samples taken from a patient with FL who died within 2 years after the start of treatment showed either no or low expression of AID, despite expressing high levels of c‐myc. In order to examine the role of AID expression in rapidly progressive FL, the full‐length AID transcript was transfected into AID‐negative cell lines established from different patients with rapidly progressive FL. This led to the establishment of AID‐expressing transfectants with a low proliferation rate and a significantly increased incidence of G0/G1 arrest compared with controls. Our results indicate that AID may act as a negative regulator of cell survival in FL when sufficient c‐myc is expressed. Switch‐off or low expression of AID after c‐myc amplification may correlate with the clinical outcomes of FL. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 415–421)
Predominant or complete recipient T‐cell chimerism following alemtuzumab‐based allogeneic transplantation is reversed by donor lymphocytes and not associated with graft failure
Authors: Mohamedbhai Sajir G. , Edwards Noha , Morris Emma C. , Mackinnon Stephen , Thomson Kirsty J. , Peggs Karl S.
Published: December 2011

The clinical significance of mixed chimerism following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains controversial. Its relevance and incidence are probably influenced by the conditioning regimen and incorporation of T‐cell depletion. The presence of recipient chimerism levels >40–50% following T‐cell replete reduced intensity transplantation correlates with a high risk of graft rejection, regardless of donor‐lymphocyte infusions, but it is unclear whether this finding translates to T‐cell depleted transplants. We conducted a retrospective single‐institution analysis of patients receiving alemtuzumab‐based HSCT. 27/152 (18%) evaluable cases had predominantly recipient T‐cell chimerism at 3 months or beyond. By contrast, coincident chimerism in the granulocyte lineage was predominantly of donor origin (median 100%) in all but one patient. Donor lymphocyte infusion effectively converted predominantly recipient T‐cell chimerism to ful donor chimerism in all evaluable cases including three cases with no detectable donor T cells. The only graft failure occurred in the patient with predominantly recipient myeloid chimerism in whom rejection occurred rapidly before donor lymphocytes could be administered. We conclude that predominant or complete recipient T‐cell chimerism following alemtuzumab‐based regimens does not have the same clinical implications as that following T‐cell replete transplants and can be effectively converted with donor lymphocytes without the need for lympho‐depleting agents or re‐conditioning.
Platelet apoptosis in paediatric immune thrombocytopenia is ameliorated by intravenous immunoglobulin
Authors: Winkler Jeannine , Kroiss Sabine , Rand Margaret L. , Azzouzi Imane , Annie Bang K. W. , Speer Oliver , Schmugge Markus
Published: December 2011

To evaluate the role of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in platelet apoptosis in paediatric immune thrombocytopenia, we investigated the platelets of 20 paediatric patients with acute immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), before and after IVIg treatment. Healthy children with platelet counts in the normal range and children with thrombocytopenia due to chemotherapy were enrolled as controls. All ITP patients presented with platelet counts <20 × 109/l and bleeding symptoms. Markers of apoptosis, including activated caspase‐3, ‐8 and ‐9, phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, mitochondrial inner membrane potential (ΔΨm), as well as platelet‐derived microparticle formation, were analysed by flow cytometry. After IVIg treatment, platelet counts increased to >20 × 109/l in all patients. ITP patients had significantly increased proportions of platelets with activated caspase‐3, ‐8 and ‐9, with PS exposure, and with decreased ΔΨm, and demonstrated increased microparticle formation. Except for ΔΨm, these markers for apoptosis were reduced by IVIg treatment. Platelets of children with thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy also demonstrated increased microparticle formation and decreased ΔΨm, but no activation of caspases 3, 8 and 9 or PS exposure. In conclusion, in acute paediatric ITP, enhanced platelet apoptosis is seen at diagnosis that normalizes after IVIg treatment.
Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its determinants in Australian adults aged 25 years and older: a national, population‐based study
Authors: Daly Robin M. , Gagnon Claudia , Lu Zhong X. , Magliano Dianna J. , Dunstan David W. , Sikaris Ken A. , Zimmet Paul Z. , Ebeling Peter R. , Shaw Jonathan E.
Published: December 2011

Objective  Vitamin D deficiency is recognized as a global public health problem, but the population‐based prevalence of deficiency and its determinants in Australian adults is not known. This study evaluated the vitamin D status of Australian adults aged ≥25 years and risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in this population.

Design and Patients  We studied a national sample of 11 247 Australian adults enrolled in the 1999/2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study drawn from 42 randomly selected districts throughout Australia.

Measurements  Serum concentrations of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured by immunoassay. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a concentration <50 nmol/l. Information on demographic and lifestyle factors was derived from interview‐administered questionnaires.

Results  The mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 63 nmol/l (95% CI: 59–67 nmol/l). Only 4% of the population had a level <25 nmol/l, but the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/l) was 31% (22% men; 39% women); 73% had levels <75 nmol/l. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency increased significantly with age, was greater in women, in those of non‐Europid origin, in the obese and those who were physically inactive and with a higher level of education. Deficiency was also more common during winter and in people residing in southern Australia (latitude >35°S); 42% of women and 27% of men were deficient during summer–autumn, which increased to 58% and 35%, respectively, during winter–spring.

Conclusion  Vitamin D deficiency is common in Australia affecting nearly one‐third of adults aged ≥25 years. This indicates that strategies are needed at the population level to improve vitamin D status of Australians.
Dispersal ability rather than ecological tolerance drives differences in range size between lentic and lotic water beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)
Authors: Arribas Paula , Velasco Josefa , Abellán Pedro , Sánchez‐Fernández David , Andújar Carmelo , Calosi Piero , Millán Andrés , Ribera Ignacio , Bilton David T.
Published: December 2011

Aim In aquatic ecosystems, standing (lentic) and running (lotic) waters differ fundamentally in their stability and persistence, shaping the comparative population genetic structure, geographical range size and speciation rates of lentic versus lotic lineages. While the drivers of this pattern remain incompletely understood, the suite of traits making up the ability of a species to establish new populations is instrumental in determining such differences. Here we explore the degree to which the association between habitat type and geographical range size results from differences in dispersal ability or fundamental niche breadth in the members of theEnochrus bicolorcomplex, an aquatic beetle clade with species across the lentic–lotic divide.

Location Western Mediterranean, with a special focus on North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and Sicily.

Methods DNA sequences for four loci were obtained from species of theE. bicolorcomplex and analysed using phylogenetic inference. Dispersal and establishment abilities were assessed in lentic–lotic species pairs of the complex, using flight wing morphometrics and thermal tolerance ranges as surrogates, respectively.

Results There were clear differences in range size between the lotic and lentic taxa of the complex, which appears to have had a lotic origin with two transitions to standing waters. Only small differences were observed in temperature tolerance and acclimation ability between the two lotic–lentic sister species studied. By contrast, wing morphometrics revealed clear, consistent differences between lotic and lenticEnochrusspecies pairs, the latter having a higher dispersal capacity.

Main conclusions We hypothesize that there have been two habitat shifts from lotic to lentic waters, which have allowed marked expansions in geographical range size in western Mediterranean species of theE. bicolorcomplex. Differences in dispersal rather than in establishment ability appear to underlie differences in geographical range extent, as transitions to lentic waters were associated with changes in wing morphology, but not in thermal tolerance range. In this lineage of water beetles, selection for dispersal in geologically short‐lived lentic systems has driven the evolution of larger range sizes in lentic taxa compared with those of their lotic relatives.
The island species–area relationship: biology and statistics
Authors: Triantis Kostas A. , Guilhaumon François , Whittaker Robert J.
Published: December 2011

Aim  We conducted the most extensive quantitative analysis yet undertaken of the form taken by the island species–area relationship (ISAR), among 20 models, to determine: (1) the best‐fit model, (2) the best‐fit model family, (3) the best‐fit ISAR shape (and presence of an asymptote), (4) system properties that may explain ISAR form, and (5) parameter values and interpretation of the logarithmic implementation of the power model.

Location  World‐wide.

Methods  We amassed 601 data sets from terrestrial islands and employed an information‐theoretic framework to test for the best‐fit ISAR model, family, and shape, and for the presence/absence of an asymptote. Two main criteria were applied: generality (the proportion of cases for which the model provided an adequate fit) and efficiency (the overall probability of a model, when adequate, being the best at explaining ISARs; evaluated using the mean overall AICc weight). Multivariate analyses were used to explore the potential of island system properties to explain trends in ISAR form, and to describe variation in the parameters of the logarithmic power model.

Results  Adequate fits were obtained for 465 data sets. The simpler models performed best, with the power model ranked first. Similar results were obtained at model family level. The ISAR form is most commonly convex upwards, without an asymptote. Island system traits had low descriptive power in relation to variation in ISAR form. However, the z and c parameters of the logarithmic power model show significant pattern in relation to island system type and taxon.

Main conclusions  Over most scales of space, ISARs are best represented by the power model and other simple models. More complex, sigmoid models may be applicable when the spatial range exceeds three orders of magnitude. With respect to the log power model, z‐values are indicative of the process(es) establishing species richness and composition patterns, while c‐values are indicative of the realized carrying capacity of the system per unit area. Variation in ISAR form is biologically meaningful, but the signal is noisy, as multiple processes constrain the ecological space available within island systems and the relative importance of these processes varies with the spatial scale of the system.
Bacterial infections of Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), returning to gamete collecting weirs in Michigan
Authors: Loch T P , Scribner K , Tempelman R , Whelan G , Faisal M
Published: December 2011

Herein, we describe the prevalence of bacterial infections in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), returning to spawn in two tributaries within the Lake Michigan watershed. Ten bacterial genera, including Renibacterium, Aeromonas, Carnobacterium, Serratia, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Hafnia, Salmonella, Shewanella and Morganella, were detected in the kidneys of Chinook salmon (n = 480) using culture, serological and molecular analyses. Among these, Aeromonas salmonicida was detected at a prevalence of ∼15%. Analyses revealed significant interactions between location/time of collection and gender for these infections, whereby overall infection prevalence increased greatly later in the spawning run and was significantly higher in females. Renibacterium salmoninarum was detected in fish kidneys at an overall prevalence of >25%. Logistic regression analyses revealed that R. salmoninarum prevalence differed significantly by location/time of collection and gender, with a higher likelihood of infection later in the spawning season and in females vs. males. Chi‐square analyses quantifying non‐independence of infection by multiple pathogens revealed a significant association between R. salmoninarum and motile aeromonad infections. Additionally, greater numbers of fish were found to be co‐infected by multiple bacterial species than would be expected by chance alone. The findings of this study suggest a potential synergism between bacteria infecting spawning Chinook salmon.
Diurnal variation of phenylalanine concentrations in tyrosinaemia type 1: should we be concerned?
Authors: Daly A. , Gokmen‐Ozel H. , MacDonald A. , Preece M. A. , Davies P. , Chakrapani A. , McKiernan P.
Published: December 2011

How to cite this article
 Daly A., Gokmen‐Ozel H., MacDonald A., Preece M.A., Davies P., Chakrapani A. & McKiernan P. (2012) Diurnal variation of phenylalanine concentrations in tyrosinaemia type 1: should we be concerned? J Hum Nutr Diet.25, 111–116

Background:  Tyrosinaemia type 1 (HT1) is treated with a tyrosine and phenylalanine‐restricted diet, amino acids free of phenylalanine and tyrosine, and nitisinone (NTBC). Treatment guidelines recommend plasma tyrosine between 200–400 μm and phenylalanine at least >30 μm. There is little information on the diurnal variation of plasma tyrosine or phenylalanine in HT1. Low plasma phenylalanine <30 μm may be associated with poor growth and cognitive delay. The present study aimed to document diurnal variation of tyrosine and phenylalanine plasma concentrations and growth in children with HT1.

Methods:  Median tyrosine and phenylalanine plasma concentrations were reviewed retrospectively over 3 years in 11 subjects (median age 4 years) with HT1. Subjects routinely collected morning fasting blood samples but afternoon nonfasted samples were taken in the clinic (<10% of samples). Growth Z‐scores were calculated.

Results:  The percentage of all plasma phenylalanine concentrations <30 μm was 8.6% and <40 μm was 13.6%. Only 2% of fasting morning phenylalanine concentrations were <30 μm, compared to 83% of nonfasting afternoon samples. All but one child had a height Z‐score <0.

Conclusions:  Blood phenylalanine concentrations were consistently lower in the afternoon. Taking blood samples at variable time points in the day may lead to variation in interpreting dietary control. A detailed study is necessary to examine the 24‐h diurnal variation of plasma phenylalanine and tyrosine in HT1. It is possible that phenylalanine concentrations may be very low for a substantive time over 24 h and the potential impact that this may have on cognitive development and growth in children is unknown.
Fast scanning STED and two‐photon fluorescence excitation microscopy with continuous wave beam
Authors: BIANCHINI P. , DIASPRO A.
Published: December 2011

In this paper we report stimulated emission depletion (STED) and two‐photon excitation (2PE) fluorescence microscopy with continuous wave (CW) laser beam using a new generation laser scanning confocal microscope equipped for STED‐CW (TCS STED‐CW, Leica Microsystems, Mannheim, Germany). We show the possibility to achieve CW‐2PE with the very same beam used for STED‐CW. This feature extends the performance of the microscope allowing multimodal imaging (CW‐2PE, STED‐CW, confocal).
Microtubule and cellulose microfibril orientation during plant cell and organ growth
Authors: CHAN J.
Published: December 2011

In this review, I ask the question of what is the relationship between growth and the orientations of microtubules and cellulose microfibrils in plant cells. This should be a relatively simple question to answer considering that text books commonly describe microtubules and cellulose microfibrils as hoops that drive expansion perpendicular to their orientation. However, recent live imaging techniques, which allow microtubules and cellulose synthase dynamics to be imaged simultaneously with cell elongation, show that cells can elongate with nonperpendicular microtubule arrays. In this review, I look at the significance of these different microtubule arrangements for growth and cell wall architecture and how these resultant walls differ from those derived from perpendicular arrays. I also discuss how these divergent arrays in stems may be important for coordinating growth between the different cell layers. This role reveals some general features of microtubule alignment that can be used to predict the growth status of organs. In conclusion, nonperpendicular arrays demonstrate alternative ways of cell elongation that do not require hooped arrays of microtubules and cellulose microfibrils. Such nonperpendicular arrays may be required for optimal growth and strengthening of tissues.
Predominant Suppression of Follicle‐Stimulating Hormone β‐Immunoreactivity after Long‐Term Treatment of Intact and Castrate Adult Male Rats with the Gonadotrophin‐Releasing Hormone Agonist Deslorelin
Authors: Smith A. W. , Asa C. S. , Edwards B. S. , Murdoch W. J. , Skinner D. C.
Published: December 2011

Gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists are used to treat gonadal steroid‐dependent disorders in humans and to contracept animals. These agonists are considered to work by desensitising gonadotrophs to GnRH, thereby suppressing follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH) secretion. It is not known whether changes occur in the cellular composition of the pituitary gland after chronic GnRH agonist exposure. Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with a sham, deslorelin, or deslorelin plus testosterone implant for 41.0 ± 0.6 days. In a second experiment, rats were castrated and treated with deslorelin and/or testosterone. Pituitary sections were labelled immunocytochemically for FSHβ and LHβ, or gonadotrophin α subunit (αGSU). Deslorelin suppressed testis weight by two‐thirds and reduced plasma FSH and LH in intact rats. Deslorelin decreased the percentage of gonadotrophs, although the effect was specific to the FSHβ‐immunoreactive (‐ir) cells. Testosterone did not reverse the deslorelin‐induced reduction in the overall gonadotroph population. However, in the presence of testosterone, the proportion of gonadotrophs that was FSHβ‐ir increased in the remaining gonadotrophs. There was no effect of treatment on the total LHβ‐ir cell population, although the loss of FSHβ in bi‐hormonal cells increased the proportion of mono‐hormonal LHβ‐ir gonadotrophs. The castration‐induced plasma LH and FSH increases were suppressed by deslorelin, testosterone or both. Castration increased both LH‐ir and FSH‐ir without increasing the overall gonadotroph population, thus increasing the proportion of bi‐hormonal cells. Deslorelin suppressed these increases. Testosterone increased FSH‐ir in deslorelin‐treated castrate rats. Deslorelin did not affect αGSU immunoreactivity, suggesting that the gonadotroph population per se is not eliminated by deslorelin, although the ability of gonadotrophs to synthesise FSHβ is compromised. We hypothesise that the FSH dominant suppression may be central to the long‐term contraceptive efficacy of deslorelin in the male.
The genetic ghost of an invasion past: colonization and extinction revealed by historical hybridization inSenecio
Authors: PELSER PIETER B. , ABBOTT RICHARD J. , COMES HANS P. , MILTON JOSEPH J. , MÖLLER MICHAEL , LOOSELEY MARK E. , CRON GLYNIS V. , BARCELONA JULIE F. , KENNEDY AARON H. , WATSON LINDA E. , BARONE RUBÉN , HERNÁNDEZ FABIÁN , KADEREIT JOACHIM W.
Published: December 2011

Hybridization is an important evolutionary factor in the diversification of many plant and animal species. Of particular interest is that historical hybridization resulting in the origin of new species or introgressants has occurred between species now geographically separated by great distances. Here, we report thatSenecio massaicus, a tetraploid species native to Morocco and the Canary Islands, contains genetic material of two distinct, geographically separated lineages: a Mediterranean lineage and a mainly southern African lineage. A time‐calibrated internal transcribed spacer phylogeny indicates that the hybridization event took place up to 6.18 Ma. Because the southern African lineage has never been recorded from Morocco or the Canary Islands, we hypothesize that it reached this area in the distant past, but never became permanently established. Interestingly, the southern African lineage includesS. inaequidens, a highly invasive species that has recently become widespread throughout Europe and was introduced at the end of the 19th century as a ‘wool alien’. Our results suggest that this more recent invasion of Europe byS. inaequidensrepresents the second arrival of this lineage into the region.
Jack of all nectars, master of most: DNA methylation and the epigenetic basis of niche width in a flower‐living yeast
Authors: HERRERA C. M. , POZO M. I. , BAZAGA P.
Published: December 2011

In addition to genetic differences between individuals as a result of nucleotide sequence variation, epigenetic changes that occur as a result of DNA methylation may also contribute to population niche width by enhancing phenotypic plasticity, although this intriguing possibility remains essentially untested. Using the nectar‐living yeastMetschnikowia reukaufiias study subject, we examine the hypothesis that changes in genome‐wide DNA methylation patterns underlie the ability of this fugitive species to exploit a broad resource range in its heterogeneous and patchy environment. Data on floral nectar characteristics and their use byM. reukaufiiin the wild were combined with laboratory experiments and methylation‐sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) analyses designed to detect epigenetic responses of single genotypes to variations in sugar environment that mimicked those occurring naturally in nectar.M. reukaufiiexploited a broad range of resources, occurring in nectar of 48% of species and 52% of families surveyed, and its host plants exhibited broad intra‐ and interspecific variation in sugar‐related nectar features. Under experimental conditions, sugar composition, sugar concentration and their interaction significantly influenced the mean probability of MSAP markers experiencing a transition from unmethylated to methylated state. Alterations in methylation status were not random but predictably associated with certain markers. The methylation inhibitor 5‐azacytidine (5‐AzaC) had strong inhibitory effects onM. reukaufiiproliferation in sugar‐containing media, and a direct relationship existed across sugar × concentration experimental levels linking inhibitory effect of 5‐AzaC and mean per‐marker probability of genome‐wide methylation. Environmentally induced DNA methylation polymorphisms allowed genotypes to grow successfully in extreme sugar environments, and the broad population niche width ofM. reukaufiiwas largely made possible by epigenetic changes enabling genotype plasticity in resource use.