bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exogenous Controls Increase Negative Call Veracity in Multiplexed, Quantitative PCR Assays for Phakopsora pachyrhizi
Authors: Haudenshield James S. , Hartman Glen L.
Published: November 2010

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) utilizing specific primer sequences and a fluorogenic, 5′-exonuclease linear hydrolysis probe is well established as a detection and identification method for Phakopsora pachyrhizi and P. meibomiae, two rust pathogens of soybean. Because of the extreme sensitivity of Q-PCR, the DNA of single urediniospores of these fungi can be detected from total DNA extracts of environmental samples. However, some DNA preparations unpredictably contain PCR inhibitors that increase the frequency of false negatives indistinguishable from true negatives. Three synthetic DNA molecules of arbitrary sequence were constructed as multiplexed internal controls (ICs) to cull false-negative results by producing a positive signal to validate the PCR process within each individual reaction. The first two, PpaIC and PmeIC, are a single-stranded oligonucleotide flanked by sequences complementary to the primers of either the P. pachyrhizi or P. meibomiae primary assay but hybridizing to a unique fluorogenic probe; the third contains unique primer- and probe-binding sequences, and was prepared as a cloned DNA fragment in a linearized plasmid. These ICs neither qualitatively nor quantitatively affected their primary assays. PpaIC and PmeIC were shown to successfully identify false-negative reactions resulting from endogenous or exogenous inhibitors, and can be readily adapted to function in a variety of diagnostic Q-PCR assays; the plasmid was found to successfully validate true negatives in similar Q-PCR assays for other soybean pathogens, as well as to function as a tracer molecule during DNA extraction and recovery.
Development and Suppression of Aerial Stem Rot in Commercial Potato Fields
Authors: Johnson Dennis A. , Dung Jeremiah K. S. , Cummings Thomas F. , Schroeder Brenda K.
Published: November 2010

The development of aerial stem rot of potato was quantified in relation to soil type, previous crop, and atmospheric temperature in the Columbia Basin. Incidence of bacterial stem rot was assessed for several weeks beginning before row closure in 18 commercial potato fields and once at the estimated peak of disease development in 38 fields over 4 years. Aerial stem rot was first observed between 25 to 36 days following row closure for 78% of the fields assessed multiple times per season. Slopes of disease progress curves initially increased very rapidly. The partial slope estimate for mean daily maximum temperature indicated an increase of disease with an increase of mean daily maximum temperature (P < 0.0001). Estimates of partial slopes for soil type (sandy loam versus silt loam) and previous crop (sweet or field corn versus other) were significant at P < 0.001 and P = 0.046, respectively, suggesting that cultivation of potato in sandy loam-type soils or following sweet or field corn as a previous crop increases the probability of aerial stem rot. Incidence of bacterial stem rot was significantly reduced in the sections of fields treated with famoxadone plus mancozeb and famoxadone plus mancozeb plus copper hydroxide mixtures.
The snf1 Gene of Ustilago maydis Acts as a Dual Regulator of Cell Wall Degrading Enzymes
Authors: Nadal Marina , Garcia-Pedrajas Maria D. , Gold Scott E.
Published: November 2010

Many fungal plant pathogens are known to produce extracellular enzymes that degrade cell wall elements required for host penetration and infection. Due to gene redundancy, single gene deletions generally do not address the importance of these enzymes in pathogenicity. Cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) in fungi are often subject to carbon catabolite repression at the transcriptional level such that, when glucose is available, CWDE-encoding genes, along with many other genes, are repressed. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the main players controlling this process is SNF1, which encodes a protein kinase. In this yeast, Snf1p is required to release glucose repression when this sugar is depleted from the growth medium. We have employed a reverse genetic approach to explore the role of the SNF1 ortholog as a potential regulator of CWDE gene expression in Ustilago maydis. We identified U. maydis snf1 and deleted it from the fungal genome. Consistent with our hypothesis, the relative expression of an endoglucanase and a pectinase was higher in the wild type than in the Δsnf1 mutant strain when glucose was depleted from the growth medium. However, when cells were grown in derepressive conditions, the relative expression of two xylanase genes was unexpectedly higher in the Δsnf1 strain than in the wild type, indicating that, in this case, snf1 negatively regulated the expression of these genes. Additionally, we found that, contrary to several other fungal species, U. maydis Snf1 was not required for utilization of alternative carbon sources. Also, unlike in ascomycete plant pathogens, deletion of snf1 did not profoundly affect virulence in U. maydis.
Multiple Mid-Atlantic Field Experiments Show No Economic Benefit to Fungicide Application When Fungal Disease Is Absent in Winter Wheat
Authors: Weisz Randy , Cowger Christina , Ambrose Gaylon , Gardner Andrew
Published: November 2010

Strobilurin fungicides produce intensified greening and delayed senescence in plants, and have been claimed to enhance yields of field crops in the absence of disease. To help evaluate this claim, available publicly sponsored tests of fungicides on soft red winter wheat in Virginia and North Carolina (n = 42) were analyzed for the period 1994 to 2010. All tests were replicated and had a randomized complete block, split-plot, or split-block design. Each test included 1 to 32 cultivars and one to five fungicides (two strobilurins, one triazole, and two strobilurin-triazole mixtures). There was a total of 311 test–cultivar–fungicide treatment comparisons, where a comparison was the reported yield difference between sprayed and unsprayed treatments of a given cultivar in a given test. Parameters used to calculate the economic benefit or loss associated with fungicide application included a grain price range of $73.49 to 257.21 Mg–1 ($2 to 7 bu–1), a total fungicide application cost of $24.71 to 74.13 ha–1 ($10 to 30 acre–1), and a 0.14 to 0.21 Mg ha–1 (2.3 to 3.4 bu acre–1) loss in yield from driving over wheat during application (with a sprayer 27.4 or 18.3 m [90 or 60 feet] wide, respectively). The yield increase needed to pay for a fungicide application at each combination of cost and price was calculated, and the cumulative probability function for the fungicide yield-response data was modeled. The model was used to predict the probability of achieving a break-even yield, and the probabilities were graphed against each cost–price combination. Tests were categorized as “no-disease” or “diseased” based on reports of the researchers rating the tests. Subsets of the data were analyzed to assess the profitability of the triazole fungicide and the strobilurin-containing fungicides separately in no-disease versus diseased experiments. From the results, it was concluded that, with routine fungicide application based solely on wheat growth stage, total fungicide application costs had to be <$24.71 ha–1 ($10 acre–1) in order to average a ≥50% probability of breaking even or making a profit (compared with not spraying). By contrast, if fungicides were applied when fungal disease was present, total application costs of ≤$47 ha–1 ($19 acre–1) for strobilurins and ≤$72 ha–1 ($29 acre–1) for propiconazole alone were associated with a ≥50% probability of breaking even or making a profit at a wheat price of $184 Mg–1. The results do not support the application of strobilurin or triazole fungicides to mid-Atlantic wheat crops for “plant health” in the absence of disease. Rather, they support basing the decision to apply fungicide on observation of disease, if an economic return for the input is desired.
Dynamics of Ascospore Maturation and Discharge in Erysiphe necator, the Causal Agent of Grape Powdery Mildew
Authors: Rossi Vittorio , Caffi Tito , Legler Sara E.
Published: November 2010

Dynamics of ascocarp development, ascospore maturation, and dispersal in Erysiphe necator were studied over a 4-year period, from the time of ascocarp formation to the end of the ascosporic season at the end of June in the following spring. Naturally dispersed chasmothecia were collected from mid-August to late November (when leaf fall was complete); the different collections were used to form three to five cohorts of chasmothecia per year, with each cohort containing ascocarps formed in different periods. Chasmothecia were exposed to natural conditions in a vineyard and periodically sampled. Ascocarps were categorized as containing mature or immature ascospores, or as empty; mature ascospores inside chasmothecia were enumerated starting from late February. Ascospore discharge was determined using silicone-coated slides that were placed 3 to 4 cm from sections of the vine trunk holding the chasmothecia. Before complete leaf fall, 34% of the chasmothecia had mature ascospores, 48% had immature ascospores, and 18% were empty; in the same period, the trapped ascospores represented 56% of the total ascospores trapped in an ascosporic season (i.e., from late summer until the next spring or early summer). The number of viable chasmothecia diminished over time; 11 and 5% of chasmothecia had mature ascospores between complete leaf fall and bud break and after bud break, respectively. These ascocarps discharged ≈2 and 42% of the total ascospores, respectively. All the ascocarp cohorts released ascospores in autumn, survived the winter, and discharged viable ascospores in spring; neither ascospore numbers nor their pattern of temporal release was influenced by the time when chasmothecia were collected and exposed in the vineyard. Abundance of mature ascospores in chasmothecia was expressed as a function of degree-days (DD) (base 10°C) accumulated before and after bud break through a Gompertz equation (R2 = 0.92). Based on this equation, 90% of the ascospores were mature when 153 DD (confidence interval, 100 to 210 DD) had accumulated after bud break. Most ascospores were trapped in periods with >2 mm of rain; however, a few ascospores were airborne with <2 mm of rain and, occasionally, in wet periods of ≥3.5 h not initiated by rain.
Networks in Plant Epidemiology: From Genes to Landscapes, Countries, and Continents
Authors: Moslonka-Lefebvre Mathieu , Finley Ann , Dorigatti Ilaria , Dehnen-Schmutz Katharina , Harwood Tom , Jeger Michael J. , Xu Xiangming , Holdenrieder Ottmar , Pautasso Marco
Published: November 2010

There is increasing use of networks in ecology and epidemiology, but still relatively little application in phytopathology. Networks are sets of elements (nodes) connected in various ways by links (edges). Network analysis aims to understand system dynamics and outcomes in relation to network characteristics. Many existing natural, social, and technological networks have been shown to have small-world (local connectivity with short-cuts) and scale-free (presence of super-connected nodes) properties. In this review, we discuss how network concepts can be applied in plant pathology from the molecular to the landscape and global level. Wherever disease spread occurs not just because of passive/natural dispersion but also due to artificial movements, it makes sense to superimpose realistic models of the trade in plants on spatially explicit models of epidemic development. We provide an example of an emerging pathosystem (Phytophthora ramorum) where a theoretical network approach has proven particularly fruitful in analyzing the spread of disease in the UK plant trade. These studies can help in assessing the future threat posed by similar emerging pathogens. Networks have much potential in plant epidemiology and should become part of the standard curriculum.
Nicotine dependence and quitting behaviors among menthol and non‐menthol smokers with similar consumptive patterns
Authors: Fagan Pebbles , Moolchan Eric T. , Hart, Jr. Alton , Rose Allison , Lawrence Deirdre , Shavers Vickie L. , Gibson James Todd
Published: November 2010

Aims  This study examines the associations between usual cigarette brand (i.e. menthol, non‐menthol) and markers for nicotine dependence and quitting behaviors.

Design  The 2003 and 2006/07 Tobacco Use Supplements to the Current Population Surveys were pooled to conduct secondary data analysis.

Setting  National data were collected using in‐person and telephone computer‐assisted interviews by the United States Census Bureau among civilian, non‐institutionalized people aged 15 years and older.

Participants  Data were analyzed among daily current smokers aged 18+ (n = 46 273).

Measurements  The associations between usual cigarette brand and time to first cigarette within 5 and 30 minutes after waking, quit attempts in the past 12 months and length of smoking abstinence in the past 12 months were examined. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were stratified by smoking intensity: ≤5, 6–10, 11–19 and 20+ cigarettes per day.

Findings  Menthol smokers reported a mean of 13.05 compared with 15.01 cigarettes per day among non‐menthol smokers (P < 0.001). Multivariate results showed that among smokers consuming 6–10 cigarettes per day, menthol smokers were significantly more likely than non‐menthol smokers to consume their first cigarette within 5 minutes after waking (odds ratio = 1.22, 95% confidence interval = 1.05,1.43). The multivariate models did not show significant associations between usual cigarette brand and quit attempts in past 12 months or duration of smoking abstinence >2 weeks in the past 12 months.

Conclusions  Findings from this national survey of daily smokers demonstrate that menthol smokers in the United States who report consuming 6–10 cigarettes per day show greater signs of nicotine dependence than comparable non‐menthol smokers.
Per capita alcohol consumption and ischemic heart disease mortality in a panel of US states from 1950 to 2002
Authors: Kerr William C. , Karriker‐Jaffe Katherine , Subbaraman Meenakshi , Ye Yu
Published: November 2010

Aims To estimate the overall impact of alcohol on ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality in the United States using aggregate‐level models and to consider beverage‐specific effects that may represent more effectively the changes in drinking patterns over time that are related to both harmful and protective impacts of alcohol consumption on IHD.

Design Several model specifications are estimated, including state‐specific autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models and generalized least squares (GLS) panel models on first‐differenced data.

Setting US states from 1950 to 2002.

Participants US general population.

Measurements Per capita alcohol sales and cigarette sales, age‐standardized IHD and cirrhosis mortality rates.

Findings Apparent consumption of total alcohol was associated with a significant overall increase of IHD of about 1% mortality per litre of ethanol. Beverage‐specific models found that spirits consumption was significantly positively related to IHD mortality overall, for both genders and in three regions defined by drinking culture (or ‘wetness’), while beer was found to have a significant protective relationship overall and in the wet region. The results for wine also suggest a protective relationship, but only marginally significant effects were found. Cirrhosis mortality rates were consistently positively related to IHD mortality. Combined results from state‐specific ARIMA models including both cigarette sales and cirrhosis rates were generally consistent with the GLS results.

Conclusions Population‐level models confirm individual‐level findings of both harmful and protective relationships between alcohol use patterns and ischemic heart disease mortality. However, an overall harmful impact of per capita alcohol consumption on IHD mortality was found.
Leukotriene modifiers for asthma treatment
Authors: Montuschi P. , Peters‐Golden M. L.
Published: November 2010

Leukotrienes (LTs), including cysteinyl LTs (CysLTs) and LTB4, are potent lipid mediators that have a role in the pathophysiology of asthma. At least two receptor subtypes for CysLTs, CysLT1 and CysLT2, have been identified. The activation of the CysLT1 receptor is responsible for most of the pathophysiological effects of CysLTs in asthma, including increased airway smooth muscle activity, microvascular permeability, and airway mucus secretion. LTB4 might have a role in severe asthma, asthma exacerbations, and the development of airway hyperresponsiveness. CysLT1 receptor antagonists can be given orally as monotherapy in patients with mild persistent asthma, but these drugs are generally less effective than inhaled glucocorticoids. Combination of CysLT1 receptor antagonists and inhaled glucocorticoids in patients with more severe asthma may improve asthma control and enable the dose of inhaled glucocorticoids to be reduced while maintaining similar efficacy. The identification of subgroups of asthmatic patients who respond to CysLT1 receptor antagonists is relevant for asthma management as the response to these drugs is variable. CysLT1 receptor antagonists have a potential anti‐remodelling effect that might be important for preventing or reversing airway structural changes in patients with asthma. This review discusses the role of LTs in asthma and the role of LT modifiers in asthma treatment.

Cite this as: P. Montuschi and M. L. Peters‐Golden, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 1732–1741.
Evidence that enteric motility reflexes can be initiated through entirely intrinsic mechanisms in the guinea‐pig small intestine
Authors: FURNESS I. B. , JOHNSON P. J. , POMPOLO S. , BORNSTEIN J. C.
Published: November 2010

Abstract Although motility reflexes can be elicited in the intestine in vivo after all neural connections with the central nervous system are cut, or in vitro in isolated intestinal segments, it is not proven that the cell bodies of the primary sensory neurons for these reflexes are in the intestinal wall. It is feasible that the nerve cells are in dorsal root ganglia and that axon reflexes are involved in the initiation of the reflexes. We have examined reflexes in segments of guinea‐pig intestine in which extrinsic denervation, 9–11 days before the intestine was removed, and isolation of the intestine in vitro were combined. The experimental segments were isolated from extrinsic inputs by severing nerves in the mesentery and those running in the gut wall that entered the segment. The effectiveness of denervation was confirmed histochemically. Ascending and descending reflexes were evoked by mucosal distortion or distension and responses were recorded by intracellular microelectrodes in the circular muscle. Reflex responses recorded after denervation were no different to those recorded from control tissue. It is concluded that, in the small intestine of the guinea‐pig, cell bodies of primary sensory neurons for mucosal and probably for distension reflexes are intrinsic to the organ.
Brain noradrenergic systems modulate the ceco‐colonic myoelectric activity in rats*
Authors: BONAZ B. , MARTIN L. , BEURRIAND E. , HOSTEIN J. , FEUERSTEIN C.
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe role of the brain noradrenergic systems in the control of the ceco‐colonic myoelectric activity was investigated in rats following lesions with intracerebroventricular (icv) or intracisternal (ic) injection of 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA). Controls received the vehicle alone. The ceco‐colonic myoelectric activity was recorded 3 weeks later in conscious rats chronically fitted with electrodes. After icv injection of 6‐OHDA, lesions of rostral and caudal (spinal) noradrenergic systems were observed whereas only spinal noradrenergic systems were lesioned after ic injection. This differential pattern of lesions was followed by a differential pattern of ceco‐colonic myoelectric activity. In fasted animals, a significant increase of the long spike burst (LSB) frequency (nb min−1) was observed after icv injection of 6‐OHDA whereas no modification was observed after ic injection of the neurotoxic. After a 6‐g pelleted rat diet, a significant increase of the LSB frequency was also observed in the icv lesioned group when compared to controls. No modification of the ceco‐colonic noradrenergic innervation was observed, thus confirming the central selectivity of these lesions. Lesions of central noradrenergic systems modify the LSB frequency in rats; the rostral noradrenergic systems seem to play the major role.
Functional role and histological demonstration of nitric‐oxide‐mediated inhibitory nerves in dog sphincter of Oddi
Authors: TANOBE Y. , OKAMURA T. , FUJIMURA M. , Toda Noboru
Published: November 2010

AbstractNitric oxide (NO) plays an important physiological role in regulating gastrointestinal motility. Involvement of endogenous NO was evaluated in the response to non‐adrenergic, non‐cholinergic (NANC) nerve stimulation of the dog sphincter muscle of Oddi. Transmural electrical stimulation (TES), nicotine (10−5M) and K+(10 mM) produced only a relaxation in the sphincter muscle strips contracted with substance P, which was not potentiated by atropine. The TES‐induced relaxation was abolished by tetrodotoxin (3 times 10−7M) and oxyhaemoglobin (1.6 times 10−5M), but not affected by atropine (10−7M), propranolol (10−7M), phentolamine (10−7M), indomethacin (10−6M), chole‐cystokinin (CCK, 10−8M) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP, 10−8M). The relaxation was also abolished by treatment with NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine (L‐NA, 10−5M), an NO synthase inhibitor. Nicotine produced a transient relaxation, which was abolished by tetrodotoxin, hexamethonium (10−5M) and L‐NA, but not affected by atropine and NG‐nitro‐D‐arginine (D‐NA, 10−5M). The addition of K+elicited a transient relaxation, which was abolished by tetrodotoxin and L‐NA. The inhibitory effects of L‐NA were antagonized by L‐arginine (10−3M). The presence of neurons containing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)‐diaphorase was histochemically demonstrated in the sphincter of Oddi. These findings may indicate that TES, nicotine and K+liberate NO from NANC inhibitory nerve which is involved in the relaxation of the dog sphincter of Oddi. The muscular tone does not seem to be regulated by cholinergic nerves under the experimental conditions used.
Colonic motor response to IgE‐mediated mast cell degranulation in the Hooded‐Lister rat
Authors: OLIVER M. R. , TAN D. T. M. , Scott R. Brent
Published: November 2010

Abstract After challenge of sensitized individuals, food protein‐induced colonic anaphylaxis may contribute to the symptom of diarrhoea. The aim of this study was to characterize the effect of food protein‐induced anaphylaxis on colonic circular muscle in vitro, identify the mediators involved, and then evaluate the effect of antigen challenge on colonic transit in vivo. Hooded‐Lister rats were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of egg albumin and controls were sham‐sensitized with saline. Rings of distal colonic tissue were suspended in standard tissue baths (mucosa intact) and circular muscle contractility was measured in response to antigen or other agents on day 14. In conscious animals, Na251CrO4 was instilled alone, or with antigen, via proximal colostomy and the geometric centre of distribution of 51Cr calculated. Following antigen challenge, a contractile response occurred only in animals that were sensitized (specific IgE antibody levels ≥1:64), and was specific for the sensitizing antigen. Mast cell involvement was suggested when (1) concanavalin A (a degranulator of both mucosal and connective tissue mast cells) mimicked the antigen‐induced response, and (2) Ag‐induced contraction was significantly inhibited by mast cell stabilizers. The Ag‐induced response was significantly and independently inhibited by a lipo‐oxygenase enzyme inhibitor and by LTD4 and platelet activating factor receptor antagonists. The antigen‐induced response was resistant to histamine and 5‐hydroxytryptamine receptor antagonists, indomethacin, atropine and tetrodotoxin. The geometric centre of distribution of 51Cr was significantly more distal in sensitized animals challenged with antigen rather than placebo, and only sensitized animals challenged with antigen developed diarrhoea. These results suggest that colonic antigen challenge of sensitized rats is associated with IgE‐mediated mast cell activation, the release of membrane derived mediators which, in vitro, act directly on smooth muscle to induce contraction, and in vivo result in an increased rate of aboral transit and diarrhoea.
β‐Adrenoceptors regulate myoelectric activity in the small intestine of rats: stimulation by β2and inhibition by β3subtypes
Authors: Thollander Mikael , SVENSSON T. H. , HELLSTRÖM P. M.
Published: November 2010

AbstractUsing β‐adrenergic agonists and antagonists this study investigated the importance of three different adrenoceptor subtypes for the regulation of migrating myoelectric complexes (MMCs) of the upper small intestine in conscious, naive rats. After a control period of 60 min with four activity fronts, agonists were given as an intravenous infusion for another 60 min. The non‐selective β‐adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline (1 μg kg−1min−1) inhibited MMCs and induced irregular spiking during the infusion period. This effect was blocked by intravenous administration of a bolus dose of either the non‐selective β‐adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol (1 mg kg−1), or the β2‐antagonist ICI 118 551 (1 mg kg−1), both given prior to isoprenaline. However, acebutolol (1 mg kg−1), a selective β1‐antagonist, failed to antagonize the effect of isoprenaline. Furthermore, prenalterol, a selective β1‐agonist (12.5–800.0 μg kg−1min−1), had no effect on the MMC pattern, whereas the β2‐selective agonist ritodrine (25–100 μg kg−1min−1) induced a myoelectric pattern similar to one induced by isoprenaline. The partial β3‐adrenoceptor agonist D7114 (50–100 μg kg−1min−1), disrupted the MMCs and induced quiescence. Neither of the antagonists, i.e. propranolol (1 mg kg−1), acebutolol (1 mg kg−1) nor ICI 118 551 (1 mg kg−1), given alone induced changes in the MMC pattern. In conclusion, β2‐adrenoceptors in particular but also β3‐adrenoceptors seem to be of importance in the regulation of small intestinal motility by disrupting the regular MMC pattern in rats.
Effect of nitric oxide on propagated clusters of spontaneous motor waves in anex vivorabbit intestinal preparation
Authors: GROSSI L. , FALCUCCI M. , LAPENNA D. , MARZIO L.
Published: November 2010

The aim of this study was to determine whether nitric oxide can play a role in regulating the propagation of spontaneous motor activity in a rabbit intestinal preparation completely excluded from any central and vascular connection. Experiments were done on nine rabbits of either sex, weighing 2.5 ± 0.5 kg (mean ± SD). After one week of semiliquid diet the animals were sacrificed and a segment including the stomach, duodenum and part of the jejunum was removed and placed into a single chamber organ bath containing 1 L of oxygenated Krebs' solution. Four strain gauges connected to a Dynograph Recorder were sutured on the serosal surface 10 cm apart starting from the gastric antrum to the distal duodenum. Once the motor activity was stabilized, N‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl‐ester (L‐NAME) was added to the bath at increasing concentration from 10−7to 10−4. Spontaneous motor activity was recorded, characterized by the cycling occurrence of bursts of waves, starting from the stomach and propagating to the descending duodenum. L‐NAME at higher concentrations reduced the time interval between the bursts of waves with a concomitant increase in the propagation velocity of the motor activity. No change in the frequency of waves was detected. The effect of L‐NAME was prevented by the administration of L‐Arginine. This study suggests an important role for the nitric oxide pathway in the distal propagation of the spontaneous motor activity of the alimentary tract.
Regulation of colonic epithelial cell turnover by IDO contributes to the innate susceptibility of SCID mice to Trichuris muris infection
Authors: BELL L. V. , ELSE K. J.
Published: November 2010

Tryptophan catabolism via the kynurenine pathway is dependent on the enzyme Indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO). Expression of IDO is upregulated in a number of inflammatory settings such as wounding and infection, and the resulting local tryptophan depletion may inhibit the replication of intracellular pathogens. Indo gene expression is upregulated in the gut during chronic infection with the mouse whipworm Trichuris muris. We demonstrate an increase in the rate of colonic epithelial cell turnover after inhibition of IDO in T. muris‐infected SCID mice, leading to a significant expulsion of parasite burden. We identify the goblet cell as a novel source of IDO and present data revealing a new role for IDO in the regulation of epithelial cell turnover post‐infectious challenge.
The Effect of Carbohydrate and Nitrogen Concentration on Phenol Synthesis in Paul's Scarlet Rose Cells Grown in Tissue Culture
Authors: AMORIM H. V. , DOUGALL D. K. , SHARP W. R.
Published: November 2010

The effects of exogenous concentrations of glucose and nitrate on total ethanol extractable phenols and leucoanthocyanins were studied in Paul's Scarlet Rose cells grown in either liquid suspension or solid culture. Aliquots of liquid suspension cultured cells were harvested during logarithmic, early stationary, and late stationary periods of growth for determination of fresh weight, dry weight, total ethanol extractable phenols and leucoanthocyanins. Cells produced phenols during all phases of growth, but at stationary phase, the production was greatest. Increasing concentrations of exogenous glucose in the culture medium resulted in an increased synthesis of total phenols in logarithmic cells, and an increased synthesis of total phenols and leucoanthocyanin in stationary cells. Addition of increased concentrations of exogenous nitrate to the stationary cells grown in suspension culture markedly reduced synthesis of leucoanthocyanins although total phenol synthesis was not significantly affected. Similar observations were made in cells cultured on solid medium in respect to exogenous glucose concentration, however these cells differed from the suspension cultured cells by having increased amounts of total phenol synthesis and decreased synthesis of leucoanthocyanins in the presence of increasing concentrations of exogenous nitrate in the culture medium.
Early diagnosis of a calibre persistent labial artery in a child: Usefulness of ultrasonography
Authors: Arellano Javier , Antoniazzi Cristina , Wortsman Ximena
Published: November 2010

Calibre persistent labial artery is a vascular lesion in which a large diameter artery penetrates the submucosal tissue of the lip and continues without division or decreasing its size. Usually, a calibre persistent artery of the lip presents as a pulsatile papule and is easily misdiagnosed. Although the diagnosis can be clinical, the development of high‐resolution colour Doppler ultrasound is a useful non‐invasive tool for evaluating the lesion. We report a case of a 2‐year‐old male patient presenting with a congenital pulsatile lesion on his upper lip. Clinical diagnosis of a calibre persistent artery of the lip was confirmed by colour Doppler ultrasound. Images are provided to highlight findings of the physical and ultrasound examinations.
Chronic tubulointerstitial disease in IgA nephropathy
Authors: WOODROFFE Andrew J.
Published: November 2010

Summary: Considerable clinical and experimental evidence points to the functional importance of tubulointerstitial disease (TID) in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Current thinking is that the proteinuria/haematuria in IgAN causes tubular injury and that this is followed by tubular cell neoantigen expression (human leucocyte antigens [HLA] ICAM‐1 and VCAM‐1), with T cell (γδ cell) activation, macrophage recruitment, the release of cytokines (notably transforming growth factor‐β [TGF‐β] and platelet derived growth factor [PDGF]), and the growth of interstitial fibroblasts. Agents that have been effective in preventing experimental TID in animals include anti‐TGF‐β, decorin, IL‐1 receptor antagonists and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Thus the tubulointerstitial component of IgAN might well provide an important new window of opportunity for therapeutic intervention in this disease. Tubulointerstitial disease must be monitored more closely as a prognostic factor in future clinicopathological studies of IgAN.
IgA nephropathy: A vasculitis?
Authors: KONG Norella CT
Published: November 2010

Summary: Vasculitis is an inflammation of blood vessels which leads to necrosis and infarction of the endorgans involved. IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the kidney‐limited expression of a single disease with Henoch‐Schonlei purpura as the systemic vasculitic form. Renal histology is indistinguishable except for the chronic progressive nature of IgAN, in 20–30% of patients. A common immunopathogenesis occurs in which a genetic abnormality enhances IgA immune response to exogeneous (and endogenous) antigens in mucosae with the excessive production of macromolecular IgA1. Renal damage is triggered by mesangial deposits of IgA1. Both are associated with chronic liver disease, gut neoplasms and lymphomas and IgAN, in particular with autoimmune diseases such as dermatitis herpetiformes, coeliac disease, ankylosing spondylitis and Reiter's disease. Immunodysregulation with reduced T suppressor cell function and enhanced T helper cell function with resultant autoantibodies is highly reminiscent of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The many autoantibodies and characteristic vasculitic lesions of SLE are well documented. Autoantibodies have been demonstrated in IgAN and include cold‐reactive antinuclear antibodies (ANA), IgA‐rheumatoid factor, IgA‐antinuclear cytoplasmic antibody, anti‐endothelial cell antibody (AECA) and IgA‐fibrinonecrin. Their clinical significance remains controversial. Extrarenal involvement of the skin, eyes and joints occasionally occurs, although systemic capillaritis is rarely reported. It is tempting to speculate that the severe renal biopsy changes of necrosis, polymorph infiltrate and crescent formation occurring in a third of IgAN patients reflect true glomerular capillaritis. Nevertheless, on the balance of current evidence, IgAN cannot be classified as a vasculitis.
Interaction of immune complexes with Fc receptors in mesangial cells: A potential target for the treatment of IgA nephropathy
Authors: GÓMEZ‐GUERRERO C. , DUQUE N. , LÓPEZ‐ARMADA MJ , CASADO MT , VIVANCO F. , EGIDO J.
Published: November 2010

Summary: Most human nephritis is caused by the deposition and/or formation of immune complexes in the glomerular region. Recently, it has been demonstrated that mesangial cells (MC) possess Fc receptors for IgG and IgA. In this work we demonstrate that catabolism of immune complexes occurs via Fc receptors. Mesangial cell incubation with IgA or IgG complexes induced cell proliferation and extracellular matrix synthesis, two key aspects of progressive renal diseases. These effects are in part due to the production of cytokines IL‐6 and transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β), as specific antibodies decreased thymidine incorporation and fibronectin (FN) production. Fc receptor stimulation induced several intracellular signals involving phospholipase Cγ activation, inositol trisphosphate (IP3) formation, and Ca2+ mobilization. Furthermore, we observed activation of the transcription factor NF‐κB, and increase in gene expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), proinflammatory cytokine participating in the recruitment of mononuclear cells, a phenomenon related to the onset and progression of renal injury. These responses depend on the Fc region of immunoglobulins because Fc fragments inhibited these effects. To observe whether this could be the case in vivo, rats with immune complex nephritis were treated with IgG Fc fragments. The administration of fragments significantly decreased proteinuria and morphological lesions. Our results show that MC activation through Fc receptors induces several intracellular responses, such as cell proliferation, synthesis of proinflammatory and profibrogenic cytokines, and accumulation of matrix proteins. • Modulation of immune complex—MC interaction by in vivo Fc fragments administration could represent a new approach in the glomerulonephritis treatment.
Future directions in the treatment of IgA nephropathy
Authors: LAI Kar Neng
Published: November 2010

Summary: In IgA nephropathy (IgAN), there is a defect of clearance of immune complexes. Some of these patients are genetically predisposed to the development of the nephritis. Poorly solubilized polymeric IgA immune complexes are then deposited in the mesangium. Recent data indirectly suggest IgA‐immune complexes from patients with IgAN are different from those of healthy subjects and they can exert pathophysiologic effect on target cells. Mesangial reactivity to the immune complexes triggers off release of cytokines, with decreased prostaglandin E2 synthesis and increase in thromboxane A2 production promoting mesangial cell proliferation. Angiotensin II (ATII)‐induced mesangial cell contraction with efferent arteriolar vasodilatation initiates glomerular injury and may eventually lead to glomerulosclerosis due to increased synthesis of transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) and platelet‐derived growth factor PDGF). This paper highlights the possible therapeutic strategies in the future based on the recently reported pathogenetic findings in IgAN. These strategies include: (i) decreasing the synthesis of IgA‐immune complexes; (ii) limiting the mesangial uptake of IgA‐immune complexes; (iii) antagonizing the effect of PDGF and TGF‐β to reduce mesangial proliferation and glomerulosclerosis; and (iv) reducing the noxious glomerular injury due to infiltrating neutrophils. The effective treatment of IgAN requires a further clarification of the pathogenesis of the nephropathy. Future therapeutic attempts to slow down the rate of renal deterioration in IgAN rest on the better understanding of the mechanisms mediating inflammatory injury in the kidney.
The Family Education Diabetes Series (FEDS): community‐based participatory research with a midwestern American Indian community
Authors: Mendenhall Tai J , Berge Jerica M , Harper Peter , GreenCrow Betty , LittleWalker Nan , WhiteEagle Sheila , BrownOwl Steve
Published: November 2010

MENDENHALL TJ, BERGE JM, HARPER P, GREENCROW B, LITTLEWALKER N, WHITEEAGLE S and BROWNOWL S. Nursing Inquiry 2010; 17: 359–372 The Family Education Diabetes Series (FEDS): community‐based participatory research with a midwestern American Indian community

Indigenous people around the globe tend to struggle with poorer health and well‐being than their non‐indigenous counterparts. One area that this is especially evident is in the epidemic of diabetes in North America’s American Indians (AIs) – who evidence higher prevalence rates and concomitant disease‐related complications than any other racial/ethnic group. As researchers and AI communities work together to transcend conventional top‐down, service‐delivery approaches to care, community‐based participatory research is beginning to show promise as a way to partner contemporary biomedical knowledge with the lived‐experience, wisdom, and customs of Indigenous people. This study describes the Family Education Diabetes Series (FEDS) as an example of such effort, and highlights pilot findings assessing its value and impact across key diabetes‐relevant variables. Following 36 intervention participants across baseline, 3‐month, and 6‐month time periods, data show significant improvements in weight, blood pressure, and metabolic control (A1c). Strengths and limitations of this investigation are presented, along with suggestions about how to further advance and empirically test the work across other Indigenous communities.
Common issues, different approaches: strategies for community–academic partnership development
Authors: Baiardi Janet M , Brush Barbara L , Lapides Sharon
Published: November 2010

BAIARDI JM, BRUSH BL and LAPIDES S.Nursing Inquiry2010;17: 289–296 Common issues, different approaches: strategies for community–academic partnership development

Communities around the United States face many challenging health problems whose complexity makes them increasingly unresponsive to traditional single‐solution approaches. Multiple approaches have considered ways to understand these health issues and devise interventions that work. One such approach is community‐based participatory research. This article describes the development of a new collaborative partnership between a school of nursing and an urban social service agency using community‐based participatory research as a framework. We describe the partnership’s evolution and process of data collection and analysis and evaluate the outcomes of both. We argue that community‐based participatory research involves partnerships at its core whose members, both as individuals and part of the collaboration, must be committed and nimble in the face of shifting and challenging health and social problems, recognize common issues and concerns across the boundaries of community and academia, and respect each other’s different approaches and expertise.
Application of resonance metallic stents for ureteral obstruction
Authors: Wang Hung‐Jen , Lee Tze Yu , Luo Hao Lun , Chen Chien‐Hsu , Shen Yuan‐Chi , Chuang Yao‐Chi , Chiang Po Hui
Published: November 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effectiveness of the Resonance ureteral stent and clarify the risk factors that lead to stent failure. In the present study, we review our clinical experiences using Resonance stent in treating malignant and benign ureteral obstruction.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Nineteen patients with extrinsic malignant ureteral obstruction (n= 15) and benign stricture (n= 4) were retrospectively evaluated.

All patients had received Resonance stent insertion through antegrade or cystoscopic retrograde approaches. The pre‐insertion and follow‐up interventions included image studies and biochemical tests. The insertion success rate, obstruction patency rate and complications were reviewed.

For categorical variables, the chi‐square test and Fisher’s exact test were carried out to determine associations between variables.

RESULTS

The technical success rate of stent insertion was 84.6%. The mean follow‐up was 5 months (range 1–10.5 months).

Five stents failed to alleviate the obstruction, and the patency rate was 77.3% (17/22).

Patients who had had previous radiation therapy had a lower ureter patency rate in comparison with non‐radiation patients (50% vs 92.3% respectively, P= 0.039).

The 6‐ and 9‐month patency rates were 81.0% with 11 stents and 27.0% with 3 stents, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study demonstrated that malignant or benign ureteral obstruction could be treated safely and sufficiently with the Resonance metallic stent.

Careful patient selection is critical to achieve successful results.

For malignant ureteral obstruction, previous radiation therapy is a risk factor for stent failure.
An empirical analysis of the operational losses of Australian banks
Authors: Moosa Imad , Silvapulle Param
Published: November 2010

This study provides an analysis of 54 operational loss events experienced by eight Australian banks during the period 1990–2007. The results of an event study show that the announcement of operational losses has an adverse effect on the stock price and market value of the announcing bank. Further empirical work reveals no systematic relation between losses and bank characteristics such as size and leverage. The results also show that while the frequency of an event of a certain type is independent from the underlying business line, there is an association between the loss amount and the business line. The decline in market value relative to the loss amount is found to be independent of the type of the underlying loss event.
The Cost of Debt
Authors: Van BINSBERGEN JULES H. , GRAHAM JOHN R. , YANG JIE
Published: November 2010

We use exogenous variation in tax benefit functions to estimate firm‐specific cost of debt functions that are conditional on company characteristics such as collateral, size, and book‐to‐market. By integrating the area between the benefit and cost functions, we estimate that the equilibrium net benefit of debt is 3.5% of asset value, resulting from an estimated gross benefit (cost) of debt equal to 10.4% (6.9%) of asset value. We find that the cost of being overlevered is asymmetrically higher than the cost of being underlevered and that expected default costs constitute only half of the total ex ante costs of debt.
Agriculture for development: new paradigm and options for success
Authors: De Janvry Alain
Published: November 2010

The role of agriculture as an instrument for industrialization had been rigorously conceptualized in the 1960s and 1970s under the classical paradigm of development economics. After many implementation failures under import substitution industrialization policies and protracted neglect of agriculture under the policies of the Washington Consensus that followed the debt crisis, agriculture has gradually returned in the development agenda, especially with the food crisis. We argue in this article that a new paradigm has started to emerge as to how to use agriculture for development, pursuing a broadened development agenda. We explore the specifications of this paradigm and discuss conditions for successful implementation.
China's agriculture: drivers of change and implications for China and the rest of world
Authors: Huang Jikun , Yang Jun , Rozelle Scott
Published: November 2010

The overall goal of this article is to identify major changes in China's agriculture/food economy and their implications for both China itself and, more importantly, to the rest of world. China has become one of the fastest‐growing economies in the world since late 1970s. GDP grew at about 10% annually in the past 30 years. China's experience shows the importance of both domestic and external policies in achieving sustainable growth. The results from this study provide significant policy implications to many countries that are currently China's major trade partners or those seeking greater economic and trade relations with China. The main conclusions on the implications of China's rapid economic growth are that China's growth will provide more opportunities than challenges to the rest of the world, on average. Overall, the rest of the world will gain from China's economic expansion though this general conclusion may not hold for some countries.
The growing importance of the former USSR countries in world agricultural markets
Authors: Liefert William M. , Serova Eugenia , Liefert Olga
Published: November 2010

The major countries of the former Soviet Union—specifically Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan—are becoming increasingly important in world agricultural markets. The two main developments are that this region has become a large grain exporter, especially of wheat and barley, and Russia a big agricultural importer, especially of meat. These trends should continue for the next decade. However, policies to expand the livestock sector could mitigate these developments, as increased domestic meat production would reduce both meat imports and surplus feed grain for export. Also, further growth in the region's grain exports will require improvement in the infrastructure for storing and transporting grain.