bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indicators of acute deterioration in adult patients nursed in acute wards: a factorial survey
Authors: Rattray Janice E , Lauder William , Ludwick Ruth , Johnstone Carolyn , Zeller Richard , Winchell Janice , Myers Elizabeth , Smith Anne
Published: February 2011

Objectives.  The primary objective of the study was to determine which professional, situational and patient characteristics predict nurses’ judgements of patient acuity and likelihood of referral for further review. A secondary aim was to test the feasibility of the factorial survey method in an acute area.

Background.  There is increasing recognition that indicators of deterioration in acutely unwell adults are being missed and referrals delayed. The reasons for this are unclear and require exploration. Assessing nurses’ clinical decision‐making or judgements in a ‘real‐world’ situation is problematic.

Design.  The study used a factorial survey design where participants completed randomly generated paper‐based vignettes on one occasion.

Methods.  The dependent variables were assessment of patient acuity and likelihood of referral. Independent variables consisted of a number of patient characteristics, i.e. heart rate, blood pressure, nurse characteristics, i.e. clinical experience, and situational characteristics i.e. staffing.

Setting and participants.  Participants were registered nurses working in acute areas excluding intensive care and theatre. Ninety‐nine participants responded resulting in 1940 completed vignettes.

Results.  An early warning score was the single most significant predictor of referral behaviour accounting for 9·6% of the variance. When this was not included in the vignette, nurses used physiological characteristics e.g. respiratory rate, urine output, neurological status. These explained 12% of the variance in the model predicting assessment of patient acuity and 9·4% or the variance predicting likelihood of referral.

Conclusions.  When given a series of vignettes, nurses appear to use appropriate physiological parameters to make decisions about patient acuity and need for referral. Our results support the use of early warning scoring systems. Education and professional development should focus more on developing and maximising clinical experience and expertise rather than knowledge acquisition alone. A factorial survey method is feasible to explore decision‐making in this area.

Relevance to practice.  This study has several implications for practice. The emergence of an early warning scoring system as a significant individual predictor supports the use of such systems. However, the small amount of explained variance suggests that there are other influences on nurses’ assessment of patient acuity and referral decisions that were not measured by the factorial survey approach. Educational provision might focus not just on knowledge acquisition but include educational delivery methods that incorporate or mimic real‐ward settings.
Experiences of supernumerary status and the hidden curriculum in nursing: a new twist in the theory–practice gap?
Authors: Allan Helen T , Smith Pam , O’Driscoll Mike
Published: February 2011

Aims and objectives.  This paper aims to increase our understanding about how student nurses’ experiences of supernumerary status are embedded in the hidden curriculum in clinical practice and contribute to the theory–practice gap in nursing.

Background.  Current literature suggests that the hidden curriculum exists in many professional curricula and that it functions to socialise students into professional behaviours and practice. However, in nursing, there is a gap in our understanding of how these socialisation processes have been influenced by supernumerary status and what forms the hidden curriculum might take currently in clinical practice.

Design.  An ethnographic case study design.

Method.  Data were collected in four sites using fieldwork in clinical practice as well as interviews with students, mentors and key stakeholders, an online survey of student bodies and curriculum analysis in four universities. The findings in this paper are drawn from the qualitative fieldwork and interviews and were analysed thematically.

Results.  The findings suggest that supernumerary status is an important aspect of the hidden curriculum in clinical learning for nursing students; that students are expected by trained staff to work while they learn and that on registration, they are expected to be competent to work immediately as registered nurses. These expectations are at odds with those of academic nurses and contribute to a theory–practice gap for student nurses. These expectations form part of the hidden curriculum that shapes the clinical context, and students have to learn to negotiate their status as supernumerary students in practice to meet these expectations.

Conclusion.  Consequently, students have to learn in a disintegrated learning context where opposing values of learning exist.

Relevance to clinical practice.  To reintegrate student nurses’ learning, educators in universities and clinical practice have to understand how the hidden curriculum and expectations around supernumerary status among trained staff affect learning for students.
Predictors of health‐related quality of life in a sample of children and adolescents: a school survey
Authors: Haraldstad Kristin , Christophersen Knut‐Andreas , Eide Hilde , Nativg Gerd K , Helseth Sølvi
Published: February 2011

Aim.  The aim is to study the health‐related quality of life in a school sample of children and adolescents aged 8–18 years and to examine the relationship between health‐related quality of life and the following variables; age, gender, perceived pain, body image, body mass index and bullying.

Background.  The study of health‐related quality of life in children and adolescents have received little attention compared with adults in health care research and still little is known about the associations between health‐related quality of life and other variables.

Design.  A cross‐sectional design was chosen.

Method.  We measured the health‐related quality of life using the generic questionnaire KIDSCREEN‐10. We administered the KIDSCREEN 52‐item, and the 10 items were selected from this according to the KIDSCREEN manual. Multilevel regression models were used to evaluate the associations between health‐related quality of life and the independent variables.

Results.  The sample included 1066 children and adolescents, 576 girls and 490 boys, with a response rate of 74%. The results show that body mass index was not significant associated with health‐related quality of life in full model. However, in addition to age, being bullied, pain and body image were significant associated with health‐related quality of life. Of these predictors, body image has the strongest impact in terms of explained variance in health‐related quality of life.

Conclusion.  The subjective sense of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with one’s body, perceived body image, is a powerful predictor of health‐related quality of life.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Knowledge about predictors of health‐related quality of life is especially important for public health nurses. Health promotion and intervention programmes that aim to strengthen psychosocial well‐being, especially those that strengthen body image, should be developed for both genders.
Novel non‐motile phenotypes of Yersinia ruckeri suggest expansion of the current clonal complex theory
Authors: Tinsley J W , Austin D A , Lyndon A R , Austin B
Published: February 2011

The biochemical and cell surface characteristics of 63 non‐motile isolates of Yersinia ruckeri from various sources were compared using the API 20E rapid identification system and conventional phenotypic methods. Eight individual phenotypic groups from a variety of fish species were observed from the data set. Non‐motile isolates were not exclusively observed from serogroup O1; membership of biotype 2 was recorded for representatives from serogroups O2–O7. Variations in phenotypes highlights that new clonal groups are arising and that the current typing scheme requires expansion. Previously, it was hypothesized that disease was caused by a few virulent clones; data in this paper suggests that this assumption is not the case. The lipopolysaccharide (O antigen) type in the non‐motile biotype was different from other isolates of Y. ruckeri.
Correlation between promoter methylation of glutathione‐S‐tranferase P1 and oxidative stress in acute‐on‐chronic hepatitis B liver failure
Authors: Li T. , Meng Q.‐H. , Zou Z.‐Q. , Fan Y.‐C. , Long B. , Guo Y.‐M. , Hou W. , Zhao J. , Li J. , Yu H.‐W. , Zhu Y.‐K. , Wang K.
Published: February 2011

Summary.  Promoter methylation of glutathione‐S‐transferase P1 (GSTP1) may be involved in liver damage caused by oxidative stress in acute‐on‐chronic hepatitis B‐induced liver failure (ACHBLF). This study aimed to explore GSTP1 promoter methylation status and oxidative stress in such patients. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with acute‐on‐chronic liver hepatitis B‐induced liver failure, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and normal controls, followed by sodium‐bisulfite treatment and methylation‐specific PCR (MSP) analysis. Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) adducts levels were detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay as oxidative stress marker. Model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) score was employed to estimate the severity of the liver failure. Eleven of 35 patients with acute‐on‐chronic liver failure and 3 of 35 patients with stab le hepatitis B displayed GSTP1 promoter methylation, and the difference was significant (χ2 = 5.71, P = 0.02). No differences in standard liver function tests were found in patients with acute‐on‐chronic liver failure with and without GSTP1 promoter methylation although the levels of total bilirubin were greater in those with methylation. The levels of MDA adducts were significantly higher in patients with liver failure when compared to those with CHB (12.44 ± 5.38 pmol/mg vs 8.42 ± 5.49 pmol/mg, P < 0.01), and in the patients with liver failure who had promoter methylation the levels were higher than in those who did not (15.2 ± 4.68 pmol/mg vs 11.17 ± 5.29 pmol/mg, P < 0.01). The MELD score was not significantly different between methylated and unmethylated patients with liver failure (P > 0.05), although MDA adducts were correlated with MELD scores in patients with acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (r = 0.579, P < 0.01). GSTP1 promoter methylation may facilitate oxidative stress–associated liver damage in ACHBLF, and oxidative stress is correlated with ACHBLF severity.
Aspergillus nidulans transcription factor AtfA interacts with the MAPK SakA to regulate general stress responses, development and spore functions
Authors: Lara‐Rojas Fernando , Sánchez Olivia , Kawasaki Laura , Aguirre Jesús
Published: February 2011

Fungi utilize a phosphorelay system coupled to a MAP kinase module for sensing and processing environmental signals. In Aspergillus nidulans, response regulator SskA transmits osmotic and oxidative stress signals to the stress MAPK (SAPK) SakA. Using a genetic approach together with GFP tagging and molecular bifluorescence we show that SakA and ATF/CREB transcription factor AtfA define a general stress‐signalling pathway that plays differential roles in oxidative stress responses during growth and development. AtfA is permanently localized in the nucleus, while SakA accumulates in the nucleus in response to oxidative or osmotic stress signals or during normal spore development, where it physically interacts with AtfA. AtfA is required for expression of several genes, the conidial accumulation of SakA and the viability of conidia. Furthermore, SakA is active (phosphorylated) in asexual spores, remaining phosphorylated in dormant conidia and becoming dephosphorylated during germination. SakA phosphorylation in spores depends on certain (SskA) but not other (SrrA and NikA) components of the phosphorelay system. Constitutive phosphorylation of SakA induced by the fungicide fludioxonil prevents both, germ tube formation and nuclear division. Similarly, Neurospora crassa SakA orthologue OS‐2 is phosphorylated in intact conidia and gets dephosphorylated during germination. We propose that SakA–AtfA interaction regulates gene expression during stress and conidiophore development and that SAPK phosphorylation is a conserved mechanism to regulate transitions between non‐growing (spore) and growing (mycelia) states.
The YvcK protein is required for morphogenesis via localization of PBP1 under gluconeogenic growth conditions in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Foulquier Elodie , Pompeo Frédérique , Bernadac Alain , Espinosa Leon , Galinier Anne
Published: February 2011

The YvcK protein was previously shown to be dispensable when B. subtilis cells are grown on glycolytic carbon sources but essential for growth and normal shape on gluconeogenic carbon sources. Here, we report that YvcK is localized as a helical‐like pattern in the cell. This localization seems independent of the actin‐like protein, MreB. A YvcK overproduction restores a normal morphology in an mreB mutant strain when bacteria are grown on PAB medium. Reciprocally, an additional copy of mreB restores a normal growth and morphology in a yvcK mutant strain when bacteria are grown on a gluconeogenic carbon source like gluconate. Furthermore, as already observed for the mreB mutant, the deletion of the gene encoding the penicillin‐binding protein PBP1 restores growth and normal shape of a yvcK mutant on gluconeogenic carbon sources. The PBP1 is delocalized in an mreB mutant grown in the absence of magnesium and in a yvcK mutant grown on gluconate medium. Interestingly, its proper localization can be rescued by YvcK overproduction. Therefore, in gluconeogenic growth conditions, YvcK is required for the correct localization of PBP1 and hence for displaying a normal rod shape.
A sweet twist gets Bacillus into shape
Authors: Mignolet Johann , Viollier Patrick H.
Published: February 2011

A protective organelle that is essential for viability under most conditions, the cell wall is a dynamic structure that is continuously remodelled with the growth of the bacterial cell. Because the cell wall also moulds the bacterium, the mechanisms of cell wall homeostasis can be deciphered using cell shape as a convenient proxy. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Foulquier et al. illuminate a connection between cell shape regulation and metabolism in Bacillus subtilis. They find that the putative NAD(P)‐binding enzyme YvcK organizes into helical subcellular structures that exert shape control by directing the cell wall biosynthetic enzyme PBP1 along the cell cylinder and to the septum, a function shared with the MreB actin cytoskeleton. Unlike MreB, however, the role of YvcK in cell shape control is manifested only on certain carbon sources, presumably by way of a previously unknown metabolic feed that taps into cell morphogenesis.
Small RNA‐mediated control of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens GABA binding protein
Authors: Wilms Ina , Voss Björn , Hess Wolfgang R. , Leichert Lars I. , Narberhaus Franz
Published: February 2011

Wounded plants activate a complex defence programme in response to Agrobacterium tumefaciens. They synthesize the non‐proteinogenic amino acid γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), which stimulates degradation of the quorum sensing signal N‐(3‐oxo‐octanoyl) homoserine lactone. GABA is transported into A. tumefaciens via an ABC transporter dependent on the periplasmic binding protein Atu2422. We demonstrate that expression of atu2422 and two other ABC transporter genes is downregulated by the conserved small RNA (sRNA) AbcR1 (for ABC regulator). AbcR1 is encoded in tandem with another sRNA, which is similar in sequence and structure. Both sRNAs accumulate during stationary phase but only the absence of AbcR1 resulted in significant accumulation of Atu2422 and increased GABA import. AbcR1 inhibits initiation of atu2422 translation by masking its Shine–Dalgarno sequence and thereby reduces stability of the atu2422 transcript. It is the first described bacterial sRNA that controls uptake of a plant‐generated signalling molecule. Given that similar sRNAs and ABC transporter genes are present in various Rhizobiaceae and in Brucella, it is likely that such sRNA‐mediated control impacts a number of host–microbe interactions.
Escherichia coli Rep DNA helicase and error‐prone DNA polymerase IV interact physically and functionally
Authors: Sladewski Thomas E. , Hetrick Kyle M. , Foster Patricia L.
Published: February 2011

Escherichia coli DNA polymerase IV, encoded by the dinB gene, is a member of the Y family of specialized DNA polymerases. Pol IV is capable of synthesizing past DNA lesions and may help to restart stalled replication forks. However, Pol IV is error‐prone, contributing to both DNA damage‐induced and stress‐induced (adaptive) mutations. Here we demonstrate that Pol IV interacts in vitro with Rep DNA helicase and that this interaction enhances Rep's helicase activity. In addition, Pol IV polymerase activity is stimulated by interacting with Rep, and Pol IV β clamp‐binding motif appears to be required for this stimulation. However, neither Rep's helicase activity nor its ability to bind DNA is required for it to stimulate Pol IV's polymerase activity. The interaction between Rep and Pol IV is biologically significant in vivo as Rep enhances Pol IV's mutagenic activity in stationary‐phase cells. These data indicate a new role for Rep in contributing to Pol IV‐dependent adaptive mutation. This functional interaction also provides new insight into how the cell might control or target Pol IV's mutagenic activity.
Holocene transgression of the Rhine river mouth area, The Netherlands/Southern North Sea: palaeogeography and sequence stratigraphy
Authors: HIJMA MARC P. , COHEN KIM M.
Published: February 2011

This study presents a detailed reconstruction of the palaeogeography of the Rhine valley (western Netherlands) during the Holocene transgression with systems tracts placed in a precise sea‐level context. This approach permits comparison of actual versus conceptual boundaries of the lowstand, transgressive and highstand systems tracts. The inland position of the highstand Rhine river mouth on a wide, low‐gradient continental shelf meant that base‐level changes were the dominant control on sedimentation for a relatively short period of the last glacial cycle. Systems in such inland positions predominantly record changes in the balance between river discharge and sediment load, and preserve excellent records of climatic changes or other catchment‐induced forcing. It is shown here that the transgressive systems tract‐part of the coastal prism formed in three stages: (i) the millennium before 8·45 ka bp, when the area was dominated by fluvial environments with extensive wetlands; (ii) the millennium after 8·45 ka, characterized by strong erosion, increasing tidal amplitudes and bay‐head delta development; and (iii) the period between 7·5 and 6·3 ka bp when the Rhine avulsed multiple times and the maximum flooding surface formed. The diachroneity of the transgressive surface is strongly suppressed because of a pulse of accelerated sea‐level rise at 8·45 ka bp. That event not only had a strong effect on preservation, but has circum‐oceanic stratigraphical relevance as it divides the early and middle Holocene parts of coastal successions worldwide. The palaeogeographical reconstruction offers a unique full spatial–temporal view on the coastal and fluvial dynamics of a major river mouth under brief rapid forced transgression. This reconstruction is of relevance for Holocene and ancient transgressive systems worldwide, and for next‐century natural coasts that are predicted to experience a 1 m sea‐level rise.
Architecture and formation of transgressive–regressive cycles in marginal marine strata of the John Henry Member, Straight Cliffs Formation, Upper Cretaceous of Southern Utah, USA
Authors: ALLEN JESSICA L. , JOHNSON CARI L.
Published: February 2011

Marginal marine deposits of the John Henry Member, Upper Cretaceous Straight Cliffs Formation, were deposited within a moderately high accommodation and high sediment supply setting that facilitated preservation of both transgressive and regressive marginal marine deposits. Complete transgressive–regressive cycles, comprising barrier island lagoonal transgressive deposits interfingered with regressive shoreface facies, are distinguished based on their internal facies architecture and bounding surfaces. Two main types of boundaries occur between the transgressive and regressive portions of each cycle: (i) surfaces that record the maximum regression and onset of transgression (bounding surface A); and (ii) surfaces that place deeper facies on top of shallower facies (bounding surface B). The base of a transgressive facies (bounding surface A) is defined by a process change from wave‐dominated to tide‐dominated facies, or a coaly/shelly interval indicating a shift from a regressive to a transgressive regime. The surface recording such a process change can be erosional or non‐erosive and conformable. A shift to deeper facies occurs at the base of regressive shoreface deposits along both flooding surfaces and wave ravinement surfaces (bounding surface B). These two main bounding surfaces and their subtypes generate three distinct transgressive–regressive cycle architectures: (i) tabular, shoaling‐upward marine parasequences that are bounded by flooding surfaces; (ii) transgressive and regressive unit wedges that thin basinward and landward, respectively; and (iii) tabular, transgressive lagoonal shales with intervening regressive coaly intervals. The preservation of transgressive facies under moderately high accommodation and sediment supply conditions greatly affects stratigraphic architecture of transgressive–regressive cycles. Acknowledging variation in transgressive–regressive cycles, and recognizing transgressive successions that correlate to flooding surfaces basinward, are both critical to achieving an accurate sequence stratigraphic interpretation of high‐frequency cycles.
Characterization of the Arabidopsis glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (GDPD) family reveals a role of the plastid‐localized AtGDPD1 in maintaining cellular phosphate homeostasis under phosphate starvation
Authors: Cheng Yuxiang , Zhou Wenbin , El sheery Nabil Ibrahim , Peters Carlotta , Li Maoyin , Wang Xuemin , Huang Jirong
Published: February 2011

Glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (GDPD), which hydrolyzes glycerophosphodiesters into sn‐glycerol‐3‐phosphate (G‐3‐P) and the corresponding alcohols, plays an important role in various physiological processes in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. However, little is known about the physiological significance of GDPD in plants. Here, we characterized the Arabidopsis GDPD family that can be classified into canonical GDPD (AtGDPD1‐6) and GDPD‐like (AtGDPDL1‐7) subfamilies. In vitro analysis of enzymatic activities showed that AtGDPD1 and AtGDPDL1 hydrolyzed glycerolphosphoglycerol, glycerophosphocholine and glycerophosphoethanolamine, but the maximum activity of AtGDPD1 was much higher than that of AtGDPDL1 under our assay conditions. Analyses of gene expression patterns revealed that all AtGDPD genes except for AtGDPD4 were transcriptionally active in flowers and siliques. In addition, the gene family displayed overlapping and yet distinguishable patterns of expression in roots, leaves and stems, indicating functional redundancy as well as specificity of GDPD genes. AtGDPDs but not AtGDPDLs are up‐regulated by inorganic phosphate (Pi) starvation. Loss‐of‐function of the plastid‐localized AtGDPD1 leads to a significant decrease in GDPD activity, G‐3‐P content, Pi content and seedling growth rate only under Pi starvation compared with the wild type (WT). However, membrane lipid compositions in the Pi‐deprived seedlings remain unaltered between the AtGDPD1 knockout mutant and WT. Thus, we suggest that the GDPD‐mediated lipid metabolic pathway may be involved in release of Pi from phospholipids during Pi starvation.
Millennium development goals and the water target: details, definitions and debate
Authors: Dar Osman A. , Khan Mishal S.
Published: February 2011

One of the primary targets of MDG 7, dealing with issues of environmental sustainability, is to halve by 2015 (from 1990 levels) the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. It is undoubtedly difficult to summarise a complex target such as access to water or safety of water source in a single quantifiable indicator. However, in our opinion, the indicators used to estimate how much of the population has ‘access’ to ‘safe’ drinking water leave out some important elements that should be taken into account when determining whether the goals have been met. In addition, the authors propose a modification to Bradley’s classification of water‐related illness to include a category for waterborne diseases of a non‐infectious aetiology.
Use of an HRP2‐based rapid diagnostic test to guide treatment of children admitted to hospital in a malaria‐endemic area of north‐east Tanzania
Authors: Mtove George , Nadjm Behzad , Amos Ben , Hendriksen Ilse C. E. , Muro Florida , Reyburn Hugh
Published: February 2011

Objective  To compare the performance of the Paracheck™ rapid diagnostic test (RDT) with microscopy for diagnosing malaria in hospitalised children.

Methods  Children aged between 2 months and 13 years with fever were enrolled in the study over 1 year. A standard clinical history and examination were recorded and blood drawn for culture, complete blood count, Paracheck™ RDT and double‐read blood slide.

Results  Of 3639 children enrolled, 2195 (60.3%) were slide positive. The sensitivity and specificity of Paracheck were 97.5% (95% CI 96.9–98.0) and 65.3% (95% CI 63.8–66.9), respectively. There was an inverse relationship between age‐specific prevalence of parasitaemia and Paracheck specificity. In logistic regression model, false‐positive Paracheck results were significantly associated with pre‐admission use of antimalarial drug (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.16–1.78), absence of current fever (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.52–0.79) and non‐typhi Salmonella bacteraemia (OR 3.89. 95% CI 2.27–6.63). In spite of high sensitivity, 56/2195 (2.6%) of true infections were Paracheck negative and 8/56 (14.3%) were in patients with >50 000 parasites/μl.

Conclusions  Paracheck had poor specificity in diagnosing malaria in severely ill children; this was likely to be due to HRP2 persistence following recent parasite clearance. The combination of positive Paracheck and negative blood slide results identified a group of children at high risk of non‐typhi Salmonella infection. While Paracheck was highly sensitive, some high‐density infections were missed. For children with severe febrile illness, at least two reliable negative parasitological test results should be available to justify withholding antimalarial treatment; the optimal choice of these has yet to be identified.
Target‐site resistance to ALS‐inhibiting herbicides in Apera spica‐venti populations is conferred by documented and previously unknown mutations
Authors: MASSA D , KRENZ B , GERHARDS R
Published: February 2011

Massa D, Krenz B & Gerhards R (2011). Target‐site resistance to ALS‐inhibiting herbicides in Apera spica‐venti populations is conferred by documented and previously unknown mutations. Weed Research51, 294–303.

In this study, whole‐plant bioassays were performed on 72 Apera spica‐venti populations that have survived application of acetolactate synthase (ALS)‐inhibiting herbicides in recent years. Molecular genetic analysis of the ALS gene revealed a Thr mutation at Pro197 within 67 populations. Sequencing of the whole ALS gene from wild‐type and resistant plants not carrying the above‐mentioned mutation revealed the presence of a Leu mutation at Trp574 within two populations and an Asn mutation at Pro197 within two populations. As the Pro197‐Asn amino acid substitution is reported for the first time in a field‐selected weed population, a Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences (CAPS) marker was developed for its quick detection. In addition, one novel mutation was found within a population that coded for a His substitution at Arg377. Enzyme assays confirmed a significant reduction in inhibition of ALS activity compared with the wild type. This population showed resistance to sulfonylureas (SUs) and cross‐resistance to sulfonylaminocarbonyltriazolinones (SCTs) and triazolopyrimidines (TPs) within the whole‐plant bioassays. ALS protein sequence alignments from weedy and cultural plants revealed that the Arg377 is highly conserved among known wild‐type enzymes. In agreement with existing literature concerning the structure and mechanisms of inhibition of plant ALS, this mutation is probably involved in target‐site resistance to ALS inhibitors. Our results suggest that further single‐nucleotide polymorphisms impairing proper herbicide performance might be selected within field populations in the near future, making the short‐ and long‐range evolution of target‐site resistance difficult to predict depending solely on herbicide use history.
Cryptosporidiosis: A rare and severe infection in a pediatric renal transplant recipient
Authors: Acikgoz Yonca , Ozkaya Ozan , Bek Kenan , Genc Gurkan , Sensoy Sema Gulnar , Hokelek Murat
Published: February 2011

Acikgoz Y, Ozkaya O, Bek K, Genc G, Sensoy SG, Hokelek M. Cryptosporidiosis: A rare and severe infection in a pediatric renal transplant recipient.

Abstract:  Cryptosporidium is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes gastroenteritis in human. In immunocompromised individuals, cryptosporidium causes far more serious disease. There is no effective specific therapy for cryptosporidiosis, and spontaneous recovery is the rule in healthy individuals. However, immunocompromised patients need effective and prolonged therapy. Here, we present our clinical experience in a six‐yr‐old boy who underwent living‐related donor renal transplantation and who was infected with Cryptosporidium spp. Our patient was successfully treated with antimicrobial agents consisting of spiramycin, nitazoxanide, and paromomycin. At the end of second week of therapy, his stool became negative for Cryptosporidium spp. antigen and spiramycin was discontinued. Nitazoxanide and paromomycin treatment was extended to four wk. With this case, we want to emphasize that cryptosporidiosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of severe or persistent diarrhea in solid organ transplant recipients where rigorous antimicrobial therapy is needed.
Trichoderma atroviride promotes growth and enhances systemic resistance to Diplodia pinea in radiata pine (Pinus radiata) seedlings
Authors: Regliński T. , Rodenburg N. , Taylor J. T. , Northcott G. L. , Ah Chee A. , Spiers T. M. , Hill R. A.
Published: February 2011

Root drench application of Trichoderma atroviride isolates R32, R33, R40 and R84 promoted the growth of potted radiata pine seedlings. After 6 weeks, seedlings treated with R33 and R84 had thicker stems and greater stem and root biomass (p < 0.05) than untreated controls. Treatment with R32 increased seedling root biomass whilst R40 increased stem diameter. None of the isolates affected seedling height. One isolate, R33, induced systemic resistance to stem inoculation with Diplodia pinea and reduced dieback incidence by 20% compared with untreated controls. To our knowledge, this is the first report of systemic induced resistance by Trichoderma in a pine species. Furthermore, seedlings that were treated with R33 (root drench) plus foliar application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) expressed elevated peroxidase activity in their stems 2 weeks later, compared with seedlings treated only with MeJA. Because R33 itself did not affect peroxidase activity, this may be indicative of treatment synergy or defence potentiation by R33. Curiously, R33 + MeJA induced terpenoids but suppressed phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase activity suggesting possible trade‐offs between phenolic and terpenoid defence pathways in the treated seedlings.
Distribution and genetic diversity of the root‐rot pathogen Neonectria macrodidyma in a forest nursery
Authors: Menkis A. , Burokienė D.
Published: February 2011

The aim of this study was to assess genetic diversity and spatial distribution of 123 strains of the root‐rot pathogen Neonectria macrodidyma isolated from fine living roots of bare‐root nursery cultivated Pinus sylvestris. We found that ITS rDNA sequences were 100% identical for all strains. Arbitrary primed PCR fragment analysis showed the presence of two distinct N. macrodidyma types (Type 1 and Type 2), which included respectively 11 and 14 genotypes composed of 1–29 strains. Results of this study indicate that N. macrodidyma is commonly associated with fine living roots of pine seedlings, is largely disseminated by asexual means of local genotypes and has even distribution in the forest nursery soils. In living roots, N. macrodidyma is likely present as dormant propagules but under favourable conditions, it may develop rapidly and have a significant negative effect on plant health and productivity.
Power and sensitivity of some simple tests for detection of major genes in outbred populations
Authors: Uimari P. , Kennedy B. W. , Dekkers J. C. M.
Published: February 2011

Three simple statistical tests (Bartlett test, log‐anova test, and the mixture test, a model that fits a mixture of normal distributions to data) for detecting major genes in hierarchical data structures in outbred livestock populations were investigated. The power of the tests was evaluated when the major gene had 2–3 alleles and in the presence of a skewed distribution of polygenic phenotypes or a non‐genetic mixture of normal distributions. The most powerful test, but also the most sensitive to skewness, was the mixture test. The Bartlett test was more powerful than the log‐anova test, but was sensitive to skewness of the data and to an underlying non‐genetic mixture of distributions. All tests were able to detect a dominant major gene with a difference of 1.5 phenotypic standard deviations between homozygotes from a data set of 5000 records if the frequency of the dominant allele was less than 0.9. The most suitable robust simple test for major gene detection under a hierarchical data structure is the log‐anova test.

Mächtigkeit und Sensitivität einiger einfacher Tests auf das Vorliegen von Hauptgenen in tier‐züchterischen Populationen

Es wurden drei einfache statistische Tests auf das Vorliegen von Hautgenen in hierarchisch strukturierten tierzüchterischen Datensätzen untersucht: der Bartlett‐Test, der Log‐anova‐Test und der Mixture‐Test, welcher die Daten an eine Mischung von Normalverteilungen anpaßt. Die Mächtigkeit dieser Tests wurde unter einem Hauptgenmodell mit zwei oder drei Allelen untersucht, sowie unter der Annahme einer schiefen Verteilung der polygenen Phänotypen und einer nicht‐genetischen Mischung von Normalverteilungen. Der mächtigste Test war der Mixture‐Test, welcher allerdings auch auf eine Schiefe der Daten am sensitivsten reagierte. Der Bartlett‐Test war mächtiger als der Log‐anova‐Test, reagierte jedoch sehr sensitiv auf Schiefe und eine nicht‐genetische Mischung von Verteilungen. Alle Tests waren in der Lage, ein dominantes Hauptgen mit einem Unterschied von 1,5 phänotypischen Standardabweichungen zwischen den homozygoten Genotypen in einem Datensatz mit 5 000 Individuen zu entdecken, wenn die Frequenz des dominanten Allels kleiner als 0,9 war. Der geeignetste robuste Test auf das Vorliegen von Hautgenen in hierarchisch strukturierten tierzüchterischen Datensätzen ist der Log‐anova‐Test.
Relationship between inbreeding and sex‐hormone concentration in rats under stress. II. The influence of various inbreeding levels on steroid‐sex‐hormone concentrations in two types of stress
Authors: Kosowska B. , Zdrojewicz Z.
Published: February 2011

The effect of inbreeding, stress, and genetic line on serum levels of steroid sex hormones (progesterone, 17β‐oestradiol, testosterone) was studied in rats. The effects of different inbreeding level (0% inbred — control groups; 50% and 91% inbred — experimental groups) on steroid‐sex‐hormone serum concentration were studied in two lines and in their cross: 1. Wistar albino Ipf:RIZ outbred rats (B); 2. Wild Norway rats (D); and 3. The hybrids between rats of lines 1 and 2 (B × D). Both males and females were exposed to ether anaesthesia (subcontrol groups), and physical stress (subexperimental groups) involving 24 h starvation followed by 3 h swimming. A significant relationship was found between the inbreeding coefficient of an animal and all steroid‐sex‐hormone concentrations examined. Concentrations of all hormones decreased significantly with increasing homozygosity: 17β‐oestradiol in line B, progesterone in lines D and D × B, and testosterone in lines B and B × D decreased in a linear manner, while 17β‐oestradiol in lines D and B × D and testosterone in line D followed a quadratic function. The harmful effect of physical stress on 17β‐oestradiol and testosterone concentration was significant (p < 0.01) in all lines. Double interactions between the inbreeding level and stress in lines D and D × B were found to be significant (p < 0.01), and to affect 17β‐oestradiol and testosterone concentrations.

II. Einfluß von Inzucht auf Steroidgeschlechtshormone unter zweierlei Streß

Die Wirkung von Inzucht (0, 50, 91%), Streß und Genotyp auf Serumspiegel der Steroid‐geschlechtshormone Progesteron, 17β‐Östradiol und Testosteron wurde in drei Rattenherkünften: 1. Wistar Albino IpF: RIZ Auszucht (B); 2. Wilde Ratten (D); 3. Ihren Kreuzungen (B × D) untersucht. Männliche und weibliche Tiere verschiedener Inzuchtgrade wurden Äther Anästhesie (Subkontrolle) und physischem Streß (Subexperimentelle Gruppe) in Form von 3 Stunden Schwimmen nach 24 Stunden Futterentzug ausgesetzt. Zwischen Inzuchtgrad und Serumhormonspiegel zeigten sich signifikante Beziehungen. Hormon Konzentrationen nahmen mit steigender Inzucht signifikant ab: 17‐β‐Östradiol in B, Progesteron in D und D × B und Testosteron in B und B × D in linearer Weise, 17‐β‐Ostradiol in D und B × D und Testosteron in D folgten einer quadratischen Funktion. Physischer Streß war in allen Gruppen hinsichtlich 17‐β‐Östradiol und Testosteron schädlich. Doppelte Interaktion war zwischen Inzucht und Streß bei D und B × D signifikant und beeinflußte 17‐β‐Östradiol und Testosteron Konzentrationen.
ZOO‐FISH analysis in the horse, Equus caballus, detects regions homologous to human chromosomes 3 and 14
Authors: Rettenberger G. , Abdo G. , Stranzinger G.
Published: February 2011

Chromosomal homologies between human chromosomes 3 and 14 and the horse karyotype have been established, by using human chromosome‐specific DNA libraries in heterologous chromosome painting experiments called ZOO‐FISH. Biotin‐labelled DNA libraries from flow‐sorted human chromosomes 3 and 14 were used as probes for fluorescence in‐situ hybridization (FISH) on horse chromosomes. Human DNA library 3 hybridized to equine chromosomes 16 and 19, identifying and delineating two segments of homology. Human DNA library 14 hybridized to equine chromosomes 1 and 24 or 25.

ZOO‐FISH Analyse beim Pferd, Equus caballus, entdeckt den humanen Chromosomen 3 und 14 homologe Regionen

Homologien chromosomaler Regionen zwischen den humanen Chromosomen 3 bzw. 14 und dem Karyotyp des Pferdes wurden mit heterologen ‘chromosome painting’ Experimenten, auch ZOO‐FISH genannt, dargestellt. Mit Biotin markierte DNA‐Genbibliotheken für die Chromosomen 3 und 14, die mit einem Durchflußzytometer hergestellt wurden, wurden als DNA‐Sonden auf Pferdechromosomen hybridisiert. Die humane DNA‐Bibliothek für das Chromosom 3 hybridisierte bei den Chromosomen 16 und 19 des Pferdes und identifizierte zwei homologe Segmente Zwischen Mensch und Pferd. Die humane DNA‐Bibliothek für das Chromosom 14 hybridiserte bei den Chromosomen 1 und 24 oder 25 und identifizierte zwei weitere homologue Segmente zwischen Mensch und Pferd.
Non‐linearity in the genetic relationship between traits assessed by a polynomial offspring‐parent regression approach
Authors: Fürst‐Waltl B. , Essl A. , Sölkner J.
Published: February 2011

Using path analysis techniques, some formulae were derived to estimate a non‐linear genetic relationship between traits on the basis of a polynomial offspring‐parent regression model of degree 2. The usefulness of the derived formulae was demonstrated with simulated data, as well as with field data from a cattle population.

From the results obtained it became obvious that even a rather distinct non‐linear relationship between traits at the genetic level causes only a slight non‐linearity between offspring and parent phenotypes, as a result of diluting environmental effects and Mendelian segregation. Furthermore, the least‐squares approach may be an adequate estimation procedure only in cases where the causal flow between the traits involved is clear.

Nicht‐Linearität genetischer Beziehungen zwischen Merkmalen, Erfassung durch polynomialen Nachkommen‐Eltern Regressionansatz

Basierend auf der Methode der Pfadkoeffizienten wurden verschiedene Formeln zur Schätzung von nichtlinearen genetischen Merkmalsbeziehungen der Art eines Polynomes 2. Grades mit Hilfe einer Nachkommen‐Eltern‐Regression abgeleitet. Die Brauchbarkeit dieser Formeln wurde sowohl anhand simulierter als auch realer Daten des österreichischen Fleckviehs untersucht.

Aus den erhaltenen Ergebnissen wird ersichtlich, daß selbst eine starke nichtlineare genetische Beziehung nur zu einer schwachen Nichtlinearität zwischen den Phänotypen führt, was durch Umwelteffekte und Mendel'sche Spaltung erklärt werden kann. Überdies zeigte sich, daß der Least Squares Ansatz für die Beschreibung der tatsächlichen Beziehung zwischen zwei Merkmalen nur dann geeignet ist, wenn der Kausalfluß zwischen diesen Variablen eindeutig ist.
Lifetime reproduction and parturition intervals in mice with and without the rat growth‐hormone transgene
Authors: Nagai J. , Sabour M. P. , Lin C. Y.
Published: February 2011

To examine reproductive performance during lifetime in mice with and without the rat‐growth‐hormone transgene, transgenic and non‐transgenic males and females were pair mated at about 8 weeks of age to form four mating groups (+/‐ × +/‐, +/‐ × ‐/‐, ‐/‐ × +/‐ and ‐/‐ × ‐/‐). Pair breeders were maintained continuously in the same cages throughout their life. Reproductive longevity (days from the first cohabitation to the last parturition), litter size, and parturition intervals were recorded for each pair. The relative contribution of five interval‐related variables to reproductive longevity, and the total number of 18‐day young per breeding pair, were evaluated, using standardized partial regression coefficients. Correlation coefficients between the reproductive longevity and total number of 18‐day young were moderate, ranging from 0.58 to 0.74 in the four mating groups. Mean reproductive longevity was longest (153.5 days) in ‐/‐ × ‐/‐, followed by +/‐ × ‐/‐ (137.4 days), ‐/‐ × +/‐ (92.9 days), and +/‐ × +/‐ (82.0 days), indicating reproductive impairment of transgenic mice. Weight gain from 3 to 12 weeks of age differed significantly between transgenic and non‐transgenic mice. The four mating groups had similar rankings, in terms of the total number of young born per pairs during a lifetime and reproductive longevity. When the parturition intervals of breeding pairs within groups varied greatly during a lifetime, they tended to have a shorter reproductive longevity. On the otherhand, when breeding pairs had a single long interval, they tended to have a long reproductive longevity. The findings suggest that rhythmicity of parturition intervals and, to a lesser degree, the physiological homeostatic ability are important in sustaining a long reproductive life and producing a large number of progeny during a life time.
Objectives and results of the DFG‐Schwerpunktprogramm ‘Genome analysis and gene transfer in livestock’
Authors: Kräusslich H.
Published: February 2011

In 1988, the German National Science Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, German Granting Society) decided to support the research programme (Schwerpunktprogramm) ‘Genome Analysis and Gene Transfer in Livestock’. The general objectives of this programme were the improvement of knowledge on the genetic determination of economical important traits in livestock breeding. The ‘Schwerpunktprogramm’ was supported from 1989 to 1995.

In this volume, the results of 26 individual research projects (20 genome analysis, 6 gene transfer) are published and reviewed. However, the most important result of the ‘Schwerpunktprogramm’ was the establishment of molecular animal breeding working groups in animal breeding institutes in Germany as well as cooperation between animal breeding institutes and institutes of other disciplines. Research in genome analysis and gene transfer in livestock in Germany was intensified and accelerated. The contributions of the ‘Schwerpunktprogramm’ to important strategies in molecular animal breeding are outlined in this introductory article.

Ziele und Ergebnisse des DFG‐Schwerpunktprogramms ‘Genomanalyse und Gen‐Transfer beim Nutztier’

Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft beschloß 1988 die Förderung des Schwerpunktprogramms ‘Genomanalyse und Gentransfer beim Nutztier’. Das allgemeine Ziel des Forschungsprogramms war die Erweiterung der Kenntnisse über die genetische Determination züchterisch relevanter Merkmale. Das Schwerpunktprogramm wurde von 1989 bis 1995 gefördert.

In diesem Band werden die Ergebnisse von 26 Einzelprojekten (20 Genomanalyse, 6 Gentransfer) veröffentlicht und zusammengefaßt. Ein wichtiges Ergebnis des Schwerpunktprogramms war die Einrichtung molekulargenetischer Arbeitsgruppen an deutschen Tierzuchtinstituten sowie die Förderung der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Tierzuchtinstituten und Instituten anderer Disziplinen. Hierdurch wurde eine Intensivierung und Beschleunigung der Forschung über Genomanalyse und Gentransfer beim Nutztier in Deutschland erreicht. Dieser einführende Artikel betont die Beiträge des Schwerpunkts zu wichtigen Strategien der molekularen Tierzucht.