bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Observation of dually decoded regions of the human genome using ribosome profiling data
Authors: Michel Audrey M. , Choudhury Kingshuk Roy , Firth Andrew E. , Ingolia Nicholas T. , Atkins John F. , Baranov Pavel V.
Published: May 2012

The recently developed ribosome profiling technique (Ribo-Seq) allows mapping of the locations of translating ribosomes on mRNAs with subcodon precision. When ribosome protected fragments (RPFs) are aligned to mRNA, a characteristic triplet periodicity pattern is revealed. We utilized the triplet periodicity of RPFs to develop a computational method for detecting transitions between reading frames that occur during programmed ribosomal frameshifting or in dual coding regions where the same nucleotide sequence codes for multiple proteins in different reading frames. Application of this method to ribosome profiling data obtained for human cells allowed us to detect several human genes where the same genomic segment is translated in more than one reading frame (from different transcripts as well as from the same mRNA) and revealed the translation of hitherto unpredicted coding open reading frames.
Dynamics of enhancer chromatin signatures mark the transition from pluripotency to cell specification during embryogenesis
Authors: Bogdanović Ozren , Fernandez-Miñán Ana , Tena Juan J. , de la Calle-Mustienes Elisa , Hidalgo Carmen , van Kruysbergen Ila , van Heeringen Simon J. , Veenstra Gert Jan C. , Gómez-Skarmeta José Luis
Published: May 2012

The generation of distinctive cell types that form different tissues and organs requires precise, temporal and spatial control of gene expression. This depends on specific cis-regulatory elements distributed in the noncoding DNA surrounding their target genes. Studies performed on mammalian embryonic stem cells and Drosophila embryos suggest that active enhancers form part of a defined chromatin landscape marked by histone H3 lysine 4 mono-methylation (H3K4me1) and histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac). Nevertheless, little is known about the dynamics and the potential roles of these marks during vertebrate embryogenesis. Here, we provide genomic maps of H3K4me1/me3 and H3K27ac at four developmental time-points of zebrafish embryogenesis and analyze embryonic enhancer activity. We find that (1) changes in H3K27ac enrichment at enhancers accompany the shift from pluripotency to tissue-specific gene expression, (2) in early embryos, the peaks of H3K27ac enrichment are bound by pluripotent factors such as Nanog, and (3) the degree of evolutionary conservation is higher for enhancers that become marked by H3K27ac at the end of gastrulation, suggesting their implication in the establishment of the most conserved (phylotypic) transcriptome that is known to occur later at the pharyngula stage.
Structural chemistry of A
2
MX
4 compounds (X = O, F) with isolated tetrahedral anions: search for the densest structure types
Authors: Nalbandyan Vladimir , Novikova Anastasiya
Published: May 2012

The packing density of various structures is important not only for understanding and the prediction of high-pressure phase transitions, but also because of its reported correlation with thermodynamic stability. Plotting the cube root of formula volume against the cation radii (R) for nine morphotropic series with isolated tetrahedral anions, A
2
MO4 (M = Si, Ge, S, Se, Cr, Mn, Mo, W) and A
2BeF4, permits the comparison of packing densities for 13 structure types (about 80 individual compounds and several solid solutions) stable at (or near) ambient temperature. The spinel type is the densest. The next densest types are those of K2MoO4, Tl2CrO4, β-Ca2SiO4, β-K2SO4, Ag2CrO4 and Sr2GeO4. In three series (M = Ge, Mo, W) the densest type comes with somewhat intermediate values of R, and not the largest, in contrast to the classical homology rule. Another contradiction with traditional views is that some of the densest phases have abnormally low overall binding energies. The correlation between packing density and coordination number (CN) is better when CN of A counts entire MX
4 groups rather than individual X atoms; many, but not all, A
2
MX
4 structures have binary A
2
M analogues (of course, A and M are not necessarily the same in these structure types). The most frequent arrangement of A around M is of the Ni2In type: a (distorted) pentacapped trigonal prism.
Low-temperature phase transition in glycine–glutaric acid co-crystals studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry
Authors: Zakharov Boris A. , Losev Evgeniy A. , Kolesov Boris A. , Drebushchak Valeri A. , Boldyreva Elena V.
Published: May 2012

The occurrence of a first-order reversible phase transition in glycine–glutaric acid co-crystals at 220–230 K has been confirmed by three different techniques – single-crystal X-ray diffraction, polarized Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The most interesting feature of this phase transition is that every second glutaric acid molecule changes its conformation, and this fact results in the space-group symmetry change from P21/c to P\bar 1. The topology of the hydrogen-bonded motifs remains almost the same and hydrogen bonds do not switch to other atoms, although the hydrogen bond lengths do change and some of the bonds become inequivalent.
Structure of (Ga2O3)2(ZnO)13 and a unified description of the homologous series (Ga2O3)2(ZnO)2

n + 1
Authors: Michiue Yuichi , Kimizuka Noboru , Kanke Yasushi , Mori Takao
Published: May 2012

The structure of (Ga2O3)2(ZnO)13 has been determined by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. In the monoclinic structure of the space group C2/m with cell parameters a = 19.66 (4), b = 3.2487 (5), c = 27.31 (2) Å, and β = 105.9 (1)°, a unit cell is constructed by combining the halves of the unit cell of Ga2O3(ZnO)6 and Ga2O3(ZnO)7 in the homologous series Ga2O3(ZnO)
m
. The homologous series (Ga2O3)2(ZnO)2n + 1 is derived and a unified description for structures in the series is presented using the (3+1)-dimensional superspace formalism. The phases are treated as compositely modulated structures consisting of two subsystems. One is constructed by metal ions and another is by O ions. In the (3 + 1)-dimensional model, displacive modulations of ions are described by the asymmetric zigzag function with large amplitudes, which was replaced by a combination of the sawtooth function in refinements. Similarities and differences between the two homologous series (Ga2O3)2(ZnO)2n + 1 and Ga2O3(ZnO)
m
are clarified in (3 + 1)-dimensional superspace. The validity of the (3 + 1)-dimensional model is confirmed by the refinements of (Ga2O3)2(ZnO)13, while a few complex phenomena in the real structure are taken into account by modifying the model.
Invariom modeling of ceftazidime pentahydrate: molecular properties from a 200 second synchrotron microcrystal experiment
Authors: Schürmann C. J. , Pröpper K. , Wagner T. , Dittrich B.
Published: May 2012

The structure of ceftazidime pentahydrate, a third generation cephalosporin antibiotic, is reported. Data collection was carried out in a remarkably short time with synchrotron radiation and the latest detector technology, illustrating that single-crystal X-ray diffraction can be used as a technique for screening hundreds of compounds in a short amount of time. Structure refinement made use of invarioms, namely non-spherical scattering factors, which allow more information to be derived from a diffraction experiment. Properties that can be screened are bond-topological parameters, empirical hydrogen-bond energies, molecular dipole moments and electrostatic potentials.
Exact solution of the bond-valence sum rule for a set of coordination shells
Authors: Sidey Vasyl
Published: May 2012

The calculation scheme for determining the bond-valence parameters (r
0 and b) resulting in the exact solution of the bond-valence sum rule for a given set of coordination shells is presented.
Review article: current treatment options and management of functional dyspepsia
Authors: Lacy B. E. , Talley N. J. , Locke G. R. , Bouras E. P. , DiBaise J. K. , El‐Serag H. B. , Abraham B. P. , Howden C. W. , Moayyedi P. , Prather C.
Published: May 2012

Background

Functional dyspepsia (FD), a common functional gastrointestinal disorder, is defined by the Rome III criteria as symptoms of epigastric pain or discomfort (prevalence in FD of 89–90%), postprandial fullness (75–88%), and early satiety (50–82%) within the last 3 months with symptom onset at least 6 months earlier. Patients cannot have any evidence of structural disease to explain symptoms and predominant symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux are exclusionary. Symptoms of FD are non‐specific and the pathophysiology is diverse, which explains in part why a universally effective treatment for FD remains elusive.

Aim

To present current management options for the treatment of FD (therapeutic gain/response rate noted when available).

Results

The utility of Helicobacter pylori eradication for the treatment of FD is modest (6–14% therapeutic gain), while the therapeutic efficacy of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) (7–10% therapeutic gain), histamine‐type‐2‐receptor antagonists (8–35% therapeutic gain), prokinetic agents (18–45%), tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) (response rates of 64–70%), serotonin reuptake inhibitors (no better than placebo) is limited and hampered by inadequate data. This review discusses dietary interventions and analyses studies involving complementary and alternative medications, and psychological therapies.

Conclusions

A reasonable treatment approach based on current evidence is to initiate therapy with a daily PPI in H. pylori‐negative FD patients. If symptoms persist, a therapeutic trial with a tricyclic antidepressant may be initiated. If symptoms continue, the clinician can possibly initiate therapy with an anti‐nociceptive agent, a prokinetic agent, or some form of complementary and alternative medications, although evidence from prospective studies to support this approach is limited.
Worldwide genetic relationships of pigs as inferred from X chromosome SNPs
Authors: Burgos‐Paz W. , Souza C. A. , Castelló A. , Mercadé A. , Okumura N. , Sheremet'eva I. N. , Huang L. S. , Cho I. C. , Paiva S. R. , Ramos‐Onsins S. , Pérez‐Enciso M.
Published: May 2012

The phylogeography of the porcine X chromosome has not been studied despite the unique characteristics of this chromosome. Here, we genotyped 59 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 312 pigs from around the world, representing 39 domestic breeds and wild boars in 30 countries. Overall, widespread commercial breeds showed the highest heterozygosity values, followed by African and American populations. Structuring, as inferred from FST and analysis of molecular variance, was consistently larger in the non‐pseudoautosomal (NPAR) than in the pseudoautosomal regions (PAR). Our results show that genetic relationships between populations can vary widely between the NPAR and the PAR, underscoring the fact that their genetic trajectories can be quite different. NPAR showed an increased commercial‐like genetic component relative to the PAR, probably because human selection processes to obtain individuals with high productive parameters were mediated by introgressing boars rather than sows.
Exon 8 amplification of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in invasive breast carcinomas
Authors: Souka Efthimia , Alexiadis Evaggelos , Theohari Irini , Giannopoulou Ioanna , Papadimitriou Christos , Nakopoulou Lydia
Published: May 2012

Souka E, Alexiadis E, Theohari I, Giannopoulou I, Papadimitriou C & Nakopoulou L  (2012) Histopathology 61, 644–651

Exon 8 amplification of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in invasive breast carcinomas

Aims:  The rate of EGFR amplification in breast cancer ranges between 0% and 15%. Recent studies have focused on the amplification status of cytosine–adenine (CA) repeats in intron 1 of the gene and correlated it with increased EGFR protein. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the significance of coding exon 8 amplification of EGFR in invasive breast cancer.

Methods and results:  We investigated, by means of real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the amplification status of exon 8 of the EGFR gene in 148 paraffin‐embedded tissue sections, 115 with invasive breast carcinoma and 33 controls. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to detect EGFR and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed for the evaluation of our results. EGFR amplification was observed in 7.8% of the patients, and EGFR was immunodetected in 9.6%. EGFR amplification was correlated positively with EGFR expression (P < 0.0001), HER2 expression (P = 0.023), coexpression of EGFR/HER2 (P < 0.0001) and nuclear grade (P = 0.047), and inversely with ER protein expression (P = 0.047).

Conclusions:  It appears that amplification of the coding sequence exon 8 exhibits similar biological behaviour to amplification of the regulatory sequence in intron 1, leading to elevated levels of EGFR protein.
Pathological differentiation of chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis/usual interstitial pneumonia
Authors: Takemura Tamiko , Akashi Takumi , Kamiya Hiroyuki , Ikushima Soichiro , Ando Tsunehiro , Oritsu Masaru , Sawahata Michiru , Ogura Takashi
Published: May 2012

Takemura T, Akashi T, Kamiya H, Ikushima S, Ando T, Oritsu M, Sawahata M & Ogura T  (2012) Histopathology Pathological differentiation of chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis/usual interstitial pneumonia

Aims:  To evaluate the histological characteristics differentiating chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (chronic HP) with a usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP)‐like pattern from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)/UIP.

Methods and results:  Surgical lung biopsy specimens from 22 patients with chronic HP diagnosed as having a UIP‐like pattern upon histological examination and 13 patients with IPF/UIP were examined and the incidences of bronchiolitis, perilobular fibrosis, centrilobular fibrosis, bridging fibrosis, organizing pneumonia, fibroblastic foci, honeycombing, granulomas, giant cells, lymphocytic alveolitis and lymphoid follicles were compared. Bronchiolitis, centrilobular fibrosis, bridging fibrosis, organizing pneumonia, granulomas, giant cells and lymphocytic alveolitis were significantly more frequent among patients with chronic HP than among patients with IPF (all P < 0.01).

Conclusions:  Centrilobular fibrosis, bridging fibrosis and organizing pneumonia, in addition to bronchiolitis, granulomas and giant cells, are characteristic features of chronic HP with a UIP‐like pattern. These features are therefore important in differentiating chronic HP from IPF/UIP, as management strategies differ for the two disorders.
Existential issues among nurses in surgical care – a hermeneutical study of critical incidents
Authors: Udo Camilla , Danielson Ella , Melin‐Johansson Christina
Published: May 2012

udo c., danielson e. & melin‐johansson c. (2013) Existential issues among nurses in surgical care – a hermeneutical study of critical incidents. Journal of Advanced Nursing69(3), 569–577. doi: 10.1111/j.1365‐2648.2012.06032.x

Aims.  To report a qualitative study conducted to gain a deeper understanding of surgical nurses’ experiences of existential care situations.

Background.  Existential issues are common for all humans irrespective of culture or religion and constitute man’s ultimate concerns of life. Nurses often lack the strategies to deal with patients’ existential issues even if they are aware of them.

Design.  This is a qualitative study where critical incidents were collected and analysed hermeneutically.

Methods.  During June 2010, ten surgical nurses presented 41 critical incidents, which were collected for the study. The nurses were first asked to describe existential care incidents in writing, including their own emotions, thoughts, and reactions. After 1–2 weeks, individual interviews were conducted with the same nurses, in which they reflected on their written incidents. A hermeneutic analysis was used.

Findings.  The majority of incidents concerned nurses’ experiences of caring for patients’ dying of cancer. In the analysis, three themes were identified, emphasizing the impact of integration between nurses’ personal self and professional role in existential care situations: inner dialogues for meaningful caring, searching for the right path in caring, and barriers in accompanying patients beyond medical care.

Conclusion.  Findings are interpreted and discussed in the framework of Buber’s philosophy of the relationships I‐Thou and I‐It, emphasizing nurses’ different relationships with patients during the process of caring. Some nurses integrate their personal self into caring whereas others do not. The most important finding and new knowledge are that some nurses felt insecure and were caught somewhere in between I‐Thou and I‐It.
The effect of bitter almond oil and massaging on striae gravidarum in primiparaous women
Authors: Timur Taşhan Sermin , Kafkasli Ayşe
Published: May 2012

Aim.  This study aims to identify the effect of applying bitter almond oil with and without massage on preventing striae gravidarum during pregnancy.

Background.  Striae gravidarum is a dermatological problem bringing about cosmetic concerns in about 90% of pregnant women. On the onset, striae gravidarum appears as a pink‐purple atrophic strip. Striae appear pale atrophic in the postnatal period, but they never disappear completely.

Design.  In view of the physiology of striae gravidarum formation, this study employs a posttest‐only quasi‐experimental design with a control group.

Methods.  The participants of this study were the primiparous women who visited the pregnancy unit of a medical centre in the eastern region of Turkey between February 1st, 2010 and April 15th, 2011. The participants were divided into three groups: the primiparous women who applied bitter almond oil with massage (n = 47), who merely applied bitter almond oil (n = 48) and who were in the control group (n = 46).

Results.  The frequency of striae gravidarum was 20% among the women who applied bitter almond oil with massage, 38·8% among those who merely applied almond oil and 41·2% in the control group. A statistically significant difference was observed in the frequency of striae gravidarum between the groups, and it was the group who applied almond oil with massage that accounted for the difference (p < 0·001). The frequency of striae gravidarum was also found to be lower in the group who applied almond oil with massage compared to the others (p < 0·05).

Conclusion.  It was found that a 15‐minute massage applied with almond oil during pregnancy reduced the development of striae gravidarum, but using bitter almond oil had no effect on this in itself. It is recommended that pregnant women be informed about the positive effects of massaging applied with almond oil early during their pregnancy.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurses and midwives can use the findings of this study in preventing the development of striae gravidarum during pregnancy.
Differences between community professional and patient perceptions of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment outcomes: a qualitative study
Authors: Cooke Mary , Thackray Sue
Published: May 2012

Aims and objectives.  This study aims to define, compare and order ‘assessed needs and defined outcomes’ of professional providers of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease services with patients’‘prioritised needs and defined outcomes’ and relate these to service provision.

Background.  Long‐term morbidity and death rates from respiratory diseases in the UK are increasing. Few studies report patient views and perceptions of needs or priorities for respiratory conditions in primary care. None compare patient’s and health professional’s perceptions of patient needs, which may identify specific changes for service delivery.

Design.  A qualitative study using focus group discussion and nominal group technique to define, compare and order professional’s and patient’s groups’ statements to prioritise perceptions.

Method.  Specialist professionals and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were recruited to focus groups using systematic purposive sampling. Nominal group ordering of agreed statements occurred after the discussions followed by presentation of results to groups for validation.

Results.  Four key perceptions ordered and compared show both professionals and patients agreed that access to equitably provided services included more respiratory rehabilitation; other priorities indicate key differences between professional’s and patient’s perceptions of financial support, the communication of health education and the need for better provision of palliative care at end of life.

Conclusions.  The study offers new knowledge about what patients in all stages of the disease process consider important for services that will retain their independence. This qualitative study illuminates and compares professional’s and patient’s priorities for service delivery and their perceptions of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease services.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Changing respiratory services to support patient’s perceived needs enhances their independence.
Student nurses' experience working with mentally challenged individuals in South Africa
Authors: JANSE VAN RENSBURG E. S. , POGGENPOEL M. , MYBURGH C. P. H.
Published: May 2012

Accessible summary

The experiences of student nurses working with mentally challenged individuals were explored and described.

The study used a qualitative, explorative, descriptive, contextual research design with a case study as strategy.

Data collection utilized focus group interviews, reflective journals, a reflective letter, naïve sketches, drawings and field notes. Data analysis was done according to Tesch's descriptive method of open coding and theme analysis.

A central storyline emerged where student nurses described working with mentally challenged individuals as a process of personal transformation that was initiated by an engagement on a deeper emotional level with these individuals.

South African student nurses experience emotional discomfort that might influence their adjustment and coping while working with mentally challenged individuals. Adjustment and coping might impact on their mental health and support needed while working in this challenging context. Student nurses working with mentally challenged individuals experience emotional discomfort that may result in work‐related stress. The experiences of student nurses working with mentally challenged individuals were explored and described as it may influence their adjustment, coping and result in work‐related stress, impacting on their mental health. The study used a qualitative, explorative, descriptive, contextual research design with a case study as strategy. Thirteen student nurses from a specific higher educational institution in Gauteng, South Africa, participated in the focus group interviews. The researcher utilized reflective journals, a reflective letter, naïve sketches, drawings and field notes to collect data. Data analysis was done according to Tesch's descriptive method of open coding and theme analysis. A central storyline emerged where student nurses described working with mentally challenged individuals as a process of personal transformation that was initiated by an engagement on a deeper emotional level with these individuals. The process of personal transformation started a journey towards the discovery of meaning for the self, as student nurses. Student nurses working in challenging environments during their training may experience emotional discomfort and need additional support in coping and adjustment within this context. The nurse educator plays an important role in providing this support to manage work‐related stress as well as in creating learning opportunities for the student nurses working in challenging contexts.
Strategic direction or operational confusion: level of service user involvement in Irish acute admission unit care
Authors: PATTON D.
Published: May 2012

Accessible summary

Although not as historically dominant as it once was, acute admission units remain a place of care for people experiencing an acute mental illness and who cannot be cared for in a community setting.

In line with global developments, Irish mental healthcare policy has focused on greater levels of collaboration between service providers and users.

In admission unit care enhanced levels of service user involvement happens though nurses involving them in care planning and through interacting with them on a regular basis.

Mental health care in Ireland has been in the midst of a modernization of services since the mid 1980s. Embellished in this change agenda has been the need for better care and services with a particular emphasis on greater levels of user involvement. Acute admission units provide a setting for mental health care to be delivered to people who are unable to be cared for in a community setting. Through discussion of findings from semi‐structured telephone interviews with 18 acute admission unit staff nurses, the aim of this paper is to explore the level of involvement service users have in acute unit care in Ireland. Reporting on one qualitative component of a larger mixed method study, findings will show that acute admission unit staff nurses generally involve service users in their care by facilitating their involvement in the nursing process, interacting with them regularly and using different communication approaches. However, participants identified barriers to service user involvement, such as growing administrative duties. It can tentatively be claimed that, within an Irish context, acute admission unit service users are involved in their care and are communicated with in an open and transparent way.
Grasping the dynamics of suicidal behaviour: combining time‐geographic life charting and COPE ratings
Authors: SUNNQVIST C. , PERSSON U. , WESTRIN Å. , TRÄSKMAN‐BENDZ L. , LENNTORP B.
Published: May 2012

Accessible summary

A primary aim of suicide research is to gain a profound knowledge of the suicidal individual so preventive strategy can be formulated.

Time‐geographic life charting used in combination with the pattern of coping strategies may be helpful when assessing risk of suicidal behaviour.

It can also be a therapeutic intervention to look back and to reflect coping styles.

The aim of this study is to explore whether a time‐geographic life charting, combined with a survey of a person's coping capacities over time, elucidates the pathway to suicidal behaviour, and therefore could be useful in suicide prevention. Twenty‐three patients were recruited shortly after a suicide attempt. A time‐geographic life charting and COPE inventory ratings were used separately and in combination. According to COPE ratings, the participants could be divided into three groups using different coping strategies: (1) adaptive, (2) maladaptive, and (3) both adaptive and maladaptive coping. Within these subgroups, three different pathways to suicidal behaviour were described and illustrated. We conclude that time‐geographic life charting used in combination with the pattern of coping strategies may be helpful when assessing risk of suicidal behaviour, because this approach strengthens the comprehensive picture of the patient's life situation.
Recombinant Semliki Forest virus vectors encoding hepatitis B virus small surface and pre‐S1 antigens induce broadly reactive neutralizing antibodies
Authors: Niedre‐Otomere B. , Bogdanova A. , Skrastina D. , Zajakina A. , Bruvere R. , Ose V. , Gerlich W. H. , Garoff H. , Pumpens P. , Glebe D. , Kozlovska T.
Published: May 2012

Summary.  Most hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines consist of viral small surface (S) protein subtype adw2 expressed in yeast cells. In spite of good efficacy, HBV‐genotype and subtype differences, escape mutants and insufficient Th1 activation remain potential problems. To address these problems, we generated recombinant Semliki Forest virus (rSFV) vectors encoding S protein, subtype adw2 or ayw2, or a fragment of the large surface protein, amino acids 1–48 of the pre‐S1 domain, fused to S (pre‐S1.1–48/S). The antigen loop in S protein and the selected pre‐S1 sequences are known targets of neutralizing antibodies. BALB/c mice were immunized intravenously with 107 rSFV particles and 108 rSFV particles 3 weeks later. Antibodies induced by rSFV encoding S proteins reacted preferentially with subtype determinants of yeast‐derived S antigen but equally well with patient‐derived S antigen. Immunization with rSFV encoding pre‐S1.1–48/S resulted in formation of pre‐S1‐ and S‐specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), while immunization with the isogenic mutant without S start codon induced pre‐S1 antibodies only. Neutralizing antibodies were determined by mixing with plasma‐derived HBV/ayw2 and subsequent inoculation of susceptible primary hepatocyte cultures from Tupaia belangeri. S/adw2 antisera neutralized HBV/ayw2 as effectively as antisera raised with S/ayw2. The pre‐S1 antibodies also completely neutralized HBV infectivity. The IgG1/IgG2a ratios ranged from 0.28 to 0.88 in the four immunized groups and were lowest for the pre‐S1.1–48/S vector, indicating the strongest Th1 response. This vector type may induce subtype‐independent and S‐escape‐resistant neutralizing antibodies against HBV.
Proctolin in the antennal circulatory system of lower Neoptera: a comparative pharmacological and immunohistochemical study
Authors: HERTEL WIELAND , NEUPERT SUSANNE , ECKERT MANFRED
Published: May 2012

Neuropeptides are important with respect to almost all physiological processes and behavioural patterns in an organism. In the present study, muscle bioassays, immunohistochemistry and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry are used to investigate the distribution and efficacy of proctolin in the antennal heart of 36 species of lower Neoptera. In total, 20 species of Dictyoptera (cockroaches, termites, praying mantids), eight species of Saltatoria (crickets and grasshoppers) and eight species of Phasmatodea (stick insects) are investigated. The antennal heart of all tested Blattoidea, including the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggatt, exhibit a strong proctolin‐like immunoreactivity, as well as a high sensitivity to proctolin, whereas members of the second clade of cockroaches (Blaberoidea) are largely insensitive to proctolin and show only a weak proctolin‐like immunoreactivity. The antennal heart of praying mantids (Mantodea) also contains only few proctolin‐like immunoreactive fibres but is highly sensitive to proctolin. Such a high sensitivity is found also in Phasmatodea, although the antennal heart of these insects does not have proctolin‐like immunoreactive fibres. These findings are supported by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry; no trace of proctolin is detected in antennal heart preparations of Phasmatodea. In Saltatoria, only weak (or no) effects of proctolin are observed and, in most subtaxa, no proctolin‐like immunoreactivity is visible in the antennal heart preparations. Only in Grylloidea is strong proctolin‐like immunostaining found in processes of the antennal heart. In these species, weak or moderate effects of proctolin are observed in the antennal heart bioassay. In general, the differences in distribution of proctolin and effects on the antennal heart within the basal Neoptera cannot be deduced from their phylogenetic position, although they show conformity within each (sub)taxon.
Leaf anatomical properties in relation to differences in mesophyll conductance to CO2 and photosynthesis in two related Mediterranean Abies species
Authors: PEGUERO‐PINA JOSÉ JAVIER , FLEXAS JAUME , GALMÉS JERONI , NIINEMETS ÜLO , SANCHO‐KNAPIK DOMINGO , BARREDO GONZALO , VILLARROYA DIDO , GIL‐PELEGRÍN EUSTAQUIO
Published: May 2012

Abies alba and Abies pinsapo are closely related species with the same ribulose 1·5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) large subunit (rbcL) but contrasting hydraulic traits and mesophyll structure occurring in the Iberian Peninsula under contrasting conditions. As photosynthesis and hydraulic capacities often co‐scale, we hypothesize that these species differ in mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm). gm and key anatomical traits were measured in both species. Drought‐adapted population of A. pinsapo has higher photosynthesis than the more mesic population of A. alba, in agreement with its higher hydraulic capacity. However, A. alba exhibits the largest stomatal conductance (gs), and so water use efficiency (WUE) is much higher in A. pinsapo. The differences in photosynthesis were explained by differences in gm, indicating a correlation between hydraulic capacity and gm. We report a case where gm is the main factor limiting photosynthesis in one species (A. alba) when compared with the other one (A. pinsapo). The results also highlight the discrepancy between gm estimates based on anatomical measurements and those based on gas exchange methods, probably due to the very large resistance exerted by cell walls and the stroma in both species. Thus, the cell wall and chloroplast properties in relation to CO2 diffusion constitute a near‐future research priority.
Phosphorylation and ubiquitination of dynamin‐related proteins (AtDRP3A/3B) synergically regulate mitochondrial proliferation during mitosis
Authors: Wang Feng , Liu Peng , Zhang Quan , Zhu Jian , Chen Tong , Arimura Shin‐ichi , Tsutsumi Nobuhiro , Lin Jinxing
Published: May 2012

The balance between mitochondrial fission and fusion is disrupted during mitosis, but the mechanism governing this phenomenon in plant cells remains enigmatic. Here, we used mitochondrial matrix‐localized Kaede protein (mt‐Kaede) to analyze the dynamics of mitochondrial fission in BY‐2 suspension cells. Analysis of the photoactivatable fluorescence of mt‐Kaede suggested that the fission process is dominant during mitosis. This finding was confirmed by an electron microscopic analysis of the size distribution of mitochondria in BY‐2 suspension cells at various stages. Cellular proteins interacting with Myc‐tagged dynamin‐related protein 3A/3B (AtDRP3A and AtDRP3B) were immunoprecipitated with anti‐Myc antibody‐conjugated beads and subsequently identified by microcapillary liquid chromatography–quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (CapLC Q‐TOF) MS/MS. The identified proteins were broadly associated with cytoskeletal (microtubular), phosphorylation, or ubiquitination functions. Mitotic phosphorylation of AtDRP3A/AtDRP3B and mitochondrial fission at metaphase were inhibited by treatment of the cells with a CdkB/cyclin B inhibitor or a serine/threonine protein kinase inhibitor. The fate of AtDRP3A/3B during the cell cycle was followed by time‐lapse imaging of the fluorescence of Dendra2‐tagged AtDRP3A/3B after green‐to‐red photoconversion; this experiment showed that AtDRP3A/3B is partially degraded during interphase. Additionally, we found that microtubules are involved in mitochondrial fission during mitosis, and that mitochondria movement to daughter cell was limited as early as metaphase. Taken together, these findings suggest that mitotic phosphorylation of AtDRP3A/3B promotes mitochondrial fission during plant cell mitosis, and that AtDRP3A/3B is partially degraded at interphase, providing mechanistic insight into the mitochondrial morphological changes associated with cell‐cycle transitions in BY‐2 suspension cells.
Mink with Divergent Activity Levels have Divergent Reproductive Strategies
Authors: Meagher Rebecca K. , Bechard Allison , Mason Georgia J.
Published: May 2012

Stable individual differences in activity levels within populations have been linked to differences in reproductive rate or parental care in several species, including American mink (Neovison vison). Fur‐farmed mink are good models for studying such effects because they yield large sample sizes and readily allow investigations into maternal behaviour, reproductive success, offspring performance and the relationships between these factors. On farms, very inactive individuals generally have smaller litters, and this held true in our study populations. We tested two competing hypotheses to explain this: (1) inactive individuals are failing to cope with a challenging environment and experiencing chronic stress and/or depression‐like ‘apathy’; this predicts female‐skewed litters, poorer maternal care, higher infant mortality and poorer infant growth and (2) inactive individuals do not have reduced fitness but instead employ an alternative adaptive reproductive strategy, trading off offspring quantity for quality; this predicts enhanced maternal care, reduced infant mortality and enhanced infant growth. Inactive females’ kits, especially their sons, grew faster than active females’, even after statistically controlling for litter size; and by 21 d, inactive and active dams’ litters no longer differed in total biomass, despite the former’s smaller litter sizes. In kit retrieval tests, inactive females were faster than active dams to reach their sons (as well as more likely to contact their sons than their daughters: a bias towards male kits not evident in the active dams). Furthermore, kit growth rates and dam latencies to touch them co‐varied, suggesting the existence of consistent differences in maternal style across inactive and active dams. Hypothesis 2 was thus supported: inactive females favour offspring quality over quantity, investing more resources in fewer kits, particularly males. This potentially boosts their sons’ adult fitness. More broadly for laboratory‐based studies, possible ‘captivity effects’ on the fitness correlates of activity and other personality traits are discussed.
No Correlation Between Three Selected Trade‐Offs in Birdsong Performance and Male Quality for a Species With Song Repertoires
Authors: Cardoso Gonçalo C. , Atwell Jonathan W. , Hu Yang , Ketterson Ellen D. , Price Trevor D.
Published: May 2012

Demanding performance of vocal signals, such as birdsong, may be evaluated by trade‐offs among acoustic traits. If individuals differ in their ability to sustain physiologically demanding singing, then aspects of song performance resulting from such trade‐offs could signal individual quality. Song performance can also differ among song types, and it is not known whether this influences the assessment of individual quality. We asked whether three trade‐off‐based measures of song performance indicate male age or aspects of condition (body condition, hematocrit and ectoparasite load) in the dark‐eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), a species with small repertoires. Across a sample of over 100 males, no measure of song performance was related to male age or condition, nor did song performance improve with age for those males recorded in consecutive years. In all cases, the variation in song performance explained by these predictors was small (<4%). Instead, the more song types we recorded from a male, the more likely we were to record high‐performance songs, and this sampling effect was stronger than putative correlations with male quality. These results complement a previous study on this population showing that most variation in performance is found among song types rather than among males. Collectively, the lack of association between trade‐off‐based aspects of song performance and male age or condition, plus variation among song types that interferes with rapid assessment of a male's best performance, indicate that these aspects of song performance do not allow a good assessment of male quality in juncos, and perhaps more generally in species with song repertoires.
Allocation of Colony‐Level Foraging Effort in Vespula germanica in Response to Food Resource Quantity, Quality, and Associated Olfactory Cues
Authors: Taylor Benjamin J. , Nordheim Erik V. , Jeanne Robert L.
Published: May 2012

In social insects, selection takes place primarily at the level of the colony. Therefore, unlike solitary insects, social species are expected to forage at rates that maximize colony fitness rather than individual fitness. Workers can increase the net benefit of foraging by responding to increased resource availability, by responding more strongly to higher‐quality resources, and by decreasing the uncertainty with which nestmates find resources. Unlike many ants and social bees, no social wasp is known to utilize a nest‐based recruitment signal to inform nestmates of food location. On the other hand, wasps do learn the odor of food brought to the nest and use this cue to locate the food source outside the nest. Here, we quantify the effects of three food‐associated variables on the allocation of foraging effort in the yellowjacket Vespula germanica. We used an experimental approach to assess whether resource quantity, quality, or associated olfactory information affect the probability that a forager will leave the nest on a foraging trip. We addressed these questions by inserting a known amount of sucrose solution directly into nests and recording foraging effort (departure rate) over the subsequent hour‐long observation period. No differences were found in foraging effort because of the presence/absence of olfactory cues, but there was strong evidence that foraging effort increased in response to resource influx and resource quality. Thus, while olfactory cues are learned in the nest, only resource quality and the cue of increased amount of food in the nest factor into a forager's decision of whether or not to depart on a foraging trip. However, as prior work has shown, once a wasp forager leaves the nest, it uses the learned olfactory cues to aid in finding resources.
Team‐based learning methods in teaching topographical anatomy by dissection
Authors: Burgess Annette W. , Ramsey‐Stewart George , May James , Mellis Craig
Published: May 2012

Background:  While the effectiveness of teaching human topographical anatomy by groups of medical students carrying out embalmed cadaver dissections has been recognized for centuries, the mechanisms by which this teaching is so effective have not been well described.

Methods:  In the recently reintroduced 7‐week elective anatomy by whole body dissection course for senior medical students at Sydney Medical School, team‐based learning (TBL) principles were used in the course design and implementation. In the 2011 course, 42 senior medical students participated. The effectiveness of TBL pedagogy was assessed by knowledge acquisition and retention and by administration of a questionnaire to evaluate the impact of the principles of this pedagogy.

Results:  The course produced a marked increase in topographical anatomical knowledge. The median pre‐course assessment score was 9/20 (interquartile range 5) and the median post‐course assessment score was 19.5/20 (interquartile range 1.75). The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). There was near universal agreement by students that five key principles of TBL (small groups, instructor selected allocation to groups, regular assessments, inter‐ and intra‐group competitiveness, and prescribed out‐of‐class preparation), contributed to this knowledge acquisition.

Conclusion:  The application of TBL methodology to teaching human anatomy by dissection enables a large group of students to have small group experiences without a large number of teachers. It results in effective acquisition of topographical anatomical knowledge and appears to provide better acquisition of such knowledge than the previous methods of anatomy teaching to which these students had been exposed.
Pediatric hypnosis: pre‐, peri‐, and post‐anesthesia
Authors: Kuttner Leora
Published: May 2012

Objective:  Pediatric hypnosis has a useful role in pre‐, peri‐, and post‐anesthesia to minimize anticipatory anxiety, and as adjunctive treatment to reduce and control pain. This article reviews the literature in the use of hypnosis in pediatric anesthesia to highlight its role and relevancy.

Background:  Current research indicates there is an immediate and enduring impact, and long‐term benefits of this child‐centered intervention. Hypnosis can be included in presurgical consultations to establish cooperation and signals for increasing comfort and to address fears and provide suggestions for rapid recovery with changed expectations for the child’s own benefit. Thus prepared, the child is in a heightened state of receptivity and statements and suggestions carry through to peri‐ and post‐anesthesia, when hypnosis can help with extubation, reduce nausea, and ease recovery.

Method:  The Magic Glove is one hypno‐anesthesia technique that simultaneously addresses pain and anxiety. The process of hypnosis requires training and supervised practice.

Conclusion:  Patients in hypnosis treatment conditions have less anxiety and shorter hospital stays and experience less long‐term pain and discomfort than do patients in control conditions. There appears little reason not to provide hypnosis as an adjunctive treatment for pediatric patients undergoing anesthesia.
The EEG signal: a window on the cortical brain activity
Authors: Constant Isabelle , Sabourdin Nada
Published: May 2012

The accurate assessment of the depth of anesthesia, allowing a more accurate adaptation of the doses of hypnotics, is an important end point for the anesthesiologist. It is a particularly crucial issue in pediatric anesthesia, in the context of the recent controversies about the potential neurological consequences of the main anesthetic drugs on the developing brain. The electroencephalogram signal reflects the electrical activity of the neurons in the cerebral cortex. It is thus the key to assessment of the level of hypnosis. Beyond visual analysis, several monitoring devices allow an automated treatment of the electroencephalographic (EEG) signal, combining time and frequency domain analysis. Each of these monitors focuses on a specific combination of characteristics of the signal and provides the clinician with useful information that remains, however, partial. For a comprehensive approach of the EEG‐derived indices, the main features of the normal EEG, in adults and children, will be presented in the awake state and during sleep. Age‐related modifications accompanying cerebral maturation during infancy and childhood will be detailed. Then, this review will provide an update on how anesthetic drugs, particularly hypnotics, influence the EEG signal, and how the main available monitors analyze these drug‐induced modifications. The relationships between pain, memory, and the EEG will be discussed. Finally, this review will focus on some specific EEG features such as the electrical epileptoid activity observed under sevoflurane anesthesia. The EEG signal is the best window we have on cortical brain activity and provides a fair pharmacodynamic feedback of the effects of hypnotics. However, the cortex is only one of several targets of anesthesia. Hypnotics and opiates, have also subcortical primary targets, and the EEG performances in the evaluation or prediction of nociception are poor. Monitoring subcortical structures in combination with the EEG might in the future allow a better evaluation and a more precise adaptation of balanced anesthesia.