bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Williamsia sterculiae sp. nov., isolated from a Chinese medicinal plant
Authors: Fang Xiao-Mei , Su Jing , Wang Hao , Wei Yu-Zhen , Zhang Tao , Zhao Li-Li , Liu Hong-Yu , Ma Bai-Ping , Klenk Hans-Peter , Zhang Yu-Qin , Yu Li-Yan
Published: June 2013

Two actinobacterial strains, CPCC 203464T and CPCC 203448, isolated from surface-sterilized stems of medicinal plants were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. These two aerobic organisms formed pale yellow colonies on tryptic soy agar (TSA). Cells were Gram-stain-positive, non-acid-fast, non-motile, rod- or coccoid-like elements. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strains CPCC 203464T and CPCC 203448 were most closely related to the type strains of the species of the genus

Williamsia

. Chemotaxonomic properties such as containing meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall, arabinose, galactose and ribose being the whole-cell hydrolysate sugars, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) as the phospholipids, and C16 : 0, 10-methyl C18 : 0, C18 : 1ω9c, C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH as major fatty acids supported the affiliation of strains CPCC 203464T and CPCC 203448 to the genus

Williamsia

. The DNA–DNA hybridization values in combination with differentiating chemotaxonomic and physiological characteristics strongly suggested that these two isolates should be classified as representatives of a novel species of the genus

Williamsia

. The name Williamsia sterculiae sp. nov. is proposed, with strain CPCC 203464T ( = DSM 45741T = KCTC 29118T) as the type strain.
Arthrobacter

siccitolerans sp. nov., a highly desiccation-tolerant, xeroprotectant-producing strain isolated from dry soil
Authors: SantaCruz-Calvo L. , González-López J. , Manzanera M.
Published: June 2013

A novel desiccation-tolerant, xeroprotectant-producing bacterium, designated strain 4J27T, was isolated from a Nerium oleander rhizosphere subjected to seasonal drought in Granada, Spain. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing placed the isolate within the genus

Arthrobacter

, its closest relative being

Arthrobacter phenanthrenivorans

Shep3 DSM 18606T, with which it showed 99.23 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. DNA–DNA hybridization measurements showed less than 25 % relatedness between strain 4J27T and

Arthrobacter phenanthrenivorans

DSM 18606T. The DNA base composition of strain 4J27T was 65.3 mol%. The main fatty acids were anteiso C15 : 0, anteiso C17 : 0, C16 : 0 and iso C16 : 0 and the major menaquinone was MK-9 (H2). The peptidoglycan type was A3α with an l-Lys–l-Ser–l-Thr–l-Ala interpeptide bridge. The bacterium tested positive for catalase activity and negative for oxidase activity. Phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analyses indicated that the desiccation-tolerant strain 4J27T represents a novel species within the genus

Arthrobacter

, for which the name

Arthrobacter

siccitolerans is proposed. The type strain is 4J27T ( = CECT 8257T = LMG 27359T).
Methanobrevibacter

boviskoreani sp. nov., isolated from the rumen of Korean native cattle
Authors: Lee Jong-Hwan , Kumar Sanjay , Lee Geun-Hye , Chang Dong-Ho , Rhee Moon-Soo , Yoon Min-Ho , Kim Byoung-Chan
Published: June 2013

Three strictly anaerobic, methanogenic strains JH1T, JH4 and JH8 were isolated from rumen of the Korean native cattle (HanWoo; Bos taurus coreanae) in South Korea. The colonies were circular, opaque, and slightly yellowish. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene and mcrA (encoding α subunit of methyl-coenzyme M reductase) sequences confirmed the affiliation of the novel strains with the

Methanobacteriales

, and

Methanobrevibacter wolinii

SHT was the most closely related species. The 16S rRNA gene and mcrA sequence similarities between strains JH1T, JH4 and JH8 and

M. wolinii

SHT were 96.2 and 89.0 % respectively, and DNA–DNA hybridization of the isolates and

M. wolinii

DSM 11976T showed a 20 % reassociation. Strain JH1T exhibited 92 % DNA–DNA relatedness with strains JH4 and JH8, and their 16S rRNA gene and mcrA sequences were identical. Cells stained Gram-positive and were non-motile rods, 1.5–1.8 µm long and 0.6 µm wide. The strains were able to use H2/CO2 and formate. The optimum temperature and pH ranges for growth were 37–40 °C and pH 6.5–7.0. The DNA G+C content of strain JH1T was 28 mol%. Based on data from this study using a polyphasic approach, the three strains represent a novel species of genus

Methanobrevibacter

, for which the name

Methanobrevibacter

boviskoreani sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JH1T ( = KCTC 4102T = JCM 18376T).
Halarchaeum nitratireducens sp. nov., a moderately acidophilic haloarchaeon isolated from commercial sea salt
Authors: Minegishi Hiroaki , Yamauchi Yuto , Echigo Akinobu , Shimane Yasuhiro , Kamekura Masahiro , Itoh Takashi , Ohkuma Moriya , Usami Ron
Published: June 2013

Two halophilic moderately acidophilic archaeal strains, MH1-136-2T and MH1-370-1 were isolated from commercial salt samples made from seawater in Japan and Indonesia, respectively. Cells of the two strains were pleomorphic and Gram-stain-negative. Strain MH1-136-2T was pink pigmented, while MH1-370-1 was orange–red pigmented. Strain MH1-136-2T was able to grow at 9–30 % (w/v) NaCl (with optimum, 21 % NaCl, w/v) at pH 4.5–6.2 (optimum, pH 5.2–5.5) and at 18–55 °C (optimum, 45 °C). Strain MH1-370-1 was able to grow at 12–30 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 18 %, w/v) at pH 4.2–6.0 (optimum, pH 5.2–5.5) and 20–50 °C (optimum, 45 °C). Strain MH1-136-2T required at least 1 mM Mg2+, while MH1-370-1 required at least 10 mM for growth. Both strains reduced nitrate and nitrite under aerobic conditions. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of strains MH1-136-2T and MH1-370-1 were identical, and the closest relative was

Halarchaeum rubridurum

MH1-16-3T with 98.3 % similarity. The level of DNA–DNA relatedness between these strains was 90.9 % and 92.4 % (reciprocally), while that between MH1-136-2T and

Halarchaeum acidiphilum

MH1-52-1T,

Halarchaeum salinum

MH1-34-1T and

Halarchaeum rubridurum

MH1-16-3T was 37.7 %, 44.3 % and 41.1 % (each an average), respectively. Based on the phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic analyses, it is proposed that the isolates represent a novel species of the genus

Halarchaeum

, for which the name Halarchaeum nitratireducens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MH1-136-2T ( = JCM 16331T = CECT 7573T) isolated from solar salt produced in Japan.
Differential needs of zinc in the CA3 area of dorsal hippocampus for the consolidation of contextual fear and spatial memories
Authors: Ceccom Johnatan , Bouhsira Emilie , Halley Hélène , Daumas Stéphanie , Lassalle Jean Michel
Published: June 2013

One peculiarity of the hippocampal CA3 mossy fiber terminals is the co-release of zinc and glutamate upon synaptic transmission. How these two players act on hippocampal-dependent memories is still unclear. To decipher their respective involvement in memory consolidation, a pharmacological approach was chosen. Using two hippocampal-dependent behavioral paradigms (water maze and contextual fear conditioning) we now report that glutamate at CA3 synapses is necessary and sufficient for the spatial learning consolidation process, whereas glutamate and zinc released by mossy fibers are both mandatory and exert cumulative effects on contextual fear consolidation, a form of learning with a strong emotional component.
A Role for APETALA1/FRUITFULL Transcription Factors in Tomato Leaf Development
Authors: Burko Yogev , Shleizer-Burko Sharona , Yanai Osnat , Shwartz Ido , Zelnik Iris Daphne , Jacob-Hirsch Jasmine , Kela Itai , Eshed-Williams Leor , Ori Naomi
Published: June 2013

Flexible maturation rates underlie part of the diversity of leaf shape, and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves are compound due to prolonged organogenic activity of the leaf margin. The CINCINNATA -TEOSINTE BRANCHED1, CYCLOIDEA, PCF (CIN-TCP) transcription factor LANCEOLATE (LA) restricts this organogenic activity and promotes maturation. Here, we show that tomato APETALA1/FRUITFULL (AP1/FUL) MADS box genes are involved in tomato leaf development and are repressed by LA. AP1/FUL expression is correlated negatively with LA activity and positively with the organogenic activity of the leaf margin. LA binds to the promoters of the AP1/FUL genes MBP20 and TM4. Overexpression of MBP20 suppressed the simple-leaf phenotype resulting from upregulation of LA activity or from downregulation of class I knotted like homeobox (KNOXI) activity. Overexpression of a dominant-negative form of MBP20 led to leaf simplification and partly suppressed the increased leaf complexity of plants with reduced LA activity or increased KNOXI activity. Tomato plants overexpressing miR319, a negative regulator of several CIN-TCP genes including LA, flower with fewer leaves via an SFT-dependent pathway, suggesting that miR319-sensitive CIN-TCPs delay flowering in tomato. These results identify a role for AP1/FUL genes in vegetative development and show that leaf and plant maturation are regulated via partially independent mechanisms.
Clinical Application of Adult Stem Cells for Therapy for Cardiac Disease
Authors: Ghodsizad Ali , Ruhparwar Arjang , Bordel Viktor , Mirsaidighazi Ebrahim , Klein Hans Michael , Koerner Michael M. , Karck Matthias , El‐Banayosy Aly
Published: June 2013

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death worldwide. Different medical and surgical therapeutic options are well established, but a significant number of patients are not amenable to standard therapeutic options. Cell‐based therapies after clinical application have shown different results in recent years. Here, we are giving a comprehensive overview on major available clinical data regarding cell therapy.

Background

Cell‐based therapies and tissue engineering provide new promising platforms to develop upcoming therapeutic options. Initial clinical trials were able to generate promising results. A variety of different stem cell types have been used for the clinical application. Different adult cardiac stem cells and progenitor cells, including mesenchymal, CD34+ and CD133+ autologous human bone marrow–derived stem cells (BMCs), human myoblasts, and peripheral blood–derived stem and progenitor cells (PBSCs) have been used for the therapy for end‐stage heart failure. Future experiments will show the importance of novel cell populations and clarify the mechanism causing cell therapy–mediated observed effects.

Conclusion

Several clinical trials have reported on sole therapy, as well as combined application of autologous adult stem cells with conventional revascularization. The reported promising findings encourage further research in the field of the translational research.
Could donor multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells prevent or delay the onset of diabetic retinopathy?
Authors: Ezquer Fernando , Ezquer Marcelo , Arango‐Rodriguez Martha , Conget Paulette
Published: June 2013

Diabetes mellitus is a complex metabolic disease that has become a global epidemic with more than 285 million cases worldwide. Major medical advances over the past decades have substantially improved its management, extending patients’ survival. The latter is accompanied by an increased risk of developing chronic macro‐ and microvascular complications. Amongst them, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common and frightening. Furthermore, during the past two decades, it has become the leading cause of visual loss. Irrespective of the type of diabetes, DR follows a well‐known clinical and temporal course characterized by pericytes and neuronal cell loss, formation of acellular‐occluded capillaries, occasional microaneurysms, increased leucostasis and thickening of the vascular basement membrane. These alterations progressively affect the integrity of retinal microvessels, leading to the breakdown of the blood–retinal barrier, widespread haemorrhage and neovascularization. Finally, tractional retinal detachment occurs leading to blindness. Nowadays, there is growing evidence that local inflammation and oxidative stress play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of DR. Both processes have been associated with pericytes and neuronal degeneration observed early during DR progression. They may also be linked to sustained retinal vasculature damage that results in abnormal neovascularization. Currently, DR therapeutic options depend on highly invasive surgical procedures performed only at advanced stages of the disease, and which have proved to be ineffective to restore visual acuity. Therefore, the availability of less invasive and more effective strategies aimed to prevent or delay the onset of DR is highly desirable. Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells, also referred to as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are promising healing agents as they contribute to tissue regeneration by pleiotropic mechanisms, with no evidence of significant adverse events. Here, we revise the pathophysiology of DR to identify therapeutic targets for donor MSCs. Also, we discuss whether an MSC‐based therapy could prevent or delay the onset of DR.
Senile retinoschisis versus retinal detachment, the additional value of peripheral retinal OCT scans (SL SCAN‐1, Topcon)
Authors: Stehouwer Marilette , Tan Stevie H. , van Leeuwen Ton G. , Verbraak Frank D.
Published: June 2013

Purpose:  A peripheral senile retinoschisis is sometimes difficult to distinguish from a retinal detachment by biomicroscopy alone. This study evaluated spectral domain OCT (SD‐OCT) scans of the far peripheral retina to improve the differentiation between these diseases.

Methods:  Patients were included in whom the distinction between retinal detachment and senile retinoschisis was not clear based on biomicroscopy alone, or who had a presumed clinical diagnosis of senile retinoschisis. OCT scans were made with the SLSCAN‐1, through a hand‐held lens and a 3‐mirror contact lens, while the area of interest was simultaneously observed with the slit lamp. The SLSCAN‐1 is a SD‐OCT integrated into a slit lamp, superluminescent diode light source with a central wavelength of 830 nm, bandwidth 30 nm, scan resolution 8–9 μm in tissue, scan depth 2 mm, scan speed 5000 A‐scans per second.

Results:  In the 11 patients with an uncertain diagnosis, OCT scans showed a senile retinoschisis in four and a retinal detachment in seven patients. Fifteen of the 18 patients with a presumed diagnosis of retinoschisis showed a retinoschisis on OCT. In five of them, the OCT scans revealed a schisis detachment. Interestingly, three of the 18 patients had a retinal detachment.

Conclusion:  Senile retinoschisis may mimic a peripheral retinal detachment and vice versa. Differentiation is important with respect to therapeutic decisions. OCT scans of the far peripheral retina, which can be made with the SLSCAN‐1 through a 3‐mirror contact lens, can contribute significantly to this differentiation. The obtained scans of the far peripheral retina clearly visualize the anatomic differences between both diseases.
Neuromyelitis optica and aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) autoantibodies in consecutive optic neuritis patients in Southern Finland
Authors: Siuko Mika , Tienari Pentti J. , Saastamoinen Kari‐Pekka , Atula Sari , Miettinen Aaro , Kivelä Tero , Setälä Kirsi
Published: June 2013

Purpose:  To analyse the frequency of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) among consecutive optic neuritis (ON) patients in Southern Finland and the feasibility of Aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) autoantibody assay in the diagnosis of NMO.

Methods:  Consecutive patients with symptoms suggestive of acute ON and managed in the Helsinki University Central Hospital were evaluated critically screened for AQP4 autoantibody during a 47.5‐month period. The antibodies were determined using radioimmunoprecipitation method. AQP4 index >15 was considered positive, 10–15 borderline and <10 normal. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed for all patients.

Results:  Of the 300 patients with suspected ON, 191 were eventually diagnosed as ON, and 66 (35%) of them had a previous diagnosis or were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Of the 125 patients without MS diagnosis, 62 (50%) had demyelinative lesions in MRI, which is a risk factor for developing MS. Two patients (1.1%; 95% CI 0.3–4.5) fulfilled the criteria of NMO. Positive AQP4 antibodies were found in three patients (1.6% 95% CI 0.3–4.5), one of them had NMO, one had MS and one became diagnosed with MS a month later. Borderline autoantibody levels were found in 10 patients, 7 of whom had MS.

Conclusions:  NMO is rare among ON patients in the population of Southern Finland. In this small cohort, the sensitivity and positive predictive values of the AQP4 autoantibody index for NMO were low, 1/2 and 1/3 respectively, and do not support initiating routine screening.
An ancient explanation of presbyopia based on binocular vision
Authors: Barbero Sergio
Published: June 2013

Presbyopia, understood as the age‐related loss of ability to clearly see near objects, was known to ancient Greeks. However, few references to it can be found in ancient manuscripts. A relevant discussion on presbyopia appears in a book called Symposiacs written by Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus around 100 A.C. In this work, Plutarch provided four explanations of presbyopia, associated with different theories of vision. One of the explanations is particularly interesting as it is based on a binocular theory of vision. In this theory, vision is produced when visual rays, emanating from the eyes, form visual cones that impinge on the objects to be seen. Visual rays coming from old people’s eyes, it was supposed, are weaker than those from younger people’s eyes; so the theory, to be logically coherent, implies that this effect is compensated by the increase in light intensity due to the overlapping, at a certain distance, of the visual cones coming from both eyes. Thus, it benefits the reader to move the reading text further away from the eyes in order to increase the fusion area of both visual cones. The historical hypothesis taking into consideration that the astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea was the source of Plutarch’s explanation of the theory is discussed.
Biological basis of suicide and suicidal behavior
Authors: Pandey Ghanshyam N
Published: June 2013

Objective

Suicide is a major public health concern as each year 30000 people die by suicide in the USA alone. In the teenage population, it is the second leading cause of death. There have been extensive studies of psychosocial factors associated with suicide and suicidal behavior. However, very little is known about the neurobiology of suicide. Recent research has provided some understanding of the neurobiology of suicide, which is the topic of this review.

Methods

Neurobiology of suicide has been studied using peripheral tissues such as platelets, lymphocytes, and cerebrospinal fluid obtained from suicidal patients or from the postmortem brains of suicide victims.

Results

These studies have provided encouraging information with regard to the neurobiology of suicide. They show an abnormality of the serotonergic mechanism, such as increased serotonin receptor subtypes and decreased serotonin metabolites (e.g. 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid). These studies also suggest abnormalities of receptor‐linked signaling mechanisms such as phosphoinositide and adenylyl cyclase. Other biological systems that appear to be dysregulated in suicide involve the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, and neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors. More recently, several studies have also indicated abnormalities of neuroimmune functions in suicide.

Conclusions

Some encouraging information emerged from the present review, primarily related to some of the neurobiological mechanisms mentioned above. It is hoped that neurobiological studies may eventually result in the identification of appropriate biomarkers for suicidal behavior as well as appropriate therapeutic targets for its treatment.
Phase II clinical trial for the evaluation of bortezomib within the reduced intensity conditioning regimen (RIC) and post‐allogeneic transplantation for high‐risk myeloma patients
Authors: Caballero‐Velázquez Teresa , López‐Corral Lucia , Encinas Cristina , Castilla‐Llorente Cristina , Martino Rodrigo , Rosiñol Laura , Sampol Antonia , Caballero Dolores , Serrano David , Heras Inmaculada , San Miguel Jesús , Pérez‐Simón José A.
Published: June 2013

The current study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of bortezomib in combination with fludarabine and melphalan as reduced intensity conditioning before allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with high risk multiple myeloma. Sixteen patients were evaluable. The median number of previous line of treatment was 3; all patients had relapsed following a prior autograft and 13 had previously received bortezomib. Fifteen of them either remained stable or improved disease status at day +100 post‐transplant, including 11 patients with active disease. More specifically, nine patients (56%) and five patients (31%) reached complete remission and partial response, respectively. 25% developed grade III acute graft‐versus‐host disease. The cumulative incidence of non‐relapse mortality, relapse and overall survival were 25%, 54% and 41%, respectively, at 3 years. Regarding the non‐haematological toxicity (grade>2), two patients developed peripheral neuropathy, two patients liver toxicity and 1 pulmonary toxicity early post‐transplant. The haematological toxicity was only observed during the first three cycles mostly related to low haemoglobin and platelet levels. The current trial is the first one evaluating the safety and efficacy of bortezomib as part of a reduced intensity conditioning regimen among patients with high risk multiple myeloma.
Sickle cell disease: time for a closer look at treatment options?
Authors: Sheth Sujit , Licursi Maureen , Bhatia Monica
Published: June 2013

Tremendous progress has been made in the care of individuals with sickle cell over the past several decades. Major successes have been comprehensive infection prophylaxis, prediction and prevention of stroke, and better transfusion care, the latter including both prevention of alloimmunization and treatment of iron overload. However, definitive therapies remain limited to hydroxycarbamide (hydroxyurea) and stem cell transplantation, both of which have been in use for at least two decades. Despite knowing the progressive natural history of the disease with organ dysfunction, failure, and ultimately death at a young age, definitive therapies are considered for only a small proportion of individuals. Consequently, while life expectancy has improved dramatically from the last century, the ongoing pace of advancement has slowed or stalled. We believe that it is time to broaden the use of definitive therapy for those with asymptomatic disease, being cautiously more aggressive in our approach.
Tumour lysis syndrome and acute kidney injury in high‐risk haematology patients in the rasburicase era. A prospective multicentre study from the Groupe de Recherche en Réanimation Respiratoire et Onco‐Hématologique
Authors: Darmon Michael , Vincent François , Camous Laurent , Canet Emmanuel , Bonmati Caroline , Braun Thorsten , Caillot Denis , Cornillon Jérôme , Dimicoli Sophie , Etienne Anne , Galicier Lionel , Garnier Alice , Girault Stéphane , Hunault‐Berger Mathilde , Marolleau Jean‐Pierre , Moreau Philippe , Raffoux Emmanuel , Recher Christian , Thiebaud Anne , Thieblemont Catherine , Azoulay Elie ,   the Groupe de Recherche en Réanimation Respiratoire et Onco‐Hématologique (GRRR‐OH)
Published: June 2013

In tumour lysis syndrome (TLS), metabolic alterations caused by the destruction of malignant cells manifest as laboratory abnormalities with (clinical TLS) or without (laboratory TLS) organ dysfunction. This prospective multicentre cohort study included 153 consecutive patients with malignancies at high risk for TLS (median age 54 years (interquartile range, 38–66). Underlying malignancies were acute leukaemia (58%), aggressive non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (29.5%), and Burkitt leukaemia/lymphoma (12.5%). Laboratory TLS developed in 17 (11.1%) patients and clinical TLS with acute kidney injury (AKI) in 30 (19.6%) patients. After adjustment for confounders, admission phosphates level (odds ratio [OR] per mmol/l, 5.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.5–18.3), lactic dehydrogenase (OR per x normal, 1.1; 95%CI, 1.005–1.25), and disseminated intravascular coagulation (OR, 4.1; 95%CI, 1.4–12.3) were associated with clinical TLS; and TLS was associated with day‐90 mortality (OR, 2.45; 95%CI, 1.09–5.50; P = 0.03). In this study, TLS occurred in 30.7% of high‐risk patients. One third of all patients experienced AKI, for which TLS was an independent risk factor. TLS was associated with increased mortality, indicating a need for interventional studies aimed at decreasing early TLS‐related deaths in this setting.
Hypomethylation of the CTGF gene locus is a common feature of paediatric pre‐B acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
Authors: Welch Mathew D. , Greene Wayne K. , Kees Ursula R.
Published: June 2013

The connective tissue growth factor gene (CTGF) is aberrantly expressed in 75% of precursor B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemias (pre‐B ALL) and is associated with poor outcome. We identified consistent hypomethylation of the CTGF locus in primary pre‐B ALL specimens regardless of CTGF expression. By contrast, primary T‐cell ALL specimens, which do not express CTGF, exhibited distinctive patterns of hypermethylation. Furthermore, we confirmed that global changes in DNA methylation and histone acetylation can both functionally modulate CTGF expression in pre‐B ALL cell lines. These data suggest that hypomethylation of the CTGF locus is an essential prerequisite for aberrant CTGF expression in pre‐B ALL.
Engaging young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder in research interviews
Authors: Harrington Caitlin , Foster Michele , Rodger Sylvia , Ashburner Jill
Published: June 2013

Accessible summary

Listening to young people with autism spectrum disorder is important.

Researchers can help support young people to have their say.

Each young person is different. The supports used need to match their needs.

This study draws on the first author's doctoral research on the mainstream schooling experiences of young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents in Queensland, Australia. The aims are to share some of the practical strategies that were adapted and developed to engage the young people in the research and to critically reflect on what this means for future inclusive methodological approaches in this area. The key message is that diagnostic‐related assumptions about impairments can lead researchers to develop strategies which exclude or restrict rather than maximise participation of disabled people in research. To enable young people with ASD to provide rich and meaningful insights researchers need to acknowledge and plan creatively and flexibly for the interactive dynamic that is unique to each individual as well as for needs which might be shared.
Accountable to Whom? A Critical Science Counter‐story about a City that Stopped Caring for its Young
Authors: Fox Madeline , Fine Michelle
Published: June 2013

Coming from a critical youth studies perspective, this article sketches a participatory action research project designed by youth and adults in New York City to evaluate the impact of neo‐liberal public policies on young people. Through telling the counter‐story of the Polling for Justice (PFJ) project, we propose that re‐considering accountability at the point of knowledge production is generative for re‐imagining — and realising — a more just world. PFJ examined young people's experiences of urban public policy and through embodied participatory research, privileging young people's knowledge of the everyday, attempted deep accountability, provoked precarious solidarity, and activated change.
In Loco Emporium:Immigrant Youth and Educators in the Social Contracts of Education
Authors: ‘Leigh’ Patel Lisa
Published: June 2013

For adults training to be professional educators, the phrase,in loco parentis, communicates the intention that schools and educators are meant to act in the role of the parent, commonly interpreted to mean acting in accordance with what is optimal for the development of the child or young person. The limits of this relationship have been debated under legal interpretations pursuant to elements, such as protection of private property and punishing hate speech. In this article, I draw attention to the ways in which schools in the USA have acted as extensions of state designs to establish and maintain sovereignty, with schooling as a primary site of political economy. In particular, I explore the ways in which immigrant youth are positioned in schools that are meant to actin loco emporium, in the place of the empire. Drawing on policy analysis and critical race ethnography, I provide analysis that is both from above and below about immigrant youth, education, and immigration policy enforcement.
Children's Counter‐narratives of Care: Towards Educational Justice
Authors: Luttrell Wendy
Published: June 2013

The paper draws from a longitudinal ethnographic study of a group of diverse children growing up in an urban, low‐income, predominantly immigrant community in the northeastern United States, who were given cameras to portray their everyday family, school and community lives. It analyses the images, narratives, activities and intimacies of their care worlds in light of neo‐liberal policies of disinvestment in education and family care. The children tell and live stories that recognise and place value on caring as a relational activity and collective responsibility rather than an individual, private matter, thus challenging the logic of neo‐liberal market politics.
‘Value’ing Children Differently? Migrant Children in Education
Authors: Devine Dympna
Published: June 2013

This paper considers dilemmas around ‘value’ and the ‘valuing’ of children and childhood(s) in schools. I argue that in neo‐liberal contexts, processes of children's identity making become aligned with the idea of the corporate citizen – value and worth derived from the capacity to produce, excel, self‐regulate as well as consume in an ever expanding marketplace. Taking the positioning of migrant children as an exemplar, the paper explores the tensions in pedagogic practices between the valuing of migrant children and their ‘added value’ that is communicated through spheres of re/action in schools. The paper argues for education that is radical and strategic; careful and nurturing. In its absence, being valued differently involves reproducing negative patterns in a circular dialectical loop that naturalises under achievement of migrant children and other children at risk, to deficiencies in culture and identity.
After‐school Care as Investment in Human Capital – From Policy to Practices
Authors: Strandell Harriet
Published: June 2013

After‐school reform in Finland is analysed as a case of state intervention in childhood and of inscribing political goals in an activity with children. The paper asks what understandings of children and childhood are communicated in and through the reform and its dispersed implementation. Theoretically, the paper is informed by new ways of governing in the late 20th century and by the concept of the social investment state. These are combined with an ethnographic approach which troubles the concept of governance and shows how it becomes enacted through social practices in local institutional settings. The paper explores the discursive ‘truths’ about children's after‐school time and how these differ across contrasting institutional contexts, shaping and reshaping ideas around what is good in and for childhood.
Whose Values? Young People's Aspirations and Experiences of Schooling in Andhra Pradesh, India
Authors: Morrow Virginia
Published: June 2013

Increasing rates of school enrolment have changed childhoods in the global South, so that it is now the norm for children to attend at least some years of primary school. This paper explores the extent to which valuing of children as educational projects and outcomes may be displacing previous valuations of children as contributors to the domestic economy. The paper draws on qualitative interview data from Young Lives, a longitudinal study of children growing up in four developing countries, using a case study approach to explore the experiences of four children in rural Andhra Pradesh, India. The paper suggests that children are balancing expectations for the future with responsibilities to their families in the present, and concludes that the over‐valuing of formal qualifications and the under‐valuing of forms of work such as agriculture risk being internalised by children, leaving those who do not succeed feeling they are ‘a waste’.
Childhood as Social Investment, Rights and the Valuing of Education
Authors: Kjørholt Anne Trine
Published: June 2013

This paper discusses the impact of and close interplay between global discourses on children, notions of (a good) childhood at the national and local levels and childhoods as these are lived and experienced in particular social contexts. Two increasingly powerful global images of children are explored: Children as individual subjects with rights to participation as stated in theUNConvention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and children as human capital and early childhood investment. I argue that the market‐oriented politics and ‘global images’ of childhood are connected to particular ideological notions of what it means to be a human being, and an increasing individualization, separating children from an intergenerational social order. The discussion is empirically grounded in case studies in Norway and Ethiopia. The paper highlights the contradictions especially with respect to safeguarding local livelihoods and knowledge suggesting limits to the ‘sector based’ approach to children's participation and rights to education. It highlights the need to move the focus from children as objects of investments to a ‘politics of recognition’, in ways that value individual dignity and knowledge as constructed by children and adults within local ‘belonging communities’.
Histamine Modulation of Acute Nociception Involves Regulation of Nav1.8 in Primary Afferent Neurons in Mice
Authors: Yu Jie , Fang Qi , Lou Guo‐Dong , Shou Wen‐Ting , Yue Jia‐Xing , Tang Ying‐Ying , Hou Wei‐Wei , Xu Tian‐Le , Ohtsu Hiroshi , Zhang Shi‐Hong , Chen Zhong
Published: June 2013

Aims

To explore the role of histamine in acute pain perception and its possible mechanisms.

Methods

Pain‐like behaviors induced by four types of noxious stimuli (hot‐plate, tail‐pressure, acetic acid, and formalin) were accessed in mice. Nav1.8 expression and functions in primary afferent neurons were compared between histidine decarboxylase knockout (HDC−/−) mice and their wild‐types.

Results

HDC−/− mice, lacking in endogenous histamine, showed elevated sensitivity to all these noxious stimuli, as compared with the wild‐types. In addition, a depletion of endogenous histamine with α‐fluoromethylhistidine (α‐FMH), a specific HDC inhibitor, or feeding mice a low‐histamine diet also enhanced nociception in the wild‐types. Nav1.8 expression in primary afferent neurons was increased both in HDC−/− and in α‐FMH‐treated wild‐type mice. A higher Nav1.8 current density, a lower action potential (AP) threshold, and a higher firing rate in response to suprathreshold stimulation were observed in nociception‐related small DRG neurons of HDC−/− mice. Nav1.8 inhibitor A‐803467, but not TTX, diminished the hyperexcitability and blocked repetitive AP firing of these neurons.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that histamine participates in acute pain modulation in a dose‐related manner. The regulation of Nav1.8 expression and the excitability of nociceptive primary afferent neurons may be involved in the underlying mechanisms.
An Association Study on ADAM10 Promoter Polymorphisms and Atherosclerotic Cerebral Infarction in a Chinese Population
Authors: Li You , Liao Feng , Yin Xiao‐Jian , Cui Li‐Li , Ma Guo‐Da , Nong Xiao‐Xian , Zhou Hai‐Hong , Chen Yan‐Fang , Zhao Bin , Li Ke‐Shen
Published: June 2013

Aim

Dysregulation of the activity of the disintegrin/metalloproteinase ADAM10 could contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. Although a number of genetic studies have focused on the association of ADAM10 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to diseases, no genetic association studies of ADAM10 gene variability with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction (ACI) have been conducted. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential association between ADAM10 promoter polymorphisms and ACI.

Methods

The associations between rs653765 and rs514049 polymorphisms of the ADAM10 promoter and the possible risk of ACI were assessed among 347 patients with ACI and 299 matched healthy individuals in a case–control study.

Results

Overall, there was a significant difference in the genotypes frequencies of rs653765 (P = 0.04) between the ACI and control subjects. In addition, the rs653765 mutated allele of ADAM10 was significantly associated with increased ADAM10 expression in patients with ACI (P = 0.032). In contrast, the allele frequency of rs514049 was not statistically associated with ACI, and the rs514049 variant A > C did not affect the expression of ADAM10 either.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate a positive association between the rs653765 polymorphism of ADAM10 and ACI, as well as a negative result for rs514049. In addition, a significant increase in ADAM10 expression was observed in patients with ACI carrying the rs653765 C > T mutation. This new knowledge about ADAM10 might be clinically important and confirm a role for ADAM10 in the pathophysiology of ACI, with potentially important therapeutic implications.
Transcriptome of an Armillaria root disease pathogen reveals candidate genes involved in host substrate utilization at the host–pathogen interface
Authors: Ross‐Davis A. L. , Stewart J. E. , Hanna J. W. , Kim M.‐S. , Knaus B. J. , Cronn R. , Rai H. , Richardson B. A. , McDonald G. I. , Klopfenstein N. B.
Published: June 2013

Armillaria species display diverse ecological roles ranging from beneficial saprobe to virulent pathogen. Armillaria solidipes (formerly A. ostoyae), a causal agent of Armillaria root disease, is a virulent primary pathogen with a broad host range of woody plants across the Northern Hemisphere. This white‐rot pathogen grows between trees as rhizomorphs and attacks sapwood as mycelial fans under the bark. Armillaria root disease is responsible for reduced forest productivity due to direct tree mortality and non‐lethal infections that impact growth. Here, we characterize a transcriptome of a widespread, virulent genet (vegetative clone) of A. solidipes isolated from a mycelial fan on a natural grand fir (Abies grandis) sapling in northern Idaho, USA. cDNA from polyA+‐purified total RNA was sequenced using a single‐end read approach on the Illumina GAIIx platform which generated 24 170 384 reads. A BLASTx search against the NCBI nr database using 39 943 de novo assembled contigs resulted in 24 442 sequences with significant hits (e‐value < 1e−3), predominantly to fungi (85%). A filtered data set of 20 882 assembled transcripts that encoded putative homologous fungal proteins was created and used for all subsequent analyses. Signal P identified 10 668 putative signal peptides from these fungal transcripts, and 14 360 were annotated with gene ontology terms. Several sequences showed strong homology to annotated genes with functions in pathogenesis, specifically those involved in plant cell wall degradation and response to the post‐infection host environment. This transcriptome contributes to the growing body of resources for studies on fungal pathogens of woody plants, and our results provide useful insights towards identifying specific genes with potential roles associated with pathogenesis and other metabolic functions.
Development of a quantitative real‐time PCR assay for the detection of Phytophthora austrocedrae, an emerging pathogen in Britain
Authors: Mulholland V. , Schlenzig A. , MacAskill G. A. , Green S.
Published: June 2013

A TaqMan real‐time PCR assay was developed for Phytophthora austrocedrae, an emerging pathogen causing severe damage to juniper in Britain. The primers amplified DNA of the target pathogen down to 1 pg of extracted DNA, in both the presence and absence of host DNA, but did not amplify any of the non‐target Phytophthora and fungal species tested. The assay provides a useful tool for screening juniper populations for the disease.
Polymorphisms in TREX1 and susceptibility to HIV‐1 infection
Authors: Pontillo A. , Girardelli M. , Catamo E. , Duarte A. J. , Crovella S.
Published: June 2013

TREX‐1 is a restriction factor against HIV‐1. The coding sequence of TREX1 gene was analysed in HIV+ subjects searching for genetic variations possibly associated with the susceptibility to HIV infection. The single nucleotide polymorphism rs3135945 was significantly associated with HIV infection, emphasizing the involvement of TREX‐1 in the anti‐HIV response.
LH750 hematology analyzers to identify malaria and dengue and distinguish them from other febrile illnesses
Authors: Sharma P. , Bhargava M. , Sukhachev D. , Datta S. , Wattal C.
Published: June 2013

Introduction

Tropical febrile illnesses such as malaria and dengue are challenging to differentiate clinically. Automated cellular indices from hematology analyzers may afford a preliminary rapid distinction.

Methods

Blood count and VCS parameters from 114 malaria patients, 105 dengue patients, and 105 febrile controls without dengue or malaria were analyzed. Statistical discriminant functions were generated, and their diagnostic performances were assessed by ROC curve analysis.

Results

Three statistical functions were generated: (i) malaria‐vs.‐controls factor incorporating platelet count and standard deviations of lymphocyte volume and conductivity that identified malaria with 90.4% sensitivity, 88.6% specificity; (ii) dengue‐vs.‐controls factor incorporating platelet count, lymphocyte percentage and standard deviation of lymphocyte conductivity that identified dengue with 81.0% sensitivity and 77.1% specificity; and (iii) febrile‐controls‐vs.‐malaria/dengue factor incorporating mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, neutrophil percentage, mean lymphocyte and monocyte volumes, and standard deviation of monocyte volume that distinguished malaria and dengue from other febrile illnesses with 85.1% sensitivity and 91.4% specificity.

Conclusions

Leukocyte abnormalities quantitated by automated analyzers successfully identified malaria and dengue and distinguished them from other fevers. These economic discriminant functions can be rapidly calculated by analyzer software programs to generate electronic flags to trigger‐specific testing. They could potentially transform diagnostic approaches to tropical febrile illnesses in cost‐constrained settings.
Pre‐release risk assessment of the egg‐parasitoid Gryon pennsylvanicum for classical biological control of Leptoglossus occidentalis
Authors: Roversi P. F. , Sabbatini Peverieri G. , Maltese M. , Furlan P. , Strong W. B. , Caleca V.
Published: June 2013

Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Heteroptera: Coreidae) is a North American conifer seed pest that was accidentally introduced to Europe. In the Mediterranean area, it threatens the production of Pinus pinea Linnaeus seeds. The egg‐parasitoid Gryon pennsylvanicum (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), the main natural enemy in the native range of L. occidentalis, was imported from British Columbia to Italy. Pre‐release risk assessments were made under quarantine conditions by no‐choice tests conducted with naïve and experienced G. pennsylvanicum offering single eggs of target and non‐target species for varying exposure times (1, 4, 48 h). G. pennsylvanicum successfully parasitized from 75% to 100% of the target host eggs. Only one female specimen of the egg‐parasitoid emerged from a non‐target egg (Gonocerus juniperi Herrich‐Schaeffer, Heteroptera: Coreidae). Two dead female specimens were found, one inside an egg of Coreus marginatus (Linnaeus) (Heteroptera: Coreidae) and one in an egg of Camptopus lateralis (Germar) (Heteroptera: Alydidae). All three cases occurred at the longest oviposition exposure time. Results obtained with this conservative approach suggest that the risk to non‐target species of releasing G. pennsylvanicum in Italy is low.
Phylogeny and Establishment of a New Ciliate Family, Wilbertomorphidae fam. nov. (Ciliophora, Karyorelictea), a Highly Specialized Taxon Represented by Wilbertomorpha colpoda gen. nov., spec. nov.
Authors: Xu Yuan , Li Jiamei , Song Weibo , Warren Alan
Published: June 2013

The morphology and molecular phylogeny of a new marine interstitial karyorelictean ciliate, Wilbertomorpha colpoda gen. nov., spec. nov., isolated from a sandy beach at Qingdao, China, are investigated. The ciliature is mainly on the right surface with the left surface barren except for a single marginal kinety, which is typical of the order Loxodida. Nevertheless, other morphological features, such as the highly reduced buccal structure, the absence of a buccal cavity and the presence of extremely specialized cortical granules, prevent its assignation to any known family. Furthermore, the secondary structure of the variable region 2 of the SSU rRNA gene is unique among loxodids. Thus, we establish a new family, Wilbertomorphidae fam. nov. for the genus Wilbertomorpha. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rRNA gene sequence data suggest that this taxon is a sister group to the family Geleiidae which belongs to the order Protoheterotrichida. However, morphologically Wilbertomorpha bears a much stronger resemblance to Loxodidae which belongs to the order Loxodida. Based on these findings, we tentatively place Wilbertomorphidae nov. fam. incertae sedis within Karyorelictea.
Fine Structure of the Plasmodia and Myxospore of Ellipsomyxa gobioides n. sp. (Myxozoa) Found in the Gallbladder of Gobioides broussonnetii (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the Lower Amazon River
Authors: Azevedo Carlos , Videira Marcela , Casal Graça , Matos Patrícia , Oliveira Elsa , Al‐Quraishy Saleh , Matos Edilson
Published: June 2013

A fish infecting myxosporean Ellipsomyxa gobioides n. sp. is described in the gallbladder of the Amazonian dragon fish Gobioides broussonnetii. Irregular disporous plasmodia (up to ~30 μm in diameter) with long branched and anastomosed pseudopodia were found attached to the gallbladder wall. Mature ellipsoid myxospores occurring floating in the bile measured 6.8 (6.5–7.0) μm (n = 30) long, 7.2 (6.9–7.5) μm (n = 15) wide, and 13.1 (12.8–13.5) (n = 25) thick. They had smooth thin valves elongated in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the straight central transverse sutural line. The two ellipsoidal polar capsules (PC) opened some distance from the sutural line on opposite sides, each measuring 4.6 (4.3–4.8) μm (n = 15) long and 2.5 (2.1–2.7) μm (n = 20) wide. Distance between PC 3.5 (3.1–3.8) μm (n = 15) in apical view. The polar filament was isofilar and consisted of a single coil with five or six turns. The objective of this study was to characterize this new species based on its morphological differences from the three previously described species. This is the first reported species of genus Ellipsomyxa from among the South American fauna.
Morphological and Ribosomal DNA‐based Characterization of Six Antarctic Ciliate Morphospecies from the Amundsen Sea with Phylogenetic Analyses
Authors: Kim Sun Young , Choi Joong Ki , Dolan John R. , Shin Hyoung Chul , Lee SangHoon , Yang Eun Jin
Published: June 2013

We characterized six tintinnid ciliates from Antarctic waters using molecular markers and morphological traits: Amphorellopsis quinquealata, Codonellopsis gaussi, Cymatocylis convallaria, Cy. calyciformis, Cy. drygalskii, and Laackmanniella prolongata. The 100% similarity in SSU‐ITS1‐5.8S rDNA‐ITS2‐partial LSU rDNA sequences among Cy. convallaria, Cy. calyciformis, and Cy. drygalskii is supportive of synonymy. Codonellopsis gaussi and L. prolongata also showed high levels of similarity in SSU rDNA (99.83%) and the D2 domain of LSU rDNA (95.77%), suggesting that they are closely related. Phylogenetic analysis placed Cymatocylis in the Rhabdonellidae, Amphorellopsis in the Tintinnidae and L. prolongata/Co. gaussi within the Dictyocystidae.