bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hemilaminectomy and vertebral stabilisation for the treatment of thoracolumbar disc protrusion in 28 dogs
Authors: Downes C. J. , Gemmill T. J. , Gibbons S. E. , McKee W. M.
Published: October 2009

Objectives:To evaluate the results of hemilaminectomy and vertebral stabilisation (+/− annulectomy) for the treatment of thoracolumbar disc protrusion.

Methods:The medical records of dogs with thoracolumbar annular protrusions treated by hemilaminectomy and vertebral stabilisation were reviewed. Neurological function was assessed 24 hours following surgery. Long‐term follow‐up was by clinical examination or telephone questionnaire.

Results:Twenty‐eight dogs fulfilled the criteria. Age ranged from 4 to 12·5 years (median 8 years, mean 7·7 years), bodyweight from 5·1 to 51·5 kg (median 28 kg, mean 27·1 kg), and duration of neurological signs before presentation from 48 hours to 104 weeks (median 5 weeks, mean 9·3 weeks). At presentation 22 dogs were ambulatory and six were non‐ambulatory. Myelography and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) identified 31 thoracolumbar protrusions causing spinal cord compression. Unilateral hemilaminectomy was performed in 27 dogs and bilateral hemilaminectomy in one dog. Partial annulectomy was performed in 24 of 31 protrusions. Stabilisation was performed using vertebral body bone plates in 26 dogs and vertebral body screws and bone cement in two dogs. Internal vertebral venous plexus haemorrhage was recorded in nine dogs. A screw was inadvertently placed into an intervertebral disc in two dogs. Neurological examination 24 hours postoperatively revealed deterioration in pelvic limb motor function in 17 dogs. One dog was euthanatised at the owner’s request 6 days after surgery. Long‐term evaluation of 24 cases was performed 3 to 52 months following surgery (median 21 months, mean 23·9 months). Six dogs had improved from their preoperative status and one had deteriorated as assessed by the authors. Fifteen dogs had improved from their preoperative status and two were unchanged as assessed by owners.

ClinicalSignificance:Hemilaminectomy and vertebral stabilisation are an effective treatment for chronic spinal cord compression due to thoracolumbar annular protrusion in dogs. A temporary deterioration in neurological function is not uncommon following surgery. Internal vertebral plexus haemorrhage and inappropriate vertebral body screw placement are potential complications.
Use of Modified Live Vaccines in Aquaculture
Authors: Shoemaker Craig A. , Klesius Phillip H. , Evans Joyce J. , Arias Covadonga R.
Published: October 2009

Vaccination is an important disease management strategy used to maintain human and animal health worldwide. Vaccines developed for aquaculture have reduced antibiotic use in fish production. Original fish vaccines were bacterins (formalin‐killed bacteria) delivered through immersion or injection that induced humoral (antibody) immunity. Next generation vaccines relied on multiple killed antigens delivered with an adjuvant to enhance vaccine effectiveness. Work in the 1990s showed the use of various strategies to develop modified live vaccines for use in fish. A modified live vaccine is a live pathogen that has been rendered non‐pathogenic or avirulent by physical, chemical, or genetic engineering methods. The modified live vaccine typically retains its ability to infect the host which allows for effective presentation of protective antigens to generate cellular immunity (CD4 or CD8 T‐cell responses). Modified live vaccines are advantageous in that they can be easily delivered (i.e., by immersion to young fish) and stimulate both humoral and cellular immunity of long duration. Disadvantages include issues with modified live vaccine safety to the host and environment. A successful modified live vaccine for use in warm water aquaculture is used to highlight the live vaccine strategy.
Interaction of Phytochemical‐Quercetin with the Other Antioxidant, Ascorbic Acid and their Protective Effect in Tilapia after Ultraviolet Irradiation
Authors: De Oca Gustavo A. Rodriguez‐Montes , Dabrowski Konrad , Park Kwan , Lee Kyeong‐Jun , Abiado Mary Ann
Published: October 2009

Semi‐purified, casein‐gelatin‐based diets were prepared and supplemented with quercetin (Q) and/ or ascorbic acid (AA): control diet C–Q–(100 mg/kg AA), diet C –Q+ (100 mg/kg AA + quercetin 10 g/kg), diet C +Q– (1000 mg/kg AA), and diet C +Q+ (1000 mg/kg AA + quercetin 10 g/kg). These diets were fed to tilapia for 19 wk and then fish were divided into controls and ultraviolet (UV) treatments. Fish were exposed to UV radiation. Control groups were protected with a MYLAR®polyester film and plexiglass. At week 20, the same fish were re‐exposed to UV radiation. Control groups of fish were protected by a double layer of MYLAR®and the UV groups were exposed with no protection. Before UV exposure, 24 h after, and 7 d after the second treatment, fish liver and skin were dissected for Q and AA analyses. The proportion of oxidized ascorbate was significantly increased in fish from treatments C –Q– and C –Q+ . Q concentrations in fish after exposures were negligible in skin, whereas liver concentrations were significantly different among control (34 ± 10 μg/g) and UV‐irradiated fish (11 ± 6 μg/g), respectively. The interaction between these two dietary antioxidants may change after chronic UV irradiation.
Assessment of Egg and Larval Quality during Hatchery Production of the Temperate Sea Cucumber, Australostichopus mollis (Levin)
Authors: Morgan Andrew David
Published: October 2009

A greater understanding of the causes of variation in egg and larval quality during larval rearing of sea cucumbers will assist in the development of methods to further improve production in hatcheries. For Australostichopus mollis the techniques and methods used in other hatcheries during fertilization resulted in polyspermy occurring in 10–60% of spawned eggs. Despite this, hatch rates were usually greater than 90%. By Day 18 when fed the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri at 2000 cells/mL/day, survival in cultures varied between 35 ± 26% and 57 ± 25%. Of remaining larvae, 10–12% remained in the water column for long periods and did not complete metamorphosis. Furthermore, observation of development in relation to growth and feeding rather than gut content was a better indicator of larval competence. Larvae that were between 700 and 1000 ± 50 μm in length had between four and eight hyaline spheres in the folds of the ciliated band and were in various stages of metamorphosis and settlement. Assessment and comparison of current and previous methods enabled a greater understanding of sources of variation in egg and larval quality, impacts on the production cycle, and suggested improvements.
Disk Abalone, Haliotis discus discus, CuZn–Superoxide Dismutase cDNA and its Transcriptional Induction by Aroclor 1254
Authors: De Zoysa Mahanama , Ekanayake Prashani Mudika , Kang Hyun‐Sil , Lee Jehee , Jee Youngheun , Lee Youn‐Ho , Kim Sang‐Jin
Published: October 2009

CuZn–superoxide dismutase (CuZn–SOD) is a key antioxidant enzyme playing a first line protective role against reactive oxygen species (ROS) by converting superoxide () into H2O2. The CuZn–SOD gene was isolated from a whole abalone cDNA library and denoted as aCuZn–SOD. The full‐length cDNA of aCuZn–SOD was 1021 bp, which contained 465‐bp open reading frame (ORF) coding 154 amino acids. It contained highly conserved CuZn–SOD signature motif 1 (45GFHVHQFGDNT55) and motif 2 (139GNAGGRQACGVI150). Also, amino acid residues identified as Cu (His47, His49, His64, and His121) and Zn (His64, His72, His81, and ASP84) metal‐binding sites were completely conserved in the aCuZn–SOD. The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) results showed that aCuZn–SOD mRNA was expressed constitutively in gill, mantle, gonad, abductor muscle, digestive tract, and hemocytes in a tissue‐specific manner. The aCuZn–SOD mRNA was significantly up‐regulated (P < 0.05) in gill and digestive tract tissues after Aroclor 1254 induction compared to untreated and methanol‐injected abalone groups, suggesting that abalone has a potential use in assessing the impact of marine pollutants with the application of gene expression concept. In addition, purified recombinant aCuZn–SOD fusion protein was shown to reduceradical generated by xanthine oxidase assay, showing CuZn–SOD is a functionally active antioxidant enzyme in disk abalone.
Preliminary Study of the Dietary α‐Tocopherol Requirement in Sea Cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus
Authors: Ko Su Hong , Go Sugeun , Okorie Okorie Eme , Kim Young Chul , Lee Seunghyung , Yoo Gwang Yeol , Bai Sungchul C.
Published: October 2009

This study was conducted to evaluate the dietary α‐tocopherol (vitamin E) requirement in juvenile sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus. Sea cucumbers averaging 1.48 ± 0.07 g (mean ± SD) were randomly distributed into 18 rectangular plastic tanks of 20 L capacity in a recirculating system (20 animals per tank). Six semi‐purified experimental diets with average protein and crude lipid levels (dry matter) of 29.7 ± 0.36% and 4.39 ± 0.23% (mean ± SD), respectively were formulated to contain 0 (E4), 15 (E12), 30 (E23), 60 (E44), 120 (E77) and 600 (E378) mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet, supplied as dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate. Diets were analyzed for α‐tocopherol content by HPLC and the α‐tocopherol levels were 4.01, 12.4, 23.1, 44.3, 77.4 and 378 mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet for E4, E12, E23, E44, E77 and E378 diets, respectively. Casein and defatted fish meal were used as the protein sources in the diets while wheat flour was the carbohydrate source. Sea cucumbers were fed each of the six experimental diets in triplicate groups. At the end of the 14‐week feeding trial, weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed efficiency (FE) of sea cucumbers fed on E23, E44, E77 and E378 diets were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of animals fed on E4 and E12 diets. However, there were no significant differences in WG, SGR and FE among sea cucumbers fed on E23, E44, E77 and E378 diets or among those fed on E4 and E12 diets. Survival of sea cucumbers fed on E44, E77 and E378 diets were significantly higher than those of animals fed on E4, E12 and E23 diets. However, there were no significant differences among sea cucumbers fed on E4, E12 and E23 diets or among those fed on E44 and E77 diets. Whole‐body vitamin E concentration increased with α‐tocopherol content of the diets. Broken line analysis of WG showed an optimum dietary α‐tocopherol requirement of 41 mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet in sea cucumber. These results indicated that the optimum dietary α‐tocopherol requirement in sea cucumber in the form of dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate could be higher than 23.1 mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet but lower than 44 mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet.
Effect of Combined Non‐ionized Ammonia and Dissolved Oxygen Levels on the Survival of Juvenile Dourado, Salminus brasiliensis (Cuvier)
Authors: De Leão Serafini Raphael , Zaniboni‐Filho Evoy , Baldisserotto Bernardo
Published: October 2009

The aim of this study was to assess the mean lethal concentration (LC50) of dissolved oxygen in high ammonia concentration and also the LC50 of ammonia under hypoxic conditions for juveniles of dourado, Salminus brasiliensis. In the first experiment, the non‐ionized ammonia (NH3) concentrations were: 0.026, 0.447, 0.612, 0.909, and 1.334 mg/L, and the dissolved oxygen concentration was maintained at approximately 1.65 mg/L. In the second experiment, the dissolved oxygen concentrations were: 1.64, 1.99, 3.33, 5.10, and 7.77 mg/L, and the non‐ionized ammonia concentration was kept at approximately 0.927 mg/L. The mean lethal concentrations of non‐ionized ammonia varied from 0.584 to 0.577 mg/L, indicating that LC50 values were almost unaffected by exposure time. The estimated LC50 of dissolved oxygen varied from 4.02 to 5.02 mg/L, indicating a slight increase in the mean lethal concentrations as the exposure time increased. Results from this study indicate that interaction between these two parameters increases mortality and also suggest that dourado is susceptible to the combination of high ammonia with low dissolved oxygen concentrations.
A Plunge into Networks

Social and Economic Networks
by Matthew O. Jackson

Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2008. 518 pp. $65, £44.95. ISBN 9780691134406.
Authors: Krackhardt David
Published: October 2009

Drawing on models, techniques, and findings from sociology, physics, mathematics, and computer science, Jackson provides a foundation for analyzing and understanding social and economic networks.
Genome-Wide RNAi Screen Identifies Letm1 as a Mitochondrial Ca
2+
/H
+
Antiporter
Authors: Jiang Dawei , Zhao Linlin , Clapham David E.
Published: October 2009

In and Out

For over 40 years, Ca
2+
/H
+
antiport has been reported across plasma cell membranes and mitochondrial inner membranes, but the molecules responsible for the exchange have not been known.

Jiang
et al.

(p.
144
; see the Perspective by

Demaurex and Poburko

) conducted a genome-wide RNA interference screen in
Drosophila
and identified a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial protein, Letm1 (leucine zipper EF–hand-containing transmembrane protein 1), as a mitochondrial Ca
2+
/H
+
antiporter critical for mitochondrial Ca
2+
uptake. Furthermore, the gene's mammalian homolog is deleted in Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a disorder characterized by mental retardation, microcephaly, seizures, hypotonia, and cleft lip or palate.
Fluxonium: Single Cooper-Pair Circuit Free of Charge Offsets
Authors: Manucharyan Vladimir E. , Koch Jens , Glazman Leonid I. , Devoret Michel H.
Published: October 2009

Quiet, Please

One approach for building quantum computers is based on superconductors with appropriately designed components to control the pairs of charges flowing through the circuits. However, at the single-electron level, required quantum noise—generated by quantum fluctuations and throwing offset charges into the device—presents a real problem in manipulating the delicate quantum states of the qubits.

Manucharyan
et al.

(p.
113
) present a clever piece of quantum circuit engineering that can suppress the effect of the quantum noise and allow the quantum circuit to operate without disturbance.
Taphonomic, Avian, and Small-Vertebrate Indicators of
Ardipithecus ramidus
Habitat
Authors: Louchart Antoine , Wesselman Henry , Blumenschine Robert J. , Hlusko Leslea J. , Njau Jackson K. , Black Michael T. , Asnake Mesfin , White Tim D.
Published: October 2009

Thousands of vertebrate specimens were systematically collected from the stratigraphic interval containing
Ardipithecus ramidus
. The carcasses of larger mammals were heavily ravaged by carnivores. Nearly 10,000 small-mammal remains appear to be derived primarily from decomposed owl pellets. The rich avifauna includes at least 29 species, mostly nonaquatic forms. Modern analogs of the most abundant birds and of a variety of rodents are associated with mesic woodland environments distant from large water bodies. These findings support inferences from associated geological, isotopic, invertebrate, and large-vertebrate assemblages. The combined results suggest that
Ar. ramidus
occupied a wooded Pliocene habitat.
The Pelvis and Femur ofArdipithecus ramidus: The Emergence of Upright Walking
Authors: Lovejoy C. Owen , Suwa Gen , Spurlock Linda , Asfaw Berhane , White Tim D.
Published: October 2009

The femur and pelvis ofArdipithecus ramidushave characters indicative of both upright bipedal walking and movement in trees. Consequently, bipedality inAr. ramiduswas more primitive than in laterAustralopithecus. Compared with monkeys and Early Miocene apes such asProconsul, the ilium inAr. ramidusis mediolaterally expanded, and its sacroiliac joint is located more posteriorly. These changes are shared with some Middle and Late Miocene apes as well as with African apes and later hominids. However, in contrast to extant apes, bipedality inAr. ramiduswas facilitated by craniocaudal shortening of the ilium and enhanced lordotic recurvature of the lower spine. Given the predominant absence of derived traits in other skeletal regions ofAr. ramidus, including the forelimb, these adaptations were probably acquired shortly after divergence from our last common ancestor with chimpanzees. They therefore bear little or no functional relationship to the highly derived suspension, vertical climbing, knuckle-walking, and facultative bipedality of extant African apes.
Combining Prehension and Propulsion: The Foot of
Ardipithecus ramidus
Authors: Lovejoy C. Owen , Latimer Bruce , Suwa Gen , Asfaw Berhane , White Tim D.
Published: October 2009

Several elements of the
Ardipithecus ramidus
foot are preserved, primarily in the
ARA-VP-6/500
partial skeleton. The foot has a widely abducent hallux, which was not propulsive during terrestrial bipedality. However, it lacks the highly derived tarsometatarsal laxity and inversion in extant African apes that provide maximum conformity to substrates during vertical climbing. Instead, it exhibits primitive characters that maintain plantar rigidity from foot-flat through toe-off, reminiscent of some Miocene apes and Old World monkeys. Moreover, the action of the fibularis longus muscle was more like its homolog in Old World monkeys than in African apes. Phalangeal lengths were most similar to those of
Gorilla
. The
Ardipithecus
gait pattern would thus have been unique among known primates. The last common ancestor of hominids and chimpanzees was therefore a careful climber that retained adaptations to above-branch plantigrady.
The Great Divides:
Ardipithecus ramidus
Reveals the Postcrania of Our Last Common Ancestors with African Apes
Authors: Lovejoy C. Owen , Suwa Gen , Simpson Scott W. , Matternes Jay H. , White Tim D.
Published: October 2009

Genomic comparisons have established the chimpanzee and bonobo as our closest living relatives. However, the intricacies of gene regulation and expression caution against the use of these extant apes in deducing the anatomical structure of the last common ancestor that we shared with them. Evidence for this structure must therefore be sought from the fossil record. Until now, that record has provided few relevant data because available fossils were too recent or too incomplete. Evidence from
Ardipithecus ramidus
now suggests that the last common ancestor lacked the hand, foot, pelvic, vertebral, and limb structures and proportions specialized for suspension, vertical climbing, and knuckle-walking among extant African apes. If this hypothesis is correct, each extant African ape genus must have independently acquired these specializations from more generalized ancestors who still practiced careful arboreal climbing and bridging. African apes and hominids acquired advanced orthogrady in parallel. Hominoid spinal invagination is an embryogenetic mechanism that reoriented the shoulder girdle more laterally. It was unaccompanied by
substantial lumbar spine abbreviation, an adaptation restricted to vertical climbing and/or suspension. The specialized locomotor anatomies and behaviors of chimpanzees and gorillas therefore constitute poor models for the origin and evolution of human bipedality.
Reexamining Human Origins in Light of
Ardipithecus ramidus
Authors: Lovejoy C. Owen
Published: October 2009

Referential models based on extant African apes have dominated reconstructions of early human evolution since Darwin’s time. These models visualize fundamental human behaviors as intensifications of behaviors observed in living chimpanzees and/or gorillas (for instance, upright feeding, male dominance displays, tool use, culture, hunting, and warfare).
Ardipithecus
essentially falsifies such models, because extant apes are highly derived relative to our last common ancestors. Moreover, uniquely derived hominid characters, especially those of locomotion and canine reduction, appear to have emerged shortly after the hominid/chimpanzee divergence. Hence,
Ardipithecus
provides a new window through which to view our clade’s earliest evolution and its ecological context. Early hominids and extant apes are remarkably divergent in many cardinal characters. We can no longer rely on homologies with African apes for accounts of our origins and must turn instead to general evolutionary theory. A proposed adaptive suite for the emergence of
Ardipithecus
from the last common ancestor that we shared with chimpanzees accounts for these principal ape/human differences, as well as the marked demographic success and cognitive efflorescence of later Plio-Pleistocene hominids.
Rapid Resurgence of Marine Productivity After the Cretaceous-Paleogene Mass Extinction
Authors: Sepúlveda Julio , Wendler Jens E. , Summons Roger E. , Hinrichs Kai-Uwe
Published: October 2009

Algal Rebound

The extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary 65.5 million years ago represented a sudden and dramatic disruption of global ecosystems.

Sepúlveda
et al.

(p.
129
) now show, however, that algae recovered rapidly and that photosynthesis and primary production thus also recovered. The authors tracked algal productivity in the thick boundary layer in Denmark through a series of diagnostic biomarkers and isotopes. Algal productivity dropped abruptly during the extinction event but then recovered within the boundary layer, perhaps as quickly as within 50 years of the impact.
JAK-STAT Signal Inhibition Regulates Competition in the
Drosophila
Testis Stem Cell Niche
Authors: Issigonis Melanie , Tulina Natalia , de Cuevas Margaret , Brawley Crista , Sandler Laurel , Matunis Erika
Published: October 2009

Stemming Stem Cell Displacement

Adult stem cell niches can contain multiple types of stem cells with coordinated regulation, but the mechanisms for these interactions are largely unknown. In the fruit fly testis, Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling is needed for the maintenance of the resident germline and somatic stem cells. The signaling inhibitor SOCS36E is a known JAK-STAT target.

Issigonis
et al.

(p.
153
) now show that SOCS36E functions in the maintenance of the germline stem cell via suppression of JAK-STAT signaling, specifically in the somatic stem cells. This prevents the somatic stem cells from displacing neighboring germline stem cells in an integrin-dependent manner, allowing both stem cell populations to occupy the niche.
Immune Activation by Life-Shortening
Wolbachia
and Reduced Filarial Competence in Mosquitoes
Authors: Kambris Zakaria , Cook Peter E. , Phuc Hoang K. , Sinkins Steven P.
Published: October 2009

Mosquito Vector Intervention

Mosquitoes are responsible for causing the infection of an estimated 120 million people with the nematode worms that block the lymph system and result in the gross pathology of elephantiasis and other filariases.

Kambris
et al.

(p.
134
) infected vector mosquitoes with a bacterium (
Wolbachia
), which impaired the insects' ability to act as filaria vectors and possibly would affect transmission of other pathogens, too. The infected mosquitoes were less susceptible to the worms owing to chronic upregulation of mosquito immune responses. Immune activation bears a physiological cost for the mosquitoes, which may explain earlier observations of curtailed life spans of
Wolbachia
-infected mosquitoes.
Identification of Carboniferous (320 Million Years Old) Class Ic Amber
Authors: Bray P. Sargent , Anderson Ken B.
Published: October 2009

Extra Ancient Amber

Amber is fossilized tree resin, typically produced by trees in response to an injury. Most amber is Mesozoic or Cenozoic in age (dating back as far as 250 million years ago), and the most common class, produced primarily by angiosperms, is formed from distinct complex polyterpenoids.
Bray and Anderson
(p.
132
; see the Perspective by

Grimaldi

) now find that amber from the Carboniferous, dating to more than 300 million years ago, long before the evolution of angiosperms, has a similar chemistry. Thus, the biosynthetic mechanism for producing complex ambers evolved long before the appearance of flowering plants.
Preferential Growth of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Metallic Conductivity
Authors: Harutyunyan Avetik R. , Chen Gugang , Paronyan Tereza M. , Pigos Elena M. , Kuznetsov Oleg A. , Hewaparakrama Kapila , Kim Seung Min , Zakharov Dmitri , Stach Eric A. , Sumanasekera Gamini U.
Published: October 2009

Nanotubes to Order

To exploit carbon nanotubes fully in electronic applications, one needs to be able to separate or synthesize either all semiconducting or all metallic tubes. However, unbiased synthesis conditions produce a mixture containing two-thirds semiconducting tubes and one-third metallic tubes.

Harutyunyan
et al.

(p.
116
) show that altering the carrier gas and temperature, in combination with oxidative and reductive species during the synthesis process modifies the catalyst particles during synthesis, which leads to the selective growth of metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes. Thus, the shape and morphology of the catalyst seeds can be tuned to grow carbon nanotubes of a specific chirality.
Quantum Simulators
Authors: Buluta Iulia , Nori Franco
Published: October 2009

Ultimate Simulator

Many body problems are difficult to model analytically and are often so complex that they cannot be simulated accurately on a classical computer. Because quantum systems can be inherently correlated, it has been proposed that such systems could be used to simulate other complex problems.
Buluta and Nori
(p.
108
) review the progress being made toward realizing quantum simulators, describing some of the implementations and potential applications of using such controlled quantum systems as simulator tools.
Pushing Back Amber Production
Authors: Grimaldi David
Published: October 2009

Amber from 320 million years ago is surprisingly similar to that formed much later by resins from flowering plants.
Rethinking Influenza
Authors: Rappuoli Rino , Del Giudice Giuseppe , Nabel Gary J. , Osterhaus Albert D. M. E. , Robinson Robin , Salisbury David , Stöhr Klaus , Treanor John J.
Published: October 2009

We have already learned a great deal about fighting influenza, but we need to move from a reactive to a proactive and sustainable stance.
Poison-Tolerant Fuel Cells
Authors: Selman J. R.
Published: October 2009

Alternatives to nickel-based electrocatalysts are being pursued to circumvent the problems contributing to the performance degradation of high-temperature fuel cells.
Aging Is RSKy Business
Authors: Kaeberlein Matt , Kapahi Pankaj
Published: October 2009

Progress in defining a signaling pathway that controls mammalian life span raises the possibility of discovering treatments for aging-related diseases.
Influenced by Darwin
Authors: Suter Sherman J.
Published: October 2009

Three of the poems read by their authors in the Darwin and Poetry session at Cambridge's Darwin Festival.
Surprising AIDS Vaccine Success Praised and Pondered
Authors: Cohen Jon
Published: October 2009

Last week, HIV/AIDS researchers reacted to the news that a large clinical trial of an AIDS vaccine worked—the first success in 2 decades of effort.
Lawmakers Signal Tougher Controls on Pathogen Research
Authors: Bhattacharjee Yudhijit
Published: October 2009

Concerns over the security of new biocontainment labs that have sprung up around the United States since the 2001 anthrax letter attacks threaten to slow the booming biodefense industry.
Habitat for Humanity
Authors: Gibbons Ann
Published: October 2009

Heaps of sediment are all that's left behind from a fossil-mining operation in Aramis, Ethiopia, that yielded one of the most important fossils in human evolution, as well as thousands of clues to its ecology and environment.
The View From Afar
Authors: Gibbons Ann
Published: October 2009

How do you find priceless hominin fossils in a hostile desert? Build a strong team and obsess over the details
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) Class, but Not IgA or IgM, Antibodies to Peptides of thePorphyromonas gingivalisChaperone HtpG Predict Health in Subjects with Periodontitis by a Fluorescence Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Authors: Sweier Domenica G. , Shelburne P. Sandra , Giannobile William V. , Kinney Janet S. , Lopatin Dennis E. , Shelburne Charles E.
Published: October 2009

Chaperones are molecules found in all cells and are critical in stabilization of synthesized proteins, in repair/removal of defective proteins, and as immunodominant antigens in innate and adaptive immunity. Subjects with gingivitis colonized by the oral pathogenPorphyromonas gingivalispreviously demonstrated levels of anti-human chaperone Hsp90 that were highest in individuals with the best oral health. We hypothesized that similar antibodies to pathogen chaperones might be protective in periodontitis. This study examined the relationship between antibodies toP. gingivalisHtpG and clinical statuses of healthy and periodontitis-susceptible subjects. We measured the humoral responses (immunoglobulin G [IgG], IgA, and IgM) to peptides of a unique insert (P18) found inBacteroidaceaeHtpG by using a high-throughput, quantitative fluorescence enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Indeed, higher levels of IgG class anti-P. gingivalisHtpG P18 peptide (P< 0.05) and P18α, consisting of the N-terminal 16 amino acids of P18 (P< 0.05), were associated with better oral health; these results were opposite of those found with anti-P. gingivaliswhole-cell antibodies and levels of the bacterium in the subgingival biofilm. When we examined the same sera for IgA and IgM class antibodies, we found no significant relationship to subject clinical status. The relationship between anti-P18 levels and clinical populations and individual subjects was found to be improved when we normalized the anti-P18α values to those for anti-P18γ (the central 16 amino acids of P18). That same ratio correlated with the improvement in tissue attachment gain after treatment (P< 0.05). We suggest that anti-P. gingivalisHtpG P18α antibodies are protective in periodontal disease and may have prognostic value for guidance of individual patient treatment.
Vaccines: the Fourth Century
Authors: Plotkin Stanley A.
Published: October 2009

Vaccine development, which began with Edward Jenner's observations in the late 18th century, has entered its 4th century. From its beginnings, with the use of whole organisms that had been weakened or inactivated, to the modern-day use of genetic engineering, it has taken advantage of the tools discovered in other branches of microbiology. Numerous successful vaccines are in use, but the list of diseases for which vaccines do not exist is long. However, the multiplicity of strategies now available, discussed in this article, portends even more successful development of vaccines.
Multiplex Detection of Bacteria Associated with Normal Microbiota and with Bacterial Vaginosis in Vaginal Swabs by Use of Oligonucleotide-Coupled Fluorescent Microspheres
Authors: Dumonceaux Tim J. , Schellenberg John , Goleski Vanessa , Hill Janet E. , Jaoko Walter , Kimani Joshua , Money Deborah , Ball T. Blake , Plummer Francis A. , Severini Alberto
Published: October 2009

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a recurrent condition that is associated with a range of negative outcomes, including the acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted diseases, preterm births, and pelvic inflammatory disease. In contrast to the
Lactobacillus
-dominated normal vaginal microbiota, BV is characterized by a lack of lactobacilli and an abundance of anaerobic and gram-negative organisms, including
Gardnerella vaginalis
and
Atopobium vaginae
. To date, the laboratory diagnosis of BV has relied upon the fulfillment of criteria determined by microscopic observation of Gram-stained vaginal swabs. We describe a molecular-based method for the easy determination of the species profile within the vaginal microbiota based on the amplification of the chaperonin-60 genes of all bacteria present in the swab and hybridization of the amplicon to species-specific oligonucleotide-coupled fluorescent beads that are identified by flow cytometry with a Luminex instrument. We designed a nineplex Luminex array for characterization of the vaginal microbiota and applied it to the analysis of vaginal swabs from individuals from Africa and North America. Using the presence of
A. vaginae
or
G. vaginalis
, or both, as the defining criterion for BV, we found that the method was highly specific and sensitive for the diagnosis of BV using microscopy as a gold standard.
Direct Detection of Mycobacterial Species in Pulmonary Specimens by Two Rapid Amplification Tests, the Gen-Probe Amplified
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Direct Test and the GenoType Mycobacteria Direct Test
Authors: Syre H. , Myneedu V. P. , Arora V. K. , Grewal H. M. S.
Published: October 2009

Nucleic acid amplification tests have improved tuberculosis diagnostics considerably. This study evaluates a new amplification test, the GenoType Mycobacteria Direct (GTMD) test, for detection of the
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex,
Mycobacterium avium
,
Mycobacterium intracellulare
,
Mycobacterium kansasii
, and
Mycobacterium malmoense
directly in 61 sputum samples. Thirty (49.2%) samples were auramine smear positive, and 31 (50.8%) were smear negative. The GTMD results were compared to the Gen-Probe Amplified
M. tuberculosis
Direct (MTD) test results, using culturing and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene as reference methods. The GTMD test could identify 28 of 29 samples containing the
M. tuberculosis
complex and was negative in a sputum sample containing
M. intracellulare
. The overall sensitivity and specificity results were 93.3% and 90.0% for the GTMD test, respectively, and 93.1% and 93.5% for the MTD test, respectively. The GTMD test is rapid and can be easily included in routine clinical laboratories for the direct detection of the
M. tuberculosis
complex in smear-positive sputum samples as an adjunct to microscopy and culture. Further studies are needed to evaluate the performance of the GTMD test for the detection of atypical mycobacteria.
Analysis of Clarithromycin Resistance and CagA Status in
Helicobacter pylori
by Use of Feces from Children in Thailand
Authors: Tanuma Michiya , Rimbara Emiko , Noguchi Norihisa , Boonyaritichaikij Surasak , Kuwabara Kentaro , Fukunaga Yoshitaka , Sasatsu Masanori
Published: October 2009

The clarithromycin resistance and CagA status of
Helicobacter pylori
in Thai children were investigated using fecal samples. Of the 284 samples,
H. pylori
was detected in 120 samples, and the clarithromycin resistance rate was 29.2%. The
cagA
gene was detected in 59 samples, and only 6.8% of these samples contained the East Asian CagA type.
Genomic Characterization of Nontypeable Rotaviruses and Detection of a Rare G8 Strain in Delhi, India
Authors: Sharma Sumit , Paul Vinod K. , Bhan Maharaj K. , Ray Pratima
Published: October 2009

In the present investigation we molecularly characterized nontypeable rotavirus strains previously identified during surveillance in New Delhi, India. The majority of strains were demonstrated to belong to genotype G1 (54.5%) or P[8] (77.8%) on the basis of nucleotide sequencing of fragments from their VP7 and VP4 genes. The other genotypes detected included G2, G8, G9, G12, and P[4]. A G8P[6] strain, strain DS108, was detected for the first time in northern India. The VP7 gene of DS108 was most homologous with the VP7 gene of a bovine G8 strain, strain A5 (98.9%), indicating its bovine parentage. In contrast, the VP4 gene had a high degree of nucleotide sequence homology (92.9% to 99.1%) with the VP4 genes of human P[6] strains. The VP6 gene and nonstructural genes (NSP1 to NSP3 and NSP5) were most homologous with the VP6 gene and nonstructural genes of human rotaviruses belonging to the DS1 genogroup. Interestingly, the NSP4 gene of DS108 clustered within genotype E6 that until now had only two representative strains, both with G12P[6] specificity (strains RV176-00 and N26-02). Together, these results indicate that G8 strain DS108 belongs to the DS1 genogroup and could be the result of the acquisition of the VP7, VP4, and NSP4 genes by a human G2P[4] strain from more than one donor, similar to the evolution of G12P[6] strain RV176-00. The present study highlights the importance of characterizing multiple genes of nontypeable rotavirus strains to detect novel strains and get a more complete picture of rotavirus evolution.
Emergence of Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 4: Phylogenetic Analysis Reveals Three Distinct Epidemiological Profiles
Authors: de Bruijne Joep , Schinkel Janke , Prins Maria , Koekkoek Sylvie M. , Aronson Sem J. , van Ballegooijen Marijn W. , Reesink Hendrik W. , Molenkamp Richard , van de Laar Thijs J. W.
Published: October 2009

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 (HCV-4) infection is considered to be difficult to treat and has become increasingly prevalent in European countries, including The Netherlands. Using a molecular epidemiological approach, the present study investigates the genetic diversity and evolutionary origin of HCV-4 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Phylogenetic analysis of the NS5B sequences (668 bp) obtained from 133 patients newly diagnosed with HCV-4 infection over the period from 1999 to 2008 revealed eight distinct HCV-4 subtypes; the majority of HCV-4 isolates were of subtypes 4d (57%) and 4a (37%). Three distinct monophyletic clusters were identified, with each one having a specific epidemiological profile: (i) Egyptian immigrants infected with HCV-4a (n= 46), (ii) Dutch patients with a history of injecting drug use infected with HCV-4d (n= 44), and (iii) Dutch human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) infected with HCV-4d (n= 26). Subsequent molecular clock analyses confirmed that the emergence of HCV-4 within these three risk groups coincided with (i) the parenteral antischistosomal therapy campaigns in Egypt (1920 to 1960), (ii) the popularity of injecting drug use in The Netherlands (1960 to 1990), and (iii) the rise in high-risk sexual behavior among MSM after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (1996 onwards). Our data show that in addition to the influx of HCV-4 strains from countries where HCV-4 is endemic, the local spread of HCV-4d affecting injecting drug users and, in recent years, especially HIV-positive MSM will further increase the relative proportion of HCV-4-infected patients in The Netherlands. HCV-4-specific agents are drastically needed to improve treatment response rates and decrease the future burden of HCV-4-related disease.
Efficient Diagnosis of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis by Use of a New Rapid Immunochromatography Test
Authors: Marot-Leblond Agnes , Nail-Billaud Sandrine , Pilon Françoise , Beucher Bertrand , Poulain Daniel , Robert Raymond
Published: October 2009

The clinical symptoms of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) are nonspecific, and misdiagnosis is common, leading to a delay in the initiation of antifungal treatment. We evaluated a new immunochromatography test (ICT), the CandiVagi assay (SR2B, Avrille, France), for the rapid diagnosis of VVC. This test, which employs an immunoglobulin M antibody directed against the β-1,2-mannopyranosyl epitopes found in the yeast cell wall, was compared with direct microscopic examination and culture of vaginal swabs. Two-hundred five women were investigated, including 130 women with symptomatic vaginitis and 75 asymptomatic controls. Two vaginal swabs were obtained from each woman: one was used to prepare a wet mount and Gram-stained preparations for direct microscopic examination and was also cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar for the isolation of
Candida
spp., and the second swab was used for ICT. The sensitivities of microscopic examination, culture, and ICT for the diagnosis of VVC were 61%, 100%, and 96.6%, respectively, while the specificities of the three methods were 100%, 82%, and 98.6%, respectively. ICT had a negative predictive value of 98.6%, a positive predictive value of 96.6%, and an efficiency of 98%. ICT provided a rapid result and a better compromise between sensitivity and specificity than conventional microscopy and culture for the diagnosis of VVC. This easy-to-perform diagnostic test will be useful to practitioners treating women with symptoms of vaginitis.
Implementation of a Universal Admission Surveillance and Decolonization Program for Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) Reduces the Number of MRSA and Total Number of
S. aureus
Isolates Reported by the Clinical Laboratory
Authors: Hacek Donna M. , Paule Suzanne M. , Thomson Richard B. , Robicsek Ari , Peterson Lance R.
Published: October 2009

Our three-hospital system began active surveillance for methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) nasal colonization, with decolonization of positive patients, on all admissions starting 1 August 2005. A question not previously addressed is whether reduction of the incidence of MRSA disease would lower the total number of
S. aureus
clinical isolates recovered by the microbiology laboratory that are reported to health care providers. The decreases in the numbers of MRSA and total
S. aureus
clinical isolates for each year after August 2005 were highly statistically significant compared to the numbers in each of the prior 3 years (
P
< 0.0001).
First
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Genotyping Analysis in France: Identification of a Strain Cluster with Reduced Susceptibility to Ceftriaxone
Authors: Monfort Laura , Caro Valérie , Devaux Zaelle , Delannoy Anne-Sophie , Brisse Sylvain , Sednaoui Patrice
Published: October 2009

Sexually transmitted infections are a major public health problem in France and other European countries. Particularly, surveillance data about
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
infections have clearly indicated an increase in the incidence of gonorrhoea in France in 2006. The French laboratories participated on voluntary basis in the RENAGO (Réseau National du Gonocoque) network and sent all of their collected strains to the National Reference Center for
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
. In this first French molecular epidemiological study, 93 isolates collected in 2006 and representative of the French gonorrhoea epidemiology were selected. Antibiotic susceptibility to six antibiotics was determined, and serotyping and
N. gonorrhoeae
multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) were performed. NG-MAST identified 53 sequence types (STs), of which 13 STs contained 2 to 16 isolates. The major STs identified in France were previously described elsewhere. However, two newly described STs, ST1479 and ST1987, had only been found in France until now. ST1479 was characterized by a multiple-resistance phenotype, whereas ST1987 presented a susceptibility phenotype. Moreover, among the predominant French STs, ST225, which had already been described in many countries, comprised isolates (14/16) resistant to ciprofloxacin and with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone. Thus, the surveillance of resistance to antibiotics is a priority in order to adapt treatment and decrease the transmission of resistant strains. Of note, no predominant ST was identified among rectal isolates from men who have sex with men.
Actinomyces neuii
subsp.
neuii
Associated with Periprosthetic Infection in Total Hip Arthroplasty as Causative Agent
Authors: Rieber Heime , Schwarz Roman , Krämer Oliver , Cordier Wolfgang , Frommelt Lars
Published: October 2009

Actinomyces neuii
has until now not been described as a pathogen associated with periprosthetic infection in total joint replacement. The case presented here suggests that
A. neuii
subsp.
neuii
is a causative pathogen. The discussion and review of the literature indicate the impact that detection of
Actinomyces
species could have.
Switching Gears for an Influenza Pandemic: Validation of a Duplex Reverse Transcriptase PCR Assay for Simultaneous Detection and Confirmatory Identification of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza Virus
Authors: LeBlanc Jason J. , Li Yan , Bastien Nathalie , Forward Kevin R. , Davidson Ross J. , Hatchette Todd F.
Published: October 2009

Rapid methods for the detection and confirmatory identification of pandemic influenza A virus (also known as pandemic [H1N1] 2009) are of utmost importance. In this study, a conventional reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) assay for the detection of influenza A virus and the hemagglutinin of swine lineage H1 (swH1) was designed, optimized, and validated. Nucleic acids were extracted from 198 consecutive nasopharyngeal, nasal, or throat swab specimens collected early in the outbreak (127 negative specimens, 66 specimens with pandemic [H1N1] 2009 influenza virus, 3 specimens with seasonal [H1N1] influenza A virus, and 2 specimens with seasonal [H3N2] influenza A virus). The performance characteristics of the duplex RT-PCR assay were assessed and compared to those of various detection methods: a monoplex RT-PCR assay at the National Microbiology Laboratory, a real-time RT-PCR assay using a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocol, an in-house multiplex RT-PCR assay (targeting influenza A virus, influenza B virus, and respiratory syncytial virus), and a rapid antigen test (the Binax Now Influenza A & B assay). The sensitivity of the duplex RT-PCR assay for influenza A virus detection was 97.2%, whereas the sensitivities were 74.6%, 71.8%, 47.8%, and 12.7% for the other four assays, respectively. The duplex RT-PCR assay was also able to identify swH1 in 94% of the cases, thereby reducing the number of specimens forwarded to reference laboratories for confirmatory identification. Only a limited number of specimens that contained influenza A virus had amounts of virus that fell below the limit of detection of the assay with the swH1 primers. Overall, the duplex RT-PCR assay is a reliable method for the simultaneous detection and confirmatory identification of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus and would be particularly attractive to laboratories without real-time RT-PCR capabilities.
Characteristics of
Candida albicans
Biofilms Grown in a Synthetic Urine Medium
Authors: Uppuluri Priya , Dinakaran Hemamalini , Thomas Derek P. , Chaturvedi Ashok K. , Lopez-Ribot Jose L.
Published: October 2009

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common type of nosocomial infection, and
Candida albicans
is the most frequent organism causing fungal UTIs. Presence of an indwelling urinary catheter represents a significant risk factor for UTIs. Furthermore, these infections are frequently associated with the formation of biofilms on the surface of these catheters. Here, we describe the characterization of
C. albicans
biofilms formed in vitro using synthetic urine (SU) medium and the frequently used RPMI medium and compare the results. Biofilms of
C. albicans
strain SC5314 were formed in 96-well microtiter plates and on silicon elastomer pieces using both SU and RPMI media. Biofilm formation was monitored by microscopy and a colorimetric XTT [2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide] reduction assay. As in biofilms grown in RPMI medium, time course studies revealed that biofilm formation using SU medium occurred after an initial adherence phase, followed by growth, proliferation, and maturation. However, microscopy techniques revealed that the architectural complexity of biofilms formed in SU medium was lower than that observed for those formed using RPMI medium. In particular, the level of filamentation of cells within the biofilms formed in SU medium was diminished compared to those in the biofilms grown in RPMI medium. This observation was also corroborated by expression profiling of five filamentation-associated genes using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR. Sessile
C. albicans
cells were resistant to fluconazole and amphotericin B, irrespective of the medium used to form the biofilms. However, caspofungin exhibited potent in vitro activity at therapeutic levels against
C. albicans
biofilms grown in both SU and RPMI media.
Moraxella lacunata
Septic Arthritis in a Patient with Lupus Nephritis
Authors: Woodbury Anna , Jorgensen James , Owens Aaron , Henao-Martinez Andres
Published: October 2009

Moraxella lacunata
is a rare, usually commensal gram-negative rod most commonly associated with eye infections. We report a unique case of noniatrogenic
M
.
l
acunata
bacteremia and septic knee arthritis in a patient with class III-IV lupus nephritis and speculate on the association between invasive
Moraxella
infection and renal impairment.