bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical assessment of the lower tear meniscus height
Authors: García‐Resúa Carlos , Santodomingo‐Rubido Jacinto , Lira Madalena , Giraldez Maria Jesus , Vilar Eva Yebra‐Pimentel
Published: June 2009

Purpose:  Different values of the lower tear meniscus height (TMH) can be obtained depending on the method and technique of measurement employed. This study aimed to assess (1) differences between the absolute (TMH‐A), reflex (TMH‐R) and fluorescein (TMH‐F) lower tear meniscus heights, (2) differences between the central (TMH‐R), nasal (TMH‐RN) and temporal (TMH‐RT) reflex lower tear meniscus heights and (3) the amount of fluorescein present in the lower tear meniscus, 5 min after fluorescein instillation (TMH‐FV).

Methods:  Thirty four young healthy subjects were included in the study. The lower tear meniscus height (TMH) was measured using an eye piece graticule inserted into a slit‐lamp.

Results:  Mean ± S.D. values of TMH‐A, TMH‐R, TMH‐RN, TMH‐RT, TMH‐F and TMH‐FV of 0.25 ± 0.08, 0.13 ± 0.05, 0.23 ± 0.06, 0.21 ± 0.05, 0.27 ± 0.11 and 0.004 ± 0.001 mm, respectively were found. The TMH‐R was significantly lower than the TMH‐A and the TMH‐F (p < 0.0001). The TMH‐RN and TMH‐RT were significantly higher than the TMH‐R (p < 0.0001). The TMH‐F was significant higher than the TMH‐FV (p < 0.0001). No significant differences were found between the TMH‐A and TMH‐F (p = 0.2), and between the TMH‐RN and TMH‐RT (p = 0.36).

Conclusion:  Careful instillation of fluorescein does not affect normal TMH values. Fluorescein is washed out from the lower tear meniscus 5 min after instillation. Higher values of the TMH can be found at nasal and temporal locations compared to the center of the lower eye lid.
Diabetic hepatosclerosis: a 10‐year autopsy series
Authors: Chen Guilan , Brunt Elizabeth M.
Published: July 2009

Background: Diabetic hepatosclerosis (DHS), recently described in liver biopsies in insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus, is characterized by dense perisinusoidal collagen.

Aims: To evaluate prevalence of DHS in an autopsy series of diabetic patients.

Methods: Liver slides and clinical charts from autopsied diabetics from 1997 to 2007 were reviewed. Exclusions were nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis of any cause, cardiac sclerosis and marked autolysis.

Results: Of 976 autopsies in the 10‐year period, 254 had DM, and 159 met criteria for inclusion. Nineteen cases (12%) met criteria of DHS. In contrast to the findings in the recently published series of 14 clinically indicated biopsies, the affected autopsy patients were more often men than women (14:5), were older (mean age 56.4 vs 45.8 years), and had less commonly recorded retinopathy and elevated alkaline phosphatase (16 and 32% vs 42 and 83%), respectively, but diabetic nephropathy was equally common (89 vs 83%). Compared with an age‐ and gender‐matched group of autopsied diabetic patients without DHS, the DHS group had a significantly higher percentage of diabetic nephropathy (89 vs 47%, P<0.05); no other statistically significant clinical differences were found between these two groups.

Conclusions: DHS may represent a hepatic form of microvascular disease in DM; the prevalence of 12% in the autopsy series suggests it is not uncommon, but in the majority of the cases, it was clinically silent.
Strain coupling between upper mantle and lower crust: natural example from the Běstvina granulite body, Bohemian Massif
Authors: MACHEK M. , ULRICH S. , JANOUŠEK V.
Published: July 2009

Strain patterns within mantle rocks and surrounding coarse‐grained felsic granulites from the Kutná Hora Crystalline Complex in the Variscan Bohemian Massif have been studied in order to assess their strain coupling. The studied rock association occurs within low‐strain domains surrounded by fine‐grained granulite and migmatite. The Doubrava peridotite contains closely spaced and steeply dipping layers of garnet clinopyroxenite, which are parallel to the NE–SW‐striking, high‐temperature foliation in nearby granulites, while the Úhrov peridotite lacks such layering. The Spačice eclogite is not associated with peridotite and shows upright folds of alternating coarse‐ and fine‐grained varieties bearing NE–SW‐striking axial planes. Electron back‐scattered diffraction measurements revealed full strain coupling between clinopyroxenites and coarse‐grained granulites in the S1 fabric that is superposed on the S0 fabric preserved in peridotites. The B‐type olivine lattice preferred orientation (LPO) characterizes the S0 fabric in peridotites and its reworking is strongly controlled by the presence of macroscopic clinopyroxenite layering. The S1 in clinopyroxenites and coarse‐grained granulites is associated with the LS‐type clinopyroxene LPO and prism  slip in quartz respectively. While the S1 fabric in these rock types is accompanied invariably by a sub‐vertical stretching lineation, the S1 fabric developed in reworked Úhrov peridotite is associated with strongly planar axial (010) type of olivine LPO. The peridotites with the S0 fabric are interpreted to be relicts of a fore‐arc mantle wedge hydrated to a various extent above the Saxothuringian subduction zone. The prograde metamorphism recorded in peridotites and eclogites occurred presumably during mantle wedge flow and was reaching UHP conditions. Strain coupling in the S1 fabric between clinopyroxenites and granulites at Doubrava and upright folding of eclogites at Spačice document a link between tectonic and magmatic processes during orogenic thickening, coeval with intrusions of the arc‐related calcalkaline suites of the Central Bohemian Plutonic Complex (c. 360–345 Ma). Juxtaposition of peridotites and granulites could be explained by a rheological heterogeneity connected to the development of clinopyroxenite layering in the upper mantle and a previously published model of a lithospheric‐scale transpressional arc system. It invokes vertical shearing along NE–SW trending, sub‐vertical foliations in the upper mantle that could have led to an emplacement of mantle bodies into the granulitized, orogenic root in the sub‐arc region. Clearly, such a transpressional arc system could represent an important pathway for an emplacement of deep‐seated rocks in the orogenic lower crust.
Development of Vegetation and Aquatic Habitat in Restored Riparian Sites of California's North Coast Rangelands
Authors: Lennox Michael S. , Lewis David J. , Jackson Randall D. , Harper John , Larson Stephanie , Tate Kenneth W.
Published: July 2009

The preponderance of short‐term objectives and lack of systematic monitoring of restoration projects limits opportunities to learn from past experience and improve future restoration efforts. We conducted a retrospective, cross‐sectional survey of 89 riparian revegetation sites and 13 nonrestored sites. We evaluated 36 restoration metrics at each site and used project age (0–39 years) to quantify plant community and aquatic habitat trajectories with a maximum likelihood model selection approach to compare linear and polynomial relationships. We found significant correlations with project age for 16 of 21 riparian vegetation, and 11 of 15 aquatic habitat attributes. Our results indicated improvements in multiple ecosystem services and watershed functions such as diversity, sedimentation, carbon sequestration, and available habitat. Ten riparian vegetation metrics, including native tree and exotic shrub density, increased nonlinearly with project age, while litter and native shrub density increased linearly. Species richness and cover of annual plants declined over time. Improvements in aquatic habitat metrics, such as increasing pool depth and decreasing bankfull width‐to‐depth ratio, indicated potentially improved anadromous fish habitats at restored sites. We hypothesize that certain instream metrics did not improve because of spatial and/or temporal limitations of riparian vegetation to affect aquatic habitat. Restoration managers should be prepared to maintain or enhance understory diversity by controlling exotic shrubs or planting shade‐tolerant native species as much as 10 years after revegetation.
Prevalence, incidence, and clinical characteristics of epilepsy—A community‐based door‐to‐door study in northern Tanzania
Authors: Winkler Andrea S. , Kerschbaumsteiner Kerstin , Stelzhammer Brigitte , Meindl Michael , Kaaya John , Schmutzhard Erich
Published: July 2009

Purpose:  The main aim of this door‐to‐door‐study was to determine the prevalence, incidence, and clinical characteristics of epilepsy in northern Tanzania.

Methods:  A total of 7,399 people were screened with a standardized questionnaire using “multistage random sampling.”

Results:  The prevalence rate of epilepsy was 11.2/1,000 [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.9–13.9/1,000] and the age‐adjusted prevalence rate was 13.2/1,000. The prevalence of active epilepsy was 8.7/1,000 (95% CI 6.7–11/1,000). There was a preponderance of women. The average retrospective incidence including the last 5 years was 81.1/100,000 (95% CI 65–101/100,000). Fifty‐four percent (45 of 83) of the people with epilepsy had generalized seizures without any identifiable cause; 71% (59 of 83) of the epilepsy patients had not visited health institutions prior to the study and 76% (63 of 83) had never received treatment.

Discussion:  Our study shows that the prevalence and incidence of epilepsy in northern Tanzania are higher compared to developed countries and that the majority of people with epilepsy do not access treatment.
Doublecortin expression in focal cortical dysplasia in epilepsy
Authors: Srikandarajah Nisaharan , Martinian Lillian , Sisodiya Sanjay M. , Squier Waney , Blumcke Ingmar , Aronica Eleonora , Thom Maria
Published: July 2009

Purpose:  Doublecortin (DCX) is a microtubule‐associated protein with regulatory roles in radial and tangential migration of neurons during cortical development. In normal adult cortex there is restricted expression, and DCX is widely used as a marker of neurogenesis. Imperfect corticogenesis is thought to underpin many focal cortical pathologies in epilepsy surgical series, including focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). The aim was to study DCX expression patterns in such lesions compared to normal developing and mature cortex.

Method:  Cases of FCD types Ia (13) and IIb (4), pediatric hippocampal sclerosis (HS) (5), temporal lobe sclerosis (5), glioneuronal tumors (5), gray matter heterotopia (3), and control tissues (16) from a wide age range [20 gestational weeks (GW) to 85 years] were studied using immunohistochemistry to DCX.

Results:  In controls and all epilepsy cases, perinuclear labeling of small round cells (SRCs) and satellite perineuronal cells was observed in both postmortem and surgical tissues. In FCD Ia up to the age of 4 years, prominent DCX‐positive (DCX+), immature cells were present along the junction of layers I and II, with processes extending into the molecular layer. These cell types were not a significant feature in other pathologies, which showed multipolar DCX+ cells or labeling of dysmorphic cells throughout the cortex.

Discussion:  Persistent cellular DCX expression is confirmed in normal adult cortex. Characteristic expression patterns in layer II of FCD Ia could indicate delayed or abnormal cortical maturation rather than ongoing cytogenesis. This could be indicative of enhanced local cortical plasticity as well as a potential diagnostic feature of this type of pathology.
Patients with epilepsy: Cognitively compromised before the start of antiepileptic drug treatment?
Authors: Taylor Joanne , Kolamunnage‐Dona Ruwanthi , Marson Anthony G. , Smith Philip E. M. , Aldenkamp Albert P. , Baker Gus A. ,   on behalf of the SANAD study group
Published: July 2009

Purpose:  To compare the cognitive profile of newly diagnosed untreated epilepsy patients with healthy volunteers using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery.

Methods:  A total of 155 untreated patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy, and no known brain pathology, were assessed before the start of treatment with antiepileptic medication. Their scores across the neuropsychological measures were compared with 87 healthy volunteers from the general population equated for age and sex.

Results:  After adjusting for age, sex, and education, patients with epilepsy performed significantly worse than healthy volunteers on 6 of 14 cognitive measures, particularly in the domains of memory and psychomotor speed. Cognitive performance was not related to the number of seizures, type of epilepsy, or mood. When an impairment index was calculated, 53.5% patients had a least one abnormal score [>2 standard deviations (SD) below the control mean] on the test battery compared with 20.7% of healthy volunteers.

Discussion:  Newly diagnosed untreated patients with epilepsy are cognitively compromised before the start of antiepileptic drug medication. The domains most affected are memory and psychomotor speed. More than one‐half of the patients had at least one abnormal test score across the test battery. There were no differences in epilepsy‐related or mood variables between those who demonstrated dysfunction and those that did not.
Risk Factors for Preoperative and Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture
Authors: Juliebø Vibeke , Bjøro Karen , Krogseth Maria , Skovlund Eva , Ranhoff Anette H. , Wyller Torgeir Bruun
Published: July 2009

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate risk factors for preoperative and postoperative delirium.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING: Departments of orthopedic surgery in two Norwegian hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred sixty‐four patients with and without cognitive impairment, aged 65 and older.

MEASUREMENTS: Patients were screened daily for delirium using the Confusion Assessment Method. Established risk factors and risk factors regarded as clinically important according to expert opinion were explored in univariate analyses. Variables associated with the outcomes (P<.05) were entered into multivariate logistic regression models.

RESULTS: Delirium was present in 50 of 237 (21.1%) assessable patients preoperatively, whereas 68 of 187 (36.4%) patients developed delirium postoperatively (incident delirium). Multivariate logistic regression identified four risk factors for preoperative delirium: cognitive impairment (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=4.7, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.9–11.3), indoor injury (AOR=3.6, 95% CI=1.1–12.2), fever (AOR=3.4, 95% CI=1.5–7.7), and preoperative waiting time (AOR=1.05, 95% CI=1.0–1.1 per hour). Cognitive impairment (AOR=2.9, 95% CI=1.4–6.2), indoor injury (AOR=2.9, 95% CI=1.1–6.3), and body mass index (BMI) less than 20.0 (AOR=2.9, 95% CI=1.3–6.7) were independent and statistically significant risk factors for postoperative delirium.

CONCLUSION: Time from admission to operation is a risk factor for preoperative delirium, whereas low BMI is an important risk factor for postoperative delirium in hip fracture patients. Cognitive impairment and indoor injury are independent risk factors for preoperative and postoperative delirium.
Does a History of Postictal Psychosis Predict a Poor Postsurgical Seizure Outcome?
Authors: Kanner Andres M.
Published: July 2009

Postictal Psychosis in Partial Epilepsy: A Case-Control Study. Alper K, Kuzniecky R, Carlson C, Barr WB, Vorkas CK, Patel JG, Carrelli AL, Starner K, Flom PL, Devinsky O. Ann Neurol 2008;63(5):602–610. OBJECTIVE: Divergent findings among prior studies on correlates of risk for postictal psychosis (PIP) suggest the value of a controlled study involving a relatively large number of patients. METHODS: The study population consisted of a consecutive series of 59 patients with partial epilepsy and a history of PIP, and 94 control patients with partial epilepsy and no history of PIP evaluated as inpatients with video-electroencephalography. The groups did not differ significantly regarding demographic features. Exact tests yielded a subset of variables and a tentative interpretation that were evaluated further utilizing principal components analysis and logistic regression. RESULTS: PIP was associated with extratemporal versus temporal ( p = 0.036) or undetermined ( p = 0.001) localization of seizure onset, bilateral interictal epileptiform activity ( p = 0.017), secondary generalization ( p = 0.049), and history of encephalitis ( p = 0.018). Interictal slow activity was more frequently absent in control patients ( p = 0.045). PIP was associated with family histories of psychiatric disorders ( p = 0.007) and epilepsy ( p = 0.042), which themselves were significantly intercorrelated (r 0.225; p = 0.006). Age of onset or duration of epilepsy and lateralized electroencephalographic or magnetic resonance imaging asymmetries did not differ significantly between control and PIP groups. The analysis indicated four underlying domains of risk for PIP: ambiguous/extratemporal localization, family neuropsychiatric history, abnormal interictal electroencephalographic activity, and encephalitis. Each unit increase on a simple additive scale composed of 9 dichotomous independent variables multiplied the odds ratio for PIP by 1.71 (95% confidence interval, 1.36–2.15; p < 0.0001). INTERPRETATION: PIP in partial epilepsy is associated with relatively broadly and bilaterally distributed epileptogenic networks, genetic determinants of psychiatric disorders and seizures, and encephalitis.
Origins of Epilepsy in Fragile X Syndrome
Authors: Hagerman Paul J. , Stafstrom Carl E.
Published: July 2009

Fragile X syndrome is the leading heritable form of cognitive impairment and the leading known monogenic disorder associated with autism. Roughly one-quarter of children with this disorder have seizures, most of which are relatively benign and are resolved beyond childhood. Because of the prevalence of fragile X syndrome, numerous animal models have been developed and electrophysiological studies have taken place to investigate its pathogenesis. The investigations have yielded a wealth of information regarding the synaptic dysfunction that underlies the hyperexcitability and epileptiform features associated with this disorder.
Impaired Myocardial Function in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Saccheri María C. , Cianciulli Tomás F. , Lax Jorge A. , Guerra Juan E. , Redruello Héctor J. , Weich Glogier Fabio L. , Gagliardi Juan A. , Dorelle Adriana N. , Prezioso Horacio A. , Vidal Luis A.
Published: July 2009

Background: Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) parameters of peak myocardial velocities (S′, E′, and A′) has been employed to assess the regional left ventricular myocardial function. The global function index (GFI) derived from TDI has been recently employed to distinguish the different etiologies of left ventricular hypertrophy. Objective: To analyze whether the GFI or individual TDI parameters of peak myocardial velocities (S′, E′, and A′) allows detecting different degrees of regional myocardial dysfunction in the most frequent forms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Methods: GFI = (E/E′)/S′ (where E is the peak transmitral flow velocity, E′ is the early diastolic myocardial velocity, and S′ is the peak systolic myocardial velocity) and TDI peak myocardial velocities was measured in the septal and lateral mitral annulus in 101 patients with HCM (mean age 47.5 ± 14 years, 58 women) and in age‐matched group of 30 healthy controls (mean age 46 ± 6 years, 16 women). Results: Forty‐five patients had nonobstructive asymmetric septal HCM, 20 patients had a subaortic gradient ≥ 30 mm Hg, 21 p. had apical HCM, and 15 p. had other forms of HCM (midventricular, symmetric, and biventricular). All patients with HCM exhibited a decrease in early diastolic (E′) and systolic (S′) myocardial velocities, both in the lateral and septal‐mitral annulus border, but more pronounced in septal‐mitral annulus. Septal GFI was higher in HCM patients than in healthy subjects (1.8 (1.1–2.5) and (0.57 (0.31–0.92), respectively, P < 0.001), but no differences were seen when different forms of HCM were compared. Conclusions: In a selected population of patients with HCM and a preserved left ventricular(LV) systolic function, GFI and individual TDI parameters of peak velocity (S′, E′, and A′) and E/E′ ratio were similar in different forms of HCM, indicating that in all patients with HCM there is regional systolic and diastolic myocardial dysfunction, regardless of the location of hypertrophy. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)
Pulsed‐Wave Tissue Doppler and Color Tissue Doppler Echocardiography: Calibration with M‐Mode, Agreement, and Reproducibility in a Clinical Setting
Authors: Olsen Niels Thue , Jons Christian , Fritz‐Hansen Thomas , Mogelvang Rasmus , Sogaard Peter
Published: July 2009

Background: Myocardial velocities can be measured with both pulsed‐wave tissue Doppler (PWTD) and color tissue Doppler (CTD) echocardiography. We aimed to (A) to explore which of the two methods better approximates true tissue motion and (B) to examine the agreement and the reproducibility of the two methods in a routine clinical setting. Methods: For Study A, the displacements of 63 basal myocardial segments from 13 patients were examined with M‐mode and compared with the velocity‐time integral of PWTD and CTD velocities. For Study B, the basal lateral segments from 58 patients were examined with PWTD and CTD, and the peak myocardial velocities during systole (Sm), early diastole (Em), and late diastole (Am) were measured. Results: Study A: CTD‐based measurements of displacement were 12% lower than M‐mode measurements (95% CI: −18%; −6%). PWTD velocity‐time integrals measured at the outer edge of the spectral band were 40% higher (33%; 46%) than M‐mode measurements. Study B: PWTD measurements of myocardial velocity were systematically higher than CTD measurements: Sm 7.51 versus 5.54, difference 1.97 ± 1.41 cm/sec; Em 8.74 versus 6.86, difference 1.88 ± 1.70 cm/sec; Am 7.46 versus 5.17, difference 2.29 ± 1.82 cm/sec; P < 0.001 for all. Intraobserver coefficient of variation for Sm, Em, and Am were 6%, 12%, and 12% for PWTD, 14%, 13%, and 20% for CTD. Conclusions: CTD measures numerically smaller tissue velocities than PWTD, mostly due to an overestimation of true tissue motion by PWTD. The methods have good agreement and comparable reproducibility. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)
New Echocardiographic Techniques in the Evaluation of Left Ventricular Mechanics in Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction
Authors: Di Bello Vitantonio , Talini Enrica , Donne Maria Grazia Delle , Aghini‐Lombardi Fabrizio , Monzani Fabio , La Carrubba Salvatore , Antonini‐Canterin Francesco , Dini Frank Lloyd , Di Salvo Giovanni , Carerj Scipione , Marzilli Mario ,   on behalf of Research Section of the Italian Society of Cardiovascular Echography (SIEC)
Published: July 2009

The new echocardiographic techniques for the study of physiopathological intramyocardial phenomena include video densitometry (VD), integrated backscatter (IBS), and color Doppler myocardial imaging (CDMI). Being more independent from cardiac load and from rotational and translational heart motion, these new sensible, noninvasive techniques such as CDMI and IBS show a real incremental value in comparison with conventional echocardiography and allow to detect subtle functional and textural abnormalities of intramural myocardium, partially undetectable by conventional two‐dimensional Doppler echocardiography. Subclinical thyroid dysfunction (STD), both in its hypo‐ and hyperthyroidism form, has a relatively high prevalence in general population (9–15% with a lower percentage of adult males), hence it could be very useful to study more deeply heart involvement in these physiopathological conditions and understand the complex relationship between thyroid and heart. The use of these new ultrasonic techniques in subclinical hypothyroidism helps to detect the early simultaneous involvement of both cardiac cycle phases, which causes a decrease of intramyocardial contractility and an impairment of both active and passive phases of diastole. In subclinical hyperthyroidism, these new ultrasonic techniques permitted to discover more complex and different early cardiac abnormalities of both systolic and diastolic phases. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)
Mycotic Ascending Aortic Pseudoaneurysm Causing a Large Mediastinal Abscess
Authors: Yildirimturk Ozlem , Tugcu Aylin , Tayyareci Yelda , Polat Bülent , Aytekin Saide
Published: July 2009

Mycotic aneurysm is a rare, life‐threatening condition with high mortality rates and challenging diagnosis. A 46‐year‐old man, with a history of subaortic membranectomy, was admitted with a new onset fever and dyspnea. Transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomography demonstrated a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta and mediastinal abscess due to aneurysm rupture. The patient fully recovered after an immediate diagnose and urgent surgery. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)
Biphasic Pulmonary Regurgitation
Authors: Moukarbel George V. , Shah Amil M. , Tinnemore Amanda , Mora Samia
Published: July 2009

A patient with first‐degree atrioventricular (AV) block and pulmonary regurgitation underwent a transthoracic echocardiogram. Continuous wave Doppler interrogation of the pulmonic valve displayed a biphasic regurgitation pattern. A discussion of the potential mechanism underlying this pattern is presented. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)
Echocardiographic Manifestations of Complications of Radiation Therapy
Authors: Hamza Anna , Tunick Paul A. , Kronzon Itzhak
Published: July 2009

Radiation therapy may affect all of the layers of the heart (epicardial arteries, pericardium, valves, and myocardium). This is especially true after mediastinal or breast irradiation. Coronary artery disease, with resultant myocardial infarction, is the most common cause of death. We present a patient who developed typical constrictive pericarditis as well as valve lesions typical of radiation toxicity (the mitral valve leaflets were thickened at their bases, with the tips spared). The pericardial constriction was manifested by all of the typical echo Doppler findings, namely septal bounce, dilated inferior vena cava, significant respiratory drop in inspiratory mitral E velocity with a normal tissue Doppler e′, and expiratory reversal of flow into the hepatic veins. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)
Severe Mitral and Aortic Regurgitation in Association with Ankylosing Spondylitis
Authors: Luckie Matthew , Irion Luciane , Khattar Rajdeep S.
Published: July 2009

Aortic disease and aortic valve regurgitation are well documented in association with ankylosing spondylitis, although involvement of the mitral valve occurs more rarely. We report a case of severe mitral and aortic regurgitation in association with ankylosing spondylitis. We then discuss the characteristic cardiac manifestations that may occur in association with ankylosing spondylitis and the associated echocardiographic features. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)
Embolization of Atrial Septal Occluder Device into the Pulmonary Circulation: Role of Transesophageal Echocardiography
Authors: Misra Satyajeet , Koshy Thomas , Kumar Sinha Prabhat
Published: July 2009

(ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)
Transketolase from Cyanophora paradoxa: In Vitro Import into Cyanelles and Pea Chloroplasts and a Complex History of a Gene Often, But Not Always, Transferred in the Context of Secondary Endosymbiosis
Authors: MA YAN , JAKOWITSCH JOHANNES , DEUSCH OLIVER , HENZE KATRIN , MARTIN WILLIAM , LÖFFELHARDT WOLFGANG
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT. The glaucocystophyte Cyanophora paradoxa is an obligatorily photoautotrophic biflagellated protist containing cyanelles, peculiar plastids surrounded by a peptidoglycan layer between their inner and outer envelope membranes. Although the 136‐kb cyanelle genome surpasses higher plant chloroplast genomes in coding capacity by about 50 protein genes, these primitive plastids still have to import >2,000 polypeptides across their unique organelle wall. One such protein is transketolase, an essential enzyme of the Calvin cycle. We report the sequence of the pre‐transketolase cDNA from C. paradoxa and in vitro import experiments of precursor polypeptides into cyanelles and into pea chloroplasts. The transit sequence clearly indicates the localization of the gene product to cyanelles and is more similar to the transit sequences of the plant homologues than to transit sequences of other cyanelle precursor polypeptides with the exception of a cyanelle consensus sequence at the N‐terminus. The mature sequence reveals conservation of the thiamine pyrophosphate binding site. A neighbor‐net planar graph suggests that Cyanophora, higher plants, and the photosynthetic protist Euglena gracilis acquired their nuclear‐encoded transketolase genes via endosymbiotic gene transfer from the cyanobacterial ancestor of plastids; in the case of Euglena probably entailing two transfers, once from the plastid in the green algal lineage and once again in the secondary endosymbiosis underlying the origin of Euglena's plastids. By contrast, transketolase genes in some eukaryotes with secondary plastids of red algal origin, such as Thalassiosira pseudonana, have retained the pre‐existing transketolase gene germane to their secondary host.
Molecular Characterization of Gregarines from Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) and Description of Psychodiella n. g. (Apicomplexa: Gregarinida)
Authors: VOTÝPKA JAN , LANTOVÁ LUCIE , GHOSH KASHINATH , BRAIG HENK , VOLF PETR
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT. Sand fly and mosquito gregarines have been lumped for a long time in the single genus Ascogregarina and on the basis of their morphological characters and the lack of merogony been placed into the eugregarine family Lecudinidae. Phylogenetic analyses performed in this study clearly demonstrated paraphyly of the current genus Ascogregarina and revealed disparate phylogenetic positions of gregarines parasitizing mosquitoes and gregarines retrieved from sand flies. Therefore, we reclassified the genus Ascogregarina and created a new genus Psychodiella to accommodate gregarines from sand flies. The genus Psychodiella is distinguished from all other related gregarine genera by the characteristic localization of oocysts in accessory glands of female hosts, distinctive nucleotide sequences of the small subunit rDNA, and host specificity to flies belonging to the subfamily Phlebotominae. The genus comprises three described species: the type species for the new genus—Psychodiella chagasi (Adler and Mayrink 1961) n. comb., Psychodiella mackiei (Shortt and Swaminath 1927) n. comb., and Psychodiella saraviae (Ostrovska, Warburg, and Montoya‐Lerma 1990) n. comb. Its creation is additionally supported by sequencing data from other gregarine species originating from the sand fly Phlebotomus sergenti. In the evolutionary context, both genera of gregarines from mosquitoes (Ascogregarina) and sand flies (Psychodiella) have a close relationship to neogregarines; the genera represent clades distinct from the other previously sequenced gregarines.
RNA editing in human cancer: review
Authors: ŠKARDA JOZEF , AMARIGLIO NINETTE , RECHAVI GIDEON
Published: July 2009

Notice of Retraction: ‘RNA editing in human cancer: review’ (APMIS 2009;117:551–7)

The following article from APMIS, ‘RNA editing in human cancer: review’ by Jozef Skarda, Ninette Amariglio and Gideon Rechavi, published online (2 July 2009) in Wiley InterScience (http://www.interscience.wiley.com) and in Volume 117, Issue 8 (August 2009), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editors‐in‐Chief E. Ralfkiær and B. Norrild and John Wiley & Sons A/S. The retraction has been agreed as a result of textual overlap with a paper published in the journal RNA Biology, ‘A‐to‐I RNA editing and cancer: from pathology to basic science’ by Angela Gallo and Silvia Galardi, published in Volume 5, Issue 3 (September 2008). Jozef Skarda takes full responsibility for the textual overlap.
Real‐time PCR with internal amplification control for detecting tuberculosis: method design and validation
Authors: FLORES E. , RODRÍGUEZ J. C. , GARCIA‐PACHÓN E. , SOTO J. L. , RUIZ M. , ESCRIBANO I. , ROYO G.
Published: July 2009

Flores E, Rodríguez JC, Garcia‐Pachón E, Soto JL, Ruiz M, Escribano I, Royo G. Real‐time PCR with internal amplification control for detecting tuberculosis: method design and validation. APMIS 2009; 117: 592–7.

Real‐time PCR has been a major development in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. However, most tests do not include an internal amplification control (IAC), which therefore limits it clinical application. In this study a new, easy to perform real‐time PCR test with IAC was designed and validated in clinical samples. The primers amplified a 163‐bp fragment of IS6110 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the IAC was designed with a fragment of a different microorganism (Chlamydia trachomatis). The interassay and intraassay variation of this test were very low (0.45–1.65% and 0.18–1.80%, respectively). The detection accuracy was validated in 50 samples (25 urine, 25 sputum) with different concentrations of M. tuberculosis, 18 clinical isolates of non‐tuberculous mycobacteria and 148 samples with clinical suspicion of pulmonary tuberculosis. The specificity was 100%. The detection limit of this PCR test without IAC was approximately 15 bacteria and with IAC approximately 32 bacteria. This real‐time PCR with IAC assay can improve the detection of M. tuberculosis and contribute to standardization of this diagnostic technique.
IL‐6, but not IL‐4, stimulates chemokinesis and TNF stimulates chemotaxis of tissue mast cells: involvement of both mitogen‐activated protein kinases and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase signalling pathways
Authors: MISIAK‐TŁOCZEK ANNA , BRZEZIŃSKA‐BŁASZCZYK EWA
Published: July 2009

Misiak‐Tłoczek A, Brzezińska‐Błaszczyk E. IL‐6, but not IL‐4, stimulates chemokinesis and TNF stimulates chemotaxis of tissue mast cells: Involvement of both mitogen‐activated protein kinases and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase signalling pathways. APMIS 2009; 117: 558–67.

An increase in the number of mast cells within tissues is observed in many pathophysiological conditions. Current data indicate that migration of mature mast cells might be one of the key mechanisms responsible for rapid local accumulation of these cells. Considering that interleukin (IL)‐6 and IL‐4, as well as tumour necrosis factor (TNF), influence mast cell activity in various ways, the purpose of the current study was to examine whether these cytokines function as rat peritoneal mast cell chemoattractants. We showed that IL‐4, in the concentration range from 10−6 to 10−3 ng/ml, did not induce a mast cell migratory response, even in the presence of laminin and fibronectin. Under the same experimental conditions, mast cells were shown to migrate in response to IL‐6 stimulation in the presence of laminin. The optimal concentration of IL‐6 for maximal migration of mast cells was 10−4 ng/ml (i.e. ∼5 nM). In comparison, the optimal concentration of TNF for maximal migration of mast cells was 5 × 10−5 ng/ml (i.e. ∼3 fM). IL‐6‐stimulated mast cell migration was the result of chemokinesis, whereas TNF‐induced migration was the result of chemotaxis. Mast cell migratory responses to IL‐6 and TNF were entirely blocked by specific anti‐IL‐6R and anti‐TNFR1 antibodies. We also documented that the migration response of mast cells to stimulation with IL‐6 and TNF was mediated through signal transduction pathways involving mitogen‐activated protein kinases and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase. Taken together, our results indicate that IL‐6, as well as TNF, induces tissue mast cell migration. Thus, these proinflammatory cytokines can be responsible for mast cell accumulation at the site of diverse conditions accompanied by inflammation.
Organ and gestational age effects of maternal nutrient restriction on global methylation in fetal baboons
Authors: Unterberger A. , Szyf M. , Nathanielsz P.W. , Cox L.A.
Published: July 2009

Background  A sub‐optimal intrauterine environment alters the trajectory of fetal development with profound effects on life‐time health. Altered methylation, a proposed epigenetic mechanism responsible for these changes, has been studied in non‐primate species but not nonhuman primates. We tested the hypotheses that global methylation in fetal baboon demonstrates organ specificity, gestational age specificity, and changes with maternal nutritional status.

Methods  We measured global DNA methylation in fetuses of control fed (CTR) and nutrient restricted mothers fed 70% of controls (MNR) for brain, kidney, liver and heart at 0.5 and 0.9 gestation (G).

Results  We observed organ and gestation specific changes that were modified by maternal diet. Methylation in CTR fetuses was highest in frontal cortex and lowest in liver. MNR decreased methylation in 0.5G kidney and increased methylation in 0.9G kidney and frontal cortex.

Conclusion  These results demonstrate a potential epigenetic mechanism whereby reduced maternal nutrition has long‐term programming effects on fetal organ development.
Wider spectrum of fruit traits in invasive than native floras may increase the vulnerability of oceanic islands to plant invasions
Authors: Kueffer Christoph , Kronauer Lilian , Edwards Peter J.
Published: July 2009

Plant–animal mutualisms such as seed dispersal can play an important role in enabling some species to become invasive. For example, an introduced species could become invasive because birds prefer its fruits to those of native plants. To investigate this possibility, we compared various measures of fruit quality of 22 of the most common native and invasive woody species on the oceanic island Mahé (Seychelles, Indian Ocean).

Individual measures of food quality tended to vary much more amongst invasive species than amongst native species; thus, whereas for particular traits the fruits of some invasive species had higher values than any native species, others had relatively low values. However, invasive species consistently produced fruits with a lower water content, resulting in a higher relative yield (i.e. dry pulp weight to total wet fruit weight ratio), and a higher energy content. The fruits of the most abundant invasive tree Cinnamomum verum (Lauraceae) were of particularly high nutritional quality, with individual berries containing 3.5 times more protein and 55 times more lipid than the median values of the native species.

We suggest that our results may reflect a general tendency for island plants to produce fruits of low energy content, perhaps reflecting reduced competition for dispersal agents on isolated islands. In addition, we argue that inconsistent results on the relevance of fruit quality for plant invasions reported in the literature may be resolved by comparing the widths of trait spectra for native and alien floras rather than average values. Gaps in the native fruit trait spectrum may provide opportunities for particular invasive species, and weaken the resistance of regional floras to invasions. Such empty niche opportunities may occur for several reasons, including generally broader trait spectra in globally assembled alien than regional native floras (especially on oceanic islands), or the loss of native species due to human activities. More generally, a focus on trait variation rather than average trends may help to advance generalisation in invasion biology.
Cross‐site comparison of herbivore impact on nitrogen availability in grasslands: the role of plant nitrogen concentration
Authors: Bakker E. S. , Knops J. M. H. , Milchunas D. G , Ritchie M. E. , Olff H.
Published: July 2009

Herbivores may influence the nitrogen (N) recycling rates and consequently increase or decrease the productivity of grasslands. Plant N concentration emerged as a critical parameter to explain herbivore effects from several conceptual models, which predict that herbivores decrease soil N availability when plant N concentration is low whereas they increase it when plant N concentration is high (Hobbs 1996, Ritchie et al. 1998, Pastor et al. 2006). However, a broader cross‐site comparison among published studies to test these predictions is hampered by the different methodologies used to measure soil N availability or a proxy thereof, and a lack of measurements of plant N concentration. Therefore it remains unclear whether these model predictions are generally valid across a range of grasslands.

We tested whether there is a relationship between plant N concentration and herbivore impact on soil N availability (measured with resin bags) with a study of replicate 6–8 year old exclosures (with an unfenced control) of vertebrate herbivores (>1 kg) established at each of seven grassland sites in North America and Europe. Contrary to model predictions, we found a negative relationship between the effect of herbivores on resin bag soil N availability and plant N concentration. Our study confirms the importance of plant N concentration as a predictor of herbivore effect on soil N availability across grasslands, but contradicts the models. A possible explanation may be that the results represent a transient situation as the exclosures were relatively young whereas the models may refer to an equilibrium state. Simultaneous measurements of both plant N concentration and herbivore effect on soil N availability from more grassland sites, preferably with contrasting plant N concentrations and including exclosures of different ages, should resolve the contrast between model predictions and our field measurements.
What shapes intra‐specific variation in home range size? A case study of female roe deer
Authors: Saïd Sonia , Gaillard Jean‐Michel , Widmer Olivier , Débias François , Bourgoin Gilles , Delorme Daniel , Roux Céline
Published: July 2009

Spatial distribution in mammals, and thereby home range size, is influenced by many different factors including body size, sex, age, reproductive status, season, availability of forage, availability of water, fragmentation of landscape, trophic level and intra‐ and inter‐specific competition. Using linear mixed models, we looked for factors shaping the variation in size of spring‐summer and winter home ranges for 51 radio‐collared adult female roe deer at Trois Fontaines forest, Champagne–Ardenne, France (1996–2005). Home range size of females was larger in winter than in spring–summer, decreased with age, and decreased with increasing quality. Females in low quality areas adjusted the size of their home range to include more patches of habitat so that all female deer obtained similar amounts of food resources (total biomass of 6.73±2.34 tons (mean±SE) for each home range). Such adjustments of home range size in response to patchiness of resources led to marked between‐female variation in home range size. Our results demonstrate that roe deer females have different tactics of habitat use according to spatial variations in habitat quality so that females get similar food resources in highly productive environments such as the Trois Fontaines forest.
Interactions between habitat quality and connectivity affect immigration but not abundance or population growth of the butterfly,Parnassius smintheus
Authors: Matter Stephen F. , Ezzeddine Maya , Duermit Elizabeth , Mashburn Jeffery , Hamilton Rebecca , Lucas Tiffany , Roland Jens
Published: July 2009

Habitat geometry has been a primary focus in studies of spatially structured systems. Recent studies have indicated that a more comprehensive approach including habitat quality may be needed, however most previous studies have neglected potential interactions between quality and geometry. We investigated the effects of habitat quality for the butterflyParnassius smintheusamong a series of 17 sub‐populations. Specifically, we examined how habitat connectivity and local nectar flower density affect dispersal, and local population abundance and growth. We first determined which flower species were potentially important by examining nectar flower electivity and then quantified nectar flower density in meadows over a five year period (2003–2007). These data along with meadow connectivity were compared to local population statistics derived from mark–recapture over the same time period. The number of immigrants to a meadow increased as meadow connectivity increased, but showed no direct relationship with nectar flower density; however, there was a significant interaction between meadow connectivity and nectar flower density such that meadows with high connectivity and a high density of nectar flowers received the greatest number of immigrants. The number of emigrants from a meadow increased with increasing habitat quality and connectivity, but showed no interactive effect.

The abundance of butterflies increased with meadow connectivity, but showed no relationship with habitat quality or any interactive effect. Separate experiments showed that access to nectar flowers significantly increased female reproductive output, but not lifespan. Despite the effects on immigration and reproductive output, local population growth rates also showed no relationship to nectar flower density. Our results indicate that habitat quality can be important for immigration in spatially structured populations; however, effects of habitat quality may not necessarily translate into higher abundance or population growth. Additionally, habitat quality should not be considered independently from habitat isolation, particularly if it directly affects dispersal. Preserving or augmenting habitat quality will do little to bolster immigration or colonization without adequate connectivity.
Multi‐annual density fluctuations and habitat size enhance genetic variability in two northern voles
Authors: Ehrich Dorothee , Yoccoz Nigel G. , Ims Rolf Anker
Published: July 2009

In order to gain a better understanding of the consequences of population density cycles and landscape structure for the genetic composition in time and space of vole populations, we analyzed the multiannual genetic structure of the two numerically dominant, sympatric small rodent species of northernmost Fennoscandia. Red volesMyodes rutilusand grey‐sided volesM. rufocanuswere trapped in the subarctic birch forest along three fjords over five years. Along each fjord, there were four or five altitudinal transects each with five trapping stations. Spring and fall population densities were estimated from mark–recapture data. Grey‐sided voles exhibited higher amplitude density fluctuations than red voles. Polymorphism at eight or nine microsatellite loci, determined in 1228 voles, was used to estimate local genetic diversity and differentiation among samples. Genetic diversity was higher in grey‐sided voles than in red voles. Spring densities had no effect on local genetic diversity or on differentiation. The amplitude of density fluctuations and the extent of favorable habitat (sub‐arctic birch forest) surrounding each site had a positive effect on genetic diversity, and the amplitude of density fluctuations had a negative effect on differentiation in red voles, for which fluctuating populations were compared with more stable populations. The harmonic mean of densities, reflecting average population sizes, had a negative effect on genetic diversity in red voles, but a positive effect in grey‐sided voles, for which only fluctuating populations were compared. No other effects were significant for grey‐sided voles. A temporal assignment test showed that the spatial structure was more stable in time for populations with more stable population dynamics. Altogether our results suggest that high amplitude density fluctuations lead to more gene flow and higher genetic diversity in vole populations.