bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Simplicillium lanosoniveum on Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the Soybean Rust Pathogen, and Its Use as a Biological Control Agent
Authors: Ward N. A. , Robertson C. L. , Chanda A. K. , Schneider R. W.
Published: April 2012

The fungus Simplicillium lanosoniveum was isolated from soybean leaves infected with Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the soybean rust pathogen, in Louisiana and Florida. The fungus did not grow or become established on leaf surfaces until uredinia erupted, but when soybean rust signs and symptoms were evident, S. lanosoniveum colonized leaves within 3 days and sporulated within 4 days. Development of new uredinia was suppressed by about fourfold when S. lanosoniveum colonized uredinia. In the presence of S. lanosoniveum, uredinia became increasingly red-brown, and urediniospores turned brown and germinated at very low rates. Assays using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the fungus colonized leaf surfaces when plants were infected with P. pachyrhizi, either in a latent stage of infection or when symptoms were present. However, when plants were inoculated before infection, there was no increase of DNA of S. lanosoniveum, suggesting that the pathogen must be present in order for the antagonist to become established on soybean leaf surfaces. We documented significantly lower amounts of DNA of P. pachyrhizi and lower disease severity when soybean leaves were colonized with S. lanosoniveum. These studies documented the mycophilic and disease-suppressive nature of S. lanosoniveum.
Modulation of Tight Junction Proteins in the Perineurium to Facilitate Peripheral Opioid Analgesia
Authors: Rittner Heike L. , Amasheh Salah , Moshourab Rabih , Hackel Dagmar , Yamdeu Reine-Solange , Mousa Shaaban A. , Fromm Michael , Stein Christoph , Brack Alexander
Published: April 2012

Background

Peripheral application of opioids reduces inflammatory pain but is less effective in noninflamed tissue of rats and human patients. Hypertonic solutions can facilitate the antinociceptive activity of hydrophilic opioids in noninflamed tissue in vivo. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We hypothesized that the enhanced efficacy of opioids may be because of opening of the perineurial barrier formed by tight junction-proteins like claudin-1.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were treated intraplantarly with 10% NaCl. Pain behavior (n = 6) and electrophysiological recordings (n = 9 or more) from skin-nerve preparations after local application of the opioid [d-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Gly5-ol]enkephalin (DAMGO) were explored. Tight junction-proteins as well as permeability of the barrier were examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot (n = 3 or more).

Results

Local administration of 10% NaCl facilitated increased mechanical nociceptive thresholds in response to DAMGO, penetration of horseradish peroxidase into the nerve, as well as a reduced response of C- but not Aδ-nociceptors to mechanical stimulation after application of DAMGO in the skin-nerve preparation. In noninflamed paw tissue, claudin-1 was expressed in the epidermis, blood vessels, and the perineurium, surrounding neurons immunoreactive for calcitonin gene-related peptide or protein gene product 9.5. Claudin-1 but not claudin-5 or occludin was significantly reduced after pretreatment with 10% NaCl. Intraplantar application of a metalloproteinase inhibitor (GM6001) completely reversed these effects.

Conclusion

Hypertonic saline opens the perineurial barrier via metalloproteinase activation and claudin-1 regulation, thereby allowing access of hydrophilic drugs to peripheral opioid receptors. This principle may be used to specifically target hydrophilic drugs to peripheral neurons.
When it is costly to have a caring mother: food limitation erases the benefits of parental care in earwigs
Authors: Meunier Joël , Kölliker Mathias
Published: April 2012

The aggregation of parents with offspring is generally associated with different forms of care that improve offspring survival at potential costs to parents. Under poor environments, the limited amount of resources available can increase the level of competition among family members and consequently lead to adaptive changes in parental investment. However, it remains unclear as to what extent such changes modify offspring fitness, particularly when offspring can survive without parents such as in the European earwig,Forficula auricularia. Here, we show that under food restriction, earwig maternal presence decreased offspring survival until adulthood by 43 per cent. This effect was independent of sibling competition and was expressed after separation from the female, indicating lasting detrimental effects. The reduced benefits of maternal presence on offspring survival were not associated with higher investment in future reproduction, suggesting a condition-dependent effect of food restriction on mothers and local mother–offspring competition for food. Overall, these findings demonstrate for the first time a long-term negative effect of maternal presence on offspring survival in a species with maternal care, and highlight the importance of food availability in the early evolution of family life.
A model balancing cooperation and competition can explain our right-handed world and the dominance of left-handed athletes
Authors: Abrams Daniel M. , Panaggio Mark J.
Published: April 2012

An overwhelming majority of humans are right-handed. Numerous explanations for individual handedness have been proposed, but this population-level handedness remains puzzling. Here, we present a novel mathematical model and use it to test the idea that population-level hand preference represents a balance between selective costs and benefits arising from cooperation and competition in human evolutionary history. We use the selection of elite athletes as a test-bed for our evolutionary model and find evidence for the validity of this idea. Our model gives the first quantitative explanation for the distribution of handedness both across and within many professional sports. It also predicts strong lateralization of hand use in social species with limited combative interaction, and elucidates the absence of consistent population-level ‘pawedness’ in some animal species.
Optimal homeostasis necessitates bistable control
Authors: Wang Guanyu
Published: April 2012

Bistability is a fundamental phenomenon in nature. In biology, a number of fine properties of bistability have been identified. However, these properties are only consequences of bistability at the physiological level, which do not explain why it had to emerge during evolution. Using optimal homeostasis as the first principle, I find that bistability emerges as an indispensable control mechanism. It is the only solution to a dilemma in glucose homeostasis: high insulin efficiency is required to confer rapidness in plasma glucose clearance, whereas an insulin sparing state is required to guarantee the brain's safety during fasting. The optimality consideration renders a clear correspondence between the molecular and physiological levels. This new perspective can illuminate studies on the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes and the corresponding intervening strategies. For example, overnutrition and sedentary lifestyle may represent sudden environmental changes that cause the lose of optimality, which may contribute to the marked rise of obesity and diabetes in our generation. Because this bistability result is independent of the parameters of the mathematical model (for which the result is quite general), some other biological systems may also use bistability to control homeostasis.
Relationship between maternal transfer of immunity and mother fecundity in an insect
Authors: Zanchi C. , Troussard J.-P. , Moreau J. , Moret Y.
Published: April 2012

Trans-generational immune priming (TGIP) corresponds to the plastic adjustment of offspring immunity as a result of maternal immune experience. TGIP is expected to improve mother's fitness by improving offspring individual performance in an environment where parasitism becomes more prevalent. However, it was recently demonstrated that maternal transfer of immunity to the offspring is costly for immune-challenged female insects. Thus, these females might not provide immune protection to all their offspring because of the inherent cost of other fitness-related traits. Females are therefore expected to adjust their investment to individual offspring immune protection in ways that maximize their fitness. In this study, we investigated how bacterially immune-challenged females of the mealworm beetle,
Tenebrio molitor
, provision their eggs with immune protection according to egg production. We found that immune-challenged females provide a variable number of their eggs with internal antibacterial activity along egg-laying bouts. Furthermore, within the first immune-protected egg-laying bout (2–4 days after the maternal immune challenge), the number of eggs protected was strongly dependent on the number of eggs produced. Immune-challenged females might therefore adjust their investment into TGIP and fecundity according of their individual perception of the risk of dying from the infection and the expected parasitic conditions for the offspring.
Dermal bone in early tetrapods: a palaeophysiological hypothesis of adaptation for terrestrial acidosis
Authors: Janis Christine M. , Devlin Kelly , Warren Daniel E. , Witzmann Florian
Published: April 2012

The dermal bone sculpture of early, basal tetrapods of the Permo-Carboniferous is unlike the bone surface of any living vertebrate, and its function has long been obscure. Drawing from physiological studies of extant tetrapods, where dermal bone or other calcified tissues aid in regulating acid–base balance relating to hypercapnia (excess blood carbon dioxide) and/or lactate acidosis, we propose a similar function for these sculptured dermal bones in early tetrapods. Unlike the condition in modern reptiles, which experience hypercapnia when submerged in water, these animals would have experienced hypercapnia on land, owing to likely inefficient means of eliminating carbon dioxide. The different patterns of dermal bone sculpture in these tetrapods largely correlates with levels of terrestriality: sculpture is reduced or lost in stem amniotes that likely had the more efficient lung ventilation mode of costal aspiration, and in small-sized stem amphibians that would have been able to use the skin for gas exchange.
Determination of Iodate in Food, Environmental, and Biological Samples after Solid-Phase Extraction with Ni-Al-Zr Ternary Layered Double Hydroxide as a Nanosorbent
Authors: Abdolmohammad-Zadeh Hossein , Tavarid Keyvan , Talleb Zeynab
Published: April 2012

Nanostructured nickel-aluminum-zirconium ternary layered double hydroxide was successfully applied as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for the separation and pre-concentration of trace levels of iodate in food, environmental and biological samples. An indirect method was used for monitoring of the extracted iodate ions. The method is based on the reaction of the iodate with iodide in acidic solution to produce iodine, which can be spectrophotometrically monitored at 352 nm. The absorbance is directly proportional to the concentration of iodate in the sample. The effect of several parameters such as pH, sample flow rate, amount of nanosorbent, elution conditions, sample volume, and coexisting ions on the recovery was investigated. In the optimum experimental conditions, the limit of detection (3s) and enrichment factor were 0.12 μg mL−1and 20, respectively. The calibration graph using the preconcentration system was linear in the range of 0.2–2.8 μg mL−1with a correlation coefficient of 0.998. In order to validate the presented method, a certified reference material, NIST SRM 1549, was also analyzed.
Characterization of the Immune Response Induced by a Commercially Available Inactivated Bluetongue Virus Serotype 1 Vaccine in Sheep
Authors: Pérez de Diego Ana Cristina , Sánchez-Cordón Pedro José , de las Heras Ana Isabel , Sánchez-Vizcaíno José Manuel
Published: April 2012

The protective immune response generated by a commercial monovalent inactivated vaccine against bluetongue virus serotype 1 (BTV1) was studied. Five sheep were vaccinated, boost-vaccinated, and then challenged against BTV1 ALG/2006. RT-PCR did not detect viremia at any time during the experiment. Except a temperature increase observed after the initial and boost vaccinations, no clinical signs or lesions were observed. A specific and protective antibody response checked by ELISA was induced after vaccination and boost vaccination. This specific antibody response was associated with a significant increase in B lymphocytes confirmed by flow cytometry, while significant increases were not observed in T lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4+, CD8+, and WC1+), CD25+regulatory cells, or CD14+monocytes. After challenge with BTV1, the antibody response was much higher than during the boost vaccination period, and it was associated with a significant increase in B lymphocytes, CD14+monocytes, CD25+regulatory cells, and CD8+cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
Electrospinning Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of Mesoporous TiO2Nanofibers
Authors: Li Jing , Qiao Hui , Du Yuanzhi , Chen Chen , Li Xiaolin , Cui Jing , Kumar Dnt , Wei Qufu
Published: April 2012

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibers in the anatase structure were successfully prepared via electrospinning technique followed by calcination process. The morphologies, crystal structure, surface area, and the photocatalytic activity of resulting TiO2nanofibers were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The results revealed that calcination temperature had greatly influenced the morphologies of TiO2nanofibers, but no obvious effect was noticed on the crystal structure of TiO2nanofibers. The photocatalytic properties of TiO2nanofibers were evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in water under visible light irradiation. It was observed that TiO2nanofibers obtained by calcination at 500°C for 3 hours exhibited the most excellent photocatalytic activity. We present a novel and simple method to fabricate TiO2nanofibers with high-photocatalytic activity.
Diet Composition and Feeding Strategies of the Stone Marten (Martes foina) in a Typical Mediterranean Ecosystem
Authors: Bakaloudis Dimitrios E. , Vlachos Christos G. , Papakosta Malamati A. , Bontzorlos Vasileios A. , Chatzinikos Evangelos N.
Published: April 2012

Stone martens (Martes foina) are documented as generalist throughout their distributional range whose diet composition is affected by food availability. We tested if this occurs and what feeding strategies it follows in a typical Mediterranean ecosystem in Central Greece by analysing contents from 106 stomachs, seasonally collected from three different habitats during 2003–2006. Seasonal variation in diet and feeding strategies was evident and linked to seasonal nutritional requirements, but possibly imposed by strong interference competition and intraguild predation. Fleshy fruits and arthropods predominated in the diet, but also mammals and birds were frequently consumed. An overall low dietary niche breadth (BA=0.128) indicated a fruit specialization tendency. A generalised diet occurred in spring with high individual specialisation, whereas more animal-type prey was consumed than fruits. A population specialization towards fruits was indicated during summer and autumn, whereas insects were consumed occasionally by males. In those seasons it switched to more clumped food types such as fruits and insects. In winter it selectively exploited both adult and larvae insects and partially fruits overwinter on plants. The tendency to consume particular prey items seasonally reflected both the population specialist behaviour and the individual flexibility preyed on different food resources.
Spontaneous Hybridization betweenPinus mugoandPinus sylvestrisat the Lithuanian Seaside: A Morphological Survey
Authors: Danusevičius Darius , Marozas Vitas , Brazaitis Gediminas , Petrokas Raimundas , Christensen Knud Ib
Published: April 2012

We address the problem of spontaneous hybridization between an exotic speciesPinus mugoand the native/localP. sylvestrisat the seaside spit of Kursiu Nerija in Lithuania. The objective was to identify spontaneous hybrids betweenP. mugoandP. sylvestrisbased on morphology traits among the individuals naturally regenerating at the seaside spit. The field inventory was carried out over the entire Lithuanian part of the spit, and 200 individuals morphologically intermediate betweenP. sylvestrisandP. mugowere identified. Based on a weighted trait index, the intermediate individuals were grouped into two groups, one morphologically close toP. sylvestrisand another close toP. mugo. The needle micromorphological traits of the putative hybrids were of intermediate values betweenP. mugoandP. sylvestris. The results provide a strong evidence of spontaneous hybridization betweenP. mugoandP. sylvestrisin Lithuanian seaside spit of Kursiu Nerija.
Progress towards Mechanism-Based Treatment for Diamond-Blackfan Anemia
Authors: Sjögren Sara E. , Flygare Johan
Published: April 2012

Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a congenital erythroid hypoplastic anemia, characterized by macrocytic anemia, reticulocytopenia, and severely reduced numbers of erythroid precursors in the bone marrow. For more than fifty years, glucocorticoids have remained the main option for pharmacological treatment of DBA. While continuous glucocorticoid administration increases hemoglobin levels in a majority of DBA patients, it also causes severe side effects. There is therefore a great need for more specific and effective treatments to boost or replace the use of glucocorticoids. Over the years, many alternative therapies have been tried out, but most of them have shown to be ineffective. Here we review previous and current attempts to develop such alternative therapies for DBA. We further discuss how emerging knowledge regarding the pathological mechanism in DBA and the therapeutic mechanism of glucocorticoids treatment may reveal novel drug targets for DBA treatment.
An Overview on Dry Eye Treatment: Approaches for Cyclosporin A Delivery
Authors: Yavuz Burçin , Bozdağ Pehlivan Sibel , Ünlü Nurşen
Published: April 2012

Dry eye syndrome (DES, Keratoconjunctivitis sicca) is a common disorder of the tear film caused by decreased tear production or increased evaporation. Changes in tear composition also promote inflammation on the ocular surface by various mechanisms. Artificial tear drops, tear retention treatment, stimulation of tear secretion, or anti-inflammatory drugs may be used for dry eye treatment according to the severity of the disease. For untreated patients, the risk of ocular infection increases at considerable level and clinical course of the disease may proceed up to infection, corneal ulcer, and blindness. Artificial tears and/or punctual occlusions are used for tear replacement or preservation. New treatment approaches are designed to modify the underlying disease process. For the treatment of severe dry eye disease, cyclosporin A (CsA), the first one of the new generation immunomodulatory drugs, which has an anti-inflammatory effect, is frequently used. CsA has immunosuppressive effects following systemic application. Following local administration of CsA, it is expected to obtain effective drug concentration at the target area and to avoid the various side effects associated with systemic delivery. Microspheres, implants, and liposomes have been developed for administration of CsA subconjunctivally in order to enhance its efficiency.
Independent Component Analysis to Detect Clustered Microcalcification Breast Cancers
Authors: Gallardo-Caballero R. , García-Orellana C. J. , García-Manso A. , González-Velasco H. M. , Macías-Macías M.
Published: April 2012

The presence of clustered microcalcifications is one of the earliest signs in breast cancer detection. Although there exist many studies broaching this problem, most of them are nonreproducible due to the use of proprietary image datasets. We use a known subset of the currently largest publicly available mammography database, the Digital Database for Screening Mammography (DDSM), to develop a computer-aided detection system that outperforms the current reproducible studies on the same mammogram set. This proposal is mainly based on the use of extracted image features obtained by independent component analysis, but we also study the inclusion of the patient’s age as a nonimage feature which requires no human expertise. Our system achieves an average of 2.55 false positives per image at a sensitivity of 81.8% and 4.45 at a sensitivity of 91.8% in diagnosing the BCRP_CALC_1 subset of DDSM.
Different patterns of decompensation in patients with alcoholic vs. non‐alcoholic liver cirrhosis
Authors: Wiegand J. , Kühne M. , Pradat P. , Mössner J. , Trepo C. , Tillmann H. L.
Published: April 2012

Background

The histological pattern of fibrosis in liver cirrhosis varies in different chronic liver diseases, and hepatic decompensation may be differentiated in consequences of fibrosis (i.e. ascites, variceal bleeding) or in lack of function (i.e. jaundice) resulting in aetiology‐specific variable morbidity and mortality.

Aim

To evaluate patterns of hepatic decompensation in relation to the aetiology of liver cirrhosis.

Methods

Two different cohorts were retrospectively evaluated between 2002 and 2007. Cohort A was for hypothesis generation and consisted of 220 cirrhotic patients. To confirm the initial observations a second cohort B (n = 217) was analysed. The different patterns of hepatic decompensation evaluated were ascites, jaundice, encephalopathy, variceal bleeding, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome or hepatocellular carcinoma.

Furthermore, we analysed survival in relation to pattern of decompensation in alcoholic vs. non‐alcoholic liver disease.

Results

Alcoholics were more frequently hospitalised for ascites (cohort A: 81.4% vs. 65.4%, P = 0.016; cohort B 71.3% vs. 58.5%, P = 0.085). In contrast, non‐alcoholics presented with higher rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (cohort A: 23.1% vs. 11.9%, P = 0.046; cohort B 38.6% vs. 22.5%, P = 0.018). There were no significant differences in jaundice, variceal bleeding, hepatorenal syndrome or encephalopathy.

Survival was significantly impaired in non‐alcoholic cirrhosis once ascites occurred (P = 0.003), whereas ascites did not predict higher mortality in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Conclusions

Ascites is the leading initial pattern of decompensation in alcoholic cirrhosis whereas hepatocellular carcinoma dominates in non‐alcoholics. Non‐alcoholics developing ascites show a poor survival.
Selective localization of T helper subsets in labial salivary glands from primary Sjögren's syndrome patients
Authors: Maehara T , Moriyama M , Hayashida J-N , Tanaka A , Shinozaki S , Kubo Y , Matsumura K , Nakamura S
Published: April 2012

The aim of this study was to investigate the initiation and progression of autoimmune damage in the lesions of labial salivary glands (LSGs) from primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) patients by examining the selective localization of T helper (Th) subsets such as Th1, Th2, Th17 regulatory T cells (Tregs) and follicular T helper cells (Tfh). The expression of cytokines and transcription factors associated with these Th subsets in the LSGs from 54 SS patients and 16 healthy controls was examined using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunostaining. Additionally, infiltrating lymphocytes without germinal centre (GC-) and with GC (GC+) in the LSGs specimens from eight SS patients were extracted selectively by laser capture microdissection (LCM). The mRNA expression of these molecules was compared between the two sample groups of GC- and GC+ by real-time PCR. The mRNA expression of cytokines and transcription factors of all T helper (Th) subsets in the LSGs from the SS patients was increased significantly in comparison with controls. In LSGs from the SS patients, Th2 and Tfh was associated closely with strong lymphocytic infiltration; however, Th1, Th17 and Tregs was not. In the selectively extracted lesions of LSGs, Th1 and Th17-related molecules were detected strongly in the GC-, while Th2 and Tfh-related molecules were detected in the GC+. In contrast, no significant association with strong lymphocytic infiltration was observed in Treg-related molecules. These results indicate that SS has selective localization of Th subsets such as Th1, Th2, Th17 and Tfh in the LSGs, which is associated closely with disease severity and/or status. SS might be initiated by Th1 and Th17 cells, and then progressed by Th2 and Tfh cells via GC formation.
The effect of gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone agonist treatment over 3 years on bone mineral density and body composition in girls with central precocious puberty
Authors: Park Hong K. , Lee Hae S. , Ko Jung H. , Hwang Il T. , Lim Jung S. , Hwang Jin S.
Published: April 2012

Objective

Puberty is a period characterized by growth spurt and rapid change in body composition. The effect of GnRH agonist therapy for central precocious puberty on bone mineral density is unclear. We demonstrated changes in bone mineral density in subjects with central precocious puberty, who were treated with GnRH agonist for more than 3 years.

Design

The changes in bone mineral density and body compositions were tested with analysis of variance with repeated measures to identify statistical significance over the treatment period.

Patients

One hundred ninety‐five Korean girls with central precocious puberty were treated with GnRH agonist, and among these subjects, 39 patients were treated for more than 3 years.

Measurements

Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry was performed on the subjects at the initial evaluation and once yearly thereafter while on the treatment.

Results

The bone mineral density parameters for chronological age tended to decrease near the mean for the treatment period; however, they increased significantly for bone age excluding bone mineral apparent density. An increment of the BMI was not significant for the chronological age.

Conclusions

Three‐year treatment with GnRH agonist in central precocious puberty patients did not impair bone maturation. GnRH agonist could be effectively commenced in girls with precocious puberty from an early age.
Joint distraction results in clinical and structural improvement of haemophilic ankle arthropathy: a series of three cases
Authors: Van MEEGEREN M. E. R. , Van VEGHEL K. , De KLEIJN P. , Van ROERMUND P. M. , BIESMA D. H. , LAFEBER F. P. J. G. , ROOSENDAAL G.
Published: April 2012

Summary.  The incidence of haemophilic arthropathy in multiple joints decreased due to treatment with clotting factor. Nowadays patients are enabled to live a rather normal life, resulting in more (sports) trauma‐induced arthropathy in isolated joints like the ankle. As surgical treatment options, fusion of the tibiotalar joint and total ankle replacement are available. Both standard treatments have complications and therefore an alternative treatment is desired. In this study, treatment of haemophilic ankle arthropathy with joint distraction was explored. Three patients with haemophilic ankle arthropathy were treated with joint distraction using an Ilizarov external fixator. Clinical outcomes like function, participation and pain were evaluated in retrospect with three different questionnaires: haemophilia activities list, impact on participation and autonomy and the Van Valburg questionnaire. Structural changes were assessed blinded on X‐ray by the Pettersson score and ankle images digital analysis (AIDA) and by an MRI score. All three patients were very satisfied with the clinical outcome of the procedure. They reported a clear improvement for self‐perceived functional health, participation in society and autonomy and pain. Partial ankle joint mobility was preserved in the three patients. The Pettersson score remained the same in one patient and slightly improved in the two other patients, while joint space width measured by AIDA and the MRI score demonstrated improvement for all three patients after ankle distraction. This study suggests that joint distraction is a promising treatment for individual cases of haemophilic ankle arthropathy, without additional risk of bleedings during treatment.
Critical multi‐organ emboli originating from collapsed, vulnerable caseous mitral annular calcification
Authors: Matsuyama Taka‐aki , Ishibashi‐Ueda Hatsue , Ikeda Yoshihiko , Nagatsuka Kazuyuki , Miyashita Kotaro , Amaki Makoto , Kanzaki Hideaki , Kitakaze Masafumi
Published: April 2012

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a generally asymptomatic abnormality found commonly in aged hearts. Some clinical studies have suggested that MAC should be considered an independent risk factor for stroke; however, whether the abnormality is indeed a risk factor remains controversial. We report a case in which debris from a vulnerable caseous MAC contributed to lethal embolisms in multiple organs. Postmortem examination revealed that caseous materials originating from a collapsed MAC were trapped in stenosed atherosclerotic cerebral and coronary arteries. Our findings support the notion at that subtle debris from collapsed vulnerable MACs can trigger major and even lethal embolic events in patients with severe atherosclerotic stenosis in vital organs.
Sarcopenia in the elderly: Basic and clinical issues
Authors: Wang Cuiying , Bai Li
Published: April 2012

The original definition of sarcopenia refers to the age‐related loss of muscle mass. The literature suggests that the prevalence of sarcopenia in 60‐ to 70‐year‐olds is in the range of 5–13%. Prevalence estimates increase to 11–50% for the population aged 80 years or older. Estimates by the World Health Organization suggest that there were 600 million people aged 60 years or older in the year 2000, and that this number will increase to 1.2 billion by the year 2025. There are, however, limited published data on serial measures of muscle mass in older subjects to establish the age‐related changes in muscle mass and to relate this change with adverse health consequences. This review is focused on the definition, prevalence, symptoms, pharmacy and physical therapy of sarcopenia in older subjects with the aim of promoting the recognition and treatment of age‐related sarcopenia in the clinical setting. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 12: 388–396.
Negative emotion can enhance human motor cortical plasticity
Authors: Koganemaru Satoko , Domen Kazuhisa , Fukuyama Hidenao , Mima Tatsuya
Published: April 2012

Although emotion often primes us for action, its effects on the human motor system are not well understood. The relationship between emotion and motor plasticity also remains unclear, despite the close link between emotion and memory formation. Here, we tested the hypothesis that emotion modulates the plasticity of the human primary motor cortex, using the International Affective Picture System and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Intermittent theta‐burst stimulation was applied to the primary motor cortex to produce long‐term potentiation‐like changes in normal volunteers experimentally. Primary motor cortex plasticity was enhanced and sustained in both excitatory and inhibitory systems only when intermittent theta‐burst stimulation was combined with the presentation of pictures that induced negative, but not positive or neutral, emotion. Moreover, negative emotion was found to enhance the inhibitory networks within the primary motor cortex, and to improve motor behavior during the choice reaction‐time task. Our findings indicate that negative emotion can increase primary motor cortex plasticity by modulating the intracortical GABAergic system, as well asN‐methyl‐d‐aspartic acid receptor‐dependent changes. These findings could help to explain the physiological basis of abnormal motor symptoms in psychogenic movement disorders following emotional events.
BANKING SYSTEM CONCENTRATION AND LABOR MARKET PERFORMANCE IN INDUSTRIAL COUNTRIES
Authors: FELDMANN HORST
Published: April 2012

Using data on 21 industrial countries from the period 1987 to 2009 and a large number of controls, this paper finds that a more concentrated banking sector is likely to raise the unemployment rate and reduce the employment rate. The magnitude of these effects appears to be moderate. The results are robust to potential endogeneity of the bank concentration variable as well as to numerous variations in specification. They are important because, as a consequence of the recent global financial crisis, many industrial countries have experienced both an increase in banking system concentration and a deterioration in labor market performance. (JEL E24, G21, J64, L16)
Invasive species distribution models – how violating the equilibrium assumption can create new insights
Authors: Gallien Laure , Douzet Rolland , Pratte Steve , Zimmermann Niklaus E. , Thuiller Wilfried
Published: April 2012

Aim  Two core assumptions of species distribution models (SDMs) do not hold when modelling invasive species. Invasives are not in equilibrium with their environment and niche quantification and transferability in space and time are limited. Here, we test whether combining global‐ and regional‐scale data in a novel framework can overcome these limitations. Beyond simply improving regional niche modelling of non‐native species, the framework also makes use of the violation of regional equilibrium assumptions, and aims at estimating the stage of invasion, range filling and risk of spread in the near future for 27 invasive species in the French Alps.

Innovation  For each invader we built three sets of SDMs using a committee averaging method: one global model and two regional models (a conventional model and one using the global model output to weight pseudo‐absences). Model performances were compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, the true skill statistic, sensitivity and specificity scores. Then, we extracted the predictions for observed presences and compared them to global and regional models. This comparison made it possible to identify whether invasive species were observed within or outside of their regional and global niches.

Main conclusions  This study provides a novel methodological framework for improving the regional modelling of invasive species, where the use of a global model output to weight pseudo‐absences in a regional model significantly improved the predictive performance of regional SDMs. Additionally, the comparison of the global and regional model outputs revealed distinct patterns of niche estimates and range filling among the species. These differences allowed us to draw conclusions about the stage of invasion and the risk of spread in the near future, which both correspond to experts' expectations. This framework can be easily applied to a large number of species and is therefore useful for control of biological invasions and eradication planning.
Decentring poverty studies: Middle class alliances and the social construction of poverty
Authors: Lawson Victoria ,   with Middle Class Poverty Politics Research Group
Published: April 2012

Editors' Note: The following is the tenth in theSingapore Journal of Tropical Geography Lecture Series. It is based on the plenary presentation of 13 April at the AAG held in Seattle in 2011.

In this essay I explore relational poverty analysis to take seriously the spatially varied intersections of political‐economic, social ordering and cultural‐political processes in shaping understandings of poverty. My work as part of the Middle Class Poverty Politics Research Group employs a relational comparative methodology to theorize where, when and under what circumstances those framed as ‘middle class’ act in opposition to or in solidarity with those named as ‘poor’. Our approach focuses on the exploitative effects of capital accumulation, processes of unequal sociospatial categorization and political and discursive systems that limit or exclude the poor. Our research focuses on places experiencing capitalist crisis because intense periods of restructuring highlight material and discursive struggles over poverty. We conclude by identifying a research agenda focused on the ways in which poverty politics are constituted by the nonpoor through place and in the articulation of places with processes of political economy, governance and cultural politics.
Quality of Parent–Child Relations in Adolescence and Later Adult Parenting Outcomes
Authors: Friesen Myron D. , Woodward Lianne J. , Horwood L. John , Fergusson David M.
Published: April 2012

Data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 30‐year prospective longitudinal study, were used to examine the associations between the quality of parent–child relations in adolescence and adult parenting behaviour 15 years later. At ages 14 and 15 years, cohort members were interviewed about the quality of their relationship with their parents. At age 30, those who had become parents underwent a parenting assessment using self‐report and observational ratings of positive (warmth, sensitivity) and negative parenting (overreactive, inconsistency, and physical punishment/abuse). Results showed that adolescents who reported higher quality parent–child relationships were later characterized by higher levels of parental warmth, sensitivity, and effective child management, and lower levels of overreactive parenting. These associations remained after extensive covariate adjustment. Study findings highlight the importance of close parent–child relations during adolescence in preparing an individual for the challenges of caring for and parenting their own children when they themselves become parents.
Say ‘trouble’s gone’: chronic illness and employability in job training programmes
Authors: Tsui Emma K.
Published: April 2012

The concept of biographical disruption has unique relevance for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups who participate in entry‐level job training programmes. In these programmes trainees often suffer from various forms of chronic illness and must arrange these illnesses into a picture of employability. In this article I use ethnographic data and narrative analysis to examine closely two trainees’ illness‐related experiences, expressions and talk, and find that their ability to present their illnesses in ways that are consistent with programmatic goals is strongly influenced by family support, responsibilities and roles, as well as particular aspects of illness, like the interpretability of symptoms. I also find that the concept of biographical disruption has a curious traction in the world of job training, particularly among job training programme staff who would like to see trainees mobilise a variety of resources to help manage their illness. However, for trainees, many of whom have lived with chronic illness for years, the concept of biographical disruption may be more limited as a tool for understanding the experiences of illness. A more meaningful disruptive force in the lives of trainees appears to be the programme itself and the strategies for dealing with illness that programme staff may extend.
Through the magnifying glass: provincial aspects of industrial growth in post‐Unification Italy1
Authors: CICCARELLI CARLO , FENOALTEA STEFANO
Published: April 2012

This article presents estimates of industrial production in post‐Unification Italy's 69 provinces in the census years 1871, 1881, 1901, and 1911. Initially industry was largely artisanal, and located in the former political capitals; but even then the waterfalls of the subalpine north‐west attracted what factory industry there was. Contrary to widespread opinion, in the aftermath of Unification the industrial and overall growth leaders were actually in the south, where selected provinces reaped the gains from the freer foreign trade, and infrastructure investment, that accompanied the loss of independence. Over the later nineteenth century industry concentrated into the ‘industrial triangle’; but even there industrialization remained sharply local, and excluded the right bank of the upper Po. The early twentieth century, in turn, brought a measure of industrial diffusion—to the centre/north‐east, where it was tied to the production of perishables on recently improved land—and concentration within the north‐western triangle itself, into its major cities, as progress in energy transmission effectively moved the waterfalls into the plains.
Analyzing Disease Risks Associated with Translocations
Authors: SAINSBURY ANTHONY W. , VAUGHAN‐HIGGINS REBECCA J.
Published: April 2012

Abstract:  Translocations of species are expected to be used increasingly to counter the undesirable effects of anthropogenic changes to ecosystems, including loss of species. Methods to assess the risk of disease associated with translocations have been compiled in a comprehensive manual of disease‐risk analysis for movement of domestic animals. We used this manual to devise a qualitative method for assessing the probability of the occurrence of disease in wild animals associated with translocations. We adapted the method such that we considered a parasite (any agent of infectious or noninfectious disease) a hazard if it or the host had crossed an ecological or geographical barrier and was novel to the host. We included in our analyses hazards present throughout the translocation pathway derived from the interactions between host immunity and the parasite, the effect of parasites on populations, the effect of noninfectious disease agents, and the effect of stressors on host–parasite interactions. We used the reintroduction of Eurasian Cranes (Grus grus) to England to demonstrate our method. Of the 24 hazards identified, 1 was classified as high risk (coccidia) and 5 were medium risk (highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, Mycobacterium avium, Aspergillus fumigatus, tracheal worms [Syngamus sp. and Cyathostoma sp.], and Tetrameres spp.). Seventeen other hazards were considered low or very low risk. In the absence of better information on the number, identity, distribution, and pathogenicity of parasites of wild animals, there is uncertainty in the risk of disease to translocated animals and recipient populations. Surveys of parasites in source and destination populations and detailed health monitoring after release will improve the information available for future analyses of disease risk. We believe our method can be adapted to assess the risks of disease in other translocated populations.
The system epilepsies: A pathophysiological hypothesis
Authors: Avanzini Giuliano , Manganotti Paolo , Meletti Stefano , Moshé Solomon L. , Panzica Ferruccio , Wolf Peter , Capovilla Giuseppe
Published: April 2012

We postulate that “system epilepsies” (SystE) are due to an enduring propensity to generate seizures of functionally characterized brain systems. Data supporting this hypothesis—that some types of epilepsy depend on the dysfunction of specific neural systems—are reviewed. The SystE hypothesis may drive pathophysiologic and clinical studies that can advance our understanding of epilepsies and can open up new therapeutic perspectives.
Abnormalities of granule cell dendritic structure are a prominent feature of the intrahippocampal kainic acid model of epilepsy despite reduced postinjury neurogenesis
Authors: Murphy Brian L. , Hofacer Rylon D. , Faulkner Christian N. , Loepke Andreas W. , Danzer Steve C.
Published: April 2012

Purpose:  Aberrant plastic changes among adult‐generated hippocampal dentate granule cells are hypothesized to contribute to the development of temporal lobe epilepsy. Changes include formation of basal dendrites projecting into the dentate hilus. Innervation of these processes by granule cell mossy fiber axons leads to the creation of recurrent excitatory circuits within the dentate. The destabilizing effect of these recurrent circuits may contribute to hyperexcitability and seizures. Although basal dendrites have been identified in status epilepticus models of epilepsy associated with increased neurogenesis, we do not know whether similar changes are present in the intrahippocampal kainic acid model of epilepsy, which is associated with reduced neurogenesis.

Methods:  In the present study, we used Thy1‐YFP–expressing transgenic mice to determine whether hippocampal dentate granule cells develop hilar‐projecting basal dendrites in the intrahippocampal kainic acid model. Brain sections were examined 2 weeks after treatment. Tissue was also examined using ZnT‐3 immunostaining for granule cell mossy fiber terminals to assess recurrent connectivity. Adult neurogenesis was assessed using the proliferative marker Ki‐67 and the immature granule cell marker calretinin.

Key Findings:  Significant numbers of cells with basal dendrites were found in this model, but their structure was distinct from basal dendrites seen in other epilepsy models, often ending in complex tufts of short branches and spines. Even more unusual, a subset of cells with basal dendrites had an inverted appearance; they completely lacked apical dendrites. Spines on basal dendrites were found to be apposed to ZnT‐3 immunoreactive puncta, suggestive of recurrent mossy fiber input. Finally, YFP‐expressing abnormal granule cells did not colocalize Ki‐67 or calretinin, indicating that these cells were more than a few weeks old, but were found almost exclusively in proximity to the neurogenic subgranular zone, where the youngest granule cells are located.

Significance:  Recent studies have demonstrated in other models of epilepsy that dentate pathology develops following the aberrant integration of immature, adult‐generated granule cells. Given these findings, one might predict that the intrahippocampal kainic acid model of epilepsy, which is associated with a dramatic reduction in adult neurogenesis, would not exhibit these changes. Herein we demonstrate that hilar basal dendrites are a common feature of this model, with the abnormal cells likely resulting from the disruption of juvenile granule cell born in the weeks before the insult. These studies demonstrate that postinjury neurogenesis is not required for the accumulation of large numbers of abnormal granule cells.
Genetics and Peer Relations: A Review
Authors: Brendgen Mara
Published: April 2012

Researchers have become increasingly interested in uncovering how genetic factors work together with the peer environment in influencing development. This article offers an overview of the state of knowledge. It first describes the different types of gene‐environment correlations (rGE) and gene‐environment interactions (GxE) that are of relevance for understanding the role of peer relations as well as the two main methodologies of genetically informed research, that is, the quantitative genetic approach and molecular genetics. This is followed by an overview of recent studies that examined different mechanisms of gene‐environment interplay involving peer relations in childhood and adolescence. The article concludes with an outline of future directions in genetically informed peer relations research as well as the implications for theory and practice.