bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Proteomic profiling of acute coronary thrombosis reveals a local decrease in pigment epithelium-derived factor in acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Distelmaier Klaus , Adlbrecht Christopher , Jakowitsch Johannes , Wagner Oswald , Gerner Christopher , Lang Irene M. , Kubicek Markus
Published: February 2012

Thrombotic occlusion of an epicardial coronary artery on the grounds of atherosclerotic plaque is considered the ultimate step in AMI (acute myocardial infarction). However, the precise pathophysiological mechanisms underlying acute coronary occlusion are not fully understood. We have analysed proteomic profiles of systemic plasma and plasma derived from the site of coronary plaque rupture of non-diabetic patients with STEMI (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction). Label-free quantification of MS/MS (tandem MS) data revealed differential regulation of complement cascade components and a decrease in anti-thrombotic PEDF (pigment epithelium-derived factor) between CS (culprit site)-derived plasma and systemic plasma. PEDF, which is known to have a protective role in atherothrombosis, was relatively decreased at the CS, with a level of expression inverse to local MMP-9 (matrix metalloproteinase-9) activity. CS plasma displayed enhanced proteolytic activity towards PEDF. Proteomics of coronary thrombus aspirates indicate that PEDF processing is associated with coronary plaque rupture.
Reactions of Aniline with Copper(II) Compounds in Relation to the Formation of Copper-Polyaniline Composites
Authors: Le Cocq Adeline , Gizdavic-Nikolaidis Marija R. , Easteal Allan J. , Bowmaker Graham A.
Published: February 2012

Reactions of aniline with copper(ii) sulfate, chloride, or bromide in aqueous solution, yielded copper(ii)-aniline complexes, in contrast to previously reported studies, which claimed the formation of copper-polyaniline composites. The structure and morphology of the powder products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. An electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study was also carried out on the reaction products, confirming their characterization as copper(ii) compounds. None of the reaction products showed significant conductivity, and none of the copper(ii)/aniline reactions resulted in the formation of polyaniline, contrary to previous claims in the literature.
Agronomic characteristics of annual Trifolium legumes and nutritive values as predicted by near-infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy
Authors: Li X. , Ison R. L. , Kellaway R. C. , Stimson C. , Annison G. , Joyce D. C.
Published: February 2012

A range of annual legume genotypes comprising one line of Trifolium subterraneum, four lines of T. michelianum, 11 of T. resupinatum var. resupinatum, and one line of T. resupinatum var. majus were grown in glasshouses under temperature regimes of 10−15°C and 16−21°C. Dry matter (DM) weights of stem, leaf, and flower tissues were measured when plants had six nodes, at first flower appearance, and at senescence. All samples were scanned by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). One-third of the samples, covering the range of spectral characteristics, were analysed for in vitro digestible organic matter (DOMD), organic matter, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), lignin, cellulose, and the hemicellulosic polysaccharide monomers arabinose, xylose, mannose, galactose, and rhamnose. These data were used to develop calibration equations from which the composition of the remaining samples was predicted by NIRS. The higher temperature resulted in plants reaching respective phenological stages earlier, but did not affect either DM yields of total plant, stem, leaf, and petiole tissues or the proportions of each fraction. In vitro DOMD and arabinose and galactose levels decreased, while lignin, cellulose, NDF, xylose, mannose, and rhamnose levels increased with advancing maturity. In vitro DOMD was positively associated with contents of CP, arabinose, galactose, and the arabinose/xylose ratio and was negatively associated with contents of lignin, cellulose, NDF, xylose, mannose, and rhamnose. Lignin contents were highly correlated with levels of both xylose and mannose. Stems were more digestible than leaves in subterranean clover and T. resupinatum var. majus. The study also demonstrated that NIRS can be used routinely as a quick, inexpensive, and reliable laboratory technique to predict feed components of annual Trifolium legumes.
Effect of misfit strain on multiferroic and magnetoelectric properties of epitaxial La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/BaTiO3 bilayer
Authors: Li T X , Zhang M , Yu F J , Hu Z , Li K S , Yu D B , Yan H
Published: February 2012

La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/BaTiO3 (LSMO/BTO) bilayer films were grown on (0 0 1) oriented SrTiO3 (STO), LaAlO3 (LAO) and (LaAlO3)0.3(SrAl0.5Ta0.5O3)0.7 (LSAT) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The bilayer deposited on the LSAT substrate presented the best ferromagnetic properties due to the smallest lattice mismatch between LSAT and LSMO. However, the best ferroelectric properties and strongest magnetoelectric (ME) effect existed in the bilayer on the STO substrate due to the minimal compressive strain in the BTO film. All these showed similar frequency-dependent ME behaviour from 0.1 to 100 kHz, and the largest value of ME voltage coefficient (α
E
) was obtained on the STO substrate. The values of α
E
were around 263 mV cm−1 Oe−1, 202 mV cm−1 Oe−1 and 169 mV cm−1 Oe−1 at 1 kHz on STO, LSAT and LAO substrates, respectively, which were at least one order of magnitude higher than previously reported values for similar composites and were ascribed mainly to the rather low dielectric constant of the BTO film.
Thermally activated pop-in and indentation size effects in GaN films
Authors: Lu Jun-Yong , Ren Hang , Deng Dong-Mei , Wang Yong , Chen Kevin Jing , Lau Kei-May , Zhang Tong-Yi
Published: February 2012

Indentation tests on epitaxial GaN thin films, grown by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition on Si (1 1 1) substrate, were conducted at temperatures of 23, 100 and 180 °C. The first pop-in events were statistically analysed with Schuh's model and resulted in thermal activation energy of 850 ± 36 meV, activation volume of 10.8 ± 1.6 Å3 and frequency factor of 4.23 × 1021 m−3 s−1. In addition, the experimental results show that the critical force at the first pop-in event and the measured shear strength depend on the indenter tip radius.
Point-to-plane pulsed discharge initiated flame structure modification in propane–air flame
Authors: Schmidt Jacob B , Ganguly Biswa N
Published: February 2012

The units of thex-axis in figure 10 should be μs and not ms.
Cdc42p and Fus2p act together late in yeast cell fusion
Authors: Ydenberg Casey A. , Stein Richard A. , Rose Mark D.
Published: February 2012

Cell fusion is the key event of fertilization that gives rise to the diploid zygote and is a nearly universal aspect of eukaryotic biology. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, several mutants have been identified that are defective for cell fusion, and yet the molecular mechanism of this process remains obscure. One obstacle has been that genetic screens have mainly focused on mating-specific factors, whereas the process likely involves housekeeping proteins as well. Here we implicate Cdc42p, an essential protein with roles in multiple aspects of morphogenesis, as a core component of the yeast cell fusion pathway. We identify a point mutant in the Rho-insert domain of CDC42, called cdc42-138, which is specifically defective in cell fusion. The cell fusion defect is not a secondary consequence of ineffective signaling or polarization. Genetic and morphological data show that Cdc42p acts at a late stage in cell fusion in concert with a key cell fusion regulator, Fus2p, which contains a Dbl-homology domain. We find that Fus2p binds specifically with activated Cdc42p, and binding is blocked by the cdc42-138 mutation. Thus, in addition to signaling and morphogenetic roles in mating, Cdc42p plays a role late in cell fusion via activation of Fus2p.
EHD2 regulates caveolar dynamics via ATP-driven targeting and oligomerization
Authors: Morén Björn , Shah Claudio , Howes Mark T. , Schieber Nicole L. , McMahon Harvey T. , Parton Robert G. , Daumke Oliver , Lundmark Richard
Published: February 2012

Eps15 homology domain–containing 2 (EHD2) belongs to the EHD-containing protein family of dynamin-related ATPases involved in membrane remodeling in the endosomal system. EHD2 dimers oligomerize into rings on highly curved membranes, resulting in stimulation of the intrinsic ATPase activity. In this paper, we report that EHD2 is specifically and stably associated with caveolae at the plasma membrane and not involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis or endosomal recycling, as previously suggested. EHD2 interacts with pacsin2 and cavin1, and ordered membrane assembly of EHD2 is dependent on cavin1 and caveolar integrity. While the EHD of EHD2 is dispensable for targeting, we identified a loop in the nucleotide-binding domain that, together with ATP binding, is required for caveolar localization. EHD2 was not essential for the formation or shaping of caveolae, but high levels of EHD2 caused distortion and loss of endogenous caveolae. Assembly of EHD2 stabilized and constrained caveolae to the plasma membrane to control turnover, and depletion of EHD2, resulting in endocytic and more dynamic and short-lived caveolae. Thus, following the identification of caveolin and cavins, EHD2 constitutes a third structural component of caveolae involved in controlling the stability and turnover of this organelle.
Advances in Chinese Agriculture and its Global Implications
Authors: Carter Colin A. , Zhong Funing , Zhu Jing
Published: February 2012

In the past thirty years, China has made great strides in terms of boosting food production while simultaneously reducing the number of its rural poor. This success was largely accomplished through agricultural policy and trade reform, food market liberalization, and public investment in agricultural infrastructure and agricultural research. However, there is much more economic development work to be done in rural China, as issues such as an aging agricultural workforce, land‐use rights, and water shortages persist. At the same time, increased urbanization and the rising middle class are changing the demand for food in China. This article outlines the issues facing Chinese agriculture and connects those issues to the global marketplace.
Automatic recognition of conceptualization zones in scientific articles and two life science applications
Authors: Liakata Maria , Saha Shyamasree , Dobnik Simon , Batchelor Colin , Rebholz-Schuhmann Dietrich
Published: February 2012

Motivation: Scholarly biomedical publications report on the findings of a research investigation. Scientists use a well-established discourse structure to relate their work to the state of the art, express their own motivation and hypotheses and report on their methods, results and conclusions. In previous work, we have proposed ways to explicitly annotate the structure of scientific investigations in scholarly publications. Here we present the means to facilitate automatic access to the scientific discourse of articles by automating the recognition of 11 categories at the sentence level, which we call Core Scientific Concepts (CoreSCs). These include: Hypothesis, Motivation, Goal, Object, Background, Method, Experiment, Model, Observation, Result and Conclusion. CoreSCs provide the structure and context to all statements and relations within an article and their automatic recognition can greatly facilitate biomedical information extraction by characterizing the different types of facts, hypotheses and evidence available in a scientific publication.

Results: We have trained and compared machine learning classifiers (support vector machines and conditional random fields) on a corpus of 265 full articles in biochemistry and chemistry to automatically recognize CoreSCs. We have evaluated our automatic classifications against a manually annotated gold standard, and have achieved promising accuracies with ‘Experiment’, ‘Background’ and ‘Model’ being the categories with the highest F1-scores (76%, 62% and 53%, respectively). We have analysed the task of CoreSC annotation both from a sentence classification as well as sequence labelling perspective and we present a detailed feature evaluation. The most discriminative features are local sentence features such as unigrams, bigrams and grammatical dependencies while features encoding the document structure, such as section headings, also play an important role for some of the categories. We discuss the usefulness of automatically generated CoreSCs in two biomedical applications as well as work in progress.

Availability: A web-based tool for the automatic annotation of articles with CoreSCs and corresponding documentation is available online at http://www.sapientaproject.com/softwarehttp://www.sapientaproject.com also contains detailed information pertaining to CoreSC annotation and links to annotation guidelines as well as a corpus of manually annotated articles, which served as our training data.

Contact:  liakata@ebi.ac.uk

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Multiple Domains of the Tobacco mosaic virus p126 Protein Can Independently Suppress Local and Systemic RNA Silencing
Authors: Wang Li-Ya , Lin Shih-Shun , Hung Ting-Hsuan , Li Tsai-Kun , Lin Nai-Chun , Shen Tang-Long
Published: February 2012

Small RNA-mediated RNA silencing is a widespread antiviral mechanism in plants and other organisms. Many viruses encode suppressors of RNA silencing for counter-defense. The p126 protein encoded by Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) has been reported to be a suppressor of RNA silencing but the mechanism of its function remains unclear. This protein is unique among the known plant viral silencing suppressors because of its large size and multiple domains. Here, we report that the methyltransferase, helicase, and nonconserved region II (NONII) of p126 each has silencing-suppressor function. The silencing-suppression activities of methyltransferase and helicase can be uncoupled from their enzyme activities. Specific amino acids in NONII previously shown to be crucial for viral accumulation and symptom development are also crucial for silencing suppression. These results suggest that some viral proteins have evolved to possess modular structural domains that can independently interfere with host silencing, and that this may be an effective mechanism of increasing the robustness of a virus.
Use of Poultry Manure Combined with Soil Solarization as a Control Method for Meloidogyne incognita in Carnation
Authors: Melero-Vara J. M. , López-Herrera C. J. , Basallote-Ureba M. J. , Prados A. M. , Vela M. D. , Macias F. J. , Flor-Peregrín E. , Talavera M.
Published: February 2012

The effectiveness of a combination of soil solarization and poultry manure (raw or pelletized) amendments for the control of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) was tested in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) crops grown in in-ground beds under plastic-covered greenhouse conditions in southern Spain. Our trials demonstrated that soil solarization alone did not provide sufficient control of root-knot nematode, because the carnation growing season in this region only partly coincides with the most effective period for solarization, resulting in an insufficient duration of treatment during a key period for effectiveness. Chemical fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene + chloropicrin prior to planting was effective in reducing nematode population densities in soil. Its effects spanned 9 months after planting, resulting in acceptable crop yields. In comparison, the combination of soil solarization and raw or pelletized poultry manure was slightly less effective than chemical fumigation for control of this pathogen but crop yields after 9 months were similar. However, the higher root gall indices observed after 9 months, in comparison with chemically fumigated plots, indicated the need for a reapplication of the organic manure treatment at the start of each successive growing season.
AlloDerm and Strattice in Breast Reconstruction
Authors: Glasberg Scot B. , Light David
Published: February 2012

Background:

Acellular dermal matrices are increasingly used to reinforce the lower pole of the breast during tissue expander/implant breast reconstruction. Although a low complication rate and good aesthetic outcome have been reported, meticulous technique is important for success. This retrospective study compared the clinical course and postoperative outcome of women who underwent breast reconstruction using AlloDerm or Strattice in the authors' practice and highlights key technical considerations that are important for optimizing outcomes.

Methods:

Patient records were reviewed for demographic data, operative parameters (length and volume of drainage), and type and frequency of postoperative complications, which were compared between the AlloDerm and Strattice groups. Biopsy specimens of acellular dermal matrices were taken for histologic analyses.

Results:

Ninety-six patients (126 reconstructions) received AlloDerm, and 90 (144 reconstructions) received Strattice. Total complications were significantly higher with AlloDerm (21.4 percent versus 6.3 percent; p = 0.0003) and were driven by a significantly higher seroma rate (12.7 percent versus 1.4 percent; p = 0.0003). All other complications were similar between the groups. The capsular contracture rate (grade 1 or 2) was 2.4 percent with AlloDerm and 2.8 percent with Strattice, indicating that both may play a role in capsule formation. This was supported by histologic analyses indicating an absence of synovia-like metaplasia at the acellular dermal matrix/tissue expander interface.

Conclusions:

Complications in this series were of low severity, which, together with consistent clinical outcomes seen in the authors' practice, justifies the cost associated with the use of acellular dermal matrices in breast reconstruction.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic: III.
Simplifying Cheek Reconstruction
Authors: Rapstine Emily D. , Knaus William J. , Thornton James F.
Published: February 2012

Background:

The cheek is a vast, well-vascularized facial subunit defined by the preauricular crease laterally, the mandible inferiorly, the lips and nasolabial fold medially, and the orbit-cheek crease and zygomatic arch superiorly. Reconstruction of the cheek commonly takes advantage of skin laxity in older patients and the relaxed skin tension lines of the face. Poor reconstructive techniques can cause or exacerbate significant deformities, especially in the oral and ocular regions.

Methods:

Four hundred twenty-two cases of post-Mohs' cheek reconstruction were reviewed retrospectively. All cases were performed sequentially over 10 years by the senior author (J.F.T.). Indications, techniques, postoperative care, complications, and patient characteristics (e.g., age, sex, medical history, defect size, and skin quality) were taken into consideration for each case.

Results:

The procedures used for cheek reconstruction included direct closure (53 percent), cervicofacial advancement flaps (19 percent), perialar crescentic advancement flaps (8 percent), full-thickness skin grafting (8 percent), V-Y advancement flaps (2 percent), and free flaps (1 percent). Although no attempt was made to modify patients' anticoagulation status before surgery, no hematomas were reported. Nine patients had multiple procedures for cancer recurrence or new defects, and all but four operations were performed at a university hospital outpatient surgery center. Seventeen total complications were noted from distal flap necrosis (n = 2), ectropion (n = 7), wound healing (n = 7), and compromised vascular supply (n = 1).

Conclusion:

Knowledge of aesthetic considerations and appropriate use of operative techniques yield optimum cheek reconstruction defined by successful wound closure, thoughtful scar placement, and minimal postoperative complications.
‘Making Pies’—A Way of Exploring Pupils’ Views on Curriculum Innovation
Authors: Souza Ana , Downey Chris , Byrne Jenny
Published: February 2012

This article examines the use of focus groups (FGs) as a way of gathering pupils’ views on the implementation of new curricula. We provide illustrations of creative activities, which were especially designed for a case‐study research project exploring the views of 11‐year‐old pupils in English schools adopting an innovative approach to the Year 7 curriculum. We argue that combining FGs with creative methods encourages pupils to take an active role in interviews, enriches the quality of the data being collected and enhances the place of FGs as important tools in eliciting pupils’ voices for both research and curriculum planning purposes.
Invertebrate feeding and emergence timing vary among streams along a gradient of riparian forest composition
Authors: KOMINOSKI JOHN S. , LARRAÑAGA SANTIAGO , RICHARDSON JOHN S.
Published: February 2012

1. The quality of allochthonous organic matter influences the transfer of energy and nutrients through recipient food webs. We investigated the effects of variation in the composition of riparian forests (deciduous, mixed, coniferous) on the elemental imbalance between basal resources and consumers in streams, on consumer feeding and on potential feedbacks to riparian systems via emergent aquatic insects.

2. We tested for differences in elemental stoichiometry (carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus; C/N/P) and stable isotopes (∂13C and ∂15N) between deciduous (red alder, Alnus rubra) and coniferous litter (western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla) and among abundant stream invertebrates from streams draining different riparian forests (deciduous, mixed, coniferous). We then assessed shredder feeding preferences (of the trichopteran, Lepidostoma unicolor) for litter incubated in streams with these different forest types and quantified differences in emergence of aquatic and semiaquatic insects among streams.

3. Both initial (non‐incubated) and stream‐incubated A. rubra litter had lower C/N and C/P and were more depleted in ∂13C and more enriched in ∂15N, than T. heterophylla litter. The stoichiometry of invertebrate tissue did not vary significantly among taxa or with riparian forest composition. A predator (the plecopteran Chloroperlidae) and a collector‐gatherer (the ephemeropteran Paraleptophlebia gregalis) from mixed and coniferous forest streams were more enriched in ∂13C and ∂15N isotopes than those from deciduous streams, suggesting that low availability of palatable, N‐rich A. rubra litter may constrain energy flow and nutrient fluxes up through the food web in systems with little or no A. rubra.

4. Consumption of A. rubra litter by L. unicolor was most rapid when the litter had been incubated in streams draining deciduous forests, whereas consumption of T. heterophylla litter was not influenced by the composition of the riparian forest.

5. Peak insect emergence from coniferous forest streams occurred 1 month earlier and at 2–3× higher density than from mixed and deciduous‐forest streams, but total biomass of emerging insects throughout the study period was not different between forest types. Assemblages of emerging insects were different between deciduous and coniferous forest streams, and taxon richness and diversity were nearly 2× greater from deciduous than from coniferous forest streams.

6. Forest composition influences stream invertebrate feeding and could have reciprocal feedbacks onto riparian systems via altered insect emergence.
Immunohistochemical analysis of pulpal regeneration by nestin expression in replanted teeth
Authors: Lee Y. , Go E. J. , Jung H. S. , Kim E. , Jung I. Y. , Lee S. J.
Published: February 2012

Lee Y, Go EJ, Jung HS, Kim E, Jung IY, Lee SJ. Immunohistochemical analysis of pulpal regeneration by nestin expression in replanted teeth. International Endodontic Journal, 45, 652–659, 2012.

Aim  To investigate dental pulp healing after tooth replantation in rats using nestin as an odontoblastic marker for immunohistochemical analysis.

Methodology  Twenty‐five maxillary right first molars from 25 female Sprague‐Dawley rats, aged 4 weeks post‐natally, were extracted and immediately repositioned in the original socket within 5 s. Five rats each were later killed on days 3, 5 and weeks 1, 2 and 4. The maxillae were removed en bloc and the tissue samples containing the maxillary right first molars were decalcified, sectioned, mounted and stained with anti‐nestin antibody to be observed under a light microscope.

Results  At 3 days after replantation, there was a localized inflammatory reaction, but pulp revascularization and healing had begun in the root area. At 5 days after replantation, odontoblast‐like cells were observed. Reparative dentine deposition was observed beneath the pulp‐dentine border from 1 week after replantation, and gradually increased until 2 weeks after replantation. The presence of odontoblast‐like cells and the formation of reparative dentine continued from the first week throughout the experimental period. At week four, deposition of osteodentine and cementum‐like tissues were observed.

Conclusions  Pulpal mineralization after replantation initially occurred via the deposition of reparative dentine, followed by the deposition of osteodentine and cementum‐like tissues in rat teeth.
Differential expression profiling of orange‐spotted grouper larvae, Epinephelus coioides (Hamilton), that survived a betanodavirus outbreak
Authors: Wu M‐S , Chen C‐W , Lin C‐H , Tzeng C‐S , Chang C‐Y
Published: February 2012

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV), a piscine nodavirus, has caused serious viral nervous necrosis and viral encephalopathy and retinopathy in hatchery‐reared larvae and juveniles of a wide range of marine teleost species worldwide in the last two decades. Although the mortality of NNV‐infected larvae is nearly 100%, there are still some larvae that survive this catastrophe. To comprehensively understand the variations of these survivors at the molecular level, we collected orange‐spotted grouper larvae that survived an NNV outbreak in an indoor hatchery in southern Taiwan to study differential gene expression. Healthy larvae with high, medium and low levels of detected NNV were compared with morbid larvae using a 9600‐clone‐containing grouper larva cDNA microarray, and differential gene expression was further confirmed by a quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Significant variation exists in healthy larvae. The following genes were upregulated: adenylate kinase 1‐2, myosin binding protein H‐like, myosin light chain 2, myosin light chain 3, tropomyosin, fast/white muscle troponin T embryonic isoform, and parvalbumin 1 and 2 genes. The following genes were downregulated: apolipoprotein A‐I, trypsinogen, pyruvate kinase and astacin‐like metalloprotease. Moreover, immunoglobulin M heavy chain gene transcription was significantly higher in healthy larvae that had high virus levels, indicating that humoral immunity might protect organisms from viral infection. These results suggest that some non‐immune‐related genes may have played important roles in survival during the larval metamorphosis stage, after betanodavirus infection.
A carbohydrate supply and demand model of vegetative growth: response to temperature and light
Authors: GENT MARTIN P. N. , SEGINER IDO
Published: February 2012

Photosynthesis is the limiting factor in crop growth models, but metabolism may also limit growth. We hypothesize that, over a wide range of temperature, growth is the minimum of the supply of carbohydrate from photosynthesis, and the demand of carbohydrate to synthesize new tissue. Biosynthetic demand limits growth at cool temperatures and increases exponentially with temperature. Photosynthesis limits growth at warm temperatures and decreases with temperature. Observations of tomato seedlings were used to calibrate a model based on this hypothesis. Model predictions were tested with published data for growth and carbohydrate content of sunflower and wheat. The model qualitatively fitted the response of growth of tomato and sunflower to both cool and warm temperatures. The transition between demand and supply limitation occurred at warmer temperatures under higher light and faster photosynthesis. Modifications were required to predict the observed non‐structural carbohydrate (NSC). Some NSC was observed at warm temperatures, where demand should exceed supply. It was defined as a required reserve. Less NSC was found at cool temperatures than predicted from the difference between supply and demand. This was explained for tomato and sunflower, by feedback inhibition of NSC on photosynthesis. This inhibition was much less in winter wheat.
Ornithine‐delta‐aminotransferase and proline dehydrogenase genes play a role in non‐host disease resistance by regulating pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate metabolism‐induced hypersensitive response
Authors: SENTHIL‐KUMAR MUTHAPPA , MYSORE KIRANKUMAR S.
Published: February 2012

Non‐host disease resistance involves the production of hypersensitive response (HR), a programmed cell death (PCD) that occurs at the site of pathogen infection. Plant mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and red‐ox changes play a major role in regulating such cell death. Proline catabolism reactions, especially pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate (P5C) accumulation, are known to produce ROS and contribute to cell death. Here we studied important genes related to proline synthesis and catabolism in the defence against host and non‐host strains of Pseudomonas syringae in Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis. Our results show that ornithine delta‐aminotransferase (δOAT) and proline dehydrogenases (ProDH1 and ProDH2) are involved in the defence against non‐host pathogens. Silencing of these genes in N. benthamiana delayed occurrence of HR and favoured non‐host pathogen growth. Arabidopsis mutants for these genes compromised non‐host resistance and showed a decrease in non‐host pathogen‐induced ROS. Some of the genes involved in proline metabolism were also induced by a pathogen‐carrying avirulence gene, indicating that proline metabolism is influenced during effector‐triggered immunity (ETI). Our results demonstrate that δOAT and ProDH enzyme‐mediated steps produce ROS in mitochondria and regulate non‐host HR, thus contributing to non‐host resistance in plants.
Comparison of chest radiograph scoring to lung weight as a quantitative index of pulmonary edema in organ donors
Authors: Ware Lorraine B. , Neyrinck Arne , O’Neal Hollis R. , Lee Jae Woo , Landeck Megan , Johnson Elizabeth , Calfee Carolyn S. , Matthay Michael A. ,   the California Transplant Donor Network
Published: February 2012

Ware LB, Neyrinck A, O’Neal HR, Lee JW, Landeck M, Johnson E, Calfee CS, Matthay MA and the California Transplant Donor Network. Comparison of chest radiograph scoring to lung weight as a quantitative index of pulmonary edema in organ donors.

Abstract:  Quantification of the degree of pulmonary edema in organ donors is useful for assessing the clinical severity of pulmonary edema, determining response to therapy, and as an endpoint for therapeutic trials. Currently, there is no accurate non‐invasive method for assessing the degree of pulmonary edema. We tested the performance of a four‐quadrant chest radiographic scoring system compared to quantification of pulmonary edema by excised lung weight in 84 donors whose lungs were not used for transplantation. Chest radiographs were taken 3.6 ± 3.0 h prior to organ procurement and were scored by two of the authors. Lungs were excised without perfusion and individually weighed. The chest radiographic scoring system had good performance: correlation between total radiographic score and total lung weight of 0.61, p < 0.001. Performance of the scoring system was improved when chest radiographs with atelectasis were excluded (r = 0.79, p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve for the detection of moderate pulmonary edema (total lung weight >1000 g) was 0.80. This chest radiographic scoring system may potentially be used to assess the clinical severity of pulmonary edema and may be useful as part of the evaluation of donors for suitability for lung transplantation.
A new calorie‐free sugar substitute from the leaf of the stevia plant arrives in the UK
Authors: Boileau A. , Fry J. C. , Murray R.
Published: February 2012

Stevia‐based sweeteners are beginning to enter the UK market following approval for use in the European Union in late 2011. Intensely sweet compounds, called steviol glycosides, are purified from the leaves of the stevia plant to result in a sweetener of natural origin that is about 200 times as sweet as sucrose. The scientific community has been aware of stevia for more than 100 years, yet the case for safety was not made until after reliable purity specifications were established and research results were available that closed safety gaps to the satisfaction of regulators. In food and beverage formulations, steviol glycosides exhibit characteristic behaviours and successful formulation is dependent upon understanding and managing these attributes. Steviol glycosides are particularly well suited for a variety of beverage and dairy applications, confectionery and several other foods. This is in part caused by steviol glycosides' high degree of stability in food processing. Stevia‐based sweeteners offer exciting potential for use as an innovative solution for calorie and sugar reduction.
Functional variability of the Lr34 durable resistance gene in transgenic wheat
Authors: Risk Joanna M. , Selter Liselotte L. , Krattinger Simon G. , Viccars Libby A. , Richardson Terese M. , Buesing Gabriele , Herren Gerhard , Lagudah Evans S. , Keller Beat
Published: February 2012

Breeding for durable disease resistance is challenging, yet essential to improve crops for sustainable agriculture. The wheat Lr34 gene is one of the few cloned, durable resistance genes in plants. It encodes an ATP binding cassette transporter and has been a source of resistance against biotrophic pathogens, such as leaf rust (Puccinina triticina), for over 100 years. As endogenous Lr34 confers quantitative resistance, we wanted to determine the effects of transgenic Lr34 with specific reference to how expression levels affect resistance. Transgenic Lr34 wheat lines were made in two different, susceptible genetic backgrounds. We found that the introduction of the Lr34 resistance allele was sufficient to provide comparable levels of leaf rust resistance as the endogenous Lr34 gene. As with the endogenous gene, we observed resistance in seedlings after cold treatment and in flag leaves of adult plants, as well as Lr34‐associated leaf tip necrosis. The transgene‐based Lr34 resistance did not involve a hypersensitive response, altered callose deposition or up‐regulation of PR genes. Higher expression levels compared to endogenous Lr34 were observed in the transgenic lines both at seedling as well as adult stage and some improvement of resistance was seen in the flag leaf. Interestingly, in one genetic background the transgenic Lr34‐based resistance resulted in improved seedling resistance without cold treatment. These data indicate that functional variability in Lr34‐based resistance can be created using a transgenic approach.
Time‐of‐day effects in arousal: disrupted diurnal cortisol profiles in children with ADHD
Authors: Imeraj Lindita , Antrop Inge , Roeyers Herbert , Swanson James , Deschepper Ellen , Bal Sarah , Deboutte Dirk
Published: February 2012

Background:  Fluctuations in attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms related to regulatory deficits in arousal states are themselves characterized by circadian rhythms. Although cortisol is an important circadian arousal‐related marker, studies focusing on across‐the‐day cortisol variations in ADHD are scarce. There is no study with multiple measurements to take into account interday and intraday variability.

Methods:  Salivary cortisol was sampled five times a day (awakening, 30 min after awakening, noon, 4 p.m., 8 p.m.) across five consecutive days in 33 children with ADHD (22 with and 11 without oppositional defiant disorder; ODD) and 33 class‐ and sex‐matched controls (aged 6–12). The cortisol awakening response (increase from awakening to 30 min after awakening) and the diurnal cortisol profile (across‐the‐day variations) were compared for ADHD with ODD (ADHD + ODD) and without ODD (ADHD) subgroups and the control group.

Results:  The cortisol awakening response was not significantly different between groups. However, longitudinal analyses to evaluate cortisol profiles across the day revealed a significant Group × Time effect (p < .001). More specifically, compared to each other, the ADHD subgroup showed a flatter slope with relative morning hypo‐arousal and evening hyperarousal, whereas the ADHD + ODD subgroup showed a steeper slope with relative morning hyperarousal and evening hypo‐arousal (p < .001).

Conclusions:  Findings support time‐related arousal disruptions in children with ADHD associated with the presence or absence of ODD comorbidity. We recommend research on cortisol in larger samples for a better understanding of arousal mechanisms involved in ADHD not only with and without ODD but also with other comorbidities which may have implications for timing of arousal‐based treatments.
First trimester maternal serum free β‐human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy‐associated plasma protein A in pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus
Authors: Savvidou MD , Syngelaki A , Muhaisen M , Emelyanenko E , Nicolaides KH
Published: February 2012

Please cite this paper as: Savvidou M, Syngelaki A, Muhaisen M, Emelyanenko E, Nicolaides K. First trimester maternal serum free β‐human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy‐associated plasma protein A in pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus. BJOG 2012;119:410–416.

Objective  To investigate whether markers of first trimester screening for aneuploidies, including fetal nuchal translucency (NT), maternal serum free β‐human chorionic gonadotropin (β‐hCG) and pregnancy‐associated plasma protein A (PAPP‐A), are altered in women with pre‐existing type‐1 and type‐2 diabetes mellitus, and in women that subsequently develop gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Design  Retrospective analysis of prospective combined screening for aneuploidies in singleton pregnancies at 11+0–13+6 weeks of gestation.

Setting  Antenatal clinic.

Population  Singleton pregnancies at 11+0–13+6 weeks of gestation resulting in the delivery of phenotypically normal neonates. The study included 194 women with type‐1 diabetes, 122 women with type‐2 diabetes, 779 women who developed GDM and 41 007 non‐diabetic controls.

Methods  Maternal free β‐hCG and PAPP‐A levels were expressed as multiples of the respective normal median (MoM), and fetal NT was expressed as a difference from the expected median (Δ).

Main outcome measures  Comparison of median MoM maternal free β‐hCG and PAPP‐A, and fetal NT, in the four outcome groups.

Results  There were no significant differences between the groups in median ΔNT and maternal free β‐hCG MoM. Maternal median PAPP‐A in type‐2 diabetes, compared with the non‐diabetic group, was reduced (0.75 MoM, IQR 0.50–1.09 MoM versus 1.00 MoM, IQR 0.68–1.42 MoM; P < 0.001), which resulted in doubling in the false‐positive rate in the combined screening in this population. There were no significant differences in maternal PAPP‐A between the other groups.

Conclusions  In women with type‐2 diabetes, the estimation of accurate patient‐specific risk in the first trimester combined screening for aneuploidies necessitates an adjustment of maternal serum PAPP‐A.
Evaluating treatment integrity across interventions aimed at social and emotional skill development in learners with emotional and behaviour disorders
Authors: Wheeler John J. , Mayton Michael R. , Ton Julie , Reese Joshua E.
Published: February 2012

This study contributes to the existing literature on treatment integrity (TI) by presenting TI findings across interventions aimed at the development of social emotional skills in learners with emotional and behavioural disorders. Social and emotional skills were selected as the target for our investigation given the significance of these skills in relation to the academic and behavioural success of learners and the challenges most often faced in these skill areas by students with emotional and behaviour disorders (E/BD). The study analysed single‐subject experimental studies from 2000 to 2009 in two leading journals in the field of emotional and behaviour disorders: Behavior Disorders and The Journal of Emotional Behavioral Disorders. The degree to which studies operationally defined independent variables and evaluated and reported measures of treatment integrity and associated risk factors is reported. Thirty‐three studies met the inclusion criteria for the present study and TI was evaluated across six variables (1) year published, (2) dependent variable(s), (3) independent variables(s), (4) participant characteristics, (5) treatment agent and (6) assessment of TI. Results indicated that approximately 49% of the studies monitored and reported TI, meaning that they provided a description of the TI procedure and resultant data. Findings from the study point to the need for attention to TI both in the description of methods used and in the reporting of TI data.
Activation of transient receptor potential A1 by a non‐pungent capsaicin‐like compound, capsiate
Authors: Shintaku Kenji , Uchida Kunitoshi , Suzuki Yoshiro , Zhou Yiming , Fushiki Tohru , Watanabe Tatsuo , Yazawa Susumu , Tominaga Makoto
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Capsiate is produced by ‘CH‐19 Sweet’ (Capsicum annuun L.), a non‐pungent cultivar of red pepper. Like capsaicin, capsiate is thought to enhance energy metabolism by activating the sympathetic nervous system and suppressing inflammation, but the underlying mechanisms for this are uncertain. We previously reported that capsiate could activate transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a capsaicin receptor. The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether capsinoids activate other TRP channels.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Using Ca2+ imaging and whole‐cell patch‐clamp methods, we analysed the response of TRP channels to three kinds of capsinoids, capsiate, dihydrocapsiate and nordihydrocapsiate, in HEK293T cells expressing TRP channels or in primary cultures of mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons.

KEY RESULTS We found that in both cell types TRP ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) had a slightly weaker response to capsinoids compared with TRPV1, with the capsiate EC50 for TRPA1 activation being more than that for TRPV1 activation, and that the capsinoid‐evoked action was blocked by a specific TRPA1 antagonist. TRPA1 was activated by capsinoids, but not by their degradation products. Amino acids known to participate in TRPA1 activation following cysteine covalent modification or zinc treatment were not involved in the activation of TRPA1 by capsinoid.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Taken together, these results indicate that capsinoids activate TRPA1 by an as yet unknown mechanism, and TRPA1 could be involved in physiological phenomena associated with capsinoid treatment.
A naturally occurring naringenin derivative exerts potent bone anabolic effects by mimicking oestrogen action on osteoblasts
Authors: Swarnkar Gaurav , Sharan Kunal , Siddiqui Jawed A , Mishra Jay Sharan , Khan Kainat , Khan Mohd Parvez , Gupta Varsha , Rawat Preeti , Maurya Rakesh , Dwivedi Anil K , Sanyal Sabyasachi , Chattopadhyay Naibedya
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Naringenin and its derivatives have been assessed in bone health for their oestrogen‐‘like’ effects but low bioavailability impedes clinical potential. This study was aimed at finding a potent form of naringenin with osteogenic action.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Osteoblast cultures were harvested from mouse calvaria to study differentiation by naringenin, isosakuranetin, poncirin, phloretin and naringenin‐6‐C‐glucoside (NCG). Balb/cByJ ovariectomized (OVx) mice without or with osteopenia were given naringenin, NCG, 17β‐oestradiol (E2) or parathyroid hormone (PTH). Efficacy was evaluated by bone microarchitecture using microcomputed tomography and determination of new bone formation by fluorescent labelling of bone. Plasma levels of NCG and naringenin were determined by HPLC.

KEY RESULTS NCG stimulated osteoblast differentiation more potently than naringenin, while isosakuranetin, poncirin or phloretin had no effect. NCG had better oral bioavailability than naringenin. NCG increased the mRNA levels of oestrogen receptors (ERs) and bone morphogenetic protein (an ER responsive gene) in vivo, more than naringenin. In OVx mice, NCG treatment in a preventive protocol increased bone formation rate (BFR) and improved trabecular microarchitecture more than naringenin or E2. In osteopenic mice, NCG but not naringenin, in a therapeutic protocol, increased BFR and improved trabecular microarchitecture, comparable with effects of PTH treatment. Stimulatory effects of NCG on osteoblasts were abolished by an ER antagonist. NCG transactivated ERβ but not ERα. NCG exhibited no uterine oestrogenicity unlike naringenin.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS NCG is a potent derivative of naringenin that has bone anabolic action through the activation of osteoblast ERs and exhibited substantial oral bioavailability.
Agonist‐dependent modulation of arterial endothelinA receptor function
Authors: Compeer MG , Meens MJPMT , Hackeng TM , Neugebauer WA , Höltke C , De Mey JGR
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) causes long‐lasting vasoconstrictions. These can be prevented by ETA receptor antagonists but are only poorly reversed by these drugs. We tested the hypothesis that endothelin ETA receptors are susceptible to allosteric modulation by endogenous agonists and exogenous ligands.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Rat isolated mesenteric resistance arteries were pretreated with capsaicin and studied in wire myographs, in the presence of L‐NAME and indomethacin to concentrate on arterial smooth muscle responses.

KEY RESULTS Endothelins caused contractions with equal maximum but differing potency (ET‐1 = ET‐2 > ET‐3). ET‐11–15 neither mimicked nor antagonized these effects in the absence and presence of ET16–21. 4AlaET‐1 (ETB agonist) and BQ788 (ETB antagonist) were without effects. BQ123 (peptide ETA antagonist) reduced the sensitivity and relaxed the contractile responses to endothelins. Both effects depended on the agonist (pKB: ET‐3 = ET‐1 > ET‐2; % relaxation: ET‐3 = ET‐2 > ET‐1). Also, with PD156707 (non‐peptide ETA antagonist) agonist‐dependence and a discrepancy between preventive and inhibitory effects were observed. The latter was even more marked with bulky analogues of BQ123 and PD156707.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These findings indicate allosteric modulation of arterial smooth muscle ETA receptor function by endogenous agonists and by exogenous endothelin receptor antagonists. This may have consequences for the diagnosis and pharmacotherapy of diseases involving endothelins.