bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Role of High‐Sensitivity C‐Reactive Protein and B‐Type Natriuretic Peptide in Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillator Patients
Authors: THEUNS DOMINIC A. M. J. , SMITH TIM , SZILI‐TOROK TAMAS , MUSKENS‐HEEMSKERK, R. N. AGNES , JANSE PETTER , JORDAENS LUC
Published: December 2011

Background:

High‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) and B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) are useful biomarkers for cardiovascular risk stratification. Little data are available regarding the prognostic value of hs‐CRP and BNP serum levels and future ventricular arrhythmic events triggering implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy.

Methods:

A total of 100 patients eligible for ICD implantation were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Serum levels of hs‐CRP and BNP were obtained the day before ICD implantation and at scheduled follow‐up visits. For risk analysis, the study cohort was dichotomized based on serum level of hs‐CRP using a cut‐off value of 3 mg/L. The endpoint was appropriate ICD therapy triggered by ventricular arrhythmias during a follow‐up of 24 months.

Results:

Appropriate ICD therapy was delivered in 20% of patients. Median baseline serum level of hs‐CRP was significantly higher in patients with appropriate ICD therapy than in those without appropriate ICD therapy (5.33 mg/L vs 2.19 mg/L; P = 0.002). The same was true for median serum levels of hs‐CRP and BNP during follow‐up (5.43 mg/L vs 2.61 mg/L, P = 0.001 and 261.0 pg/mL vs 80.1 pg/mL, P = 0.01, respectively). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that baseline hs‐CRP level > 3 mg/L was independently associated with appropriate ICD therapy (odds ratio 4.0, 95% 1.1–14.2; P = 0.03).

Conclusion:

Elevated preimplantation hs‐CRP serum level is independently associated with increased risk for appropriate ICD therapy. Monitoring for elevated BNP levels during follow‐up adds to the assessment of risk for future arrhythmias. (PACE 2011;1–8)
Implantable Defibrillator Electrograms and Origin of Left Ventricular Impulses: An Analysis of Regionalization Ability and Visual Spatial Resolution
Authors: ALMENDRAL JESÚS , ATIENZA FELIPE , EVERSS ESTRELLA , CASTILLA LORETO , GONZALEZ‐TORRECILLA ESTEBAN , ORMAETXE JOSÉ , ARENAL ANGEL , ORTIZ MERCEDES , SANROMÁN‐JUNQUERA MARGARITA , MORA‐JIMÉNEZ INMACULADA , BELLON JOSÉ M. , ROJO JOSÉ L.
Published: December 2011

ICD Electrograms and Origin of Impulses. Introduction: The implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) electrogram (EG) is a documentation of ventricular tachycardia. We prospectively analyzed EGs from ICD electrodes located at the right ventricle apex to establish (1) ability to regionalize origin of left ventricle (LV) impulses, and (2) spatial resolution to distinguish between paced sites. Methods and Results: LV electro‐anatomic maps were generated in 15 patients. ICD‐EGs were recorded during pacing from 22 ± 10 LV sites. Voltage of far‐field EG deflections (initial, peak, final) and time intervals between far‐field and bipolar EGs were measured. Blinded visual analysis was used for spatial resolution. Initial deflections were more negative and initial/peak ratios were larger for lateral versus septal and superior versus inferior sites. Time intervals were shorter for apical versus basal and septal versus lateral sites. Best predictive cutoff values were voltage of initial deflection <–1.24 mV, and initial/peak ratio >0.45 for a lateral site, voltage of final deflection <–0.30 for an inferior site, and time interval <80 milliseconds for an apical site. In a subsequent group of 9 patients, these values predicted correctly paced site location in 54–75% and tachycardia exit site in 60–100%. Recognition of paced sites as different by EG inspection was 91% accurate. Sensitivity increased with distance (0.96 if ≥ 2 cm vs 0.84 if < 2 cm, P  <  0.001) and with presence of low‐voltage tissue between sites (0.94 vs 0.88, P  <  0.001). Conclusions: Standard ICD‐EG analysis can help regionalize LV sites of impulse formation. It can accurately distinguish between 2 sites of impulse formation if they are ≥2 cm apart. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 506‐514, May 2012)
CuInS2/N3 Co‐Sensitized ZnO Nanorods with Improved Photovoltaic Properties for Solar Cells
Authors: Li Yabin , Liu Zhifeng , Liu Chengcheng , Ya Jing , E Lei , Zhao Wei , Chen Qian , Bai Junyu
Published: December 2011

Uniform core/shell nanostructure of ZnO/CuInS2 nanorods was synthesized using ZnO nanorod arrays as reactive templates via solution reaction. The N3 dye was sequentially assembled on the ZnO/CuInS2 arrays to construct a cascading co‐sensitized nanomaterial as photoanode of solar cell. Formation process of CuInS2/ZnO nanostructure and the mechanism of CuInS2 and N3 co‐sensitization were discussed. The I–V characteristic measurement indicates an enhanced efficiency by 24.8% as compared to single sensitized by N3 due to abundant light harvesting, higher chemical instability of ZnO/CuInS2 in acid dye, fast injection and transmission velocity, and the slowdown recombination of photo‐excited electrons, simultaneously.
Global Functioning and Suicide Among Chinese Rural Population Aged 15–34 Years: A Psychological Autopsy Case‐Control Study*
Authors: Jia Cun‐Xian , Zhang Jie
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  As the relationship between global functioning and young suicide remains unclear in rural China, this study was aimed to explore the relationship between them. Data of 391 rural suicides and 416 controls, all aged 15–34 years in three provinces in China were used for this study. The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale was adopted to assess global functioning of suicides and controls. The results showed that GAF score was stronger than mental illness in predicting suicide in China. Different correlates of GAF score were found between suicides and controls. Unsurprisingly, GAF score was significantly correlated with mental illness in both suicides and controls. Different characteristics were also found among three types of suicide which were classified using GAF score. Assessing global functioning is useful and GAF scale should be regularly used in suicide prevention practice.
Development of a Fast, Simple Profiling Method for Sample Screening Using High Resolution Melting (HRM) of STRs*
Authors: Nicklas Janice A. , Noreault‐Conti Trisha , Buel Eric
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  A screening assay has been developed to provide preliminary individualization of crime scene samples thus eliminating expensive, time‐consuming short tandem repeat (STR) profiling of nonprobative samples. High resolution melting performed in a real‐time PCR instrument is used to detect the slight melting differences between the length and sequence variations of 22 forensic STRs. Three STRs (vWA, D18S51, THO1) were chosen to develop an assay which was optimized for Mg++ concentration, annealing/extension time/temperature, assay volume, and bovine serum albumin addition. The assay was tested for reproducibility, uniformity for genotype, melting profile consistency, effects of inhibitors, and mixture effects. The assay could be used to determine DNA concentration when a standard curve is run simultaneously. Calculations of costs show that the assay can save significant time and money for a crime with many samples or suspects.
Facial Symmetry in Robust Anthropometrics*
Authors: Kalina Jan
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  Image analysis methods commonly used in forensic anthropology do not have desirable robustness properties, which can be ensured by robust statistical methods. In this paper, the face localization in images is carried out by detecting symmetric areas in the images. Symmetry is measured between two neighboring rectangular areas in the images using a new robust correlation coefficient, which down‐weights regions in the face violating the symmetry. Raw images of faces without usual preliminary transformations are considered. The robust correlation coefficient based on the least weighted squares regression yields very promising results also in the localization of such faces, which are not entirely symmetric. Standard methods of statistical machine learning are applied for comparison. The robust correlation analysis can be applicable to other problems of forensic anthropology.
Direct and indirect top‐down effects of previous contact with an enemy on the feeding behavior of blowfly larvae
Authors: Reigada Carolina , Godoy Wesley A. C.
Published: December 2011

We investigated the addition of a trophic level to a simple food web. Direct and indirect effects caused by the presence of a new species in the food web were quantified by estimating survival and consumption rates on the basal resource. We focused on a blowfly intraguild prey–predator system with various ecological interactions taking place during the larval period. The experiments were designed to set Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) as the intraguild prey and Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) as the intraguild predator and/or cannibal. The generalist pupal parasitoid Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) was introduced into the system during a non‐susceptible life stage of the interacting blowfly species. The cascading parasitoid effects induced behavioral changes in the blowfly larvae, increasing the impact of intraguild predation and cannibalism on blowfly survival. The results suggest that blowfly larvae can change their feeding behavior in response to the presence of a parasitoid.
The cell envelope‐associated protein, LytR, regulates the cysteine protease SpeB in Streptococcus pyogenes
Authors: MINAMI MASAAKI , ICHIKAWA MARIKO , OHTA MICHIO , HASEGAWA TADAO
Published: December 2011

Minami M, Ichikawa M, Ohta M, Hasegawa T. The cell envelope‐associated protein, LytR, regulates the cysteine protease SpeB in Streptococcus pyogenes. APMIS 2012; 120: 417–26.

The LytR family of cell envelope‐associated transcriptional attenuators in bacteria has been brought into focus of scientific interest on the expression of various virulence factors, as well as bacterial cell envelope maintenance. However, this protein of Streptococcus pyogenes has been only described as cell surface‐associated protein, and its function is completely unknown. We created lytR mutant strains from two independent S. pyogenes strains to analyze the function of LytR. The protease assay in culture supernatant showed that lytR mutant had the higher cysteine protease activity than wild‐type. Two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and western blotting analysis revealed that the amount of cysteine protease, SpeB in lytR mutant was more compared with that in wild‐type. The level of speB mRNA in lytR mutant also increased compared with that of wild‐type. The membrane integrity and potential in lytR mutant also were decreased compared with that of wild‐type. Murine infection model showed that less survival was detected in mice inoculated with lytR mutant than that with wild‐type, and the size of wound lesion of mice with lytR mutant was larger than that with wild‐type. Our data suggest that the lytR regulates the expression of SpeB in S. pyogenes with relation to membrane integrity.
Socio‐behavioural predictors of young adults’ self‐reported oral health: 15 years of follow‐up in the The Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behaviour study
Authors: Åstrøm A. N. , Wold B.
Published: December 2011

Åstrøm AN, Wold B. Socio‐behavioural predictors of young adults’ self‐reported oral health: 15 years of follow‐up in the The Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behaviour study. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2011. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Abstract –  Objectives:  Few prospective studies have investigated the impacts of socio‐behavioural position throughout adolescence on self‐reported oral health in young adulthood. This study aimed to describe the development of oral health behaviours between age 15 years (1992) and age 30 years (2007) and to assess how changes in or stability of socio‐behavioural characteristics during that period influences the oral impacts on daily performance (OIDP) and satisfaction with teeth assessed at age 30.

Methods:  Self‐administered questionnaires were included as part of a prospective cohort study. In 1992, a representative sample of 963 15‐year‐old adolescents participated in the study; 627 (64%) and 532 (55.2%) remained in the study at ages 23 and 30, respectively. A total of 394 (40.9% of baseline sample) participated at ages 15, 23 and 30.

Results:  Cochrane’s Q revealed that the proportions of individuals who were frequent performers regarding flossing, intake of nonsugared mineral water and use of snuff increased whereas the proportions who were frequent performers regarding consumption of sugared mineral water decreased in subjects with low and high parental education and in both sexes across the survey period. Smokers increased in males and decreased in females and in subjects with low parental education. Spearman’s rank‐order correlation ranged from 0.19 (nonsugared mineral water) to 0.36 (smoking). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that participants with a stable advantaged socio‐behavioural position were less likely to report OIDP at age 30. Participants with a stable disadvantaged socio‐behavioural position were more likely to report OIDP at age 30. Participants who were stable satisfied with their health and who changed educational status were more likely to be satisfied with their teeth at age 30.

Conclusions:  Oral health behaviours tracked moderately from age 15 to 30. Continuity of an advantaged or disadvantaged socio‐behavioural position across the survey years contributed to differing levels of oral health. Early and contemporary public health policies that target disadvantaged socio‐behavioural groups may help prevent poor oral health perceptions in young adults in Norway.
Environmental variation and cohort effects in an Antarctic predator
Authors: Garrott Robert A. , Rotella Jay J. , Siniff Donald B. , Parkinson Claire L. , Stauffer Glenn E.
Published: December 2011

Understanding the potential influence of environmental variation experienced by animals during early stages of development on their subsequent demographic performance can contribute to our understanding of population processes and aid in predicting impacts of global climate change on ecosystem functioning. Using data from 4178 tagged female Weddell seal pups born into 20 different cohorts, and 30 years of observations of the tagged seals, we evaluated the hypothesis that environmental conditions experienced by young seals, either indirectly through maternal effects and/or directly during the initial period of juvenile nutritional independence, have long‐term effects on individual demographic performance. We documented an approximately three‐fold difference in the proportion of each cohort that returned to the pupping colonies and produced a pup within the first 10 years after birth. We found only weak evidence for a correlation between annual environmental conditions during the juvenile‐independence period and cohort recruitment probability. Instead, the data strongly supported an association between cohort recruitment probability and the regional extent of sea ice experienced by the mother during the winter the pup was in utero. We suggest that inter‐annual variation in winter sea‐ice extent influences the foraging success of pregnant seals by moderating the regional abundance of competing predators that cannot occupy areas of consolidated sea ice, and by directly influencing the abundance of mid‐trophic prey species that are sea‐ice obligates. We hypothesize that this environmentally‐induced variation in maternal nutrition dictates the extent of maternal energetic investment in offspring, resulting in cohort variation in mean size of pups at weaning which, in turn, contributes to an individual's phenotype and its ultimate fitness. These linkages between sea ice and trophic dynamics, combined with demonstrated and predicted changes in the duration and extent of sea ice associated with climate change, suggest significant alterations in Antarctic marine ecosystems in the future.
Impact of life stage specific immune priming on invertebrate disease dynamics
Authors: Tate Ann T. , Rudolf Volker H. W.
Published: December 2011

The immune response of a host can have important impacts on host‐pathogen interactions, but investment in immunity often changes dynamically across the life history of a host. One form of investment involves the induction of a primed immune response against previously encountered pathogens that protects the host from re‐infection. In addition to providing immediate protective effects, immune priming can also provide two types of ‘delayed’ protection against pathogens: priming across life stages (ontogenic priming) and priming across generations (trans‐generational priming). Consequently both types of immune priming have the potential to mediate life history variability in host–pathogen interactions, which could have important consequences for disease prevalence and dynamics as well as for the demographic structure of the host population. Here we develop a stage‐structured SIRS model for an invertebrate host to explore the relative and combined impact of ontogenic priming and trans‐generational priming on infection prevalence, host population size, and population age structure. Our model predicts that both types of immune priming can dramatically reduce disease prevalence at equilibrium, but their individual and combined effects on population size and age structure depend on the magnitude of tradeoffs between immune protection and reproduction as well as on the symmetry of infection parameters between life stages. This model underscores the potential importance of life‐history based immune investment patterns for disease dynamics and highlights the need for wide‐spread empirical estimation of parameters that represent the maintenance of immune priming in insects.
Comparison of radiation exposure of trauma patients from diagnostic radiology procedures before and after the introduction of a panscan protocol
Authors: Asha Stephen , Curtis Kate Anne , Grant Nicole , Taylor Colman , Lo Serigne , Smart Richard , Compagnoni Katherine
Published: December 2011

Objectives: To compare the proportion of patients exposed to a radiation dose in excess of 20 mSv, and to document missed injuries before and after the introduction of a panscan protocol for blunt trauma.

Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from our trauma database for 6 months before and after implementation of the protocol. All radiological studies performed during the initial patient assessment were identified. Radiation doses for each patient were calculated. Subgroup analyses were age ≤30 and >30 years, injury severity score (ISS) <16 and ≥16, and patient disposition as discharged from ED or admitted.

Results: There were 656 patients before and 624 after the introduction of the protocol. The proportion of patients exposed to a radiation dose >20 mSv increased by 8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4–12), which equated to one extra person being exposed to >20 mSv for every 13 patients treated after the introduction of the protocol. The odds of receiving a radiation dose >20 mSv after the introduction of the protocol compared with the odds before were increased across all subgroups (≤30 years: odds ratio [OR] 2.7, 95% CI 1.3–5.8, P = 0.008; >30 years: OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.5–3.4, P < 0.001; ISS < 16: OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.5–3.9, P < 0.001; ISS ≥ 16: OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0–3.7, P = 0.04; discharged home: OR 2.1, 95% CI 0.7–6.0, P = 0.17; admitted: OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.5–3.3, P < 0.001). There were six missed injuries before and four after.

Conclusions: Introduction of a panscan protocol increased the proportion of trauma patients receiving a radiation dose >20 mSv. This increased risk occurred regardless of age or injury severity.
Learning From Estrogen Receptor Antagonism: Structure‐Based Identification of Novel Antiandrogens Effective Against Multiple Clinically Relevant Androgen Receptor Mutants
Authors: Liu Bing , Geng Guoyan , Lin Rongtuan , Ren Cuiyan , Wu Jian Hui
Published: December 2011

Current treatment strategy for advanced prostate cancer is to suppress androgen receptor (AR) by castration and antiandrogens. However, several clinically relevant AR mutations cause insensitivity to current antiandrogens and convert them into agonists. We aim to identify full AR antagonists even for AR mutants. As crystal structure of AR ligand‐binding domain (LBD) at antagonistic form is not available, we decided to learn from estrogen receptor (ER) antagonism: (i) We built a structural model of wild‐type AR‐LBD complexed with antiandrogen bicalutamide (wild type/bicalutamide) using ERα‐LBD/hydroxytamoxifen structure as the template for helix‐12. (ii) By comparative structural analysis of 24 ERα‐LBD complexes, we found residues D351 and L354 at helix‐3 adopt unique conformations, and distance between them is a marker of ERα‐LBD/antagonist complexes. The AR residues corresponding to D351 and L354 are E709 and L712, respectively. We found distance between E709 and L712 of the wild type/bicalutamide model is substantially different from that of AR‐LBD/agonist complexes, suggesting this distance could be a marker of antagonistic AR‐LBD, which was supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Based on the wild type/bicalutamide model, we discovered compound 3 is a novel antiandrogen effective against the wild type and T877A‐, W741C‐, and H874Y‐mutated androgen receptors. We found compound 3 has dual functions, inhibiting androgen receptor and IKKβ.
Application of DRASTIC and extension theory in the groundwater vulnerability evaluation
Authors: Bai Liping , Wang Yeyao , Meng Fansheng
Published: December 2011

Groundwater vulnerability assessment plays a vital role in the utilization and protection of groundwater resources. DRASTIC is one of the most widely used models for groundwater vulnerability assessment. However, the DRASTIC model should be modified based on the local hydrogeological conditions in order to get a relatively accurate result. In this study, Baotou, China was chosen as a case study. The groundwater vulnerability was assessed using DRASTIC at first, but the evaluation results were not consistent with the groundwater quality. So the DRASTIC model was modified based on extension theory and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The extension theory could be used to divide the groundwater vulnerability grades in the DRASTIC model. It is a new attempt to use extension theory and DRASTIC in the assessment of groundwater vulnerability, and the research results show that this method is better for assessing groundwater vulnerability.
Effects of duration of untreated psychosis on the clinical course and neurocognitive features of schizophrenia
Authors: Kaymak Semra Ulusoy , Altıntas Merih , Unsal Demet , Sevinc Ergun , Gülec Huseyin
Published: December 2011

Introduction

Prolonged duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is one of the negative factors in the course of schizophrenia. The purpose of our study was to detect the long‐term effects of DUP on the clinical and neurocognitive features of schizophrenia patients.

Methods

One hundred and sixty‐two schizophrenia patients were divided into two groups (short and long‐term DUP) according to the median duration (<6 months). The groups were then stratified according to duration of illness (DI) as short‐term (≤10 years) and long‐term. Psychopathology and clinical signs were evaluated by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). Executive functions were assessed using Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Colour Trail Test (CTT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).

Results

Symptoms, cigarette consumption, treatment response, CGI, GAF, positive, negative and general subscales of the PANNS and FAB showed significant differences between the short‐ and long‐term DUP groups. These differences were more significant in the long‐term DI group. Positive correlation between DUP and age, cigarette consumption, length of illness, number of hospitalizations, resistance to treatment, compliance, and negative and total scores in PANNS were detected in the whole group of patients. However, the correlation of DUP with CGI and percentage of conceptual level response of WCST were negative.

Conclusion

Long‐term DUP may have a negative effect on the clinical and neurocognitive features of schizophrenia. This effect more significantly appears in schizophrenia patients with longer DI.
Cognitive behavioural therapy and the psychopathology of schizophrenia: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Newton‐Howes Giles , Wood Rebecca
Published: December 2011

Purpose. To examine whether cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) reduces psychopathology in patients with schizophrenia more effectively than the use of non‐cognitive psychotherapies.

Method. Systematic review and meta‐analysis of the literature was performed. All Randomized Controlled Trials meeting the inclusion criteria were analysed using RevMan software. This design was used to maximize power and study efficacy. Medline, PsycINFO, and Embase were searched using free‐text keywords to identify potential papers. Nine were included in the final meta‐analysis. Change in psychopathology at the end of therapy was the end point investigated. A random effects model was used to assess the standard mean difference between the CBT and supportive control groups.

Results. Meta‐analysis of CBT versus supportive therapy did not find significant differences between the therapy groups at the end of treatment in respect of psychopathology. There was no evidence of publication bias. Post hoc power analysis using the Z test ruled out type one error.

Conclusions. Theoretically based CBT therapies, although proving effective, may not out perform more accessible and simpler forms of therapy for patients with schizophrenia in reducing psychopathology. Consideration of supportive therapy should be made for patients with psychotic mental disorder.

Practitioner Points

CBT may not be the psychotherapeutic treatment of choice to alleviate the phenomenology of Schizophrenia.

It may be valuable trialling simple supportive therapies prior to implementing more costly and complex cognitive therapies.

This review, like the Cochrane review and others, does not suggest CBT in psychosis is not effective, simply that it dose not outperform supportive therapy in effecting change in phenomenology.
Identification of Immunogenic and Virulence-Associated Campylobacter jejuni Proteins
Authors: Nielsen Lene N. , Luijkx Thomas A. , Vegge Christina S. , Johnsen Christina Kofoed , Nuijten Piet , Wren Brendan W. , Ingmer Hanne , Krogfelt Karen A.
Published: December 2011

With the aim of identifying proteins important for host interaction and virulence, we have screened an expression library of NCTC 11168
Campylobacter jejuni
genes for highly immunogenic proteins. A commercial
C. jejuni
open reading frame (ORF) library consisting of more than 1,600 genes was transformed into the
Escherichia coli
expression strain BL21(DE3), resulting in 2,304 clones. This library was subsequently screened for immunogenic proteins using antibodies raised in rabbit against a clinical isolate of
C. jejuni
; this resulted in 52 highly reactive clones representing 25 different genes after sequencing. Selected candidate genes were inactivated in
C. jejuni
NCTC 11168, and the virulence was examined using INT 407 epithelial cell line and motility, biofilm, autoagglutination, and serum resistance assays. These investigations revealed
C. jejuni
antigen 0034c (Cj0034c) to be a novel virulence factor and support the usefulness of the method. Further, several antigens were tested as vaccine candidates in two mouse models, in which Cj0034c, Cj0404, and Cj0525c resulted in a reduction of invasion in spleen and liver after challenge.
Characterization of an Immunodominant Antigenic Epitope from Trypanosoma cruzi as a Biomarker of Chronic Chagas' Disease Pathology
Authors: Thomas M. Carmen , Fernández-Villegas Ana , Carrilero Bartolomé , Marañón Concepción , Saura Daniel , Noya Oscar , Segovia Manuel , Alarcón de Noya Belkisyolé , Alonso Carlos , López Manuel Carlos
Published: December 2011

Nowadays, the techniques available for chronic Chagas' disease diagnosis are very sensitive; however, they do not allow discrimination of the patient's clinical stages of the disease. The present paper describes that three out of the five different repeats contained in the
Trypanosoma cruzi
TcCA-2 membrane protein (3972-FGQAAAGDKPPP, 6303-FGQAAAGDKPAP, and 3973-FGQAAAGDKPSL) are recognized with high sensitivity (>90%) by sera from chronic Chagas' disease patients and that they are not recognized by sera from patients in the acute phase of the disease. A total of 133 serum samples from chagasic patients and 50 serum samples from healthy donors were tested. In addition, sera from 15 patients with different autoimmune diseases, 43 serum samples from patients suffering an infectious disease other than Chagas' disease, and 38 serum samples from patients with nonchagasic cardiac disorders were also included in this study. The residue 3973 peptide shows a specificity of >98%, as it is not recognized by individuals with autoimmune and inflammatory processes or by patients with a nonchagasic cardiomyopathy. Remarkably, the levels of antibody against the 3973 epitope detected by the sera from Chagas' disease patients in the symptomatic chronic phase, involving cardiac or digestive alterations, are higher than those detected by the sera from Chagas' disease patients in the indeterminate phase of the disease. It is suggested that the diagnostic technique described could also be used to indicate the degree of pathology. The amino acids F, Q, and DKP located in the peptide at positions 1, 3, and 8 to 10, respectively, are essential to conform to the immunodominant antigenic epitope.
Comparison of the MALDI Biotyper System Using Sepsityper Specimen Processing to Routine Microbiological Methods for Identification of Bacteria from Positive Blood Culture Bottles
Authors: Buchan Blake W. , Riebe Katherine M. , Ledeboer Nathan A.
Published: December 2011

Bloodstream infections are a leading cause of admissions to hospital intensive care units and carry a high mortality rate. Clinical outcome can be greatly improved by early effective antibiotic therapy; therefore, broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy is often initiated when there is a clinical suspicion of bloodstream infection. Unfortunately, this method may not always be effective when dealing with inherently resistant organisms and can also result in iatrogenic infection and the development of resistant isolates. Rapid identification of the infecting organism may aid in choosing appropriate antimicrobial therapy, thereby reducing these potential adverse events. We compared the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) Biotyper system with Sepsityper specimen processing (Bruker Daltonics, Billerica, MA) to routine methods for the identification of microorganisms from 164 positive blood cultures. The MALDI Biotyper/Sepsityper identified 85.5% of bacterial isolates directly from positive monomicrobial blood cultures with 97.6% concordance to genus and 94.1% concordance to species with routine identification methods. Gram-negative isolates were more likely to produce acceptable confidence scores (97.8%) than Gram-positive isolates (80.0%); however, genus and species concordance with routine identification methods were similar in both groups. Reanalysis of collected spectra using modified blood culture-specific parameters resulted in an improved overall identification rate for Gram-positive bacteria (89.0%). Median times to identification using the MALDI Biotyper/Sepsityper were 23 to 83 h faster than routine methods for Gram-positive isolates and 34 to 51 h faster for Gram-negative isolates.
Effects of Solid-Medium Type on Routine Identification of Bacterial Isolates by Use of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Anderson Neil W. , Buchan Blake W. , Riebe Katherine M. , Parsons Lauren N. , Gnacinski Stacy , Ledeboer Nathan A.
Published: December 2011

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a rapid method for the identification of bacteria. Factors that may alter protein profiles, including growth conditions and presence of exogenous substances, could hinder identification. Bacterial isolates identified by conventional methods were grown on various media and identified using the MALDI Biotyper (Bruker Daltonics, Billerica, MA) using a direct smear method and an acid extraction method. Specimens included 23
Pseudomonas
isolates grown on blood agar, Pseudocel (CET), and MacConkey agar (MAC); 20
Staphylococcus
isolates grown on blood agar, colistin-nalidixic acid agar (CNA), and mannitol salt agar (MSA); and 25 enteric isolates grown on blood agar, xylose lysine deoxycholate agar (XLD), Hektoen enteric agar (HE), salmonella-shigella agar (SS), and MAC. For
Pseudomonas
spp., the identification rate to genus using the direct method was 83% from blood, 78% from MAC, and 94% from CET. For
Staphylococcus
isolates, the identification rate to genus using the direct method was 95% from blood, 75% from CNA, and 95% from MSA. For enteric isolates, the identification rate to genus using the direct method was 100% from blood, 100% from MAC, 100% from XLD, 92% from HE, and 87% from SS. Extraction enhanced identification rates. The direct method of MALDI-TOF analysis of bacteria from selective and differential media yields identifications of varied confidence. Notably,
Staphylococci
spp. from CNA exhibit low identification rates. Extraction enhances identification rates and is recommended for colonies from this medium.
Evaluation of Any or Type-Specific Persistence of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus for Detecting Cervical Precancer
Authors: Marks Morgan A. , Castle Philip E. , Schiffman Mark , Gravitt Patti E.
Published: December 2011

High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing is increasingly important. We therefore examined the impact on accuracy of repeated versus one-time testing, type-specific versus pooled detection, and assay analytic sensitivity. By using a nested case-control design from the ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study, we selected women with incident cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or grade 3 (CIN2/3;
n
= 325) and a random sample of women with <CIN2 as controls (
n
= 401). HPV DNA status was assessed using hybrid capture 2 (HC2), a pooled test for 13 HR-HPV types, and the linear array (LA) and the line blot assay (LBA), two PCR-based HPV genotyping assays, at enrollment and the 6-month follow-up visit. The relative sensitivity and specificity for different permutations of multiple measurements were compared to a single measurement using marginal regression models. We found that repeat detection of any HR-HPV (by HC2, LA, or LBA) and of type-specific persistence (by LA or LBA) were significantly more specific but less sensitive than use of a single time point measurement of any HR-HPV. Sensitivity decreased and specificity increased further when testing intervals were increased from 12 to 24 months. Including detection of borderline carcinogenic/noncarcinogenic HPV types with HR-HPV types decreased specificity for repeat measures of HPV with no impact on sensitivity. Similar patterns were observed when we used a CIN3 end point. We conclude that assay performance for detecting incident CIN2/3 was affected by which types were included, the analytic sensitivity of the assay, and the testing interval. These trade-offs need to be considered when assessing the potential overall clinical utility of repeated testing for HR-HPV DNA to identify women at risk for CIN2/3.
Molecular Epidemiology over an 11-Year Period (2000 to 2010) of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Causing Bacteremia in a Centralized Canadian Region
Authors: Peirano Gisele , van der Bij Akke K. , Gregson Daniel B. , Pitout Johann D. D.
Published: December 2011

A study was designed to assess the importance of sequence types among extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
Escherichia coli
isolates causing bacteremia over an 11-year period (2000 to 2010) in a centralized Canadian region. A total of 197 patients with incident infections were identified; the majority presented with community-onset urosepsis, with a significant increase in the prevalence of ESBL-producing
E. coli
during the later part of the study. The majority of
E. coli
isolates produced either CTX-M-15 or CTX-M-14. We identified 7 different major sequence types among 91% of isolates (i.e., the ST10 clonal complex, ST38, ST131, ST315, ST393, ST405, and ST648) and provided insight into their clinical and molecular characteristics. ST38 was the most antimicrobial-susceptible sequence type and predominated during 2000 to 2004 but disappeared after 2008. ST131 was the most antimicrobial-resistant sequence type, and the influx of a single pulsotype of this sequence type was responsible for the significant increase of ESBL-producing
E. coli
strains since 2007. During 2010, 49/63 (78%) of the ESBL-producing
E. coli
isolates belonged to ST131, and this sequence type had established itself as a major drug-resistant pathogen in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, posing an important new public health threat within our region. We urgently need well-designed epidemiological and molecular studies to understand the dynamics of transmission, risk factors, and reservoirs for
E. coli
ST131. This will provide insight into the emergence and spread of this multiresistant sequence type.
Identification of Adenovirus Serotype 5 Hexon Regions That Interact with Scavenger Receptors
Authors: Khare Reeti , Reddy Vijay S. , Nemerow Glen R. , Barry Michael A.
Published: December 2011

Most of an intravenous dose of species C adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) is destroyed by liver Kupffer cells. In contrast, another species C virus, Ad6, evades these cells to mediate more efficient liver gene delivery. Given that this difference in Kupffer cell interaction is mediated by the hypervariable (HVR) loops of the virus hexon protein, we genetically modified each of the seven HVRs of Ad5 with a cysteine residue to enable conditional blocking of these sites with polyethylene glycol (PEG). We show that these modifications do not affect
in vitro
virus transduction. In contrast, after intravenous injection, targeted PEGylation at HVRs 1, 2, 5, and 7 increased viral liver transduction up to 20-fold. Elimination or saturation of liver Kupffer cells did not significantly affect this increase in the liver transduction.
In vitro
, PEGylation blocked uptake of viruses via the Kupffer cell scavenger receptor SRA-II. These data suggest that HVRs 1, 2, 5, and 7 of Ad5 may be involved in Kupffer cell recognition and subsequent destruction. These data also demonstrate that this conditional genetic-chemical mutation strategy is a useful tool for investigating the interactions of viruses with host tissues.
Development of a Novel Nonhuman Primate Model for Rift Valley Fever
Authors: Smith Darci R. , Bird Brian H. , Lewis Bridget , Johnston Sara C. , McCarthy Sarah , Keeney Ashley , Botto Miriam , Donnelly Ginger , Shamblin Joshua , Albariño César G. , Nichol Stuart T. , Hensley Lisa E.
Published: December 2011

Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus (RVFV) can cause severe human disease characterized by either acute-onset hepatitis, delayed-onset encephalitis, retinitis and blindness, or a hemorrhagic syndrome. The existing nonhuman primate (NHP) model for RVF utilizes an intravenous (i.v.) exposure route in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Severe disease in these animals is infrequent, and large cohorts are needed to observe significant morbidity and mortality. To overcome these drawbacks, we evaluated the infectivity and pathogenicity of RVFV in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) by i.v., subcutaneous (s.c.), and intranasal exposure routes to more closely mimic natural exposure. Marmosets were more susceptible to RVFV than rhesus macaques and experienced higher rates of morbidity, mortality, and viremia and marked aberrations in hematological and chemistry values. An overwhelming infection of hepatocytes was a major consequence of infection of marmosets by the i.v. and s.c. exposure routes. Additionally, these animals displayed signs of hemorrhagic manifestations and neurological impairment. Based on our results, the common marmoset model more closely resembles severe human RVF disease and is therefore an ideal model for the evaluation of potential vaccines and therapeutics.
High-Mannose Glycan-Dependent Epitopes Are Frequently Targeted in Broad Neutralizing Antibody Responses during Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection
Authors: Lavine Christy L. , Lao Socheata , Montefiori David C. , Haynes Barton F. , Sodroski Joseph G. , Yang Xinzhen ,   the NIAID Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI)
Published: December 2011

Broad and potent neutralizing antibody (BNAb) responses are rare in people infected by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Clearly defining the nature of BNAb epitopes on HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins (Envs) targeted
in vivo
is critical for future directions of anti-HIV-1 vaccine development. Conventional techniques are successful in defining neutralizing epitopes in a small number of individual subjects but fail in studying large groups of subjects. Two independent methods were employed to investigate the nature of NAb epitopes targeted in 9 subjects, identified by the NIAID Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) 001 and 008 clinical teams, known to make a strong BNAb response. Neutralizing activity from 8/9 subjects was enhanced by enriching high-mannose N-linked glycan (HM-glycan) of HIV-1 glycoproteins on neutralization target viruses and was sensitive to specific glycan deletion mutations of HIV-1 glycoproteins, indicating that HM-glycan-dependent epitopes are targeted by BNAb responses in these subjects. This discovery adds to accumulating evidence supporting the hypothesis that glycans are important targets on HIV-1 glycoproteins for BNAb responses
in vivo
, providing an important lead for future directions in developing NAb-based anti-HIV-1 vaccines.
Risks of ignoring fish population spatial structure in fisheries management
Authors: Ying Yiping , Chen Yong , Lin Longshan , Gao Tianxian
Published: December 2011

Ignorance of spatial structures in fisheries management may lead to unexpected risks of overexploitation. Based on the information about small yellow croaker ( Larimichthys polyactis ) off the coast of China, we simulated a fish population consisting of three subpopulations mixing at intermediate levels, which was considered in the “true” spatial structure of the population in this study. Three scenarios of population spatial structure were assumed in assessing and managing this simulated fishery: (i) metapopulation, which has the same structure as the “true” population; (ii) three independent subpopulations, which overlook the exchanges among the subpopulations; and (iii) unit population, which completely ignores the population spatial structure. Corresponding approaches were applied to assess and manage each of these assumed fish populations. The management time period was assumed to be 10 years with two harvesting levels (i.e., maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and f0.1). Assessing and managing the metapopulation as several independent populations could lead to a high probability of overexploitation. Managing the metapopulation as a unit population could lead to local depletion. Use of MSY as a management target may be risk prone in the existence of a metapopulation, and use of a fishing mortality lower than f0.1as a management target is more desirable.
Direct and indirect estimates of the productive capacity of fish habitat under Canada’s Policy for the Management of Fish Habitat: where have we been, where are we now, and where are we going?
Authors: Minns Charles K. , Randall Robert G. , Smokorowski Karen E. , Clarke Keith D. , Vélez-Espino Antonio , Gregory Robert S. , Courtenay Simon , LeBlanc Patrice
Published: December 2011

No net loss of productive capacity (PC) of fish habitat has been the central concept guiding Canadian fish habitat management policy since 1986. The purpose of this paper is to describe the concept of PC, to review the history and application of the fish habitat management policy in Canada, and to provide a critical review of the range of potential approaches to estimating PC. The approaches were grouped by their central focus: habitat, individual, population, and community–ecosystem. A set of case studies is used to illustrate the use of some approaches drawn from freshwater and marine contexts. Ten components to assessing no net loss of PC were developed and used in the review of approaches for evaluating potential limitations. The review also highlighted the likely future direction of method development, with increasing emphasis on dynamic models integrating population responses to habitat supply characteristics. More work needs to be done to turn research-based metrics of PC into practical operational management assessment tools and to better quantify the link between habitat structure and function and fisheries productivity. The evolving approaches to measure PC reinforce the ties that fish habitat management has to the emerging practices in ecosystem-based management.
Large-scale and long-term decrease in fish growth following the construction of hydroelectric reservoirs
Authors: Milbrink Göran , Vrede Tobias , Tranvik Lars J. , Rydin Emil
Published: December 2011

Hydroelectric reservoirs retain large volumes of water and have a global impact on sea level, elemental cycles, and biodiversity. Using data from a total of 90 historical and recent surveys in nine regulated and eight unregulated alpine and subalpine lakes, we show an additional large effect of reservoirs, i.e., that impoundment causes drastically decreased fish growth and thereby great negative consequences for inland fisheries in Scandinavia. Following a long period (40–65 years) after impoundment, the length and mass of Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus ) of the single age class 4+ years was, on average, 35% and 72% lower, respectively, in impounded versus natural lakes in northern Scandinavia. The effect was stronger at higher altitudes and can be mitigated by addition of inorganic nutrients. We suggest that the decreased fish growth is a consequence of lowered ecosystem productivity, oligotrophication, caused by impoundment, resulting in erosion and loss of the littoral ecosystem as well as delayed flooding and leakage of nutrients from the riparian zone until after the growing season.
The effect of curvature–scalar mixing on the annihilation cross sections of the dark matter scalar and unparticle dark matter
Authors: Iltan E.O.
Published: December 2011

We consider the dark matter scalar in the Randall–Sundrum background and study the annihilation cross section if curvature–scalar mixing is switched on. In this case, in addition to the radion, the standard model Higgs scalar drives the annihilation, and it leads to considerable enhancement of the annihilation cross section. Furthermore, we take the unparticle, having a nonzero mass coming from the standard model Higgs–unparticle interaction at low energy levels, as a dark matter candidate and analyze the annihilation cross section by including the effect of curvature–scalar mixing. We see that, for both choices, the mixing process plays an essential role in obtaining the dark matter annihilation cross section in the current range.