bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diseases of soybean and their management.
Authors: Hartman G. L. , Hill C. B.
Published: August 2010

This chapter discusses the early season diseases - seed decay (Phomopsis longicolla), damping-off (Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium), root and stem rot (Phytophthora sojae); mid-season diseases - bacterial pustule (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines), viral diseases (Bean pod mottle virus BPMV and Soybean mosaic virus SMV), Sclerotinia stem rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum), Frogeye leaf spot (Cercospora sojina), soyabean rust (Phakopsora meibomiae and P. pachyrhizi); late-season diseases - soyabean cyst (Heterodera glycines), stem canker (Diaporthe phaseolorum var. caulivora and D. phaseolorum var. meridionalis), sudden death syndrome (Fusarium virguliforme), leaf blight (Cercospora kikuchii), anthracnose (Colletotrichum truncatum), and charcoal rot (Macrophomina phaseolina) of soyabeans. Disease management practices are also discussed.
Global soybean marketing and trade: a situation and outlook analysis.
Authors: Chianu J. N. , Zegeye E. W. , Nkonya E. M.
Published: August 2010

This chapter discusses global soyabean trade and examines the factors that will determine future major dynamics. It also discusses the global soyabean price trends and marketing policies.
Microstructural origins of localization in InGaN quantum wells
Authors: Oliver R A , Bennett S E , Zhu T , Beesley D J , Kappers M J , Saxey D W , Cerezo A , Humphreys C J
Published: August 2010

The startling success of GaN-based light emitting diodes despite the high density of dislocations found in typical heteroepitaxial material has been attributed to localization of carriers at non-uniformities in the quantum wells (QWs) which form the active region of such devices. Here, we review the different possible structures within the QWs which could act as localization sites, at length scales ranging from the atomic to the tens of nanometre range. In some QWs several localization mechanisms could be operational, but the challenge remains to optimize the QWs' structure to achieve improved quantum efficiencies, particularly at high excitation powers.
Impact of photonic crystals on LED light extraction efficiency: approaches and limits to vertical structure designs
Authors: Matioli Elison , Weisbuch Claude
Published: August 2010

The enhancement of the extraction efficiency in light emitting diodes (LEDs) through the use of photonic crystals (PhCs) requires a structure design that optimizes the interaction of the guided modes with the PhCs. The main optimization parameters are related to the vertical structure of the LED, such as the thickness of layers, depth of the PhCs, position of the quantum wells as well as the PhC period and fill factor. We review the impact of the vertical design of different approaches of PhC LEDs through a theoretical and experimental standpoint, assessing quantitatively the competing mechanisms that act over each guided mode.

Three approaches are described to overcome the main limitation of LEDs with surface PhCs, i.e. the insufficient interaction of low order guided modes with the PhCs. The introduction of an AlGaN confining layer in such structure is shown to be effective in extracting a fraction of the optical energy of low order modes; however, this approach is limited by the growth of the lattice mismatched AlGaN layer on GaN. The second approach, based on thin-film LEDs with PhCs, is limited by the presence of an absorbing reflective metal layer close to the guided modes that plays a major role in the competition between PhC extraction and metal dissipation. Finally, we demonstrate both experimentally and theoretically the superior extraction of the guided light in embedded PhC LEDs due to the higher interaction between all optical modes and the PhCs, which resulted in a close to unity extraction efficiency for this device.

The use of high-resolution angle-resolved measurements to experimentally determine the PhC extraction parameters was an essential tool for corroborating the theoretical models and quantifying the competing absorption and extraction mechanisms in LEDs.
An indirect-drive non-cryogenic double-shell path to 1ω Nd-laser hybrid inertial fusion–fission energy
Authors: Amendt Peter , Milovich Jose , Perkins L. John , Robey Harry
Published: August 2010

A high-yield, room temperature, double-shell target design using a Nd : glass laser driver at the fundamental frequency 1ω is developed for hybrid inertial fusion–fission energy generation (Moses et al 2009 Fusion Sci. Technol.
56 547). The associated 4–10× fission energy gain relaxes the gain requirements of the fusion driver, enabling the prospect of a volume-ignition target with high thermonuclear burn fraction, simplified (1ω) laser operations from a quasi-impulsive power history, room temperature fielding, minimal shock-timing requirements and reduced risk of plasma-mediated laser backscatter with a vacuum hohlraum.
SPG20 Protein Spartin Is Recruited to Midbodies by ESCRT-III Protein Ist1 and Participates in Cytokinesis
Authors: Renvoisé Benoît , Parker Rell L. , Yang Dong , Bakowska Joanna C. , Hurley James H. , Blackstone Craig
Published: August 2010

Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs, SPG1-46) are inherited neurological disorders characterized by lower extremity spastic weakness. Loss-of-function SPG20 gene mutations cause an autosomal recessive HSP known as Troyer syndrome. The SPG20 protein spartin localizes to lipid droplets and endosomes, and it interacts with tail interacting protein 47 (TIP47) as well as the ubiquitin E3 ligases atrophin-1-interacting protein (AIP)4 and AIP5. Spartin harbors a domain contained within microtubule-interacting and trafficking molecules (MIT) at its N-terminus, and most proteins with MIT domains interact with specific ESCRT-III proteins. Using yeast two-hybrid and in vitro surface plasmon resonance assays, we demonstrate that the spartin MIT domain binds with micromolar affinity to the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-III protein increased sodium tolerance (Ist)1 but not to ESCRT-III proteins charged multivesicular body proteins 1–7. Spartin colocalizes with Ist1 at the midbody, and depletion of Ist1 in cells by small interfering RNA significantly decreases the number of cells where spartin is present at midbodies. Depletion of spartin does not affect Ist1 localization to midbodies but markedly impairs cytokinesis. A structure-based amino acid substitution in the spartin MIT domain (F24D) blocks the spartin–Ist1 interaction. Spartin F24D does not localize to the midbody and acts in a dominant-negative manner to impair cytokinesis. These data suggest that Ist1 interaction is important for spartin recruitment to the midbody and that spartin participates in cytokinesis.
Sir James Baddiley. 15 May 1918 — 19 November 2008
Authors: Buchanan J. Grant
Published: August 2010

James Baddiley was a biochemist who used the methods and insight of the organic chemist to answer important questions in biology, notably coenzyme structure and the structure and function of bacterial cell walls. A graduate of Manchester University, he moved to Cambridge in 1944 with A. R. Todd, where he synthesized adenosine triphosphate, the nucleotide concerned with essential energy transformations in all forms of life. As an independent researcher at the Lister Institute in London he elucidated the structure of coenzyme A and other coenzymes. He was appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry in Newcastle, where the exploration of the structures of two cytidine nucleotides led to the discovery of the teichoic acids, major components of the cell walls and membranes of Gram-positive bacteria. These discoveries were extended to cover the structures, biosynthesis, function and immunology of the teichoic acids. Baddiley became Professor of Chemical Microbiology in 1977. Moving to Cambridge after his retirement, he was able to continue his researches in the Department of Biochemistry. He was elected a Fellow of Pembroke College and as an elder statesman undertook extensive committee work, often as chairman, both in Cambridge University and nationally. He was knighted in 1977.
Brothers delay menarche and the onset of sexual activity in their sisters
Authors: Milne Fritha H. , Judge Debra S.
Published: August 2010

The higher costs of sons compared with daughters extends to a negative effect of brothers on the lifetime reproductive success of their siblings in subsistence and preindustrial societies. In societies with fewer resource constraints, one might expect that these effects would be limited or non-existent. This study investigates the costs of brothers and sisters in a contemporary western society of adult Australians. Girls with elder brothers had a delayed age at menarche. Younger brothers were associated with delayed onset of sexual activity in sisters, but not in brothers. Neither younger nor elder brothers influenced fitness parameters (number of pregnancies, number of children, age at first pregnancy or age at first birth) in siblings of either sex. This study provides evidence that brothers negatively affect their sisters' onset of reproductive maturity and sexual activity; however, this delay is not associated with a fitness cost in contemporary Australia. We suggest this is due to the long period of independence prior to child bearing.
Prepatellar bursitis due to Brucella abortus: case report and analysis of the local immune response
Authors: Wallach Jorge C. , Delpino M. Victoria , Scian Romina , Deodato Bettina , Fossati Carlos A. , Baldi Pablo C.
Published: August 2010

A case of prepatellar bursitis in a man with chronic brucellosis is presented. Brucella abortus biotype 1 was isolated from the abundant yellowish fluid obtained from the bursa. Clinical and epidemiological data did not suggest a direct inoculation of the agent in the bursa. However, the patient mentioned occasional local trauma due to recreational sports, which may have constituted a predisposing factor. As determined by ELISA, there were higher levels of IgG against Brucella LPS and cytosolic proteins detected in the patient's bursal synovial fluid when compared with serum. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 beta, gamma interferon, interleukin 8 and MCP-1) were higher than in synovial fluids obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and a patient with septic arthritis, and a zymographic analysis revealed a gelatinase of about 92 kDa. These findings indicate that it may be possible to diagnose brucellar bursitis by measuring specific antibodies in the bursal synovial fluid. In addition, our findings suggest a role of increased local levels of proinflammatory cytokines and gelatinases in the inflammatory manifestations of brucellar bursitis.
Characterization of the type III capsular polysaccharide produced by Burkholderia pseudomallei
Authors: Reckseidler-Zenteno Shauna L. , Viteri Duber-Frey , Moore Richard , Wong Erica , Tuanyok Apichai , Woods Donald E.
Published: August 2010

Burkholderia pseudomallei has been shown to produce more than one capsular polysaccharide (CPS). Analysis of the B. pseudomallei genome has revealed that the organism contains four CPS operons (I–IV). One of these operons (CPS III) was selected for further study. Comparative sequencing analysis revealed that the genes encoding CPS III are present in B. pseudomallei and Burkholderia thailandensis but not in Burkholderia mallei. In this study, CPS III was not found to contribute to the virulence of B. pseudomallei. Strains containing mutations in CPS III had the same LD50 value as the wild-type when tested in an animal infection model. Production of CPS III was shown to be induced in water but inhibited in 30 % normal human serum using a lux reporter fusion assay. Microarray analysis of capsule gene expression in infected hamsters revealed that the genes encoding CPS III were not significantly expressed in vivo compared with the genes encoding the previously characterized mannoheptose capsule (CPS I), which is an important virulence factor in B. pseudomallei. Glycosyl-composition analysis by combined GC/MS indicated that the CPS III genes are involved in the synthesis of a capsule composed of galactose, glucose, mannose and xylose.
Synergistic interaction of phenylpropanoids with antibiotics against bacteria
Authors: Hemaiswarya Shanmugam , Doble Mukesh
Published: August 2010

Phenylpropanoids constitute a large part of our daily diet and there is a possibility that they might interact with synthetic drugs. The present work was aimed at studying the interaction of seven phenylpropanoids (cinnamic, p-coumaric, caffeic, chlorogenic, ferulic, 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic and 2,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid) with five antibiotics (amikacin, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin and vancomycin) against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. The interaction studies were performed by chequerboard and time–kill curve assays. Both assays revealed that cinnamic, p-coumaric and ferulic acids were the most active. They combined synergistically with the majority of the antibiotics and exhibited enhanced activity against all the micro-organisms. The time–kill curve parameters were better (P<0.05) for the combinations of amikacin with ferulic, cinnamic or p-coumaric acid than for the individual treatments. Amikacin was the most favourable antibiotic and S. aureus was the most sensitive microbe to most of the combinations. These phenylpropanoids damaged the bacterial membrane as assessed by the LIVE/DEAD
BacLight kit, and structure–activity relationship studies indicated that hydrophilic groups enhanced this activity.
Small subunits of RNA polymerase: localization, levels and implications for core enzyme composition
Authors: Doherty Geoff P. , Fogg Mark J. , Wilkinson Anthony J. , Lewis Peter J.
Published: August 2010

Bacterial RNA polymerases (RNAPs) contain several small auxiliary subunits known to co-purify with the coreα,βandβ′ subunits. Theωsubunit is conserved between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, while theδsubunit is conserved within, but restricted to, Gram-positive bacteria. Although various functions have been assigned to these subunits viain vitroassays, very little is known about theirin vivoroles. In this work we constructed a pair of vectors to investigate the subcellular localization of theδandωsubunits inBacillus subtiliswith respect to the core RNAP. We found these subunits to be closely associated with RNAP involved in transcribing both mRNA and rRNA operons. Quantification of these subunits revealedδto be present at equimolar levels with RNAP andωto be present at around half the level of core RNAP. For comparison, the localization and quantification of RNAPβ′ andωsubunits inEscherichia coliwas also investigated. Similar toB. subtilis,β′ andωclosely associated with the nucleoid and formed subnucleoid regions of high green fluorescent protein intensity, but, unlikeωinB. subtilis,ωlevels inE. coliwere close to parity with those ofβ′. These results indicate thatδis likely to be an integral RNAP subunit in Gram-positives, whereasωlevels differ substantially between Gram-positives and -negatives. Theωsubunit may be required for RNAP assembly and subsequently be turned over at different rates or it may play roles in Gram-negative bacteria that are performed by other factors in Gram-positives.
Nonreductive Iron Uptake Mechanism in the Marine Alveolate Chromera velia
Authors: Sutak Robert , Šlapeta Jan , San Roman Mabel , Camadro Jean-Michel , Lesuisse Emmanuel
Published: August 2010

Chromera velia is a newly cultured photosynthetic marine alveolate. This microalga has a high iron requirement for respiration and photosynthesis, although its natural environment contains less than 1 nm of this metal. We found that this organism uses a novel mechanism of iron uptake, differing from the classic reductive and siderophore-mediated iron uptake systems characterized in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and present in most yeasts and terrestrial plants. C. velia has no trans-plasma membrane electron transfer system, and thus cannot reduce extracellular ferric chelates. It is also unable to use hydroxamate siderophores as iron sources. Iron uptake from ferric citrate by C. velia is not inhibited by a ferrous chelator, but the rate of uptake is strongly decreased by increasing the ferric ligand (citrate) concentration. The cell wall contains a large number of iron binding sites, allowing the cells to concentrate iron in the vicinity of the transport sites. We describe a model of iron uptake in which aqueous ferric ions are first concentrated in the cell wall before being taken up by the cells without prior reduction. We discuss our results in relation to the strategies used by the phytoplankton to take up iron in the oceans.
Reproductive Development Modulates Gene Expression and Metabolite Levels with Possible Feedback Inhibition of Artemisinin in Artemisia annua
Authors: Arsenault Patrick R. , Vail Daniel , Wobbe Kristin K. , Erickson Karen , Weathers Pamela J.
Published: August 2010

The relationship between the transition to budding and flowering in Artemisia annua and the production of the antimalarial sesquiterpene, artemisinin (AN), the dynamics of artemisinic metabolite changes, AN-related transcriptional changes, and plant and trichome developmental changes were measured. Maximum production of AN occurs during full flower stage within floral tissues, but that changes in the leafy bracts and nonbolt leaves as the plant shifts from budding to full flower. Expression levels of early pathway genes known to be involved in isopentenyl diphosphate and farnesyl diphosphate biosynthesis leading to AN were not immediately positively correlated with either AN or its precursors. However, we found that the later AN pathway genes, amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS) and the cytochrome P450, CYP71AV1 (CYP), were more highly correlated with AN’s immediate precursor, dihydroartemisinic acid, within all leaf tissues tested. In addition, leaf trichome formation throughout the developmental phases of the plant also appears to be more complex than originally thought. Trichome changes correlated closely with the levels of AN but not its precursors. Differences were observed in trichome densities that are dependent both on developmental stage (vegetative, budding, and flowering) and on position (upper and lower leaf tissue). AN levels declined significantly as plants matured, as did ADS and CYP transcripts. Spraying leaves with AN or artemisinic acid inhibited CYP transcription; artemisinic acid also inhibited ADS transcription. These data allow us to present a novel model for the differential control of AN biosynthesis as it relates to developmental stage and trichome maturation and collapse.
The structural plasticity of Tom71 for mitochondrial precursor translocations
Authors: Li Jingzhi , Cui Wenjun , Sha Bingdong
Published: August 2010

Mitochondrial precursors are transported through the translocase of the outer membrane (TOM) complex. Tom70/Tom71 is a major surface receptor of the TOM complex for mitochondrial precursors and facilitates Hsp70/Hsp90-escorted precursor translocation into the mitochondrion. Previous structural studies of Tom71 have revealed that it contains an N-terminal and a C-terminal domain and that the two domains may remain in an open conformation when binding to Hsp70/Hsp90. In a newly obtained crystal form of a complex of Tom71 and the Hsp70 C-terminus, the N-terminal domain was found to have rotated about 12° towards the C-terminal domain compared with the previous determined crystal structure of Tom71 in the open conformation. This newly solved structure is defined as the `intermediate conformation'. The domain rearrangements in Tom71 significantly change the surface hydrophobicity and the volume of the precursor-binding pocket. This work suggests that Tom70/Tom71-family members may exhibit structural plasticity from the intermediate conformation to the fully open conformation when complexed with Hsp70/Hsp90. This structural plasticity enables the precursor receptors to accommodate different precursor substrates for mitochondrial translocation.
A new crystal form of Lys48-linked diubiquitin
Authors: Trempe Jean-François , Brown Nicholas R. , Noble Martin E. M. , Endicott Jane A.
Published: August 2010

Lys48-linked polyubiquitin chains are recognized by the proteasome as a tag for the degradation of the attached substrates. Here, a new crystal form of Lys48-linked diubiquitin (Ub2) was obtained and the crystal structure was refined to 1.6 Å resolution. The structure reveals an ordered isopeptide bond in atransconfiguration. All three molecules in the asymmetric unit were in the same closed conformation, in which the hydrophobic patches of both the distal and the proximal moieties interact with each other. Despite the different crystallization conditions and different crystal packing, the new crystal structure of Ub2is similar to the previously published structure of diubiquitin, but differences are observed in the conformation of the flexible isopeptide linkage.
Apical secretion of rat submandibular tissue kallikrein continues in the absence of external stimulation: evidence for a constitutive secretory pathway
Authors: GARRETT J. R. , ZHANG X. S. , PROCTOR G. B. , ANDERSON L. C. , SHORI D. K.
Published: August 2010

Sequential samples of saliva evoked by low frequency parasympathetic nerve stimulation were collected from cannulated submandibular ducts of anaesthetized rats following periods of varying length without stimulation. After such rest periods the first samples of saliva were found to contain much higher levels of tissue kallikrein (rK1) activity and protein than the ensuing samples from the same stimulation period and the latter contained levels similar to those found previously in parasympathetically‐evoked saliva. rK1 activity in first samples increased with the length of the preceding interval, indicating that a continuous secretion of rK1 occurs from ductal cells into glandular lumina and accumulates there in the absence of stimulation or fluid secretion. The protein secretory pattern following rest pauses was unaffected by α‐adrenergic receptor blockade and a high percentage of the proteinase activity was resistant to soya bean trypsin inhibitor, showing that the secretion was not caused by exocytosis of storage granules from ductal cells and therefore was likely to be a result of a constitutive secretion of newly synthesized enzyme. The pattern of continuous secretion into lumina detected for total protein in the absence of stimulation, suggests that other secretory proteins may also be secreted similarly but at different rates.
Dividend Policy and Corporate Performance
Authors: Akhigbe Aigbe , Madura Jeff
Published: August 2010

Substantial research has been conducted to determine the signal that results from dividend initiations and omissions. Our study extends from previous research by measuring the long‐term valuation effects following dividend initiations and omissions. We find that firms initiating dividends experience favorable long‐term share price performance. Conversely, firms omitting dividends experience unfavorable long‐term share price performance. The long‐term valuation effects resulting from dividend initiations are more favorable for firms that are smaller, that overinvest, and that had relatively poor performance prior to the initiations. The long‐term effects resulting from dividend omissions are more unfavorable for large firms and for firms experiencing relatively large dividend omissions.
The Cost of Equity Capital at the Corporate and Investor Levels Allowing a Rational Expectations Model with Personal Taxations
Authors: Dempsey Mike
Published: August 2010

This paper argues that the conventional definition of the cost of equity at the corporate level is likely to be fundamentally flawed under conditions of personal taxation. A ‘dimensionally consistent’ definition is developed utilising the pioneering contributions of Auerbach and Elton and Gruber. Consequent benefits are straight‐forward expressions for the cost of equity capital at the corporate level (for both retained earnings and new equity) as well as at the investor level (post personal tax) in terms of both the dividend discount and CAPM‐type models, which are applicable to classical and imputation tax systems. A fundamental framework is thereby provided which succeeds in illuminating investor personal tax liabilities as they might be expected to impact on a firm's investment and related dividend policies.
Random Walks in World Money Rates
Authors: Chou Nan Ting , Dare William H. , Dukes William , Ma Christopher K.
Published: August 2010

Interest rate changes in major industrialized countries are examined and found to exhibit significant deviations from random walks. When measured over short horizons, interest rate changes demonstrate significant negative serial correlation. As the time horizon is extended, the negative dependencies decline and interest rate changes approach random walks. In general, the evidence suggests that short‐term interest rate changes in major industrialized countries follow a mean‐reverting process.
Temporal Profitability and Pricing of Long‐Term Care Insurance
Authors: Cox Larry A. , Ge Yanling
Published: August 2010

Equilibrium models of dynamic insurance markets can be bifurcated according to underlying assumptions about whether or not insurers commit to long‐term contracts. The difference is substantial in that commitment models imply price highballing over time while no‐commitment models indicate price lowballing. Extant empirical studies provide mixed evidence, however. We use long‐term care (LTC) insurance data, which allow us both to better control for heterogeneous, observable risk, to examine dynamic profitability and pricing in a relatively young, innovative insurance market. Our tests generally indicate temporal price lowballing, thereby providing support for the no‐commitment models.
Deposit Insurance and Forbearance Under Moral Hazard
Authors: So Jacky , Wei Jason Z.
Published: August 2010

We study the efficacy of forbearance using a real options approach. Our model endogenizes moral hazard embedded in credit risk undertaken by the bank. The bank's interest rate risk is modeled as duration mismatch. Other modeling improvements over previous studies include such features as stochastic interest rates and deposits, continuous interest payments on an ongoing deposit portfolio, and a stochastic forbearance period. We find that the bank does have an incentive to engage in undue risk taking. Even in the presence of moral hazard, however, forbearance can still be a desirable course of action in reducing the FDIC's expected liability. In addition, the capital ratio plays an extremely important role in determining the fair insurance premium. Finally, using the mismatch of asset and deposit durations as the correct measurement of interest rate risk, our model reveals that an optimal asset variance may exist for a particular bank, contrary to what the contingent claims framework would predict. Therefore, we resolve the puzzle that banks in practice do not increase asset risk to take full advantage of the limited liability.
An interdisciplinary approach to regional land use analysis using GIS, with applications to the Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica
Authors: Jansen Hans G. P. , Bouman Bas A. M. , Schipper Robert A. , Hengsdijk Huib , Nieuwenhuyse André
Published: August 2010

Policy makers and other stakeholders concerned with regional rural development increasingly face the need for instruments that can improve transparency in the policy debate and that enhance understanding of opportunities for and limitations to development. To this end, a methodology called SOLUS (Sustainable Options for Land Use) was developed by an interdisciplinary team of scientists over a 10‐year period in the Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica. The main tools of SOLUS include a linear programming (LP) model, two expert systems that define technical coefficients for a large number of production activities, and a geographic information system (GIS). A five‐step procedure was developed for GIS to spatially reference biophysical and economic parameters, to create input for the expert systems and the LP model, to store and spatially reference model output data, and to create maps of both model input and output data. SOLUS can be used to evaluate the potential effects of alternative policies and incentive structures on the performance of the agricultural sector. A number of practical applications demonstrate SOLUS's capability to quantify trade‐offs between economic objectives (income, employment) and environmental sustainability (soil nutrient balances, pesticide use, greenhouse gas emissions). GIS‐created maps visualize the spatial aspects of such trade‐offs and indicate hotspots where local goals may conflict with regional goals.
Expression of MC‐R, POMC and POMC peptides and evidence for a immunoregulatory role of α‐MSH in human dermal papilla cells
Authors: Böhm M. , Eickelmann M. , Li Z. , Vogt A. , Blume‐Peytavi U. , Barsh G. , Luger T. A.
Published: August 2010

Pro‐opiomelanocortin (POMC)‐derived peptides are well‐known regulators of pigmentation and proliferation of epidermal and hair follicle‐derived melanocytes. We demonstrated that human dermal papilla cells (DPCs), a distinct myofibroblastic cell population of the hair follicle, participate in the cutaneous POMC system. DPCs in vitro and in situ expressed the melanocortin receptor‐1 (MC‐1R) as well as MC‐4R as shown by RT‐PCR, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. Expression of POMC but not agouti signalling protein, a natural MC‐1R/MC‐4R antagonist, was also detectable in DPC. Generation of POMC peptides by DPCs in vitro was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and ELISA studies revealing the expression of both adrenocorticotropin and β‐endorphin. To investigate the functional relevance of MC‐R expression in DPCs, we examined the effect of α‐MSH on interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ)‐induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1), an adhesion molecule upregulated in inflammatory disorders of the hair follicle such as alopecia areata. α‐MSH markedly suppressed the IFN‐γ‐mediated upregulation of ICAM‐1 in DPCs as shown by real‐time PCR studies, while α‐MSH alone did not have any effect. Our data suggest that melanocortins such as α‐MSH mediate paracrine and autocrine effect in the dermal papilla whose disruption may contribute to inflammatory diseases of the hair follicle.
Open questions in hidradenitis suppurativa research: a hair biologist's perspective
Authors: Paus Ralf
Published: August 2010

To clarify the obscure cause(s) of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), plausible, comprehensive, and testable hypothetical pathogenesis scenarios urgently need to be developed.

HS is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit, which occurs in intertriginous, ‘apocrine’ skin after puberty, and in more women than men. The clinical picture is dominated by late events resulting from follicular occlusion and its tissue‐destructive, inflammatory sequelae, aggravated by bacterial superinfection. Likely, HS originates from events in the hair follicle epithelium outer root sheath (ORS) rather than the apocrine gland and/or its duct. Genetic and endocrine factors influence HS incidence and course, at least in defined subpopulations.

If follicular hyperkeratosis, leading to the retention of follicular material, represents the earliest histological abnormality, while inflammation and apocrine involvement are secondary ones, then the cause of hyperkeratosis and hyperproliferation of ORS keratinocytes must be identified. In normal skin epithelium, this typically results from inflammatory stimuli. Because the skin epithelium is a crucial element in the control of innate immunity, one may speculate that the primary defect in HS is an insufficiently controlled and/or abnormal release of pro‐inflammatory ‘danger’ signals from the follicle ORS (e.g. chemokines, defensins, TLR ligands). This may only lead to HS, if additional predisposing factors (e.g. genetically lowered threshold for activation, or defective suppression of, innate immune response loops; constitutive overexpression of TLRs or underexpression of immunoinhibitory signals) are present and once pro‐inflammatory stimuli are further up‐regulated, e.g. by microtrauma, (neuro‐) endocrine and/or local microbial signals. In this scenario, hyperkeratosis/hyperproliferation of ORS keratinocytes only represents the first visible sign of a primary imbalance of the intrafollicular controls of epithelial innate immune mechanisms.

This chiefly calls for systematic exploration of the hair follicle innate immune system in as yet uninvolved intertriginous skin of HS patients versus normal controls as a key to unravelling the elusive pathogenesis of HS.
Biologics in the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa: etanercept (preliminary report on clinical trial) and infliximab (case study)
Authors: Adams David Richard
Published: August 2010

A teenager with significant hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and ulcerative colitis was treated with infliximab infusion. The response was rapid and dramatic. This response led us to develop and gain approval for a 20 patient, 6‐month investigator‐initiated study using another anti‐tumor necrosis alpha agent, etanercept. The study is double‐blinded and placebo controlled using etanercept 50 mg subcutaneous injection twice weekly. For the first 3 months, one‐half of the patients will receive placebo and other half active drug. Neither patient nor investigator will know whether active drug or placebo is used. In the last 3 months, all patients will receive active drug. The purpose of the study is to evaluate etanercept effectiveness and adverse effects when used for HS. The study is still in progress, but preliminary results are encouraging.
Comprehensive analysis of DNA repair gene polymorphisms and survival in patients with early stage non‐small‐cell lung cancer
Authors: Kim Min , Kang Hyo‐Gyoung , Lee Shin Yup , Lee Hyung Cheol , Lee Eung Bae , Choi Yi Young , Lee Won Kee , Cho Sukki , Jin Guang , Jheon Hyo‐Sung , Son Ji Woong , Lee Myung‐Hoon , Jung Deuk Kju , Cha Seung Ick , Kim Chang Ho , Kang Young Mo , Kam Sin , Jung Tae Hoon , Jheon Sanghoon , Park Jae Yong
Published: August 2010

This study was conducted to analyze a comprehensive panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in DNA repair genes to determine the relationship between polymorphisms and the survival outcome of patients with early stage non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Three hundred and ten consecutive patients with surgically resected NSCLC were enrolled. Forty‐eight SNP in 27 DNA repair genes were genotyped and their associations with overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) were analyzed. Individually, six SNP exhibited significant associations with survival outcome. When the six SNP were combined, OS and DFS decreased as the number of bad genotypes increased (Ptrend < 0.0001 for both). Patients with three, and four or five bad genotypes had a significantly worse OS and DFS compared with those carrying zero or one bad genotypes (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] for OS = 3.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.25–9.97, P = 0.02, and aHR for DFS = 3.31, 95% CI = 1.41–7.76, P = 0.006; and aHR for OS = 5.47, 95% CI = 1.87–16.00, P = 0.002, and aHR for DFS = 4.42, 95% CI = 1.82–10.74, P = 0.001, respectively). These findings suggest that the six SNP identified can be used as prognostic markers for patients with surgically resected early stage NSCLC. (Cancer Sci 2010; 101: 2436–2442)
The conceptualization and measurement of need: a key to guiding policy and practice in children's services
Authors: O'Brien Michael
Published: August 2010

Effective services for children must be grounded in the sound conceptualization and measurement of need. The concept of need is often misunderstood because it is used in different ways. Defining need as both a requisite and a goal is desirable. The conceptualization ought to rest on an acceptance that not only are objective and universal needs to attain physical health and autonomy requirements for all human beings, but subjective needs may also sit alongside of universal needs. The ecological/developmental perspective is best suited as a framework for assessing the needs of children. One of its tenets, the importance of understanding the interaction of risk and protective factors, is highly relevant to assessing needs. An assessment of the interaction of risk and protective factors operating in a child's life reveals the requisites and goals necessary for child development. The proposed approaches to the conceptualization and measurement of need when combined will be conducive to better assessment and intervention by social workers with children.
α-Galactosylceramide protects mice from lethal Coxsackievirus B3 infection and subsequent myocarditis
Authors: Wu C Y , Feng Y , Qian G C , Wu J H , Luo J , Wang Y , Chen G J , Guo X K , Wang Z J
Published: August 2010

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the myocardium which often follows virus infections. Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), as a marker of the enterovirus group, is one of the most important infectious agents of virus-induced myocarditis. Using a CVB3-induced myocarditis model, we show that injection α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), a ligand for invariant natural killer (NK) T (iNK T) cells, can protect the mice from viral myocarditis. After the systemic administration of α-GalCer in CVB3 infected mice, viral transcription and titres in mouse heart, sera and spleen were reduced, and the damage to the heart was ameliorated. This is accompanied by a better disease course with an improved weight loss profile. Compared with untreated mice, α-GalCer-treated mice showed high levels of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-4, and reduced proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in their cardiac tissue. Anti-viral immune response was up-regulated by α-GalCer. Three days after CVB3 infection, α-GalCer-administered mice had larger spleens. Besides NK T cells, more macrophages and CD8+ T cells were found in these spleens. Upon stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate plus ionomycin, splenocytes from α-GalCer-treated mice produced significantly more cytokines [including IFN-γ, tumour necrosis factor-α, IL-4 and IL-10] than those from untreated mice. These data suggest that administration of α-GalCer during acute CVB3 infection is able to protect the mice from lethal myocarditis by local changes in inflammatory cytokine patterns and enhancement of anti-viral immune response at the early stage. α-GalCer is a potential candidate for viral myocarditis treatment. Our work supports the use of anti-viral treatment early to reduce the incidence of virus-mediated heart damage.
DNA methylation analysis of the HIF‐1α prolyl hydroxylase domain genes PHD1, PHD2, PHD3 and the factor inhibiting HIF gene FIH in invasive breast carcinomas
Authors: Huang Katie T , Mikeska Thomas , Dobrovic Alexander , Fox Stephen B
Published: August 2010

Huang K T, Mikeska T, Dobrovic A & Fox S B (2010) Histopathology 57, 451–460 DNA methylation analysis of the HIF‐1α prolyl hydroxylase domain genes PHD1, PHD2, PHD3 and the factor inhibiting HIF gene FIH in invasive breast carcinomas

Aims:  Hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1 (HIF‐1) activity is regulated by prolyl hydroxylase (PHD1, PHD2, PHD3) and factor inhibiting HIF‐1 (FIH) that target the α subunit of HIF‐1 (HIF‐1α) for proteosomal degradation. We hypothesised that the elevated HIF‐1α level is due in some tumours to epigenetic silencing by DNA hypermethylation of the promoter region of one or more of the PHDs and FIH genes. The aims were to define the presence or absence of promoter methylation of PHDs and FIH in cell lines of various sources and breast carcinomas and, if present, determine its effect on mRNA and protein expression.

Methods and results:  Tumour cell lines (n = 20) and primary invasive breast carcinomas (n = 168) were examined for promoter region DNA methylation using methylation‐sensitive high‐resolution melting. There was evidence of PHD3 but not of PHD1, PHD2 or FIH DNA methylation in breast cancer (SkBr3) and leukaemic (HL60 and CCRF‐CEM) cell lines, but there was no evidence of methylation in any of 168 breast cancers. Only the high‐level PHD3 methylation seen in leukaemic cell lines correlated with absent mRNA and protein expression.

Conclusions:  Methylation‐induced epigenetic silencing of PHD1, PHD2, PHD3 and FIH is unlikely to underlie up‐regulated HIF‐1α expression in human breast cancer but may play a role in other tumour types.
Rising environmental temperatures and biogeography: poleward range contraction of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis L., in the western Atlantic
Authors: Jones Sierra J. , Lima Fernando P. , Wethey David S.
Published: August 2010

Aim  We tested whether the contraction of the equatorward boundary of an intertidal organism, the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, was due to high summer temperatures limiting mortality.

Location  The Atlantic coast of the United States.

Methods  Field transplant experiments were conducted at three locations along the US Atlantic coast. Survival and heat shock protein 70 expression were determined at biweekly intervals. Air and water temperature profiles were used to model current and historical patterns of mortality, and to determine rates of temperature change.

Results  High levels of mortality and expression of the inducible heat shock protein 70 were observed after multiple consecutive aerial exposures of 32 °C or greater. Since 1960, seasonal air and water temperatures have increased along the eastern US seaboard, and south of Lewes, DE (38.8° N) summer sea surface temperature increases have exceeded the upper lethal limits of this organism.

Main conclusions  Along the southern portion of its range, intertidal populations of M. edulis have experienced catastrophic mortality directly associated with summer high temperatures. Over the past 50 years, a geographic contraction of the southern, equatorward range edge of M. edulis has occurred, shifting the range edge approximately 350 km north of the previous limit at Cape Hatteras, NC (35.2° N).
Redesigned community postpartum care to prevent and treat postpartum depression in women – a one‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Glavin Kari , Smith Lars , Sørum Ragnhild , Ellefsen Bodil
Published: August 2010

Aim.  To investigate the effect of a redesigned follow‐up care programme on prevention and treatment of postpartum depression.

Background.  Postpartum depression may have negative consequences on child development, maternal health and the relationship between parents. Early identification and treatment might prevent longer‐term depression.

Design.  A quasi‐experimental post‐test design with non‐equivalent groups.

Method.  The study population was postpartum women with a live‐born child, residing in one of two municipalities in Norway. A total of 2247 women were enrolled: 1806 in the experimental municipality and 441 in the comparison municipality. Public health nurses (26) in the experimental municipality were trained to identify postpartum depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and clinical assessment and to provide supportive counselling.

Measurements.  The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at six weeks, three, six and 12 months postpartum and the Parenting Stress Index at 12 months postpartum.

Results.  The redesigned postpartum care programme yielded a significant group difference in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score at six weeks (p < 0·01), odds ratio (OR) 0·6, three months (p < 0·01), OR 0·4, six months (p < 0·01), OR 0·5 and 12 months postpartum (p < 0·01), OR 0·6. Women who had been depressed at least once during the first postpartum year reported significantly higher levels of parenting stress at 12 months.

Conclusion.  The findings of this study suggest that redesigned postpartum care comprising training of health professionals, increased focus on mental health problems and support for the parents is a useful approach to managing postpartum depression in the community.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Public health nurses are well positioned to identify and treat depressed mothers and provide referrals when needed. A small investment in training nurses to identify and treat postpartum depression can be cost‐effective in the longer term. These findings have implications for service delivery in public health.
Ocular findings in Down's syndrome
Authors: HESTNES A. , SAND T. , FOSTAD K.
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT. This communication presents the ocular findings in 30 patients with Down's syndrome residing in a central institution for the mentally retarded. The findings have been compared to those in matched controls consisting of mentally retarded people from the same institution. The ocular status in patients with Down's syndrome has been extensively studied previously, and to a large extent, findings in previous materials were confirmed. However, in this institution, which consisted of adult patients only, some unusual findings have also been made: nine of the 30 patients had keratoconus, which is a remarkably high figure. A compilation of data shows that only one of the patients with Down's syndrome had nearly normal ocular status.
Scale dependence of effective specialization: its analysis and implications for estimates of global insect species richness
Authors: Gering Jon C. , DeRennaux Kelly A. , Crist Thomas O.
Published: August 2010

Estimates of global insect species richness are sometimes based on effective specialization, a calculation used to estimate the number of insect species that is restricted to a particular tree species. Yet it is not clear how effective specialization is influenced by spatial scale or characteristics of the insect community itself (e.g. species richness). We investigated scale dependence and community predictors of effective specialization using 15,907 beetles (583 species) collected by insecticide fogging from the crowns of 96 trees (including 32 Quercus trees) located in Ohio and Indiana. Trees were distributed across 24 forest stands (∼1 ha) nested within six sites (∼10–100 km2) and two ecoregions (> 1000 km2). Using paired‐sample randomization tests, we found that effective specialization (fk) exhibited negative scale‐dependence in early (May–June 2000) and late (August–September 2000) sampling periods. Our average effective specialization (F) values — those that are comparable to Erwin's (1982) estimates — ranged from 19% to 97%, and increased as spatial scale decreased. We also found that beetle species richness and the number of shared beetle species across host trees were significant and consistent negative predictors of F. This shows that increases in spatial scale, species richness, and the number of trees (and/or tree species) all coincide with decreases in effective specialization. Collectively, our results indicate that estimates of global insect species richness based on effective specialization at a single spatial scale are overestimating the magnitude of global insect species richness. We propose that scale dependence should be promoted to a central concept in the research program on global estimates of species richness.