bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medical and non‐medical correlates of carpal tunnel syndrome in a Taiwan cohort of one million
Authors: Tseng C.‐H. , Liao C.‐C. , Kuo C.‐M. , Sung F.‐C. , Hsieh D. P. H. , Tsai C.‐H.
Published: June 2011

Background:  Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), with unclear etiology, is the most common entrapment neuropathy. Its occurrence is related to lots of medical and non‐medical conditions with uncertain causality. With a large population, we characterized selected demographical and clinical factors to add more information on CTS‐correlated factors and new insight into future CTS prevention.

Methods:  A national insurance claim dataset of one million enrollees in Taiwan was used to identify 15 802 patients with CTS and 31 604 randomly selected controls, during a period of 7 years starting 1 January 2000. Statistical association with CTS was determined for five sociodemographic and nine medical factors.

Results:  Patients were predominantly women (65.6% vs. 47.7% in the control group) and older (40 and above, 62.6% vs. 36.2%). Rheumatoid arthritis was found to be the most significant comorbidity associated with CTS, followed by gout, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, uremia, and acromegaly. For younger group age ≤39, the association of these comorbidities was stronger, and hypothyroidism and vitamin B6 deficiency were additional comorbidities. Aging appears to reduce the relative impact of the diseases commonly associated with CTS as the possible risk factors.

Conclusions:  Identification of the CTS correlates in younger group would be of greater value in timely detection and treatment for these diseases. Correcting these disorders may aid in removing possible causes of CTS. This is the first report on the effect of aging on probable CTS risk factors. How factors associated with aging contribute to the development of CTS remains to be determined.
The prediction of functional dependency by lateralized and non‐lateralized neglect in a large prospective stroke sample
Authors: Viken J. I. , Samuelsson H. , Jern C. , Jood K. , Blomstrand C.
Published: June 2011

Background and purpose:  Lateralized and non‐lateralized impairments in visual attention have been identified as important components in patients with visuospatial neglect. This study investigated the course of these two phenomena across time in relation to neurological symptoms and functional outcome in a large consecutive and prospective stroke sample.

Methods:  A total of 375 consecutive stroke patients were divided into three groups (lateralized, non‐lateralized or no visual inattention) acutely and 3 months post‐stroke using the star cancellation test. Neurological impairments, localization of brain damage, asymmetry in clinical symptoms and functional outcome were assessed. Possible group differences were analysed, and stepwise logistic regressions were performed to examine the relative importance of predictors of functional dependency.

Results:  Participants with acute lateralized inattention differed (P ≤ 0.05) from the other two groups by more often exhibiting severe neurological symptoms, functional dependency and persisting visual inattention. The regression analyses selected acute lateralized inattention as an important and independent predictor of functional dependency following right hemisphere damage, but not following left hemisphere damage.

Conclusions:  The results emphasize the prognostic value of lateralized inattention and the importance of separating lateralized and non‐lateralized symptoms of visual inattention at the commencement of rehabilitation.
Neuropsychological outcome after a first symptomatic ischaemic stroke with ‘good recovery’
Authors: Planton M. , Peiffer S. , Albucher J. F. , Barbeau E. J. , Tardy J. , Pastor J. , Januel A. C. , Bezy C. , Lemesle B. , Puel M. , Demonet J. F. , Chollet F. , Pariente J.
Published: June 2011

Background:  Neuropsychological impairment after stroke when no motor, sensory or language deficits are left remains understudied. The primary aim of this study was to assess neuropsychological outcome in a specific population of patients after a first symptomatic stroke without previous cognitive decline and with a good motor, linguistic, and functional recovery (i.e. ‘good outcome’). The secondary aims were to identify the profile of this potential impairment and relations between brain lesions and neuropsychological outcome.

Methods:  Sixty consecutive patients were evaluated by a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment focusing specifically on executive and attentional functions but also on memory 109 days, on average, after the infarct. Patients were compared with 40 healthy controls matched for age and education.

Results:  Patients showed lower performance in every cognitive domain compared with controls. Along with an important executive deficit, patients were also impaired on attention and memory. Patients were not more depressed than controls, although they were more apathetic. We also found a significant positive correlation between cognitive impairment and pre‐existing white matter brain lesions assessed by MRI.

Conclusions:  We report the first study examining the impact of a first stroke on cognition but also on psychiatric disorders in patients with good functional outcome. We found that patients considered as asymptomatic were, in fact, exhibiting a multidomain cognitive deficit that could impact return to life as before stroke.
Health literacy – a heterogeneous phenomenon: a literature review
Authors: Mårtensson Lena , Hensing Gunnel
Published: June 2011

Scand J Caring Sci; 2012; 26; 151–160
 
Health literacy – a heterogeneous phenomenon: a literature review

Background and aim:  A growing responsibility on the part of individuals to make decisions in health issues implies the need of access to health information and personal skills to comprehend the information. Health literacy comprises skills in obtaining, understanding and acting on information about health issues in ways that promote and maintain health. A lack of health literacy may have effects at both the individual and societal levels. There are thus reasons for health care professionals to gain a comprehensive understanding of health literacy. The aim of this review was to explore how health literacy is described in the scientific literature and to give a synthesis of its different meanings.

Methods:  The review was based on approximately 200 scientific articles published 2000–2008. The analysis process was inspired by the methods of narrative literature review.

Findings and conclusions:  Two different approaches to health literacy became visible, one in which health literacy is expressed as a polarized phenomenon, focusing on the extremes of low and high health literacy. The definitions of health literacy in this approach are characterized by a functional understanding, pointing out certain basic skills needed to understand health information. The other approach represents a complex understanding of health literacy, acknowledging a broadness of skills in interaction with the social and cultural contexts, which means that an individual’s health literacy may fluctuate from one day to another according to the context. The complex approach stresses the interactive and critical skills needed to use information or knowledge as a basis for appropriate health decisions. We conclude that health literacy is a heterogeneous phenomenon that has significance for both the individual and society. Future research will aim at the development of assessments that capture the broadness of skills and agents characteristic for health literacy as a complex phenomenon.
The involvement of distinct neural systems in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder with autogenous and reactive obsessions
Authors: Besiroglu L. , Sozen M. , Ozbebit Ö. , Avcu S. , Selvi Y. , Bora A. , Atli A. , Unal O. , Bulut M. D.
Published: June 2011

Besiroglu L, Sozen M, Ozbebit Ö, Avcu S, Selvi Y, Bora A, Atli A, Unal O, Bulut MD. The involvement of distinct neural systems in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) with autogenous and reactive obsessions.

Objective:  To investigate the regional metabolite abnormalities and changes after treatment in patients with OCD with autogenous and reactive obsessions.

Method:  We assessed right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and amygdala–hippocampal region (Am + Hpp) N‐acetyl‐aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho) and creatine (Cr) concentrations and NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios using single‐voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in 15 patients with autogenous obsessions (OCD‐A), 15 patients with reactive obsessions (OCD‐R) and 15 healthy controls (HC). Measurements were repeated after 16 weeks of fluoxetine treatment.

Results:  Baseline ACC NAA/Cr ratios of both OCD groups were significantly lower than HC. OCD‐A group had significantly lower baseline NAA/Cr ratios in the Am + Hpp than other groups. These differences were more likely to be explained by higher Cr levels in ACC. We found no significant differences and changes for Cho levels and Cho/Cr ratios between groups and within groups. Significant increase in NAA/Cr ratios of OCD‐A group found in the Am + Hpp was more likely to be explained by increased NAA levels. No significant changes were found in ACC NAA/Cr ratios.

Conclusion:  While disturbed energy metabolism in ACC might reflect a common pathology in patients with OCD regardless of symptom dimension, alterations in mesiotemporal lobe are more likely for autogenous obsessions.
Lateral migration of fish between an oxbow lake and an Amazonian headwater river
Authors: Osorio Darwin , Terborgh John , Alvarez Adriana , Ortega Hernán , Quispe Roberto , Chipollini Vanessa , Davenport Lisa C.
Published: June 2011

Abstract –  We report on lateral movements of fish between an Amazonian headwater river (Manu River in Manu National Park, Perú) and a 24‐ha oxbow lake (Cocha Cashu) in the adjacent floodplain. During wet season flood pulses, or ‘crecientes,’ fish can enter and exit the lake through a connecting channel that is normally dry. To investigate fish movements, we operated a bi‐directional funnel trap in the connecting channel during high water interludes. We captured 4090 fish of 60 species during the 2005 and 2006 rainy seasons and sub‐sampled the adults for gonadal state and stomach contents. We found that most exiting fish were gravid and that most entering fish had recently spawned, suggesting that fish were leaving the lake to spawn in the river or elsewhere. Entering fish had full stomachs more often than exiting fish and entering and exiting individuals of most species were of similar size.
Evidence of diadromy in the French Polynesian Kuhlia malo (Teleostei: Percoidei) inferred from otolith microchemistry analysis
Authors: Feutry Pierre , Keith Philippe , Pécheyran Christophe , Claverie Fanny , Robinet Tony
Published: June 2011

Abstract –  Strontium/Calcium (Sr/Ca) and Barium/Calcium (Ba/Ca) ratios were measured in 60 otoliths of the French Polynesian flagtail Kuhlia malo. Both elemental ratios were needed to correctly distinguish residence in marine, brackish and fresh water. High Sr/Ca and low Ba/Ca around the nucleus of all otoliths provided evidence of marine residency during the early life of all individuals. At about 0.5 mm from the core, Ba/Ca increased rapidly and remained high in all otoliths. High and unstable Sr/Ca ratios were attributed to estuarine residency, whereas low and stable Sr/Ca ratios were attributed to freshwater residency. These chemical signatures inferred that following recruitment to rivers, some fish remained in the estuary, while others moved upstream. Some individuals shared their time between fresh and brackish waters later in life. The findings of this study have important implications for the protection of nearshore, brackish and freshwater environments for the conservation of this French Polynesian diadromous species.
Unequal impairment in the recognition of positive and negative emotions after right hemisphere lesions: A left hemisphere bias for happy faces
Authors: Nijboer Tanja C. W. , Jellema Tjeerd
Published: June 2011

The processing of several important aspects of a human face was investigated in a single patient (LZ), who had a large infarct of the right hemisphere involving the parietal, and temporal lobes with extensions into the frontal region. LZ showed selective problems with recognizing emotional expressions, whereas she was flawless in recognizing gender, familiarity, and identity. She was very poor in recognizing negative facial expressions (fear, disgust, anger, sadness), but scored as well as the controls on the positive facial expression of happiness. However, in two experiments using both static and dynamic face stimuli, we showed that LZ also did not have a proper notion of what a facial expression of happiness looks like, and could not adequately apply this label. We conclude that the proper recognition of both negative and positive facial expressions relies on the right hemisphere, and that the left hemisphere produces a default state resulting in a bias towards evaluating expressions as happy. We discuss the implications of the current findings for the main models that aim to explain hemispheric specializations for processing of positive and negative emotions.
Permanent Genetic Resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 February 2011–31 March 2011
Authors:   Molecular Ecology Resources Primer Development Consortium, AUSTIN JAMES D. , BERTIN ANGÉLINE , BÓRQUEZ JÉSSICA P. , CÁRDENAS L. , CARDOZA TATIANA BACRY , CHAPMAN FRANK , DE SOUSA ADNA CRISTINA BARBOSA , DE SOUZA ANETE PEREIRA , DOUGLAS KORY C. , ELLWOOD SIMON R. , FERRIOL M. , GARMENDIA A. , GOUIN NICOLAS , HARGROVE JOHN , JASTI MADHURI , KERÄNEN I. , KNOTT K. E. , KONEC MARJETA , KUITUNEN K. , LIMA MARCOS PRADO , LINDE CELESTE C. , MERLE H. , OLIVA M. E. , PÉREZ M. , SAARINEN EMILY , SAMOLLOW PAUL B. , SCARPASSA VERA MARGARETE , SEGURA I. , SMITH LEON , TRONTELJ PETER , VALDIVIA I. M. , WALLWORK HUGH , WELLENREUTHER M.
Published: June 2011

This article documents the addition of 111 microsatellite marker loci to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, Anopheles nuneztovari sensu lato, Asellus aquaticus, Calopteryx splendens, Calopteryx virgo, Centaurea aspera, Centaurea seridis, Chilina dombeyana, Proctoeces cf. lintoni and Pyrenophora teres f. teres.
AFLP fingerprinting suggests an allopolyploid origin of two members of the Leucanthemum vulgare aggregate (Compositae, Anthemideae) in central Europe
Authors: Oberprieler C. , Eder C. , Meister J. , Vogt R.
Published: June 2011

In order to clarify the origin of the wide‐spread tetraploid Leucanthemum ircutianum and the hexaploid L. adustum, both found in the alpine and dealpine parts of central Europe together with the diploid L. vulgare, we carried out a genetic analysis based on the distribution of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fragments in populations of these three taxa, both in the northwestern Alps (Allgäu region, south Germany and adjacent parts of Austria) and the Franconian Jura (vicinity of Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany). Statistical analyses based on AFLP fragments (principal co‐ordinate analysis, PCoA; analysis of molecular variance, AMOVA; Bayesian analysis of population structure, BAPS) suggest that neither of the polyploids is of autopolyploid origin based on L. vulgare, but rather are allopolyploids with the second (maternal) diploid parent still unknown.
Ecstasy Use and Suicidal Behavior among Adolescents: Findings from a National Survey
Authors: Kim Jueun , Fan Bin , Liu Xinhua , Kerner Nancy , Wu Ping
Published: June 2011

The relationship between ecstasy use and suicidal behavior among adolescents in the United States was examined. Data from the adolescent subsample (ages 12–17, N = 19,301) of the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse were used in the analyses. Information on adolescent substance use, suicidal behaviors, and related sociodemographic, family, and individual factors was obtained in the survey. The rate of past year suicide attempt among adolescents with lifetime ecstasy use was almost double that of adolescents who had used other drugs only, and nine times that of adolescents with no history of illicit drug use. In multinomial logistic regression analyses controlling for related factors, the effect of ecstasy use remained significant. Adolescent ecstasy users may require enhanced suicide prevention and intervention efforts.
On reducing an empathy gap: The impact of self‐construal and order of judgment
Authors: Woltin Karl‐Andrew , Yzerbyt Vincent Y. , Corneille Olivier
Published: June 2011

Empathy gaps, in which individuals exaggerate self–other similarities or differences, generate errors in social judgments. We investigated whether changing individuals’ self‐construal may reduce one specific empathy gap: the illusion of courage. Participants primed with independent or interdependent self‐construal made judgments about their own and other people's willingness to dance in public. Participants in the interdependence condition showed a reduction of the empathy gap, but only when judging the other first. This finding highlights that simple contextual manipulations have the potential to reduce egocentric biases in social judgments.
No Evidence of Murine-Like Gammaretroviruses in CFS Patients Previously Identified as XMRV-Infected
Authors: Knox Konstance , Carrigan Donald , Simmons Graham , Teque Fernando , Zhou Yanchen , Hackett John , Qiu Xiaoxing , Luk Ka-Cheung , Schochetman Gerald , Knox Allyn , Kogelnik Andreas M. , Levy Jay A.
Published: June 2011

Chronic fatigue syndrome patients reported previously to be XMRV-infected show no signs of the virus in an independent evaluation.
Rituximab Targets Podocytes in Recurrent Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
Authors: Fornoni Alessia , Sageshima Junichiro , Wei Changli , Merscher-Gomez Sandra , Aguillon-Prada Robier , Jauregui Alexandra N. , Li Jing , Mattiazzi Adela , Ciancio Gaetano , Chen Linda , Zilleruelo Gaston , Abitbol Carolyn , Chandar Jayanthi , Seeherunvong Wacheree , Ricordi Camillo , Ikehata Masami , Rastaldi Maria Pia , Reiser Jochen , Burke George W.
Published: June 2011

Rituximab treatment in high-risk patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis directly affects podocyte function and is linked to reduced incidence of recurrent proteinuria after kidney transplantation.
Rituximab’s New Therapeutic Target: The Podocyte Actin Cytoskeleton
Authors: Chan Andrew C.
Published: June 2011

A well-characterized monoclonal antibody drug imparts therapeutic benefit in kidney disease through an off-target–mediated mechanism.
The Changing Brain
Authors: Wang Wei
Published: June 2011

Spinal cord injury can potentially lead to adaptive changes in the sensory and motor cortical areas of the brain.
Candida glabrata
Mutants Demonstrating Paradoxical Reduced Caspofungin Susceptibility but Increased Micafungin Susceptibility
Authors: Healey Kelley R. , Katiyar Santosh K. , Castanheira Mariana , Pfaller Michael A. , Edlind Thomas D.
Published: June 2011

Echinocandins, including caspofungin (CSP) and micafungin (MCF), are highly active versus
Candida glabrata
(MIC of ≤0.06 μg/ml). True resistance (MIC of ≥1 μg/ml) is a rare event and strictly associated with mutations in β-1,3-glucan synthase gene
FKS1
or
FKS2
. In contrast, we show here that mutants exhibiting reduced susceptibility to CSP (CRS; MICs of 0.12 to 0.5 μg/ml) are readily selected
in vitro
and, paradoxically, demonstrate increased susceptibility to MCF (MIS) ranging from 4- to 32-fold. CRS-MIS mutants were generated from all 10
C. glabrata
strains tested and were tentatively identified within a collection of clinical isolates. Intriguingly, sequencing and gene disruption demonstrated that CRS-MIS is Fks independent.
Antiviral Efficacy upon Administration of a HepDirect Prodrug of 2′-
C
-Methylcytidine to Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Chimpanzees
Authors: Carroll Steven S. , Koeplinger Kenneth , Vavrek Marissa , Zhang Nanyan Rena , Handt Laurence , MacCoss Malcolm , Olsen David B. , Reddy K. Raja , Sun Zhili , van Poelje Paul D. , Fujitaki James M. , Boyer Serge H. , Linemeyer David L. , Hecker Scott J. , Erion Mark D.
Published: June 2011

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects an estimated 170 million individuals worldwide, and the current standard of care, a combination of pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin, is efficacious in achieving sustained viral response in ∼50% of treated patients. Novel therapies under investigation include the use of nucleoside analog inhibitors of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. NM283, a 3′-valyl ester prodrug of 2′-
C
-methylcytidine, has demonstrated antiviral efficacy in HCV-infected patients (N. Afdhal et al., J. Hepatol.
46
[Suppl. 1]
:
S5, 2007; N. Afdhal et al., J. Hepatol.
44
[Suppl. 2]
:
S19, 2006). One approach to increase the antiviral efficacy of 2′-
C
-methylcytidine is to increase the concentration of the active inhibitory species, the 5′-triphosphate, in infected hepatocytes. HepDirect prodrug technology can increase intracellular concentrations of a nucleoside triphosphate in hepatocytes by introducing the nucleoside monophosphate into the cell, bypassing the initial kinase step that is often rate limiting. Screening for 2′-
C
-methylcytidine triphosphate levels in rat liver after oral dosing identified 1-[3,5-difluorophenyl]-1,3-propandiol as an efficient prodrug modification. To determine antiviral efficacy
in vivo
, the prodrug was administered separately via oral and intravenous dosing to two HCV-infected chimpanzees. Circulating viral loads declined by ∼1.4 log
10
IU/ml and by >3.6 log
10
IU/ml after oral and intravenous dosing, respectively. The viral loads rebounded after the end of dosing to predose levels. The results indicate that a robust antiviral response can be achieved upon administration of the prodrug.
Differences in Erythrocyte Receptor Specificity of Different Parts of the Plasmodium falciparum Reticulocyte Binding Protein Homologue 2a
Authors: Gunalan Karthigayan , Gao Xiaohong , Liew Kingsley J. L. , Preiser Peter R.
Published: June 2011

The
Plasmodium falciparum
reticulocyte-binding-like protein homologue (RH) and erythrocyte binding-like (EBL) protein families play important roles during invasion, though their exact roles are not clear. Both EBL and RH proteins are thought to directly bind different receptors on the surface of the erythrocyte, and the binding properties for a number of EBLs and RHs have been described. While
P. falciparum
RH1 (PfRH1) and PfRH4 have been shown to act directly in two alternative invasion pathways used by merozoites, the functions of PfRH2a and PfRH2b during invasion are less defined. Here, using monoclonal antibodies raised against a unique region of PfRH2a, we show that PfRH2a moves from the rhoptry neck to the moving junction during merozoite invasion. The movement of PfRH2a to the junction is independent of the invasion pathway used by the merozoite, suggesting an additional function of the protein that is independent of receptor binding. We further show that PfRH2a is processed both in the schizont and during invasion, resulting in proteins with different erythrocyte binding properties. Our findings suggest that PfRH2a and, most likely, the other members of the RH family, depending on their processing stage, can engage different receptors at different stages of the invasion process.
CXCR6 Is a Marker for Protective Antigen-Specific Cells in the Lungs after Intranasal Immunization against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Lee Lian Ni , Ronan Edward O. , de Lara Catherine , Franken Kees L. M. C. , Ottenhoff Tom H. M. , Tchilian Elma Z. , Beverley Peter C. L.
Published: June 2011

Convincing correlates of protective immunity against tuberculosis have been elusive. In BALB/c mice, intranasal immunization with a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus expressing
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
antigen 85A (adenovirus-85A) induces protective lower respiratory tract immunity against pulmonary challenge with
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
, while intradermal immunization with adenovirus-85A does not. Here we report that intranasal immunization with adenovirus-85A induces expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR6 on lung CD8 T lymphocytes, which is maintained for at least 3 months. CXCR6-positive antigen-specific T cell numbers are increased among bronchoalveolar lavage-recoverable cells. Similarly, intranasal immunization with recombinant antigen 85A with adjuvant induces CXCR6 expression on lung CD4 cells in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice, while a synthetic ESAT6
1–20
peptide with adjuvant induces CXCR6 expression in C57BL/6 mice. Parenteral immunization fails to do so. Upregulation of CXCR6 is accompanied by a transient elevation of serum CXCL16 after intranasal immunization, and lung cells cultured
ex vivo
from mice immunized intranasally show increased production of CXCL16. Administration of CXCL16 and cognate antigen intranasally to mice previously immunized parenterally increases the number of antigen-specific T lymphocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage-recoverable population, which mediates inhibition of the early growth of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
after challenge. We conclude that expression of CXCR6 on lung T lymphocytes is a correlate of local protective immunity against
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
after intranasal immunization and that CXCR6 and CXCL16 play an important role in the localization of T cells within lung tissue and the bronchoalveolar lavage-recoverable compartment.
Enhanced Egress of Intracellular Eimeria tenella Sporozoites by Splenic Lymphocytes from Coccidian-Infected Chickens
Authors: Dong Xiaojuan , Abdelnabi Ghada H. , Lee Sung H. , Li Guangxing , Jin Hong , Lillehoj Hyun S. , Suo Xun
Published: June 2011

Egress, which describes the mechanism that some intracellular parasites use to exit from parasitophorous vacuoles and host cells, plays a very important role in the parasite life cycle and is central to
Eimeria
propagation and pathogenesis. Despite the importance of egress in the intracellular parasite's life cycle, very little information is known on this process compared to other steps, e.g., invasion. The present study was conducted to investigate the interplay between the host adaptive immune system and
Eimeria
egression. Splenic lymphocytes or soluble immune factors were incubated with parasite-infected host cells for 3 or 5 h, and the percentage of egress was calculated according to an established formula. Viability of egressed parasites and host cells was tested using trypan blue exclusion and annexin V and propidium iodide staining, respectively. We found that premature egression of sporozoites from
Eimeria tenella
-infected primary chicken kidney cells or from chicken peripheral blood mononuclear cells occurred when the cells were cocultured
in vitro
with spleen lymphocytes from
E. tenella
-infected chickens but not when they were cocultured with splenocytes from uninfected chickens.
Eimeria
-specific antibodies and cytokines (gamma interferon [IFN-γ], interleukin-2 [IL-2], and IL-15), derived from
E. tenella
-primed B and T lymphocytes, respectively, were capable of promoting premature egress of sporozoites from infected host cells. Both egressed parasites and host cells were viable, although the latter showed reduced reinvasion ability. These results suggest a novel, immune-mediated mechanism that the host exploits to interrupt the normal
Eimeria
life cycle
in vivo
and thereby block the release of mature parasites into the environment.
Development and Application of a Mouse Intestinal Loop Model To Study the
In Vivo
Action of Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin
Authors: Caserta Justin A. , Robertson Susan L. , Saputo Juliann , Shrestha Archana , McClane Bruce A. , Uzal Francisco A.
Published: June 2011

Clostridium perfringens
enterotoxin (CPE) is responsible for causing the gastrointestinal symptoms of
C. perfringens
type A food poisoning, the second most commonly identified bacterial food-borne illness in the United States. CPE is produced by sporulating
C. perfringens
cells in the small intestinal lumen, where it then causes epithelial cell damage and villous blunting that leads to diarrhea and cramping. Those effects are typically self-limiting; however, severe outbreaks of this food poisoning, particularly two occurring in psychiatric institutions, have involved deaths. Since animal models are currently limited for the study of the CPE action, a mouse ligated intestinal loop model was developed. With this model, significant lethality was observed after 2 h in loops receiving an inoculum of 100 or 200 μg of CPE but not using a 50-μg toxin inoculum. A correlation was noted between the overall intestinal histological damage and lethality in mice. Serum analysis revealed a dose-dependent increase in serum CPE and potassium levels. CPE binding to the liver and kidney was detected, along with elevated levels of potassium in the serum. These data suggest that CPE can be absorbed from the intestine into the circulation, followed by the binding of the toxin to internal organs to induce potassium leakage, which can cause death. Finally, CPE pore complexes similar to those formed in tissue culture cells were detected in the intestine and liver, suggesting that (i) CPE actions are similar
in vivo
and
in vitro
and (ii) CPE-induced potassium release into blood may result from CPE pore formation in internal organs such as the liver.
Multigenic Control and Sex Bias in Host Susceptibility to Spore-Induced Pulmonary Anthrax in Mice
Authors: Yadav Jagjit S. , Pradhan Suman , Kapoor Renuka , Bangar Hansraj , Burzynski Benjamin B. , Prows Daniel R. , Levin Linda
Published: June 2011

Mechanisms underlying susceptibility to anthrax infection are unknown. Using a phylogenetically diverse panel of inbred mice and spores ofBacillus anthracisAmes, we investigated host susceptibility to pulmonary anthrax. Susceptibility profiles for survival time and organ pathogen load differed across strains, indicating distinct genetic controls. Tissue infection kinetics analysis showed greater systemic dissemination in susceptible DBA/2J (D) mice but a higher terminal bacterial load in resistant BALB/cJ (C) mice. Interestingly, the most resistant strains, C and C57BL/6J (B), demonstrated a sex bias for susceptibility. For example, BALB/cJ females had a significantly higher survival time and required 4-fold more spores for 100% mortality compared to BALB/cJ males. To identify genetic regions associated with differential susceptibility, survival time and extent of organ infection were assessed using mice derived from two susceptibility models: (i) BXD advanced recombinant inbred strains and (ii) F2 offspring generated from polar responding C and D strains. Genome-wide analysis of BXD strain survival identified linkage on chromosomes 5, 6, 9, 11, and 14. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of the C×DF2 population revealed a significant QTL (designatedRpai1forresistance topulmonaryanthraxinfection, locus1) for survival time on chromosome 17 and also identified a chromosome 11 locus for lung pathogen burden. The striking difference between genome-wide linkage profiles for these two mouse models of anthrax susceptibility supports our hypothesis that these are multigenic traits. Our data provide the first evidence for a differential sex response to anthrax resistance and further highlight the unlikelihood of a single common genetic contribution for this response across strains.
Surface Export of GAPDH/SDH, a Glycolytic Enzyme, Is Essential for Streptococcus pyogenes Virulence
Authors: Jin Hong , Agarwal Shivangi , Agarwal Shivani , Pancholi Vijay
Published: June 2011

Streptococcal surface dehydrogenase (SDH) (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase [GAPDH]) is an anchorless major multifunctional surface protein in group A
Streptococcus
(GAS) with the ability to bind important mammalian proteins, including plasmin(ogen). Although several biological properties of SDH are suggestive of its possible role in GAS virulence, its direct role in GAS pathogenesis has not been ascertained because it is essential for GAS survival. Thus, it has remained enigmatic as to “how and why” SDH/GAPDH is exported onto the bacterial surface. The present investigation highlights “why” SDH is exported onto the GAS surface. Differential microarray-based genome-wide transcript abundance analysis was carried out using a specific mutant, which was created by inserting a hydrophobic tail at the C-terminal end of SDH (M1-SDH
HBtail
) and thus preventing its exportation onto the GAS surface. This analysis revealed downregulation of the majority of genes involved in GAS virulence and genes belonging to carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism and upregulation of those related to lipid metabolism. The complete attenuation of this mutant for virulence in the mouse model and the decreased and increased virulence of the wild-type and mutant strains postcomplementation with SDH
HBtail
and SDH, respectively, indicated that the SDH surface export indeed regulates GAS virulence. M1-SDH
HBtail
also displayed unaltered growth patterns, increased intracellular ATP concentration and Hpr double phosphorylation, and significantly reduced pH tolerance, streptolysin S, and SpeB activities. These phenotypic and physiological changes observed in the mutant despite the unaltered expression levels of established transcriptional regulators further highlight the fact that SDH interfaces with many regulators and its surface exportation is essential for GAS virulence.

IMPORTANCE
Streptococcal surface dehydrogenase (SDH), a classical anchorless cytoplasmically localized glycolytic enzyme, is exported onto the group A
Streptococcus
(GAS) surface through a hitherto unknown mechanism(s). It has not been known why GAS or other prokaryotes should export this protein onto the surface. By genetic manipulations, we created a novel GAS mutant strain expressing SDH with a 12-amino-acid hydrophobic tail at its C-terminal end and thus were able to prevent its surface exportation without altering its enzymatic activity or growth pattern. Interestingly, the mutant was completely attenuated for virulence in a mouse peritonitis model. The global gene expression profiles of this mutant reveal that the surface exportation of SDH is mandatory to maintain GAS virulence. The ability of GAS as a successful pathogen to localize SDH in the cytoplasm as well as on the surface is physiologically relevant and dynamically obligatory to fine-tune the functions of many transcriptional regulators and also to exploit its virulence properties for infection.
Surviving Bacterial Sibling Rivalry: Inducible and Reversible Phenotypic Switching in Paenibacillus dendritiformis
Authors: Be’er Avraham , Florin E.-L. , Fisher Carolyn R. , Swinney Harry L. , Payne Shelley M.
Published: June 2011

Natural habitats vary in available nutrients and room for bacteria to grow, but successful colonization can lead to overcrowding and stress. Here we show that competing sibling colonies of
Paenibacillus dendritiformis
bacteria survive overcrowding by switching between two distinct vegetative phenotypes, motile rods and immotile cocci. Growing colonies of the rod-shaped bacteria produce a toxic protein, Slf, which kills cells of encroaching sibling colonies. However, sublethal concentrations of Slf induce some of the rods to switch to Slf-resistant cocci, which have distinct metabolic and resistance profiles, including resistance to cell wall antibiotics. Unlike dormant spores of
P. dendritiformis
, the cocci replicate. If cocci encounter conditions that favor rods, they secrete a signaling molecule that induces a switch to rods. Thus, in contrast to persister cells,
P. dendritiformis
bacteria adapt to changing environmental conditions by inducible and reversible phenotypic switching.

IMPORTANCE
In favorable environments, species may face space and nutrient limits due to overcrowding. Bacteria provide an excellent model for analyzing principles underlying overcrowding and regulation of density in nature, since their population dynamics can be easily and accurately assessed under controlled conditions. We describe a newly discovered mechanism for survival of a bacterial population during overcrowding. When competing with sibling colonies,
Paenibacillus dendritiformis
produces a lethal protein (Slf) that kills cells at the interface of encroaching colonies. Slf also induces a small proportion of the cells to switch from motile, rod-shaped cells to nonmotile, Slf-resistant, vegetative cocci. When crowding is reduced and nutrients are no longer limiting, the bacteria produce a signal that induces cocci to switch back to motile rods, allowing the population to spread. Genes encoding components of this phenotypic switching pathway are widespread among bacterial species, suggesting that this survival mechanism is not unique to
P. dendritiformis
.
An Unusual Mechanism of Isopeptide Bond Formation Attaches the Collagenlike Glycoprotein BclA to the Exosporium of Bacillus anthracis
Authors: Tan Li , Li Mei , Turnbough Charles L.
Published: June 2011

The outermost exosporium layer of spores of
Bacillus anthracis
, the causative agent of anthrax, is comprised of a basal layer and an external hairlike nap. The nap includes filaments composed of trimers of the collagenlike glycoprotein BclA. Essentially all BclA trimers are tightly attached to the spore in a process requiring the basal layer protein BxpB (also called ExsFA). Both BclA and BxpB are incorporated into stable, high-molecular-mass complexes, suggesting that BclA is attached directly to BxpB. The 38-residue amino-terminal domain of BclA, which is normally proteolytically cleaved between residues 19 and 20, is necessary and sufficient for basal layer attachment. In this study, we demonstrate that BclA attachment occurs through the formation of isopeptide bonds between the free amino group of BclA residue A20 and a side chain carboxyl group of an acidic residue of BxpB. Ten of the 13 acidic residues of BxpB can participate in isopeptide bond formation, and at least three BclA polypeptide chains can be attached to a single molecule of BxpB. We also demonstrate that similar cross-linking occurs
in vitro
between purified recombinant BclA and BxpB, indicating that the reaction is spontaneous. The mechanism of BclA attachment, specifically, the formation of a reactive amino group by proteolytic cleavage and the promiscuous selection of side chain carboxyl groups of internal acidic residues, appears to be different from other known mechanisms for protein cross-linking through isopeptide bonds. Analogous mechanisms appear to be involved in the cross-linking of other spore proteins and could be found in unrelated organisms.

IMPORTANCE
Isopeptide bonds are protein modifications found throughout nature in which amide linkages are formed between functional groups of two amino acids, with at least one of the functional groups provided by an amino acid side chain. Isopeptide bonds generate cross-links within and between proteins that are necessary for proper protein structure and function. In this study, we discovered that BclA, the dominant structural protein of the external nap of
Bacillus anthracis
spores, is attached to the underlying exosporium basal layer protein BxpB via isopeptide bonds formed through a mechanism fundamentally different from previously described mechanisms of isopeptide bond formation. The most unusual features of this mechanism are the generation of a reactive amino group by proteolytic cleavage and promiscuous selection of acidic side chains. This mechanism, which apparently relies only on short peptide sequences in protein substrates, could be a general mechanism
in vivo
and adapted for protein cross-linking
in vitro
.
The efficacy of frequency specific microcurrent therapy on delayed onset hamstring muscle soreness: Figure 31
Authors: Curtis D , Fallows S , Morris M , McMakin C
Published: June 2011

Introduction

The effects of frequency specific microcurrent (FSM) therapy versus sham therapy in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) was studied to determine whether specific frequencies on two channels would produce better results than single channel single frequency microcurrent therapy which has been shown to be ineffective as compared to sham in DOMS. Frequency specific therapy is thought to operate by the effects of both microamperage current and resonance on tissues and biochemical bonds.

Methods

18 male and 17 female healthy participants (mean age 32 +/- 4.2 years) were recruited. Following a 15-minute treadmill warm-up and 5 sub-maximal eccentric muscle contractions, participants performed 5 sets of 15 maximal voluntary eccentric muscle contractions on a seated leg curl machine. Post-exercise, participants had one leg randomly assigned to a subsensory, silent treatment of 20 minutes of frequency specific microcurrent stimulation, while the other leg acted as non-treated control with the device turned off. (see figure 1) Participants were blinded to the treatment but the experimenter was not. Soreness was rated for each leg at baseline and at 24, 48 and 72 hours post exercise on a visual analogue scale (VAS), which ranged from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain ever).

Figure 31

Frequency specific microcurrent stimulation

Results

Both groups were identical at baseline (p= 1.00). Post-exercise there was a significant difference (p=0.0005) at 24 hours in the treated (1.3 / 10 ± 1.0) versus non-treated leg (5.2 / 10 ± 1.3). At 48 hours the treated leg was 1.2 / 10 ± 1.1 versus the non-treated of 7.0 / 10 ± 1.1 (p= 0.0005). At 72 hours the treated group was 0.7 / 10 ± 0.6 and the non-treated was 4.0 /10 ± 1.6 (p= 0.0005).

Conclusion

FSM therapy provided significant protection from DOMS at all time points tested.
The influence of three 48-hour dietary protocols on metabolic parameters during the maximal incremental treadmill test
Authors: Čanaki Martina , Ružić Lana , Leko Goran
Published: June 2011

Introduction

There are no protocol recommendations per-taining to nutrition before the performance assessment. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of three vari-ous 48-hour dietary protocols on parameters obtained during three trials of the maximal incremental treadmill test.

Methods

Thirteen physically active subjects (age: 25.73±3.09) underwent all-out treadmill test using a breath-by-breath analyzer. During the 13-day experiment, the subjects were submitted to the three controlled 48-hour dietary protocols. The obtained data were divided in three subgroups with respect to dietary conditions that prevailed during each trial. Three 48-hour dietary protocols consisted of (1) a low carbohydrate (CHO) diet 1.06 gkg-1 body mass of CHO; (2) a mixed diet 2.6 gkg-1 body mass of CHO; and (3) a high carbohydrate diet 5 gkg-1 body mass of CHO.

Results

The results confirmed the difference in the observed metabolic parameters after implementing the 48-hour high-carbohydrate diet. It is important to note that the metabolic indicators corresponding to the anaerobic threshold and maximal work load significantly change and reach higher values under the influence of a high-carbohydrate diet at maximal workload. Respiratory exchange ratio and blood lactate concentration contributed the most to the observed differences (p<0,03).

Conclusions

Energy sources pertaining to different nutri-ents have to be accurately defined and balanced during both competition but also functional testing. Otherwise, errors can occur in the given physiological parameters which serve as the guidelines for planning and programming the training process, which is a precondition for maximizing the com-petition performance. An athlete, before the physiological assessment, should take approximately the same amount of carbohydrate (>75%) and other nutrients, just like before a competition depending on duration and intensity of the sports activity.
Aspects of anthropometric and morphofunctional cardiac parameters in a lot of junior football players
Authors: Dinu V , Călina M L , Rusu L , Bieru D Enescu , Gusti A
Published: June 2011

Introduction

Physical exercises and sport activity induce myocardium and vascular tree important functional and morphologic adjustment changes, which mostly explain the aerobe performances improvement. The present work studied the anthropometric and morphofunctional cardiac parameters in 30 junior football players, with ages between 10 and 18 years, during specific training period.

Methods

In order to appreciate the athletes anthropometric profile, that have been measured the height, the weight, the body mass index, the thoracic perimeter and the Erismann harmony index.

Was recorded the ECG for the 12 classic derivations using the HEART 112D device and also the blood pressure and the heart rate values. The parameters obtained through echocardiography using the SIEMENS Acuson CV/70 device were: the cardiac cavity diameters, the cardiac volumes, the ejection fraction and the interventricular septum dimensions.

Results

The results were compared with the ones of a 30 subjects control group, having the same age but not practicing any performance sports. Anthropometric measurements reveal that 32.5% of the sportsmen were underweight, 62.5% had a normal weight and the others were overweight. The thoracic diameters were moderately statistically correlated (r = 0.42) with a slight increase of left ventricle telesystolic and telediastolic volumes. The cardiac volumes were within studied age specific limits, being correlated with the presence of pulmonary regurgitation and ejection fraction (r = 0.78).

Conclusions

The effort practice by the professional junior football players ameliorates the anthropometric parameters, but also the morphofunctional cardiac ones.
Midportion Achilles tendinosis and the plantaris tendon
Authors: Alfredson Håkan
Published: June 2011

Objectives

When re-operating patients with midportion Achilles tendinosis, having had a poor effect of ultrasound (US) and Doppler-guided scraping, the author found the involvement of the plantaris tendon to be a likely reason for the poor result. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of a plantaris tendon in close relation to the Achilles tendon in consecutive patients with midportion Achilles tendinosis undergoing treatment with US and Doppler-guided scraping.

Material and methods

This study includes 73 consecutive tendons with chronic painful midportion Achilles tendinosis, where US+Doppler examination showed thickening, irregular tendon structure, hypo-echoic regions, and localised high blood flow outside and inside the ventral Achilles midportion. The tendons were treated with US+Doppler-guided scraping, via a medial incision. If there was a plantaris tendon located in close relation to the medial Achilles, it was extirpated.

Results

An invaginated, or ‘close by located’, enlarged plantaris tendon was found in 58 of 73 (80%) tendons. Preliminary clinical results of the combined procedure, US + Doppler-guided surgical scraping and extirpation of the plantaris tendon, are very promising.

Conclusions

A thickened plantaris tendon located in close relation to the medial Achilles seems common in patients with chronic painful midportion tendinosis. The role of the plantaris tendon in midportion Achilles tendinosis needs to be further evaluated and should be kept in mind when treating this condition.