bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of dietary deficiencies of protein and retinol on the plasma level of retinol-binding protein in the rat
Authors: Muhilal H. , Glover J.
Published: May 2005

1. The plasma concentration of retinol-binding holoprotein (holo-RBP) in rats given retinol-sufficient diets containing 50 g soya-bean protein/kg was 90 % of the concentration found in controls given 200 g soya-bean protein/kg, whereas in rats given 50 g rice protein/kg it was only 68 % of the control value. Plasma albumin concentrations in the low-protein groups were lower by 20–25 %.

2. The rats given retinol-deficient diets, whose plasma levels of holo-RBP were reduced almost to zero after 5–8 weeks, were given 1·5 mg retinol/kg body-weight. Changes in plasma holo-RBP were measured for 7 d. The rapid rise in the latter to a peak above normal control levels within 1·5–2 h indicated that a pool of the apoprotein had accumulated in the liver during the period of deficiency and that retinol was necessary for its release.

3. The maximum value reached in the groups of rats given the rice-protein diet was smaller than the values for the groups given the soya-bean-protein diets, reflecting a reduced rate of synthesis of the carrier protein in the livers of those groups.

4. The administration of 100 g casein/kg diet to the rats receiving only 50 g rice-protein/kg immediately stimulated the synthesis of the carrier protein which was released into plasma, reaching a peak after 24 h before settling down after 3–4 d to the steady-state level expected for normal well-nourished controls.

5. The half-life for excess holo-RBP released into plasma of rats receiving a normal level of good-quality protein was 7 h, where it was 14 h for the groups of low-protein diets.
Branched-chain amino acid oxidation in relation to catabolic enzyme activities in rats given aprotein-free diet at different stages of development
Authors: Sketcher R. D. , James W. P. T.
Published: May 2005

1. The capacity of animals to conserve branched-chain amino acids was assessed during 3 weeks on a protein-free (PF) diet in groups of female rats at three stages of development, i.e. at weaning (35 g), in a period of rapid growth (85 g) and at maturity (200 g).

2. Leucine and valine oxidation was assessed by monitoring the evolution of14CO2from a tracer dose of the [1-14C]-labelled L-amino acid given intragastrically. Activities of the L-leucine:2-ketoglutarate aminotransferase (EC2.6.1.6) and α-keto acid dehydrogenase enzymes in leucine and valine metabolism were also determined in muscle and liver at weekly intervals.

3. All three groups of rats given a normal protein intake excreted the same proportion of the dose of labelled leucine and valine. In rats given PF diet there was a consistent reduction in14CO2output from both L-[1-14C]leucine and L-[1-14C]valine, but valine was not conserved as efficiently as leucine.

4. Muscle dehydrogenase responded to a PF diet in all three groups of rats, but the most marked changes occurred in the youngest group. In addition, there was a decrease in hepatic dehydrogenase activities for leucine and valine catabolism in the weanling group; in older animals there was little change in the α-keto-isovalerate, but a consistent decrease in the activity of the α-keto-isocaproic acid dehydrogenase. The difference in the responsiveness of the dehydrogenases, therefore, matched the difference between leucine and valine oxidation rates in vivo.

5. Weanling animals responded rather more efficiently than the older animals to the need to conserve amino acids and there was no evidence of a poorly developed system for adapting to PF intake at this early stage of development.

6. Despite reduced catabolism of the amino acids, aminotransferase activities in liver and muscle rose in the first 1–2 weeks on a PF regimen. Aminotransferase activity as such is unlikely to control acid oxidation.
Digestion of dry and high-moisture maize diets in the stomach of the pig
Authors: Holmes J. H. G. , Bayley H. S. , Horney F. D.
Published: May 2005

1. Pigs were fitted with re-entrant duodenal cannulas anterior to the pancreatic duct, and total collections of digesta were made for 12 h periods.

2. Maize–soya-bean diets were made from maize which had been harvested with a dry-matter content of 770 g/kg and either dried, preserved with acetic or propionic acid or ensiled naturally. The pigs received two meals of these diets/d at 12 h intervals, and the amount of digesta flowing through their cannulas was measured.

3. Between 4.5 and 5.25 l of digesta flowed through the cannulas in the 12 h collection period, 0.9 of the total 12 h flow passed through the cannulas in the first 9 h with the dry-maize diet and 0.8 with the acid-treated-maize diets.

4. The mean total dry matter intake was 358 g/meal, and 304 g dry matter passed through the duodenal cannulas in the 12 h collection period. The corresponding intake and flow of nitrogen (g/12 h) was 11.1 and 9.6, and for chromic oxide 1.13 and 0.94.

5. The pigs consumed 205 g starch (total α-linked glucose polymers)/meal, and 1.5 g free glucose/meal. Only 110 g starch and 4.1 g free glucose reached the duodenal cannulas, suggesting that digestion and absorption of up to 92 g glucose had taken place anterior to the pancreatic ducts.
Dipeptidase activity in the small intestinal mucosa during pregnancy and lactation in the rat
Authors: Rolls B. A.
Published: May 2005

1. Rats were mated and at weekly intervals during pregnancy and lactation, and after weaning, the dipeptidase activity in the supernatant fraction from small intestinal mucosa extracts was determined for two dipeptides: glycyl–L-leucine dipeptidase (EC 3.4.3.2) and L-alanyl–L-glutamic acid dipeptidase.

2. Dipeptidase activity is found mainly in the soluble (supernantant) fraction of the mucosa homogenate.

3. Compared with those values obtained for unmated controls, the food consumption of the animals and the nitrogen content, total and specific activities of the dipeptidases (per unit quantity of N) in the soluble fraction of the small intestinal mucosa extracts increased slightly during pregnancy and markedly during lactation. After the pups were weaned, values for all these measurements fell rapidly.

4. Whether the increases found in enzyme activity were simply a response to increased food intake or were the result of hormonal stimulus is discussed.
Effects upon glucose metabolism of feeding a low-or high-roughage diet at two levels of intake to sheep
Authors: Evans Essi , Buchanan-Smith J. G.
Published: May 2005

1. To determine the effect of diet and level of energy intake on glucose metabolism in sheep, four dietary treatments consisting of feeding a low-roughage (LR) and a high-roughage (HR) diet at each of two intake levels estimated to provide 586 and 1172 kJ (140 and 280 kcal) digestible energy (DE)/kg body-weight0·75 per d were given to each of eight yearling rams in four different time periods each of 4 weeks duration. Both diets contained 140 g crude protein/ kg using ground maize, mixed hay and soya-bean meal and were given in two meals/d. Estimated DE values of food were verified during the study and actual intakes of DE were within 9·5% of the estimated values.

2. To study glucose metabolism, a single intravenous injection of [2-3H]glucose and subsequent withdrawal of nine venous blood samples within 3 h were made in each experiment. Two experiments were conducted on consecutive days for each sheep on each dietary treatment.

3. Coefficients of determination (r2) for linear regressions to measure the effect of time after a single injection of [2-3H]glucose on log specific radioactivity of plasma glucose were calculated for fifty-eight experiments. In fifty-six of the experiments, r2 values exceeding 0·95 were obtained.

4. Compared to the HR diet, the LR diet increased (P < 0·05) the pool size and decreased (P < 0·05) the half-life of glucose. At both intake levels, the LR diet increased (P < 0·05) the plasma concentration and the entry rate of glucose compared to the HR diet but interaction (P < 0·05) between diet and intake level was attributed to a greater difference obtained between diets at the higher compared to the lower level of food intake. Increasing the level of intake caused a greater (P < 0·05) pool size and space, and a shorter (P < 0·05) half-life of glucose.

5. It was concluded that substitution of roughage by concentrate in a ruminant's diet may increase the rate of glucose entry during a short time period after eating.
The effect of raw soya bean on in vitro active and passive accumulation by rat small intestine
Authors: Pope H. O. , Patten J. R. , Lawrence A. L.
Published: May 2005

1. Sections of small intestine from rats given raw-soya-bean (RS) diets had a decreased capacity to actively accumulate L-methionine when compared to those taken from rats given heated soya bean (HS), and casein-fed controls. The extent of the reduction was small in comparison with pair-fed animals, but was statistically significant in comparison with rats restricted to the same weight gain as the RS group

2. The differences in the passive uptake of D-mannitol appear to be directly related to differences in gut thickness between the control and RS groups

3. Values for water movement and intestinal transmural potentials further support the results found in the active accumulation studies

4. From this study it was concluded that the degree of starvation directly affects the magnitude of the effect of RS diets when comparisons are made against adequately fed controls.
Effects of essential fatty acid deficiency during late gestation on brain N-acetylneuraminic acid metabolism and behaviour in the progeny
Authors: Morgan Brian L. G. , Oppenheimer John , Winick Myron
Published: May 2005

1. Rat dams given a diet containing 100 g maize oil/kg for approximately 2 weeks before mating and during the first 14 d of gestation, were given the same diet or one containing 100 g hydrogenated coconut oil/kg (essential fatty acid (EFA)-deficient) in place of maize oil until parturition. After parturition the dams were given the same diets and all progeny were weaned to the maize oil diet at 21 d of age. Brain N-acetylneurammic acid (NeuNAc) content as well as neuraminidase (sialidase; (EC3.2.1.18)) and cytidine monophosphate N-acetylneuraminic acid synthetase (CMP-NeuNAc synthetase) activities were measured at days, 7, 14, 21 and 168 in the progeny. Y-maze learning was measured at 168 d.

2. Brain weight was independent of dietary fat at all ages.

3. Lack of EFA in the maternal diet during gestation and lactation depressed ganglioside and glycoprotein NeuNAc levels and the activities of sialidase and CMP-NeuNAc synthetase.

4. Maternal dietary deprivation of EFA irreversibly impaired learning behaviour of the progeny. A relationship exists between early exposure to EFA deficiency and learning potential of the progeny.
The effect of guar gum on the viscosity of the gastrointestinal contents and on glucose uptake from the perfused jejunum in the rat
Authors: Blackburn N. A. , Johnson I. T.
Published: May 2005

1. Male Wistar rats were meal-fed for at least 10d a control semi-synthetic diet containing no guar gum, or one of three similar test diets containing 3, 10 or 20 g dry guar gum/kg.

2. Rats were killed 6 h after feeding, and contents of stomach, small and large intestine were collected separately. The apparent viscosities of stomach and smalt intestine contents from animals fed on diets containing 10 and 20 g guar gum/kg were increased relative to control animals, but large intestine contents were unchanged

3. In the second part of this study, male Wistar rats were anaesthetized and two consecutive lengths of jejunum were perfused, initially with Ringer only (control) or Ringer plus 5 or 6g guar gum/1 (test). Following this pre-perfusion, both segments were perfused with Ringer containing glucose (10 mM), [3H]glucose and [14C]inulin, and the rate of glucose absorption was determined

4. The rate of glucose absorption was decreased relative to control values in segments pre-perfused with both 5 and 6g guar gum/I solution, but this reduction was significant only in the instance of the 6g/l solution (P< 0.001)

5. These results provide evidence to support previous assumptions that ingestion of guar gum will increase the apparent viscosity of the contents of the stomach and small intestine. We propose that a possible mechanism by which guar reduces post-prandial glycaemia is a reduction of glucose absorption from the smali intestine, resulting from an increase in viscosity of the contents
High-fibre and low-fat diets in diabetes mellitus
Authors: Dodson P. M. , Stocks J. , Holdsworth G. , Galton D. J.
Published: May 2005

1. Eight insulin-dependent and eight insulin-independent diabetic patients and twenty-eight non-diabetic essential hypertensive patients were given a high-fibre, high-unrefined carbohydrate and low-fat diet for 3 months duration.

2. The effects of this dietary regimen on the patients' fasting blood glucose, hypoglycaemic therapy and weight was observed.

3. Fasting lipid profiles were obtained before and after 3 months on the dietary regimen, and total serum lipids and lipoprotein fractions were analysed.

4. The insulin-dependent and insulin-independent diabetic patients showed a reduction in hypoglycaemic therapy, with no significant change in fasting blood glucose. The insulin-independent and non-diabetic groups both showed significant weight loss.

5. The three groups of patients showed a significant reduction in cardiovascular risk factors with either an elevation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol or a fall in low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and a reduction in the total cholesterol: HDL-cholesterol value.
The effect of grinding and pelleting on the digestion of Italian ryegrass and timothy by sheep
Authors: Beever D. E. , Osbourn D. F. , Cammell S. B. , Terry R. A.
Published: May 2005

1. Primary growths of Italian ryegrass and timothy were harvested in late May, high-temperature dried and either retained in the chopped form or ground through a 2 mm sieve and pelleted. All diets were fed to four sheep fitted with re-entrant cannulas into the proximal duodenum and measurements of the sites of energy and protein digestion and the synthesis of volatile fatty acids (VFA) and microbial protein were made.

2. Grinding and pelleting significantly reduced rumen digestion of organic matter and structural carbohydrate(P< 0·05) and the synthesis of rumen VFA (P< 0·01), whilst significantly more digestion occurred in the hind gut, although this was not sufficient to prevent a decline in over-all digestibility on the pelleted diets (P< 0·05). The magnitude of all responses was much larger on the Italian ryegrass diet.

3. Net microbial protein synthesis was 15% less on the pelleted diets but efficiency of microbial protein synthesis was unaffected (mean 188g/kg rumen digested organic matter). Pelleting reduced the degradation of dietary protein from 69% to 47%, and dietary protein represented significantly more of the total protein flowing to the duodenum on the pelleted diets (chopped 28%, pelleted 41%).

4. Over-all, grinding and pelleting reduced total absorbed energy supply by 10% but increased absorbed protein supply by 1 5% which may contribute to some of the improvements seen, in the net energy value of pelleted dlets.
Kinetics of large ciliate protozoa in the rumen of cattle given sugar cane diets
Authors: Leng R. A. , Gill M. , Kempton T. J. , Rowe J. B. , Nolan J. V. , Stachiw S. J. , Preston T. R.
Published: May 2005

1. Experiments were undertaken to examine the kinetics of large ciliate protozoa in the rumen of cattle on sugar-cane diets.

2. Three Zebu bulls were fed once daily on a diet of sugar cane and wheat bran. The diurnal patterns of volatile fatty acids and ammonia concentrations, and the numbers of protozoa in rumen fluid were determined. The numbers of protozoa reached values of 5 × 104/ml for holotrichs (large ciliates) mainlyIsoirichaandDasytrichaspp and 4 × 105for smaller protozoa, mainiyEntodinia(small ciliates)

3. A method was developed which allowed large ciliate protozoa in rumen fluid to be separated from plant material and bacteria and concentrated in a relatively uncontaminated form. Analysis of these protozoa indicated that 1.8 × 105large ciliates contained 1 mg nitrogen and approximately 32 mg dry matter

4. A labelled preparation consisting mainly of large ciliates (principallyIsotrichaspp.) was obtained by incubating isolated protozoa in rumen fluid (free of plant materials) containing [14C-methyl]choline and then isolating them by sedimentation and differential centrifugation

5. A portion of the preparation containing labelled protozoa was incubated in vitro with rumen fluid to determine the turnover of14C-labelled metabolites. There was no apparent dilution of the label in the protozoa over a 22 h period

6. A major portion of the preparation containing labelled protozoa was returned to the rumen of each of the donor cattle as a single injection. The specific radioactivity in the large protozoa (μCi/mg N) was monitored frequently for over 30 h, and thereafter daily for a further 12 d. The kinetics of tracer dilution were analyzed to give estimates of the size of the pool of these large ciliates in the rumen (24–46 g N), and of their apparent rate of turnover

7. In contrast to the slow turnover of the large ciliates, the rate of turnover of the rumen fluid pool (approximately 54 l), estimated from the rate of dilution of polyethylene glycol, was considerably faster. Large ciliates were therefore selectively retained within the rumen
Intrinsic labelling of chicken meat with stable isotopes of zinc, for intended use in human feeding studies: feasibility and design considerations
Authors: Janghorbani Morteza , Ting Bill T. G. , Young Vernon R. , Steinke Fred H.
Published: May 2005

1. The feasibility of intrinsically labelling poultry meat with the stable isotopes 68Zn and 70Zn was investigated.

2. Chickens (I-d-old) were gavaged with solutions of 68Zn and 70Zn several times over a 42 d period.

3. Isotopic analysis of edible tissues has shown that they were significantly enriched with respect to the gavaged isotope and that the extent of isotopic enrichment achieved was sufficient to permit their use in human feeding experiments designed to investigate availability of native Zn from such food models.

4. The absolute efficiency of retention of the stable isotopes from gavage solutions in the edible tissues has been calculated to be 2–3%.of the administered dose; methods have been suggested to enhance this value, based on considerations of utilization of dietary Zn.
Adverse reactions to foods
Authors: Bender A. E. , Matthews Diana R.
Published: May 2005

1. One thousand individuals were asked whether they avoided any foods. Of the 560 replies 33% stated that they avoided one or more foods because they caused ‘unpleasant physiological reactions’.

2. Adverse reactions to one of thirteen foods were reported by 1–4% of the respondents and it is suggested that this number might be regarded as a standard with which to compare reactions to novel foodstuffs. A total of sixty-seven foods were specifically mentioned as a cause of an adverse reaction.
The ingestion of sow's faeces by suckling piglets
Authors: Sansom B. F. , Gleed P. T.
Published: May 2005

1. Six sows were housed in solid-floored farrowing pens and fed daily with approximately 200 μCi 198Au, three of them from 3 d before farrowing until their piglets were 10 d old and three from 10 d after farrowing until their piglets were weaned at 21 d.

2. The sows' faeces and sawdust bedding became radioactive but their milk remained free of radioactivity. The piglets' radioactivity was measured daily in a whole-body counter after they had been washed to remove external contamination.

3. The piglets' mean whole-body radioactivity was equivalent to 20·9 ± 2·5 g (range 5·7–85 g) of faeces and bedding. If the average passage time of the digesta through the gastrointestinal tract is assumed to be 24 h these values are equal to the average daily intake of faeces and bedding by the piglets.

4. This intake of faeces could possibly prevent the piglets becoming anaemic if the sow's diet were supplemented with iron to increase the Fe concentration of her faeces to approximately 2 mg Fe/g fresh faeces.
Intravenous administration of thiomolybdate for the prevention and treatment of chronic copper poisoning in sheep
Authors: Gooneratne S. R. , Howell J. McC , Gawthorne J. M.
Published: May 2005

1. Twenty-six sheep were used in experiments designed to test the effectiveness of ammonium tetrathiomolybdate in the prevention and treatment of chronic copper poisoning.

2. Intravenous injections of 100 mg ammonium tetrathiomolybdate twice weekly (a) prevented the occurrence of haemolytic crisis in sheep repeatedly dosed with copper sulphate and (b) minimized tissue damage and prevented further haemolytic crisis when given to sheep already in haemolysis.

3. Thiomolybdate prevented excessive depostion of Cu in the liver of sheep receiving orally large amounts of Cu and decreased liver Cu levels in sheep that were not given additional Cu. In the latter sheep, 50 mg ammonium tetrathiomolybdate given twice weekly did not produce histologically-detectable tissue damage even though liver and kidneys contained high levels of molybdenum, and kidneys contained elevated levels of Cu.

4. It is concluded that chronic Cu poisoning can be successfully prevented or treated by intravenous injection of appropriate doses of ammonium tetrathiomolybdate.
Neonatal diarrhoea in calves given milk-substitutes differing in fat source and fed by different procedures
Authors: Abe M. , Takase O. , Shibui H. , Iriki T.
Published: May 2005

1. The incidence of diarrhoea, digestibilities of nutrients and the faecal bacterial flora were compared among three groups of Holstein male calves up to 3 weeks of age. Two groups of four calves were given a milk-substitute containing tallow by nipple-pail (group TN) and by open-bucket (group TB). The third group of four calves was nipple-fed a milk-substitute containing soya-bean oil (group SN). Each of the milk-substitutes contained approximately 300 g milk-protein and 100 g fat/kg dry matter (DM).

2. Mean faecal DM contents (g/kg) were 217, 185 and 112 for groups TN, TB and SN respectively and the corresponding pH values were 7·21, 7·00 and 6·50. The difference between groups TN and SN was statistically significant (P < 0·05).

3. No difference was observed between groups TN and SN in the apparent digestibilities of DM, crude protein (CP; nitrogen × 6·25), diethyl ether extract (EE) and total reducing sugars. But in the group TB, the digestibility of EE was significantly lower (P < 0·05), and that of CP tended to be, though not significantly, lower than in the other two groups.

4. Bacterial flora in faeces showed considerably wide quantitative variations among individual calves, but there was a tendency for increased viable counts of Lactobacilli in faeces of group SN.

5. The present results suggested that an appreciable difference in the mechanism would exist between diarrhoea occurring when milk-substitute was offered by bucket and when highly-unsaturated vegetable oils were contained in it. Possible mechanisms were also discussed.
Bilateral Femoral Neuropathy Complicating Rhabdomyolysis and Acute Renal Failure
Authors: Nicolle Michael , Doherty Timothy , Algahtani Hussein
Published: May 2005

Simultaneous bilateral femoral neuropathies are uncommon and are usually seen as a consequence of pelvic surgery or related to pregnancy. This report describes the case of a young man with rhabdomyolysis after a drug-induced coma, which led to intramuscular dystrophic calcification and compression of the femoral nerves. Acute dystrophic calcification has been documented in the setting of rhabdomyolysis with renal failure. This is the first reported case of a compressive neuropathy occurring as a result of such dystrophic calcification.
Altered Expression of Costimulatory Molecules in Patients With Polymyositis
Authors: Takamure Miwa , Murata Ken-ya , Sugie Kazuma , Ueno Satoshi
Published: May 2005

Objective:

The objective of this study was to characterize the involvement of costimulatory molecules in patients with polymyositis (PM).

Methods:

A multiparameter flow cytometry analysis was used to identify peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMNC) subsets expressing CD8, CD4, and CD28 in 14 patients with PM, 10 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and 10 healthy controls. Patients with PM were divided into the following 2 groups: patients with untreated active PM and patients with posttreated inactive PM.

Results:

The percentage of CD8+CD28+/CD8+ T cells and the absolute number of CD8+CD28+ double-positive T cells was significantly lower in the 9 patients with untreated active PM than in the 5 patients with posttreated inactive PM, the 10 patients with DMD, and the 10 healthy controls.

Conclusions:

Our results show that the CD28 pathway plays a role in PM and that CD8+CD28+ subsets of PBMNC may represent a useful biomarker of patients with PM.
Enhancement of Contralateral Ptosis on Passively Holding an Eyelid in Mitochondrial Myopathy Resembling Myasthenia Gravis
Authors: Owens William E , Gupta Devanshi , Bertorini Tulio
Published: May 2005

Ptosis has long been recognized as a presenting sign of myasthenia gravis, and the appearance of ptosis or increasing ptosis with passive lid elevation of opposite eye is a useful bedside diagnostic test for this disease. We describe a patient whose ptosis worsened in either eye when the examiner passively held the opposite eyelid. She was initially thought to have myasthenia gravis, but ultimately it was discovered her ocular findings were caused by a mitochondrial myopathy.
Advances in Diagnosis and Management of Inflammatory Myopathies
Authors: Bromberg Mark B
Published: May 2005

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are rare causes of muscle weakness and may be difficult to diagnose and manage. The traditional classification of polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) has been expanded to include inclusion body myositis (IBM) and several other types as our knowledge of underlying immunopathologic mechanisms, specific antibodies, and clinical features has advanced. This has led to several modified and new classification systems and also to controversies over specific criteria required to make diagnoses of the several forms of inflammatory myopathies. The clinical response to treatment of PM and DM has been largely empiric, and IBM has proven to be refractory. There are efforts to formalize objective measures of treatment response to aid future randomized, controlled trials. This article reviews new information in the field of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies from the neurologic clinical perspective.
Comparative and functional genomic analyses of the pathogenicity of phytopathogenXanthomonas campestrispv.campestris
Authors: Qian Wei , Jia Yantao , Ren Shuang-Xi , He Yong-Qiang , Feng Jia-Xun , Lu Ling-Feng , Sun Qihong , Ying Ge , Tang Dong-Jie , Tang Hua , Wu Wei , Hao Pei , Wang Lifeng , Jiang Bo-Le , Zeng Shenyan , Gu Wen-Yi , Lu Gang , Rong Li , Tian Yingchuan , Yao Zhijian , Fu Gang , Chen Baoshan , Fang Rongxiang , Qiang Boqin , Chen Zhu , Zhao Guo-Ping , Tang Ji-Liang , He Chaozu
Published: May 2005

Xanthomonas campestrispathovarcampestris(Xcc) is the causative agent of crucifer black rot disease, which causes severe losses in agricultural yield world-wide. This bacterium is a model organism for studying plant-bacteria interactions. We sequenced the complete genome ofXcc8004 (5,148,708 bp), which is highly conserved relative to that ofXccATCC 33913. Comparative genomics analysis indicated that, in addition to a significant genomic-scale rearrangement cross the replication axis between two IS1478elements, loss and acquisition of blocks of genes, rather than point mutations, constitute the main genetic variation between the twoXccstrains. Screening of a high-density transposon insertional mutant library (16,512 clones) ofXcc8004 against a host plant (Brassica oleraceae) identified 75 nonredundant, single-copy insertions in protein-coding sequences (CDSs) and intergenic regions. In addition to known virulence factors, full virulence was found to require several additional metabolic pathways and regulatory systems, such as fatty acid degradation, type IV secretion system, cell signaling, and amino acids and nucleotide metabolism. Among the identified pathogenicity-related genes, three of unknown function were found inXcc8004-specific chromosomal segments, revealing a direct correlation between genomic dynamics andXccvirulence. The present combination of comparative and functional genomic analyses provides valuable information about the genetic basis ofXccpathogenicity, which may offer novel insight toward the development of efficient methods for prevention of this important plant disease.
Ultraconserved elements in insect genomes: A highly conserved intronic sequence implicated in the control of homothorax mRNA splicing
Authors: Glazov Evgeny A. , Pheasant Michael , McGraw Elizabeth A. , Bejerano Gill , Mattick John S.
Published: May 2005

Recently, we identified a large number of ultraconserved (uc) sequences in noncoding regions of human, mouse, and rat genomes that appear to be essential for vertebrate and amniote ontogeny. Here, we used similar methods to identify ultraconserved genomic regions between the insect species Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila pseudoobscura, as well as the more distantly related Anopheles gambiae. As with vertebrates, ultraconserved sequences in insects appear to occur primarily in intergenic and intronic sequences, and at intron-exon junctions. The sequences are significantly associated with genes encoding developmental regulators and transcription factors, but are less frequent and are smaller in size than in vertebrates. The longest identical, nongapped orthologous match between the three genomes was found within the homothorax (hth) gene. This sequence spans an internal exon-intron junction, with the majority located within the intron, and is predicted to form a highly stable stem-loop RNA structure. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis of different hth splice isoforms and Northern blotting showed that the conserved element is associated with a high incidence of intron retention in hth pre-mRNA, suggesting that the conserved intronic element is critically important in the post-transcriptional regulation of hth expression in Diptera.
Arabidopsis thickvein Mutation Affects Vein Thickness and Organ Vascularization, and Resides in a Provascular Cell-Specific Spermine Synthase Involved in Vein Definition and in Polar Auxin Transport
Authors: Clay Nicole K. , Nelson Timothy
Published: May 2005

Polar auxin transport has been implicated in the induction of vascular tissue and in the definition of vein positions. Leaves treated with chemical inhibitors of polar auxin transport exhibited vascular phenotypes that include increased vein thickness and vascularization. We describe a recessive mutant, thickvein (tkv), which develops thicker veins in leaves and in inflorescence stems. The increased vein thickness is attributable to an increased number of vascular cells. Mutant plants have smaller leaves and shorter inflorescence stems, and this reduction in organ size and height is accompanied by an increase in organ vascularization, which appears to be attributable to an increase in the recruitment of cells into veins. Furthermore, although floral development is normal, auxin transport in the inflorescence stem is significantly reduced in the mutant, suggesting that the defect in auxin transport is responsible for the vascular phenotypes. In the primary root, the veins appear morphologically normal, but root growth in the tkv mutant is hypersensitive to exogenous cytokinin. The tkv mutation was found to reside in the ACL5 gene, which encodes a spermine synthase and whose expression is specific to provascular cells. We propose that ACL5/TKV is involved in vein definition (defining the boundaries between veins and nonvein regions) and in polar auxin transport, and that polyamines are involved in this process.
Analysis of a Sugar Response Mutant of Arabidopsis Identified a Novel B3 Domain Protein That Functions as an Active Transcriptional Repressor
Authors: Tsukagoshi Hironaka , Saijo Takanori , Shibata Daisuke , Morikami Atsushi , Nakamura Kenzo
Published: May 2005

A recessive mutation hsi2 of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) expressing luciferase (LUC) under control of a short promoter derived from a sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) sporamin gene (Spomin∷LUC) caused enhanced LUC expression under both low- and high-sugar conditions, which was not due to increased level of abscisic acid. The hsi2 mutant contained a nonsense mutation in a gene encoding a protein with B3 DNA-binding domain. HSI2 and two other Arabidopsis proteins appear to constitute a novel subfamily of B3 domain proteins distinct from ABI3, FUS3, and LEC2, which are transcription activators involved in seed development. The C-terminal part of HSI2 subfamily proteins contained a sequence similar to the ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif. Deletion of the C-terminal portion of HSI2 lost in the hsi2 mutant caused reduced nuclear targeting of HSI2. Null allele of HSI2 showed even higher Spomin∷LUC expression than the hsi2 mutant, whereas overexpression of HSI2 reduced the LUC expression. Transient coexpression of 35S∷HSI2 with Spomin∷LUC in protoplasts repressed the expression of LUC activity, and deletion or mutation of the EAR motif significantly reduced the repression activity of HSI2. These results indicate that HSI2 and related proteins are B3 domain-EAR motif active transcription repressors.
Regulation of Plant Disease Resistance, Stress Responses, Cell Death, and Ethylene Signaling in Arabidopsis by the EDR1 Protein Kinase
Authors: Tang Dingzhong , Christiansen Katy M. , Innes Roger W.
Published: May 2005

ENHANCED DISEASE RESISTANCE 1 (EDR1) encodes a CTR1-like kinase and was previously reported to function as a negative regulator of disease resistance and ethylene-induced senescence. Here, we report that the edr1 mutant displays enhanced stress responses and spontaneous necrotic lesions under drought conditions in the absence of pathogen, suggesting that EDR1 is also involved in stress response signaling and cell death regulation. Double mutant analysis revealed that these drought-induced phenotypes require salicylic acid but not ethylene signaling pathways. In addition, the edr1-mediated ethylene-induced senescence phenotype was suppressed by mutations in EIN2, but not by mutations in SID2, PAD4, EDS1, or NPR1, suggesting that EDR1 functions at a point of cross talk between ethylene and salicylic acid signaling that impinges on senescence and cell death. Two edr1-associated phenotypes, drought-induced growth inhibition and ethylene-induced senescence, were suppressed by mutations in ORE9, implicating ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation in the regulation of these phenotypes. However, the ore9 mutation did not suppress edr1-mediated enhanced disease resistance to powdery mildew or spontaneous lesions, indicating that these phenotypes are controlled by separate signaling pathways. To investigate the function of the EDR1 kinase domain, we expressed the C-terminal third of EDR1 in wild-type Columbia and edr1 backgrounds under the control of a dexamethasone-inducible promoter. Overexpression of the EDR1 kinase domain in an edr1 background had no obvious effect on edr1-associated phenotypes. However, overexpression of the EDR1 kinase domain in a wild-type Columbia background caused dominant negative phenotypes, including enhanced disease resistance to powdery mildew and enhanced ethylene-induced senescence; thus, the overexpressed EDR1 kinase domain alone does not exert EDR1 function, but rather negatively affects the function of native EDR1 protein.
Citedness scores for filtering information and ranking search results
Authors: Jacsó Péter
Published: May 2005

There are many options available to savvy searchers to help focus topical searches. These include limiting the search to one or more specific fields, such as title, descriptor or abstract in full‐text databases to eliminate items where the search term(s) occur only in the full‐text, often just mentioned in passing. This article looks at systems that have a value‐added information element that shows users which documents are the most cited.
Assisted vaginal delivery versus caesarean section in breech presentation
Authors: Krupitz Hartmut , Arzt Wolfgang , Ebner Thomas , Sommergruber Michael , Steininger Erwin , Tews Gernot
Published: May 2005

Background.  The Term Breech Trial (TBT), a well‐known study conducted by Hannah and published in the Lancet, revealed a better outcome for neonates after primary caesarean section compared with attempted vaginal delivery. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the results of TBT have to be taken into account when counseling pregnant women in central Europe.

Methods.  We investigated 882 women who had delivered infants in breech presentation over a period of 11 years. The neonates had a birthweight of >2500 g and no malformations. We compared mortality and serious neonatal morbidity after attempted vaginal delivery and after primary caesarean section.

Results.  No infant or maternal mortality was registered in either group. Serious neonatal morbidity was higher (0.5%; n = 2) for attempted vaginal delivery than for primary caesarean section; in the latter group, no child fulfilled the criteria for serious neonatal morbidity. However, the difference was not statistically significant. As expected, after attempted vaginal delivery, the base excess, and 5‐min APGAR scores were indicative of more markedly depressed children.

Conclusion.  After careful exclusion of risk factors and informing the patient in detail about the risks and possible complications, vaginal delivery from breech presentation is still warrantable.
The use of recombinant activated Factor VII in the control of haemorrhage following blunt pelvic trauma
Authors: Udy A. , Vaghela M. , Lawton G. , Sigston P.
Published: May 2005

This article reports two cases of severe blunt pelvic trauma associated with road traffic accidents, where the patients developed significant bleeding and haemodynamic instability, poorly responsive to conventional management. Both patients required massive transfusion of blood products with a resultant dilutional coagulopathy. In each case, a single dose of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) was used to achieve haemostatic control, with a subsequent decrease in blood product requirements and improvement in haemoglobin concentration and clotting profile.
Cervical epidural abscess: a rare complication of intravenous cannulation
Authors: Burgess C. M. , Wolverson A. S. , Dale M. T.
Published: May 2005

Epidural abscess is a rare but life threatening condition that requires early diagnosis and prompt management. We report a case of cervical epidural abscess following an intravenous cannula site infection. The organism responsible was Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). Management involved surgery, prolonged antibiotics and ventilation. Despite this, there was no return of neurological function and the patient died. We review the literature on epidural abscesses unrelated to catheterisation or instrumentation of the epidural space and discuss the aetiology and clinical features of this acute medical emergency.
A comparison of the lateral, Oxford and sitting positions for performing combined spinal‐epidural anaesthesia for elective Caesarean section*
Authors: Rucklidge M. W. M. , Paech M. J. , Yentis S. M.
Published: May 2005

One hundred women were randomly allocated to the left lateral, Oxford or sitting position for induction of combined spinal‐epidural anaesthesia for Caesarean section using 2.5 ml hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% and 10 μg fentanyl. Women in the left lateral were then turned to the right lateral position; women in the Oxford position were turned to the same position on their opposite side; and women in the sitting group were turned to the supine left tilt position. Women remained in these positions until ready for surgery, which was conducted in the supine position with a wedge placed under the right hip. Ephedrine requirements before re‐positioning for surgery were less in the sitting position than in the other two positions: median (IQR [range]) doses for the lateral, Oxford and sitting groups were 21 (12–30 [6–48]), 18 (7.5–24 [6–48]) and 12 (6–21 [6–42]) mg, respectively; p = 0.04. Sensory block to touch sensation at the T5 dermatomal level was most quickly achieved in the lateral position with median (IQR [range]) block onset times for the lateral, Oxford and sitting groups of 9 (6–13 [4–30]), 15.5 (9–22 [4–34]) and 14 (9–18[6–36]) min, respectively; p = 0.004. In the Oxford position, more epidural catheters required dosing to achieve a sensory block of T5 before surgery: the number of patients (proportion) bolused in the lateral, Oxford and sitting groups was 1 (3%), 7 (22%) and 1 (3%), respectively; p = 0.01. We did not demonstrate any advantage in using the Oxford position for combined spinal‐epidural anaesthesia for elective Caesarean section.
Relationship between the inability to climb two flights of stairs and outcome after major non‐cardiac surgery: implications for the pre‐operative assessment of functional capacity
Authors: Biccard B. M.
Published: May 2005

Functional capacity is an integral component of the pre‐operative evaluation of the cardiac patient for non‐cardiac surgery. Stair climbing capacity has peri‐operative prognostic importance. It may predict survival after lung resection and complications after major non‐cardiac surgery. However, stair climbing cannot determine the aerobic metabolic capacity necessary to survive the peri‐operative stress response. The potential benefits and current limitations of cardiopulmonary exercise testing to determine peri‐operative aerobic capacity are discussed. Principles for the selection of an appropriate screening test of aerobic function are put forward.
Three‐year follow‐up of children with postmeningitic deafness and partial cochlear implant insertion
Authors: Rotteveel L.J.C. , Snik AD.F.M. , Vermeulen A.M. , Mylanus E.A.M.
Published: May 2005

Objectives:  To evaluate the long‐term outcome of children with postmeningitic deafness and partial insertion of the Nucleus electrode array, and to compare their speech perception performance with that of children with full insertion of the electrode array.

Design:  A battery of seven speech perception tests was administered to 25 children with a cochlear implant (CI). Results were reduced into one score: equivalent hearing loss (EHL).

Setting:  Tertiary referral centre.

Participants:  The partial insertion group comprised seven children, mean age at implantation 5.5 years, mean duration of deafness 3.6 years. The full‐insertion control group comprised 18 children. Mean age at implantation: 4.4 years; mean duration of deafness: 2.9 years. All the children became deaf between 0 and 3 years of age.

Main outcome measures:  Over a 3‐year follow‐up period, the children with partial insertion showed continuing progress, although there was wide variation in performance and the rate of progression. Some open‐set comprehension could even be achieved with the insertion of only eight electrodes of a nucleus device.

Results:  Three years after implantation, speech perception in the partial insertion children was poorer than that in the control groups with long (P < 0.01; 95% confidence interval 7–43 dB EHL) and short duration of deafness (P < 0.0001; 95% confidence interval 28–53 dB EHL). They showed slower progress and reached a poorer EHL plateau. Four of the seven children acquired open‐set word recognition.

Conclusions:  Patients with partial insertion of the electrode array benefit from a CI, although less than patients with complete insertion.
How we do it: Postoperative tissue oxygen monitoring in microvascular free flaps
Authors: Raittinen L. , Laranne J. , Baer G. , Pukander J.
Published: May 2005

Keypoints

• Postoperative circulatory impairment of free microvascular flaps leads to failure of the reconstructions and major re‐operations.

• In the head and neck region vitality of the reconstructed site is often difficult to observe especially in flaps placed in the posterior oral cavity or hypopharynx.

• The ideal follow‐up method should be easy to use, reliable, harmless to the flap and it should rapidly alert the personnel to circulatory problems.

• Thirty‐seven head and neck tumour patients who underwent a major tumour resection and free microvascular flaps reconstruction were monitored with a Licox® probe measuring tissue oxygen pressure (PtiO2).

• The system correctly identified all circulatory problems that needed re‐operations with no false negative cases.

• The Licox® tissue oxygen pressure monitoring system is a reliable method for detecting postoperative circulation problems in free microvascular flaps.
So‐called inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour: a proliferative lesion of fibroblastic reticulum cells?
Authors: Nonaka D , Birbe R , Rosai J
Published: May 2005

The term inflammatory pseudotumour was originally used in a generic fashion for any lesion which simulated a neoplastic condition at a clinical, macroscopic and microscopic level but which was thought to have an inflammatory/reactive pathogenesis. In more recent times, the term has been employed in a more restrictive sense for a mass lesion characterized microscopically by the proliferation of a spindle cell component against a heavy inflammatory infiltrate of mixed composition but usually with a predominance of mature lymphocyte and plasma cells. The spindle cell component has generally been regarded as being of mesenchymal nature and having morphological and phenotypical features consistent with fibroblasts or myofibroblasts, the latter cell being clearly preferred over the former in the more resent reports. The term inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour (IMFT) is the one currently favoured, which proposes the myofibroblastic nature of the process. It is the purpose of this review to bring forth some evidence that the neoplastic spindle cell component of IMFT may be instead derived from the subtype of cells of the accessory immune system that have been variously called fibroblastic reticulum cells, myoid cells, and dictyocytes.