bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gene conversion of the major histocompatibility complex class I Caja‐G in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)
Authors: Neehus Anna‐Lena , Wistuba Joachim , Ladas Nektarios , Eiz‐Vesper Britta , Schlatt Stefan , Müller Thomas 
Published: July 2016

SummaryCurrently, the amount of sequenced and classified MHC class I genes of the common marmoset is limited, in spite of the wide use of this species as an animal model for biomedical research. In this study, 480 clones of MHC class I G locus (Caja‐G) cDNA sequences were obtained from 21 common marmosets. Up to 10 different alleles were detected in each common marmoset, leading to the assumption that the Caja‐G loci duplicated in the marmoset genome. In the investigated population, four alleles occurred more often, giving evidence for higher immunological advantage of these alleles. In contrast to the human non‐classical MHC class I genes, Caja‐G shows high rates of polymorphism at the relevant peptide‐binding sites, despite its phylogenetic relationship to the non‐classical HLA‐G. Our results provide information for better understanding of the immunological properties of the common marmoset and confirm the theory of a gene conversion of the Caja‐G due to its detected plasticity and the absence of any known HLA‐A equivalent.
Longer Paced QRS Duration is Associated With Increased Prevalence of Right Ventricular Pacing‐Induced Cardiomyopathy
Authors: KHURSHID SHAAN , LIANG JACKSON J. , OWENS ANJALI , LIN DAVID , SCHALLER ROBERT , EPSTEIN ANDREW E. , MARCHLINSKI FRANCIS E. , FRANKEL DAVID S. 
Published: July 2016

Paced QRS and RV Pacing‐Induced CardiomyopathyIntroductionPacing‐induced cardiomyopathy (PICM) is an important cause of heart failure in patients exposed to frequent right ventricular (RV) pacing. While echocardiography is diagnostic, the optimal surveillance strategy remains unknown. We sought to identify clinical and electrocardiographic factors associated with the presence of PICM to guide further testing.Methods and ResultsWe retrospectively studied 1,750 consecutive patients undergoing pacemaker implantation 2003–2012. Patients were included if baseline LVEF was normal, single chamber ventricular or dual chamber pacemaker (but not ICD or cardiac resynchronization therapy device) was implanted, frequent (≥20%) RV pacing was present and repeat echocardiogram was available following implantation. PICM was defined as ≥10% decrease in LVEF, resulting in LVEF <50%. Patients with alternative causes of cardiomyopathy were excluded. Clinical and electrocardiographic indicators of PICM were identified using multivariate logistic regression. Of 184 patients meeting study criteria, 42 (22.8%) developed PICM, with decrease in mean LVEF from 62.1% to 35.3% over mean follow‐up 2.5 years. Longer follow‐up paced QRS duration was associated with the presence of PICM (multivariate odds ratio 1.34 per 10 millisecond increase, 95% CI 1.06‐1.63, p = 0.01). Paced QRS duration ≥150 milliseconds was 95% sensitive for PICM. Only half of patients with PICM had heart failure signs or symptoms at the time of echocardiographic diagnosis.ConclusionPatients with frequent RV pacing and paced QRS duration ≥150 milliseconds should be screened by echocardiogram to assess for PICM. Patients with paced QRS duration <150 milliseconds likely do not require screening, in the absence of heart failure signs or symptoms.
Spontaneous hemobilia after liver transplantation: Frequency, risk factors, and outcome of endoscopic management
Authors: Park Tae Young , Lee Sung Koo , Nam Kwangwoo , Oh Dongwook , Song Tae Jun , Park Do Hyun , Lee Sang Soo , Seo Dong‐Wan , Kim Myung‐Hwan 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBackground and AimSpontaneous hemobilia is an uncommon liver transplantation (LT)‐related biliary complication. The frequency, etiology, and mechanism of spontaneous hemobilia after LT are not known. This study aimed to assess the outcome of endoscopic management for spontaneous hemobilia after LT, and to investigate its frequency and risk factors.MethodsThe records of patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography to manage hemobilia after LT at the Asan Medical Center, Korea, between January 2006 and April 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.ResultsA total 2701 cases of LT was performed in the study period, and 33 LT patients with spontaneous hemobilia were included in the study group. Endoscopic nasobiliary drainage was achieved in 33 cases (100%). In 29 of 33 patients (87.9%), hemobilia was improved. The frequency of spontaneous hemobilia was 1.22% (33/2701). On multivariate analysis, United Network for Organ Sharing status I or IIa (odds ratio [OR] 3.095, 95% CI 1.097–8.732, P = 0.033), alcoholic liver cirrhosis (OR 3.942, 95% CI 1.261–12.324, P = 0.018), and body mass index < 24.5 kg/m2 (OR 2.329, 95% CI 1.005–5.397, P = 0.049) were significant risk factors for spontaneous hemobilia after LT.ConclusionsEndoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic nasobiliary drainage are feasible methods for the management of spontaneous hemobilia after LT. In patients with United Network for Organ Sharing status I and IIa, alcoholic liver cirrhosis, or body mass index < 24.5 kg/m2, special attention should be paid to the occurrence of spontaneous hemobilia after LT.
Rice caryopsis development II: Dynamic changes in the endosperm
Authors: Wu Xiaoba , Liu Jinxin , Li Dongqi , Liu Chun‐Ming 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe rice endosperm plays crucial roles in nourishing the embryo during embryogenesis and seed germination. Although previous studies have provided the general information about rice endosperm, a systematic investigation throughout the entire endosperm developmental process is still lacking. In this study, we examined in detail rice endosperm development on a daily basis throughout the 30‐day period of post‐fertilization development. We observed that coenocytic nuclear division occurred in the first 2 days after pollination (DAP), cellularization occurred between 3 and 5 DAP, differentiation of the aleurone and starchy endosperm occurred between 6 and 9 DAP, and accumulation of storage products occurred concurrently with the aleurone/starchy endosperm differentiation from 6 DAP onwards and was accomplished by 21 DAP. Changes in cytoplasmic membrane permeability, possibly caused by programmed cell death, were observed in the central region of the starchy endosperm at 8 DAP, and expanded to the whole starchy endosperm at 21 DAP when the aleurone is the only living component in the endosperm. Further, we observed that a distinct multi‐layered dorsal aleurone formed near the dorsal vascular bundle, while the single‐ or occasionally two‐cell layered aleurone was located in the lateral and ventral positions of endosperm. Our results provide in detail the dynamic changes in mitotic divisions, cellularization, cell differentiation, storage product accumulation, and programmed cell death that occur during rice endosperm development.
Porcine hepatocyte–Kupffer cell co‐culture as an in vitro model for testing the efficacy of anti‐inflammatory substances
Authors: Mátis G. , Kulcsár A. , Petrilla J. , Talapka P. , Neogrády Z. 
Published: July 2016

SummaryAs Kupffer cells are highly involved in the regulation of hepatic inflammatory response, the main goal of this study was to improve and to characterize a hepatocyte–Kupffer cell co‐culture of pig origin for modelling endotoxin‐induced hepatic inflammation and for testing the efficacy of potential anti‐inflammatory substances. This monolayer co‐culture was prepared from primary isolated swine hepatocytes and Kupffer cells in the ratio of 6:1 and 2:1, mimicking different states of liver inflammation. The prepared cell cultures were characterized by immunohistochemical CD‐68 detection. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge of both co‐cultures resulted in elevated interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) and that of 6:1 co‐cultures in increased IL‐6 production with a higher extent than on hepatocyte monocultures, justifying the key role of Kupffer cells in pro‐inflammatory cytokine production. LPS‐induced IL‐8 production was successfully attenuated by concomitant application of both sodium butyrate and terpinen‐4‐ol on hepatocyte monocultures, but not on co‐cultures, demonstrating the importance of the presence of Kupffer cells in cell cultures as inflammatory models. Based on these initial data, the applied porcine primary hepatocyte–Kupffer cell co‐culture is suggested to be a proper tool for in vitro investigations on liver physiology and hepatic inflammation in pigs and can be used as a useful model mimicking in vivo conditions in veterinary research.
Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) drinking preferences: do nipple drinkers compensate for behaviourally deficient diets?
Authors: Balsiger A. , Clauss M. , Liesegang A. , Dobenecker B. , Hatt J.‐M. 
Published: July 2016

SummaryWhen offered diets with hay ad libitum, rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) clearly prefer open dishes over nipple drinkers, but whether this preference also applies in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) is unsure. We tested the drinker preference of 10 guinea pigs when offered open dishes (OD) and nipple drinkers (ND) simultaneously and measured the amount of water consumed by each animal on four different diets (grass hay 100%, or as 10% of intake on diets of fresh parsley, seed mix or pelleted complete feed, respectively) on either of the drinking systems. All animals ingested the hay portion of the combined diets first. The amount of water consumed differed significantly between individual animals. Animals drank less water on parsley than on the other diets. Nine of 10 animals clearly preferred ND when having a choice, and eight of these drank more when on ND only. The difference between the drinking systems was not consistent across all diets: on hay, similar amounts of water were drunk when on OD or ND only. Differences in water intake were reflected in urine production. Because drinking from ND in guinea pigs involves jaw movements similar to those in chewing, the results could suggest that when motivation for oral processing behaviour is not satisfied by a diet, animals may respond in using ND beyond physiological water necessity. Whereas physiological water requirements are probably better investigated with other drinking systems due to a possible overestimation when using ND, offering ND to pet guinea pigs most likely offers a form of behavioural enrichment that at the same time may increase water intake and hence act as prophylaxis against urolithiasis.
Effect of system of lamb rearing and season on early post‐partum fertility of ewes and growth performance of lambs in Katahdin sheep
Authors: Rastle‐Simpson S. , D'Souza K. , Redhead A. , Singh‐Knights D. , Baptiste Q. , Knights M. 
Published: July 2016

SummaryThe effect of season (S), lamb rearing system (RT) and grain supplementation (GS) on post‐partum fertility in Katahdin ewes and growth in Katahdin lambs was evaluated. Katahdin ewes were bred to lamb in fall (n = 36) or spring (n = 56) and at approximately 2.5 months post‐partum were randomly assigned to be permanently separated or to continue to suckle their lambs for an additional 3 months. All ewes were joined with rams following treatment to synchronize oestrus. Weaned (W, n = 84) and continuously suckled lambs (CSK, n = 88) were fed forage only (n = 84; hay and pasture for fall‐ and spring‐born lambs respectively) or were supplemented (n = 88; 18% crude protein ration ad libitum) and all weighed biweekly. Ewes rebred in the fall had a shorter ram introduction to lambing interval (p < 0.05), higher prolificacy (p = 0.001) and higher lambing rates (p = 0.02); however, the proportion of ewes lambing was not affected by season. The first service lambing rate was lower in ewes continuously suckling lambs in the spring, but not in the fall breeding season (S × RT, p = 0.03). Lambs that continuously suckled their dams and were supplemented grew quicker and gained more (p < 0.001) than their weaned and unsupplemented counterparts. The effect of CSK on growth rate of lambs was greater in the spring (RT × S; p = 0.05), and the effect of supplementation on growth rate of lambs was greater in the fall (GS × S; p < 0.0001). In conclusion, Katahdin lambs achieved higher weight gains from continuous suckling and grain supplementation. Moreover, Katahdin ewes are capable of early rebreeding post‐partum while suckling their lambs, which makes them suited for use in accelerated lambing programmes.
Significant effect of NSP‐ase enzyme supplementation in sunflower meal‐based diet on the growth and nutrient digestibility in broilers
Authors: Bilal M. , Mirza M. A. , Kaleem M. , Saeed M. , Reyad‐ ul‐ferdous Md. , Abd El‐Hack M. E. 
Published: July 2016

SummaryThe response of broiler chickens to 3 levels of sunflower meal and 2 levels of NSP‐ase enzyme combination (with and without) was investigated in 3 × 2 factorial arrangement under complete randomized design (CRD). A total of 240 Hubbard broiler chicks were fed on practical mash diets having 2950 kcal of ME and 21% CP from 1 to 42 days of age. The BW gain was not significantly reduced when 25% SFM was added in the diets during 1 to 42 days of age. Supplementation of NSP‐ase in broiler diets (day 1–42 overall) demonstrated non‐significant differences (p < 0.05) across the treatments in terms of FI and BWG. The difference in feed:gain at 15% or 20% SFM was observed to be non‐significant. Replacement of SBM with SFM or inclusion of SFM at higher level (25%) increased/deteriorated FCR. The addition of exogenous NSP‐ase showed a significant improvement (p < 0.01) in feed:gain. The improvement was clearly demonstrated when SFM was added to the experimental diet at 15% or even 20%. Supplementation of NSP‐ase at the 25% inclusion level could not, however, sustain the beneficial effect, which was possibly due to excessively high dietary CF. No difference was noted across the treatments regarding carcass response. Relative gizzard weight and intestinal weight were observed to be improved in birds consuming higher levels of SFM (p = 0.00). The digestibility of CF was observed to improve when SFM was used at 20% and 25% in the diets. No improvement in the digestibility of CF was observed with NSP‐ase supplementation, which meant other factors were clearly involved. Supplementation of NSP‐ase improved FCR up to 20% SFM. At 25% SFM, no improvement in the digestibility of CF was observed with NSP‐ase supplementation.
Relieving effect of Artemisia argyi aqueous extract on immune stress in broilers
Authors: Zhang P. F. , Shi B. L. , Su J. L. , Yue Y. X. , Cao Z. X. , Chu W. B. , Li K. , Yan S. M. 
Published: July 2016

SummaryThis experiment aimed to investigate the relieving action of Artemisia argyi aqueous extract (AAE) on immune stress in broiler chickens. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used to test the effect of 2 dietary treatments (adding 0 or 1000 mg/kg AAE) and 2 immune stress treatments (injecting saline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)). A total of 96 one‐day‐old Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were randomly divided into four treatment groups with six replicates, four birds in each replicate. Broilers in Treatment groups 1 and 2 were fed with the basal diet, and those in Treatment groups 3 and 4 were fed with the experimental diet supplemented with 1000 mg/kg AAE. On days 14, 16, 18 and 20, broilers in both Treatments 1 and 3 were injected intra‐abdominally with LPS solution at the dose of 500 μg LPS per kg BW with the LPS dissolved in sterile saline at a concentration of 100 μg/ml, and those in Treatments 2 and 4 were injected intra‐abdominally with equal amount of sterile 0.9% saline. Blood samples were collected on days 21 and 28. The results showed that dietary supplementation of AAE prevented reductions in average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) of broilers caused by LPS on d 15–21. On day 21, the injection of LPS increased serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT); meanwhile, feeding AAE reduced the rise of CORT caused by LPS. Immune parameters such as interleukin‐1 (IL‐1), interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) were also improved by LPS, but the content of IL‐2 and IgG in broilers fed with AAE diet was significantly lower than that of broilers fed with control diet. All the data suggested that diets supplemented with AAE could relieve the immune stress response of broilers.
Serum leptin is a predictor for central arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients
Authors: Tsai Jen‐Pi , Hsu Bang‐Gee , Lee Chung‐Jen , Hsieh Yi‐Hsien , Chen Yu‐Chih , Wang Ji‐Hung 
Published: July 2016

AbstractAimSerum adipokines have a role in the development of arterial stiffness. We aimed to investigate the risk factors of developing arterial stiffness and the association of leptin and arterial stiffness in hypertensive (HTN) patients.MethodsThere were 101 HTN patients enrolled. Fasting blood samples and baseline characteristics were obtained and carotid‐femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) was measured with the SphygmoCor system. A cfPWV > 10 m/s was defined as high arterial stiffness, and ≤ 10 m/s as low arterial stiffness.ResultForty‐seven patients (46.5 %) had high arterial stiffness, and had a higher percentage of diabetes (P = 0.044), , older age (P < 0.001), higher pulse pressure (P = 0.049), and higher serum blood urea nitrogen (P = 0.029), creatinine (P = 0.027), intact parathyroid hormone (P = 0.004), serum leptin level (P = 0.002), C‐reactive protein (P < 0.001), but lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.006) compared to patients with low arterial stiffness. After adjusting for factors significantly associated with arterial stiffness by multivariate logistic regression analysis, it revealed that leptin (aOR = 1.037, 95% CI = 1.007–1.067, P = 0.014), having DM (aOR = 4.885, 95% CI = 1.590–15.006, P = 0.006), and elevated CRP (aOR = 1.503, 95% CI = 1.110–2.0371,P = 0.009) were significant independent predictors of arterial stiffness in HTN patients.ConclusionsSerum leptin level could be a predictor for arterial stiffness in HTN patients.
Replication of genome‐wide association study identified seven susceptibility genes, affirming the effect of rs2856717 on renal function and poor outcome of IgA nephropathy
Authors: Wang Wei , Li Guisen , Hong Daqing , Zou Yurong , Fei Deng , Wang Li 
Published: July 2016

AbstractAimMeta‐analysis of data from a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) identified seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as strong predictors of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). To replicate the association of these seven SNPs and understand whether they influence the clinical characteristics of IgAN, a case‐control study including 521 IgAN patients and 535 controls was conducted in a Western Han cohort.MethodsData were analyzed using logistic regression and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR). Clinical data collected from 459 IgAN patients were investigated to estimate the relationship between the genotype and phenotype of IgAN. A retrospective cohort study of 315 IgAN patients was conducted to investigate the relationship between genotype and progression of renal disease over a mean period of 44.49 ± 19.94 months.ResultsUpon Bonferroni correction, none of the seven SNPs were associated with IgAN (corrected P‐value [Pc], >0.05). A combination of the rs2856717T/C, rs9275596C/T, and rs2412971A/G had effects on the susceptibility of IgAN (P = 0.001). Marginally significant association of rs2856717 T/C recessive model for the T allele was significantly associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (<60 mL/min per 1.73 m2) in IgAN patients (P = 0.008, Pc = 0.056, odds ratio [OR] = 1.527). The T allele at rs9275596 was significantly associated with macroscopic haematuria of IgAN patients under the dominant and additive models of inheritance, (P < 0.001, Pc = 0.007, OR = 2.983) and (P < 0.001, Pc = 0.007, OR = 2.17), respectively. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that patients carrying the TT + TC genotype for rs2856717 had reduced renal survival rate than those carrying the CC genotype (85.1% vs. 92.7%, P = 0.046).Conclusionrs2856717 may influence the clinical characteristics and poor outcome of IgAN. Further studies are warranted to explore the mechanisms for such genotype‐disease phenotype association.
A Note on the Regularized Approach to Biased 2SLS Estimation with Weak Instruments
Authors: Kim Namhyun , Pohlmeier Winfried 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe presence of weak instruments is translated into a nearly singular problem in a control function representation. Therefore, the ‐norm type of regularization is proposed to implement the 2SLS estimation for addressing the weak instrument problem. The ‐norm regularization with a regularized parameter O(n) allows us to obtain the Rothenberg (1984) type of higher‐order approximation of the 2SLS estimator in the weak instrument asymptotic framework. The proposed regularized parameter yields the regularized concentration parameter O(n), which is used as a standardized factor in the higher‐order approximation. We also show that the proposed ‐norm regularization consequently reduces the finite sample bias. A number of existing estimators that address finite sample bias in the presence of weak instruments, especially Fuller's limited information maximum likelihood estimator, are compared with our proposed estimator in a simple Monte Carlo exercise.
Effects of different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal backgrounds and soils on olive plants growth and water relation properties under well‐watered and drought conditions
Authors: Calvo‐Polanco Monica , Sánchez‐Castro Iván , Cantos Manuel , García José Luis , Azcón Rosario , Ruiz‐Lozano Juan Manuel , Beuzón Carmen R. , Aroca Ricardo 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe adaptation capacity of olive trees to different environments is well recognized. However, the presence of microorganisms in the soil is also a key factor in the response of these trees to drought. The objective of the present study was to elucidate the effects of different arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi coming from diverse soils on olive plant growth and water relations. Olive plants were inoculated with native AM fungal populations from two contrasting environments, that is, semi‐arid – Freila (FL) and humid – Grazalema (GZ) regions, and subjected to drought stress. Results showed that plants grew better on GZ soil inoculated with GZ fungi, indicating a preference of AM fungi for their corresponding soil. Furthermore, under these conditions, the highest AM fungal diversity was found. However, the highest root hydraulic conductivity (Lpr) value was achieved by plants inoculated with GZ fungi and growing in FL soil under drought conditions. So, this AM inoculum also functioned in soils from different origins. Nine novel aquaporin genes were also cloned from olive roots. Diverse correlation and association values were found among different aquaporin expressions and abundances and Lpr, indicating how the interaction of different aquaporins may render diverse Lpr values.