bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The LAW index as an accurate indicator of the initiation of antiviral treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Lee Jae Min , Seo Yeon Seok , Kim Tae Hyung , Ahn Jem Ma , Yim Sun Young , Kim Seung Up , Jung Young Kul , Kim Ji Hoon , An Hyunggin , Yim Hyung Joon , Yeon Jong Eun , Lee Hong Sik , Byun Kwan Soo , Um Soon Ho , Kim Chang Duck , Ryu Ho Sang 
Published: May 2016

AbstractBackground and AimConsidering that inflammation and fibrosis are major factors for the indication of antiviral treatment, liver stiffness measurements could help identify patients who require antiviral treatment. This study evaluated factors that best identify patients who require antiviral treatment and to develop a new indicator for chronic hepatitis B (CHB).MethodsPatients with CHB were randomly classified into a training or validation group, and a model for predicting necroinflammatory activity ≥ A3 or fibrosis grade ≥ F2 (A3F2) was established in the training group using binary regression analysis and validated in the validation group. Predictive efficacy was compared using area under the receiver‐operating characteristics curve analysis.ResultsFour‐hundred ninety‐two patients were enrolled. In the training group, female sex, aspartate aminotransferase‐to‐platelet count ratio index (APRI), and liver stiffness were independent predictors of A3F2 on multivariate analysis. These variables were used to construct a novel model, called the LAW (liver stiffness, APRI, woman) index, as follows: 1.5 × liver stiffness value (kPa) + 3.9 × APRI + 3.2 if female. The LAW index was a better predictor of A3F2 than the APRI or liver stiffness measurement in both training group (0.870; 95% confidence interval, 0.822–0.910) and validation group (0.862; 95% confidence interval, 0.813–0.903).ConclusionsThe LAW index was able to accurately identify patients with CHB who required antiviral treatment. A LAW index of >10.1 could be a strong indicator for the initiation of antiviral treatment in patients with CHB.
HOW DO PATIENTS EXPERIENCE A KIDNEY BIOPSY?
Authors: Finderup Jeanette , Peschardt Laura , Sander Mette Rubin , Nielsen Mette Ulf 
Published: May 2016

SUMMARYBackgroundGuidelines for care before, during and after a kidney biopsy vary nationally and internationally. A literature search has shown few studies about the care before, during and after a kidney biopsy and we found one study from the patients' perspective.ObjectivesThe aim of the study is to gain knowledge about patients' experiences before, during and after a kidney biopsy.MethodsA qualitative study with a phenomenological and hermeneutic approach using ‘observiews’ of seven patients before, during and after a kidney biopsy. Data were analysed using Malterud's principles of systematic text condensation.ResultsThree themes were found: The patients' basic needs, the patient's needs for information and the patients use humour as a coping strategy.Conclusion and Application to practiceThe patients' experiences were characterised by their need to fulfill self‐care requirements, because they had to lie down for four to six hours after the biopsy procedure. There is a need to find evidence for the time the patient need to be bedbound to avoid bleeding complications. The patients' needs for information were different, which explains why information should be individualised. There is particular need for more information after discharge.
Virtue or Art?: Political Friendship Reconsidered
Authors: Eitel Adam 
Published: May 2016

AbstractInTalking to Strangers(2004), Danielle Allen argues that democratic citizens will need to acquire new habits for contending with distrust in order to prolong the democratic experiment. Though Allen's solution recalls her reading of theRepublic, it is to Aristotle, not Plato, that she turns for help theorizing those habits. Drawing upon theNicomachean Ethics, she proposes arts or techniques that might substitute for and outpace justice by enabling democratic strangers to treat one another like friends. While I endorse Allen's analysis of the problems posed by rising levels of distrust, I propose a different solution. First, I argue that the habits Allen describes would have to be virtues and not merely techniques in order to effect real political change. Then, second, I identify those habits as “piety” and “gratitude”—virtues which, I contend, are not so muchsubstitutes forassupplements tojustice. My argument thus elaborates Thomas Aquinas's account of justice and its “potential parts” in theSumma Theologiae.
Serotonin‐induced contractile responses of esophageal smooth muscle in the house musk shrew (Suncus murinus)
Authors: Shiina T. , Naitou K. , Nakamori H. , Suzuki Y. , Horii K. , Sano Y. , Shimaoka H. , Shimizu Y. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractBackgroundSerotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine, 5‐HT) is a regulatory factor in motility of the gastrointestinal tract including the esophagus. Although we proposed that vagal cholinergic and mast cell‐derived non‐cholinergic components including serotonin coordinately shorten the esophagus, the precise mechanism of serotonin‐induced contractions in the suncus esophagus is still unclear. Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine characteristics of contractile responses induced by serotonin and to identify 5‐HT receptor subtypes responsible for regulating motility in the suncus esophagus.MethodsAn isolated segment of the suncus esophagus was placed in an organ bath, and longitudinal or circular mechanical responses were recorded using a force transducer.Key ResultsSerotonin evoked contractile responses of the suncus esophagus in the longitudinal direction but not in the circular direction. Tetrodotoxin did not affect the serotonin‐induced contractions. Pretreatment with a non‐selective 5‐HT receptor antagonist or double application of 5‐HT1 and 5‐HT2 receptor antagonists blocked the serotonin‐induced contractions. 5‐HT1 and 5‐HT2 receptor agonists, but not a 5‐HT3 receptor agonist, evoked contractile responses in the suncus esophagus.Conclusion & InferencesThe findings suggest that serotonin induces contractile responses of the longitudinal smooth muscle in the muscularis mucosae of the suncus esophagus that are mediated via 5‐HT1 and 5‐HT2 receptors on muscle cells. The serotonin‐induced contractions might contribute to esophageal peristalsis and emetic response.
Effect of salivary agglutination on oral streptococcal clearance by human polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes
Authors: Itzek A. , Chen Z. , Merritt J. , Kreth J. 
Published: May 2016

SummarySalivary agglutination is an important host defense mechanism to aggregate oral commensal bacteria as well as invading pathogens. Saliva flow and subsequent swallowing more easily clear aggregated bacteria compared with single cells. Phagocytic clearance of bacteria through polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes also seems to increase to a certain extent with the size of bacterial aggregates. To determine a connection between salivary agglutination and the host innate immune response by phagocytosis, an in vitro agglutination assay was developed reproducing the average size of salivary bacterial aggregates. Using the oral commensal Streptococcus gordonii as a model organism, the effect of salivary agglutination on phagocytic clearance through polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes was investigated. Here we describe how salivary aggregates of S. gordonii are readily cleared through phagocytosis, whereas single bacterial cells showed a significant delay in being phagocytosed and killed. Furthermore, before phagocytosis the polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes were able to induce a specific de‐aggregation, which was dependent on serine protease activity. The data presented suggest that salivary agglutination of bacterial cells leads to an ideal size for recognition by polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes. As a first line of defense, these phagocytic cells are able to recognize the aggregates and de‐aggregate them via serine proteases to a more manageable size for efficient phagocytosis and subsequent killing in the phagolysosome. This observed mechanism not only prevents the rapid spreading of oral bacterial cells while entering the bloodstream but would also avoid degranulation of involved polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes, so preventing collateral damage to nearby tissue.
Contextualizing individual differences in error monitoring: Links with impulsivity, negative affect, and conscientiousness
Authors: Hill Kaylin E. , Samuel Douglas B. , Foti Dan 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe error‐related negativity (ERN) is a neural measure of error processing that has been implicated as a neurobehavioral trait and has transdiagnostic links with psychopathology. Few studies, however, have contextualized this traitlike component with regard to dimensions of personality that, as intermediate constructs, may aid in contextualizing links with psychopathology. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to examine the interrelationships between error monitoring and dimensions of personality within a large adult sample (N = 208). Building on previous research, we found that the ERN relates to a combination of negative affect, impulsivity, and conscientiousness. At low levels of conscientiousness, negative urgency (i.e., impulsivity in the context of negative affect) predicted an increased ERN; at high levels of conscientiousness, the effect of negative urgency was not significant. This relationship was driven specifically by the conscientiousness facets of competence, order, and deliberation. Links between personality measures and error positivity amplitude were weaker and nonsignificant. Post‐error slowing was also related to conscientiousness, as well as a different facet of impulsivity: lack of perseverance. These findings suggest that, in the general population, error processing is modulated by the joint combination of negative affect, impulsivity, and conscientiousness (i.e., the profile across traits), perhaps more so than any one dimension alone. This work may inform future research concerning aberrant error processing in clinical populations.
Forum of Tactics for Teaching the Materiality of Scripture
Authors: Plate S. Brent , Parmenter Dorina Miller , Dault David , Lee Song‐Chong , Larson Jason , Schwarz Sarah L. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractS. Brent Plate's introductory essay orients the reader to the academic move toward material text studies, a wide range of research questions and pedagogical practices that includes attention to the history of the book, book technologies, the social habits of readership especially in relation to print culture, and issues raised in media studies about differences in verbal communication. This introduction is followed by a series of one‐page Teaching Tactics that prompt students to ask about the material conditions in and through which scriptures acquire meaning. Students are challenged to become aware of the sensorial nature of sacred texts, and of communication itself. They touch, see, and hear in new ways, learning with their bodies.
An HIV gp120-CD4 Immunogen Does Not Elicit Autoimmune Antibody Responses in Cynomolgus Macaques
Authors: Schwartz Jennifer A. , Prado Ilia , Misamore Johnathan , Weiss Deborah , Francis Jesse , Pal Ranajit , Huaman Maria , Cristillo Anthony , Lewis George K. , Gallo Robert C. , DeVico Anthony L. , Fouts Timothy R. 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACTA promising concept for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccines focuses immunity on the highly conserved transition state structures and epitopes that appear when the HIV glycoprotein gp120 binds to its receptor, CD4. We are developing chimeric antigens (full-length single chain, or FLSC) in which gp120 and CD4 sequences are flexibly linked to allow stable intrachain complex formation between the two moieties (A. DeVico et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104:17477–17482, 2007, doi:10.1073/pnas.0707399104; T. R. Fouts et al., J Virol 74:11427–11436, 2000,doi:10.1128/JVI.74.24.11427-11436.2000). Proof of concept studies with nonhuman primates show that FLSC elicited heterologous protection against simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)/simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) (T. R. Fouts et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112:E992–E999, 2016,doi:10.1073/pnas.1423669112), which correlated with antibodies against transition state gp120 epitopes. Nevertheless, advancement of any vaccine that comprises gp120-CD4 complexes must consider whether the CD4 component breaks tolerance and becomes immunogenic in the autologous host. To address this, we performed an immunotoxicology study with cynomolgus macaques vaccinated with either FLSC or a rhesus variant of FLSC containing macaque CD4 sequences (rhFLSC). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) binding titers, primary CD3+T cell staining, and temporal trends in T cell subset frequencies served to assess whether anti-CD4 autoantibody responses were elicited by vaccination. We find that immunization with multiple high doses of rhFLSC did not elicit detectable antibody titers despite robust responses to rhFLSC. In accordance with these findings, immunized animals had no changes in circulating CD4+T cell counts or evidence of autoantibody reactivity with cell surface CD4 on primary naive macaque T cells. Collectively, these studies show that antigens using CD4 sequences to stabilize transition state gp120 structures are unlikely to elicit autoimmune antibody responses, supporting the advancement of gp120-CD4 complex-based antigens, such as FLSC, into clinical testing.
Follow-Up of External Quality Controls for PCR-Based Diagnosis of Whooping Cough in a Hospital Laboratory Network (Renacoq) and in Other Hospital and Private Laboratories in France
Authors: Guillot Sophie , Guiso Nicole 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT
The French National Reference Centre (NRC) for Whooping Cough carried out an external quality control (QC) analysis in 2010 for the PCR diagnosis of whooping cough. The main objective of the study was to assess the impact of this QC in the participating laboratories through a repeat analysis in 2012.
Comparison of Virulence Gene Identification, Ribosomal Spacer PCR, and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis for Typing of Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Cases of Subclinical Bovine Mastitis in the United States
Authors: Adkins Pamela R. F. , Middleton John R. , Fox Lawrence K. 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT

Staphylococcus aureus
is one of the most important pathogens causing contagious mastitis in dairy cattle worldwide. The objectives of this study were to determine if recently described
S. aureus
genotype B was present among previously characterized isolates from cases of bovine intramammary infection in the United States and to compare pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to the combination of ribosomal spacer PCR (RS-PCR) and virulence gene identification for typing of
S. aureus
strains. The hypothesis was that isolates that were previously characterized as contagious would be identified as genotype B and that the results of the two strain-typing methods would be comparable. Isolates were selected from a collection of
S. aureus
isolates from eight dairy farms. Mammary quarter milk somatic cell count (SCC) and
N
-acetyl-β-
d
-gluconaminidase (NAGase) activity data were known and used to evaluate strain pathogenicity. RS-PCR was performed with conventional gel electrophoresis, and PCR was used for toxin gene identification. RS-PCR patterns were associated with a specific virulence gene pattern, as previously reported. Five RS-PCR banding patterns were identified. None of the isolates were characterized as genotype B. No association between RS-PCR types and milk SCC was found; however, NAGase activity was significantly higher in milk from mammary glands infected with RS-PCR banding type 1 (RSP type 1) than in milk from those infected with RSP type 2. The discriminatory power values were 1.0 and 0.46 for PFGE and RS-PCR, respectively. These data suggest that genotype B may have a limited geographic distribution and that PFGE is more discriminatory than RS-PCR performed with conventional gel electrophoresis for typing of
S. aureus
isolates of bovine origin.
Uukuniemi Virus as a Tick-Borne Virus Model
Authors: Mazelier Magalie , Rouxel Ronan Nicolas , Zumstein Michael , Mancini Roberta , Bell-Sakyi Lesley , Lozach Pierre-Yves 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT

In the last decade, novel tick-borne pathogenic phleboviruses in the family
Bunyaviridae
, all closely related to Uukuniemi virus (UUKV), have emerged on different continents. To reproduce the tick-mammal switch
in vitro
, we first established a reverse genetics system to rescue UUKV with a genome close to that of the authentic virus isolated from the
Ixodes ricinus
tick reservoir. The IRE/CTVM19 and IRE/CTVM20 cell lines, both derived from
I. ricinus
, were susceptible to the virus rescued from plasmid DNAs and supported production of the virus over many weeks, indicating that infection was persistent. The glycoprotein G
C
was mainly highly mannosylated on tick cell-derived viral progeny. The second envelope viral protein, G
N
, carried mostly
N
-glycans not recognized by the classical glycosidases peptide-
N
-glycosidase F (PNGase F) and endoglycosidase H (Endo H). Treatment with β-mercaptoethanol did not impact the apparent molecular weight of G
N
. On viruses originating from mammalian BHK-21 cells, G
N
glycosylations were exclusively sensitive to PNGase F, and the electrophoretic mobility of the protein was substantially slower after the reduction of disulfide bonds. Furthermore, the amount of viral nucleoprotein per focus forming unit differed markedly whether viruses were produced in tick or BHK-21 cells, suggesting a higher infectivity for tick cell-derived viruses. Together, our results indicate that UUKV particles derived from vector tick cells have glycosylation and structural specificities that may influence the initial infection in mammalian hosts. This study also highlights the importance of working with viruses originating from arthropod vector cells in investigations of the cell biology of arbovirus transmission and entry into mammalian hosts.

IMPORTANCE
Tick-borne phleboviruses represent a growing threat to humans globally. Although ticks are important vectors of infectious emerging diseases, previous studies have mainly involved virus stocks produced in mammalian cells. This limitation tends to minimize the importance of host alternation in virus transmission to humans and initial infection at the molecular level. With this study, we have developed an
in vitro
tick cell-based model that allows production of the tick-borne Uukuniemi virus to high titers. Using this system, we found that virions derived from tick cells have specific structural properties and
N
-glycans that may enhance virus infectivity for mammalian cells. By shedding light on molecular aspects of tick-derived viral particles, our data illustrate the importance of considering the host switch in studying early virus-mammalian receptor/cell interactions. The information gained here lays the basis for future research on not only tick-borne phleboviruses but also all viruses and other pathogens transmitted by ticks.
ISG12a Restricts Hepatitis C Virus Infection through the Ubiquitination-Dependent Degradation Pathway
Authors: Xue Binbin , Yang Darong , Wang Jingjing , Xu Yan , Wang Xiaohong , Qin Yuwen , Tian Renyun , Chen Shengwen , Xie Qinya , Liu Nianli , Zhu Haizhen 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT
Interferons (IFNs) restrict various kinds of viral infection via induction of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), while the functions of the majority of ISGs are broadly unclear. Here, we show that a high-IFN-inducible gene, ISG12a (also known as IFI27), exhibits a nonapoptotic antiviral effect on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Viral NS5A protein is targeted specifically by ISG12a, which mediates NS5A degradation via a ubiquitination-dependent proteasomal pathway. K374R mutation in NS5A domain III abrogates ISG12a-induced ubiquitination and degradation of NS5A. S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2) is identified as an ubiquitin E3 ligase for NS5A. ISG12a functions as a crucial adaptor that promotes SKP2 to interact with and degrade viral protein. Moreover, the antiviral effect of ISG12a is dependent on the E3 ligase activity of SKP2. These findings uncover an intriguing mechanism by which ISG12a restricts viral infection and provide clues for understanding the actions of innate immunity.

IMPORTANCE
Upon virus invasion, IFNs induce numerous ISGs to control viral spread, while the functions of the majority of ISGs are broadly unclear. The present study shows a novel antiviral mechanism of ISGs and elucidated that ISG12a recruits an E3 ligase, SKP2, for ubiquitination and degradation of viral protein and restricts viral infection. These findings provide important insights into exploring the working principles of innate immunity.
Both
cis
and
trans
Activities of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus 3D Polymerase Are Essential for Viral RNA Replication
Authors: Herod Morgan R. , Ferrer-Orta Cristina , Loundras Eleni-Anna , Ward Joseph C. , Verdaguer Nuria , Rowlands David J. , Stonehouse Nicola J. 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT

The
Picornaviridae
is a large family of positive-sense RNA viruses that contains numerous human and animal pathogens, including foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). The picornavirus replication complex comprises a coordinated network of protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions involving multiple viral and host-cellular factors. Many of the proteins within the complex possess multiple roles in viral RNA replication, some of which can be provided in
trans
(i.e., via expression from a separate RNA molecule), while others are required in
cis
(i.e., expressed from the template RNA molecule).
In vitro
studies have suggested that multiple copies of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) 3D are involved in the viral replication complex. However, it is not clear whether all these molecules are catalytically active or what other function(s) they provide. In this study, we aimed to distinguish between catalytically active 3D molecules and those that build a replication complex. We report a novel nonenzymatic
cis
-acting function of 3D that is essential for viral-genome replication. Using an FMDV replicon in complementation experiments, our data demonstrate that this
cis
-acting role of 3D is distinct from the catalytic activity, which is predominantly
trans
acting. Immunofluorescence studies suggest that both
cis
- and
trans
-acting 3D molecules localize to the same cellular compartment. However, our genetic and structural data suggest that 3D interacts in
cis
with RNA stem-loops that are essential for viral RNA replication. This study identifies a previously undescribed aspect of picornavirus replication complex structure-function and an important methodology for probing such interactions further.

IMPORTANCE
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is an important animal pathogen responsible for foot-and-mouth disease. The disease is endemic in many parts of the world with outbreaks within livestock resulting in major economic losses. Propagation of the viral genome occurs within replication complexes, and understanding this process can facilitate the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Many of the nonstructural proteins involved in replication possess multiple functions in the viral life cycle, some of which can be supplied to the replication complex from a separate genome (i.e., in
trans
) while others must originate from the template (i.e., in
cis
). Here, we present an analysis of
cis
and
trans
activities of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 3D. We demonstrate a novel
cis
-acting role of 3D in replication. Our data suggest that this role is distinct from its enzymatic functions and requires interaction with the viral genome. Our data further the understanding of genome replication of this important pathogen.