bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Slavery in plants: how the facultative hemi‐parasitic plant Rhamphicarpa fistulosa can completely dominate its host
Authors: Kabiri S. , Rodenburg J. , van Ast A. , Bastiaans L. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe rain‐fed lowland rice weed Rhamphicarpa fistulosa (Rice Vampireweed) is a facultative root parasitic plant. Growth and reproduction of R. fistulosa benefit considerably from parasitism, but how this affects the host plant is not well established. We determined accumulation and partitioning of rice–parasite biomass in two pot experiments. First, rice (cv. IR64) was grown under eight R. fistulosa densities (15–1000 seeds per pot) with two sampling times. Next, 2 parasite densities (6 and 13 plants per pot) were combined with 9 destructive samplings. Infection increased host root: shoot ratios and decreased host plant height, leaf area and tiller number. Reductions in light interception were followed by reductions in light use efficiency, causing 22–71% losses in host plant biomass and 78–100% losses in host kernel production. Parasitism eventually caused a complete standstill of host plant growth, while the parasite managed to gradually increase its share in total host plant–parasite biomass up to 50–82%. This implies that ultimately the host plant was producing solely for the sake of the parasite. Due to its facultative nature, R. fistulosa may incorrectly be perceived as relatively harmless. Upon infection this Rice Vampireweed, however, turns into a genuine slave master, whereby it completely dominates its host.
How to survive the medical misinformation mess
Authors: Ioannidis John P. A. , Stuart Michael E. , Brownlee Shannon , Strite Sheri A. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractMost physicians and other healthcare professionals are unaware of the pervasiveness of poor quality clinical evidence that contributes considerably to overuse, underuse, avoidable adverse events, missed opportunities for right care and wasted healthcare resources. The Medical Misinformation Mess comprises four key problems. First, much published medical research is not reliable or is of uncertain reliability, offers no benefit to patients, or is not useful to decision makers. Second, most healthcare professionals are not aware of this problem. Third, they also lack the skills necessary to evaluate the reliability and usefulness of medical evidence. Finally, patients and families frequently lack relevant, accurate medical evidence and skilled guidance at the time of medical decision‐making. Increasing the reliability of available, published evidence may not be an imminently reachable goal. Therefore, efforts should focus on making healthcare professionals, more sensitive to the limitations of the evidence, training them to do critical appraisal, and enhancing their communication skills so that they can effectively summarize and discuss medical evidence with patients to improve decision‐making. Similar efforts may need to target also patients, journalists, policy makers, the lay public and other healthcare stakeholders.
Impaired bone and muscle development in young people treated with antiepileptic drugs
Authors: Simm Peter J. , Seah Sebastian , Gorelik Alex , Gilbert Lauren , Nuguid Jenning , Werther George A. , Mackay Mark T. , Freeman Jeremy L. , Petty Sandra J. , Wark John D. 
Published: September 2017

SummaryObjectiveAntiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are associated with reduced bone density, balance impairment, and increased fracture risk in adults. However, pediatric data are limited. Therefore, we aimed to examine bone, muscle, and balance outcomes in young patients taking AEDs.MethodsWe undertook a case–control study utilizing an AED exposure–discordant matched‐pair approach. Subjects were aged 5–18 years with at least 12 months of AED exposure. Pairs were twins, nontwin siblings and first cousins, sex‐ and age‐matched (to within 2 years), allowing for greater power than with unrelated control subjects. Dual energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA), peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), and muscle force/balance were tested, with questionnaires were administered for bone health and epilepsy details.ResultsTwenty‐three pairs were recruited, (median age 12.9 years [subjects] and 13.5 years [controls])—7 twin, 14 sibling, and 2 cousin pairs. Those taking AEDs had an increased prevalence of fractures (15 fractures in 8 subjects, compared with 4 fractures in 3 controls, p < 0.01). Trabecular volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) measured by pQCT at the 4% site (tibia) was reduced by 14% (p = 0.03) in subjects. Subjects exerted a decreased maximum force compared to body weight (Fmax total/g) at the tibia. There were no differences seen in either bone mineral parameters measured by DXA or balance measures.SignificanceYoung people taking AEDs reported more fractures and had reductions in tibial vBMD and lower limb muscle force compared to their matched controls. These findings suggest that further exploration of bone health issues of young patients on AED therapy is required. Longitudinal studies are required to confirm these changes in the muscle–bone unit and to further explore the clinical outcomes.
Primary corneal malignant melanoma in a horse
Authors: Strauss R. A. , Allbaugh R. A. , Haynes J. , Ben‐Shlomo G. 
Published: September 2017

SummaryA 13‐year‐old Missouri Fox Trotter gelding of chestnut colour was referred for a 6‐week history of blepharospasm and epiphora of the left eye. Due to the presence of irregular corneal masses, superficial keratectomy was performed along with adjunctive strontium‐90 beta irradiation and subsequent topical mitomycin C chemotherapy. A diagnosis of poorly melanised malignant melanoma was made based on histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry. There has been no recurrence of the neoplasm over 10 months of follow‐up. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first documented case of a primary corneal melanocytic neoplasm in a horse.
Do Outside Directors with Government Experience Create Value?
Authors: Kang Jun‐Koo , Zhang Le 
Published: September 2017

AbstractWe examine whether outside directors with government experience add value to their firms. We find that government directors are more likely to miss board meetings and that their appointment announcements are greeted more negatively. Firms with government directors also experience poorer operating performance and more negative merger announcement returns, although their mergers are less likely to be challenged by antitrust authorities. These adverse valuation effects are largely alleviated when firms have large government sales, when they operate in regulated industries, or when government directors are politically connected. Using close gubernatorial election outcomes as a natural experiment and an instrumental variables approach to control for endogeneity bias do not change the results.
Contact lens related corneal infections
Authors: Asoklis R. 
Published: September 2017

SummarySince Czechoslovak chemist Otto Wichterle introduced soft contact lenses in 1961 the achievements of the manufactures and success in marketing increased dramatically. Unlimited availability of purchasing contact lenses in the internet and optic shops, slot machines and supermarkets gave a huge incomes for the industry, however restricted patients from the professional and verbal information regarding wearing particularities, risk factors and proper, at least annual examination by the ophthalmologist. Therefore number of contact lens wearing complications, related to bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections started constantly to grow. In this course we will update guidelines of the conservative treatment, timing and surgical approach of curing such sight‐ threating conditions. Clinical cases supplemented with high quality photo, video and pathology slides material will be discussed.
Combination of Histopathology and FT‐Raman Spectroscopy for the Study of Experimental Paracoccidioidomycosis in the Spleen
Authors: Mansano Elaine Sciuniti Benites , de Morais Gutierrez Rodriguês , Moratto Edilaine Martins , Sato Francielle , Baesso Mauro Luciano , Medina Antonio Neto , Svidzinski Terezinha Inez Estivalet , Hernandes Luzmarina 
Published: September 2017

AbstractParacoccidioides brasiliensis (Pb) can disseminate through the lymphatic and hematogenic pathways. As a result the spleen and other lymphoid organs are targets of paracoccidioidomycosis. There are few studies describing this disease in the spleen and more detailed descriptions are required. This study combines Histopathology and Fourier Transform Raman Spectroscopy (FT‐Raman) methods to study spleen infected by Pb. The Swiss mice were euthanized after 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks of infection with Pb, and their spleens were removed for ex vivo analyzes. Histopathological evaluation revealed that the red pulp was the area most affected, presenting the highest concentration of yeasts, inflammatory cells and cells in apoptosis, with no observation of typical granuloma formation. The main physical–chemical changes were detected in the spectral ranges between 1730–1590 cm−1 and 1390–1280 cm−1 attributed to amide I and vibrational deformation mode of CH3 and CH2 molecules, respectively. The amide I was correlated to total protein content and CH3 and CH2 molecules to collagen of the spleen. The association between histological and physical–chemical methods enabled detection of several alterations in the spleen, including apoptosis, contributing to a better understanding of paracoccidioidomycosis, a tropical neglected disease.
Lethal Effect of Photodynamic Treatment on Persister Bacteria
Authors: Oppezzo Oscar Juan , Forte Giacobone Ana Florencia 
Published: September 2017

AbstractPersister bacteria tolerate bactericidal antibiotics due to transient and reversible phenotypic changes. As these bacteria can limit the effectiveness of antibiotics to eradicate certain infections, their elimination is a relevant issue. Photodynamic therapy seems suitable for this purpose, but phenotypic tolerance to it has also been reported for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To test whether any phenotypic feature could confer tolerance against both antibiotics and photoinactivation, survivors from exposures to light in the presence of methylene blue were treated with ofloxacin, an antibiotic effective on nongrowing bacteria. Susceptibility to ofloxacin was normal in these bacteria in spite of their increased ability to survive photodynamic inactivation, suggesting the absence of cross‐tolerance. It thus seemed possible to use one of these treatments to eliminate bacteria which had phenotypic tolerance to the other. To test this strategy, persister bacteria emerging from ofloxacin treatments were submitted to the action of light and methylene blue while the antibiotic remained in the bacterial suspension. Persisters lost their clonogenic ability under these conditions and the effects of the treatments seemed to be synergistic. These observations suggest that photodynamic antimicrobial therapy could be used as a complement to antibiotic treatments to eliminate persister bacteria from localized infections.
How scientists and engineers use cultural resources to make controversies and selves meaningful
Authors: Cousineau Matthew J. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIn this essay, I provide an overview of recent sociological studies of science, technology, religion, and spirituality; the ways they contribute to sociological theorizing; and make some recommendations for future research. There are two major themes in these studies. One of them analyzes religious and spiritual discourse as controversy practice, suggesting how religion and spirituality are used as cultural discourses to understand controversy, who the actors are or should be, how to act in a controversy, and how popular discourses inform, and are informed by, science and technology discourses. This theme contributes to theorizing by describing how forms of cultural talk organize understandings of controversies, interactions, and action. The second theme explores scientific and religious identities, and how they are made compatible with each other. This theme points sociological theory toward considering science and religion relations as intertextual relations.
Apheresis technology correlates with bacterial contamination of platelets and reported septic transfusion reactions
Authors: Eder Anne F. , Dy Beth A. , DeMerse Barbara , Wagner Stephen J. , Stramer Susan L. , O'Neill E. Mary , Herron Ross M. 
Published: September 2017

BACKGROUNDApheresis technology to collect platelet (PLT) components differs among devices. We evaluated the relationship of the plateletpheresis device with bacterial contamination and reported septic transfusion reactions.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSPlateletpheresis was performed using Amicus (Fenwal, a Fresenius Kabi Company) or Trima (Trima Accel, TerumoBCT) from 2010 to 2014. All donations used inlet‐line sample diversion and were tested by quality control (QC; Day 1) aerobic culture. Rates of bacterial contamination and septic reactions to PLTs were calculated for both devices.RESULTSDuring the 5‐year study period, plateletpheresis collections using Amicus and Trima devices totaled 1,486,888 and 671,955 donations, respectively. The rate of confirmed‐positive bacterial cultures of apheresis PLT donations was significantly higher with Amicus than with Trima (252 vs. 112 per 106 donations [odds ratio {OR}, 2.3; 95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.8‐2.9]). Septic transfusion reactions were caused by 30 apheresis PLT units from 25 contaminated Amicus procedures and three apheresis PLT units from three contaminated Trima procedures. The overall rate of septic reactions was significantly higher with apheresis PLT components collected with Amicus than with Trima (16.8 vs. 4.5 per 106 donations [OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.1‐12.5]). All apheresis PLT components implicated in septic transfusion reactions had negative QC culture results incubated through Day 5 (i.e., false negatives).CONCLUSIONApheresis technology affects bacterial contamination of plateletpheresis collections. The device‐specific, higher rate of confirmed‐positive bacterial culture results also correlated with a significantly higher rate of reported septic transfusion reactions to apheresis PLTs.
Merozoite Surface Protein 1 from Plasmodium falciparum Is a Major Target of Opsonizing Antibodies in Individuals with Acquired Immunity against Malaria
Authors: Jäschke Anja , Coulibaly Boubacar , Remarque Edmond J. , Bujard Hermann , Epp Christian 
Published: September 2017

ABSTRACT

Naturally acquired immunity against malaria is largely mediated by serum antibodies controlling levels of blood-stage parasites. A limited understanding of the antigenic targets and functional mechanisms of protective antibodies has hampered the development of efficient malaria vaccines. Besides directly inhibiting the growth of
Plasmodium
parasites, antibodies can opsonize merozoites and recruit immune effector cells such as monocytes and neutrophils. Antibodies against the vaccine candidate merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1) are acquired during natural infections and have been associated with protection against malaria in several epidemiological studies. Here we analyzed serum antibodies from semi-immune individuals from Burkina Faso for their potential (i) to directly inhibit the growth of
P. falciparum
blood stages
in vitro
and (ii) to opsonize merozoites and to induce the antibody-dependent respiratory burst (ADRB) activity of neutrophils. While a few sera that directly inhibited the growth of
P. falciparum
blood stages were identified, immunoglobulin G (IgG) from all individuals clearly mediated the activation of neutrophils. The level of neutrophil activation correlated with levels of antibodies to MSP-1, and affinity-purified MSP-1-specific antibodies elicited ADRB activity. Furthermore, immunization of nonhuman primates with recombinant full-size MSP-1 induced antibodies that efficiently opsonized
P. falciparum
merozoites. Reversing the function by preincubation with recombinant antigens allowed us to quantify the contribution of MSP-1 to the antiparasitic effect of serum antibodies. Our data suggest that MSP-1, especially the partially conserved subunit MSP-1
83
, is a major target of opsonizing antibodies acquired during natural exposure to malaria. Induction of opsonizing antibodies might be a crucial effector mechanism for MSP-1-based malaria vaccines.
Development of Serotype-Specific PCR Assays for Typing of Haemophilus parasuis Isolates Circulating in Southern China
Authors: Jia Aiqing , Zhou Ruyue , Fan Huiying , Yang Kaijie , Zhang Jianmin , Xu Yindi , Wang Guiping , Liao Ming 
Published: September 2017

ABSTRACTThe bacteriumHaemophilus parasuisis the specific pathogenic cause of Glässer's disease in swine. Fifteen serotypes ofH. parasuishave been reported. A method to serotypeH. parasuisisolates accurately would help to prevent and control Glässer's disease outbreaks through appropriate vaccination and to understand the epidemiology in specific geographic areas. However, according to traditional serotyping, the rate of nontypeable (NT) strains is 10 to 40%, which gives low accuracy. In the present study, we developed a set of PCR assays that are able to identify all the currently knownH. parasuisserotypes, with a detection limit of 5 CFU. This PCR method is particularly useful to distinguish serotype 5 from serotype 12. We then surveyed the serotype prevalence ofH. parasuisisolates from southern China using both the traditional indirect hemagglutination (IHA) and current PCR methods. Of the 298 isolates tested, 228 (76.51%) and 281 (94.30%) were serotyped by the IHA and PCR tests, respectively, with a concordance rate of 80.87% (241/298). The most prevalent serotypes obtained by PCR were 4, 5, 12, 13, NT, and 2, and the most prevalent obtained by IHA were NT, 5, 4, 12, 13, and 2. In conclusion, the PCR assays developed in this study provide a rapid and specific method for the molecular serotyping ofH. parasuis.
Characterization of the Quasi-Enveloped Hepatitis E Virus Particles Released by the Cellular Exosomal Pathway
Authors: Nagashima Shigeo , Takahashi Masaharu , Kobayashi Tominari ,   Tanggis, Nishizawa Tsutomu , Nishiyama Takashi , Primadharsini Putu Prathiwi , Okamoto Hiroaki 
Published: September 2017

ABSTRACTOur previous studies demonstrated that membrane-associated hepatitis E virus (HEV) particles—now considered “quasi-enveloped particles”—are present in the multivesicular body with intraluminal vesicles (exosomes) in infected cells and that the release of HEV virions is related to the exosomal pathway. In this study, we characterized exosomes purified from the culture supernatants of HEV-infected PLC/PRF/5 cells. Purified CD63-, CD9-, or CD81-positive exosomes derived from the culture supernatants of HEV-infected cells that had been cultivated in serum-free medium were found to contain HEV RNA and the viral capsid (ORF2) and ORF3 proteins, as determined by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Furthermore, immunoelectron microscopy, with or without prior detergent and protease treatment, revealed the presence of virus-like particles in the exosome fraction. These particles were 39.6 ± 1.0 nm in diameter and were covered with a lipid membrane. After treatment with detergent and protease, the diameter of these virus-like particles was 26.9 ± 0.9 nm, and the treated particles became accessible with an anti-HEV ORF2 monoclonal antibody (MAb). The HEV particles in the exosome fraction were capable of infecting naive PLC/PRF/5 cells but were not neutralized by an anti-HEV ORF2 MAb which efficiently neutralizes nonenveloped HEV particles in cell culture. These results indicate that the membrane-wrapped HEV particles released by the exosomal pathway are copurified with the exosomes in the exosome fraction and suggest that the capsids of HEV particles are individually covered by lipid membranes resembling those of exosomes, similar to enveloped viruses.IMPORTANCEHepatitis E, caused by HEV, is an important infectious disease that is spreading worldwide. HEV infection can cause acute or fulminant hepatitis and can become chronic in immunocompromised hosts, including patients after organ transplantation. The HEV particles present in feces and bile are nonenveloped, while those in circulating blood and culture supernatants are covered with a cellular membrane, similar to enveloped viruses. Furthermore, these membrane-associated and -unassociated HEV particles can be propagated in cultured cells. The significance of our research is that the capsids of HEV particles are individually covered by a lipid membrane that resembles the membrane of exosomes, similar to enveloped viruses, and are released from infected cells via the exosomal pathway. These data will help to elucidate the entry mechanisms and receptors for HEV infection in the future. This is the first report to characterize the detailed morphological features of membrane-associated HEV particles.
Graphene/blue-phosphorus heterostructure as potential anode materials for sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Fan Kaimin , Tang Ting , Wu Shiyun , Zhang Zhiyuan 
Published: September 2017

The first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) have been implemented to investigate the graphene/blue-phosphorus (G/BP) heterostructure as potential anode material for SIBs. The adsorption and diffusion behaviors of sodium (Na) in G/BP heterostructure and the effect of external electric field on Na adsorption have been investigated. The results indicate that G/BP heterostructure with Na adsorption is metallic due to Na incorporation, which is of benefit for electronic conductivity as anode material. The results show that the design of G/BP heterostructure is an efficient scheme to enhance the Na adsorption in G/BP without affecting the high mobility of Na in the G/BP heterostructure surface. The present work demonstrates that the external electric field can effectively modulate the adsorption of Na, and the adsorption behavior of Na is more sensitive to the external electric field when E [Formula: see text] 0.10 V Å[Formula: see text] in G/BP heterostructure. The Mulliken population analysis and DOS calculations have been performed to explore the charge transfer and the interaction between Na and G/BP.