bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Seasonal and annual variations in the pollination efficiency of a pollinator community of Dictamnus albus L.
Authors: Fisogni A. , Rossi M. , Sgolastra F. , Bortolotti L. , Bogo G. , de Manincor N. , Quaranta M. , Galloni M. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe interplay between insect and plant traits outlines the patterns of pollen transfer and the subsequent plant reproductive fitness. We studied the factors that affect the pollination efficiency of a pollinator community of Dictamnus albus L. by evaluating insect behaviour and morphological characteristics in relation to flowering phenology. In order to extrapolate the pollinator importance of single taxa and of the whole pollinator guild, we calculated an index distinguishing between potential (PPI) and realized (RPI) pollinator importance. Although the pollinator species spectrum appeared rather constant, we found high intra‐ and inter‐annual variability of pollinator frequency and importance within the insect community. Flower visitation rate strictly depended on insect abundance and on the overlap between their flying period and flower blooming. All the pollinators visited flowers from the bottom to the top of the racemes, excluding intra‐plant geitonogamous pollination, and most of them showed high pollen fidelity. Only medium large‐sized bees could contact the upward bending stiles while feeding on nectar, highlighting a specialisation of the plant towards bigger pollinators. Moreover, we found evidence of functional specialisation, since all pollinators were restricted to a single taxonomic group (order: Hymenoptera; superfamily: Apoidea). Both the PPI and RPI indices indicate Habropoda tarsata as the most important pollinator of D. albus. Following hand cross‐pollination experiments we revealed the presence of pollination limitation in 1 of the 3 years of field study. We discuss this result in relation to flowering abundance and to possible mismatches of phenological periods between plants and insects.
Maternal Serum 25‐Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations during Pregnancy and Infant Birthweight for Gestational Age: a Three‐Cohort Study
Authors: Tian Yan , Holzman Claudia , Siega‐Riz Anna M. , Williams Michelle A. , Dole Nancy , Enquobahrie Daniel A. , Ferre Cynthia D. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractBackgroundIn response to inconsistent findings, we investigated associations between maternal serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and infant birthweight for gestational age (BW/GA), including potential effect modification by maternal race/ethnicity and infant sex.MethodsData from 2558 pregnant women were combined in a nested case–control study (preterm and term) sampled from three cohorts: the Omega study, the Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition study, and the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health study. Maternal 25(OH)D concentrations were sampled at 4 to 29 weeks gestation (80% 14–26 weeks). BW/GA was modelled as sex and gestational age‐specific birthweight z‐scores. General linear regression models (adjusting for age, education, parity, pre‐pregnancy body mass index, season at blood draw, and smoking) assessed 25(OH)D concentrations in relation to BW/GA.ResultsAmong non‐Hispanic Black women, the positive association between 25(OH)D concentrations and BW/GA was of similar magnitude in pregnancies with female or male infants [beta (β) = 0.015, standard error (SE) = 0.007, P = 0.025; β = 0.018, SE = 0.006, P = 0.003, respectively]. Among non‐Hispanic White women, 25(OH)D‐BW/GA association was observed only with male infants, and the effect size was lower (β = 0.008, SE = 0.003, P = 0.02).ConclusionsMaternal serum concentrations of 25(OH)D in early and mid‐pregnancy were positively associated with BW/GA among non‐Hispanic Black male and female infants and non‐Hispanic White male infants. Effect modification by race/ethnicity may be due, in part, to overall lower concentrations of 25(OH)D in non‐Hispanic Blacks. Reasons for effect modification by infant sex remain unclear.
From Austerity to Austerity: The Political Economy of Public Pension Reforms in Romania and Bulgaria
Authors: Adascalitei Dragos 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThis article discusses the trajectories of pension system reforms in two of the latecomers to the EU: Bulgaria and Romania. It finds that over the past two decades, the two countries pursued increasingly dissimilar public pension reforms for managing their respective public pay‐as‐you‐go pension systems. Using a political institutionalist theoretical framework, I argue that the divergence between the two cases is attributable to multiple factors. First, different temporary political compromises between national and international actors generated reforms that retrenched public pensions and introduced mandatory private accounts. Second, pension reforms often had unintended consequences that limited their intended impact. Third, incremental adjustments introduced by governments in response to political pressures caused alternating phases of austerity and generosity that catered to different constituencies in each country. In Romania, reform outcomes amounted to a moderately generous pension system, financed through relatively high contribution rates with a small funded component, while in the case of Bulgaria, the pension system evolved into a meagre programme, financed through low contribution rates and a larger private pillar.
Fertilizer value of phosphorus in different residues
Authors: Delin S. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe phosphorus (P) fertilizer effect of a range of commonly available manure, waste treatment and by‐product residues was tested in pot, field and incubation experiments. The effect of the residues on P offtake was compared with that of commercial mineral P (super phosphate) to calculate the mineral fertilizer equivalent (MFE). Possible relationships between MFE and P extractable from residues using different agents (ammonium lactate, citrate, water) were examined. Dry matter yield and P concentration were measured in ryegrass grown in pots amended with 14 different residues. The effect on the first cut (after 5 weeks) was significantly higher for residues with a low organic matter content, for example ash and biogas residues (MFE = 74–85%), than for many other products with higher organic matter content, for example meat meal (MFE = 44%), cattle slurry (MFE = 57%) and sewage sludge (MFE = 0–37%). However, the effect on two combined cuts (after 11 weeks) was more similar between residues (MFE = 40–60% for most residues). Ammonium lactate‐extractable P (P‐AL) in residues correlated better with MFE (r2 = 0.48) than water‐extractable or citrate‐extractable P. Grain yield and P concentration were measured in a field experiment with spring wheat fertilized with four different residues. Pelleted meat meal had a similar effect on yield and P offtake as mineral fertilizer P, whereas two different sewage sludge and chicken manure had approximately 50% of the mineral fertilizer effect. The effect of residues on soil P‐AL (the Swedish measure of easily available soil P) in the incubation experiment showed no correlation with MFE from the pot experiments.
HLA‐B*40:306, a novel variant of HLA‐B*40, discovered in a Taiwanese bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell donor
Authors: Yang K. L. , Hung J. H. , Lin P. Y. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractOne nucleotide substitution at residue 308 of the HLA‐B*40:06:01:01 results in a new allele, HLA‐B*40:306.
HLA‐B*35:168, a novel HLA allele identified in a Chinese platelet donor
Authors: Li X.‐F. , Li G.‐J. , Zhang X. , Li J.‐P. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractHLA‐B*35:168 has one nucleotide change from HLA‐B*35:01:01:01 where 20 P is changed to R.
A nucleotide insertion in Exon 2 is responsible for a new HLA‐DRB1 null allele, HLA‐DRB1*14:166N
Authors: Testi M. , Troiano M. , Paladini E. , Di Luzio A. , Andreani M. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractDRB1*14 is identical to DRB1*14:54:01 except for a single nucleotide insertion of A in position 175 in Exon 2.
A novel allele HLA‐A*11:152 was identified by sequence‐based typing in a Chinese individual
Authors: Shen G. , Qiang W. , Zhu Y.‐Y. , Zou J. , Liu G.‐J. , Yao L. , Yin J.‐P. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractHLA‐A*11:152 differs from A*11:01:01 by a single nucleotide at position 266 in Exon 2.
Germline gene polymorphisms predisposing domestic mammals to carcinogenesis
Authors: Flisikowski K. , Flisikowska T. , Sikorska A. , Perkowska A. , Kind A. , Schnieke A. , Switonski M. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractCancer is a complex disease caused in part by predisposing germline gene polymorphisms. Knowledge of carcinogenesis in companion mammals (dog and cat) and some livestock species (pig and horse) is quite advanced. The prevalence of certain cancers varies by breed in these species, suggesting the presence of predisposing genetic variants in susceptible breeds. This review summarizes the present understanding of germline gene polymorphisms, including BRCA1, BRCA2, MC1R, KIT, NRAS and RAD51, associated with predisposition to melanoma, mammary cancer, osteosarcoma and histiocytic sarcoma in dogs, cats, pigs and horses. The predisposing variants in these species are discussed in the context of human germline gene polymorphisms associated with the same types of cancer.
Application of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to Prevent Nipple Cracking in Lactating Women
Authors: Cordero María José Aguilar , Villar Norma Mur , Barrilao Rafael Guisado , Cortés Manuel Eduardo Cortés , López Antonio Manuel Sánchez 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACTBackgroundIt is well established that extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), applied to the skin, has healing and anti‐inflammatory properties.AimTo evaluate the effectiveness of EVOO in the prevention of nipple cracking in lactating women.MethodsExperimental, prospective, randomized study of 300 lactating women, admitted to the postpartum unit of the city's general hospital (Cienfuegos, Cuba). The study was carried out in 2012. Eligible patients were randomized into two groups of 150 women. In Group 1, EVOO was applied on the nipple after feeding, and in Group 2, drops of breast milk were applied to the nipple after feeding. Clinical evaluations were made during the first week of treatment and after the first month. All women who initiated breastfeeding were considered eligible to be included in this study; breastfeeding was characterized as the moment of mother–child interaction with suction on the nipple. Efficacy was evaluated quantitatively, as the absence of cracks in the nipple during the first 2 weeks of lactation using as the proportion of women with or without nipple cracks, and if present, whether they were moderate or slight.ResultsThe quantitative efficacy was 97.3% and no adverse effects occurred in mothers and newborns during the administration of EVOO.Discussion and ConclusionsEVOO helps prevent nipple cracking in lactating women. It has been shown to have protective effects when breastfeeding presents technical difficulties. This conclusion is borne out by the frequency distribution results obtained, which reflect a significantly higher proportion of nipple cracking in the population that was not treated with EVOO.Linking Evidence to ActionUse EVOO to prevent nipple cracking during breastfeeding by administering 3 drops on each nipple after each feeding. Decreased nipple cracking will reduce pain and enhance breastfeedinging by administering 3 drops on each nipple after each feeding, improving the health of mothers and infants.
Heterogeneous ageing of skeletal muscle microvascular function
Authors: Muller‐Delp Judy M. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe distribution of blood flow to skeletal muscle during exercise is altered with advancing age. Changes in arteriolar function that are muscle specific underlie age‐induced changes in blood flow distribution. With advancing age, functional adaptations that occur in resistance arterioles from oxidative muscles differ from those that occur in glycolytic muscles. Age‐related adaptations of morphology, as well as changes in both endothelial and vascular smooth muscle signalling, differ in muscle of diverse fibre type. Age‐induced endothelial dysfunction has been reported in most skeletal muscle arterioles; however, unique alterations in signalling contribute to the dysfunction in arterioles from oxidative muscles as compared with those from glycolytic muscles. In resistance arterioles from oxidative muscle, loss of nitric oxide signalling contributes significantly to endothelial dysfunction, whereas in resistance arterioles from glycolytic muscle, alterations in both nitric oxide and prostanoid signalling underlie endothelial dysfunction. Similarly, adaptations of the vascular smooth muscle that occur with advancing age are heterogeneous between arterioles from oxidative and glycolytic muscles. In both oxidative and glycolytic muscle, late‐life exercise training reverses age‐related microvascular dysfunction, and exercise training appears to be particularly effective in reversing endothelial dysfunction. Patterns of microvascular ageing that develop among muscles of diverse fibre type and function may be attributable to changing patterns of physical activity with ageing. Importantly, aerobic exercise training, initiated even at an advanced age, restores muscle blood flow distribution patterns and vascular function in old animals to those seen in their young counterparts.
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Ca2+ leakage out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum is increased in type I skeletal muscle fibres in aged humans
Authors: Lamboley C. R. , Wyckelsma V. L. , McKenna M. J. , Murphy R. M. , Lamb G. D. 
Published: November 2015

Key points
The amount of Ca2+ stored in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of muscle fibres is decreased in aged individuals, and an important question is whether this results from increased Ca2+ leakage out through the Ca2+ release channels (ryanodine receptors; RyRs).
The present study examined the effects of blocking the RyRs with Mg2+, or applying a strong reducing treatment, on net Ca2+ accumulation by the SR in skinned muscle fibres from Old (∼70 years) and Young (∼24 years) adults.
Raising cytoplasmic [Mg2+] and reducing treatment increased net SR Ca2+ accumulation in type I fibres of Old subjects relative to that in Young.
The densities of RyRs and dihydropyridine receptors were not significantly changed in the muscle of Old subjects.
These findings indicate that oxidative modification of the RyRs causes increased Ca2+ leakage from the SR in muscle fibres in Old subjects, which probably deleteriously affects normal muscle function both directly and indirectly.
AbstractThe present study examined whether the lower Ca2+ storage levels in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in vastus lateralis muscle fibres in Old (70 ± 4 years) relative to Young (24 ± 4 years) human subjects is the result of increased leakage of Ca2+ out of the SR through the Ca2+ release channels/ryanodine receptors (RyRs) and due to oxidative modification of the RyRs. SR Ca2+ accumulation in mechanically skinned muscle fibres was examined in the presence of 1, 3 or 10 mm cytoplasmic Mg2+ because raising [Mg2+] strongly inhibits Ca2+ efflux through the RyRs. In type I fibres of Old subjects, SR Ca2+ accumulation in the presence of 1 mm Mg2+ approached saturation at shorter loading times than in Young subjects, consistent with Ca2+ leakage limiting net uptake, and raising [Mg2+] to 10 mm in such fibres increased maximal SR Ca2+ accumulation. No significant differences were seen in type II fibres. Treatment with dithiothreitol (10 mm for 5 min), a strong reducing agent, also increased maximal SR Ca2+ accumulation at 1 mm Mg2+ in type I fibres of Old subjects but not in other fibres. The densities of dihydropyridine receptors and RyRs were not significantly different in muscles of Old relative to Young subjects. These findings indicate that Ca2+ leakage from the SR is increased in type I fibres in Old subjects by reversible oxidative modification of the RyRs; this increased SR Ca2+ leak is expected to have both direct and indirect deleterious effects on Ca2+ movements and muscle function.
Compromised blood–brain barrier permeability: novel mechanism by which circulating angiotensin II signals to sympathoexcitatory centres during hypertension
Authors: Biancardi V. C. , Stern J. E. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractAngiotensin II (AngII) is a pivotal peptide implicated in the regulation of blood pressure. In addition to its systemic vascular and renal effects, AngII acts centrally to modulate the activities of neuroendocrine and sympathetic neuronal networks, influencing in turn sympatho‐humoral outflows to the circulation. Moreover, a large body of evidence supports AngII signalling dysregulation as a key mechanism contributing to exacerbated sympathoexcitation during hypertension. Due to its hydrophilic actions, circulating AngII does not cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB), signalling to the brain via the circumventricular organs which lack a tight BBB. In this review, we present and discuss recent studies from our laboratory showing that elevated circulating levels of AngII during hypertension result in disruption of the BBB integrity, allowing access of circulating AngII to critical sympathoexcitatory brain centres such as the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and the rostral ventrolateral medulla. We propose the novel hypothesis that AngII‐driven BBB breakdown constitutes a complementary mechanism by which circulating AngII, working in tandem with the central renin–angiotensin system, further exacerbates sympatho‐humoral activation during hypertension. These results are discussed within the context of a growing body of evidence in the literature supporting AngII as a pro‐inflammatory signal, and brain microglia as key cell targets mediating central AngII actions during hypertension.
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Molecular Characterization of a Voriconazole-Resistant, Posaconazole-Susceptible Aspergillus fumigatus Isolate in a Lung Transplant Recipient in the United States
Authors: Vazquez Jose A. , Manavathu Elias K. 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT

Molecular characterization of
cyp51A
from the azole-resistant
Aspergillus fumigatus
isolate 50593 from a lung transplant patient showed Y121F/T289A changes coupled with a 46-bp tandem repeat (TR46) on the promoter, whereas
cyp51A
from the pretherapy isolate,
A. fumigatus
47381, showed no changes. This is the first reported case of
A. fumigatus
azole resistance due to Y121F/T289A/TR46 in the United States, suggesting that multiple mutational alterations of
cyp51A
resulting in high-level azole resistance could occur during prolonged antifungal therapy.
Selective Inactivity of Pyrazinamide against Tuberculosis in C3HeB/FeJ Mice Is Best Explained by Neutral pH of Caseum
Authors: Lanoix Jean-Philippe , Ioerger Thomas , Ormond Aimee , Kaya Firat , Sacchettini James , Dartois Véronique , Nuermberger Eric 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACTPyrazinamide (PZA) is one of only two sterilizing drugs in the first-line antituberculosis regimen. Its activity is strongly pH dependent; the MIC changes by several orders of magnitude over a range of pH values that may be encountered in variousin vivocompartments. We recently reported selective inactivity of PZA in a subset of C3HeB/FeJ mice with large caseous lung lesions. In the present study, we evaluated whether such inactivity was explained by poor penetration of PZA into such lesions or selection of drug-resistant mutants. Despite demonstrating similar dose-proportional PZA exposures in plasma, epithelial lining fluid, and lung lesions, no dose response was observed in a subset of C3HeB/FeJ mice with the highest CFU burden. Although PZA-resistant mutants eventually replaced the susceptible bacilli in BALB/c mice and in C3HeB/FeJ mice with low total CFU burdens, they never exceeded 1% of the total population in nonresponding C3HeB/FeJ mice. The selective inactivity of PZA in large caseous lesions of C3HeB/FeJ mice is best explained by the neutral pH of liquefying caseum.
Characterization of the Antimicrobial Peptide Penisin, a Class Ia Novel Lantibiotic from Paenibacillus sp. Strain A3
Authors: Baindara Piyush , Chaudhry Vasvi , Mittal Garima , Liao Luciano M. , Matos Carolina O. , Khatri Neeraj , Franco Octavio L. , Patil Prabhu B. , Korpole Suresh 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT

Attempts to isolate novel antimicrobial peptides from microbial sources have been on the rise recently, despite their low efficacy in therapeutic applications. Here, we report identification and characterization of a new efficient antimicrobial peptide from a bacterial strain designated A3 that exhibited highest identity with
Paenibacillus ehimensis
. Upon purification and subsequent molecular characterization of the antimicrobial peptide, referred to as penisin, we found the peptide to be a bacteriocin-like peptide. Consistent with these results, RAST analysis of the entire genome sequence revealed the presence of a lantibiotic gene cluster containing genes necessary for synthesis and maturation of a lantibiotic. While circular dichroism and one-dimension nuclear magnetic resonance experiments confirmed a random coil structure of the peptide, similar to other known lantibiotics, additional biochemical evidence suggests posttranslational modifications of the core peptide yield six thioether cross-links. The deduced amino acid sequence of the putative biosynthetic gene
penA
showed approximately 74% similarity with elgicin A and 50% similarity with the lantibiotic paenicidin A. Penisin effectively killed methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) and did not exhibit hemolysis activity. Unlike other lantibiotics, it effectively inhibited the growth of Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, 80 mg/kg of body weight of penisin significantly reduced bacterial burden in a mouse thigh infection model and protected BALB/c mice in a bacteremia model entailing infection with
Staphylococcus aureus
MTCC 96, suggesting that it could be a promising new antimicrobial peptide.
Genome Analysis of Kingella kingae Strain KWG1 Reveals How a β-Lactamase Gene Inserted in the Chromosome of This Species
Authors: Bidet Philippe , Basmaci Romain , Guglielmini Julien , Doit Catherine , Jost Christelle , Birgy André , Bonacorsi Stéphane 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT

We describe the genome of a penicillinase-producing
Kingella kingae
strain (KWG1), the first to be isolated in continental Europe, whose
bla
TEM-1
gene was, for the first time in this species, found to be chromosomally inserted. The
bla
TEM
gene is located in an integrative and conjugative element (ICE) inserted in Met-tRNA and comprising genes that encode resistance to sulfonamides, streptomycin, and tetracycline. This ICE is homologous to resistance-conferring plasmids of
K. kingae
and other Gram-negative bacteria.