bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acne and dairy products in adolescence: results from a Norwegian longitudinal study
Authors: Ulvestad M. , Bjertness E. , Dalgard F. , Halvorsen J.A. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBackgroundAcne is a very common skin condition, and it is of great interest to elucidate lifestyle factors that may contribute to its occurrence. In the last decade, the acne‐diet connection has been brought back to credibility.ObjectiveTo examine whether high intakes of dairy products in early adolescence is associated with moderate to severe acne in later adolescence.MethodsThe study is a longitudinal, questionnaire‐based population study of Norwegian adolescents. Students attending the 10th grade (15–16 years old) of compulsory schooling in Oslo in 2000–2001 and the 13th grade (18–19 years old) 3 years later, in 2004, were invited. Dairy product consumption was self‐reported at age 15–16 and acne severity was self‐assessed and reported at age 18–19.ResultsThe overall prevalence of moderate to severe acne was 13.9%. High intakes (≥2 glasses per day) of full‐fat dairy products were associated with moderate to severe acne. In boys with exclusively high intakes of full‐fat dairy products, the odds ratio for acne was 4.81 (1.59–14.56). A high total intake of dairy products was associated with acne in girls (OR 1.80, 1.02–3.16). No significant associations were found between acne and intake of semi‐skimmed or skimmed dairy products, and not with moderate intakes of any fat variety of dairy products.ConclusionThis study shows association between high intakes of dairy products and acne in adolescence. Our findings support a hypothesis suggesting that dairy consumption may be a factor contributing to acne. The study is based on multiple hypothesis testing, and the methodological limitations must be considered when interpreting the results.
Prognostic clinical factors associated with remission and relapse in bullous pemphigoid
Authors: Lee J.H. , Kim T.H. , Park S.H. , Han K. , Kim S.‐C. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBackgroundPrognostic factors for remission and relapse of bullous pemphigoid (BP) remain uncertain.ObjectiveTo evaluate clinical factors associated with remission and relapse in Korean patients with BP.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted of 174 patients diagnosed with BP between 1993 and 2014 at Gangnam Severance Hospital in Seoul, Korea.ResultsOf the 174 identified patients, 131 (75.29%) achieved remission after a mean treatment duration of 393.69 days. Prognostic factors for remission were older age (≥70 years) and the absence of an admission history. Of 131 patients who achieved remission, 40 patients (30.53%) experienced relapse after a mean duration of 335.65 days. However, no statistically significant factors were predictive of relapse by multivariate analysis.ConclusionsThis study suggests BP patients who are older and have no admission history tend to achieve remission.
Both short‐term and long‐term dermoscopy monitoring is useful in detecting melanoma in patients with multiple atypical nevi
Authors: Moscarella E. , Tion I. , Zalaudek I. , Lallas A. , Kyrgidis A. , Longo C. , Lombardi M. , Raucci M. , Satta R. , Alfano R. , Argenziano G. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBackgroundDigital dermoscopy monitoring (DDM) is an effective strategy for melanoma detection. Two methods are currently employed. Short‐term follow‐up (STFU) for the evaluation of single, atypical lesions to detect subtle changes over a short period of time (3–6 months). Long‐term follow‐up (LTFU) is recommended for patients with multiple nevi. Although a study demonstrated that STFU improves the patients’ compliance for DDM, little remains known about the impact and reliability of STFU in this setting.ObjectivesThe aim of this retrospective, observational study was to evaluate the impact and reliability of a schedule combining STFU and LTFU in patients with multiple atypical nevi.MethodsWe searched our database for all cases of patients with multiple atypical nevi occurring between 2006 and 2014.ResultsA total of 3823 lesions in 541 patients were dermoscopically monitored (mean number = 7 lesions per patient; median = 6 lesions; range, 2–51). In all, 264 (6.9%) lesions in 184 (34.4%) patients were excised (mean of 0.5 lesions per patient). In total, 197 (74.6%) lesions were excised at follow‐up, with melanomas representing 30.5% of lesions excised after follow‐up. A total of 30 (33.3%) melanomas were excised at baseline, 23 (25.6%) after STFU and 37 (41.1%) after LTFU. There was no difference in the number of in situ melanomas detected at baseline with those detected after follow‐up. The mean Breslow thickness of melanomas detected at baseline was higher than those detected after STFU (P = 0.038) and LTFU (P = 0.055).ConclusionsOur study confirm that digital dermoscopy follow‐up is a valid management strategy for patients with multiple atypical nevi, with short‐term monitoring playing an effective role also in this setting of patients.
Occasional recombination of a selfish X‐chromosome may permit its persistence at high frequencies in the wild
Authors: Pieper K. E. , Dyer K. A. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe sex‐ratio X‐chromosome (SR) is a selfish chromosome that promotes its own transmission to the next generation by destroying Y‐bearing sperm in the testes of carrier males. In some natural populations of the fly Drosophila neotestacea, up to 30% of the X‐chromosomes are SR chromosomes. To investigate the molecular evolutionary history and consequences of SR, we sequenced SR and standard (ST) males at 11 X‐linked loci that span the ST X‐chromosome and at seven arbitrarily chosen autosomal loci from a sample of D. neotestacea males from throughout the species range. We found that the evolutionary relationship between ST and SR varies among individual markers, but genetic differentiation between SR and ST is chromosome‐wide and likely due to large chromosomal inversions that suppress recombination. However, SR does not consist of a single multilocus haplotype: we find evidence for gene flow between ST and SR at every locus assayed. Furthermore, we do not find long‐distance linkage disequilibrium within SR chromosomes, suggesting that recombination occurs in females homozygous for SR. Finally, polymorphism on SR is reduced compared to that on ST, and loci displaying signatures of selection on ST do not show similar patterns on SR. Thus, even if selection is less effective on SR, our results suggest that gene flow with ST and recombination between SR chromosomes may prevent the accumulation of deleterious mutations and allow its long‐term persistence at relatively high frequencies.
Physiological limit of the daily endogenous cholecalciferol synthesis from UV light in cattle
Authors: Hymøller L. , Jensen S. K. , Kaas P. , Jakobsen J. 
Published: July 2016

SummaryThe link between UV light (sunlight) and endogenous cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) synthesis in the skin of humans has been known for more than a 100 years, since doctors for the first time successfully used UV light to cure rickets in children. Years later, it was shown that UV light also had a significant effect on the cholecalciferol status in the body of cattle. The cholecalciferol status in the body is measured as the plasma concentration of 25‐hydroxycholecalciferol, which in cattle and humans is the major circulating metabolite of cholecalciferol. Very little is, however, known about the quantitative efficiency of UV light as a source of cholecalciferol in cattle nutrition and physiology. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of using UV light for increasing the plasma 25‐hydroxycholecalciferol concentration in cholecalciferol‐deprived cattle. Twelve cows deprived of cholecalciferol for 6 months were divided into three treatment groups and exposed to UV light for 30, 90 or 120 min/day during 28 days. UV‐light wavelengths ranged from 280 to 415 nm and 30‐min exposure to the UV light was equivalent to 60‐min average summer‐sunlight exposure at 56 °N. Blood samples were collected every 3–4 days and analysed for 25‐hydroxycholecalciferol and cholecalciferol. Results showed that increasing the exposure time from 90–120 min/day did not change the slope of the daily increase in plasma 25‐hydroxycholecalciferol. Hence, it appears that cholecalciferol‐deprived dairy cattle are able to increase their plasma 25‐hydroxycholecalciferol concentration by a maximum of 1 ng/ml/day from UV‐light exposure.
Anatomical variation of mesophyll conductance under potassium deficiency has a vital role in determining leaf photosynthesis
Authors: Lu Zhifeng , Lu Jianwei , Pan Yonghui , Lu Piaopiao , Li Xiaokun , Cong Rihuan , Ren Tao 
Published: July 2016

AbstractLeaves exposed to potassium (K) deficiency usually present decreased mesophyll conductance (gm) and photosynthesis (A). The relative contributions of leaf anatomical traits in determining gm have been quantified; however, anatomical variabilities related to low gm under K starvation remain imperfectly known. A one‐dimensional model was used to quantify anatomical controls of the entire CO2 diffusion pathway resistance within a leaf on two Brassica napus L. cultivars in response to K deficiency. Leaf photosynthesis of both cultivars was significantly decreased under K deficiency in parallel with down‐regulated gm. The mesophyll conductance limitation contributed to more than one‐half of A decline. The decreased internal air space in K‐starved leaves was associated with the increase of gas‐phase resistance. Potassium deficiency reduced liquid‐phase conductance by decreasing the exposed surface area of chloroplasts per unit leaf area (Sc/S), and enlarging the resistance of the cytoplasm that can be interpreted by the increasing distance of chloroplast from cell wall, and between adjacent chloroplasts. Additionally, the discrepancies of A between two cultivars were in part because of gm variations, ascribing to an altered Sc/S. These results emphasize the important role of K on the regulation of gm by enhancing Sc/S and reducing cytoplasm resistance.
Structural determinants of increased susceptibility to dehydration‐induced cavitation in post‐fire resprouting chaparral shrubs
Authors: Jacobsen Anna L. , Tobin Michael F. , Toschi Hayden S. , Percolla Marta I. , Pratt R. Brandon 
Published: July 2016

AbstractIt is well established that transpiration and photosynthetic rates generally increase in resprouting shoots after fire in chaparral shrublands. By contrast, little is known about how plant hydraulic function varies during this same recovery period. We hypothesized that vascular traits, both functional and structural, would also shift in order to support this heightened level of gas exchange and growth. We examined stem xylem‐specific hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and resistance to cavitation (P50) for eight chaparral shrub species as well as several potential xylem structural determinants of hydraulic function and compared established unburned plants and co‐occurring post‐fire resprouting plants. Unburned plants were generally more resistant to cavitation than resprouting plants, but the two groups did not differ in Ks. Resprouting plants had altered vessel structure compared with unburned plants, with resprouting plants having both wider diameter vessels and higher inter‐vessel pit density. For biomechanics, unburned plants had both stronger and denser stem xylem tissue than resprouting plants. Shifts in hydraulic structure and function resulted in resprouting plants being more vulnerable to dehydration. The interaction between time since disturbance (i.e. resprouting versus established stands) and drought may complicate attempts to predict mortality risk of resprouting plants.
New‐onset diabetes mellitus after heart transplantation in children – Incidence and risk factors
Authors: Sehgal Swati , Bock Matthew J. , Louks Palac Hannah , Brickman Wendy J. , Gossett Jeffrey G. , Marino Bradley S. , Backer Carl L. , Pahl Elfriede 
Published: July 2016

AbstractDiabetes mellitus is a recognized complication of SOT in adults and is associated with decreased graft and patient survival. Little is known about NOD in pediatric HT recipients. We aimed to characterize the incidence and describe risk factors for development of NOD after HT in children. Children who developed diabetes after HT were identified from the OPTN database. Demographic and clinical data before and after transplant were compared between patients with and without NOD. A total of 2056 children were included, 56% were male, 54% were Caucasian, and 62% had cardiomyopathy prior to HT. NOD developed in 219 children (11%) after HT. The incidence of NOD was 2.4, 9.0, and 10.4% at one, five, and 10 yr after HT, respectively. Obesity (HR: 4.32), dialysis prior to transplant (HR: 2.38), African American race (HR: 1.86), transplant before year 2000 (HR: 1.82), female gender (HR: 1.68), and older age at transplant (HR: 1.28) were independent predictors of NOD. The major modifiable risk factor for NOD is obesity, imparting the maximum hazard. Improved surveillance for diabetes in high‐risk patients and specific prevention and intervention strategies are imperative in this population.
Make Short Answers Shorter: Support for the In Situ Approach
Authors: Abe Jun 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe standard approach for short answers is the one, like Merchant's (2004), in which the remnant phrase undergoes focus movement to a peripheral position before deletion takes place. In this article, I argue against this approach, supporting instead what we may call the in situ approach to short answers, according to which the remnant phrase does not undergo focus movement to a peripheral position but rather simply stays in its original position. Given the inescapable problem in testing island sensitivity in awh‐movement language such as English, this article investigates short answers in Japanese, awh–in situ language. I propose that Japanese short answers are directly derived from what Hiraiwa & Ishihara (2002) call theno dain situ focus construction. This analysis immediately explains the island insensitivity of Japanese short answers. I also argue that the identification condition operative for licensing deletion in short answers is semantic in nature, hence compatible with the in situ approach that necessarily incorporates deletion of nonconstituents. Finally, I argue that the two strategies provided by Merchant (2004) for getting over the inescapable problem in testing island sensitivity in English are ill advised.
Beware the “red herring”
Authors: Zakout G.A. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractA young patient with relapsed diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma presented with new onset respiratory symptoms and hypereosinophilia in the early stage post high‐dose therapy/autologous stem cell rescue. Here, we present a step‐wise practical approach to this unexpected laboratory finding for a not uncommon infective complication in the immunosuppressed patient.
Acceptance of organ xenotransplantation among Latin American immigrants resident in the United States
Authors: Ríos Antonio , López‐Navas Ana Isabel , Martínez‐Alarcón Laura , Ramis Guillermo , Hernández Antonio Miguel , Ayala Marco Antonio , Garrido Gregorio , Ramírez Pablo , Parrilla Pascual 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBackgroundMaking xenotransplantation socially acceptable is the first step in working toward the promotion of this potential therapy option for providing transplant organs. Objective: To analyze the attitude toward xenotransplantation among the Latin American population resident in Florida (the USA), and to determine the variables affecting this attitude.MethodsA sample of Latin American residents in the state of Florida was randomized and stratified according to nationality, age, and sex (n = 1524). Attitude was assessed using a validated questionnaire (PCID—XenoTx Rios) which was self‐completed anonymously. Statistical analysis: descriptive analysis, Student's t‐test, the chi‐square test, and a logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe questionnaire completion rate was 95% (n = 1450). If it was assumed that xenotransplanted organs functioned as well as human ones, 10% (n = 147) would be in favor, 73% (n = 1092) against, and 17% (n = 246) undecided. If the results were worse, only 2% (n = 35) would be in favor. This favorable attitude was related to country of origin (Honduras and Guatemala; P < 0.001); age (P < 0.001); sex (women; P < 0.001); marital status (married; P < 0.001); descendents (yes; P < 0.001); level of formal education (secondary education and university; P < 0.001); participation in voluntary prosocial activities (yes; P < 0.001); having spoken about donation and transplantation within the family (yes; P < 0.001); a partner's favorable attitude toward transplantation (P = 0.040); religion (catholic; P < 0.001); knowing the attitude of one's religion toward donation (yes; P < 0.001); previous experience of donation and/or transplantation (yes; P < 0.001); a belief that one might need a transplant in the future (yes; P < 0.001); and a favorable attitude toward human donation (yes; P < 0.001). The following were associated with attitude in the multivariate analysis: age (≥40 yrs; OR = 1.152); marital status (married; OR = 500); prosocial activities (yes, I participate in them; OR = 9.196. No, but I would like to; OR = 332.538); religion (catholic; OR = 2000); attitude toward deceased organ donation (in favor; OR = 2000); and previous experience of donation and/or transplantation (yes; OR = 500).ConclusionsThe attitude of Latin Americans resident in Florida toward xenotransplantation is very negative, and is determined by many psychosocial factors, mainly related to their prior attitude toward the different kinds of human organ donation.
Isoprenoid-Based Biofuels: Homologous Expression and Heterologous Expression in Prokaryotes
Authors: Phulara Suresh Chandra , Chaturvedi Preeti , Gupta Pratima 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACT
Enthusiasm for mining advanced biofuels from microbial hosts has increased remarkably in recent years. Isoprenoids are one of the highly diverse groups of secondary metabolites and are foreseen as an alternative to petroleum-based fuels. Most of the prokaryotes synthesize their isoprenoid backbone via the deoxyxylulose-5-phosphate pathway from glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and pyruvate, whereas eukaryotes synthesize isoprenoids via the mevalonate pathway from acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). Microorganisms do not accumulate isoprenoids in large quantities naturally, which restricts their application for fuel purposes. Various metabolic engineering efforts have been utilized to overcome the limitations associated with their natural and nonnatural production. The introduction of heterologous pathways/genes and overexpression of endogenous/homologous genes have shown a remarkable increase in isoprenoid yield and substrate utilization in microbial hosts. Such modifications in the hosts' genomes have enabled researchers to develop commercially competent microbial strains for isoprenoid-based biofuel production utilizing a vast array of substrates. The present minireview briefly discusses the recent advancement in metabolic engineering efforts in prokaryotic hosts for the production of isoprenoid-based biofuels, with an emphasis on endogenous, homologous, and heterologous expression strategies.
Identification of a Halogenase Involved in the Biosynthesis of Ochratoxin A in Aspergillus carbonarius
Authors: Ferrara Massimo , Perrone Giancarlo , Gambacorta Lucia , Epifani Filomena , Solfrizzo Michele , Gallo Antonia 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACT

Aspergillus carbonarius
is the main responsible fungus of ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination of grapes and derived products. To date, the biosynthetic mechanism of this mycotoxin has been partially elucidated. Availability of genome sequence of
A. carbonarius
has allowed the identification of a putative gene cluster involved in OTA biosynthesis. This region hosts the previously characterized
AcOTAnrps
and
AcOTApks
genes encoding two key enzymes of the biosynthetic pathway. At about 4,400 nucleotides downstream of these loci, a gene encoding a putative flavin dependent-halogenase came out from the annotation data. Its proximity to OTA biosynthetic genes and its sequence analysis have suggested a role in the biosynthesis of OTA, directed to the introduction of the chlorine atom in the C-5 position of the final molecular structure of this mycotoxin. The deduced protein sequence of the halogenase gene, we designated
AcOTAhal
, shows a high similarity to a halogenase that is located in the OTA cluster of
A. niger
. The deletion of the halogenase gene completely eliminated the production of ochratoxin A in
A. carbonarius
and determined a significant increase of ochratoxin B, as confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis. Moreover, its expression profile was similar to the two biosynthetic genes previously identified,
AcOTApks
and
AcOTAnrps
, indicating a strong correlation of the
AcOTAhal
gene with the kinetics of OTA accumulation in
A. carbonarius.
Therefore, experimental evidence confirmed that the chlorination step which converts OTB in OTA represents the final stage of the biosynthetic pathway, supporting our earlier hypothesis on the order of enzymatic steps of OTA biosynthesis in
A. carbonarius
.

IMPORTANCE
Ochratoxin A is a potent mycotoxin classified as a possible carcinogen for humans, and
Aspergillus carbonarius
is the main agent responsible for OTA accumulation in grapes. We demonstrate here that a flavin-halogenase is implicated in the biosynthesis of OTA in
A. carbonarius
. The encoding gene,
AcOTAhal
, is contiguous to biosynthetic genes that we have already described (
nrps
and
pks
), resulting as part of the biosynthetic cluster. The encoded protein is responsible of the introduction of chlorine atom in the final molecular structure and acts at the last step in the pathway. This study can be considered a continuation of an earlier study wherein we started to clarify the molecular basis of OTA biosynthesis in
A. carbonarius
, which has not been completely elucidated until now. This research represents an important step forward to a better understanding of the production mechanism, which will contribute to the development of improved control strategies to reduce the risk of OTA contamination in food products.