bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Discrimination of Using the Short Physical Performance Battery to Screen Frailty for Community‐Dwelling Elderly People
Authors: Chang Shu‐Fang , Yang Rong‐Sen , Lin Tsung‐Ching , Chiu Shu‐Ching , Chen Mei‐Li , Lee Hui‐Chen 
Published: February 2014

AbstractPurposeThis study explored the risk factors, cut‐off points, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values of physical performance testing among community‐dwelling frail elderly people in Taiwan.Organizing ConstructThe empirical measurement of frailty is based on the following five indicators: weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slow responses, and minimal physical activity. The frail phenotype is considered present if three or more of the indicators are observed. Meanwhile, a short battery of physical performance tests was conducted to assess the balance, mobility, and flexibility among elderly people.MethodsA cross‐sectional research design was executed. Participants were evaluated using a short battery of physical performance tests to assess their physical performance. Multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed.FindingsThe logistic regression results showed that the factors significantly correlated to frailty included falls in the previous year, smoking, hypertension, and bone and joint disease. Physical performance test scores were analyzed using the ROC curves to discriminate frailty statuses. The analysis results showed that the areas under the ROC curves for the diagnostic accuracy of right‐hand grip, left‐hand grip, and the 8‐foot up‐and‐go test reached 0.70, and the optimal cut‐off points determined using Youden's index were 17.25 kg, 20.75 kg, and 8.13 s, respectively.ConclusionsThe research findings suggest that physical performance variables can be used to effectively screen elderly people at risk for frailty in the community.Clinical RelevanceThe findings offer reference values for physical performance tests specific to community‐dwelling frail elderly people. The information can enable health practitioners to achieve early identification of frailty among elderly people with anthropometric characteristics similar to those associated with people in Asian countries.
Melatonin modulates the autophagic response in acute liver failure induced by the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus
Authors: San‐Miguel Beatriz , Crespo Irene , Vallejo Daniela , Álvarez Marcelino , Prieto Jesús , González‐Gallego Javier , Tuñón María J. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractAutophagy is an important survival pathway and participates in the host response to infection. Beneficial effects of melatonin have been previously reported in an animal model of acute liver failure (ALF) induced by the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV). This study was aimed to investigate whether melatonin protection against liver injury induced by the RHDV associates to modulation of autophagy. Rabbits were infected with 2 × 104 hemagglutination units of a RHDV isolate and received 20 mg/kg melatonin at 0, 12, and 24 hr postinfection. RHDV induced autophagy, with increased expression of beclin‐1, ubiquitin‐like autophagy‐related (Atg)5, Atg12, Atg16L1 and sequestrosome 1 (p62/SQSTM1), protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) staining, and conversion of LC3‐I to autophagosome‐associated LC3‐II. These effects reached a maximum at 24 hr postinfection, in parallel to extensive colocalization of LC3 and lysosome‐associated membrane protein (LAMP)‐1. The autophagic response induced by RHDV infection was significantly inhibited by melatonin administration. Melatonin treatment also resulted in decreased immunoreactivity for RHDV viral VP60 antigen and a significantly reduction in RHDV VP60 mRNA levels, oxidized to reduced glutathione ratio (GSSG/GSH), caspase‐3 activity, and immunoglobulin‐heavy‐chain‐binding protein (BiP) and CCAAT/enhancer‐binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) expression. Results indicate that, in addition to its antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects, and the suppression of ER stress, melatonin induces a decrease in autophagy associated with RHDV infection and inhibits RHDV RNA replication. Results obtained reveal novel molecular pathways accounting for the protective effect of melatonin in this animal model of ALF.
Proliferative effects of melatonin on Schwann cells: implication for nerve regeneration following peripheral nerve injury
Authors: Chang Hung‐Ming , Liu Chiung‐Hui , Hsu Wen‐Ming , Chen Li‐You , Wang Han‐Pin , Wu Tsung‐Huan , Chen Kuan‐Ying , Ho Wen‐Hsin , Liao Wen‐Chieh 
Published: February 2014

AbstractActivation of proliferation of Schwann cells is crucial for axonal guidance and successful nerve regeneration following peripheral nerve injury (PNI). Considering melatonin plays an important role in proliferative regulation of central glial cells, the present study determined whether melatonin can effectively promote Schwann cell proliferation and improve nerve regeneration after PNI. The spontaneous immortalized rat Schwann cell line (RSC 96 cells) was first analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) to detect the potential existence of melatonin receptors. The melatonin receptor‐mediated signaling responsible for proliferation was examined by measuring the phosphorylation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERK1/2) pathway. The in vivo model of PNI was performed by the end‐to‐side neurorrhaphy. The quantity of Schwann cells as well as the number of re‐innervated motor end plates (MEP) on target muscles was examined to represent the functional recovery of injured nerves. QPCR results indicated that MT1 is the dominant receptor in Schwann cells. Immunoblotting and proliferation assay revealed an enhanced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and increased number of RSC 96 cells following melatonin administration. Nonselective melatonin receptor antagonist (luzindole) treatment significantly suppressed all the above findings, suggesting that the proliferative effects of melatonin were mediated by a receptor‐dependent pathway. In vivo results corresponded well with in vitro findings in which melatonin effectively increased the amount of proliferated Schwann cells and re‐innervated MEP on target muscles following PNI. As melatonin successfully improves nerve regeneration by promoting Schwann cell proliferation, therapeutic use of melatonin may thus serve as a promising strategy to counteract the PNI‐induced neuronal disability.
Brandtodinium gen. nov. and B. nutricula comb. Nov. (Dinophyceae), a dinoflagellate commonly found in symbiosis with polycystine radiolarians
Authors: Probert Ian , Siano Raffaele , Poirier Camille , Decelle Johan , Biard Tristan , Tuji Akihiro , Suzuki Noritoshi , Not Fabrice 
Published: February 2014

Symbiotic interactions between pelagic hosts and microalgae have received little attention, although they are widespread in the photic layer of the world ocean, where they play a fundamental role in the ecology of the planktonic ecosystem. Polycystine radiolarians (including the orders Spumellaria, Collodaria and Nassellaria) are planktonic heterotrophic protists that are widely distributed and often abundant in the ocean. Many polycystines host symbiotic microalgae within their cytoplasm, mostly thought to be the dinoflagellate Scrippsiella nutricula, a species originally described by Karl Brandt in the late nineteenth century as Zooxanthella nutricula. The free‐living stage of this dinoflagellate has never been characterized in terms of morphology and thecal plate tabulation. We examined morphological characters and sequenced conservative ribosomal markers of clonal cultures of the free‐living stage of symbiotic dinoflagellates isolated from radiolarian hosts from the three polycystine orders. In addition, we sequenced symbiont genes directly from several polycystine‐symbiont holobiont specimens from different oceanic regions. Thecal plate arrangement of the free‐living stage does not match that of Scrippsiella or related genera, and LSU and SSU rDNA‐based molecular phylogenies place these symbionts in a distinct clade within the Peridiniales. Both phylogenetic analyses and the comparison of morphological features of culture strains with those reported for other closely related species support the erection of a new genus that we name Brandtodinium gen. nov. and the recombination of S. nutricula as B. nutricula comb. nov.
Toll‐like receptor‐mediated immune responses are attenuated in the presence of high levels of hepatitis B virus surface antigen
Authors: Jiang M. , Broering R. , Trippler M. , Poggenpohl L. , Fiedler M. , Gerken G. , Lu M. , Schlaak J. F. 
Published: February 2014

SummaryIt has been recently shown that Toll‐like receptor (TLR) signalling in murine nonparenchymal liver cells (NPCs) is suppressed in the presence of Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg). It is not clear, however, whether this is also relevant for the adaptive immune responses and how this effect is mediated. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients and controls were stimulated by TLR ligands in the absence or presence of autologous serum. Interestingly, TLR‐mediated cytokine expression (Interleukin‐6 and ‐10) as well as TLR3‐induced interferon (IFN) expression in PBMCs of HBV patients was significantly higher than in the healthy volunteers, showing a negative correlation with the levels of HBsAg. In addition, TLR3‐mediated IFN‐γ production was inhibited in the presence of HBV‐containing serum. To mechanistically analyse this observation, murine Kupffer cells (KCs) and sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) were stimulated with TLR3 ligands in the presence or absence of HBsAg. Mixed lymphocyte reactions were performed to study T‐cell activation induced by TLR‐stimulated NPCs. Gene expression of cytokines and TLR3 was analysed by quantitative rt‐PCR, and activation of transcription factors was assessed by Western blot or reporter gene assays. TLR‐induced expression of interferon γ, interferon sensitive genes and proinflammatory cytokines in murine KCs and LSECs was efficiently suppressed in the presence of HBsAg, whereas the expression of anti‐inflammatory cytokines was enhanced. Activation of NFκB, IRF‐3 and MAPKs in these liver cells was potently suppressed by HBsAg. T‐cell activation mediated through TLR3‐stimulated KCs or LSECs was suppressed by HBsAg which could be reverted by anti‐IL‐10 antibodies. These findings may, at least in part, explain how HBV evades innate and adaptive immune responses to maintain a persistent infection.
Effects of AV Delay and VV Delay on Left Atrial Pressure and Waveform in Ambulant Heart Failure Patients: Insights into CRT Optimization
Authors: CHAN W.Y. WANDY , BLOMQVIST ANDREAS , MELTON IAIN C. , NORÉN KJELL , CROZIER IAN G. , BENSER MICHAEL E. , EIGLER NEAL L. , GUTFINGER DAN , TROUGHTON RICHARD W. 
Published: February 2014

BackgroundWe hypothesized that left atrial pressure (LAP) obtained by a permanent implantable sensor is sensitive to changes in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) settings and could guide CRT optimization to improve the response rate. We investigated the effect of CRT optimization on LAP and its waveform parameters in ambulant heart failure (HF) patients.MethodsCRT optimization was performed in eight ambulant HF patients, using echocardiography as reference. LAP waveform was acquired at each of eight atrioventricular (AV) intervals and five inter‐ventricular (VV) intervals. Selected waveform parameters were also evaluated for their sensitivity to CRT changes and agreement with echocardiography‐guided optimal settings.ResultsOptimal AV and VV intervals varied considerably between patients. All patients exhibited significant changes in waveform morphology with AV optimization. Optimal AV delay determined from echocardiography ranged between 140 ms and 225 ms. Mean LAP tended to be lower at optimal setting 14 ± 3 mmHg compared to shorter (<100 ms) or longer (>160 ms) AV settings (P = 0.16). There were clear trends to smaller peak a‐wave (P = 0.11) and gentler positive a‐slope (P = 0.15) and positive v‐slope (P = 0.09) with longer AV delays. Mean LAP and negative v‐wave slope correlated well with echo‐guided optimal setting, r = 0.91 (P = 0.001) and 0.79 (P = 0.03), respectively. No significant effects on LAP or waveform were seen during VV optimization.ConclusionsLAP and its waveform changes considerably with AV optimization. There is good agreement between echo‐guided optimal setting and LAP. LAP could provide an objective guide to CRT optimization. (Clinical Trial Registry information: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT00632372)
Influences of Acid on Molecular Forms of Fluorescein and Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Fluorescein‐Dispersing Sol–Gel Titania Films
Authors: Nishikiori Hiromasa , Setiawan Rudi Agus , Miyashita Kyohei , Teshima Katsuya , Fujii Tsuneo 
Published: February 2014

AbstractFluorescein‐dispersing titania gel films were prepared by the acid‐catalyzed sol–gel reaction using a titanium alkoxide solution containing fluorescein. The molecular forms of fluorescein in the films, depending on its acid–base equilibria, and the complex formation and photoinduced electron transfer process between the dye and titania surface were investigated by fluorescence and photoelectric measurements. The titanium species were coordinated to the carboxylate and phenolate‐like groups of the fluorescein species. The quantum efficiencies of the fluorescence quenching and photoelectric conversion were higher upon excitation of the dianion species interacting with the titania, i.e. the dye–titania complex. This result indicated that the dianion form was the most favorable for formation of the dye–titania complex exhibiting the highest electron transfer efficiency. Using nitric acid as the catalyst, the titania surface bonded to the fluorescein instead of the adsorbed nitrate ion during the steam treatment. The dye–titania complex formation played an important role in the electron injection from the dye to the titania conduction band.
Nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide are important signals mediating the allelopathic response of Arabidopsis to p‐hydroxybenzoic acid
Authors: Guan Yanlong , Lin Huaming , Ma Lan , Yang Yongping , Hu Xiangyang 
Published: February 2014

AbstractBoth nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are important signals that mediate plant response to environmental stimulation. Their role in plants' allelopathic interactions has also been reported, but the underlying mechanism remains little understood. p‐Hydroxybenzoic acid (pHBA) has been proposed to be an allelopathic chemical. Here, we found that pHBA at 0.4 mM efficiently suppressed Arabidopsis growth. Meanwhile, pHBA rapidly induced the accumulation of NO and H2O2, where such effect could be reversed by NO or H2O2 metabolism inhibitors or scavengers. Also, pHBA‐induced NO and H2O2 could be compromised in NO synthesis mutants noa1, nia1 and nia2, or H2O2 metabolism mutant rbohD/F, but suppressing NO accumulation with a NO synthesis inhibitor or using NO synthesis‐related mutants did not reduce pHBA‐induced H2O2 accumulation. Furthermore, we found that the effect of pHBA on allelopathic inhibition of growth was aggravated in NO/H2O2 metabolism‐related mutants or reducing NO/H2O2 by different inhibitors, whereas the addition of an NO/H2O2 donor could partly relieve the inhibitory effect of pHBA on the growth of wild type. However, adding only an NO donor, but not low concentration of H2O2 as the donor, could relieve the inhibitory effect of pHBA on root growth in NO metabolism mutants. On the basis of these results, we propose that both NO and H2O2 are important signals that mediate Arabidopsis response to the allelopathic chemical pHBA, where during this process H2O2 may work upstream of the NO signal.
High‐Throughput Quantitation of Intracellular Trafficking and Organelle Disruption by Flow Cytometry
Authors: Chia Pei Zhi Cheryl , Ramdzan Yasmin M. , Houghton Fiona J. , Hatters Danny M. , Gleeson Paul A. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractCurrent methods for the quantitation of membrane protein trafficking rely heavily on microscopy, which has limited quantitative capacity for analyses of cell populations and is cumbersome to perform. Here we describe a simple flow cytometry‐based method that circumvents these limitations. The method utilizes fluorescent pulse‐width measurements as a highly sensitive indicator to monitor the changes in intracellular distributions of a fluorescently labelled molecule in a cell. Pulse‐width analysis enabled us to discriminate cells with target proteins in different intracellular locations including Golgi, lyso‐endosomal network and the plasma membrane, as well as detecting morphological changes in organelles such as Golgi perturbation. The movement of endogenous and exogenous retrograde cargo was tracked from the plasma membrane‐to‐endosomes‐to‐Golgi, by decreasing pulse‐width values. A block in transport upon RNAi‐mediated ablation of transport machinery was readily quantified, demonstrating the versatility of this technique to identify pathway inhibitors. We also showed that pulse‐width can be exploited to sort and recover cells based on different intracellular staining patterns, e.g. early endosomes and Golgi, opening up novel downstream applications. Overall, the method provides new capabilities for viewing membrane transport in thousands of cells per minute, unbiased analysis of the trafficking of cargo, and the potential for rapid screening of inhibitors of trafficking pathways.
Aid for Trade Effectiveness: Complementarities with Economic Integration
Authors: Vijil Mariana 
Published: February 2014

AbstractDeveloping countries are increasingly using regional integration as a main policy lever when pursuing a trade‐led growth strategy, and today, ‘deep’ preferential trade agreements go beyond trade policy negotiations and cover trade facilitation issues. Since aid for trade (AfT) has been recognised as a powerful instrument for increasing developing countries' trade capacity by targeting internal trade costs, this article tests whether complementarities exist between this type of aid and economic integration using a gravity model on panel data for the period 1995–2005. Results indicate that AfT, when combined with economic integration, has been effective in increasing trade flows. Both South–South and North–South trade flows have benefited, and the combination of the two instruments has been particularly effective in expanding the South's exports to the North. Finally, when breaking down AfT into categories, assistance to trade‐related institutions seems to generate the strongest complementarities with economic integration.
Where Do Firms Export, How Much and Why?
Authors: Lawless Martina , Whelan Karl 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe empirical finding that exporting firms are more productive on average than non‐exporters has provoked a large theoretical literature based on models such as Melitz (), where more productive firms are more likely to overcome costs associated with trade. This paper investigates how closely the productivity heterogeneity framework fits the data from a firm‐level survey that includes information on export destinations and firm characteristics such as productivity. We find a high degree of unpredictable idiosyncratic participation in export markets by firms and a relatively weak positive correlation between the extent of a firm's export market participation and its export sales. We find that a small number of standard gravity variables provide a close fit to the country‐level determinants of trade but that greater variation results in more difficulty in explaining firm‐specific factors driving exporting behaviour. We also illustrate some elements of the dynamics over time in firm exporting patterns by destination. We show that lagged exporting activity has a significant effect on a firm's current exporting profile.
Evaluation of the Borrelia burgdorferi BBA64 Protein as a Protective Immunogen in Mice
Authors: Brandt Kevin S. , Patton Toni G. , Allard Anna S. , Caimano Melissa J. , Radolf Justin D. , Gilmore Robert D. 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACT

The
Borrelia burgdorferi
bba64
gene product is a surface-localized lipoprotein synthesized within mammalian and tick hosts and is involved in vector transmission of disease. These properties suggest that BBA64 may be a vaccine candidate against Lyme borreliosis. In this study, protective immunity against
B. burgdorferi
challenge was assessed in mice immunized with the BBA64 protein. Mice developed a high-titer antibody response following immunization with soluble recombinant BBA64 but were not protected when challenged by needle inoculation of culture-grown spirochetes. Likewise, mice passively immunized with an anti-BBA64 monoclonal antibody were not protected against needle-inoculated organisms. BBA64-immunized mice were subjected to
B. burgdorferi
challenge by the natural route of a tick bite, but these trials did not demonstrate significant protective immunity in either outbred or inbred strains of mice. Lipidated recombinant BBA64 produced in
Escherichia coli
was assessed for possible improved elicitation of a protective immune response. Although inoculation with this antigen produced a high-titer antibody response, the lipidated BBA64 also was unsuccessful in protecting mice from
B. burgdorferi
challenge by tick bites. Anti-BBA64 antibodies raised in rats eradicated the organisms, as evidenced by
in vitro
borreliacidal assays, thus demonstrating the potential for BBA64 to be effective as a protective immunogen. However, passive immunization with the same monospecific rat anti-BBA64 polyclonal serum failed to provide protection against tick bite-administered challenge. These results reveal the challenges faced in not only identifying
B. burgdorferi
proteins with potential protective capability but also in producing recombinant antigens conducive to preventive therapies against Lyme borreliosis.
Four Cases of Bacteremia Caused by Oscillibacter ruminantium, a Newly Described Species
Authors: Sydenham Thomas V. , Arpi Magnus , Klein Kasper , Justesen Ulrik S. 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACT

The genus
Oscillibacter
has been known since 2007, but no association to human infection has been reported. Here, we present four cases of
Oscillibacter ruminantium
bacteremia from hospitals across Denmark from 2001 to 2010. Correct identification is now possible, as the 16S rRNA gene sequence was recently made publicly available.
Universal Influenza B Virus Genomic Amplification Facilitates Sequencing, Diagnostics, and Reverse Genetics
Authors: Zhou Bin , Lin Xudong , Wang Wei , Halpin Rebecca A. , Bera Jayati , Stockwell Timothy B. , Barr Ian G. , Wentworth David E. 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACT
Although human influenza B virus (IBV) is a significant human pathogen, its great genetic diversity has limited our ability to universally amplify the entire genome for subsequent sequencing or vaccine production. The generation of sequence data via next-generation approaches and the rapid cloning of viral genes are critical for basic research, diagnostics, antiviral drugs, and vaccines to combat IBV. To overcome the difficulty of amplifying the diverse and ever-changing IBV genome, we developed and optimized techniques that amplify the complete segmented negative-sense RNA genome from any IBV strain in a single tube/well (IBV genomic amplification [IBV-GA]). Amplicons for >1,000 diverse IBV genomes from different sample types (e.g., clinical specimens) were generated and sequenced using this robust technology. These approaches are sensitive, robust, and sequence independent (i.e., universally amplify past, present, and future IBVs), which facilitates next-generation sequencing and advanced genomic diagnostics. Importantly, special terminal sequences engineered into the optimized IBV-GA2 products also enable ligation-free cloning to rapidly generate reverse-genetics plasmids, which can be used for the rescue of recombinant viruses and/or the creation of vaccine seed stock.