bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bacterial feeding, Leishmania infection and distinct infection routes induce differential defensin expression in Lutzomyia longipalpis
Authors: Telleria Erich L , Sant’Anna Maurício R Viana , Alkurbi Mohammad O , Pitaluga André N , Dillon Rod J , Traub-Csekö Yara M 
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Background
Phlebotomine insects harbor bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens that can cause diseases of public health importance. Lutzomyia longipalpis is the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the New World. Insects can mount a powerful innate immune response to pathogens. Defensin peptides take part in this response and are known to be active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and some parasites. We studied the expression of a defensin gene from Lutzomyia longipalpis to understand its role in sand fly immune response.

Methods
We identified, sequenced and evaluated the expression of a L. longipalpis defensin gene by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The gene sequence was compared to other vectors defensins and expression was determined along developmental stages and after exposure of adult female L. longipalpis to bacteria and Leishmania.

Results
Phylogenetic analysis showed that the L. longipalpis defensin is closely related to a defensin from the Old World sand fly Phlebotomus duboscqi. Expression was high in late L4 larvae and pupae in comparison to early larval stages and newly emerged flies. Defensin expression was modulated by oral infection with bacteria. The Gram-positive Micrococcus luteus induced early high defensin expression, whilst the Gram-negative entomopathogenic Serratia marcescens induced a later response. Bacterial injection also induced defensin expression in adult insects. Female sand flies infected orally with Leishmania mexicana showed no significant difference in defensin expression compared to blood fed insects apart from a lower defensin expression 5 days post Leishmania infection. When Leishmania was introduced into the hemolymph by injection there was no induction of defensin expression until 72 h later.

Conclusions
Our results suggest that L. longipalpis modulates defensin expression upon bacterial and Leishmania infection, with patterns of expression that are distinct among bacterial species and routes of infection.
Cost-effectiveness of an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service
Authors: Mukuria Clara , Brazier John , Barkham Michael , Connell Janice , Hardy Gillian , Hutten Rebecca , Saxon Dave , Dent-Brown Kim , Parry Glenys 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundEffective psychological therapies have been recommended for common mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, but provision has been poor. Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) may provide a cost-effective solution to this problem.AimsTo determine the cost-effectiveness of IAPT at the Doncaster demonstration site (2007–2009).MethodAn economic evaluation comparing costs and health outcomes for patients at the IAPT demonstration site with those for comparator sites, including a separate assessment of lost productivity. Sensitivity analyses were undertaken.ResultsThe IAPT site had higher service costs and was associated with small additional gains in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) compared with its comparator sites, resulting in a cost per QALY gained of £29 500 using the Short Form (SF-6D). Sensitivity analysis using predicted EQ-5D scores lowered this to £16 857. Costs per reliable and clinically significant (RCS) improvement were £9440 per participant.ConclusionsImproving Access to Psychological Therapies provided a service that was probably cost-effective within the usual National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) threshold range of £20 000-30 000, but there was considerable uncertainty surrounding the costs and outcome differences.
Increased Tricuspid Regurgitant Jet Velocity by Doppler Echocardiography in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Report From the St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study
Authors: Armstrong Gregory T. , Joshi Vijaya M. , Zhu Liang , Srivastava Deokumar , Zhang Nan , Ness Kirsten K. , Stokes Dennis C. , Krasin Matthew T. , Fowler James A. , Robison Leslie L. , Hudson Melissa M. , Green Daniel M. 
Published: January 2013

Purpose To determine the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension, a late effect of cancer therapy not previously identified in aging survivors of childhood cancer, and associations with chest-directed radiation therapy (RT) and measures of current cardiac function, lung function, and exercise capacity. Patients and Methods Cross-sectional evaluation of 498 survivors at a median age of 38.0 years (range, 20.0 to 59.0 years) and a median of 27.3 years (range, 12.2 to 46.0 years) from primary cancer diagnosis was performed. Abnormal tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity (TRV) was defined as more than 2.8 m/s by Doppler echocardiography. Results Increased TRV was identified in 25.2% of survivors who received chest-directed RT and 30.8% of those who received more than 30 Gy. In multivariable models, increased TRV was associated with increasing dose of RT (1 to 19.9 Gy: odds ratio [OR], 2.09; 95% CI, 0.63 to 6.96; 20 to 29.9 Gy: OR, 3.46; 95% CI, 1.59 to 7.54; ≥ 30 Gy: OR, 4.54; 95% CI, 1.77 to 11.64 compared with no RT; P for trend < .001), body mass index more than 40 kg/m2 (OR, 3.89; 95% CI, 1.46 to 10.39), and aortic valve regurgitation (OR, 5.85; 95% CI, 2.05 to 16.74). Survivors with a TRV more than 2.8 m/s had increased odds (OR, 5.20; 95% CI, 2.5 to 11.0) of severe functional limitation on a 6-minute walk compared with survivors with a TRV ≤ 2.8 m/s. Conclusion A substantial number of adult survivors of childhood cancer who received chest-directed RT have an increased TRV and may have pulmonary hypertension as a result of both direct lung injury and cardiac dysfunction. Longitudinal follow-up and confirmation by cardiac catheterization are warranted.
Socioeconomic status affects the Oxford knee score and Short-Form 12 score following total knee replacement
Authors: Clement N. D. , Jenkins P. J. , Nie Y. X. , Patton J. T. , Breusch S. J. , Howie C. R. , Biant L. C. 
Published: January 2013

We assessed the effect of social deprivation upon the Oxford knee score (OKS), the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) and patient satisfaction after total knee replacement (TKR). An analysis of 966 patients undergoing primary TKR for symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) was performed. Social deprivation was assessed using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Those patients that were most deprived underwent surgery at an earlier age (p = 0.018), were more likely to be female (p = 0.046), to endure more comorbidities (p = 0.04) and to suffer worse pain and function according to the OKS (p < 0.001). In addition, deprivation was also associated with poor mental health (p = 0.002), which was assessed using the mental component (MCS) of the SF-12 score. Multivariable analysis was used to identify independent predictors of outcome at one year. Pre-operative OKS, SF-12 MCS, back pain, and four or more comorbidities were independent predictors of improvement in the OKS (all p < 0.001). Pre-operative OKS and improvement in the OKS were independent predictors of dissatisfaction (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively). Although improvement in the OKS and dissatisfaction after TKR were not significantly associated with social deprivation per se, factors more prevalent within the most deprived groups significantly diminished their improvement in OKS and increased their rate of dissatisfaction following TKR. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:52–8.
Fatal cardiomyopathy after revision total hip replacement for fracture of a ceramic liner
Authors: Zywiel M. G. , Brandt J-M. , Overgaard C. B. , Cheung A. C. , Turgeon T. R. , Syed K. A. 
Published: January 2013

Symptomatic cobalt toxicity from a failed total hip replacement is a rare but devastating complication. It has been reported following revision of fractured ceramic components, as well as in patients with failed metal-on-metal articulations. Potential clinical findings include fatigue, weakness, hypothyroidism, cardiomyopathy, polycythaemia, visual and hearing impairment, cognitive dysfunction, and neuropathy. We report a case of an otherwise healthy 46-year-old patient, who developed progressively worsening symptoms of cobalt toxicity beginning approximately six months following synovectomy and revision of a fractured ceramic-on-ceramic total hip replacement to a metal-on-polyethylene bearing. The whole blood cobalt levels peaked at 6521 µg/l. The patient died from cobalt-induced cardiomyopathy. Implant retrieval analysis confirmed a loss of 28.3 g mass of the cobalt–chromium femoral head as a result of severe abrasive wear by ceramic particles embedded in the revision polyethylene liner. Autopsy findings were consistent with heavy metal-induced cardiomyopathy. We recommend using new ceramics at revision to minimise the risk of wear-related cobalt toxicity following breakage of ceramic components. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:31–7.
Are teenagers at risk for developing cardiovascular disease in later life?
Authors: Mungrue Kameel , Fyzul Azizah , Ramroop Starnella , Persad Tyler , Asgarali Amrika 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
Background: The aim of this study is to measure the occurrences of the following risk factors: tobacco use, levels of physical activity, levels of physical inactivity, and body mass index (BMI) among adolescents in Trinidad.
Methods: A two-stage random sampling process was used to select schools and students. Data were collected using a pretested self-administered questionnaire and included age, gender, ethnicity, tobacco use, levels of physical activity, levels of physical inactivity, BMI, and frequency of fast food consumption.
Results: Overall, 44.6% of the 1896 adolescents already had more than two risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The most prevalent risk factor was the consumption of fast food (79.8%), while the least was smoking (12.0%). Out of the 75.4% physically active students, 47.6% spent more than 30 min in daily physical activity. In addition, 30.4% of the study population was overweight and obese, with the majority being 14 years of age (p=0.003). Overall, the overweight and obese students spent a significant amount of time watching television, playing video/computer games and talking on the phone, and frequently consumed fast food (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The study found a significant number of teenagers in Trinidad presenting with more than two risk factors that may lead to CVD. Based on previous research, these findings have undoubtedly placed the students well within the models used to predict heart disease later in life.
R620W polymorphism of protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPN22 in Egyptian children and adolescents with systemic lupus erythematosus: relation to thyroid autoimmunity
Authors: Hamza Rasha Tarif , Awwad Khaled S. , Temsah Khaled A. , Hamed Amira I. 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
Background: Some studies showed associations of the minor T allele of the C1858T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) corresponding to the R620W amino acid substitution of protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPN22) with multiple autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Objectives: To study the frequency of PTPN22 R620W polymorphism among Egyptian patients with SLE and to test the association of the T allele with autoimmune thyroid disease in such patients.
Methods: Clinical evaluation, measurement of thyroid hormones and antibodies, and genotyping of PTPN22 R620W polymorphism were done for 60 SLE patients and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects.
Results: Nineteen SLE cases (31.67%) had thyroid dysfunction with subclinical hypothyroidism being the most frequent form of thyroid dysfunction (20%) followed by primary hypothyroidism (6.67%), subclinical hyperthyroidism (3.33%) and primary hyperthyroidism (1.67%). Autoimmune thyroid disease was detected in 36.67% of cases. Systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) score did not differ between patients with thyroid dysfunction and euthyroid patients (p=0.061) nor with the frequency of positive thyroid peroxidise antibodies (TPOAb, p=0.092) and antithyroglobulin antibodies (ATGAb, p=0.1). T allele frequency did not differ between cases and controls (p=1.19) and was associated with autoimmune thyroid disease in Egyptian SLE patients (p=0.002).
Conclusions: R620W polymorphism of the PTPN22 gene is not a major risk allele for SLE susceptibility among Egyptian SLE patients but appears to be a risk factor for concurrent autoimmune thyroid disease and SLE.
The use of statistical tests to calibrate the normal SABR model
Authors: Fatone Lorella , Mariani Francesca , Recchioni Maria Cristina , Zirilli Francesco 
Published: January 2013

Abstract.
We investigate the idea of solving calibration problems for stochastic dynamical systems using statistical tests. We consider a specific stochastic dynamical system: the normal SABR model. The SABR model has been introduced in mathematical finance in 2002 by
Hagan, Kumar, Lesniewski and Woodward. The model is a system of two stochastic differential equations whose independent variable is time and whose dependent variables are the forward prices/rates and the associated stochastic volatility. The normal SABR model is a special case of the SABR model. The calibration problem for the normal SABR model is an inverse problem that consists in determining the values of the parameters of the model from a set of data. We consider as set of data two different sets of forward prices/rates and we study the resulting calibration problems. Ad hoc statistical tests are developed to solve these calibration problems. Estimates with statistical significance of the parameters of the model are obtained. Let be a constant, we consider multiple independent trajectories of the normal
SABR model associated to given initial conditions assigned at time . In the first calibration problem studied the set of the forward prices/rates observed at time in this set of trajectories is used as data sample of a statistical test. The statistical test used to solve this calibration problem is based on some new formulae for the moments of the forward prices/rates variable of the normal SABR model. The second calibration problem studied uses as data sample the observations of the forward prices/rates made on a discrete set of given time values along a single trajectory of the normal SABR model. The statistical test used to solve this second calibration problem is based on the numerical evaluation of some high-dimensional integrals. The results obtained in the study of the normal SABR model are easily extended from mathematical finance to other contexts in science and engineering where stochastic models involving stochastic volatility or stochastic state space models are used.
Molecular Characterization and Evolution of Self-Incompatibility Genes inArabidopsis thaliana:The Case of theScHaplotype
Authors: Dwyer Kathleen G , Berger Martin T , Ahmed Rimsha , Hritzo Molly K , McCulloch Amanda A , Price Michael J , Serniak Nicholas J , Walsh Leonard T , Nasrallah June B , Nasrallah Mikhail E 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe switch from an outcrossing mode of mating enforced by self-incompatibility to self-fertility in the Arabidopsis thaliana lineage was associated with mutations that inactivated one or both of the two genes that comprise the self-incompatibility (SI) specificity-determining S-locus haplotype, the S-locus receptor kinase (SRK) and the S-locus cysteine-rich (SCR) genes, as well as unlinked modifier loci required for SI. All analyzed A. thaliana S-locus haplotypes belong to the SA, SB, or SC haplotypic groups. Of these three, the SC haplotype is the least well characterized. Its SRKC gene can encode a complete open-reading frame, although no functional data are available, while its SCRC sequences have not been isolated. As a result, it is not known what mutations were associated with inactivation of this haplotype. Here, we report on our analysis of the Lz-0 accession and the characterization of its highly rearranged SC haplotype. We describe the isolation of its SCRC gene as well as the subsequent isolation of SCRC sequences from other SC-containing accessions and from the A. lyrata S36 haplotype, which is the functional equivalent of the A. thaliana SC haplotype. By performing transformation experiments using chimeric SRK and SCR genes constructed with SC- and S36-derived sequences, we show that the SRKC and SCRC genes of Lz-0 and at least a few other SC-containing accessions are nonfunctional, despite SCRC encoding a functional full-length protein. We identify the probable mutations that caused the inactivation of these genes and discuss our results in the context of mechanisms of S-locus inactivation in A. thaliana.
Estimating Selection Coefficients in Spatially Structured Populations from Time Series Data of Allele Frequencies
Authors: Mathieson Iain , McVean Gil 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
Inferring the nature and magnitude of selection is an important problem in many biological contexts. Typically when estimating a selection coefficient for an allele, it is assumed that samples are drawn from a panmictic population and that selection acts uniformly across the population. However, these assumptions are rarely satisfied. Natural populations are almost always structured, and selective pressures are likely to act differentially. Inference about selection ought therefore to take account of structure. We do this by considering evolution in a simple lattice model of spatial population structure. We develop a hidden Markov model based maximum-likelihood approach for estimating the selection coefficient in a single population from time series data of allele frequencies. We then develop an approximate extension of this to the structured case to provide a joint estimate of migration rate and spatially varying selection coefficients. We illustrate our method using classical data sets of moth pigmentation morph frequencies, but it has wide applications in settings ranging from ecology to human evolution.
Synchronous Waves of Failed Soft Sweeps in the Laboratory: Remarkably Rampant Clonal Interference of Alleles at a Single Locus
Authors: Lee Ming-Chun , Marx Christopher J 
Published: January 2013

AbstractIt has increasingly been recognized that adapting populations of microbes contain not one, but many lineages continually arising and competing at once. This process, termed “clonal interference,” alters the rate and dynamics of adaptation and biases winning mutations toward those with the largest selective effect. Here we uncovered a dramatic example of clonal interference between multiple similar mutations occurring at the same locus within replicate populations of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1. Because these mutational events involved the transposition of an insertion sequence into a narrow window of a single gene, they were both readily detectable at low frequencies and could be distinguished due to differences in insertion sites. This allowed us to detect up to 17 beneficial alleles of this type coexisting in a single population. Despite conferring a large selective benefit, the majority of these alleles rose and then fell in frequency due to other lineages emerging that were more fit. By comparing allele-frequency dynamics to the trajectories of fitness gains by these populations, we estimated the fitness values of the genotypes that contained these mutations. Collectively across all populations, these alleles arose upon backgrounds with a wide range of fitness values. Within any single population, however, multiple alleles tended to rise and fall synchronously during a single wave of multiple genotypes with nearly identical fitness values. These results suggest that alleles of large benefit arose repeatedly in failed “soft sweeps” during narrow windows of adaptation due to the combined effects of epistasis and clonal interference.
Early Adolescent Music Preferences and Minor Delinquency
Authors: ter Bogt Tom F.M. , Keijsers Loes , Meeus Wim H.J. 
Published: January 2013

OBJECTIVES:To test Music Marker Theory (MMT) positing that early adolescents’ preferences for nonmainstream types of popular music indicate concurrent and later minor delinquency.METHODS:MMT was tested in a 4-year longitudinal study (n = 309).RESULTS:The results showed that early fans of different types of rock (eg, rock, heavy metal, gothic, punk), African American music (rhythm and blues, hip-hop), and electronic dance music (trance, techno/hardhouse) showed elevated minor delinquency concurrently and longitudinally. Preferring conventional pop (chart pop) or highbrow music (classic music, jazz), in contrast, was not related to or was negatively related to minor delinquency.CONCLUSIONS:Early music preferences emerged as more powerful indicators of later delinquency rather than early delinquency, indicating that music choice is a strong marker of later problem behavior. The mechanisms through which music preferences are linked to minor delinquency are discussed within the framework of MMT.
Differences in Quality of Care Among Non–Safety-Net, Safety-Net, and Children’s Hospitals
Authors: Dynan Linda , Goudie Anthony , Smith Richard B. , Fairbrother Gerry , Simpson Lisa A. 
Published: January 2013

OBJECTIVE:To understand factors associated with pediatric inpatient safety events, we test 2 hypotheses: (1) scarce resources (as measured by Medicaid burden) in safety-net hospitals relative to non–safety-net hospitals result in higher rates of safety events; and (2) higher levels of severity and more chronic conditions in patient populations lead to higher rates of safety events within hospital category and in children’s hospitals in comparison with non-children’s hospitals.METHODS:All nonnewborn pediatric hospital discharge records, which met criteria for potentially experiencing at least 1 pediatric quality indicator (PDI) event (using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample and PDI) and weighted to represent national level estimates, were analyzed for patterns of PDI events within and across hospital categories by using bivariate comparisons and multivariable logit models with robust SEs. The outcome measure “ANY PDI” captures the number of pediatric discharges at the hospital level with 1 or more PDI event.RESULTS:High Medicaid burden does not seem to be a factor in the likelihood of ANY PDI. Severity of illness (adjusted odds ratio high relative to low, 15.12) and presence of chronic conditions (adjusted odds ratio 1 relative to 0, 1.78; relative to 2 or more, 3.38) are the strongest predictors of ANY PDI events.CONCLUSIONS:Our findings suggest that the patient population served, rather than hospital category, best predicts measured quality, underscoring the need for robust risk adjustment when incentivizing quality or comparing hospitals. Thus, problems of quality may not be systemic across hospital categories.