bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of subacute exposure to 1,2-dichloroethane on mouse behavior and the related mechanisms
Authors: Wang G. , Qi Y. , Gao L. , Li G. , Lv X. , Jin Y.P. 
Published: December 2012

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of subacute exposure to 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) on mouse behavior and the related mechanisms focusing on alteration of oxidative stress and amino acid neurotransmitters in the brain. Mouse behavior was examined by open field test. Levels of nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nonprotein sulfhydryl (NPSH) and activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined by colorimetric method. Contents of glutamate (Glu), aspartate (Asp) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Reduced locomotor and exploratory activities and increased anxiety were found in 0.45 and 0.9 g/m3 1,2-DCE-treated mice. In contrast, increased excitability was found in 0.225 g/m3 1,2-DCE-treated mice. Compensatory antioxidant status and increased NOS activity and NO level in the brain were found in 1,2-DCE-treated mice. Moreover, Glu contents in 1,2-DCE-treated mice and GABA contents in 0.9 g/m3 1,2-DCE-treated mice increased, whereas GABA contents in 0.225 g/m3 1,2-DCE-treated mice decreased significantly compared with control. Taken together, our results suggested that mouse behavior could be disturbed by subacute exposure to 1,2-DCE, and the changes of amino acid neurotransmitter in the brain might be related to the behavioral effects.
Employing Poetry to Understand the Transformative Experience of Attending a Virtual Conference
Authors: Peté Marí 
Published: December 2012

In this article the author employs the poetic form to crystallize the transformative event of attending a virtual conference for the first time. The poem revealed a range of themes, among others: embodied and disembodied experiences; interplay and tension between poles such as north–south, local–global, virtual–real, and poetic–technological; the leveling of power dynamics and gender differences; deconstruction of conventions and norms for such etiquette of face-to-face events; experiencing multiple identities, playing many roles simultaneously, satisfying curiosity and desire by having it all, and the compromises involved. A meta-theme running through many of the above is liminality—finding oneself on thresholds (Harrison, 2009), followed by border crossing and conceptual transformation (Meyer & Land, 2005). The poem illuminates ways of knowing and being academic in the 21st century, risk taking and rehearsing new modes of learning and researching, and the discomfort and liberation of this experience.
High rates of physician services utilization at least five years before multiple sclerosis diagnosis
Authors: Marrie Ruth Ann , Yu Nancy , Wei Yichuan , Elliott Lawrence , Blanchard James 
Published: December 2012

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) management has changed over time, but changes in health care utilization by MS patients remain understudied. We estimated physician services utilization in the five-year periods before and after MS diagnosis, and over the period 1984–2008. Methods: Using administrative data we identified 4092 persons with MS and a matched general population (GPOP) cohort of 21,446 persons. Using general linear models we compared physician visits between the MS and GPOPs for the period 1984–2008, the year of MS diagnosis, and for the five-year periods pre- and post-diagnosis. Results: From 1984 to 2008, 98% of the MS population averaged ≥1 physician visits/year versus 87% of the GPOP. In 2008, the MS population had 12.9 physician visits/person-year while the GPOP had 8.4 (rate ratio (RR) 1.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52–1.55). Five years pre-MS diagnosis, the MS population had more physician visits than the GPOP (RR 1.15; 95% CI; 1.10–1.21). The number of visits peaked the year of MS diagnosis (19.0), decreasing thereafter, but remaining elevated versus the pre-diagnosis period. Conclusion: The MS population uses more physician services than the GPOP, starting at least five years pre-MS diagnosis. A better understanding of the reasons for these higher utilization rates may ultimately improve outcomes in MS.
The Roots of Citizens' Knowledge of State Politics
Authors: Lyons Jeffrey , Jaeger William P. , Wolak Jennifer 
Published: December 2012

AbstractDo citizens have the information they need to hold state politicians accountable? We consider what people know about state politics and whether knowledge of state government is rooted in the same factors that explain knowledge of national matters. We argue that while knowledge of national politics is rooted within individual dispositions like education and political interest, knowledge of state politics depends on the political climate of the state. When state political environments provide more information and greater incentives to become informed, people are more knowledgeable about state matters. Even if citizens are not always well versed in matters of state politics, they appear to monitor the business of the states. Citizens are most knowledgeable about state politics in the cases where information is arguably most important—when state governments are underperforming, when political competition is high, and when the political parties in the state are ideologically divided.
Efavirenz Outperforms Boosted Atazanavir among Treatment-Naive HIV-1-Infected Persons in Routine Clinical Care
Authors: Taniguchi Toshibumi , Grubb Jessica R. , Nurutdinova Diana , Önen Nur F. , Shacham Enbal , Donovan Michael , Overton Edgar Turner 
Published: December 2012

Background: Effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a routine clinical care may result different from the clinical trials. We assessed the virologic outcomes in treatment-naive persons who received either efavirenz (EFV) or atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) with a backbone of tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) as their combination ART (cART). Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Washington University HIV Outpatient Clinic from January 2004 to June 2009. Predictors of virologic suppression (HIV RNA level <400 copies/mL) by week 48 were assessed by multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: Of 324 persons, 221(68%) received EFV and 103 (32%) received ATV/r. Persons on EFV had 1.4-fold increased likelihood of virologic suppression (95% confidence interval, 1.0-1.8) when compared to ATV/r after adjustment with primary drug resistance, pre-cART opportunistic infection, HIV RNA levels, and timing to start cART. Conclusions: In routine clinical care settings, EFV had higher likelihood of achieving virologic suppression than ATV/r with backbone of TDF/FTC.
Plasma quetiapine in relation to prescribed dose and other factors: data from a therapeutic drug monitoring service, 2000–2011
Authors: Handley Simon A. , Bowskill Sally V.J. , Patel Maxine X. , Flanagan Robert J. 
Published: December 2012

Objective: Suggested predose plasma quetiapine target ranges for effective therapy in schizophrenia lie between 50 and 500 µg/l. We aimed to examine data from a quetiapine therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) service to assess the plasma quetiapine concentrations attained at specified doses in clinical practice. Method: We studied TDM data from patients given immediate-release quetiapine in the period 2000–2011. Results: There were 946 samples from 487 patients (257 males, age at time of first sample, median [range] 34 [14–87] years, and 230 females, age at time of first sample, median [range] 38 [10–92] years). The plasma quetiapine concentration was <50 and <100 µg/l in 30% and 50% of samples, respectively (no quetiapine detected in 9% of samples). The relationship between dose and plasma quetiapine was poor. The mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) quetiapine dose was higher ( t = 3.6, df = 446, p <0.01) in males versus females (641 [600–1240] and 548 [600–943] mg/day, respectively), although there was no difference in median dose (600 mg/day) or in the mean (95% CI) plasma quetiapine concentrations attained. Smoking habit had no discernible effect on plasma quetiapine concentration. Conclusions: There was a poor relationship between dose and plasma quetiapine concentration in this study, as found by others. This is probably because of the short plasma half-life of the drug, at least in part. Nevertheless, quetiapine TDM can help assess adherence and measurement of quetiapine metabolites, notably N-desalkylquetiapine, as well as quetiapine itself may enhance the value of quetiapine TDM in future.
Clinical efficacy and changes in the dosages of concomitantly used psychotropic drugs in memantine therapy in Alzheimer’s disease with behavioral and psychological symptoms on dementia
Authors: Suzuki Hidenobu , Inoue Yuichi , Nishiyama Akiyoshi , Mikami Katsunaka , Gen Keishi 
Published: December 2012

Objective: We investigated the clinical efficacy and changes in the dosages of concomitantly used psychotropic drugs in memantine therapy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with behavioral and psychological symptoms on dementia (BPSD). Methods: The subjects were 38 inpatients who had been diagnosed with AD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). The outcome measures assessed were BPSD and cognitive function. BPSD was assessed using the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI) and cognitive function was assessed using the mini-mental examination (MMSE). The changes in the dosages of concomitant psychotropic drugs were also assessed. Results: Significant decreases were found in the memantine therapy group in the following NPI total score and five NPI subscales: delusions, hallucinations, agitation, irritability, and aberrant motor behavior, but no significant differences were seen between the memantine therapy group and the control group. Furthermore, the memantine therapy group allowed the dosage of the psychotropic drugs to be significantly reduced compared with the control group. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the administration of memantine to patients with AD with BPSD may afford superior efficacy and may also make it possible to reduce the risperidone equivalent dose, the diazepam equivalent dose and the dosage of the psychotropic drugs.
Next generation sequencing analysis reveals a relationship between rDNA unit diversity and locus number in Nicotiana diploids
Authors: Matyášek Roman , Renny-Byfield Simon , Fulneček Jaroslav , Macas Jiří , Grandbastien Marie-Angele , Nichols Richard , Leitch Andrew , Kovařík Aleš 
Published: December 2012

Abstract

Background
Tandemly arranged nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA), encoding 18S, 5.8S and 26S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), exhibit concerted evolution, a pattern thought to result from the homogenisation of rDNA arrays. However rDNA homogeneity at the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) level has not been detailed in organisms with more than a few hundred copies of the rDNA unit. Here we study rDNA complexity in species with arrays consisting of thousands of units.

Methods
We examined homogeneity of genic (18S) and non-coding internally transcribed spacer (ITS1) regions of rDNA using Roche 454 and/or Illumina platforms in four angiosperm species, Nicotiana sylvestris, N. tomentosiformis, N. otophora and N. kawakamii. We compared the data with Southern blot hybridisation revealing the structure of intergenic spacer (IGS) sequences and with the number and distribution of rDNA loci.

Results and Conclusions
In all four species the intragenomic homogeneity of the 18S gene was high; a single ribotype makes up over 90% of the genes. However greater variation was observed in the ITS1 region, particularly in species with two or more rDNA loci, where >55% of rDNA units were a single ribotype, with the second most abundant variant accounted for >18% of units. IGS heterogeneity was high in all species. The increased number of ribotypes in ITS1 compared with 18S sequences may reflect rounds of incomplete homogenisation with strong selection for functional genic regions and relaxed selection on ITS1 variants. The relationship between the number of ITS1 ribotypes and the number of rDNA loci leads us to propose that rDNA evolution and complexity is influenced by locus number and/or amplification of orphaned rDNA units at new chromosomal locations.
Development of high-throughput SNP-based genotyping in Acacia auriculiformis x A. mangium hybrids using short-read transcriptome data
Authors: Wong Melissa ML , Cannon Charles H , Wickneswari Ratnam 
Published: December 2012

Abstract

Background
Next Generation Sequencing has provided comprehensive, affordable and high-throughput DNA sequences for Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) discovery in Acacia auriculiformis and Acacia mangium. Like other non-model species, SNP detection and genotyping in Acacia are challenging due to lack of genome sequences. The main objective of this study is to develop the first high-throughput SNP genotyping assay for linkage map construction of A. auriculiformis x A. mangium hybrids.

Results
We identified a total of 37,786 putative SNPs by aligning short read transcriptome data from four parents of two Acacia hybrid mapping populations using Bowtie against 7,839 de novo transcriptome contigs. Given a set of 10 validated SNPs from two lignin genes, our in silico SNP detection approach is highly accurate (100%) compared to the traditional in vitro approach (44%). Further validation of 96 SNPs using Illumina GoldenGate Assay gave an overall assay success rate of 89.6% and conversion rate of 37.5%. We explored possible factors lowering assay success rate by predicting exon-intron boundaries and paralogous genes of Acacia contigs using Medicago truncatula genome as reference. This assessment revealed that presence of exon-intron boundary is the main cause (50%) of assay failure. Subsequent SNPs filtering and improved assay design resulted in assay success and conversion rate of 92.4% and 57.4%, respectively based on 768 SNPs genotyping. Analysis of clustering patterns revealed that 27.6% of the assays were not reproducible and flanking sequence might play a role in determining cluster compression. In addition, we identified a total of 258 and 319 polymorphic SNPs in A. auriculiformis and A. mangium natural germplasms, respectively.

Conclusion
We have successfully discovered a large number of SNP markers in A. auriculiformis x A. mangium hybrids using next generation transcriptome sequencing. By using a reference genome from the most closely related species, we converted most SNPs to successful assays. We also demonstrated that Illumina GoldenGate genotyping together with manual clustering can provide high quality genotypes for a non-model species like Acacia. These SNPs markers are not only important for linkage map construction, but will be very useful for hybrid discrimination and genetic diversity assessment of natural germplasms in the future.
The prediction of the porcine pre-microRNAs in genome-wide based on support vector machine (SVM) and homology searching
Authors: Wang Zhen , He Kan , Wang Qishan , Yang Yumei , Pan Yuchun 
Published: December 2012

Abstract

Background
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by targeting mRNAs for translation repression or mRNA degradation. Although many miRNAs have been discovered and studied in human and mouse, few studies focused on porcine miRNAs, especially in genome wide.

Results
Here, we adopted computational approaches including support vector machine (SVM) and homology searching to make a global scanning on the pre-miRNAs of pigs. In our study, we built the SVM-based porcine pre-miRNAs classifier with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 91.2% and a total prediction accuracy of 95.6%, respectively. Moreover, 2204 novel porcine pre-miRNA candidates were found by using SVM-based pre-miRNAs classifier. Besides, 116 porcine pre-miRNA candidates were detected by homology searching.

Conclusions
We identified the porcine pre-miRNA in genome-wide through computational approaches by utilizing the data sets of pigs and set up the porcine pre-miRNAs library which may provide us a global scanning on the pre-miRNAs of pigs in genome level and would benefit subsequent experimental research on porcine miRNA functional and expression analysis.
A genomic scale map of genetic diversity in Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Ackermann Alejandro A , Panunzi Leonardo G , Cosentino Raul O , Sánchez Daniel O , Agüero Fernán 
Published: December 2012

Abstract

Background

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas Disease, affects more than 16 million people in Latin America. The clinical outcome of the disease results from a complex interplay between environmental factors and the genetic background of both the human host and the parasite. However, knowledge of the genetic diversity of the parasite, is currently limited to a number of highly studied loci. The availability of a number of genomes from different evolutionary lineages of T. cruzi provides an unprecedented opportunity to look at the genetic diversity of the parasite at a genomic scale.

Results
Using a bioinformatic strategy, we have clustered T. cruzi sequence data available in the public domain and obtained multiple sequence alignments in which one or two alleles from the reference CL-Brener were included. These data covers 4 major evolutionary lineages (DTUs): TcI, TcII, TcIII, and the hybrid TcVI. Using these set of alignments we have identified 288,957 high quality single nucleotide polymorphisms and 1,480 indels. In a reduced re-sequencing study we were able to validate ~ 97% of high-quality SNPs identified in 47 loci. Analysis of how these changes affect encoded protein products showed a 0.77 ratio of synonymous to non-synonymous changes in the T. cruzi genome. We observed 113 changes that introduce or remove a stop codon, some causing significant functional changes, and a number of tri-allelic and tetra-allelic SNPs that could be exploited in strain typing assays. Based on an analysis of the observed nucleotide diversity we show that the T. cruzi genome contains a core set of genes that are under apparent purifying selection. Interestingly, orthologs of known druggable targets show statistically significant lower nucleotide diversity values.

Conclusions
This study provides the first look at the genetic diversity of T. cruzi at a genomic scale. The analysis covers an estimated ~ 60% of the genetic diversity present in the population, providing an essential resource for future studies on the development of new drugs and diagnostics, for Chagas Disease. These data is available through the TcSNP database (http://snps.tcruzi.org).
QTc interval prolongation in HIV-infected patients: a case–control study by 24-hour Holter ECG recording
Authors: Fiorentini Alessandra , Petrosillo Nicola , Di Stefano Angelo , Cicalini Stefania , Borgognoni Laura , Boumis Evangelo , Tubani Luigi , Chinello Pierangelo 
Published: December 2012

Abstract

Background
Aim of the study was to assess QTc interval by a 24-hour ECG recording in a group of HIV-infected individuals with a basal prolonged QTc. The risk factors associated with QTc prolongation and the indices of cardiovascular autonomic control were also evaluated.

Methods
A case–control study was performed using as cases 32 HIV-infected patients with prolonged (>440 msec) QTc interval as assessed by Holter ECG, and as controls 64 HIV-infected subjects with normal QTc interval. Autonomic function was evaluated by heart rate variability analysis during 24-hour recording.

Results
Duration of HIV disease was significantly longer among cases than among controls (p=0.04). Waist/hip ratio was also higher among cases than among controls (p=0.05). Frequency domain analysis showed the absence of physiologic decrease of low frequency (LF) in the night period in both cases and controls. The LF night in cases showed a statistically significant reduction when compared with controls (p=0.007).

Conclusions
In our study group, QTc interval prolongation was associated with a longer duration of HIV infection and with a greater waist/hip ratio. HIV patients with QTc interval prolongation and with a longer duration of HIV infection were more likely to have an impairment of parasympathetic and sympathetic cardiac component.
Evaluation of the tuberculosis programme in Ningxia Hui Autonomous region, the People’s Republic of China: a retrospective case study
Authors: Yang Yu Rong , McManus Donald P , Gray Darren J , Wang Xiao Ling , Yang Shu Kun , Ross Allen G , Williams Gail M , Ellis Magda K 
Published: December 2012

Abstract

Background
Tuberculosis is a devastating disease due to its rapid transmission and high rate of mortality. Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), located in the North-west, is one of the poorest provinces in China and national surveys have shown TB has been hyper endemic in NHAR for several decades. As no active surveys had been undertaken since the initiation of the DOTS control program across all of NHAR.

Methods
A retrospective study was undertaken of all clinical records of TB patients registered from January 2005 to September 2009. Poisson regression was performed to investigate the change in incidence over time and accounted for age, sex and county. Length of time on treatment, disease severity and patient delay were assessed by county.

Results
More than 30% of patients had been on treatment for over 12 months and 10% for over 3 years, reflecting drug-resistance or failure of DOTS. More than 93% of patients had grade III disease at time of diagnosis and >15% of patients had severe disease grade IV-V in some NHAR counties. Further, 8.8% of patients were not diagnosed for over 6 months from the onset of symptoms; this was as high as 20% in some counties. The reported incidence of TB is most likely grossly underestimated and the data indicate TB is a major public health concern in NHAR.

Conclusions
It is clear that active surveillance is necessary to determine the full extent of the burden of TB in NHAR. New control and treatment strategies for TB are required that increase awareness in the health-care system and at the individual and community level.