bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimation of trace element concentrations in the lunar magma ocean using mineral‐ and metal‐silicate melt partition coefficients
Authors: Sharp Miriam , Righter Kevin , Walker Richard J. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThis study uses experimentally determined plagioclase‐melt D values to estimate the trace element concentrations of Sr, Hf, Ga, W, Mo, Ru, Pd, Au, Ni, and Co in a crystallizing lunar magma ocean at the point of plagioclase flotation. Similarly, experimentally determined metal‐silicate partition experiments combined with a composition model for the Moon are used to constrain the concentrations of W, Mo, Ru, Pd, Au, Ni, and Co in the lunar magma ocean at the time of core formation. The metal‐silicate derived lunar mantle estimates are generally consistent with previous estimates for the concentration of these elements in the lunar mantle. Plagioclase‐melt derived concentrations for Sr, Ga, Ru, Pd, Au, Ni, and Co are also consistent with prior estimates. Estimates for Hf, W, and Mo, however, are higher. These elements may be concentrated in the residual liquid during fractional crystallization due to their incompatibility. Alternatively, the apparent enrichment could reflect the inappropriate use of bulk anorthosite data, rather than data for plagioclase separates.
Impact of Blood Pressure on Retinal Microvasculature Architecture Across the Lifespan: The Young Finns Study
Authors: Tapp Robyn J. , Hussain S. Monira , Battista Josephine , Hutri‐Kähönen Nina , Lehtimäki Terho , Hughes Alun D. , McG Thom Simon A. , Metha Andrew , Raitakari Olli T. , Kähönen Mika 
Published: January 2015

AbstractObjectiveThe present study examined the impact of BP from childhood to mid‐adulthood on retinal microvascular architecture.MethodsThe Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study included children aged 3–18 years, from five Finnish University cities, with participants chosen randomly from the national population registrar from those areas. The age of participants included in the current analyses in childhood (1980) ranged from three to nine years and in mid‐adulthood (2011) ranged from 34 to 40 years (complete data n = 657). Measures of retinal microvasculature architecture measured in adulthood included diameters, tortuosity, lengths, and LDR.ResultsRegression analysis showed a strong negative association between childhood systolic BP and adult arteriolar diameter (standardized regression coefficient [β] −0.300; p < 0.001) and with change in systolic BP from childhood to adulthood (β = −0.249; p < 0.001). For arteriolar tortuosity, there was a strong positive association between childhood systolic BP and adult arteriolar tortuosity (β = 0.154; p < 0.001) and no association with change in systolic BP from childhood to adulthood (β = 0.072; p = 0.110).ConclusionsHigh BP in childhood and increased BP from childhood to adulthood impacts on retinal microvascular architecture in mid‐adulthood.
The BBA33 lipoprotein binds collagen and impacts Borrelia burgdorferi pathogenesis
Authors: Zhi Hui , Weening Eric H. , Barbu Elena Magda , Hyde Jenny A. , Höök Magnus , Skare Jon T. 
Published: January 2015

SummaryBorrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, adapts to the mammalian hosts by differentially expressing several genes in the BosR and Rrp2‐RpoN‐RpoS dependent pathways, resulting in a distinct protein profile relative to that seen for survival in the Ixodes spp. tick. Previous studies indicate that a putative lipoprotein, BBA33, is produced in an RpoS‐dependent manner under conditions that mimic the mammalian component of the borrelial lifecycle. However, the significance and function for BBA33 is not known. Given its linkage to the BosR/Rrp2‐RpoN‐RpoS regulatory cascade, we hypothesized that BBA33 facilitates B. burgdorferi infection in the mammalian host. The deletion of bba33 eliminated B. burgdorferi infectivity in C3H mice, which was rescued by genetic complementation with intact bba33. With regard to function, a combinatorial peptide approach, coupled with subsequent in vitro binding assays, indicated that BBA33 binds to collagen type VI and, to a lesser extent, collagen type IV. Whole cell binding assays demonstrated BBA33‐dependent binding to human collagen type VI. Taken together, these results suggest that BBA33 interacts with collagenous structures and may function as an adhesin in a process that is required to prevent bacterial clearance.
Molecular detection of Rickettsia aeschlimannii in Hyalomma spp. ticks from camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Nigeria, West Africa
Authors: KAMANI J. , BANETH G. , APANASKEVICH D. A. , MUMCUOGLU K. Y. , HARRUS S. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractSeveral species of the spotted fever group rickettsiae have been identified as emerging pathogens throughout the world, including in Africa. In this study, 197 Hyalomma ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) collected from 51 camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Kano, northern Nigeria, were screened by amplification and sequencing of the citrate synthase (gltA), outer membrane protein A (ompA) and 17‐kDa antigen gene fragments. Rickettsia sp. gltA fragments were detected in 43.3% (42/97) of the tick pools tested. Rickettsial ompA gene fragments (189 bp and 630 bp) were detected in 64.3% (n = 27) and 23.8% (n = 10) of the gltA‐positive tick pools by real‐time and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. The amplicons were 99–100% identical to Rickettsia aeschlimannii TR/Orkun‐H and R. aeschlimannii strain EgyRickHimp‐El‐Arish in GenBank. Furthermore, 17‐kDa antigen gene fragments of 214 bp and 265 bp were detected in 59.5% (n = 25) and 38.1% (n = 16), respectively, of tick pools, and sequences were identical to one another and 99–100% identical to those of the R. aeschlimannii strain Ibadan A1 in GenBank. None of the Hyalomma impressum ticks collected were positive for Rickettsia sp. DNA. Rickettsia sp. gltA fragments (133 bp) were detected in 18.8% of camel blood samples, but all samples were negative for the other genes targeted. This is the first report to describe the molecular detection of R. aeschlimannii in Hyalomma spp. ticks from camels in Nigeria.
Aquinas and Hauerwas on the Religious and the Secular
Authors: Kim Andrew 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
This essay supports William Cavanaugh's thesis in The Myth of Religious
Violence that the distinction between the “religious” and the “secular” is
arbitrary. This essay also accepts the claim that this arbitrary distinction
can be used to form unhelpful inversely-valued dichotomies for the sake of
ideological or sectarian ends. However, the current essay seeks to show that
this binary goes in the opposite direction as well. Sectarian outlooks of
various kinds also postulate a strict and inversely valued dichotomy between
the believing community and the world, where the former is the locus of
truth and life and the latter, falsehood and death. Instead of this model of
ethics, I commend an approach that upholds the prospect of concord between
the believing community and the world, of the religious and the secular,
even if these are somewhat inevitably arbitrary categories. In this
approach, religious and civil loyalties are not pitted against each other,
but rather exist on a continuum of provenance and perfection.
Anti‐Citrullinated Peptide Antibodies in Sudanese Patients with Leishmania donovani Infection Exhibit Reactivity not Dependent on Citrullination
Authors: Åhlin E. , Elshafie A. I. , Nur M. A. M. , Rönnelid J. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractAfrican patients with Leishmania donovani infections have signs of strong systemic inflammation and high levels of circulating immune complexes (IC) and rheumatoid factor (RF), all serologic markers of rheumatic disease. As inflammation in general is associated with citrullination, we sought to investigate ACPA responses in Sudanese Leishmania patients. Serum samples were collected from Sudanese patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and post‐kala‐azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) as well as from ACPA‐positive Sudanese rheumatoid arthritis patients and compared to healthy Sudanese controls. Levels of circulating C1q‐binding IC and anticyclic citrullinated peptide 2(CCP2) were investigated using ELISA, and RF was measured with nephelometry. C1q adsorption was carried out to investigate anti‐CCP2 content in IC. Citrulline specificity was evaluated with control plates with cyclic arginine‐containing control peptides. Leishmania‐infected patients had elevated levels of RF and circulating IC but also a significant increase in anti‐CCP2 (12%) as compared to healthy controls. Anti‐CCP2‐positive Leishmania patients displayed lower anti‐CCP2 levels than Sudanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and anti‐CCP2 levels in Leishmania patients showed a continuum not resembling the dichotomous pattern seen in patients with RA. Whereas the anti‐CCP reactivity of Sudanese RA sera was strictly citrulline dependent, anti‐CCP2‐positive Leishmania sera reacted equally well with ELISA plates containing arginine control peptides. There was a strong correlation between anti‐CCP2 and circulating IC among the Leishmania patients, but IC depletion only marginally diminished anti‐CCP2 levels. Our findings stress the importance to interpret a positive CCP test carefully when evaluated in non‐rheumatic conditions associated with macrophage activation.
Mucosal Immunization with PsaA Protein, Using Chitosan as a Delivery System, Increases Protection Against Acute Otitis Media and Invasive Infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Xu J.‐H. , Dai W.‐J. , Chen B. , Fan X.‐Y. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractAs infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae (mainly via the mucosal route) is a leading cause of acute otitis media, sinus and bacterial pneumonia, the mucosal immunity plays an important role in the prevention of pneumococcal diseases. Therefore, intranasal vaccination may be an effective immunization strategy, but requires appropriate mucosal vaccine delivery systems. In this work, chitosan was used as a mucosal delivery system to form chitosan–PsaA nanoparticles based on ionotropic gelation methods and used to immunize BALB/c mice intranasally. Compared to mice immunized with naked PsaA, levels of IFN‐γ, IL‐17A and IL‐4 in spleen lymphocytes, the systemic (IgG in serum) and mucosal (IgA in mucosal lavage) specific antibodies were enhanced significantly in mice inoculated with chitosan–PsaA. Furthermore, increased protection against acute otitis media following middle ear challenge with pneumococcus serotype 14, and improved survival following intraperitoneal challenge with pneumococcus serotype 3 or serotype 14, was found in the mice immunized with chitosan–PsaA nanoparticles. Thus, intranasal immunization with chitosan–PsaA can successfully induce mucosal and systemic immune responses and increase protection against pneumococcal acute otitis media and invasive infections. Hence, intranasal immunization with PsaA protein, based on chitosan as a delivery system, is an efficient immunization strategy for preventing pneumococcal infections.
GSK3β Negatively Regulates LPS‐induced Osteopontin Expression via Inhibiting its Transcription
Authors: Song H. , Deng B. , Zou C. , Huai W. , Zhao R. , Zhao W. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractOsteopontin (OPN) is expressed by a variety of immune cells and is critical for both innate and adaptive immune responses. The expression status of OPN might be tightly regulated to maintain immune homeostasis. However, the mechanisms by which OPN is negatively regulated in LPS‐stimulated macrophages remain largely unknown. In this study, we showed that glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) inhibitors – SB216763, LiCl and azakenpaullone – enhanced LPS‐induced OPN expression in mouse peritoneal macrophages. GSK3β knock‐down had the similar effects. Furthermore, we found that GSK3β inhibitors and GSK3β knock‐down both increased the activity of OPN promoter in LPS‐stimulated macrophages. GSK3β inhibitor‐mediated enhancement of LPS‐induced OPN promoter activity was abrogated in GSK3β siRNA‐treated macrophages. Therefore, we identified GSK3β as a negative regulator of OPN expression and suggest GSK3β as a potential therapeutic target for the intervention of diseases with uncontrolled OPN production.
Molecular phylogeny of theHydroscaphidae (Coleoptera:Myxophaga) with description of a remarkable new lineage from theGuianaShield
Authors: SHORT ANDREW EDWARD Z. , JOLY LUIS J. , GARCÍA MAURICIO , WILD ALEXANDER L. , BLOOM DEVIN D. , MADDISON DAVID R. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThe phylogeny of the aquatic beetle familyHydroscaphidae is inferred from one mitochondrial (COI) and five nuclear (18S,28S,wingless,arginine kinaseandCAD) genes. Bayesian, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony analyses were conducted on a combined dataset that included representatives from all three described hydroscaphid genera, three new species of the family of uncertain placement, and representatives from the myxophagan familiesSphaeriusidae,Torridincolidae andLepiceridae. All analyses strongly supported a set of nearly identical trees in which (i) the monophyly ofHydroscaphidae and all its constituent genera is affirmed, (ii) the nearly cosmopolitan genusHydroscaphais sister to the remaining and exclusivelyNeotropical genera, and (iii) the new, morphologically aberrant taxa from theGuianaShield form a monophylum separate from any described genus. Here, we review each genus of the family including the description ofConfossaShort,Joly,García &Maddisongen.n.to accommodate three new species:C. sculpturasp.n.,C. falcatasp.n.andC. minimasp.n.The new genus possesses a remarkable perforated abdominal surface that we hypothesize serves as a respiratory plastron. We also present a key to the genera and a catalogue of species of the family.
A new extant family of primitive moths from Kangaroo Island, Australia, and its significance for understanding early Lepidoptera evolution
Authors: KRISTENSEN NIELS P. , HILTON DOUGLAS J. , KALLIES AXEL , MILLA LIZ , ROTA JADRANKA , WAHLBERG NIKLAS , WILCOX STEPHEN A. , GLATZ RICHARD V. , YOUNG DAVID A. , COCKING GLENN , EDWARDS TED , GIBBS GEORGE W. , HALSEY MIKE 
Published: January 2015

AbstractWe report the first discovery since the 1970s of a new extant family (Aenigmatineidae fam.n.) of homoneurous moths, based on the small Aenigmatinea glatzella sp.n. from Kangaroo Island off southern Australia. It exhibits a combination of extraordinary anatomical characters, and, unlike most homoneurous moths, its larva is a conifer‐feeder (stem mining in Callitris, Cupressaceae). While the adult's mouthparts are strongly regressed, evidence from other morphological characters and from a Bayesian analysis of 25 genetic loci convincingly places the taxon among Glossata (‘tongue moths’). An unexpected tongue moth clade including Acanthopteroctetidae and Neopseustidae, suggested with low support in recent molecular analyses, remarkably becomes strongly supported when Aenigmatinea is included in the molecular analysis; the new taxon becomes subordinated in that clade (as sister group to Neopseustidae) and the clade itself appears as the sister group of all Heteroneura, representing the vast majority of all Lepidoptera. Including Aenigmatinea into the analysis thereby strengthens the surprising indication of non‐monophyly of Myoglossata, and the new phylogeny requires an additional number of ad hoc assumptions of convergence/character reversals in early Lepidoptera evolution.This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:44393B52‐1889‐431A‐AB08‐6BBCF8F946B8.
Patient blood management in cardiac surgery results in fewer transfusions and better outcome
Authors: Gross Irwin , Seifert Burkhardt , Hofmann Axel , Spahn Donat R. 
Published: January 2015

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the introduction of a patient blood management (PBM) program in cardiac surgery on transfusion incidence and outcome.Study Design and MethodsClinical and transfusion data were compared between the pre‐PBM epoch (July 2006‐March 2007) and the PBM epoch (April 2007‐September 2012).ResultsThere were a total of 2662 patients analyzed, 387 in the pre‐PBM and 2275 in the PBM epoch. Red blood cell (RBC) loss decreased from a mean (±SD) of 810 ± 426 mL (median, 721 mL) to 605 ± 369 mL (median, 552 mL; p < 0.001) and pretransfusion hemoglobin decreased from 7.2 ± 1.4 to 6.6 ± 1.2 g/dL (p < 0.001) in the pre‐PBM versus the PBM epoch. In conjunction, this resulted in a reduction of the RBC transfusion rate from 39.3% to 20.8% (p < 0.001). Similar reductions were observed for the transfusion of fresh‐frozen plasma (FFP; from 18.3% to 6.5%, p < 0.001) and platelets (PLTs; from 17.8% to 9.8%, p < 0.001). Hospital mortality and cerebral vascular accident incidence remained unchanged in the PBM epoch. However, the incidence of postoperative kidney injury decreased in the PMB epoch (from 7.6% to 5.0%, p = 0.039), length of hospital stay decreased from 12.2 ± 9.6 days (median, 10 days) to 10.4 ± 8.0 days (median, 8 days; p < 0.001), and total adjusted direct costs were reduced from $48,375 ± $28,053 (median, $39,709) to $44,300 ± $25,915 (median, $36,906; p < 0.001).ConclusionsImplementing meticulous surgical technique, a goal‐directed coagulation algorithm, and a more restrictive transfusion threshold in combination resulted in a substantial decrease in RBC, FFP, and PLT transfusions; less kidney injury; a shorter length of hospital stay; and lower total direct costs.
Telavancin
In Vitro
Activity against a Collection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates, Including Resistant Subsets, from the United States
Authors: Mendes Rodrigo E. , Sader Helio S. , Flamm Robert K. , Farrell David J. , Jones Ronald N. 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACT

Telavancin had MIC
50
, MIC
90
, and MIC
100
values of 0.03, 0.06, and 0.12 μg/ml, respectively, against methicillin-susceptible
Staphylococcus aureus
, methicillin-resistant
S. aureus
(MRSA), and non-multidrug-resistant (non-MDR) and MDR subsets. MRSA with elevated MIC values for vancomycin (2 to 4 μg/ml) or daptomycin (1 to 2 μg/ml) had telavancin MIC
50
(0.06 μg/ml) values 2-fold higher than those of isolates with lower MIC results (MIC
50
, 0.03 μg/ml). However, telavancin had MIC
90
and MIC
100
results of 0.06 and 0.12 μg/ml (100% susceptible), respectively, regardless of the MRSA subset.
Characterization of the Effect of the Histidine Kinase CovS on Response Regulator Phosphorylation in Group A Streptococcus
Authors: Horstmann Nicola , Sahasrabhojane Pranoti , Saldaña Miguel , Ajami Nadim J. , Flores Anthony R. , Sumby Paul , Liu Chang-Gong , Yao Hui , Su Xiaoping , Thompson Erika , Shelburne Samuel A. 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACT

Two-component gene regulatory systems (TCSs) are a major mechanism by which bacteria respond to environmental stimuli and thus are critical to infectivity. For example, the
c
ontrol
o
f
v
irulence
r
egulator/
s
ensor kinase (CovRS) TCS is central to the virulence of the major human pathogen group A
Streptococcus
(GAS). Here, we used a combination of quantitative
in vivo
phosphorylation assays, isoallelic strains that varied by only a single amino acid in CovS, and transcriptome analyses to characterize the impact of CovS on CovR phosphorylation and GAS global gene expression. We discovered that CovS primarily serves to phosphorylate CovR, thereby resulting in the repression of virulence factor-encoding genes. However, a GAS strain selectively deficient in CovS phosphatase activity had a distinct transcriptome relative to that of its parental strain, indicating that both CovS kinase and phosphatase activities influence the CovR phosphorylation status. Surprisingly, compared to a serotype M3 strain, serotype M1 GAS strains had high levels of phosphorylated CovR, low transcript levels of CovR-repressed genes, and strikingly different responses to environmental cues. Moreover, the inactivation of CovS in the serotype M1 background resulted in a greater decrease in phosphorylated CovR levels and a greater increase in the transcript levels of CovR-repressed genes than did CovS inactivation in a serotype M3 strain. These data clarify the influence of CovS on the CovR phosphorylation status and provide insight into why serotype M1 GAS strains have high rates of spontaneous mutations in
covS
during invasive GAS infection, thus providing a link between TCS molecular function and the epidemiology of deadly bacterial infections.
Variation in the Susceptibility of Drosophila to Different Entomopathogenic Nematodes
Authors: Peña Jennifer M. , Carrillo Mayra A. , Hallem Elissa A. 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACT

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in the genera
Heterorhabditis
and
Steinernema
are lethal parasites of insects that are of interest as models for understanding parasite-host interactions and as biocontrol agents for insect pests. EPNs harbor a bacterial endosymbiont in their gut that assists in insect killing. EPNs are capable of infecting and killing a wide range of insects, yet how the nematodes and their bacterial endosymbionts interact with the insect immune system is poorly understood. Here, we develop a versatile model system for understanding the insect immune response to parasitic nematode infection that consists of seven species of EPNs as model parasites and five species of
Drosophila
fruit flies as model hosts. We show that the EPN
Steinernema carpocapsae
, which is widely used for insect control, is capable of infecting and killing
D. melanogaster
larvae.
S. carpocapsae
is associated with the bacterium
Xenorhabdus nematophila
, and we show that
X. nematophila
induces expression of a subset of antimicrobial peptide genes and suppresses the melanization response to the nematode. We further show that EPNs vary in their virulence toward
D. melanogaster
and that
Drosophila
species vary in their susceptibilities to EPN infection. Differences in virulence among different EPN-host combinations result from differences in both rates of infection and rates of postinfection survival. Our results establish a powerful model system for understanding mechanisms of host-parasite interactions and the insect immune response to parasitic nematode infection.
Platelet-rich plasma injection is more effective than hyaluronic acid in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Holguin Esteban 
Published: January 2015

Objectives: To determine and compare the effects of autologous platelet rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Methods: This prospective study included 150 patients affected by severe osteoarthritis of the knee. Gonarthrosis was graded using the Kellgren-Lawrence and Albhack radiographic classification scale. 150 patients were randomized into 2 study groups .In the PRP group (n=55) three intraarticular injection were applied andthe control group (n=55) received 3 intra-articular injections of high molecular weight HA. An unblinded physician performed infiltration once a week for 3 weeks into the knee affected by clinically relevant gonarthrosis (in both groups). All patients were evaluated with the Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) score and visual pain scale before the infiltration and at 3, 6, and 12 months after the first injection. Results: No severe adverse events was observed. Statistically significant better results in the WOMAC score and visual pain scale was determined in PRP group than HA group at 3 months and 6 months follow up. The cost of the application for the PRP group was lower than that of the HA group.At 12 months' of follow-up, PRP and HA treatments offered similar results. Conclusion: The results of this study have shown the application of autologousPRP to be a safe, effective and low-cost method for treating OA tan HA. However, further studies are required for a more clear result