bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Caste: Religion and Society in India
Authors: Llewellyn J. E. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractReferences to caste are common in religious texts from the classical period in South Asian history and even before. In the colonial era, caste was understood by the British as a defining characteristic of social life, and in independent India it has taken on new salience in the political mobilization especially of lower caste communities. Clearly, caste is an institution that must be reckoned with by students who seek to understand religion in India. This article will introduce some of the basics about caste, proceeding more or less in reverse chronological order from the more recent times backwards, with a section at the end on theories about caste.
Prophecy and the Royal Court in the Ancient Near East
Authors: Stökl Jonathan 
Published: March 2015

AbstractMost ancient Near Eastern prophetic texts were found in royal archives, and therefore, they largely deal with the figure and person of the king in his interaction with the world around him. There is a great emphasis on war and succession, two key crisis moments for ancient Near Eastern monarchs. While the Neo‐Assyrian oracles focus on these two areas using a lot of metaphors, the Old Babylonian texts from Mari also show an interest in the diplomatic relationships of the king.
Persistent Median Artery As A Cause Of Nonmaturing AV Fistula
Authors: Jalandhara Nishant , Balamuthusamy Saravanan , Skaria Sunil , Jalandhara Priyanka , Hansen John , Waiganjo Nancy 
Published: March 2015

AbstractA 68‐year‐old right handed male with End‐Stage Renal Disease with a left radiocephalic fistula created 8 months ago was referred for the evaluation of a nonmaturing access. Patient had an arterial anastomosis lesion that underwent successful angioplasty. Diagnostic arteriogram of the AV access extremity revealed the presence of a short radial artery and dominant common interosseous artery manifesting as a persistent median artery in the distal forearm and was anastomosed to the fistula and then continues as the median‐ulnar superficial arch in the palm. Balloon angioplasty of the common interosseous artery led to a complication when the distal 30 cm of the 0.018 guide wire fractured and had to be retrieved using a snare device. In addition to anticipating and treating the common complications of vascular access procedures, it is also important to be aware of the anomalies of the distal forearm arterial anatomy and perform a detailed arterial evaluation prior to creating the arterio‐venous anastomosis.
Facial pigmentation as a biomarker of carotid atherosclerosis in middle‐aged to elderly healthy Japanese subjects
Authors: Miyawaki S. , Kohara K. , Kido T. , Tabara Y. , Igase M. , Miki T. , Sayama K. 
Published: March 2015

Background/purposePerceived age may be a better predictor of mortality rate than chronological age. We have demonstrated that perceived age was a significant biomarker for carotid atherosclerosis in Japanese. However, it remains to be determined which skin parameter is associated with atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between 10 facial skin‐aging parameters and atherosclerosis in 169 middle‐aged to elderly Japanese women who participated.MethodsFacial photographs were taken under a shadowless lamp from three directions using a high‐resolution digital camera. The digital images of each subject were analyzed using computer software and various parameters of skin aging such as pigmentation, wrinkles, and skin color were quantified. Carotid intima‐media thickness (IMT) and brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were measured as indices for atherosclerosis.ResultsFacial pigmentation showed a significant correlation with carotid IMT, even after correction for age (r = 0.13, P = 0.03), and with visceral fat area. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that facial pigmentation was associated with carotid IMT via visceral fat area.ConclusionFacial pigmentation may be a useful biomarker for carotid atherosclerosis in Japanese women.
Gene expression changes in HLA mismatched mixed lymphocyte cultures reveal genes associated with allorecognition
Authors: Nicolaidou V. , Stylianou C. , Koumas L. , Vassiliou G. S. , Bodman‐Smith K. B. , Costeas P. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractHuman leucocyte antigen (HLA) compatibility is the main factor determining the occurrence of graft‐vs‐host disease (GVHD) in patients. It has also been shown that minor histocompatibility antigen differences as well as genetic polymorphisms that are not sequenced by standard methodology for HLA typing can play a role. We used mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLCs) as a functional cellular test and investigated gene expression changes driven by HLA incompatibility in an effort to better understand the mechanisms involved in the disease. Gene expression profile of HLA matched and HLA mismatched MLC identified differentially regulated genes and pathways. We found that a great number of genes related to immune function were differentially regulated; these genes were also found to be associated with GVHD and graft rejection. The majority of differentially regulated genes were interferon‐gamma (IFNγ)‐inducible genes and IFNγ neutralisation in MLCs abrogated their induction. The microRNA‐155, a recently identified target for acute GVHD (aGVHD), was also found to be significantly induced in HLA mismatched MLC but not in the matched setting and its induction was not diminished by blocking IFNγ. In this proof‐of‐principle study we show gene expression changes in mismatched MLC that represent alloreactive responses, correlate with markers involved in GVHD and can potentially be useful in the study of the biological processes involved in this disease.
Transcriptional ‘memory’ of a stress: transient chromatin and memory (epigenetic) marks at stress‐response genes
Authors: Avramova Zoya 
Published: March 2015

SummaryDrought, salinity, extreme temperature variations, pathogen and herbivory attacks are recurring environmental stresses experienced by plants throughout their life. To survive repeated stresses, plants provide responses that may be different from their response during the first encounter with the stress. A different response to a similar stress represents the concept of ‘stress memory’. A coordinated reaction at the organismal, cellular and gene/genome levels is thought to increase survival chances by improving the plant's tolerance/avoidance abilities. Ultimately, stress memory may provide a mechanism for acclimation and adaptation. At the molecular level, the concept of stress memory indicates that the mechanisms responsible for memory‐type transcription during repeated stresses are not based on repetitive activation of the same response pathways activated by the first stress. Some recent advances in the search for transcription ‘memory factors’ are discussed with an emphasis on super‐induced dehydration stress memory response genes in Arabidopsis.
Household Animal and Human Medicine Use and Animal Husbandry Practices in Rural Bangladesh: Risk Factors for Emerging Zoonotic Disease and Antibiotic Resistance
Authors: Roess A. A. , Winch P. J. , Akhter A. , Afroz D. , Ali N. A. , Shah R. , Begum N. , Seraji H. R. , El Arifeen S. , Darmstadt G. L. , Baqui A. H. ,   the Bangladesh Projahnmo Study Group
Published: March 2015

SummaryAnimal antimicrobial use and husbandry practices increase risk of emerging zoonotic disease and antibiotic resistance. We surveyed 700 households to elicit information on human and animal medicine use and husbandry practices. Households that owned livestock (n = 265/459, 57.7%) reported using animal treatments 630 times during the previous 6 months; 57.6% obtained medicines, including antibiotics, from drug sellers. Government animal healthcare providers were rarely visited (9.7%), and respondents more often sought animal health care from pharmacies and village doctors (70.6% and 11.9%, respectively), citing the latter two as less costly and more successful based on past performance. Animal husbandry practices that could promote the transmission of microbes from animals to humans included the following: the proximity of chickens to humans (50.1% of households reported that the chickens slept in the bedroom); the shared use of natural bodies of water for human and animal bathing (78.3%); the use of livestock waste as fertilizer (60.9%); and gender roles that dictate that females are the primary caretakers of poultry and children (62.8%). In the absence of an effective animal healthcare system, villagers must depend on informal healthcare providers for treatment of their animals. Suboptimal use of antimicrobials coupled with unhygienic animal husbandry practices is an important risk factor for emerging zoonotic disease and resistant pathogens.
Novel spirometry based on optical surface imaging
Authors: Li Guang , Huang Hailiang , Wei Jie , Li Diana G. , Chen Qing , Gaebler Carl P. , Sullivan James , Zatcky Joan , Rimner Andreas , Mechalakos James 
Published: March 2015

Purpose:To evaluate the feasibility of using optical surface imaging (OSI) to measure the dynamic tidal volume (TV) of the human torso during free breathing.Methods:We performed experiments to measure volume or volume change in geometric and deformable phantoms as well as human subjects using OSI. To assess the accuracy of OSI in volume determination, we performed experiments using five geometric phantoms and two deformable body phantoms and compared the values with those derived from geometric calculations and computed tomography (CT) measurements, respectively. To apply this technique to human subjects, an institutional review board protocol was established and three healthy volunteers were studied. In the human experiment, a high‐speed image capture mode of OSI was applied to acquire torso images at 4–5 frames per second, which was synchronized with conventional spirometric measurements at 5 Hz. An in‐house matlab program was developed to interactively define the volume of interest (VOI), separate the thorax and abdomen, and automatically calculate the thoracic and abdominal volumes within the VOIs. The torso volume change (TV C = ΔVtorso = ΔVthorax + ΔVabdomen) was automatically calculated using full‐exhalation phase as the reference. The volumetric breathing pattern (BPv = ΔVthorax/ΔVtorso) quantifying thoracic and abdominal volume variations was also calculated. Under quiet breathing, TVC should equal the tidal volume measured concurrently by a spirometer with a conversion factor (1.08) accounting for internal and external differences of temperature and moisture. Another matlab program was implemented to control the conventional spirometer that was used as the standard.Results:The volumes measured from the OSI imaging of geometric phantoms agreed with the calculated volumes with a discrepancy of 0.0% ± 1.6% (range −1.9% to 2.5%). In measurements from the deformable torso/thorax phantoms, the volume differences measured using OSI imaging and CT imaging were 1.2% ± 2.1% (range −0.5% to 3.6%), with a linear regression fitting (slope = 1.02 and R2 = 0.999). In volunteers, the relative error in OSI tidal volume measurement was −2.2% ± 4.9% (range −9.2% to 4.8%) and a correlation of r = 0.98 was found with spirometric measurement. The breathing pattern values of the three volunteers were substantially different from each other (BPv = 0.15, 0.45, and 0.32).Conclusions:This study demonstrates the feasibility of using OSI to measure breathing tidal volumes and breathing patterns with adequate accuracy. This is the first time that dynamic breathing tidal volume as well as breathing patterns is measured using optical surface imaging. The OSI‐observed movement of the entire torso could serve as a new respiratory surrogate in the treatment room during radiation therapy.
The Challenge of Efflux-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacteria
Authors: Li Xian-Zhi , Plésiat Patrick , Nikaido Hiroshi 
Published: March 2015

SUMMARY
The global emergence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria is a growing threat to antibiotic therapy. The chromosomally encoded drug efflux mechanisms that are ubiquitous in these bacteria greatly contribute to antibiotic resistance and present a major challenge for antibiotic development. Multidrug pumps, particularly those represented by the clinically relevant AcrAB-TolC and Mex pumps of the resistance-nodulation-division (RND) superfamily, not only mediate intrinsic and acquired multidrug resistance (MDR) but also are involved in other functions, including the bacterial stress response and pathogenicity. Additionally, efflux pumps interact synergistically with other resistance mechanisms (e.g., with the outer membrane permeability barrier) to increase resistance levels. Since the discovery of RND pumps in the early 1990s, remarkable scientific and technological advances have allowed for an in-depth understanding of the structural and biochemical basis, substrate profiles, molecular regulation, and inhibition of MDR pumps. However, the development of clinically useful efflux pump inhibitors and/or new antibiotics that can bypass pump effects continues to be a challenge. Plasmid-borne efflux pump genes (including those for RND pumps) have increasingly been identified. This article highlights the recent progress obtained for organisms of clinical significance, together with methodological considerations for the characterization of MDR pumps.
Vaccines for Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae: the Future Is Now
Authors: Murphy Timothy F. 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTInfections due to nontypeableHaemophilus influenzaeresult in enormous global morbidity in two clinical settings: otitis media in children and respiratory tract infections in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Recurrent otitis media affects up to 20% of children and results in hearing loss, delays in speech and language development and, in developing countries, chronic suppurative otitis media. Infections in people with COPD result in clinic and emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and respiratory failure. An effective vaccine would prevent morbidity, help control health care costs, and reduce antibiotic use, a major contributor to the global crisis in bacterial antibiotic resistance. The widespread use of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines is causing a relative increase inH. influenzaeotitis media. The partial protection againstH. influenzaeotitis media induced by the pneumococcalH. influenzaeprotein D conjugate vaccine represents a proof of principle of the feasibility of a vaccine for nontypeableH. influenzae. An ideal vaccine antigen should be conserved among strains, have abundant epitopes on the bacterial surface, be immunogenic, and induce protective immune responses. Several surface proteins ofH. influenzaehave been identified as potential vaccine candidates and are in various stages of development. With continued research, progress toward a broadly effective vaccine to prevent infections caused by nontypeableH. influenzaeis expected over the next several years.
Generation and Characterization of Human Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting Anthrax Protective Antigen following Vaccination with a Recombinant Protective Antigen Vaccine
Authors: Chi Xiangyang , Li Jianmin , Liu Weicen , Wang Xiaolin , Yin Kexin , Liu Ju , Zai Xiaodong , Li Liangliang , Song Xiaohong , Zhang Jun , Zhang Xiaopeng , Yin Ying , Fu Ling , Xu Junjie , Yu Changming , Chen Wei 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTThe anthrax protective antigen (PA) is the central component of the three-part anthrax toxin, and it is the primary immunogenic component in the approved AVA anthrax vaccine and the “next-generation” recombinant PA (rPA) anthrax vaccines. Animal models have indicated that PA-specific antibodies (AB) are sufficient to protect against infection withBacillus anthracis. In this study, we investigated the PA domain specificity, affinity, mechanisms of neutralization, and synergistic effects of PA-specific antibodies from a single donor following vaccination with the rPA vaccine. Antibody-secreting cells were isolated 7 days after the donor received a boost vaccination, and 34 fully human monoclonal antibodies (hMAb) were identified. Clones 8H6, 4A3, and 22F1 were able to neutralize lethal toxin (LeTx) bothin vitroandin vivo. Clone 8H6 neutralized LeTx by preventing furin cleavage of PA in a dose-dependent manner. Clone 4A3 enhanced degradation of nicked PA, thereby interfering with PA oligomerization. The mechanism of 22F1 is still unclear. A fourth clone, 2A6, that was protective onlyin vitrowas found to be neutralizingin vivoin combination with a toxin-enhancing antibody, 8A7, which binds to domain 3 of PA and PA oligomers. These results provide novel insights into the antibody response elicited by the rPA vaccine and may be useful for PA-based vaccine and immunotherapeutic cocktail design.
Use of Amplification Refractory Mutation System PCR Assay as a Simple and Effective Tool To Detect HIV-1 Drug Resistance Mutations
Authors: Nanfack Aubin J. , Agyingi Lucy , Noubiap Jean Jacques N. , Ngai Johnson N. , Colizzi Vittorio , Nyambi Phillipe N. 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTAccess to genotyping assays to determine successful antiretroviral treatment (ART) is limited in resource-constrained settings by high cost, suggesting the need for a cost-effective and simplified method to identify HIV-1 drug resistance (HIVDR) mutations. In this study, an amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR assay was developed and used to investigate the most frequent HIVDR mutations affecting first-line ART in settings where WHO ART guidelines are applied. Seventy-five HIV-positive (HIV+) samples from Cameroon were used to assess the performance of this assay. Sequencing of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase was simultaneously performed for comparison, and discordant samples were tested with a Trugene HIV-1 genotyping kit. The ARMS-PCR assay was able to detect M184V, T215Y/F, K103N, and Y181C mutations with sensitivities of 96.8%, 85.7%, 91.3%, and 70%, respectively, and specificities of 90.6%, 95%, 100%, 96.9%, respectively, compared with data on sequencing. The results indicated the highest positive predictive value for K103N (100%) and the highest negative predictive value for M184V (97.5%). ARMS-PCR's limits of detection for mutations M184V, T215Y/F, K103N, and Y181C were <75 copies/ml, 143 copies/ml, 143 copies/ml, and 836 copies/ml, respectively. ARMS-PCR efficiently identified mutations in individuals harboring different HIV-1 clades (CRF02_AG and non-CRF02_AG). In addition, this approach was more cost-effective than other genotyping assays. The high throughput, the cost-effectiveness, and the simplicity of the ARMS-PCR assay make it a suitable tool to monitor HIVDR patterns in resource-constrained settings with broad HIV-1 genetic diversity.
Simultaneous Identification of Multiple β-Lactamases in Acinetobacter baumannii in Relation to Carbapenem and Ceftazidime Resistance, Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Trip Hein , Mende Katrin , Majchrzykiewicz-Koehorst Joanna A. , Sedee Norbert J. A. , Hulst Albert G. , Jansen Hugo-Jan , Murray Clinton K. , Paauw Armand 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACT

Shotgun proteomics using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was applied to detect β-lactamases in clinical
Acinetobacter baumannii
isolates. The correlation of the detection of β-lactamase proteins (rather than PCR detection of the corresponding genes) with the resistance phenotypes demonstrated an added value for LC-MS/MS in antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Treponemes Detected in Digital Dermatitis Lesions in Brazilian Dairy Cattle and Possible Host Reservoirs of Infection
Authors: Nascimento Ligia Valéria , Mauerwerk Marlise Teresinha , dos Santos Cibelli Lopes , Barros Filho Ivan Roque de , Birgel Júnior Eduardo Harry , Sotomaior Cristina Santos , Madeira Humberto Maciel França , Ollhoff Rüdiger Daniel 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACT

The main pathogenic treponemes causing bovine digital dermatitis were identified from 17 infected herds in southern Brazil for the first time in this study using PCR. We did not find a relationship between treponeme phylogroup composition and clinical classification.
Treponema phagedenis
was present in all lesions. Rumen fluid was implicated as a reservoir location for these pathogens.
Sustained Delivery of a Broadly Neutralizing Antibody in Nonhuman Primates Confers Long-Term Protection against Simian/Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
Authors: Saunders Kevin O. , Pegu Amarendra , Georgiev Ivelin S. , Zeng Ming , Joyce M. Gordon , Yang Zhi-Yong , Ko Sung-Youl , Chen Xuejun , Schmidt Stephen D. , Haase Ashley T. , Todd John-Paul , Bao Saran , Kwong Peter D. , Rao Srinivas S. , Mascola John R. , Nabel Gary J. 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACT
Pathogen-specific neutralizing antibodies protect against many viral infections and can potentially prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission in humans. However, neutralizing antibodies have so far only been shown to protect nonhuman primates (NHP) against lentiviral infection when given shortly before challenge. Thus, the clinical utility and feasibility of passive antibody transfer to confer long-term protection against HIV-1 are still debated. Here, we investigate the potential of a broadly neutralizing HIV-1 antibody to provide long-term protection in a NHP model of HIV-1 infection. A human antibody was simianized to avoid immune rejection and used to sustain therapeutic levels for ∼5 months. Two months after the final antibody administration, animals were completely protected against viral challenge. These findings demonstrate the feasibility and potential of long-term passive antibody for protection against HIV-1 in humans and provide a model to test antibody therapies for other diseases in NHP.

IMPORTANCE
Antibodies against HIV are potential drugs that may be able to prevent HIV infection in humans. However, the long-term protective capacity of antibodies against HIV has not been assessed. Here, we repetitively administered a macaque version of a human anti-HIV antibody to monkeys, after which the antibody persisted in the blood for >5 months. Moreover, the antibody could be sustained at protective levels for 108 days, conferring protection 52 days after the last dose in a monkey model of HIV infection. Thus, passive antibody transfer can provide durable protection against infection by viruses that cause AIDS in primates.