bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of aggressive periodontitis with reduced erythrocyte counts and reduced hemoglobin levels
Authors: Anand P. S. , Sagar D. K. , Ashok S. , Kamath K. P. 
Published: December 2013

Background and ObjectiveStudies have shown that erythrocyte counts and hemoglobin levels are reduced in patients with chronic periodontitis, suggesting that this condition may be associated with anemia of chronic disease. Although increased leukocyte counts have been reported in aggressive periodontitis, very little is known about the effects of aggressive periodontitis on erythrocyte counts. The present study was undertaken to determine whether generalized aggressive periodontitis is associated with reduced erythrocyte counts and reduced hemoglobin levels.Material and MethodsThe present study was conducted as a case–control study in which 64 patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis were categorized as cases and 58 periodontally healthy individuals were categorized as controls. Erythrocyte parameters (such as erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit and erythrocyte indices) and clinical parameters (such as gingival index, plaque index, probing depth, clinical attachment level and percentage of severe sites) were recorded.ResultsSignificant differences were observed between cases and controls in mean erythrocyte count (4.45 ± 0.6 × 106 erythrocytes/μL and 4.78 ± 0.56 × 106 erythrocytes/μL respectively, p = 0.002) and hemoglobin level (12.43 ± 1.83 g/dL and 13.53 ± 1.64 g/dL, respectively, p = 0.001). Other erythrocyte parameters, such as hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin, were also significantly lower among cases compared with controls. Logistic regression analyses showed that generalized aggressive periodontitis was significantly associated with lower erythrocyte counts ( p = 0.032) and a lower hemoglobin concentration ( p = 0.017).ConclusionThe findings of the present study suggest that patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis tend to have lower erythrocyte counts and lower hemoglobin levels compared with periodontally healthy controls. This suggests that generalized aggressive periodontitis, like chronic periodontitis, may be associated with a risk for anemia of chronic disease.
Articulating minority nationhood: cultural and political dimensions in Québec's reasonable accommodation debate
Authors: Laxer Emily , Carson Rachael Dianne , Korteweg Anna C. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractGiven their precarious position within larger states, national minorities cannot rely on federal governments to affirm their nationhood. Moreover, insofar as nationhood is predicated on a shared history, language and culture, immigrants place additional strains on the maintenance of national distinctiveness and the political claims that derive from it. In 2006–2007, following a series of confrontations over religious practices in the public sphere, Québec's provincial government appointed the Bouchard–Taylor Commission to investigate avenues for the accommodation of immigrant‐related cultural and religious differences. While it failed to generate policy, the commission did provide a discursive space for the (re)assertion of Québécois nationhood. Analysing the production of national identity in newspaper debates of the Bouchard–Taylor report, we offer an alternative to the ethnic–civic paradigm in nationalism theory. Rather than treat ethnic and civic as two separate ends of a single continuum, we conceptualise a relationship between two dimensions: one of culture and one of politics. We show that in contemporary articulations of Québec national identity, the prerequisites of political membership derive their meaning from a productive tension between blood‐based and adoptive conceptions of national culture.
Nation versus class in Ukraine
Authors: Shulman Stephen 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThis article evaluates the long‐standing but rarely‐tested proposition that nationalism and nationhood mask the extent of class divisions in a society. Specifically, it examines three possible routes by which state‐nationhood might subjectively mitigate the importance of class. Nationhood may shape people's perception of the magnitude of economic inequalities, their perception of the magnitude of class conflict or their assessment of their own class position. An analysis of a mass public opinion survey from Ukraine in 2011 demonstrates that contrary to theoretical arguments advanced by a wide variety of scholars, national identity and national sentiments have very little or no impact on the perceived salience of class divisions in Ukraine. Contradictory forces within the national idea itself are identified to explain this outcome.
In‐hospital costs associated with chronic constipation in Belgium: a retrospective database study
Authors: Chevalier P. , Lamotte M. , Joseph A. , Dubois D. , Boeckxstaens G. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractBackgroundReal‐life data on the economic burden of chronic idiopathic constipation are scarce. The objectives of this study were to assess hospitalization resource use and costs associated with chronic constipation and its complications in Belgium.MethodsThis was a single country, retrospective study using the IMS Hospital Disease Database (2008), which comprises data on 34% of acute hospital beds in Belgium and contains information on patient demographics, length of stay (LOS), billed costs, drug use, diagnoses, and procedures. Stays with a primary diagnosis of constipation, or a secondary diagnosis of constipation and a concomitant diagnosis of a constipation‐related complication, were selected. Patients with diagnoses of colorectal cancer, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, or who had stays involving potentially constipation‐inducing procedures, were excluded as having secondary constipation. Patients receiving opioids, calcium‐antagonists, antipsychotics or antidepressants were excluded as having drug‐induced constipation.Key ResultsIn total, 1541 eligible patients were identified. The average unadjusted cost per day in hospital for idiopathic constipation was €441 (€311 ± 1.4 in day clinic visits without overnight stays; €711 ± 14.0 in full hospitalizations with complications). The average LOS in a full hospitalization setting was 7.0 and 4.0 days in stays with and without complications, respectively. The most frequent drug and procedural treatments were osmotically acting laxatives (with complications: 42.61%; without complications: 35.69%), and transanal enema (2.32% and 2.03%), respectively.Conclusions & InferencesThe burden of constipation is often underestimated; it is a condition reflected by hospital‐related costs comparable to such indications as migraine, which increase when associated with complications.
Superior aluminium (Al) tolerance of Stylosanthes is achieved mainly by malate synthesis through an Al‐enhanced malic enzyme, SgME1
Authors: Sun Lili , Liang Cuiyue , Chen Zhijian , Liu Pandao , Tian Jiang , Liu Guodao , Liao Hong 
Published: December 2013

Summary

Stylosanthes (stylo) is a dominant leguminous forage in the tropics. Previous studies suggest that stylo has great potential for aluminium (Al) tolerance, but little is known about the underlying mechanism.

A novel malic enzyme, SgME1, was identified from the Al‐tolerant genotype TPRC2001‐1 after 72 h Al exposure by two‐dimensional electrophoresis, and the encoding gene was cloned and characterized via heterologous expression in yeast, Arabidopsis thaliana and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) hairy roots.

Internal Al detoxification might be mainly responsible for the 72 h Al tolerance of TPRC2001‐1, as indicated by 5.8‐fold higher root malate concentrations and approximately two‐fold higher Al concentrations in roots and root symplasts of TPRC2001‐1 than those of the Al‐sensitive genotype Fine‐stem. An accompanying increase in malate secretion might also reduce a fraction of Al uptake in TPRC2001‐1. Gene and protein expression of SgME1 was only enhanced in TPRC2001‐1 after 72 h Al exposure. Overexpressing SgME1 enhanced malate synthesis and rescued yeast, A. thaliana and bean hairy roots from Al toxicity via increasing intracellular malate concentrations and/or accompanied malate exudation.

These results provide strong evidence that superior Al tolerance of stylo is mainly conferred by Al‐enhanced malate synthesis, functionally controlled by SgME1.
Coexisting orchid species have distinct mycorrhizal communities and display strong spatial segregation
Authors: Jacquemyn Hans , Brys Rein , Merckx Vincent S. F. T. , Waud Michael , Lievens Bart , Wiegand Thorsten 
Published: December 2013

SummaryBecause orchids are dependent on mycorrhizal fungi for germination and establishment of seedlings, differences in the mycorrhizal communities associating with orchids can be expected to mediate the abundance, spatial distribution and coexistence of terrestrial orchids in natural communities.We assessed the small‐scale spatial distribution of seven orchid species co‐occurring in 25 × 25 m plots in twoMediterranean grasslands. In order to characterize the mycorrhizal community associating with each orchid species, 454 pyrosequencing was used. The extent of spatial clustering was assessed using techniques of spatial point pattern analysis.The community of mycorrhizal fungi consisted mainly of members of the Tulasnellaceae, Thelephoraceae andCeratobasidiaceae, although sporadically members of theSebacinaceae,Russulaceae andCortinariaceae were observed. Pronounced differences in mycorrhizal communities were observed between species, whereas strong clustering and significant segregation characterized the spatial distribution of orchid species. However, spatial segregation was not significantly related to phylogenetic dissimilarity of fungal communities.Our results indicate that co‐occurring orchid species have distinctive mycorrhizal communities and show strong spatial segregation, suggesting that mycorrhizal fungi are important factors driving niche partitioning in terrestrial orchids and may therefore contribute to orchid coexistence.
The effect of caffeine on spontaneous pupillary oscillations
Authors: Wilhelm Barbara , Stuiber Gitta , Lüdtke Holger , Wilhelm Helmut 
Published: December 2013

AbstractPurposeCaffeine stimulates the central nervous system, but the duration and extent of its influence on the pupil are not known. The aim of this study was to determine whether caffeine could have an effect on pupillary sleepiness waves, measured with the Pupillographic Sleepiness Test (PST) during routine clinical PST testing, where the caffeine dose‐response of a participant cannot be registered before recording.MethodsTwenty participants (aged between 22 and 51 years, (mean 30.9 years ±8.9 SD, 11 women and nine men),.were tested at seven different time‐points over 4.5 h. Each participant was tested under four conditions with coffee drunk or not between 1 and 2 h before the first measurement and/or 15 min afterwards.ResultsCaffeine caused a reduction in the Pupillary Unrest Index (PUI) with a maximal effect 1.25 h after consumption. A prolonged effect is found if coffee was consumed between 1 and 2 h before the first measurement. More excessive coffee consumers show prolongation of the effect. Subjective scales of sleepiness, alertness and craving for caffeine were significantly correlated to linear logarithm of PUI (lnPUI).ConclusionsWe conclude that caffeine causes a dampening of the pupillary oscillations in well‐rested participants. As caffeine consumption can affect the PST for up to 6.5 h after intake, it is recommended that if PST measurements are to be carried out in the morning, caffeine consumption should not be allowed after midnight.
Subconscious Manipulation of Pain Expectation Can Modulate Cortical Nociceptive Processing
Authors: Lewis Gwyn N. , Leys Adam , Rice David A. , McNair Peter J. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractObjectiveTo determine whether manipulation of the expectation of pain inhibition can enhance the efficacy of conditioned pain modulation in healthy participantsMethodsA conditioned pain modulation paradigm was used to investigate the effect of psychological manipulation of expectation on pain inhibition. In 19 healthy men, the lower limb nociceptive flexion reflex was elicited in isolation (test stimulus) and during application of 2 forms of conditioning stimuli. Following application of the first conditioning stimulus (CS1), the participants were informed that the subsequent conditioning stimulus (CS2) would elicit a greater amount of inhibition of test pain compared with the first. Lower limb flexion reflex size, perceived pain ratings of the test stimulus, and ratings of expected pain modulation were obtained for both test and conditioning protocols.ResultsThe inhibition of perceived pain was significantly greater with CS2 compared with CS1; however, there was no significant difference in inhibition of nociceptive flexion reflex size or the participant's reported expectation of pain modulation between the 2 conditioning stimuli.DiscussionAs perceived pain inhibition was enhanced but flexion reflex size unchanged following the intervention, we suggest that the intervention gave rise to an inhibition of ascending nociceptive information at a supraspinal level resulting in reduced pain perception without influencing spinal level processing of nociceptive input. The finding that conditioned pain modulation can be enhanced is of relevance to clinical pain populations who commonly show impaired inhibition.
Functional characterization of the two ferrochelatases in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: SCHARFENBERG MICHAEL , MITTERMAYR LUKAS , VON ROEPENACK‐LAHAYE EDDA , SCHLICKE HAGEN , GRIMM BERNHARD , LEISTER DARIO , KLEINE TATJANA 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThe enzyme ferrochelatase catalyses the formation of protoheme by inserting Fe2+ into protoporphyrin IX. Although most organisms express only one ferrochelatase, all land plants analysed so far possess at least two ferrochelatase proteins. Analysis of publicly available expression data suggests that the two Arabidopsis thaliana ferrochelatases, FC1 and FC2, serve different functions, corroborating previous assumptions. Co‐expression analysis of FC1 and FC2, together with microarray analyses, implies that fc1 and fc2 trigger different modes of plastid signalling in roots and leaves, respectively, and indicates that FC2 might be involved in stress responses. Thus, loss of FC2 increases resistance to salt and flagellin treatment. Whereas fc1 plants showed no obvious mutant phenotype, fc2 mutants formed abnormally small, pale green rosette leaves; were low in chlorophylls, carotenoids and several photosynthetic proteins; and their photosynthetic performance was impaired. These phenotypes are attenuated by growth in continuous light, in agreement with the finding that fc2 plants accumulate protochlorophyllide and display a fluorescent (flu) phenotype in the dark. In consequence we show that, contrary to earlier suggestions, FC2 produces heme not only for photosynthetic cytochromes, but also for proteins involved in stress responses, whereas the impairment of FC1 apparently interferes only marginally with stress responses.
Biochemical and physiological mechanisms underlying effects of Cucumber mosaic virus on host‐plant traits that mediate transmission by aphid vectors
Authors: MAUCK KERRY E. , DE MORAES CONSUELO M. , MESCHER MARK C. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThe transmission of insect‐vectored diseases entails complex interactions among pathogens, hosts and vectors. Chemistry plays a key role in these interactions; yet, little work has addressed the chemical ecology of insect‐vectored diseases, especially in plant pathosystems. Recently, we documented effects of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) on the phenotype of its host (Cucurbita pepo) that influence plant‐aphid interactions and appear conducive to the non‐persistent transmission of this virus. CMV reduces host‐plant quality for aphids, causing rapid vector dispersal. Nevertheless, aphids are attracted to the elevated volatile emissions of CMV‐infected plants. Here, we show that CMV infection (1) disrupts levels of carbohydrates and amino acids in leaf tissue (where aphids initially probe plants and acquire virions) and in the phloem (where long‐term feeding occurs) in ways that reduce plant quality for aphids; (2) causes constitutive up‐regulation of salicylic acid; (3) alters herbivore‐induced jasmonic acid biosynthesis as well as the sensitivity of downstream defences to jasmonic acid; and (4) elevates ethylene emissions and free fatty acid precursors of volatiles. These findings are consistent with previously documented patterns of aphid performance and behaviour and provide a foundation for further exploration of the genetic mechanisms responsible for these effects and the evolutionary processes that shape them.
oca2 regulation of chromatophore differentiation and number is cell type specific in zebrafish
Authors: Beirl Alisha J. , Linbo Tor H. , Cobb Marea J. , Cooper Cynthia D. 
Published: December 2013

SummaryWe characterized a zebrafish mutant that displays defects in melanin synthesis and in the differentiation of melanophores and iridophores of the skin and retinal pigment epithelium. Positional cloning and candidate gene sequencing link this mutation to a 410‐kb region on chromosome 6, containing the oculocutaneous albinism 2 (oca2) gene. Quantification of oca2 mutant melanophores shows a reduction in the number of differentiated melanophores compared with wildtype siblings. Consistent with the analysis of mouse Oca2‐deficient melanocytes, zebrafish mutant melanophores have immature melanosomes which are partially rescued following treatment with vacuolar‐type ATPase inhibitor/cytoplasmic pH modifier, bafilomycin A1. Melanophore‐specific gene expression is detected at the correct time and in anticipated locations. While oca2 zebrafish display unpigmented gaps on the head region of mutants 3 days post‐fertilization, melanoblast quantification indicates that oca2 mutants have the correct number of melanoblasts, suggesting a differentiation defect explains the reduced melanophore number. Unlike melanophores, which are reduced in number in oca2 mutants, differentiated iridophores are present at significantly higher numbers. These data suggest distinct mechanisms for oca2 in establishing differentiated chromatophore number in developing zebrafish.
Expression of insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor in metastatic uveal melanoma and implications for potential autocrine and paracrine tumor cell growth
Authors: Yoshida Makoto , Selvan Senthamil , McCue Peter A. , DeAngelis Tiziana , Baserga Renato , Fujii Ami , Rui Hallgeir , Mastrangelo Michael J. , Sato Takami 
Published: December 2013

SummaryWe investigated the importance of the insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor (IGF‐1R) in hepatic metastases of uveal melanoma. The expression pattern of IGF‐1R in archival tissue samples of hepatic metastasis from 24 patients was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. All the samples of hepatic metastases stained positive for IGF‐1R. To investigate the biological role of IGF‐1R on the growth of metastatic uveal melanoma, a long‐term cell line obtained from a hepatic metastasis (TJU‐UM001) was evaluated. TJU‐UM001 expressed cell surface IGF‐1R (>90%) and proliferated in response to exogenous and endogenous insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1). Correlatively, anti‐IGF‐1R antibody completely blocked IGF‐1‐induced growth of TJU‐UM001 cells. IGF‐1 preferentially induced phosphorylation of Akt (S473) in quiescent TJU‐UM001 cells, and this was blocked by anti‐IGF‐1R antibody. This study suggests that autocrine and paracrine mechanisms underlie IGF‐1‐induced growth of metastatic uveal melanoma and underscore the potential benefit of IGF‐1 or IGF‐1R antagonism in treatment for metastatic uveal melanoma.
Disruption of GRM1‐mediated signalling using riluzole results in DNA damage in melanoma cells
Authors: Wall Brian A. , Wangari‐Talbot Janet , Shin Seung S. , Schiff Devora , Sierra Jairo , Yu Lumeng J. , Khan Atif , Haffty Bruce , Goydos James S. , Chen Suzie 
Published: December 2013

SummaryGain of function of the neuronal receptor, metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (Grm1), was sufficient to induce melanocytic transformation in vitro and spontaneous melanoma development in vivo when ectopically expressed in melanocytes. The human form of this receptor, GRM1, has been shown to be ectopically expressed in a subset of human melanomas but not benign nevi or normal melanocytes, suggesting that misregulation of GRM1 is involved in the pathogenesis of certain human melanomas. Sustained stimulation of Grm1 by the ligand, glutamate, is required for the maintenance of transformed phenotypes in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo. In this study, we investigate the mechanism of an inhibitor of glutamate release, riluzole, on human melanoma cells that express metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (GRM1). Various in vitro assays conducted show that inhibition of glutamate release in several human melanoma cell lines resulted in an increase of oxidative stress and DNA damage response markers.
Prevalence, Serovars and Antimicrobial Susceptibility ofSalmonellaspp. from Wild and Domestic Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana) inGrenada, West Indies
Authors: Sylvester W. R. B. , Amadi V. , Pinckney R. , Macpherson C. N. L. , McKibben J. S. , Bruhl‐Day R. , Johnson R. , Hariharan H. 
Published: December 2013

SummaryCloacal swabs from 62 green iguanas (Iguana iguana), including 47 wild and 15 domestic ones from five parishes ofGrenada, were sampled during a 4‐month period of January to April 2013 and examined by enrichment and selective culture for the presence ofSalmonellaspp. Fifty‐five per cent of the animals were positive, and eight serovars ofSalmonellawere isolated. The most common serovar wasRubislaw (58.8%), a serovar found recently in many cane toads inGrenada, followed byOranienburg (14.7%), a serovar that has been causing serious human disease outbreaks inJapan. SerovarIV:48:g,z51:‐ (formerly,S. Marina) highly invasive and known for serious infections in children in theUnitedStates, constituted 11.8% of the isolates, all of them being from domestic green iguanas.SalmonellaNewport, a serovar recently found in a blue land crab inGrenada, comprised 11.8% of the isolates from the green iguanas. The remaining four less frequent serovars included S. Javiana and S. Glostrup. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests conducted by a disc diffusion method against amoxicillin–clavulanic acid, ampicillin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole showed that drug resistance is minimal, with intermediate susceptibility, mainly to streptomycin, tetracycline and cefotaxime. This is the first report of isolation and antimicrobial susceptibilities of variousSalmonellaserovars from wild and domestic green iguanas inGrenada,WestIndies.