bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evidence for pathogenicity of autoreactive T cells in autoimmune bullous diseases shown by animal disease models
Authors: Ujiie Hideyuki , Shimizu Hiroshi 
Published: August 2012

AbstractAutoimmune bullous diseases (AIBDs) are characterized by blisters and erosions on the skin and/or mucous membranes, which are caused by autoantibodies directed to structural proteins of the epidermis and the epidermal basement membrane zone. This Viewpoint Essay discusses the contribution by autoreactive T cells to the pathogenesis of bullous pemphigoid, pemphigus and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita, with an emphasis on studies using active animal mouse models for these diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that cytokines produced by autoreactive T cells, the interaction between antigen‐specific T cells and B cells and the function of regulatory T cells are likely related to the pathogenesis of AIBDs. In interpreting the experimental results, the limitations of those animal models should be considered. Further understanding of the pathogenicity of autoreactive CD4+ T cells may lead to disease‐specific treatments.
B cell activating factor (BAFF) in the natural history of chronic hepatitis C virus liver disease and mixed cryoglobulinaemia
Authors: Lake-Bakaar G , Jacobson I , Talal A 
Published: August 2012

Summary
B cell activating factor (BAFF) plays a crucial role in the process of development, maturation and activation of B lymphocytes. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by multiple B cell disorders. It is a major cause of type II mixed cryoglobulinaemia (MC). We measured serum BAFF levels in several clinical situations to elucidate the potential role of BAFF in chronic HCV infection. We used a commercially available solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We estimated serum BAFF in stored sera from uninfected controls (n = 8), patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection HBV (n = 5) and chronic HCV infection with (n = 16) and without mixed cryoglobulinaemia (n = 14). In two patients with HCV and MC we correlated BAFF with HCV RNA after pegylated interferon (peg-I). We correlated serum BAFF levels at baseline and at 12 weeks with treatment response: sustained virological response SVR (n = 5), non-responders (n = 6) and relapsers (n = 2). Finally, we estimated BAFF levels after complete depletion of B cells with rituximab in patients with chronic HCV with MC (n = 3). Serum levels of BAFF were increased in chronic HCV with MC, but not in chronic HBV infection, suggesting an association between BAFF and cryoglobulinaemia. Peg-I increased BAFF levels in serum and this paralleled HCV RNA very closely. Serum BAFF levels at week 12 of therapy with peg-I and R were significantly higher in responders than non-responders. Finally, B cell depletion was associated with markedly increased levels of BAFF.
Thinning of large mammalian cells for cryo‐TEM characterization by cryo‐FIB milling
Authors: STRUNK K.M. , WANG K. , KE D. , GRAY J.L. , ZHANG P. 
Published: August 2012

SummaryFocused ion beam milling at cryogenic temperatures (cryo‐FIB) is a valuable tool that can be used to thin vitreous biological specimens for subsequent imaging and analysis by cryo‐transmission electron microscopy (cryo‐TEM) in a frozen‐hydrated state. This technique offers the potential benefit of eliminating the mechanical artefacts that are typically found with cryo‐ultramicrotomy. However, due to the additional complexity in transferring samples in and out of the FIB, contamination and devitrification of the amorphous ice is commonly encountered. To address these problems, we have designed a sample cryo‐shuttle that directly and specifically accepts Polara TEM cartridges to simplify the transfer process between FIB and TEM. We optimized several parameters in the cryo‐FIB and cryo‐TEM processes using the quality of the samples’ ice as an indicator and demonstrated high‐quality milling with large mammalian cells. By comparing the results from HeLa cells to those from Escherichia coli cells, we discuss some of the artefacts and challenges we have encountered using this technique.
A line scanning confocal fluorescent microscope using a CMOS rolling shutter as an adjustable aperture
Authors: MEI E. , FOMITCHOV P.A. , GRAVES R. , CAMPION M. 
Published: August 2012

SummaryTraditional confocal microscopy uses a physical aperture barrier to prevent out‐of‐focus light from reaching the detector. The physical nature of a conventional aperture limits control over the system confocality. We describe a new line scanning confocal microscope that eliminates a need for a physical aperture by employing a software‐controllable rolling shutter on a CMOS camera. A confocal image is obtained by synchronizing motion of the rolling shutter and the laser line scanning over a sample. Confocal resolution of this microscope is adjustable in real time and independently established for each fluorescence channel by changing the rolling shutter width. This technology has been implemented in the IN Cell Analyzer 6000 system by GE Healthcare.
Tooth and cranial disparity in the fossil relatives of Sphenodon (Rhynchocephalia) dispute the persistent ‘living fossil’ label
Authors: Meloro C. , Jones M. E. H. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractThe tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) is the only living representative of Rhynchocephalia, a group of small vertebrates that originated about 250 million years ago. The tuatara has been referred to as a living fossil; however, the group to which it belongs included a much greater diversity of forms in the Mesozoic. We explore the morphological diversity of Rhynchocephalia and stem lepidosaur relatives (Sphenodon plus 13 fossil relatives) by employing a combination of geometric morphometrics and comparative methods. Geometric morphometrics is used to explore cranium size and shape at interspecific scale, while comparative methods are employed to test association between skull shape and size and tooth number after taking phylogeny into account. Two phylogenetic topologies have been considered to generate a phylomorphospace and quantify the phylogenetic signal in skull shape data, the ancestral state reconstruction as well as morphological disparity using disparity through time plots (DTT). Rhynchocephalia exhibit a significant phylogenetic signal in skull shape that compares well with that computed for other extinct vertebrate groups. A consistent form of allometry has little impact on skull shape evolution while the number of teeth significantly correlates with skull shape also after taking phylogeny into account. The ancestral state reconstruction demonstrates a dramatic shape difference between the skull of Sphenodon and its much larger Cretaceous relative Priosphenodon. Additionally, DTT demonstrates that skull shape disparity is higher between rather than within clades while the opposite applies to skull size and number of teeth. These results were not altered by the use of competing phylogenic hypotheses. Rhynchocephalia evolved as a morphologically diverse group with a dramatic radiation in the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic about 200 million years ago. Differences in size are not marked between species whereas changes in number of teeth are associated with co‐ordinated shape changes in the skull to accommodate larger masticatory muscles. These results show that the tuatara is not the product of evolutionary stasis but that it represents the only survivor of a diverse Mesozoic radiation whose subsequent decline remains to be explained.
Evidence for specificity to Glomus group Ab in two Asian mycoheterotrophic Burmannia species
Authors: Suetsugu Kenji , Kawakita Atsushi , Kato Makoto 
Published: August 2012

AbstractNonphotosynthetic mycorrhizal plants, so‐called mycoheterotrophic plants, have long attracted the curiosity of botanists and mycologists. Recent advances in molecular methods based on fungal‐specific PCR amplification have dramatically enhanced the identification of their host mycorrhizal fungi. However, studies investigating the fungal hosts of arbuscular mycorrhizae‐forming mycoheterotrophs are still limited in Asia, which is known as one of the diversity hot spots of mycoheterotrophs that parasitize arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM). Therefore, we aimed to reveal the mycorrhizal associations of two Asian, fully mycoheterotrophic Burmannia species by molecular identification. Sequences of the small subunit ribosomal DNA showed that both Burmannia species are associated with several distinct lineages of Glomus group Ab. Because Glomus group Ab fungi have been confirmed as fungal hosts of various mycoheterotrophic plants in Africa and South America, we suggest they are widely exploited by AM‐forming mycoheterotrophs globally.
Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in 2‐year‐olds: a study of community practice
Authors: Corsello Christina M. , Akshoomoff Natacha , Stahmer Aubyn C. 
Published: August 2012

Background:  Longitudinal research studies have demonstrated that experienced clinicians using standardized assessment measures can make a reliable diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in children under age 3. Limited data are available regarding the sensitivity and specificity of these measures in community settings. The aims of this study were to determine how well a standardized diagnostic observational measure (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – ADOS) functions alone, and with a brief parent measure within a community setting when administered by community clinicians.Methods:  Clinical records for 138 children between the ages of 24 and 36 months of age who were evaluated for possible ASD or social/language concerns at a hospital‐based developmental evaluation clinic were examined. Evaluations were conducted by community‐based clinical psychologists. Classification results obtained from standardized diagnostic measures were compared with case reviewer diagnosis, by reviewers blind to scores on diagnostic measures, using The Records‐based Methodology for ASD Case Definition that was developed by the Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program.Results:  When compared with case review diagnosis, the ADOS demonstrated strong sensitivity and specificity for both Autism versus Not Autism and ASD versus Nonspectrum (NS) diagnoses in this young sample. The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), using the lower cutoff of ≥12, had adequate sensitivity when differentiating Autism from Not Autism, but weak sensitivity when differentiating ASD from NS, missing about 80% of the children with pervasive developmental disorder – not otherwise specified. Using either the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers or the SCQ in combination with the ADOS did not result in improved specificity over the ADOS alone and led to a drop in sensitivity when differentiating ASD from NS disorders.Conclusions:  These results demonstrate that following best practice guidelines, the ADOS can be successfully incorporated into clinical practice with relatively good sensitivity and specificity, and worked well with a referred sample of 2‐year‐olds. A parent questionnaire did not lead to any improvement in diagnostic classification above the ADOS used in isolation.
The locomotory activity rhythm of the spiny mouse,Acomys spinosissimusfrom southernAfrica: light entrainment and endogenous circadian rhythms
Authors: Hoole C. , Oosthuizen M. K. , Chimimba C. T. , Bennett N. C. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractThe circadian rhythm of locomotor activity in the spiny mouseAcomys spinosissimusfromSouthAfrica was investigated under controlled laboratory conditions. Nine individuals were subjected to six successive light cycles of approximately 2 weeks each as follows: (1) a standard light/dark (12:12LD) cycle; (2) a period of constant darkness (DD); (3) a second standard light/dark (12L:12D) cycle; (4) an inverse of theLD(12:12DL) cycle; (5) a short day cycle (8:16LD); and (6) a long day cycle (16:8LD). All the animals exhibited entrainment of their activity to theLDandDLlighting regimes. Locomotor activity ofA. spinosissimusoccurred predominantly during the dark phases of theLD,DL, long day and short day cycles. UnderLD, the mean percentage of activity was 88.7 ± 0.07% during the dark phase. When subjected to constant darkness, all animals expressed free‐running rhythms of locomotor activity (mean ± 1 standard deviation = 23.81 ± 0.33 h; range = 23.2–24.1 h). On the reverseLDcycle, the mean percentage of activity was 81.4 ± 0.09% during the dark phase of the cycle. Mice exhibited significantly more daytime activity during the long day cycle (20.3 ± 5.8%) and no significant change in dark phase activity during the short day cycle (90.1 ± 4.01). The spiny mouse possesses a circadian rhythm of locomotor activity that entrains strongly to light. Locomotory activity occurs predominantly during the dark phase and can therefore be considered a nocturnal mammal.
Mobile hydrocarbon microspheres from >2‐billion‐year‐old carbon‐bearing seams in the South African deep subsurface
Authors: Wanger G. , Moser D. , Hay M. , Myneni S. , Onstott T. C. , Southam G. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractBy ~2.9 Ga, the time of the deposition of the Witwatersrand Supergroup, life is believed to have been well established on Earth. Carbon remnants of the microbial biosphere from this time period are evident in sediments from around the world. In the Witwatersrand Supergroup, the carbonaceous material is often concentrated in seams, closely associated with the gold deposits and may have been a mobile phase 2 billion years ago. Whereas today the carbon in the Witwatersrand Supergroup is presumed to be immobile, hollow hydrocarbon spheres ranging in size from <1 μm to >50 μm were discovered emanating from a borehole drilled through the carbon‐bearing seams suggesting that a portion of the carbon may still be mobile in the deep subsurface. ToF‐SIMS and STXM analyses revealed that these spheres contain a suite of alkane, alkenes, and aromatic compounds consistent with the described organic‐rich carbon seams within the Witwatersrand Supergroup's auriferous reef horizons. Analysis by electron microscopy and ToF‐SIMS, however, revealed that these spheres, although most likely composed of biogenic carbon and resembling biological organisms, do not retain any true structural, that is, fossil, information and were formed by an abiogenic process.
Developmental outcomes of childhood‐onset temporal lobe epilepsy: A community‐based study
Authors: Wilson Sarah J. , Micallef Silvana , Henderson Asawari , Rayner Genevieve , Wrennall Jacquie A. , Spooner Claire , Harvey A. Simon 
Published: August 2012

SummaryPurpose:  To assess the impact of childhood‐onset temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) on the attainment of normative developmental tasks and identify predictors of long‐term developmental outcomes.Methods:  In 1992–1993, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of childhood‐onset TLE was commenced in the State of Victoria, Australia. At review in 2004–2006, we assessed developmental tasks, which are age‐specific individual psychosocial achievements tied to particular phases of the lifespan. The cohort comprised 54 individuals (33 female) with a mean age of 20 years (range 12–29), and mean age at TLE onset of 6 years (range 0.2–15).Key Findings:  Individuals were clustered into three groups representing distinct developmental trajectories: (1) a Normal group (52%) who achieved most of their developmental tasks, (2) an Altered group (37%) who achieved some, and (3) a Delayed group (11%) who achieved few. The groups showed significant cognitive differences, with the Normal group outperforming the Altered and Delayed groups on a range of measures (p < 0.05). Multiple discriminant function analysis indicated that membership of the groups was independently predicted by the chronicity of seizures, cognitive functioning, having surgically remediable epilepsy, and gender (p < 0.001). Seizure chronicity and cognition discriminated between all three trajectories, while surgical intervention and gender primarily discriminated between the Altered and Delayed trajectories.Significance:  Childhood‐onset TLE can disrupt achievement of normative developmental tasks that is independently predicted by medical, biologic, and cognitive factors. Assessment of developmental tasks across the lifespan provides a practical framework for guiding prognostic counseling of patients and families.
Blood–brain barrier dysfunction and epilepsy: Pathophysiologic role and therapeutic approaches
Authors: Marchi Nicola , Granata Tiziana , Ghosh Chaitali , Janigro Damir 
Published: August 2012

SummaryThe blood–brain barrier (BBB) is located within a unique anatomic interface and has functional ramifications to most of the brain and blood cells. In the past, the BBB was considered a pharmacokinetic impediment to antiepileptic drug penetration into the brain; nowadays it is becoming increasingly evident that targeting of the damaged or dysfunctional BBB may represent a therapeutic approach to reduce seizure burden. Several studies have investigated the mechanisms linking the onset and sustainment of seizures to BBB dysfunction. These studies have shown that the BBB is at the crossroad of a multifactorial pathophysiologic process that involves changes in brain milieu, altered neuroglial physiology, development of brain inflammation, leukocyte–endothelial interactions, faulty angiogenesis, and hemodynamic changes leading to energy mismatch. A number of knowledge gaps, conflicting points of view, and discordance between clinical and experimental data currently characterize this field of neuroscience. As more pieces are added to this puzzle, it is apparent that each mechanism needs to be validated in an appropriate clinical context. We now offer a BBB‐centric view of seizure disorders, linking several aspects of seizures and epilepsy physiopathology to BBB dysfunction. We have reviewed the therapeutic, antiseizure effect of drugs that promote BBB repair. We also present BBB neuroimaging as a tool to correlate BBB restoration to seizure mitigation. Add‐on cerebrovascular drug could be of efficacy in reducing seizure burden when used in association with neuronal antiepileptic drugs.
Exploring Predictors of Complication in Older Surgical Patients: A Deficit Accumulation Index and the Braden Scale
Authors: Cohen Rachel‐Rose , Lagoo‐Deenadayalan Sandhya A. , Heflin Mitchell T. , Sloane Richard , Eisen Irvin , Thacker Julie M. , Whitson Heather E. 
Published: August 2012

ObjectivesTo determine whether readily collected perioperative information might identify older surgical patients at higher risk of complications.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingMedical chart review at a single academic institution.ParticipantsOne hundred two individuals aged 65 and older who underwent abdominal surgery between January 2007 and December 2009.MeasurementsPrimary predictor variables were first postoperative Braden Scale score (within 24 hours of surgery) and a Deficit Accumulation Index (DAI) constructed based on 39 available preoperative variables. The primary outcome was presence or absence of complication within 30 days of surgery.ResultsOf 102 patients, 64 experienced at least one complication, with wound infection being the most common. In models adjusted for age, race, sex, and open versus laparoscopic surgery, lower Braden Scale scores were predictive of 30‐day postoperative complication (odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06–1.60), longer length of stay (β = 1.44 (0.25) days; P ≤ .001), and discharge to an institution rather than home (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.02–1.48). The cut‐off value for the Braden score with the highest predictive value for complication was ≤ 18 (OR = 3.63, 95% CI = 1.43–9.19; c statistic 0.744). The DAI and several traditional surgical risk factors were not significantly associated with 30‐day postoperative complications.ConclusionThis is the first study to identify the perioperative Braden Scale score, a widely used risk‐stratifier for pressure ulcers, as an independent predictor of other adverse outcomes in geriatric surgical patients. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding and to investigate other uses for this tool, which correlates well to phenotypic models of frailty.
Straight and Offset Implant Placement under Axial and Nonaxial Loads in Implant‐Supported Prostheses: Strain Gauge Analysis
Authors: Abreu Celina Wanderley , Nishioka Renato Sussumu , Balducci Ivan , Consani Rafael Leonardo Xediek 
Published: August 2012

AbstractPurpose: The aim of this in vitro study was to quantify strain development during axial and nonaxial loading using strain gauge analysis for three‐element implant‐supported FPDs, varying the arrangement of implants: straight line (L) and offset (O).Materials and Methods: Three Morse taper implants arranged in a straight line and three implants arranged in an offset configuration were inserted into two polyurethane blocks. Microunit abutments were screwed onto the implants, applying a 20 Ncm torque. Plastic copings were screwed onto the abutments, which received standard wax patterns cast in Co‐Cr alloy (n = 10). Four strain gauges were bonded onto the surface of each block tangential to the implants. The occlusal screws of the superstructure were tightened onto microunit abutments using 10 Ncm and then axial and nonaxial loading of 30 Kg was applied for 10 seconds on the center of each implant and at 1 and 2 mm from the implants, totaling nine load application points. The microdeformations determined at the nine points were recorded by four strain gauges, and the same procedure was performed for all of the frameworks. Three loadings were made per load application point. The magnitude of microstrain on each strain gauge was recorded in units of microstrain (μɛ). The data were analyzed statistically by two‐way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p < 0.05).Results: The configuration factor was statistically significant (p= 0.0004), but the load factor (p= 0.2420) and the interaction between the two factors were not significant (p= 0.5494). Tukey's test revealed differences between axial offset (μɛ) (183.2 ± 93.64) and axial straight line (285.3 ± 61.04) and differences between nonaxial 1 mm offset (201.0 ± 50.24) and nonaxial 1 mm straight line (315.8 ± 59.28).Conclusion: There was evidence that offset placement is capable of reducing the strain around an implant. In addition, the type of loading, axial force or nonaxial, did not have an influence until 2 mm.