bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identifying the multi‐scale spatial structure of plant community determinants of an important national resource
Authors: Lewis Rob J. , Pakeman Robin J. , Marrs Rob H. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractQuestionsWhat is the significance of climate and land‐use management as determinants of plant species composition of Scotland's soft coasts, and how are these determinants spatially scaled? What is the relative contribution of different community assembly processes in governing the coastal plant communities of an important national resource?LocationScotland, UK.MethodsWe used national‐scale survey data of Scotland's soft coasts, and a subset representative of machair grassland, a conservation priority habitat. Principal coordinates of neighbour matrices (PCNM), an eigenvector‐based method, was used to assess the spatial component of environmental determinants at multiple scales. The variation‐partitioning framework was applied to unravel the scale‐specific importance, relative to the study design (Broad > 50 km, Meso 10–50 km, small + fine 1.5–10.0 km) of each environmental predictor set.ResultsModelled environmental and spatial predictors captured ca. 20% of the variation for both response matrices. Management predictors captured significant proportions, identifying vegetation structure, proxies for grazing intensity and disturbance as important descriptors of patterns in species composition for both data sets. The spatial scale of management predictors was poorly captured by modelled PCNM variables, suggesting spatially dependent management variables operate at finer spatial scales than this study detected. Climate also captured significant, yet smaller fractions of variation compared to management. Potential evapotranspiration (PET) and humidity were identified as important climatic determinants of species composition operating entirely at the broad spatial scale. Pure spatial fractions across all scales were significant (P ≤ 0.001) for both data sets, alluding to unmeasured, spatially structured environmental variables such as soil chemistry and/or exposure at larger scales, and potentially biotic process such as seed dispersal at the finest detectable scale.ConclusionsThe use of spatial PCNM variables within the variation‐partitioning framework is a valuable tool for dissecting scale‐specific importance of environmental determinants of species composition. This study reveals important climatic and management determinants of Scotland's soft coast and machair vegetation, and will help to better understand the relative scale at which they operate.
An Introduction to the ‘literary person[s]’ of Anne Lister and the Ladies of Llangollen
Authors: Valladares Susan 
Published: March 2013

AbstractAnne Lister eagerly looked forward to her tour of North Wales in July 1822 – a tour made in the company of a dear aunt, and whose principal highlight would be a visit to Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, the celebrated Ladies of Llangollen. Ten days prior to her departure, Lister received a letter from her friend, Isabel Dalton, reassuring her that apparently ‘no introduction’ to the Ladies would be necessary: “Any literary person especially calling on them would be taken as a compliment.” Butler and Ponsonby were accustomed to receiving visits from the best of ‘literary persons’, including William Wordsworth, Caroline Lamb, Edmund Burke, and Sir Walter Scott. While Lister lacked such illustrious renown, she was certainly qualified to make the visit. Her diaries reveal that Halifax Library was one of her regular haunts, that she kept careful note of her reading, regularly perused literary reviews, and enjoyed performing favourite book passages and songs to friends and family. She relied on her literary knowledge to further her amorous intrigues, was generous in her presentation of bound books as gifts and love tokens, and confided in a select few of her ‘ambition in the literary way’ and related wish for ‘a name in the world’. Unsurprisingly then, the Ladies of Llangollen’s ‘rustic library’ made an immediate impression on Lister, who warmly admired their ‘little bookcase with 30 or 40 little volumes [of] chiefly poetry, Spenser, Chaucer, Pope, Cowper, Homer, Shakespeare, etc. –’. For their part, Butler and Ponsonby were ‘always reading’; or, in their own words, indulging in ‘the exquisite pleasures of retirement and the luxury of purchasing books’.A study of the literary interests and reading practices recorded by Lister and the Ladies of Llangollen offers a valuable extension to our understanding of these fascinating diarists and the importance placed by all three women on the desirability of a literary mindset. In its investigation of the links between textuality and subjectivity, my article considers the meanings associated with different reading spaces, and how the literary pursuits of Anne Lister and the Ladies of Llangollen related to their larger academic interests, attitudes to female education, sexual identity, and financial independence.
Middle English Drama Beyond the Cycle Plays
Authors: Brantley Jessica 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe study of Middle English drama has long been dominated by discussion of the cycle plays, the sweeping multi‐part pageants of biblical history that were performed yearly in cities such as York. But those cycle plays form only part of a complicated and rich culture of performance in late‐medieval England. This essay seeks to provide a sense of the variety of that culture, attesting to the breadth of medieval English drama in play texts such as Mankind, the Croxton Play of the Sacrament, and the Digby Mary Magdalene, and also in other kinds of performance record, such as dramatic fragments and prose meditations. For the broadening of medieval theater history beyond the cycle plays includes not only other significant genres of dramatic activity, but also performative practices and literary texts that lie relatively far from the stage. A theater history beyond the cycle plays also necessarily becomes a theater history beyond the theater, as scholars write a new history of medieval performance.
Long‐Term Outcomes of Ivabradine in Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia Patients: Appropriate Efficacy or Inappropriate Patients
Authors: BENEZET‐MAZUECOS JUAN , RUBIO JOSÉ M. , FARRÉ JERÓNIMO , QUIÑONES MIGUEL Á. , SANCHEZ‐BORQUE PEPA , MACÍA ESTER 
Published: March 2013

BackgroundInappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) is characterized by persistent and disproportional elevation of heart rate (HR). Ivabradine has been successfully used in some patients.MethodsTwenty‐four patients (18 women, 41 ± 13 year olds) were diagnosed with IST according to current guidelines criteria. Patients were treated with 5–7.5 mg of ivabradine twice a day. Twenty‐four‐hour Holter recordings and the SF‐36 Health Survey were performed at 6 months to evaluate both HR control and clinical status.ResultsHolter recordings before and after 6 months on treatment showed a significant reduction in the average maximal HR of 155 ± 18 beats/min versus 132 ± 16 beats/min, mean HR of 97 ± 6 beats/min versus 79 ± 8 beats/min (mean daytime HR of 103 ± 8 beats/min vs 84 ± 10 beats/min) and minimal HR of 58 ± 12 beats/min versus 48 ± 7 beats/min (Wilcoxon analysis, P < 0.05). The SF‐36 mean score showed a significant improvement on ivabradine treatment (57 ± 23 vs 76 ± 20), with a better physical and mental status scores (56 ± 25 vs 74 ± 22 and 58 ± 24 vs 78 ± 18, respectively) (Wilcoxon analysis, P < 0.001). Mean dose of ivabradine was 5.8 ± 1.4 mg. No episodes of severe bradycardia or syncope were reported. After 1 year, patients were asked to stop treatment to reevaluate the situation. Twenty patients were on treatment and only 10 patients accepted to stop ivabradine. Only two patients (20%) remained on IST criteria.ConclusionsIST patients treated with ivabradine showed both HR normalization and quality‐of‐life improvement maintained in the long‐term follow‐up. Stopping ivabradine after 1 year unexpectedly showed that HR remained in the normal limits in 80% of the patients.
Usefulness of Transtelephonic Monitoring in Epicardial Pacemaker Systems
Authors: LIBERMAN LEONARDO , SPOTNITZ HENRY M. , HORDOF ALLAN J. , FRIEDMAN RICHARD A. , STARC THOMAS J. , SILVER ERIC S. 
Published: March 2013

BackgroundTranstelephonic monitoring (TTM) of pediatric patients with cardiac pacemakers (PMs) has been shown to have high sensitivity and specificity in identifying PM malfunction. The objective of this study is to determine if there is a difference in the rate of abnormal TTM findings in transvenous versus epicardial PM systems.MethodsOur TTM database was reviewed. Patients younger than 21 years of age enrolled for TTM between 1990 and 2010 were included. The abnormal TTM recordings (not including elective replacement indicator) were identified. Logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. Note that P < 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsWe identified 186 patients. There were 75 (40%) epicardial systems. The mean age at TTM enrollment was 6.8 ± 5.9 years (2 months–20.2 years). There were 41 (22%) patients with abnormal TTM findings. The abnormalities were found in 23/75 (31%) epicardial and 18/111 (16%) transvenous systems (odds ratio [OR]: 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–4.62, P = 0.02). When controlling for age and presence of heart disease the OR for abnormal transmission in epicardial systems compared with transvenous was 2.1 (95% CI: 1.03–4.43, P = 0.04). Patients with epicardial systems were more likely to have capture abnormalities on TTM than transvenous systems (OR: 6.1, 95% CI: 1.9–19.5, P = 0.002).ConclusionPediatric patients with epicardial PM systems are more likely to have abnormal TTM test (particularly capture problems) than patients with transvenous systems regardless of age or presence of heart disease. Consequently, patients with epicardial PM systems should be followed closely with TTM.
T cell subsets in cord blood are influenced by maternal allergy and associated with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Fu Yujing , Lou Hongfei , Wang Chengshuo , Lou Wei , Wang Yang , Zheng Tao , Zhang Luo 
Published: March 2013

AbstractBackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the influence of maternal allergy on cord blood regulatory and effector T cells and to evaluate their role as a predictor of atopic dermatitis (AD) during the first 2 yr of life.MethodsSeventy mother–infant pairs were recruited in this prospective birth cohort study (21 allergic and 49 non‐allergic mothers). Cord blood samples were collected and assayed for the percentage of regulatory T cells (Treg), interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), and interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) producing T cells (Th1 and Th2, respectively) using flow cytometry. Experiments were undertaken to assess the function of cord blood CD4+CD25+CD127− Treg cells by cell proliferation and cytokine responses. Their offspring at the age of 2 yr old were evaluated by dermatologists to determine whether they had AD.ResultsDuring the first 2 yr of life, 15.7% of the children developed a physician‐diagnosed AD. A significantly increased percentage of Th2 cell was observed in cord blood of newborns with maternal allergy. Treg/Th2 ratio significantly decreased among the offspring of allergic mothers. Treg cell‐associated suppression of Th2 response was attenuated in Der p1‐stimulated CD4+CD25− T cells from the offspring of allergic mothers. Children with reduced Th1/Th2 (p = 0.001, OR = 0.37) and Treg/Th2 (p = 0.001, OR = 0.47) ratio in cord blood had a higher risk of developing AD.ConclusionMaternal allergic status is associated with increased percentage of IL‐4+CD4+ T cells and a reduced Treg/Th2 ratio in cord blood at their children's birth, which may predispose to an increased risk for developing AD.
Stage determination in sleeping sickness: comparison of two cell counting and two parasite detection techniques
Authors: Mumba Ngoyi Dieudonné , Menten Joris , Pyana Pati Patient , Büscher Philippe , Lejon Veerle 
Published: March 2013

AbstractObjectivesDiagnosis of the neurological stage of human African trypanosomiasis is performed by examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the presence of trypanosomes and numbers of white blood cells (WBC). Both CSF parameters are also used to assess treatment outcome during follow‐up. In view of the importance of CSF examination, and the practical problems encountered with it, we compared the sensitivity of two trypanosome concentration techniques and the repeatability of two cell counting methods, as well as occurrence of systematic differences between them.MethodsPatients were recruited at Dipumba hospital, in Mbuji‐Mayi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 94 CSF samples, trypanosome detection was performed with modified single centrifugation (MSC) and double centrifugation (DC). On 189 CSF samples with ≤30 cells/μl, cell counting was performed in duplicate in a Fuchs–Rosenthal counting chamber and in a disposable Uriglass counting chamber.ResultsModified single centrifugation detected trypanosomes in significantly (P < 0.0001) more patients (85) than DC (46). Cell counts did not differ systematically in the two methods. Variability in the differences between duplicate cell counts was significantly higher (P = 0.002) in Uriglass (SD of differences 2.03) than in Fuchs–Rosenthal (SD of differences 1.62).ConclusionsFor analysis of CSF in the context of sleeping sickness stage determination and follow‐up after treatment, we strongly recommend the MSC for parasite detection and the application of disposable counting chambers. When the first cell count is ≤20 cells/μl, we recommend repeating the counting procedure on the same CSF specimen and taking the average of both countings.
Single KATP channel opening in response to stimulation of AMPA/kainate receptors is mediated by Na+ accumulation and submembrane ATP and ADP changes
Authors: Mollajew R. , Toloe J. , Mironov S. L. 
Published: March 2013

Key points
KATP channels can suppress overexcitation of CNS neurons after activation of glutamatergic receptors (GluRs), and we examined this functional interaction in the brainstem and hippocampal neurons.
GluR stimulation increased the activity of single KATP channels that was not mediated by intracellular calcium, reactive oxygen species and osmotic stress, and was abolished after inhibition of sodium influx.
ATP and sodium imaging indicated that functional cross‐talk between GluRs and KATP channels is mediated by Na+‐K+‐ATPase.
GluR contributed to KATP channel opening during hypoxia in functionally intact brainstem slices and seizure‐like activity in the hippocampal slices.
We propose that neuronal activity depletes submembrane ATP, and increases ADP levels and promotes KATP channel opening that dampen uncontrolled excitation by glutamate.
Abstract  Excessive stimulation of glutamatergic receptors (GluRs) can overexcite neurons. This can be dampened by KATP channels linking metabolic and neuronal activities, but the cross‐talk has not yet been examined on the single channel level. In the brainstem and hippocampal neurons, GluR agonists augmented the open state probability (Popen) of KATP channels with relative efficacy: kainate ≈ AMPA > NMDA > t‐ACPD. Inhibition of calcium influx and chelation of intracellular calcium did not modify the effects. Kainate did not augment production of reactive oxygen species measured with roGFP1. H2O2 slightly increased Popen, but GluR effects were not modified. GluR actions were abolished in Na+‐free solutions and after blockade of Na+‐K+‐ATPase. KATP channels in open‐cell patch‐clamp measurements were inhibited by ATP, stimulated by ADP, and kainate was effective only in the presence of ATP. GluR stimulation enhanced ATP consumption that decreased submembrane ATP levels, whereas metabolic poisoning diminished bulk ATP. Modelling showed strong ATP depletion and ADP accumulation near the membrane, and both effects contributed to Popen increases after GluR stimulation. Kainate and hypoxia activated KATP channels in the functional brainstem slices. Inhibition of aerobic ATP production and GluR stimulation were about equally effective in KATP channel opening during hypoxia. Induction of seizure‐like activity in hippocampal slices with Mg2+‐free solutions was accompanied by ATP decrease and KATP channel opening. We propose that KATP channels and GluRs are functionally coupled that can regulate long‐lasting changes of neuronal activity in the CNS neurons.
A
liaF
Codon Deletion Abolishes Daptomycin Bactericidal Activity against Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis
Authors: Munita Jose M. , Tran Truc T. , Diaz Lorena , Panesso Diana , Reyes Jinnethe , Murray Barbara E. , Arias Cesar A. 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT
The genetic bases for antibiotic tolerance are obscure. Daptomycin (DAP) is a lipopeptide antibiotic with bactericidal activity against enterococci. Using time-kill assays, we provide evidence for the first time that a deletion of isoleucine in position 177 of LiaF, a member of the three-component regulatory system LiaFSR involved in the cell envelope response to antimicrobials, is directly responsible for a DAP-tolerant phenotype and is likely to negatively affect response to DAP therapy.
Ciprofloxacin Is Actively Transported across Bronchial Lung Epithelial Cells Using a Calu-3 Air Interface Cell Model
Authors: Ong Hui Xin , Traini Daniela , Bebawy Mary , Young Paul M. 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT

Ciprofloxacin is a well-established broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic that penetrates well into the lung tissues; still, the mechanisms of its transepithelial transport are unknown. The contributions of specific transporters, including multidrug efflux transporters, organic cation transporters, and organic anion-transporting polypeptide transporters, to the uptake of ciprofloxacin were investigated
in vitro
using an air interface bronchial epithelial model. Our results demonstrate that ciprofloxacin is subject to predominantly active influx and a slight efflux component.
Time to Initiation of Antifungal Therapy for Neonatal Candidiasis
Authors: Le Jennifer , Tran Tu T. , Bui Ivilynn , Wang Mike K. , Vo Andrew , Adler-Shohet Felice C. 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT

The effect of delayed antifungal therapy in critically ill infants with invasive candidiasis has not been studied. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of time to initiation of antifungal therapy (TIA) on mortality, disseminated disease, and postinfection hospital stay. We conducted a cohort study of critically ill infants with cultures positive for
Candida
from 1990 to 2008. TIA was defined as the number of hours from the collection of the first positive culture until the start of antifungal therapy. Of 96 infants, 57% were male, the median gestational age was 27 weeks (range, 23 to 41 weeks), and the median birth weight was 956 g (range, 415 to 6,191 g). Most subjects received amphotericin B deoxycholate. TIA was ≤24 h for 35% of infants, between 25 and 48 h for 42%, and >48 h for 23%. Eleven subjects died during hospitalization, and 22% had disseminated candidiasis. The median duration of hospital stay postinfection was 53 days (range, 6 to 217 days). Both univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that TIA was not associated with mortality, disseminated disease, or hospital stay postinfection. However, ventilator use for >60 days significantly increased the risk of death (odds ratio [OR], 9.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2 to 66.7;
P
= 0.002). Prolonged candidemia increased the risk of disseminated disease by 10% per day of positive culture (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.2;
P
= 0.007), and low gestational age was associated with increased neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay after the first positive
Candida
culture by 0.94 weeks (95% CI, 0.70 to 0.98;
P
< 0.001). The TIA was not associated with all-cause mortality, disseminated candidiasis, and postinfection length of hospital stay.
Rational Design of Engineered Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides Consisting Exclusively of Arginine and Tryptophan, and Their Activity against Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens
Authors: Deslouches Berthony , Steckbeck Jonathan D. , Craigo Jodi K. , Doi Yohei , Mietzner Timothy A. , Montelaro Ronald C. 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens underscores the need for new antimicrobial agents to overcome the resistance mechanisms of these organisms. Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAPs) provide a potential source of new antimicrobial therapeutics. We previously characterized a lytic base unit (LBU) series of engineered CAPs (eCAPs) of 12 to 48 residues demonstrating maximum antibacterial selectivity at 24 residues. Further, Trp substitution in LBU sequences increased activity against both
P. aeruginosa
and
S. aureus
under challenging conditions (e.g., saline, divalent cations, and serum). Based on these findings, we hypothesized that the optimal length and, therefore, the cost for maximum eCAP activity under physiologically relevant conditions could be significantly reduced using only Arg and Trp arranged to form idealized amphipathic helices. Hence, we developed a novel peptide series, composed only of Arg and Trp, in a sequence predicted and verified by circular dichroism to fold into optimized amphipathic helices. The most effective antimicrobial activity was achieved at 12 residues in length (WR12) against a panel of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive clinical isolates, including extensively drug-resistant strains, in saline and broth culture and at various pH values. The results demonstrate that the rational design of CAPs can lead to a significant reduction in the length and the number of amino acids used in peptide design to achieve optimal potency and selectivity against specific pathogens.
In Vivo
Efficacy of Daptomycin against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Mouse Model of Hematogenous Pulmonary Infection
Authors: Harada Yosuke , Yanagihara Katsunori , Yamada Koichi , Migiyama Yohei , Nagaoka Kentaro , Morinaga Yoshitomo , Nakamura Shigeki , Imamura Yoshifumi , Hasegawa Hiroo , Miyazaki Taiga , Izumikawa Koichi , Kakeya Hiroshi , Kohno Shigeru 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT

Daptomycin is inactivated by pulmonary surfactant, but its effectiveness in hematogenous pulmonary infection has been poorly studied. The potential therapeutic application was evaluated in a methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) hematogenous pulmonary infection mouse model. Compared with control results, daptomycin improved survival (
P
< 0.001) and decreased the number of abscesses and bacteria in the lungs (
P
< 0.01). Daptomycin may be an effective therapeutic option for MRSA hematogenous pulmonary infection.
Efficacy of Nitazoxanide against Clinical Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Shigyo Kristina , Ocheretina Oksana , Merveille Yves Mary , Johnson Warren D. , Pape Jean William , Nathan Carl F. , Fitzgerald Daniel W. 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT

Nitazoxanide (NTZ) has bactericidal activity against the
H37Rv
laboratory strain of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
with a MIC of 16 μg/ml. However, its efficacy against clinical isolates of
M. tuberculosis
has not been determined. We found that NTZ's MIC against 50 clinical isolates ranged from 12 to 28 μg/ml with a median of 16 μg/ml and was unaffected by resistance to first- or second-line antituberculosis drugs or a diversity of spoligotypes.
Molecular Characterization and
In Vitro
Antifungal Susceptibility Profile of Schizophyllum commune, an Emerging Basidiomycete in Bronchopulmonary Mycoses
Authors: Chowdhary Anuradha , Kathuria Shallu , Singh Pradeep Kumar , Agarwal Kshitij , Gaur Shailendra N. , Roy Pradip , Randhawa Harbans S. , Meis Jacques F. 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT

Schizophyllum commune
(
n
= 30) showed lowest geometric mean MICs of isavuconazole (0.19 μg/ml), itraconazole (0.2 μg/ml), voriconazole (0.24 μg/ml), and amphotericin B (0.29 μg/ml) and high geometric mean MICs of fluconazole (19.39 μg/ml) and flucytosine (17.28 μg/ml). Five cases (of 8) of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis that were treated with itraconazole had no recrudescence after 6 to 24 months of follow-up. One case each of invasive pulmonary mycosis and fungal ball were treated successfully with voriconazole and itraconazole.