bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
TNF‐α Expression in Embryos Exposed to a Teratogen
Authors: IVNITSKY IRENA , TORCHINSKY ARKADY , GORIVODSKY MARAT , ZEMLIAK ILONA , ORENSTEIN HASIDA , SAVION SHOSHANA , SHEPSHELOVICH JEANE , CARP HOWARD , FEIN AMOS , TODER VLADIMIR 
Published: March 2015

PROBLEM: The role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α produced by embryonic cells in normal and abnormal development is poorly understood. To assess to what extent TNF‐α may be involved in the process of induced dysmorphogenesis, the expression of TNF‐α and TNF‐α receptor (TNFRI) mRNA as well as TNF‐α protein was evaluated in embryos responding to a cyclophosphamide (CP)‐induced teratogenic insult. The effect of maternal immunostimulation increasing the embryo's tolerance to CP on TNF‐α expression was also investigated.METHOD OF STUDY: ICR female mice were treated intraperitoneally with 40 mg/kg CP on day 12 of pregnancy. The immunostimulator, xenogeneic rat splenocytes, was injected intrauterine 21 days before mating. Embryos were collected on days 13, 14, or 15 of pregnancy. TNF‐α mRNA, TNFRI mRNA, and TNF‐α protein expression were evaluated by in situ hybridization and immunostaining techniques in control, teratogen‐treated, and immuno‐stimulated teratogen‐treated embryos.RESULTS: CP‐treated embryos showed severe external brain and craniofacial anomalies already visible on day 14 of pregnancy. TNF‐α mRNA transcripts were detected in cells of the brain and the head of 13‐day embryos, which preceded the occurrence of CP‐induced external craniofacial anomalies. On day 15 of pregnancy, when severe craniofacial anomalies increased, a significant increase in the intensity of TNF‐α, TNFR1 mRNA transcripts, and TNF‐α protein expression were observed in cells of the malformed regions of the head and the brain. In other nonmalformed organs of CP‐treated embryos such as the liver (not macroscopically different from controls), neither TNF‐α nor TNFR1 transcripts were detected. Immunostimulation substantially diminished the severity of CP‐induced brain and craniofacial anomalies, decreased the resorption rate, and was associated with decreased intensity of TNF‐α mRNA transcripts detected on day 15 of pregnancy in the head and the brain of CP‐treated embryos.CONCLUSIONS: TNF‐α expressed in the embryo may be one of the molecules promoting the formation of CP‐induced brain and craniofacial anomalies. The decrease of TNF‐α expression in embryos of immunostimulated females may be one of the mechanisms responsible for the increased tolerance to the teratogenic insult.
An Exploratory Investigation of the Role of Parenting Stress in Relationship Focused Intervention
Authors: Alquraini Turki , Mahoney Gerald 
Published: March 2015

BackgroundMothers of young children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) and other disabilities (DD) have been reported to experience high levels of stress. This investigation examined the effects of parental stress on mothers? participation in a Relationship Focused intervention (RFI).MethodsMothers and young children who had either PDD (n = 18) or DD (n = 26) received weekly RF intervention for one year.ResultsPre‐post comparisons indicated significant increases in mothers? responsiveness and children?s development and social emotional functioning. Intervention effects were greater for mothers of children with PDD than for mothers of children with DD. There were three findings related to the role parenting stress. First, high levels of parenting stress did not interfere with mothers? ability to learn RFI strategies; second, there were non‐significant decreases in parenting stress during intervention; third, parenting stress enhanced the effects of mothers? responsiveness on children.ConclusionHigh levels of parenting stress does not appear to interfere with parent participation in RFI.
Assessment of bagging GBLUP for whole‐genome prediction of broiler chicken traits
Authors: Abdollahi‐Arpanahi R. , Morota G. , Valente B.D. , Kranis A. , Rosa G.J.M. , Gianola D. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryBootstrap aggregation (bagging) is a resampling method known to produce more accurate predictions when predictors are unstable or when the number of markers is much larger than sample size, because of variance reduction capabilities. The purpose of this study was to compare genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) with bootstrap aggregated sampling GBLUP (Bagged GBLUP, or BGBLUP) in terms of prediction accuracy. We used a 600 K Affymetrix platform with 1351 birds genotyped and phenotyped for three traits in broiler chickens; body weight, ultrasound measurement of breast muscle and hen house egg production. The predictive performance of GBLUP versus BGBLUP was evaluated in different scenarios consisting of including or excluding the TOP 20 markers from a standard genome‐wide association study (GWAS) as fixed effects in the GBLUP model, and varying training sample sizes and allelic frequency bins. Predictive performance was assessed via five replications of a threefold cross‐validation using the correlation between observed and predicted values, and prediction mean‐squared error. GBLUP overfitted the training set data, and BGBLUP delivered a better predictive ability in testing sets. Treating the TOP 20 markers from the GWAS into the model as fixed effects improved prediction accuracy and added advantages to BGBLUP over GBLUP. The performance of GBLUP and BGBLUP at different allele frequency bins and training sample sizes was similar. In general, results of this study confirm that BGBLUP can be valuable for enhancing genome‐enabled prediction of complex traits.
Random regression test day models to estimate genetic parameters for milk yield and milk components in Philippine dairy buffaloes
Authors: Flores E.B. , van der Werf J. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryHeritabilities and genetic correlations for milk production traits were estimated from first‐parity test day records on 1022 Philippine dairy buffalo cows. Traits analysed included milk (MY), fat (FY) and protein (PY) yields, and fat (Fat%) and protein (Prot%) concentrations. Varying orders of Legendre polynomials (Legm) as well as the Wilmink function (Wil) were used in random regression models. These various models were compared based on log likelihood, Akaike's information criterion, Bayesian information criterion and genetic variance estimates. Six residual variance classes were sufficient for MY, FY, PY and Fat%, while seven residual classes for Prot%. Multivariate analysis gave higher estimates of genetic variance and heritability compared with univariate analysis for all traits. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.25 to 0.44, 0.13 to 0.31 and 0.21 to 0.36 for MY, FY and PY, respectively. Wilmink's function was the better fitting function for additive genetic effects for all traits. It was also the preferred function for permanent environment effects for Fat% and Prot%, but for MY, FY and PY, the Legm was the appropriate function. Genetic correlations of MY with FY and PY were high and they were moderately negative with Fat% and Prot%. To prevent deterioration in Fat% and Prot% and improve milk quality, more weight should be applied to milk component traits.
Genetic analyses of rafted macroalgae reveal regional oceanographic connectivity patterns
Authors: Bussolini Laura T. , Waters Jonathan M. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractAimThis study examines beach‐cast rafts of Durvillaea antarctica (bull kelp) along New Zealand's east coast to determine spatial variation in beach‐cast haplotype assemblages. By using genetic markers, the geographical origins of rafted D. antarctica samples can be determined, allowing for the examination of dispersal pathways, distances rafted, and potential barriers to dispersal.LocationAn approximately 1000 km stretch of New Zealand's eastern coastline.Methods686 samples of beach‐cast D. antarctica rafts were collected and sequenced for cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 in order to infer geographical origins and dispersal dynamics of rafted specimens. Results were examined using principal components analysis (PCA) in order to determine spatial groupings. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was used to determine statistical support for the detected spatial groups.ResultsHierarchical AMOVA revealed three major regional genetic assemblages, which probably reflect broad oceanographic features. In particular, the north–south genetic partitioning in rafted kelp assemblages either side of the Cape Campbell region in central New Zealand closely corresponds to an oceanographically mediated disjunction previously observed in a number of larval‐dispersed marine invertebrate taxa.Main conclusionsFindings from this study suggest that passively drifting kelp rafts and planktonic invertebrate larvae may be similarly constrained by oceanographic features, and demonstrate how the phylogenetic structure present in populations of D. antarctica provide a framework with which to map dispersal patterns.
A dynamic framework for the study of optimal birth intervals reveals the importance of sibling competition and mortality risks
Authors: Thomas M. G. , Shanley D. P. , Houston A. I. , McNamara J. M. , Mace R. , Kirkwood T. B. L. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractHuman reproductive patterns have been well studied, but the mechanisms by which physiology, ecology and existing kin interact to affect the life history need quantification. Here, we create a model to investigate how age‐specific interbirth intervals adapt to environmental and intrinsic mortality, and how birth patterns can be shaped by competition and help between siblings. The model provides a flexible framework for studying the processes underlying human reproductive scheduling. We developed a state‐based optimality model to determine age‐dependent and family‐dependent sets of reproductive strategies, including the state of the mother and her offspring. We parameterized the model with realistic mortality curves derived from five human populations. Overall, optimal birth intervals increase until the age of 30 after which they remain relatively constant until the end of the reproductive lifespan. Offspring helping each other does not have much effect on birth intervals. Increasing infant and senescent mortality in different populations decreases interbirth intervals. We show that sibling competition and infant mortality interact to lengthen interbirth intervals. In lower‐mortality populations, intense sibling competition pushes births further apart. Varying the adult risk of mortality alone has no effect on birth intervals between populations; competition between offspring drives the differences in birth intervals only when infant mortality is low. These results are relevant to understanding the demographic transition, because our model predicts that sibling competition becomes an important determinant of optimal interbirth intervals only when mortality is low, as in post‐transition societies. We do not predict that these effects alone can select for menopause.
Acanthamoeba castellanii Proteases are Capable of Degrading Iron‐Binding Proteins as a Possible Mechanism of Pathogenicity
Authors: Ramírez‐Rico Gerardo , Martínez‐Castillo Moisés , de la Garza Mireya , Shibayama Mineko , Serrano‐Luna Jesús 
Published: March 2015

AbstractAcanthamoeba castellanii, a free‐living amoeba, is an amphizoic organism that can behave as an opportunistic pathogen, causing granulomatous amoebic encephalitis in immunocompromised patients or infecting immunocompetent individuals via cutaneous lesions, sinusoidal infections, or amoebic keratitis. Therefore, this amoeba could be in contact with different iron‐binding proteins, such as lactoferrin in tears and mucosa and transferrin and hemoglobin in blood. Iron is a vital and necessary element for host metabolism but also for parasite survival. Accordingly, parasites have developed iron uptake mechanisms, one of which is the utilization of proteases to degrade host iron‐binding proteins. In this work, we performed a partial biochemical characterization of A. castellanii proteases at different pHs and utilizing protease inhibitors with 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and copolymerized with different iron‐binding proteins. We describe for the first time the presence of several cysteine proteases in a total A. castellanii crude extract and in conditioned culture medium precipitated with ethanol. These amoebic peptidases degraded human holo‐lactoferrin, holo‐transferrin, hemoglobin, and horse spleen ferritin; some of these proteases were substrate specific, and others degraded multiple substrates. These proteases could be considered virulence factors that promote iron acquisition from the host.
“Because I Was Sick”: Seriously Ill Veterans' Perspectives on Reason for 30‐Day Readmissions
Authors: Enguidanos Susan , Coulourides Kogan Alexis M. , Schreibeis‐Baum Hannah , Lendon Jessica , Lorenz Karl 
Published: March 2015

ObjectivesTo determine the perspectives of seriously ill individuals on reasons for 30‐day hospital readmission.DesignA prospective qualitative study was conducted employing individual interviews conducted at bedside.SettingDepartment of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.ParticipantsSeriously ill individuals with heart failure or cancer receiving inpatient palliative care and readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of hospital discharge were recruited to participate. Nine were interviewed.MeasurementsA semistructured interview protocol was used to elicit participant perspectives on readmission causes.ResultsAll participants were male and had a mean age of 70.1 ± 9.5. Participants were ethnically diverse (three African Americans, three Caucasians, three Hispanic or mixed ethnic background). Six lived alone, and four did not have caregiver support. Qualitative analysis of transcripts revealed three themes relating to reasons for hospital readmission: lack of caregiver support and motivation to provide self‐care, acceptance of condition and desire for aggressive care, and access to care and poor quality of care.ConclusionParticipants identified potentially avoidable reasons for hospital readmission as well as causes that require rethinking regarding how community support is targeted and delivered. Participant preference for aggressive care, inability to provide self‐care, and lack of caregiver support suggest the need for new and innovative mechanisms to support seriously ill community‐dwelling individuals.
Awareness and Completion of Advance Directives in Older Korean‐American Adults
Authors: Dobbs Debra , Park Nan Sook , Jang Yuri , Meng Hongdao 
Published: March 2015

There has been growing concern about racial and ethnic disparities in completion rates of advance directives (ADs) in community‐dwelling older populations. Although differences in AD completion rates between non‐Hispanic whites and African Americans have been reported, not much is known about the awareness and completion of ADs in other groups of ethnic minorities. Using a sample of community‐dwelling Korean‐American older adults (n = 675) as a target, factors associated with their awareness and completion of ADs were explored. Guided by Andersen's behavioral health model, predisposing (age, sex, marital status, education), need (chronic conditions, functional disability), and enabling (health insurance, acculturation) variables were included in the separate logistic regression models of AD awareness and AD completion. In both models, acculturation was found to be a significant predictor; those who were more acculturated were more likely to be aware of ADs and to have completed ADs. This study contributes to the knowledge about the role of acculturation in explaining AD awareness and completion in Korean‐American older adults and provides recommendations for possible AD educational interventions for this older adult minority population.
Associations Between Sleep‐Disordered Breathing, Nocturnal Hypoxemia, and Subsequent Cognitive Decline in Older Community‐Dwelling Men: The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Sleep Study
Authors: Blackwell Terri , Yaffe Kristine , Laffan Alison , Redline Susan , Ancoli‐Israel Sonia , Ensrud Kristine E. , Song Yeonsu , Stone Katie L. ,   the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study Group
Published: March 2015

ObjectivesTo determine whether sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB), a group of disorders common in older adults characterized by breathing pauses during sleep often accompanied by hypoxemia, is associated with cognitive decline.DesignPopulation‐based longitudinal study.SettingSix centers in the United States.ParticipantsCommunity‐dwelling older men (N = 2,636; aged 76.0 ± 5.3) without probable mild cognitive impairment or dementia followed for 3.4 ± 0.5 years.MeasurementsSDB was measured using in‐home polysomnography: nocturnal hypoxemia (≥1% of sleep time with oxygen saturation (SaO2) <90%, oxygen desaturation index (ODI: number of oxygen desaturations of ≥3% per hour of sleep)) and apnea–hypopnea index (AHI, number of apneas and hypopneas at ≥3% desaturation per hour of sleep). Cognitive decline was measured using the Modified Mini‐Mental State Examination (3MS) and the Trail‐Making Test Part B (Trails B) at baseline and two follow‐up points. Associations between predictors and cognitive decline were examined using linear mixed models adjusted for multiple confounders. Models were further adjusted for potential mediators (sleep duration, sleep fragmentation, resting SaO2).ResultsNocturnal hypoxemia was related to greater decline on the 3MS. Men with 1% or more of sleep time with SaO2 less than 90% had an adjusted annualized decline of 0.43 points, compared with 0.25 for men in the reference group (P = .003). For each 5‐point increase in ODI, there was an average annualized decline of 0.36 points (P = .01). Results were robust to further adjustment for potential mediators. The association between AHI and cognitive decline did not reach significance. No associations were seen with SDB and decline on the Trails B.ConclusionIn older community‐dwelling men, there was a modest association between nocturnal hypoxemia and global cognitive decline, suggesting the importance of overnight oxygenation for cognitive function.
Estrogen‐related receptor gamma regulates dopaminergic neuronal phenotype by activating GSK3β/NFAT signaling in SH‐SY5Y cells
Authors: Lim Juhee , Choi Hueng‐Sik , Choi Hyun Jin 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe orphan nuclear receptor estrogen‐related receptor gamma (ERRγ) is highly expressed in the nervous system during embryogenesis and in adult brains, but its physiological role in neuronal development remains unknown. In this study, we evaluated the relevance of ERRγ in regulating dopaminergic (DAergic) phenotype and the corresponding signaling pathway. We used retinoic acid (RA) to differentiate human neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells. RA induced neurite outgrowth of SH‐SY5Y cells with an increase in DAergic neuron‐like properties, including up‐regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine transporter, and vesicular monoamine transporter 2. ERRγ, but not ERRα, was up‐regulated by RA, and participated in RA effect on SH‐SY5Y cells. ERRγ over‐expression enhanced mature DAergic neuronal phenotype with neurite outgrowth as with RA treatment; and RA‐induced increase in DAergic phenotype was attenuated by silencing ERRγ expression. ERRγ appears to have a crucial role in morphological and functional regulation of cells that is selective for DAergic neurons. Polo‐like kinase 2 was up‐regulated in ERRγ‐over‐expressing SH‐SY5Y cells, which was involved in phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β and resulting downstream activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells. The likely involvement of ERRγ in regulating the DAergic neuronal phenotype makes this orphan nuclear receptor a novel target for understanding DAergic neuronal differentiation.
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We propose the relevance of estrogen‐related receptor gamma (ERRγ) in regulating dopaminergic neuronal phenotype: ERRγ is up‐regulated by retinoic acid in SH‐SY5Y cells, and enhances dopaminergic phenotypes and induces neurite outgrowth; Polo‐like kinase 2 (PLK2) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta/nuclear factor of activated T cells (GSK3β/NFAT) signaling are responsible for the ERRγ effect. Our findings provide the first insights into the role of ERRγ in the brain, as a novel approach toward understanding dopaminergic differentiation.
Co‐existence in a species‐rich grassland: competition, facilitation and niche structure over a soil depth gradient
Authors: Martorell Carlos , Almanza‐Celis Citlali A.I. , Pérez‐García Eduardo A. , Sánchez‐Ken Jorge G. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractQuestionNiche differentiation may promote species co‐existence because it precludes competitive exclusion. However, in stressful environments, facilitation may predominate, and large niche overlaps may result from niche widening and positive spatial associations. We analysed the niche structure of a species‐rich system over a soil depth gradient (a niche axis positively correlated with water availability) and tested for various patterns expected from competition or facilitation.LocationSemi‐arid grassland, Oaxaca, Mexico.MethodsWe recorded species abundance and soil depth in 1200 0.1 × 0.1 m quadrats from four sites. Community structure was described through correspondence analysis and correlated with soil depth. We measured niche breadth (Levine's index), position (mean depth) and overlap (Hurlbert's index). We used a null model to estimate the expected overlap if interactions play no role in determining community structure. We tested whether overlap changed along the depth gradient. We also analysed if niches become narrow with higher competition.ResultsData supported three predictions derived from competition: most species’ niches were relatively narrow and differed in their position along the gradient, a pattern reflected in a changing community structure; realized niches became narrower where competition was stronger; and niche overlap was smaller than expected by chance. Facilitation had no support: large niche overlaps expected from stress amelioration were as frequent as predicted by chance. Overlap increased in the most stressful (shallow) soils, as expected if facilitation predominates there, but also in the deepest ones where evidence for competition was strong, suggesting an artifact at the extremes of the gradient.ConclusionsIn this grassland, competition seems to restrict species distribution, abating richness in the deepest soils and relegating poor competitors (succulent and poikilohydric species) to the shallow soils. There, drought tolerance rather than facilitation determined community composition and richness. Our results support the idea that hydrological niches play an important role in maintaining plant diversity because (1) differentiation in hydrological requirements (small niche overlaps over the water‐use axis) reduces competition, and (2) spatial heterogeneity and stress create competition‐free patches. Our results also support the hypothesis that facilitation is rare when stress is caused by resource (in this case, water) scarcity.