bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Undue industry influences that distort healthcare research, strategy, expenditure and practice: a review
Authors: Stamatakis Emmanuel , Weiler Richard , Ioannidis John P.A. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractBackgroundExpenditure on industry products (mostly drugs and devices) has spiraled over the last 15 years and accounts for substantial part of healthcare expenditure. The enormous financial interests involved in the development and marketing of drugs and devices may have given excessive power to these industries to influence medical research, policy, and practice.Material and methodsReview of the literature and analysis of the multiple pathways through which the industry has directly or indirectly infiltrated the broader healthcare systems. We present the analysis of the industry influences at the following levels: (i) evidence base production, (ii) evidence synthesis, (iii) understanding of safety and harms issues, (iv) cost‐effectiveness evaluation, (v) clinical practice guidelines formation, (vi) healthcare professional education, (vii) healthcare practice, (viii) healthcare consumer's decisions.ResultsWe located abundance of consistent evidence demonstrating that the industry has created means to intervene in all steps of the processes that determine healthcare research, strategy, expenditure, practice and education. As a result of these interferences, the benefits of drugs and other products are often exaggerated and their potential harms are downplayed, and clinical guidelines, medical practice, and healthcare expenditure decisions are biased.ConclusionTo serve its interests, the industry masterfully influences evidence base production, evidence synthesis, understanding of harms issues, cost‐effectiveness evaluations, clinical practice guidelines and healthcare professional education and also exerts direct influences on professional decisions and health consumers. There is an urgent need for regulation and other action towards redefining the mission of medicine towards a more objective and patient‐, population‐ and society‐benefit direction that is free from conflict of interests.
Influence of obesity on atherogenic dyslipidemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Hernández‐Mijares Antonio , Bañuls Celia , Gómez‐Balaguer Marcelino , Bergoglio Marina , Víctor Victor M. , Rocha Milagros 
Published: March 2013

AbstractBackgroundObesity is known to underlie, at least partially, dyslipidemia in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but it is unclear whether PCOS status per se increases the risk of alterations of lipoprotein subfractions, which differ in size and atherogenic potential. Our objective was to evaluate whether PCOS influences lipoprotein profile and LDL and HDL subfractions and to study the impact of obesity on these parameters.Materials and methodsThis was a case–control study conducted in an academic medical centre. The study population consisted of 54 women of fertile age with PCOS and 60 controls adjusted for age and BMI. Biochemical lipid profile and LDL and HDL lipoprotein subfractions (measured using Lipoprint System).ResultsLean PCOS women exhibited lower HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein AI levels than controls, although these differences were not associated with alterations of lipoprotein subfractions. All obese subjects, whether PCOS or controls, displayed lipid parameters typical of atherogenic dyslipidemia, although the former group had lower levels of large HDL, higher levels of small HDL subfractions and a higher percentage of VLDL than the latter. These differences were associated with a greater prevalence of non‐A LDL pattern (25.0%) in obese PCOS subjects than in obese controls (4.3%).ConclusionsPCOS does not constitute an additional risk factor for cardiovascular disease in lean women, but leads to a lipid profile characteristic of atherogenic dyslipidemia and an altered pattern of lipoprotein subfraction when associated with obesity.
An experimental test of the hypothesis of non‐homeostatic consumer stoichiometry in a plant litter–microbe system
Authors: Fanin Nicolas , Fromin Nathalie , Buatois Bruno , Hättenschwiler Stephan 
Published: March 2013

AbstractStoichiometric homeostasis of heterotrophs is a common, but not always well‐examined premise in ecological stoichiometry. We experimentally evaluated the relationship between substrate (plant litter) and consumer (microorganisms) stoichiometry for a tropical terrestrial decomposer system. Variation in microbial C : P and N : P ratios tracked that of the soluble litter fraction, but not that of bulk leaf litter material. Microbial N and P were not isometrically related, suggesting higher rates of P than N sequestration in microbial biomass. Shifts in microbial stoichiometry were related to changes in microbial community structure. Our results indicate that P in dissolved form is a major driver of terrestrial microbial stoichiometry, similar to aquatic environments. The demonstrated relative plasticity in microbial C : P and N : P and the critical role of P have important implications for theoretical modelling and contribute to a process‐based understanding of stoichiometric relationships and the flow of elements across trophic levels in decomposer systems.
Mapping the interactions of selected antibiotics and their Cu2+ complexes with the antigenomic delta ribozyme
Authors: Wrzesinski Jan , Błaszczyk Leszek , Wrońska Magdalena , Kasprowicz Aleksandra , Stokowa‐Sołtys Kamila , Nagaj Justyna , Szafraniec Milena , Kulinski Tadeusz , Jeżowska‐Bojczuk Małgorzata , Ciesiołka Jerzy 
Published: March 2013

The interactions of selected antibiotics with the trans‐acting antigenomic delta ribozyme were mapped. Ribozyme with two oligonucleotide substrates was used, one uncleavable with deoxycytidine at the cleavage site, mimicking the initial state of ribozyme, and the other with an all‐RNA substrate mimicking, after cleavage, the product state. Mapping was performed with a set of RNA structural probing methods: Pb2+ ‐induced cleavage, nuclease digestion, and the selective 2′‐hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension (SHAPE) approach. The experimental results combined with molecular modeling revealed different binding sites for neomycin B, amikacin and actinomycin D inside the ribozyme structure. Neomycin B, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, which strongly inhibited the catalytic properties of delta ribozyme, was bound to the pocket formed by the P1 stem, the P1.1 pseudoknot, and the J4/2 junction. Amikacin showed less effective binding to the ribozyme catalytic core, resulting in weak inhibition. Complexes of these aminoglycosides with Cu2+ ions were bound to the same ribozyme regions, but more effectively, showing lower Kd values. On the other hand, the Cu2+ complex of the cyclopeptide antibiotic actinonomycin D was preferentially intercalated into the P2 and the P4 double‐stranded region, and was three times more potent in ribozyme inhibition than the free antibiotic. In addition, some differences in SHAPE reactivities between the ribozyme forms containing all‐RNA and deoxycytidine‐modified substrates in the J4/2 region were detected, pointing to different ribozyme conformations before and after the cleavage event.
Altered dynamics of forest recovery under a changing climate
Authors: Anderson‐Teixeira Kristina J. , Miller Adam D. , Mohan Jacqueline E. , Hudiburg Tara W. , Duval Benjamin D. , DeLucia Evan H. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractForest regeneration following disturbance is a key ecological process, influencing forest structure and function, species assemblages, and ecosystem–climate interactions. Climate change may alter forest recovery dynamics or even prevent recovery, triggering feedbacks to the climate system, altering regional biodiversity, and affecting the ecosystem services provided by forests. Multiple lines of evidence – including global‐scale patterns in forest recovery dynamics; forest responses to experimental manipulation of CO2, temperature, and precipitation; forest responses to the climate change that has already occurred; ecological theory; and ecosystem and earth system models – all indicate that the dynamics of forest recovery are sensitive to climate. However, synthetic understanding of how atmospheric CO2 and climate shape trajectories of forest recovery is lacking. Here, we review these separate lines of evidence, which together demonstrate that the dynamics of forest recovery are being impacted by increasing atmospheric CO2 and changing climate. Rates of forest recovery generally increase with CO2, temperature, and water availability. Drought reduces growth and live biomass in forests of all ages, having a particularly strong effect on seedling recruitment and survival. Responses of individual trees and whole‐forest ecosystems to CO2 and climate manipulations often vary by age, implying that forests of different ages will respond differently to climate change. Furthermore, species within a community typically exhibit differential responses to CO2 and climate, and altered community dynamics can have important consequences for ecosystem function. Age‐ and species‐dependent responses provide a mechanism by which climate change may push some forests past critical thresholds such that they fail to recover to their previous state following disturbance. Altered dynamics of forest recovery will result in positive and negative feedbacks to climate change. Future research on this topic and corresponding improvements to earth system models will be a key to understanding the future of forests and their feedbacks to the climate system.
Annual plants change in size over a century of observations
Authors: Leger Elizabeth A. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractStudies have documented changes in animal body sizes over the last century, but very little is known about changes in plant sizes, even though reduced plant productivity is potentially responsible for declines in size of other organisms. Here, I ask whether warming trends in the Great Basin have affected plant size by measuring specimens preserved on herbarium sheets collected between 1893 and 2011. I asked how maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) in the year of collection affected plant height, leaf size, and flower number, and asked whether changes in climate resulted in decreasing sizes for seven annual forbs. Species had contrasting responses to climate factors, and would not necessarily be expected to respond in parallel to climatic shifts. There were generally positive relationships between plant size and increased minimum and maximum temperatures, which would have been predicted to lead to small increases in plant sizes over the observation period. While one species increased in size and flower number over the observation period, five of the seven species decreased in plant height, four of these decreased in leaf size, and one species also decreased in flower production. One species showed no change. The mechanisms behind these size changes are unknown, and the limited data available on these species (germination timing, area of occupancy, relative abundance) did not explain why some species shrank while others grew or did not change in size over time. These results show that multiple annual forbs are decreasing in size, but that even within the same functional group, species may have contrasting responses to similar environmental stimuli. Changes in plant size could have cascading effects on other members of these communities, and differential responses to directional change may change the composition of plant communities over time.
Optimising operating conditions in ultrafiltration fouling of pomegranate juice by response surface methodology
Authors: Baklouti Semia , Kamoun Amel , Ellouze‐Ghorbel Raoudha , Chaabouni Semia 
Published: March 2013

SummaryThe resistance‐in‐series model was used to analyse flux behaviour, which involved the resistances of membrane itself, the fouling and solute concentration polarisation. Response surface methodology was used to establish the relationships between operating parameters and ultrafiltration (UF) efficiency and thus to determine optimal conditions. Experiments were performed according to Box–Behnken design by changing the levels of three parameters, namely transmembrane pressure, feed flow rate and temperature. The fitted mathematical models allowed us to plot isoresponse curves. It was shown that the resistance due to solute concentration polarisation (Rcp) dominated the flux decline (40–74%). The fouling resistance (Rf) varied from 12 to 46%. To optimise simultaneously the three responses studied (Rf, Rcp and permeate limit flux), we applied the desirability function approach which allowed us to determine the best acceptable compromise. The selected UF conditions of the compromise were as follows: three bars, 0.95 L min−1 and 30 °C. Optimal values of Rf, Rcp and permeate limit flux were equal to 18%, 72% and 19 L h−1 m−2, respectively.
Antibacterial and antifungal activities of selected microalgae and cyanobacteria
Authors: Najdenski Hristo M. , Gigova Liliana G. , Iliev Ivan I. , Pilarski Plamen S. , Lukavský Jaromir , Tsvetkova Iva V. , Ninova Mariana S. , Kussovski Vesselin K. 
Published: March 2013

SummaryIn vitro activity of nine cyanobacterial and ten microalgal newly isolated or culture collection strains against eight significant food‐borne pathogens has been evaluated and compared. Water extracts and culture liquids of Gloeocapsa sp. and Synechocystis sp. demonstrated the widest spectrum of activity with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 1.56 to 12.5 mg mL−1. Culture liquid of Anabaena sp. had the highest activity (MIC = 0.39 mg mL−1) but only to Gram‐positive bacteria. Ethanol extracts and fatty acids from all cyanobacteria and microalgae were active against Streptococcus pyogenes and/or Staphylococcus aureus. The fatty acids of Synechocystis sp. inhibited the growth of Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans (MIC values of 2.5–1.25 mg mL−1, respectively). Exopolysaccharides (EPS) of Gloeocapsa sp. were the sample that exhibited activity against all test pathogens with lowest MIC values (0.125–1 mg mL−1). High activity with a narrower range of susceptible targets demonstrated the exopolysaccharides of Synechocystis sp. and Rhodella reticulata. Antimicrobial activity was proven for phycobiliproteins isolated from Synechocystis sp., Arthrospira fusiformis, Porphyridium aerugineum and Porphyridium cruentum, respectively. In conclusion Gloeocapsa sp. and Synechocystis sp. and especially their exopolysaccharides showed the most promising potential against the examined food pathogens.
Analysis of various sweeteners in low‐sugar mixed fruit jam: equivalent sweetness, time‐intensity analysis and acceptance test
Authors: de Souza Vanessa R. , Pereira Patrícia A. P. , Pinheiro Ana Carla M. , Bolini Helena M. A. , Borges Soraia V. , Queiroz Fabiana 
Published: March 2013

SummaryFor a sweetener to successfully replace sucrose in food formulations, studies must first be conducted to determine the concentrations of the sweeteners to be used and their equivalent sweetness compared with sucrose. After establishing the optimal concentration of each sweetener, it is necessary to determine which is more similar to sucrose. The objective of this study was to determine the equivalent amount of different sweeteners, necessary to promote the same degree of ideal sweetness in mixed fruit (marolo, sweet passion fruit and soursop) jam and to characterise the time–intensity profile and consumer acceptance. With respect to the mixed fruit jam containing 40% (w/w) of sucrose, sucralose presented the highest sweetening power, being 1033.59 times sweeter than sucrose, followed by sucralose/acesulfame‐K/neotame 5:3:0.1 (982.80), sucralose/steviol glycoside 2:1 (862.67), sucralose/acesulfame‐K 3:1 (847.45) and sucralose/thaumatin 1:0.6 (284.29). The sweeteners had a time–intensity sweetness profile similar to sucrose and a time–intensity bitterness profile different from sucrose but similar among themselves. In relation to sensory acceptance, a significant difference between the low‐sugar jam and the traditional jam was not observed.
Physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of a synthetic cocoa butter equivalent obtained through modification of mango seed oil
Authors: Momeny Elham , Vafaei Nazanin , Ramli Nazaruddin 
Published: March 2013

SummaryThis research describes the interesterification of Malaysian mango seed oil (MSO) and palm oil mid‐faction (POMF) to develop a cocoa butter equivalent. Fat blends, formulated by binary blends of palm oil mid‐fraction and mango seed oil at different ratios ({100:0}, {60:40}, {50:50}, {40:60}, {0:100}), were subjected to enzymatic interesterification. The solid fat content revealed that all interesterified blends except 100% POMF {0:100} melted completely at body temperature. The interesterified {50:50} blend exhibited a slip melting point (30.35 °C) and saponification value (186.89) close to cocoa butter (P < 0.05). Thermal behaviour analysis by differential scanning calorimetry showed fusion and crystallisation behaviour similar to cocoa butter. Moreover, both the blend and cocoa butter scavenging abilities were based on the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl assay, with the concentration required to reduce radical absorbance by 50% (IC50) of 43.08% and 41.1%, respectively. Therefore, the MSO: POMF blend may have use as a health‐promoting food in human diets.
‘Taking time’ and ‘making sense’: Rowan Williams on the Habits of Theological Imagination
Authors: Volpe Medi 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThis article argues that Rowan Williams' methodology cannot be fruitfully employed by others without grasping his intellectual habits and the depth of his engagement with Christian tradition. The argument is centred on the themes of ‘taking time’ and ‘making sense’, which run throughout Williams' work, and proceeds in three sections. First, ‘taking time’ implies an attitude of patient humility that frames engagement with all Williams' interlocutors. Second, ‘making sense’, as the primary work of the theologian, depends upon ‘taking time’. Third, Williams' theological style cannot be imitated without the conversion of desire that characterizes Christian discipleship as he describes it.
Bladder recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy: Predictors and impact on oncological outcomes
Authors: Elalouf Vincent , Xylinas Evanguelos , Klap Julia , Pignot Géraldine , Delongchamps Nicolas Barry , Saighi Djilali , Peyromaure Michael , Flam Thierry , Zerbib Marc 
Published: March 2013

ObjectivesTo identify predictive factors of bladder recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy and to evaluate the impact of this event on oncological outcomes.MethodsWe carried out a retrospective analysis of 237 patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy for urothelial carcinoma of the upper tract at our institution from 1998 to 2011. Univariable and multivariable models evaluated the prognostic factors of bladder recurrence, and its impact on recurrence‐free survival and cancer‐specific survival.ResultsThe median age was 69.3 years (interquartile range 60–76). With a median follow up of 44 months (interquartile range 24–79), bladder recurrence occurred in 85 patients (35.9%). A previous history of bladder cancer (P = 0.01) and the presence of concomitant carcinoma in situ (P = 0.005) remained independent predictors of bladder recurrence. The presence of bladder recurrence was not correlated with worse oncological outcomes in terms of disease recurrence (P = 0.075) and cancer‐specific mortality (P = 0.06). However, the patients who experienced muscle‐invasive bladder cancer recurrence had worse outcomes in terms of cancer‐specific mortality (P = 0.01). Standard pathological features of aggressiveness, such as higher tumor stage (P = 0.05), higher grade (P = 0.01) and carcinoma in situ (P = 0.03), were independent predictors of muscle‐invasive bladder cancer recurrence.ConclusionsPrevious history of bladder cancer, tumor location and concomitant carcinoma in situ are independent predictors of bladder recurrence in patients undergoing radical nephroureterectomy. Bladder recurrence overall does not impact the oncological outcomes, but a muscle‐invasive bladder recurrence is associated with a worse cancer‐specific mortality. Standard pathological features of urothelial carcinoma of the upper tract aggressiveness (pT‐stage, grade) are independent predictors of muscle‐invasive bladder cancer recurrence.
Novel arrangement and comparative analysis of hsp90 family genes in three thermotolerant species of Stratiomyidae (Diptera)
Authors: Astakhova L. N. , Zatsepina O. G. , Przhiboro A. A. , Evgen'ev M. B. , Garbuz D. G. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe heat shock proteins belonging to the Hsp90 family (Hsp83 in Diptera) play a crucial role in the protection of cells due to their chaperoning functions. We sequenced hsp90 genes from three species of the family Stratiomyidae (Diptera) living in thermally different habitats and characterized by extraordinarily high thermotolerance. The sequence variation and structure of the hsp90 family genes were compared with previously described features of hsp70 copies isolated from the same species. Two functional hsp83 genes were found in the species studied, that are arranged in tandem orientation at least in one of them. This organization was not previously described. Stratiomyidae hsp83 genes share a high level of identity with hsp83 of Drosophila, and the deduced protein possesses five conserved amino acid sequence motifs characteristic of the Hsp90 family as well as the C‐terminus MEEVD sequence characteristic of the cytosolic isoform. A comparison of the hsp83 promoters of two Stratiomyidae species from thermally contrasting habitats demonstrated that while both species contain canonical heat shock elements in the same position, only one of the species contains functional GAF‐binding elements. Our data indicate that in the same species, hsp83 family genes show a higher evolution rate than the hsp70 family.
Amblyomma americanum tick saliva serine protease inhibitor 6 is a cross‐class inhibitor of serine proteases and papain‐like cysteine proteases that delays plasma clotting and inhibits platelet aggregation
Authors: Mulenga A. , Kim T. , Ibelli A. M. G. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractWe previously demonstrated that Amblyomma americanum tick serine protease inhibitor 6 (AamS6) was secreted into the host during tick feeding and that both its mRNA and protein were ubiquitously and highly expressed during the first 3 days of tick feeding. This study demonstrates that AamS6 is a cross‐class inhibitor of both serine‐ and papain‐like cysteine proteases that has apparent antihaemostatic functions. Consistent with the typical inhibitory serpin characteristics, enzyme kinetics analyses revealed that Pichia pastoris‐expressed recombinant (r) AamS6 reduced initial velocities of substrate hydrolysis (V0) and/or maximum enzyme velocity (Vmax) of trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, chymase, and papain in a dose–response manner. We speculate that rAamS6 inhibited plasmin in a temporary fashion in that while rAamS6 reduced V0 of plasmin by up to ∼53%, it had no effect on Vmax. Our data also suggest that rAmS6 has minimal or no apparent effect on V0 or Vmax of thrombin, factor Xa, and kallikrein. We speculate that AamS6 is apparently involved in facilitating blood meal feeding in that various amounts of rAamS6 reduced platelet aggregation by up to ∼47% and delayed plasma clotting time in the recalcification time assay by up to ∼210 s. AamS6 is most likely not involved with the tick's evasion of the host's complement defense mechanism, in that rAamS6 did not interfere with the complement activation pathway. Findings in this study are discussed in the context of expanding our understanding of tick proteins that control bloodmeal feeding and hence tick‐borne disease transmission by ticks.