bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Morphopathological aspects of healthy nails and nails affected by onychomycosis
Authors: Zaikovska Olga , Pilmane Mara , Kisis Janis 
Published: March 2014

SummaryPatients of onychomycosis are common in the dermatology practice. Contemporary morphology creates opportunities to study the functional units of the nail when such infections occur from morphopathological point of view. There were 22 nails biopsies from onychomycosis patients taken for the research of morphopathological changes in the thickened nail plate affected by onychomycosis. Samples of cadaverous' nails were used as a control material. The material was stained with haematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical methods. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling reaction and periodic acid‐Schiff reaction were also performed. We found patchy hypertrophy in the granulose layer of the epidermis, with focal acanthosis. In the horn layer, we identified nests of parakeratosis of various sizes, with incorporations of homogenous and eosinophil masses. We found high levels of interleukin 6 and interleukin 10 positive cells in the nail bed and in the bloodstream. Interleukin 1, however, was not a part of any of the functional units of any of the nails. Significant amount of fibres containing human beta defensin‐2 were found in the bed and plate of the nail. Therefore one can conclude that as regards the nails affected by onychomycosis, the most effective morphopathogenical processes include cytokine and defensin excretion occurrence in the nail bed.
Porphyromonas gingivalis gingipain is involved in the detachment and aggregation of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans biofilm
Authors: Haraguchi A. , Miura M. , Fujise O. , Hamachi T. , Nishimura F. 
Published: March 2014

SummaryPorphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans are major periodontal pathogens that cause several types of periodontal disease. Our previous study suggested that P. gingivalis gingipains secreted in the subgingival environment are related to the detachment of A.actinomycetemcomitans biofilms. However, it remains unclear whether arginine‐specific cysteine proteinase (Rgp) and lysine‐specific proteinase (Kgp) play different roles in the detachment of A. actinomycetemcomitans biofilm. The aim of this study was to investigate possible disruptive roles of Kgp and Rgp in the aggregation and attachment of A. actinomycetemcomitans. While P. gingivalis ATCC33277 culture supernatant has an ability to decrease autoaggregation and coaggregation of A. actinomycetemcomitans cells, neither the boiled culture supernatant of ATCC33277 nor the culture supernatant of KDP136 showed this ability. The addition of KYT‐1 and KYT‐36, specific inhibitors of Rgp and Kgp, respectively, showed no influence on the ability of P. gingivalis culture supernatant. The result of gelatin zymography suggested that other proteases processed by gingipains mediated the decrease of A. actinomycetemcomitans aggregations. We also examined the biofilm‐destructive effect of gingipains by assessing the detachment of A. actinomycetemcomitans from polystyrene surfaces. Scanning electron microscope analysis indicated that A. actinomycetemcomitans cells were detached by P. gingivalis Kgp. The quantity of A. actinomycetemcomitans in biofilm was decreased in co‐culture with P. gingivalis. However, this was not found after the addition of KYT‐36. These findings suggest that Kgp is a critical component for the detachment and decrease of A. actinomycetemcomitans biofilms.
A fully integrated isoprenoid emissions model coupling emissions to photosynthetic characteristics
Authors: GROTE RÜDIGER , MORFOPOULOS CATHERINE , NIINEMETS ÜLO , SUN ZHIHONG , KEENAN TREVOR F. , PACIFICO FEDERICA , BUTLER TIM 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe lack of a mechanistic basis has hampered modelling isoprene emission responses to environmental drivers, in particular the simulation of isoprene emissions under different CO2 concentrations. Here, we advance previous semi‐mechanistic model formulations by introducing a model that explicitly links electron availability for other purpose than carbon assimilation (or available energy for secondary metabolism processes; supply‐constraint) and enzyme activity (capacity‐constraint) to emissions. We furthermore investigate the sensitivity of the model to variations in photosynthetic and emission‐specific parameters. By comparing species‐specific simulations with experimental data, we demonstrate that differences in photosynthetic characteristics can explain inter‐species differences in emissions. Interestingly, the seasonal development of emissions could also be explained to some degree by the change in energy supply from photosynthesis throughout the season. In addition, we show that the principal responses are not limited to isoprene but can be formulated to describe the emission of other light‐dependent volatile species. The proposed model is suitable for implementation into regional and global models, particularly those that already provide species‐specific photosynthesis estimates.
Molecular mapping of Asian soybean rust resistance in soybean landraces PI 594767A, PI 587905 and PI 416764
Authors: Hossain M. M. , Akamatsu H. , Morishita M. , Mori T. , Yamaoka Y. , Suenaga K. , Soares R. M. , Bogado A. N. , Ivancovich A. J. G. , Yamanaka N. 
Published: March 2014

Asian soybean rust (ASR), caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is one of the most serious diseases of soybean. The soybean landraces PI 594767A, PI 587905 and PI 416764 previously showed high levels of resistance to a wide range of ASR fungus, while the genetic basis of the resistance has yet to be understood. In this study, the ASR resistance loci were mapped using three independent mapping populations, POP‐1, POP‐2 and POP‐3 derived from crosses BRS184 × PI 594767A, BRS184 × PI 587905 and BRS184 × PI 416764, respectively. In each population, the resistance to ASR segregated as a single gene, but the resistance was dominant in PI 594767A and PI 587905 and incompletely dominant in PI 416764. The resistance genes from both PI 594767A and PI 587905 were mapped on chromosome 18 corresponding to the same location as known resistance locus Rpp1. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis performed on POP‐3 identified the putative ASR resistance locus in PI 416764 on the defined region of chromosome 6 where Rpp3 was located. The QTLs detected by the mapping explained about 67–72% of the phenotypic variation in POP‐3. Cluster analysis based on disease reactions to 64 ASR populations demonstrated the presence of at least two types of functional resistant Rpp1 alleles: strong and weak allele(s), e.g. soybean accession PI 594767A and PI 587905 carry the strong resistant Rpp1 allele(s). Introducing or pyramiding strong Rpp1 allele(s) in elite soybean cultivars is expected to be useful against the South American rust population.
Wandering and dementia
Authors: Cipriani Gabriele , Lucetti Claudio , Nuti Angelo , Danti Sabrina 
Published: March 2014

AbstractWandering represents one of many behavioural problems occurring in people with dementia. To consider the phenomenon of wandering behaviour in demented patients, we conducted searches using Medline andGoogleScholar to find relevant articles, chapters, and books published since 1975. Search terms used included ‘wandering’, ‘behavioural and psychological symptoms’, ‘dementia’, ‘nursing’, and ‘elopements’. Publications found through this indexed search were reviewed for further relevant references. The term ‘wandering’ covers different types of behaviour, including aimless movement without a discernible purpose. It is associated with a variety of negatives outcomes. The aetiology of wandering is poorly understood and it remains an unsolved riddle. Wandering is an acutely distressing problem worldwide, both for the patients and caregivers, and it is a major reason for nursing home admission. Evidence on the effectiveness of pharmacological and non‐pharmacological interventions is limited. It is possible that management of coexistent psychopathology would help to ameliorate this problematic behavioural disorder.
Die Verbreitung evidenzbasierter und gleichstellungssensitiver Informationen in den Entscheidungsprozessen kantonaler Steuer‐ und Sozialtransferpolitik: eine quantitative Analyse
Authors: Balthasar Andreas , Müller Franziska 
Published: March 2014

ZusammenfassungEvidenzbasierte Politikgestaltung zielt darauf ab, der Politik den aktuellen Wissensbestand aus der Forschung in kondensierter Form zur Verfügung zu stellen, um so die Effektivität und die Effizienz politischen Handelns zu erhöhen. Der vorliegende Beitrag geht der Frage nach, ob in der Schweiz kantonale Gesetzgeber über evidenzbasierte Informationen darüber verfügen, wie sich deren Steuer‐ und Sozialtransferpolitik auf die Gleichstellung von Mann und Frau im Sinne der Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Familie auswirken, und welche Faktoren die Verfügbarkeit gegebenenfalls erklären können. Die empirische Grundlage der Analyse bilden alle Gesetzgebungsprozesse in der Sozialtransferpolitik sowie eine Auswahl solcher in der kantonalen Steuerpolitik während der Jahre 2008 bis 2011. Ausgehend von einem breiten Verständnis von Evidenz konstatiert der Beitrag einen verhältnismässig häufigen Rückgriff auf faktenbasiertes Wissen. Zudem betont er, dass insbesondere dann auf evidenzbasiertes und gleichstellungssensitives Wissen zurückgegriffen wird, wenn der Anstoss für eine Gesetzgebung nicht vom Bund kommt, wenn die Ressourcenausstattung der Verwaltung überdurchschnittlich ist oder wenn das Anliegen der Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Familie in einem Kanton gesetzlich oder strategisch verankert ist.
The role of rift‐inherited hyper‐extension in Alpine‐type orogens
Authors: Mohn Geoffroy , Manatschal Gianreto , Beltrando Marco , Haupert Isabelle 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAlpine‐type orogens are interpreted to result from the collision of former rifted margins. As many present‐day rifted margins consist of hyper‐extended domains floored by thinned continental crust (<10 km) and/or exhumed mantle, this study explores the influence of rift inheritance on the architecture and final evolution of Alpine‐type orogens. We propose that rift‐related necking zones, separating weakly thinned 25‐ to 30‐km‐thick crust from hyper‐extended domains, may act as buttresses during the transition from subduction to collision. As a result, former necking zones may now be found at the boundary between a highly deformed and overthickened nappe stack, made of relics of hyper‐extended domains, and an external, weakly deformed fold‐and‐thrust belt, which largely escaped significant rift‐related crustal thinning and orogeny‐related thickening. Therefore, the role of rift inheritance is of critical importance and is largely underestimated in controlling the architecture and evolution of Alpine‐type orogens.
Effect of maternal iron status on the number of CD34+ stem cells harvested from umbilical cord blood
Authors: Pope Belinda , Hokin Bevan , Grant Ross 
Published: March 2014

BackgroundHematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) from umbilical cord blood (UCB) are an alternative source of stem cells. However an adequate number of HPCs must be harvested from each UCB sample to make therapeutic applications possible. This study investigated the impact of selected maternal indices (in particular iron status) on the number of CD34+ cells collected in the UCB.Study Design and MethodsBlood samples were collected from 91 matched mother and umbilical cord pairs and analyzed for full blood count, iron status, and C‐reactive protein. Viable CD34 enumeration was performed on the cord blood samples.ResultsLow CD34+ cell counts were associated with higher maternal serum ferritin (SF), older mothers, lower UCB white blood cell count (WCC), lower UCB nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs), and lower birthweight. Maternal SF correlated with maternal variables of iron status and RBC indices, newborn weight, placental weight, and NRBCs/100 WCC.ConclusionThis study indicates that lower numbers of CD34+ cells are more likely to occur when collected from mothers with higher SF. This finding suggests that maternal SF and associated iron status play a significant, but as yet undefined, role in the generation of CD34+ cells in UCB.
The Services Sector in India's States: A Tale of Growth, Convergence and Trade
Authors: Shingal Anirudh 
Published: March 2014

AbstractIndia's success story in services is well documented at the national level, but similar literature does not exist for India's states. We bridge this gap by studying India's services growth at the sub‐national level. Contrary to earlier commentary on the unsustainability of India's services growth process, our findings suggest that per capita services may be converging across Indian states (this is not true of per capita income); unlike previous studies on India, evidence is provided using both traditional sigma and beta‐convergence measures and advanced panel unit root tests from the recent econometrics literature. A disaggregated analysis of services sectors reveals convergence in railways, public administration and financial services. Finally, a Jensen and Kletzer approach to determine tradability and an additional original methodology provide evidence of most services being ‘traded’ across India's states, suggesting the role of such trade in the services growth story even at the sub‐national level.
Is India Specialising in Polluting Industries? Evidence from US‐India Bilateral Trade
Authors: Sawhney Aparna , Rastogi Rashmi 
Published: March 2014

AbstractRecently, the apex environmental agency of India observed that domestic industrial pollution has been increasing at an alarming rate over the last two decades, and the need to rein in traditional polluting industries. This raises the pertinent question of whether the poor domestic pollution regime has affected the pattern of India's trade in dirty manufactured products in the post‐liberalisation era since 1991. We find that on the whole, India has remained a net importer of pollution‐intensive manufactured goods; however, there is a distinct trend of increasing specialisation in specific dirty industries especially in the bilateral trade with high‐income countries, and to a lesser degree with low‐income countries. The USA being India's single largest country trading partner in the post‐liberalisation era, we test for pollution offshoring at the finer industry level in US‐India bilateral trade. While we find that the pollution haven effect is not significant, India's specialisation in certain dirty manufacturing industries through the last decade remains a disturbing trend. India needs to integrate environmental sustainability within industrial growth urgently, and it is pertinent to implement policies which would reflect the true pollution costs in an industry that is increasingly competing in the international market.
Relative role of motion and PSF compensation in whole‐body oncologic PET‐MR imaging
Authors: Petibon Yoann , Huang Chuan , Ouyang Jinsong , Reese Timothy G. , Li Quanzheng , Syrkina Aleksandra , Chen Yen‐Lin , El Fakhri Georges 
Published: March 2014

Purpose:Respiratory motion and partial‐volume effects are the two main sources of image degradation in whole‐body PET imaging. Simultaneous PET‐MR allows measurement of respiratory motion using MRI while collecting PET events. Improved PET images may be obtained by modeling respiratory motion and point spread function (PSF) within the PET iterative reconstruction process. In this study, the authors assessed the relative impact of PSF modeling and MR‐based respiratory motion correction in phantoms and patient studies using a whole‐body PET‐MR scanner.Methods:An asymmetric exponential PSF model accounting for radially varying and axial detector blurring effects was obtained from point source acquisitions performed in the PET‐MR scanner. A dedicated MRI acquisition protocol using single‐slice steady state free‐precession MR acquisitions interleaved with pencil‐beam navigator echoes was developed to track respiratory motion during PET‐MR studies. An iterative ordinary Poisson fully 3D OSEM PET reconstruction algorithm modeling all the physical effects of the acquisition (attenuation, scatters, random events, detectors efficiencies, PSF), as well as MR‐based nonrigid respiratory deformations of tissues (in both emission and attenuation maps) was developed. Phantom and18F‐FDG PET‐MR patient studies were performed to evaluate the proposed quantitative PET‐MR methods.Results:The phantom experiment results showed that PSF modeling significantly improved contrast recovery while limiting noise propagation in the reconstruction process. In patients with soft‐tissue static lesions, PSF modeling improved lesion contrast by 19.7%–109%, enhancing the detectability and assessment of small tumor foci. In a patient study with small moving hepatic lesions, the proposed reconstruction technique improved lesion contrast by 54.4%–98.1% and reduced apparent lesion size by 21.8%–34.2%. Improvements were particularly important for the smallest lesion undergoing large motion at the lung‐liver interface. Heterogeneous tumor structures delineation was substantially improved. Enhancements offered by PSF modeling were more important when correcting for motion at the same time.Conclusions:The results suggest that the proposed quantitative PET‐MR methods can significantly enhance the performance of tumor diagnosis and staging as compared to conventional methods. This approach may enable utilization of the full potential of the scanner in oncologic studies of both the lower abdomen, with moving lesions, as well as other parts of the body unaffected by motion.
Laboratory Detection of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Chotivanich Kesinee , Tripura Rupam , Das Debashish , Yi Poravuth , Day Nicholas P. J. , Pukrittayakamee Sasithon , Chuor Char Meng , Socheat Duong , Dondorp Arjen M. , White Nicholas J. 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACT

Conventional 48-h
in vitro
susceptibility tests have low sensitivity in identifying artemisinin-resistant
Plasmodium falciparum
, defined phenotypically by low
in vivo
parasite clearance rates. We hypothesized originally that this discrepancy was explained by a loss of ring-stage susceptibility and so developed a simple field-adapted 24-h trophozoite maturation inhibition (TMI) assay focusing on the ring stage and compared it to the standard 48-h schizont maturation inhibition (WHO) test. In Pailin, western Cambodia, where artemisinin-resistant
P. falciparum
is prevalent, the TMI test mean (95% confidence interval) 50% inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) for artesunate was 6.8 (5.2 to 8.3) ng/ml compared with 1.5 (1.2 to 1.8) ng/ml for the standard 48-h WHO test (
P
= 0.001). TMI IC
50
s correlated significantly with the
in vivo
responses to artesunate (parasite clearance time [
r
= 0.44,
P
= 0.001] and parasite clearance half-life [
r
= 0.46,
P
= 0.001]), whereas the standard 48-h test values did not. On continuous culture of two resistant isolates, the artemisinin-resistant phenotype was lost after 6 weeks (IC
50
s fell from 10 and 12 ng/ml to 2.7 and 3 ng/ml, respectively). Slow parasite clearance in falciparum malaria in western Cambodia results from reduced ring-stage susceptibility.
Inhibitors of the Tick-Borne, Hemorrhagic Fever-Associated Flaviviruses
Authors: Flint Mike , McMullan Laura K. , Dodd Kimberly A. , Bird Brian H. , Khristova Marina L. , Nichol Stuart T. , Spiropoulou Christina F. 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACT

No antiviral therapies are available for the tick-borne flaviviruses associated with hemorrhagic fevers: Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV), both classical and the Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus (AHFV) subtype, and Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus (OHFV). We tested compounds reported to have antiviral activity against members of the
Flaviviridae
family for their ability to inhibit AHFV replication. 6-Azauridine (6-azaU), 2′-C-methylcytidine (2′-CMC), and interferon alpha 2a (IFN-α2a) inhibited the replication of AHFV and also KFDV, OHFV, and Powassan virus. The combination of IFN-α2a and 2′-CMC exerted an additive antiviral effect on AHFV, and the combination of IFN-α2a and 6-azaU was moderately synergistic. The combination of 2′-CMC and 6-azaU was complex, being strongly synergistic but with a moderate level of antagonism. The antiviral activity of 6-azaU was reduced by the addition of cytidine but not guanosine, suggesting that it acted by inhibiting pyrimidine biosynthesis. To investigate the mechanism of action of 2′-CMC, AHFV variants with reduced susceptibility to 2′-CMC were selected. We used a replicon system to assess the substitutions present in the selected AHFV population. A double NS5 mutant, S603T/C666S, and a triple mutant, S603T/C666S/M644V, were more resistant to 2′-CMC than the wild-type replicon. The S603T/C666S mutant had a reduced level of replication which was increased when M644V was also present, although the replication of this triple mutant was still below that of the wild type. The S603 and C666 residues were predicted to lie in the active site of the AHFV NS5 polymerase, implicating the catalytic center of the enzyme as the binding site for 2′-CMC.
Borrelia burgdorferi RNA Induces Type I and III Interferons via Toll-Like Receptor 7 and Contributes to Production of NF-κB-Dependent Cytokines
Authors: Love Andrea C. , Schwartz Ira , Petzke Mary M. 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTBorrelia burgdorferielicits a potent cytokine response through activation of multiple signaling receptors on innate immune cells. Spirochetal lipoproteins initiate expression of NF-κB-dependent cytokines primarily via TLR2, whereas type I interferon (IFN) production is induced through the endosomal receptors TLR7 and TLR9 in human dendritic cells and TLR8 in monocytes. We demonstrate that DNA and RNA are theB. burgdorfericomponents that initiate a type I IFN response by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). IFN-α protein and transcripts forIRF7,MX1, andOAS1were induced by endosomal delivery ofB. burgdorferiDNA, RNA, or whole-cell lysate, but not by lysate that had been treated with DNase and RNase. Induction of IFN-α and IFN-λ1, a type III IFN, byB. burgdorferiRNA or live spirochetes required TLR7-dependent signaling and correlated with significantly enhanced transcription and expression of IRF7 but not IRF3. Induction of type I and type III IFNs byB. burgdorferiRNA could be completely abrogated by a TLR7 inhibitor, IRS661. In addition to type I and type III IFNs,B. burgdorferiRNA contributed to the production of the NF-κB-dependent cytokines, IFN-γ, interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), by human PBMCs. Collectively, these data indicate that TLR7-dependent recognition of RNA is pivotal for IFN-α and IFN-λ1 production by human PBMCs, and that RNA-initiated signaling contributes to full potentiation of the cytokine response generated duringB. burgdorferiinfection.