bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preadaptation to Cold Stress in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Increases Survival during Subsequent Acid Stress Exposure
Authors: Shah Jigna , Desai Prerak T. , Chen Dong , Stevens John R. , Weimer Bart C. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Salmonella
is an important cause of bacterial food-borne gastroenteritis.
Salmonella
encounters multiple abiotic stresses during pathogen elimination methods used in food processing, and these stresses may influence its subsequent survivability within the host or in the environment. Upon ingestion,
Salmonella
is exposed to gastrointestinal acidity, a first line of the host innate defense system. This study tested the hypothesis that abiotic stresses encountered during food processing alter the metabolic mechanisms in
Salmonella
that enable survival and persistence during subsequent exposure to the host gastrointestinal acidic environment. Out of the four different abiotic stresses tested,
viz
., cold, peroxide, osmotic, and acid, preadaptation of the log-phase culture to cold stress (5°C for 5 h) significantly enhanced survival during subsequent acid stress (pH 4.0 for 90 min). The gene expression profile of
Salmonella
preadapted to cold stress revealed induction of multiple genes associated with amino acid metabolism, oxidative stress, and DNA repair, while only a few of the genes in the above-mentioned stress response and repair pathways were induced upon exposure to acid stress alone. Preadaptation to cold stress decreased the NAD
+
/NADH ratio and hydroxyl (OH·) radical formation compared with those achieved with the exposure to acid stress alone, indicating alteration of aerobic respiration and the oxidative state of the bacteria. The results from this study suggest that preadaptation to cold stress rescues
Salmonella
from the deleterious effect of subsequent acid stress exposure by induction of genes involved in stress response and repair pathways, by modification of aerobic respiration, and by redox modulation.
Prevalence of Diarrhea-Associated Virulence Genes and Genetic Diversity in Escherichia coli Isolates from Fecal Material of Various Animal Hosts
Authors: Chandran Abhirosh , Mazumder Asit 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

In order to assess the health risk associated with a given source of fecal contamination using bacterial source tracking (BST), it is important to know the occurrence of potential pathogens as a function of host.
Escherichia coli
isolates (
n
= 593) from the feces of diverse animals were screened for various virulence genes:
stx
1
and
stx
2
(Shiga toxin-producing
E. coli
[STEC]),
eae
and EAF (enteropathogenic
E. coli
[EPEC]), STh, STp, and LT (enterotoxigenic
E. coli
[ETEC]), and
ipaH
(enteroinvasive
E. coli
[EIEC]). Eleven hosts were positive for only the
eae
(10.11%) gene, representing atypical EPEC, while two hosts were positive for both
eae
and EAF (1.3%), representing typical EPEC.
stx
1
,
stx
2
, or both
stx
1
and
stx
2
were present in 1 (0.1%,) 10 (5.56%), and 2 (1.51%) hosts, respectively, and confirmed as non-O157 by using a
E. coli
O157
rfb
(
rfb
O157
) TaqMan assay. STh and STp were carried by 2 hosts (2.33%) and 1 host (0.33%), respectively, while none of the hosts were positive for LT and
ipaH
. The repetitive element palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) fingerprint analysis identified 221 unique fingerprints with a Shannon diversity index of 2.67. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that majority of the isolates clustered according to the year of sampling. The higher prevalence of atypical EPEC and non-O157 STEC observed in different animal hosts indicates that they can be a reservoir of these pathogens with the potential to contaminate surface water and impact human health. Therefore, we suggest that
E. coli
from these sources must be included while constructing known source fingerprint libraries for tracking purposes. However, the observed genetic diversity and temporal variation need to be considered since these factors can influence the accuracy of BST results.
Using Transcriptomics To Improve Butanol Tolerance of Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803
Authors: Anfelt Josefine , Hallström Björn , Nielsen Jens , Uhlén Mathias , Hudson Elton P. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Cyanobacteria are emerging as promising hosts for production of advanced biofuels such as
n
-butanol and alkanes. However, cyanobacteria suffer from the same product inhibition problems as those that plague other microbial biofuel hosts. High concentrations of butanol severely reduce growth, and even small amounts can negatively affect metabolic processes. An understanding of how cyanobacteria are affected by their biofuel product can enable identification of engineering strategies for improving their tolerance. Here we used transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) to assess the transcriptome response of
Synechocystis
sp. strain PCC 6803 to two concentrations of exogenous
n
-butanol. Approximately 80 transcripts were differentially expressed at 40 mg/liter butanol, and 280 transcripts were different at 1 g/liter butanol. Our results suggest a compromised cell membrane, impaired photosynthetic electron transport, and reduced biosynthesis. Accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) scaled with butanol concentration. Using the physiology and transcriptomics data, we selected several genes for overexpression in an attempt to improve butanol tolerance. We found that overexpression of several proteins, notably, the small heat shock protein HspA, improved tolerance to butanol. Transcriptomics-guided engineering created more solvent-tolerant cyanobacteria strains that could be the foundation for a more productive biofuel host.
Characterization of Three Ammonium Transporters of the Glomeromycotan Fungus Geosiphon pyriformis
Authors: Ellerbeck Matthias , Schüßler Arthur , Brucker David , Dafinger Claudia , Loos Friedemann , Brachmann Andreas 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Members of the
Glomeromycota
form the arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) symbiosis. They supply plants with inorganic nutrients, including nitrogen, from the soil. To gain insight into transporters potentially facilitating nitrogen transport processes, ammonium transporters (AMTs) of
Geosiphon pyriformis
, a glomeromycotan fungus forming a symbiosis with cyanobacteria, were studied. Three AMT genes were identified, and all three were expressed in the symbiotic stage. The localization and functional characterization of the proteins in a heterologous yeast system revealed distinct characteristics for each of them. AMT1 of
G. pyriformis
(GpAMT1) and GpAMT2 were both plasma membrane localized, but only GpAMT1 transported ammonium. Neither protein transported the ammonium analogue methylammonium. Unexpectedly, GpAMT3 was localized in the vacuolar membrane, and it has as-yet-unknown transport characteristics. An unusual cysteine residue in the AMT signature of GpAMT2 and GpAMT3 was identified, and the corresponding residue was demonstrated to play an important role in ammonium transport. Surprisingly, each of the three AMTs of
G. pyriformis
had very distinct features. The localization of an AMT in the yeast vacuolar membrane is novel, as is the described amino acid residue that clearly influences ammonium transport. The AMT characteristics might reflect adaptations to the lifestyle of glomeromycotan fungi.
Bidirectional-Genetics Platform, a Dual-Purpose Mutagenesis Strategy for Filamentous Fungi
Authors: Park Jaejin , Lee Yong-Hwan 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACTRapidly increasing fungal genome sequences call for efficient ways of generating mutants to translate quickly gene sequences into their functions. A reverse genetic strategy via targeted gene replacement (TGR) has been inefficient for many filamentous fungi due to dominant production of undesirable ectopic transformants. Although large-scale random insertional mutagenesis via transformation (i.e., forward genetics) facilitates high-throughput uncovering of novel genes of interest, generating a huge number of transformants, which is necessary to ensure the likelihood of mutagenizing most genes, is time-consuming. We propose a new strategy, entitled theBidirectional-Genetics (BiG) platform, which combines both forward and reverse genetic strategies by recycling ectopic transformants derived from TGR as a source for random insertional mutants. The BiG platform was evaluated using the rice blast fungusMagnaporthe oryzaeas a model. Over 10% of >1,000M. oryzaeectopic transformants, generated during disruption of specific genes, displayed abnormality in vegetative growth, pigmentation, and/or asexual reproduction. In this pool of putative mutants, we isolated insertional mutants with mutations in three genes involved in histidine biosynthesis (MoHIS5), vegetative growth (MoVPS74), or conidiophore formation (MoFRQ) (where “Mo” indicates “M. oryzae”), supporting the utility of this platform for systematic gene function studies.
Interaction Maps of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ESCRT-III Protein Snf7
Authors: Sciskala Barbara , Kölling Ralf 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

The
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
ESCRT-III protein Snf7 is part of an intricate interaction network at the endosomal membrane. Interaction maps of Snf7 were established by measuring the degree of binding of individual binding partners to putative binding motifs along the Snf7 sequence by glutathione
S
-transferase (GST) pulldown. For each interaction partner, distinct binding profiles were obtained. The following observations were made. The ESCRT-III subunits Vps20 and Vps24 showed a complementary binding pattern, suggesting a model for the series of events in the ESCRT-III functional cycle. Vps4 bound to individual Snf7 motifs but not to full-length Snf7. This suggests that Vps4 does not bind to the closed conformation of Snf7. We also demonstrate for the first time that the ALIX/Bro1 homologue Rim20 binds to the α6 helix of Snf7. Analysis of a Snf7 α6 deletion mutant showed that the α6 helix is crucial for binding of Bro1 and Rim20
in vivo
and is indispensable for the multivesicular body (MVB)-sorting and Rim-signaling functions of Snf7. The Snf7Δα6 protein still appeared to be incorporated into ESCRT-III complexes at the endosomal membrane, but disassembly of the complex seemed to be defective. In summary, our study argues against the view that the ESCRT cycle is governed by single one-to-one interactions between individual components and emphasizes the network character of the ESCRT interactions.
Reasons for readmission in an underserved high-risk population: a qualitative analysis of a series of inpatient interviews
Authors: Long Theodore , Genao Inginia , Horwitz Leora I 
Published: September 2013

ObjectiveTo gather qualitative data to elucidate the reasons for readmissions in a high-risk population of underserved patients.DesignWe created an instrument with 27 open-ended questions based on current interventions.SettingYale-New Haven Hospital.PatientsPatients at the Yale Adult Primary Care Center (PCC).MeasurementsWe conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews of patients who had four or more admissions in the previous 6 months and were currently readmitted to the hospital.ResultsWe completed 17 interviews and identified themes relating to risk of readmission. We found that patients went directly to the emergency department (ED) when they experienced a change in health status without contacting their primary provider. Reasons for this included poor telephone or urgent care access and the belief that the PCC could not treat acute illness. Many patients could not name their primary provider. Conversely, every patient except one reported being able to obtain medications without undue financial burden, and every patient reported receiving adequate home care services.ConclusionsThese high-risk patients were receiving the formal services that they needed, but were making the decision to go to the ED because of inadequate access to care and fragmented primary care relationships. Formal transitional care services are unlikely to be adequate in reducing readmissions without also addressing primary care access and continuity.
Cigarette pack design and adolescent smoking susceptibility: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Ford Allison , MacKintosh Anne Marie , Moodie Crawford , Richardson Sol , Hastings Gerard 
Published: September 2013

ObjectivesTo compare adolescents’ responses to three different styles of cigarette packaging:novelty(branded packs designed with a distinctive shape, opening style or bright colour),regular(branded pack with no special design features) andplain(brown pack with a standard shape and opening and all branding removed, aside from brand name).DesignCross-sectional in-home survey.SettingUK.ParticipantsRandom location quota sample of 1025 never smokers aged 11–16 years.Main outcome measuresSusceptibility to smoking and composite measures of pack appraisal and pack receptivity derived from 11 survey items.ResultsMean responses to the three pack types were negative for all survey items. However, ‘novelty’ packs were rated significantly less negatively than the ‘regular’ pack on most items, and the novelty and regular packs were rated less negatively than the ‘plain’ pack. For the novelty packs, logistic regressions, controlling for factors known to influence youth smoking, showed that susceptibility was associated with positive appraisal and also receptivity. For example, those receptive to the innovative Silk Cut Superslims pack were more than four times as likely to be susceptible to smoking than those not receptive to this pack (AOR=4.42, 95% CI 2.50 to 7.81, p<0.001). For the regular pack, an association was found between positive appraisal and susceptibility but not with receptivity and susceptibility. There was no association with pack appraisal or receptivity for the plain pack.ConclusionsPack structure (shape and opening style) and colour are independently associated, not just with appreciation of and receptivity to the pack, but also with susceptibility to smoke. In other words, those who think most highly of novelty cigarette packaging are also the ones who indicate that they are most likely to go on to smoke. Plain packaging, in contrast, was found to directly reduce the appeal of smoking to adolescents.
Burden of disease attributable to the Hebei Spirit oil spill in Taean, Korea
Authors: Kim Young-Min , Park Jae-Hyun , Choi Kyusik , Noh Su Ryeon , Choi Young-Hyun , Cheong Hae-Kwan 
Published: September 2013

ObjectivesWe aimed to assess the burden of disease (BOD) of the residents living in contaminated coastal area with oil spill and also analysed the BOD attributable to the oil spill by disease, age, sex and subregion.DesignHealth impact assessment by measuring years lived with disability (YLD) due to an oil spill.SettingA whole population of a community affected by an anthropogenic environmental disaster and secondary health outcome data.ParticipantsBased on the health outcome survey including 10 171 individuals (male 4354; female 5817), BOD of 66 473 populations (male 33 441; female 33 032) was measured.InterventionsNone. Observational study on the effect of a specific environmental health hazard.Primary and secondary outcome measuresUsing disability adjusted life year (DALY) method, BOD including physical and mental diseases was measured. For the BOD measurement, excess incidences of illnesses related to oil spill were estimated from the comparison of prevalence of the health outcomes between contaminated areas and reference area without contamination.ResultsYLD attributable to the oil spill were estimated to be 14 724 DALYs (male 7425 DALYs; female 7299 DALYs) for the year 2008. The YLD of mental diseases including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression for men were higher than that for women. The YLD for women was higher in asthma and allergies (rhinitis, dermatitis, conjunctivitis) than that for men. The effects of asthma and allergies were the greatest for people in their 40s, with the burden of mental illness being the greatest for those in their 20s. Proximity to the spill site was associated with increased BOD.ConclusionsAn oil spill near a coastline can cause substantial adverse health effects. As the health effects of hazardous pollutants from oil spills are long-lasting, close follow-up studies are required to identify chronic health effects.
A comparison of the analytical level of agreement of nine treponemal assays for syphilis and possible implications for screening algorithms
Authors: Castro Arnold , Jost Heather , Cox David , Fakile Yetunde , Kikkert Susan , Tun Ye , Zaidi Akbar , Park Mahin 
Published: September 2013

ObjectiveThe serological diagnosis of syphilis requires the detection of two distinct antibodies, the non-treponemal and trepomenal. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends screening first with a non-treponemal test such as (Rapid Plasma Reagin/Venereal Disease Research Laboratory), and then confirming those results with one of the several treponemal tests (Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody-Absorption (FTA-ABS), Enzyme Immunoassay, chemiluminescence, treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TP-PA) or Point of Care). Owing to the high volume of samples processed by some laboratories using automated systems, the screening with treponemal assays and confirming with non-treponemal tests is becoming the established norm. The purpose of this study was to evaluate eight treponemal assays using TP-PA as the predicate assay.Methods290 stored serum samples were tested qualitatively according to the manufacturer's directions.ResultsConcordance with specimens tested as reactive or non-reactive using TP-PA was: FTA-ABS 94.5–100%, Trep-Sure 100–98.9%, BioELISA 100–98.9%, INNO-LIA 99.1–99.4%, BIOLINE 100–98.9%, CAPTIA IgG 100–97.2%, Trep-ID 100–100% and LIAISON 100–99.4%. In order to properly evaluate the performance of these assays, the analytical sensitivity was determined by endpoint titration of serial dilutions of the reactive serum samples in normal sera. The median endpoint titre varied from 1:4 for FTA-ABS to 1:512 for Trep-Sure.ConclusionsThe performance of the treponemal serological assays was comparable while using medium and high-titre sera. However, the varying performance on specimen dilutions suggests that there may be differences in sensitivity with low-titre sera that are more prevalent in primary and late syphilis cases.
Childhood happiness and violence: a retrospective study of their impacts on adult well-being
Authors: Bellis Mark A , Hughes Karen , Jones Alyson , Perkins Clare , McHale Philip 
Published: September 2013

ObjectivesTo examine the hypothesis that adult well-being is related to childhood experiences independent of current adult sociodemographic conditions.DesignA cross-sectional, stratified, randomised sample survey using self-assessed measures of current well-being and retrospective measures of childhood experiences.SettingHouseholds in North West England (September 2012–March 2013).ParticipantsThe individual with the next birthday in randomly selected households (n=11 500; compliance 89.6% of eligible households). Analysis was limited to those aged ≥18 years and answering all pertinent questions (n=11 157).OutcomesThe primary outcome was a validated multicomponent measure of mental well-being (MWB). Additional outcomes included self-assessed life satisfaction (LS), life worth and trust in others.ResultsAdult MWB, LS, life worth and trust were all significantly related to childhood violence and happiness. Relationships remained after controlling for sociodemographics. Thus, compared with those with happy, non-violent childhoods, respondents with unhappy, violent childhoods had adjusted ORs (95% CI, significance) of 3.10 (2.59 to 3.71, p<0.001) for low MWB, 3.62 (2.99 to 4.38, p<0.001) for low LS, 4.13 (3.40 to 5.01, p<0.001) for low life worth and 2.62 (2.20 to 3.11, p<0.001) for low trust. The impact of unhappy but non-violent childhoods were smaller but significant (p<0.001). The modelled impact of childhood factors predicted, for instance, that among unemployed white men aged 25–39 years from the most deprived communities, 27% of those with happy non-violent childhoods would have low MWB rising to 53% of those with unhappy violent childhoods.ConclusionsAdult well-being is strongly linked to childhood experiences. The addition of well-being measures to outcomes already associated with adverse childhoods (eg, adolescent antisocial behaviour and risks of adult disease) strengthens the case for investment in interventions to improve childhood experiences. Public health systems are well placed to ensure that policy to improve adult well-being exploits the potential for this to be realised through appropriate interventions.
In utero exposure to antidepressant drugs and risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a nationwide Danish cohort study
Authors: Laugesen Kristina , Olsen Morten Smærup , Telén Andersen Ane Birgitte , Frøslev Trine , Toft Sørensen Henrik 
Published: September 2013

ObjectiveTo investigate whether in utero exposure to antidepressants is associated with increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).DesignCohort study.SettingDenmark.ParticipantsAll Danish singletons born alive from 1996 to 2009 were included. Using national medical registries, we defined in utero exposure to antidepressants as redemption of an antidepressant prescription by the mother 30 days prior to or during pregnancy. We defined maternal former users of antidepressants as women, who had redeemed a prescription up to 30 days prior to pregnancy, and never users as women who had never redeemed a prescription.Main outcome measuresADHD was defined as redemption of a prescription for ADHD medication or an ADHD hospital diagnosis. Children were followed through 2010, and we used proportional-hazards regression to compute adjusted HRs comparing children exposed in utero and children born to former antidepressant users with children born to never users. To adjust for confounding from family-related factors, we conducted a within-mother between-pregnancy analysis comparing exposed children with unexposed siblings using conditional logistic regression.ResultsWe identified a cohort of 877 778 children, of whom 1.7% were exposed in utero. The overall median follow-up time was 8 years; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were the most commonly used class of antidepressant during pregnancy (78% of users). The adjusted HR comparing children exposed to any antidepressant in utero with children born to never users was 1.2 (95% CI 1.1 to 1.4), and 1.6 (95% CI 1.5 to 1.8) comparing children born to former users to children born to never users of antidepressants. In the within-mother between-pregnancy analysis (n=867), the adjusted OR was 0.7 (95% CI 0.4 to 1.4).ConclusionsThis study provides no evidence to support a causal association between in utero exposure to antidepressants and risk of ADHD.