bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rhamphicarpa fistulosa, a widespread facultative hemi‐parasitic weed, threatening rice production in Africa
Authors: Rodenburg J , Morawetz J J , Bastiaans L 
Published: December 2014

SummaryRhamphicarpa fistulosa is a facultative hemi‐parasitic plant of the Orobanchaceae family, adapted to wet soils. Apart from tropical Australia, it is only found in sub‐Saharan Africa, where it is considered a minor weed in cereal crops such as rice. Due to this status, the species has received only sporadic attention. Recent field observations and encounters with rice farmers in several African countries showed that R. fistulosa is, however, a more serious and increasing production constraint than previously thought. Results from a systematic literature review and a global herbarium study support this. The species has a broad distribution over Africa (at least 35 countries from Madagascar to Senegal and from Sudan to South Africa) and a wide range in altitude (0–2150 m a.s.l.) and environment (waterlogged swamps to moist free‐draining uplands). Rhamphicarpa fistulosa is relatively independent and persistent because of the presumably wide host range, the facultative nature of its parasitism and its prolific seed (estimated 100 000 seeds m−2 under moderate infestation levels). Finally, R. fistulosa causes severe yield losses (average 60%) and high regional annual economic losses (estimated US $175 million), while effective control options are scant and awareness of the species among important R&D stakeholders is almost absent. An integrated approach is advocated to assist the rice sector to reduce current R. fistulosa‐inflicted losses and to prevent further spread of the species into new areas.
Ribosomal Elongation Factor 4 Promotes Cell Death Associated with Lethal Stress
Authors: Li Liping , Hong Yuzhi , Luan Gan , Mosel Michael , Malik Muhammad , Drlica Karl , Zhao Xilin 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTRibosomal elongation factor 4 (EF4) is highly conserved among bacteria, mitochondria, and chloroplasts. However, the EF4-encoding gene,lepA, is nonessential and its deficiency shows no growth or fitness defect. In purified systems, EF4 back-translocates stalled, posttranslational ribosomes for efficient protein synthesis; consequently, EF4 has a protective role during moderate stress. We were surprised to find that EF4 also has a detrimental role during severe stress: deletion oflepAincreasedEscherichia colisurvival following treatment with several antimicrobials. EF4 contributed to stress-mediated lethality through reactive oxygen species (ROS) because (i) the protective effect of a ΔlepAmutation against lethal antimicrobials was eliminated by anaerobic growth or by agents that block hydroxyl radical accumulation and (ii) the ΔlepAmutation decreased ROS levels stimulated by antimicrobial stress. Epistasis experiments showed that EF4 functions in the same genetic pathway as the MazF toxin, a stress response factor implicated in ROS-mediated cell death. The detrimental action of EF4 required transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA, which tags truncated proteins for degradation and is known to be inhibited by EF4) and the ClpP protease. Inhibition of a protective, tmRNA/ClpP-mediated degradative activity would allow truncated proteins to indirectly perturb the respiratory chain and thereby provide a potential link between EF4 and ROS. The connection among EF4, MazF, tmRNA, and ROS expands a pathway leading from harsh stress to bacterial self-destruction. The destructive aspect of EF4 plus the protective properties described previously make EF4 a bifunctional factor in a stress response that promotes survival or death, depending on the severity of stress.IMPORTANCETranslation elongation factor 4 (EF4) is one of the most conserved proteins in nature, but it is dispensable. Lack of strong phenotypes for its genetic knockout has made EF4 an enigma. Recent biochemical work has demonstrated that mild stress may stall ribosomes and that EF4 can reposition stalled ribosomes to resume proper translation. Thus, EF4 protects cells from moderate stress. Here we report that EF4 is paradoxically harmful during severe stress, such as that caused by antimicrobial treatment. EF4 acts in a pathway that leads to excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby participating in a bacterial self-destruction that occurs when cells cannot effectively repair stress-mediated damage. Thus, EF4 has two opposing functions—at low-to-moderate levels of stress, the protein is protective by allowing stress-paused translation to resume; at high-levels of stress, EF4 helps bacteria self-destruct. These data support the existence of a bacterial live-or-die response to stress.
BPIFB3 Regulates Autophagy and Coxsackievirus B Replication through a Noncanonical Pathway Independent of the Core Initiation Machinery
Authors: Delorme-Axford Elizabeth , Morosky Stefanie , Bomberger Jennifer , Stolz Donna B. , Jackson William T. , Coyne Carolyn B. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT
Enteroviruses require autophagy to facilitate the formation of autophagosome (AP)-like double-membrane vesicles that provide the scaffolding for RNA replication. Here, we identify bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) fold-containing family B, member 3 (BPIFB3) as a gene whose silencing greatly enhances coxsackievirus B (CVB) replication and induces dramatic alterations in the morphology of CVB-induced replication organelles. We show that BPIFB3 is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and its silencing by RNA interference enhances basal levels of autophagy and promotes increased autophagy during CVB replication. Conversely, overexpression of BPIFB3 inhibits CVB replication, dramatically alters the morphology of LC3B-positive vesicles, and suppresses autophagy in response to rapamaycin. In addition, we found that, whereas silencing of core autophagy components associated with the initiation of APs in control cells suppressed CVB replication, silencing of these same components had no effect on CVB-induced autophagy or viral replication in cells transfected with BPIFB3 small interfering RNA. Based on these results, taken together, this study reports on a previously uncharacterized regulator of enterovirus infection that controls replication through a noncanonical pathway independent from the core autophagy initiation machinery.

IMPORTANCE
Coxsackievirus B (CVB) infections are commonly associated with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that accounts for nearly half of all heart transplants annually. During infection, CVB co-opts a cellular pathway, termed autophagy, to provide the membranes necessary for its replication. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process by which cells ingest damaged organelles as a means of maintaining cell homeostasis. Here, we report on a novel regulator of autophagy, bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) fold-containing family B, member 3 (BPIFB3), whose expression functions to restrict CVB replication by suppressing key steps in the authophagic process. We show that loss of BPIFB3 expression greatly enhances CVB replication while having no effect on replication of poliovirus, a closely related virus. Our results thus identify a novel host cell therapeutic target whose function could be targeted to alter CVB replication.
Salmonella enterica Infection Stimulates Macrophages to Hemophagocytose
Authors: Pilonieta M. Carolina , Moreland Sarah M. , English Christopher N. , Detweiler Corrella S. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTHemophagocytes are cells of the monocyte lineage that have engulfed erythrocytes and leukocytes. Hemophagocytes frequently accumulate in patients with severe acute bacterial infections, such as those caused bySalmonella enterica,Brucella abortus, andMycobacterium tuberculosis. The relationship between hemophagocytosis and infection is not well understood. In the murine liver,S. entericaserovar Typhimurium resides within hemophagocytic macrophages containing leukocytes. Here we show thatS. Typhimurium also resides within hemophagocytes containing erythrocytes. In cell culture,S. Typhimurium benefits from residence within hemophagocytes by accessing iron, but why macrophages hemophagocytose is unknown. We show that treatment of macrophages with a cocktail of the proinflammatory cytokine interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulates engulfment of nonsenescent erythrocytes. Exposure of resting or IFN-γ-treated macrophages to live, but not to heat-killed,S. Typhimurium cells also stimulates erythrocyte engulfment. Single-cell analyses show thatS. Typhimurium-infected macrophages are more likely to erythrophagocytose and that infected macrophages engulf more erythrocytes than uninfected macrophages within the same culture well. In addition, macrophages containing erythrocytes harbor more bacteria. However,S. Typhimurium does not promote macrophage engulfment of polystyrene beads, suggesting a role for a ligand on the target cell. Finally, neither of the twoS. Typhimurium type 3 secretion systems, T3SS1 or T3SS2, is fully required for hemophagocytosis. These results indicate that infection of macrophages with liveS. Typhimuriumcells stimulates hemophagocytosis.IMPORTANCEMacrophages are white blood cells (leukocytes) that engulf and destroy pathogens. Hemophagocytes, a subset of macrophages, are characteristic of severe acute infection in patients with, for instance, typhoid fever, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and leishmaniasis. Each of these diseases has the potential to become chronic. Hemophagocytes (blood-eating cells) engulf and degrade red and white blood cells for unknown reasons. The bacterial pathogenSalmonellaacquires the essential nutrient iron from murine hemophagocytes. We report thatSalmonellastimulates macrophages to engulf blood cells, indicating that cells of this bacterium actively promote the formation of a specialized cellular niche in which they can acquire nutrients, evade killing by the host immune system, and potentially transition to chronic infection.
Widening the Spaces of Selection: Evolution along Sublethal Antimicrobial Gradients
Authors: Baquero Fernando , Coque Teresa M. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT
The work of Gullberg et al. (E. Gullberg, L. M. Albrecht, C. Karlsson, L. Sandegren, D. I. Andersson, mBio 5:e01918-14, 2014) indicates that extremely low concentrations of antibiotics and heavy metals are able to compensate for the cost of harboring a plasmid encoding resistances to these inhibitors. Therefore, the “spaces of selection” for plasmids encoding antibiotic or metal resistance along gradients of antimicrobial agents might be huge, and in wide spaces a high number of bacterial cells are exposed to the selective effects. These spaces are even broader if several inhibitors are simultaneously present. Probably very small inhibitor concentrations in the environment, including in sewage and other water bodies, are sufficient to ensure the maintenance and spread of this kind of multiresistance plasmid.
Cultural epidemiology of pandemic influenza in urban and rural Pune, India: a cross-sectional, mixed-methods study
Authors: Sundaram Neisha , Schaetti Christian , Purohit Vidula , Kudale Abhay , Weiss Mitchell G 
Published: December 2014

ObjectiveTo identify and compare sociocultural features of pandemic influenza with reference to illness-related experience, meaning and behaviour in urban and rural areas of India.DesignCross-sectional, mixed-methods, cultural epidemiological survey with vignette-based interviews. Semistructured explanatory model interviews were used to study community ideas of the 2009 influenza pandemic. In-depth interviews elaborated respondents’ experience during the pandemic.SettingUrban and rural communities, Pune district, western India.ParticipantsSurvey of urban (n=215) and rural (n=221) residents aged between 18 and 65 years. In-depth interviews of respondents with a history of 2009 pandemic influenza (n=6).ResultsMore urban (36.7%) than rural respondents (16.3%, p<0.001) identified the illness in the vignette as ‘swine flu’. Over half (56.7%) believed the illness would be fatal without treatment, but with treatment 96% predicted full recovery. Worry (‘tension’) about the illness was reported as more troubling than somatic symptoms. The most common perceived causes—‘exposure to a dirty environment’ and ‘cough or sneeze of an infected person’–were more prominent in the urban group. Among rural respondents, climatic conditions, drinking contaminated water, tension and cultural ideas on humoral imbalance from heat-producing or cold-producing foods were more prominent. The most widely reported home treatment was herbal remedies; more rural respondents suggested reliance on prayer, and symptom relief was more of a priority for urban respondents. Government health services were preferred in the urban communities, and rural residents relied more than urban residents on private facilities. The important preventive measures emphasised were cleanliness, wholesome lifestyle and vaccines, and more urban respondents reported the use of masks. In-depth interviews indicated treatment delays during the 2009 pandemic, especially among rural patients.ConclusionsAlthough the term was well known, better recognition of pandemic influenza cases is needed, especially in rural areas. Improved awareness, access to treatment and timely referrals by private practitioners are also required to reduce treatment delays.
Place of care: from referral to specialist palliative care until death
Authors: O'Leary Mary Jane , O'Brien Alison C , Murphy Marie , Crowley Claire M , Leahy Helen M , McCarthy Jill M , Collins Joan C , O'Brien Tony 
Published: December 2014

BackgroundWhile there are many poorly standardised studies focusing on place of death, there are limited data on place(s) of care during the final stages of disease.AimThis study aims to identify where patients are cared for in the interval from referral to specialist palliative care until death.MethodsAll patients who died while under the care of a specialist palliative care service over a 6-month period were considered.ResultsOf the 507 patients included, 255 (50.3%) were men and 428 (84.4%) had a malignant diagnosis. The mean referral-to-death interval was 70 days (SD 113, Range 1–838). The majority (n=281, 55.4%) received care in a single care setting—hospital (28.4%), home (21.5%), nursing home/community hospital (4.1%), hospice (1.4%)—and had a shorter mean referral-to-death interval. Most patients with more than one care setting spent three-quarters of their time in their normal place of residence. A total of 199 (39.3%) died in hospital, 131 (25.8%) in hospice, 131 (25.8%) at home (25.8%) and 46 (9.1%) in a nursing home/community hospital. Patients referred by a general practitioner (n=80 patients, 15.8%) were more likely to be cared for at home (p<0.001), and die at home (p<0.001).ConclusionsA significant number of patients received specialist palliative care across multiple care settings. Late referral is associated with a single domain of care. General practitioner involvement supports patient care and death at home. Place of care and ease of transfer between care settings may be better indicators of the quality of care we provide.
Trends in inequalities in premature cancer mortality by educational level in Colombia, 1998–2007
Authors: de Vries Esther , Arroyave Ivan , Pardo Constanza , Wiesner Carolina , Murillo Raul , Forman David , Burdorf Alex , Avendaño Mauricio 
Published: December 2014

BackgroundThere is a paucity of studies on socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality in developing countries. We examined trends in inequalities in cancer mortality by educational attainment in Colombia during a period of epidemiological transition and rapid expansion of health insurance coverage.MethodsPopulation mortality data (1998–2007) were linked to census data to obtain age-standardised cancer mortality rates by educational attainment at ages 25–64 years for stomach, cervical, prostate, lung, colorectal, breast and other cancers. We used Poisson regression to model mortality by educational attainment and estimated the contribution of specific cancers to the slope index of inequality in cancer mortality.ResultsWe observed large educational inequalities in cancer mortality, particularly for cancer of the cervix (rate ratio (RR) primary vs tertiary groups=5.75, contributing 51% of cancer inequalities), stomach (RR=2.56 for males, contributing 49% of total cancer inequalities and RR=1.98 for females, contributing 14% to total cancer inequalities) and lung (RR=1.64 for males contributing 17% of total cancer inequalities and 1.32 for females contributing 5% to total cancer inequalities). Total cancer mortality rates declined faster among those with higher education, with the exception of mortality from cervical cancer, which declined more rapidly in the lower educational groups.ConclusionsThere are large socioeconomic inequalities in preventable cancer mortality in Colombia, which underscore the need for intensifying prevention efforts. Reduction of cervical cancer can be achieved through reducing human papilloma virus infection, early detection and improved access to treatment of preneoplastic lesions. Reinforcing antitobacco measures may be particularly important to curb inequalities in cancer mortality.
SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC VARIATIONS IN EXPOSURE TO FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AMONG YOUTH
Authors: Mohamed A , McIsaac M , Janssen I 
Published: December 2014

IntroductionCanadians eat at fast food restaurants more regularly than in the past. Fast foods are higher in energy, saturated fats, and sodium than most other foods, and the portion sizes are often very large. Thus, excessive fast food consumption contributes to an unhealthy diet and a host of adverse health effects.Individuals with a low socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnic minorities are at increased risk for excessive fast food consumption. Another determinant of fast food consumption is the density of fast food restaurants in the environment. There is a greater density of fast food restaurants in poorer neighbourhoods and neighbourhoods with larger ethnic minority populations. Disparities may also exist in the extent to which fast food restaurants are associated with fast food consumption. However, this relationship has not been examined in young Canadians.ObjectivesTo examine the associations between fast food restaurant density in the home neighbourhood and fast food consumption within youth, and to determine whether this association is modified by SES and ethnicity.MethodsData are from the 2009/2010 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children survey, which is a nationally representative sample of 26,078 grade 6–10 students. Frequency of fast food consumption, SES, ethnicity, home postal code, and several confounders were assessed by self-report. Density of chain fast food restaurants within 1 km of each participant's home postal code was determined using computerized geographic information systems (GIS). A multilevel logistic regression model will be used to determine the relationship between neighbourhood fast food restaurant density and excessive fast food consumption (>2 times/week). Regression models will test for SES and ethnicity interactions and will control for several confounding variables.Results and conclusionTo be presented at conference (work in progress).
ATTITUDES REGARDING PHYSICIANS' USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Authors: Karnabi P , Deonandan R 
Published: December 2014

IntroductionIncreasingly, a presence on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, are the cultural norm. Such activities typically involve the public sharing of personal information and viewpoints. For physicians, however, such public accessibility may affect their relationships with patients and other stakeholders.ObjectivesWe sought to determine public expectations of the extent and manner of physicians' presence on social media.MethodsA questionnaire consisting of 36 questions was created using the SurveyMonkey.com website. The link to the survey was shared widely via social media.ResultsThere were 259 respondents, predominantly female (74%), urban (87%) and Canadian (94%). A small proportion (31%) felt that a relationship with their physician on social media would be harmful to their clinical relationship, while 56% reported that it would be neither harmful nor beneficial. The majority (55%) expressed concerns about privacy. Almost a third (29%) would be less inclined to maintain a professional relationship with their physician if their physician expressed a conflicting political view than their own on social media. A substantial proportion (46%) also felt that their family physicians should limit their visibility on social media.ConclusionAs social media becomes entrenched into our everyday lives, the extent to which the rights of physicians to participate must be weighed against the perceptions of their current and potential patients.
Asymptomatic moderate carotid artery stenosis with intraplaque hemorrhage: onset of new ischemic stroke
Authors: Yamada Kiyofumi , Kawasaki Masanori , Yoshimura Shinichi , Sasaki Yuichi , Nakahara Shigehiro , Sato Yoshikazu 
Published: December 2014

BackgroundThe degree of stenosis of carotid arteries is recognized as an important risk factor for ischemic stroke. However, high-grade stenosis does not always cause cerebrovascular events, whereas low- to moderate-grade stenosis may often cause strokes. It has been reported that there is an association between carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) and new brain ischemic events.Case presentationWe present three patients with asymptomatic moderate carotid artery stenosis and carotid IPH who underwent both neurological and MRI at baseline and after at least 1 year's follow-up. These patients were admitted to our hospital (after 15–35 months of follow-up) because of neurological deficits. Diffusion-weighted MRI of the brain showed ipsilateral new ischemic lesions due to carotid artery plaques. The patients were treated with carotid artery stenting and discharged uneventfully.ConclusionsWhether plaques with severe stenosis already had severe stenosis at the onset of events or plaques with moderate stenosis progressed owing to an acute change, such as growth of an IPH, remains unclear, because no carotid imaging was carried out just before the events. This is the first case report which presents neurological symptoms and MRI at both baseline and follow-up in patients with asymptomatic moderate carotid artery stenosis and carotid IPH.