bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transcutaneous immunotherapy via laser‐generated micropores efficiently alleviates allergic asthma in Phl p 5–sensitized mice
Authors: Bach D. , Weiss R. , Hessenberger M. , Kitzmueller S. , Weinberger E. E. , Krautgartner W. D. , Hauser‐Kronberger C. , Boehler C. , Thalhamer J. , Scheiblhofer S. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractBackgroundSpecific immunotherapy via the subcutaneous or oral route is associated with local and, in some cases, systemic side effects and suffers from low patient compliance. Due to its unique immunological features, the skin represents a promising target tissue for effective and painless treatment of type I allergy. The current study was performed to compare the efficacy of transcutaneous immunotherapy via laser‐generated micropores to subcutaneous injection.MethodsBALB/c mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of recombinant grass pollen allergen Phl p 5 together with alum. Subsequently, lung inflammation was induced by repeated intranasal challenge. During the treatment phase, adjuvant‐free Phl p 5 was applied in solution to microporated skin or was subcutaneously injected. Lung function and cellular infiltration; Phl p 5–specific serum levels of IgG1, IgG2a, and IgE; and cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids as well as in supernatants of splenocyte cultures were assessed.ResultsBoth therapeutic approaches reduced airway hyperresponsiveness and leukocyte infiltration into the lungs. Whereas subcutaneous immunotherapy induced a systemic increase in Th2‐associated cytokine secretion, transcutaneous application revealed a general downregulation of Th1/Th2/Th17 responses. Successful therapy was associated with induction of IgG2a and an increase in FOXP3+ CD4+ T cells.ConclusionsTranscutaneous immunotherapy via laser microporation is equally efficient compared with conventional subcutaneous treatment but avoids therapy‐associated boosting of systemic Th2 immunity. Immunotherapy via laser‐microporated skin combines a painless application route with the high efficacy known from subcutaneous injections and therefore represents a promising alternative to established forms of immunotherapy.
Immunohistochemical analysis of the monoclonal antibody 4B5 in breast tissue expressing human epidermal growth factor receptor 4 (HER4)
Authors: Jay Julie I , Brunhoeber Patrick S , Smith Margie H , Williams Ryan R , Sugarman Michael C , Free Heather L , Tast David E 
Published: September 2012

AimsA recent study examining the specificity of human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 2 pharmacodiagnostic antibodies demonstrated that CB11 and 4B5 stain both HER2‐transfected and HER4‐transfected cell lines. However, there has been no evidence showing that 4B5 has affinity for HER4 in clinically obtained tissues, and, if so, whether this has any impact on the assessment of HER2. We therefore sought to determine the expression of membrane‐bound HER4 in clinical breast carcinomas, and evaluate its impact on the clinical utility of 4B5 in determining HER2 status.Methods and resultsBreast carcinomas were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for membrane‐bound HER4 using anti‐HER4 clone E200. HER2 expression in these cases was then assessed using anti‐HER2 clone 4B5, and a reference clone, SP3. In all 117 membrane HER4‐positive cases (out of 241), 4B5 scored equal to or less than the reference anti‐HER2 clone SP3. Eighteen cases were positive for membrane‐bound HER4 by E200 and negative by 4B5, including a membrane HER4 level 3+ case.ConclusionsNo cross‐reactivity of 4B5 with membrane‐bound HER4 was identified in the clinical IHC analysis of formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded breast carcinoma cases as evidenced by the HER4 antibody clone E200.
TALE1 from Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis acts as a transcriptional activator in plant cells and is important for pathogenicity in cassava plants
Authors: Castiblanco Luisa F. , Gil Juliana , Rojas Alejandro , Osorio Daniela , Gutiérrez Sonia , Muñoz‐Bodnar Alejandra , Perez‐Quintero Alvaro L. , Koebnik Ralf , Szurek Boris , López Camilo , Restrepo Silvia , Verdier Valérie , Bernal Adriana J. 
Published: September 2012

SummaryMany plant‐pathogenic bacteria suppress pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP)‐triggered immunity by injecting effector proteins into the host cytoplasm during infection through the type III secretion system (TTSS). This type III secretome plays an important role in bacterial pathogenicity in susceptible hosts. Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam), the causal agent of cassava bacterial blight, injects several effector proteins into the host cell, including TALE1Xam. This protein is a member of the Transcriptional Activator‐Like effector (TALE) protein family, formerly known as the AvrBs3/PthA family. TALE1Xam has 13.5 tandem repeats of 34 amino acids each, as well as two nuclear localization signals and an acidic activation domain at the C‐terminus. In this work, we demonstrate the importance of TALE1Xam in the pathogenicity of Xam. We use versions of the gene that lack different domains in the protein in structure–function studies to show that the eukaryotic domains at the 3′ end are critical for pathogenicity. In addition, we demonstrate that, similar to the characterized TALE proteins from other Xanthomonas species, TALE1Xam acts as a transcriptional activator in plant cells. This is the first report of the identification of a TALE in Xam, and contributes to our understanding of the pathogenicity mechanisms employed by this bacterium to colonize and cause disease in cassava.
Ultraviolet irradiation is an effective alternative to ozonation as a sea water treatment to prevent Kudoa neurophila (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) infection of striped trumpeter, Latris lineata (Forster)
Authors: Cobcroft J M , Battaglene S C 
Published: September 2012

AbstractMyxozoan parasites are known pathogens of cultured finfish. Kudoa neurophila n. comb. (Grossel, Dyková, Handlinger & Munday) has historically infected hatchery‐produced striped trumpeter, Latris lineata (Forster in Bloch and Schneider), a candidate species for seacage aquaculture in Australia. We examined the efficacy of four water treatment methods to prevent K. neurophila infection in post‐larval (paperfish) and juvenile striped trumpeter. Treatments included dose‐controlled ultraviolet irradiation [hydro‐optic disinfection (HOD)], ozone with conventional UV (ozone), mechanical filtration at 25 μm and then foam fractionation (primary filtration), and 50‐μm‐filtered sea water (control). In post‐larvae (initially 10.3 ± 2.7 g, mean ± SD, 259 days post‐hatching, dph), the infection prevalence (PCR test) after 51 days was 93 ± 12% in the control, 100 ± 0% in primary filtration and 0 ± 0% in both ozone and HOD. Likewise, in juveniles (initially 114 ± 18 g, 428 dph), prevalence was 100 ± 0% in the control and primary filtration treatments with no infection detected in ozone and HOD. Concurrently, there was a 50–100% reduction in heterotrophic bacteria and 100% reduction in presumptive Vibrio sp. in sea water HOD and ozone treatments. HOD with a dose of ≥44 mJ cm−2 UV was as effective as ozonation at >700 mV ORP for 10 min, in preventing K. neurophila infection.
New HBV subgenotype D9, a novel D/C recombinant, identified in patients with chronic HBeAg‐negative infection in Eastern India
Authors: Ghosh S. , Banerjee P. , Deny P. , Mondal R. K. , Nandi M. , RoyChoudhury A. , Das K. , Banerjee S. , Santra A. , Zoulim F. , Chowdhury A. , Datta S. 
Published: September 2012

SummaryGenome diversity is a hallmark of hepatitis B virus (HBV), which allowed its classification into 10 genotypes (A–J) and numerous subgenotypes. Among them, Genotype D is currently segregated into eight subgenotypes (D1–D8). Here, we report the identification and characterization of a novel subgenotype within genotype D of HBV from chronic hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐negative patients of Eastern India. Phylogenetic tree analysis based on complete genome sequences revealed that six of 39 HBV/D isolates formed a distinct cluster supported by high bootstrap value and had nucleotide divergence >4% relative to the known D subgenotypes (D1–D8), justifying their assignment into a new subgenotype (D9). By comparing the amino acid sequences of the four ORFs of HBV/D9 with D1–D8, 36 specific residues, including a unique one (E112 in the core region), were identified that could be considered as a signature of D9. Further analysis by Simplot, BootScan and jpHMM demonstrated that D9 resulted from a discrete recombination with genotype C over the precore–core region. This type of recombination has not been described previously as all C/D recombinants reported so far possessed genotype C backbones with mosaic fragments derived from HBV/D. Interestingly, compared to other subgenotypes of HBV/D, D9 isolates had a higher frequency of mutations (A1762T and G1764A) in the basal core promoter region that had been implicated in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Further investigations are needed to determine the overall prevalence and clinical significance of these newly characterized D9 strains and to assess the impact of inter‐genotypic recombination on viral properties.
Extensive Endoscopic Image‐Guided Sinus Surgery Decreases BPI‐ANCA in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Aanaes K. , Rasmussen N. , Pressler T. , Segelmark M. , Johansen H. K. , Lindberg U. , Høiby N. , Carlsson M. , Wieslander J. , Buchwald C. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractAntineutrophil cytoplasm autoantibodies (ANCA) directed against bactericidal/permeability‐increasing protein (BPI) are common in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), and serum levels are correlated with lung colonization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the severity of lung damage. The production of BPI‐ANCA may be due to the costimulation of BPI when mounting an immune response against P. aeruginosa. The effect of surgery aiming to eradicate bacteria and infected tissue on BPI‐ANCA levels is sparsely described. A cohort of patients with CF were included: 53 patients having extensive image‐guided sinus surgery (EIGSS) with topical postoperative antibiotic treatment, 131 non‐operated controls and 36 who had double lung transplantation (LTX). In all 219 patients, serum samples before and after surgery or at similar intervals were analysed for IgG and IgA BPI‐ANCA. The EIGSS group showed a highly significant decrease in both IgA and IgG BPI‐ANCA levels compared with their own preoperative values and control group values (P < 0.001–0.02). The LTX patients also showed a highly significant decrease in both IgA and IgG BPI‐ANCA levels (P < 0.001). EIGSS and LTX decrease IgA and IgG BPI‐ANCA levels in patients with CF, indicating that extensive removal of infected tissue influences the pathogenic process of autoantibody production. The results shown herein are in favour of applying EIGSS in selected patients with CF and for using BPI‐ANCA as a surrogate marker for guiding further therapeutic interventions.
One‐year audit of complaints made against a University Hospital Surgical Department
Authors: Mann Chris D. , Howes Jennifer A. , Buchanan Alex , Bowrey David J. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractBackgroundThere is relatively little in the medical literature relating to complaints about the healthcare process. The aim of this study was to report the frequency and content of patient complaints against a University Hospital Surgical Department. In particular, the study aimed to relate the number of complaints to the number of health‐care episodes and to determine the frequency of patient safety incidents and subsequent medico‐legal action.MethodsRetrospective interrogation of a prospectively maintained Complaints Department database at a University Hospital for the calendar year 2009.ResultsComplaints relating to 360 aspects of the health‐care journey in 113 patients were made. This translated into one complaint per 400 health‐care episodes. Concerns about clinical care were cited in 31%, delays in the health‐care process in 30%, communication issues in 19%, the institutional environment in 8% and poor discharge planning in 6%. Overall, 16 complaints (4%) were raised as patient safety incidents. Eighty‐three per cent of complaints were addressed by a telephone conversation or a single letter response, 13% by a face‐to‐face meeting. Two per cent resulted in subsequent medico‐legal action.ConclusionsAlthough perceived in a negative way by health‐care professionals, only 1 in 400 health‐care episodes resulted in a complaint. Only a small number related to patient safety incidents or resulted in medico‐legal instructions. Attention should focus on developing effective strategies to improve patient satisfaction with all aspects of the patient journey.
Amelα8 subunit knockdown in the mushroom body vertical lobes impairs olfactory retrieval in the honeybee, Apis mellifera
Authors: Louis Thierry , Musso Pierre‐Yves , de Oliveira Sabrina Barbosa , Garreau Lucile , Giurfa Martin , Raymond Valérie , Gauthier Monique 
Published: September 2012

AbstractWe studied the involvement of the α8 subunit of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in olfactory learning and memory in Apis mellifera. We have previously shown, by injecting different nicotinic antagonists into the bee brain, that pharmacologically different subtypes of nAChRs are important for honeybee memory –α‐bungarotoxin‐sensitive receptors are necessary for memory consolidation and mecamylamine‐sensitive receptors are involved in retrieval processes. Here, we took advantage of the honeybee genome sequencing and the development of a small interfering RNA (siRNA) tool to focus on the role of the α8 subunit, which has been shown to be expressed in brain areas important for olfactory learning, such as the antennal lobes and mushroom bodies. We first demonstrated the efficacy of the siRNA tool by showing a decrease of the α8 protein level at 6 h after brain injection of α8 siRNA. We then tested the general role of this subunit in olfactory conditioning, using brain systemic or localized siRNA injections in the antennal lobes or the calyces and vertical lobes of the mushroom bodies. These injections were performed at either 6 h before the learning acquisition or 6 h before the memory test. The most prominent result was that 6‐h pre‐test injection of siRNA in the mushroom body vertical lobes impaired memory retrieval at 24 and 48 h post‐training. This indicated the importance of cholinergic extrinsic neurons and nAChRs containing the α8 subunit for this process.
The excesses of care: a matter of understanding the asymmetry of power
Authors: Delmar Charlotte 
Published: September 2012

AbstractThe aim of the article is to illustrate concrete problems in the asymmetrical nurse–patient power relationship. It is an ethical demand that the nurse is faced with the challenges that the power in the relation is administered so that the patient's room for action is expanded and trust maintained. It is an essential message in care philosophy, but in clinical practice, success is not always achievable. A hidden and more or less unconscious restriction of the patient's room for action may result in the excesses of care. Three selected aspects: dependence, trust, and power described by the Danish philosopher K.E. Løgstrup and the Norwegian nursing philosopher Kari Martinsen's care philosophy has inspired this empirically based examination of some current barriers in the asymmetrical nurse–patient relationship. On the basis of qualitative interviews with six patients and six nurses, the research thus provides an identifying and problem‐exploratory examination of some current obstacles in which the handling of trust and power reflects the excesses of care. The findings develop three themes. ‘Being a burden’ acknowledges that the balance of power will always tip to the nurse's advantage. The second theme, ‘Doing only what's absolutely necessary’, shows how a fixation with ‘technicalism’ creates a distance between people that may constrain the patient's room for action. The last theme is concerning the nurse's ability to navigate between closeness and distance is essential in avoiding ‘the excesses of care’, paternalism, and overprotectiveness. A situation in which distance takes the upper hand and care turns into paternalism. A different situation would arise if the nurse's emotions became sentimental or intimate with the result that closeness gets the upper hand. To avoid a harmful exercise of power and the excesses of care, the findings have demonstrated that a relationship‐based caring is a demand for situation‐specific sensitive attention skills.
Furthering the sceptical case against virtue ethics in nursing ethics
Authors: Holland Stephen 
Published: September 2012

AbstractIn a recent article in this journal I presented a sceptical argument about the current prominence of virtue ethics in nursing ethics. Daniel Putman has responded with a defence of the relevance of virtue in nursing. The present article continues this discussion by clarifying, defending, and expanding the sceptical argument. I start by emphasizing some features of the sceptical case, including assumptions about the nature of sceptical arguments, and about the character of both virtue ethics and nursing ethics. Then I respond to objections of Putman's such as that, according to virtue ethics, virtue is relevant to the whole of a human life, including one's behaviour in a professional context; and that eudaimonia should be central in explaining and motivating a nurse's decision to enter the profession. Having argued that these objections are not compelling, I go on to discuss an interesting recent attempt to reassert the role of virtue ethics in the ethics of professions, including nursing. This centres on whether role‐specific obligations – e.g. the obligations that arise for a moral agent qua lawyer or mother – can be accommodated in a virtue ethics approach. Sean Cordell has argued that the difficulty of accommodating role‐specific obligations results in an ‘institution‐shaped gap’ in virtue ethics. He suggests a way of meeting this difficulty that appeals to the ergon of institutions. I endorse the negative point that role‐specific obligations elude virtue ethics, but argue that the appeal to the ergon of institutions is unsuccessful. The upshot is further support for scepticism about the virtue ethics approach to nursing ethics. I end by gesturing to some of the advantages of a sceptical view of virtue ethics in nursing ethics.
3D geometric morphometric analysis of the proximal epiphysis of the hominoid humerus
Authors: Arias‐Martorell Julia , Potau Josep Maria , Bello‐Hellegouarch Gaëlle , Pastor Juan Francisco , Pérez‐Pérez Alejandro 
Published: September 2012

AbstractIn this study we perform a three‐dimensional geometric morphometric (3D GM) analysis of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus in extant great apes, including humans, in order to accurately describe the functional anatomical differences between these taxa. In addition, a fossil hominin specimen of Australopithecus afarensis was included in a multivariate GM analysis in order to test the potential of this methodological approach for making locomotor inferences from fossil remains. The results obtained show significant differences in proximal humeral morphology among the taxa studied, which had thus far largely remained unnoticed. Based on morphofunctional considerations, these anatomical differences can be correlated to differences in the locomotor repertoires of the taxa, thus confirming that the proximal humerus is suitable for constructing paleobiological inferences about locomotion. Modern humans display markedly divergent features, which set them apart from both the extant great apes and the fossil hominin A. afarensis. The morphology of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus of the latter more closely resembles that of the orangutans, thus suggesting that despite hindlimb adaptations to bipedalism, the forelimb of this taxon was still functionally involved in arboreal behaviors, such as climbing or suspension.
Seasonal reproduction in the eastern rock elephant‐shrew: influenced by rainfall and ambient temperature?
Authors: Medger K. , Chimimba C. T. , Bennett N. C. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractBecause environmental conditions vary seasonally in most regions, many small mammals reproduce at a specific time of the year to maximize their reproductive success. In the tropics and subtropics, the breeding season is usually determined by the extent of the dry and rainy seasons. We investigated the seasonality of reproduction in the eastern rock elephant‐shrew (Elephantulus myurus), over a 12‐month period and attempted to elucidate the factors that may influence seasonal reproduction in this endemic African mammal. E. myurus breeds seasonally during the warm and wet spring and summer months and cessation of breeding occurs during the cold and dry winter months of the southern hemisphere. Pregnant females were only collected from August through to January. Ovarian size and plasma progesterone started to increase a few months prior to the first rains, were highest in October and decreased thereafter. Follicular growth and corpora body numbers corresponded to this seasonal reproductive pattern. Testes and seminiferous tubule size and plasma testosterone concentration has already started to increase during the coldest months, 2 months prior to reproductive onset in females. We propose that seasonal reproduction evolved in E. myurus because of seasonally changing food availability brought about by severe seasonal changes in rainfall and ambient temperature. The direct effects of rainfall and ambient temperature on reproduction of E. myurus are ambiguous, and we discuss other environmental factors that may trigger reproductive onset in this species.
The non‐consumptive effects of a predator on spider mites depend on predator density
Authors: Bowler D. E. , Yano S. , Amano H. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractPredators can have non‐consumptive effects on their prey by causing anti‐predator responses such as changes in behaviour. These effects may vary with the number of predators, which determines per capita predation risk. Predator density and cue concentration have been shown to affect prey responses in aquatic predator–prey systems; however, there are fewer tests in terrestrial systems. Here, we test the effects of predator density on prey dispersal and body growth in a system of predatory mites and their spider mite prey reared on leaf patches. Groups of prey were exposed to a low or high predator density level, or no predators. Prey dispersed in the presence of a predator and higher predator density led to greater prey dispersal. Growth in adult body size after maturation was reduced in the presence of a predator, and this effect was greater with a higher predator density, most likely related to a reduction in time spent feeding. Experiments were also conducted to test the effects of predator density mediated by predatory cues alone (previous presence of predators on the leaf patch). Spider mites were more likely to disperse when the patch had previously contained a higher density of predators; however, there was no effect of previous density level on body growth. These findings show that the non‐consumptive effects of a predator on spider mites can depend on predator density and provide some evidence that chemical cues play a role in this density dependence. As these changes are likely to affect the predation rate and prey population growth rate, they are also likely to have consequences for the predator–prey dynamics.