bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The social support in kinship foster care: a way to enhance resilience
Authors: Fuentes‐Peláez Nuria , Balsells Mª Àngels , Fernández Josefina , Vaquero Eduard , Amorós Pere 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThis paper analyses how social support enhances family resilience in kinship foster families by involving the families in an educational group programme. Sixty‐two kinship foster families from Spain participated in the research. The data were collected before the programme (interviews) and after the programme (interviews and focus groups), and these were analysed by content analysis with the programme Atlas.ti. The results show that the factors that contribute most to the development of family resilience are as follows: (i) feeling able to look for solutions when facing problems; (ii) an increase of their network of formal support; (iii) being able to offer support to other foster families; and (iv) feeling that the support they give to parents' foster children is socially recognized.
Achieving early molecular response in chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase to reduce the risk of progression: clinical relevance of the 3‐ and 6‐month time points
Authors: Lapusan Simona , Yong Agnes , Savani Bipin N. , Mohty Mohamad 
Published: September 2014

AbstractPatients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase who achieve early molecular response (EMR; generally defined as BCR‐ABL ≤ 10% on the International Scale at 3 or 6 months) have improved outcomes. However, there is no consensus on whether EMR failure at 3 months requires a change in therapy, and the value of the 6‐month time point remains under debate. Some patients who do not achieve EMR at 3 months achieve significant decreases in BCR‐ABL levels by 6 months, whereas others have progressive disease. For patients who do not achieve EMR at either time point, the risk of disease progression is higher both between 3 and 6 months and over the longer term, underlining the therapeutic relevance of the 3‐ to 6‐month time period. For patients with EMR failure at 3 months, although there is currently no consensus on whether to switch therapy or wait until the 6‐month assessment, some patients may benefit from an early change in treatment. This review synthesizes key clinical data demonstrating improved outcomes associated with the achievement of EMR and discusses the relevance of the 3‐ and 6‐month time points on survival and the risk of disease progression. Several potential clinical situations are also presented to explore when a change in therapy may be considered.
Hybridization facilitates evolutionary rescue
Authors: Stelkens Rike B. , Brockhurst Michael A. , Hurst Gregory D. D. , Greig Duncan 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThe resilience of populations to rapid environmental degradation is a major concern for biodiversity conservation. When environments deteriorate to lethal levels, species must evolve to adapt to the new conditions to avoid extinction. Here, we test the hypothesis that evolutionary rescue may be enabled by hybridization, because hybridization increases genetic variability. Using experimental evolution, we show that interspecific hybrid populations of Saccharomyces yeast adapt to grow in more highly degraded environments than intraspecific and parental crosses, resulting in survival rates far exceeding those of their ancestors. We conclude that hybridization can increase evolutionary responsiveness and that taxa able to exchange genes with distant relatives may better survive rapid environmental change.
Identifying behavioural differences in working donkeys in response to analgesic administration
Authors: Regan F. H. , Hockenhull J. , Pritchard J. C. , Waterman‐Pearson A. E. , Whay H. R. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryReasons for performing studyTo identify pain‐related behaviour in working donkeys in order to assist their owners and veterinarians to recognise and manage pain.ObjectivesTo identify general and specific behaviours associated with pain or its relief using a trial with the nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug meloxicam (Metacam).Study designObserver‐blinded, placebo‐controlled trial.MethodsForty adult male working donkeys with common clinical abnormalities were randomly assigned to receive either a single loading dose of meloxicam (1.2 mg/kg bwt per os; n = 20) or a placebo (30 mg honey/250 ml water per os; n = 20). Observation of postural and event behaviours was undertaken at 2 pretreatment time points followed by 4 post treatment time points, using scan (instantaneous) and focal sampling.ResultsIn comparison to pretreatment baselines, donkeys receiving meloxicam were more alert post treatment than the placebo group. They were observed lying down less frequently (P = 0.007), with their eyes closed less frequently (P = 0.04) and having a high head carriage more frequently (P = 0.02). Dozing behaviour decreased after meloxicam compared with the pretreatment baseline (P = 0.03). Donkeys given meloxicam also showed more interest in their environment, turning to look at environmental stimuli more frequently (P = 0.05) than those in the placebo group post treatment. Neither the meloxicam nor the placebo group showed a significant post treatment improvement in lameness scores.ConclusionsWorking donkeys receiving meloxicam were more active and alert compared with their pretreatment behaviour, confirming the potential value of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs in identifying behaviours indicative of pain in working donkeys. Behavioural assessment of pain in working donkeys in field clinic conditions will enable veterinary staff and owners to identify welfare issues promptly and monitor response to analgesia.The Summary is available in Chinese – see Supporting information.
Changes in the faecal microbiota of mares precede the development of post partum colic
Authors: Weese J. S. , Holcombe S. J. , Embertson R. M , Kurtz K. A. , Roessner H. A. , Jalali M. , Wismer S. E. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryReasons for performing studyDisruptions in the gastrointestinal microbiota may trigger development of post partum colic.ObjectivesTo determine the effects of the periparturient period on the faecal microbiome and identify associations between the faecal microbiota and post partum colic.Study designLongitudinal case–control study.MethodsPre‐ and post partum faecal samples were collected from mares on 3 farms in central Kentucky. Next generation sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was performed on samples from 13 mares that developed colic, 13 mares that did not display colic and 5 nonpregnant controls.ResultsThere were 4,523,727 sequences from 85 samples evaluated (mean ± s.d. 53,220 ± 29,160, range 8442–122,535). Twenty‐five phyla were identified, although only Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were present at a relative abundance of 1% or greater. The faecal microbiota of late‐term mares differed from nonpregnant mares, with differences in microbial community membership and structure but not the relative abundance of major phyla. There was limited impact of foaling and the post partum period on the faecal microbiome. Faecal samples obtained from mares prior to episodes of colic had significantly higher relative abundance of Proteobacteria (8.2%, P = 0.0006) compared with samples from mares that did not display colic (3.7%). All samples with a relative abundance of Firmicutes of ≤50% preceded colic, as did 6/7 (86%) samples with >4% Proteobacteria. Differences in microbiota membership and structure were also present between mares that developed large colon volvulus and matched controls that did not have colic. Sixty‐one indicator operational taxon units were identified for the control (vs. volvulus) samples, and these were dominated by Lachnospiraceae (n = 38) and Ruminococcaceae (n = 8).ConclusionsFoaling had minimal effects on the mares' faecal microbiota. Numerous differences in the faecal microbiota preceded colic. Associations between Firmicutes (particularly Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae) and Proteobacteria and development of colic could lead to measures to predict and prevent colic.The Summary is available in Chinese – see Supporting information.
Validation and evaluation of VapA‐specific IgG and IgG subclass enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to identify foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia
Authors: Sanz M. G. , Oliveira A. F. , Loynachan A. , Page A. , Svansson V. , Giguère S. , Horohov D. W. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryReasons for performing studyRhodococcus equi (Rhodococcus hoagii/Prescottella equi) is a common cause of foal pneumonia, but its diagnosis remains a challenge for equine veterinarians. While the VapA‐specific (virulence‐associated protein A) immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has low sensitivity and specificity for detecting pneumonic foals, little is known about VapA‐specific IgG subclasses.ObjectivesTo evaluate the performance of VapA‐specific ELISA for IgG and its subclasses IgGa, IgGb and IgG(T) in the early diagnosis of pneumonia caused by R. equi.Study designAssay validation followed by assessment of diagnostic performance using archived samples from animals of known status.MethodsSerum samples from exposed (n = 125) and nonexposed adult horses (n = 10) and from experimentally challenged and naturally infected foals were used for ELISA validation. Post mortem and tissue culture records of the last 24 years from the Institute for Experimental Pathology at the University of Iceland in Keldur, Iceland laboratory were evaluated to confirm the absence of R. equi cases in Iceland. The diagnostic performance of VapA‐specific IgG and its subclasses was evaluated using banked serum samples from pneumonic (n = 21) and healthy foals (n = 80). To evaluate each IgG assay, a cut‐off value was selected based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and used to calculate sensitivity and specificity. The intra‐ and interassay coefficients of variation were calculated for each ELISA.ResultsUsing sera from Iceland, where R. equi infection has not been reported, the VapA‐specific IgG ELISA differentiated exposed from nonexposed horses. When used to identify infected foals, VapA‐specific IgG, IgGa and IgGb had no diagnostic value. In contrast, IgG(T) had high sensitivity and specificity.ConclusionsHorses from Iceland are not exposed to VapA+ R. equi and can serve as negative controls. VapA‐specific IgG subclasses, with the exception of IgG(T), are poor predictors of disease. Further investigation on the use of IgG(T) as a diagnostic tool in field conditions is needed.
Anti‐inflammatory and anti‐bacterial properties of tetramethylhexadecenyl succinyl cysteine (TSC): a skin‐protecting cosmetic functional ingredient
Authors: Fernandéz J. R. , Rouzard K. , Voronkov M. , Huber K. L. , Stock J. B. , Stock M. , Gordon J. S. , Pérez E. 
Published: September 2014

SynopsisBackgroundThe skin is the first line of defence against exposure to microbial, physical, environmental and chemical insults. In mobilizing a protective response, several different cell types located in our skin release and respond to pro‐inflammatory cytokines ensuring skin homeostasis and health. However, chronic activation of this response eventually causes damage resulting in premature ageing. Diosodium tetramethylhexadecenyl succinyl cysteine (TSC or SIG1273), an isoprenylcysteine small molecule, down modulates these inflammatory signalling pathways in various cell types (keratinocytes, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and endothelial cells) and possesses anti‐bacterial properties. Thus, TSC represents a novel cosmetic functional ingredient that provides a broad spectrum of benefits for the skin.ObjectiveTo assess the anti‐inflammatory properties of TSC in several cutaneous cell types and further investigate its anti‐microbial activity.MethodsCultured normal human epidermal keratinocytes were exposed to chemical irritant phorbol 12‐myrisate 13‐acetate (TPA) or ultraviolet‐B light (UVB) to induce pro‐inflammatory cytokine (IL‐6, IL‐8 and TNF‐α) production. T‐cell receptor (TCR) activation of PBMCs and nickel (Ni2+) treatments of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) were performed resulting in IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8 and IL‐17 production. Streptococcus pyogenes were cultured to determine minimal inhibitory concentration values.ResultsIn vitro studies demonstrate TSC blocks TPA and UVB‐induced cytokine production in cultured keratinocytes. Similarly, TSC inhibits overproduction of IL‐4 and IL‐17 in T‐cell receptor (TCR)‐activated PBMCs as well as nickel induction of IL‐6 and IL‐8 in HDMECs. Lastly, TSC demonstrated anti‐microbial properties, inhibiting cell growth of S. pyogenes.ConclusionsTetramethylhexadecenyl succinyl cysteine represents a novel cosmetic functional ingredient that provides a dual modulating benefit of skin protection to individuals by reducing inflammation in keratinocytes, endothelial and mononuclear cell types and S. pyogenes counts.
Transcriptome of a specialized extra‐embryonic cell, teratocyte, and its host immunosuppressive role revealed by ex vivo RNA interference
Authors: Ali M. R. , Lim J. , Kim Y. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThe specialized wasp cells teratocytes (TCs) are derived from the embryonic serosal membrane of some parasitic hymenopteran insects. As a parasitic factor, TCs are multifunctional in host regulation, such as host nutritional deprivation, immunosuppression and developmental arrest; however, little is understood about their genetic constituents. The present study provides a comprehensive view of the genes expressed by TCs through a transcriptome analysis based on RNA sequencing technology. The assembled 34 686 contigs (>200 base pairs) were annotated into different functional categories, indicating a distinct distribution in gene transcripts compared with those of haemocytes and fat body. The TC transcriptome contained components of insulin signalling and biosyntheses of juvenile hormone and 20‐hydroxyecdysone. TCs also expressed various groups of digestive enzymes, indicating that they have nutritional role for the growing parasitoid larvae in parasitism. Furthermore, through this transcriptome analysis two kinds of immunosuppressive serine protease inhibitors (serpins) and Rho GTPase‐activating proteins (RhoGAPs) were annotated. To determine the biological functions of these factors, we devised ex vivo RNA interference (RNAi) by conducting knockdown of gene expression in in vitro‐cultured TCs followed by injection of the treated TCs to test insects. Ex vivo RNAi revealed that some serpins and RhoGAPs expressed in TCs inhibited host cellular immunity. This study reports a transcriptome of the unique TC animal cell and its immunosuppressive genetic factors using ex vivo RNAi technology.
Food Riots and the Politics of Provisions in World History
Authors: Bohstedt John 
Published: September 2014

SummaryThe food riots of 2007–8 in dozens of developing countries placed food security on the agendas of the global political economy. Material outcomes remain to be assessed. The problematic of the politics of provisions is: Under what circumstances do the common people's necessities create a political necessity for their rulers to act? What combination of ingredients gives them political leverage (or not)? Food riots (crowd violence: usually seizing food, intercepting carts and barges, or setting prices) set in motion political processes that often led to food relief and/or repression. To riot about food, rioters needed much more than motivations of hunger and outrage, or else world history would consist mostly of food riots. In addition rioters needed both sufficient solidarities to be able to act collectively, and sufficient confidence that the benefits (getting food, both immediately and in more sustained supply) would outweigh the risks and costs of repression and punishment. The latter would be based on reciprocal relationships with the rulers. The outcomes of such ‘trials‐by‐ordeal’ were then entered into social memory to be consulted in the next crisis. Of course rulers also had their social memories and political calculations. So the ‘politics of provisions’ – the political economy of food crises and their resolutions – has typically included such components as: political, social, and economic structures; the players' sociopolitical assets, capacities, and relationships; shared ideologies; strategic bargaining in the moment between chief actors; and accidental factors. Those components vary from one time and place to another, so this paper compares the politics of provisions in: pre‐modern England and France; famines in Ireland and India; ‘famine‐proofed’ Ming and Qing China; Mao's Great Leap Forward Famine; the IMF austerity riots of the 1970s and 80s; and the food riots of 2008, particularly in Egypt, West Africa, and Haiti. The point of such comparisons is not to construct a unified theory of provision politics, but to illuminate significant parameters that shape policies and conflicts over food.
Historical biogeography of the lacertid lizard Mesalina in North Africa and the Middle East
Authors: Kapli P. , Lymberakis P. , Crochet P.‐A. , Geniez P. , Brito J. C. , Almutairi M. , Ahmadzadeh F. , Schmitz A. , Wilms T. , Pouyani N. R. , Poulakakis N. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractAimWe explored the phylogenetic relationships of species of Mesalina, using one nuclear and two mitochondrial loci. This genus of lacertid lizards is widely distributed in North Africa and the Middle East and our goal was to develop a scenario capable of explaining the current distribution and evolutionary patterns within the genus in the context of the wider historical biogeography of the region.LocationNorth Africa and the Middle East.MethodsThe assembled dataset consisted of 193 Mesalina individuals, representing 12 species distributed across the geographical range of the genus. Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods were used to support phylogenetic inferences on two mitochondrial (cytochrome b and 16S ribosomal RNA) and one nuclear (beta‐fibrinogen intron 7) markers. Palaeogeographical and palaeoclimatic data were used to support the inferred phylogeographical patterns.ResultsMesalina lizards exhibit high genetic diversity and complex phylogenetic patterns, leading to an unsatisfactory systematic hypothesis of one paraphyletic and three polyphyletic traditional species. The estimated divergence times place the origin of the genus in the early Miocene (c. 22 Ma) and the divergence of most currently recognized species in the middle to late Miocene. The inferred ancestral distribution suggests that the genus and most of its species originated somewhere in Arabia or the Middle East, with the exception of the Mesalina olivieri complex, which may be of African origin.Main conclusionsPhylogenetic reconstruction based on the three loci studied suggests a higher than expected cryptic diversity of Mesalina in North Africa and the Middle East. We suggest that the tectonic movements of the Arabian plate, coupled with the climatic changes occurring since the Miocene, may be responsible for the phylogeographical patterns of North African and Middle Eastern Mesalina.
Cell membrane damage is involved in the impaired survival of bone marrow stem cells by oxidized low‐density lipoprotein
Authors: Li Xin , Xiao Yuan , Cui Yuqi , Tan Tao , Narasimhulu Chandrakala A. , Hao Hong , Liu Lingjuan , Zhang Jia , He Guanglong , Verfaillie Catherine M. , Lei Minxiang , Parthasarathy Sampath , Ma Jianjie , Zhu Hua , Liu Zhenguo 
Published: September 2014

AbstractCell therapy with bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) remains a viable option for tissue repair and regeneration. A major challenge for cell therapy is the limited cell survival after implantation. This study was to investigate the effect of oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL, naturally present in human blood) on BMSC injury and the effect of MG53, a tissue repair protein, for the improvement of stem cell survival. Rat bone marrow multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) were treated with ox‐LDL, which caused significant cell death as reflected by the increased LDH release to the media. Exposure of MAPCs to ox‐LDL led to entry of fluorescent dye FM1‐43 measured under confocal microscope, suggesting damage to the plasma membrane. Ox‐LDL also generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) as measured with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. While antioxidant N‐acetylcysteine completely blocked ROS production from ox‐LDL, it failed to prevent ox‐LDL‐induced cell death. When MAPCs were treated with the recombinant human MG53 protein (rhMG53) ox‐LDL induced LDH release and FM1‐43 dye entry were significantly reduced. In the presence of rhMG53, the MAPCs showed enhanced cell survival and proliferation. Our data suggest that membrane damage induced by ox‐LDL contributed to the impaired survival of MAPCs. rhMG53 treatment protected MAPCs against membrane damage and enhanced their survival which might represent a novel means for improving efficacy for stem cell‐based therapy for treatment of diseases, especially in setting of hyperlipidemia.
Evaluation of association of maternal IL‐10 polymorphisms with risk of preeclampsia by A meta‐analysis
Authors: Yang Wenchao , Zhu Zhenmin , Wang Jin , Ye Wei , Ding Yong 
Published: September 2014

AbstractEmerging evidence shows that interleukin (IL)‐10 gene polymorphisms can regulate its expression level and thus influence person's susceptibility to preeclampsia. However, various published results were inconsistent. To explore the association between maternal IL‐10 gene polymorphisms and preeclampsia, we performed a meta‐analysis based upon 11 individual studies here. Our meta‐analysis results indicated that IL‐10 ‐819C/T (C versus T, OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.08–1.50, P = 0.003) and ‐592C/A (C versus A, OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.03–1.59, P = 0.03) polymorphisms were associated with preeclampsia. Although there was no overall association between ‐1082A/G polymorphism and preeclampsia (G versus A, OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.77–1.13, P = 0.49), such association existed among Asian (G versus A, OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.04–1.60, P = 0.02) and South American (G versus A, OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.54–0.94, P = 0.02) populations in the subgroup analysis stratified by continents.
A Threatening Horizon: The Impact of the Welfare State on Support for Europe
Authors: Beaudonnet Laurie 
Published: September 2014

AbstractFrom the cradle to the grave, social protection is the major bond between citizen and national authority. European integration challenges the social boundaries of nation‐states and this phenomenon is not without consequences for individual attitudes. Within public debate, there are many discussions about the impact of European integration on the welfare state, but conclusive analysis of the consequences on individual support for Europe is still lacking. This article provides an empirical test of the relationship between support for Europe and attitudes towards the welfare state. The findings show that both welfare regimes and welfare issues have a strong impact on individual support for Europe. When it comes to social protection, the European Union works like a distant, albeit strong, threat for individuals.