bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lack of reversal of oxidative damage in renal tissues of lead acetate‐treated rats
Authors: Oyagbemi Ademola Adetokunbo , Omobowale Temidayo Olutayo , Akinrinde Akinleye Stephen , Saba Adebowale Bernard , Ogunpolu Blessing Seun , Daramola Oluwabusola 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTRemoval of lead from the environment of man or otherwise, the movement of man from lead‐contaminated areas has been employed as a means of abatement of the toxic effects of lead. Whether toxic effects in already‐exposed individuals subside after lead withdrawal remains unanswered. To understand the reversibility of nephrotoxicity induced by lead acetate, male Wistar rats were orally exposed to 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/mL of lead acetate for 6 weeks. Activities of glutathione‐s‐transferase, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde increased significantly (p < 0.05) in a dose‐dependent manner, whereas reduced glutathione (GSH) level and glutathione peroxidase activity were significantly reduced. The pattern of alterations in most of the oxidative stress and antioxidant parameters remained similar in rats from the withdrawal period, although CAT and SOD activities reduced, in contrast to their elevation during the exposure period. Serum creatinine levels were significantly elevated in both exposure and withdrawal experiments whereas serum blood urea nitrogen levels were not significantly different from the control in both exposure and withdrawal periods. The histological damage observed include multifocal areas of inflammation, disseminated tubular necrosis, and fatty infiltration of the kidney tubules both at exposure and withdrawal periods. The results suggest that lead acetate‐induced nephrotoxicity by induction of oxidative stress and disruption of antioxidant. The aforementioned alterations were not reversed in the rats left to recover within the time course of study. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 30: 1235–1243, 2015.
Emergency surgery for complicated colorectal cancer in central Brazil
Authors: Santos Alex Caetano dos , Martins Lucas Leonardo Tavares , Brasil Andressa Machado Santana , Pinto Sebastião Alves , Neto Salustiano Gabriel , de Oliveira Enio Chaves 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Objective to report clinical and pathological features of patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed during emergency abdominal surgery.
Methods records of 107 patients operated between 2006 and 2010 were reviewed.
Results there were 58 women and 49 men with mean age of 59.8 years. The most frequent symptoms were: abdominal pain (97.2%), no bowel movements (81.3%), vomiting (76.6%), and anorexia (40.2%). Patients were divided into five groups: obstructive acute abdomen (n = 68), obstructive acute perforation (n = 21), obstructive acute inflammation (n = 13), abdominal sepsis (n = 3), and severe gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 2). Tumors were located in the rectosigmoid (51.4%), transverse colon (19.6%), ascendent colon (12.1%), descendent colon (11.2%), and 5.6% of the cases presented association of two colon tumors (synchronic tumors). The surgical treatment was: tumor resection with colostomy (85%), tumor resection with primary anastomosis (10.3%), and colostomy without tumor resection (4.7%). Immediate mortality occurred in 33.4% of the patients. Bivariate analysis of sex, tumor location and stage showed no relation to death (p > 0.05%).
Conclusions colorectal cancer may be the cause of colon obstruction or perfuration in patients with nonspecific colonic complaints. Despite the high mortality rate, resection of tumor is feasible in most patients.
Rumen antimethanogenic effect ofSaponaria officinalisL. phytochemicalsin vitro
Authors: CIESLAK A. , ZMORA P. , STOCHMAL A. , PECIO L. , OLESZEK W. , PERS-KAMCZYC E. , SZCZECHOWIAK J. , NOWAK A. , SZUMACHER-STRABEL M. 
Published: April 2014

SUMMARYAlthough the effect of saponins or saponin-containing plants on rumen microorganisms and rumen fermentation has been intensively investigated, this issue still requires special attention. Many of the phenomena occurring in the rumen related to dietary saponin supplementation are still not fully understood.Saponaria officinalisis a triterpenoid saponin-containing plant; thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect ofS. officinalisL. powdered root, methanolic extract of theS. officinalisroot (SOR) and the effect of the separated fractions (polysaccharides, saponins and phenolics) ofS. officinalison rumen methanogenesis, microbial population and rumen fermentation characteristics in anin vitrobatch culture fermentation system. The powdered root (raw plant material) andS. officinalisextract (SOE) decreasedin vitromethane production and consequently reduced the microbial population in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of methanogenesis was accompanied by changes in the volatile fatty acids profile.In vitrodry matter digestibility was not affected by any of the secondary compounds applied. The highest applied doses of SOE caused a higher reduction in methanogenesis (33·5v. 14·4%) than the highest doses of powdered root form. Such results suggest that the basic components of the SOR could interact with phytochemicals or that the phytochemicals became physically less available for microbiota, resulting in a decreased antimethanogenic activity of the powdered rootv. the extract. Among all the fractions selected, the saponin fraction exerted the greatest impact on ruminal fermentation. In conclusion, saponins decreased methane production by 29% in comparison with the control. This decrease was related to the reduction in protozoa and methanogen counts. It is proposed thatS. officinalishas the potential to inhibit rumen methanogenesis without affecting rumen fermentation adversely.
Experimental investigation for better relative localization of a mobile robot using Taguchi method
Authors: Ravikumar T. Mathavaraj , Saravanan R. 
Published: April 2014

SUMMARYThe positioning of a wheeled robot is an imperative manipulation problem in mobile robotics. Odometry is a familiar method for determining the relative position of a mobile robot. It comprises the detection of a set of kinematic parameters that permit reconstructing the robot's absolute position and orientation starting from the wheels' encoder measurements. This paper deals with the determination of better relative localization of a mobile robot by means of odometry by considering the influence of parameters namely total weight, speed, diameter of wheel, and width of wheel. Experiments have been conducted based on L9 orthogonal array suggested in Taguchi method to obtain the optimum condition. A mathematical model has also been developed for the mobile robot with the help of MINITAB software.
Soloist evaluations of six Old Italian and six new violins
Authors: Fritz Claudia , Curtin Joseph , Poitevineau Jacques , Borsarello Hugues , Wollman Indiana , Tao Fan-Chia , Ghasarossian Thierry 
Published: April 2014

Significance
Some studies open new fields for investigation; this study attempts to close a perennially fruitless one—the search for the “secrets of Stradivari.” Great efforts have been made to explain why instruments by Stradivari and other Old Italian makers sound better than high-quality new violins, but without providing scientific evidence that this is in fact the case. Doing so requires that experienced violinists demonstrate (under double-blind conditions) both a general preference for Old Italian violins and the ability to reliably distinguish them from new ones. The current study, the second of its kind, again shows that first-rate soloists tend to prefer new instruments and are unable to distinguish old from new at better than chance levels.
What if stock assessment is as simple as a linear model? The a4a
initiative
Authors: Jardim Ernesto , Millar Colin P. , Mosqueira Iago , Scott Finlay , Osio Giacomo Chato , Ferretti Marco , Alzorriz Nekane , Orio Alessandro 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
This manuscript discusses the benefits of having a stock assessment model that is intuitively close to a linear model. It creates a case for the need of such models taking into account the increase in data availability and the expansion of stock assessment requests. We explore ideas around the assessment of large numbers of stocks and the need to make stock assessment easier to run and more intuitive, so that more scientists from diverse backgrounds can be involved. We show, as an example, the model developed under the European Commission Joint Research Center’s ‘Assessment for All’ Initiative (a4a) and how it fits the a4a strategy of making stock assessment simpler and accessible to a wider group of scientists.
A Limited Role for Carbonic Anhydrase in C4 Photosynthesis as Revealed by a ca1ca2 Double Mutant in Maize
Authors: Studer Anthony J. , Gandin Anthony , Kolbe Allison R. , Wang Lin , Cousins Asaph B. , Brutnell Thomas P. 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Carbonic anhydrase (CA) catalyzes the first biochemical step of the carbon-concentrating mechanism of C4 plants, and in C4 monocots it has been suggested that CA activity is near limiting for photosynthesis. Here, we test this hypothesis through the characterization of transposon-induced mutant alleles of Ca1 and Ca2 in maize (Zea mays). These two isoforms account for more than 85% of the CA transcript pool. A significant change in isotopic discrimination is observed in mutant plants, which have as little as 3% of wild-type CA activity, but surprisingly, photosynthesis is not reduced under current or elevated CO2 partial pressure (pCO2). However, growth and rates of photosynthesis under subambient pCO2 are significantly impaired in the mutants. These findings suggest that, while CA is not limiting for C4 photosynthesis in maize at current pCO2, it likely maintains high rates of photosynthesis when CO2 availability is reduced. Current atmospheric CO2 levels now exceed 400 ppm (approximately 40.53 Pa) and contrast with the low-pCO2 conditions under which C4 plants expanded their range approximately 10 million years ago, when the global atmospheric CO2 was below 300 ppm (approximately 30.4 Pa). Thus, as CO2 levels continue to rise, selective pressures for high levels of CA may be limited to arid climates where stomatal closure reduces CO2 availability to the leaf.
Identification and Characterization of Maizefloury4as a Novel Semidominant Opaque Mutant That Disrupts Protein Body Assembly
Authors: Wang Guan , Qi Weiwei , Wu Qiao , Yao Dongsheng , Zhang Jushan , Zhu Jie , Wang Gang , Wang Guifeng , Tang Yuanping , Song Rentao 
Published: April 2014

AbstractZeins are the major seed storage proteins in maize (Zea mays). They are synthesized on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and deposited into protein bodies. Failure of signal peptide cleavage from zeins can cause an opaque endosperm in the mature kernel; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for this phenotype are not fully understood. In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of a novel, semidominant opaque mutant, floury4 (fl4). fl4 is caused by a mutated z1A 19-kD α-zein with defective signal peptide cleavage. Zein protein bodies in fl4 endosperm are misshapen and aggregated. Immunolabeling analysis indicated that fl4 participates in the assembly of zeins into protein bodies, disrupting their proper spatial distribution. ER stress is stimulated in fl4 endosperm, as illustrated by dilated rough ER and markedly up-regulated binding protein content. Further analysis confirmed that several ER stress pathways are induced in fl4 endosperm, including ER-associated degradation, the unfolded protein response, and translational suppression by the phosphorylation of eukaryotic translational initiation factor2 α-subunit. Programmed cell death is also elevated, corroborating the intensity of ER stress in fl4. These results provide new insights into cellular responses caused by storage proteins with defective signal peptides.
Light-Harvesting Complex Protein LHCBM9 Is Critical for Photosystem II Activity and Hydrogen Production in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Grewe Sabrina , Ballottari Matteo , Alcocer Marcelo , D’Andrea Cosimo , Blifernez-Klassen Olga , Hankamer Ben , Mussgnug Jan H. , Bassi Roberto , Kruse Olaf 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Photosynthetic organisms developed multiple strategies for balancing light-harvesting versus intracellular energy utilization to survive ever-changing environmental conditions. The light-harvesting complex (LHC) protein family is of paramount importance for this function and can form light-harvesting pigment protein complexes. In this work, we describe detailed analyses of the photosystem II (PSII) LHC protein LHCBM9 of the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in terms of expression kinetics, localization, and function. In contrast to most LHC members described before, LHCBM9 expression was determined to be very low during standard cell cultivation but strongly increased as a response to specific stress conditions, e.g., when nutrient availability was limited. LHCBM9 was localized as part of PSII supercomplexes but was not found in association with photosystem I complexes. Knockdown cell lines with 50 to 70% reduced amounts of LHCBM9 showed reduced photosynthetic activity upon illumination and severe perturbation of hydrogen production activity. Functional analysis, performed on isolated PSII supercomplexes and recombinant LHCBM9 proteins, demonstrated that presence of LHCBM9 resulted in faster chlorophyll fluorescence decay and reduced production of singlet oxygen, indicating upgraded photoprotection. We conclude that LHCBM9 has a special role within the family of LHCII proteins and serves an important protective function during stress conditions by promoting efficient light energy dissipation and stabilizing PSII supercomplexes.
Disentangling the effects of exposure and susceptibility on transmission of the zoonotic parasite Schistosoma mansoni
Authors: Civitello David J. , Rohr Jason R. 
Published: April 2014

Summary

For all parasites, transmission is composed of two processes: host contact with parasites (‘exposure’) and risk of infection given such contact (‘susceptibility’). Classic models, such as mass action (density‐dependent) transmission, lump these processes together.

However, separating these processes could enhance predictions for disease dynamics, especially for free‐living parasites. Here, we outline three transmission models that partition exposure and susceptibility.

Using data from a study of Schistosoma mansoni (trematode) infections in Biomphalaria glabrata snails, we competed these three models against four alternative models, including the mass action model (which lumps exposure and susceptibility).

The models that separately accounted for exposure and susceptibility best predicted prevalence across the density gradients of hosts and parasites, outperforming all other models based on Akaike information criterion. When embedded into a dynamic epidemiological model, the exposure‐explicit models all predicted lower equilibrium densities of infected snails and human‐infectious cercariae.

Thus, population‐level epidemiological models that utilize the classic mass action transmission model might overestimate human risk of schistosomiasis. More generally, the presented approach for disentangling exposure and susceptibility can distinguish between behavioural and immunological resistance, identify mechanisms of ‘disease dilution’ and provide a more complete dissection of drivers of parasite transmission.
Community‐level demographic consequences of urbanization: an ecological network approach
Authors: Rodewald Amanda D. , Rohr Rudolf P. , Fortuna Miguel A. , Bascompte Jordi 
Published: April 2014

Summary

Ecological networks are known to influence ecosystem attributes, but we poorly understand how interspecific network structure affect population demography of multiple species, particularly for vertebrates. Establishing the link between network structure and demography is at the crux of being able to use networks to understand population dynamics and to inform conservation.

We addressed the critical but unanswered question, does network structure explain demographic consequences of urbanization?

We studied 141 ecological networks representing interactions between plants and nesting birds in forests across an urbanization gradient in Ohio, USA, from 2001 to 2011. Nest predators were identified by video‐recording nests and surveyed from 2004 to 2011.

As landscapes urbanized, bird–plant networks were more nested, less compartmentalized and dominated by strong interactions between a few species (i.e. low evenness). Evenness of interaction strengths promoted avian nest survival, and evenness explained demography better than urbanization, level of invasion, numbers of predators or other qualitative network metrics. Highly uneven networks had approximately half the nesting success as the most even networks. Thus, nest survival reflected how urbanization altered species interactions, particularly with respect to how nest placement affected search efficiency of predators.

The demographic effects of urbanization were not direct, but were filtered through bird–plant networks. This study illustrates how network structure can influence demography at the community level and further, that knowledge of species interactions and a network approach may be requisite to understanding demographic responses to environmental change.
Bipolar disorder in the elderly: a cohort study comparing older and younger patients
Authors: Nivoli A. M. A. , Murru A. , Pacchiarotti I. , Valenti M. , Rosa A. R. , Hidalgo D. , Virdis V. , Strejilevich S. , Vieta E. , Colom F. 
Published: April 2014

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to analyze differences in clinical and socio‐demographic characteristics between older and younger bipolar outpatients paying special attention to depressive symptoms in a large, naturalistic cohort.MethodFive hundred and ninety‐three DSM‐IV‐TR bipolar outpatients were enrolled. Clinical characteristics were assessed according to DSM‐IV‐TR (SCID‐I). Subjects were categorized into two groups according to current age (older OBD: age > 65 years; younger‐YBD: age < 65 years).ResultsAbout 80% of patients were younger (N = 470), and a fifth were older (N = 123), with a mean age of 77.30 years in OBD. Older patients were more likely to be married, not qualified, bipolar II, with depressive polarity of first episode, higher age at illness onset, higher age at first hospitalization. They were more likely to present with depressive predominant polarity, with lifetime history of catatonic, psychotic and melancholic features, age at illness onset >40 years, as well as suffering from more medical comorbidities when compared to younger bipolars.ConclusionThe clinical presentation of bipolar disorder in late life would be defined more frequently by melancholic depressive features and a predominantly depressive polarity. These results suggest that treatment strategies for elderly bipolar patients should focus in the prevention of depressive episodes.
Quantitative sonoelastography of the uterine cervix prior to induction of labor as a predictor of cervical dilation time
Authors: Hee Lene , Rasmussen Christina K. , Schlütter Jacob M. , Sandager Puk , Uldbjerg Niels 
Published: April 2014

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate how the approximate Young's modulus of the uterine cervix assessed by quantitative sonoelastography in patients undergoing induction of labor is associated with the cervical dilation time and to evaluate the approximate Young's modulus as a predictor of prolonged cervical dilation time.DesignCross‐sectional study.SettingAarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.PopulationTerm‐pregnant women.MethodsA total of 49 term‐pregnant women were included before induction of labor. The approximate Young's modulus of the anterior cervical lip was determined by the use of a reference cap applied on the end of the transvaginal transducer during sonoelastography.Main outcome measuresCervical dilation time during active labor.ResultsThe approximate Young's modulus was associated with the cervical dilation time during active labor (R2log = 0.24, p < 0.01) and predicted prolonged duration of cervical dilation time (>330 min) with the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.71, sensitivity 74%, and specificity 69%. Equivalent figures for the Bishop's score were R2log = 0.02 (p = 0.37), the area under the ROC curve 0.53, sensitivity 53%, and specificity 46%. For the cervical length measurements the corresponding results were: R2log = 0.02, p = 0.35, area under the ROC curve 0.57, sensitivity 66% and specificity 54%. The intra‐observer and inter‐observer intraclass correlations were 88% and 58%, respectively, with quantitative elastography.ConclusionsThe approximate Young's modulus is superior to the Bishop score and the cervical length measurements concerning the prediction of cervical dilation time and the risk of prolonged dilation time after induction of labor.
Pathophysiology and potential treatments of pulmonary hypertension due to systolic left heart failure
Authors: Lundgren J. , Rådegran G. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractPulmonary hypertension (PH) due to left heart failure is becoming increasingly prevalent and is associated with poor outcome. The precise pathophysiological mechanisms behind PH due to left heart failure are, however, still unclear. In its early course, PH is caused by increased left ventricular filling pressures, without pulmonary vessel abnormalities. Conventional treatment for heart failure may partly reverse such passive PH by optimizing left ventricular function. However, if increased pulmonary pressures persist, endothelial damage, excessive vasoconstriction and structural changes in the pulmonary vasculature may occur. There is, at present, no recommended medical treatment for this active component of PH due to left heart failure. However, as the vascular changes in PH due to left heart failure may be similar to those in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a selected group of these patients may benefit from PAH treatment targeting the endothelin, nitric oxide or prostacyclin pathways. Such potent pulmonary vasodilators could, however, be detrimental in patients with left heart failure without pulmonary vascular pathology, as selective pulmonary vasodilatation may lead to further congestion in the pulmonary circuit, resulting in pulmonary oedema. The use of PAH therapies is therefore currently not recommended and would require the selection of suitable patients based on the underlying causes of the disease and careful monitoring of their progress. The present review focuses on the following: (i) the pathophysiology behind PH resulting from systolic left heart failure, and (ii) the current evidence for medical treatment of this condition, especially the role of PAH‐targeted therapies in systolic left heart failure.