bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Deletion of Smgpi1 encoding a GPI‐anchored protein suppresses sterility of the STRIPAK mutant ΔSmmob3 in the filamentous ascomycete Sordaria macrospora
Authors: Frey Stefan , Lahmann Yasmine , Hartmann Thomas , Seiler Stephan , Pöggeler Stefanie 
Published: May 2015

SummaryThe striatin interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complex, which is composed of striatin, protein phosphatase PP2A and kinases, is required for fruiting‐body development and cell fusion in the filamentous ascomycete Sordaria macrospora. Here, we report on the interplay of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)‐anchored protein SmGPI1 with the kinase activator SmMOB3, a core component of human and fungal STRIPAK complexes. SmGPI1 is conserved among filamentous ascomycetes and was first identified in a yeast two‐hybrid screen using SmMOB3 as bait. The physical interaction of SmMOB3 and SmGPI1 was verified by co‐immunoprecipitation. In vivo localization and differential centrifugation revealed that SmGPI1 is predominantly secreted and attached to the cell wall but is also associated with mitochondria and appears to be a dual‐targeted protein. Deletion of Smgpi1 led to an increased number of fruiting bodies that were normally shaped but reduced in size. In addition, Smmob3 and Smgpi1 genetically interact. In the sterile ΔSmmob3 background deletion of Smgpi1 restores fertility, vegetative growth as well as hyphal‐fusion defects. The suppression effect was specific for the ΔSmmob3 mutant as deletion of Smgpi1 in other STRIPAK mutants does not restore fertility.
The nutritional value of food: A retailer's view on McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods Data
Authors: Howie M. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractClear, concise, up‐to‐date food composition data are essential to the food retail sector. Legislation requires nutrition information on food labels to be accurate and provided in a format that consumers can read and understand. A product's nutrition panel enables consumers to make informed decisions at point of sale or purchase and choose products best suited to their dietary needs. This is particularly important in light of current public health concerns regarding energy (kcal), fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt intakes within the UK diet and also for increasing intake of nutrients conducive to health. In this regard, the Seventh Summary Edition of McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods is an invaluable set of reference tables for the food industry. Its data, particularly on vitamins and minerals, allow consistent labels to be produced even when small seasonal variations occur. In such circumstances, changing the information on the label would be unnecessary and incur cost. Nutritional data are particularly useful for single‐ingredient foods such as eggs, cheese, bread and fruit, but the tables do lack some accuracy for composite recipe dishes because of the pace of reformulation. Overall, the validated data provided by McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods are critical to the integrity of nutritional information provided on food labels and facilitates food retailer compliance with legislation, though there is a need for better management of new/revised ‘real‐time’ data.
Pelvic drainage during removal of dialysis catheter decreases the risk of subsequent intra‐abdominal complications in refractory peritoneal dialysis‐related peritonitis
Authors: Hsu Chih‐Yang , Huang Wei‐Chieh , Huang Chun‐Kai , Huang Chien‐Wei , Chou Nan‐Hua , Lee Po‐Tsang , Fang Hua‐Chang , Chou Kang‐Ju , Chen Chien‐Liang 
Published: May 2015

AbstractAimSome patients with refractory peritoneal dialysis‐related peritonitis continue to develop intra‐abdominal complications despite removal of the peritoneal catheter. Repeated percutaneous drainage or open laparotomy is often required, and mortality is not uncommon. The benefits of pelvic drainage placement during catheter removal in decreasing these complications and interventions remain unproven.MethodsForty‐six patients with refractory peritonitis who underwent removal of a Tenckhoff catheter between 1991 and 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. Twelve patients had pelvic drainage using closed active suction devices during catheter removal (drainage group). The remaining 34 patients underwent catheter removal without drainage (non‐drainage group). The outcomes measured were the development of intra‐abdominal complications and the requirement for repeated percutaneous drainage or open laparotomy within 90 days after the catheter removal.ResultsBaseline characteristics were similar with the exception of a higher median number of previous peritonitis episodes in the drainage group compared with the non‐drainage group (2 vs 0, P = 0.02). During the follow‐up period, intra‐abdominal complications occurred in 15 (44%) of 34 patients in the non‐drainage group, compared with one (8%) of 12 patients in the drainage group (P = 0.03). Twelve (35%) patients in the non‐drainage group required repeated percutaneous drainage or open laparotomy for management, compared with zero (0%) patients in the drainage group (P = 0.02). Drain tubes were removed at a median of 6 days (inter‐quartile range: 5–10) without complications.ConclusionsIn the management of refractory peritonitis, pelvic drainage during removal of dialysis catheter decreases the risk of subsequent intra‐abdominal complications and invasive interventions.
Transition from two to one integument in Prunus species: expression pattern of INNER NO OUTER (INO), ABERRANT TESTA SHAPE (ATS) and ETTIN (ETT)
Authors: Lora Jorge , Hormaza José I. , Herrero Maria 
Published: May 2015

Summary

While gymnosperm ovules have one integument, in most angiosperms two integuments surround the ovules. Unitegmic ovules have arisen independently several times during the evolution of angiosperms, but the ultimate genetic cause of the presence of a single integument remains elusive.

We compared species of the genus Prunus that have different numbers of integuments: bitegmic species, such as Prunus armeniaca (apricot) and Prunus persica (peach), and unitegmic species, such as Prunus incisa, analyzing the expression pattern of genes that are involved in integument development in Arabidopsis thaliana: INNER NO OUTER (INO), ABERRANT TESTA SHAPE (ATS) and ETTIN (ETT).

Bitegmic and unitegmic species showed similar INO expression patterns, indicative of the conservation of an outer integument. However, expression of ETT, which occurs in the boundary of the outer and inner integuments, was altered in unitegmic ovules, which showed lack of ETT expression.

These results strongly suggest that the presence of a single integument could be attributable to the amalgamation of two integuments and support the role of ETT in the fusion of the outer and inner integuments in unitegmic ovules, a situation that could be widespread in other unitegmic species of angiosperms.
Diagnostic properties of ultrasound of major salivary glands in Sjögren's syndrome: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Delli K , Dijkstra PU , Stel AJ , Bootsma H , Vissink A , Spijkervet FKL 
Published: May 2015

ObjectiveTo perform a systematic review and meta‐analysis on studies examining the properties of ultrasonography of major salivary glands for diagnosing Sjögren's syndrome.Materials and MethodsWe searched for the literature on eight databases. The quality of included articles was assessed with the QUADAS‐2 tool. Publication bias, pooled sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio, and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated. Meta‐regression analysis was performed.ResultsWe identified 37 studies and 33 ultrasonographic scoring systems. High risk of bias was observed in ‘patient selection’, ‘conduct and interpretation of ultrasound’, and ‘flow of patients and timing of tests’ in 78%, 70%, and 51% of the studies. We included 29 studies in the meta‐analysis. Publication bias was highly probable. Pooled sensitivity was 0.69 (95%CI: 0.67–0.71), specificity 0.92 (95%CI: 0.91–0.93), and diagnostic odds ratio 33.89 (95%CI: 20.75–55.35). Significant heterogeneity was detected between studies. Meta‐regression analysis showed that studies with high risk of bias in ‘conduct and interpretation of ultrasound’ and studies evaluating only parenchymal homogeneity had higher log diagnostic odds ratio (1.09 and 2.49, respectively, p < 0.05).ConclusionsThe quality of current studies is low, thus not allowing to judge the likelihood of salivary gland ultrasonography as a reliable and practical tool in diagnosing Sjögren's syndrome.
Systematic review of vision‐related quality of life questionnaires for older institutionalised seniors with dementia
Authors: Bédard Emmanuelle , Kergoat Hélène , Kergoat Marie‐Jeanne , Leclerc Bernard‐Simon 
Published: May 2015

AbstractPurposeIn view of our interest in helping older institutionalised adults with co‐existing visual and cognitive deficits, our objective was to review vision‐related quality of life (VRQoL) questionnaires developed for people with dementia.MethodsA systematic literature search was performed in seven relevant databases, limited to peer‐reviewed journals published in English, French, Spanish, Italian or German languages, between 1982 and 2012. The retained VRQoL questionnaires were described. Only relevant articles that fully meet our target population and interest criteria were eligible for psychometric properties rating.ResultsThe literature search identified 461 potentially relevant articles, from which 69 were isolated and reviewed. Eight articles presented questionnaires that were administered to older institutionalised individuals with dementia. Three VRQoL questionnaires were identified, from which only one was designed and validated for those with mild to moderate dementia and none for individuals with more advanced dementia.ConclusionsThere is a pressing need to build and validate a questionnaire for assessing VRQoL in older institutionalised individuals with dementia, to provide a research tool capable of evaluating how changes in vision impact their QoL.
Comparison of Fluoroscopy and Ultrasound Guidance for Sacroiliac Joint Injection in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain
Authors: Soneji Neilesh , Bhatia Anuj , Seib Rachael , Tumber Paul , Dissanayake Melanie , Peng Philip W.H. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesSacroiliac joint (SIJ) arthritis is a common cause of chronic mechanical low back pain (LBP) that is often treated with injection of local anesthetic and steroids. Ultrasound (US) has emerged as a viable alternative to fluoroscopy (FL) to guide SIJ injections; however, few studies have compared these modalities. In this prospective randomized, controlled trial, we compared both accuracy and efficacy of US and FL guidance for SIJ injections.MethodsForty patients with chronic moderate‐to‐severe LBP secondary to SIJ arthritis were randomized to receive US‐ or FL‐guided unilateral SIJ injections. Primary outcomes included pain at 1 month measured by numerical rating scale (NRS) scores. Secondary outcomes included NRS scores at 24 hours, 72 hours, 1 week, and 3 months after injection, physical functioning at 1 month after the procedure, procedure time, incidence of intra‐articular and peri‐articular needle placement, patient discomfort, overall patient satisfaction, and daily opioid consumption.ResultsThere was no significant difference in NRS pain scores between the 2 groups at 1 month or at any other follow‐up points. A significant reduction from baseline mean NRS scores was observed in both groups at 1 month after injection (US 22.7%, P = 0.025; FL 37.3%, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in procedure‐related variables, physical functioning, discomfort, opioid utilization, and patient satisfaction between the 2 groups.ConclusionsUltrasound‐guided SIJ injection with fluoroscopic confirmation has similar accuracy and efficacy to fluoroscopy alone for SIJ injections in patients with chronic low back pain secondary to SIJ arthritis.
Fiscal Transfers in a Monetary Union with Exit Option
Authors: Hefeker Carsten , Neugart Michael 
Published: May 2015

AbstractIt is widely debated whether a monetary union has to be accompanied by a fiscal transfer scheme to accommodate asymmetric shocks. We build a model of a monetary union with a central bank and two heterogeneous countries that are linked by a fiscal transfer scheme with repercussions on monetary policy. A central bank aiming at securing the existence of a monetary union in the presence of asymmetric shocks has to compensate single countries for the tax distortions arising from fiscal transfers. Monetary policy may become more expansionary or restrictive depending on asymmetries between member countries' inflation aversion and exit costs.
Mixed Frequency Structural Vector Auto-Regressive Models
Authors: Foroni Claudia , Marcellino Massimiliano 
Published: May 2015

SummaryA mismatch between the timescale of a structural vector auto-regressive model and that of the time series data used for its estimation can have serious consequences for identification, estimation and interpretation of the impulse response functions. However, the use of mixed frequency data, combined with a proper estimation approach, can alleviate the temporal aggregation bias, mitigate the identification issues and yield more reliable responses to shocks. The problems and possible remedy are illustrated analytically and with both simulated and actual data.
Damage Monitoring of External Patch Repairs with Guided Ultrasonic Waves
Authors: Pavlopoulou S. , Worden K. , Soutis C. 
Published: May 2015

ABSTRACTA composite panel with a pre‐introduced hole was repaired with an external repair patch and tested under tension–tension fatigue. X‐ray radiography and microscopic analysis were employed to assess the developed damage which appeared first in the form of axial splitting at the hole and propagation until the final patch debonding. Piezoelectric transducers bonded on the top and bottom of the tested surface were utilised in‐phase and out‐of‐phase in order to excite separately the symmetric and antisymmetric fundamental Lamb wave modes. The estimation of each mode's arrival time was performed through the Akaike information criterion which indicated that only the excitation of the antisymmetric mode was successful due to the possible corruption of the symmetric mode with the shear horizontal mode. The study investigated the problem of inadequate training data set that resulted in a negative Mahalanobis squared distance after outlier analysis application. The study suggested a pseudoinverse approach for the inverse of the covariance matrix and a reduction in the selected feature through the principal component analysis and the isolation of the most representative principal components. Finally outlier analysis was applied, which successfully represented the condition of the structural integrity.
Detection of monoclonality in intestinal lymphoma with polymerase chain reaction for antigen receptor gene rearrangement analysis to differentiate from enteritis in dogs
Authors: Ohmura S. , Leipig M. , Schöpper I. , Hergt F. , Weber K. , Rütgen B. C. , Tsujimoto H. , Hermanns W. , Hirschberger J. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThe diagnosis of canine intestinal lymphoma by morphological examination is challenging, especially when endoscopic tissue specimens are used. The utility of detection of antigen receptor gene rearrangement by polymerase chain reaction (PARR) in canine lymphoma has been well established, but its usefulness to distinguish enteritis and intestinal lymphoma remains unclear. In this retrospective study we assessed clonality of 29 primary canine intestinal lymphoma, 14 enteritis and 15 healthy control cases by PARR analysis, using formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded full‐thickness tissue specimens. We could detect monoclonal rearrangements in 22 of 29 canine intestinal lymphomas [76%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 56–90%] and polyclonal rearrangements in all of the enteritis and healthy control cases (100%; CI 88–100%). We revealed a predominance of T‐cell phenotype compared to B‐cell phenotype (85%; CI 65–96% and 15%; CI 4–35%, respectively). We showed that PARR analysis contributes to differentiation of canine intestinal lymphoma from enteritis and to phenotyping of lymphomas.
In Vitro
Activity of Dalbavancin against Drug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from a Global Surveillance Program
Authors: McCurdy Sandra P. , Jones Ronald N. , Mendes Rodrigo E. , Puttagunta Sailaja , Dunne Michael W. 
Published: May 2015

ABSTRACT

In over a decade (2002 to 2012) of
Staphylococcus aureus
surveillance testing on 62,195 isolates, dalbavancin was demonstrated to be active against isolates that were either susceptible or nonsusceptible to daptomycin, linezolid, or tigecycline. Nearly all (99.8%) multidrug-resistant methicillin-resistant
S. aureus
isolates were inhibited by dalbavancin at ≤0.12 μg/ml (MIC
50/90
, 0.06/0.06 μg/ml), the current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) breakpoint. Overall, only 0.35% of the monitored
S. aureus
isolates had a dalbavancin MIC of either 0.25 or 0.5 μg/ml (i.e., were nonsusceptible).
Transfer of CMY-2 Cephalosporinase from Escherichia coli to Virulent Klebsiella pneumoniae Causing a Recurrent Liver Abscess
Authors: Lin Yi-Tsung , Pan Yi-Jiun , Lin Tzu-Lung , Fung Chang-Phone , Wang Jin-Town 
Published: May 2015

ABSTRACT

A CMY-2-producing capsular type K2
Klebsiella pneumoniae
strain (TVGHKP93) with multidrug resistance was isolated from a recurrent liver abscess in a patient who also carried a CMY-2-producing
Escherichia coli
strain (TVGHEC01) in the stool. TVGHKP93 retained its high virulence compared with that of the isogenic strain (TVGHKP60) with wild-type resistance from the first liver abscess. Our conjugation experiment showed the successful transfer of the
bla
CMY-2
-carrying plasmid from TVGHEC01 into TVGHKP60. The transconjugant showed both high virulence and the multidrug-resistant phenotype, as did TVGHKP93.
Intensity and Mechanisms of Fluoroquinolone Resistance within the
H
30 and
H
30Rx Subclones of Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 Compared with Other Fluoroquinolone-Resistant E. coli
Authors: Johnson James R. , Johnston Brian , Kuskowski Michael A. , Sokurenko Evgeni V. , Tchesnokova Veronika 
Published: May 2015

ABSTRACT

The recent expansion of the
H
30 subclone of
Escherichia coli
sequence type 131 (ST131) and its CTX-M-15-associated
H
30Rx subset remains unexplained. Although ST131
H
30 typically exhibits fluoroquinolone resistance, so do multiple other
E. coli
lineages that have not expanded similarly. To determine whether
H
30 isolates have more intense fluoroquinolone resistance than other fluoroquinolone-resistant
E. coli
isolates and to identify possible mechanisms, we determined the MICs for four fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and norfloxacin) among 89 well-characterized, genetically diverse fluoroquinolone-resistant
E. coli
isolates (48 non-
H
30 and 41
H
30 [23
H
30Rx and 18
H
30 non-Rx]). We compared the MICs with the
H
30 and
H
30Rx status, the presence/number of nonsynonymous mutations in
gyrA
,
parC
, and
parE
, the presence of
aac
(
6
′)-
1b-cr
(an aminoglycoside/fluoroquinolone agent-modifying enzyme), and the efflux pump activity (measured as organic solvent tolerance [OST]). Among 1,518 recent
E. coli
clinical isolates, ST131
H
30 predominated clonally, both overall and among the fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates. Among the 89 study isolates, compared with non-
H
30 isolates,
H
30 isolates exhibited categorically higher MICs for all four fluoroquinolone agents, higher absolute ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin MICs, more nonsynonymous mutations in
gyrA
,
parC
, and
parE
(specifically
gyrA
D87N,
parC
E84V, and
parE
I529L), and a numerically higher prevalence of (
H
30Rx-associated)
aac
(
6
′)-
1b-cr
but lower OST scores. All putative resistance mechanisms were significantly associated with the MICs [for
aac
(
6
′)-
1b-cr
: ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin only].
parC
D87N corresponded with ST131
H
30 and
parE
I529L with ST131 generally. Thus, more intense fluoroquinolone resistance may provide ST131
H
30, especially
H
30Rx [if
aac
(
6
′)-
1b-cr
positive], with subtle fitness advantages over other fluoroquinolone-resistant
E. coli
strains. This urges both parsimonious fluoroquinolone use and a search for other fitness-enhancing traits within ST131
H
30.
In Vitro
Activity of Ceftolozane Alone and in Combination with Tazobactam against Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Harboring Enterobacteriaceae
Authors: Melchers Maria J. B. , van Mil Anita C. H. A. M. , Mouton Johan W. 
Published: May 2015

ABSTRACT

Ceftolozane, formally CXA-101, is a new antipseudomonal cephalosporin that is also active
in vitro
against
Enterobacteriaceae
but is vulnerable to extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs). The addition of tazobactam is intended to broaden coverage to most ESBL-producing
Escherichia coli
and
Klebsiella pneumonia
as well as other
Enterobacteriaceae
. The
in vitro
activities of ceftolozane-tazobactam combinations against 67 clinically and molecularly characterized ESBL-producing isolates were examined by checkerboard MIC testing to evaluate their potential clinical feasibility and to assess the optimal tazobactam concentrations to be used in MIC determinations of ceftolozane. Isolates included those from
E. coli
(
n
= 32),
K. pneumoniae
(
n
= 19),
Enterobacter cloacae
(
n
= 15), and
Citrobacter freundii
(
n
= 1). Checkerboard experiments were performed to study interactions over the range of 0.008 to 64 mg/liter ceftolozane and 0.063 to 32 mg/liter tazobactam using 2-fold-dilution series. The MIC
50
and MIC
90
of ceftolozane alone for all isolates were 16 and ≥64 mg/liter, respectively. Increasing concentrations of tazobactam resulted in decreasing MICs of ceftolozane. The 50th and 90th percentile concentrations of tazobactam required to reduce the MIC of ceftolozane to 8 mg/liter for all organisms in this ESBL collection were 0.5 and 4 mg/liter, respectively. For
E. coli
,
K. pneumoniae
, and
E. cloacae
, these values were 0.5 and 2, 1 and 16, and 0.5 and 4 mg/liter, respectively. When combined with a fixed amount of 4 mg/liter tazobactam (current CLSI concentration used for susceptibility testing), 90% of the isolates would have an MIC of ≤4 mg/liter. The combination ceftolozane-tazobactam is a promising alternative option for treating infections due to ESBL-harboring isolates.
In Vitro
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Blastocystis
Authors: Roberts Tamalee , Bush Stephen , Ellis John , Harkness John , Stark Damien 
Published: May 2015

ABSTRACT

Blastocystis
is the most common human enteric protist with controversial clinical significance. Metronidazole is considered a first-line treatment for
Blastocystis
infection; however, there has been increasing evidence for the lack of efficacy of this treatment. Treatment failure has been reported in several clinical cases, and recent
in vitro
studies have suggested the occurrence of metronidazole-resistant strains. In this study, we tested 12
Blastocystis
isolates from 4 common
Blastocystis
subtypes (ST1, ST3, ST4, and ST8) against 12 commonly used antimicrobials (metronidazole, paromomycin, ornidazole, albendazole, ivermectin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole [TMP-SMX], furazolidone, nitazoxanide, secnidazole, fluconazole, nystatin, and itraconazole) at 10 different concentrations
in vitro
. It was found that each subtype showed little sensitivity to the commonly used metronidazole, paromomycin, and triple therapy (furazolidone, nitazoxanide, and secnidazole). This study highlights the efficacy of other potential drug treatments, including trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ivermectin, and suggests that current treatment regimens be revised.