bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The cell survival kinase SGK1 and its targets FOXO3a and NDRG1 in aged human brain
Authors: Sahin P. , McCaig C. , Jeevahan J. , Murray J. T. , Hainsworth A. H. 
Published: January 2013

AimsSerum‐ and glucocorticoid‐inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) protects neuronal cells from injury stimuli in vitro, and exerts anti‐apoptotic effects via downstream targets including the forkhead‐like transcription factor FOXO3a. SGK1 is a homolog of Akt, a related survival kinase that is up‐regulated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we aimed to examine the expression pattern of SGK1 and FOXO3a in aged human cerebral cortex.MethodsCortical tissue from aged donors without brain disease (aged controls, AC, n = 19) and from severe AD patients (Braak stage V‐VI; n = 14) were examined by immunohistochemistry and immunoblot analysis.ResultsSGK1 was present in all samples (detected by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting). Large cortical neuronal cells were strongly positive for SGK1, with predominantly nuclear labelling. Some astrocytes and oligodendrocytes were also labelled. SGK1 was not seen in nerve tracts (axons or myelin) and rarely seen in CD68‐positive cells (microglia, perivascular macrophages) or vascular cells (myocytes or endothelia). The fraction of large cortical neurones with nuclear FOXO3a was lower in AD cases relative to AC (54%, 70%, respectively, P < 0.001). In immunoblots no difference in SGK1 abundance was detected between AC and AD tissues. Phosphorylation of NDRG1 (an SGK1‐specific target) was greater in AD, relative to AC cases (approximately twofold, P = 0.023).ConclusionsNeuronal expression of SGK1 in aged human brain and its nuclear compartmentalization suggest a possible neuroprotective role. FOXO3a and NDRG1 data suggest augmented SGK1 activity (as reported for Akt) in severe AD. Increased intracellular SGK1 may complement enhanced Akt, with a distinct subcellular localization.
Abdominal accommodation induced by meal ingestion: differential responses to gastric and colonic volume loads
Authors: Burri E. , Cisternas D. , Villoria A. , Accarino A. , Soldevilla A. , Malagelada J.‐R. , Azpiroz F. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractBackground  Using an experimental model of colonic gas infusion, we previously showed that the abdominal walls adapt to its content by an active phenomenon of abdominal accommodation. We now hypothesized that abdominal accommodation is a physiological phenomenon, and aimed to confirm that it can be induced by ingestion of a meal; a secondary aim was to determine whether the response to gut filling is region‐specific.Methods  In healthy subjects (n = 24) a nutrient test meal was administered until tolerated at a rate of 50 mL min−1. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of the anterior wall (upper and lower rectus, external and internal oblique) was measured via four pairs of surface electrodes, and EMG activity of the diaphragm via intraluminal electrodes on an esophageal tube. To address the secondary aim, the response to gastric filling was compared with that induced by colonic filling (1440 mL 30 min−1 anal gas infusion; n = 8).Key Results  Participants tolerated 927 ± 66 mL of meal (450–1500 mL). Meal ingestion induced progressive diaphragmatic relaxation (EMG reduction by 16 ± 2%; P < 0.01) and selective contraction of the upper abdominal wall (24 ± 2% increase in activity of the upper rectus and external oblique; P < 0.01 for both), with no significant changes in the lower rectus (4 ± 2%) or internal oblique (5 ± 3%). Colonic gas infusion induced a similar response, but with an overall contraction of the anterior wall.Conclusions & Inferences  Meal ingestion induces a metered and region‐specific response of the abdominal walls to accommodate the volume load. Abnormal abdominal accommodation could be involved in postprandial bloating.
Nasal Cutaneous Infection in a Healthy Boy Caused by Fusarium moniliforme
Authors: Yan Xiaoxiao , Yu Changping , Shi Zhongxiang , Wang Shufen , Zhang Furen 
Published: January 2013

AbstractA healthy 10‐year‐old Chinese boy developed verrucous plaques on the nose. The fungus was identified as Fusarium moniliforme via culture of biopsy fragments. The patient had normal immune status and was successfully treated with oral itraconazole (100 mg/day) for 2 months and application of oral itraconazole and topical sertaconazole nitrate cream.Fusarium is a ubiquitous hyalohyphomycete isolated from food that is also widespread in the environment and is present at all latitudes. Infections due to this mold may be disseminated or localized. Fusarium species have been known to colonize the cornea, nails, and burn eschars in otherwise healthy patients. Cutaneous and disseminated infections have been reported mostly in immunocompromised hosts. Here we describe an unusual case of localized infection caused by Fusarium moniliforme in an otherwise healthy child, with significant improvement after 2 months of oral itraconazole and topical sertaconazole nitrate cream therapy.
Psoriasis from a Prosthesis: Unusual Koebner Phenomenon in a Girl with Autoamputation of the Leg
Authors: Benoit Sandrine , Hamm Henning 
Published: January 2013

AbstractAn 8‐year‐old girl showed psoriatic lesions confined to her autoamputated left thigh. She was wearing an above‐the‐knee prosthesis that induced plaque psoriasis by koebnerization. Rapid clinical remission was achieved using tacrolimus 0.03% ointment.
Necrotic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in a Child
Authors: Maldonado García César , Valente Duarte de Sousa Isabel Cristina , López Cepeda Larissa 
Published: January 2013

AbstractMedian nerve entrapment at the wrist level causes carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Although frequent in adults, CTS is a rare entity in children. Bouvier described an exceptional necrotic variant in 1979 in which skin, nail, and bone lesions are typical. We report the case of a 10‐year‐old child with necrotic CTS secondary to trauma. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in a child.
Effect of hospital volume on the mortality of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in Japan
Authors: Hayakawa Masahiro , Ito Miharu , Hattori Tetsuo , Kanamori Yutaka , Okuyama Hiroomi , Inamura Noboru , Takahashi Shigehiro , Nagata Kouji , Taguchi Tomoaki , Usui Noriaki ,   The Japanese Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Study Group
Published: January 2013

AbstractBackgroundDuring the last decade, new supportive modalities and new therapeutic strategies to treat congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) have been introduced. In Japan, the large number of hospitals prevents centralizing infants with CDH in tertiary centers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlations between the number of CDH patients, survival rates, and the current strategies employed to treat CDH at the individual hospitals.MethodsEighty‐three hospitals with 674 CDH cases were analyzed using questionnaires. We classified the hospitals into three groups according to the number of CDH patients treated: Group 1 (G1; more than 21 patients), Group 2 (G2; 11–20 patients), and Group 3 (G3; fewer than 10 patients).ResultsThe median number of CDH patients in G1, G2, and G3 were 28, 14, and 4, respectively. The overall survival rate was 74.5%. When only the isolated CDH cases with a prenatal diagnosis were included, the overall survival rate was 79.3%. The survival rate of isolated CDH cases with a prenatal diagnosis was significantly higher in G1 than that in G2 or G3 (87.2% vs 75.2% vs 74.3%; P < 0.001). There were no differences in perinatal therapeutic strategies among the three groups.ConclusionsWe concluded that it might therefore be important to centralize infants with CDH, especially those with isolated CDH with a prenatal diagnosis, to tertiary centers in Japan in order to improve the survival rates.
Generation of an artificial ring chromosome in Arabidopsis by Cre/LoxP‐mediated recombination
Authors: Murata Minoru , Shibata Fukashi , Hironaka Akiko , Kashihara Kazunari , Fujimoto Satoru , Yokota Etsuko , Nagaki Kiyotaka 
Published: January 2013

SummaryA eukaryotic chromosome consists of a centromere, two telomeres and a number of replication origins, and ‘artificial chromosomes’ may be created in yeast and mammals when these three elements are artificially joined and introduced into cells. Plant artificial chromosomes (PACs) have been suggested as new vectors for the development of new crops and as tools for basic research on chromosomes. However, indisputable PAC formation has not yet been confirmed. Here, we present a method for generating PACs in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana using the Cre/LoxP and Activator/Dissociation element systems. The successfully generated PAC, designated AtARC1 (A. thaliana artificial ring chromosome 1), originated from a centromeric edge of the long arm of chromosome 2, but its size (2.85 Mb) is much smaller than that of the original chromosome (26.3 Mb). Although AtARC1 contains only a short centromere domain consisting of 180 bp repeats approximately 250 kb in length, compared with the 3 Mb domain on the original chromosome 2, centromere‐specific histone H3 (HTR12) was detected on the centromeric region. This result supported the observed stability of the PAC during mitosis in the absence of selection, and transmission of the PAC to the next generation through meiosis. Because AtARC1 contains a unique LoxP site driven by the CaMV 35S promoter, it is possible to introduce a selectable marker and desired transgenes into AtARC1 at the LoxP site using Cre recombinase. Therefore, AtARC1 meets the criteria for a PAC and is a promising vector.
The cost‐effectiveness of platelet additive solution to prevent allergic transfusion reactions
Authors: Kacker Seema , Ness Paul M. , Savage William J. , Frick Kevin D. , McCullough Jeffrey , King Karen E. , Tobian Aaron A.R. 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundAllergic transfusion reactions (ATRs) are among the most common complications of transfusion. Storage in platelet additive solution (PAS) has been shown to reduce ATRs from apheresis platelets (APs). This study evaluated the cost‐effectiveness of using PAS storage as an alternative method to reduce ATRs.Study Design and MethodsA Markov‐based decision tree was constructed to compare ATR rates and associated costs expected from current practice and from alternative strategies of using APs stored in PAS. The potential use of pretransfusion medication was also incorporated. Using a hospital perspective and including direct medical expenses only (US$2012), Monte Carlo microsimulations were run to evaluate outcomes under a base‐case analysis. One‐way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were used to assess outcome uncertainty.ResultsUnder base‐case variables, using APs stored in PAS for all patients as an initial transfusion protocol is expected to avert ATRs and associated costs, compared to current practice. Using PAS for all patients along with pretransfusion medication would be cost‐saving only when the additional cost of PAS is below $9.14. If PAS storage could eliminate pretransfusion medication use, it is expected to result in cost savings when the additional unit cost of PAS is under $11.90. At a PAS cost of $15, averting one ATR would cost $701.95. Using PAS storage only in response to recurring mild ATRs is associated with cost savings under all costs of PAS evaluated.ConclusionsUsing PAS storage for all AP transfusions to prevent ATRs may be financially and clinically beneficial, compared to current practice.
Cultivation of an Obligate Fe(II)-Oxidizing Lithoautotrophic Bacterium Using Electrodes
Authors: Summers Zarath M. , Gralnick Jeffrey A. , Bond Daniel R. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT

Fe(II)-oxidizing aerobic bacteria are poorly understood, due in part to the difficulties involved in laboratory cultivation. Specific challenges include (i) providing a steady supply of electrons as Fe(II) while (ii) managing rapid formation of insoluble Fe(III) oxide precipitates and (iii) maintaining oxygen concentrations in the micromolar range to minimize abiotic Fe(II) oxidation. Electrochemical approaches offer an opportunity to study bacteria that require problematic electron donors or acceptors in their respiration. In the case of Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria, if the electron transport machinery is able to oxidize metals at the outer cell surface, electrodes poised at potentials near those of natural substrates could serve as electron donors, eliminating concentration issues, side reactions, and mineral end products associated with metal oxidation. To test this hypothesis, the marine isolate
Mariprofundus ferrooxydans
PV-1, a neutrophilic obligate Fe(II)-oxidizing autotroph, was cultured using a poised electrode as the sole energy source. When cells grown in Fe(II)-containing medium were transferred into a three-electrode electrochemical cell, a cathodic (negative) current representing electron uptake by bacteria was detected, and it increased over a period of weeks. Cultures scraped from a portion of the electrode and transferred into sterile reactors consumed electrons at a similar rate. After three transfers in the absence of Fe(II), electrode-grown biofilms were studied to determine the relationship between donor redox potential and respiration rate. Electron microscopy revealed that under these conditions,
M. ferrooxydans
PV-1 attaches to electrodes and does not produce characteristic iron oxide stalks but still appears to exhibit bifurcate cell division.

IMPORTANCE
Electrochemical cultivation, supporting growth of bacteria with a constant supply of electron donors or acceptors, is a promising tool for studying lithotrophic species in the laboratory. Major pitfalls present in standard cultivation methods used for metal-oxidizing microbes can be avoided by the use of an electrode as the sole electron donor. Electrochemical cultivation also offers a window into the poorly understood metabolism of microbes such as obligate Fe(II), Mn(II), or S
0
oxidizers by replacing the electron source with the controlled surface of an electrode. The elucidation of redox-dependent behavior of these microbes could enhance industrial applications tuned to oxidation of specific metals, provide insight into how bacteria evolved to compete with oxygen for reactive metal species, and model geochemical impacts of their metabolism in the environment.
Control of Candida albicans Metabolism and Biofilm Formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Phenazines
Authors: Morales Diana K. , Grahl Nora , Okegbe Chinweike , Dietrich Lars E. P. , Jacobs Nicholas J. , Hogan Deborah A. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT

Candida albicans
has developmental programs that govern transitions between yeast and filamentous morphologies and between unattached and biofilm lifestyles. Here, we report that filamentation, intercellular adherence, and biofilm development were inhibited during interactions between
Candida albicans
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
through the action of
P. aeruginosa
-produced phenazines. While phenazines are toxic to
C. albicans
at millimolar concentrations, we found that lower concentrations of any of three different phenazines (pyocyanin, phenazine methosulfate, and phenazine-
1
-carboxylate) allowed growth but affected the development of
C. albicans
wrinkled colony biofilms and inhibited the fungal yeast-to-filament transition. Phenazines impaired
C. albicans
growth on nonfermentable carbon sources and led to increased production of fermentation products (ethanol, glycerol, and acetate) in glucose-containing medium, leading us to propose that phenazines specifically inhibited respiration. Methylene blue, another inhibitor of respiration, also prevented the formation of structured colony biofilms. The inhibition of filamentation and colony wrinkling was not solely due to lowered extracellular pH induced by fermentation. Compared to smooth, unstructured colonies, wrinkled colony biofilms had higher oxygen concentrations within the colony, and wrinkled regions of these colonies had higher levels of respiration. Together, our data suggest that the structure of the fungal biofilm promotes access to oxygen and enhances respiratory metabolism and that the perturbation of respiration by bacterial molecules such as phenazines or compounds with similar activities disrupts these pathways. These findings may suggest new ways to limit fungal biofilms in the context of disease.

IMPORTANCE
Many of the infections caused by
Candida albicans
, a major human opportunistic fungal pathogen, involve both morphological transitions and the formation of surface-associated biofilms. Through the study of
C. albicans
interactions with the bacterium
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, which often coinfects with
C. albicans
, we have found that
P. aeruginosa
-produced phenazines modulate
C. albicans
metabolism and, through these metabolic effects, impact cellular morphology, cell-cell interactions, and biofilm formation. We suggest that the structure of
C. albicans
biofilms promotes access to oxygen and enhances respiratory metabolism and that the perturbation of respiration by phenazines inhibits biofilm development. Our findings not only provide insight into interactions between these species but also provide valuable insights into novel pathways that could lead to the development of new therapies to treat
C. albicans
infections.
NEAT1 Long Noncoding RNA and Paraspeckle Bodies Modulate HIV-1 Posttranscriptional Expression
Authors: Zhang Quan , Chen Chia-Yen , Yedavalli Venkat S. R. K. , Jeang Kuan-Teh 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
Most of the human genome is transcribed into protein-noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including small ncRNAs and long ncRNAs (lncRNAs). Over the past decade, rapidly emerging evidence has increasingly supported the view that lncRNAs serve key regulatory and functional roles in mammal cells. HIV-1 replication relies on various cell functions. To date, while the involvement of host protein factors and microRNAs (miRNAs) in the HIV-1 life cycle has been extensively studied, the relationship between lncRNAs and HIV-1 remains uncharacterized. Here, we have profiled 83 disease-related lncRNAs in HIV-1-infected T cells. We found NEAT1 to be one of several lncRNAs whose expression is changed by HIV-1 infection, and we have characterized its role in HIV-1 replication. We report here that the knockdown of NEAT1 enhances virus production through increased nucleus-to-cytoplasm export of Rev-dependent instability element (INS)-containing HIV-1 mRNAs.

IMPORTANCE
Long protein-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play roles in regulating gene expression and modulating protein activities. There is emerging evidence that lncRNAs are involved in the replication of viruses. To our knowledge, this report is the first to characterize a role contributed by an lncRNA, NEAT1, to HIV-1 replication. NEAT1 is essential for the integrity of the nuclear paraspeckle substructure. Based on our findings from NEAT1 knockdown, we have identified the nuclear paraspeckle body as another important subcellular organelle for HIV-1 replication.
Host Pathways Important for Coxiella burnetii Infection Revealed by Genome-Wide RNA Interference Screening
Authors: McDonough Justin A. , Newton Hayley J. , Klum Scott , Swiss Rachel , Agaisse Hervé , Roy Craig R. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT

Coxiella burnetii
is an intracellular pathogen that replicates within a lysosome-like vacuole. A Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system is used by
C. burnetii
to translocate effector proteins into the host cytosol that likely modulate host factor function. To identify host determinants required for
C. burnetii
intracellular growth, a genome-wide screen was performed using gene silencing by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Replication of
C. burnetii
was measured by immunofluorescence microscopy in siRNA-transfected HeLa cells. Newly identified host factors included components of the retromer complex, which mediates cargo cycling between the endocytic pathway and the Golgi apparatus. Reducing the levels of the retromer cargo-adapter VPS26-VPS29-VPS35 complex or retromer-associated sorting nexins abrogated
C. burnetii
replication. Several genes, when silenced, resulted in enlarged vacuoles or an increased number of vacuoles within
C. burnetii-
infected cells. Silencing of the
STX17
gene encoding syntaxin-17 resulted in a striking defect in homotypic fusion of vacuoles containing
C. burnetii
, suggesting a role for syntaxin-17 in regulating this process. Lastly, silencing host genes needed for
C. burnetii
replication correlated with defects in the translocation of Dot/Icm effectors, whereas, silencing of genes that affected vacuole morphology, but did not impact replication, did not affect Dot/Icm translocation. These data demonstrate that
C. burnetii
vacuole maturation is important for creating a niche that permits Dot/Icm function. Thus, genome-wide screening has revealed host determinants involved in sequential events that occur during
C. burnetii
infection as defined by bacterial uptake, vacuole transport and acidification, activation of the Dot/Icm system, homotypic fusion of vacuoles, and intracellular replication.

IMPORTANCE
Q fever in humans is caused by the bacterium
Coxiella burnetii
. Infection with
C. burnetii
is marked by its unique ability to replicate within a large vacuolar compartment inside cells that resembles the harsh, acidic environment of a lysosome. Central to its pathogenesis is the delivery of bacterial effector proteins into the host cell cytosol by a Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system. These proteins can interact with and manipulate host factors, thereby leading to creation and maintenance of the vacuole that the bacteria grow within. Using high-throughput genome-wide screening in human cells, we identified host factors important for several facets of
C. burnetii
infection, including vacuole transport and membrane fusion events that promote vacuole expansion. In addition, we show that maturation of the
C. burnetii
vacuole is necessary for creating an environment permissive for the Dot/Icm delivery of bacterial effector proteins into the host cytosol.
Home-care nurses’ perceptions of unmet information needs and communication difficulties of older patients in the immediate post-hospital discharge period
Authors: Romagnoli Katrina M , Handler Steven M , Ligons Frank M , Hochheiser Harry 
Published: January 2013

ObjectiveTo understand home-care nurses’ perceptions of the post-hospitalisation information needs and communication problems of older patients, and how these factors might contribute to undesirable outcomes including poor patient reintegration into prior living environments and unplanned hospital readmissions.DesignA ranked list of information needs experienced by patients was developed by two Nominal Group Technique (NGT) sessions from the perspective of home-care nurses. The list was combined with results from previously published work to develop a web-based survey administered to home-care nurses to elicit perceptions of patients’ post-hospitalisation information needs.ResultsSeventeen nurses participated in the NGT sessions, producing a list of 28 challenges grouped into five themes: medications, disease/condition, non-medication care/treatment/safety, functional limitations and communication problems. The survey was sent to 220 home-care nurses, with a 54.1% (119/220) response rate. Respondents identified several frequent, high-impact information and communication needs that have received little attention in readmission literature, including information about medication regimens; the severity of their condition; the hospital discharge management process; non-medication care regimens such as wound care, use of durable medical equipment and home safety; the extent of care needed; and which providers are best suited to provide that care. Responses also identified several communication difficulties that may play a role in readmissions.ConclusionsInformation needs and communication problems identified by home-care nurses expanded upon and reinforced results from prior studies. These results might be used to develop interventions that may improve information sharing among clinicians, patients and caregivers during care transitions to ensure patient reintegration into prior living environments, potentially preventing unplanned hospital readmissions.