bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Changes in the modulation of spinal pain processing are related to severity in irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Bouhassira D. , Moisset X. , Jouet P. , Duboc H. , Coffin B. , Sabate J.‐M. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBackgroundIn irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients can be divided in two groups according to inhibition or facilitation of the RIII nociceptive spinal reflex induced by rectal distension. We further investigated the differences in pain processes in these two groups and their relationship to clinical symptoms.MethodsThis study included 10 female IBS‐C patients with facilitation (Group F) and 10 patients with inhibition (Group I) of the RIII reflex recorded on the left lower limb during slow‐ramp rectal distension, and 11 healthy female volunteers. Diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC)‐induced inhibition was assessed by measuring the effects of noxious cold stimulation of the right hand on the RIII reflex and the concomitant sensation of pain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed to compare the changes in brain activity induced by painful and non painful rectal distension. Irritable bowel syndrome symptom severity, mood, anxiety, and catastrophizing were also systematically assessed.Key ResultsUnlike the patients of Group I and healthy volunteers, Group F patients displayed no inhibition of the RIII reflex or of concomitant pain sensation during immersion of the hand in ice‐cold water. The reduction of the inhibition induced by heterotopic noxious stimuli was directly correlated with the severity of IBS symptoms, but not with psychological symptoms. The fMRI study showed that non‐painful and painful rectal distension induced similar changes in brain activity in the two groups of patients.Conclusion & InferencesAlterations of the modulation of spinal pain processing in IBS correlates with symptom severity but not with psychological factors or brain activity.
The rice narrow leaf2 and narrow leaf3 loci encode WUSCHEL‐related homeobox 3A (OsWOX3A) and function in leaf, spikelet, tiller and lateral root development
Authors: Cho Sung‐Hwan , Yoo Soo‐Cheul , Zhang Haitao , Pandeya Devendra , Koh Hee‐Jong , Hwang Ji‐Young , Kim Gyung‐Tae , Paek Nam‐Chon 
Published: April 2013

Summary

In order to understand the molecular genetic mechanisms of rice (Oryza sativa) organ development, we studied the narrow leaf2 narrow leaf3 (nal2 nal3; hereafter nal2/3) double mutant, which produces narrow‐curly leaves, more tillers, fewer lateral roots, opened spikelets and narrow‐thin grains.

We found that narrow‐curly leaves resulted mainly from reduced lateral‐axis outgrowth with fewer longitudinal veins and more, larger bulliform cells. Opened spikelets, possibly caused by marginal deformity in the lemma, gave rise to narrow‐thin grains.

Map‐based cloning revealed that NAL2 and NAL3 are paralogs that encode an identical OsWOX3A (OsNS) transcriptional activator, homologous to NARROW SHEATH1 (NS1) and NS2 in maize and PRESSED FLOWER in Arabidopsis. OsWOX3A is expressed in the vascular tissues of various organs, where nal2/3 mutant phenotypes were displayed. Expression levels of several leaf development‐associated genes were altered in nal2/3, and auxin transport‐related genes were significantly changed, leading to pin mutant‐like phenotypes such as more tillers and fewer lateral roots.

OsWOX3A is involved in organ development in rice, lateral‐axis outgrowth and vascular patterning in leaves, lemma and palea morphogenesis in spikelets, and development of tillers and lateral roots.
RNA interference suppression of lignin biosynthesis increases fermentable sugar yields for biofuel production from field‐grown sugarcane
Authors: Jung Je Hyeong , Vermerris Wilfred , Gallo Maria , Fedenko Jeffrey R. , Erickson John E. , Altpeter Fredy 
Published: April 2013

SummaryThe agronomic performance, cell wall characteristics and enzymatic saccharification efficiency of transgenic sugarcane plants with modified lignin were evaluated under replicated field conditions. Caffeic acid O‐methyltransferase (COMT) was stably suppressed by RNAi in the field, resulting in transcript reduction of 80%–91%. Along with COMT suppression, total lignin content was reduced by 6%–12% in different transgenic lines. Suppression of COMT also altered lignin composition by reducing syringyl units and p‐coumarate incorporation into lignin. Reduction in total lignin by 6% improved saccharification efficiency by 19%–23% with no significant difference in biomass yield, plant height, stalk diameter, tiller number, total structural carbohydrates or brix value when compared with nontransgenic tissue culture–derived or transgenic control plants. Lignin reduction of 8%–12% compromised biomass yield, but increased saccharification efficiency by 28%–32% compared with control plants. Biomass from transgenic sugarcane lines that have 6%–12% less lignin requires approximately one‐third of the hydrolysis time or 3‐ to 4‐fold less enzyme to release an equal or greater amount of fermentable sugar than nontransgenic plants. Reducing the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass to saccharification by modifying lignin biosynthesis is expected to greatly benefit the economic competitiveness of sugarcane as a biofuel feedstock.
A novel waxy allele in sorghum landraces in East Asia
Authors: Kawahigashi Hiroyuki , Oshima Masao , Nishikawa Tomotaro , Okuizumi Hisahito , Kasuga Shigemitsu , Yonemaru Jun‐ichi 
Published: April 2013

AbstractA loss of granule‐bound starch synthase I (GBSS I) activity results in starch granules that contain mostly amylopectin and little or no amylose, a phenotype described as waxy. Previously, two phenotypic classes of waxy alleles, wxa, associated with no detectable GBSS I, and wxb, associated with apparently inactive GBSS I in the endosperm, were reported in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). In this study, the waxy alleles in a sorghum core collection were investigated using DNA markers. Of the 337 sorghum accessions examined, 17 accessions that were confirmed to be waxy by a negative iodine staining result and 16 were found to be wxa. A novel waxy allele, wxc, was found in a Taiwanese landrace. This allele consists of a +1G to C mutation in the 5′ splice site at the intron 10–exon 11 boundary, a mutation that most likely resulted in the suppression of GBSS I gene expression. A DNA marker specific for wxc was produced to distinguish the wxc allele from other alleles, allowing the identification of heterozygous non‐waxy plants.
MUC5AC and inflammatory mediators associated with respiratory outcomes in the British 1946 birth cohort
Authors: Johnson Lauren , Shah Imran , Loh Andrew X. , Vinall Lynne E. , Teixeira Ana S. , Rousseau Karine , Holloway John W. , Hardy Rebecca , Swallow Dallas M. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBackground and objectiveDysregulation of respiratory mucins, MUC5AC in particular, has been implicated in respiratory disease and MUC5AC expression is up‐regulated in response to environmental challenges and inflammatory mediators. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of genetic variation on susceptibility to common respiratory conditions.MethodsThe association of MUC5AC and the closely linked genes MUC2 and MUC5B with respiratory outcomes was tested in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, a longitudinal birth cohort of men and women born in 1946. Also examined were the functional variants of the genes encoding inflammatory mediators, IL13, IL1B, IL1RN, TNFA and ERBB1, for which there is a likely influence on MUC5AC expression and were explored potential gene–gene interactions with these inflammatory mediators.ResultsStatistically significant associations between the 3'ter MUC5AC simple nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1132440 and various non‐independent respiratory outcomes (bronchitis, wheeze, asthma, hay fever) were reported while the adjacent loci show slight (but largely non‐statistically significant) differences, presumably reflective of linkage disequilibrium (allelic association) across the region. A novel association between bronchitis and a non‐synonymous functional ERBB1 SNP, rs2227983 (aka epidermal growth factor receptor:R497K, R521K) is also reported and evidence presented of interaction between MUC5AC and ERBB1 and between MUC5AC and IL1RN with respect to bronchitis. The ERBB1 result suggests a clear mechanism for a biological interaction in which the allelic variants of epidermal growth factor receptor differentially affect mucin expression.ConclusionsThe MUC5AC association and the interactions with inflammatory mediators suggest that genetically determined differences in MUC5AC expression alter susceptibility to respiratory disease.
Experiencing Loneliness in Adolescence: A Matter of Individual Characteristics, Negative Peer Experiences, or Both?
Authors: Vanhalst Janne , Luyckx Koen , Goossens Luc 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe present study builds on the child‐by‐environment model and examines the joint contribution of intra‐individual characteristics (i.e., self‐esteem and shyness) and peer experiences (i.e., social acceptance, victimization, friendship quantity, and friendship quality) in the association with loneliness. A total of 884 adolescents (Mage = 15.80; 68 percent female) participated in this multi‐informant study. Results indicated that, in addition to self‐esteem and shyness, being poorly accepted by peers, being victimized, lacking friends, and experiencing poor‐quality friendships each contributed independently to the experience of loneliness. Further, friendship quantity and quality mediated the relation between the two intra‐individual characteristics and loneliness. Finally, a significant interaction was found between self‐esteem and social acceptance in predicting loneliness. The present study highlights the importance of investigating the joint effects of inter‐individual experiences and intra‐individual characteristics in examining loneliness. Suggestions to elaborate the child‐by‐environment model in loneliness research are discussed, and clinical implications are outlined.
Correcting for possible tissue distortion between provocation and assessment in skin testing: The divergent beam UVB photo‐test
Authors: O'Doherty Jim , Henricson Joakim , Falk Magnus , Anderson Chris D. 
Published: April 2013

BackgroundIn tissue viability imaging (TiVi), an assessment method for skin erythema, correct orientation of skin position from provocation to assessment optimizes data interpretation. Image processing algorithms could compensate for the effects of skin translation, torsion and rotation realigning assessment images to the position of the skin at provocation.MethodsA reference image of a divergent, UVB phototest was acquired, as well as test images at varying levels of translation, rotation and torsion. Using 12 skin markers, an algorithm was applied to restore the distorted test images to the reference image.ResultsThe algorithm corrected torsion and rotation up to approximately 35 degrees. The radius of the erythemal reaction and average value of the input image closely matched that of the reference image's ‘true value’.ConclusionThe image ‘de‐warping’ procedure improves the robustness of the response image evaluation in a clinical research setting and opens the possibility of the correction of possibly flawed images performed away from the laboratory setting by the subject/patient themselves. This opportunity may increase the use of photo‐testing and, by extension, other late response skin testing where the necessity of a return assessment visit is a disincentive to performance of the test.
Association of micropapillary urothelial carcinoma of the bladder and BK viruria in kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Bialasiewicz S. , Cho Y. , Rockett R. , Preston J. , Wood S. , Fleming S. , Shepherd B. , Barraclough K. , Sloots T.P. , Isbel N. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIntroductionBK virus (BKV) is an ubiquitous human polyomavirus that establishes latency in urothelium. BKV is known to re‐activate in immunosuppressed individuals, and is an increasingly important cause of nephropathy and graft loss in kidney transplant recipients. Animal studies have demonstrated BKV has a potential role as a tumor virus. However, its role in precipitating or facilitating oncogenesis in humans is still debated.ReportWe report 2 cases of aggressive micropapillary urothelial carcinoma of the bladder in kidney transplant recipients with persistent BK viruria and preserved graft function.ResultsIn both cases, polyomavirus immunohistochemistry performed on the tumor specimens was strongly positive, and limited to the malignant tissue. BKV DNA, viral protein 1, and large T antigen mRNA were detected in the tumor; however, no viral particles were seen on electron microscopy.ConclusionIn one of the cases, BKV integration into the host genome was identified, leading to the truncation of the major viral capsid gene. This finding raises the concern that persisting BK viruria may be a risk factor for this aggressive form of bladder cancer. Further studies to determine screening and management strategies are required.
Fatal human metapneumovirus infection following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Dokos C. , Masjosthusmann K. , Rellensmann G. , Werner C. , Schuler‐Lüttmann S. , Müller K.‐M. , Schiborr M. , Ehlert K. , Groll A.H. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractRespiratory viruses are an important yet underestimated cause of infectious morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised children and adolescents. Here, we report the occurrence of fatal lower respiratory tract disease associated with human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection in a 10‐year‐old girl with chronic graft‐versus‐host disease following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for secondary chronic myeloid leukemia. Symptoms occurred 8 months after HSCT while on immunosuppression with 0.2 mg/kg/day of prednisone, and presented as dry cough, bilateral pneumonitis, and progressive respiratory distress. Non‐invasive and invasive microbiological investigations revealed HMPV type B as the sole pathogen. Histopathological findings showed interstitial and intra‐alveolar pneumonitis with profound alveolar cell damage. The patient was treated with intravenous and oral ribavirin and polyvalent immunoglobulins, but ultimately died from respiratory failure. The case reflects the potentially fatal impact of infections by respiratory viruses in immunocompromised patients and the need for effective approaches to their prevention and treatment.
The sweets standing at the borderline between allo‐ and xenotransplantation
Authors: Jang Kyoung‐Soon , Kim Yun‐Gon , Adhya Mausumi , Park Hae‐Min , Kim Byung‐Gee 
Published: April 2013

AbstractAnimal cells are densely covered with glycoconjugates, such as N‐glycan, O‐glycan, and glycosphingolipids, which are important for various biological and immunological events at the cell surface and in the extracellular matrix. Endothelial α‐Gal carbohydrate epitopes (Galα3Gal‐R) expressed on porcine tissue or cell surfaces are such glycoconjugates and directly mediate hyperacute immunological rejection in pig‐to‐human xenotransplantation. Although researchers have been able to develop α1,3‐galactosyltransferase (GalT) gene knockout (KO) pigs, there remain unclarified non‐Gal antigens that prevent xenotransplantation. Based on our expertise in the structural analysis of xenoantigenic carbohydrates, we describe the immunologically significant non‐human carbohydrate antigens, including α‐Gal antigens, analyzed as part of efforts to assess the antigens responsible for hyperacute immunological rejection in pig‐to‐human xenotransplantation. The importance of studying human, pig, and GalT‐KO pig glycoprofiles, and of developing adequate pig‐to‐human glycan databases, is also discussed.
Comparison of Time Series Models for Predicting Campylobacteriosis Risk in New Zealand
Authors: Al‐Sakkaf A. , Jones G. 
Published: April 2013

SummaryPredicting campylobacteriosis cases is a matter of considerable concern in New Zealand, after the number of the notified cases was the highest among the developed countries in 2006. Thus, there is a need to develop a model or a tool to predict accurately the number of campylobacteriosis cases as the Microbial Risk Assessment Model used to predict the number of campylobacteriosis cases failed to predict accurately the number of actual cases. We explore the appropriateness of classical time series modelling approaches for predicting campylobacteriosis. Finding the most appropriate time series model for New Zealand data has additional practical considerations given a possible structural change, that is, a specific and sudden change in response to the implemented interventions. A univariate methodological approach was used to predict monthly disease cases using New Zealand surveillance data of campylobacteriosis incidence from 1998 to 2009. The data from the years 1998 to 2008 were used to model the time series with the year 2009 held out of the data set for model validation. The best two models were then fitted to the full 1998–2009 data and used to predict for each month of 2010. The Holt‐Winters (multiplicative) and ARIMA (additive) intervention models were considered the best models for predicting campylobacteriosis in New Zealand. It was noticed that the prediction by an additive ARIMA with intervention was slightly better than the prediction by a Holt‐Winter multiplicative method for the annual total in year 2010, the former predicting only 23 cases less than the actual reported cases. It is confirmed that classical time series techniques such as ARIMA with intervention and Holt‐Winters can provide a good prediction performance for campylobacteriosis risk in New Zealand. The results reported by this study are useful to the New Zealand Health and Safety Authority's efforts in addressing the problem of the campylobacteriosis epidemic.
Emergence of Extensively Drug-Resistant Haemophilus parainfluenzae in Switzerland
Authors: Tinguely Regula , Seiffert Salome N. , Furrer Hansjakob , Perreten Vincent , Droz Sara , Endimiani Andrea 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT

Two homosexual men were colonized in the urethra with
Haemophilus parainfluenzae
nonsusceptible to ampicillin (MIC, 8 μg/ml), amoxicillin-clavulanate (MIC, 4 μg/ml), cefotaxime (MIC, 1.5 μg/ml), cefepime (MIC, 3 μg/ml), meropenem (MIC, 0.5 μg/ml), cefuroxime, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol (all MICs, ≥32 μg/ml). Repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) showed that the strains were indistinguishable. The isolates had amino acid substitutions in PBP3, L4, GyrA, and ParC and possessed Mef(A), Tet(M), and CatS resistance mechanisms. This is the first report of extensively drug-resistant (XDR)
H. parainfluenzae
.
The Apparent Quorum-Sensing Inhibitory Activity of Pyrogallol Is a Side Effect of Peroxide Production
Authors: Defoirdt Tom , Pande Gde Sasmita Julyantoro , Baruah Kartik , Bossier Peter 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTThere currently is more and more interest in the use of natural products, such as tea polyphenols, as therapeutic agents. The polyphenol compound pyrogallol has been reported before to inhibit quorum-sensing-regulated bioluminescence inVibrio harveyi. Here, we report that the addition of 10 mg · liter−1pyrogallol protects both brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) and giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) larvae from pathogenicVibrio harveyi, whereas the compound showed relatively low toxicity (therapeutic index of 10). We further demonstrate that the apparent quorum-sensing-disrupting activity is a side effect of the peroxide-producing activity of this compound rather than true quorum-sensing inhibition. Our results emphasize that verification of minor toxic effects by using sensitive methods and the use of appropriate controls are essential when characterizing compounds as being able to disrupt quorum sensing.
CD137 Expressed on Neutrophils Plays Dual Roles in Antibacterial Responses against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections
Authors: Nguyen Quang-Tam , Nguyen Thu-Ha T. , Ju Seong-A. , Lee Yea-Sol , Han Seung Hyun , Lee Sang-Chul , Kwon Byoung S. , Yu Rina , Kim Gyu Yeol , Lee Byung Ju , Kim Byung-Sam 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT

Severe sepsis and septic shock caused mainly by bacterial infections are life-threatening conditions that urge the development of novel therapies. However, host responses to and pathophysiology of sepsis have not been clearly understood, which remains a major obstacle for the development of effective therapeutics. Recently, we have shown that stimulation of a costimulatory molecule, CD137, enhanced survival of mice infected with the Gram-positive (G
+
) intracellular bacterium
Listeria monocytogenes
but decreased survival in a polymicrobial sepsis model. Herein, we report that CD137 deficiency or blocking of CD137 signaling decreased antibacterial responses of mice infected with G
+
bacteria (
Staphylococcus aureus
,
Streptococcus pneumoniae
, and
Enterococcus faecalis
) but increased these responses in mice infected with Gram-negative (G
−
) bacteria (
Escherichia coli
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, and
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium). Consistent with these findings, stimulation of CD137 by administration of agonistic antibody enhanced responses against G
+
bacteria, whereas it decreased these responses against G
−
bacteria. Neutrophils were responsible for CD137-mediated opposite roles in control of G
+
and G
−
bacterial infections. Stimulation of CD137 enhanced activities of neutrophils against
S. aureus
but decreased these activities against
E. coli
, while CD137 blocking produced opposite results with the stimulation of CD137
in vivo
and
in vitro
. Furthermore, we found that combined signaling of CD137 and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) induced synergistic production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by neutrophils, but combined signaling of CD137 and TLR4 did not. Our data strongly suggest that CD137 may play a dual role in sepsis in association with TLRs.
Formalin-Inactivated Coxiella burnetii Phase I Vaccine-Induced Protection Depends on B Cells To Produce Protective IgM and IgG
Authors: Zhang Guoquan , Peng Ying , Schoenlaub Laura , Elliott Alexandra , Mitchell William , Zhang Yan 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTTo further understand the mechanisms of formalin-inactivatedCoxiella burnetiiphase I (PI) vaccine (PIV)-induced protection, we examined if B cell, T cell, CD4+T cell, or CD8+T cell deficiency in mice significantly affects the ability of PIV to confer protection against aC. burnetiiinfection. Interestingly, compared to wild-type (WT) mice, PIV conferred comparable levels of protection in CD4+T cell- or CD8+T cell-deficient mice and partial protection in T cell-deficient mice but did not provide measurable protection in B cell-deficient mice. These results suggest that PIV-induced protection depends on B cells. In addition, anti-PI-specific IgM was the major detectable antibody (Ab) in immune sera from PIV-vaccinated CD4+T cell-deficient mice, and passive transfer of immune sera from PIV-vaccinated CD4+T cell-deficient mice conferred significant protection. These results suggest that T cell-independent anti-PI-specific IgM may contribute to PIV-induced protection. Our results also suggested that PIV-induced protection may not depend on complement activation and Fc receptor-mediated effector functions. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that both IgM and IgG from PIV-vaccinated WT mouse sera were able to inhibitC. burnetiiinfectionin vivo, but only IgM from PIV-vaccinated CD4+T cell-deficient mouse sera inhibitedC. burnetiiinfection. Collectively, these findings suggest that PIV-induced protection depends on B cells to produce protective IgM and IgG and that T cell-independent anti-PI-specific IgM may play a critical role in PIV-induced protection againstC. burnetiiinfection.