bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Isolation of Enterococcus faecium NM113, Enterococcus faecium NM213 and Lactobacillus casei NM512 as novel probiotics with immunomodulatory properties
Authors: Mansour Nahla M. , Heine Holger , Abdou Sania M. , Shenana Mohamed E. , Zakaria Mohamed K. , El‐Diwany Ahmed 
Published: July 2014

AbstractProbiotics, defined as living bacteria that are beneficial for human health, mainly function through their immunomodulatory abilities. Hence, these microorganisms have proven successful for treating diseases resulting from immune deregulation. The aim of this study was to find novel candidates to improve on and complement current probiotic treatment strategies. Of 60 lactic acid bacterial strains that were isolated from fecal samples of healthy, full‐term, breast‐fed infants, three were chosen because of their ability to activate human immune cells. These candidates were then tested with regard to immunomodulatory properties, antimicrobial effects on pathogens, required pharmacological properties and their safety profiles. To identify the immunomodulatory structures of the selected isolates, activation of specific innate immune receptors was studied. The three candidates for probiotic treatment were assigned Enterococcus faecium NM113, Enterococcus faecium NM213 and Lactobacillus casei NM512. Compared with the established allergy‐protective strain Lactococcus lactis G121, these isolates induced release of similar amounts of IL‐12, a potent inducer of T helper 1 cells. In addition, all three neonatal isolates had antimicrobial activity against pathogens. Analysis of pharmacological suitability showed high tolerance of low pH, bile salts and pancreatic enzymes. In terms of safe application in humans, the isolates were sensitive to three antibiotics (chloramphenicol, tetracycline and erythromycin). In addition, the Enterococcus isolates were free from the four major virulence genes (cylA, agg, efaAfs and ccf). Moreover, the isolates strongly activated Toll‐like receptor 2, which suggests lipopeptides as their active immunomodulatory structure. Thus, three novel bacterial strains with great potential as probiotic candidates and promising immunomodulatory properties have here been identified and characterized.
Ecological implications of reduced forage quality on growth and survival of sympatric geese
Authors: Richman Samantha E. , Leafloor James O. , Karasov William H. , McWilliams Scott R. 
Published: July 2014

SummaryAllometric constraints associated with digesting leaves require relatively small avian herbivores to consume high‐quality forage. How such constraints are overcome during ontogeny when energy and nutrient requirements are relatively high has not been adequately explored.We compared growth trajectories of Canada and lesser snow goose goslings raised on grass‐based diets that differed in protein (10%, 14% or 18%) and fibre (30% or 45%) with those of free‐living goslings on Akimiski Island, Canada. This common‐garden experiment allowed us to test the hypotheses that (i) smaller‐bodied geese are more negatively affected by reduced forage quality than larger‐bodied geese, and (ii) goslings from subarctic brood‐rearing areas have a limited capacity to slow growth in response to reduced forage quality.Canada goose goslings fed low‐protein (10%) diets were on average 44% lighter in body mass, had slower growth rates and were delayed >20 days in reaching 90% of asymptotic size compared with Canada goose goslings fed 18% protein. In contrast, snow goose goslings were unable to survive on the low‐protein diets, and those fed high‐ or medium‐protein diets grew at a similar rate and achieved similar asymptotic size. Canada and snow goose goslings fed low‐protein diets had reduced growth rates of the tarsus and delayed emergence of the 9th primary.Free‐ranging Canada goslings on Akimiski Island were similar in mass and structural size to captive‐reared goslings fed low‐protein diets. In contrast, snow goslings were similar in mass and structural size to the captive‐reared goslings fed the high‐ and medium‐protein diets. This suggests that degraded habitats with mostly low‐protein forage may be able to support Canada goslings better than snow goslings which require higher‐quality forage to survive.Size‐related differences in gosling growth and survival in response to diminished diet quality may influence population size when available food reaches a lower threshold in protein content. However, goslings can avoid such density‐dependent population regulation if they are able to move their broods and find adequate quality and quantity of forage.
Disentangling the drivers of context‐dependent plant–animal interactions
Authors: Maron John L. , Baer Kathryn C. , Angert Amy L. 
Published: July 2014

Summary

A fundamental goal of ecology is to predict how strongly one species affects the abundance of another. However, our ability to do so is hindered by the fact that interaction outcomes are notoriously variable in space and time (i.e. context‐dependent) and we lack a predictive understanding of the factors that drive this context‐dependence. Determining whether abiotic factors, in particular, predictably shift the outcome of species interactions is of critical importance for many contemporary problems, from forecasting climate change impacts to predicting the efficacy of weed biocontrol.

In this essay, we highlight the context‐dependent nature of interactions between plants and their pollinators and herbivores. We advocate for approaches that will identify whether particular abiotic factors predictably shift how strongly these interactions influence plant abundance and/or population growth. We review long‐standing theory that describes how abiotic context should influence the selective impacts of pollinators and herbivores on plants and articulate why this theory requires modification to predict population‐level effects.

Finally, we propose several empirical approaches to address gaps in existing knowledge: (i) experiments across broad abiotic gradients to determine whether the outcome of interactions between pollinators or herbivores and plants varies consistently with changing abiotic conditions; (ii) experiments that manipulate the underlying environmental gradient to elucidate whether the abiotic factor that correlates with interaction outcome is causal; and (iii) seed addition studies to explore how strongly seedling recruitment correlates with seed input (as affected by pollen limitation or herbivory) and to quantify how the strength of the seed‐to‐seedling linkage is influenced by the underlying abiotic gradient.

Synthesis. Our understanding of the underlying drivers of context‐dependent plant–animal interactions is currently not well developed. Progress in this area is essential to better predict when and where species interactions will alter the responses of plant populations to environmental changes as well as to develop more robust theory. Experiments aimed at explicitly exploring the role of abiotic factors in mediating the population‐level impact of pollen limitation and herbivory could determine the extent to which variation in the abiotic environment predictably shifts the outcome of these interactions.
Poverty impacts of the volume‐based special safeguard mechanism
Authors: Ivanic Maros , Martin Will 
Published: July 2014

The volume‐based Special Safeguard Mechanism (Q‐SSM) was proposed as essential for small, poor farmers and became the proximate cause of the collapse of the Doha Agenda negotiations in 2008. But is it helpful for these farmers, given that it is likely to be applied when farm output is depressed and many poor farmers in developing countries need to buy food? Stochastic simulations for 31 countries suggest that use of this safeguard in line with the proposed WTO rules would raise the world poverty headcount by an average of 24 million. The adverse poverty impact of the duty is larger when the quantity safeguard is triggered than it would be in other years, because lower farm output reduces the benefits to poor farm households from higher prices.
Total Cost of Care Lower among Medicare Fee‐for‐Service Beneficiaries Receiving Care from Patient‐Centered Medical Homes
Authors: van Hasselt Martijn , McCall Nancy , Keyes Vince , Wensky Suzanne G. , Smith Kevin W. 
Published: July 2014

ObjectiveTo compare health care utilization and payments between NCQA‐recognized patient‐centered medical home (PCMH) practices and practices without such recognition.Data SourcesMedicare Part A and B claims files from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2010, 2009 Census, 2007 Health Resources and Services Administration and CMS Utilization file, Medicare's Enrollment Data Base, and the 2005 American Medical Association Physician Workforce file.Study DesignThis study used a longitudinal, nonexperimental design. Three annual observations (July 1, 2008–June 30, 2010) were available for each practice. We compared selected outcomes between practices with and those without NCQA PCMH recognition.Data Collection MethodsIndividual Medicare fee‐for‐service (FFS) beneficiaries and their claims and utilization data were assigned to PCMH or comparison practices based on where they received the plurality of evaluation and management services between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.Principal FindingsRelative to the comparison group, total Medicare payments, acute care payments, and the number of emergency room visits declined after practices received NCQA PCMH recognition. The decline was larger for practices with sicker than average patients, primary care practices, and solo practices.ConclusionsThis study provides additional evidence about the potential of the PCMH model for reducing health care utilization and the cost of care.
Restoration of a Mediterranean forest after a fire: bioremediation and rhizoremediation field‐scale trial
Authors: Pizarro‐Tobías Paloma , Fernández Matilde , Niqui José Luis , Solano Jennifer , Duque Estrella , Ramos Juan‐Luis , Roca Amalia 
Published: July 2014

SummaryForest fires pose a serious threat to countries in the Mediterranean basin, often razing large areas of land each year. After fires, soils are more likely to erode and resilience is inhibited in part by the toxic aromatic hydrocarbons produced during the combustion of cellulose and lignins. In this study, we explored the use of bioremediation and rhizoremediation techniques for soil restoration in a field‐scale trial in a protected Mediterranean ecosystem after a controlled fire. Our bioremediation strategy combined the use of Pseudomonas putida strains, indigenous culturable microbes and annual grasses. After 8 months of monitoring soil quality parameters, including the removal of monoaromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as vegetation cover, we found that the site had returned to pre‐fire status. Microbial population analysis revealed that fires induced changes in the indigenous microbiota and that rhizoremediation favours the recovery of soil microbiota in time. The results obtained in this study indicate that the rhizoremediation strategy could be presented as a viable and cost‐effective alternative for the treatment of ecosystems affected by fires.
Electronic cigarettes: review of use, content, safety, effects on smokers and potential for harm and benefit
Authors: Hajek Peter , Etter Jean‐François , Benowitz Neal , Eissenberg Thomas , McRobbie Hayden 
Published: July 2014

AbstractAimsWe reviewed available research on the use, content and safety of electronic cigarettes (EC), and on their effects on users, to assess their potential for harm or benefit and to extract evidence that can guide future policy.MethodsStudies were identified by systematic database searches and screening references to February 2014.ResultsEC aerosol can contain some of the toxicants present in tobacco smoke, but at levels which are much lower. Long‐term health effects of EC use are unknown but compared with cigarettes, EC are likely to be much less, if at all, harmful to users or bystanders. EC are increasingly popular among smokers, but to date there is no evidence of regular use by never‐smokers or by non‐smoking children. EC enable some users to reduce or quit smoking.ConclusionsAllowing EC to compete with cigarettes in the market‐place might decrease smoking‐related morbidity and mortality. Regulating EC as strictly as cigarettes, or even more strictly as some regulators propose, is not warranted on current evidence. Health professionals may consider advising smokers unable or unwilling to quit through other routes to switch to EC as a safer alternative to smoking and a possible pathway to complete cessation of nicotine use.
Variation in morphological and reproductive characteristics of females of Anolis nebulosus (Squamata: Dactyloidae) from island and mainland populations near the Pacific Coast of Mexico
Authors: Hernández‐Salinas Uriel , Ramírez‐Bautista Aurelio 
Published: July 2014

AbstractWe present a comparative analysis of the morphological and reproductive characteristics of adult female Anolis nebulosus, an arboreal lizard found on both mainland and insular habitats near the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Females from San Pancho Island were larger in all measured morphological variables than females from Biological Field Station Chamela (BFSCH) on the mainland, and those also reproduced at smaller body size (snout‐vent length, SVL: range = 35–44, = 39 mm) than females on San Pancho Island (range = 40–47, = 43 mm). Egg mass and egg volume were also greater on San Pancho Island, but clutch frequency was higher on BFSCH during breeding season; in this place, one egg every 8 days over a period of 4 months (123 days) versus one egg every 10 days over a period of 4 months (130 days) on San Pancho Island. Thus, we conclude that certain characteristics related to reproduction (e.g. size at sexual maturity, egg mass and egg volume) in A. nebulosus with populations inhabiting islands and mainland, vary primarily in accordance with female SVL. These variations are most likely a response to the different pressures where A. nebulosus inhabits on environments the islands and mainland near the Pacific Coast of Mexico.
The bone marrow stromal compartment in multiple myeloma patients retains capability for osteogenic differentiation in vitro: defining the stromal defect in myeloma
Authors: Kassen Deepika , Moore Sally , Percy Laura , Herledan Gaelle , Bounds Danton , Rodriguez‐Justo Manuel , Croucher Peter , Yong Kwee 
Published: July 2014

SummaryDefects in bone repair contribute to multiple myeloma (MM) bone disease. It is unknown whether this reflects failure of osteogenic differentiation from mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), inherent stromal defects or mature cell dysfunction. We quantified the number of fibroblast colony‐forming units (CFU‐f) and osteoblast colony‐forming units (CFU‐ob) in freshly isolated bone marrow (BM) from healthy individuals (N = 10) and MM patients (N = 54). CFU‐f and CFU‐ob were present in MM BM, at comparable frequency to normal subjects, irrespective of disease stage, and the presence of bone disease. Adherent cultures from MM BM are able to differentiate into osteoblasts, as indicated by the early upregulation of RUNX2, SP7, AXIN2 and DLX5, and the production of alkaline phosphatase and calcium. Coculture with MM cells failed to prevent osteogenic differentiation of adult human MSC. On the other hand, MM cells induced cell cycle progression in resting MSC in a cell contact dependent manner. This effect was confirmed using both primary CD138+ cells and MM cell lines, and was not seen with B or T cell lines. Our data confirm the presence of osteoblast progenitors and the preservation of osteogenic function in MM, however dysregulation of cell cycle control may contribute to the loss of normal bone homeostasis that ultimately results in osteolytic bone loss.
A mutation in X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (G466X) leads to memory inflation of Epstein–Barr virus-specific T cells
Authors: Lopez-Granados E , Stacey M , Kienzler A-K , Sierro S , Willberg C B , Fox C P , Rigaud S , Long H M , Hislop A D , Rickinson A B , Patel S , Latour S , Klenerman P , Chapel H 
Published: July 2014

Summary
Mutations in the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) gene have been associated with XLP-like disease, including recurrent Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-related haemophagocytic lymphohystiocytosis (HLH), but the immunopathogenic bases of EBV-related disease in XIAP deficiency is unknown. We present the first analysis of EBV-specific T cell responses in functional XIAP deficiency. In a family of patients with a novel mutation in XIAP (G466X) leading to a late-truncated protein and varying clinical features, we identified gradual hypogammaglobulinaemia and large expansions of T cell subsets, including a prominent CD4+CD8+ population. Extensive ex-vivo analyses showed that the expanded T cell subsets were dominated by EBV-specific cells with conserved cytotoxic, proliferative and interferon (IFN)-γ secretion capacity. The EBV load in blood fluctuated and was occasionally very high, indicating that the XIAPG466X mutation could impact upon EBV latency. XIAP deficiency may unravel a new immunopathogenic mechanism in EBV-associated disease.
Regulatory role of PI3K-protein kinase B on the release of interleukin-1β in peritoneal macrophages from the ascites of cirrhotic patients
Authors: Tapia-Abellán A , Ruiz-Alcaraz A J , Antón G , Miras-López M , Francés R , Such J , Martínez-Esparza M , García-Peñarrubia P 
Published: July 2014

Summary
Great effort has been paid to identify novel targets for pharmaceutical intervention to control inflammation associated with different diseases. We have studied the effect of signalling inhibitors in the secretion of the proinflammatory and profibrogenic cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β in monocyte-derived macrophages (M-DM) obtained from the ascites of cirrhotic patients and compared with those obtained from the blood of healthy donors. Peritoneal M-DM were isolated from non-infected ascites of cirrhotic patients and stimulated in vitro with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and heat-killed Candida albicans in the presence or absence of inhibitors for c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K). The IL1B and CASP1 gene expression were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR). The expression of IL-1β and caspase-1 were determined by Western blot. IL-1β was also assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in cell culture supernatants. Results revealed that MEK1 and JNK inhibition significantly reduced the basal and stimulated IL-1β secretion, while the p38 MAPK inhibitor had no effect on IL-1β levels. On the contrary, inhibition of PI3K increased the secretion of IL-1β from stimulated M-DM. The activating effect of PI3K inhibitor on IL-1β release was mediated mainly by the enhancement of the intracellular IL-1β and caspase-1 content release to the extracellular medium and not by increasing the corresponding mRNA and protein expression levels. These data point towards the role of MEK1 and JNK inhibitors, in contrast to the PI3K-protein kinase B inhibitors, as potential therapeutic tools for pharmaceutical intervention to diminish hepatic damage by reducing the inflammatory response mediated by IL-1β associated with liver failure.
The Computational and Neural Basis of Cognitive Control: Charted Territory and New Frontiers
Authors: Botvinick Matthew M. , Cohen Jonathan D. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractCognitive control has long been one of the most active areas of computational modeling work in cognitive science. The focus on computational models as a medium for specifying and developing theory predates thePDPbooks, and cognitive control was not one of the areas on which they focused. However, the framework they provided has injected work on cognitive control with new energy and new ideas. On the occasion of the books' anniversary, we review computational modeling in the study of cognitive control, with a focus on the influence that thePDPapproach has brought to bear in this area. Rather than providing a comprehensive review, we offer a framework for thinking about past and future modeling efforts in this domain. We define control in terms of the optimal parameterization of task processing. From this vantage point, the development of control systems in the brain can be seen as responding to the structure of naturalistic tasks, through the filter of the brain systems with which control directly interfaces. This perspective lays open a set of fascinating but difficult research questions, which together define an important frontier for future computational research.
QRS duration in left bundle branch block does not affect left ventricular twisting in chronic systolic heart failure
Authors: Attanà Paola , Paoletti Perini Alessandro , Votta Carmine Domenico , Cappelli Francesco , Pieragnoli Paolo , Ricciardi Giuseppe , Nesti Martina , Giomi Andrea , Sacchi Stefania , Chiostri Marco , Padeletti Luigi 
Published: July 2014

SummaryPurposeLeft ventricular (LV) torsion is an important parameter of LV performance and can be influenced by several factors. Aim of this investigation was to evaluate whether QRS prolongation in left bundle branch block (LBBB) may influence global LV twist and twisting/untwisting rate in chronic systolic heart failure (HF) patients.MethodsWe prospectively evaluated 30 healthy subjects (control group) and 100 chronic HF patients with severely impaired LV systolic function (ejection fraction ≤35%). Patients were divided into three groups according to QRS duration: A: QRS < 120 ms (n 49), B: 120 ≤ QRS ≤ 150 ms (n 28) and C: QRS > 150 ms (n 23). Patients in groups B and C presented LBBB. All subjects underwent standard trans‐thoracic echocardiography and two‐dimensional speckle‐tracking echocardiography evaluation. Categorical variables were compared by the chi‐square or the Fisher's exact test. Continuous variables were compared using the ANOVA test. Correlations between variables were analysed with linear regression.ResultsControl subjects presented higher torsion parameters, when compared with patients in any HF group. Among the three HF groups, no differences were detected in global twist (4·79 ± 3·54, 3·8 ± 3·0 and 4·15 ± 3·14 degrees, respectively), twist rate max (44·81 ± 25·03, 37·94 ± 19·09 and 37·61 ± 24·49 degrees s−1, respectively) and untwist rate max (−36·31 ± 30·89, −27·68 ± 34·67 and −39·62 ± 26·27 degrees s−1, respectively) (P>0·05 for all). At linear regression analysis, there was no relation between QRS duration and any torsion parameter (P>0·05 for all).ConclusionsIn patients with chronic severe systolic heart failure, QRS duration and LBBB morphology do not affect LV twisting and untwisting.