bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transportation of sublingual antigens across sublingual ductal epithelial cells to the ductal antigen‐presenting cells in mice
Authors: Nagai Y. , Shiraishi D. , Tanaka Y. , Nagasawa Y. , Ohwada S. , Shimauchi H. , Aso H. , Endo Y. , Sugawara S. 
Published: April 2014

SummaryBackgroundSublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has proven to be safe and efficient for the treatment of type I allergies. However, the mechanisms underlying allergen transportation within the sublingual compartment, the localization of antigens, and the identities of the cells responsible for this immunization remain incompletely understood.ObjectiveIn this study, we focused on the sublingual ductal system and analysed the localization and transportation of antigens after their sublingual application.MethodsIn mice given adjuvant‐free antigens sublingually, tissues were removed at 0, 0.5, 1, or 2 h after the application and subjected to immunohistochemistry. Cells isolated from the sublingual duct and mucosa were analysed by flow cytometry.ResultsSubstantial immunoreactivity to ovalbumin (OVA) was evident in sublingual ductal epithelial cells at 30 min and 1 h after sublingual administration of OVA, but it had disappeared at 2 h. The ductal epithelial cells incorporated not only OVA, but also particulate antigens such as latex or silica beads and microbes. MHC class II (MHCII)+ antigen‐presenting cells (APCs) were located around the sublingual ductal system, and MHCII+ cells were co‐localized with, and around, antigen‐incorporated sublingual duct cells. CD11b+ CD11c− cells were present among CD45+ MHCII+ cells at greater frequency in the sublingual duct than in the sublingual mucosa, and they were the main contributors to the incorporation of OVA in vitro.Conclusions and Clinical RelevanceThis study reveals that sublingual antigens can be transported across sublingual ductal epithelial cells to the ductal APCs. If the system is the same in humans as in mice, the ductal APCs may prove to be important target cells for SLIT.
Antigen-triggered interferon-γ and interleukin-10 pattern in cured mucosal leishmaniasis patients is shaped during the active phase of disease
Authors: Nogueira R S , Gomes-Silva A , Bittar R C , Silva Mendonça D , Amato V S , da Silva Mattos M , Oliveira-Neto M P , Coutinho S G , Da-Cruz A M 
Published: April 2014

SummaryAn exacerbated type 1 response to leishmanial antigens is the basis of tissue destruction observed in mucosal leishmaniasis (ML). After therapy, a persistent production of high levels of inflammatory cytokines can confer a poor prognosis. Herein we investigated whether the clinical conditions defined during the active phase of ML affect the magnitude of long-term anti-Leishmania immune response. Twenty clinically cured ML cases were studied. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were cultured with L. braziliensis antigens (Lb-Ag), Toxoplasma gondii antigens (Tg-Ag), concanavalin-A (Con-A) or medium alone, and the lymphocyte proliferative response and cytokine secretion were quantified. Medical records were reviewed for Montenegro skin test (MST) during diagnosis, duration of ML disease or time elapsed after clinical cure. The duration of disease was correlated positively with MST (r = 0·61). Lb-Ag induced interferon (IFN)-γ was correlated positively with duration of illness (r = 0·69) as well as the frequency of secreting cells [enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT)] assay. No association was observed for Tg-Ag or Con-A. Disease duration was correlated negatively with interleukin (IL)-10 production (r = −0·76). Moreover, a negative correlation between length of time after clinical cure and TNF levels (r = −0·94) or the IFN-γ : IL-10 ratio (r = −0·89) were also seen. We suggest that the magnitude of the IFN-γ inflammatory response triggered by ML can be driven by the time of leishmanial antigens exposition during the active phase of the disease. This pattern could persist even long-term after cure. However, despite IFN-γ levels, the decrease of the TNF and IFN-γ : IL-10 ratio reflects the control of proinflammatory responses achieved by cure of ML, possibly preventing disease relapses.
Neuroprotective Effects of the MAO‐B Inhibitor, PF9601N, in an In Vivo Model of Excitotoxicity
Authors: Bolea Irene , Colivicchi Maria Alessandra , Ballini Chiara , Marco‐Contelles José , Tipton Keith Francis , Unzeta Mercedes , Della Corte Laura 
Published: April 2014

SummaryBackgroundPF9601N [N‐(2‐propynyl)‐2‐(5‐benzyloxy‐indolyl) methylamine] is an inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B (MAO‐B), which has shown to possess neuroprotective properties in several in vitro and in vivo models of Parkinson's disease (PD). As there is evidence that excitotoxicity may be implicated in the pathophysiology of several neurodegenerative diseases, the aim of the present work was to investigate the effects of PF9601N in an acute in vivo model of excitotoxicity induced by the local administration of kainic acid during striatal microdialysis in adult rats.MethodsThe basal and evoked release of neurotransmitters was monitored by HPLC analysis of microdialysate samples and tissue damage was evaluated histologically “ex vivo.”ResultsPF9601N (40 mg/kg, single i.p. administration) reduced the kainate‐evoked release of glutamate and aspartate and increased taurine release, but it had no effect on the release of dopamine, DOPAC, and HVA. PF9601N pretreatment also resulted in a significant reduction in the kainate‐induced astrocytosis, microgliosis, and apoptosis.ConclusionsThe results suggest PF9601N to be a good candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases mediated by excitotoxicity.
Semi‐quantitative HPV viral load in patients with ASC‐US cytology: viral load correlates strongly with the presence of CIN but only weakly with its severity
Authors: Lee S. J. , Kim W. Y. , Shim S.‐H. , Cho S.‐H. , Oh I. K. , Hwang T. S. , Kim S.‐N. , Kang S.‐B. 
Published: April 2014

ObjectivesThis study was performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of human papillomavirus (HPV) viral load, expressed in relative light units (RLUs), in patients with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC‐US) cytology.MethodsA total of 349 ASC‐US cases with HPV infection, detected using Hybrid Capture 2, were diagnosed histologically. A colposcopically directed punch biopsy was performed on acetowhite areas. Endocervical curettage biopsy and random cervical punch biopsy in four quadrants were performed in unsatisfactory colposcopy cases. In negative colposcopy cases, random cervical punch biopsy in four quadrants was performed.ResultsCase with no cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), CIN1 and CIN2+ (CIN2/CIN3) accounted for 162, 135 and 52 cases, respectively. The mean age showed no difference among the three groups (P = 0.510). There was a significant correlation between RLU values and the presence of CIN (P < 0.001), but less so with its severity: the median RLU values for negative, CIN1 and CIN2+ cases were 42.68, 146.45 and 156.43, respectively, with widely overlapping confidence intervals. The cut‐off values of RLU to detect CIN1+ and CIN2+ were 6.73 and 45.64, respectively.ConclusionsThe HPV viral load in ASC‐US cases showed a significant correlation with the presence of CIN and less so with its severity, and showed large overlap of viral loads between grades of CIN. In ASC‐US cases, RLU was not an accurate predictor of immediate high‐grade CIN.
Safety of gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsy in patients taking antithrombotics
Authors: Fujita Minoru , Shiotani Akiko , Murao Takahisa , Ishii Manabu , Yamanaka Yoshiyuki , Nakato Rui , Matsumoto Hiroshi , Tarumi Ken‐ichi , Manabe Noriaki , Kamada Tomoari , Hata Jiro , Haruma Ken 
Published: April 2014

Background and AimCurrent Japanese gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic guidelines permit endoscopic biopsy without cessation of antiplatelet agents and warfarin in patients with a therapeutic range of prothrombin time–international normalized ratio (PT‐INR) levels, although the evidence levels are low. We evaluated the safety of endoscopic biopsy in patients currently taking antithrombotics.MethodsConsecutive patients receiving antithrombotics who underwent GI endoscopy from August 2012 to August 2013 were enrolled. Adverse events and endoscopic hemostasis after biopsy were evaluated. PT‐INR level was measured in patients taking warfarin the day before endoscopy.ResultsAmong 7939 patients undergoing endoscopy, 1034 patients (13.0%, 706 men and 328 women, average age 72.8 years) were receiving antithrombotics. Antithrombotics included aspirin (44.8%), warfarin (34.7%), thienopyridine (16.1%), cilostazol (10.3%), dabigatran (4.8%) etc. PT‐INR levels in patients taking warfarin were >3.0 in 13 patients (4.3%), between 2.5 and 3.0 in 18 patients (6.0%), <2.5 in 269 patients (89.7%). Two hundred and six patients received endoscopic biopsy while taking aspirin (51.2%), warfarin (22.8%), and thienopyridine (13.6%). Endoscopic hemostasis was required in three patients after endoscopic biopsy (spraying thrombin in two patients, spraying thrombin and clipping in one patient). There were no major complications. The incidence of endoscopic hemostasis after biopsy in patients without antithrombotic cessation was not significantly different than in the controls not taking antithrombotics (1.5% vs 0.98%, P = 0.51).ConclusionEndoscopic biopsy did not increase the bleeding risk despite not stopping antithrombotics prior to biopsy even among patients taking warfarin whose PT‐INR was within the therapeutic range.
At least one in three people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus referred to a diabetes centre has symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: Storgaard H. , Mortensen B. , Almdal T. , Laub M. , Tarnow L. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractAimsTo investigate the prevalence of symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea in unselected patients with Type 2 diabetes referred to a tertiary diabetes clinic.MethodsIn a cross‐sectional design, all newly referred patients were offered a stepwise screening for obstructive sleep apnoea with: (1) The Berlin questionnaire; then, if indicative: (2) overnight home monitoring with the ApneaLink™ device. Patients with an apnoea–hypopnoea index ≥ 5/h were offered referral for diagnostic polygraphy and treatment initiation.ResultsA total of 200 patients participated (61% men; age 59.6 ± 10.5 years, diabetes duration 8.3 ± 6.3 years and BMI 31.7 ± 6.7 kg/m2). According to the questionnaire, 106 patients showed ‘high risk’ of obstructive sleep apnoea, and 72 of these were referred to polygraphy based on ApneaLink screening corresponding to a prevalence of symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea of 39%. Patients with symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea had significantly higher BMI, poorer glycaemic control and lower plasma HDL cholesterol levels as compared with patients unlikely to have obstructive sleep apnoea. The groups were not different with respect to sex, age, diabetes duration, blood pressure, diabetic complications or medication use. In multiple regression analyses, age, BMI and HDL cholesterol levels were all significant, independent predictors of obstructive sleep apnoea.ConclusionsAt least one third of people with Type 2 diabetes referred to a diabetes clinic in Denmark has symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea. Our data suggest higher age, a compromised plasma lipid profile and a more obese phenotype in patients with Type 2 diabetes who have obstructive sleep apnoea, highlighting the need to focus on screening and treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in these patients.
Learning clinical procedures through Internet visual resources: A qualitative study amongst undergraduate students
Authors: Gao X. , Wong L. M. , Chow D. Y. S. , Law X. J. , Ching L. Y. L. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractObjectiveAcquiring competency in performing clinical procedures is central to professional education of healthcare providers. Internet visual resources (IVR), defined as visual materials openly accessible on public websites, provides a new channel to learn clinical procedures. This qualitative study aimed to profile the experience and opinions of undergraduate students (in dentistry, medicine and nursing) in learning clinical procedures through IVR.MethodsFrom clinical degree programmes (Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of Nursing) of University of Hong Kong, 31 students were recruited to join six focus group discussions, which were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis using inductive method, in which themes emerge from data.FindingsStudents actively looked for IVRs through various means and used them for pre‐clinical preparation, post‐clinical revision, learning simple and advanced procedures, exploring alternative and updated techniques, and benchmarking against international peers. IVRs were valued for their visual stimulation, inclusion of a wide variety of real‐life cases, convenience in access, user‐friendliness and time‐saving features. Students tended to share and discuss IVRs with their peers rather than with tutors, even when contents deviated from school teaching or faculty's e‐learning materials. When doubts persisted, they chose to follow faculty guidelines for examination purpose. Students were frustrated sometimes by difficulties in judging the scientific quality, lack of immediate interactive discussions and loosely structured presentations in some IVRs. Teachers' attitudes towards IVR appeared to vary greatly.ConclusionDespite the wide spectrum of experience and opinions, IVR was generally viewed by undergraduates from across clinical faculties as enhancing their clinical confidence and self‐perceived competency, enriching their learning experience and serving as an important supplement to formal learning in the planned curriculum.
The effect of temperature‐induced soil water repellency on transient capillary pressure–water content relations during capillary rise
Authors: Reszkowska A. , Bachmann J. , Lamparter A. , Diamantopoulos E. , Durner W. 
Published: April 2014

SummaryLong‐term capillary rise experiments (0 to about 89 000 hour) were performed at 19°C on homogenized and heat‐treated podsolic forest top‐ and subsoil samples. These were packed into columns, the bases of which were then partially immersed, at constant depth, in water reservoirs to simulate a constant water table. Selected columns were equipped with tensiometer and TDR probes. Other columns were removed at prescribed times and divided into 2‐cm horizontal segments whose volumetric water contents were determined. The degree of saturation was then estimated by comparison with the capillary rise in duplicate arrangements of samples immersed in ethanol. It was found that the heat treatments conferred increased water repellency (WR) on the soil, which increased with temperature (significantly so at greater than 60°C). This had a profound effect on the capillary rise characteristics and development of water content in the soil behind the wetting front, indicating an effective, albeit slow, reduction in effective WR. This has implications for hydraulic modelling of soils with significant WR and demonstrates that sub‐surface WR exerts a significant influence on capillary rise from a water table and suggests that commonly used indicators of surface WR using droplet tests may not be useful for such modelling purposes.
Nitrous oxide and methane emissions from a surface drip‐irrigated system combined with fertilizer management
Authors: Vallejo A. , Meijide A. , Boeckx P. , Arce A. , García‐torres L. , Aguado P. L. , Sanchez‐martin L. 
Published: April 2014

SummaryDrip‐fertigated systems have variable distributions of water and nutrients in the soil, which influence soil microbial activity. Because there is a lack of data on greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes for these systems, a field experiment comparing drip irrigation systems (fertigated and non‐fertigated) was carried out in a melon crop. For the fertigated treatment, nitrogen (N) as NH4NO3 was dissolved in irrigation water and split into six applications (Fertigation treatment). In the non‐fertigated soil (ANS treatment), granular NH4NO3 was incorporated homogeneously into the upper part of soil surface at planting. A control treatment without N fertilizer was also included. In order to evaluate the pattern of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), measurements were made at six different distances from the irrigation distributor point (dripper). An additional field experiment with 15N‐labelled N fertilizer was carried out in parallel, with the aim of evaluating the contribution of nitrification and denitrification to the total N2O flux. Two different sources of 15N were applied: 15NH4NO3 (20 at% excess 15N) (15NH4+ treatment, TR1) and NH415NO3 (20 at% excess15N) (15NO3− treatment, TR2). Results indicated that both treatments (ANS and Fertigation) had small emission fluxes of N2O (< 0.1% of N applied). However, Fertigation produced larger emissions (175.3 g N2O‐N ha−1) than ANS (90.1 g N2O N ha−1), with the pattern of N2O emission being strongly influenced by nitrification in both systems. Denitrification also contributed to emissions of 15N2O but mainly on the day after fertilizer application in the Fertigation treatment. Methane fluxes were also affected by N fertilizer, with a decrease in the sink effect for CH4 when NH4+ was present in the soil.
Experimental predator removal causes rapid salt marsh die‐off
Authors: Bertness Mark D. , Brisson Caitlin P. , Coverdale Tyler C. , Bevil Matt C. , Crotty Sinead M. , Suglia Elena R. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractSalt marsh habitat loss to vegetation die‐offs has accelerated throughout the western Atlantic in the last four decades. Recent studies have suggested that eutrophication, pollution and/or disease may contribute to the loss of marsh habitat. In light of recent evidence that predators are important determinants of marsh health in New England, we performed a total predator exclusion experiment. Here, we provide the first experimental evidence that predator depletion can cause salt marsh die‐off by releasing the herbivorous crab Sesarma reticulatum from predator control. Excluding predators from a marsh ecosystem for a single growing season resulted in a >100% increase in herbivory and a >150% increase in unvegetated bare space compared to plots with predators. Our results confirm that marshes in this region face multiple, potentially synergistic threats.
Applying trait‐based models to achieve functional targets for theory‐driven ecological restoration
Authors: Laughlin Daniel C. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractManipulating community assemblages to achieve functional targets is a key component of restoring degraded ecosystems. The response‐and‐effect trait framework provides a conceptual foundation for translating restoration goals into functional trait targets, but a quantitative framework has been lacking for translating trait targets into assemblages of species that practitioners can actually manipulate. This study describes new trait‐based models that can be used to generate ranges of species abundances to test theories about which traits, which trait values and which species assemblages are most effective for achieving functional outcomes. These models are generalisable, flexible tools that can be widely applied across many terrestrial ecosystems. Examples illustrate how the framework generates assemblages of indigenous species to (1) achieve desired community responses by applying the theories of environmental filtering, limiting similarity and competitive hierarchies, or (2) achieve desired effects on ecosystem functions by applying the theories of mass ratios and niche complementarity. Experimental applications of this framework will advance our understanding of how to set functional trait targets to achieve the desired restoration goals. A trait‐based framework provides restoration ecology with a robust scaffold on which to apply fundamental ecological theory to maintain resilient and functioning ecosystems in a rapidly changing world.
A structural model of human ferroportin and of its iron binding site
Authors: Bonaccorsi di Patti Maria C. , Polticelli Fabio , Cece Giovanna , Cutone Antimo , Felici Franco , Persichini Tiziana , Musci Giovanni 
Published: April 2014

A structural model of human ferroportin has been built using two Escherichia coli proteins belonging to the major facilitator superfamily of transporters. A potential iron binding site was identified in the inward‐open conformation of the model, and its relevance was tested through measurement of iron export of HEK293T cells expressing wild‐type or mutated ferroportin. Aspartates 39 and 181 were found to be essential for the transport ability of the protein. Noteworthy, the D181V mutation is naturally found in type 4 hemochromatosis with reticuloendothelial system iron retention phenotype. The outward‐open conformation of ferroportin was also predicted, and showed that significant conformational changes must occur in the inward‐ to outward‐open transition of ferroportin. In particular, putative iron ligands move several ångströms away from each other, leading to the logical conclusion that the iron binding site is not occupied by the metal in the outward‐open conformation of ferroportin.
Wood production response to climate change will depend critically on forest composition and structure
Authors: Coomes David A. , Flores Olivier , Holdaway Robert , Jucker Tommaso , Lines Emily R. , Vanderwel Mark C. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractEstablished forests currently function as a major carbon sink, sequestering as woody biomass about 26% of global fossil fuel emissions. Whether forests continue to act as a global sink will depend on many factors, including the response of aboveground wood production (AWP; MgC ha−1 yr−1) to climate change. Here, we explore howAWPin New Zealand's natural forests is likely to change. We start by statistically modelling the present‐day growth of 97 199 individual trees within 1070 permanently marked inventory plots as a function of tree size, competitive neighbourhood and climate. We then use these growth models to identify the factors that most influence present‐dayAWPand to predict responses to medium‐term climate change under different assumptions. We find that if the composition and structure of New Zealand's forests were to remain unchanged over the next 30 years, thenAWPwould increase by 6–23%, primarily as a result of physiological responses to warmer temperatures (with no appreciable effect of changing rainfall). However, if warmth‐requiring trees were able to migrate into currently cooler areas and if denser canopies were able to form, then a differentAWPresponse is likely: forests growing in the cool mountain environments would show a 30% increase inAWP, while those in the lowland would hardly respond (on average, −3% when mean annual temperature exceeds 8.0 °C). We conclude that response of wood production to anthropogenic climate change is not only dependent on the physiological responses of individual trees, but is highly contingent on whether forests adjust in composition and structure.