bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relevance of Fucose-Rich Extracellular Polysaccharides Produced by Rhizobium sullae Strains Nodulating Hedysarum coronarium L. Legumes
Authors: Gharzouli Razika , Carpï¿½nï¿½ Marie-Anne , Couderc Franï¿½ois , Benguedouar Ammar , Poinsot Vï¿½rï¿½na 
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACT

Specific and complex interactions between soil bacteria, known as rhizobia, and their leguminous host plants result in the development of root nodules. This process implies a complex dialogue between the partners. Rhizobia synthesize different classes of polysaccharides: exopolysaccharides (EPS), Kdo-rich capsular polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides, and cyclic β-(1,2)-glucans. These polymers are actors of a successful symbiosis with legumes. We focus here on studying the EPS produced by
Rhizobium sullae
bacteria that nodulate
Hedysarum coronarium
L., largely distributed in Algeria. We describe the influence of the carbon source on the production and on the composition of EPS produced by
R. sullae
A6 and RHF strains. High-molecular-weight EPS preserve the bacteria from desiccation. The structural characterization of the EPS produced by
R. sullae
strains has been performed through sugar analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The low-molecular-weight EPS of one strain (RHF) has been totally elucidated using nuclear magnetic resonance and quantitative time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry analyses. An unusual fucose-rich EPS has been characterized. The presence of this deoxy sugar seems to be related to nodulation capacity.
Outer Cell Surface Components Essential for Fe(III) Oxide Reduction by Geobacter metallireducens
Authors: Smith Jessica A. , Lovley Derek R. , Tremblay Pier-Luc 
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACT

Geobacter
species are important Fe(III) reducers in a diversity of soils and sediments. Mechanisms for Fe(III) oxide reduction have been studied in detail in
Geobacter sulfurreducens
, but a number of the most thoroughly studied outer surface components of
G. sulfurreducens
, particularly
c
-type cytochromes, are not well conserved among
Geobacter
species. In order to identify cellular components potentially important for Fe(III) oxide reduction in
Geobacter metallireducens
, gene transcript abundance was compared in cells grown on Fe(III) oxide or soluble Fe(III) citrate with whole-genome microarrays. Outer-surface cytochromes were also identified. Deletion of genes for
c
-type cytochromes that had higher transcript abundance during growth on Fe(III) oxides and/or were detected in the outer-surface protein fraction identified six
c
-type cytochrome genes, that when deleted removed the capacity for Fe(III) oxide reduction. Several of the
c
-type cytochromes which were essential for Fe(III) oxide reduction in
G. metallireducens
have homologs in
G. sulfurreducens
that are not important for Fe(III) oxide reduction. Other genes essential for Fe(III) oxide reduction included a gene predicted to encode an NHL (Ncl-1–HT2A–Lin-41) repeat-containing protein and a gene potentially involved in pili glycosylation. Genes associated with flagellum-based motility, chemotaxis, and pili had higher transcript abundance during growth on Fe(III) oxide, consistent with the previously proposed importance of these components in Fe(III) oxide reduction. These results demonstrate that there are similarities in extracellular electron transfer between
G. metallireducens
and
G. sulfurreducens
but the outer-surface
c
-type cytochromes involved in Fe(III) oxide reduction are different.
Interplay between Manganese and Iron in Pneumococcal Pathogenesis: Role of the Orphan Response Regulator RitR
Authors: Ong Cheryl-Lynn Y. , Potter Adam J. , Trappetti Claudia , Walker Mark J. , Jennings Michael P. , Paton James C. , McEwan Alastair G. 
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACT

Streptococcus pneumoniae
(the pneumococcus) is a major human pathogen that is carried asymptomatically in the nasopharynx by up to 70% of the human population. Translocation of the bacteria into internal sites can cause a range of diseases, such as pneumonia, otitis media, meningitis, and bacteremia. This transition from nasopharynx to growth at systemic sites means that the pneumococcus needs to adjust to a variety of environmental conditions, including transition metal ion availability. Although it is an important nutrient, iron potentiates oxidative stress, and it is established that in
S. pneumoniae
, expression of iron transport systems and proteins that protect against oxidative stress are regulated by an orphan response regulator, RitR. In this study, we investigated the effect of iron and manganese ion availability on the growth of a
ritR
mutant. Deletion of
ritR
led to impaired growth of bacteria in high-iron medium, but this phenotype could be suppressed with the addition of manganese. Measurement of metal ion accumulation indicated that manganese prevents iron accumulation. Furthermore, the addition of manganese also led to a reduction in the amount of hydrogen peroxide produced by bacterial cells. Studies of virulence in a murine model of infection indicated that RitR was not essential for pneumococcal survival and suggested that derepression of iron uptake systems may enhance the survival of pneumococci in some niches.
Identification of a Potent Combination of Key Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Antigens That Elicit Strain-Transcending Parasite-Neutralizing Antibodies
Authors: Pandey Alok K. , Reddy K. Sony , Sahar Tajali , Gupta Sonal , Singh Hina , Reddy E. Jyotheeswara , Asad Mohd , Siddiqui Faiza A. , Gupta Pankaj , Singh Bijender , More Kunal R. , Mohmmed Asif , Chitnis Chetan E. , Chauhan Virander S. , Gaur Deepak 
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACT

Blood-stage malaria vaccines that target single
Plasmodium falciparum
antigens involved in erythrocyte invasion have not induced optimal protection in field trials. Blood-stage malaria vaccine development has faced two major hurdles, antigenic polymorphisms and molecular redundancy, which have led to an inability to demonstrate potent, strain-transcending, invasion-inhibitory antibodies. Vaccines that target multiple invasion-related parasite proteins may inhibit erythrocyte invasion more efficiently. Our approach is to develop a receptor-blocking blood-stage vaccine against
P. falciparum
that targets the erythrocyte binding domains of multiple parasite adhesins, blocking their interaction with their receptors and thus inhibiting erythrocyte invasion. However, with numerous invasion ligands, the challenge is to identify combinations that elicit potent strain-transcending invasion inhibition. We evaluated the invasion-inhibitory activities of 20 different triple combinations of antibodies mixed
in vitro
against a diverse set of six key merozoite ligands, including the novel ligands
P. falciparum
apical asparagine-rich protein (PfAARP), EBA-175 (PfF2),
P. falciparum
reticulocyte binding-like homologous protein 1 (PfRH1), PfRH2, PfRH4, and
Plasmodium
thrombospondin apical merozoite protein (PTRAMP), which are localized in different apical organelles and are translocated to the merozoite surface at different time points during invasion. They bind erythrocytes with different specificities and are thus involved in distinct invasion pathways. The antibody combination of EBA-175 (PfF2), PfRH2, and PfAARP produced the most efficacious strain-transcending inhibition of erythrocyte invasion against diverse
P. falciparum
clones. This potent antigen combination was selected for coimmunization as a mixture that induced balanced antibody responses against each antigen and inhibited erythrocyte invasion efficiently. We have thus demonstrated a novel two-step screening approach to identify a potent antigen combination that elicits strong strain-transcending invasion inhibition, supporting its development as a receptor-blocking malaria vaccine.
A unique presentation of four thrombotic events at a time
Authors: Rajani Ali Raza , Hussain Kosar , Baslaib Fahad Omar , Radaideh Ghazi Ahmad 
Published: November 2012

A 72-year-old man was referred to our hospital as a case of postcardiac arrest following a long distance air flight. Work-up in the emergency department revealed the presence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), bilateral pulmonary embolism, inferior STEMI (ST elevation myocardial infarction) and ischaemic stroke. He received thrombolysis by recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) following which his haemodynamic status improved, but he developed haemorrhagic transformation of the stroke as a complication. The haemorrhagic lesion gradually resolved with conservative management, leaving behind a residual neurological deficit. His haemodynamic status was stable after the management. Although a diagnosis of right-to-left shunt lesion was highly suggestive in this condition, it could not be confirmed on the transthoracic echocardiogram. Our patient had a unique presentation of multiple thrombi in different organs that caused significant morbidity and haemodynamic instability. There are no well-established guidelines that discuss the acute management of such cases. This situation requires a careful assessment and management of the patient by a multidisciplinary team.
Healthcare professionals’ and mothers’ knowledge of, attitudes to and experiences with, Baby-Led Weaning: a content analysis study
Authors: Cameron Sonya Lynne , Heath Anne-Louise Mary , Taylor Rachael Waring 
Published: November 2012

ObjectiveBaby-Led Weaning (BLW) is an alternative approach for introducing complementary foods to infants that emphasises infant self-feeding rather than adult spoon-feeding. Here we examined healthcare professionals’ and mothers’ knowledge of, attitudes to and experiences with, BLW.Design, setting and participantsHealthcare professionals (n=31) and mothers who had used BLW (n=20) completed a semistructured interview using one of two tailored interview schedules examining their knowledge of, attitudes to and experiences with, BLW. Interview notes and transcripts were analysed using content analysis to identify subcategories and extract illustrative quotes.ResultsHealthcare professionals had limited direct experience with BLW and the main concerns raised were the potential for increased risk of choking, iron deficiency and inadequate energy intake. Although they suggested a number of potential benefits of BLW (greater opportunity for shared family meal times, fewer mealtime battles, healthier eating behaviours, greater convenience and possible developmental advantages) most felt reluctant to recommend BLW because of their concern about the potential increased risk of choking. In contrast, mothers who had used this style of feeding reported no major concerns with BLW. They considered BLW to be a healthier, more convenient and less stressful way to introduce complementary foods to their infant and recommended this feeding approach to other mothers. Although mothers did not report being concerned about choking, 30% reported at least one choking episode—most commonly with raw apple.ConclusionsGiven the lack of research on BLW, further work is needed to determine whether the concerns expressed by healthcare professionals and potential benefits outlined by mothers are valid. The current study suggests that there is a mismatch between healthcare professionals' and mothers’ knowledge of, attitudes to and experiences, with BLW.
Heart rate and systolic blood pressure in patients with minor to moderate, non-haemorrhagic injury versus normal controls
Authors: Bruijns Stevan Raynier , Guly Henry R , Bouamra Omar , Lecky Fiona , Wallis Lee A 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundRaised blood pressure (and heart rate (HR)) due to anxiety in a clinical situation is well described and is called the white coat effect (WCE). It is not known whether the pain and anxiety that results from trauma causes a measurable WCE.MethodsA sample of patients with a non-haemorrhagic injury from the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) was compared with a healthy, non-injury sample from the Health Survey for England (HSE) databases. Two-way analysis of variance with rank transformation of data was used to compare systolic blood pressure (SBP) and HR between the groups at different ages. In the injured group, the SBP and HR were also compared between spinally immobilised and non-immobilised patients.ResultsThere was a statistically significant difference between the groups for both HR and SBP (p<0.001). Median HR remained approximately 10 bpm higher in the TARN set when compared to the HSE set, irrespective of age. The difference for SBP was not considered clinically relevant (the highest was 5 mm Hg). There was no significant difference between immobilised and non-immobilised patients, for either HR or SBP (p=0.07 and 0.3, respectively).DiscussionMedian HR remained approximately 10 bpm higher in the TARN (injury) set compared to the HSE (non-injury, control) set, irrespective of age. Understanding that HR reacts in this way for mild to moderately injured patients is important as it will affect clinical interpretation during the initial assessment.
Ambulance demand: random events or predicable patterns?
Authors: Cantwell Kate , Dietze Paul , Morgans Amee E , Smith Karen 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundOccupational, social and recreational routines follow temporal patterns, as does the onset of certain acute medical diseases and injuries. It is not known if the temporal nature of injury and disease transfers into patterns that can be observed in ambulance demand. This review examines eligible study findings that reported temporal (time of day, day of week and seasonal) patterns in ambulance demand.MethodsElectronic searches of Medline and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature were conducted for papers published between 1980 and 2011. In addition, hand searching was conducted for unpublished government and ambulance service documents and reports for the same period.Results38 studies examined temporal patterns in ambulance demand. Six studies reported trends in overall workload and 32 studies reported trends in a subset of ambulance demand, either as a specific case type or demographic group. Temporal patterns in overall demand were consistent between jurisdictions for time of day but varied for day of week and season. When analysed by case type, all jurisdictions reported similar time of day patterns, most jurisdictions had similar day of week patterns except for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and similar seasonal patterns, except for trauma. Temporal patterns in case types were influenced by age and gender.ConclusionsTemporal patterns are present in ambulance demand and importantly these populations are distinct from those found in hospital datasets suggesting that variation in ambulance demand should not be inferred from hospital data alone. Case types seem to have similar temporal patterns across jurisdictions; thus, research where demand is broken down into case types would be generalisable to many ambulance services. This type of research can lead to improvements in ambulance service deliverables.
External validation of the Cardiff model of information sharing to reduce community violence: natural experiment
Authors: Boyle Adrian A , Snelling Katrina , White Laura , Ariel Barak , Ashelford Lawrence 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundCommunity violence is a substantial problem for the NHS. Information sharing of emergency department data with community safety partnerships (CSP) has been associated with substantial reductions in assault attendances in emergency departments supported by academic institutions. We sought to validate these findings in a setting not supported by a public health or academic structure.MethodsWe instituted anonymous data sharing with the police to reduce community violence, and increased involvement with the local CSP. We measured the effectiveness of this approach with routinely collected data at the emergency department and the police. We used police data from 2009, and emergency department data from 2000.ResultsInitially, the number of assault patients requiring emergency department treatment rose after we initiated data sharing. After improving the data flows, the number of assault patients fell back to the predata-sharing level. There was no change in the number of hospital admissions during the study period. There were decreases in the numbers of violent crimes against the person, with and without injury, recorded by the police.ConclusionsWe have successfully implemented data sharing in our institution without the support of an academic institution. This has been associated with reductions in violent crime, but it is not clear whether this association is causal.
Patients’ and carers’ experiences of gaining access to acute stroke care: a qualitative study
Authors: Harrison Madeleine , Ryan Tony , Gardiner Clare , Jones Amanda 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundRapid access to acute stroke care is essential to improve stroke patient outcomes. Policy recommendations for the emergency management of stroke have resulted in significant changes to stroke services, including the introduction of hyper-acute care.ObjectiveTo explore patients’ and carers’ experiences of gaining access to acute stroke care and identify the factors that enabled or prevented stroke from being treated as a medical emergency.MethodsQualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 59 stroke survivors and carers who had received care at seven UK centres. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was undertaken.ResultsThemes emerging showed that participants recognised signs and symptoms, they were satisfied with access to emergency medical services (EMS), and they experienced setbacks in the emergency department and delays caused by the lack of availability of specialist services outside normal working hours. Awareness of the importance of time to treatment was generally attributed to the UK stroke awareness campaign, although some felt the message was not sufficiently comprehensive. This awareness led to increased frustration when participants perceived a lack of urgency in the provision of assessment and medical care.ConclusionsThe stroke awareness social marketing campaign has contributed to public knowledge and was perceived to assist in reducing prehospital delay. It has also resulted in an enhanced knowledge of the significance of rapid treatment on admission to hospital and raised public expectation of EMS and stroke services to act fast. More research is required to assist organisational change to reduce in-hospital delay.
CT perfusion-guided patient selection for endovascular recanalization in acute ischemic stroke: a multicenter study
Authors: Turk Aquilla S , Magarick Jordan Asher , Frei Don , Fargen Kyle Michael , Chaudry Imran , Holmstedt Christine A , Nicholas Joyce , Mocco J , Turner Raymond D , Huddle Daniel , Loy David , Bellon Richard , Dooley Gwendolyn , Adams Robert , Whaley Michelle , Fanale Chris , Jauch Edward 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundThe treatment of acute ischemic stroke is traditionally centered on time criteria, although recent evidence suggests that physiologic neuroimaging may be useful. In a multicenter study we evaluated the use of CT perfusion, regardless of time from symptom onset, in patients selected for intra-arterial treatment of ischemic stroke.MethodsThree medical centers retrospectively assessed stroke patients with a National Institute of Health Stroke Scale of ≥8, regardless of time from symptom onset. CT perfusion maps were qualitatively assessed. Patients with defined salvageable penumbra underwent intra-arterial revascularization of their occlusion. Functional outcome using the modified Rankin Score (mRS) was recorded.ResultsTwo hundred and forty-seven patients were selected to undergo intra-arterial treatment based on CT perfusion imaging. The median time from symptom onset to procedure was 6 h. Patients were divided into two groups for analysis: ≤8 h and >8 h from symptom onset to endovascular procedure. We found no difference in functional outcome between the two groups (42.8% and 41.9% achieved 90-day mRS ≤ 2, respectively (p=1.0), and 54.9% vs 55.4% (p=1.0) achieved 90-day mRS ≤ 3, respectively). Overall, 48 patients (19.4%) had hemorrhages, of which 20 (8.0%) were symptomatic, with no difference between the groups (p=1.0).ConclusionsIn a multicenter study, we demonstrated similar rates of good functional outcome and intracranial hemorrhage in patients with ischemic stroke when endovascular treatment was performed based on CT perfusion selection rather than time-guided selection. Our findings suggest that physiologic imaging-guided patient selection rather than time for endovascular reperfusion in ischemic stroke may be effective and safe.
Separation of bitumen from oil sands using a switchable hydrophilicity solvent
Authors: Holland Amy , Wechsler Dominik , Patel Anjali , Molloy Brian M. , Boyd Alaina R. , Jessop Philip G. 
Published: November 2012

Separation of bitumen from oil sands is far more efficient with an organic solvent than with the conventional hot water (Clark) process, but the removal of the organic solvent from the bitumen requires distillation. Distillation is problematic because of the energy cost and the need for a volatile solvent (which is therefore likely to be flammable and smog-forming). A switchable hydrophilicity solvent (SHS) is a solvent that is water-miscible in the presence of an atmosphere of CO2 but separates from water when CO2 is absent. Extraction of bitumen from low-grade high-fines oil sands using a SHS (CyNMe2) is efficient, removing 94%–97% of the bitumen. The resulting solids (sand and clay) are dry, free-flowing, and contaminated with only 0.4 wt % of bitumen and as little as 102 ppm of the solvent. No distillation step was required to recover the solvent from the bitumen. Instead, carbonated water extraction removed the solvent from the oil. Losses of the CyNMe2 solvent were, for the best method, 0.06 grams of solvent per gram of bitumen recovered. The method recovers more oil than the Clark process, produces cleaner solids, works with low-grade high-fines oil sands, and requires neither distillation nor a volatile solvent.
A solid-state NMR investigation of the colossal expansion material, Ag3Co(CN)6
Authors: Feland Brett C. , Bernard Guy M. , Wasylishen Roderick E. 
Published: November 2012

Presented here is a solid-state NMR investigation of the so-called “colossal expansion” material, Ag3Co(CN)6, a compound that exhibits some of the largest positive and negative thermal expansion properties reported. This study explores the 13C, 15N, and 59Co NMR properties of this material at room temperature and at variable temperatures with the goal of probing the effects of this colossal expansion behaviour on these properties. We found that the flexible nature of the crystal framework leads to a distribution of electric field gradients, and that, oddly enough, no strong correlation is observed between the NMR parameters of Ag3Co(CN)6 and its colossal expansion nature. The 59Co isotropic chemical shift increased and the 59Co nuclear quadrupolar coupling constant decreased with increasing temperature, but neither of these relationships were extraordinary when compared to other octahedral Co(III) complexes. The link between the colossal expansion and the NMR properties of Ag3Co(CN)6 may be the distribution of lattice parameters and hence unusually broad features in the 59Co NMR spectra. The high order of symmetry at the cobalt site resulted in a small quadrupolar coupling constant less than 1 MHz in magnitude. We also observed a |1J(107/109Ag,15N)| value of 96 Hz, the largest 107/109Ag–15N coupling constant reported to date.