bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analytic versus systemic group therapy for women with a history of child sexual abuse: 1‐Year follow‐up of a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Elkjaer Henriette , Kristensen Ellids , Mortensen Erik L. , Poulsen Stig , Lau Marianne 
Published: September 2013

ObjectiveThis randomized prospective study examines durability of improvement in general symptomatology, psychosocial functioning and interpersonal problems, and compares the long‐term efficacy of analytic and systemic group psychotherapy in women 1 year after completion of treatment for childhood sexual abuse.Design and MethodsWomen (n = 106) randomly assigned to analytic or systemic psychotherapy completed the Symptom Checklist‐90‐R, Global Assessment of Functioning, Global Life Quality, Registration Chart Questionnaire, and Flashback Registration at pre‐treatment, post‐treatment, and at a 1‐year follow‐up.ResultsPost‐treatment gains were significant for both treatment modalities on all measures, but significantly larger after systemic therapy. Significant treatment response was maintained 1‐year post‐treatment, but different trajectories were observed: 1 year after treatment completion, improvements for analytic therapy were maintained, whereas they decreased after systemic therapy, resulting in no statistically significant difference in gains between the groups at the 1‐year follow‐up. Despite maintaining significant gains, more than half of the patients remained above cut‐off for caseness concerning general symptomatology at post‐treatment and at 1‐year follow‐up.ConclusionThe findings stress the importance of long‐term follow‐up data in effect studies. Different trajectories were associated with the two treatments, but improvement in the two treatment groups did not differ significantly at the 1‐year follow‐up. Implications of the difference in trajectories for treatment planning are discussed.Practitioner points

Both analytic and systemic group therapy proved efficient in improving general symptomatology, psychosocial functioning, and interpersonal problems in women with a history of CSA and gains were maintained at a 1‐year follow‐up.

Despite maintaining statistically significant gains at the 1‐year follow‐up, 54% of the patients remained above the cut‐off for caseness with respect to general symptomatology, which may indicate a need for further treatment.

Different pre‐post follow‐up treatment trajectories were observed between the two treatment modalities. Thus, while systemic group therapy showed a significantly better outcome immediately after termination, gains in the systemic treatment group decreased during follow‐up, while gains were maintained during follow‐up in analytic group therapy.
High‐frequency ultrasound imaging of tattoo reactions with histopathology as a comparative method. Introduction of preoperative ultrasound diagnostics as a guide to therapeutic intervention
Authors: Hutton Carlsen K. , Tolstrup J. , Serup J. 
Published: September 2013

Background and AimTattoo adverse reactions requiring diagnostic evaluation and treatment are becoming more common. The aim of this study was to assess tattoo reactions by 20‐MHz ultrasonography referenced to histopathology as a comparative method.Materials and MethodsA total of 73 individuals with clinical adverse reactions in their tattoos were studied. Punch biopsies for reference histology were available from 58 patients. The Dermascan C® of Cortex Technology, Denmark, was employed. Total skin thickness and echo density of the echolucent band in the outer dermis were measured. Biopsy served for diagnosis and for determination of the level of cellular infiltration in the dermis.ResultsIn every tattoo reaction studied, the skin affected was found thicker compared with regional control of the same individual (mean difference 0.73 mm). A prominent echolucent band of mean thickness 0.89 mm was demonstrated, primarily located in the very outer dermis but propagating to deeper dermal layers parallel to increasing severity of reactions. The thickness of the echolucent band correlated with the thickness of cellular infiltration determined by microscopic examination, R = 0.6412 (P < 0.001). Special diagnoses such as granulomatous and pseudolymphomatous tattoo reactions showed no distinct characteristics by ultrasound, but mainly displayed themselves by their advanced inflammatory component.Discussion and ConclusionIt is demonstrated for the first time that ultrasound, with histopathology as the comparative method, can quantify the severity of tattoo reactions and non‐invasively diagnose the depth of the inflammatory process in the dermis elicited by the microparticulate tattoo pigment, which itself is too minute to be imaged by ultrasound. Preoperative 20‐MHz ultrasound scanning is introduced as a potentially useful method to guide therapeutic interventions by surgery and lasers.
Crossing Industry Borders: German Manufacturers as Services Exporters
Authors: Kelle Markus 
Published: September 2013

AbstractManufacturing firms increasingly engage in service trade activities. Microlevel data show that German manufacturers accounted for nearly 30 billion euros of service exports in 2005. I have found that particular construction, engineering and R&D services are exported. The machinery industries, motor vehicles and chemicals producers dominate the overall pattern. The types of services exported vary strongly across industries. Service exports of advertising, data processing, management and R&D services are found to likely support foreign affiliates of firms. However, these headquarter services are only infrequently observable. Much more important are construction and engineering services exported by machinery firms. These might represent installation and maintenance services complementing exported machinery. R&D services exports generally represent the transfer of knowledge and technology, which is found to be particularly relevant for motor vehicle producers. Beyond the support of foreign production of firms, R&D services might be relevant also in R&D cooperations of firms or when firms have partnerships with foreign suppliers or buyers of intermediate products.
Thermotoga lettingae Can Salvage Cobinamide To Synthesize Vitamin B12
Authors: Butzin Nicholas C. , Secinaro Michael A. , Swithers Kristen S. , Gogarten J. Peter , Noll Kenneth M. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACTWe recently reported that theThermotogalesacquired the ability to synthesize vitamin B12by acquisition of genes from two distantly related lineages,ArchaeaandFirmicutes(K. S. Swithers et al., Genome Biol. Evol. 4:730–739, 2012). Ancestral state reconstruction suggested that the cobinamide salvage gene cluster was present in theThermotogales' most recent common ancestor. We also predicted thatThermotoga lettingaecould not synthesize B12de novobut could use the cobinamide salvage pathway to synthesize B12. In this study, these hypotheses were tested, and we found thatTt. lettingaedid not synthesize B12de novobut salvaged cobinamide. The growth rate ofTt. lettingaeincreased with the addition of B12or cobinamide to its medium. It synthesized B12when the medium was supplemented with cobinamide, and no B12was detected in cells grown on cobinamide-deficient medium. Upstream of the cobinamide salvage genes is a putative B12riboswitch. In other organisms, B12riboswitches allow for higher transcriptional activity in the absence of B12. WhenTt. lettingaewas grown with no B12, the salvage genes were upregulated compared to cells grown with B12or cobinamide. Another gene cluster with a putative B12riboswitch upstream is thebtuFCDABC transporter, and it showed a transcription pattern similar to that of the cobinamide salvage genes. The BtuF proteins from species that can and cannot salvage cobinamides were shownin vitroto bind both B12and cobinamide. These results suggest thatThermotogalesspecies can use the BtuFCD transporter to import both B12and cobinamide, even if they cannot salvage cobinamide.
Thermal Inactivation of Desiccation-Adapted Salmonella spp. in Aged Chicken Litter
Authors: Chen Zhao , Diao Junshu , Dharmasena Muthu , Ionita Claudia , Jiang Xiuping , Rieck James 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Thermal inactivation of desiccation-adapted
Salmonella
spp. in aged chicken litter was investigated in comparison with that in a nonadapted control to examine potential cross-tolerance of desiccation-adapted cells to heat treatment. A mixture of four
Salmonella
serovars was inoculated into the finished compost with 20, 30, 40, and 50% moisture contents for a 24-h desiccation adaptation. Afterwards, the compost with desiccation-adapted cells was inoculated into the aged chicken litter with the same moisture content for heat treatments at 70, 75, 80, 85, and 150°C. Recovery media were used to allow heat-injured cells to resuscitate. A 5-log reduction in the number of the desiccation-adapted cells in aged chicken litter with a 20% moisture content required >6, >6, ∼4 to 5, and ∼3 to 4 h of exposure at 70, 75, 80, and 85°C, respectively. As a comparison, a 5-log reduction in the number of nonadapted control cells in the same chicken litter was achieved within ∼1.5 to 2, ∼1 to 1.5, ∼0.5 to 1, and <0.5 h at 70, 75, 80, and 85°C, respectively. The exposure time required to obtain a 5-log reduction in the number of desiccation-adapted cells gradually became shorter as temperature and moisture content were increased. At 150°C, desiccation-adapted
Salmonella
cells survived for 50 min in chicken litter with a 20% moisture content, whereas control cells were detectable by enrichment for only 10 min. Our results demonstrated that the thermal resistance of
Salmonella
in aged chicken litter was increased significantly when the cells were adapted to desiccation. This study also validated the effectiveness of thermal processing being used for producing chicken litter free of
Salmonella
contamination.
BopA Does Not Have a Major Role in the Adhesion of Bifidobacterium bifidum to Intestinal Epithelial Cells, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, and Mucus
Authors: Kainulainen Veera , Reunanen Justus , Hiippala Kaisa , Guglielmetti Simone , Vesterlund Satu , Palva Airi , Satokari Reetta 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

The ability of bifidobacteria to adhere to the intestine of the human host is considered to be important for efficient colonization and achieving probiotic effects.
Bifidobacterium bifidum
strains DSM20456 and MIMBb75 adhere well to the human intestinal cell lines Caco-2 and HT-29. The surface lipoprotein BopA was previously described to be involved in mediating adherence of
B. bifidum
to epithelial cells, but thioacylated, purified BopA inhibited the adhesion of
B. bifidum
to epithelial cells in competitive adhesion assays only at very high concentrations, indicating an unspecific effect. In this study, the role of BopA in the adhesion of
B. bifidum
was readdressed. The gene encoding BopA was cloned and expressed without its lipobox and hydrophobic signal peptide in
Escherichia coli
, and an antiserum against the recombinant BopA was produced. The antiserum was used to demonstrate the abundant localization of BopA on the cell surface of
B. bifidum
. However, blocking of
B. bifidum
BopA with specific antiserum did not reduce adhesion of bacteria to epithelial cell lines, arguing that BopA is not an adhesin. Also, adhesion of
B. bifidum
to human colonic mucin and fibronectin was found to be BopA independent. The recombinant BopA bound only moderately to human epithelial cells and colonic mucus, and it failed to bind to fibronectin. Thus, our results contrast the earlier findings on the major role of BopA in adhesion, indicating that the strong adhesion of
B. bifidum
to epithelial cell lines is BopA independent.
Lineage and Genogroup-Defining Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Escherichia coli O157:H7
Authors: Jung Woo Kyung , Bono James L. , Clawson Michael L. , Leopold Shana R. , Shringi Smriti , Besser Thomas E. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACTEscherichia coliO157:H7 is a zoonotic human pathogen for which cattle are an important reservoir host. Using both previously published and new sequencing data, a 48-locus single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based typing panel was developed that redundantly identified 11 genogroups that span six of the eight lineages recently described forE. coliO157:H7 (J. L. Bono, T. P. Smith, J. E. Keen, G. P. Harhay, T. G. McDaneld, R. E. Mandrell, W. K. Jung, T. E. Besser, P. Gerner-Smidt, M. Bielaszewska, H. Karch, M. L. Clawson, Mol. Biol. Evol. 29:2047–2062, 2012) and additionally defined subgroups within four of those lineages. This assay was applied to 530 isolates from human and bovine sources. The SNP-based lineage groups were concordant with previously identifiedE. coliO157:H7 genotypes identified by other methods and were strongly associated with carriage of specific Stx genes. Two SNP lineages (Ia and Vb) were disproportionately represented among cattle isolates, and three others (IIa, Ib, and IIb) were disproportionately represented among human clinical isolates. This 48-plex SNP assay efficiently and economically identifies biologically relevant lineages withinE. coliO157:H7.
Rapid Sample Processing for Detection of Food-Borne Pathogens via Cross-Flow Microfiltration
Authors: Li Xuan , Ximenes Eduardo , Amalaradjou Mary Anne Roshni , Vibbert Hunter B. , Foster Kirk , Jones Jim , Liu Xingya , Bhunia Arun K. , Ladisch Michael R. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

This paper reports an approach to enable rapid concentration and recovery of bacterial cells from aqueous chicken homogenates as a preanalytical step of detection. This approach includes biochemical pretreatment and prefiltration of food samples and development of an automated cell concentration instrument based on cross-flow microfiltration. A polysulfone hollow-fiber membrane module having a nominal pore size of 0.2 μm constitutes the core of the cell concentration instrument. The aqueous chicken homogenate samples were circulated within the cross-flow system achieving 500- to 1,000-fold concentration of inoculated
Salmonella enterica
serovar Enteritidis and naturally occurring microbiota with 70% recovery of viable cells as determined by plate counting and quantitative PCR (qPCR) within 35 to 45 min. These steps enabled 10 CFU/ml microorganisms in chicken homogenates or 10
2
CFU/g chicken to be quantified. Cleaning and sterilizing the instrument and membrane module by stepwise hydraulic and chemical cleaning (sodium hydroxide and ethanol) enabled reuse of the membrane 15 times before replacement. This approach begins to address the critical need for the food industry for detecting food pathogens within 6 h or less.
Restricted Substrate Specificity for the Geranylgeranyltransferase-I Enzyme in Cryptococcus neoformans: Implications for Virulence
Authors: Selvig Kyla , Ballou Elizabeth R. , Nichols Connie B. , Alspaugh J. Andrew 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Proper cellular localization is required for the function of many proteins. The CaaX prenyltransferases (where CaaX indicates a cysteine followed by two aliphatic amino acids and a variable amino acid) direct the subcellular localization of a large group of proteins by catalyzing the attachment of hydrophobic isoprenoid moieties onto C-terminal CaaX motifs, thus facilitating membrane association. This group of enzymes includes farnesyltransferase (Ftase) and geranylgeranyltransferase-I (Ggtase-1). Classically, the variable (X) amino acid determines whether a protein will be an Ftase or Ggtase-I substrate, with Ggtase-I substrates often containing CaaL motifs. In this study, we identify the gene encoding the β subunit of Ggtase-I (
CDC43
) and demonstrate that Ggtase-mediated activity is not essential. However,
Cryptococcus neoformans CDC43
is important for thermotolerance, morphogenesis, and virulence. We find that Ggtase-I function is required for full membrane localization of Rho10 and the two Cdc42 paralogs (Cdc42 and Cdc420). Interestingly, the related Rac and Ras proteins are not mislocalized in the
cdc43
Δ mutant even though they contain similar CaaL motifs. Additionally, the membrane localization of each of these GTPases is dependent on the prenylation of the CaaX cysteine. These results indicate that
C. neoformans
CaaX prenyltransferases may recognize their substrates in a unique manner from existing models of prenyltransferase specificity. It also suggests that the
C. neoformans
Ftase, which has been shown to be more important for
C. neoformans
proliferation and viability, may be the primary prenyltransferase for proteins that are typically geranylgeranylated in other species.
Identification and Characterization of Non-Cellulose-Producing Mutants of Gluconacetobacter hansenii Generated by Tn
5
Transposon Mutagenesis
Authors: Deng Ying , Nagachar Nivedita , Xiao Chaowen , Tien Ming , Kao Teh-hui 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

The
acs
operon of
Gluconacetobacter
is thought to encode AcsA, AcsB, AcsC, and AcsD proteins that constitute the cellulose synthase complex, required for the synthesis and secretion of crystalline cellulose microfibrils. A few other genes have been shown to be involved in this process, but their precise role is unclear. We report here the use of Tn
5
transposon insertion mutagenesis to identify and characterize six non-cellulose-producing (Cel
−
) mutants of
Gluconacetobacter hansenii
ATCC 23769. The genes disrupted were
acsA
,
acsC
,

ccp
Ax

(encoding cellulose-complementing protein [the subscript “
Ax
” indicates genes from organisms formerly classified as
Acetobacter xylinum
]),
dgc1
(encoding guanylate dicyclase), and
crp-fnr
(encoding a cyclic AMP receptor protein/fumarate nitrate reductase transcriptional regulator). Protein blot analysis revealed that (i) AcsB and AcsC were absent in the
acsA
mutant, (ii) the levels of AcsB and AcsC were significantly reduced in the

ccp
Ax

mutant, and (iii) the level of AcsD was not affected in any of the Cel
−
mutants. Promoter analysis showed that the
acs
operon does not include
acsD
, unlike the organization of the
acs
operon of several strains of closely related
Gluconacetobacter xylinus
. Complementation experiments confirmed that the gene disrupted in each Cel
−
mutant was responsible for the phenotype. Quantitative real-time PCR and protein blotting results suggest that the transcription of

bgl
Ax

(encoding β-glucosidase and located immediately downstream from
acsD
) was strongly dependent on Crp/Fnr. A

bgl
Ax

knockout mutant, generated via homologous recombination, produced only ∼16% of the wild-type cellulose level. Since the
crp-fnr
mutant did not produce any cellulose, Crp/Fnr may regulate the expression of other gene(s) involved in cellulose biosynthesis.
Two DHH Subfamily 1 Proteins in Streptococcus pneumoniae Possess Cyclic Di-AMP Phosphodiesterase Activity and Affect Bacterial Growth and Virulence
Authors: Bai Yinlan , Yang Jun , Eisele Leslie E. , Underwood Adam J. , Koestler Benjamin J. , Waters Christopher M. , Metzger Dennis W. , Bai Guangchun 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACTCyclic di-AMP (c-di-AMP) and cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) are signaling molecules that play important roles in bacterial biology and pathogenesis. However, these nucleotides have not been explored inStreptococcus pneumoniae, an important bacterial pathogen. In this study, we characterized the c-di-AMP-associated genes ofS. pneumoniae. The results showed that SPD_1392 (DacA) is a diadenylate cyclase that converts ATP to c-di-AMP. Both SPD_2032 (Pde1) and SPD_1153 (Pde2), which belong to the DHH subfamily 1 proteins, displayed c-di-AMP phosphodiesterase activity. Pde1 cleaved c-di-AMP into phosphoadenylyl adenosine (pApA), whereas Pde2 directly hydrolyzed c-di-AMP into AMP. Additionally, Pde2, but not Pde1, degraded pApA into AMP. Our results also demonstrated that both Pde1 and Pde2 played roles in bacterial growth, resistance to UV treatment, and virulence in a mouse pneumonia model. These results indicate that c-di-AMP homeostasis is essential for pneumococcal biology and disease.
The Clostridium perfringens Germinant Receptor Protein GerKC Is Located in the Spore Inner Membrane and Is Crucial for Spore Germination
Authors: Banawas Saeed , Paredes-Sabja Daniel , Korza George , Li Yunfeng , Hao Bing , Setlow Peter , Sarker Mahfuzur R. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

The Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium
Clostridium perfringens
causes a variety of diseases in both humans and animals, and spore germination is thought to be the first stage of
C. perfringens
infection. Previous studies have indicated that the germinant receptor (GR) proteins encoded by the bicistronic
gerKA-gerKC
operon as well as the proteins encoded by the
gerKB
and
gerAA
genes are required for normal germination of
C. perfringens
spores. We now report the individual role of these GR proteins by analyzing the germination of strains carrying mutations in
gerKA
,
gerKC
, or both
gerKB
and
gerAA
. Western blot analysis was also used to determine the location and numbers of GerKC proteins in spores. Conclusions from this work include the following: (i)
gerKC
mutant spores germinate extremely poorly with KCl,
l
-asparagine, a mixture of asparagine and KCl, or NaP
i
; (ii)
gerKC
spores germinate significantly more slowly than wild-type and other GR mutant spores with a 1:1 chelate of Ca
2+
and dipicolinic acid and very slightly more slowly with dodecylamine; (iii) the germination defects in
gerKC
spores are largely restored by expressing the wild-type
gerKA-gerKC
operon in
trans
; (iv) GerKC is required for the spores' viability, almost certainly because of the
gerKC
spores' poor germination; and (v) GerKC is located in the spores' inner membrane, with ∼250 molecules/spore. Collectively, these results indicate that GerKC is the main GR protein required for nutrient and nonnutrient germination of spores of
C. perfringens
food-poisoning isolates.