bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adherence to Initial PDE5 Inhibitor Treatment: Randomized OpenLabel Study Comparing Tadalafil Once a Day, Tadalafil on Demand, and Sildenafil on Demand in Patients with Erectile Dysfunction
Authors: Buvat Jacques , Büttner Hartwig , Hatzimouratidis Konstantinos , Vendeira Pedro A.S. , Moncada Ignacio , Boehmer Michael , Henneges Carsten , Boess Frank G. 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) is frequently discontinued; adherence may vary depending on the initial regimen.

Aim
To evaluate the effects of initiating treatment with tadalafil once a day (OaD), tadalafil on demand (pro re nata [PRN]), or sildenafil PRN on treatment adherence.

Methods
In this multicenter, openlabel study, men (≥18 years) with ED, naïve to PDE5 inhibitors, were randomized (1:1:1) to tadalafil 5 mg OaD, tadalafil 10 mg PRN, or sildenafil 50 mg PRN. An 8week randomized treatment (RT) period (dose adjustment possible) was succeeded by 16 weeks of pragmatic treatment (switches between PDE5 inhibitors allowed).

Main Outcome Measures
Treatment adherence was measured as time to discontinuation of RT (any cause), estimated by Kaplan–Meier productlimit method. Treatmentgroup differences were estimated as hazard ratio (HR; Cox proportional hazards).

Results
Seven hundred seventy patients (mean age 53 years) were randomized to tadalafil OaD (N = 257), tadalafil PRN (N = 252), and sildenafil PRN (N = 261). Kaplan–Meier estimates for patients discontinuing RT were 52.2, 42.0, and 66.7%, respectively. Median time to discontinuation of RT was significantly longer for tadalafil OaD and PRN (130 and &gt;168 days) compared with sildenafil (67 days) (HR [97.5% confidence interval]: 0.66 [0.51, 0.85] and 0.49 [0.37, 0.65]; P &lt; 0.001). Reasons for discontinuation with significant differences between groups (P &lt; 0.05) included “lack of efficacy (duration of erection)” (sildenafil 9.2% vs. tadalafil OaD 4.3%, PRN 2.8%), “time constraints due to short window of action” (sildenafil 4.2% vs. tadalafil OaD 0%, PRN 0.4%), and “feel medication controls my sexual life” (sildenafil 2.7% vs. tadalafil OaD 0%). No betweengroup differences were found in International Index of Erectile FunctionErectile Function domain change from baseline to end of RT (least squares mean: 9.4–10.0, P = 0.359) or discontinuations due to adverse events (1.2–1.6%). The most common adverse event (≥4%) was headache.

Conclusions
ED patients assigned to tadalafil OaD or PRN adhered significantly longer to initial treatment than patients assigned to sildenafil PRN. Improvement of erectile function and safety profiles were similar in all three treatment groups.
Sexual Dysfunction in Men Suffering from Genital Warts
Authors: Kucukunal Asli , Altunay Ilknur Kivanc , Mercan Sibel 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection can present clinically as genital warts (GWs) in both males and females. Much less is known about the psychosexual consequences of GW, and the studies on patients in this group are still quite limited.

Aims
The aim of this study was to test two hypotheses: (i) sexual dysfunction (SD) is likely to occur in male patients suffering from GWs; (ii) if male SD exists, it may be associated with depression or anxiety.

Methods
This was a pilot study with a prospective crosssectional design. Male patients with GW (N for patient group = 116) were compared with male control cases (N for control group = 71) using the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The participants were evaluated by a dermatologist and a psychiatrist, respectively.

Main Outcome Measures
The associations between sexual dysfunction, depression, and anxiety among the participants were examined.

Results
There was no difference between the groups in terms of sociodemographic changes. Sexual dysfunction was found to be significantly more common in the patients than controls (P = 0.000 &lt; 0.001). When the subscores of ASEX were evaluated, they were found to be statistically significant between the two groups (P = 0.000 &lt; 0.001). BDI and BAI scores were statistically higher in the patient group than in controls, and there was a positive correlation between BDI and BAI scores with ASEX total and subscores (P = 0.000 &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions
Male patients with GW have higher rates of sexual dysfunction, depression, and anxiety when compared with the normal population. Men suffering from GW should be evaluated for possible sexual problems, besides depression and anxiety.
Life at the edge, cooperation in Antarctica
Authors: Callaway Ragan M. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn a current article in the Journal of Vegetation Science, Molina‐Montenegro and colleagues extend the study of plant–plant interactions on stress gradients to extremes – the moss and lichen‐dominated communities of Antarctica. They found that the importance of facilitation at this extreme end of a ‘cold–harsh continuum’ was similar to that reported at the extreme ends of alpine gradients around the world. In other words, in contrast to recent theory and case studies in other systems, facilitative effects did not wane in extremely stressful conditions.
Undernutrition among infants less than 6 months of age: an underestimated public health problem in India
Authors: Patwari Ashok K. , Kumar Sanjay , Beard Jennifer 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn India most childhood nutrition recommendations and interventions are still not focused on infants under 6 months. Secondary data analyses of National Family Health Survey‐3 data from India were analysed to compare the prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight in infants less than 6 months and 6–59 months. Our results revealed that wasting was higher (31%) in infants less than 6 months (P < 0.05) as compared with children between 6 and 59 months. Thirteen per cent of infants less than 6 months had severe wasting, 30% were underweight and 20% were stunted. Most infants (69%) were exclusively breastfed (EB) for the first 2 months, but exclusive breastfeeding dropped to 50% at 2–3 months and to 27% at 4–5 months. There was no statistically significant difference in wasting and stunting in the EB and not exclusively breastfed (NEB) groups. Significantly fewer EB infants were underweight (28%) compared with NEB infants (31%) (P = 0.030). However, among EB children, 29% had wasting and 21% were stunted. Eleven per cent of EB infants were severely underweight, 13% were severely wasted and 9% were severely stunted. Diarrhoea was significantly lower among EB infants compared with NEB infants (P < 0.05). We conclude that infants less than 6 months of age are vulnerable to suffer from acute severe malnutrition irrespective of their breastfeeding status and need to be seriously considered for inclusion in national guidelines for early detection and management of undernutrition.
The evolving male: spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) ecotypes are divergent at Y chromosome but not mtDNA or autosomal markers
Authors: Andrews Kimberly R. , Perrin William F. , Oremus Marc , Karczmarski Leszek , Bowen Brian W. , Puritz Jonathan B. , Toonen Robert J. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe susceptibility of the Y chromosome to sexual selection may make this chromosome an important player in the formation of reproductive isolating barriers, and ultimately speciation. Here, we investigate the role of the Y chromosome in phenotypic divergence and reproductive isolation of spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) ecotypes. This species contains six known ecotypes (grouped into four subspecies) that exhibit striking differences in morphology, habitat and mating system, despite having adjacent or overlapping ranges and little genetic divergence at previously studied mtDNA and autosomal markers. We examined the phylogeographic structure for all six ecotypes across the species range (n = 261, 17 geographic locations) using DNA sequences from three Y chromosome markers, two maternally inherited mitochondrial (mtDNA) markers, and a biparentally inherited autosomal intron. mtDNA and autosomal analyses revealed low divergence (most ΦST values <0.1) between ecotypes and geographic regions, concordant with previous studies. In contrast, Y intron analyses revealed fixed differences amongst the three most phenotypically divergent groups: S. l. longirostris vs. S. l. roseiventris vs. combined S. l. orientalis/S. l. centroamericana/Tres Marias ecotypes). Another ecotype (whitebelly), previously postulated to be a hybrid between the two phenotypically most divergent ecotypes, had Y haplotypes from both putative parent ecotypes, supporting a hybrid designation. Reduced introgression of the Y chromosome has previously been observed in other organisms ranging from insects to terrestrial mammals, and here we demonstrate this phenomenon in a marine mammal with high dispersal capabilities. These results indicate that reduced introgression of the Y chromosome occurs in a wide taxonomic range of organisms and support the growing body of evidence that rapid evolution of the Y chromosome is important in evolutionary diversification.
Approximate Bayesian estimation of extinction rate in the Finnish Daphnia magna metapopulation
Authors: Robinson John D. , Hall David W. , Wares John P. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractApproximate Bayesian computation (ABC) is useful for parameterizing complex models in population genetics. In this study, ABC was applied to simultaneously estimate parameter values for a model of metapopulation coalescence and test two alternatives to a strict metapopulation model in the well‐studied network of Daphnia magna populations in Finland. The models shared four free parameters: the subpopulation genetic diversity (θS), the rate of gene flow among patches (4Nm), the founding population size (N0) and the metapopulation extinction rate (e) but differed in the distribution of extinction rates across habitat patches in the system. The three models had either a constant extinction rate in all populations (strict metapopulation), one population that was protected from local extinction (i.e. a persistent source), or habitat‐specific extinction rates drawn from a distribution with specified mean and variance. Our model selection analysis favoured the model including a persistent source population over the two alternative models. Of the closest 750 000 data sets in Euclidean space, 78% were simulated under the persistent source model (estimated posterior probability = 0.769). This fraction increased to more than 85% when only the closest 150 000 data sets were considered (estimated posterior probability = 0.774). Approximate Bayesian computation was then used to estimate parameter values that might produce the observed set of summary statistics. Our analysis provided posterior distributions for e that included the point estimate obtained from previous data from the Finnish D. magna metapopulation. Our results support the use of ABC and population genetic data for testing the strict metapopulation model and parameterizing complex models of demography.
Phylum‐wide general protein O‐glycosylation system of the Bacteroidetes
Authors: Coyne Michael J. , Fletcher C. Mark , Chatzidaki‐Livanis Maria , Posch Gerald , Schaffer Christina , Comstock Laurie E. 
Published: April 2013

SummaryThe human gut symbiont Bacteroides fragilis has a general protein O‐glycosylation system in which numerous extracytoplasmic proteins are glycosylated at a three amino acid motif. In B. fragilis, protein glycosylation is a fundamental and essential property as mutants with protein glycosylation defects have impaired growth and are unable to competitively colonize the mammalian intestine. In this study, we analysed the phenotype of B. fragilis mutants with defective protein glycosylation and found that the glycan added to proteins is comprised of a core glycan and an outer glycan. The genetic region encoding proteins for the synthesis of the outer glycan is conserved within a Bacteroides species but divergent between species. Unlike the outer glycan, an antiserum raised to the core glycan reacted with all Bacteroidetes species tested, from all four classes of the phylum. We found that diverse Bacteroidetes species synthesize numerous glycoproteins and glycosylate proteins at the same three amino acid motif. The wide‐spread conservation of this protein glycosylation system within the phylum suggests that this system of post‐translational protein modification evolved early, before the divergence of the four classes of Bacteroidetes, and has been maintained due to its physiological importance to the diverse species of this phylum.
Genetic variability inMicrosporum canisisolated from cats, dogs and humans inBrazil
Authors: da Costa Fernanda V. A. , Farias Marconi R. , Bier Daniele , de Andrade Caroline P. , de Castro Luiza A. , da Silva Sérgio C. , Ferreiro Laerte 
Published: April 2013

SummaryDermatophytosis caused byMicrosporum canisis a heterogeneous disease with variable clinical manifestations.M. canisis a zoophilic dermatophyte and the most frequent fungi isolated from dogs, cats and children inBrazil. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic variability ofM. canisisolates from different animal species using two microsatellite markers, namely,McGT(13)andMcGT(17), and to correlate the results with the clinical and epidemiological patient data inBrazil. The study included a global set of 102M. canisstrains, including 37 symptomatic cats, 35 asymptomatic cats, 19 human patients withtinea, 9 asymptomatic dogs and 2 symptomatic dogs. A total of 14 genotypes were identified, and 6 large populations were distinguished. There was no correlation between these multilocus genotypes and the clinical and epidemiological data, including the source, symptomatology, clinical picture, breed, age, sex, living conditions and geographic location. These results demonstrate that the use of microsatellite polymorphisms is a reliable method for the differentiation ofM. canisstrains. However, we were unable to demonstrate a shared clinical and epidemiological pattern among the same genotype samples.
Gavin D'Costa's Trinitarian Theology of Religions: An Assessment
Authors: Tan Loe-Joo 
Published: April 2013

AbstractGavin D'Costa's writings represent a significant attempt in the current discussion of the theology of religions to utilize the resources of Trinitarian doctrine and address the function of religions in the divine salvific plan. This paper systematically outlines his theology through an interpretive model of particularity/universality to elucidate its structure and highlight his emphases on Christology, Pneumatology and Ecclesiology. I argue that while his system has the considerable merit of a desire to maintain a single economy, there remain several difficulties, including a possible conflation of salvific will and grace, and a dissonance of the proposal of limbo with his system.
Features of evolutionarily conserved alternative splicing events between Brassica and Arabidopsis
Authors: Darracq Aude , Adams Keith L. 
Published: April 2013

Summary

Alternative splicing (AS) generates multiple types of mRNA from a single type of pre‐mRNA by differential intron splicing. It can result in new protein isoforms or down‐regulation of gene expression by transcript decay. The evolutionary conservation of AS events in plants is largely unexplored and only a small number of AS events have been identified as conserved between divergent species.

We performed a large‐scale analysis of cDNA data from Brassica and Arabidopsis to identify and further characterize conserved AS events.

We identified 537 conserved AS events in 485 genes. Alternative donor and acceptor events are significantly overrepresented among conserved events, whereas intron retention and exon skipping events are underrepresented. Conserved AS events are significantly shorter, less likely to be in the 3′UTR, and they are enriched for genes whose products function in the chloroplast. AS modified a functional domain for about half of the genes with conserved events. We further characterized three genes with conserved AS events.

This study identifies many AS events that are conserved between Brassica and Arabidopsis, revealing features of conserved AS events. Many of the conserved AS events may have important, but uncharacterized, functions.
Genome size variation in wild and cultivated maize along altitudinal gradients
Authors: Díez Concepción M. , Gaut Brandon S. , Meca Esteban , Scheinvar Enrique , Montes‐Hernandez Salvador , Eguiarte Luis E. , Tenaillon Maud I. 
Published: April 2013

Summary

It is still an open question as to whether genome size (GS) variation is shaped by natural selection. One approach to address this question is a population‐level survey that assesses both the variation in GS and the relationship of GS to ecological variants.

We assessed GS in Zea mays, a species that includes the cultivated crop, maize, and its closest wild relatives, the teosintes. We measured GS in five plants of each of 22 maize landraces and 21 teosinte populations from Mexico sampled from parallel altitudinal gradients.

GS was significantly smaller in landraces than in teosintes, but the largest component of GS variation was among landraces and among populations. In maize, GS correlated negatively with altitude; more generally, the best GS predictors were linked to geography. By contrast, GS variation in teosintes was best explained by temperature and precipitation.

Overall, our results further document the size flexibility of the Zea genome, but also point to a drastic shift in patterns of GS variation since domestication. We argue that such patterns may reflect the indirect action of selection on GS, through a multiplicity of phenotypes and life‐history traits.
N distribution in maize plant as a marker for grain yield and limits on its remobilization after flowering
Authors: DeBruin Jason , Messina Carlos D. , Munaro Eugenia , Thompson Karen , Conlon‐Beckner Caitlin , Fallis Lynne , Sevenich David M. , Gupta Rajeev , Dhugga Kanwarpal S. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractTo determine the relationship between specific leaf N (SLN) and grain yield or its components in commercial maize hybrids in the US Corn Belt, three studies were conducted in 2010 and 2011. Leaf area index at flowering ranged from 3 under low to 5.6 at normal soil N. At flowering, 70% of the vegetative N was sequestered in the leaves, 22% in stalk and 8% in leaf sheaths, whereas the respective numbers for dry mass were 34, 50 and 16%. Highest grain yield was obtained at an SLN of 1.5. N stress affected both kernel number and kernel mass per plant. Regardless of the initial amount of leaf N at flowering, ~65% was remobilized by maturity. Under normal soil N, leaf N at flowering contributed at most 40% to the grain N. An increase in N storage capacity of the leaves would improve stability of hybrid grain yield as well as reduce loss of N from the soil by leaching and run‐off.
Validation of molecular markers for pathogen resistance in potato
Authors: Lopez‐Pardo Raquel , Barandalla Leire , Ritter Enrique , Ruiz de Galarreta Jose I. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractDNA markers have a large potential to improve efficiency and precision of conventional plant breeding programmes based on marker‐assisted selection (MAS). In our study, we have evaluated the predictive abilities of the SCAR marker RYSC3 and the CAPS marker GP122564 with regard to the PVY resistance genes Ryadg and Rysto, respectively, and of marker TG689 linked to H1 conferring resistance to Globodera rostochiensis and marker HC associated with high levels of G. pallida resistance. The evaluations were made in 28 cultivars and accessions and in 219 progeny genotypes descending from ten different crosses. We observed in all evaluated cultivars and accessions the expected marker patterns according to their phenotypic classification into resistant and susceptible genotypes. However, in part considerable discrepancies were observed when analysing progeny of controlled crosses involving these resistance sources, particularly with respect to H1. Based on these results, practical aspects for the efficient implementation of marker‐assisted selection are discussed, which consider the genetic origin of the material, costs aspects and methodology applied.
Does the Cyanophora paradoxa genome revise our view on the evolution of photorespiratory enzymes?
Authors: Kern R. , Eisenhut M. , Bauwe H. , Weber A. P. M. , Hagemann M. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn the present‐day O2‐rich atmosphere, the photorespiratory pathway is essential for organisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis; i.e. cyanobacteria, algae and land plants. The presence of enzymes for the plant‐like 2‐phosphoglycolate cycle in cyanobacteria indicates that, together with oxygenic photosynthesis, genes for photorespiratory enzymes were endosymbiotically conveyed from ancient cyanobacteria to photosynthetic eukaryotes. The genome information for Cyanophora paradoxa, a member of the Glaucophyta representing the first branching group of primary endosymbionts, and for many other eukaryotic algae was used to shed light on the evolutionary relationship of photorespiratory enzymes among oxygenic phototrophs. For example, it became possible to analyse the phylogenies of 2‐phosphoglycolate phosphatase, serine:glyoxylate aminotransferase and hydroxypyruvate reductase. Analysis of the Cyanophora genome provided clear evidence that some photorespiratory enzymes originally acquired from cyanobacteria were lost, e.g. glycerate 3‐kinase, while others were replaced by the corresponding enzymes from the α‐proteobacterial endosymbiont, e.g. serine:glyoxylate aminotransferase. Generally, our analysis supports the view that many C2 cycle enzymes in eukaryotic phototrophs were obtained from the cyanobacterial endosymbiont, but during the subsequent evolution of algae and land plants multiple losses and replacements occurred, which resulted in a reticulate provenance of photorespiratory enzymes with different origins in different cellular compartments.
D‐2‐hydroxyglutarate metabolism is linked to photorespiration in the shm1‐1 mutant
Authors: Kuhn A. , Engqvist M. K. M. , Jansen E. E. W. , Weber A. P. M. , Jakobs C. , Maurino V. G. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe Arabidopsis mutant shm1‐1 is defective in mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferase 1 activity and displays a lethal photorespiratory phenotype at ambient CO2 concentration but grows normally at high CO2. After transferring high CO2‐grown shm1‐1 plants to ambient CO2, the younger leaves remain photosynthetically active while developed leaves display increased yellowing and decreased FV/FM values. Metabolite analysis of plants transferred from high CO2 to ambient air indicates a massive light‐dependent (photorespiratory) accumulation of glycine, 2‐oxoglutarate (2OG) and D‐2‐hydroxyglutarate (D‐2HG). Amino acid markers of senescence accumulated in ambient air in wild‐type and shm1‐1 plants maintained in darkness and also build up in shm1‐1 in the light. This, together with an enhanced transcription of the senescence marker SAG12 in shm1‐1, suggests the initiation of senescence in shm1‐1 under photorespiratory conditions. Mitochondrial D‐2HG dehydrogenase (D‐2HGDH) converts D‐2HG into 2OG. In vitro studies indicate that 2OG exerts competitive inhibition on D‐2HGDH with a Ki of 1.96 mm. 2OG is therefore a suitable candidate as inhibitor of the in vivo D‐2HGDH activity, as 2OG is produced and accumulates in mitochondria. Inhibition of the D‐2HGDH by 2OG is likely a mechanism by which D‐2HG accumulates in shm1‐1, however it cannot be ruled out that D‐2HG may also accumulate due to an active senescence programme that is initiated in these plants after transfer to photorespiratory conditions. Thus, a novel interaction of the photorespiratory pathway with cellular processes involving D‐2HG has been identified.