bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Young Children with Behçet Disease Have More Intestinal Involvement
Authors: Hung Chien‐Hui , Lee Jyh‐Hong , Chen Szu‐Ta , Yang Yao‐Hsu , Lin Yu‐Tsan , Wang Li‐Chieh , Yu Hsin‐Hui , Chiang Bor‐Luen 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTObjective:Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement in childhood Behçet disease (BD) is not well understood. We aimed to clarify the intestinal presentation in children with BD.Methods:Medical records of 85 children with recurrent oral ulcers between 1990 and 2010 at the National Taiwan University Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty of them who fulfilled the Mason and Barnes criteria for the diagnosis of childhood BD were enrolled. The clinical and laboratory characteristics were analyzed.Results:Among 20 patients, the median age at diagnosis was 13.2 years. The common presentations included oral ulcers (100%), genital ulcers (70%), skin lesions (65%), and GI symptoms (50%). Five of 10 patients with GI symptoms received endoscopic examinations and all had ulcers. Divided by the age of 10, patients younger than 10 years tended to have higher rates of GI symptoms initially and intestinal ulcers (P = 0.002 and 0.015, respectively). Platelet count was significantly lower in young patients (P = 0.0151). Patients without GI symptoms had higher rates of skin involvement than patients with GI symptoms (P = 0.019).Conclusions:Young children with BD tended to have more GI presentations. For children with BD younger than 10 years having GI symptoms, endoscopic examinations may be considered.
Use of the Noninvasive Entero‐test in the Detection of Helicobacter pylori in Children in an Endemic Area in Colombia
Authors: Arboleda Richard N. , Schneider Barbara G. , Bravo Luis E. , Romero‐Gallo Judith , Peek Richard M. , Mera Robertino M. , Yepez Maria Clara , Campo Cristina , Correa Pelayo 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTBackground and Objective:Gastric infection with Helicobacter pylori (H pylori), a strong risk factor for gastric cancer, is highly prevalent in children residing in the Colombian Andes. We aimed to validate the use of the Entero‐test to culture and genotype H pylori strains from asymptomatic Colombian children.Methods:Children (ages 10–15 years, n = 110, 80 of which were H pylori positive by the urea breath test [UBT]) were subjected to the Entero‐test, and strings were cultured and/or used for DNA extraction for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These children had been treated for H pylori in 2007. A second population of children (ages 10–15 years, n = 95),which had not been previously treated, was also subjected to the Entero‐test.Results:Of UBT‐positive children in the treated group, 29 of 80 (36%) Entero‐test samples were H pylori culture positive; 29 additional string extracts were tested by PCR for the H pylori virulence factors cagA and vacA. PCR from cultures and extracts yielded a sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 87%. In the untreated group, 16 of 94 UBT‐positive children (17%) produced Entero‐tests that were culture positive. Fifty‐eight of 94 (62%) string extracts were PCR positive for cagA and/or vacA. In previously treated children, H pylori strains were more often the less virulent vacA s2 (P = 0.001), m2 (P = 0.006), and i2 genotypes (P = 0.039).Conclusions:The Entero‐test may be used as a noninvasive test to detect H pylori in asymptomatic children residing in high‐risk areas for gastric cancer. Treatment of H pylori in children was associated with less virulent genotypes.
Liver Disease After Intensive Care of Premature Baboons
Authors: Kerecman Jay , Mehrotra Anupamjit , Goodman Zachary 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTBackground and Objectives:Cholestasis affects 50% of extremely low‐birth‐weight infants. Its etiology remains poorly understood and the extent of liver injury in these infants is unclear. The premature baboon model provides an opportunity to study neonatal liver disease. We characterize hepatic histopathologic changes in this model.Methods:Archival tissue and data were obtained from the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research Primate Center, San Antonio, TX. Animals were selected based on history of antenatal steroid therapy and absence of sepsis or necrotizing enterocolitis with a protocol duration of at least 21 days and no early death (n = 45). Baboons had been treated per protocol in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). At necropsy, liver tissue was harvested and stored. Tissues from fetal gestational controls at similar ages were used for comparison (n = 28). Histologic changes were scored by consensus of 2 pathologists blinded to treatment group. Descriptive and comparative statistics were performed.Results:Control fetal livers had extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) that decreased across the gestational range. There was evidence of hepatocyte iron storage and ongoing portal tract development. Livers of NICU‐treated baboons had increased Kupffer cell hypertrophy and hemosiderosis. There was a shift away from erythroid EMH toward increased myeloid EMH. There was increased cholestasis, ductular proliferation, portal tract fibrosis, and steatosis in treated animals.Conclusions:We found pathologic changes in NICU‐treated baboons comparable with findings reported in human infants. The baboon model of prematurity may be a useful tool to explore cholestasis and liver dysfunction in extremely low‐birth‐weight infants.
Unraveling Root Developmental Programs Initiated by BeneficialPseudomonasspp. Bacteria
Authors: Zamioudis Christos , Mastranesti Parthena , Dhonukshe Pankaj , Blilou Ikram , Pieterse Corné M.J. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractPlant roots are colonized by an immense number of microbes, referred to as the root microbiome. Selected strains of beneficial soil-borne bacteria can protect against abiotic stress and prime the plant immune system against a broad range of pathogens. Pseudomonas spp. rhizobacteria represent one of the most abundant genera of the root microbiome. Here, by employing a germ-free experimental system, we demonstrate the ability of selected Pseudomonas spp. strains to promote plant growth and drive developmental plasticity in the roots of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) by inhibiting primary root elongation and promoting lateral root and root hair formation. By studying cell type-specific developmental markers and employing genetic and pharmacological approaches, we demonstrate the crucial role of auxin signaling and transport in rhizobacteria-stimulated changes in the root system architecture of Arabidopsis. We further show that Pseudomonas spp.-elicited alterations in root morphology and rhizobacteria-mediated systemic immunity are mediated by distinct signaling pathways. This study sheds new light on the ability of soil-borne beneficial bacteria to interfere with postembryonic root developmental programs.
The Initiation of Epigenetic Silencing of Active Transposable Elements Is Triggered by RDR6 and 21-22 Nucleotide Small Interfering RNAs
Authors: Nuthikattu Saivageethi , McCue Andrea D. , Panda Kaushik , Fultz Dalen , DeFraia Christopher , Thomas Erica N. , Slotkin R. Keith 
Published: March 2013

AbstractTransposable elements (TEs) are mobile fragments of DNA that are repressed in both plant and animal genomes through the epigenetic inheritance of repressed chromatin and expression states. The epigenetic silencing of TEs in plants is mediated by a process of RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). Two pathways of RdDM have been identified: RNA Polymerase IV (Pol IV)-RdDM, which has been shown to be responsible for the de novo initiation, corrective reestablishment, and epigenetic maintenance of TE and/or transgene silencing; and RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase6 (RDR6)-RdDM, which was recently identified as necessary for maintaining repression for a few TEs. We have further characterized RDR6-RdDM using a genome-wide search to identify TEs that generate RDR6-dependent small interfering RNAs. We have determined that TEs only produce RDR6-dependent small interfering RNAs when transcriptionally active, and we have experimentally identified two TE subfamilies as direct targets of RDR6-RdDM. We used these TEs to test the function of RDR6-RdDM in assays for the de novo initiation, corrective reestablishment, and maintenance of TE silencing. We found that RDR6-RdDM plays no role in maintaining TE silencing. Rather, we found that RDR6 and Pol IV are two independent entry points into RdDM and epigenetic silencing that perform distinct functions in the silencing of TEs: Pol IV-RdDM functions to maintain TE silencing and to initiate silencing in an RNA Polymerase II expression-independent manner, while RDR6-RdDM functions to recognize active Polymerase II-derived TE mRNA transcripts to both trigger and correctively reestablish TE methylation and epigenetic silencing.
Patatin-Related Phospholipase pPLAIIIδ Increases Seed Oil Content with Long-Chain Fatty Acids in Arabidopsis
Authors: Li Maoyin , Bahn Sung Chul , Fan Chuchuan , Li Jia , Phan Tien , Ortiz Michael , Roth Mary R. , Welti Ruth , Jaworski Jan , Wang Xuemin 
Published: March 2013

Abstract
The release of fatty acids from membrane lipids has been implicated in various metabolic and physiological processes, but in many cases, the enzymes involved and their functions in plants remain unclear. Patatin-related phospholipase As (pPLAs) constitute a major family of acyl-hydrolyzing enzymes in plants. Here, we show that pPLAIIIδ promotes the production of triacylglycerols with 20- and 22-carbon fatty acids in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Of the four pPLAIIIs (α, β, γ, δ), only pPLAIIIδ gene knockout results in a decrease in seed oil content, and pPLAIIIδ is most highly expressed in developing embryos. The overexpression of pPLAIIIδ increases the content of triacylglycerol and 20- and 22-carbon fatty acids in seeds with a corresponding decrease in 18-carbon fatty acids. Several genes in the glycerolipid biosynthetic pathways are up-regulated in pPLAIIIδ-overexpressing siliques. pPLAIIIδ hydrolyzes phosphatidylcholine and also acyl-coenzyme A to release fatty acids. pPLAIIIδ-overexpressing plants have a lower level, whereas pPLAIIIδ knockout plants have a higher level, of acyl-coenzyme A than the wild type. Whereas seed yield decreases in transgenic plants that ubiquitously overexpress pPLAIIIδ, seed-specific overexpression of pPLAIIIδ increases seed oil content without any detrimental effect on overall seed yield. These results indicate that pPLAIIIδ-mediated phospholipid turnover plays a role in fatty acid remodeling and glycerolipid production.
Roles of N-Terminal Fatty Acid Acylations in Membrane Compartment Partitioning:Arabidopsis h-Type Thioredoxins as a Case Study
Authors: Traverso José A. , Micalella Chiara , Martinez Aude , Brown Spencer C. , Satiat-Jeunemaître Béatrice , Meinnel Thierry , Giglione Carmela 
Published: March 2013

AbstractN-terminal fatty acylations (N-myristoylation [MYR] and S-palmitoylation [PAL]) are crucial modifications affecting 2 to 4% of eukaryotic proteins. The role of these modifications is to target proteins to membranes. Predictive tools have revealed unexpected targets of these acylations in Arabidopsis thaliana and other plants. However, little is known about how N-terminal lipidation governs membrane compartmentalization of proteins in plants. We show here that h-type thioredoxins (h-TRXs) cluster in four evolutionary subgroups displaying strictly conserved N-terminal modifications. It was predicted that one subgroup undergoes only MYR and another undergoes both MYR and PAL. We used plant TRXs as a model protein family to explore the effect of MYR alone or MYR and PAL in the same family of proteins. We used a high-throughput biochemical strategy to assess MYR of specific TRXs. Moreover, various TRX–green fluorescent protein fusions revealed that MYR localized protein to the endomembrane system and that partitioning between this membrane compartment and the cytosol correlated with the catalytic efficiency of the N-myristoyltransferase acting at the N terminus of the TRXs. Generalization of these results was obtained using several randomly selected Arabidopsis proteins displaying a MYR site only. Finally, we demonstrated that a palmitoylatable Cys residue flanking the MYR site is crucial to localize proteins to micropatching zones of the plasma membrane.
Role of the cytoskeleton in communication between L‐type Ca2+ channels and mitochondria
Authors: Viola Helena M , Hool Livia C 
Published: March 2013

Summary
The L‐type Ca2+ channel is the main route for Ca2+ entry into cardiac myocytes, which is essential for the maintenance of cardiac excitation and contraction. Alterations in L‐type Ca2+ channel activity and Ca2+ homeostasis have been implicated in the development of cardiomyopathies.
Cardiac excitation and contraction is fuelled by ATP, synthesized predominantly by the mitochondria via the Ca2+‐dependent process oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) are by‐products of oxidative phosphorylation and are associated with the development of cardiac pathology.
The cytoskeleton plays a role in the communication of signals from the plasma membrane to intracellular organelles. There is good evidence that both L‐type Ca2+ channel activity and mitochondrial function can be modulated by changes in the cytoskeletal network.
Activation of the L‐type Ca2+ channel can regulate mitochondrial function through cytoskeletal proteins as a result of transmission of movement from the β2‐subunit of the channel that occurs during activation and inactivation of the channel. An association between cytoskeletal proteins and the mitochondrial voltage‐dependent anion channel (VDAC) may play a role in this response.
The L‐type Ca2+ channel is the initiator of contraction in cardiac muscle and the VDAC is responsible for regulating mitochondrial ATP/ADP trafficking. This article presents evidence that a functional coupling between L‐type Ca2+ channels and mitochondria may assist in meeting myocardial energy demand on a beat‐to‐beat basis.
Should we use one‐sided or two‐sided P values in tests of significance?
Authors: Ludbrook John 
Published: March 2013

Summary

‘P’ stands for the probability, ranging in value from 0 to 1, that results from a test of significance. It can also be regarded as the strength of evidence against the statistical null hypothesis (H0).

When H0 is evaluated by statistical tests based on distributions such as t, normal or Chi‐squared, P can be derived from one tail of the distribution (one‐sided or one‐tailed P), or it can be derived from both tails (two‐sided or two‐tailed P).

Distinguished statisticians, the authors of statistical texts, the authors of guidelines for human and animal experimentation and the editors of biomedical journals give confusing advice, or none at all, about the choice between one‐ and two‐sided P values. Such a choice is available only when there are no more than two groups to be compared.

I argue that the choice between one‐ and two‐sided P values depends on the alternative hypothesis (H1), which corresponds to the scientific hypothesis. If H1 is non‐specific and merely states that the means or proportions in the two groups are unequal, then a two‐sided P is appropriate. However, if H1 is specific and, for example, states than the mean or proportion of Group A is greater than that of Group B, then a one‐sided P maybe used.

The form that H1 will take if H0 is rejected must be stipulated a priori, before the experiment is conducted.

It is essential that authors state whether the P values resulting from their tests of significance are one‐ or two‐sided.
N‐terminal domain of Pyrococcus furiosus l‐asparaginase functions as a non‐specific, stable, molecular chaperone
Authors: Tomar Rachana , Garg Dushyant K. , Mishra Rahul , Thakur Ashwani K. , Kundu Bishwajit 
Published: March 2013

The enzyme l‐asparaginase of Pyrococcus furiosus (PfA) functions as a dimer with each monomer consisting of distinct N‐ and C‐terminal domains (NPfA and CPfA, respectively), connected by a linker. Here we present data to show that NPfA functions as a non‐specific molecular chaperone. Independently expressed NPfA refolded spontaneously whereas CPfA formed insoluble aggregates. However, when mixed and refolded together, NPfA augmented CPfA to fold with ~90% recovery. NPfA also protected a variety of substrate proteins from thermal and refolding‐mediated aggregation as monitored by a reduction in light scattering. The co‐appearance of substrate protein with NPfA in antibody pull‐down assays as well as in eluted gel filtration peaks indicated direct protein–protein interaction. These interactions were hydrophobic in nature as determined by 8‐anilino‐1‐naphthalene sulfonic acid fluorescence. NPfA inhibited polyglutamine‐mediated amyloid formation and also facilitated disintegration of preformed amyloid fibrils of amyloid‐β (1–42) as determined by reverse‐phase HPLC‐based sedimentation assay and thioflavin T binding assays, respectively. Dynamic light scattering experiments suggested that NPfA readily assembled into polydispersed oligomeric species. With no sequence similarity to α‐crystallin or any known molecular chaperone, we present here NPfA as a novel molecular chaperone.Structured digital abstract

Aβ amyloid 1-42 and Aβ amyloid 1-42 bind by fluorescence technology (View interaction)

alpha-amylase and alpha-amylase bind by light scattering (View interaction)

Aβ amyloid 1-42 and Aβ amyloid 1-42 bind by transmission electron microscopy (View interaction)

NPfa binds to BCA II by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (View interaction)

MSG and MSG bind by light scattering (View interaction)

BCA II and BCA II bind by light scattering (View interaction)
The Minimum Wage Affects Them All: Evidence on Employment Spillovers in the Roofing Sector
Authors: Aretz Bodo , Gregory Terry , Arntz Melanie 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThis study contributes to the sparse literature on employment spillovers of minimum wages. We exploit the minimum wage introduction and subsequent increases in the German roofing sector that gave rise to an internationally unprecedented hard bite of a minimum wage. We look at the chances of remaining employed in the roofing sector for workers with and without a binding minimum wage and use the plumbing sector that is not subject to a minimum wage as a suitable benchmark sector. By estimating the counterfactual wage that plumbers would receive in the roofing sector given their characteristics, we are able to identify employment effects along the entire wage distribution. The results indicate that the chances for roofers to remain employed in the sector in eastern Germany deteriorated along the entire wage distribution. Such employment spillovers to workers without a binding minimum wage may result from scale effects and/or capital-labour substitution.
Whole‐mount evaluation of penectomies for penile cancer: feasibility, cost and comparison to routine sectioning
Authors: Ebel Joshua J , Shabsigh Ahmad , Sharp David S , Zynger Debra L 
Published: March 2013

AimsPathological staging in penectomies may be difficult due to the anatomical complexity of penile anatomy, and may be additionally challenging due to the low volume at most institutions. Our study aimed to assess the feasibility of whole‐mount processing for penectomy specimens.Methods and resultsA 7‐year retrospective search for partial or radical penectomies identified 55 specimens, which were processed routinely (n = 31) from 2006 to 2009 and whole‐mounted (n = 24) from 2010 to 2012. Routine cases used more slides per case compared to whole mounts (mean 10.4 versus 7.2). Recuts occurred more often in routine cases (12.9% versus 0%). More routine cases had additional blocks grossed (19.4% versus 4.2%). Upon review, five discrepancies that impacted pT staging were identified in the routine group, with none in the whole‐mount group. The average estimated additional cost for each whole‐mount case compared to routine processing was $40.74, with an increased turnaround time of 1 day.ConclusionsWhole‐mounting is a feasible technique for penectomy that can be utilized with minimal increased cost and turnaround time, and may improve staging. Institutions in which whole‐mounting is already established for other organs, such as prostate, may wish to consider utilizing this format for penectomy specimens.
Expression of the tumour‐suppressor maspin in temporal bone carcinoma
Authors: Marioni Gino , Zanoletti Elisabetta , Stritoni Paola , Lionello Marco , Giacomelli Luciano , Gianatti Andrea , Cattaneo Laura , Blandamura Stella , Mazzoni Antonio , Martini Alessandro 
Published: March 2013

AimsAlthough it accounts for fewer than 0.2% of all head and neck tumours, temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis in advanced cases. Novel therapeutic strategies should be developed focusing on specific targeted therapies. Maspin is a serpin showing tumour‐suppressing activity which has therapeutic potential. The present study is the first to investigate maspin expression in temporal bone SCCs, using a series of 29 cases.Methods and resultsCytoplasmic maspin expression was significantly higher in the group of patients whose SCC did not recur than in the group experiencing recurrences (P = 0.029), and in G1–G2 SCCs than in G3 cases (P = 0.001). cT correlated with recurrence rate (P = 0.05), disease‐free survival (DFS) (P = 0.008) and disease‐specific survival (DSS) (P = 0.0043), and pT and pathological regional lymph node status correlated with recurrence rate (P = 0.008 and P = 0.03, respectively), DFS (P = 0.017 and P = 0.0049, respectively) and DSS (P = 0.008 and P = 0.0009, respectively).ConclusionsAlthough further studies using larger series are required, our preliminary findings suggest that cytoplasmic maspin expression has promise as a prognostic indicator of disease recurrence in temporal bone SCC, and that reactivating maspin functions in association with apoptosis‐inducing or anti‐angiogenic chemotherapeutic agents might be an important goal in the treatment of temporal bone SCC.
An analysis of PLAG1 and HMGA2 rearrangements in salivary duct carcinoma and examination of the role of precursor lesions
Authors: Bahrami Armita , Perez‐Ordonez Bayardo , Dalton James D , Weinreb Ilan 
Published: March 2013

AimsSalivary duct carcinoma (SDC) often arises in pleomorphic adenoma (PA). Putative precursors, including low‐grade cribriform cystadenocarcinoma (LGCCC) and ductal carcinoma in‐situ (DCIS), are more controversial. Rearrangement of PLAG1 or HMGA2 is seen in 50–70% of PAs, but this has not been investigated in SDC. Using a large collection of SDCs from a single institution, we aimed to study these genes by fluorescence in‐situ hybridization (FISH), and to correlate the presence of precursor lesions/intraductal proliferations with gene alterations.Methods and resultsForty‐four SDCs were stained for smooth muscle actin, CK14, and p63, and examined with PLAG1 and HMGA2 FISH. Eight cases were SDC ex‐PA; ten had a hyalinized nodule (HN), which is suspicious for PA; six arose in association with LGCCC; and twenty were ‘de‐novo’ SDCs. Ten cases had PLAG1 rearrangement/amplification (22.7%) and eight had HMGA2 (18.2%) rearrangement/amplification. The positive cases were four SDC ex‐PAs, eight SDCs with an HN, and five ‘de‐novo’ SDCs. Twenty‐three SDC ex‐PAs were present in total (52.3%). All six SDC ex‐LGCCCs were FISH‐negative. Myoepithelial staining surrounded all LGCCCs, and demonstrated DCIS in 17 cases. Eleven DCIS lesions were in SDC ex‐PAs or FISH‐positive ‘de‐novo’ SDCs. These cases represent ‘cancerization’ of ducts. Only six FISH‐negative ‘de‐novo’ SDCs showed DCIS.ConclusionsA large proportion of SDCs arise in PAs (with or without residual evidence of a PA). A small proportion of SDCs arise in LGCCCs. Cases showing DCIS often represent cancerization.