bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The SoxRS response of Escherichia coli is directly activated by redox‐cycling drugs rather than by superoxide
Authors: Gu Mianzhi , Imlay James A. 
Published: January 2011

SummaryWhen Escherichia coli is exposed to redox‐cycling drugs, its SoxR transcription factor is activated by oxidation of its [2Fe–2S] cluster. In aerobic cells these drugs generate superoxide, and because superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a member of the SoxRS regulon, superoxide was initially thought to be the activator of SoxR. Its many‐gene regulon was therefore believed to comprise a defence against superoxide stress. However, we found that abundant superoxide did not effectively activate SoxR in an SOD‐ mutant, that overproduced SOD could not suppress activation by redox‐cycling drugs, and that redox‐cycling drugs were able to activate SoxR in anaerobic cells as long as alternative respiratory acceptors were provided. Thus superoxide is not the signal that SoxR senses. Indeed, redox‐cycling drugs directly oxidized the cluster of purified SoxR in vitro, while superoxide did not. Redox‐cycling drugs are excreted by both bacteria and plants. Their toxicity does not require superoxide, as they poisoned E. coli under anaerobic conditions, in part by oxidizing dehydratase iron–sulfur clusters. Under these conditions SoxRS induction was protective. Thus it is physiologically appropriate that the SoxR protein directly senses redox‐cycling drugs rather than superoxide.
Immunological/Virological Peripheral Blood Biomarkers and Distinct Patterns of Sleeping Quality in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients
Authors: de Almeida C. M. O. , de Lima T. A. , Castro D. B. , Torres K. L. , da Silva Braga W. , Peruhype‐Magalhães V. , Teixeira‐Carvalho A. , Martins‐Filho O. A. , Malheiro A. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe rational of this study we intended to investigate whether the peripheral blood immunological/virological biomarkers were associated with distinct patterns of sleeping quality in patients with chronic hepatitis C‐(HCV). Distinct well‐established indexes/scores were used to categorize the sleeping quality of HCV patients, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Fatigue Severity Scores. Our findings demonstrated that HCV patients classified as ‘good sleeper’ displayed an enhanced frequency of circulating CD8+ T cells, lower frequency of activated (CD69+) neutrophils and eosinophils but enhanced frequency of activated lymphocytes besides lower seric levels of IL‐4/IL‐8/IL‐10 but higher levels of IL‐12, besides lower HCV virus load and lower anti‐HCV IgG levels. In contrast, HCV patients classified as ‘poor sleeper’ displayed enhanced levels of activated neutrophils and eosinophils but lower frequency of activated lymphocytes, higher seric levels of IL‐6/TNF‐α/IL‐10 but lower levels of IL‐12 besides higher HCV virus load and increased anti‐HCV IgG levels. Positive correlation was further confirmed by the relationship between the leucocyte activation status, the cytokine levels, the HCV viral load and the anti‐HCV IgG reactivity with the PSQI indexes. Analysis of cytokine signature curves demonstrated that lower frequency of IL‐10 was observed in HCV patients classified as ‘good sleepers’, whereas enhanced frequency of IL‐6 was found HCV patients classified as ‘poor sleepers’. In conclusion, our data suggest that immunological biomarkers (leucocytes activation status and seric cytokines levels) are likely to be associated with sleeping quality patterns in HCV patients, suggesting their putative use for clinical monitoring purposes.
Systematic review: handwashing behaviour in low‐ to middle‐income countries: outcome measures and behaviour maintenance
Authors: Vindigni Stephen M. , Riley Patricia L. , Jhung Michael 
Published: January 2011

SummaryObjectives  To describe global approaches to handwashing research in low‐ and middle‐income communities, schools and health care settings using behavioural outcome measurement and temporal study design.Methods  Peer‐reviewed and grey literature was screened for handwashing studies that evaluated behaviour change. Relevant articles were assessed by their research approach, including the investigator’s selected outcome measure and time frame of various study components (e.g., formative research, intervention and evaluation).Results  The initial search yielded 527 relevant articles. After application of exclusion criteria, we identified 27 unique studies (30 total articles). Of the 27 articles, most were focused in the community setting. Fifteen (56%) documented observed handwashing behaviour, while 18 (67%) used proxy measures (e.g., soap presence, diarrhoea) and 14 (52%) used self‐reported behaviour. Several studies used multiple outcome measures. While all studies had an evaluation of behaviour change, there was a dearth of studies that evaluated long‐term maintenance of behaviour change after the intervention’s conclusion.Conclusions  While the literature is replete with a variety of handwashing studies in community, school and health care settings, none have been able to definitively document long‐term behaviour change, thereby challenging the sustainability of various interventions. Additionally, there is a need to better understand which research approach is most effective in promoting long‐term behaviour compliance in global low‐ and middle‐income settings.
Inter‐rater reliability of the Pediatric Transplant Rating Instrument (P‐TRI): Challenges to reliably identifying adherence risk factors during pediatric pre‐transplant evaluations
Authors: Fisher M. , Storfer‐Isser A. , Shaw R. J. , Bernard R. S. , Drury S. , Ularntinon S. , Horwitz S. M. 
Published: January 2011

Fisher M, Storfer‐Isser A, Shaw RJ, Bernard RS, Drury S, Ularntinon S, Horwitz SM. Inter‐rater reliability of the Pediatric Transplant Rating Instrument (P‐TRI): Challenges to reliably identifying adherence risk factors during pediatric pre‐transplant evaluations. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15:142–147. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the inter‐rater reliability of the P‐TRI, a 17‐item instrument developed to identify risk factors associated with poor treatment adherence in pediatric solid organ transplant candidates. Because factors influencing treatment adherence may vary with age, the 89 subject samples were divided into pre‐adolescent (0–11 yr) and adolescent (12–19 yr) groups. Each subject received two independent P‐TRI ratings based on pretransplant psychosocial assessments separately conducted by a PSYC and a SWTC. Inter‐rater reliability was assessed using the delta statistic. Overall, agreement was higher in the pre‐adolescent group, with delta >0.70 for five items and delta <0.30 for two items. For the adolescent group, one item had a delta >0.70 and seven items had a delta <0.30. Overall, PSYC P‐TRI ratings indicated fewer areas of concern on items assessing family dynamics compared with SWTC P‐TRI ratings, whereas the reverse was true for items related to psychiatric history. Results highlight the challenges of conducting a reliable pretransplant assessment of adherence‐related risk factors and suggest the need for revisions to the P‐TRI prior to its use in clinical practice.
Treatment of adenovirus hepatitis with cidofovir in a pediatric liver transplant recipient
Authors: Cimsit Bayindir , Tichy Eric M. , Patel Sonya B. , Rosencrantz Richard , Emre Sukru 
Published: January 2011

Cimsit B, Tichy EM, Patel SB, Rosencrantz R, Emre S. Treatment of adenovirus hepatitis with cidofovir in a pediatric liver transplant recipient.Abstract:  AdV hepatitis is a rarely reported complication after pediatric liver transplantation that is associated with high rates of morbidity, mortality and graft failure. Successful treatment of AdV relies on early diagnosis of disease by quantitative PCR measurement of adenoviral DNA in blood and histological evidence in tissue biopsy. Pharmacologic treatment largely consists of antiviral therapy with CDV, an acyclic nucleoside phosphonate analog and reduction in immunosuppression. This report describes a case of AdV hepatitis in a pediatric liver transplant recipient successfully treated with a modified, renal sparing dosing of CDV.
Adaptation and Natural Selectionrevisited
Authors: SOBER E. , WILSON D. S. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractInAdaptation and Natural Selection, George C. Williams linked the distinction between group and individual adaptation with the distinction between group and individual selection. Williams’ Principle, as we will call it, says that adaptation at a level requires selection at that level. This is a necessary but not a sufficient condition; for example, group adaptation requires group selection, but the fact that group selection influences a trait’s evolution does not suffice for the resulting trait frequency to be a group adaptation. What more is required? In this paper, we describe an answer to this question that has been developed in multilevel selection theory. We also discuss an alternative framework for defining units of adaptation that violates Williams’ Principle.
Purification and characterisation of a carboxylesterase from a chlorpyrifos‐methyl‐resistant strain of Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Coleoptera: Silvanidae)
Authors: Lee Sung‐Eun 
Published: January 2011

AbstractCarboxylesterases from a chlorpyrifos‐methyl‐resistant strain (VOSCM) of the saw‐toothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), are presumed to play a role in conferring resistance to chlorpyrifos‐methyl. Colorimetric assays using substrates of p‐nitrophenyl acetate, alpha‐naphthyl acetate and beta‐naphthyl acetate showed 4.8, 7.8 and 7.5 times higher carboxylesterase hydrolytic activities in VOSCM than those in VOS48, an organophosphorus insecticide‐susceptible strain. Carboxylesterase zymograms showed different banding patterns between VOSCM and VOS48. A primary carboxylesterase in the VOSCM strain, not detected in VOS48, was purified and characterised by chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques. On the basis of native and SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the molecular mass of the purified carboxylesterase from VOSCM was 120 kDa and consisted of two 60 kDa subunits. The purified carboxylesterase activity was totally inhibited by 10−1 mM chlorpyrifos‐methyl and by 10−3 mM chlorpyrifps‐methyl oxon. The purified enzyme did not hydrolyse insecticide substrates. Therefore, these results indicate that the purified carboxylesterase may play an important role in chlorpyrifos‐methyl detoxification by sequestration.
Remote microscopy: a success story in Australian and New Zealand plant biosecurity
Authors: Thompson Michael , Lyons Anita , Kumarasinghe Lalith , Peck Darren R , Kong Gary , Shattuck Steve , La Salle John 
Published: January 2011

AbstractRapid and accurate identification of organisms is crucial to many research and applied outcomes. Diagnostics is a critical first step in determining the significance of suspected biosecurity threats posed by emergency plant pests and other invasive pests and pathogens. Traditionally, the biological specimens needing identification are physically mailed to a dispersed community of taxonomic experts for determination. While effective, this is an expensive, labour‐intensive and slow process, often taking days to receive a confirmed identification. Remote microscopy creates virtual, real‐time networks of experts using web‐based cameras mounted on microscopes that allow interactive access to real‐time images of scientific specimens from anywhere in the world via the Internet. Trials conducted by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Biosecurity New Zealand to test the efficacy of remote microscopy in plant quarantine settings showed that in Australia a diagnosis to a level at which realistic biosecurity decisions could be made occurred on 77% of occasions, while in New Zealand high impact exotic pest status was determined during 92% of the diagnostic events, and regulatory status was determined during 96% of events. These positive results are leading towards the expansion of remote microscopy throughout Australia, New Zealand and into South‐East Asia, as well as widening its role as part of online diagnostic frameworks.
Kattan postoperative nomogram for renal cell carcinoma: Predictive accuracy in a Japanese population
Authors: Suzuki Kazuya , Nishiyama Tsutomu , Hara Noboru , Akazawa Kohei , Takahashi Kota 
Published: January 2011

Objectives:  The aim of the current study was to establish the predictive accuracy of the Kattan postoperative nomogram for non‐metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in a Japanese population.Methods:  A total of 211 patients with stage T1–3N0M0 clear cell RCC who underwent radical nephrectomy or nephron‐sparing surgery between 1991 and 2004 were included in this analysis. Median follow up was 81 months (range: 4–208). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed, and the influence of age, sex, clinical presentation, T stage, histological tumor size, grade, and microvascular invasion on disease recurrence‐free survival (RFS) was determined. For each patient, the prognostic score for 5‐year RFS was calculated using the Kattan nomogram. The discriminating ability of this model was assessed by the concordance index, and bootstrapping was used to evaluate confidence intervals.Results:  The 5‐year RFS rate for all patients calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method was 80.6%. In multivariate analysis, the statistically significant prognostic factors for 5‐year RFS were high‐grade tumors (P = 0.019) and symptomatic disease (P = 0.017). The concordance index for RFS predicted by the Kattan nomogram was 0.735 (95% confidence interval: 0.734–0.736). There was a slight discrepancy between the RFS predicted by the Kattan nomogram and the likelihood of being recurrence‐free at 5 years according to the Cox analysis in the current patient population.Conclusion:  These findings suggest the necessity of constructing a more useful nomogram for predicting the prognosis of Japanese patients with non‐metastatic RCC.
Renal hydatid cyst treatment: Retroperitoneoscopic “closed cyst” pericystectomy
Authors: Ozden Ender , Bostanci Yakup , Mercimek Mehmet Necmettin , Yakupoglu Yarkin Kamil , Yilmaz Ali Faik , Sarıkaya Saban 
Published: January 2011

AbstractCystic hydatid disease is an endemic disease caused by the larval form of Echinococcus spp. Isolated renal involvement is extremely rare. The treatment methods for renal hydatid disease require some form of intervention, ranging from traditional open techniques to laparoscopic techniques. Herein, we present a large hydatid cyst in the lower pole of the left kidney in a 43‐year‐old male patient who was treated by the “closed cyst” method via the retroperitoneal laparoscopic approach to prevent soiling of the peritoneal cavity. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a renal hydatid cyst treated by preserving the renal parenchyma by pericystectomy via the retroperitoneoscopic laparoscopic approach in an adult patient. No complications occurred during the perioperative and postoperative periods. After 9 months of follow up, the patient was asymptomatic with no evidence of clinical recurrence. Retroperitoneoscopic laparoscopic closed cyst pericystectomy can be an alternative minimally invasive treatment technique for the treatment of renal hydatid disease.
Development of auditory‐specific brain rhythm in infants
Authors: Fujioka Takako , Mourad Nasser , Trainor Laurel J. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractHuman infants rapidly develop their auditory perceptual abilities and acquire culture‐specific knowledge in speech and music in the second 6 months of life. In the adult brain, neural rhythm around 10 Hz in the temporal lobes is thought to reflect sound analysis and subsequent cognitive processes such as memory and attention. To study when and how such rhythm emerges in infancy, we examined electroencephaolgram (EEG) recordings in infants 4 and 12 months of age during sound stimulation and silence. In the 4‐month‐olds, the amplitudes of narrowly tuned 4‐Hz brain rhythm, recorded from bilateral temporal electrodes, were modulated by sound stimuli. In the 12‐month‐olds, the sound‐induced modulation occurred at faster 6‐Hz rhythm at temporofrontal locations. The brain rhythms in the older infants consisted of more complex components, as even evident in individual data. These findings suggest that auditory‐specific rhythmic neural activity, which is already established before 6 months of age, involves more speed‐efficient long‐range neural networks by the age of 12 months when long‐term memory for native phoneme representation and for musical rhythmic features is formed. We suggest that maturation of distinct rhythmic components occurs in parallel, and that sensory‐specific functions bound to particular thalamo‐cortical networks are transferred to newly developed higher‐order networks step by step until adult hierarchical neural oscillatory mechanisms are achieved across the whole brain.
Gap junction modulation of hippocampal formation theta and local cell discharges in anesthetized rats
Authors: Bocian Renata , Posluszny Anna , Kowalczyk Tomasz , Kazmierska Paulina , Konopacki Jan 
Published: January 2011

AbstractDuring the past decade experimental evidence has accumulated demonstrating that the electrical communication between neurons through gap junctions (GJs) is a necessary neural mechanism underlying oscillations and synchrony. Here we extended our earlier observations concerning the involvement of GJs in hippocampal theta production. Using trimethylamine, a GJ opener, we demonstrated a reversible increase in theta amplitude and power and an increase in the duration of theta epochs. This effect was accompanied by a decrease in the percentage of recorded theta‐off cells, an increase in the percentage of recorded theta‐on phasic cells, and an increase in the number of rhythmic cell discharges per theta wave. We suggest that all these findings result from an enhanced level of interneuronal excitation, mediated by an increase in the efficacy of local GJ coupling.
Worldwide prevalence estimates of lower urinary tract symptoms, overactive bladder, urinary incontinence and bladder outlet obstruction
Authors: Irwin Debra E. , Kopp Zoe S. , Agatep Barnabie , Milsom Ian , Abrams Paul 
Published: January 2011

Study Type – Symptom prevalence (prospective cohort)Level of Evidence 1bWhat’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?Few prevalence studies used current ICS LUTS symptom definitions and to our knowledge no studies exist that estimate total worldwide prevalence of reported LUTS symptoms. One of the primary goals of this analysis was to estimate current and future worldwide prevalence of LUTS among adults. Our estimation model suggests that LUTS are highly prevalent worldwide, with an increasing burden predicted over time.OBJECTIVE• To estimate and predict worldwide and regional prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), overactive bladder (OAB), urinary incontinence (UI) and LUTS suggestive of bladder outlet obstruction (LUTS/BOO) in 2008, 2013 and 2018 based on current International Continence Society symptom definitions in adults aged ≥20 years.PATIENTS AND METHODS• Numbers and prevalence of individuals affected by each condition were calculated with an estimation model using gender‐ and age‐stratified prevalence data from the EPIC study along with gender‐ and age‐stratified worldwide and regional population estimates from the US Census Bureau International Data Base.RESULTS• An estimated 45.2%, 10.7%, 8.2% and 21.5% of the 2008 worldwide population (4.3 billion) was affected by at least one LUTS, OAB, UI and LUTS/BOO, respectively. By 2018, an estimated 2.3 billion individuals will be affected by at least one LUTS (18.4% increase), 546 million by OAB (20.1%), 423 million by UI (21.6%) and 1.1 billion by LUTS/BOO (18.5%).• The regional burden of these conditions is estimated to be greatest in Asia, with numbers of affected individuals expected to increase most in the developing regions of Africa (30.1–31.1% increase across conditions, 2008–2018), South America (20.5–24.7%) and Asia (19.7–24.4%).CONCLUSIONS• This model suggests that LUTS, OAB, UI and LUTS/BOO are highly prevalent conditions worldwide. Numbers of affected individuals are projected to increase with time, with the greatest increase in burden anticipated in developing regions.• There are important worldwide public‐health and clinical management implications to be considered over the next decade to effectively prevent and manage these conditions.
Strategic Environmental Policy under Free Trade with Transboundary Pollution
Authors: Lapan Harvey E. , Sikdar Shiva 
Published: January 2011

AbstractWe analyze the effects of trade liberalization on environmental policies in a strategic setting when there is transboundary pollution. Trade liberalization can result in a race to the bottom in environmental taxes, which makesbothcountries worse off. This isnot due to the terms of trade motive, but rather the incentive, in a strategic setting, to reduce the incidence of transboundary pollution. With command and control policies (emission quotas), countries are unable to influence foreign emissions by strategic choice of domestic policy; hence, there isnorace to the bottom. However, with internationally tradable quotas, unless pollution is a pure global public bad, there is a race to the bottom in environmental policy. Under free trade, internationally nontradable quotas result in the lowest pollution level andstrictlywelfare‐dominate taxes. The ordering of internationally tradable quotas and pollution taxes depends, among other things, on the degree of international pollution spillovers.
Tariff and Quota Equivalence in Vertically Related Markets
Authors: Hwang Hong , Kao Kuo‐Feng , Peng Cheng‐Hau 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThis paper re‐examines the issue of tariff and quota equivalence by introducing an upstream market into the Hwang and Mai (1988) model, and then allowing the two downstream firms to cross‐haul within each other's market. We assume the upstream monopolist can select either a two‐part or a one‐part tariff pricing strategy. It is found that if the upstream firm adopts a two‐part (one‐part) tariff pricing strategy, then the market price of the final good under a tariff will be higher (lower) than that under an equivalent quota; that is, the quota is set at the import level under the tariff regime. This result stands in stark contrast to the prior findings of both Hwang and Mai (1988) and Fung (1989). Moreover, if the quota rent is set as being equal to the tariff revenue, the social welfare under a tariff will necessarily be lower than that under an equivalent quota.
Imperfect Asset Substitutability and Current Account Dynamics
Authors: Ghosh Indradeep 
Published: January 2011

AbstractIn this paper, we present a model of the current account. The model has two variants, one in which assets are perfectly substitutable in investors' portfolios, and another in which they are not. We examine the responses of these two variants of the model to standard shocks, and show that under imperfect substitutability, a valuation effect comes into play. We focus on the external accounts, and examine the role and strength of these valuation effects. Additionally, the imperfect substitutability case allows us to examine the model's response to an exogenous change in investors's portfolio preferences. The model in this paper provides a framework for understanding the experience of the dollar's real value and of the US current account over the last decade.