bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identifying Areas of High Risk of Human Exposure to Coccidioidomycosis in Texas Using Serology Data from Dogs
Authors: Gautam R. , Srinath I. , Clavijo A. , Szonyi B. , Bani‐Yaghoub M. , Park S. , Ivanek R. 
Published: August 2012

SummaryCoccidioidomycosis or Valley Fever (VF) is an emerging soil‐borne fungal zoonosis affecting humans and animals. Most non‐human cases of VF are found in dogs, which we hypothesize may serve as sentinels for estimating the human exposure risk. The objective of this study is to use the spatial and temporal distribution and clusters of dogs seropositive for VF to define the geographic area in Texas where VF is endemic, and thus presents a higher risk of exposure to humans. The included specimens were seropositive dogs tested at a major diagnostic laboratory between 1999 and 2009. Data were aggregated by zip code and smoothed by empirical Bayesian estimation to develop an isopleth map of VF seropositive rates using kriging. Clusters of seropositive dogs were identified using the spatial scan test. Both the isopleth map and the scan test identified an area with a high rate of VF‐seropositive dogs in the western and southwestern parts of Texas (relative risk = 31). This location overlapped an area that was previously identified as a potential endemic region based on human surveys. Together, these data suggest that dogs may serve as sentinels for estimating the risk of human exposure to VF.
Antiviral Immune Responses of Bats: A Review
Authors: Baker M. L. , Schountz T. , Wang L.‐F. 
Published: August 2012

SummaryDespite being the second most species‐rich and abundant group of mammals, bats are also among the least studied, with a particular paucity of information in the area of bat immunology. Although bats have a long history of association with rabies, the emergence and re‐emergence of a number of viruses from bats that impact human and animal health has resulted in a resurgence of interest in bat immunology. Understanding how bats coexist with viruses in the absence of disease is essential if we are to begin to develop therapeutics to target viruses in humans and susceptible livestock and companion animals. Here, we review the current status of knowledge in the field of bat antiviral immunology including both adaptive and innate mechanisms of immune defence and highlight the need for further investigations in this area. Because data in this field are so limited, our discussion is based on both scientific discoveries and theoretical predictions. It is hoped that by provoking original, speculative or even controversial ideas or theories, this review may stimulate further research in this important field. Efforts to understand the immune systems of bats have been greatly facilitated in recent years by the availability of partial genome sequences from two species of bats, a megabat, Pteropus vampyrus, and a microbat, Myotis lucifugus, allowing the rapid identification of immune genes. Although bats appear to share most features of the immune system with other mammals, several studies have reported qualitative and quantitative differences in the immune responses of bats. These observations warrant further investigation to determine whether such differences are associated with the asymptomatic nature of viral infections in bats.
Hantavirus Infection among Wild Small Mammals in Vellore, South India
Authors: Chandy S. , Ulrich R. G. , Schlegel M. , Petraityte R. , Sasnauskas K. , Prakash D. J. , Balraj V. , Abraham P. , Sridharan G. 
Published: August 2012

SummaryWild indigenous small mammals including 83 rodents (bandicoot and black rats, and house mice) and a shrew captured from multiple sites in Vellore, south India, were tested for serological and molecular evidence of hantavirus infection. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using Hantaan virus (HTNV) antigen indicated hantavirus‐reactive antibodies in 16 (19.3%) of 83 rodents (bandicoot and black rats). Western blot (WB) using Thailand virus (THAIV) antigen confirmed hantavirus‐reactive antibodies in nine of the 16 HTNV IFA‐positive rodents. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) of lung and kidney tissue of captured mammals resulted in the detection of partial S segment sequence in a bandicoot rat. This study complements our earlier reports on hantavirus epidemiology in south India and documents first laboratory evidence for rodent‐associated hantaviruses in south India.
A novel enzyme‐dependent melatonin metabolite in humans
Authors: Li Chaoyue , Li Guangming , Tan Dun‐Xian , Li Feng , Ma Xiaochao 
Published: August 2012

AbstractExogenous melatonin is widely used in humans for multiple pharmacologic purposes. The metabolic pathways of melatonin reflect the fate and functions of melatonin in vivo. This study was designed to re‐profile melatonin metabolism in humans using a metabolomic approach. In the urine of healthy subjects treated with 10 mg melatonin, sulfate‐ or glucuronide‐conjugated metabolites of melatonin were detected, including 6‐hydroxymelatonin sulfate, 6‐hydroxymelatonin glucuronide, N‐acetylserotonin glucuronide, N‐acetylserotonin sulfate, and an unknown sulfated metabolite (X). The molecular weight of metabolite X was 14 Da smaller than 6‐hydroxymelatonin sulfate, but 16 Da larger than N‐acetylserotonin sulfate. Further studies suggest that metabolite X was produced via O‐demethylation, 6‐hydroxylation, and sulfation. The antioxidant products of melatonin, N(1)‐acetyl‐N(2)‐formyl‐5‐methoxykynuramine and N(1)‐acetyl‐5‐methoxy‐kynuramine, were not detected in human urine. In summary, this study provided a global view of melatonin metabolism in humans and extended our knowledge of enzyme‐dependent pathways of melatonin metabolism.
Long‐term Aβ exposure augments mCa2+‐independent mROS‐mediated depletion of cardiolipin for the shift of a lethal transient mitochondrial permeability transition to its permanent mode in NARP cybrids: a protective targeting of melatonin
Authors: Hsiao Chia‐Wei , Peng Tsung‐I. , Peng Alexander C. , Reiter Russel J. , Tanaka Masashi , Lai Yiu‐Kay , Jou Mei‐Jie 
Published: August 2012

AbstractMitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of amyloid β‐peptide (Aβ)‐induced neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study investigated whether mtDNA T8993G mutation‐induced complex V inhibition, clinically associated with neurological muscle weakness, ataxia, and retinitis pigmentosa (NARP), is a potential risk factor for AD and the pathological link for long‐term exposure of Aβ‐induced mitochondrial toxicity and apoptosis in NARP cybrids. Using noninvasive fluorescence probe–coupled laser scanning imaging microscopy and NARP cybrids harboring 98% mutant genes along with its parental 143B osteosarcoma cells, we demonstrated that Aβ‐augmented mitochondrial Ca2+ (mCa2+)‐independent mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) formation for a cardiolipin (CL, a major mitochondrial protective phospholipid)‐dependent lethal modulation of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). Aβ augmented not only the amount but also the propagation rate of mROS‐induced mROS formation to significantly depolarize mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψm) and reduce mCa2+ stress. Aβ‐augmented mROS oxidized and depleted CL, thereby enhances mitochondrial fission and movement retardation, which promoted the NARP‐augmented lethal transient‐MPT (t‐MPT) to switch to its irreversible mode of permanent‐MPT (p‐MPT). Interestingly, melatonin, a multiple mitochondrial protector, markedly reduced Aβ‐augmented mROS formation and therefore significantly reduced mROS‐mediated depolarization of ∆Ψm, fission of mitochondria and retardation of mitochondrial movement to stabilize CL and hence the MPT. In the presence of melatonin, Aβ‐promoted p‐MPT was reversed to a protective t‐MPT, which preserved ∆Ψm and lowered elevated mCa2+ to sublethal levels for an enhanced mCa2+‐dependent O2 consumption. Thus, melatonin may potentially rescue AD patients associated with NARP symptoms.
High levels of melatonin generated during the brewing process
Authors: Garcia‐Moreno H. , Calvo J. R. , Maldonado M. D. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractBeer is a beverage consumed worldwide. It is produced from cereals (barley or wheat) and contains a wide array of bioactive phytochemicals and nutraceutical compounds. Specifically, high melatonin concentrations have been found in beer. Beers with high alcohol content are those that present the greatest concentrations of melatonin and vice versa. In this study, gel filtration chromatography and ELISA were combined for melatonin determination. We brewed beer to determine, for the first time, the beer production steps in which melatonin appears. We conclude that the barley, which is malted and ground in the early process, and the yeast, during the second fermentation, are the largest contributors to the enrichment of the beer with melatonin.
Highly selective inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase by a novel melatonin–tacrine heterodimers
Authors: Zawadzka Anna , Łozińska Iwona , Molęda Zuzanna , Panasiewicz Mirosława , Czarnocki Zbigniew 
Published: August 2012

AbstractNovel inhibitors of cholinesterases, especially butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), were obtained by coupling melatonin–tacrine heterodimers via the carbamate bond. Compounds 14a‐i possessed potent cholinesterase inhibitory activity (with IC50 values as low as 1.18 nm for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and 0.24 nm for butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE)). These heterodimers exhibit selectivity toward BuChE, being from 4‐ to 256‐fold more active toward BuChE than AChE, but still acting as better AChE inhibitors than tacrine 4.
An approach to identify, from DCE MRI, significant subvolumes of tumors related to outcomes in advanced head‐and‐neck cancera)
Authors: Wang Peng , Popovtzer Aron , Eisbruch Avraham , Cao Yue 
Published: August 2012

Purpose:To develop and investigate a method to identify, from dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI, significant subvolumes of tumors related to treatment outcomes.Methods:A method, called global‐initiated regularized local fuzzy clustering, was proposed to identify subvolumes of head‐and‐neck cancers (HNC) from heterogeneous distributions of tumor blood volume (BV) and blood flow (BF) for assessment of therapy response. BV and BF images, derived from DCE MRI, of 14 patients with advanced HNC were obtained before treatment and 2 weeks after the start of 7‐week chemoradiation therapy (chemo‐RT). The delineated subvolumes of tumors with low BV or BF before and during treatment were evaluated for their associations with local failure (LF). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess performance of the method for prediction of local failure of HNC.Results:The sizes of the subvolumes of primary tumors with low BV, delineated by our method before and week 2 during treatment, were significantly greater in the patients with LF than with local control (LC) (p = 0.02 for pre‐RT and 0.01 for week 2). While the total primary tumor volumes were reduced from baseline to week 2 during therapy to a similar extent for both the patients with LF and LC, the percentage decreases in the subvolumes of the primary tumors with low BV in the same time interval were significantly smaller for the patients with LF than those with LC (p < 0.05). ROC analysis shows that for any given sensitivity, the subvolume of the tumor with low BV week 2 during treatment has greater specificity for prediction of local failure than the pretreatment total tumor volume, the percentage change in the tumor volume week 2 during treatment, or the change in the averaged BV values of the entire tumor week 2 during therapy.Conclusions:We developed a method to identify the significant subvolumes of primary tumors related to local failure. Large poorly perfused subvolumes of primary or nodal HNC before treatment and persisting during the early course of chemo‐RT have the potential for prediction of local or regional failure, and could be candidates for local dose intensification.
Magnitude of speed of sound aberration corrections for ultrasound image guided radiotherapy for prostate and other anatomical sites
Authors: Fontanarosa Davide , van der Meer Skadi , Bloemen‐van Gurp Esther , Stroian Gabriela , Verhaegen Frank 
Published: August 2012

Purpose:The purpose of this work is to assess the magnitude of speed of sound (SOS) aberrations in three‐dimensional ultrasound (US) imaging systems in image guided radiotherapy. The discrepancy between the fixed SOS value of 1540 m/s assumed by US systems in human soft tissues and its actual nonhomogeneous distribution in patients produces small but systematic errors of up to a few millimeters in the positions of scanned structures.Methods:A correction, provided by a previously published density‐based algorithm, was applied to a set of five prostate, five liver, and five breast cancer patients. The shifts of the centroids of target structures and the change in shape were evaluated.Results:After the correction the prostate cases showed shifts up to 3.6 mm toward the US probe, which may explain largely the reported positioning discrepancies in the literature on US systems versus other imaging modalities. Liver cases showed the largest changes in volume of the organ, up to almost 9%, and shifts of the centroids up to more than 6 mm either away or toward the US probe. Breast images showed systematic small shifts of the centroids toward the US probe with a maximum magnitude of 1.3 mm.Conclusions:The applied correction in prostate and liver cancer patients shows positioning errors of several mm due to SOS aberration; the errors are smaller in breast cancer cases, but possibly becoming more important when breast tissue thickness increases.
Dosimetric aspects of inverse‐planned modulated‐arc total‐body irradiation
Authors: Held Mareike , Kirby Neil , Morin Olivier , Pouliot Jean 
Published: August 2012

Purpose:To develop optimal beam parameters and to verify the dosimetric aspects of the recently developed modulated‐arc total‐body irradiation (MATBI) technique, which delivers an inverse‐planned dose to the entire body using gantry rotation.Methods:The patient is positioned prone and supine underneath the gantry at about 2 m source‐to‐surface distance (SSD). Then, up to 28 beams irradiate the patient from different gantry angles. Based on full‐body computed‐tomography (CT) images of the patient, the weight of each beam is optimized, using inverse planning, to create a uniform body dose. This study investigates how to best simulate patients and the ideal beam setup parameters, such as field size, number of beams, and beam geometry, for treatment time and dose homogeneity. In addition, three anthropomorphic water phantoms were constructed and utilized to verify the accuracy of dose delivery, with both diode array and ion chamber measurements. Furthermore, to improve the accuracy of the new technique, a beam model is created specifically for the extended‐SSD positioning for MATBI.Results:Low dose CT scans can be utilized for dose calculations without affecting the accuracy. The largest field size of 40 × 40 cm2 was found to deliver the most uniform dose in the least amount of time. Moreover, a higher number of beams improves dose homogeneity. The average dose discrepancy between ion chamber measurements and extended‐SSD beam model calculations was 1.2%, with the largest discrepancy being 3.2%. This average dose discrepancy was 1.4% with the standard beam model for delivery at isocenter.Conclusions:The optimum beam setup parameters, regarding dose uniformity and treatment duration, are laid out for modulated‐arc TBI. In addition, the presented dose measurements show that these treatments can be delivered accurately. These measurements also indicated that a new beam model did not significantly improve the accuracy of dose calculations. The optimum beam setup parameters along with the measurements performed to ensure accurate dose delivery serve as a useful guide for the clinical implementation of MATBI.
Daily Quality Control in CD3+and CD4+T Cell Estimation by the FACSCount System at a Tertiary Care Center in South India
Authors: Ramalingam Veena V. , Mani Monika , Sundaresan Vijayanand C. , Karunaiya Ramesh J. , Sachithanandham Jaiprasath , Kannangai Rajesh 
Published: August 2012

ABSTRACTCD4+T cell count estimations are subject to high variations; hence, in this study, the previous day's tested samples were included routinely as the internal quality controls. The percentages of variation of the 2-day values were analyzed for 280 observations and the mean variation for CD4+and CD3+T cell counts ranged from 5.21% to 9.66%. This method is a good internal quality control (IQC) procedure for the estimation of CD3+and CD4+T cell counts in resource-poor settings.
The DBA/1 Strain Is a Novel Mouse Model for Experimental Borrelia burgdorferi Infection
Authors: Campfield Brian T. , Nolder Christi L. , Davis Amy , Hirsch Raphael , Nowalk Andrew J. 
Published: August 2012

ABSTRACTLyme arthritis, caused byBorrelia burgdorferi, has similarities to rheumatoid arthritis and its experimental murine model, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Currently, no common strain exists for examination of arthritis models of Lyme arthritis and CIA, which are typically studied in C3H/HeJ and DBA/1 mice, respectively. The aim of this study was to define the characteristics ofBorrelia burgdorferiinfection and arthritis in the DBA/1 murine strain. Murine Lyme arthritis was induced in C3H/HeJ and DBA/1 mice by subcutaneous infection withB. burgdorferi. Tibiotarsal joints were measured during infection, and mice were sacrificed for histologic, microbiologic, and serologic analysis on days 14 and 42 postinfection. All bladder cultures obtained from C3H/HeJ and DBA/1 mice at 14 days postinfection grewBorrelia. There was no significant difference in spirochetal burdens in hearts and tibiotarsal joints at days 14 and 42 postinfection. Tibiotarsal joint swelling and histologic scoring were not significantly different between the two strains. Serologic analysis revealed increased IgG2a production in C3H/HeJ mice compared to DBA/1 mice. Analysis of 2-dimensional immunoblots revealed several specific antigens (LA7, BBA03, BBA64, BBA73, OspA, and VlsE) which were not recognized by DBA/1 sera. We conclude that the DBA/1 murine strain is a suitable model for the study of Lyme arthritis and experimentalB. burgdorferiinfection, allowing direct comparison between Lyme arthritis and collagen-induced arthritis. The specificity of the humoral immune response differs between the two strains, further study of which may reveal important findings about how individual strains respond toB. burgdorferiinfection.
Safety and Immunogenicity of a Meningococcal Quadrivalent Conjugate Vaccine in Five- to Eight-Year-Old Saudi Arabian Children Previously Vaccinated with Two Doses of a Meningococcal Quadrivalent Polysaccharide Vaccine
Authors: Khalil Mohamed , Al-Mazrou Yagob , Findlow Helen , Chadha Helen , Bosch Castells Valerie , Johnson David R. , Borrow Ray 
Published: August 2012

ABSTRACTSaudi Arabian children respond poorly to 2 doses of meningococcal quadrivalent polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4) when given before 2 years of age. This study examined whether such children were able to respond to 1 dose of quadrivalent meningococcal diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine (MCV4) when they were older. Saudi Arabian children 5 to 8 years of age who had previously been vaccinated with 2 doses of MPSV4 when they were under 2 years of age (termed the prior-MPSV4 group) were enrolled in a controlled, open-label, multicenter study. In the prior-MPSV4 group, children (n= 153) received 1 dose of MCV4, as did a group of age-matched meningococcal vaccine-naïve children (n= 85). Blood samples collected prevaccination and 28 days postvaccination were measured for serogroup-specific serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) levels in the presence of baby rabbit complement (rSBA) and for IgG antibody levels. Vaccine tolerability and safety were also evaluated. For all of the measured serogroups (A, C, Y, and W-135), the meningococcal vaccine-naïve participants achieved higher postvaccination rSBA geometric mean titers (GMTs) than did those in the prior-MPSV4 group. This was statistically significant for serogroup C (512 versus 167). Percentages of participants with postvaccination titers of ≥8 and with ≥4-fold increases in prevaccination to postvaccination titers appeared to be quite similar in the 2 groups. No worrisome safety signals were detected. MCV4 induced robust immune responses and was well tolerated in Saudi Arabian children who previously received 2 doses of MPSV4 as well as in those who were previously meningococcal vaccine naïve.
Activation-Induced FoxP3 Expression Regulates Cytokine Production in Conventional T Cells Stimulated with Autologous Dendritic Cells
Authors: Cavatorta Derek J. , Erb Hollis N. , Felippe M. Julia 
Published: August 2012

ABSTRACTA defining feature of dendritic cells (DCs) is their ability to induce the proliferation of autologous T cells in the absence of foreign antigen—a process termed the “autologous mixed leukocyte reaction” (AMLR). We report that equine monocyte-derived DCs, but not macrophages, are potent inducers of the AMLR. The response is contact dependent and major histocompatibility complex class II dependent and primarily involves CD3+CD4+CD8−T cells. Upon stimulation with DCs or the mitogen concanavalin A, a subset of the proliferating T cells expresses the regulatory T-cell (Treg) transcription factor FoxP3. Although many of these FoxP3+T cells are capable of producing the effector cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ), they are more likely to produce IL-10 and less likely to produce IFN-γ than equivalent FoxP3−cells. Therefore, FoxP3 expression is an inherent component of equine T cell activation and is associated with a more immunosuppressive cytokine profile. These results confirm that FoxP3 expression in the horse, in contrast to the mouse, is regulated similarly to FOXP3 expression in humans and provide evidence that FoxP3 expression by conventional T cells may help regulate the developing immune response.
Multiplex Assay Detection of Immunoglobulin G Antibodies That Recognize Babesia microti Antigens
Authors: Priest Jeffrey W. , Moss Delynn M. , Won Kimberly , Todd Charles W. , Henderson Leslie , Jones Cara C. , Wilson Marianna 
Published: August 2012

ABSTRACT

Human babesiosis, a blood-borne infection caused by several species of
Babesia
, including
B. microti
, is an emerging disease that is endemic in the Northeast, upper Midwest, and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States. Risk factors for babesiosis include exposure to the infected tick vector and blood transfusions from infected donors. In this work, we cloned and expressed two of the immunodominant antigens from
B. microti
and used them in a multiplex bead format assay (MBA) to detect parasite-specific IgG responses in human sera. The MBA using recombinant
B. microti
secreted antigen 1 (BmSA1) protein was more specific (100%) and slightly more sensitive (98.7%) than the assay using a truncated recombinant BMN1-17 construct (97.6% and 97.4%, respectively). Although some antibody reactivity was observed among sera from confirmed-malaria patients, only one
Plasmodium falciparum
sample was simultaneously positive for IgG antibodies to both antigens. Neither antigen reacted with sera from babesiosis patients who were infected with
Babesia
species other than
B. microti
. Both positive and negative MBA results were reproducible between assays and between instruments. Additional studies of these recombinant antigens and of the multiplex bead assay using blood samples from clinically defined babesiosis patients and from blood donors are needed to more clearly define their usefulness as a blood screening assay.