bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Molecular Methods To Improve Diagnosis and Identification of Mucormycosis
Authors: Hammond Sarah P. , Bialek Ralf , Milner Danny A. , Petschnigg Eva M. , Baden Lindsey R. , Marty Francisco M. 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT
Mucormycosis is difficult to diagnose. Samples from suspected cases often fail to grow Mucorales in microbiologic cultures. We identified all hematologic malignancy and stem cell transplant patients diagnosed with proven mucormycosis between 2001 and 2009 at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Seminested PCR targeting Mucorales 18S ribosomal DNA and sequencing were performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples. Of 29 cases of mucormycosis, 27 had tissue samples available for PCR and sequencing. Mucorales PCR was positive in 22. Among 12 culture-positive cases, 10 were PCR positive and sequencing was concordant with culture results to the genus level in 9. Among 15 culture-negative cases, PCR was positive and sequencing allowed genus identification in 12. Mucorales PCR is useful for confirmation of the diagnosis of mucormycosis and for further characterization of the infection in cases where cultures are negative.
Evaluation and Clinical Validation of an Alcohol-Based Transport Medium for Preservation and Inactivation of Respiratory Viruses
Authors: Luinstra Kathy , Petrich Astrid , Castriciano Santina , Ackerman Mona , Chong Sylvia , Carruthers Susan , Ammons Brenna , Mahony James B. , Smieja Marek 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT
The clinical and public health importance of influenza and other respiratory viruses has accelerated the development of highly sensitive molecular diagnostics, but data are limited regarding preanalytical stages of diagnostic testing. We evaluated CyMol, an alcohol-based transport medium, for its ability to maintain specimen integrity for up to 21 days of storage at various temperatures; for its ability to inactivate virus; and for its compatibility with antigen- or nucleic acid-based diagnostics for respiratory viruses in clinical samples. In mock-infected samples, both universal transport medium (UTM-RT) and CyMol maintained equivalent viral quantities for at least 14 days at room temperature or colder, whereas a dry swab collection maintained viral quantities only if refrigerated or frozen. CyMol inactivated influenza virus within 5 min of sample immersion. UTM-RT- and CyMol-collected nasal swab specimens from 73 symptomatic students attending a campus health clinic were positive for a respiratory virus in 56.2% of subjects by multiplex PCR testing, including influenza A and B viruses, rhinovirus/enteroviruses, coronaviruses, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza viruses, metapneumovirus, and adenovirus. Detection by PCR was equivalent in UTM-RT- and CyMol-collected specimens and in self- and staff-collected swabs. Direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) testing was substantially less sensitive (23.3%) than multiplex PCR, and DFA testing from UTM-RT-collected swabs was more sensitive than that from CyMol-collected swabs. These data indicate that an alcohol-based transport medium such as CyMol preserves respiratory virus integrity, rapidly inactivates viruses, and is compatible with PCR-based respiratory diagnostics.
Characterization of Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Patients with Diarrhea in São Paulo, Brazil: Identification of Intermediate Virulence Factor Profiles by Multiplex PCR
Authors: Liebchen Ariane , Benz Inga , Mellmann Alexander , Karch Helge , Gomes Tânia A. T. , Yamamoto Denise , Hernandes Rodrigo T. , Sampaio Jorge , Sampaio Suely C. F. , Fruth Angelika , Schmidt M. Alexander 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

Intestinal pathogenic
Escherichia coli
is a major causative agent of severe diarrhea. In this study the prevalences of different pathotypes among 702
E. coli
isolates from Brazilian patients with diarrhea were determined by multiplex PCR. Interestingly, most strains were enteroaggregative
E. coli
(EAEC) strains, followed by atypical EPEC (ATEC) strains. Classical enteropathogenic
E. coli
(EPEC) strains were not detected.
Fourteen-Genome Comparison Identifies DNA Markers for Severe-Disease-Associated Strains of Clostridium difficile
Authors: Forgetta Vincenzo , Oughton Matthew T. , Marquis Pascale , Brukner Ivan , Blanchette Ruth , Haub Kevin , Magrini Vince , Mardis Elaine R. , Gerding Dale N. , Loo Vivian G. , Miller Mark A. , Mulvey Michael R. , Rupnik Maja , Dascal Andre , Dewar Ken 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

Clostridium difficile
is a common cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitalized patients. A severe and increased incidence of
C. difficile
infection (CDI) is associated predominantly with the NAP1 strain; however, the existence of other severe-disease-associated (SDA) strains and the extensive genetic diversity across
C. difficile
complicate reliable detection and diagnosis. Comparative genome analysis of 14 sequenced genomes, including those of a subset of NAP1 isolates, allowed the assessment of genetic diversity within and between strain types to identify DNA markers that are associated with severe disease. Comparative genome analysis of 14 isolates, including five publicly available strains, revealed that
C. difficile
has a core genome of 3.4 Mb, comprising ∼3,000 genes. Analysis of the core genome identified candidate DNA markers that were subsequently evaluated using a multistrain panel of 177 isolates, representing more than 50 pulsovars and 8 toxinotypes. A subset of 117 isolates from the panel had associated patient data that allowed assessment of an association between the DNA markers and severe CDI. We identified 20 candidate DNA markers for species-wide detection and 10,683 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the predominant SDA strain (NAP1). A species-wide detection candidate marker, the
sspA
gene, was found to be the same across 177 sequenced isolates and lacked significant similarity to those of other species. Candidate SNPs in genes CD1269 and CD1265 were found to associate more closely with disease severity than currently used diagnostic markers, as they were also present in the toxin A-negative and B-positive (A-B+) strain types. The genetic markers identified illustrate the potential of comparative genomics for the discovery of diagnostic DNA-based targets that are species specific or associated with multiple SDA strains.
Chronic Rhinofacial Mucormycosis Caused by Mucor irregularis (Rhizomucor variabilis) in India
Authors: Hemashettar B. M. , Patil R. N. , O'Donnell Kerry , Chaturvedi Vishnu , Ren Ping , Padhye Arvind A. 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

In this article, we describe a chronic case of rhinofacial mucormycosis caused by
Mucor irregularis
, formerly known as
Rhizomucor variabilis
var.
variabilis
, a rare mycotic agent in humans. The infection caused progressive destruction of the nasal septum and soft and hard palate, leading to collapse of the nose bridge and an ulcerative gaping hole. The mucoralean mold cultured from a nasal biopsy specimen was determined by multilocus DNA sequence data to be conspecific with
M. irregularis
.
Gender differences in the knee adduction moment after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery
Authors: Webster Kate E , McClelland Jodie A , Palazzolo Simon E , Santamaria Luke J , Feller Julian A 
Published: April 2011

BackgroundThe external knee adduction moment during gait has previously been associated with knee pain and osteoarthritis (OA). Recently, the knee adduction moment has been shown to be increased following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery and has been suggested as a potential mechanism for the progression of early onset knee OA in this population. No study has investigated the gender differences in gait biomechanics following ACL reconstruction.AimTo examine gender differences in gait biomechanics following ACL reconstruction surgery.Methods36 subjects (18 females, 18 males) who had previously undergone ACL reconstruction surgery (mean time since surgery 20 months) underwent gait analysis at a self-selected walking speed. Males and females were well matched for age, time since surgery and walking speed. Maximum flexion and adduction angles and moments were recorded during the stance phase of level walking and compared between the male and female groups.ResultsThe knee adduction moment was 23% greater in the female compared with the male ACL group. No gender differences were seen in the sagittal plane. No differences were seen between the reconstructed and contralateral limb.ConclusionThe higher knee adduction moment seen in females compared with males may suggest an increased risk for the development of OA in ACL-reconstructed females.
Hospital admissions for neurological and renal diseases among dentists and dental assistants occupationally exposed to mercury
Authors: Thygesen Lau Caspar , Flachs Esben Meulengracht , Hanehøj Kirsten , Kjuus Helge , Juel Knud 
Published: April 2011

ObjectivesFor many years an amalgam containing metallic mercury, which has been associated with neurological and renal diseases, has been used in dentistry. In this nationwide study we compared hospital admissions due to neurological and renal diseases among dentists and dental assistants to admissions in controls.MethodsThis register-based cohort study included all Danish workers employed in dental clinics, general practitioners' clinics or lawyers' offices between 1964 and 2006. We compared dentists with general practitioners and lawyers, and dental assistants with medical secretaries, nurses and legal secretaries. We also compared dentists and dental assistants employed during periods with high occupational mercury exposure with dentists and dental assistants employed during periods with less mercury exposure. We followed all subjects in a nationwide register of hospital admissions. We analysed risk of neurological diseases, Parkinson's disease and renal diseases using a Cox regression model.ResultsThe cohort consisted of 122 481 workers including 5371 dentists and 33 858 dental assistants. For neurological diseases, no association was observed for dental assistants, while for dentists an increasing risk for periods with less mercury exposure was observed. Among dental assistants, a negative association between employment length and risk of neurological disease was observed. Admissions for renal disease among dental assistants were increased during periods with less mercury exposure compared with controls. For dentists a non-significant increased risk was observed between employment length and renal disease risk.ConclusionsOur nationwide study does not indicate that occupational exposure to mercury increases the risk of hospital admissions for neurological, Parkinson's or renal diseases.
Results of a national mass media campaign in India to warn against the dangers of smokeless tobacco consumption
Authors: Murukutla Nandita , Turk Tahir , Prasad C V S , Saradhi Ranjana , Kaur Jagdish , Gupta Shefali , Mullin Sandra , Ram Faujdar , Gupta Prakash C , Wakefield Melanie 
Published: April 2011

ObjectiveSmokeless tobacco consumption in India is a significant source of morbidity and mortality. In order to educate smokeless tobacco users about the health harms of smokeless tobacco and to denormalise tobacco usage and encourage quitting, a national television and radio mass media campaign targeted at smokeless tobacco users was aired for 6 weeks during November and December 2009.MethodsThe campaign was evaluated with a nationally representative household survey of smokeless tobacco users (n=2898). The effect of campaign awareness was assessed with logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe campaign affected smokeless tobacco users as intended: 63% of smokeless-only users and 72% of dual users (ie, those who consumed both smoking and smokeless forms) recalled the campaign advertisement, primarily through television delivery. The vast majority (over 70%) of those aware of the campaign said that it made them stop and think, was relevant to their lives and provided new information. 75% of smokeless-only users and 77% of dual users said that it made them feel concerned about their habit. Campaign awareness was associated with better knowledge, more negative attitudes towards smokeless tobacco and greater cessation-oriented intentions and behaviours among smokeless tobacco users.ConclusionsSocial marketing campaigns that utilise mass media are feasible and efficacious interventions for tobacco control in India. Implications for future mass media tobacco control programming in India are discussed.
FoxM1 in Tumorigenicity of the Neuroblastoma Cells and Renewal of the Neural Progenitors
Authors: Wang Zebin , Park Hyun Jung , Carr Janai R. , Chen Yi-ju , Zheng Yu , li Jing , Tyner Angela L. , Costa Robert H. , Bagchi Srilata , Raychaudhuri Pradip 
Published: April 2011

Abstract
Malignant neuroblastomas contain stem-like cells. These tumors also overexpress the Forkhead box transcription factor FoxM1. In this study, we investigated the roles of FoxM1 in the tumorigenicity of neuroblastoma. We showed that depletion of FoxM1 inhibits anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenicity in mouse xenografts. Moreover, knockdown of FoxM1 induces differentiation in neuroblastoma cells, suggesting that FoxM1 plays a role in the maintenance of the undifferentiated progenitor population. We showed that inhibition of FoxM1 in malignant neuroblastoma cells leads to the downregulation of the pluripotency genes sex determining region Y box 2 (Sox2) and Bmi1. We provided evidence that FoxM1 directly activates expression of Sox2 in neuroblastoma cells. By using a conditional deletion system and neurosphere cultures, we showed that FoxM1 is important for expression of Sox2 and Bmi1 in the mouse neural stem/progenitor cells and is critical for its self-renewal. Together, our observations suggested that FoxM1 plays an important role in the tumorigenicity of the aggressive neuroblastoma cells through maintenance of the undifferentiated state. Cancer Res; 71(12); 4292–302. ©2011 AACR.
The Interdependence of Tonal and Durational Cues in the Perception of Rhythmic Groups
Authors: Cumming Ruth E. 
Published: April 2011

Abstract
This experiment investigated whether rising fundamental frequency (f0) and increased duration are interdependent perceptual cues to rhythmic groups in speech, and whether this depends on listeners’ native language. In a twoalternative forced- choice decision task, listeners had to indicate whether they perceived a 3 + 2 or 2 + 3 grouping in 5- syllable- long series of various digits and letters, in which f0 and duration were manipulated in the second and/or third syllable. The listeners were native speakers of Swiss German, Swiss French, or French. These languages differ from each other in terms of prosodic properties involving f0 and duration. The results demonstrate that rising f0 and increased duration are interdependent cues to rhythmic groups, since the two cues were significantly more effective than one when heard simultaneously, but significantly less effective than one when heard in conflicting positions around the rhythmic- group boundary location. Moreover, listeners’ native language influenced whether f0 or duration was the more effective cue. These findings are important not only for their insight into the perception of prosodic groups in speech, but also because they have implications for current research on speech rhythm.
Considerations in the Selection of Global Climate Models for Regional Climate Projections: The Arctic as a Case Study*
Authors: Overland James E. , Wang Muyin , Bond Nicholas A. , Walsh John E. , Kattsov Vladimir M. , Chapman William L. 
Published: April 2011

Abstract
Climate projections at regional scales are in increased demand from management agencies and other stakeholders. While global atmosphere–ocean climate models provide credible quantitative estimates of future climate at continental scales and above, individual model performance varies for different regions, variables, and evaluation metrics—a less than satisfying situation. Using the high-latitude Northern Hemisphere as a focus, the authors assess strategies for providing regional projections based on global climate models. Starting with a set of model results obtained from an “ensemble of opportunity,” the core of this procedure is to retain a subset of models through comparisons of model simulations with observations at both continental and regional scales. The exercise is more one of model culling than model selection. The continental-scale evaluation is a check on the large-scale climate physics of the models, and the regional-scale evaluation emphasizes variables of ecological or societal relevance. An additional consideration is given to the comprehensiveness of processes included in the models. In many but not all applications, different results are obtained from a reduced set of models compared to relying on the simple mean of all available models. For example, in the Arctic the top-performing models tend to be more sensitive to greenhouse forcing than the poorer-performing models. Because of the mostly unexplained inconsistencies in model performance under different selection criteria, simple and transparent evaluation methods are favored. The use of a single model is not recommended. For some applications, no model may be able to provide a suitable regional projection. The use of model evaluation strategies, as opposed to relying on simple averages of ensembles of opportunity, should be part of future synthesis activities such as the upcoming Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Simulations of Contrail Optical Properties and Radiative Forcing for Various Crystal Shapes
Authors: Markowicz Krzysztof M. , Witek Marcin L. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThe aim of this study is to investigate the sensitivity of radiative-forcing computations to various contrail crystal shape models. Contrail optical properties in the shortwave and longwave ranges are derived using a ray-tracing geometric method and the discrete dipole approximation method, respectively. Both methods present good correspondence of the single-scattering albedo and the asymmetry parameter in a transition range (3–8μm). There are substantial differences in single-scattering properties among 10 crystal models investigated here (e.g., hexagonal columns and plates with different aspect ratios, and spherical particles). The single-scattering albedo and the asymmetry parameter both vary by up to 0.1 among various crystal shapes. The computed single-scattering properties are incorporated in the moderate-resolution atmospheric radiance and transmittance model (MODTRAN) radiative transfer code to simulate solar and infrared fluxes at the top of the atmosphere. Particle shapes have a strong impact on the contrail radiative forcing in both the shortwave and longwave ranges. The differences in the net radiative forcing among optical models reach 50% with respect to the mean model value. The hexagonal-column and hexagonal-plate particles show the smallest net radiative forcing, and the largest forcing is obtained for the spheres. The balance between the shortwave forcing and longwave forcing is highly sensitive with respect to the assumed crystal shape and may even change the sign of the net forcing. The optical depth at which the mean diurnal radiative forcing changes sign from positive to negative varies from 4.5 to 10 for a surface albedo of 0.2 and from 2 to 6.5 for a surface albedo of 0.05. Contrails are probably never that optically thick (except for some aged contrail cirrus), however, and so will not have a cooling effect on climate.
Surface Fluctuations Associated with Tropical Cyclone Rainbands Observed near Taiwan during 2000–08
Authors: Yu Cheng-Ku , Chen Ying 
Published: April 2011

Abstract
With radar measurements and temporally high-resolution surface observations, this study investigates surface fluctuations associated with tropical cyclone rainbands (TCRs) observed in the vicinity of Taiwan during 2000–08. A total of 263 TCRs identified from 37 typhoon events during the study period were analyzed to show the mean and common nature of perturbations of various meteorological variables associated with the passage of TCRs.
The main patterns of surface thermodynamic fluctuations, as revealed from the composite analysis of all identified TCRs, include a persistent decrease in temperature, dewpoint temperature, and equivalent potential temperature θe from the outer to inner edge of the rainband. A wavelike variation of pressure perturbations associated with the rainband was evident, with a minimum coincident with the outer edge and a maximum located inside the inner edge. The kinematics of the rainband was characterized by an obvious decrease in cross-band wind component, relatively minor variations in along-band wind component, and the wind veering. Quantitative analyses indicate that the majority of the TCRs (~80%–90%) exhibited variations in surface temperature, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction less than 2°C, 1.5 mb, 5 m s−1, and 20°, respectively. However, a clear trend of the magnitude of TCR thermodynamic fluctuations increasing with the radial distance from the tropical cyclone center was observed.
The TCRs identified in this study were also classified into the outer and inner rainbands, which are distinguished by a radial distance of 3 times the radius of maximum wind. The composite and magnitude analyses of their surface fluctuations indicate that the outer rainbands had a higher potential than the inner rainbands to reduce the near-surface θe values. This observed characteristic is likely related to more pronounced evaporative cooling taking place in drier subcloud regions and the downward transport of low-θe air aloft by more vigorous convective downdrafts for the outer rainband. Fundamentally different features of surface pressure fluctuations and mean frictional vertical velocity and relative vorticity between the outer and inner rainbands were also documented. These results reflect a possibly different origin. Nevertheless, there was no dramatic difference in the pattern of kinematic fluctuations between the outer and inner rainbands, and their mean magnitudes were also found to be statistically identical, which suggests that there is not an entirely clear distinction of surface characteristics for these two types of rainbands.