bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Molecular components required for the targeting of PEX7 to peroxisomes in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Singh Tanuja , Hayashi Makoto , Mano Shoji , Arai Yuko , Goto Shino , Nishimura Mikio 
Published: July 2009

SummaryPEX7 is a soluble import receptor that recognizes peroxisomal targeting signal type 2 (PTS2)‐containing proteins. In the present study, using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein of PEX7 (GFP‐PEX7), we analyzed the molecular function and subcellular localization of PEX7 in Arabidopsis thaliana. The overexpression of GFP‐PEX7 resulted in defective glyoxysomal fatty acid β‐oxidation, but had no significant effect on leaf peroxisomal function. Analysis of the subcellular localization of GFP‐PEX7 in transgenic Arabidopsis showed that GFP‐PEX7 localizes primarily to the peroxisome. Transient expression of a C‐ or N‐terminal fusion protein of PEX7 and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) (PEX7‐YFP and YFP‐PEX7, respectively) in leek epidermal cells, using the particle bombardment technique, confirmed that fluorescent protein‐tagged PEX7 localizes to peroxisomes in Arabidopsis. Immunoblot analysis revealed that GFP‐PEX7 accumulates primarily in peroxisomal membrane fractions, whereas endogenous PEX7 was distributed evenly in cytosolic and peroxisomal membrane fractions, which indicated that both endogenous PEX7 and GFP‐PEX7 are properly targeted to peroxisomal membranes. The results of bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and yeast two‐hybrid analyses showed that PEX7 binds directly to PTS2‐containing proteins and PEX12 in the peroxisomal membrane. We used red fluorescent protein (tdTomato) fusion protein of PEX7 (tdTomato‐PEX7) in several Arabidopsis pex mutants to identify proteins required for the targeting of PEX7 to peroxisomes in planta. The results demonstrated that pex14, pex13 and pex12 mutations disrupt the proper targeting of PEX7 to peroxisomes. Overall, our results suggest that the targeting of PEX7 to peroxisomes requires four proteins: a PTS2‐containing protein, PEX14, PEX13 and PEX12.
Over‐winter predation of Abutilon theophrasti and Setaria faberi seeds in arable land
Authors: WILLIAMS C L , LIEBMAN M , WESTERMAN P R , BORZA J , SUNDBERG D , DANIELSON B 
Published: July 2009

SummaryTo improve understanding of over‐winter weed seed predation in arable fields, we used data from winter exclosure trials to determine the amount of predation and the influence of crop habitats on predation of Abutilon theophrasti and Setaria faberi seed in 2‐year (maize/soyabean) and 4‐year (maize/soyabean/small grain+lucerne/lucerne) crop rotation systems between 2005 and 2008. Crop habitat influenced seed predation, and had similar impacts on the two weed species. Mean A. theophrasti predation ranged from 31% in the 2‐year soyabean habitat to 99% in the 4‐year lucerne habitat. Mean S. faberi predation ranged from 31% in the 2‐year soyabean habitat to 97% in the 4‐year lucerne habitat. Results suggest that a combination or interaction of cover and substrate may have affected crop habitat preference by seed predators. Future research should further examine the influence of physical habitat on seed predation to determine characteristics of cropping systems that encourage predation, particularly during over‐winter periods, so as to routinely incorporate seed predators into long‐term weed management strategies.
Effects of pre‐ and post‐emergence weed harrowing on annual weeds in peas and spring cereals
Authors: LUNDKVIST A 
Published: July 2009

SummaryTo assess the effects of timing and frequency of weed harrowing on weed abundance and crop yield, different pre‐ and post‐emergence weed harrowing sequences were applied to spring cereals and peas in field experiments performed during 2003 and 2004 in Sweden. Post‐emergence harrowing was performed at crop growth stages 2–3 and 5–6 true leaves respectively. The best weed control was obtained by a combination of pre‐ and post‐emergence harrowing, but these treatments also caused yield losses of 12–14% in spring cereals, while no yield losses were observed in peas. Pre‐emergence weed harrowing treatments alone or combined with weed harrowing shortly after crop emergence proved to be most effective against the early emerging annual weed species Sinapis arvensis and Galeopsis spp. Post‐emergence harrowing alone in peas had no effect on S. arvensis. The late emerging annual weed species Chenopodium album and Polygonum lapathifolium were most effectively controlled when pre‐emergence weed harrowing was combined with one or two weed harrowing treatments after crop emergence.
Metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk in renal transplant recipients: effects of statin treatment
Authors: Soveri Inga , Abedini Sadollah , Holdaas Hallvard , Jardine Alan , Eriksson Niclas , Fellström Bengt 
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  Background:  Renal transplant recipients (RTR) have high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). They also have high prevalence of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MS). Statin treatment reduces CVD risk in RTR. The aim was to study MS as CVD risk factor in RTR, and to investigate the effect of statin treatment in RTR with MS.Methods:  In total, 1706 non‐diabetic RTR from the Assessment of Lescol in Renal Transplantation trial were followed for 7–8 yr. The captured endpoints included major adverse cardiac events [MACE, defined as cardiac death (CD), non‐fatal myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization procedure], and CD. MS was defined at baseline according to Adult Treatment Panel III definition with waist girth replaced by body mass index ≥30 kg/m2.Results:  MS was diagnosed in 32% of the patients. During the follow‐up, MACE incidence was 16% in those with MS and 11% in those without MS (p < 0.001). Statin treatment reduced MACE risk by 53% in the group with MS. CD risk was 74% higher in RTR with MS (p = 0.012), and statin treatment reduced CD risk in those with MS (p = 0.03).Conclusions:  RTR with MS have increased risk for CVD. RTR with MS are an easily identifiable group of patients who benefit from statin treatment.
The potential role of C‐reactive protein in distinguishing cytomegalovirus from tuberculosis and bacterial infections in renal transplant recipients
Authors: Costalonga Elerson C. , Melo Natalia C.V. , Rodrigues Camila E. , Sette Luis H.B.C. , Ianhez Luiz E. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  Introduction:  The delay in the diagnosis of infections can be deleterious in renal transplant recipients. Thus, laboratory tests leading to an earlier diagnosis are very useful for these patients.Purpose:  To assess the behavior of C‐reactive protein (CRP) in renal transplant recipients with a diagnosis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, tuberculosis (TB) and bacterial infection (BI).Methods:  A retrospective analysis of 129 patients admitted at our hospital, from 2006 to 2008 because of CMV, TB or BI, was carried out. Appropriate statistical analysis was done and values were expressed as medians, range.Results:  When CRP levels were compared among the groups with CMV disease, TB or BI, the group with CMV disease presented lower levels of CRP (18.4 mg/L, 0.28–44 mg/L) than the TB and BI (p < 0.05) groups. The area under the receiver‐operating characteristics curve, distinguishing CMV disease from TB/BI, was 0.96 (p < 0.0001), resulting in 100% sensitivity and 90.63% specificity to detect CMV disease when CRP < 44.5 mg/L. The subgroup analysis of CMV infection showed increasing levels of CRP (0.28, 16 and 29.5 mg/L) in the asymptomatic, symptomatic and invasive disease subgroups, respectively (p < 0.05).Conclusion:  The measurement of CRP levels may be a useful tool for differentiating CMV infection from the other types (bacterial or TB) of infection in kidney transplant recipients.
Allergic rhinitis in school‐aged children with asthma – still under‐diagnosed and under‐treated? A retrospective study in a children‘s hospital
Authors: Ruokonen M. , Kaila M. , Haataja R. , Korppi M. , Paassilta M. 
Published: July 2009

Ruokonen M, Kaila M, Haataja R, Korppi M, Paassilta M. Allergic rhinitis in school‐aged children with asthma – still under‐diagnosed and under‐treated? A retrospective study in a children‘s hospital. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: e149–e154. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/SAllergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma can be considered as manifestations of the same disease entity. The treatment of AR may improve also asthma symptoms. The aim of the study was to evaluate, how often AR is diagnosed and treated in patients with asthma. A retrospective chart review in the allergy and asthma unit of a secondary paediatric hospital. From 903 eligible 7‐ to 15‐year‐old children with doctor‐diagnosed asthma, 372 were randomly included in the study. In all, 229 patients (61.6%, 95% CI: 56.5–66.4%) had symptoms presumptive for AR. The diagnosis of AR was recorded in the patient records only for 87 patients (23.4%, 95% CI: 19.4–28.0). There was evidence that children with AR or nasal symptoms had more severe asthma; 35% of the patients with AR, 23% with nasal symptoms without AR diagnosis and 12% without nasal symptoms required inhaled steroids and long‐acting beta‐agonists for asthma (p = 0.035). AR was both under‐diagnosed and under‐treated in school‐aged children with doctor‐diagnosed asthma.
Metagenomics reveals diversity and abundance of meta‐cleavage pathways in microbial communities from soil highly contaminated with jet fuel under air‐sparging bioremediation
Authors: Brennerova Maria V. , Josefiova Jirina , Brenner Vladimir , Pieper Dietmar H. , Junca Howard 
Published: July 2009

SummaryThe extradiol dioxygenase diversity of a site highly contaminated with aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons under air‐sparging treatment was assessed by functional screening of a fosmid library in Escherichia coli with catechol as substrate. The 235 positive clones from inserts of DNA extracted from contaminated soil were equivalent to one extradiol dioxygenase‐encoding gene per 3.6 Mb of DNA screened, indicating a strong selection for genes encoding this function. Three subfamilies were identified as being predominant, with 72, 55 and 43 fosmid inserts carrying genes, related to those encoding TbuE of Ralstonia pickettii PK01 (EXDO‐D), IpbC of Pseudomonas sp. JR1 (EXDO‐K2) or DbtC of Burkholderia sp. DBT1 (EXDO‐Dbt), respectively, whereas genes encoding enzymes related to XylE of Pseudomonas putida mt‐2 were not observed. Genes encoding oxygenases related to isopropylbenzene dioxygenases were usually colocalized with genes encoding EXDO‐K2 dioxygenases. Functional analysis of representative proteins indicated a subcluster of EXDO‐D proteins to show exceptional high affinity towards different catecholic substrates. Based on Vmax/Km specificity constants, a task‐sharing between different extradiol dioxygenases in the community of the contaminated site can be supposed, attaining a complementary and community‐balanced catalytic power against diverse catecholic derivatives, as necessary for effective degradation of mixtures of aromatics.
Quality of life and patient satisfaction with enhanced recovery protocols
Authors: Khan S. , Wilson T. , Ahmed J. , Owais A. , MacFie J. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractAim  The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature on the influence of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols and health related quality of life (HQoL) and patient satisfaction.Method  A systematic review of the literature from January 1990 to February 2009 was undertaken. Studies were included if they compared HQoL and/or patient satisfaction after ERAS and conventional surgery (CS). Jadad score was used to evaluate the studies. Results were divided into immediate (first week), early (second to third week) and late (more than 30 days after surgery) post‐operative phases. A meta‐analysis was not possible due to the heterogeneity of the studies.Results  Ten publications were included in the final analysis. In the first week after surgery, two non‐randomised trials found reduced fatigue and another 2 non‐randomised studies found reduced pain with ERAS. One randomised study found increased emotional distress on SF36 in ERAS patients. At two to three weeks after surgery, none of the multidimensional HQoL measures showed any differences. Increuscd fatigue was reported with CS in 2 studies. Limitations in activities of daily living were more marked after CS in one study. Beyond 30 days after surgery, none of the HQoL measures showed any differences. Only one non‐randomised study compared patient satisfaction after ERAS and CS and no difference was found.Conclusion  There is no evidence that ERAS adversely affect HQoL or patient satisfaction. Certain aspects of HQoL such as pain and fatigue may improve with ERAS. Further research is required, especially in the early post‐operative period.
Robotic colorectal surgery: hype or new hope? A systematic review of robotics in colorectal surgery
Authors: Mirnezami A. H. , Mirnezami R. , Venkatasubramaniam A. K. , Chandrakumaran K. , Cecil T. D. , Moran B. J. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractAim  Robotic colorectal surgery is an emerging field and may offer a solution to some of the difficulties inherent to conventional laparoscopic surgery. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive and critical analysis of the available literature on the use of robotic technology in colorectal surgery.Method  Studies reporting outcomes of robotic colorectal surgery were identified by systematic searches of electronic databases. Outcomes examined included operating time, length of stay, blood loss, complications, cost, oncological outcome, and conversion rates.Results  Seventeen Studies (nine case series, seven comparative studies, one randomized controlled trial) describing 288 procedures were identified and reviewed. Study heterogeneity precluded a meta‐analysis of the data. Robotic procedures tend to take longer and cost more, but may reduce the length of stay, blood loss, and conversion rates. Complication profiles and short‐term oncological outcomes are similar to laparoscopic surgery.Conclusion  Robotic colorectal surgery is a promising field and may provide a powerful additional tool for optimal management of more challenging pathology, including rectal cancer. Further studies are required to better define its role.
Social Policy and Development in Latin America: The Long View
Authors: Draibe Sônia , Riesco Manuel 
Published: July 2009

AbstractIn the new development strategy currently shaping Latin America, alternative social policy models have emerged. This article argues that far from being rival alternatives, each of these models considers the wide differences among countries. The region is emerging from a century of transformation – from a traditional agrarian economy to an urban industrial one – in which countries have taken diverse historical paths. Some have almost completed this transformation, others are taking early steps, and the vast majority are living through it. State‐led transition has followed two successive development strategies. From the 1920s up to the 1980s, state developmentalism has mostly successfully assumed the twin challenges of economic and social progress. In the last two decades of the century, Latin American states adopted the policies of the Washington Consensus, which emphasized the importance of business in the framework of globalization and benefited the affluent few. However, an unambiguous shift in direction has been taking place in Latin America since the 1997 economic crisis. This article suggests that a new developmental welfare state model seems to be in the making. How will it evolve over the wider space of an increasingly integrated Latin America?
Social Policy and Inequality in Latin America: A Review of Recent Trends
Authors: Lloyd‐Sherlock Peter 
Published: July 2009

AbstractMost Latin American countries have extensive social policies which absorb high levels of state spending. Despite this, Latin America continues to suffer from high levels of inequality in terms of income and access to basic services. This article explores this apparent paradox. It focuses on three aspects of social policy in the region: patterns of resource allocation, the distribution of welfare entitlements and differing capacities to take advantage of these entitlements. It applies this framework to study the distributional effects of education, health and social security policies, paying particular attention to recent changes and developments. The article shows that these three factors combine in various ways to benefit higher‐income groups and exclude the poor. Recent changes have marginally improved provision for low‐income groups, but the fundamentally inegalitarian nature of social policy in the region remains largely unchanged and unchallenged.
The Role of Distributional Coalitions in Welfare Regimes: Chile, Costa Rica and El Salvador
Authors: Martínez Franzoni Juliana , Voorend Koen 
Published: July 2009

AbstractDo social policies in Latin America promote or discourage distribution? And if they do promote distribution, are coalitions a prerequisite? Drawing from a typology of welfare regimes elaborated for 18 Latin American countries, this article explores responses to these questions by addressing three emblematic cases: Chile, Costa Rica and El Salvador – that is, countries where the management of social risks primarily revolves around markets, states and families, respectively. Although the article is exploratory, findings suggest that societal coalitions have been, and are likely to continue to be, weak in market welfare regimes, strong in state welfare regimes and contingent to policy sectors in familialistic welfare regimes.
Retrenchment Reconsidered: Continuity and Change in the Post‐authoritarian Institutions of Chilean Social Policy
Authors: Hertel‐Fernandez Alexander 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThis article analyses the evolution of four social and economic policies reformed under the Chilean military dictatorship – the value‐added tax, the health‐care policy‐making structure, the health‐care finance system and the pension system. It argues that the very institutional features that the military government designed to ensure long‐run policy persistence have, in fact, facilitated dramatic transformation of these policies after the return to democracy. The findings of this article, particularly the unintended effects of institutional reform, question received notions regarding the logic of institutional ‘lock‐in’ and path dependence in the analysis of welfare regimes.
Social Policy for Poor Rural People in Colombia: Reinforcing Traditional Gender Roles and Identities?
Authors: Farah Quijano María A. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThis article provides a ‘situated’ gender analysis of the Colombian conditional cash transfer programme, Familias en Acción, offering empirical evidence from a specific rural setting. This ‘located’ approach shows that generalizations about gender implications of conditional cash transfer programmes in Latin America do not always fit neatly with realities. The article shows how the implementation of these programmes in a specific rural context, the municipality of Paipa, reflects a reinforcement of traditional gender allocations and responsibilities. At the same time, the local authorities, official workers and the mothers adapt the social programmes to recent gender trends. For example, men may carry out some domestic activities single‐handedly, take care of children without their wives, women may leave men, and women and men may work together in off‐farm activities, with husbands and wives taking joint decisions about domestic issues. In other words, the gender effects of the Familias en Acción programme in rural settings currently move between old gender customs and practices and changeable gender conditions. In Latin‐American terms, it is possible to say that these conditions range between ‘machismo’ and ‘feminist liberalization’.
Social Policy for Poverty Reduction in Lower‐income Countries in Latin America: Lessons and Challenges
Authors: Barrientos Armando , Santibañez Claudio 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThis article provides a comparative study of income transfer programmes recently introduced in lower‐income countries in Central and South America, aimed at raising human development and consumption among groups in extreme poverty. The successful introduction of these programmes is challenging in these countries due to their high incidence of poverty, low delivery capacity and poor service infrastructure. The article discusses the design, implementation and impact of these programmes, as well as their institutionalization and dynamics. It concludes that these programmes can be effective in reducing persistent intergenerational poverty, but that their sustainability is undermined by weak institutionalization.
The pitfalls of extrapolation in conservation: movements and habitat use of a threatened toad are different in the boreal forest
Authors: Constible J. M. , Gregory P. T. , Larsen K. W. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractWidely distributed species often vary geographically in their ecology. Thus, results of studies done in one part of their range cannot necessarily be extrapolated readily to populations elsewhere. This problem is particularly important for threatened species whose ecology has been studied in a few disconnected locations. The Canadian toadBufo(Anaxyrus)hemiophrysoccupies a large geographic range in western North America, but most studies of its ecology have been done in the prairies, where the species is considered to be closely associated with aquatic habitats. However,B. hemiophrysalso occurs in boreal forest, where it faces threats from logging activities, especially if it uses upland habitats far from ponds and lakes. We radio‐tracked 29 toads in the boreal forest of northern Alberta, Canada to determine their patterns of movement and habitat use. Most movements between fixes were <50 m, but toads sometimes made longer movements exceeding 100 m. Over time, however, these short‐term movements combined into large‐scale directional movements that were highly variable among toads in both tortuosity and timing, but which generally took toads into upland forested habitats. Putative hibernacula also were located in upland sites. However, despite this terrestriality, toads still were associated with wetlands, using them significantly more often than would be expected based on their proportionate areal contribution to the landscape. Nonetheless, use of upland sites and long‐distance terrestrial movements differentiate this population ofB. hemiophrysfrom those studied in prairie environments. Conservation plans based on what we know about the species elsewhere therefore would be inappropriate in this region. Management often requires site‐specific information, which can be obtained only from natural‐history studies of the populations in question.