bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
One‐Stop Stereology: the estimation of 3D parameters using Isotropic Rulers
Authors: REED M.G. , HOWARD C.V. , DE YANÉS G. STAATS 
Published: December 2009

SummaryThe stereological estimation of second‐order descriptors of spatial architecture appears to be inherently more time‐consuming and labour‐intensive than the estimation of first‐order quantities (total quantities or ratios). Therefore, far fewer researchers tend to make use of second‐order approaches in their stereological research projects. In this paper, we use a tutorial approach to illustrate how a desire for practical simplicity has provided us with a data collection method that can be used to simultaneously estimate both first‐order and second‐order properties of the microstructure of a defined anatomical feature of an organ. The approach does not rely on new results from theory, but nevertheless allows either isotropic uniform random or vertical uniform random sections to be used to make estimates of a comprehensive list of 10 microstructural parameters using relationships that are well known in the literature. The probe used in all cases is an isotropically distributed Ruler and the data collection protocol is easy to learn and apply. We illustrate the method on brain tissue but emphasize that the approach can also be applied to non‐biological material.
Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Embryonic Stem Cell‐Like Cells and Preimplantation Embryos Exhibit Comparable Expression of Pluripotency‐Related Antigens
Authors: Anand T , Kumar D , Singh MK , Shah RA , Chauhan MS , Manik RS , Singla SK , Palta P 
Published: December 2009

ContentsIn this study, inner cell mass (ICM) cells were isolated fromin vitroproduced buffalo blastocysts and were cultured on mitomycin‐C treated buffalo foetal fibroblast feeder layer for producing embryonic stem (ES) cells. Among different sources (hatched vs expanded blastocysts) or methods (enzymatic vs mechanical), mechanical isolation of ICM from hatched blastocysts resulted in the highest primary colony formation rate and the maximum passage number up to which ES cells survived. Putative ES cells expressed alkaline phosphatase and exhibited a normal karyotype up to passage 7. Putative ES cells and embryos at 2‐ to 4‐cell, 8‐ to 16‐cell, morula and blastocyst stages strongly expressed stage‐specific embryonic antigen (SSEA)‐4 but lacked expressions of SSEA‐1 and SSEA‐3. Putative ES cells also expressed tumour rejection antigen (TRA)‐1‐60, TRA‐1‐81 and Oct4. Whereas in all early embryonic stages, TRA‐1‐60 was observed only in the periplasmic space, and TRA‐1‐81 expression was observed as small spots at a few places inside the embryos, both these markers were expressed by ICM. Oct4 expression, which was observed at all the embryonic stages and also in the trophectoderm, was the strongest in the ICM. Buffalo putative ES cells possess a unique pluripotency‐related surface antigen phenotype, which resembles that of the ICM.
The intermediate conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ channel inhibitor TRAM‐34 stimulates proliferation of breast cancer cells via activation of oestrogen receptors
Authors: Roy JW , Cowley EA , Blay J , Linsdell P 
Published: December 2009

Background and purpose:  K+ channels play a role in the proliferation of cancer cells. We have investigated the effects of specific K+ channel inhibitors on basal and oestrogen‐stimulated proliferation of breast cancer cells.Experimental approach:  Using the mammary adenocarcinoma cell line MCF‐7 we assayed cell proliferation by radiolabelled thymidine incorporation in the absence or presence of various K+ channel inhibitors with or without 17β‐oestradiol.Key results:  Inhibitors of Kv10.1 and KCa3.1 K+ channels suppressed basal proliferation of MCF‐7 cells, but not oestrogen‐stimulated proliferation. TRAM‐34, a specific inhibitor of KCa3.1 channels increased or decreased cell proliferation depending on the concentration. At intermediate concentrations (3–10 µM) TRAM‐34 increased cell proliferation, whereas at higher concentrations (20–100 µM) TRAM‐34 decreased cell proliferation. The enhancement of cell proliferation caused by TRAM‐34 was blocked by the oestrogen receptor antagonists ICI182,780 and tamoxifen. TRAM‐34 also increased progesterone receptor mRNA expression, decreased oestrogen receptor‐α mRNA expression and reduced the binding of radiolabelled oestrogen to MCF‐7 oestrogen receptor, in each case mimicking the effects of 17β‐oestradiol.Conclusions and implications:  Our results demonstrate that K+ channels Kv10.1 and KCa3.1 play a role in basal, but not oestrogen‐stimulated MCF‐7 cell proliferation. TRAM‐34, as well as inhibiting KCa3.1, directly interacts with the oestrogen receptor and mimics the effects of 17β‐oestradiol on MCF‐7 cell proliferation and gene modulation. Our finding that TRAM‐34 is able to activate the oestrogen receptor suggests a novel action of this supposedly specific K+ channel inhibitor and raises concerns of interpretation in its use.
Apremilast, a cAMP phosphodiesterase‐4 inhibitor, demonstrates anti‐inflammatory activity in vitro and in a model of psoriasis
Authors: Schafer PH , Parton A , Gandhi AK , Capone L , Adams M , Wu L , Bartlett JB , Loveland MA , Gilhar A , Cheung Y‐F , Baillie GS , Houslay MD , Man H‐W , Muller GW , Stirling DI 
Published: December 2009

Background and purpose:  Apremilast is an orally administered phosphodiesterase‐4 inhibitor, currently in phase 2 clinical studies of psoriasis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. The inhibitory effects of apremilast on pro‐inflammatory responses of human primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), polymorphonuclear cells, natural killer (NK) cells and epidermal keratinocytes were explored in vitro, and in a preclinical model of psoriasis.Experimental approach:  Apremilast was tested in vitro against endotoxin‐ and superantigen‐stimulated PBMC, bacterial peptide and zymosan‐stimulated polymorphonuclear cells, immunonoglobulin and cytokine‐stimulated NK cells, and ultraviolet B light‐activated keratinocytes. Apremilast was orally administered to beige‐severe combined immunodeficient mice, xenotransplanted with normal human skin and triggered with human psoriatic NK cells. Epidermal skin thickness, proliferation index and inflammation markers were analysed.Key results:  Apremilast inhibited PBMC production of the chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10, cytokines interferon‐γ and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, and interleukins (IL)‐2, IL‐12 and IL‐23. Production of TNF‐α by NK cells and keratinocytes was also inhibited. In vivo, apremilast significantly reduced epidermal thickness and proliferation, decreased the general histopathological appearance of psoriasiform features and reduced expression of TNF‐α, human leukocyte antigen‐DR and intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 in the lesioned skin.Conclusions and implications:  Apremilast displayed a broad pattern of anti‐inflammatory activity in a variety of cell types and decreased the incidence and severity of a psoriasiform response in vivo. Inhibition of TNF‐α, IL‐12 and IL‐23 production, as well as NK and keratinocyte responses by this phosphodiesterase‐4 inhibitor suggests a novel approach to the treatment of psoriasis.
Second lineage of heart forming region provides new understanding of conotruncal heart defects
Authors: Nakajima Yuji 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTAbnormal heart development causes various congenital heart defects. Recent cardiovascular biology studies have elucidated the morphological mechanisms involved in normal and abnormal heart development. The primitive heart tube originates from the lateral‐most part of the heart forming mesoderm and mainly gives rise to the left ventricle. Then, during the cardiac looping, the outflow tract is elongated by the addition of cardiogenic cells from the both pharyngeal and splanchnic mesoderm (corresponding to anterior and secondary heart field, respectively), which originate from the mediocaudal region of the heart forming mesoderm and are later located anteriorly (rostrally) to the dorsal region of the heart tube. Therefore, the heart progenitors that contribute to the outflow tract region are distinct from those that form the left ventricle. The knowledge that there are two different lineages of heart progenitors in the four‐chambered heart provides new understanding of the morphological and molecular etiology of conotruncal heart defects.
Antimicrobial Resistance of Enterococci Isolated from Mastitic Bovine Milk Samples in Korea
Authors: Nam H. M. , Lim S. K. , Moon J. S. , Kang H. M. , Kim J. M. , Jang K. C. , Kim J. M. , Kang M. I. , Joo Y. S. , Jung S. C. 
Published: December 2009

SummaryThe aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial resistance of various species of enterococci isolated from mastitic bovine milk samples. A total of 105 enterococci isolates were examined: Enterococcus faecalis (n = 47), Enterococcus faecium (n = 39), Enterococcus gallinarum (n = 6), Enterococcus avium (n = 6), Enterococcus hirae (n = 5) and Enterococcus durans (n = 2). All the isolates were susceptible to ampicillin, gentamicin and vancomycin, and only a single E. hirae isolate was resistant to ampicillin. In general, the most frequently observed resistance among the enterococcal isolates was to tetracycline (69.5%), followed by penicillin (64.7%), erythromycin (57.1%) and cephalothin (44.7%). A similar antimicrobial resistance pattern was observed among individual species except E. durans, which exhibited only tetracycline resistance. Resistance observed among isolates of E. hirae and E. gallinarum was almost as high as E. faecium and E. faecalis. Of 105 isolates, only six (5.7%) strains of E. faecium were susceptible to all the antimicrobials tested and about 52% (55/105) showed resistance to more than three antimicrobials. The most common multiple resistance pattern was penicillin, tetracycline and erythromycin, which was observed in 32 of 105 (30.4%) isolates. This study demonstrates that enterococcal isolates belonging to minor species showed antimicrobial resistance rates as high as those of E. faecium and E. faecalis, and that monitoring of antimicrobial resistance should not be restricted only to those two major species.
The European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), a Source of Zoonotic Cryptosporidiosis
Authors: Robinson G. , Chalmers R. M. 
Published: December 2009

Summary Cryptosporidium spp. have been found in the faeces of over 150 mammalian host species, but the risks to public health from wildlife are poorly understood. In summer 2008, the Cryptosporidium sp. rabbit genotype was identified as the aetiological agent in an outbreak of waterborne human cryptosporidiosis. The source was a wild rabbit that had entered a treated water tank. To establish current knowledge about Cryptosporidium spp. infecting lagomorphs, especially the host range and biological characteristics of the rabbit genotype, and the potential risks to public health that rabbits may pose in the transmission of zoonotic cryptosporidiosis, we undertook a literature and data review. The literature returned demonstrates that although the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been the most widely studied lagomorph, few large scale studies were found. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in wild rabbit populations in the two large scale studies was 0.9% (95%CI 0.2–5.0) and 0.0% (95%CI 0.0–1.6). Neither study provided age nor sex profiles nor typing of Cryptosporidium isolates. The infecting Cryptosporidium species was confirmed in just four other studies of rabbits, all of which showed the rabbit genotype. Human‐infectious Cryptosporidium species including Cryptosporidium parvum have caused experimental infections in rabbits and it is likely that this may also occur naturally. No published studies of the host range and biological features of the Cryptosporidium rabbit genotype were identified, but information was generated on the identification and differentiation of the rabbit genotype at various genetic loci. Both pet and wild rabbits are a potential source of human cryptosporidiosis and as such, good hygiene practices are recommended during and after handling rabbits or exposure to their faeces, or potentially contaminated surfaces. Water supplies should be protected against access by wildlife, including rabbits.
Sushi in Pregnancy, Parasitic Diseases – Obstetrician Survey
Authors: Jones J. L. , Anderson B. , Schulkin J. , Parise M. E. , Eberhard M. L. 
Published: December 2009

SummaryParasites from raw fish can lead to a wide range of clinical manifestations and can be challenging to treat in pregnancy as result of medication exposure of the foetus. We surveyed obstetrician‐gynecologists (ob‐gyns) in the U.S. to determine their knowledge about the consumption of raw fish during pregnancy. In March 2007, a questionnaire was mailed to members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) randomly selected to represent all members. Non‐responding physicians were sent two additional mailings. Of the 606 ACOG members surveyed, 305 (50%) responded. Most (82%) respondents indicated that eating raw fish is not safe during pregnancy. However, few (19%) knew that thorough freezing kills parasites in fish. Nearly all (94%) respondents thought that parasitic infections can be more challenging to treat in pregnancy. U.S. ob‐gyns believe that eating raw fish during pregnancy is not safe; most would benefit from information about how to prevent infection and about treatment.
Vaccination of Poultry Workers: Delivery and Uptake of Seasonal Influenza Immunization
Authors: Vivancos R. , Showell D. , Keeble B. , Goh S. , Kroese M. , Lipp A. , Battersby J. 
Published: December 2009

SummaryAvian influenza is a highly infectious disease in poultry and although the risk of human infection is low, concerns exist that it could evolve into a new human strain of pandemic potential if reassortment with a human influenza virus occurs. In January 2007, the UK government introduced a programme to vaccinate poultry workers to reduce the potential of such an event. This study evaluates the delivery, uptake and costs of the programme in three counties of England. A questionnaire survey was completed by consultants in public health in all the Primary Care Trusts in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in May 2007. The delivery of the programme varied between Primary Care Trusts, including being delivered in some cases by clinics in primary care, by general practitioners and occupational health services in others. The uptake of vaccination was low ranging from 7% to 29% at a cost of £29 to £132 per person vaccinated. Vaccination of poultry workers as a public health measure to prevent an influenza pandemic is likely to be ineffective with the level of coverage found in this evaluation in our region.
The Borrelial Fibronectin-Binding Protein RevA Is an Early Antigen of Human Lyme Disease
Authors: Brissette Catherine A. , Rossmann Evelyn , Bowman Amy , Cooley Anne E. , Riley Sean P. , Hunfeld Klaus-Peter , Bechtel Michael , Kraiczy Peter , Stevenson Brian 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTPrevious studies using small numbers of serum samples from human patients and experimentally infected animals identified the frequent presence of antibodies recognizing RevA, a borrelial fibronectin-binding outer surface protein. We now demonstrate that most examined Lyme disease spirochetes from North America and Europe contain genes encoding RevA proteins, some with extensive regions of conservation and others with moderate diversity. Line blot analyses using recombinant RevA from two diverse Lyme disease spirochetes of RevA and serum samples from culture-confirmed human Lyme disease patients from the United States (n= 46, mainly with early Lyme disease) and Germany (>500, with early and late manifestations of Lyme disease) were performed. The results indicated that a sizable proportion of patients produced antibodies that recognized recombinant RevA. Overall, RevA-based serological studies were less sensitive and less specific than other assay types, such as the VlsE-based C6 peptide assay. However, sera from patients in the initial stages of Lyme disease contained antibodies against RevA, demonstrating that this protein is expressed early in human infection. Thus, RevA may be a useful target for preventative or curative therapies.
Immunologic Indicators of Clinical Progression during CanineLeishmania infantumInfection
Authors: Boggiatto Paola M. , Ramer-Tait Amanda E. , Metz Kyle , Kramer Erin E. , Gibson-Corley Katherine , Mullin Kathleen , Hostetter Jesse M. , Gallup Jack M. , Jones Douglas E. , Petersen Christine A. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTIn both dogs and humansLeishmania infantuminfection is more prevalent than disease, as infection often does not equate with clinical disease. Previous studies additively indicate that advanced clinical visceral leishmaniasis is characterized by increased production of anti-Leishmaniaantibodies,Leishmania-specific lymphoproliferative unresponsiveness, and decreased production of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) with a concomitant increase of interleukin-10 (IL-10). In order to differentiate infection versus progressive disease for better disease prognostication, we temporally evaluated humoral and cellular immunologic parameters of naturally infected dogs. The work presented here describes for the first time the temporal immune response to natural autochthonousL. infantuminfection in foxhounds within the United States. Several key changes in immunological parameters should be considered when differentiating infection versus clinical disease, including a dramatic rise in IgG production, progressive increases in antigen-specific peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation, and IFN-γ production. Polysymptomatic disease is precluded by increased IL-10 production and consistent detection of parasite kinetoplast DNA in whole blood. This clinical presentation and the immuno-dysregulation mirror those observed in human patients, indicating that this animal model will be very useful for testing immunomodulatory anti-IL-10 and other therapies.
Corynebacterium accolens
-Associated Pelvic Osteomyelitis
Authors: Wong Jenny S. J. , Seaward Lois M. , Ho Carmen P. , Anderson Trevor P. , Lau Esther O. C. , Amodeo Matthew R. , Metcalf Sarah C. L. , Pithie Alan D. , Murdoch David R. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Corynebacterium accolens
is a rare human pathogen. We encountered a case of
C. accolens
isolated from a thigh collection in a man with osteomyelitis of the adjacent pubic symphysis.
Evaluation of Diagnostic Tests for
Clostridium difficile
Infection
Authors: Swindells Jonathan , Brenwald Nigel , Reading Nathan , Oppenheim Beryl 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

We evaluated toxigenic
Clostridium difficile
detection by a lateral flow assay for antigen and toxin, an enzyme immunoassay, and two commercial PCR methods. Compared to the cell cytotoxicity neutralization assay and toxigenic culture, both toxin detection methods lacked sensitivity. PCR following combined antigen and toxin detection provided the most useful diagnostic information.
First Case of Human Infection Due to
Pseudomonas fulva
, an Environmental Bacterium Isolated from Cerebrospinal Fluid
Authors: Almuzara Marisa N. , Vazquez Miryam , Tanaka Naoto , Turco Marisa , Ramirez Maria S. , Lopez Eduardo L. , Pasteran Fernando , Rapoport Melina , Procopio Adriana , Vay Carlos A. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

We report the first case of human infection due to
Pseudomonas fulva. P. fulva
caused acute meningitis following the placement of a drainage system in a 2-year-old female. Additionally, the isolate displayed a VIM-2 carbapenemase in a class 1 integron context.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Immediate-Early Protein ICP22 Is Required for VICE Domain Formation during Productive Viral Infection
Authors: Bastian Thomas W. , Livingston Christine M. , Weller Sandra K. , Rice Stephen A. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT
During productive infection, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) induces the formation of discrete nuclear foci containing cellular chaperone proteins, proteasomal components, and ubiquitinated proteins. These structures are known as VICE domains and are hypothesized to play an important role in protein turnover and nuclear remodeling in HSV-1-infected cells. Here we show that VICE domain formation in Vero and other cells requires the HSV-1 immediate-early protein ICP22. Since ICP22 null mutants replicate efficiently in Vero cells despite being unable to induce VICE domain formation, it can be concluded that VICE domain formation is not essential for HSV-1 productive infection. However, our findings do not exclude the possibility that VICE domain formation is required for viral replication in cells that are nonpermissive for ICP22 mutants. Our studies also show that ICP22 itself localizes to VICE domains, suggesting that it could play a role in forming these structures. Consistent with this, we found that ICP22 expression in transfected cells is sufficient to reorganize the VICE domain component Hsc70 into nuclear inclusion bodies that resemble VICE domains. An N-terminal segment of ICP22, corresponding to residues 1 to 146, is critical for VICE domain formation in infected cells and Hsc70 reorganization in transfected cells. We previously found that this portion of the protein is dispensable for ICP22's effects on RNA polymerase II phosphorylation. Thus, ICP22 mediates two distinct regulatory activities that both modify important components of the host cell nucleus.
Evidence of Early B-Cell Dysregulation in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: Rapid Depletion of Naïve and Memory B-Cell Subsets with Delayed Reconstitution of the Naïve B-Cell Population
Authors: Kuhrt David , Faith Seth A. , Leone Amanda , Rohankedkar Mukta , Sodora Donald L. , Picker Louis J. , Cole Kelly Stefano 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT
Despite eliciting a robust antibody response in humans, several studies in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients have demonstrated the presence of B-cell deficiencies during the chronic stage of infection. While several explanations for the HIV-induced B-cell deficit have been proposed, a clear mechanistic understanding of this loss of B-cell functionality is not known. This study utilizes simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus macaques to assess B-cell population dynamics beginning at the acute phase and continuing through the chronic phase of infection. Flow cytometric assessment demonstrated a significant early depletion of both naïve and memory B-cell subsets in the peripheral blood, with differential kinetics for recovery of these populations. Furthermore, the altered numbers of naïve and memory B-cell subsets in these animals corresponded with increased B-cell activation and altered proliferation profiles during the acute phase of infection. Finally, all animals produced high titers of antibody, demonstrating that the measurement of virus-specific antibody responses was not an accurate reflection of alterations in the B-cell compartment. These data indicate that dynamic B-cell population changes in SIV-infected macaques arise very early after infection at the precise time when an effective adaptive immune response is needed.
Weak and Strong Convergence of an Implicit Iteration Process for an Asymptotically Quasi-"Equation missing" -Nonexpansive Mapping in Banach Space
Authors: Mukhamedov Farrukh , Saburov Mansoor 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWe prove the weak and strong convergence of the implicit iterative process to a common fixed point of an asymptotically quasi-"Equation missing"-nonexpansive mapping "Equation missing" and an asymptotically quasi-nonexpansive mapping "Equation missing", defined on a nonempty closed convex subset of a Banach space.