bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phylogeography of the mud crab (Scylla serrata) in the Indo‐West Pacific reappraised from mitochondrial molecular and oceanographic clues: transoceanic dispersal and coastal sequential colonization
Authors: He Lijun , Zhang Aibing , Zhu Chaodong , Weese David , Qiao Zhenguo 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe widespread mud crab, Scylla serrata, of the Indo‐West Pacific is an excellent model species to demonstrate how the colonization history of a species can be influenced by complex oceanographic conditions. Through the combination of ecological data (fossil records and paleo‐oceanographic conditions) and molecular data (coalescent simulations, network analysis, and nucleotide diversity tests), the phylogeographic history of S. serrata was re‐analyzed. Based on the analysis of mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I sequences, two major clades were identified for S. serrata, including a widespread clade (Clade I) with three disjunct geographic clusters (IA, IB and IC) and an endemic Northwest Australian clade (Clade II). Moreover, a significant phylogeographic structure corresponding to four subpopulations was revealed: Northwest Australia, West Indian Ocean, Red Sea‐South China Sea and West Pacific. A colonization history of a Northwest Australia origin for S. serrata followed by westward transmarine dispersal across the Indian Ocean for Clade I and sequential colonization from the West Indian Ocean to Red Sea‐South China Sea and West Pacific was corroborated. The Pleistocene fluctuations of paleo‐oceanographic conditions including surface circulations and physical topography in the Indo‐West Pacific might be responsible for the wide distribution, colonization history and genetic divergence of this species.
Pruritus of unknown origin and elevated total serum bile acid levels in patients without clinically apparent liver disease
Authors: Eisendle Klaus , Müller Hansgeorg , Ortner Elisabeth , Talasz Heribert , Graziadei Ivo , Vogel Wolfgang , Höpfl Reinhard 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Generalized pruritus of unknown origin (PUO) is a highly distressing condition that is unrelated to any underlying dermatologic or systemic disorder (e.g. cholestasis). Little is known about the potential contribution of elevated total serum bile acid (TSBA) levels to PUO. Our aim in the present study was to investigate the role of elevated TSBA levels in patients with PUO and the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and cholestyramine therapy.Methods:  Retrospective study comprising 117 patients with chronic pruritic conditions (PUO, atopic disease, asteatotic eczema, latent cholestasis, etc.); 99 patients with available TSBA levels were included and compared with healthy controls.Results:  Elevated TSBA levels were detected more frequently in patients with chronic pruritic diseases than in the control population (28.28% vs 6%; P < 0.001) with significantly higher pathological absolute levels (mean 17.45 ± 34.46 µmol/L vs 6.02 ± 4.73 µmol/L; P = 0.001). Patients with PUO (n = 18) showed the second‐highest prevalence of pathological bile acid level elevation (83.3%; control population 6%; P < 0.001), after patients with subclinical cholestasis and presented with particularly high TSBA serum values (mean 37.79 ± 53.38 µmol/L; P < 0.001). Cholestyramine (n = 9) and UDCA (n = 8) therapy were both effective in lowering TSBA levels and lead to substantial improvement of pruritus in patients with elevated TSBA levels.Conclusions:  Total serum bile acid levels are elevated in a high proportion of patients with PUO. These results provide evidence of a potential involvement of subclinical cholestasis in the pathogenesis of PUO. We suggest that evaluation of TSBA levels should be included in the diagnostic work‐up of patients with chronic unexplained pruritus.
Functional MICA‐129 polymorphism and serum levels of soluble MICA are correlated with ulcerative colitis in Chinese patients
Authors: Zhao Jie , Jiang Yi , Lei Yuan , Zou Kaifang , Wang Changgao , Huang Sha , Yi Fengming , Xia Bing 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackground and Aim:  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the contribution of the dimorphism (MICA‐129 val and met) to the genetic susceptibility and functions of ulcerative colitis (UC) in patients in central China.Methods:  Genotyping of MICA‐129 was performed in 272 consecutive UC patients and 560 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy individuals by using a polymerase chain reaction‐sequencing based typing (PCR‐SBT) method. A total of 93 patients and 98 healthy individuals serum soluble MICA (sMICA) concentrations were detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results:  Both the frequencies of the variant allele (val) and genotype (val/val) in the MICA‐129 gene were significantly higher in UC patients than in the controls (77.4% vs 71.7%, P = 0.015, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.064–1.716; 56.9% vs 46.4%, P = 0.005, 95% CI: 1.142–2.047). Serum sMICA levels were significantly higher in UC patients than in the controls (560 ± 140 pg/mL vs 157 ± 67 pg/mL, P < 0.0001). The genotype also affected the extent and the activity of UC. Furthermore, patients with the MICA‐129 val/val genotype had higher serum sMICA levels than those with the val/met + met/met genotype (661 ± 352 SD pg/mL vs 523 ± 245 SD pg/mL, 95% CI: 13.47–265.35, P = 0.03). In addition, patients with severe colitis were more susceptible to higher levels of sMICA than those with mild colitis.Conclusions:  Our findings showed that the MICA‐129 gene polymorphism as a functionally relevant gene was associated with UC and seems to play a potential role in the development of UC in patients in central China.
Value of contrast‐enhanced 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in detection and presurgical assessment of pancreatic cancer: A prospective study
Authors: Buchs Nicolas C , Bühler Leo , Bucher Pascal , Willi Jean‐Pierre , Frossard Jean‐Louis , Roth Arnaud D , Addeo Pietro , Rosset Antoine , Terraz Sylvain , Becker Christoph D , Ratib Osman , Morel Philippe 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Positron Emission Tomography (PET) using 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) associated with computed tomography (CT) is increasingly used for the detection and the staging of pancreatic cancer, but data regarding its clinical added value in pre‐surgical planning is still lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of FDG PET associated with contrast‐enhanced CT in detection of pancreatic cancer.Methods:  We prospectively evaluated FDG PET/CT studies obtained in patients with suspicion of operable pancreatic cancer between May 2006 and January 2008. Staging was conducted according to a standardized protocol, and findings were confirmed in all patients by surgical resection or biopsy examination.Results:  Forty‐five patients with a median age of 69 (range 22–82) were included in this study. Thirty‐six had malignant tumors and nine had benign lesions (20%). The sensitivity of enhanced versus unenhanced PET/CT in the detection of pancreatic cancer was 96% versus 72% (P = 0.076), the specificity 66.6% versus 33.3% (P = 0.52), the positive predictive value 92.3% versus 80% (P = 0.3), the negative predictive value 80% versus 25% (P = 0.2), and the accuracy 90.3% versus 64% (P = 0.085).Conclusions:  Our preliminary data obtained in a limited number of patients shows that contrast‐enhanced FDG PET/CT offers good sensitivity in the detection and assessment of pancreatic cancer, but at the price of a relatively low specificity. Enhanced PET/CT seems to be superior to unenhanced PET/CT. Further larger prospective studies are needed to establish its value for pre‐surgical diagnosis and staging in pancreatic cancer.
Postprandial hyperinsulinemia is universal in non‐diabetic patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Manchanayake Jayani , Chitturi Shivakumar , Nolan Christopher , Farrell Geoffrey C 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackground and Aims:  Despite strong associations between non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), it is unclear which patients need oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT). Relationships between hyperglycemia, postprandial hyperinsulinemia and NAFLD severity also need clarification.Methods:  Among 111 consecutive NAFLD patients, 35 had established T2D; 70 of the remaining 76 underwent 75G OGTT with fasting, 60 and 120 min insulin. Hepatic fibrotic severity was estimated by NAFLD fibrosis score and evidence of cirrhosis.Results:  Twenty‐four (33%) showed abnormal glucose tolerance: seven T2D, 17 impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). NAFLD patients with newly diagnosed T2D or IGT were (mean) 9 years older and more likely female (54% vs 30%). Fasting hyperglycemia (5.6–6.9 mmol/L) had limited sensitivity (46%) but high specificity (89%) for identifying patients with IGT/T2D; positive and negative predictive values were 69% and 76%. Postprandial hyperinsulinemia (120 min) was evident in all non‐diabetic NAFLD cases, and values were higher (151 ± 87 vs 82 ± 53 mU/L, P = 0.001) in those with abnormal OGTT. Patients with established diabetes were more likely to have cirrhosis (40%) than those with IGT (12%) or normal glucose tolerance (4%).Conclusions:  All NAFLD patients have postprandial hyperinsulinemia, and OGTT reveals a high frequency of previously unsuspected IGT or T2D. Such testing would identify individuals who may benefit from early intervention to improve insulin sensitivity and prevent diabetes and progression to cirrhosis.
Histopathological and molecular features of late relapses in non‐seminomas
Authors: Mayer Frank , Wermann Hendrik , Albers Peter , Stoop Hans , Gillis Ad J.M. , Hartmann Jörg T. , Bokemeyer C. Carsten , Oosterhuis J. Wolter , Looijenga Leendert H.J. , Honecker Friedemann 
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Late relapses from germ cell tumors respond poorly to systemic chemotherapy. This feature has been partly attributed to their presumed derivation from mature teratomas giving rise to secondary non‐germ cell histologies that have lost the original germ cell‐like behaviour.Our series demonstrates the occurrence of non‐germ cell malignancies in the absence of mature teratoma and points towards microsatellite instability and BRAF‐mutations as the biologic basis for chemotherapy resistance in about half of the cases.OBJECTIVE• To describe the histopathological types of late relapses of germ cell tumours and to search for molecular markers associated with chemotherapy resistance.PATIENTS AND METHODS• Samples from 14 patients with late relapse from a non‐seminoma were analysed.• Archival tumour tissue was gathered at intial diagnosis (n= 9) and at relapse (n= 9), mostly after previous treatment with chemotherapy.• In addition to routine histopathology, tumours were analysed for microsatellite instability and screened for mutations in the KRAS and BRAF genes.RESULTS• Relapse occurred after 76.5 months (median, range: 24–209 months).• The histology in relapse was pure yolk sac tumour in four of the nine patients analysed.• Three had a non‐germ cell malignancy, one was a mixed non‐seminoma and one was a pure mature teratoma.• One sample with non‐germ cell malignancy originated from a yolk sac tumour without any evidence of teratoma.• In four of 12 evaluable patients, high‐level microsatellite instability was observed.• All patients were KRAS wild‐type but four showed a BRAF mutation at V600E.CONCLUSIONS• Many late relapses of germ cell tumours show pure yolk sac histology.• Non‐germ cell malignancies do not necessarily develop from teratoma but can also arise from yolk sac histology.• The biology underlying chemotherapy resistance in late relapse could be related to a high incidence of microsatellite instability and BRAF mutation V600E, which were found in half of the patients.
Low serum testosterone levels are poor predictors of sexual dysfunction
Authors: Marberger Michael , Wilson Timothy H. , Rittmaster Roger S. 
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Prognosis (RCT)Level of Evidence 1b What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? Sexual dysfunction is a common problem in elderly men, especially if they also have LUTS. Serum testosterone likewise decreases with aging, and a common conclusion from this is that low serum testosterone levels are a main cause for this.This is by far the largest population‐based study correlating sexual dysfunction with serum testosterone levels. Whereas age, body mass index and the severity of LUTS were independent risk factors for sexual dysfunction, serum testosterone levels were not. Treating sexual dysfunction only based on a low serum testosterone level therefore appears unjustified. There is a trend towards sexual dysfunction with S. testosterone levels <200 ng/dl, but only 4% of the 8231 older men studied were in this range.OBJECTIVE• To identify predictors of sexual dysfunction using baseline data from the reduction by dutasteride of prostate cancer events (REDUCE) study.PATIENTS AND METHODS• REDUCE was a 4‐year randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study evaluating the efficacy and safety of once‐daily dutasteride 0.5 mg in over 8000 men aged 50–75 years with a prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level of 2.5–10 ng/mL (50–60 years) or 3.0–10 ng/mL (>60 years) and a negative prostate biopsy within 6 months of enrolment.• Baseline values (mean serum testosterone, age, International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS], total prostate volume [TPV], body mass index [BMI], and presence of diabetes/glucose intolerance) were compared in subjects with and without sexual dysfunction (sexual inactivity, impotence, decreased libido or a Problem Assessment Scale of the Sexual Function Index [PAS‐SFI] score <9).RESULTS• Multivariate logistic regression showed that baseline age and IPSS were significant predictors of all four sexual function criteria examined (P < 0.0001).• BMI was a significant predictor of decreased libido, impotence and a PAS‐SFI score <9, while diabetes/glucose intolerance was a significant predictor of sexual inactivity, impotence and a PAS‐SFI score <9.• Testosterone and TPV were not significant predictors of any sexual function criterion examined.CONCLUSIONS• Age, IPSS, BMI and diabetes/glucose intolerance, but not serum testosterone or TPV, were significant independent predictors of sexual dysfunction in the REDUCE study population.• The lack of association between sexual dysfunction and serum testosterone questions the value of modestly reduced or low normal testosterone levels as criteria for choosing testosterone replacement in older men with sexual dysfunction.
Reversible male sterility in eggplant (Solanum melongenaL.) by artificial microRNA‐mediated silencing of general transcription factor genes
Authors: Toppino Laura , Kooiker Maarten , Lindner Matias , Dreni Ludovico , Rotino Giuseppe L. , Kater Martin M. 
Published: October 2010

SummarySince decades, plant male sterility is considered a powerful tool for biological containment to minimize unwanted self‐pollination for hybrid seed production. Furthermore, prevention of pollen dispersal also answers to concerns regarding transgene flow via pollen from Genetically Modified (GM) crops to traditional crop fields or wild relatives. We induced male sterility by suppressing endogenous general transcription factor genes, TAFs, using anther‐specific promoters combined with artificial microRNA (amiRNA) technology (Schwabet al., 2006). The system was made reversible by the ethanol inducible expression of an amiRNA‐insensitive form of the target gene. We provide proof of concept in eggplant, a cultivated crop belonging to theSolanaceaefamily that includes many important food crops. The transgenic eggplants that we generated are completely male sterile and fertility can be fully restored by short treatments with ethanol, confirming the efficiency but also the reliability of the system in view of open field cultivation. By combining this system with induced parthenocarpy (Rotinoet al., 1997), we provide a novel example of complete transgene containment in eggplant, which enables biological mitigation measures for the benefit of coexistence or biosafety purposes for GM crop cultivation.
Screening for resistance against Pseudomonas syringae in rice‐FOX Arabidopsis lines identified a putative receptor‐like cytoplasmic kinase gene that confers resistance to major bacterial and fungal pathogens in Arabidopsis and rice
Authors: Dubouzet Joseph G. , Maeda Satoru , Sugano Shoji , Ohtake Miki , Hayashi Nagao , Ichikawa Takanari , Kondou Youichi , Kuroda Hirofumi , Horii Yoko , Matsui Minami , Oda Kenji , Hirochika Hirohiko , Takatsuji Hiroshi , Mori Masaki 
Published: October 2010

SummaryApproximately 20 000 of the rice‐FOX Arabidopsis transgenic lines, which overexpress 13 000 rice full‐length cDNAs at random in Arabidopsis, were screened for bacterial disease resistance by dip inoculation with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000). The identities of the overexpressed genes were determined in 72 lines that showed consistent resistance after three independent screens. Pst DC3000 resistance was verified for 19 genes by characterizing other independent Arabidopsis lines for the same genes in the original rice‐FOX hunting population or obtained by reintroducing the genes into ecotype Columbia by floral dip transformation. Thirteen lines of these 72 selections were also resistant to the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum. Eight genes that conferred resistance to Pst DC3000 in Arabidopsis have been introduced into rice for overexpression, and transformants were evaluated for resistance to the rice bacterial pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. One of the transgenic rice lines was highly resistant to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Interestingly, this line also showed remarkably high resistance to Magnaporthe grisea, the fungal pathogen causing rice blast, which is the most devastating rice disease in many countries. The causal rice gene, encoding a putative receptor‐like cytoplasmic kinase, was therefore designated as BROAD‐SPECTRUM RESISTANCE 1. Our results demonstrate the utility of the rice‐FOX Arabidopsis lines as a tool for the identification of genes involved in plant defence and suggest the presence of a defence mechanism common between monocots and dicots.
OsCD1 encodes a putative member of the cellulose synthase‐like D sub‐family and is essential for rice plant architecture and growth
Authors: Luan Weijiang , Liu Yuqin , Zhang Fengxia , Song Yuanli , Wang Zhengying , Peng Yongkang , Sun Zongxiu 
Published: October 2010

SummaryThe cell wall plays important roles in plant architecture and morphogenesis. The cellulose synthase‐like super‐families were reported to contain glycosyltransferases motif and are required for the biosynthesis of cell wall polysaccharides. Here, we describe a curled leaf and dwarf mutant, cd1, in rice, which exhibits multiple phenotypic traits such as the reduction of plant height and leaf width, curled leaf morphology and a decrease in the number of grains and in the panicle length. Map‐based cloning indicates that a member of the cellulose synthase‐like D (CSLD) group is a candidate for OsCD1. RNAi transgenic plants with the candidate CSLD gene display a similar phenotype to the cd1 mutant, suggesting that OsCD1 is a member of the CSLD sub‐family. Furthermore, sequence analysis indicates that OsCD1 contains the common D,D,D,QXXRW motif, which is a feature of the cellulose synthase‐like super‐family. Analysis of OsCD1 promoter with GUS fusion expression shows that OsCD1 exhibits higher expression in young meristem tissues such as fresh roots, young panicle and stem apical meristem. Cell wall composition analysis reveals that cellulose content and the level of xylose are significantly reduced in mature culm owing to loss of OsCD1 function. Take together, the work presented here is useful for expanding the understanding of cell wall biosynthesis.
Video Painting via Motion Layer Manipulation
Authors: Huang Hua , Zhang Lei , Fu Tian‐Nan 
Published: October 2010

AbstractTemporal coherence is an important problem in Non‐Photorealistic Rendering for videos. In this paper, we present a novel approach to enhance temporal coherence in video painting. Instead of painting on video frame, our approach first partitions the video into multiple motion layers, and then places the brush strokes on the layers to generate the painted imagery. The extracted motion layers consist of one background layer and several object layers in each frame. Then, background layers from all the frames are aligned into a panoramic image, on which brush strokes are placed to paint the background in one‐shot. The strokes used to paint object layers are propagated frame by frame using smooth transformations defined by thin plate splines. Once the background and object layers are painted, they are projected back to each frame and blent to form the final painting results. Thanks to painting a single image, our approach can completely eliminate the flickering in background, and temporal coherence on object layers is also significantly enhanced due to the smooth transformation over frames. Additionally, by controlling the painting strokes on different layers, our approach is easy to generate painted video with multi‐style. Experimental results show that our approach is both robust and efficient to generate plausible video painting.
Efficient Mean‐shift Clustering Using Gaussian KD‐Tree
Authors: Xiao Chunxia , Liu Meng 
Published: October 2010

AbstractMean shift is a popular approach for data clustering, however, the high computational complexity of the mean shift procedure limits its practical applications in high dimensional and large data set clustering. In this paper, we propose an efficient method that allows mean shift clustering performed on large data set containing tens of millions of points at interactive rate. The key in our method is a new scheme for approximating mean shift procedure using a greatly reduced feature space. This reduced feature space is adaptive clustering of the original data set, and is generated by applying adaptive KD‐tree in a high‐dimensional affinity space. The proposed method significantly reduces the computational cost while obtaining almost the same clustering results as the standard mean shift procedure. We present several kinds of data clustering applications to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method, including image and video segmentation, static geometry model and time‐varying sequences segmentation.
Modeling Complex Unfoliaged Trees from a Sparse Set of Images
Authors: Lopez Luis D. , Ding Yuanyuan , Yu Jingyi 
Published: October 2010

AbstractWe present a novel image‐based technique for modeling complex unfoliaged trees. Existing tree modeling tools either require capturing a large number of views for dense 3D reconstruction or rely on user inputs and botanic rules to synthesize natural‐looking tree geometry. In this paper, we focus on faithfully recovering real instead of realistically‐looking tree geometry from a sparse set of images. Our solution directly integrates 2D/3D tree topology as shape priors into the modeling process. For each input view, we first estimate a 2D skeleton graph from its matte image and then find a 2D skeleton tree from the graph by imposing tree topology. We develop a simple but effective technique for computing the optimal 3D skeleton tree most consistent with the 2D skeletons. For each edge in the 3D skeleton tree, we further apply volumetric reconstruction to recover its corresponding curved branch. Finally, we use piecewise cylinders to approximate each branch from the volumetric results. We demonstrate our framework on a variety of trees to illustrate the robustness and usefulness of our technique.