bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differential mRNA expression of Toll‐like receptors and their adaptors in pleural effusions
Authors: CHANG Liang‐Che , HUA Chung‐Ching , CHU Chien‐Ming , CHIANG Bor‐Yiing , CHEN Hung‐Jie , YU Chung‐Chieh 
Published: September 2009

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  Binding of Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) to microbial or endogenous ligands activates and triggers the associated signalling pathway, which leads to the production of inflammatory cytokines and type I interferons. The extent of TLR pathway activation may vary with the ligands present in different pleural diseases.Methods:  The relative mRNA expression levels of TLRs and their adaptors in pleural fluid were determined by PCR and gel electrophoresis in 36 transudative, 25 infectious and 39 malignant pleural effusions.Results:  The relative mRNA expression levels of TLR8 and myeloid differentiation factor 88 were low in infectious effusions and that of ras‐related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 was low in malignant pleural effusions. Different cellular components correlated significantly with the relative mRNA expression of TLRs or their adaptors in pleural effusions with different aetiologies.Conclusions:  The relative mRNA expression profiles of TLRs and their adaptors in pleural fluid differ among transudative, infectious and malignant pleural effusions.
Adult community‐acquired pneumonia caused by macrolide resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Authors: ISOZUMI Rie , YOSHIMINE Hiroyuki , MOROZUMI Miyuki , UBUKATA Kimiko , ARIYOSHI Koya 
Published: September 2009

ABSTRACTA 28‐year‐old woman with community‐acquired pneumonia was treated with sulbactam/ampicillin and clarithromycin, but failed to show any improvement after 4 days. The antibiotic regimen was changed to pazufloxacin and rapid clinical improvement was seen. Mycoplasma pneumoniae was identified as the causative agent, and adenine (A) to guanine (G) mutation at position 2063 in domain V of the 23S rRNA was noted in the isolate. The minimum inhibitory concentration of macrolide antibiotics, including clarithromycin, of this isolate was greatly elevated.
IGF‐I maintains calpastatin expression and attenuates apoptosis in several models of photoreceptor cell death
Authors: Arroba Ana I. , Wallace Deborah , Mackey Ashley , De La Rosa Enrique J. , Cotter Thomas G. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractRetinitis pigmentosa is a heterogeneous group of inherited retinal dystrophies in which the loss of photoreceptor cells via apoptosis leads to blindness. In this study we have experimentally mimicked this condition by treating 661W cells and wild‐type mouse retinal explants with a Ca2+ ionophore. Ca2+ overload induced apoptosis, which was correlated with calpain‐2 activation, loss of calpastatin, its endogenous inhibitor, as well as the loss of its transcriptional activator, phospho‐cAMP response element binding (CREB). All are similar changes to those observed in the rd1 mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. Insulin like‐growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) attenuated this Ca2+‐induced apoptosis, as well as decreased the activation of calpain‐2 and maintained calpastatin levels through the activation of the Akt‐CREB pathway. Similarly, IGF‐I decreased photoreceptor apoptosis in rd1 mouse retinal explants in parallel with reduced activation of calpain‐2 and increased levels of calpastatin and activation of phospho‐CREB. In conclusion, IGF‐I seems to protect neural cells following a physiopathological or an experimental increase in intracellular Ca2+, an observation that may have therapeutic consequences in neurodegenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa.
Splice‐specific roles of glycine receptor α3 in the hippocampus
Authors: Eichler Sabrina A. , Förstera Benjamin , Smolinsky Birthe , Jüttner René , Lehmann Thomas‐Nicolas , Fähling Michael , Schwarz Günter , Legendre Pascal , Meier Jochen C. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractGlycine receptor (GlyR) α3 is involved in vision, and processing of acoustic and nociceptive signals, and RNA editing of GLRA3 transcripts was associated with hippocampal pathophysiology of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). However, neither the role of GlyR α3 splicing in hippocampal neurons nor the expression of splice variants have yet been elucidated. We report here that the long (L) splice variant of GlyR α3 predominates in the brain of rodents. Cellular analysis using primary hippocampal neurons and hippocampus cryosections revealed preferential association of synaptic α3L clusters with glutamatergic nerve endings in strata granulare and pyramidale. In primary hippocampal neurons GlyR α3L clusters also preferred glutamatergic nerve endings while α3K was mainly in a diffuse state. Co‐expression of GlyR β subunit with α3L or α3K produced heteromeric receptor clusters and favoured their association with GABAergic terminals. However, heteromeric α3L was still more efficient than heteromeric α3K in associating with glutamatergic nerve endings. To give physiological relevance to these results we have finally analysed GlyR α3 splicing in human hippocampus obtained from patients with intractable TLE. As up‐regulation of α3K occurred at the expense of α3L in TLE patients with a severe course of disease and a high degree of hippocampal damage, our results again involve post‐transcriptional processing of GLRA3 transcripts in the pathophysiology of TLE.
Pathological characteristics and clinical course of bladder tumour developing after nephroureterectomy
Authors: Abe Takashige , Shinohara Nobuo , Harabayashi Toru , Sazawa Ataru , Akino Tomoshige , Ishikawa Shuhei , Kubota Kanako , Matsuno Yoshihiro , Osawa Takahiro , Shibata Takeshi , Toyoda Yutaka , Shinno Yuichiro , Kamota Shinji , Minami Keita , Sakashita Shigeo , Kumagai Akira , Takada Norikata , Togashi Masaki , Sano Hiroshi , Mori Tatsuya , Nonomura Katsuya 
Published: September 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVESTo determine the pathological features and clinical course of intravesical recurrence after nephroureterectomy (NU) for upper urinary tract (UUT) cancer.PATIENTS AND METHODSAmong 325 patients undergoing NU with bladder cuff excision for UUT cancer, in this retrospective multi‐institutional study we evaluated 113 who developed bladder tumour after NU. Excluding patients with (i) perioperative systemic chemotherapy or radiotherapy for UUT cancer; (ii) a history of previous or synchronous bladder cancer at the time of NU; (iii) distant metastasis at the time of NU; (iv) a follow‐up of <1 year after the initial bladder cancer recurrence; or (v) missing data, 74 patients were included in this study. We compared the pathology between UUT cancer and the first bladder cancer recurrence, using Fisher’s exact test. Further intravesical recurrence and bladder cancer progression was analysed using the Kaplan‐Meier method, with the log‐rank test used to assess significance. A Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate analysis.RESULTSThe grade of the first bladder cancer recurrence strongly correlated with that of the UUT tumour (P < 0.001) and the carcinoma in situ (CIS) lesion with the first bladder cancer recurrence correlated with high grade (grade 3) UUT tumour (P < 0.001). In all, 56 of the assessable 70 patients further developed intravesical recurrence at a median interval of 7 months after the first bladder cancer recurrence. There were no clinicopathological factors that predicted the second recurrence. Progression occurred in 14 patients, at a median interval of 25 months. A CIS lesion with the first bladder cancer recurrence was a risk factor for progression on multivariate analysis.CONCLUSIONSA large proportion of the patients who developed bladder tumour after NU had further intravesical recurrence, which indicated its refractory nature. Especially when a CIS lesion is detected in the initial intravesical recurrence, a careful follow‐up is mandatory to detect bladder cancer progression.
Beyond Transparency: Information Overload and a Model for Intelligibility
Authors: LAUD ROBERT L. , SCHEPERS DONALD H. 
Published: September 2009

ABSTRACTThe role and evaluation of the modern corporation is being challenged by multiple stakeholders, changing markets and public expectations. Unfortunately, corporate governance, regulation and accounting have played a prominent role in business failure for the past decade resulting in a growing lack of public confidence in our markets. We present a new model that contributes to improving the quality of corporate information by providing not more, but better information through increased intelligibility of overall information, benefiting both the firm and its broad array of stakeholders. It has become apparent that boards, management and regulators have been unable to cope with the rise of business failures by adding increasing layers of regulation that have often served only to exacerbate the complexity and further cloud the transparency of needed information. We have identified a growing number of forward‐thinking firms that have found alternative means to provide betterinformation and strengthen their companies. We offer a stakeholder‐centric model for improving information intelligibility based upon the extensive scope and variety of external input derived from the growing social movement organizations. With the added focus on intelligibility, these groups can help foster greater corporate responsibility, meaningful transparency, increased stakeholder benefits, and improved overall performance of the firm.
Technological Backwardness in Agriculture: Is it Due to Lack of R&D, Human Capital, and Openness to International Trade?
Authors: Cermeño Rodolfo , Vázquez Sirenia 
Published: September 2009

AbstractThis paper investigates the relationship between the agricultural technological level and R&D expenditures, human capital, and openness to international trade using cross‐country information for a sample of 104 countries and various subsamples over the period 1961–91. The unobservable technological level is modeled as a dynamic process in the context of a general translog production function. The results suggest that the technological gap between developed and less developed countries in agriculture increased considerably over this period of time. Overall, the technological levels are directly related to R&D expenditures, human capital, and openness, although this relationship is not robust across different groups of countries.
Systemic and Idiosyncratic Risk in EU‐15 Sovereign Yield Spreads after Seven Years of Monetary Union
Authors: Gómez‐Puig Marta 
Published: September 2009

Abstract The market capitalisation of international bond markets is much larger than that of international equity markets. However, compared to the large body of literature on international equity market linkages, there are far fewer empirical studies of bond systemic risk or international bond market co‐movements. The extent of international bond market linkages merits investigation, as it may have important implications for the cost of financing fiscal deficit, monetary policymaking independence, modelling and forecasting long‐term interest rates, and bond portfolio diversification. In this paper, we investigate the relative influence of systemic and idiosyncratic risk factors on yield spreads over 10‐year German government securities during the seven years after the beginning of Monetary Integration. We estimate both panel regressions for the two groups of EU‐15 countries (EMU and non‐EMU) and specific‐country regressions for the nine countries in the EMU group and the three countries in the non‐EMU group. All estimations include both domestic (differences in market liquidity and credit risk) and international risk factors. The results present clear evidence that it was mostly idiosyncratic rather than systemic risk factors that drove the evolution of 10‐year yield spread differentials over Germany in all EMU countries during the seven years after the beginning of Monetary Integration. Conversely, in the case of non‐EMU countries, adjusted yield spreads (corrected from the foreign exchange factor) are influenced more by systemic risk factors. The fact that these countries do not share a common Monetary Policy might explain these results, which may show that government bonds from EMU countries have a better safe‐haven status that those of non‐EMU countries.
Discordant responses on starting highly active antiretroviral therapy: suboptimal CD4 increases despite early viral suppression in the UK Collaborative HIV Cohort (UK CHIC) Study*
Authors: Gilson R , Man S‐L , Copas A , Rider A , Forsyth S , Hill T , Bansi L , Porter K , Gazzard B , Orkin C , Pillay D , Schwenk A , Johnson M , Easterbook P , Walsh J , Fisher M , Leen C , Anderson J , Sabin CA ,   on behalf of the UK Collaborative HIV Cohort Study Group
Published: September 2009

ObjectivesPatients starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may have a suboptimal CD4 increase despite rapid virological suppression. The frequency and the significance for patient care of this discordant response are uncertain. This study was designed to determine the incidence of a discordant response at two time‐points, soon after 6 months and at 12 months, and to determine the relationship with clinical outcomes.MethodsData obtained in the UK Collaborative HIV Cohort Study were analysed. A total of 2584 treatment‐naïve patients starting HAART with HIV viral load (VL)>1000 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL at baseline and <50 copies/mL within 6 months were included in the analysis. Patients were classified at either 6–10 (midpoint 8) months or 10–14 (midpoint 12) months as having a discordant (CD4 count increase <100 cells/μL from baseline) or concordant response (CD4 count increase ≥100 cells/μL).ResultsDiscordant responses occurred in 32.1% of patients at 8 months and in 24.2% at 12 months; 35% of those discordant at 8 months were concordant at 12 months. A discordant response was associated with older age, lower baseline VL, and (at 12 months) higher baseline CD4 cell count. In a multivariate analysis it was associated with an increased risk of death, more strongly at 12 months [incidence rate ratio (IRR) 3.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.73–6.47, P<0.001] than at 8 months (IRR 2.08, 95% CI 1.19–3.64, P=0.010), but not with new AIDS events.ConclusionsDiscordant responders have a worse outcome, but assessment at 12 months may be preferred, given the number of ‘slow’ responders. Management strategies to improve outcomes for discordant responders need to be investigated.
Prevalence of etravirine mutations and impact on response to treatment in routine clinical care: the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS)
Authors: Scherrer AU , Hasse B , Von Wyl V , Yerly S , Böni J , Bürgisser P , Klimkait T , Bucher HC , Ledergerber B , Günthard HF 
Published: September 2009

ObjectivesEtravirine (ETV) is a novel nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) with reduced cross‐resistance to first‐generation NNRTIs, which has been primarily studied in randomized clinical trials and not in routine clinical settings.MethodsETV resistance‐associated mutations (RAMs) were investigated by analysing 6072 genotypic tests. The antiviral activity of ETV was predicted using different interpretation systems: International AIDS Society‐USA (IAS‐USA), Stanford, Rega and Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le Sida et les hépatites virales (ANRS).ResultsThe prevalence of ETV RAMs was higher in NNRTI‐exposed patients [44.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 41.0–48.9%] than in treatment‐naïve patients (9.6%, 95% CI 8.5–10.7%). ETV RAMs in treatment‐naïve patients mainly represent polymorphism, as prevalence estimates in genotypic tests for treatment‐naïve patients with documented recent (<1 year) infection, who had acquired HIV before the introduction of NNRTIs, were almost identical (9.8%, 95% CI 3.3–21.4). Discontinuation of NNRTI treatment led to a marked drop in the detection of ETV RAMs, from 51.7% (95% CI 40.8–62.6%) to 34.5% (95% CI 24.6–45.4%, P=0.032). Differences in prevalence among subtypes were found for V90I and V179T (P<0.001). Estimates of restricted virological response to ETV varied among algorithms in patients with exposure to efavirenz (EFV)/nevirapine (NVP), ranging from 3.8% (95% CI 2.5–5.6%) for ANRS to 56.2% (95% CI 52.2–60.1%) for Stanford. The predicted activity of ETV decreased as the sensitivity of potential optimized background regimens decreased. The presence of major IAS‐USA mutations (L100I, K101E/H/P and Y181C/I/V) reduced the treatment response at week 24.ConclusionsMost ETV RAMs in drug‐naïve patients are polymorphisms rather than transmitted RAMs. Uncertainty regarding predictions of antiviral activity for ETV in NNRTI‐treated patients remains high. The lowest activity was predicted for patients harbouring extensive multidrug‐resistant viruses, thus limiting ETV use in those who are most in need.
The Wood for the Trees: Ordinary Environmental Injustice and the Everyday Right to Urban Nature
Authors: WHITEHEAD MARK 
Published: September 2009

AbstractThis article explores the potential for a more ordinary sense of urban environmental justice. While great progress has been made over the last 30 years in connecting environmental politics to the everyday concerns of urban residents, this article claims that the urbanization of environmentalism has produced a very narrow sense of what everyday forms of justice may be. Drawing on a Lefebvrian‐inspired interpretation of everyday life, this article exposes a residual set of ordinary socio‐ecological injustices that persist in urban space. While rarely addressed in either environmental politics or urban policy, this article claims that these expressions of ordinary injustice have a significant impact on the capabilities of disadvantaged urban communities to live out a full life. Drawing on the case of the Black Country Urban Forest in the English West Midlands — the largest urban woodland project in the UK — analysis considers how the spatial location and scalar constitution of the project appear to draw attention to the spaces of ordinary environmental neglect in cities. Further analysis shows, however, that the desire to address simultaneously questions of social and ecological injustice, which is typical in such large‐scale urban greening initiatives, can actually compromise the ability of such schemes to resolve ordinary forms of urban injustice.RésuméCet article s’intéresse à la possibilité de donner un sens plus ordinaire à la justice environnementale urbaine. Ces trente dernières années ont vu un progrès énorme dans l’association de la politique environnementale aux préoccupations quotidiennes des habitants des villes. Toutefois, l’urbanisation de l’environnementalisme s’est traduite par un sens très étroit de ce que peuvent être les formes de justice au quotidien. Se basant sur une interprétation de la vie quotidienne inspirée de Lefebvre, l’article expose un ensemble persistant d’injustices socio‐écologiques ordinaires dans l’espace urbain. Rarement traitées en politique environnementale comme en politique publique urbaine, ces expressions de l’injustice ordinaire ont pourtant un impact important sur les capacités des communautés urbaines défavorisées à vivre pleinement. À partir du cas anglais de la Black Country Urban Forest dans les West Midlands (le plus vaste projet de terrain boisé urbain au Royaume‐Uni), l’analyse s’attache à la façon dont la localisation spatiale et le dimensionnement du projet semblent attirer l’attention sur les espaces d’abandon de l’environnement ordinaire au sein des villes. Une analyse plus poussée montre toutefois que la volonté de traiter simultanément des questions d’injustice sociale et écologique, volonté typique de telles initiatives écologiques urbaines à grande échelle, peut en fait compromettre l’aptitude de ces programmes à résoudre les formes ordinaires d’injustice urbaine.
Comparative evaluation of different substrates for the in vitro determination of sunscreen photostability: spectrophotometric and HPLC analyses
Authors: Scalia S. , Mezzena M. , Bianchi A. 
Published: September 2009

SynopsisPolymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) plates and TransporeTM tapes were compared as substrates for the in vitro evaluation of photostability of commercial sunscreen products. The sun care preparations were applied respectively on TransporeTM tapes and PMMA plates and their sun protection factors (SPF) and UVA protection parameters [UVA/UVB ratio, critical wavelength, UVA protection factor (UVA‐PF)] were measured by transmission spectroscopy, before and after irradiation with simulated sunlight. No significant differences were observed in the UV protection parameters measured on TransporeTM tapes or PMMA plates, before exposure to the solar simulator. Conversely, after irradiation, the SPF values of the sun care products exhibited marked variations between the two substrates, the decrease in SPF being greater on PMMA plates (31.3–63.1%) than on TransporeTM tapes (10.4–23.8%). Differences between the two substrates were detected also for the UVA protection parameters, although they were significant only for the UVA‐PF. The tested samples were assayed also by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to assess the extent of photodegradation of the UV filters present in the examined formulations. The results showed that for the PMMA plates, the light‐induced decrease in SPF, as determined by spectrophotometry, fitted well with the percentage loss of ethyl hexyl methoxycinnamate (the only photounstable UVB filter present) measured by HPLC. Moreover, for the PMMA substrate, the UVA‐PF percentage reduction was consistent with the percentage degradation of butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (the only photounstable UVA filter present) determined by HPLC. On the other hand, poor correlation between spectrophotometric and HPLC analyses was observed on TransporeTM tapes. Therefore, PMMA plates are more reliable than TransporeTM tapes as substrates for in vitro photodegradation tests of sunscreen products by transmission spectroscopy.
Through the eye of the needle: a review of isotope approaches to quantify microbial processes mediating soil carbon balance
Authors: Paterson Eric , Midwood Andrew J. , Millard Peter 
Published: September 2009

SummaryFor soils in carbon balance, losses of soil carbon from biological activity are balanced by organic inputs from vegetation. Perturbations, such as climate or land use change, have the potential to disrupt this balance and alter soil–atmosphere carbon exchanges. As the quantification of soil organic matter stocks is an insensitive means of detecting changes, certainly over short timescales, there is a need to apply methods that facilitate a quantitative understanding of the biological processes underlying soil carbon balance. We outline the processes by which plant carbon enters the soil and critically evaluate isotopic methods to quantify them. Then, we consider the balancing CO2 flux from soil and detail the importance of partitioning the sources of this flux into those from recent plant assimilate and those from native soil organic matter. Finally, we consider the interactions between the inputs of carbon to soil and the losses from soil mediated by biological activity. We emphasize the key functional role of the microbiota in the concurrent processing of carbon from recent plant inputs and native soil organic matter. We conclude that quantitative isotope labelling and partitioning methods, coupled to those for the quantification of microbial community substrate use, offer the potential to resolve the functioning of the microbial control point of soil carbon balance in unprecedented detail.

Contents

Summary
19

I.
Introduction
20

II.
Inputs
20

III.
Outputs
24

IV.
Interactions between carbon inputs and outputs from soil
27

V.
Conclusions
29

Acknowledgements
29

References
30