bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Retracted: Antitumor activity of human γδ T cells transducted with CD8 and with T‐cell receptors of tumor‐specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes
Authors: Hanagiri Takeshi , Shigematsu Yoshiki , Kuroda Koji , Baba Tetsuro , Shiota Hironobu , Ichiki Yoshinobu , Nagata Yoshika , Yasuda Manabu , So Tomoko , Takenoyama Mitsuhiro , Tanaka Fumihiro 
Published: May 2012

The difficulty in the induction and preparation of a large number of autologous tumor‐specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) from individual patients is one of major problems in their application to adoptive immunotherapy. The present study tried to establish the useful antitumor effectors by using γδ T cells through tumor‐specific TCRαβ genes transduction, and evaluated the efficacy of their adoptive transfer in a non‐obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice model. The TCRαβ gene was cloned from the HLA‐B15‐restricted CTL clone specific of the Kita‐Kyushu Lung Cancer antigen‐1 (KK‐LC‐1). The cloned TCRαβ as well as the CD8 gene were transduced into γδ T cells induced from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity was examined using a standard 4 h 51Cr release assay. Mice with a xenotransplanted tumor were treated with an injection of effector cells. Successful transduction of TCRαβ was confirmed by the staining of KK‐LC‐1‐specific tetramers. The γδ T cells transduced with TCRαβ and CD8 showed CTL activity against the KK‐LC‐1‐positive lung cancer cell line in a HLA B15‐restricted manner. Adoptive transfer of the effector cells in a mice model resulted in marked growth suppression of KK‐LC‐1‐ and HLA‐B15‐positive xenotransplanted tumors. Co‐transducing TCRαβ and CD8 into γδ T cells yielded the same antigen‐specific activity as an original CTL in vitro and in vivo. The TCRαβ gene transduction into γδ T cells is a promising strategy for developing new adoptive immunotherapy. (Cancer Sci, doi: 10.1111/j.1349‐7006.2012.02337.x, 2012)
miR‐34a is downregulated in cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum treated sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma patients with poor prognosis
Authors: Ogawa Takenori , Saiki Yuriko , Shiga Kiyoto , Chen Na , Fukushige Shinichi , Sunamura Makoto , Nagase Hiroki , Hashimoto Sho , Matsuura Kazuto , Saijo Shigeru , Kobayashi Toshimitsu , Horii Akira 
Published: May 2012

For the purpose of analyzing mechanisms related to the cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, we analyzed RPMI2650 and its derived previously established cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum resistant cell line RPMI2650CR. To identify resistant phenotype‐related microRNAs, we compared microRNA expressions between RPMI2650CR and RPMI2650 by microarray. One of the microRNAs as downregulated, miR‐34a, was further investigated. Decreased expression of miR‐34a in RPMI2650CR was confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction, but introduction of the miR‐34a precursor into RPMI2650CR or the inhibitor of miR‐34a into RPMI2650 did not change cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum sensitivities. However, 24 patients with sinonasal squamous cell carcinomas treated with intra‐arterial infusion of cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum showed a significant association between decreased expression of miR‐34a and poor disease specific survival (P = 0.0015), poor disease free survival (P = 0.0019), and poor local control rates (P = 0.017) (median follow‐up period: 53 months). Furthermore, multivariate analyses demonstrated significant associations between miR‐34a expression and the hazard ratios of disease free survival at 0.005 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00–0.29, P = 0.011) and local control rate at 0.008 (95% CI 0.00–0.44, P = 0.019), although other parameters such as age, gender, treatment method, T and N stages did not show any similar association. These results strongly suggest that miR‐34a expression can be an independent prognostic biomarker in patients with sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma who are undergoing treatment with cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum.
How anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies activate neutrophils
Authors: Kettritz R 
Published: May 2012

SummaryOTHER ARTICLES PUBLISHED ON ANCA IN THIS ISSUEAnimal models of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2012, 169: 229–37.Neutrophils are pivotal to host defence during infectious diseases. However, activated neutrophils may also cause undesired tissue damage. Ample examples include small-vessel inflammatory diseases (vasculitis) that are associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) residing in the patients' plasma. In addition to being an important diagnostic tool, convincing evidence shows that ANCA are pathogenic. ANCA–neutrophil interactions induce important cellular responses that result in highly inflammatory necrotizing vascular damage. The interaction begins with ANCA binding to their target antigens on primed neutrophils, proceeds by recruiting transmembrane molecules to initiate intracellular signal transduction and culminates in activation of effector functions that ultimately mediate the tissue damage.
Towards a unification of movement ecology and biogeography: conceptual framework and a case study on Afrotropical ducks
Authors: Cumming Graeme S. , Gaidet Nicolas , Ndlovu Mduduzi 
Published: May 2012

AbstractAim  We present elements of a new conceptual framework for the unification of biogeography and movement ecology, and demonstrate the value of the new framework using a case study of two species of Afrotropical duck (Anatidae) across a latitudinal gradient.Location  Southern Africa.Methods  The first part of the paper rests on logic and philosophy. For the second (case study) section, we used data from up to 3 years of satellite telemetry for 26 individuals of two species of Afrotropical duck, the Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) and red‐billed teal (Anas erythrorhyncha), from three different populations with moulting sites spread across 17 degrees of latitude. We compared quantitative measures of movement patterns using principal components analysis and boxplots.Results  We argue that unpacking the concept of dispersal into the fundamental elements of movement (internal drivers, external drivers, navigation capacity, and motion capacity) provides a more solid basis for contrasting competing hypotheses in biogeographical studies. We found, surprisingly, that red‐billed teal, a ‘highly nomadic’ species, moved with a relatively high degree of consistency at each of our three study latitudes, while Egyptian geese, a ‘resident’ species, showed latitude‐dependent variation in their movements. However, much of the latitude‐related variation for Egyptian geese was driven by their annual moult migrations, rather than directly by fluctuations in resource availability. Internal factors appear to dominate movements and probably determine the species ranges of both of our study species.Main conclusions  The integration of biogeography and movement ecology, through a more sophisticated view of mechanisms formerly lumped together under ‘dispersal’, offers a fertile area for further research. The biogeography of Afrotropical ducks appears to be strongly influenced by internal factors. Biogeographical patterns in this taxon may thus be best understood (and modelled) as a long‐term response to environmental stochasticity, rather than as a deliberate selection of optimal habitat. Latitudinal comparisons emerge as a valuable way of gaining insights into the drivers of movement for widespread species.
The medical student as a patient: attitudes towards involvement in the quality and safety of health care
Authors: Davis Rachel E. , Joshi Devavrata , Patel Krishan , Briggs M. , Vincent Charles A. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractBackground  In recent years, factors that affect patients' willingness and ability to participate in safety‐relevant behaviours have been investigated. However, how trained healthcare professionals or medical students would feel participating in safety‐relevant behaviours as a patient in hospital remains largely unexplored.Objectives  To investigate medical students' willingness to participate in behaviours related to the quality and safety of their health care.Design  A cross‐sectional exploratory study using a survey that addressed willingness to participate in different behaviours recommended by current patient safety initiatives. Three types of interactional behaviours (asking factual or challenging questions, notifying doctors or nurses of errors/problems) and three non‐interactional behaviours (choosing a hospital based on the safety record, bringing medicines and a list of allergies into hospital, and reporting an error to a national reporting system) were assessed.Participants  One hundred and seventy‐nine medical students from an inner city London teaching hospital participated in the study.Findings  Students' willingness to participate was affected (P < 0.05) by the action required by the patient and (for interactional behaviours) whether the patient was engaging in the specific action with a doctor or nurse. Students were least willing to ask ‘challenging’ questions to doctors and nurses and to report errors to a national reporting system. Doctors' and nurses' encouragement appeared to increase self‐reported willingness to participate in behaviours where baseline willingness was low.Conclusion  Similar to research on lay patient populations; medical students do not view involvement in safety‐related behaviours equally. Interventions should be tailored at encouraging students to participate in behaviours they are less inclined to take on an active role in. Future research is required to examine students' motivations for participation in this important but heavily under‐researched area.
The Atlantic–Mediterranean watershed, river basins and glacial history shape the genetic structure of Iberian poplars
Authors: MACAYA‐SANZ D. , HEUERTZ M. , LÓPEZ‐de‐HEREDIA U. , De‐LUCAS A. I. , HIDALGO E. , MAESTRO C. , PRADA A. , ALÍA R. , GONZÁLEZ‐MARTÍNEZ S. C. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractRecent phylogeographic studies have elucidated the effects of Pleistocene glaciations and of Pre‐Pleistocene events on populations from glacial refuge areas. This study investigates those effects in riparian trees (Populusspp.), whose particular features may convey enhanced resistance to climate fluctuations. We analysed the phylogeographic structure of 44 white (Populus alba), 13 black (Populus nigra) and two grey (Populus x canescens) poplar populations in the Iberian Peninsula using plastid DNA microsatellites and sequences. We also assessed fine‐scale spatial genetic structure and the extent of clonality in four white and one grey poplar populations using nuclear microsatellites and we determined quantitative genetic differentiation (QST) for growth traits in white poplar. Black poplar displayed higher regional diversity and lower differentiation than white poplar, reflecting its higher cold‐tolerance. The dependence of white poplar on phreatic water was evidenced by strong differentiation between the Atlantic and Mediterranean drainage basins and among river basins, and by weaker isolation by distance within than among river basins. Our results suggest confinement to the lower river courses during glacial periods and moderate interglacial gene exchange along coastlines. In northern Iberian river basins, white poplar had lower diversity, fewer private haplotypes and larger clonal assemblies than in southern basins, indicating a stronger effect of glaciations in the north. Despite strong genetic structure and frequent asexual propagation in white poplar, some growth traits displayed adaptive divergence between drainage and river basins (QST > FST), highlighting the remarkable capacity of riparian tree populations to adapt to regional environmental conditions.
Isopeptide bonds of the major pilin protein BcpA influence pilus structure and bundle formation on the surface of Bacillus cereus
Authors: Hendrickx Antoni P. A. , Poor Catherine B. , Jureller Justin E. , Budzik Jonathan M. , He Chuan , Schneewind Olaf 
Published: May 2012

SummaryBacillus cereus strains elaborate pili on their surface using a mechanism of sortase‐mediated cross‐linking of major and minor pilus components. Here we used a combination of electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to visualize these structures. Pili occur as single, double or higher order assemblies of filaments formed from monomers of the major pilin, BcpA, capped by the minor pilin, BcpB. Previous studies demonstrated that within assembled pili, four domains of BcpA – CNA1, CNA2, XNA and CNA3– each acquire intramolecular lysine‐asparagine isopeptide bonds formed via catalytic glutamic acid or aspartic acid residues. Here we showed that mutants unable to form the intramolecular isopeptide bonds in the CNA2 or CNA3 domains retain the ability to form pilus bundles. A mutant lacking the CNA1 isopeptide bond assembled deformed pilin subunits that failed to associate as bundles. X‐ray crystallography revealed that the BcpA variant Asp312Ala, lacking an aspartyl catalyst, did not generate the isopeptide bond within the jelly‐roll structure of XNA. The Asp312Ala mutant was also unable to form bundles and promoted the assembly of deformed pili. Thus, structural integrity of the CNA1 and XNA domains are determinants for the association of pili into higher order bundle structures and determine native pilus structure.
Chlamydia co‐opts the rod shape‐determining proteins MreB and Pbp2 for cell division
Authors: Ouellette Scot P. , Karimova Gouzel , Subtil Agathe , Ladant Daniel 
Published: May 2012

SummaryChlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that have extensively reduced their genome in adapting to the intracellular environment. The chlamydial genome contains only three annotated cell division genes and lacks ftsZ. How this obligate intracellular pathogen divides is uncharacterized. Chlamydiae contain two high‐molecular‐weight (HMW) penicillin binding proteins (Pbp) implicated in peptidoglycan synthesis, Pbp2 and Pbp3/FtsI. We show here, using HMW Pbp‐specific penicillin derivatives, that both Pbp2 and Pbp3 are essential for chlamydial cell division. Ultrastructural analyses of antibiotic‐treated cultures revealed distinct phenotypes: Pbp2 inhibition induced internal cell bodies within a single outer membrane whereas Pbp3 inhibition induced elongated phenotypes with little internal division. Each HMW Pbp interacts with the Chlamydia cell division protein FtsK. Chlamydiae are coccoid yet contain MreB, a rod shape‐determining protein linked to Pbp2 in bacilli. Using MreB‐specific antibiotics, we show that MreB is essential for chlamydial growth and division. Importantly, co‐treatment with MreB‐specific and Pbp‐specific antibiotics resulted in the MreB‐inhibited phenotype, placing MreB upstream of Pbp function in chlamydial cell division. Finally, we showed that MreB also interacts with FtsK. We propose that, in Chlamydia, MreB acts as a central co‐ordinator at the division site to substitute for the lack of FtsZ in this bacterium.
Comparison of physiological and antioxidant responses of Anoda cristata and cotton to progressive drought
Authors: RATNAYAKA HH , MOLIN WT , STERLING TM 
Published: May 2012

Ratnayaka HH, Molin WT & Sterling TM (2012). Comparison of physiological and antioxidant responses of Anoda cristata and cotton to progressive drought. Weed Research52, 358–366.SummaryKnowledge about physiological responses of weed and crop to drought is needed to minimise crop losses caused by weed interference and to improve cropping systems and crop cultivars. In this study, gas exchange, photochemistry and antioxidant defences of two Anoda cristata (spurred anoda) accessions from Mississippi and New Mexico and two cotton types (Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense) were evaluated under unstressed conditions and progressive drought. Under no stress, net photosynthesis (Pnet) and quantum yield (ΦPSII) were similar, but stomatal conductance (gs) was higher in A. cristata than cotton. Glutathione reductase activity was highest in A. cristata from Mississippi. Cotton had at least 92% greater α‐tocopherol concentration than A. cristata. Progressive drought that suppressed gas exchange to near zero decreased biomass and ΦPSII, but increased xanthophyll cycle conversion state in both A. cristata and cotton. Anoda cristata had prolonged gas exchange at lower leaf water contents than cotton. Air‐to‐leaf temperature difference was at least 66% greater in A. cristata, while α‐tocopherol concentration increased only in cotton under progressive drought. Anoda cristata appears to use patchy stomatal closure and alternative electron sinks to minimise light damage during severe drought. Furthermore, sustained water‐holding capacity and assimilation helped by prolonged stomatal activity, larger pigment pools and lower leaf temperature in A. cristata may confer stress tolerance and consequent success in cotton –A. cristata interference.
Sympatric seagrass shrimp show similar structure and selection along the seashore: a comparison of two cryptic Phycomenes zostericola lineages
Authors: Haig Jodie A. , Connolly Rod M. , Hughes Jane M. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractSmall crustaceans are diverse and abundant in seagrass habitats and provide many ecological services. Further information is needed about their long‐ and short‐term response to habitat fragmentation and loss. Shrimp specimens were sampled from coastal seagrasses: latitudes 9°–27° S (Torres Strait to Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia) and longitudes 141°–153° E (Weipa to Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia). The seagrass shrimp Phycomenes zostericola (Caridea: Decapoda) underwent phylogeographic analysis using mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data. Lineage relationships were investigated and two deeply divergent sympatric lineages of P. zostericola were discovered in northern samples. The two lineages display vastly different demographic histories in spite of similar overall phylogeographic patterns. The two lineages appear to be in secondary contact with each other, detailing independent histories of sea level change, long distance colonisation and habitat fragmentation. Their regional structure is evidence that the potential for dispersal is only realised under specific environmental conditions. Nuclear data, used to determine reproductive status between lineages, instead displayed a non‐random latitudinal geographic distribution suggesting directional selection, possibly in response to ocean temperatures. The differences between the two deeply divergent lineages highlight the importance of understanding variability among cryptic taxa and their response to habitat change.
Issues with medication supply and management in a rural community in Queensland
Authors: Tan Amy C.W. , Emmerton Lynne M. , Hattingh H. Laetitia 
Published: May 2012

AbstractObjective:  To identify the key issues reported by rural health‐care providers in their provision of medication supply and related cognitive services, and in order to advise health workforce and role development and thus improve the quality use of medicines in rural communities.Design:  Exploratory semistructured interview research.Setting:  A rural community comprising four towns in a rural health service district in Queensland, Australia.Participants:  Forty‐nine health‐care providers (medical practitioners, pharmacists, nurses and others) with medication‐related roles who serviced the study community, identified through databases and local contacts.Main outcome measures:  Medication‐related roles undertaken by the health‐care providers, focusing on medication supply and cognitive services; challenges in undertaking these roles.Results:  Medical and nursing providers reported challenges in ensuring continuity in supply of medications due to their existing medical workload demands. Local pharmacists were largely involved in medication supply, with limited capacity for extended cognitive roles. Participants identified a lack of support for their medication roles and the potential value of clinically focused pharmacists in medication management services.Conclusions:  Medication supply may become more efficient with extended roles for certain health‐care providers. The need for cognitive medication management services suggests potential for clinical pharmacists' role development in rural areas.
Who brings dengue into North Queensland? A descriptive, exploratory study
Authors: Mannestål Johansson Caroline , McBride William J.H. , Engström Kajsa , Mills Jane 
Published: May 2012

AbstractObjective:  To describe the demographics, patterns of assessment and treatment of people visiting a regional emergency department with potential diagnoses of malaria or dengue fever.Design:  To identify potential dengue fever cases, we used an indicator of recent overseas travel and fever that is a request for malaria testing. A chart audit of 301 medical records of people between 2008 and 2010 was conducted to describe patient characteristics, diagnostic tests performed and treatment.Setting:  A regional hospital located in the wet tropics.Results:  Malaria testing was most often performed on Australian citizens (64.1%), medical evacuees (20.3%) and tourists (18.6%). Overall, 49.8% of patients tested for malaria did not also have a dengue test, despite being indicated in 54% of this group. People tested for malaria usually lived in a residential house or unit (69.7%). Only 9% were staying in hotels and hostels. Oceania was the most commonly visited region in the two weeks prior to presentation. Malaria was diagnosed in 17.3% and dengue fever in 12% of patients tested. Patients with dengue fever were more likely than patients with malaria to self‐refer to hospital, be staying in commercial accommodation and to have recently travelled to Southeast Asia.Conclusion:  Both dengue fever and malaria occur predominantly in residents who reside in non‐commercial accommodation. Efforts to identify imported dengue fever cases should focus on both tourists and local residents returning from overseas countries.
Cardiovascular risk factors and psychological distress in Australian farming communities
Authors: Brumby Susan , Chandrasekara Ananda , McCoombe Scott , Kremer Peter , Lewandowski Paul 
Published: May 2012

AbstractObjective:  To examine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, psychological distress and associations between physical and mental health parameters within a cohort of the Australian farming community.Design:  Cross‐sectional descriptive study.Setting:  Farming communities across Australia.Participants:  Data of men (n = 957) and women (n = 835) farmers from 97 locations across Australia were stratified into categories based on National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines.Main outcome measure(s):  Prevalence of and interrelationship between overweight, obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, diabetes risk and psychological distress.Results:  There was a higher prevalence of overweight (42.5%, 95% confidence interval (CI), 34.2–50.8), obesity (21.8%, 95% CI, 18.3–25.3), abdominal adiposity (38.4% 95% CI, 24.5–52.5), hypertension (54.0%, 95% CI, 34.4–73.5) and diabetes risk (25.3%, 95% CI, 17.7–36.7) in the farming cohort compared with national data. There was also a positive significant association between the prevalence of psychological distress and obesity, abdominal adiposity, body fat percentage and metabolic syndrome in older (age ≥ 50 years) participants.Conclusions:  This study group of farming men and women exhibited an increased prevalence of CVD risk factors and co‐morbidities. The findings indicate a positive association between psychological distress and risk for developing CVD, particularly in the older farmers. If the younger cohort were to maintain elevated rates of psychological distress, then it is foreseeable that the next generation of farmers could experience poorer physical health than their predecessors.