bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
T‐cell‐mediated immunological barriers to xenotransplantation
Authors: Scalea Joseph , Hanecamp Isabel , Robson Simon C. , Yamada Kazuhiko 
Published: February 2012

Scalea J, Hanecamp I, Robson SC, Yamada K. T‐cell‐mediated immunological barriers to xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation 2012; 19: 23–30. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  Xenotransplantion remains the most viable option for significant expansion of the donor organ pool in clinical transplantation. With the advent of nuclear transfer technologies, the production of transgenic swine has become a possibility. These animals have allowed transplant investigators to overcome humoral mechanisms of hyperacute xenograft rejection in experimental pig‐to‐non‐human primate models. However, other immunologic barriers preclude long‐term acceptance of xenografts. This review article focuses on a major feature of xenogeneic rejection: xenogeneic T cell responses. Evidence obtained from both small and large animal models, particularly those using either islet cells or kidneys, have demonstrated that T cell responses play a major role in xenogeneic rejection, and that immunosuppression alone is likely incapable of completely suppressing these responses. Additionally, both the direct and indirect pathway of antigen presentation appear to be involved in these anti donor processes. Enhanced understanding of (i) CD47 and its role in transduced xeno‐bone marrow (ii) CD39 and its role in coagulation dysregulation and (iii) thymic transplantation have provided us with encouraging results. Presently, experiments evaluating the possibility of xenogeneic tolerance are underway.
Human TNF‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand‐expressing dendritic cells from transgenic pigs attenuate human xenogeneic T cell responses
Authors: Kemter Elisabeth , Lieke Thorsten , Kessler Barbara , Kurome Mayuko , Wuensch Annegret , Summerfield Artur , Ayares David , Nagashima Hiroshi , Baars Wiebke , Schwinzer Reinhard , Wolf Eckhard 
Published: February 2012

Kemter E, Lieke T, Kessler B, Kurome M, Wuensch A, Summerfield A, Ayares D, Nagashima H, Baars W, Schwinzer R, Wolf E. Human TNF‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand‐expressing dendritic cells from transgenic pigs attenuate human xenogeneic T cell responses. Xenotransplantation 2012; 19: 40–51. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  Background:  Efficient and precise techniques for the genetic modification of pigs facilitate the generation of tailored donor animals for xenotransplantation. Numerous transgenic pig lines exist with the focus on inhibition of the complement system and of humoral immune responses. In addition, immune cell‐based responses need to be controlled to prevent pig‐to‐primate xenograft rejection. Expression of human (hu) TNF‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) on porcine cells has the potential to ameliorate human T cell responses.Methods:  We generated transgenic pigs expressing human tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (huTRAIL) under the control of either the mouse H2Kb promoter or a CMV enhancer/chicken β‐actin (CAG) promoter, the latter one (CAG‐huTRAIL) on a GGTA1 knockout/huCD46 transgenic background. The biological activity of huTRAIL was demonstrated by its apoptosis‐inducing effect on Jurkat lymphoma cells. To clarify whether huTRAIL affects also primary immune cells and whether its effects depend on the presence of co‐stimulatory molecules, we exposed human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or isolated T cells to huTRAIL‐expressing porcine fibroblasts or dendritic cells in vitro.Results:  H2Kb‐huTRAIL transgenic pigs express huTRAIL mainly in the spleen and secondary lymphoid tissues. The CAG‐huTRAIL construct facilitated huTRAIL expression in multiple organs, the level being at least one order of magnitude higher than in H2Kb‐huTRAIL transgenic pigs. Incubation with huTRAIL‐expressing H2Kb‐huTRAIL transgenic porcine dendritic cells decreased human T cell proliferation significantly without any signs of apoptosis. In spite of the high transgene expression level, CAG‐huTRAIL transgenic fibroblasts did not affect proliferation of human PBMC, independent of their activation state.Conclusions:  These results suggest huTRAIL expression on porcine dendritic cells as a possible strategy to attenuate T cell responses against pig‐to‐primate xenografts.
Extreme Behavioral Adjustments by an Orb‐Web Spider to Restricted Spaces
Authors: Barrantes Gilbert , Eberhard William G. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAdaptive flexibility in response to environmental variation is often advantageous and occurs in many types of traits in many species. Although the basic designs of the orb webs of a given species are relatively uniform, spiders can adjust their webs to some types of environmental variation. This study of adult female Leucauge argyra tests the extremes to which they can adjust with respect to reduced area in which to build, and documents probably the most pronounced flexibility in orb design ever recorded. These adjustments revealed several behavioral rules that guide orb construction behavior. Spiders adjusted at least seven probably independent aspects of orb design when confined in tiny spaces that spanned about 7% of the maximum distance normally spanned by webs in the field and that had diameters that were only about three times the length of the spider itself. Webs in intermediate sized containers had intermediate designs, and many of the adjustments appear to result from extensions of the behavioral rules guiding orb construction in less severely restricted spaces in the field.
The Effect of Female Condition on Maternal Care in the European Earwig
Authors: Wong Janine W. Y. , Kölliker Mathias 
Published: February 2012

AbstractParental care typically enhances offspring fitness at costs for tending parents. Asymmetries in genetic relatedness entail potential conflicts between parents and offspring over the duration and the amount of care. To understand how these conflicts are resolved evolutionarily, it is important to understand how individual condition affects offspring and parental behaviour and whether parents or offspring make active choices in their interactions. Condition effects on offspring have been broadly studied, but the effect of parental condition on parent–offspring interactions is less well understood, in particular in species where care is facultative and offspring have the option to beg for food from the parents or to self‐forage. In this study, we carried out two experiments in the European earwigForficula auricularia, a system where females provide facultative care, in which we manipulated female condition (through a high‐food and low‐food treatment) and the degree by which mothers and offspring could make active choices. In a first experiment, where female mobility was limited, female condition had no significant effect on the rate of offspring self‐foraging, which increased with nymph age. In a second experiment, nymph access to food was limited and females in poor nutritional condition provided food to significantly fewer nymphs than high condition females. In both experiments, offspring attendance remained at a constantly high level and was independent of female condition even after experimental separation of females and offspring. Our results show that earwig nymphs do not use cues of female condition to adjust rates of self‐foraging, that females control food provisioning depending on their own condition, and that females and nymphs share control over offspring attendance, a form of care not influenced by female condition.
Brown root rot of trees caused by Phellinus noxius in the Ryukyu Islands, subtropical areas of Japan
Authors: Sahashi N. , Akiba M. , Ishihara M. , Ota Y. , Kanzaki N. 
Published: February 2012

SummaryThe fungus Phellinus noxius has a broad host range and causes brown root rot in a variety of tree species of various ages, irrespective of their original health. The fungus is widely distributed in tropical countries of Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia, Central America and Caribbean, and Africa. Since 1988, when brown root rot was first found on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture, the disease has been reported on several islands in Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures, and it has been causing serious problems to shade, windbreak, ornamental and landscape trees in the Ryukyu Islands, located in the subtropical region of southern Japan. Here, we report on the current status of P. noxius‐caused brown root rot in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, including symptoms, occurrence, dispersal, distribution and host tree species of the disease, pathogenicity and/or virulence of the pathogen, and disease management based on our surveys and previously published reports from Japan. Brown root rot has been confirmed in 53 tree species from 32 plant families at different sites on 10 of the 12 islands surveyed. Among the 53 tree species, 34 were first recorded in Japan as host plants of P. noxius. The disease occurs mainly in shade, ornamental and windbreak trees at sightseeing places, parks, roadsides, agricultural land such as sugar cane fields, and around residences or other places associated with human activities.
Molecular characterisation of the causative agents of Cryptococcosis in patients of a tertiary healthcare facility in the state of Amazonas‐Brazil
Authors: Freire Ana Karla Lima , dos Santos Bentes Amaury , de Lima Sampaio Ivanete , Matsuura Ani Beatriz Jackisch , Ogusku Maurício Morishi , Salem Julia Ignez , Wanke Bodo , de Souza João Vicente Braga 
Published: February 2012

SummaryAs there are four major molecular types of Cryptococcus neoformans (VNI, VNII, VNIII and VNIV) and four molecular types of Cryptococcus gattii (VGI, VGII, VGIII and VGIV), it is important to identify the specific groups causing cryptococcosis in different geographical regions. Here, we investigated the molecular types of 57 cryptococcal isolates from patients in a tertiary care hospital in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, between 2006 and 2010. The isolates were characterised by PCR fingerprinting using the M13 minisatellite and confirmed by URA5‐RFLP analysis, and the presence of specific genes from the mating type locus (MATα and MATa) of these species was analysed by PCR. Most of the patients were male (66.7%), between 16 and 30 years of age (51.7%), and HIV‐positive (75.0%). Most isolates were collected from cerebrospinal fluid samples (71.7%). Most of the C. neoformans isolates (n = 40) were characterised as members of the VNI molecular group (n = 39), a unique isolate was characterised as VNII whereas all isolates of C. gattii (n = 17) were members of the VGII molecular group. With regard to mating types, 55 isolates were type ‘α’, and only two were type ‘a’. This study revealed the prevalence of the VNI molecular group and provides the first reported observation of the VNII molecular group in the northern region of Brazil.
New insights into hepatosplenic candidosis, a manifestation of chronic disseminated candidosis
Authors: Rammaert B. , Desjardins A. , Lortholary O. 
Published: February 2012

SummaryChronic disseminated candidosis, often referred to as hepatosplenic candidosis (HSC), is an infection due to Candida spp. that mainly involves the liver and spleen. HSC occurs mostly in patients after profound and prolonged neutropenia, which is more often seen in patients with acute haematological malignancies. The incidence of HSC ranges from 3% to 29% in patients suffering from Acute Leukaemia. However, it is now seen less frequently with the widespread use of antifungal agents as prophylaxis or as preemptive therapy. Early and adequate diagnosis and treatment of HSC are crucial, as treatment delays can negatively affect the prognosis of the underlying condition. The pathogenesis is not well understood, but it is believed that it may be due to an unbalanced adaptive immune response that leads to an exacerbated inflammatory reaction, resulting in an Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome. In this context, new therapeutic approaches such as the use of adjuvant high‐dose corticosteroids have been shown beneficial. This article will focus on the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of HSC and provide an accurate review of recent pathophysiological data.
Fall Risk Index predicts functional decline regardless of fall experiences among community‐dwelling elderly
Authors: Ishimoto Yasuko , Wada Taizo , Kasahara Yoriko , Kimura Yumi , Fukutomi Eriko , Chen Wenling , Hirosaki Mayumi , Nakatsuka Masahiro , Fujisawa Michiko , Sakamoto Ryota , Ishine Masayuki , Okumiya Kiyohito , Otsuka Kuniaki , Matsubayashi Kozo 
Published: February 2012

Aim:  The 21‐item Fall Risk Index (FRI‐21) has been used to detect elderly persons at risk for falls. The aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the FRI‐21 as a predictor of decline in basic activities of daily living (BADL) among Japanese community‐dwelling elderly persons independent of fall risk.Methods:  The study population consisted of 518 elderly participants aged 65 years and older who were BADL independent at baseline in Tosa, Japan. We examined risk factors for BADL decline from 2008 to 2009 by multiple logistic regression analysis on the FRI‐21 and other functional status measures in all participants. We carried out the same analysis in selected participants who had no experience of falls to remove the effect of falls.Results:  A total of 45 of 518 participants showed decline in BADL within 1 year. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio [OR] 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–1.20), FRI‐21 ≥ 10 (OR 3.81, 95% CI 1.49–9.27), intellectual activity dependence (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.42–7.44) and history of osteoarthropathy (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.40–7.21) were significant independent risk factors for BADL decline within 1 year. FRI‐21 ≥ 10 and intellectual activity dependence (≤3) remained significant predictors, even in selected non‐fallers.Conclusion:  FRI‐21 ≥ 10 and intellectual activity dependence were significant predictive factors of BADL decline, regardless of fall experience, after adjustment for confounding variables. The FRI‐21 is a brief, useful tool not only for predicting falls, but also future decline in functional ability in community‐dwelling elderly persons. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; ••: ••–••.
Benefits of active participation of family physicians in geriatric consultations
Authors: Press Yan , Biderman Aya , Peleg Roni , Tandeter Howard , Dwolatzky Tzvi 
Published: February 2012

Background:  Geriatric consultation services are generally beneficial in improving the health and well‐being of the elderly. We prospectively studied whether the active participation of family physicians (FPs) in the process of geriatric consultation would improve implementation rates and benefit the health care of the elderly.Methods:  We carried out a comparative prospective intervention study in three urban academic family medicine clinics. Patients in the control clinics were evaluated by the consultant geriatrician, and a summary of the findings and recommendations were presented to the FP in a brief meeting. In the intervention clinic, the referring FP joined the geriatrician throughout the geriatric assessment. The percentage of implementation of suggested recommendations was evaluated. Information regarding the utilization of health services was provided from computerized data.Results:  Of the 212 patients included in the study, 107 were in the intervention group and 105 were controls. The overall rate of implementation was significantly higher for patients in the intervention group (329/445; 73.9%) than for patients in the control group (232/387; 59.9%), P < 0.0001. In the year after the geriatric assessment, those in the intervention group visited the FP less often.Conclusions:  A model co‐consultation actively involving the FP in the process of assessment of the older patient by the geriatrician improves the degree of implementation of recommendations without an increase in related heath care utilization and costs. This model should be further developed and studied. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; ••: ••–••.
Phylogenetic distribution of genes encoding β‐glucuronidase activity in human colonic bacteria and the impact of diet on faecal glycosidase activities
Authors: McIntosh Freda M. , Maison Nathalie , Holtrop Grietje , Young Pauline , Stevens Valerie J. , Ince Jennifer , Johnstone Alexandra M. , Lobley Gerald E. , Flint Harry J. , Louis Petra 
Published: February 2012

SummaryBacterial β‐glucuronidase in the human colon plays an important role in cleaving liver conjugates of dietary compounds and xenobiotics, while other glycosidase activities are involved in the conversion of dietary plant glycosides. Here we detected an increase in β‐glucuronidase activity in faecal samples from obese volunteers following a high‐protein moderate carbohydrate weight‐loss diet, compared with a weight maintenance diet, but little or no changes were observed when the type of fermentable carbohydrate was varied. Other faecal glycosidase activities showed little or no change over a fivefold range of dietary NSP intake, although α‐glucosidase increased on a resistant starch‐enriched diet. Two distinct groups of gene, gus and BG, have been reported to encode β‐glucuronidase activity among human colonic bacteria. Degenerate primers were designed against these genes. Overall, Firmicutes were found to account for 96% of amplified gus sequences, with three operational taxonomic units particularly abundant, whereas 59% of amplified BG sequences belonged to Bacteroidetes and 41% to Firmicutes. A similar distribution of operational taxonomic units was found in a published metagenome dataset involving a larger number of volunteers. Seven cultured isolates of human colonic bacteria that carried only the BG gene gave relatively low β‐glucuronidase activity that was not induced by 4‐nitrophenyl‐β‐D‐glucuronide. By comparison, in three of five isolates that possessed only the gus gene, β‐glucuronidase activity was induced.
Co‐evolution and symbiont replacement shaped the symbiosis between adelgids (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) and their bacterial symbionts
Authors: Toenshoff Elena R. , Gruber Daniela , Horn Matthias 
Published: February 2012

SummaryThe Adelgidae (Insecta: Hemiptera), a small group of insects, are known as severe pests on various conifers of the northern hemisphere. Despite of this, little is known about their bacteriocyte‐associated endosymbionts, which are generally important for the biology and ecology of plant sap‐sucking insects. Here, we investigated the adelgid species complexes Adelges laricis/tardus, Adelges abietis/viridis and Adelges cooleyi/coweni, identified based on their coI and ef1alpha genes. Each of these insect groups harboured two phylogenetically different bacteriocyte‐associated symbionts belonging to the Betaproteobacteria and the Gammaproteobacteria, respectively, as inferred from phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences and demonstrated by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The betaproteobacterial symbionts of all three adelgid complexes (‘Candidatus Vallotia tarda’, ‘Candidatus Vallotia virida’ and ‘Candidatus Vallotia cooleyia’) share a common ancestor and show a phylogeny congruent with that of their respective hosts. Similarly, there is evidence for co‐evolution between the gammaproteobacterial symbionts (‘Candidatus Profftia tarda’, ‘Candidatus Profftia virida’) and A. laricis/tardus and A. abietis/viridis. In contrast, the gammaproteobacterial symbiont of A. cooleyi/coweni (‘Candidatus Gillettellia cooleyia’) is different from that of the other two adelgids but shows a moderate relationship to the symbiont ‘Candidatus Ecksteinia adelgidicola’ of A. nordmannianae/piceae. All symbionts were present in all adelgid populations and life stages analysed, suggesting vertical transmission from mother to offspring. In sharp contrast to their sister group, the aphids, adelgids do not consistently contain a single obligate (primary) symbiont but have acquired phylogenetically different bacterial symbionts during their evolution, which included multiple infections and symbiont replacement.
Metatranscriptomics of the marine sponge Geodia barretti: tackling phylogeny and function of its microbial community
Authors: Radax Regina , Rattei Thomas , Lanzen Anders , Bayer Christoph , Rapp Hans Tore , Urich Tim , Schleper Christa 
Published: February 2012

SummaryGeodia barretti is a marine cold‐water sponge harbouring high numbers of microorganisms. Significant rates of nitrification have been observed in this sponge, indicating a substantial contribution to nitrogen turnover in marine environments with high sponge cover. In order to get closer insights into the phylogeny and function of the active microbial community and the interaction with its host G. barretti, a metatranscriptomic approach was employed, using the simultaneous analysis of rRNA and mRNA. Of the 262 298 RNA‐tags obtained by pyrosequencing, 92% were assigned to ribosomal RNA (ribo‐tags). A total of 109 325 SSU rRNA ribo‐tags revealed a detailed picture of the community, dominated by group SAR202 of Chloroflexi, candidate phylum Poribacteria and Acidobacteria, which was different in its composition from that obtained in clone libraries prepared form the same samples. Optimized assembly strategies allowed the reconstruction of full‐length rRNA sequences from the short ribo‐tags for more detailed phylogenetic studies of the dominant taxa. Cells of several phyla were visualized by FISH analyses for confirmation. Of the remaining 21 325 RNA‐tags, 10 023 were assigned to mRNA‐tags, based on similarities to genes in the databases. A wide range of putative functional gene transcripts from over 10 different phyla were identified among the bacterial mRNA‐tags. The most abundant mRNAs were those encoding key metabolic enzymes of nitrification from ammonia‐oxidizing archaea as well as candidate genes involved in related processes. Our analysis demonstrates the potential and limits of using a combined rRNA and mRNA approach to explore the microbial community profile, phylogenetic assignments and metabolic activities of a complex, but little explored microbial community.