bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Composite Fixation of Comminuted Ilial Wing Fractures in Cats: Three Cases
Authors: Burton Neil J 
Published: April 2011

Clinical summary The surgical repair of comminuted ilial wing fractures (comprising a long oblique fracture with ventral multiple fragmentation) in three cats using composite internal fixation is reported. The technique comprised the use of pins, screws, wire and polymethylmethacrylate. All cases had an excellent outcome with uneventful bone healing. One case had a very mild reduction in pelvic canal diameter postoperatively. There was no evidence of implant loosening or migration in any cat on follow-up radiographs. Practical relevance This technique provided a quick and highly adaptable means of stabilising this fracture configuration, as well as restoring pelvic symmetry, when limited buttressing support and bone stock were available cranial and ventral to the acetabulum. This method of fixation may have biomechanical advantages over lateral or dorsal plating techniques for this particular type of fracture configuration.
CONTINUITY OF THE VARIATIONAL EIGENVALUES OF THE p-LAPLACIAN WITH RESPECT TO p
Authors: PARINI ENEA 
Published: May 2011

AbstractIn this note it is shown that a result of Champion and De Pascale [‘Asymptotic behavior of nonlinear eigenvalue problems involving p-Laplacian type operators’, Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh Sect. A 137 (2007), 1179–1195] implies that the variational eigenvalues of the p-Laplacian are continuous with respect to p.
Research Issues for Nursing and Midwifery Contributions in Emergencies
Authors: Weiner Elizabeth 
Published: May 2011

AbstractThis special report was prepared as a white paper for the First World Health Organization (WHO) Consultation on Nursing and Midwifery Contributions in Emergencies held in Geneva on 22–24 November 2006. Pertinent issues related to research of nurses and midwives were identified based on prior international conferences. Using this information, gaps between the current and proposed state of preparedness research activities were identified. Global perspective recommendations were made for consideration by the WHO and other nursing organizations. Finally, possible discussion questions were posed that were used during the consultation, but could also be used in other international nursing conferences.
Alzheimer's disease is TH17 related autoimmune disease against misfoded beta amyloid
Authors: Hu Wan-Jiung 
Published: May 2011

AbstractAlzheimer's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder. However, its exact etiology is still unknown. There were several mechanisms proposed such as the tau hypothesis and amyloid hypothesis. However, there is evidence challenging the above two hypotheses. Here, I propose the immune-amyloid hypothesis as a mechanism for Alzheimer's disease. Th17 related autoimmunity contributes to the disease pathogenesis. Accumulation of misfolded beta amyloid can trigger heat shock protein which in turn induces TH17 immunity. By microarray analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, there is up-regulation of many TH17 related molecules after Alzheimer's disease. After knowing the exact disease pathogenesis, we can develop new therapeutic strategies to prevent or treat the detrimental disorder.
parmigene—a parallel R package for mutual information estimation and gene network reconstruction
Authors: Sales Gabriele , Romualdi Chiara 
Published: April 2011

Abstract
Motivation: Inferring large transcriptional networks using mutual information has been shown to be effective in several experimental setup. Unfortunately, this approach has two main drawbacks: (i) several mutual information estimators are prone to biases and (ii) available software still has large computational costs when processing thousand of genes.
Results: Here, we present parmigene (PARallel Mutual Information estimation for GEne NEtwork reconstruction), an R package that tries to fill the above gaps. It implements a mutual information estimator based on k-nearest neighbor distances that is minimally biased with respect to the other methods and uses a parallel computing paradigm to reconstruct gene regulatory networks. We test parmigene on in silico and real data. We show that parmigene gives more precise results than existing softwares with strikingly less computational costs.
Availability and Implementation: The parmigene package is available on the CRAN network at http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/.
Contact: chiara.romualdi@unipd.it
Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
A detailed investigation of accessibilities around target sites of siRNAs and miRNAs
Authors: Kiryu Hisanori , Terai Goro , Imamura Osamu , Yoneyama Hiroyuki , Suzuki Kenji , Asai Kiyoshi 
Published: April 2011

AbstractMotivation: The importance of RNA sequence analysis has been increasing since the discovery of various types of non-coding RNAs transcribed in animal cells. Conventional RNA sequence analyses have mainly focused on structured regions, which are stabilized by the stacking energies acting on adjacent base pairs. On the other hand, recent findings regarding the mechanisms of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and transcription regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs) indicate the importance of analyzing accessible regions where no base pairs exist. So far, relatively few studies have investigated the nature of such regions.Results: We have conducted a detailed investigation of accessibilities around the target sites of siRNAs and miRNAs. We have exhaustively calculated the correlations between the accessibilities around the target sites and the repression levels of the corresponding mRNAs. We have computed the accessibilities with an originally developed software package, called ‘Raccess’, which computes the accessibility of all the segments of a fixed length for a given RNA sequence when the maximal distance between base pairs is limited to a fixed size W. We show that the computed accessibilities are relatively insensitive to the choice of the maximal span W. We have found that the efficacy of siRNAs depends strongly on the accessibility of the very 3′-end of their binding sites, which might reflect a target site recognition mechanism in the RNA-induced silencing complex. We also show that the efficacy of miRNAs has a similar dependence on the accessibilities, but some miRNAs also show positive correlations between the efficacy and the accessibilities in broad regions downstream of their putative binding sites, which might imply that the downstream regions of the target sites are bound by other proteins that allow the miRNAs to implement their functions. We have also investigated the off-target effects of an siRNA as a potential RNAi therapeutic. We show that the off-target effects of the siRNA have similar correlations to the miRNA repression, indicating that they are caused by the same mechanism.Availability: The C++ source code of the Raccess software is available at http://www.ncrna.org/software/Raccess/ The microarray data on the measurements of the siRNA off-target effects are also available at the same site.Contact: kiryu-h@k.u-tokyo.ac.jpSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
DNA Free Energy-Based Promoter Prediction and Comparative Analysis of Arabidopsis and Rice Genomes
Authors: Morey Czuee , Mookherjee Sushmita , Rajasekaran Ganesan , Bansal Manju 
Published: April 2011

Abstract
The cis-regulatory regions on DNA serve as binding sites for proteins such as transcription factors and RNA polymerase. The combinatorial interaction of these proteins plays a crucial role in transcription initiation, which is an important point of control in the regulation of gene expression. We present here an analysis of the performance of an in silico method for predicting cis-regulatory regions in the plant genomes of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and rice (Oryza sativa) on the basis of free energy of DNA melting. For protein-coding genes, we achieve recall and precision of 96% and 42% for Arabidopsis and 97% and 31% for rice, respectively. For noncoding RNA genes, the program gives recall and precision of 94% and 75% for Arabidopsis and 95% and 90% for rice, respectively. Moreover, 96% of the false-positive predictions were located in noncoding regions of primary transcripts, out of which 20% were found in the first intron alone, indicating possible regulatory roles. The predictions for orthologous genes from the two genomes showed a good correlation with respect to prediction scores and promoter organization. Comparison of our results with an existing program for promoter prediction in plant genomes indicates that our method shows improved prediction capability.
Early Transcriptional Defense Responses in Arabidopsis Cell Suspension Culture under High-Light Conditions
Authors: González-Pérez Sergio , Gutiérrez Jorge , García-García Francisco , Osuna Daniel , Dopazo Joaquín , Lorenzo Óscar , Revuelta José L. , Arellano Juan B. 
Published: April 2011

Abstract
The early transcriptional defense responses and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) cell suspension culture (ACSC), containing functional chloroplasts, were examined at high light (HL). The transcriptional analysis revealed that most of the ROS markers identified among the 449 transcripts with significant differential expression were transcripts specifically up-regulated by singlet oxygen (1O2). On the contrary, minimal correlation was established with transcripts specifically up-regulated by superoxide radical or hydrogen peroxide. The transcriptional analysis was supported by fluorescence microscopy experiments. The incubation of ACSC with the 1O2 sensor green reagent and 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate showed that the 30-min-HL-treated cultures emitted fluorescence that corresponded with the production of 1O2 but not of hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, the in vivo photodamage of the D1 protein of photosystem II indicated that the photogeneration of 1O2 took place within the photosystem II reaction center. Functional enrichment analyses identified transcripts that are key components of the ROS signaling transduction pathway in plants as well as others encoding transcription factors that regulate both ROS scavenging and water deficit stress. A meta-analysis examining the transcriptional profiles of mutants and hormone treatments in Arabidopsis showed a high correlation between ACSC at HL and the fluorescent mutant family of Arabidopsis, a producer of 1O2 in plastids. Intriguingly, a high correlation was also observed with ABA deficient1 and more axillary growth4, two mutants with defects in the biosynthesis pathways of two key (apo)carotenoid-derived plant hormones (i.e. abscisic acid and strigolactones, respectively). ACSC has proven to be a valuable system for studying early transcriptional responses to HL stress.
Growth hormone is positively associated with surrogate markers of bone turnover during puberty
Authors: Russell Melissa , Breggia Anne , Mendes Nara , Klibanski Anne , Misra Madhusmita 
Published: April 2011

SummaryBackground  Puberty is characterized by increases in growth hormone (GH) and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) and the pubertal growth spurt. Bone formation and resorption also increase, consistent with increased bone metabolism.Objective  To determine the relationship between pubertal bone metabolism, GH and IGF‐1. We hypothesized that bone turnover peaks at the time of greatest pubertal GH secretion.Design and Subjects  Subjects included 86 girls and boys, 9–17 years‐old (BMI 10th–90th percentiles). Because higher endogenous GH secretion is associated with a higher nadir following oral glucose, we used the GH nadir following a 2‐h OGTT as indicative of GH status. Fasting serum IGF‐1, aminoterminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1NP) and carboxy‐terminal collagen crosslinks (CTX) were obtained. Subjects were grouped per expected timing of peak growth. Group 1: Tanner 1 girls and Tanner 1–2 boys (period preceding peak growth), Group 2: Tanner 2–3 girls and Tanner 3–4 boys (period of peak growth) and Group 3: Tanner 4–5 girls and Tanner 5 boys (period following peak growth).Results  GH peaked at mid‐puberty (Group 2) and IGF‐1 in late puberty (Group 3). P1NP and CTX were highest in mid‐puberty compared with early and late puberty (P = 0·0009 and 0·006 in girls and P = 0·005 and 0·04 in boys). GH, but not IGF‐1, correlated with P1NP (r = 0·46 in both genders, P ≤ 0·008) and CTX (r = 0·37 and 0·38, P = 0·04 and 0·02 in girls and boys, respectively). Similarly, on regression modelling, GH (but not IGF‐1) predicted both bone turnover markers in both genders.Conclusion  GH is strongly associated with pubertal bone metabolism, independent of systemic IGF‐1 in girls and boys.
Assessment of quality of fruits using impedance spectroscopy
Authors: Rehman Mahfoozur , Abu Izneid Basem A.J.A. , Abdullah Mohd Zaid , Arshad Mohd Rizal 
Published: May 2011

SummaryThis study deals with the development of a nondestructive impedance spectroscopic technique that may assess the conditions of the fruits to pluck them with the help of robotic arms. Preliminary investigations are made with the help of two‐terminal probe and an accurate LCR meter. The bulk impedance of mango has been measured to characterise raw and ripe fruits. Effective resistance and effective capacitance vs. frequency characteristics have been determined. The bulk effective resistances, of the ripe fruits, are found to be more than those of the raw fruits, in the frequency range of 1–6 kHz. In the same frequency range, effective capacitances of the raw fruits are found more than those of the ripe fruits. In the light of the data obtained, it can be said that the effective resistance may be used to differentiate between raw and ripe fruits in the frequency range of 1–6 kHz.
Perceived health and risk of undernutrition: a comparison of different nutritional screening results in older patients
Authors: Söderhamn Ulrika , Flateland Sylvi , Jessen Liss , Söderhamn Olle 
Published: May 2011

Aims and objectives. To compare screening results using different nutritional screening instruments with respect to nutritional risk and associations with perceived health and health‐related issues in a group of older hospital patients.Background. The association between lower perceived health and nutritional risk in older people is widely known. It is advised to use a screening instrument to identify nutritional at‐risk patients.Design. A cross‐sectional study design was used.Methods. One hundred and fifty‐eight older patients, in three medical hospital wards in two hospitals in southern Norway, were interviewed using a questionnaire containing questions about background variables, perceived health and health‐related issues and the nutritional screening instruments Nutritional Form for the Elderly and Mini Nutritional Assessment (including Mini Nutritional Assessment‐Short Form). Data were also collected regarding the screening instrument Nutrition Risk Screening 2002. All data were analysed using statistical methods.Results. Many patients were at nutritional risk independent of instrument used. Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 identified fewer nutritional at‐risk patients than the other instruments did. Perceived ill health was significantly associated with nutritional risk using instruments specifically designed for older people. Feeling satisfied with life and lower risk of undernutrition were two important predictors for perceived good health.Conclusions. Nutritional Form for the Elderly, Mini Nutritional Assessment and Mini Nutritional Assessment‐Short Form could identify approximately the same number of nutritional at‐risk patients. Being at nutritional risk had a negative impact on older patients’ perceived health.Relevance for practice. Corresponding nutritional screening results can be obtained using either Nutritional Form for the Elderly or Mini Nutritional Assessment, as well as Mini Nutritional Assessment‐Short Form. Instruments designed for older people should be used to screen older patients. Factors associated with nutritional risk can aid nurses in becoming aware of nutritional at‐risk patients. Preventing undernutrition is important for overall health enhancement.
Divergent transcriptional response to thermal stress by Anopheles gambiae larvae carrying alternative arrangements of inversion 2La
Authors: CASSONE BRYAN J. , MOLLOY MATTHEW J. , CHENG CHANGDE , TAN JOHN C. , HAHN MATTHEW W. , BESANSKY NORA J. 
Published: May 2011

AbstractThe African malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae is polymorphic for chromosomal inversion 2La, whose frequency strongly correlates with degree of aridity across environmental gradients. Recent physiological studies have associated 2La with resistance to desiccation in adults and thermal stress in larvae, consistent with its proposed role in aridity tolerance. However, the genetic basis of these traits remains unknown. To identify genes that could be involved in the differential response to thermal stress, we compared global gene expression profiles of heat‐hardened 2La or 2L+a larvae at three time points, for up to eight hours following exposure to the heat stress. Treatment and control time series, replicated four times, revealed a common and massive induction of a core set of heat‐shock genes regardless of 2La orientation. However, clear differences between the 2La and 2L+a arrangements emerged at the earliest (0.25 h) time point, in the intensity and nature of the stress response. Overall, 2La was associated with the more aggressive response: larger numbers of genes were heat responsive and up‐regulated. Transcriptionally induced genes were enriched for functions related to ubiquitin‐proteasomal degradation, chaperoning and energy metabolism. The more muted transcriptional response of 2L+a was largely repressive, including genes involved in proteolysis and energy metabolism. These results may help explain the maintenance of the 2La inversion polymorphism in An. gambiae, as the survival benefits offered by high thermal sensitivity in harsh climates could be offset by the metabolic costs of such a drastic response in more equable climates.
Extremely low prevalence of epinephrine autoinjectors in high‐risk food‐allergic adolescents in Dutch high schools
Authors: Flokstra‐de Blok Bertine M. J. , Doriene van Ginkel C. , Roerdink Emmy M. , Kroeze Maartje A. J. M. , Stel Ashling A. , van der Meulen Gerbrich N. , Dubois Anthony E. J. 
Published: May 2011

To cite this article: Flokstra‐de Blok BMJ, van Ginkel CD, Roerdink EM, Kroeze MAJM, Stel AA, van der Meulen GN, Dubois AEJ. Extremely low prevalence of epinephrine autoinjectors in high‐risk food‐allergic adolescents in Dutch high schools. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011; 22: 374–377.AbstractThe aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of probable food allergy in adolescents aged 11–20 and to examine the frequency of epinephrine autoinjector (EAI) ownership among high‐risk individuals. Adolescents were screened followed by a more detailed telephone questionnaire inquiring about suspected food(s), symptoms, diagnosis, and use of an EAI. The participating adolescents were classified as probably or unlikely to be food‐allergic. The need for an EAI was assessed. In total, 2284 adolescents completed the screening questionnaire, of which 396 indicated food to be a problem and 168 agreed to be interviewed. Forty‐eight adolescents were classified as probably food‐allergic, of which eight were not aware of their food allergy. Twenty‐three adolescents were considered candidates for an EAI, whereas only two of them had been prescribed this medication. The calculated questionnaire‐based prevalence of EAI need was 3.0% (minimal prevalence at least 1.0%), whereas the EAI ownership was 0.09%. In conclusion, we found an alarming under prescription of EAIs in school‐going adolescents.
Isolation, characterization and establishment of an equine retinal glial cell line: a prerequisite to investigate the physiological function of Müller cells in the retina
Authors: Eberhardt C. , Amann B. , Stangassinger M. , Hauck S. M. , Deeg C. A. 
Published: April 2011

SummaryRetinal Müller glial cells are of vital importance for maintaining a physiological environment within the retina. To this end, they provide highly specialized physiological properties to support neurons in structure, nutrition and metabolism. The purpose of this study was to isolate Müller cells from the equine retina, determine their characteristics and subsequently establish a stable equine Müller cell line (eqMC) that will provide a prerequisite for investigations on their physiological properties. Dissociated retinal cells were obtained from equine retinas by a papain digestion technique followed by trituration and a cell attachment method by which pure Müller cell cultures were achieved. Morphological examination was performed using phase‐contrast microscopy, and further characterization of different subcultures was accomplished by immunocytochemistry. Cells of passage 1 showed distinct signals for glutamine synthetase and vimentin, whereas glial fibrillary acidic protein expression was almost absent. Characteristic expression patterns remained unaltered in all subcultures. Furthermore, cultured Müller cells stably expressed the microfilament alpha‐smooth muscle actin, the proliferation marker Ki67 and the membrane channels Kir4.1 and aquaporin 4. The present study introduces the eqMC‐7 that will facilitate studies investigating the physiological role of Müller cells within the equine retina.
Antifungal susceptibilities of Cryptococcus neoformans cerebrospinal fluid isolates from AIDS patients in Kenya
Authors: Mdodo Rennatus , Moser Stephen A. , Jaoko Walter , Baddley John , Pappas Peter , Kempf Mirjam‐Colette , Aban Inmaculada , Odera Susan , Jolly Pauline 
Published: May 2011

SummaryPoor susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans to fluconazole (FLC) is a matter of concern among clinicians in Africa. The emergence of resistance to FLC was recently reported in Kenya, but it is not known whether it is widespread. Thus, there is need for more antifungal drug susceptibility studies in Kenya. The aim of this study was to measure the in vitro antifungal drug susceptibilities of incident C. neoformans isolates from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients in Kenya. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed in 67 C. neoformans isolates by broth microdilution method as outlined in the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute document M27‐A3 using FLC, amphotericin B (AMB), voriconazole (VOR), ravuconazole (RAV) and flucytosine (5‐FC). Isolates were grown on l‐canavanine glycine bromothymol blue medium for serotype identification. Six per cent of the isolates were identified as C. neoformans var. gattii serotype B or C and 94% as C. neoformans var. neoformans. All isolates tested were susceptible to AMB, VOR and RAV (100%), and high susceptibilities were seen to FLC (97%), and 5‐FC (90%). Only 3% and 10% of the isolates’ susceptibility to FLC and 5‐FC, respectively, was dose‐dependent or intermediate. These results demonstrate high susceptibilities of incident C. neoformans isolates to FLC and AMB, antifungals used for treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in Kenya.