bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality of Life with Atrial Fibrillation: Do the Spouses Suffer as Much as the Patients?
Authors: BOHNEN MARIUS , SHEA JULIE B. , MICHAUD GREGORY F. , JOHN ROY , STEVENSON WILLIAM G. , EPSTEIN LAURENCE M. , TEDROW USHA B. , ALBERT CHRISTINE , KOPLAN BRUCE A. 
Published: April 2011

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) can have a significant effect on quality of life (QoL). Other chronic diseases are known to not only affect the patient but to also impact the QoL of persons living with them. Scant data exist on the QoL effect of AF in spouses/significant others (SOs).
Methods: An anonymous survey regarding the perceived effect of AF on QoL was designed and distributed to both patients and spouses/SOs during an educational symposium about living with AF. Both were asked to fill out the survey independently according to how their life was affected by either their AF or their partner's AF. Questions included demographics, perceived impairment of overall QoL on a 5‐point scale, as well as effect on subcategories of QoL, namely daily activity, work life, sex life, physical activity, psychological well‐being, and social activity.
Results: Five hundred and sixty‐eight subjects completed the survey of which 411 were AF patients and 129 were spouses/SOs. The perceived effect of AF on overall QoL (N = 527) was similar in patients and spouses (AF patients: mild 42.0%, moderate 26.0%, severe 32.0% vs. spouses: 44.1%, 25.2%, 31.7%; P = 0.917). This result did not change when adjusted for age and gender. There was also no significant difference between patients and spouses in the subcategories of QoL with the exception of the perceived effect on work life, which was greater in patients than spouses (P = 0.041).
Conclusions: AF has a similar perceived impact on the QoL of spouses and patients. QoL improvement strategies for patients with AF should take spouses into account. (PACE 2011; 34:804–809)
A multinational study of mental disorders, marriage, and divorce
Authors: Breslau J. , Miller E. , Jin R. , Sampson N. A. , Alonso J. , Andrade L. H. , Bromet E. J. , de Girolamo G. , Demyttenaere K. , Fayyad J. , Fukao A. , Gălăon M. , Gureje O. , He Y. , Hinkov H. R. , Hu C. , Kovess‐Masfety V. , Matschinger H. , Medina‐Mora M. E. , Ormel J. , Posada‐Villa J. , Sagar R. , Scott K. M. , Kessler R. C. 
Published: April 2011

Breslau J, Miller E, Jin R, Sampson NA, Alonso J, Andrade LH, Bromet EJ, de Girolamo G, Demyttenaere K, Fayyad J, Fukao A, Gălăon M, Gureje O, He Y, Hinkov HR, Hu C, Kovess‐Masfety V, Matschinger H, Medina‐Mora ME, Ormel J, Posada‐Villa J, Sagar R, Scott KM, Kessler RC. A multinational study of mental disorders, marriage, and divorce.Objective:  Estimate predictive associations of mental disorders with marriage and divorce in a cross‐national sample.Method:  Population surveys of mental disorders included assessment of age at first marriage in 19 countries (n = 46 128) and age at first divorce in a subset of 12 countries (n = 30 729). Associations between mental disorders and subsequent marriage and divorce were estimated in discrete time survival models.Results:  Fourteen of 18 premarital mental disorders are associated with lower likelihood of ever marrying (odds ratios ranging from 0.6 to 0.9), but these associations vary across ages of marriage. Associations between premarital mental disorders and marriage are generally null for early marriage (age 17 or younger), but negative associations come to predominate at later ages. All 18 mental disorders are positively associated with divorce (odds ratios ranging from 1.2 to 1.8). Three disorders, specific phobia, major depression, and alcohol abuse, are associated with the largest population attributable risk proportions for both marriage and divorce.Conclusion:  This evidence adds to research demonstrating adverse effects of mental disorders on life course altering events across a diverse range of socioeconomic and cultural settings. These effects should be included in considerations of public health investments in preventing and treating mental disorders.
A study of the clinical activity of a gel combining monocaprin and doxycycline: a novel treatment for herpes labialis
Authors: Skulason Skuli , Holbrook W. Peter , Thormar Halldor , Gunnarsson Gunnar B. , Kristmundsdottir Thordis 
Published: April 2011

J Oral Pathol Med (2012) 41: 61–67Background:  Current treatment of herpes labialis is usually with topical antiviral drugs and early drug administration is required for effectiveness. Monocaprin, a 1‐monoglyceride of capric acid, has high microbicidal activity in vitro and efficiently inactivates herpes simplex virus. Tetracyclines are inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases that are part of the inflammatory response and contribute to the breakdown of tissue in ulcers. The study objective was to investigate the antiviral and wound‐healing effect of a hydrogel containing either monocaprin or a combination of monocaprin and a low dose of doxycycline in vivo against herpes labialis.Methods:  Subjects were divided into two groups: (i) with prodromal symptoms of herpes labialis; (ii) with a vesicle. Both groups applied the hydrogel five times a day for five days. Test formulations were: (i) hydrogel containing monocaprin and doxycycline (MCD), (ii) hydrogel containing only monocaprin and (iii) placebo hydrogel. Formulations were distributed randomly to subjects within each group. Subjects recorded treatment results in a 6‐day diary and a 7‐day follow‐up diary.Results:  For the MCD group the mean time to healing was 5.5 days (prodromal) and 5.3 days (vesicles/ulceration) or significantly shorter than for the placebo groups (7.25 and 7.5 days respectively; P < 0.05). Pain relief was significantly more with MCD (combining both the prodromal and vesicle groups) than with the monocaprin and placebo groups (P = 0.0114).Conclusion:  Combining monocaprin with low‐dose doxycycline offers an effective treatment for herpes labialiss, significantly reducing time to healing and pain compared with the placebo and monocaprin alone.
Can we prevent sudden cardiac death in young athletes: the debate about preparticipation sports screening
Authors: Patel Angira , Lantos John D 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAll high school athletes in the United States require a preparticipation screening examination. The American Heart Association recommends a focused history and physical examination. The European Society of Cardiology recommends that all examinations include an electrocardiogram (ECG). We review the risks and costs of screening, discuss legal ramifications and analyse the ethical implications of these considerations. There are too many unknown about ECG screening to require it as routine testing for all high school athletes.Conclusion:  Doctors must inform young athletes and their parents about the option of ECG screening and about the debate over its efficacy. Patients and parents may then choose to have an ECG or not. Mandatory universal screening is not warranted at this time.
Clinical and metabolic findings in a 6‐year‐old boy with a Leydig cell tumour
Authors: Lignitz S , Partsch CJ , Wudy SA , Hartmann MF , Pohlenz J 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAim:  To analyse the urinary steroid metabolome in a boy who had true precocious puberty after a Leydig cell tumour.Method:  Case report and detailed description of clinical and metabolic findings in a 7‐year‐old‐boy with a Leydig cell tumour.Results:  Before surgery, the urinary steroid metabolome showed an activation of an alternative route to gonadal androgens independent of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). After surgery, the boy entered true precocious puberty. Under leuprolide acetate treatment, clinical and laboratory findings normalized.Conclusion:  Central precocious puberty after precocious pseudopuberty may be more common than expected and should be considered in children with persistent or recurrent symptoms after initial treatment of precocious pseudopuberty. Patients with a Leydig cell tumour seem to reactivate the so‐called ‘back door pathway’ of androgen production, which is independent of the classical route via DHEA.
Specific Developmental Window for Establishment of an Insect-Microbe Gut Symbiosis
Authors: Kikuchi Yoshitomo , Hosokawa Takahiro , Fukatsu Takema 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

The alydid stinkbug
Riptortus pedestris
is specifically associated with a beneficial
Burkholderia
symbiont in the midgut crypts. Exceptional among insect-microbe mutualistic associations, the
Burkholderia
symbiont is not vertically transmitted but orally acquired by nymphal insects from the environment every generation. Here we experimentally investigated the process of symbiont acquisition during the nymphal development of
R. pedestris
. In a field population, many 2nd instar nymphs were
Burkholderia
free, while all 3rd, 4th, and 5th instar nymphs were infected. When reared on soil-grown potted soybean plants,
Burkholderia
acquisition occurred at a drastically higher frequency in the 2nd instar than in the other instars. Oral administration of cultured
Burkholderia
cells showed that 2nd and 3rd instar nymphs are significantly more susceptible to the symbiont infection than 1st, 4th, and 5th instar nymphs. Histological observations revealed rudimentary midgut crypts in the 1st instar, in contrast to well-developed midgut crypts in the 2nd and later instars. These results indicate that
R. pedestris
acquires the
Burkholderia
symbiont from the environment mainly during the 2nd instar period and strongly suggest that the competence for the symbiont infection is developmentally regulated by the host side. Potential mechanisms involved in infection competence and possible reasons why the infection preferentially occurs in the 2nd instar are discussed.
The Histone-Like Protein Hlp Is Essential for Growth of Streptococcus pyogenes: Comparison of Genetic Approaches To Study Essential Genes
Authors: Bugrysheva Julia V. , Froehlich Barbara J. , Freiberg Jeffrey A. , Scott June R. 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTSelection of possible targets for vaccine and drug development requires an understanding of the physiology of bacterial pathogens, for which the ability to manipulate expression of essential genes is critical. ForStreptococcus pyogenes(the group A streptococcus [GAS]), an important human pathogen, the lack of genetic tools for such studies has seriously hampered research. To address this problem, we characterized variants of the inducible Ptetcassette, in both sense and antisense contexts, as tools to regulate transcription from GAS genes. We found that although the three-operator Ptetconstruct [Ptet(O)3] had low uninduced expression, its induction level was low, while the two-operator construct [Ptet(O)2] was inducible to a high level but showed significant constitutive expression. Use of Ptet(O)3in the chromosome allowed us to demonstrate previously that RNases J1 and J2 are required for growth of GAS. Here we report that the uninduced level from the chromosomally inserted Ptet(O)2construct was too high for us to observe differential growth. For the highly expressed histone-like protein (Hlp) of GAS, neither chromosomal insertion of Ptet(O)2or Ptet(O)3nor their use on a high-copy-number plasmid to produce antisense RNA specific tohlpresulted in adequate differential expression. However, by replacing the ribosome binding site ofhlpwith an engineered riboswitch to control translation of Hlp, we demonstrated for the first time that this protein is essential for GAS growth.
Anti-Listeria Activities of Galleria mellonella Hemolymph Proteins
Authors: Mukherjee Krishnendu , Mraheil Mobarak Abu , Silva Silke , Müller Daniela , Cemic Franz , Hemberger Jürgen , Hain Torsten , Vilcinskas Andreas , Chakraborty Trinad 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTWe report the use of antimicrobial hemolymph proteins from the model hostGalleria mellonellaas an inhibitor for variousListeriastrains, providing a novel source for antilisterial therapeutics. We also have shown that specific virulence-associated genes known to mediate antimicrobial resistance ofListeriain mammalian models indicated a similar function inGalleria.
Associations between Fungal Species and Water-Damaged Building Materials
Authors: Andersen Birgitte , Frisvad Jens C. , Søndergaard Ib , Rasmussen Ib S. , Larsen Lisbeth S. 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

Fungal growth in damp or water-damaged buildings worldwide is an increasing problem, which has adverse effects on both the occupants and the buildings. Air sampling alone in moldy buildings does not reveal the full diversity of fungal species growing on building materials. One aim of this study was to estimate the qualitative and quantitative diversity of fungi growing on damp or water-damaged building materials. Another was to determine if associations exist between the most commonly found fungal species and different types of materials. More than 5,300 surface samples were taken by means of V8 contact plates from materials with visible fungal growth. Fungal identifications and information on building material components were analyzed using multivariate statistic methods to determine associations between fungi and material components. The results confirmed that
Penicillium chrysogenum
and
Aspergillus versicolor
are the most common fungal species in water-damaged buildings. The results also showed
Chaetomium
spp.,
Acremonium
spp., and
Ulocladium
spp. to be very common on damp building materials. Analyses show that associated mycobiotas exist on different building materials. Associations were found between (i)
Acremonium
spp.,
Penicillium chrysogenum
,
Stachybotrys
spp.,
Ulocladium
spp., and gypsum and wallpaper, (ii)
Arthrinium phaeospermum
,
Aureobasidium pullulans
,
Cladosporium herbarum
,
Trichoderma
spp., yeasts, and different types of wood and plywood, and (iii)
Aspergillus fumigatus
,
Aspergillus melleus
,
Aspergillus niger
,
Aspergillus ochraceus
,
Chaetomium
spp.,
Mucor racemosus
,
Mucor spinosus
, and concrete and other floor-related materials. These results can be used to develop new and resistant building materials and relevant allergen extracts and to help focus research on relevant mycotoxins, microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), and microparticles released into the indoor environment.
Properties and Construction of Plasmid pFW213, a Shuttle Vector with the Oral Streptococcus Origin of Replication
Authors: Chen Yi-Ywan M. , Shieh Hui-Ru , Lin Cheng-Tzer , Liang Shin-Yi 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

Streptococcus parasanguinis
is among the most successful colonizers of the human body. Strain FW213 harbors a 7.0-kb cryptic plasmid, pFW213, with a copy number at 5 to 10 per chromosome. Sequence and functional analyses of pFW213 revealed that the open reading frame (ORF) encoding the replication protein (Rep) is essential for the replication of pFW213, and the putative plasmid addiction system (RelB and RelE) and an ORF (ORF6) with no known function are required for its stability. The minimal replicon of pFW213 contains the
rep
gene and its 5′-flanking 390-bp region. Within the minimal replicon, an A/T-rich region followed by 5 contiguous 22-bp repeats was located 5′ of the ATG of
rep.
No single-stranded replication intermediates were detected in the derivatives of pFW213, suggesting that pFW213 replicates via the theta replication mechanism. The minimal replicon was unstable in streptococcal hosts without selection, but the stability was greatly enhanced in derivatives containing the intact
relBE
genes. A
Streptococcus
-
Escherichia coli
shuttle vector, pCG1, was constructed with the pFW213 replicon. Plasmid pCG1 features a multiple cloning region and a spectinomycin resistance determinant that is expressed in both
Streptococcus
spp. and
E. coli
. Various streptococcal DNA fragments were cloned in pCG1, and the recombinant constructs were stably maintained in the streptococcal hosts. Since pCG1 is compatible with the most widely used streptococcal replicon, pVA380-1, pCG1 will provide a much needed tool allowing the cloning of two genes that work in concert in the same host.
Coevolutionary Analysis Enabled Rational Deregulation of Allosteric Enzyme Inhibition in Corynebacterium glutamicum for Lysine Production
Authors: Chen Zhen , Meyer Weiqian , Rappert Sugima , Sun Jibin , Zeng An-Ping 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

Product feedback inhibition of allosteric enzymes is an essential issue for the development of highly efficient microbial strains for bioproduction. Here we used aspartokinase from
Corynebacterium glutamicum
(CgAK), a key enzyme controlling the biosynthesis of industrially important aspartate family amino acids, as a model to demonstrate a fast and efficient approach to the deregulation of allostery. In the last 50 years many researchers and companies have made considerable efforts to deregulate this enzyme from allosteric inhibition by lysine and threonine. However, only a limited number of positive mutants have been identified so far, almost exclusively by random mutation and selection. In this study, we used statistical coupling analysis of protein sequences, a method based on coevolutionary analysis, to systematically clarify the interaction network within the regulatory domain of CgAK that is essential for allosteric inhibition. A cluster of interconnected residues linking different inhibitors' binding sites as well as other regions of the protein have been identified, including most of the previously reported positions of successful mutations. Beyond these mutation positions, we have created another 14 mutants that can partially or completely desensitize CgAK from allosteric inhibition, as shown by enzyme activity assays. The introduction of only one of the inhibition-insensitive CgAK mutations (here Q298G) into a wild-type
C. glutamicum
strain by homologous recombination resulted in an accumulation of 58 g/liter
l
-lysine within 30 h of fed-batch fermentation in a bioreactor.
Molecular Definition of Vaginal Microbiota in East African Commercial Sex Workers
Authors: Schellenberg John J. , Links Matthew G. , Hill Janet E. , Dumonceaux Tim J. , Kimani Joshua , Jaoko Walter , Wachihi Charles , Mungai Jane Njeri , Peters Geoffrey A. , Tyler Shaun , Graham Morag , Severini Alberto , Fowke Keith R. , Ball T. Blake , Plummer Francis A. 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

Resistance to HIV infection in a cohort of commercial sex workers living in Nairobi, Kenya, is linked to mucosal and antiinflammatory factors that may be influenced by the vaginal microbiota. Since bacterial vaginosis (BV), a polymicrobial dysbiosis characterized by low levels of protective
Lactobacillus
organisms, is an established risk factor for HIV infection, we investigated whether vaginal microbiology was associated with HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN) or HIV-seropositive (HIV
+
) status in this cohort. A subset of 44 individuals was selected for deep-sequencing analysis based on the chaperonin 60 (
cpn60
) universal target (UT), including HESN individuals (
n
= 16), other HIV-seronegative controls (HIV-N,
n
= 16), and HIV
+
individuals (
n
= 12). Our findings indicate exceptionally high phylogenetic resolution of the
cpn60
UT using reads as short as 200 bp, with 54 species in 29 genera detected in this group. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, few differences between HESN and HIV-N women were observed. Several HIV
+
women had distinct profiles dominated by
Escherichia coli
. The deep-sequencing phylogenetic profile of the vaginal microbiota corresponds closely to BV
+
and BV
−
diagnoses by microscopy, elucidating BV at the molecular level. A cluster of samples with intermediate abundance of
Lactobacillus
and dominant
Gardnerella
was identified, defining a distinct BV phenotype that may represent a transitional stage between BV
+
and BV
−
. Several alpha- and betaproteobacteria, including the recently described species
Variovorax paradoxus
, were found to correlate positively with increased
Lactobacillus
levels that define the BV
−
(“normal”) phenotype. We conclude that
cpn60
UT is ideally suited to next-generation sequencing technologies for further investigation of microbial community dynamics and mucosal immunity underlying HIV resistance in this cohort.
Novel (2
R
,3
R
)-2,3-Butanediol Dehydrogenase from Potential Industrial Strain Paenibacillus polymyxa ATCC 12321
Authors: Yu Bo , Sun Jibin , Bommareddy Rajesh Reddy , Song Lifu , Zeng An-Ping 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

A (2
R
,3
R
)-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase (BDH99::67) from
Paenibacillus polymyxa
ATCC 12321 was functionally characterized. The genetic characteristics of BDH99::67 are completely different from those of
meso
- and (2
S
,3
S
)-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases. The results showed that BDH99::67 belongs to the medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily and not to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily, to which
meso
- and (2
S
,3
S
)-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases belong.
Comparison of Two Generations of the Panbio Dengue NS1 Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Authors: Lima Monique da Rocha Queiroz , Nogueira Rita Maria Ribeiro , Bispo de Filippis Ana Maria , dos Santos Flavia Barreto 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTWe compared two generations of Panbio (Brisbane, Australia) commercial kits for NS1 antigen capture for early diagnosis of dengue: the first-generation pan-E Dengue Early ELISA and the second-generation Dengue Early ELISA. The test improvement resulted in a highly sensitive and specific test suitable for use as a first-line test in the field.
Paxillin and Phospholipase D Interact To Regulate Actin-Based Processes in Dictyostelium discoideum
Authors: Pribic Jelena , Garcia Rebecca , Kong May , Brazill Derrick 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACT

The actin cytoskeleton forms a membrane-associated network whose proper regulation is essential for numerous processes, including cell differentiation, proliferation, adhesion, chemotaxis, endocytosis, exocytosis, and multicellular development. In this report, we show that in
Dictyostelium discoideum
, paxillin (PaxB) and phospholipase D (PldB) colocalize and coimmunoprecipitate, suggesting that they interact physically. Additionally, the phenotypes observed during development, cell sorting, and several actin-required processes, including cyclic AMP (cAMP) chemotaxis, cell-substrate adhesion, actin polymerization, phagocytosis, and exocytosis, reveal a genetic interaction between
paxB
and
pldB
, suggesting a functional interaction between their gene products. Taken together, our data point to PldB being a required binding partner of PaxB during processes involving actin reorganization.