bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
3‐Methylcholanthrene‐induced transforming growth factor‐β‐producing carcinomas, but not sarcomas, are refractory to regulatory T cell‐depletion therapy
Authors: Chamoto Kenji , Wakita Daiko , Ohkuri Takayuki , Uchinami Yusuke , Matsushima Kouji , Kitamura Hidemitsu , Nishimura Takashi 
Published: December 2009

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are major immunosuppressors in tumor‐bearing hosts. Although Treg‐depletion therapy has been shown to induce a complete cure in tumor‐bearing mice, this treatment is not always successful. Using 3‐methylcholanthrene‐induced primary mouse tumors, we examined the distinct regulation of Treg‐mediated immunosuppression between carcinomas and sarcomas. We showed that the number of Tregs was greatly increased in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)‐bearing mice compared with sarcoma‐bearing mice. This appeared to be because SCC produced higher levels of active transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β, which is essential for inducing Tregs, compared with sarcoma. Moreover, SCC, but not sarcomas, were refractory to Treg‐depletion therapy by treatment with anti‐CD25 mAb. The refractoriness of SCC against Treg‐depletion therapy was due to the rapid recovery of Tregs in SCC‐bearing mice compared with sarcoma‐bearing mice. However, combination treatment of anti‐TGF‐β mAb with anti‐CD25 mAb caused a significant reduction in Treg recovery and induced a complete cure in SCC‐bearing mice. Thus, we showed the refractoriness of mouse carcinoma against Treg‐depletion therapy using anti‐CD25 mAb treatment. We also proposed a novel Treg‐blocking combination therapy using anti‐CD25 mAb and anti‐TGF‐β mAb to induce a complete cure of tumor‐bearing hosts.(Cancer Sci 2010; 101: 855–861)
Elective peri‐operative intra‐aortic balloon counterpulsation during maxillofacial free flap reconstructive surgery in a patient with severe cardiomyopathy
Authors: Jennings A. , Norman A. , Whitelock D. , Haynes S. , James G. 
Published: December 2009

SummaryA key anaesthetic goal in reconstructive free flap surgery is to maintain optimum blood flow to maximise flap survival. We describe the use of intra‐aortic balloon counterpulsation in a patient with severe cardiac dysfunction, in whom surgery was initially felt to be contraindicated.
Newborn hearing screening programme outcomes in a research hospital from Turkey
Authors: Tasci Y. , Muderris I. I. , Erkaya S. , Altinbas S. , Yucel H. , Haberal A. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractBackground  Universal neonatal hearing screening programmes are encouraged to define and manage hearing loss in early ages of life. The aim of this study is to introduce our 14‐month three‐step hearing screening programme results with 16 975 births in Turkey.Methods  In healthy neonates, Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emission (TEOAE) is served as the initial screening in the first day of life. In newborns that did not meet pass criteria TEOAE was repeated in 10‐day period. If the second test was ‘refer’ again, the screening was completed with auditory brainstem response (ABR). Additionally, ABR was performed for the neonates with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) requirement and at high audiologic risk. Neonates who failed the screening test with ABR were referred for further evaluation.Results  A total of 15 323 newborns and 1652 NICU infants were tested. The screening coverage was 94.4%; 14 521 neonates (94.7%) passed the first screening step (TEOAE), while 802 (5.2%) neonate failed. In total, 322 (40.1%) of the neonates out of 802 was subjected to the second TEOAE after 10 days have failed and ABR was applied. From the neonates participated the third step (ABR) totalling 1974, 43 (2.17%) of neonates obtained a ‘refer’ response. Out of these 43 neonates, 17 neonates were (39.5%) NICU infants. From the 43 neonates, 38 cases (88.4%) were found to have hearing impairment. The false‐positive rate for first step screening with TEOAE was 4.9%; second step with TEOAE was 1.85% and for ABR was 0.25%.Conclusions  It is apparent that three step national hearing screening programme which has been applied for the latest years in Turkey is an accurate and non‐invasive method to determine the congenital hearing loss. In the future, screening programmes could be rearranged with two steps as initial with TEOAE and retest with ABR and the coverage of the screening programme can be extended.
Parents' descriptions and experiences of young children recently diagnosed with intellectual disability
Authors: Boström P.K. , Broberg M. , Hwang P. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAim  The aim of the present study was to explore the variation of parents' descriptions and experiences of their child that was recently identified to have an intellectual disability (ID).Methods  The study applied interpretative phenomenological analysis and analysis of narrative style looking at content and form of parental narratives. Data was collected from nine fathers and eight mothers through semi‐structured interviews within 6 months following diagnosis.Results  Analysis revealed three factors indicating the parents' level of processing: (1) emotional expressions regarding the child – varying between limited (distanced or idealized) and balanced/affectionate; (2) experience of the disability – varying between preoccupation and acceptance; and (3) time orientation – varying in terms of flexibility and temporal focus.Conclusions  Although parents of children with ID describe negative emotions in relation to the child and the disability, most of these parents also describe positive emotions that seemed to balance the negative experiences.
Circulating mononuclear cells nuclear factor‐kappa B activity, plasma xanthine oxidase, and low grade inflammatory markers in adult patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia
Authors: Real J. T. , Martínez‐Hervás S. , García‐García A. B. , Civera M. , Pallardó F. V. , Ascaso J. F. , Viña J. R. , Chaves F. J. , Carmena R. 
Published: December 2009

Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (2): 89–94AbstractBackground  Few data are available on circulating mononuclear cells nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐kB) activity and plasma xanthine oxidase (XO) activity in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). The goal of the study was to analyse circulating mononuclear cells NF‐kB and plasma XO activities in FH patients.Materials and methods  Thirty FH index patients and 30 normoglycaemic normocholesterolaemic controls matched by age, gender, body mass index, abdominal circumference and homeostasis model assessment index were studied. Plasma XO and inflammatory markers were measured by standard methods. NF‐kB was assayed in circulating mononuclear cells.Results  Familial hypercholesterolaemia patients showed a significantly higher NF‐kB (75·0 ± 20·7 vs. 42·7 ± 16·8 relative luminiscence units) and XO (0·44 ± 0·13 vs. 0·32 ± 0·09 mU mL–1) activities than controls. In addition, interleukin‐1, interleukin‐6, high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) and oxidized LDL (LDL‐ox) were also significantly higher in FH patients. In the total group (FH and controls), XO was significantly associated with LDL‐cholesterol (LDL‐C), apolipoprotein B (apoB), NF‐kB and hsCPR, and NF‐kB activity was significantly associated with XO, hsCPR, LDL‐ox, LDL‐C and apoB plasma values. Using multiple regression analysis, XO was independently associated with hsCPR and NF‐kB, and NF‐kB activity in circulating mononuclear cells was independently associated with apoB and LDL‐ox plasma values.Conclusion  Familial hypercholesterolaemia patients show increased activities of NF‐kB and XO, and higher values of low grade inflammatory markers related to atherosclerosis. NF‐kB activity was independently associated with apoB plasma values. These data could explain in part the high cardiovascular disease risk present in these patients.
The effects of mating and instrumental insemination on queen honey bee flight behaviour and gene expression
Authors: Kocher S. D. , Tarpy D. R. , Grozinger C. M. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractMating is fundamental to most organisms, although the physiological and transcriptional changes associated with this process have been largely characterized only in Drosophila melanogaster. In this study, we use honey bees as a model system because their queens undergo massive and permanent physiological and behavioural changes following mating. Previous studies have identified changes associated with the transition from a virgin queen to a fully mated, egg‐laying queen. Here, we further uncouple the mating process to examine the effects of natural mating vs. instrumental insemination and saline vs. semen insemination. We observed effects on flight behaviour, vitellogenin expression and significant overlap in transcriptional profiles between our study and analogous studies in D. melanogaster, suggesting that some post‐mating mechanisms are conserved across insect orders.
Periadventitial delivery of anti‐EGF receptor antibody inhibits neointimal macrophage accumulation after angioplasty in a hypercholesterolaemic rabbit
Authors: Shafi Shahida , Lamb David , Modjtahedi Helmout , Ferns Gordon 
Published: December 2009

SummaryMonocyte recruitment and their differentiation into macrophages are both early events in native and accelerated atherosclerosis that follows angioplasty. We have investigated the putative functional role of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) present on rabbit monocytes/macrophages. The impact of periadventitial delivery of an EGFR‐specific, blocking monoclonal antibody (ICR62, which inhibits EGF‐binding to its receptor) was investigated in a rabbit model of accelerated atherosclerosis induced by a combination of carotid injury and 4 weeks of a 2% cholesterol‐diet. Two weeks after the initiation of the diet, a balloon‐catheter angioplasty of the left common carotid artery was performed and a collar placed around the injured carotid artery immediately, for the delivery of ICR62 antibody, isotype‐matched antibody or saline control. Monocyte/macrophage accumulation, cell proliferation and neointimal thickening were determined 2 weeks after the delivery of the antibodies. The function of the EGFR on rabbit monocytes was also investigated in vitro, using chemotaxis assays. Treatment with ICR62 was associated with a significant reduction in macrophage accumulation and neointimal thickening and a 76% reduction in neointimal area of the vessel wall compared with controls. In vitro ICR62 inhibited macrophage and smooth muscle cell migration towards EGFR ligands including EGF and HB‐EGF. These findings suggest that EGFR ligation may be important in the development of early atherosclerotic lesions following balloon‐catheter angioplasty, and periadventitial delivery may provide a feasible approach for administration of the inhibitors of EGFR‐binding such as ICR62.
Environmental variance, population growth and evolution
Authors: Tuljapurkar Shripad 
Published: December 2009

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N. Jonzén, T. Pople, K. Knape & M. Skjöld (2009) Stochastic demography and population dynamics in the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus). Journal of Animal Ecology, 79, 109–116. Environmental fluctuations on time scales of one to tens of generations are increasingly recognized as important determinants of population dynamics and microevolution. Jonzén et al. in this issue analyse how the vital rates of red kangaroos depend on annual rainfall, and estimate the elasticities of stochastic growth rate to the means and variances of the vital rates, as well as to the mean and variance of rainfall. Their results demonstrate how ecological and evolutionary studies can benefit from including explicit environmental drivers when modelling populations, and from the use of mean and variance elasticities.
An ecologist’s guide to the animal model
Authors: Wilson Alastair J. , Réale Denis , Clements Michelle N. , Morrissey Michael M. , Postma Erik , Walling Craig A. , Kruuk Loeske E. B. , Nussey Daniel H. 
Published: December 2009

Summary 1. Efforts to understand the links between evolutionary and ecological dynamics hinge on our ability to measure and understand how genes influence phenotypes, fitness and population dynamics. Quantitative genetics provides a range of theoretical and empirical tools with which to achieve this when the relatedness between individuals within a population is known. 2. A number of recent studies have used a type of mixed‐effects model, known as the animal model, to estimate the genetic component of phenotypic variation using data collected in the field. Here, we provide a practical guide for ecologists interested in exploring the potential to apply this quantitative genetic method in their research. 3. We begin by outlining, in simple terms, key concepts in quantitative genetics and how an animal model estimates relevant quantitative genetic parameters, such as heritabilities or genetic correlations. 4. We then provide three detailed example tutorials, for implementation in a variety of software packages, for some basic applications of the animal model. We discuss several important statistical issues relating to best practice when fitting different kinds of mixed models. 5. We conclude by briefly summarizing more complex applications of the animal model, and by highlighting key pitfalls and dangers for the researcher wanting to begin using quantitative genetic tools to address ecological and evolutionary questions.
Markers of eosinophilic and neutrophilic inflammation in bronchoalveolar lavage of asthmatic and atopic children
Authors: Snijders D. , Agostini S. , Bertuola F. , Panizzolo C. , Baraldo S. , Turato G. , Faggian D. , Plebani M. , Saetta M. , Barbato A. 
Published: December 2009

To cite this article: Snijders D, Agostini S, Bertuola F, Panizzolo C, Baraldo S, Turato G, Faggian D, Plebani M, Saetta M, Barbato A. Markers of eosinophilic and neutrophilic inflammation in bronchoalveolar lavage of asthmatic and atopic children. Allergy 2010; 65: 978–985.AbstractBackground:  Recent studies performing fiberoptic bronchoscopy in children have improved our understanding of asthma pathophysiology. Eosinophilic, but also neutrophilic, inflammation has been described in asthma, but the relationship with atopy was incompletely investigated. The aim of this study is to examine inflammatory cells and mediators in children with asthma compared to the appropriate controls, i.e. atopic children without asthma and children with no atopy or asthma. Moreover, asthmatic children were analysed separately based on the presence of atopy and stratified by age.Methods:  We recruited 191 children undergoing fiberoptic bronchoscopy for appropriate indications: 91 asthmatics (aged 1.4–17 years), 44 atopics without asthma (1.6–17.8 years) and 56 nonasthmatic nonatopic controls (1.4–14 years). In bronchoalveolar lavage, total and differential cell counts and inflammatory mediators, including ECP, eotaxin, IL‐8 and TNFα, were analysed.Results:  Eosinophils and ECP levels were increased in asthmatic children when compared to controls (P = 0.002 and P = 0.01, respectively), but also atopic children without asthma had increased ECP levels compared to controls (P = 0.0001). Among asthmatic children, eosinophils and ECP levels were not different between atopic and nonatopic individuals. Neither neutrophils nor the related mediators (IL‐8 and TNFα) differed significantly in the three groups. This pattern of inflammation was observed in both preschool and school‐aged asthmatic children.Conclusions:  This study suggests that markers of eosinophilic, but not neutrophilic inflammation, are increased in asthmatic children and also in atopic children without asthma. Of interest, in asthmatic children, the activation of the eosinophilic response is not solely because of the presence of atopy.
Influence of acupuncture on type I hypersensitivity itch and the wheal and flare response in adults with atopic eczema – a blinded, randomized, placebo‐controlled, crossover trial
Authors: Pfab F. , Huss‐Marp J. , Gatti A. , Fuqin J. , Athanasiadis G. I. , Irnich D. , Raap U. , Schober W. , Behrendt H. , Ring J. , Darsow U. 
Published: December 2009

To cite this article: Pfab F, Huss‐Marp J, Gatti A, Fuqin J, Athanasiadis GI, Irnich D, Raap U, Schober W, Behrendt H, Ring J, Darsow U. Influence of acupuncture on type I hypersensitivity itch and the wheal and flare response in adults with atopic eczema – a blinded, randomized, placebo‐controlled, crossover trial. Allergy 2010; 65: 903–910.AbstractBackground:  Itch is a major symptom of allergic skin disease. Acupuncture has been shown to exhibit a significant effect on histamine‐induced itch in healthy volunteers. We investigated the effect of acupuncture on type I hypersensitivity itch and skin reaction in a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled, crossover trial.Methods:  An allergen stimulus (house dust mite or grass pollen skin prick) was applied to 30 patients with atopic eczema before (direct effect) and after (preventive effect) two experimental approaches or control observation: acupuncture at points Quchi and Xuehai [verum acupuncture (VA), dominant side], ‘placebo‐point’ acupuncture (PA, dominant side), no acupuncture (NA). Itch intensity was recorded on a visual analogue scale. After 10 min, wheal and flare size and skin perfusion (via LASER‐Doppler) were measured at the stimulus site, and the validated Eppendorf Itch Questionnaire (EIQ) was answered.Results:  Mean itch intensity was significantly lower in VA (35.7 ± 6.4) compared to NA (45.9 ± 7.8) and PA (40.4 ± 5.8) regarding the direct effect; and significantly lower in VA (34.3 ± 7.1) and PA (37.8 ± 5.6) compared to NA (44.6 ± 6.2) regarding the preventive effect. In the preventive approach, mean wheal and flare size were significantly smaller in VA (0.38 ± 0.12 cm2/8.1 ± 2.0 cm2) compared to PA (0.54 ± 0.13 cm2/13.5 ± 2.8 cm2) and NA (0.73 ± 0.28 cm2/15.1 ± 4.1 cm2), and mean perfusion in VA (72.4 ± 10.7) compared to NA (84.1 ± 10.7). Mean EIQ ratings were significantly lower in VA compared to NA and PA in the treatment approach; and significantly lower in VA and PA compared to NA in the preventive approach.Conclusions:  Acupuncture at the correct points showed a significant reduction in type I hypersensitivity itch in patients with atopic eczema. With time the preventive point‐specific effect diminished with regard to subjective itch sensation, whereas it increased in suppressing skin‐prick reactions.
Mutational study in thePDHA1gene of 40 patients suspected of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency
Authors: Quintana E , Gort L , Busquets C , Navarro‐Sastre A , Lissens W , Moliner S , Lluch M , Vilaseca MA , De Meirleir L , Ribes A , Briones P ,   PDH Working Group
Published: December 2009

Quintana E, Gort L, Busquets C, Navarro‐Sastre A, Lissens W, Moliner S, Lluch M, Vilaseca MA, De Meirleir L, Ribes A, Briones P, PDH Working Group. Mutational study in thePDHA1gene of 40 patients suspected of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency.We screened forPDHA1mutations in 40 patients with biochemically demonstrated PDHc deficiency or strong clinical suspicion, and found changes with probable pathological significance in 20. Five patients presented new mutations: p.A169V, c.932_938del, c.1143_1144 ins24, c.1146_1159dup and c.510‐30G> A, this latter is a new undescribed cause of exon 6 skipping. Another four mutations have been found, and previously reported, in our patients: p.H113D, p.P172L, p.Y243del and p.Y369Q. Eleven patients presented seven known mutations: p.R127Q, p.I166I, p.A198T, p.R263G, p.R302C, p.R378C and c.1142_1145dup. The latter three were found in more than one unrelated patient: p.R302C was detected in a heterozygous girl and a mosaic male, p.R378C in two males and finally, c.1142_1145dup in three females; only one in 20 mothers was found to be a carrier (p.R263G).Apart from those 20 patients, the only alteration detected in one girl with clear PDHc and PDH‐E1 deficiency was the silent change c.396A> C (p.R132R), and other eight PDHc deficient patients carry combinations of known infrequent polymorphisms that are overrepresented among our 20 unsolved patients. The importance of these changes on PDH activity is unclear.Investigations in the other PDHc genes are in course in order to elucidate the genetic defect in the unresolved patients.
Experts' opinions on ethical issues of genetic research into Alzheimer's disease: results of a Delphi study in the Netherlands
Authors: Van Der Vorm A , Van Der Laan AL , Borm G , Vernooij‐Dassen M , Olde Rikkert M , Van Leeuwen E , Dekkers W 
Published: December 2009

van der Vorm A, van der Laan AL, Borm G, Vernooij‐Dassen M, Rikkert MO, van Leeuwen E, Dekkers W. Experts' opinions on ethical issues of genetic research into Alzheimer's disease: results of a Delphi study in the Netherlands.Most publications on the ethical aspects of genetic research into Alzheimer's Disease (AD) concentrate on the differences between the opinions of professionals and non‐professionals. Differences in rating of morally relevant issues between groups of professionals have not yet been described. A modified Delphi study in two rounds was held to identify differences between groups of experts (i.e. clinicians, representatives of patient organisations, ethicists and persons with a commercial background). The strongest correlation was found between the opinions of ethicists and representatives of patient organisations (0.67) and between clinicians and ethicists (0.62). Moderate correlation (0.55) was found between the opinions of clinicians and representatives of patient organisations. Persons with a commercial background showed a weak correlation with clinicians (0.41), ethicists (0.35) and representatives of patient organisations (0.30). These differences in rating of morally relevant issues between various professional groups are relevant for clinical practice and dementia care, particularly the different rating of prenatal diagnosis found between clinicians and representatives of patient organisations. Interdisciplinary consultations between various professional groups –including at least researchers, clinicians and ethicists –are recommended to guarantee that all considerations will be incorporated into the debate on ethical issues of genetic research into AD.
Does family history predict the age at onset of new breast cancers in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation‐positive families?
Authors: Panchal S , Bordeleau L , Poll A , Llacuachaqui M , Shachar O , Ainsworth P , Armel S , Eisen A , Sun P , Narod SA 
Published: December 2009

Panchal S, Bordeleau L, Poll A, Llacuachaqui M, Shachar O, Ainsworth P, Armel S, Eisen A, Sun P, Narod SA. Does family history predict the age at onset of new breast cancers in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation‐positive families?Women who carry BRCA mutations are advised to begin breast cancer screening based on the age‐specific risks of breast cancer development. It is not clear to what extent the family history of breast cancer influences age of onset. We evaluated the use of family history to predict the age of breast cancer onset in BRCA mutation carriers. Pedigrees from an Ontario‐based registry were reviewed to identify the index case of breast cancer (most recent diagnosis) and other family cases of breast cancer. The youngest age of breast cancer diagnosis and mean age at breast cancer diagnosis in the other family cases were compared to the age of onset in the index case. The 260 BRCA1 and 213 BRCA2 pedigrees were reviewed. In BRCA2 families, the index case was diagnosed on average at 44.4 years when the youngest reported family case was less than or equal to 35 years, compared to 51.9 years when the earliest cases were diagnosed after age 50 (p = 0.04). A modest trend was seen for BRCA1 carriers, but this was not statistically significant. To a small extent, the onset of breast cancer in a BRCA2 mutation carrier can be predicted from her family history of cancer, however, the trend is modest and should not alter clinical recommendations regarding initiation of screening.