bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Frequent Monitoring of A1C During Pregnancy as a Treatment Tool to Guide Therapy
Authors: Jovanovič Lois , Savas Hatice , Mehta Manish , Trujillo Angelina , Pettitt David J. 
Published: October 2010

OBJECTIVE
No guidelines for A1C measurement exist for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The aim of this study was to document the rate of A1C decline in women with GDM.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Women with GDM in the Santa Barbara County Endocrine Clinic are managed with a carbohydrate-restricted diet and self-monitored blood glucose before and 1-h postprandial. Insulin is started if the preprandial glucose concentration is ≥90 mg/dl and/or a 1-h postprandial glucose concentration is ≥120 mg/dl. Capillary A1C was tested weekly using the DCA2000+ analyzer.

RESULTS
Twenty-four women with GDM (aged 29.0 ± 7.3 years) with initial A1C ≥7.0% were recruited. Baseline A1C was 8.8 ± 1.8%. Mean A1C decline was 0.47% per week (range 0.10–1.15%); the maximum was 4.3% in 4 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS
This study documents rapid decline in A1C during pregnancy and the utility of weekly A1C to guide therapy.
Resource use efficiency and community effects of invasive Hypochaeris radicata (Asteraceae) during primary succession
Authors: Schoenfelder Anna C. , Bishop John G. , Martinson Holly M. , Fagan William F. 
Published: October 2010

• Premise of the study: We sought to better understand the impacts and mechanisms underpinning a successful invasion of resource‐poor sites by a nonnative plant on Mount St. Helens volcano (MSH).• Methods: We investigated the short‐term effects of the nonnative plant Hypochaeris radicata on growth of native species colonizing drought‐prone primary successional surfaces under N‐limited and N‐augmented conditions. To understand the success of H. radicata, we compared its resource use efficiency to that of a closely related native colonist, Hieracium albiflorum, under the same conditions.• Key results: Removing H. radicata did not affect growth of the most common colonists, but N addition demonstrated strong N limitation to growth in H. albiflorum, H. radicata, and Agrostis spp. Nonnative H. radicata exhibited lower water‐use efficiency than H. albiflorum but did not differ in efficiency of N use. H. radicata biomass increased faster in response to an N pulse than did the native H. albiflorum, as did the pool of N held in H. radicata tissues.• Conclusions: Our findings contrast with results from Hawaiian volcanic sites, where higher short‐term resource use efficiency was reported for invasive species, including H. radicata. Our results suggest that at MSH, the success of H. radicata relies on rapid uptake and utilization of N rather than on higher efficiency. This strategy is especially advantageous at MSH because N pulses commonly occur as a consequence of herbivore‐induced mortality of Lupinus lepidus (Fabaceae).
Characterization of 14 microsatellite loci in a tropical palm, Attalea phalerata (Arecaceae)
Authors: Choo Juanita , Ishak Heather , Simpson Beryl , Mueller Ulrich , Juenger Tom 
Published: October 2010

• Premise of the study: We developed microsatellite primers for the widely distributed tropical palm Attalea phalerata for studies on the dispersal and spatial genetic structure of palm populations.• Methods and Results: Fourteen di‐, tri‐, and tetra‐nucleotide microsatellite primer pairs were identified. The number of alleles in the population tested ranged between 3 and 25, with a mean of 12.1. Ten microsatellite loci exhibited no significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium or presence of null alleles, and their combined probability of exclusion was 0.998.• Conclusions: These microsatellite loci will be useful in parentage analysis and population genetics studies of Attalea phalerata.
Disease Progression and Treatment Responses in a Prospective DMARD-naive Seropositive Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Cohort: Does Gender Matter?
Authors: JAWAHEER DAMINI , MARANIAN PAUL , PARK GRACE , LAHIFF MAUREEN , AMJADI SOGOL S. , PAULUS HAROLD E. 
Published: October 2010

Objective.To assess gender differences in disease characteristics and treatment responses over time in a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)-naive seropositive early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cohort.Methods.Patients with polyarticular disease who were DMARD-naive and had seropositive early RA (< 14 months) were recruited by the Western Consortium of Practicing Rheumatologists. Each patient was examined at study entry, after 6 and 12 months, and yearly thereafter. Clinical and demographic data were collected. We investigated gender differences in baseline disease characteristics and treatment using chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U, and t tests. We used generalized estimating equations (GEE) models for repeated measures to examine whether the rate of change of specific disease outcomes during the first 2 years after DMARD initiation was significantly influenced by gender.Results.At baseline, men (n = 67) and women (n = 225) had similar disease activity and radiographic damage; men, however, had significantly worse erosion, while women had worse joint space narrowing. Despite similar treatment, women had worse disease progression over the 2-year followup, as assessed by trends in Disease Activity Score 28/erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR4), physician global scores, and tender joint counts. In the GEE model, gender was significantly associated with the rate of change of DAS28-ESR4 scores (p = 0.009), although not independently associated with disease activity. Self-reported measures (Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index, patient global scores, fatigue, pain) were worse among women at baseline and throughout the study period. Men were more likely to achieve remission.Conclusion.At baseline, men and women had similar disease activity and joint damage. Responses to treatment over time were better among men in this prebiologic era; women had worse progression despite similar treatment.
Arsenic Trioxide Induces Apoptosis of Fibroblast-like Synoviocytes and Represents Antiarthritis Effect in Experimental Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: MEI YIFANG , ZHENG YINING , WANG HUI , GAO JUAN , LIU DIANXIN , ZHAO YANPING , ZHANG ZHIYI 
Published: October 2010

Objective.Recent studies have demonstrated that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) proliferate as fiercely as tumor cells. Induction of apoptosis in RA FLS therefore provides a new approach for the inhibition of joint destruction. Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) was reported to be an effective apoptosis inducer in a variety of cell types. We investigated the possible effect of As2O3on apoptosis induction of RA FLS and the mechanisms involved in this process.Methods.Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometric analysis, terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling, and transmission electron microscopy. The activity and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was then detected by ELISA and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8 were evaluated using luminogenic substrates. The effect of As2O3on the morphology of rats with collagen-induced arthritis was evaluated under a light microscope after H&E staining.Results.As2O3significantly enhanced the apoptosis of RA FLS. It suppressed the DNA-binding activity and mRNA expression level of NF-κB, probably by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor-α-induced activation of NF-κB. As2O3treatment significantly increased the activity of both caspase-3 and caspase-8. Morphological analysis revealed histological recovery in the synovial membrane. Synovial hyperplasia and inflammation in the joints were effectively inhibited.Conclusion.As2O3represents an apoptotic effect on RA FLS through NF-κB signaling pathway, and this process is mediated by the activation of caspase cascade. Treatment with As2O3significantly improved the pathologic changes of collagen-induced arthritis and may have potential for treatment of RA.
Increased Fracture Risk in Patients with Rheumatic Disorders and Other Inflammatory Diseases — A Case-Control Study with 53,108 Patients with Fracture: Table 1.
Authors: WEISS RÜDIGER J. , WICK MARIUS C. , ACKERMANN PAUL W. , MONTGOMERY SCOTT M. 
Published: October 2010

Objective.To identify the risk of hip and vertebral fractures in patients with rheumatic disorders (RD) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).Methods.This population-based case-control study assessed the fracture risk of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM), systemic sclerosis (SSc), Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis (UC). The study cohort comprised 53,108 patients with fracture (66% women) and 370,602 age-matched and sex-matched controls. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed and results were expressed as OR with corresponding 95% CI.Results.There was a statistically significant increased fracture risk for all RD and for IBD compared with controls. The magnitude of fracture risk was higher for patients with RD (OR 3, 95% CI 2.9–3.2) than for those with IBD (OR 1.6, 1.4–1.8). The OR in RD ranged from 2.6 (1.3–4.9) for SSc to 4 (3.4–4.6) for AS. The largest increased fracture risk for vertebral fractures was seen in AS (OR 7.1, 6–8.4) and for hip fractures in JIA (OR 4.1, 2.4–6.9).Conclusion.Our results highlight the existence of an increased fracture risk from a variety of underlying causes in patients with RD and IBD. In many inflammatory diseases, implementation of fracture prevention strategies may be beneficial.
Clinical Relevance of Nitric Oxide Metabolites and Nitrative Stress in Thrombotic Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome
Authors: AMES PAUL R.J. , BATUCA JOANA R. , CIAMPA ANTONIO , IANNACCONE LUIGI , DELGADO ALVES JOSE 
Published: October 2010

Objective.To assess the role of nitrite (NO2−), nitrate (NO3−), and nitrative stress in thrombotic primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS).Methods.We investigated 46 patients with PAPS: 21 asymptomatic but persistent carriers of antiphospholipid antibodies (PCaPL), 38 patients with inherited thrombophilia (IT), 33 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 29 healthy controls (CTR). IgG anticardiolipin (aCL), IgG anti-beta2-glycoprotein I (anti-ß2-GPI), IgG anti-high density lipoprotein (aHDL), IgG anti-apolipoprotein A-I (aApoA-I), crude nitrotyrosine (NT) (an indicator of nitrative stress), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured by immunoassays. Plasma nitrite (NO2−), nitrate (NO3−), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured by colorimetric spectroscopic assays.Results.Average plasma NO2−was lower in PAPS, PCaPL, and IT (p < 0.0001); average NO3−was highest in SLE (p < 0.0001), whereas average NT was higher in PAPS and SLE (p = 0.01). In thrombotic PAPS, IgG aCL titer and number of vascular occlusions negatively predicted NO2−(p = 0.03 and p = 0.001, respectively), whereas arterial occlusions and smoking positively predicted NO3−(p = 0.05 and p = 0.005), and CRP positively predicted NT (p = 0.004). In the PCaPL group IgG aCL negatively predicted NO3−(p = 0.03). In the SLE group IgG aCL negatively predicted NO2−(p = 0.03) and NO3−(p = 0.02).Conclusion.PAPS is characterized by decreased NO2−in relation to type and number of vascular occlusions and to aPL titers. Nitrative stress and low grade inflammation are linked phenomena in PAPS and may have implications for thrombosis and atherosclerosis.
Effect of a Symptom Diary on Symptom Frequency and Intensity in Healthy Subjects
Authors: FERRARI ROBERT , RUSSELL ANTHONY SCIENCE 
Published: October 2010

Objective.Symptom and pain diaries are often recommended to or used by patients with chronic pain disorders. Our objective was to examine the effect on recall of symptoms after 14 days of daily symptom diary use in healthy subjects.Method.Subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: the diary group and the control group. Both subject groups completed an initial symptom checklist composed of headache, neck pain, back pain, fatigue, abdominal pain, elbow pain, jaw pain, and numbness/tingling in arms or legs. Both groups indicated their symptom frequency and their perceived average symptom severity in the last 14 days. The diary group was asked then to examine the symptom checklist daily for 14 days while the control group was not. After 2 weeks, both groups then repeated the symptom checklist for recall of symptoms and symptom severity.Results.A total 35 of 40 initially recruited subjects completed all the questionnaires, 18 in the diary group and 17 in the control group. At the outset, both groups had similar frequencies and intensities of symptoms. After 2 weeks of symptom diary use, diary group subjects had an increased frequency (doubled) of recalled symptoms, and significantly increased intensity of symptoms compared with the control group, which had not changed its mean frequency or intensity of symptoms.Conclusion.The use of a symptom diary for 2 weeks, even in generally healthy subjects, results in increased recall of daily symptoms and increased perception of symptom severity.
Serum Urate Is Not Associated with Coronary Artery Calcification: The NHLBI Family Heart Study
Authors: NEOGI TUHINA , TERKELTAUB ROBERT , ELLISON R. CURTIS , HUNT STEVEN , ZHANG YUQING 
Published: October 2010

Objective.Urate may have effects on vascular remodeling and atherosclerosis. We had shown an association between serum uric acid (SUA) and carotid atherosclerotic plaques. Inflammation and vascular remodeling in atherosclerosis promote coronary artery calcification (CAC), a preclinical marker for atherosclerosis. Here, we examined whether SUA is associated with CAC, using the same study sample and methods as for our previous carotid atherosclerosis study.Methods.The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study is a multicenter study designed to assess risk factors for heart disease. Participants were recruited from population-based cohorts in the US states of Massachusetts, North Carolina, Minnesota, Utah, and Alabama. CAC was assessed with helical computed tomography (CT). We conducted sex-specific and family-cluster analyses, as well as additional analyses among persons without risk factors related to both cardiovascular disease and hyperuricemia, adjusting for potential confounders as we had in the previous study of carotid atherosclerosis.Results.For the CAC study, 2412 subjects had both SUA and helical CT results available (55% women, age 58 ± 13 yrs, body mass index 27.6 ± 5.3). We found no association of SUA with CAC in men or women [OR in men: 1.0, 1.11, 0.86, 0.90; women: 1.0, 0.83, 1.00, 0.87 for increasing categories of SUA: < 5 (referent group), 5 to < 6, 6 to < 6.8, ≥ 6.8 mg/dl, respectively], nor in subgroup analyses.Conclusion.Replicating the methods used to demonstrate an association of SUA with carotid atherosclerosis did not reveal any association between SUA and CAC, suggesting that SUA likely does not contribute to atherosclerosis through effects on arterial calcification. The possibility that urate has divergent pathophysiologic effects on atherosclerosis and artery calcification merits further study.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of the Neurotransmitter Agonist Honokiol in a Mouse Model of Allergic Asthma
Authors: Munroe Melissa E. , Businga Thomas R. , Kline Joel N. , Bishop Gail A. 
Published: October 2010

Abstract
Chronic airway inflammation is a hallmark of asthma, an immune-based disease with great societal impact. Honokiol (HNK), a phenolic neurotransmitter receptor (γ-aminobutyric acid type A) agonist purified from magnolia, has anti-inflammatory properties, including stabilization of inflammation in experimentally induced arthritis. The present study tested the prediction that HNK could inhibit the chronic inflammatory component of allergic asthma. C57BL/6 mice sensitized to and challenged with OVA had increased airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine challenge and eosinophilia compared with naive controls. HNK-treated mice showed a reduction in airway hyperresponsiveness as well as a significant decrease in lung eosinophilia. Histopathology studies revealed a marked drop in lung inflammation, goblet cell hyperplasia, and collagen deposition with HNK treatment. Ag recall responses from HNK-treated mice showed decreased proinflammatory cytokines in response to OVA, including TNF-α–, IL-6–, Th1-, and Th17-type cytokines, despite an increase in Th2-type cytokines. Regulatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β were also increased. Assessment of lung homogenates revealed a similar pattern of cytokines, with a noted increase in the number of FoxP3+ cells in the lung. HNK was able to alter B and T lymphocyte cytokine secretion in a γ-aminobutyric acid type A-dependent manner. These results indicate that symptoms and pathology of asthma can be alleviated even in the presence of increased Th2 cytokines and that neurotransmitter agonists such as HNK have promise as a novel class of anti-inflammatory agents in the treatment of chronic asthma.
Apoptotic Cells Activate NKT Cells through T Cell Ig-Like Mucin-Like–1 Resulting in Airway Hyperreactivity
Authors: Lee Hyun-Hee , Meyer Everett H. , Goya Sho , Pichavant Muriel , Kim Hye Young , Bu Xia , Umetsu Sarah E. , Jones Jennifer C. , Savage Paul B. , Iwakura Yoichiro , Casasnovas Jose M. , Kaplan Gerardo , Freeman Gordon J. , DeKruyff Rosemarie H. , Umetsu Dale T. 
Published: October 2010

Abstract
T cell Ig-like mucin-like–1 (TIM-1) is an important asthma susceptibility gene, but the immunological mechanisms by which TIM-1 functions remain uncertain. TIM-1 is also a receptor for phosphatidylserine (PtdSer), an important marker of cells undergoing programmed cell death, or apoptosis. We now demonstrate that NKT cells constitutively express TIM-1 and become activated by apoptotic cells expressing PtdSer. TIM-1 recognition of PtdSer induced NKT cell activation, proliferation, and cytokine production. Moreover, the induction of apoptosis in airway epithelial cells activated pulmonary NKT cells and unexpectedly resulted in airway hyperreactivity, a cardinal feature of asthma, in an NKT cell-dependent and TIM-1–dependent fashion. These results suggest that TIM-1 serves as a pattern recognition receptor on NKT cells that senses PtdSer on apoptotic cells as a damage-associated molecular pattern. Furthermore, these results provide evidence for a novel innate pathway that results in airway hyperreactivity and may help to explain how TIM-1 and NKT cells regulate asthma.
l-Arginine Deprivation Regulates Cyclin D3 mRNA Stability in Human T Cells by Controlling HuR Expression
Authors: Rodriguez Paulo C. , Hernandez Claudia P. , Morrow Kevin , Sierra Rosa , Zabaleta Jovanny , Wyczechowska Dorota D. , Ochoa Augusto C. 
Published: October 2010

Abstract
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells are a major mechanism of tumor-induced immune suppression in cancer. Arginase I-producing myeloid-derived suppressor cells deplete l-arginine (L-Arg) from the microenvironment, which arrests T cells in the G0–G1 phase of the cell cycle. This cell cycle arrest correlated with an inability to increase cyclin D3 expression resulting from a decreased mRNA stability and an impaired translation. We sought to determine the mechanisms leading to a decreased cyclin D3 mRNA stability in activated T cells cultured in medium deprived of L-Arg. Results show that cyclin D3 mRNA instability induced by L-Arg deprivation is dependent on response elements found in its 3′-untranslated region (UTR). RNA-binding protein HuR was found to be increased in T cells cultured in medium with L-Arg and bound to the 3′-untranslated region of cyclin D3 mRNA in vitro and endogenously in activated T cells. Silencing of HuR expression significantly impaired cyclin D3 mRNA stability. L-Arg deprivation inhibited the expression of HuR through a global arrest in de novo protein synthesis, but it did not affect its mRNA expression. This alteration is dependent on the expression of the amino acid starvation sensor general control nonderepressible 2 kinase. These data contribute to an understanding of a central mechanism by which diseases characterized by increased arginase I production may cause T cell dysfunction.
Repression of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ by Mucosal Ribotoxic Insult-Activated CCAAT/Enhancer-Binding Protein Homologous Protein
Authors: Park Seong-Hwan , Choi Hye Jin , Yang Hyun , Do Kee Hun , Kim Juil , Moon Yuseok 
Published: October 2010

Abstract
CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) is a crucial stress-responsive factor in various mucosal injuries, including cellular translational stress conditions. In this study, chemical ribosome-inactivating stresses were assessed for their effects on stress-inducible CHOP expression and its association with epithelial inflammatory cytokine production. Several representative ribotoxic agents (deoxynivalenol, anisomycin, and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol) enhanced CHOP expression and its nuclear translocation in human intestinal epithelial cells. Moreover, CHOP was a strong positive regulator of IL-8 production, but CHOP-mediated IL-8 production was inversely associated with expression of the mucosal regulatory factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Based on our recent report that PPARγ is a negative regulator of mRNA stability of IL-8, PPARγ was linked to a notable mRNA stabilizing protein, HuR, since ribotoxin-induced IL-8 mRNA is stabilized by HuR protein. Expression of exogenous PPARγ suppressed ribotoxin-triggered cytoplasmic translocation of HuR. In contrast, PPARγ-regulating CHOP was a positive modulator of HuR protein export from nuclei. Taken together, the results indicate that ribotoxin-induced CHOP protein is positively associated with production of proinflammatory cytokine IL-8, but it downregulates PPARγ action, subsequently allowing the cytosolic translocation of HuR protein and stabilization of IL-8 mRNA in gut epithelial cells. CHOP and PPARγ may represent critical mechanistic links between ribotoxic stress and proinflammatory cytokine production, and they may have a broader functional significance with regard to gastrointestinal stresses by toxic mucosal insults.