bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serum cardiac troponin I concentrations in horses with cardiac disease
Authors: Nath LC , Anderson GA , Hinchcliff KW , Savage CJ 
Published: July 2012

ObjectivesTo measure the cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration in horses and determine whether it could be used in the diagnosis of myocardial disease, as well as determining the association between cTnI and survival.DesignProspective, observational study.ProcedurePhysical examination, echocardiography, telemetric electrocardiography and postmortem were used to diagnose cardiac disease. Diagnoses were grouped as myocardial disease, structural heart disease or lone arrhythmia. Blood samples were collected at admission for cTnI analysis and the results were compared with those for 18 healthy horses.ResultsIn total, 49 horses were admitted with cardiac disease. Elevated cTnI concentration (>0.03 ng/mL) was observed in a greater proportion of horses with myocardial disease (7/7), compared with healthy horses (0/18; P < 0.0001), horses with structural heart disease (7/25; P = 0.001), and horses with a lone arrhythmia (2/17; P = 0.0001). The median cTnI concentration for horses with myocardial disease was 17.5 ng/mL (range 0.78–49.87 ng/mL), which was higher than in the healthy horses (0.01 ng/mL, range 0.01–0.03 ng/mL; P < 0.0001). Of the 49 horses with cardiac disease, the median cTnI concentration for non‐survivors (0.28 ng/mL, range 0.01–49.87 ng/mL) was higher than for survivors (0.01 ng/mL, range 0.01–30.31 ng/mL; P = 0.0035). However, the proportion of surviving horses with an elevated cTnI (10/39, 26%) was not significantly different from the proportion of non‐surviving horses with an elevated cTnI (6/10, 60%; P = 0.060).ConclusionscTnI is elevated in horses with myocardial disease and elevated to a lesser degree in some horses with structural heart disease or lone arrhythmias. The association between cTnI concentration and survival was not clear.
Infield greenhouse gas emissions from sugarcane soils in Brazil: effects from synthetic and organic fertilizer application and crop trash accumulation
Authors: Carmo Janaina Braga do , Filoso Solange , Zotelli Luciana C. , de Sousa Neto Eraclito R. , Pitombo Leonardo M. , Duarte‐Neto Paulo J. , Vargas Vitor P. , Andrade Cristiano A. , Gava Glauber J. C. , Rossetto Raffaella , Cantarella Heitor , Neto André E. , Martinelli Luiz A. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBioethanol from sugarcane is becoming an increasingly important alternative energy source worldwide as it is considered to be both economically and environmentally sustainable. Besides being produced from a tropical perennial grass with high photosynthetic efficiency, sugarcane ethanol is commonly associated with low N fertilizer use because sugarcane from Brazil, the world's largest sugarcane producer, has a low N demand. In recent years, several models have predicted that the use of sugarcane ethanol in replacement to fossil fuel could lead to high greenhouse gas (GHG) emission savings. However, empirical data that can be used to validate model predictions and estimates from indirect methodologies are scarce, especially with regard to emissions associated with different fertilization methods and agricultural management practices commonly used in sugarcane agriculture in Brazil. In this study, we provide in situ data on emissions of three GHG (CO2, N2O, and CH4) from sugarcane soils in Brazil and assess how they vary with fertilization methods and management practices. We measured emissions during the two main phases of the sugarcane crop cycle (plant and ratoon cane), which include different fertilization methods and field conditions. Our results show that N2O and CO2 emissions in plant cane varied significantly depending on the fertilization method and that waste products from ethanol production used as organic fertilizers with mineral fertilizer, as it is the common practice in Brazil, increase emission rates significantly. Cumulatively, the highest emissions were observed for ratoon cane treated with vinasse (liquid waste from ethanol production) especially as the amount of crop trash on the soil surface increased. Emissions of CO2 and N2O were 6.9 kg ha−1 yr−1 and 7.5 kg ha−1 yr−1, respectively, totaling about 3000 kg in CO2 equivalent ha−1 yr−1.
Near‐infrared spectroscopy of bipolar disorder may be distinct from that of unipolar depression and of healthy controls
Authors: Shimodera Shinji , Imai Yutaka , Kamimura Naoto , Morokuma Ippei , Fujita Hirokazu , Inoue Shimpei , Furukawa Toshi A. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractIntroductionDifferential diagnosis between bipolar and unipolar mood disorder is therapeutically critical but remains clinically difficult. Neurophysiological measures, if validly demonstrated, can greatly enhance current clinical practices. We have examined differential performances of near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during cognitive tasks among euthymic bipolar and unipolar subjects and healthy controls.MethodsFourteen remitted patients with bipolar disorder and 39 remitted patients with major depression along with 24 healthy controls were administered a verbal fluency task and their prefrontal activation was measured with NIRS. The time courses of oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the bilateral prefrontal cortices were averaged to yield two indices of cortical activation: area under the curve (AUC) and weighted center (WC).ResultsThe AUC was significantly different among the three groups, with both bipolar and unipolar subjects showing significantly smaller AUC than healthy controls (P = 0.01 and P < 0.001). The WC was also significantly different among the three groups, but this time with unipolar patients showing significantly smaller WC than bipolar or healthy controls (P = 0.023 and P = 0.008). The discriminant function combining AUC and WC had a sensitivity of 0.71 (95%CI: 0.42 to 0.86) and a specificity of 0.46 (0.30 to 0.60) to differentially diagnose euthymic bipolar from unipolar patients.DiscussionGiven the current promising findings, a more rigorous study of NIRS with a larger number of untreated patients with bipolar and unipolar patients is warranted.
A Study of Risk Factors for Infection with HPAI H5N1 in Small Poultry Farms in Thailand Using a Questionnaire Survey
Authors: Siengsanan‐Lamont J. , Robertson I. D. , Blacksell S. D. , Ellis T. , Saengchoowong S. , Suwanpukdee S. , Yongyuttawichai P. , Cheewajorn K. , Jangjaras J. , Chaichoun K. , Wiriyarat W. , Ratanakorn P. 
Published: July 2012

SummaryA questionnaire was used to collect data on small poultry farm management and wild bird observed in poultry keeping areas to identify putative risk factors for infection with HPAI H5N1. The study was conducted in 2008 in four subdistricts of central Thailand that had experienced outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 in poultry. Descriptive and inferential analyses including univariable analyses and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify putative risk factors. Risk factors included purchasing native chickens/fighting cocks from commercial hatcheries, replacing or restocking birds individually, and observing lesser whistling ducks (Dendrocygna javanica) on the farm daily. Selecting healthy animals when purchasing animals to ensure that they were disease free was a protective factor. To fully understand the epidemiology of infection of small poultry farms with HPAI H5N1, control of movement of domestic poultry and serological and virological testing of the poultry population should be applied.
Calculation of out‐of‐field dose distribution in carbon‐ion radiotherapy by Monte Carlo simulation
Authors: Yonai Shunsuke , Matsufuji Naruhiro , Namba Masao 
Published: July 2012

Purpose:Recent radiotherapy technologies including carbon‐ion radiotherapy can improve the dose concentration in the target volume, thereby not only reducing side effects in organs at risk but also the secondary cancer risk within or near the irradiation field. However, secondary cancer risk in the low‐dose region is considered to be non‐negligible, especially for younger patients. To achieve a dose estimation of the whole body of each patient receiving carbon‐ion radiotherapy, which is essential for risk assessment and epidemiological studies, Monte Carlo simulation plays an important role because the treatment planning system can provide dose distribution only in/near the irradiation field and the measured data are limited. However, validation of Monte Carlo simulations is necessary. The primary purpose of this study was to establish a calculation method using the Monte Carlo code to estimate the dose and quality factor in the body and to validate the proposed method by comparison with experimental data. Furthermore, we show the distributions of dose equivalent in a phantom and identify the partial contribution of each radiation type.Methods:We proposed a calculation method based on a Monte Carlo simulation using the PHITS code to estimate absorbed dose, dose equivalent, and dose‐averaged quality factor by using theQ(L)‐L relationship based on the ICRP 60 recommendation. The values obtained by this method in modeling the passive beam line at the Heavy‐Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba were compared with our previously measured data.Results:It was shown that our calculation model can estimate the measured value within a factor of 2, which included not only the uncertainty of this calculation method but also those regarding the assumptions of the geometrical modeling and the PHITS code. Also, we showed the differences in the doses and the partial contributions of each radiation type between passive and active carbon‐ion beams using this calculation method. These results indicated that it is essentially important to include the dose by secondary neutrons in the assessment of the secondary cancer risk of patients receiving carbon‐ion radiotherapy with active as well as passive beams.Conclusions:We established a calculation method with a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the distribution of dose equivalent in the body as a first step toward routine risk assessment and an epidemiological study of carbon‐ion radiotherapy at NIRS. This method has the advantage of being verifiable by the measurement.
Utilizing Rapid Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis Typing To Aid Control of Hospital-Acquired Clostridium difficile Infection: a Multicenter Study
Authors: Hardy Katherine , Manzoor Susan , Marriott Claire , Parsons Helen , Waddington Claire , Gossain Savita , Szczepura Ala , Stallard Nigel , Hawkey Peter M. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

The early identification of outbreaks is crucial for the control of
Clostridium difficile
infection. This study aimed to determine if the number of hospital-acquired
C. difficile
infections could be reduced by rapidly typing
C. difficile
strains using multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) compared to typing using PCR ribotyping. A total of 16 hospitals were recruited to the study, and all periods of increased incidence (PIIs) of
C. difficile
infection were identified. The hospitals were randomized into two study arms, the test and the control, with all isolates typed in the test using MLVA and in the control using PCR ribotyping. Following a PII, each hospital received a structured questionnaire regarding control measures implemented or stopped prior to or following the typing results. During the study period, there were a total of 1,682 hospital-apportioned
C. difficile
toxin-positive cases, with 868 in the control and 814 in the test, with modeling demonstrating no differences between the two arms. A total of 245 PIIs occurred, involving 785 patients. There was a significant difference in the mean turnaround time between the ribotyping and MLVA typing (13.6 and 5.3 days, respectively [
P
< 0.001]). The discriminatory ability of MLVA was greater than ribotyping, with 85 outbreaks being confirmed by ribotyping and 62 by MLVA. In the test arm, 40.6% of respondents strongly agreed that the typing result had aided their management of clusters, as opposed to 9.9% in the control. The study demonstrated the utility of rapidly typing
C. difficile
strains, demonstrating that it aided the management of clusters, enabling effective targeting of infection control resources.
Subtractive Hybridization Yields a Silver Resistance Determinant Unique to Nosocomial Pathogens in the Enterobacter cloacae Complex
Authors: Kremer Anita N. , Hoffmann Harald 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

The heterogeneity and the increasing clinical importance of the
Enterobacter cloacae
complex have often been discussed. However, little is known about molecular factors causing pathogenicity within this nomenspecies. Here, we analyzed the genetic differences between an avirulent plant isolate and a pathogenic strain causing an outbreak with septicemia in three patients. We identified an IncHI-2 plasmid as a major difference between these two strains. Besides resistance to several antibiotics, this plasmid encoded a silver resistance determinant. We further showed that this
sil
determinant was present not only in the analyzed outbreak strain but also in the vast majority of clinical isolates of the
E. cloacae
complex, predominantly in (sub)species that frequently cause nosocomial infections. The identified
sil
determinant was highly conserved within the
E. cloacae
complex and mediated resistance to up to 600 μM silver nitrate. As silver is often used as a disinfectant and treatment for burn wounds, we present here an important fitness factor within the clinically most prevalent subspecies of the
E. cloacae
complex. This provides a possible explanation for their unequal involvement in nosocomial and especially burn wound infections.
Real-Time PCR for Diagnosing Helicobacter pylori Infection in Patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Comparison with Other Classical Diagnostic Methods
Authors: Saez Jesús , Belda Sofía , Santibáñez Miguel , Rodríguez Juan Carlos , Sola-Vera Javier , Galiana Antonio , Ruiz-García Montserrat , Brotons Alicia , López-Girona Elena , Girona Eva , Sillero Carlos , Royo Gloria 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic usefulness of quantification of the
H. pylori
genome in detection of infection in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGB). A total of 158 consecutive patients with digestive disorders, 80 of whom had clinical presentation of UGB, were studied. The number of microorganisms was quantified using a real-time PCR system which amplifies the urease gene with an internal control for eliminating the false negatives. A biopsy sample from the antrum and corpus of each patient was processed. The rapid urease test, culture, histological study, stool antigen test, and breath test were done. The gold standard was a positive culture or positive results in at least two of the other techniques. When a positive result was defined as any number of microorganisms/human cell, the sensitivity of real-time PCR was greater in bleeding patients, especially in the gastric corpus: 68.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 52.3 to 84.5%) in non-UGB patients versus 91.5% (95% CI, 79.6 to 97.6%) in UGB patients. When a positive result was defined as a number of microorganisms/human cell above the optimal value that maximizes the Youden index (>3.56 microorganisms/human cell in the antrum and >2.69 in the corpus), the sensitivity and specificity in UGB patients were over 80% in both antrum and corpus. Our findings suggest that some bleeding patients with infection caused by
H. pylori
may not be correctly diagnosed by classical methods, and such patients could benefit from the improved diagnosis provided by real-time PCR. However, the clinical significance of a small number of microorganisms in patients with negative results in classical tests should be evaluated.
HIV Controllers Maintain a Population of Highly Efficient Th1 Effector Cells in Contrast to Patients Treated in the Long Term
Authors: Vingert Benoît , Benati Daniela , Lambotte Olivier , de Truchis Pierre , Slama Laurence , Jeannin Patricia , Galperin Moran , Perez-Patrigeon Santiago , Boufassa Faroudy , Kwok William W. , Lemaître Fabrice , Delfraissy Jean-François , Thèze Jacques , Chakrabarti Lisa A. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

HIV controllers are rare individuals who spontaneously control HIV replication in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. To identify parameters of the CD4 response that may contribute to viral control rather than merely reflect a persistently low viremia, we compared the T helper profiles in two groups of patients with more than 10 years of viral suppression: HIV controllers from the Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le SIDA et les Hépatites Virales (ANRS) CO18 cohort (
n
= 26) and efficiently treated patients (
n
= 16). Cells specific for immunodominant Gag and cytomegalovirus (CMV) peptides were evaluated for the production of 10 cytokines and cytotoxicity markers and were also directly quantified
ex vivo
by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II tetramer staining. HIV controller CD4
+
T cells were characterized by a higher frequency of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production, perforin
+
/CD107a
+
expression, and polyfunctionality in response to Gag peptides. While interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-17, and IL-21 production did not differ between groups, the cells of treated patients produced more IL-10 in response to Gag and CMV peptides, pointing to persistent negative immunoregulation after long-term antiretroviral therapy. Gag293 tetramer-positive cells were detected at a high frequency (0.12%) and correlated positively with IFN-γ-producing CD4
+
T cells in the controller group (
R
= 0.73;
P
= 0.003). Tetramer-positive cells were fewer in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) group (0.04%) and did not correlate with IFN-γ production, supporting the notion of a persistent immune dysfunction in HIV-specific CD4
+
T cells of treated patients. In conclusion, HIV controllers maintained a population of highly efficient Th1 effectors directed against Gag in spite of a persistently low antigenemia, while patients treated in the long term showed a loss of CD4 effector functions.
Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein-2A Induces ITAM/Syk- and Akt-Dependent Epithelial Migration through αV-Integrin Membrane Translocation
Authors: Fotheringham Julie A. , Coalson Nicole E. , Raab-Traub Nancy 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a highly prevalent herpesvirus associated with epithelial cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The EBV protein latent membrane protein 2 (LMP2) is expressed in NPC tumor tissue and has been shown to induce transformation, inhibit differentiation, and promote migration of epithelial cells. In this study, the effect of LMP2A on migration of human epithelial cells was further analyzed. LMP2A expression induced migration in human foreskin keratinocytes (HFK) and HaCaT keratinocytes measured by wound healing scratch assay and chemoattractant-induced Transwell migration assay. The induction of migration by LMP2A required the ITAM signaling domain of LMP2A and activation of the Syk tyrosine kinase. LMP2A-induced Transwell migration required the Akt signaling pathway, and activation of Akt by LMP2A required the ITAM signaling domain of LMP2A. LMP2A also induced phosphorylation of the Akt target GSK3β, a Wnt signaling mediator that has been shown to regulate the activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a tyrosine kinase activated by clustering and ligand interaction of integrins. Inhibition of either FAK or its signaling mediator Src kinase inhibited LMP2A-induced migration. Interestingly, αV-integrin was greatly increased in membrane-enriched fractions by LMP2A, and a neutralizing antibody to αV-integrin blocked migration, suggesting that the effects of LMP2A on membrane-localized αV-integrin promoted migration. The results of this study indicate that LMP2A expression in human epithelial cells induces αV-integrin-dependent migration through a mechanism requiring ITAM-mediated Syk and Akt activation and inducing membrane translocation or stabilization of αV-integrin and FAK activation. The specific effects of LMP2A on an integrin with a diverse repertoire of ligand specificities could promote migration of different cell types and be initiated by multiple chemoattractants.
Human Parvovirus B19 DNA Replication Induces a DNA Damage Response That Is Dispensable for Cell Cycle Arrest at Phase G
2
/M
Authors: Lou Sai , Luo Yong , Cheng Fang , Huang Qinfeng , Shen Weiran , Kleiboeker Steve , Tisdale John F. , Liu Zhengwen , Qiu Jianming 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection is highly restricted to human erythroid progenitor cells, in which it induces a DNA damage response (DDR). The DDR signaling is mainly mediated by the ATR (ataxia telangiectasia-mutated and Rad3-related) pathway, which promotes replication of the viral genome; however, the exact mechanisms employed by B19V to take advantage of the DDR for virus replication remain unclear. In this study, we focused on the initiators of the DDR and the role of the DDR in cell cycle arrest during B19V infection. We examined the role of individual viral proteins, which were delivered by lentiviruses, in triggering a DDR in
ex vivo
-expanded primary human erythroid progenitor cells and the role of DNA replication of the B19V double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genome in a human megakaryoblastoid cell line, UT7/Epo-S1 (S1). All the cells were cultured under hypoxic conditions. The results showed that none of the viral proteins induced phosphorylation of H2AX or replication protein A32 (RPA32), both hallmarks of a DDR. However, replication of the B19V dsDNA genome was capable of inducing the DDR. Moreover, the DDR
per se
did not arrest the cell cycle at the G
2
/M phase in cells with replicating B19V dsDNA genomes. Instead, the B19V nonstructural 1 (NS1) protein was the key factor in disrupting the cell cycle via a putative transactivation domain operating through a p53-independent pathway. Taken together, the results suggest that the replication of the B19V genome is largely responsible for triggering a DDR, which does not perturb cell cycle progression at G
2
/M significantly, during B19V infection.
The Attenuated Genotype of Varicella-Zoster Virus Includes an ORF0 Transitional Stop Codon Mutation
Authors: Peters Geoffrey A. , Tyler Shaun D. , Carpenter John E. , Jackson Wallen , Mori Yasuko , Arvin Ann M. , Grose Charles 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is the first of the human herpesviruses to be attenuated and subsequently approved as a live vaccine to prevent varicella and herpes zoster. Both the attenuated VZV vaccine, called vaccine Oka or vOka, and the parental strain pOka have been completely sequenced. Yet the specific determinants of attenuation are uncertain. The open reading frame (ORF) with the most single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), ORF62, encodes the regulatory protein IE62, but IE62 studies have failed to define a specific SNP associated with attenuation. We have completed next-generation sequencing of the VZV Ellen genome, a strain known to be highly attenuated by its very limited replication in human skin xenografts in the SCID mouse model of VZV pathogenesis. A comparative analysis of the Ellen sequence with all other complete VZV sequences was extremely informative. In particular, an unexpected finding was a stop codon mutation in Ellen ORF0 (herpes simplex virus UL56 homolog) identical to one found in vOka, combined with the absence of polymorphisms in most Ellen ORFs that were known to be mutated in vOka. The mutated ORF0 protein was also imaged in both two dimensions and three dimensions by confocal microscopy. The probability of two VZV strains not connected by a recent common ancestor having an identical ORF0 SNP by chance would be 1 × 10
−8
, in other words, extremely unlikely. Taken together, these bioinformatics analyses strongly suggest that the stop codon ORF0 SNP is one of the determinants of the attenuation genotype of live VZV vaccines.