bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Atrial fibrillation and hyperthyroidism: relation between transoesophageal markers of a thrombogenic milieu and clinical risk factors for thromboembolism
Authors: de Souza Marcus Vinicius Leitão , Duarte Martha Maria Turano , Coeli Claudia Medina , Vaisman Mario 
Published: September 2011

SummaryHyperthyroidism is a questionable risk factor for thromboembolism among patients with atrial fibrillation.Objective  To correlate clinical risk factors for thromboembolism from a group of patients with atrial fibrillation related to hyperthyroidism with transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) markers of a thrombogenic milieu.Design  Clinical risk factors for thromboembolism, thyroid hormonal status, time since diagnosis of hyperthyroidism and TOE markers of a thrombogenic milieu were assessed in consecutive patients with atrial fibrillation related to hyperthyroidism. The following TOE parameters were assessed to define the presence of thrombogenic milieu: dense spontaneous echo contrast, thrombi or left atrial appendage blood flow velocities <0·20 m/s. Clinical risk factors for thromboembolism were based on CHADS2 (Cardiac failure, Hypertension, Age, Diabetes and Stroke) classification.Patients  This study included 31 consecutive patients aged between 18 and 65 years with atrial fibrillation related to hyperthyroidism scheduled for TOE.Results  Thrombogenic milieu was present in 14 of 31 (45·2%) patients. The thyroid status could not predict the presence of a thrombogenic milieu. Despite low CHADS2 score of 0/1, 6 of 13 (46·1%) patients had a thrombogenic milieu, whereas 10 of 18 (55·6%) patients with score ≥2 had none. The probability of having a thrombogenic milieu did not correlate with the number of clinical risk factors.Conclusion  Among patients younger than 65 years of age with atrial fibrillation related to hyperthyroidism, there is no association between clinical risk factors with TOE markers of a thrombogenic milieu. TOE adds useful information that may affect antithrombotic therapy guided by clinical risk classification.
Leptin, adiponectin and other adipokines in gestational diabetes mellitus and pre‐eclampsia
Authors: Miehle Konstanze , Stepan Holger , Fasshauer Mathias 
Published: September 2011

SummaryProteins secreted from adipocytes – so‐called adipokines – influence metabolic and vascular function. Recent data suggest that various adipokines are dysregulated in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and pre‐eclampsia (PE) and might be of pathophysiological and prognostic significance in these complications of pregnancy. This review gives an overview on the regulation and pathophysiology of leptin and adiponectin in GDM and PE. Furthermore, data on novel adipokines including resistin, visfatin, retinol‐binding protein 4 and vaspin are summarized.
Altered intestinal tight junctions’ expression in patients with liver cirrhosis: a pathogenetic mechanism of intestinal hyperpermeability
Authors: Assimakopoulos Stelios F. , Tsamandas Athanassios C. , Tsiaoussis Georgios I. , Karatza Elli , Triantos Christos , Vagianos Constantine E. , Spiliopoulou Iris , Kaltezioti Valeria , Charonis Aristidis , Nikolopoulou Vassiliki N. , Scopa Chrisoula D. , Thomopoulos Konstantinos C. 
Published: September 2011

Eur J Clin Invest 2012; 42 (4): 439–446AbstractBackground  Increased intestinal permeability in cirrhosis exerts a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and other complications of cirrhosis through promotion of systemic endotoxemia. This study was designed to investigate whether the expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins, which regulate gut paracellular permeability, is altered in the intestinal mucosa of patients with liver cirrhosis and study its potential association with the stage of liver disease and the development of systemic endotoxemia.Design  Twenty‐four patients with cirrhosis at a decompensated (n = 12, group A) or compensated condition (n = 12, group B) and 12 healthy controls (group C) were subjected to duodenal biopsy. The expression of the TJ proteins occludin and claudin‐1 in the intestinal epithelium was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Plasma endotoxin concentrations were also determined.Results  Patients with cirrhosis presented significantly higher serum endotoxin concentrations as compared to healthy controls (P < 0·001), whilst endotoxemia was higher in decompensated disease (P < 0·05 vs. compensated cirrhosis). Patients with decompensated and compensated cirrhosis presented significantly reduced expression of occludin and claudin‐1 as compared to controls (P < 0·01, respectively). These alterations were significantly more pronounced in decompensated patients as compared to compensated (P < 0·05). Regarding occludin, in patients with cirrhosis, a specific pattern of expression in the intestinal epithelium was observed, with a gradually increasing loss of expression from crypt to tip of the villi. Occludin and claudin‐1 expression were inversely correlated with Child–Pugh score (P < 0·001), the grade of oesophageal varices (P < 0·01) and endotoxin concentrations (P < 0·001).Conclusions  This study demonstrates for the first time that human liver cirrhosis induces significant alterations in enterocytes’ TJs. These changes might represent an important cellular mechanism for intestinal barrier dysfunction and hyperpermeability in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Comparison of pseudo‐random binary sequence and square‐wave transient controlled‐source electromagnetic data over the Peon gas discovery, Norway
Authors: Ziolkowski Anton , Wright David , Mattsson Johan 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTWe discuss the problem of source control in controlled‐source electromagnetic (CSEM) surveying and compare and contrast equal energy transient square‐wave and transient pseudo‐random binary sequence source signatures for the same towed‐streamer electromagnetic survey line over the Peon gasfield in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The received response of the transient square‐wave data was 11 dB greater than that of the pseudo‐random binary sequence data, due to diffusive attenuation of higher frequencies present in the more broadband pseudo‐random binary sequence signature. Deconvolution of the pseudo‐random binary sequence data recovers the total impulse response function, increases the signal‐to‐noise ratio by 32.6 dB and separates most of the air wave from the earth impulse response by the causality principle. The recovered impulse responses have more detailed information in the frequency domain than the transient square‐wave data. The pseudo‐random binary sequence data were acquired with a 10 Hz source bit rate but contain no information about the Peon gasfield at frequencies above 2 Hz. The bit rate could have been reduced to 4 Hz, increasing the signal energy below 2 Hz by 150% and thus, potentially, increasing the signal‐to‐noise ratio by a further 4 dB.Because the total earth impulse response can be recovered from the broad‐bandwidth pseudo‐random binary sequence data, further time‐domain processing may be applied, including correlated noise removal, which can increase the signal‐to‐noise ratio by as much as 20 dB, and air wave removal using the causality principle. The information in the arrival time of the peak of the earth response provides the potential for traveltime to resistivity mapping to provide a starting model for inversion.
Increased nitrate availability in the soil of a mixed mature temperate forest subjected to elevated CO2 concentration (canopy FACE)
Authors: Schleppi Patrick , Bucher‐Wallin Inga , Hagedorn Frank , Körner Christian 
Published: September 2011

AbstractIn a mature temperate forest in Hofstetten, Switzerland, deciduous tree canopies were subjected to a free‐air CO2 enrichment (FACE) for a period of 8 years. The effect of this treatment on the availability of nitrogen (N) in the soil was assessed along three transects across the experimental area, one under Fagus sylvatica, one under Quercus robur and Q. petraea and one under Carpinus betulus. Nitrate, ammonium and dissolved organic N (DON) were analysed in soil solution obtained with suction cups. Nitrate and ammonium were also captured in buried ion‐exchange resin bags. These parameters were related to the local intensity of the FACE treatment as measured from the 13C depletion of dissolved inorganic carbon in the soil solution. Over the 8 years of experiment, the CO2 enrichment reduced DON concentrations, did not affect ammonium, but induced higher nitrate concentrations, both in soil solution and resin bags. In the nitrate captured in the resin bags, the natural abundance of the isotope 15N increased strongly. This indicates that the CO2 enrichment accelerated net nitrification, probably as an effect of the higher soil moisture resulting from the reduced transpiration of the CO2‐enriched trees. It is also possible that N mineralization was enhanced by root exudates (priming effect) or that the uptake of inorganic N by these trees decreased slightly as the result of a reduced N demand for fine‐root growth. In this mature deciduous forest, we did not observe any progressive N limitation due to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations; on the contrary, we observed an enhanced N availability over the 8 years of our measurements. This may, together with the global warming projected, exacerbate problems related to N saturation and nitrate leaching, although it is uncertain how long the observed trends will last in the future.
Radiocarbon bomb spike reveals biological effects of Antarctic climate change
Authors: Clarke Laurence J. , Robinson Sharon A. , Hua Quan , Ayre David J. , Fink David 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThe Antarctic has experienced major changes in temperature, wind speed and stratospheric ozone levels during the last 50 years. However, until recently continental Antarctica appeared to be little impacted by climate warming, thus biological changes were predicted to be relatively slow. Detecting the biological effects of Antarctic climate change has been hindered by the paucity of long‐term data sets, particularly for organisms that have been exposed to these changes throughout their lives. We show that radiocarbon signals are preserved along shoots of the dominant Antarctic moss flora and use these to determine accurate growth rates over a period of several decades, allowing us to explore the influence of environmental variables on growth and providing a dramatic demonstration of the effects of climate change. We have generated detailed 50‐year growth records for Ceratodon purpureus and three other Antarctic moss species using the 1960s radiocarbon bomb spike. Our growth rate and stable carbon isotope (δ13C) data show that C. purpureus’ growth rates are correlated with key climatic variables, and furthermore that the observed effects of climate variation on growth are mediated through changes in water availability. Our results indicate the timing and balance between warming, high‐wind speeds and elevated UV fluxes may determine the fate of these mosses and the associated communities that form oases of Antarctic biodiversity.
Climate change and spotted owls: potentially contrasting responses in the Southwestern United States
Authors: Peery Marcus Zachariah , Gutiérrez Ralph J. , Kirby Rebecca , LeDee Olivia E. , LaHaye William 
Published: September 2011

AbstractDeveloping strategies that reduce the impacts of climate change on biodiversity will require projections of the future status of species under alternative climate change scenarios. Demographic models based on empirical data that link temporal variation in climate with vital rates can improve the accuracy of such predictions and help guide conservation efforts. Here, we characterized how population dynamics and extinction risk might be affected by climate change for three spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) populations in the Southwestern United States over the next century. Specifically, we used stochastic, stage‐based matrix models parameterized with vital rates linked to annual variation in temperature and precipitation to project owl populations forward in time under three IPCC emissions scenarios relative to contemporary climate. Owl populations in Arizona and New Mexico were predicted to decline rapidly over the next century and had a much greater probability of extinction under all three emissions scenarios than under current climate conditions. In contrast, owl population dynamics in Southern California were relatively insensitive to predicted changes in climate, and extinction risk was low for this population under all scenarios. The difference in predicted climate change impacts between these areas was due to negative associations between warm, dry conditions and owl vital rates in Arizona and New Mexico, whereas cold, wet springs reduced reproduction in Southern California. Predicted changes in population growth rates were mediated more by weather‐induced changes in fecundity than survival, and were generally more sensitive to increases in temperature than declines in precipitation. Our results indicate that spotted owls in arid environments may be highly vulnerable to climate change, even in core parts of the owl's range. More broadly, contrasting responses to climate change among populations highlight the need to tailor conservation strategies regionally, and modeling efforts such as ours can help prioritize the allocation of resources in this regard.
Toll‐like receptor‐mediated inhibition of Gas6 and ProS expression facilitates inflammatory cytokine production in mouse macrophages
Authors: Deng Tingting , Zhang Yue , Chen Qiaoyuan , Yan Keqin , Han Daishu 
Published: September 2011

SummaryActivation of Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) triggers rapid inflammatory cytokine production in various cell types. The exogenous product of growth‐arrest‐specific gene 6 (Gas6) and Protein S (ProS) inhibit the TLR‐triggered inflammatory responses through the activation of Tyro3, Axl and Mer (TAM) receptors. However, regulation of the Gas6/ProS‐TAM system remains largely unknown. In the current study, mouse macrophages are shown to constitutively express Gas6 and ProS, which synergistically suppress the basal and TLR‐triggered production of inflammatory cytokines, including those of tumour necrosis factor‐α, interleukin‐6 and interleukin‐1β, by the macrophages in an autocrine manner. Notably, TLR signalling markedly decreases Gas6 and ProS expression in macrophages through the activation of the nuclear factor‐κB. Further, the down‐regulation of Gas6 and ProS by TLR signalling facilitates the TLR‐mediated inflammatory cytokine production in mouse macrophages. These results describe a self‐regulatory mechanism of TLR signalling through the suppression of Gas6 and ProS expression.
Effect of oestradiol and pathogen‐associated molecular patterns on class II‐mediated antigen presentation and immunomodulatory molecule expression in the mouse female reproductive tract
Authors: Ochiel Daniel O. , Rossoll Richard M. , Schaefer Todd M. , Wira Charles R. 
Published: September 2011

SummaryCells of the female reproductive tract (FRT) can present antigen to naive and memory T cells. However, the effects of oestrogen, known to modulate immune responses, on antigen presentation in the FRT remain undefined. In the present study, DO11.10 T‐cell antigen receptor transgenic mice specific for the class II MHC‐restricted ovalbumin (OVA) 323–339 peptide were used to study the effects of oestradiol and pathogen‐associated molecular patterns on antigen presentation in the FRT. We report here that oestradiol inhibited antigen presentation of OVA by uterine epithelial cells, uterine stromal cells and vaginal cells to OVA‐specific memory T cells. When ovariectomized animals were treated with oestradiol for 1 or 3 days, antigen presentation was decreased by 20–80%. In contrast, incubation with PAMP increased antigen presentation by epithelial cells (Pam3Cys), stromal cells (peptidoglycan, Pam3Cys) and vaginal cells (Pam3Cys). In contrast, CpG inhibited both stromal and vaginal cell antigen presentation. Analysis of mRNA expression by reverse transcription PCR indicated that oestradiol inhibited CD40, CD80 and class II in the uterus and CD40, CD86 and class II in the vagina. Expression in isolated uterine and vaginal cells paralleled that seen in whole tissues. In contrast, oestradiol increased polymeric immunoglobulin receptor mRNA expression in the uterus and decreased it in the vagina. These results indicate that antigen‐presenting cells in the uterus and vagina are responsive to oestradiol, which inhibits antigen presentation and co‐stimulatory molecule expression. Further, these findings suggest that antigen‐presenting cells in the uterus and vagina respond to selected Toll‐like receptor agonists with altered antigen presentation.
Interleukin‐32 enhances cytotoxic effect of natural killer cells to cancer cells via activation of death receptor 3
Authors: Park Mi H. , Song Min J. , Cho Min‐Chul , Moon Dong C. , Yoon Do Y. , Han Sang B. , Hong Jin T. 
Published: September 2011

SummaryStudies have demonstrated that the anti‐tumour effect of natural killer (NK) cells is successful for patients with several cancers. Although interleukin‐32 (IL‐32) is endogenously expressed in NK cells, cytolytic function of NK cells against cancer cells has not been fully demonstrated. In the present study, we found that the growth of cancer cells was suppressed when colon cancer cells or prostate cancer cells were co‐cultured with NK‐92 cells, an NK cell line. We also found that the expression of tumour necrosis factor receptor 2 and death receptor 3 (DR3) was increased in PC3 cells, and the expression of FAS and DR3 was increased in SW620 cells by co‐culture with NK‐92 cells. However, cancer cell growth inhibition and IL‐32 expression were abolished when cancer cells were co‐cultured with NK cells transfected with small interfering (si) RNA of IL‐32. DR3 expression was also diminished by co‐culture with IL‐32‐specific siRNA‐transfected NK‐92 cells. Expression of APO3L, a ligand of DR3, was elevated in NK cells that were co‐cultured with cancer cells. It was also found that expression of apoptosis‐related proteins such as cleaved caspase‐3 and bax was increased in cancer cells co‐cultured with NK‐92 cells, but their expression was abolished by co‐culture with IL‐32 siRNA‐transfected NK‐92 cells. Moreover, knockdown of DR3 in co‐culture of NK‐92 cells with cancer cells by siRNA or antibodies of DR3 and APO3L reversed the growth inhibitory effect of NK‐92 cells. In conclusion, our study showed that IL‐32 enhanced the cytotoxic effect of NK‐92 cells on the cancer cells through activation of DR3 and caspase‐3.
Male accessory gland infection frequency in infertile patients with chronic microbial prostatitis and irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Vicari E. , Calogero A. E. , Condorelli R. A. , Vicari L. O. , La Vignera S. 
Published: September 2011

SummaryRecently, we reported an increased prevalence of chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) in patients with prostatitis syndromes (PS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared with patients with PS alone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of male accessory gland infections (MAGI) in patients with CBP plus IBS and to compare the sperm parameters of patients with or without MAGI. Fifty consecutive patients with the following criteria were enrolled: (i) infertility; (ii) diagnosis of CBP; and (iii) diagnosis of IBS according to the Rome III criteria. The following two aged‐matched control groups were also studied: infertile patients with CBP alone (n = 56) and fertile men (n = 30) who fathered a child within the previous 3 months. Patients and controls underwent to an accurate anamnesis, administration of the NIH‐Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH‐CPSI) and the Rome III questionnaires for prostatitis and IBS, respectively, physical examination, and semen analysis. A significantly higher frequency of MAGI was found in patients with CBP plus IBS (82.0%) compared with the patients with CBP alone (53.6%) or the fertile men (0%). The presence of MAGI in the patients with CBP plus IBS was associated with a significantly lower sperm concentration, total number, and forward motility, and with a higher seminal leucocyte concentration compared with the patients with CBP alone and MAGI. Sperm normal morphology was similar in the groups of patients. All sperm parameters did not differ significantly in both the groups of patients without MAGI. The patients with CBP plus IBS had a significantly higher frequency of MAGI compared with the patients with CBP alone. This was associated with worse sperm parameters and, hence, poorer reproductive prognosis. We suggest to search for the presence of IBS in the patients with PS and in particular when CBP and/or worse sperm parameters are present.
Ubiquitin‐activating enzyme (UBA1) is required for sperm capacitation, acrosomal exocytosis and sperm–egg coat penetration during porcine fertilization
Authors: Yi Y.‐J. , Zimmerman S. W. , Manandhar G. , Odhiambo J. F. , Kennedy C. , Jonáková V. , Maňásková‐Postlerová P. , Sutovsky M. , Park C.‐S. , Sutovsky P. 
Published: September 2011

SummaryProtein ubiquitination is a stable, covalent post‐translational modification that alters protein activity and/or targets proteins for proteolysis by the 26S proteasome. The E1‐type ubiquitin‐activating enzyme (UBA1) is responsible for ubiquitin activation, the initial step of ubiquitin–protein ligation. Proteasomal proteolysis of ubiquitinated spermatozoa and oocyte proteins occurs during mammalian fertilization, particularly at the site of sperm acrosome contact with oocyte zona pellucida. However, it is not clear whether the substrates are solely proteins ubiquitinated during gametogenesis or if de novo ubiquitination also occurs during fertilization supported by ubiquitin‐activating and ‐conjugating enzymes present in the sperm acrosome. Along this line of inquiry, UBA1 was detected in boar sperm‐acrosomal extracts by Western blotting (WB). Immunofluorescence revealed accumulation of UBA1 in the nuclei of spermatogonia, spermatocytes and spermatids, and in the acrosomal caps of round and elongating spermatids. Thiol ester assays utilizing biotinylated ubiquitin and isolated sperm acrosomes confirmed the enzymatic activity of the resident UBA1. A specific UBA1 inhibitor, PYR‐41, altered the remodelling of the outer acrosomal membrane (OAM) during sperm capacitation, monitored using flow cytometry of fluorescein isothiocyanate‐conjugated peanut agglutinin (FITC‐PNA). Although viable and motile, the spermatozoa capacitated in the presence of PYR‐41, showed significantly reduced fertilization rates during in vitro fertilization (IVF; p < 0.05). Similarly, the fertilization rate was lowered by the addition of PYR‐41 directly into fertilization medium during IVF. In WB, high Mr bands, suggestive of protein ubiquitination, were detected in non‐capacitated spermatozoa by antibodies against ubiquitin; WB with anti‐phosphotyrosine antibodies and antibodies against acrosomal proteins SPINK2 (acrosin inhibitor) and AQN1 (spermadhesin) revealed that the capacitation‐induced modification of those proteins was altered by PYR‐41. In summary, it appears that de novo protein ubiquitination involving UBA1 contributes to sperm capacitation and acrosomal function during fertilization.