bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dissociation of endothelial function and arterial stiffness in nonobese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Authors: Cussons Andrea J. , Watts Gerald F. , Stuckey Bronwyn G. A. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryObjective Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with cardiovascular risk but it is not clear if this is independent of obesity and insulin resistance. This study therefore investigates endothelial function and arterial stiffness in nonobese, noninsulin resistant women with PCOS.Design This is cross‐sectional case–control study.Patients A total of 19 young women with PCOS, with body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m2, and 19 healthy controls matched for age and BMI were included in the study.Measurements Endothelial function was assessed with flow mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery, while arterial stiffness was assessed with pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AI).Results There were no significant differences between PCOS and control subjects when assessing the following clinical and biochemical variables: blood pressure, homeostasis model assessment insulin‐resistance index, lipids and oestradiol. Women with PCOS had higher free androgen index scores (5·14 ± 3·47vs.3·25 ± 1·42,P = 0·036). The PCOS subjects had significantly lower FMD of the brachial artery compared with the controls (6·5 ± 2·9%vs.10·5 ± 4·0%,P < 0·01). There were no significant differences in markers of arterial stiffness (PWV 5·8 ± 1·1vs.6·0 ± 1·0,P = 0·58, AI 16·5 ± 10·2vs.20·3 ± 10·2,P = 0·25).Conclusions Women with polycystic ovary syndrome who are young, nonobese, and have no biochemical evidence of insulin resistance, have abnormal vascular function, but normal arterial stiffness, when compared with age and weight matched control subjects. Whether this leads to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease requires further investigation.
Social group size affects Mycobacterium bovis infection in European badgers (Meles meles)
Authors: Woodroffe Rosie , Donnelly Christl A. , Wei Gao , Cox D.R. , Bourne F. John , Burke Terry , Butlin Roger K. , Cheeseman C.L. , Gettinby George , Gilks Peter , Hedges Simon , Jenkins Helen E. , Johnston W. Thomas , McInerney John P. , Morrison W. Ivan , Pope Lisa C. 
Published: March 2009

Summary

In most social animals, the prevalence of directly transmitted pathogens increases in larger groups and at higher population densities. Such patterns are predicted by models of Mycobacterium bovis infection in European badgers (Meles meles).
We investigated the relationship between badger abundance and M. bovis prevalence, using data on 2696 adult badgers in 10 populations sampled at the start of the Randomized Badger Culling Trial.
M. bovis prevalence was consistently higher at low badger densities and in small social groups. M. bovis prevalence was also higher among badgers whose genetic profiles suggested that they had immigrated into their assigned social groups.
The association between high M. bovis prevalence and small badger group size appeared not to have been caused by previous small‐scale culling in study areas, which had been suspended, on average, 5 years before the start of the current study.
The observed pattern of prevalence might occur through badgers in smaller groups interacting more frequently with members of neighbouring groups; detailed behavioural data are needed to test this hypothesis. Likewise, longitudinal data are needed to determine whether the size of infected groups might be suppressed by disease‐related mortality.
Although M. bovis prevalence was lower at high population densities, the absolute number of infected badgers was higher. However, this does not necessarily mean that the risk of M. bovis transmission to cattle is highest at high badger densities, since transmission risk depends on badger behaviour as well as on badger density.
Does life history predict past and current connectivity for rocky intertidal invertebrates across a marine biogeographic barrier?
Authors: AYRE D. J. , MINCHINTON T. E. , PERRIN C. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe southeast Australian coast potentially includes a complex biogeographic barrier, largely lacking exposed rocky shore that may limit the dispersal of rocky intertidal taxa and contribute to the maintenance of two biogeographic regions. Surprisingly, within the 300‐km barrier region, several species considered exposed rocky shore specialists occurred within sheltered sites. We analysed COI sequence variation for 10 rocky intertidal invertebrate species, with a range of life histories, to test the hypotheses that larval type and habitat specificity are strong predictors of gene flow between biogeographic regions. Our data revealed that the southeast corner of Australia includes a strong barrier to gene flow for six of eight species with planktonic larvae, and a coalescence analysis of sequence differentiation (IM model) suggests that a barrier has existed since the Pleistocene. In contrast, two direct developers were not affected by the barrier. Our comparative approach and data from earlier studies (reviewed here) do not support the hypothesis that larval type predicts gene flow across this barrier, instead we found that the ability to utilize sheltered habitat provides a clearer explanation of the phylogeographic break. Indeed, the species that displayed little or no evidence of a phylogeographic break across the barrier each displayed unexpectedly relaxed habitat specificity.
Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid substance P in post‐stroke patients with depression
Authors: Li Ling , Gao Xiaoya , Zhao Jia , Ji Xunming , Wei Huan , Luo Yumin 
Published: March 2009

Aims:  To investigate the correlation between the incidence of post‐stroke depression (PSD) and the levels of substance P (SP) in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).Methods:  Ninety‐one stroke patients were divided into PSD (n = 46) and post‐stroke (without depression) groups (n = 45). PSD must have occurred 2–4 weeks after the onset of the stroke and was determined by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). In addition, the subjects were divided into anterior (n = 67) and posterior circulation stroke groups (n = 24) based on the location of the focus as determined by computed tomography. All recruited patients were graded by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS).Results:  The results included the following findings: (i) the level of plasma SP in the PSD group (58.47 ± 14.39) was higher than that of the PS group (36.98 ± 9.49; P = 0.000), while the level of CSF SP in the PSD group (72.13 ± 13.06) was higher than that of the post‐stroke group (37.30 ± 12.57; P = 0.03); (ii) the level of plasma SP was positively correlated with the HAMD and NIHSS score; (iii) the level of plasma SP (38.45 ± 12.23), the HAMD score (9.08 ± 8.72), and the NIHSS score (3.25 ± 1.90) of the anterior stroke group (51.21 ± 16.27, 17.46 ± 15.96, and 6.91 ± 3.30, respectively) were higher than those of the posterior stroke group (38.45 ± 12.23, 9.08 ± 8.7, and 3.25 ± 1.90, respectively; P = 0.017, P = 0.001, and P = 0.000, respectively).Conclusions:  SP in the plasma and CSF of patients exhibited a close correlation with neural damage and the incidence of PSD. This study also suggested that anterior hemispheric strokes may play a significant role in development of PSD.
Elephant spatial use in wet and dry savannas of southern Africa
Authors: Young K. D. , Ferreira S. M. , Van Aarde R. J. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe influence of elephants on woody vegetation cover varies from place to place. In part this may be due to the way elephants utilize space across landscapes and within their home ranges in response to the availability and distribution of food. We used location data from 18 cows at six study sites across an east to west rainfall gradient in southern Africa to test whether wet‐ and dry‐season home‐range sizes, evenness of space use within seasonal home ranges and range overlap between seasons and between years, differed between wet and dry savannas. We then tested whether the quantity, distribution and seasonal stability in vegetation productivity, a coarse measure of food for elephants, explained differences. Elephants in wet savannas had smaller wet‐ and dry‐season home ranges and also returned to a higher proportion of previously visited grid cells between seasons and between years than elephants living in dry savannas. Wet‐season home‐range sizes were explained by seasonal vegetation productivity while dry‐season home‐range sizes were explained by heterogeneity in the distribution of vegetation productivity. The influence of the latter on dry‐season home ranges differed among structural vegetation classes. Range overlap between seasons and between years was related to inter‐seasonal and inter‐annual stability in vegetation productivity, respectively. Evenness of elephant spatial use within home ranges did not differ between savanna types, but it was explained by seasonal vegetation productivity and heterogeneity in the distribution of vegetation productivity during the wet season. Differences in elephant spatial use patterns between wet and dry savannas according to vegetation structure and season may need to be included in the development of site‐specific objectives and management approaches for African elephants.
Differential pharmacological properties of GABAAreceptors in axon terminals and soma of dentate gyrus granule cells
Authors: Han Jin‐Wuk , Nakamura Michiko , Choi In‐Sun , Cho Jin‐Hwa , Park Hye‐Mi , Lee Maan‐Gee , Choi Byung‐Ju , Jang Hyun‐Jung , Jang Il‐Sung 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAlthough it has been well established that GABAAreceptors are molecular targets of a variety of allosteric modulators, such as benzodiazepines, the pharmacological properties of presynaptic GABAAreceptors are poorly understood. In this study, the effects of diazepam and Zn2+on presynaptic GABAAreceptors have been investigated by measuring the GABAAreceptor‐mediated facilitation of spontaneous glutamate release in mechanically dissociated rat CA3 pyramidal neurons. Diazepam significantly enhanced the muscimol‐induced facilitation (particularly at submicromolar concentrations) of spontaneous glutamate release and shifted the concentration–response relationship for muscimol toward the left, whereas Zn2+(≤ 100 μM) had little effect on the muscimol‐induced facilitation of spontaneous glutamate release. In contrast, Zn2+significantly suppressed the muscimol‐induced currents mediated by GABAAreceptors expressed on dentate gyrus granule cells, which are parent neurons of mossy fibers, whereas the effect of diazepam on GABAAreceptors expressed on dentate gyrus granule cells was lesser than that on presynaptic GABAAreceptors. The results suggest that the pharmacological properties of GABAAreceptors differ considerably between presynaptic (axon terminals) and somatic regions in the same granule cell and that presynaptic GABAAreceptors should be considered as one of the important pharmacological targets of many drugs affecting GABAAreceptors.
Escalating ethanol intake is associated with altered corticostriatalBDNFexpression
Authors: Logrip Marian L. , Janak Patricia H. , Ron Dorit 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAlcoholism is a chronically relapsing condition, indicative of long‐term neuronal adaptations maintaining the disease even after prolonged abstinence. Previously, we identified brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the dorsal striatum as the central mediator of a homeostatic mechanism which is activated by acute alcohol (ethanol) exposure and functions to decrease the sensitivity of rodents to ethanol‐related behaviors. We hypothesized that extensive exposure to ethanol would result in dysregulation of this BDNF‐mediated protective mechanism, accompanied by heightened ethanol intake. In this study, we demonstrate that while a single bout of ethanol intake increasesBDNFmRNA expression in the dorsal striatum, this effect is no longer observed after 6 weeks of daily ethanol access. Additionally, 6 weeks of ethanol consumption decreasesBDNFin the cortex, a main source of BDNF for the striatum. Importantly, these ethanol‐induced changes inBDNFlevels are not ameliorated by 2 weeks’ abstinence. Together, these data suggest that the BDNF pathway, which is activated following a single bout of ethanol drinking, breaks down by the end of 6 weeks of access and does not recover its protective function after a 2‐week deprivation period. These results suggest that the persistence of altered BDNF signaling may contribute to the inflexibility of addictive behaviors.
Epicardium: interstitial Cajal‐like cells (ICLC) highlighted by immunofluorescence
Authors: Suciu L. , Popescu L. M. , Regalia T. , Ardelean A. , Manole C. G. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractDuring the last few years, there is an increasing interest in the role of the epicardium in cardiac development, myocardial remodelling or repair and regeneration. Several types of cells were described in the subepicardial loose connective tissue, beneath the epicardial mesothe‐lium. We showed previously (repeatedly) the existence of interstitial Cajal‐like cells (ICLCs) in human and mammalian myocardium, either in atria or in ventricles. Here, we describe ICLCs in adult mice epicardium and primary culture as well as in situ using frozen sections. The identification of ICLCs was based on phase contrast microscopy and immunophenotyping. We found cells with characteristic morphologic aspects: spindle‐shaped, triangular or polygonal cell body and typical very long (tens to hundreds micrometres) and very thin cyto‐plasmic processes, with a distinctive ‘beads‐on‐a‐string’ appearance. The dilations contain mitochondria, as demonstrated by MitoTracker Green FM labelling of living cells. Epicardial ICLCs were found positive for c‐kit/CD117 and/or CD34. However, we also observed ICLCs positive for c‐kit and vimentin. In conclusion, ICLCs represent a distinct cell type in the subendocardium, presumably comprising at least two subpopulations: (i) c‐kit/CD34‐positive and (ii) only c‐kit‐positive. ICLCs might be essential as progenitor (or promoter) cells for developing cardiomyocyte lineages in normal and/or injured heart.
Immunohistochemical classification of amyloid deposits in surgical pathology
Authors: Jang BoGun , Koh Youngil , Seo Jeong‐Wook 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT Background and aim: Determining the specific type of amyloid is critical as prognosis and treatment of amyloidosis completely differs according to the type. As aggressive and radical treatments for systemic amyloidosis are newly emerging, accurate typing of amyloid has become more important. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed with four antibodies to major amyloid proteins on tissue microarrays. Results: Overall, of 49 cases from 39 patients, 32 specimens (65%) were successfully classified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) with clinical information. Immunoglobulin light chain related (AL) amyloid was the most common type, accounting for 49% of all. Among 19 patients with AL amyloid, 7 (37%) had multiple myeloma, while serum amyloid A related (AA) amyloid was found in 8 (16%) specimens, and all patients had chronic inflammatory diseases. In 18 specimens (35%), however, the type of amyloid could not be established due to lack of clinical clue and/or inconclusive immunostaining. Particularly, antibodies to lambda light chain and transthyretin frequently stained amyloid of other origin additionally, therefore complicated the typing of amyloid. Conclusion: Immunohistochemistry could be applied as useful tools for classification of amyloidosis in most cases and should be carefully interpreted in the light of clinical information.
Enrichment and Molecular Detection of Denitrifying Methanotrophic Bacteria of the NC10 Phylum
Authors: Ettwig Katharina F. , van Alen Theo , van de Pas-Schoonen Katinka T. , Jetten Mike S. M. , Strous Marc 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT
Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification was recently assigned to bacteria belonging to the uncultured phylum NC10. In this study, we incubated sediment from a eutrophic ditch harboring a diverse community of NC10 bacteria in a bioreactor with a constant supply of methane and nitrite. After 6 months, fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that NC10 bacteria dominated the resulting population. The enrichment culture oxidized methane and reduced nitrite to dinitrogen gas. We assessed NC10 phylum diversity in the inoculum and the enrichment culture, compiled the sequences currently available for this bacterial phylum, and showed that of the initial diversity, only members of one subgroup had been enriched. The growth of this subgroup was monitored by quantitative PCR and correlated to nitrite-reducing activity and the total biomass of the culture. Together, the results indicate that the enriched subgroup of NC10 bacteria is responsible for anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to nitrite reduction. Due to methodological limitations (a strong bias against NC10 bacteria in 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and inhibition by commonly used stopper material) the environmental distribution and importance of these bacteria could be largely underestimated at present.
Endophytic Colonization of Potato (
Solanum tuberosum
L.) by a Novel Competent Bacterial Endophyte,
Pseudomonas putida
Strain P9, and Its Effect on Associated Bacterial Communities
Authors: Andreote Fernando Dini , de Araújo Welington L. , de Azevedo João L. , van Elsas Jan Dirk , da Rocha Ulisses Nunes , van Overbeek Leonard S. 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT

Pseudomonas putida
strain P9 is a novel competent endophyte from potato. P9 causes cultivar-dependent suppression of
Phytophthora infestans
. Colonization of the rhizoplane and endosphere of potato plants by P9 and its rifampin-resistant derivative P9R was studied. The purposes of this work were to follow the fate of P9 inside growing potato plants and to establish its effect on associated microbial communities. The effects of P9 and P9R inoculation were studied in two separate experiments. The roots of transplants of three different cultivars of potato were dipped in suspensions of P9 or P9R cells, and the plants were planted in soil. The fate of both strains was followed by examining colony growth and by performing PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). Colonies of both strains were recovered from rhizoplane and endosphere samples of all three cultivars at two growth stages. A conspicuous band, representing P9 and P9R, was found in all
Pseudomonas
PCR-DGGE fingerprints for treated plants. The numbers of P9R CFU and the P9R-specific band intensities for the different replicate samples were positively correlated, as determined by linear regression analysis. The effects of plant growth stage, genotype, and the presence of P9R on associated microbial communities were examined by multivariate and unweighted-pair group method with arithmetic mean cluster analyses of PCR-DGGE fingerprints. The presence of strain P9R had an effect on bacterial groups identified as
Pseudomonas azotoformans
,
Pseudomonas veronii
, and
Pseudomonas syringae.
In conclusion, strain P9 is an avid colonizer of potato plants, competing with microbial populations indigenous to the potato phytosphere. Bacterization with a biocontrol agent has an important and previously unexplored effect on plant-associated communities.
The
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pyochelin-Iron Uptake Pathway and Its Metal Specificity
Authors: Braud Armelle , Hannauer Mélissa , Mislin Gaëtan L. A. , Schalk Isabelle J. 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT

Pyochelin (Pch) is one of the two major siderophores produced and secreted by
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PAO1 to assimilate iron. It chelates iron in the extracellular medium and transports it into the cell via a specific outer membrane transporter, FptA. We used the fluorescent properties of Pch to show that this siderophore chelates, in addition to Fe
3+
albeit with substantially lower affinities, Ag
+
, Al
3+
, Cd
2+
, Co
2+
, Cr
2+
, Cu
2+
, Eu
3+
, Ga
3+
, Hg
2+
, Mn
2+
, Ni
2+
, Pb
2+
, Sn
2+
, Tb
3+
, Tl
+
, and Zn
2+
. Surprisingly, the Pch complexes with all these metals bound to FptA with affinities in the range of 10 nM to 4.8 μM (the affinity of Pch-Fe is 10 nM) and were able to inhibit, with various efficiencies, Pch-
55
Fe uptake in vivo. We used inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry to follow metal uptake by
P. aeruginosa
. Energy-dependent metal uptake, in the presence of Pch, was efficient only for Fe
3+
. Co
2+
, Ga
3+
, and Ni
2+
were also transported, but the uptake rates were 23- to 35-fold lower than that for Fe
3+
. No uptake was seen for all the other metals. Thus, cell surface FptA has broad metal specificity at the binding stage but is much more selective for the metal uptake process. This uptake pathway does not appear to efficiently assimilate any metal other than Fe
3+
.
Age-dependent penetrance of different germline mutations in theBRCA1gene
Authors: Al-Mulla F , Bland J M , Serratt D , Miller J , Chu C , Taylor G T 
Published: March 2009

Aims:BRCA1gene mutations have been extensively studied in relation to breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility. Various genotype–phenotype correlation attempts have yielded important data pertaining to the consequences ofBRCA1mutations. However, little is known about the effects of recurrentBRCAmutations on expressivity and the age of onset of cancer in a population. This study addresses whether different exon mutations have variable expressivity especially in relation to the age of onset of breast cancer.Methods:Using a step-wise systematic approach, culminating in the sequencing of allBRCA1andBRCA2exons with the addition of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, the relationship between disease phenotypes and gene mutations in 219 individuals and their family members was examined.Results:It is shown that differentBRCA1gene mutations have distinct effects that influence the age of onset of breast or ovarian cancer. Mutations in exon 2 of theBRCA1gene had significantly lower penetrance compared with mutations of exons 11, 13 and 20. The median age of affliction with breast cancer was 55 years for 185delAG in exon 2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 46.7 to 59.5), 47 years for the 4184delTCAA mutation in exon 11 (95% CI 39 to 55.4), and 41 years for exon 13 duplication (95% CI 32.9 to 49.7) of theBRCA1gene. Moreover, 14 novel mutations inBRCA1andBRCA2genes in the Yorkshire/Humberside population were identified.Conclusions: The 185delAG mutation of theBRCA1gene is a low penetrance mutation that is age dependent especially when compared with the exon 13 duplication mutation. The data have important ramifications on screening, genetic counselling and prophylactic treatment of BRCA1 gene mutation carriers.