bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Orthotopic liver transplantation for adults with Alagille syndrome
Authors: Arnon Ronen , Annunziato Rachel , Schiano Thomas , Miloh Tamir , Baisley Margaret , Sogawa Hiroshi , Contreras Alan G. , Lee Samantha , Kerkar Nanda 
Published: December 2011

Arnon R, Annunziato R, Schiano T, Miloh T, Baisley M, Sogawa H, Contreras AG, Lee S, Kerkar N. Orthotopic liver transplantation for adults with Alagille syndrome.  Clin Transplant 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2011.01574.x.  © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  Introduction:  Alagille syndrome (AGS) is an inherited multisystem disorder, and liver transplantation (LT) may be required in pediatric patients with AGS (P‐AGS). There are limited data regarding the outcomes of LT in adults with AGS (A‐AGS).Aim:  To determine and compare the outcomes of LT in A‐AGS vs. P‐AGS as well as A‐AGS vs. adults with biliary atresia (A‐BA).Methods:  Adults (>18 yr), with AGS and BA, and children (≤18 yr), with AGS who underwent isolated first LT between 10/1987 and 5/2008, were identified from the UNOS database.Results:  Forty‐four of 79 400 adults transplanted for AGS were compared with 407 P‐AGS and 56 A‐BA, respectively. A‐AGS patients had a significantly higher rate of encephalopathy, lower serum albumin, and higher serum creatinine in comparison with P‐AGS. One‐ and five‐yr patient and graft survival in A‐AGS who underwent LT were not significantly different in comparison with either P‐AGS or A‐BA (A‐AGS patient survival: 95.5%, 90.9%, P‐AGS: 88. 7%, 86.2%, A‐BA: 89.3%, 87.5%; A‐AGS graft survival: 84.1%, 79. 5%, P‐AGS: 80.3%, 76%. 1%, A‐BA: 82.1%, 78.6%, respectively).Conclusion:  The outcome of first LT in A‐AGS is excellent compared with the overall reported adult patient and graft survival. Although A‐AGS were sicker than P‐AGS at transplant, their outcomes were comparable with that of P‐AGS.
Inverse association of serum long‐acting natriuretic peptide and bone mineral density in renal transplant recipients
Authors: Hsu Bang‐Gee , Ho Guan‐Jin , Lee Chung‐Jen , Yang Ying‐Chin , Chen Yen‐Cheng , Shih Ming‐Hui , Lee Ming‐Che 
Published: December 2011

Hsu B‐G, Ho G‐J, Lee C‐J, Yang Y‐C, Chen Y‐C, Shih M‐H, Lee M‐C. Inverse association of serum long‐acting natriuretic peptide and bone mineral density in renal transplant recipients.  Clin Transplant 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2011.01575.x.  © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  Objective:  Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and fasting serum long‐acting natriuretic peptide (LANP) concentration in renal transplant recipients.Patients and methods:  Fasting blood samples were obtained from 65 renal transplant recipients. BMD was measured using dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry in lumbar vertebrae (L2–L4). Serum LANP levels were measured using a commercial enzyme immunoassay kit.Results:  Six patients (9.2%) had osteoporosis and 28 patients (43.1%) had osteopenia in renal transplant recipients. Increased serum LANP (p < 0.001) was significantly correlated with low lumbar T‐score cut‐off points between groups (normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis) in renal transplant recipients. Female patients had lower lumbar BMD than male renal transplant recipients (p = 0.027). Univariate linear regression analysis indicated that lumbar BMD were positively correlated with height (p = 0.038), body weight (p = 0.003), and body mass index (BMI; p = 0.019), whereas negatively correlated with LANP (p = 0.004) among the renal transplant recipients. Multivariate forward stepwise linear regression analysis of the significant variables revealed that body weight (R2 change = 0.132; p = 0.006) and LANP (R2 change = 0.093; p = 0.008) were the independent predictors of lumbar BMD values in the renal transplant recipients.Conclusion:  Serum LANP concentration correlates negatively with lumbar BMD values in renal transplant recipients.
Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes associated with cytomegalovirus disease in small bowel transplant recipients
Authors: Florescu D. F. , Langnas A. N. , Grant W. , Mercer D. F. , Botha J. , Qiu F. , Shafer L. , Kalil A. C. 
Published: December 2011

Florescu DF, Langnas AN, Grant W, Mercer DF, Botha J, Qiu F, Shafer L, Kalil AC. Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes associated with cytomegalovirus disease in small bowel transplant recipients.Abstract:  Despite improved prophylaxis, monitoring, and more efficient immunosuppression, CMV infection remains a common opportunistic infection in transplant recipients. We assessed the incidence of CMV disease in pediatric SBT recipients, the timing of CMV disease after transplantation, and its impact on patient outcome. The medical records of 98 SBT recipients were reviewed. We performed descriptive analysis, regression analysis, and Kaplan–Meier curves to determine the time‐to‐event after transplantation. Fifty‐three percent patients were male and 47% female, with a mean age of 38.3 months. Thirty‐five percent of patients received prophylactic VGC, 55% GCV, 10% a combination of GCV/VGC, and 99% CMV immunoglobulins. A total of 24.5% recipients were CMV D+/R− (CMV serostatus donor positive/recipient negative). Seven (c. 7%) patients developed CMV disease. CMV disease was associated with 2.5 times (0.52–12.1; p = 0.25) higher rate of CMV mismatch and 11.1 times (1.3–95.9; p = 0.03) higher risk of death. CMV prophylaxis increased time‐to‐death (p = 0.074). Time‐to‐CMV disease was shorter in patients with enteritis (p < 0.0001), and CMV disease was associated with shorter time‐to‐death after transplantation (p = 0.001). CMV disease in SBT recipients was associated with an 11‐fold mortality increase and a fourfold faster time‐to‐death. Time‐to‐death was significantly shorter with CMV enteritis.
Role of pH in the pathogenesis of dermatophytoses
Authors: Martinez‐Rossi Nilce M. , Persinoti Gabriela F. , Peres Nalu T. A. , Rossi Antonio 
Published: December 2011

SummaryThe secretion of proteolytic enzymes by dermatophytes is a key factor in their invasion and subsequent dissemination through the stratum corneum of the host. During the first stages of infection, dermatophytes respond to the skin by de‐repressing a number of genes coding for proteins and enzymes such as adhesins, lipases, phosphatases, DNAses, non‐specific proteases, and keratinases. These proteins have their optimal activity at acidic pH values, which matches the acidic pH of human skin, allowing the pathogen to adhere and penetrate the host tissue, scavenge nutrients and overcome host defence mechanisms. The conserved PacC/Rim101p signal transduction pathway mediates diverse metabolic events involved in ambient pH sensing and in the virulence of pathogenic microorganisms. The seven dermatophyte genomes analysed here revealed the presence of the PacC/Rim101p pH‐responsive signal transduction pathway, which consists of the six pal genes (palA, B, C, F, H and I) and the transcription factor PacC. The PacC binding site was present in the promoter regions of pacC, palB, palI and palH genes of all dermatophytes, suggesting functional equivalency with the signalling cascade of other fungi. Moreover, the promoter region of pacC gene of the seven dermatophytes had multiple PacC DNA‐binding sites, suggesting that these genes, like their homologues in model fungi, are auto‐regulated.
Indigenous Bali Cattle is Most Suitable for Sustainable Small Farming in Indonesia
Authors: Martojo H 
Published: December 2011

ContentsLivestock husbandry is essential for Indonesia. This study reviews cattle characteristics and husbandry methods in the country with special interest in describing the importance of indigenous breeds of cattle. As a conclusion, the Bali cattle ought to be considered the most suitable indigenous cattle breed for the low‐input, high stress production system still practised by millions of families in Indonesia.
Genetic Characterization of the Aceh Cattle Using Phenotypic, Mitochondrial DNA of D‐Loop Region and Microsatellite DNA Analyses
Authors: Abdullah MAN , Martojo H , Noor RR , Solihin DD 
Published: December 2011

ContentsThe present study reports the phenotypic variation of body weight and body size, the genetic variation of D‐loop of mtDNA and microsatellite DNA allele in Aceh cattle in Indonesia within the frame of the design of a conservation programme for this indigenous species. Aceh cattle differ from Bali, Madura, Java‐Ongole and Pesisir cattle, but its ancestry relates it closest to Pesisir, thus adding more information to its entry from the Indian sub‐continent.
Assisted Reproductive Techniques for Cattle Breeding in Developing Countries: A Critical Appraisal of Their Value and Limitations
Authors: Rodriguez‐Martinez H 
Published: December 2011

ContentsCommercialization of animal biotechnologies, including those related to reproduction [also known as assisted reproductive techniques (ARTS)], is an increasing reality in developing countries, following the enormous flow of information around us and the increasing global commercial interests in areas where cattle production has its major assets. The present review discusses the achievements of various biotechnological tools for reproduction in cattle including semen handling for artificial insemination (AI), superovulation and embryo transfer (MOET), in vitro handling of oocytes and production of embryos, reproductive cloning and emerging technologies (sex selection, gene targeting and nuclear transfer for livestock transgenesis, genomics for marker‐assisted selection, etc.). The application of these technologies for cattle breeding is critically discussed in relation to their impact in the improvement of the efficiency of dairy and beef production in developed and –particularly – in developing countries, which ultimately rule the possibilities of a competitive and sound production of food for human consumption. Despite the remarkable progress made and the punctual importance of some of the above‐mentioned technologies, AI remains the most important assisted reproductive technology (ART) in developing countries. Any attempt to gain widespread of any other ART under the predominant economical conditions in developing countries ought to match the simplicity and the success of AI as a breeding tool.
Onset of Sexual Maturity in Female Chickens is Genetically Linked to Loci Associated with Fecundity and a Sexual Ornament
Authors: Wright D , Rubin C , Schutz K , Kerje S , Kindmark A , Brandström H , Andersson L , Pizzari T , Jensen P 
Published: December 2011

ContentsOnset of sexual maturation is a trait of extreme importance both evolutionarily and economically. Unsurprisingly therefore, domestication has acted to reduce the time to sexual maturation in a variety of animals, including the chicken. In comparison with wild progenitor chickens [the Red Junglefowl (RJF)], domestic layer hens attain maturity approximately 20% earlier. In addition, domestic layers also possess larger combs (a sexual ornament), produce more eggs and have denser bones. A large quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis (n = 377) was performed using an F2 intercross between a White Leghorn layer breed and a RJF population, with onset of sexual maturity measured and mapped to three separate loci. This cross has already been analysed for comb mass, egg production and bone allocation. Onset of sexual maturity significantly correlated with comb mass, whilst the genetic architecture for sexual maturity and comb mass overlapped at all three loci. For two of these loci, the QTL for sexual maturity and comb mass were statistically indistinguishable from pleiotropy, suggesting that the alleles that increase comb mass also decrease onset of sexual maturity.
Diversity and distribution of small mammals in the South American Dry Andes
Authors: NOVILLO AGUSTINA , OJEDA RICARDO A. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe Andean mountain range has played an important role in the evolution of South American biota. However, there is little understanding of the patterns of species diversity across latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. In this paper, we examine the diversity of small mammals along the South Central Dry Andes (SCDA) within the framework of two contrasting hypotheses: (a) species richness decreases with increasing elevation and latitude; and (b) species richness peaks at altitudinal midpoints (mid‐domain). We explore the composition of the species pool, the impact of species–area relationships and the Rapoport effect (i.e. size of geographic ranges) along latitudinal and elevational gradients. First, we constructed a database of SCDA small mammals. Then, species richness patterns were analysed through generalized models, and species–area relationships were assessed by log–log regressions; the curvilinear method (c = S/Az) was use to compute richness corrected by area size. Lastly, the Rapoport effect was evaluated using the midpoint method. Our results show: (1) a richness of 67 small mammals along the SCDA, of which 36 are endemic; (2) a hump‐shaped pattern in species richness along elevation and latitudinal gradients; (3) a species–area relationship for both gradients; (4) endemic species corrected by area present a strong and positive relationship with elevation; (5) a Rapoport effect for the latitudinal ranges, but no effect across the elevational gradient; and (6) a major species turnover between 28° and 30° south latitude. This is the first study quantifying the diversity of small mammals encompassing the central Andean region. Overall, our macrogeographic analysis supports the previously postulated role of the Andes in the diversification of small mammals (i.e. in situ cladogenesis) and highlights some basic attributes (i.e. anatomy of geographic ranges; species–area relationships) when considering the consequences of climate change on biodiversity conservation of mountain ecosystems.
Designing a Better Business School: Channelling Herbert Simon, Addressing the Critics, and Developing Actionable Knowledge for Professionalizing Managers
Authors: Rousseau Denise M. 
Published: December 2011

abstractHerbert Simon's 1967 article ‘The business school: a problem in organizational design’ anticipated many of the challenges business schools face today. Critics charge business schools with failing to realize their primary purpose, that is, to produce professional managers. This article revisits what Simon advocated with regard to a core feature of this professionalism, the production of essential management knowledge, and the process of educating people in applying it. With Simon as a guide, this article outlines educational and research interventions to help business schools realize their founding purpose. In doing so, it addresses the distinctive knowledge products that business school research can contribute to the management profession. This article also highlights the key role that evidence‐based management and the related practices of design science play in providing a more complete solution to the design problem Simon identified.
When does anger evoke self‐interest and fairness motives? The moderating effects of perceived responsibility for needs
Authors: UEHARA SHUNSUKE , NAKAGAWA TOMOHIRO , MORI TAKEMI , OHBUCHI KEN‐ICHI 
Published: December 2011

AbstractResearch has repeatedly demonstrated that anger evokes both self‐interest and fairness motives, but it is unclear what factors determine the evocation of these motives. We examined the idea that the type of relationship, indexed by the perceived responsibility for a partner's needs, moderates the effect of anger on self‐interest and fairness motives by constructing the following hypotheses: Participants will be motivated to protect their self‐interests when they feel anger toward an other who they perceive has the responsibility for needs, while this will not be the case when they feel anger toward an other who they do not perceive has a responsibility for needs (Hypothesis 1), and participants will be motivated to restore fairness regardless of whether the target of anger has a responsibility for needs or not (Hypothesis 2). The Japanese participants in this study rated their anger experiences in terms of the intensity of angry feelings, the perception of responsibility of the other for their own needs, the closeness of the relationship prior to the experience of anger, and the motives that were evoked. Regression analysis supported both hypotheses, implying that concerns related to self‐interest in close relationships reflect the desire for the maintenance of these relationships.
Control of BACE1 degradation and APP processing by ubiquitin carboxyl‐terminal hydrolase L1
Authors: Zhang Mingming , Deng Yu , Luo Yawen , Zhang Shuting , Zou Haiyan , Cai Fang , Wada Keiji , Song Weihong 
Published: December 2011

J. Neurochem. (2012) 120, 1129–1138.AbstractDeposition of amyloid β protein (Aβ) in the brain is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. Beta‐site amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is the β‐secretase in vivo essential for generation of Aβ. Previously we demonstrated that BACE1 is ubiquitinated and the degradation of BACE1 is mediated by the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway (UPP). However the mechanism underlying regulation of BACE1 degradation by UPP remains elusive. Ubiquitin carboxyl‐terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) is a deubiquitinating enzyme highly specific to neuron, catalyzing the hydrolysis of ubiquitin conjugates from ubiquitinated substrates. UCHL1 regulates ubiquitin‐dependent protein degradation. However, whether UCHL1 is particularly involved in the proteasomal degradation of BACE1 and what is the role of UCHL1 in AD pathogenesis remain elusive. To investigate the effect of UCHL1 on BACE1 degradation, HUCH cells, a UCHL1 stably over‐expressed HEK293 cell line, was established. We found that inhibition of UCHL1 significantly increased BACE1 protein level in a time‐dependent manner. Half life of BACE1 was reduced in HUCH cells compared with HEK. Over‐expression of UCHL1 decreased APP C‐terminal fragment C99 and Aβ levels in HUCH cells. Moreover, disruption of Uchl1 gene significantly elevated levels of endogenous BACE1, C99 and Aβ in the Uchl1‐null gad mice. These results demonstrated that UCHL1 accelerates BACE1 degradation and affects APP processing and Aβ production. This study suggests that potentiation of UCHL1 might be able to reduce the level of BACE1 and Aβ in brain, which makes it a novel target for AD drug development.
Age‐dependent reduction of the PI3K regulatory subunit p85α suppresses pancreatic acinar cell proliferation
Authors: Takahashi Hitoshi , Okamura Daiki , Starr Marlene E. , Saito Hiroshi , Mark Evers B. 
Published: December 2011

SummaryThe phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway is important for tissue proliferation. Previously, we found that tissue regeneration after partial pancreatic resection was markedly attenuated in aged mice as compared to young mice and that this attenuation was because of an age‐dependent reduction of PI3K/Akt signaling in the pancreatic acini; however, the mechanisms for the age‐associated decline of pancreatic PI3K/Akt signaling remained unknown. To better delineate the mechanisms for the decreased PI3K/Akt activation with aging, age‐associated changes in cell proliferation and PI3K/Akt signaling were investigated in the present study using in vitro primary pancreatic acinar cell cultures derived from young and aged mice. In response to treatment with insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1), acinar cells from young but not aged mice showed increased activation of PI3K/Akt signaling and cell proliferation, indicating that intrinsic cellular mechanisms cause the age‐associated changes in pancreatic acinar cells. We also found that the expression of PI3K p85α subunit, but not IGF‐1 receptor or other PI3K subunits, was significantly reduced in pancreatic acinar cells from aged mice; this age‐associated reduction of p85α was confirmed in both mouse and human pancreatic tissues. Finally, small interfering RNA (siRNA)‐mediated knockdown of p85α expression in acinar cells from young mice resulted in markedly attenuated activation of PI3K/Akt downstream signaling in response to IGF‐1. From these results, we conclude that exocrine pancreatic expression of PI3K p85α subunit is attenuated by aging, which is likely responsible for the age‐associated decrease in activation of pancreatic PI3K signaling and acinar cell proliferation in response to growth‐promoting stimuli.
Market ethics and credit practices in sixteenth‐century Tuscany
Authors: SHAW JAMES E. 
Published: December 2011

james e. shaw, Market ethics and credit practices in sixteenth‐century TuscanyThis paper examines the moral economy of mid‐sixteenth‐century Tuscany, with a focus on the practices of credit and exchange at the quotidian level. Supplications for justice addressed to the duke and redirected to the Mercanzia (Merchants’ Court) provide rich evidence of the way that people negotiated the rules, ethics and practices of the market. Supplications presented narratives of exchange embedded in human circumstances and motivations, opening up the formal surface of contractual obligations to reveal the underlying ‘truth’ of these relationships. The role of credit in price formation raises questions about the prices recorded in documents, since loans might be disguised as sales of goods, or interest incorporated into the price. The sources also suggest that credit practices might be associated with a culture of gambling, where borrowers and lenders willingly took on additional risk. Poverty was a key reference among the mitigating circumstances appealed to by supplicants, and women were particularly prominent here. The sources cast light on the difficult structural conditions that might be faced by women, the legal protections that were available to them and the ways that these might be exploited.
Noninvasive molecular imaging of interferon beta activation in mouse liver
Authors: Zhou Yong , Yan Shao‐Duo , Jia Shuai‐Zheng , Wang Hai‐Ping , Fu Qiu‐Xia , Du Juan , Wang Xiao‐Hui , Liang Sheng‐Qiang , Zhang Jin‐Gang , Zhan Lin‐Sheng 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground/AimsInterferon beta (IFN‐β) is the priming cytokine in the interferons (IFNs) response that plays essential roles in innate immune system. Only very few studies on IFN activation in animals have been reported before, therefore, we embarked to develop a novel method to dynamically examine IFN‐β activation in mouse liver by noninvasive molecular imaging.MethodsInterferon beta promoter‐directed firefly luciferase gene was integrated into chromosomes of hepatocytes by hydrodynamic injection. Mouse hepatitis virus type 3 (MHV‐3) and polyinosinic‐polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] were used to stimulate the activation of IFN‐β. Luciferase activity was used as an indicator of the IFN‐β promoter activity in vitro and in vivo. The expression level of IFN‐β in the sera and firefly luciferase in the liver was assessed by ELISA and bioluminescence imaging respectively. Western blot was used for detecting proteins expression.ResultsA rapid and elevated luciferase expression in the mouse liver induced by poly (I:C) and MHV‐3 was detected by bioluminescence imaging. The detectable level of IFN‐β in the sera was not induced by MHV‐3. Moreover, IFN‐β activation was significantly inhibited by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease in mouse liver. These results were consistent with IFN‐β production in the sera. Therefore, a novel visual method to monitor IFN‐β promoter activity was established in the current study.ConclusionThis novel sensitive method can be used for not only assessing IFN‐β activation or inhibition in the liver under different conditions, but also screening drug candidates of stimulating or inhibiting of IFN‐β production.