bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A review of the worldwide prevalence of vitiligo in children/adolescents and adults
Authors: Krüger Christian , Schallreuter Karin Uta 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground  Vitiligo is an acquired, idiopathic, and worldwide common depigmentation disorder with an estimated prevalence from 0.1 to 8%. These numbers are based on clinical population studies and field research examining inhabitants of geographically enclosed areas. Our aim was to collect all available data on the prevalence of vitiligo in the general population, paying particular attention to children/adolescent groups and adults.Materials and methods  Screening of available literature and online databases using several key words.Results  We found more than 50 studies that used several methods and subgroups of the general population. The prevalence of vitiligo ranges from 0.06 to 2.28%, whereas this was 0.0–2.16% in children/adolescents populations.Conclusions  The often cited prevalence of 8% could not be confirmed after excluding clinical patient populations. Accordingly, the worldwide prevalence of vitiligo ranges between 0.5 and 2%.
Overall mortality after radical nephrectomy in patients aged over 80 years with renal cancer: A retrospective study on preoperative prognostic factors
Authors: Brassart Elena , Lebdai Souhil , Berger Julien , Traore Sory , Bernhard Jean‐Christophe , Fardoun Tarek , Muller Guillaume , Patard Jean‐Jacques , Azzouzi Abdel Rahmène , Bigot Pierre 
Published: March 2012

Objectives:  To evaluate the overall survival postnephrectomy for renal cancer for patients aged over 80 years, and to identify preoperative prognostic factors that might influence therapeutic strategies.Methods:  In a retrospective study in five French departments of urology, 179 patients aged over 80 years with renal cell carcinoma underwent radical nephrectomy between 1990 and 2011. The following data were collected: age, sex, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, American Society of Anesthesiology class, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status, type of surgery, period of follow‐up, survival, death etiology, symptoms, Fuhrman grade and tumor–nodes–metastasis stage.Results:  After a 29.6‐month follow up, 89 patients (49.7%) died. Death etiologies were: cancer for 46 (52%) patients, immediate or distant perioperative complications for five patients (6%) and three patients (3%) respectively, cardiovascular disease for 16 patients (18%), other cancers for three patients (3%) and unknown for 16 patients (18%). In a multivariate analysis, T‐stage, M‐stage and Charlson Comorbidity Index were identified as independent prognostic factors. Patients were divided into three groups (good, intermediate and bad prognosis) with significantly different survivals of 91, 36 and 22 months (P < 0.0001), respectively.Conclusions:  Preoperative data, including T‐stage, M‐stage and Charlson Comorbidity Index represent significant independent prognostic factors for survival for patients aged over 80 years. These data might help the clinician in selecting the most suitable candidates for radical nephrectomy among elderly patients with renal cancer.
Root dynamics influence tree–grass coexistence in an Australian savanna
Authors: FEBRUARY E. C. , COOK G. D. , RICHARDS A. E. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBoth resource and disturbance controls have been invoked to explain tree persistence among grasses in savannas. Here we determine the extent to which competition for available resources restricts the rooting depth of both grasses and trees, and how this may influence nutrient cycling under an infrequently burned savanna near Darwin, Australia. We sampled fine roots <2 mm in diameter from 24 soil pits under perennial as well as annual grasses and three levels of canopy cover. The relative proportion of C3 (trees) and C4 (grasses) derived carbon in a sample was determined using mass balance calculations. Our results show that regardless of the type of grass both tree and grass roots are concentrated in the top 20 cm of the soil. While trees have greater root production and contribute more fine root biomass grass roots contribute a disproportional amount of nitrogen and carbon to the soil relative to total root biomass. We postulate that grasses maintain soil nutrient pools and provide biomass for regular fires that prevent forest trees from establishing while savanna trees, are important for increasing soil N content, cycling and mineralization rates. We put forward our ideas as a hypothesis of resource‐regulated tree–grass coexistence in tropical savannas.
Flower‐visitor networks only partially predict the function of pollen transport by bees
Authors: POPIC TONY J. , WARDLE GLENDA M. , DAVILA YVONNE C. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractMutualistic networks display distinct structural and organizational features such as nestedness, power‐law degree distribution and asymmetric dependencies. Attention is now focused on how these structural properties influence network function. Most plant‐pollinator networks are constructed using records of animals contacting flowers, which is based on the assumption that all visitors to flowers are pollinators; however, animals may visit flowers as nectar robbers, florivores, or to prey upon other visitors. To differentiate potential pollinator interactions from other interaction types, we examined individual bees that had visited flowers to detect if they carried pollen. Using these data, we constructed visitation and pollen‐transport networks for a spinifex‐dominated arid zone grassland. To determine how the structure of the visitation network reflects pollen transport, we compared the two networks using a null model approach to account for differences in network size. Differences in number of species, nestedness and connectance observed between the visitation and pollen‐transport networks were within expected ranges generated under the null model. The pollen‐transport network was more specialized, had lower interaction evenness, and fewer links compared to the visitation network. Almost half the number of species of the visitation network participated in the pollen‐transport network, and one‐third of unique visitation interactions resulted in pollen transport, highlighting that visitation does not always result in pollination. Floral visitor data indicate potential pollen transporters, but inferring pollination function from visitation networks needs to be performed cautiously as pollen transport resulted from both common and rare interactions, and depended on visitor identity. Although visitation and pollen‐transport networks are structurally similar, the function of all species cannot be predicted from the visitation network alone. Considering pollen transport in visitation networks is a simple first step towards determining pollinators from non‐pollinators. This is fundamental for understanding how network structure relates to network function.
A natural coumarin derivative esculetin offers neuroprotection on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice
Authors: Wang Chen , Pei Aijie , Chen Jing , Yu Hailong , Sun Mei‐Ling , Liu Chun‐Feng , Xu Xingshun 
Published: March 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 121, 1007–1013.AbstractPrevious studies have demonstrated that a natural coumarin compound esculetin (Esc) possesses antioxidant, anti‐tumor, and anti‐inflammation activities and rescues cultured primary neurons from NMDA toxicity. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of Esc on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in a middle cerebral artery occlusion model in mice. Esc (20 μg) was administered intracerebroventricularly at 30 min before ischemia. We found that Esc significantly reduced infarct volume and decreased neurological deficit scores after 75 min of ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion. Post‐treatment of Esc still provided neuroprotection even when Esc was administered after 4 h of reperfusion. Our data also indicated that intraperitoneal administration of Esc showed protective effects on cerebral I/R injury in a dose‐dependent manner. We further explored the protective mechanisms of Esc on cerebral I/R injury and found that Esc decreased cleaved caspase 3 level, a marker of apoptosis. Finally, our data demonstrated that Esc exerted its anti‐apoptotic activity by up‐regulating the expression of Bcl‐2 and down‐regulating the expression of Bax, two apoptosis‐related proteins. Because of its clinical use as an anticoagulant and its safety profile, Esc may have a therapeutic potential for the treatment of stroke in the future clinical trials.
Rollover Risk and Credit Risk
Authors: HE ZHIGUO , XIONG WEI 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTOur model shows that deterioration in debt market liquidity leads to an increase in not only the liquidity premium of corporate bonds but also credit risk. The latter effect originates from firms' debt rollover. When liquidity deterioration causes a firm to suffer losses in rolling over its maturing debt, equity holders bear the losses while maturing debt holders are paid in full. This conflict leads the firm to default at a higher fundamental threshold. Our model demonstrates an intricate interaction between the liquidity premium and default premium and highlights the role of short‐term debt in exacerbating rollover risk.
The Secondary Market for Hedge Funds and the Closed Hedge Fund Premium
Authors: RAMADORAI TARUN 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTRational theories of the closed‐end fund premium puzzle highlight fund share and asset illiquidity, managerial ability, and fees as important determinants of the premium. Several of these attributes are difficult to measure for mutual funds, and easier to measure for hedge funds. This paper employs new data from a secondary market for hedge funds, discovers a closed‐hedge fund premium that is highly correlated with the closed‐end mutual fund premium, and shows that the closed‐hedge fund premium is well explained by variables suggested by rational theories. Sentiment‐based explanations do not find support in the data.
Expression and effects of glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor on periodontal ligament cells
Authors: Yamamoto Naohide , Maeda Hidefumi , Tomokiyo Atsushi , Fujii Shinsuke , Wada Naohisa , Monnouchi Satoshi , Kono Kiyomi , Koori Katsuaki , Teramatsu Yoko , Akamine Akifumi 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAimTo investigate Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) expression in normal and wounded rat periodontal ligament (PDL) and the effects of GDNF on human PDL cells (HPDLCs) migration and extracellular matrix expression in HPDLCs.Material and MethodsThe expression of GDNF and GDNF receptors was examined by immunocyto/histochemical analyses. Gene expression in HPDLCs treated with GDNF, interleukin‐1 beta (IL‐1β), or tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) was quantified by quantitative RT‐PCR (qRT‐PCR). In addition, we examined the migratory effect of GDNF on HPDLCs.Results
GDNF was expressed in normal rat PDL and cultured HPDLCs. HPDLCs also expressed GDNF receptors. In wounded rat PDL, GDNF expression was up‐regulated. QRT‐PCR analysis revealed that IL‐1β and TNF‐α significantly increased the expression of GDNF in HPDLCs. Furthermore, GDNF induced migration of HPDLCs, which was blocked by pre‐treatment with the peptide including Arg‐Gly‐Asp (RGD) sequence, or neutralizing antibodies against integrin αVβ3 or GDNF. Also, GDNF up‐regulated expression of bone sialoprotein (BSP) and fibronectin in HPDLCs.Conclusions
GDNF expression is increased in rat wounded PDL tissue and HPDLCs treated with pro‐inflammatory cytokines. GDNF enhances the expression of BSP and fibronectin, and migration in an RGD‐dependent manner via the integrin αVβ3. These findings suggest that GDNF may contribute to wound healing in PDL tissue.
Review of ‘The Plant List, a working list of all plant species’
Authors: Kalwij Jesse M. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe Plant List (http://www.theplantlist.org/) is an on‐line database of plant names that aims to be comprehensive for all described plant species. Version 1 of The Plant List includes 1 040 426 plant name records, of which 298 900 are accepted names. The Plant List is the product of a consortium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. In this review, I evaluate the use of this plant taxonomic database for plant ecologists. The web interface of The Plant List allows a quick search for species names and corresponding synonyms. Moreover, users are able to download search or browse results to compile a customized checklist of plant names. The combination of a straightforward web design and the possibility to download search results provides a valuable resource of plant nomenclature information for a wide range of plant ecologists.
The Impact of Defense Expenses in Medical Malpractice Claims
Authors: Carroll Aaron E. , Parikh Parul Divya , Buddenbaum Jennifer L. 
Published: March 2012

Whenever health care reform is debated, the state of the medical professional liability (MPL) system (i.e., medical malpractice system) in the United States re-emerges as an issue of importance. What exactly is broken with the MPL system and what the implications are is a point of contention among different stakeholder groups. Recent data demonstrate that medical liability premiums have been improving in recent years and the majority of premiums remained flat in 2010. General agreement still exists, however, that medical professional liability insurance premiums have become unaffordable for many physicians, and coverage has become less available, especially for certain medical specialties and in specific areas of the country.Multiple factors go into the determination of medical professional liability insurance premiums including return on investments, reinsurance costs, claims frequency, average amount paid out on malpractice claims, defense expenses, and administrative costs such as underwriting expense.
Spatial and temporal effects on seed dispersal and seed predation of Musa acuminata in southern Yunnan, China
Authors: MENG Lingzeng , GAO Xiuxia , CHEN Jin , MARTIN Konrad 
Published: March 2012

AbstractWild bananas are abundant in tropical areas and many ecologists have observed that the succession process is quicker following increased disturbance. This study was conducted to analyze animal‐seed interactions and their effects on the seed fate of a wild banana species (Musa acuminata) in tropical southern Yunnan (China) through experiments considering spatial (site and habitat) and temporal (seasons) variation. The largest proportion of fruits (81%) was removed by frugivorous seed dispersers, especially by bats at nighttime. Only 13% of the fruits were removed by climbing seed predators (different species of rats). In the exclosure treatment, rodents accounted for a significantly higher total artificially exposed seed removal number than ants, but with spatial and temporal differences. The highest seed predation rate by rodents (70%) was found in forest with wild banana stands, corresponding with the highest rodent diversity (species numbers and abundance) among the habitat types. In contrast, the seed removal number by ants (57%) was highest in the open land habitats, but there was no close correlation with ant diversity. Seed removal numbers by ants were significantly higher in the dry compared to the rainy season, but rodent activity showed no differences between seasons. The overall results suggest that the largest proportion of seeds produced by wild banana are primarily dispersed by bats. Primary seed dispersal by bats at nighttime is essential for wild banana seeds to escape seed predation.
Relative abundance of American badger (Taxidea taxus) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in landscapes with high and low rodenticide poisoning levels
Authors: PROULX Gilbert , MacKENZIE Neil 
Published: March 2012

AbstractOver the past decade, extensive poisoning campaigns have been conducted in southern Saskatchewan to control Richardson's ground squirrelSpermophilus richardsonii(Sabine, 1822) populations. Such campaigns might impact on predator abundance by decreasing prey levels, and also through secondary poisoning. Using spotlighting, we investigated the relative abundance of American badgersTaxidea taxus(Schreber, 1777) and red foxVulpes vulpes(Linnaeus, 1758) in 2 study areas with road access and crops, but with different levels of poisoning. In the study area with relatively low poisoning (19.6% of the area traversed by roads), there were 2.2 times more American badgers per km of road and 6.4 times more red foxes per km than in the study area with high poisoning (89.7% of the area). It is recommended that an Integrated Pest Management program be developed to conserve natural predators across landscapes.
Yersinia pestis: examining wildlife plague surveillance in China and the USA
Authors: BEVINS Sarah N. , BAROCH John A. , NOLTE Dale L. , ZHANG Min , HE Hongxuan 
Published: March 2012

AbstractPlague is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis Lehmann and Neumann, 1896. Although it is essentially a disease of rodents, plague can also be transmitted to people. Historically, plague has caused massive morbidity and mortality events in human populations, and has recently been classified as a reemerging disease in many parts of the world. This public health threat has led many countries to set up wild and domestic animal surveillance programs in an attempt to monitor plague activity that could potentially spill over into human populations. Both China and the USA have plague surveillance programs in place, but the disease dynamics differ in each country. We present data on plague seroprevalence in wildlife and review different approaches for plague surveillance in the 2 countries. The need to better comprehend plague dynamics, combined with the fact that there are still several thousand human plague cases per year, make well‐designed wildlife surveillance programs a critical part of both understanding plague risks to humans and preventing disease outbreaks in the future.
Three cases of acute or fulminant hepatitis E caused by ingestion of pork meat and entrails in Hokkaido, Japan: Zoonotic food‐borne transmission of hepatitis E virus and public health concerns
Authors: Miyashita Kencho , Kang Jong‐Hon , Saga Akiyoshi , Takahashi Kazuaki , Shimamura Tsuyoshi , Yasumoto Atsushi , Fukushima Hiraku , Sogabe Susumu , Konishi Kouhei , Uchida Takumi , Fujinaga Akira , Matsui Takeshi , Sakurai Yasuo , Tsuji Kunihiko , Maguchi Hiroyuki , Taniguchi Masahiko , Abe Natsumi , Fazle Akbar Sheikh Mohammad , Arai Masahiro , Mishiro Shunji 
Published: March 2012

Aim:  In developed countries including Japan, the transmission route of indigenous hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is obscure. Accordingly, public health implications of indigenous HEV infection have not been well addressed. The aim of this study was to clarify the route of transmission of a small outbreak of acute hepatitis E and assess the public health implications of indigenous zoonotic HEV transmission.Methods:  Three patients with non‐A, B and C acute hepatitis, two of whom presented in a critical condition, were assessed for HEV infection using polymerase chain reaction and their route of infection; the genome sequences of the infecting HEV were also analyzed. A phylogenetic tree based on the full, or near full, HEV RNA sequences were constructed by neighbor‐joining method.Results:  All three patients ingested grilled pork meat and entrails at the same barbecue restaurant in Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan. When comparing partial to entire, or nearly entire, nucleotide sequences of HEV detected in these patients, they were 99.9–100% identical to each other. These genotype 4 isolates had great resemblance to the genome sequences of the isolates from the mini‐outbreak in 2004 in Kitami, a city adjacent to Abashiri. These Kitami/Abashiri strains were segregated into a single cluster on the phylogenetic tree of HEV genotype 4 indigenous to Japan.Conclusion:  Indigenous HEV transmission via a zoonotic food‐borne route has been demonstrated in Kitami and Abashiri via pork meat and entrails contaminated with virulent HEV strains. Because a similar outbreak can recur in the future, infection sources and distribution routes should be clarified rapidly for public health.
The Epstein-Barr Virus BcRF1 Gene Product Is a TBP-Like Protein with an Essential Role in Late Gene Expression
Authors: Gruffat Henri , Kadjouf Faouzi , Mariamé Bernard , Manet Evelyne 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACT
That the expression of late genes is coupled to viral genome replication is well established for all herpesviruses, but the exact mechanisms of their regulation, especially by viral proteins, are poorly understood. Here, we report the identification of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) early protein BcRF1 as a viral factor crucial for the activation of late gene transcription following viral DNA replication during the productive cycle. In order to study the function of the BcRF1 protein, we constructed a recombinant EBV lacking this gene. In HEK293 cells, this recombinant virus underwent normal DNA replication during the productive cycle but failed to express high levels of late gene transcripts or proteins, resulting in a nonproductive infection. Interestingly, a TATT motif is present in the promoter of most EBV late genes, at the position of the TATA box. We show here that BcRF1 forms a complex with the TATT motif and that this interaction is required for activation of late viral gene expression. Moreover, our results suggest that BcRF1 acts via interaction with other viral proteins.
A Nonfucosylated Variant of the anti-HIV-1 Monoclonal Antibody b12 Has Enhanced FcγRIIIa-Mediated Antiviral Activity
In Vitro
but Does Not Improve Protection against Mucosal SHIV Challenge in Macaques
Authors: Moldt Brian , Shibata-Koyama Mami , Rakasz Eva G. , Schultz Niccole , Kanda Yutaka , Dunlop D. Cameron , Finstad Samantha L. , Jin Chenggang , Landucci Gary , Alpert Michael D. , Dugast Anne-Sophie , Parren Paul W. H. I. , Nimmerjahn Falk , Evans David T. , Alter Galit , Forthal Donald N. , Schmitz Jörn E. , Iida Shigeru , Poignard Pascal , Watkins David I. , Hessell Ann J. , Burton Dennis R. 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACT

Eliciting neutralizing antibodies is thought to be a key activity of a vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, a number of studies have suggested that in addition to neutralization, interaction of IgG with Fc gamma receptors (FcγR) may play an important role in antibody-mediated protection. We have previously obtained evidence that the protective activity of the broadly neutralizing human IgG1 anti-HIV monoclonal antibody (MAb) b12 in macaques is diminished in the absence of FcγR binding capacity. To investigate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) as a contributor to FcγR-associated protection, we developed a nonfucosylated variant of b12 (NFb12). We showed that, compared to fully fucosylated (referred to as wild-type in the text) b12, NFb12 had higher affinity for human and rhesus macaque FcγRIIIa and was more efficient in inhibiting viral replication and more effective in killing HIV-infected cells in an ADCC assay. Despite these more potent
in vitro
antiviral activities, NFb12 did not enhance protection
in vivo
against repeated low-dose vaginal challenge in the simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)/macaque model compared to wild-type b12. No difference in protection, viral load, or infection susceptibility was observed between animals given NFb12 and those given fully fucosylated b12, indicating that FcγR-mediated activities distinct from FcγRIIIa-mediated ADCC may be important in the observed protection against SHIV challenge.