bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Allopurinol Attenuates Oxidative Stress and Cardiac Fibrosis in Angiotensin II‐Induced Cardiac Diastolic Dysfunction
Authors: Jia Nan , Dong Peixin , Ye Ying , Qian Cheng , Dai Qiuyan 
Published: October 2010

SUMMARYAims: Oxidative stress and fibrosis is implicated in cardiac remodeling and failure. We tested whether allopurinol could decrease myocardial oxidative stress and attenuate cardiac fibrosis and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in angiotensin II (AngII)‐induced hypertensive mice. Methodology: We used 8‐week‐old male C57BL/6J mice, in which angiotensin II was subcutaneously infused for 4 weeks to mimic cardiac remodeling and fibrosis. They were treated with either normal saline or allopurinol in daily doses, which did not lower blood pressure. Results: Allopurinol improved diastolic dysfunction in angiotensin II‐induced hypertensive mice, which was associated with the amelioration of cardiac fibrosis. However, allopurinol showed no effect on the increased systolic blood pressure by angiotensin II infusion. The ratio of reduced glutathione (GSH) to oxidized glutathione (GSSG) [GSH/GSSG] was decreased and malondialdehyde levels were increased in the hearts of AngII‐treated mice. Allopurinol also inhibited both the decrease in the GSH/GSSG ratio and the increase in malondialdehyde levels in the heart. Infusion of AngII‐induced upregulation of transfer growth factor (TGF)‐β1, Smad3 expression and downregulation of Smad7 expression. Treatment with allopurinol reduced cardiac levels of TGF‐β1, Smad3, and increased Smad7 expression. Conclusions: These results suggest that allopurinol prevents pathological remodeling of the heart in AngII‐induced hypertensive mice. The antioxidative effect of allopurinol contributes to the regression of AngII‐induced cardiac diastolic dysfunction. These effects of allopurinol to prevent cardiac fibrosis are mediated at least partly through modulation of the TGF‐β1/Smad signaling pathway.
Re‐identification of Aeromonas isolates from chironomid egg masses as the potential pathogenic bacteria Aeromonas aquariorum
Authors: Figueras Maria José , Beaz‐Hidalgo Roxana , Senderovich Yigal , Laviad Sivan , Halpern Malka 
Published: October 2010

SummaryEgg masses of the non‐biting midge Chironomous sp. have recently been found to serve as a reservoir for Vibrio cholerae and Aeromonas species. These insects are widely distributed in freshwater and evidence suggests that they may disseminate pathogenic bacteria species into drinking water systems. In the current study the taxonomy of 26 Aeromonas isolates, previously recovered from chironomid egg masses, was re‐evaluated. It was found that 23 isolates, which had previously been identified as Aeromonas caviae, could belong to the recently described species Aeromonas aquariorum by their biochemical traits. To date, A. aquariorum has been found in ornamental fish and also in human extra‐intestinal infections. ERIC‐PCR genotyping differentiated 11 strains within the 23 A. aquariorum isolates, whose identity was confirmed by their rpoD gene sequences. Strains were found to possess the following virulence‐associated genes: alt (90.9%), ahpB (81.8%), pla/lip/lipH3/apl‐1/lip (54.5%), fla (27.3%), act/hylA/aerA (27.3%), ascF‐ascG (81.8%) and aexT (9%) encoding for the cytotonic heat‐labile enterotoxin, elastase, lipase, flagella, cytotoxic enterotoxins, the Type III Secretion System and the AexT toxin delivered by this system respectively. These findings indicate that chironomid egg masses harbour strains of A. aquariorum, which bear an important number of virulence genes, and that this species was misidentified originally as A. caviae.
Teleconferences on thoracoscopic surgery using an academic network between Asian institutions
Authors: Obuchi T , Iwasaki A , Shiraishi T , Okumura M , Moriyama S , Shimizu S 
Published: October 2010

AbstractInternet teleconferences using an advanced academic network are now quite common in the medical field. However, such conferences are still not particularly common in the area of pulmonary surgery. Here, we report the practical lessons learned from participating in international teleconferences on video‐assisted thoracic surgery. Between November 2007 and February 2010, teleconferences with high‐definition live video feeds were held five times between Fukuoka University Hospital and other institutions across the Asia‐Pacific region. For these teleconferences, a digital video transport system, connected with the high‐performance network of the Asia‐Pacific Advanced Network, was used to establish communication. In all conferences, discussions were conducted without difficulty. No surgeries were performed live; a video presentation of the recorded surgery was sufficient. Though technical assistance is required to connect and communicate with other professionals, international teleconferences are a worthwhile and intellectually stimulating activity.
Efficacy of short‐term dexamethasone therapy in acute‐on‐chronic pre‐liver failure
Authors: Zhang Xu‐Qing , Jiang Li , You Jian‐Ping , Liu Yu‐Yuan , Peng Jing , Zhang Hui‐Yan , Xu Bao‐Yan , Mao Qing 
Published: October 2010

Aim:  Acute‐on‐chronic pre‐liver failure (pre‐ACLF) is defined as a severe acute episode of chronic hepatitis B characterized by serum bilirubin of 171 µmol/L or more, alanine aminotransferase of five times or more the upper limit of normal and prothrombin activity of more than 40%, having a potential for progression to acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF). This study is to evaluate the efficacy of short‐term dexamethasone in pre‐ACLF.Methods:  One hundred and seventy patients were assigned to dexamethasone therapy and control group at a ratio of 1:2. For the two groups, we compared biochemical indicators, the incidence of ACLF and mortality. The influential factors on the mortality of patients with pre‐ACLF were studied by Cox proportional hazards models.Results:  The significantly lower incidence of ACLF and higher survival rate were observed in patients on dexamethasone therapy (8.9%, 96.4%, respectively) than in control patients (70.2%, 52.6%, respectively; P < 0.001). Dexamethasone treatment was an independent factor influencing the survival rate (P < 0.001, odds ratio = 0.055, 95% confidence interval = 0.013–0.225). During 4 weeks of treatment, serum bilirubin levels of survival patients were significantly lower in the dexamethasone group than control group.Conclusion:  Five‐day dexamethasone therapy is effective in improving the liver function and survival rate of patients with pre‐ACLF.
Effect of Antibiotic Treatment on Bacteriophage Production by a Cystic Fibrosis Epidemic Strain of
Pseudomonas
aeruginosa
Authors: Fothergill Joanne L. , Mowat Eilidh , Walshaw Martin J. , Ledson Martin J. , James Chloe E. , Winstanley Craig 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT

Phage production in response to antibiotics varied among four isolates of a
Pseudomonas
aeruginosa
cystic fibrosis (CF) epidemic strain. Whereas ciprofloxacin induced higher levels of phage production, other CF-relevant antibiotics led to reduced production. We detected free phages directly in CF patient sputum samples by both plaque (40% positive) and PCR (76% positive) assays. Our observations suggest that the choice of antibiotics could influence the number of free phages within the CF lung environment.
Salmonella entericaSerovar Typhimurium Binds to HeLa Cells via Fim-Mediated Reversible Adhesion and Irreversible Type Three Secretion System 1-Mediated Docking
Authors: Misselwitz Benjamin , Kreibich Saskia K. , Rout Samuel , Stecher Bärbel , Periaswamy Balamurugan , Hardt Wolf-Dietrich 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTThe food-borne pathogenSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium invades mammalian epithelial cells. This multistep process comprises bacterial binding to the host cell, activation of theSalmonellatype three secretion system 1 (T1), injection of effector proteins, triggering of host cell actin rearrangements, andS. Typhimurium entry. While the latter steps are well understood, much less is known about the initial binding step. Earlier work had implicated adhesins (but not T1) or T1 (but not other adhesins). We have studied here theSalmonellavirulence factors mediatingS. Typhimurium binding to HeLa cells. Using an automated microscopy assay and isogenicS. Typhimurium mutants, we analyzed the role of T1 and of several known adhesins (Fim, Pef, Lpf, Agf, and Shd) in host cell binding. In wild-typeS. Typhimurium, host cell binding was mostly attributable to T1. However, in the absence of T1, Fim (but not Pef, Lpf, Agf, and Shd) also mediated HeLa cell binding. Furthermore, in the absence of T1 and type I fimbriae (Fim), we still observed residual binding, pointing toward at least one additional, unidentified binding mechanism. Dissociation experiments established that T1-mediated binding was irreversible (“docking”), while Fim-mediated binding was reversible (“reversible adhesion”). Finally, we show that noninvasive bacteria docking via T1 or adhering via Fim can efficiently invade HeLa cells, if actin rearrangements are triggeredin transby a wild-typeS. Typhimurium helper strain. Our data show that binding to HeLa cells is mediated by at least two different mechanisms and that both can lead to invasion if actin rearrangements are triggered.
The Stearoyl-Coenzyme A Desaturase 1 Is Essential for Virulence and Membrane Stress in
Candida parapsilosis
through Unsaturated Fatty Acid Production
Authors: Nguyen Long Nam , Gacser Attila , Nosanchuk Joshua D. 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT

Unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) are essential components of cells. In
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
, stearoyl-coenzyme A (CoA) desaturase 1 (
OLE1
) affects cell viability through the regulation of oleic (18:1) or palmitoleic (16:1) acid production. In this study, we used a targeted gene deletion approach to determine the impact of
OLE1
on the emerging human pathogenic fungus
Candida parapsilosis
. We found that the deletion of
OLE1
resulted in an auxotrophic yeast strain (designated
OLE1
KO) that required unsaturated fatty acids for growth but not saturated fatty acids. Additionally, the production of UFA by
OLE1
KO yeast cells was markedly reduced, suggesting that Ole1 is essential for UFA production. In contrast to wild-type
C. parapsilosis
, which produced pseudohyphal growth on UFA-supplemented medium agar, pseudohyphal formation in the
OLE1
KO cells was severely impaired, suggesting that Ole1 regulates morphology. Furthermore, the
OLE1
KO cells were hypersensitive to various stress-inducing factors, such as salts, SDS, and H
2
O
2
, especially at the physiological temperature. The results indicate that
OLE1
is essential for the stress response, perhaps through the production of UFA for cell membrane biosynthesis. The
OLE1
KO cells also were hypersensitive to human and fetal bovine serum, suggesting that targeting Ole1 could suppress the dissemination of yeast cells in the bloodstream. Murine-like macrophage J774.16 more efficiently killed the
OLE1
KO yeasts, and significantly larger amounts of nitric oxide were detected in cocultures of macrophages and
OLE1
KO cells than with wild-type or heterozygous strains. Moreover, the disruption of
OLE1
significantly reduced fungal virulence in systemic murine infection. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Ole1 regulates the pathobiology of
C. parapsilosis
via UFA and that the
OLE1
pathway is a promising antifungal target.
Effects of
ibeA
Deletion on Virulence and Biofilm Formation of Avian Pathogenic
Escherichia coli
Authors: Wang Shaohui , Niu Chunling , Shi Zhenyu , Xia Yongjie , Yaqoob Muhammad , Dai Jianjun , Lu Chengping 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT

The
ibeA
gene is located on a genomic island, GimA, which is involved in the pathogenesis of neonatal meningitis
Escherichia coli
(NMEC) and avian pathogenic
E. coli
(APEC). The prevalence of
ibeA
in the APEC collection in China was investigated, and 20 of 467 strains (4.3%) were positive. In addition, analysis of the association of the
E. coli
reference (ECOR) groups with positive strains revealed that
ibeA
was linked to group B2. The
ibeA
gene in DE205B was analyzed and compared to those of APEC and NMEC, which indicated that the specificity of
ibeA
was not consistent along pathotypes. The invasion of chicken embryo fibroblast DF-1 cells by APEC DE205B and RS218 was observed, which suggested that DF-1 cells could be a model to study the mechanism of APEC invasion. The inactivation of
ibeA
in APEC DE205B led to the reduced capacity to invade DF-1 cells, defective virulence
in vivo
, and decreased biofilm formation compared to the wild-type strain. In addition, strain AAEC189 expressing
ibeA
exhibited enhanced invasion capacity and biofilm formation. The results of the quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis and animal system infection experiments indicated that the loss of
ibeA
decreased the colonization and proliferation capacities of APEC in the brain during system infection.
Region of Difference 2 Contributes to Virulence ofMycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Kozak Robert A. , Alexander David C. , Liao Reiling , Sherman David R. , Behr Marcel A. 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTMycobacterium bovisBCG strains are live, attenuated vaccines generated through decades ofin vitropassage. Becausein vitrogrowth does not select for interaction with the host, it has been hypothesized that genetic loci lost from BCG code for virulence determinants that are dispensable for growth in the laboratory, as exemplified by Region of Difference 1 (RD1), which was lost during the original derivation of BCG between 1908 and 1921. Region of Difference 2 (RD2) was lost during the ongoing propagation of BCG between 1927 and 1931, a time that coincides with reports of the ongoing attenuation of the vaccine. In this study, RD2 has been disrupted inM. tuberculosisH37Rv to test whether its loss contributed to the further attenuation of BCG. The deletion of RD2 did not affectin vitrogrowth; in contrast, the mutant manifested a decrease in pulmonary and splenic bacterial burdens and reduced pathology in C57BL/6 mice at early time points. This attenuated phenotype was complemented by reintroducing the genesRv1979ctoRv1982(includingmpt64) but notRv1985ctoRv1986. In RAW 264.7 macrophages, H37Rv:ΔRD2 showed a decreased proliferation and impaired modulation of the host innate immune response; both observations were complemented withRv1979ctoRv1982. To test the effect of RD2 disruption on innate immunity,Rag−/−mice were infected; H37Rv:ΔRD2 had increased survival times compared those of H37Rv. These findings support the notion that the safety profile of certain BCG vaccines stems from multiple attenuating mutations, with the RD2 deletion resulting in a less-virulent organism through the impaired bacterial manipulation of the host innate immune response.
The Lipid A Phosphate Position Determines Differential Host Toll-Like Receptor 4 Responses to Phylogenetically Related Symbiotic and Pathogenic Bacteria
Authors: Coats Stephen R. , Berezow Alex B. , To Thao T. , Jain Sumita , Bainbridge Brian W. , Banani Karim P. , Darveau Richard P. 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTThe human symbiontBacteroides thetaiotaomicronpromotes intestinal function and health, whereas the phylogenetically related pathogenPorphyromonas gingivalisis associated with the chronic oral inflammatory disease periodontitis. Although bothB. thetaiotaomicronandP. gingivalissynthesize lipopolysaccharides (LPS) consisting of penta-acylated, monophosphorylated lipid A in addition to immunologically silent, nonphosphorylated lipid A, they elicit strikingly distinct Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) responses. We show that the phosphate position of penta-acylated, monophosphorylated lipid A is a key feature for determining the differential TLR4 responses elicited by these evolutionarily related bacteria.B. thetaiotaomicronproduces TLR4-stimulatory lipid A bearing a 1-phosphate, in contrast toP. gingivalis, which produces TLR4-evasive lipid A bearing a 4′-phosphate. Confirming these observations, recombinantEscherichia coliLPS containing penta-acylated, 1-phosphorylated lipid A is more TLR4 stimulatory than LPS containing 4′-phosphorylated lipid A. The specific capacity of a Gram-negative bacterium to alert or evade the host innate immune defense system through TLR4-dependent signaling is currently recognized as a critical aspect defining the relationship between the host and the bacterium. We propose that the distinct lipid A phosphate positions observed for theB. thetaiotaomicronandP. gingivalisLPS contributes to the manifestation of these bacteria as commensal or pathogen within the human host.
Burden and factors associated with highway work-zone crashes, on a section of the Karachi–Hala Road, Pakistan
Authors: Bhatti Junaid Ahmad , Razzak Junaid Abdul , Lagarde Emmanuel , Salmi L Rachid 
Published: October 2010

ObjectiveTo assess the burden and factors associated with highway work-zone (HWZ) crashes.DesignHistorical cohort.SettingSection of the Karachi–Hala Road, Pakistan (196 km).DataPolice-reported crashes and traffic statistics from January 2006 to December 2008.AnalysisCrash and death risk between the HWZ and other zones for a 50 km section were compared. Crash locations were described for a further 146 km section on which factors associated with HWZ crashes were assessed.ResultsHWZ crashes accounted for 15.0% of traffic crashes (N=180) and 30.8% of road fatalities (N=91) on the 196 km section. Rates were higher in the HWZ than other zones for crashes (rate ratio (RR)=2.35, 95% CI=1.17 to 4.70) and deaths (RR=4.70, 95% CI=2.11 to 10.46). Opposite-direction crashes (adjusted OR (aOR)=10.65, 95% CI=3.22 to 35.25) and traffic crashes involving pedestrians (aOR=6.03, 95% CI=1.39 to 26.20) and on wet surfaces (aOR=7.26, 95% CI=4.15 to 48.89) were significantly associated with the HWZ.ConclusionThese results support the introduction of prevention measures such as strict traffic enforcement, traffic separation, improving pedestrian visibility, and hazard signage at HWZs in Pakistan. The feasibility and effectiveness of these measures remains to be evaluated.
Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded breast-cancer tissues
Authors: Riehle Ulrike , Mader Andreas , Brandstetter Thomas , Rühe Jürgen , zur Hausen Axel , Stickeler Elmar 
Published: October 2010

AimTo evaluate the nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) technique to amplify mRNA isolated from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast-cancer tissues.MethodsRNA was extracted from archived, 10-year-old FFPE tissues, and selected genes, namely ribosomal protein S18 (RPS18), epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), Y box binding protein (YBX-1), matrix metallopeptidase 11 (MMP11), caspase 8 (CASP8) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), were amplified by NASBA.ResultsDespite strong degradation of the template, RNA amplification of all tested genes resulted in strong hybridisation signals. Sensitivity tests showed that the RPS18 NASBA assay was more sensitive than real-time RT-PCR used as a reference method. The sensitivity of the HER2, ERα, MMP11, YBX1, CASP8 and SOD2 NASBA assay was comparable with RT-PCR targeted to the respective genes.ConclusionsThe results obtained indicate that NASBA is suitable to amplify with high specificity and sensitivity, even strongly degraded RNA isolated from FFPE tissues, and therefore can complement already-existing amplification techniques such as RT-PCR for analysis of such tissues.
MATERIAL ELEMENT MODEL AND THE GEOMETRY OF THE ENTROPY FORM
Authors: DOLFIN M. , FRANCAVIGLIA M. , PRESTON S. , RESTUCCIA L. 
Published: October 2010

In this work we analyze and compare the model of the material (elastic) element and the entropy form developed by Coleman and Owen with that one obtained by localizing the balance equations of the continuum thermodynamics. This comparison allows one to determine the relation between the entropy function S of Coleman–Owen and that one imported from the continuum thermodynamics. We introduce the Extended Thermodynamical Phase Space (ETPS) [Formula: see text] and realize the energy and entropy balance expressions as 1-forms in this space. This allows us to realizes I and II laws of thermodynamics as conditions on these forms. We study the integrability (closure) conditions of the entropy form for the model of thermoelastic element and for the deformable ferroelectric crystal element. In both cases closure conditions are used to rewrite the dynamical system of the model in term of the entropy form potential and to determine the constitutive relations among the dynamical variables of the model. In a related study (to be published) these results will be used for the formulation of the dynamical model of a material element in the contact thermodynamical phase space of Caratheodory and Hermann similar to that of homogeneous thermodynamics.
A Framework for Large-Scale Detection of Web Site Defacements
Authors: Bartoli Alberto , Davanzo Giorgio , Medvet Eric 
Published: October 2010

Web site defacement, the process of introducing unauthorized modifications to a Web site, is a very common form of attack. In this paper we describe and evaluate experimentally a framework that may constitute the basis for a
defacement detection service
capable of monitoring thousands of remote Web sites systematically and automatically.

In our framework an organization may join the service by simply providing the URLs of the resources to be monitored along with the contact point of an administrator. The monitored organization may thus take advantage of the service with just a few mouse clicks, without installing any software locally or changing its own daily operational processes. Our approach is based on anomaly detection and allows monitoring the integrity of many remote Web resources automatically while remaining fully decoupled from them, in particular, without requiring any prior knowledge about those resources.
We evaluated our approach over a selection of dynamic resources and a set of publicly available defacements. The results are very satisfactory: all attacks are detected while keeping false positives to a minimum. We also assessed performance and scalability of our proposal and we found that it may indeed constitute the basis for actually deploying the proposed service on a large scale.
A fluid approximation for large-scale service systems
Authors: Liu Yunan , Whitt Ward 
Published: October 2010

We introduce and analyze a deterministic fluid model that serves as an approximation for the Gt/GI/st + GI manyserver queueing model, which has a general time-varying arrival process (the Gt), a general service-time distribution (the first GI), a time-dependent number of servers (the st) and allows abandonment from queue according to a general abandonment-time distribution (the +GI). This fluid model approximates the associated queueing system when the arrival rate and number of servers are both large. We also show that the system dynamics greatly simplifies in two special cases: (i) when the service time distribution is exponential (M) and (ii) when the service time distribution is deterministic (D) and the model is stationary. We develop an efficient algorithm to compute all standard performance functions in both cases.
In case (i), we establish an asymptotic loss of memory (ALOM) property, i.e., asymptotic independence from the initial conditions as time evolves. We show that the difference in the performance functions with different initial conditions dissipates over time exponentially fast, under regularity conditions. In contrast, in case (ii) we show that ALOM fails dramatically. Instead, although all model parameters are constants, we show that the performance rapidly approaches a periodic steady state (PSS) with a period equal to the service time, whenever the system does not start with the unique stationary distribution. Moreover, the form of the PSS depends on the initial condition. Simulation and a heavy-traffic limit confirm that this anomalous behavior also occurs in the large-scale queueing model.