bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Basic fibroblast growth factor and tumour necrosis factor alpha in vitiligo and other hypopigmented disorders: suggestive possible therapeutic targets
Authors: Seif El Nasr H. , Shaker O.G. , Fawzi M.M.T. , El‐Hanafi G. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground  In healthy skin, there is a molecular microenvironment that favours the survival of melanocytes and regulates their function. Keratinocytes synthesize and secrete several cytokines that have stimulatory and inhibitory effects on melanocytes.Aim of the work  This work was conducted to evaluate the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) mRNA levels in lesional skin of vitiligo, hypopigmented mycosis fungoides and hypopigmented tinea versicolor.Patients and Methods  Forty eight patients (25 vitiligo, 14 hypopigmented mycosis fungoides, 9 hypopigmented tinea versicolor) and 10 healthy controls were included. A 4 mm punch skin biopsy was taken from lesional skin of patients, and the normal skin of controls for quantitative PCR examination of TNF‐α and bFGF mRNA.Results  The level of TNF‐α mRNA in lesional skin of the three studied disorders was significantly higher than in the control group, while the level of bFGF mRNA was significantly lower in lesional skin of the three diseases than the control skin. A significant inverse correlation was demonstrated between the mRNA levels of the two studied cytokines in vitiligo and hypopigmented MF lesions.Conclusion  The study’s findings demonstrate that the studied hypopigmented (vitiligo, hypopigmented MF, hypopigmented TV) disorders show similar changes in their cutaneous microenvironment with increased TNF‐α and decreased bFGF mRNA expression. This cytokine microenvironment change may be implicated in the pigment loss and hence these cytokines may have future therapeutic implications.
Why Athletic Doping Should Be Banned
Authors: CHWANG ERIC 
Published: December 2011

abstractSo long as a ban is enforceable, large private athletic institutions—such as Major League Baseball and the National Collegiate Athletic Association—should not allow their athletes to take performance‐enhancing drugs. The argument I present is game‐theoretic: though each athlete prefers unilateral permission to dope over a universal ban, he also prefers a universal ban over universal permission to dope. That is because, while doping improves absolute measures of performance, it does not improve relative performance if many athletes dope. Large private athletic institutions should honour their athletes' preferences and should not enact any policy that gives only some athletes but not others permission to dope. Thus, they should ban doping. My paper examines and defends this game‐theoretic argument. After explaining the argument, I compare it (favourably) to other arguments for the same conclusion. I then discuss whether the game‐theoretic argument counterintuitively fails to justify banning some forms of doping (no), and whether it counterintuitively justifies banning things other than doping (also no). After arguing that a doping ban on game‐theoretic grounds is neither wrongly paternalistic or nor wrongfully coercive, I end by discussing some limitations of the argument.
Gastrointestinal Effects of the Addition of Ascorbic Acid to Aspirin
Authors: Patel Vrunda , Fisher Matt , Voelker Michael , Gessner Uwe 
Published: December 2011

AbstractNonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, have been associated with the damage to the gastrointestinal tract. One proposed mechanism of injury to the gastrointestinal mucosa by NSAIDs is oxygen radical‐dependent microvascular injury. There is reasonable evidence to support the benefit of the addition of ascorbic acid, an ingredient with antioxidant properties, to moderate the adverse gastrointestinal (GI) effects of aspirin. Pharmacokinetic data have demonstrated that aspirin and ascorbic acid combination therapy can assist in mitigating the decrease in levels of ascorbic acid secondary to aspirin monotherapy. Endoscopic evaluation has demonstrated that the addition of ascorbic acid to aspirin significantly improves Lanza scores and rates of blood loss when compared to aspirin administration alone. When taken with ascorbic acid, the patient‐reported tolerability of aspirin has been shown to be comparable to paracetamol and placebo. The existing body of evidence is relevant to short‐term therapy with analgesic aspirin doses, and extrapolation to long‐term therapy with low‐dose aspirin is not appropriate. The purported benefit of an aspirin and ascorbic acid combination is a local observance and is not suspected to influence the adverse GI effects experienced as a result of systemic prostaglandin inhibition. Nevertheless, ascorbic acid may be a viable addition to the strategies employed to improve the gastrointestinal tolerability of aspirin.
The Prediction and Cost of Futility in the NICU
Authors: Meadow William , Cohen‐Cutler Sally , Spelke Bridget , Kim Anna , Plesac Melissa , Weis Kirsten , Lagatta Joanne 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAim:  To quantify the cost and prediction of futile care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).Methods:  We observed 1813 infants on 100 000 NICU bed days between 1999 and 2008 at the University of Chicago. We determined costs and assessed predictions of futility for each day the infant required mechanical ventilation.Results:  Only 6% of NICU expenses were spent on nonsurvivors, and in this sense, they were futile. If only money spent after predictions of death is considered, futile expenses fell to 4.5%. NICU care was preferentially directed to survivors for even the smallest infants, at the highest risk to die. Over 75% of ventilated NICU infants were correctly predicted to survive on every day of ventilation by every caretaker. However, predictions of ‘die before discharge’ were wrong more than one time in three. Attendings and neonatology fellows tended to be optimistic, while nurses and neonatal nurse practitioners tended to be pessimistic.Conclusions:  Criticisms of the expense of NICU care find little support in these data. Rather, NICU care is remarkably well targeted to patients who will survive, particularly when contrasted with care in adult ICUs. We continue to search for better prognostic tools for individual infants.
A GENERAL METHOD FOR THE CONSISTENT VOLUME ASSESSMENT OF COMPLEX HYDROCARBON TRAPS
Authors: Beha A. , Christensen J.E. , Young R. 
Published: December 2011

Complex hydrocarbon traps are those in which a number of different trapping elements have to work favourably and simultaneously in order to allow access to the full hydrocarbon volume potential of the prospect. The probability of success varies across the prospect and the volume distribution.A consistent assessment of the probability of success relative to the volume uncertainty of hydrocarbon traps is essential for unbiased prospect characterisation and vital for decision making, portfolio management and for delivering predicted value. It is relatively straightforward to assess the probability of geological success and volume uncertainty of simple anticlines or domal structures. Unfortunately, simple four‐way closures are usually drilled early in the exploration of a basin or play and become increasingly less common with exploration maturity. As a consequence, prospects available for drilling in mature exploration areas are typically complex traps, i.e. they possess a combination of different trapping elements. In such cases, trapping of the full volume potential requires that many geological elements work concurrently.Complex traps are often perceived to carry a comparatively lower probability of geological success. However, the introduction of additional factors in a multiplicative chance estimation model may not reflect the true probability of finding hydrocarbons at the prospect location. Evaluations which involve multiplying additional chance factors may lead to an under‐estimation of the probability of geological success and an over‐estimation of the hydrocarbon volume.A solution to this problem is to calculate the probability of occurrence of each possible success scenario or outcome. This paper describes a straightforward method for assessing volume uncertainty in complex traps which is independent of the model or method used to estimate the probability of geological success. A faulted four‐way closure is used as an example for the detailed description of the suggested workflow.
Inflammation and Cancer: A Comparative View
Authors: Morrison Wallace B. 
Published: December 2011

Rudolph Virchow first speculated on a relationship between inflammation and cancer more than 150 years ago. Subsequently, chronic inflammation and associated reactive free radical overload and some types of bacterial, viral, and parasite infections that cause inflammation were recognized as important risk factors for cancer development and account for one in four of all human cancers worldwide. Even viruses that do not directly cause inflammation can cause cancer when they act in conjunction with proinflammatory cofactors or when they initiate or promote cancer via the same signaling pathways utilized in inflammation. Whatever its origin, inflammation in the tumor microenvironment has many cancer‐promoting effects and aids in the proliferation and survival of malignant cells and promotes angiogenesis and metastasis. Mediators of inflammation such as cytokines, free radicals, prostaglandins, and growth factors can induceDNAdamage in tumor suppressor genes and post‐translational modifications of proteins involved in essential cellular processes including apoptosis,DNArepair, and cell cycle checkpoints that can lead to initiation and progression of cancer.
Symmetry and parity in Frobenius action on cohomology
Authors: Suh Junecue 
Published: December 2011

AbstractWe prove that the Newton polygons of Frobenius on the crystalline cohomology of proper smooth varieties satisfy a symmetry that results, in the case of projective smooth varieties, from Poincaré duality and the hard Lefschetz theorem. As a corollary, we deduce that the Betti numbers in odd degrees of any proper smooth variety over a field are even (a consequence of Hodge symmetry in characteristic zero), answering an old question of Serre. Then we give a generalization and a refinement for arbitrary varieties over finite fields, in response to later questions of Serre and of Katz.
Hobi-Like Pestivirus in Aborted Bovine Fetuses
Authors: Decaro Nicola , Lucente Maria Stella , Mari Viviana , Sciarretta Rossana , Pinto Pierfrancesco , Buonavoglia Domenico , Martella Vito , Buonavoglia Canio 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT
An outbreak of abortion affecting multiparous cows was associated with Hobi-like pestivirus infection. Viral RNA and antigens were detected in the tissues of two aborted fetuses. Molecular assays for other common abortogenic agents tested negative. At the genetic level, the Hobi-like pestivirus displayed the closest relatedness to Italian, Australian, and South American viruses, whereas it diverged from the prototype Thai isolate. These findings may have important implications for the pestivirus control/eradication programs in cattle herds.
Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay and Melting Curve Analysis for Identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria
Authors: Kim Jeong-Uk , Cha Choong-Hwan , An Hae-Kyong 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

A multiplex real-time PCR assay and melting curve analysis for identifying 23 mycobacterial species was developed and evaluated using 77 reference strains and 369 clinical isolates. Concordant results were obtained for all 189 (100%) isolates of the
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex and 169 (93.9%) isolates of nontuberculous mycobacteria. Our results showed that this multiplex real-time PCR assay is an effective tool for the mycobacterial identification from cultures.
Structural Determinants for Nuclear Envelope Localization and Function of Pseudorabies Virus pUL34
Authors: Schuster Franziska , Klupp Barbara G. , Granzow Harald , Mettenleiter Thomas C. 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT
Herpesvirus proteins pUL34 and pUL31 form a complex at the inner nuclear membrane (INM) which is necessary for efficient nuclear egress. Pseudorabies virus (PrV) pUL34 is a type II membrane protein of 262 amino acids (aa). The transmembrane region (TM) is predicted to be located between aa 245 and 261, leaving only one amino acid in the C terminus that probably extends into the perinuclear space. It is targeted to the nuclear envelope in the absence of other viral proteins, pointing to intrinsic localization motifs, and shows structural similarity to cellular INM proteins like lamina-associated polypeptide (Lap) 2ß and Emerin. To investigate which domains of pUL34 are relevant for localization and function, we constructed chimeric proteins by replacing parts of pUL34 with regions of cellular INM proteins. First the 18 C-terminal amino acids encompassing the TM were exchanged with TM regions and C-terminal domains of Lap2ß and Emerin or with the first TM region of the polytopic lamin B receptor (LBR), including the nine following amino acids. All resulting chimeric proteins complemented the replication defect of PrV-ΔUL34, demonstrating that the substitution of the TM and the extension of the C-terminal domain does not interfere with the function of pUL34. Complementation was reduced but not abolished when the C-terminal 50 aa were replaced by corresponding Lap2ß sequences (pUL34-LapCT50). However, replacing the C-terminal 100 aa (pUL34-LapCT100) resulted in a nonfunctional protein despite continuing pUL31 binding, pointing to an important functional role of this region. The replacement of the N-terminal 100 aa (pUL34-LapNT100) had no effect on nuclear envelope localization but abrogated pUL31 binding and function.
A Single-Amino-Acid Polymorphism in Reovirus Protein μ2 Determines Repression of Interferon Signaling and Modulates Myocarditis
Authors: Irvin Susan C. , Zurney Jennifer , Ooms Laura S. , Chappell James D. , Dermody Terence S. , Sherry Barbara 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT
Myocarditis is indicated as the second leading cause of sudden death in young adults. Reovirus induces myocarditis in neonatal mice, providing a tractable model system for investigation of this important disease. Alpha/beta-interferon (IFN-α/β) treatment improves cardiac function and inhibits viral replication in patients with chronic myocarditis, and the host IFN-α/β response is a determinant of reovirus strain-specific differences in induction of myocarditis. Virus-induced IFN-β stimulates a signaling cascade that establishes an antiviral state and further induces IFN-α/β through an amplification loop. Reovirus strain-specific differences in induction of and sensitivity to IFN-α/β are associated with the viral M1, L2, and S2 genes. The reovirus M1 gene-encoded μ2 protein is a strain-specific repressor of IFN-β signaling, providing one possible mechanism for the variation in resistance to IFN and induction of myocarditis between different reovirus strains. We report here that μ2 amino acid 208 determines repression of IFN-β signaling and modulates reovirus induction of IFN-β in cardiac myocytes. Moreover, μ2 amino acid 208 determines reovirus replication, both in initially infected cardiac myocytes and after viral spread, by regulating the IFN-β response. Amino acid 208 of μ2 also influences the cytopathic effect in cardiac myocytes after spread. Finally, μ2 amino acid 208 modulates myocarditis in neonatal mice. Thus, repression of IFN-β signaling mediated by reovirus μ2 amino acid 208 is a determinant of the IFN-β response, viral replication and damage in cardiac myocytes, and myocarditis. These results demonstrate that a single amino acid difference between viruses can dictate virus strain-specific differences in suppression of the host IFN-β response and, consequently, damage to the heart.
Prionemia and Leukocyte-Platelet-Associated Infectivity in Sheep Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Models
Authors: Lacroux Caroline , Vilette Didier , Fernández-Borges Natalia , Litaise Claire , Lugan Séverine , Morel Nathalie , Corbière Fabien , Simon Stéphanie , Simmons Hugh , Costes Pierrette , Weisbecker Jean-Louis , Lantier Isabelle , Lantier Frederic , Schelcher François , Grassi Jacques , Castilla Joaquin , Andréoletti Olivier 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

The dynamics of the circulation and distribution of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) agents in the blood of infected individuals remain largely unknown. This clearly limits the understanding of the role of blood in TSE pathogenesis and the development of a reliable TSE blood detection assay. Using two distinct sheep scrapie models and blood transfusion, this work demonstrates the occurrence of a very early and persistent prionemia. This ability to transmit disease by blood transfusion was correlated with the presence of infectivity in white blood cells (WBC) and peripheral blood mononucleated cells (PBMC) as detected by bioassay in mice overexpressing the ovine prion protein PrP (tg338 mice) and with the identification of abnormal PrP in WBC after using protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). Platelets and a large variety of leukocyte subpopulations also were shown to be infectious. The use of endpoint titration in tg338 mice indicated that the infectivity in WBC (per ml of blood) was 10
6.5
-fold lower than that in 1 g of posterior brainstem sample. In both WBC and brainstem, infectivity displayed similar resistance to PK digestion. The data strongly support the concept that WBC are an accurate target for reliable TSE detection by PMCA. The presence of infectivity in short-life-span blood cellular elements raises the question of the origin of prionemia.
Conformational Changes in Sindbis Virus Induced by Decreased pH Are Revealed by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering
Authors: He Lilin , Piper Amanda , Meilleur Flora , Hernandez Raquel , Heller William T. , Brown Dennis T. 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT
Alphaviruses, such as Sindbis virus, undergo dramatic changes in three-dimensional structure upon exposure to low pH, and such exposure can establish conditions allowing fusion of the virus membrane with a cell plasma membrane upon return to neutral pH. While exposure to low pH is not required for entry of Sindbis virus into vertebrate or invertebrate cells, the conformational changes occurring at low pH may mimic those occurring upon virus-receptor interaction. Here, we employed small-angle neutron scattering with contrast variation to probe how the structure of a mammalian-grown Sindbis virus responds to moderately acidic pH. Several changes took place throughout the virion structure when the pH decreased from 7.2 to 6.4. Specifically, the RNA in the virion core underwent a conformational change. Additionally, the protein was redistributed. A significant amount of protein moved from the layer containing the lipid bilayer to the exterior of the virion. The results improve our understanding of the pH-driven alteration of Sindbis virus structure.
AC conductivity and dielectric analysis of graphite–clay nanocomposite
Authors: Goswami R. , Chakravartty S.C. , Krishna J.B.M. , Bose E. , Das D. , Chaudhury S.K. , Mukherjee S. , Saha P. , Mukherjee U. , Das P.K. , Banerjee R. 
Published: December 2011

A number of graphite–clay composites with varying percentages of graphite in the clay host have been prepared and their AC conductivities and dielectric behaviours have been studied in the frequency range from 42 Hz to 5 MHz. Measurements have been done for various concentrations of graphite filler to characterize their behaviour and develop composites with the desired conductivity for possible practical applications. The AC conductivity, σ(ω), increased with ω and followed a power law σ(ω) ∝ ωs with s ≤ 1, signifying conduction by hopping mechanism. The dielectric behaviour and loss tangents of the samples have been characterized by loss peaks for all of the samples, suggesting the presence of relaxation dipoles. The broad asymmetric loss peaks of the dielectric response were analyzed using the Havriliak–Negami function and associated parameters relaxation time, τ; broadening, γ; and asymmetry, β, have been obtained.
Characterization of bacteriophages with a lytic effect on various Salmonella serotypes and Escherichia coli O157:H7
Authors: López-Cuevas Osvaldo , Castro-del Campo Nohelia , León-Félix Josefina , González-Robles Arturo , Chaidez Cristóbal 
Published: December 2011

Four phages isolated from cattle and poultry feces were analyzed for their ability to lyse Salmonella serotypes and Escherichia coli O157:H7. The phage one-step growth curves, morphology, and genetic characteristics were determined. All phages showed a lytic effect on various Salmonella serotypes and E. coli O157:H7, which lysed at least 70% of the 234 strains tested. The phages had latent periods ranging from 10 to 15 min and generation times of 30 to 45 min, while burst size fluctuated between 154 and 426 PFU/cell. Phages morphology showed isometric and elongated heads and rigid contractile tails, consistent with morphology of the Myoviridae family. Phages’ DNA dendrograms showed a distinctive RFLP when digested by HindIII and EcoRV, and SDS–PAGE profile showed distinctive proteins expression as well. In vitro phage challenge showed a total reduction of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium and Saintpaul counts at 2 h, whereas for Salmonella Montevideo a reduction and retardation growth, at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100, was observed; however, under a MOI of 10 000, no viable cells were detected after 4 h. The wide host ranges of these phages suggested they could be used for simultaneous biocontrol of some Salmonella serotypes and E. coli O157:H7.
Inherited Variation at Chromosome 12p13.33, Including RAD52, Influences the Risk of Squamous Cell Lung Carcinoma
Authors: Shi Jianxin , Chatterjee Nilanjan , Rotunno Melissa , Wang Yufei , Pesatori Angela C. , Consonni Dario , Li Peng , Wheeler William , Broderick Peter , Henrion Marc , Eisen Timothy , Wang Zhaoming , Chen Wei , Dong Qiong , Albanes Demetrius , Thun Michael , Spitz Margaret R. , Bertazzi Pier Alberto , Caporaso Neil E. , Chanock Stephen J. , Amos Christopher I. , Houlston Richard S. , Landi Maria Teresa 
Published: December 2011

Abstract
Although lung cancer is largely caused by tobacco smoking, inherited genetic factors play a role in its etiology. Genome-wide association studies in Europeans have only robustly demonstrated 3 polymorphic variations that influence the risk of lung cancer. Tumor heterogeneity may have hampered the detection of association signal when all lung cancer subtypes were analyzed together. In a genome-wide association study of 5,355 European ever-smoker lung cancer patients and 4,344 smoking control subjects, we conducted a pathway-based analysis in lung cancer histologic subtypes with 19,082 single-nucleotide polymorphisms mapping to 917 genes in the HuGE-defined “inflammation” pathway. We identified a susceptibility locus for squamous cell lung carcinoma at 12p13.33 (RAD52, rs6489769) and replicated the association in 3 independent studies totaling 3,359 squamous cell lung carcinoma cases and 9,100 controls (OR = 1.20, Pcombined = 2.3 × 10−8).
Significance: The combination of pathway-based approaches and information on disease-specific subtypes can improve the identification of cancer susceptibility loci in heterogeneous diseases. Cancer Discovery; 2(2); 131–9. © 2011 AACR.
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