bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Parasite‐driven pathogenesis in Trypanosoma brucei infections
Authors: MORRISON L. J. 
Published: March 2011

SummaryTrypanosomes are protozoan parasites of medical and veterinary importance. It is well established that different species, subspecies and strains of trypanosome can cause very different disease in the mammalian host, exemplified by the two human‐infective subspecies of Trypanosoma brucei that cause either acute or chronic disease. We are beginning to understand how the host response shapes the course of the disease and how genetic variation in the host can be a factor in disease severity, particularly in the mouse model, but until recently the role of parasite genetic variation that determines differential disease outcome has been a neglected area. This review will discuss the recent advances in this field, covering both our current knowledge of the T. brucei genes involved and the approaches that are leading towards the identification of T. brucei virulence genes. Finally, the potential for using parasite genotype variation to examine the evolutionary context of virulence will be discussed.
Investigation of a Chikungunya‐like illness in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India 2009–2010
Authors: Sudeep A. B. , Hundekar S. L. , Jacob P. G. , Balasubramanian R. , Arankalle V. A. , Mishra A. C. 
Published: March 2011

SummaryObjective  To identify the aetiological agent/s of an outbreak of chikungunya‐like illness with high morbidity and several fatalities in Tamil Nadu, India, 2009–2010.Methods  Two hundred and seventeen serum samples were collected from the affected areas and screened for chikungunya virus (CHIKV), dengue virus (DENV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) IgM antibodies using MAC‐ELISA kits. A few selected samples were also tested for Ross River, Sindbis, and Murrey Valley viruses by RT‐PCR and Hantan virus by serology. Twelve acute serum and mosquito samples were processed for virus isolation in C6/36 cells. CHIKV isolate was characterised by RT‐PCR and sequencing.Results  Diagnostic levels of IgM antibodies were detected in 107 (49.3%) CHIKV samples and 22 (10.1%) DENV samples. IgM antibodies against JEV were not detected (n = 46). Characterisation of the CHIKV isolate at genetic level demonstrated it as ECSA (E1: 226A). Thirty‐six selected samples were also negative for Ross River, Sindbis, Murrey Valley and Hantan viruses.Conclusion  High prevalence of CHIKV IgM antibody positivity, clinical symptoms, virus isolation and the presence of vector mosquitoes clearly suggest CHIKV as the aetiological agent responsible for the outbreak.
Focusing illusion, adaptation and EQ‐5D health state descriptions: the difference between patients and public
Authors: Peeters Yvette , Vliet Vlieland Thea P. M. , Stiggelbout Anne M. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground  Patients tend to assign higher utilities to health states compared with the general public. Several explanations have been given for this difference including focusing illusion ‐, caused in part by the sparseness of a health state description such as the EQ‐5D ‐, and adaptation.Objective  We investigated whether patients and the public differ in which dimensions they find important. Furthermore, we compared whether the dimensions named by patients and the public obtained higher rankings of importance compared with the predefined EQ‐5D dimensions. Within each nominated dimension we investigated whether the public used a more negative frame compared with patients. In addition, adaptation was investigated by comparing patients with high levels of adaptation and patients with low levels of adaptation.Design  Data were collected using semistructured interviews among 124 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 64 members of the public. Participants indicated which aspects are important to them when they think about their life having rheumatoid arthritis and rated the importance of these aspects and of the EQ‐5D dimensions.Results  In contrast to patients, the public named more often aspects related to sports and mobility, leisure activities and work and framed these aspects negatively. Compared with self‐rated dimensions, the public ranked the EQ‐5D dimensions as more important whereas patients found both groups of aspects equally important. Patients who showed higher levels of adaptation did not differ significantly from patients with lower levels.Conclusion  The public is focused on life domains that are negatively influenced by the described health state whereas patients are focused on both the positive and negative aspects of their lives.
Vitamin D status in children and adolescents with kidney transplants
Authors: Brodersen Louise Aarup , Nielsen Pia Rude , Thiesson Helle Charlotte , Marckmann Peter 
Published: March 2011

Brodersen LA, Nielsen PR, Thiesson HC, Marckmann P. Vitamin D status in children and adolescents with kidney transplants. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15: 384–389. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  Hypovitaminosis D is highly prevalent in adult kidney‐transplanted patients. The knowledge of vitamin D status in kidney‐transplanted children and adolescents is sparse. The present study investigated the vitamin D status of a cohort of kidney‐transplanted children and adolescents, and the association between vitamin D status and plasma concentrations of PTH, ionized calcium, and phosphate. The study included 35 patients with a functioning graft. Their mean age was 12.0 yr, and the mean graft age was 2.8 yr. Forty percent of the patients were vitamin D insufficient (P‐25‐hydroxyvitamin D 40–75 nm), and 14% were deficient (P‐25‐hydroxyvitamin D < 40 nm). S‐25‐hydroxyvitamin D was inversely associated with PTH (p = 0.02) and positively associated with S‐1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D (p = 0.02). There was no significant association between S‐1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D and PTH. In conclusion, we found hypovitaminosis D in 54% of the study population despite the fact that samples were collected in spring and summer months. Hypovitaminosis D was associated with adverse effects on PTH and 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D. Our data suggest that it is warranted to monitor vitamin D status of kidney‐transplanted children and adolescents and indicate that correction of hypovitaminosis D might have favorable effects on calcium–phosphate metabolism.
Monthly screening for BK viremia is an effective strategy to prevent BK virus nephropathy in renal transplant recipients
Authors: Alméras C. , Vetromile F. , Garrigue V. , Szwarc I. , Foulongne V. , Mourad G. 
Published: March 2011

C. Alméras, F. Vetromile, V. Garrigue, I. Szwarc, V. Foulongne, G. Mourad. Monthly screening for BK viremia is an effective strategy to prevent BK virus nephropathy in renal transplant recipients. Transpl Infect Dis 2011: 13: 101–108. All rights reservedAbstract: Background. BK polyomavirus virus (BKV) nephropathy (BKVN) is the most common viral infection that affects renal allografts. Because a specific antiviral therapy is lacking, BKVN may result in graft dysfunction and/or loss. We prospectively analyzed whether monthly nucleic acid testing (NAT) for BKV replication in blood and immediate reduction of immunosuppression (IS) could prevent BKVN.Methods. NAT was performed at monthly intervals for 6 months and then at 12 months in 119 de novo renal transplant recipients. In viremic patients (presumptive BKVN), a graft biopsy was systematically performed and IS was immediately reduced.Results. BKV viremia occurred in 13 (10.9%) patients after a median time of 90 days (23–241); 77% of patients were viremic before month 4. After reduction of IS, viral load was undetectable in 11 patients, remained low in 1, and continued to increase in 1 patient who developed definitive BKVN despite reduction of IS, and finally returned to dialysis 6 months after transplantation.Conclusion. BKV infection is an early complication. Monthly NAT in blood during the first 6 months and immediate reduction of IS in viremic patients almost completely prevent definitive BKVN.
Transgenic expression of polygalacturonase‐inhibiting proteins in Arabidopsis and wheat increases resistance to the flower pathogen Fusarium graminearum
Authors: Ferrari S. , Sella L. , Janni M. , De Lorenzo G. , Favaron F. , D’Ovidio R. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractFusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, is one of the most important diseases of wheat worldwide, resulting in yield losses and mycotoxin contamination. The molecular mechanisms regulating Fusarium penetration and infection are poorly understood. Beside mycotoxin production, cell wall degradation may play a role in the development of FHB. Many fungal pathogens secrete polygalacturonases (PGs) during the early stages of infection, and plants have evolved polygalacturonase‐inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) to restrict pectin degradation during fungal infection. To investigate the role of plant PGIPs in restricting the development of FHB symptoms, we first used Arabidopsis thaliana, whose genome encodes two PGIPs (AtPGIP1 and AtPGIP2). Arabidopsis transgenic plants expressing either of these PGIPs under control of the CaMV 35S promoter accumulate inhibitory activity against F. graminearum PG in their inflorescences, and show increased resistance to FHB. Second, transgenic wheat plants expressing the bean PvPGIP2 in their flowers also had a significant reduction of symptoms when infected with F. graminearum. Our data suggest that PGs likely play a role in F. graminearum infection of floral tissues, and that PGIPs incorporated into wheat may be important for increased resistance to FHB.
Pollen limitation and inbreeding depression in an ‘old rare’ bumblebee‐pollinated grassland herb
Authors: Becker T. , Voss N. , Durka W. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractHabitat fragmentation and reduction of population size have been found to negatively affect plant reproduction in ‘new rare’ species that were formerly common. This has been attributed primarily to effects of increased inbreeding but also to pollen limitation. In contrast, little is known about the reproduction of ‘old rare’ species that are naturally restricted to small and isolated habitats and thus may have developed strategies to cope with long‐term isolation and small population size. Here we study the effects of pollen source and quantity on reproduction of the ‘old rare’ bumblebee‐pollinated herb,Astragalus exscapus. In two populations of this species, we tested for pollen autodeposition, inbreeding depression and outbreeding depression. Caged plants were left unpollinated or were pollinated with pollen from the same plant, from the same population or from a distant population (50 km). Additionally, we tested for pollen limitation by pollen supplementation in four populations of different size and density. In the absence of pollinators, plants did not produce seed whereas self‐pollinated plants did. This indicates a self‐compatible breeding system dependent on insect pollination. Both self‐pollination and, in one of the two populations, cross‐pollination with pollen from plants from the distant population resulted in a lower number of seeds per flower than cross‐pollination with pollen from plants from the resident population, indicating inbreeding and outbreeding depression. Pollen addition enhanced fruit set and number of seeds per flower in three of the four populations, indicating pollen limitation. The degree of pollen limitation was lowest in the smallest but densest population. Our results suggest that, similar to ‘new rare’ plant species, also ‘old rare’ species may be at risk of inbreeding depression and pollen limitation.
The Importance of Staphylococci and Threshold Value of Somatic Cell Count for Diagnosis of Sub‐clinical Mastitis in Pirlak Sheep at Mid‐lactation
Authors: Ozenc E , Seker E , Baki Acar D , Birdane MK , Darbaz I , Dogan N 
Published: March 2011

ContentsThis study investigated the bacterial agents causing sub‐clinical mastitis and the mean somatic cell counts (SCC) of milk in Pirlak sheep at mid‐lactation. The percentage of infected udder halves was 11.4% (53/464). The most frequently isolated species were coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CNS) (64.2%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (24.5%) and Escherichia coli (11.3%). Among the CNS, the most common species was Staphylococcus epidermidis (38.2%). The other species isolated from milk samples were Staphylococcus xylosus (17.7%), Staphylococcus chromogenes (14.7%), Staphylococcus simulans (8.8%) and Staphylococcus hyicus (8.8%). The mean SCC for culture positive and negative samples was 1742 × 103 and 161 × 103 cells/ml, respectively. A significant difference (p < 0.05) was determined between with and without microbial growth groups in terms of the SCC values. Threshold limit for SCC was 374 × 103 cells/ml for Pirlak sheep. In conclusion, it was considered that SCC is an important predictor of sub‐clinical mastitis in Pirlak sheep. This is the first study to describe the bacterial agents causing sub‐clinical mastitis and threshold limit for SCC in Pirlak sheep in Turkey.
Comparison of the function of the serotonin transporter in the vasculature of male and female rats
Authors: Linder Aurea Elizabeth , Davis Robert Patrick , Burnett Robert , Watts Stephanie W 
Published: March 2011

Summary1. The serotonin transporter (SERT) handles serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT)) and is blocked by the antidepressant SERT inhibitors fluoxetine and fluvoxamine. Although the importance of SERT in the central nervous system is clear, SERT also functions in the peripheral vasculature. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the vasculature from female rats has increased SERT function compared with male rats because females are more responsive to SERT inhibitors.2. In addition to in vitro experiments, in vivo experiments were used to evaluate how male and female rats handle chronically elevated levels of 5‐HT. Wild‐type (WT) and SERT‐knockout (SERT‐KO) rats were infused with 5‐HT (25 μg/kg per min) for 7 days by minipump.3. Using HPLC analysis, we demonstrated that blood vessels (aorta, carotid artery, jugular vein and vena cava) from naïve, non‐infused female rats took up 5‐HT acutely in vitro in a SERT‐dependent manner. In in vitro experiments, SERT affected the contractility of aortas from female rats, as evidenced by an eightfold increase in potency of 5‐HT in fluvoxamine (1 μmol/L)‐incubated WT aortas compared with control. Fluvoxamine did not alter 5‐HT‐induced contraction in aortas from SERT‐KO female rats.4. Infusion of 5‐HT resulted in an increase in tissue 5‐HT that was reduced to a larger extent in blood vessels from female than male SERT‐KO rats. Aortic contractions to 5‐HT were abolished in aortas from male and female 5‐HT‐infused SERT‐KO rats compared with WT rats.5. Collectively, these data suggest that SERT function, when challenged with 5‐HT, is modestly more important in the vasculature of the female compared with male rat.
Evaluation of a structured assessment framework to enable adherence to the requirements of Mental Capacity Act 2005
Authors: Ramasubramanian Lakshmiprabha , Ranasinghe Newton , Ellison Joseph 
Published: March 2011

Accessible summary
The Mental Capacity Act is a new law that started in 2007. It says that everyone must be helped as much as possible to make his or her own decisions. But people with learning disabilities may find it difficult to make a particular decision and another person may have to make it for them.
The new law provides important safeguards to the rights of people who cannot make decisions for themselves and also provides guidance for people working with them to deal with such situations. It is very important to follow the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act, and it is a legal requirement.
We looked at how we dealt with situations when our patients could not make decisions for themselves and also looked at whether a checklist we made helped us to make decisions according to the new law.
The results showed that people were not always following the new rules of the Mental Capacity Act before we gave them our new checklist. Using our checklist helped people making decisions for people with learning disabilities in a way which fitted in better with the new Mental Capacity Act.
SummaryThe Mental Capacity Act 2005 for England and Wales received Royal assent in April 2005 and came into force in 2007 (Department of Constitutional Affairs, 2007). The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides a statutory framework to empower and protect vulnerable people who are not able to make their own decisions. The adherence to it is a statutory requirement, not just guidance. An audit looked at the quality, thoroughness and completeness of making decisions for people with learning disabilities who lacked capacity in making specific decisions for themselves. We re‐audited the same using a checklist made with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act in mind. The audit showed that the use of the checklist enabled a structured discussion to take place regarding the decision‐making process and ensured complete documentation. It facilitated full adherence to the Mental Capacity Act and established better standards of clinical practice.
Reflexive particularism and cosmopolitanization: the reconfiguration of the national
Authors: LEVY DANIEL , HEINLEIN MICHAEL , BREUER LARS 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIn this article we examine the cosmopolitanization of national memory cultures as a matter of reflexive particularism, referring to negotiations over ‘the national’ driven by the endogenization of European norms and discourses. Reflexive particularism emerges from a historically specific memory imperative that issues two demands – first, that national polities reckon with the Other, and second, that they engage with, critique and challenge exclusionary or heroic modes of nationalism. Our findings, based on the analysis of official discourse and 60 open group discussions conducted in Austria, Germany and Poland, suggest that reflexive particularism is manifested in an ongoing negotiation between variable modes of national belonging and cosmopolitan orientations toward the supranational or pan‐European. More specifically, reflexive particularism is expressed in co‐evolving articulations of Europeanness and shared European memory practices that include: affirmative and ambivalent perspectives; sceptical narratives about nationhood (for example those that emphasize legacies of perpetratorship); and a disposition to (ex)change perspectives and recognize the claims of Others.
Immigration, trade and ‘ethnic surplus value’: a critique of Indo–Canadian transnational networks
Authors: WALTON‐ROBERTS MARGARET 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIt is often argued that countries hosting large populations of skilled immigrants might benefit from their cultural and economic competencies in the development of international trade networks. Yet, in so doing, the state can be criticized for fetishizing the ethnic immigrant in market terms in order to extract ‘ethnic surplus value’. In this article, I examine these debates empirically in the case of India–Canada immigration and trade using interviews with traders, officials and immigrant entrepreneurs in British Columbia, Canada. Findings suggest that the supposedly positive relationship between trade and immigration is not obvious in the India–Canada case and there is no convincing evidence of the state managing successfully to extract ‘ethnic surplus value’. Rather, what appears most compelling is evidence of what can be termed a discourse of regional disadvantage circulated by immigrant and non‐immigrant business actors alike regarding the nature of India–Canada relations. Interview respondents link this discourse of disadvantage to the regional history of Indian immigration to Canada, which has traditionally comprised Sikhs from rural Punjab, and it functions to essentialize Indian immigrant ethnicity spatially within both the Indian and Canadian contexts. I focus on the theme of the extraction of ‘ethnic surplus value’ and regional disadvantage to reveal the limitations of both arguments about the economic nature of immigrant‐led network development. In both cases, I challenge these ideas with a critical emphasis on the role of immigrant agency and offer a more nuanced and complicated reading of the role of the state. As a result, I offer a detailed reading of how socio‐spatial immigrant networks are formed and operate at the regional scale, and how this complicates more abstract theoretical formulations regarding the trade and immigration nexus.
Resveratrol rescues cAMP‐dependent anionic transport in the cystic fibrosis pancreatic cell line CFPAC1
Authors: Hamdaoui Nabila , Baudoin‐Legros Maryvonne , Kelly Mairead , Aissat Abdel , Moriceau Sandra , Vieu Diane‐Lore , Colas Julien , Fritsch Janine , Edelman Aleksander , Planelles Gabrielle 
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEThe cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a cAMP‐dependent chloride channel in the plasma membrane of epithelia whose mutation is the cause of the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF). The most frequent CFTR mutation is deletion of Phe508 and this mutant protein (delF508CFTR) does not readily translocate to the plasma membrane and is rapidly degraded within the cell. We hypothesized that treating epithelial cells with resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic, phyto‐ooestrogenic compound from grapes, could modulate both the expression and localization of CFTR.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHCells endogenously expressing CFTR (MDCK1 and CAPAN1 cells) or delF508CFTR (CFPAC1 and airway epithelial cells, deriving from human bronchial biopsies) were treated with resveratrol for 2 or 18 h. The effect of this treatment on CFTR and delF508CFTR expression and localization was evaluated using RT‐PCR, Western blot and immunocytochemistry. Halide efflux was measured with a fluorescent dye and with halide‐sensitive electrodes. Production of interleukin‐8 by these cells was assayed by ELISA.KEY RESULTSResveratrol treatment increased CFTR expression or maturation in immunoblotting experiments in MDCK1 cells or in CFPAC1 cells. Indirect immunofluorescence experiments showed a shift of delF508CFTR localization towards the (peri)‐membrane area in CFPAC1 cells and in human airway epithelial cells. A cAMP‐dependent increase in membrane permeability to halide was detected in resveratrol‐treated CFPAC1 cells, and was inhibited by a selective inhibitor of CFTR.CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONSThese results show that resveratrol modulated CFTR expression and localization and could rescue cAMP‐dependent chloride transport in delF508CFTR cells.