bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
First Report of Neofusicoccum parvum Associated with Bark Canker and Dieback of Acer pseudoplatanus and Quercus robur in Italy
Authors: Moricca S. , Uccello A. , Ginetti B. , Ragazzi A. 
Published: August 2012

Between 2007 and 2011, Acer pseudoplatanus and Quercus robur trees declined in the North Park and the Boscoincittà Park in Milan, Italy (lat. 45° 27′ 47″ N, long. 09° 11′ 16″ E, elev. 121 m). Symptoms included extensive lengthwise bark cracks, with necrosis of the wood tissue underneath. Isolations were conducted from bark and infected wood after surface sterilization with 10% H2O2 for 10 min, followed by five washings in sterilized water. Tissue was placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) in petri dishes amended with 0.06 g/l streptomycin at pH 6.5. The dishes were incubated in the dark at 24°C. Colonies reached a diameter of 7 to 8 cm in 7 days. They were whitish grey on the upper surface and blackish at the bottom, and consisted of dense aerial mycelia. The conidia were hyaline, ellipsoid, smooth, non-septate, thin-walled, with their upper end wider than their lower end, and measured 14 to 20 × 4.5 to 7 μm. The causal organism was identified as Neofusicoccum parvum (Pennycook & Samuels) Crous, Slippers & A.J.L. Phillips (basionym Fusicoccum parvum Pennycook & Samuels; teleomorph Botryosphaeria parva Pennycook & Samuels) based on biometric characteristics, common taxonomic keys, and the sequence information from the rDNA ITS region and the elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-α) gene (GenBank Accession Nos. HQ893535 and HQ893537, respectively). All morphological traits corresponded to those of the holotype (1), while BLAST searches of the GenBank database revealed for both loci 100% homology with reference sequences. To confirm the involvement of N. parvum in the tree death, and fulfil Koch's postulates, 20 2-year-old seedlings of A. pseudoplatanus and Q. robur (10 each) were artificially infected in May with N. parvum in 2008 and in 2009. A bark portion was removed aseptically and a PDA disc (0.5 cm diameter) of N. parvum mycelium was placed on the wound. Control seedlings (3 per species) received sterile PDA discs. The inoculation site was wrapped in Parafilm for 10 days. After 3 weeks, infected seedlings showed sunken bark lesions associated with necrosis and bark cracks. When the bark was stripped, the wood below these lesions was also necrotic. Control seedlings developed no symptoms. Mycelium of N. parvum was successfully reisolated from the infected tissue. N. parvum is an important member of the Botryosphaeriaceae, a family of cosmopolitan endophytes that have been known for many years (2). The pathogen has been in recent years linked to complex syndromes, in which a prominent symptom is the formation of bark cankers. Although common on fruit crops, it has increasingly been reported on forest trees (3,4). References: (1) P. Crous et al. Stud. Mycol. 55:248, 2006. (2) P. A. Saccardo. Michelia 1:1, 1877. (3) M. E. Sánchez et al. Plant Dis. 87:1515, 2003. (4) B. Slippers and M. J. Wingfield. Fung. Biol. Rev. 21:90, 2007.
Elderly Age as a Prognostic Marker of 1-year Poor Outcome for Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients through Its Interaction with Admission Hydrocephalus
Authors: Degos Vincent , Gourraud Pierre-Antoine , Tursis Virginie Trehel , Whelan Rachel , Colonne Chantal , Korinek Anne Marie , Clarençon Frédéric , Boch Anne-Laure , Nouet Aurélien , Young William L. , Apfel Christian C. , Puybasset Louis 
Published: August 2012

Background
An increasing number of elderly patients are treated for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Given that elderly age is associated with both poor outcome and an increased risk of hydrocephalus, we sought to investigate the interaction between age and hydrocephalus in outcome prediction.

Methods
We enrolled 933 consecutive patients treated for subarachnoid hemorrhage between 2002 and 2010 and followed them for 1 yr after intensive care unit discharge. We first performed stepwise analyses to determine the relationship among neurologic events, elderly age (60 or more yr old), and 1-yr poor outcome (defined as Rankin 4-6). Within the most parsimonious model, we then tested for interaction between admission hydrocephalus and elderly age. Finally, we tested the association between age as a stratified variable and 1-yr poor outcome for each subgroup of patients with neurologic events.

Results
24.1% (n=225) of subarachnoid hemorrhage patients were 60 yr old or more and 19.3% (n=180) had 1-yr poor outcomes. In the most parsimonious model (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.84; 95% CI: 0.82 to 0.88; P<0.001), elderly age and admission hydrocephalus were two independent predictors for 1-yr outcome (P<0.001 and P=0.004, respectively). Including the significant interaction between age and hydrocephalus (P=0.04) improved the model's outcome prediction (P=0.03), but elderly age was no longer a significant predictor. Finally, stratified age was associated with 1-yr poor outcome for hydrocephalus patients (P=0.007), but not for patients without hydrocephalus (P=0.87).

Conclusion
In this observational study, elderly age and admission hydrocephalus predicted poor outcome, but elderly age without hydrocephalus did not. An external validation, however, will be needed to generalize this finding.
The SNARE Protein SYP71 Expressed in Vascular Tissues Is Involved in Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Lotus japonicus Nodules
Authors: Hakoyama Tsuneo , Oi Ryo , Hazuma Kazuya , Suga Eri , Adachi Yuka , Kobayashi Mayumi , Akai Rie , Sato Shusei , Fukai Eigo , Tabata Satoshi , Shibata Satoshi , Wu Guo-Jiang , Hase Yoshihiro , Tanaka Atsushi , Kawaguchi Masayoshi , Kouchi Hiroshi , Umehara Yosuke , Suganuma Norio 
Published: August 2012

Abstract
Soluble N-Ethylmaleimide Sensitive Factor Attachment Protein Receptor (SNARE) proteins are crucial for signal transduction and development in plants. Here, we investigate a Lotus japonicus symbiotic mutant defective in one of the SNARE proteins. When in symbiosis with rhizobia, the growth of the mutant was retarded compared with that of the wild-type plant. Although the mutant formed nodules, these exhibited lower nitrogen fixation activity than the wild type. The rhizobia were able to invade nodule cells, but enlarged symbiosomes were observed in the infected cells. The causal gene, designated LjSYP71 (for L. japonicus syntaxin of plants71), was identified by map-based cloning and shown to encode a Qc-SNARE protein homologous to Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) SYP71. LjSYP71 was expressed ubiquitously in shoot, roots, and nodules, and transcripts were detected in the vascular tissues. In the mutant, no other visible defects in plant morphology were observed. Furthermore, in the presence of combined nitrogen, the mutant plant grew almost as well as the wild type. These results suggest that the vascular tissues expressing LjSYP71 play a pivotal role in symbiotic nitrogen fixation in L. japonicus nodules.
External evaluation of population pharmacokinetic models of vancomycin in neonates: the transferability of published models to different clinical settings
Authors: Zhao Wei , Kaguelidou Florentia , Biran Valérie , Zhang Daolun , Allegaert Karel , Capparelli Edmund V. , Holford Nick , Kimura Toshimi , Lo Yoke‐Lin , Peris José‐Esteban , Thomson Alison , van den Anker John N. , Fakhoury May , Jacqz‐Aigrain Evelyne 
Published: August 2012

AimsVancomycin is one of the most evaluated antibiotics in neonates using modeling and simulation approaches. However no clear consensus on optimal dosing has been achieved. The objective of the present study was to perform an external evaluation of published models, in order to test their predictive performances in an independent dataset and to identify the possible study‐related factors influencing the transferability of pharmacokinetic models to different clinical settings.MethodPublished neonatal vancomycin pharmacokinetic models were screened from the literature. The predictive performance of six models was evaluated using an independent dataset (112 concentrations from 78 neonates). The evaluation procedures used simulation‐based diagnostics [visual predictive check (VPC) and normalized prediction distribution errors (NPDE)].ResultsDifferences in predictive performances of models for vancomycin pharmacokinetics in neonates were found. The mean of NPDE for six evaluated models were 1.35, −0.22, −0.36, 0.24, 0.66 and 0.48, respectively. These differences were explained, at least partly, by taking into account the method used to measure serum creatinine concentrations. The adult conversion factor of 1.3 (enzymatic to Jaffé) was tested with an improvement in the VPC and NPDE, but it still needs to be evaluated and validated in neonates. Differences were also identified between analytical methods for vancomycin.ConclusionThe importance of analytical techniques for serum creatinine concentrations and vancomycin as predictors of vancomycin concentrations in neonates have been confirmed. Dosage individualization of vancomycin in neonates should consider not only patients' characteristics and clinical conditions, but also the methods used to measure serum creatinine and vancomycin.
Characterizing genomic variation of Arabidopsis thaliana: the roles of geography and climate
Authors: LASKY JESSE R. , DES MARAIS DAVID L. , McKAY JOHN K. , RICHARDS JAMES H. , JUENGER THOMAS E. , KEITT TIMOTHY H. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractArabidopsis thaliana inhabits diverse climates and exhibits varied phenology across its range. Although A. thaliana is an extremely well‐studied model species, the relationship between geography, growing season climate and its genetic variation is poorly characterized. We used redundancy analysis (RDA) to quantify the association of genomic variation [214 051 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] with geography and climate among 1003 accessions collected from 447 locations in Eurasia. We identified climate variables most correlated with genomic variation, which may be important selective gradients related to local adaptation across the species range. Climate variation among sites of origin explained slightly more genomic variation than geographical distance. Large‐scale spatial gradients and early spring temperatures explained the most genomic variation, while growing season and summer conditions explained the most after controlling for spatial structure. SNP variation in Scandinavia showed the greatest climate structure among regions, possibly because of relatively consistent phenology and life history of populations in this region. Climate variation explained more variation among nonsynonymous SNPs than expected by chance, suggesting that much of the climatic structure of SNP correlations is due to changes in coding sequence that may underlie local adaptation.
Genetics of gene expression responses to temperature stress in a sea urchin gene network
Authors: RUNCIE DANIEL E. , GARFIELD DAVID A. , BABBITT COURTNEY C. , WYGODA JENNIFER A. , MUKHERJEE SAYAN , WRAY GREGORY A. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractStress responses play an important role in shaping species distributions and robustness to climate change. We investigated how stress responses alter the contribution of additive genetic variation to gene expression during development of the purple sea urchin,Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, under increased temperatures that model realistic climate change scenarios. We first measured gene expression responses in the embryos by RNA‐seq to characterize molecular signatures of mild, chronic temperature stress in an unbiased manner. We found that an increase from 12 to 18 °C caused widespread alterations in gene expression including in genes involved in protein folding, RNA processing and development. To understand the quantitative genetic architecture of this response, we then focused on a well‐characterized gene network involved in endomesoderm and ectoderm specification. Using a breeding design with wild‐caught individuals, we measured genetic and gene–environment interaction effects on 72 genes within this network. We found genetic or maternal effects in 33 of these genes and that the genetic effects were correlated in the network. Fourteen network genes also responded to higher temperatures, but we found no significant genotype–environment interactions in any of the genes. This absence may be owing to an effective buffering of the temperature perturbations within the network. In support of this hypothesis, perturbations to regulatory genes did not affect the expression of the genes that they regulate. Together, these results provide novel insights into the relationship between environmental change and developmental evolution and suggest that climate change may not expose large amounts of cryptic genetic variation to selection in this species.
Chemical, genetic and structural assessment of pyridoxal kinase as a drug target in the African trypanosome
Authors: Jones Deuan C. , Alphey Magnus S. , Wyllie Susan , Fairlamb Alan H. 
Published: August 2012

SummaryPyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate (vitamin B6) is an essential cofactor for many important enzymatic reactions such as transamination and decarboxylation. African trypanosomes are unable to synthesise vitamin B6de novo and rely on uptake of B6 vitamers such as pyridoxal and pyridoxamine from their hosts, which are subsequently phosphorylated by pyridoxal kinase (PdxK). A conditional null mutant of PdxK was generated in Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream forms showing that this enzyme is essential for growth of the parasite in vitro and for infectivity in mice. Activity of recombinant T. brucei PdxK was comparable to previously published work having a specific activity of 327 ± 13 mU mg−1 and a Kmapp with respect to pyridoxal of 29.6 ± 3.9 µM. A coupled assay was developed demonstrating that the enzyme has equivalent catalytic efficiency with pyridoxal, pyridoxamine and pyridoxine, and that ginkgotoxin is an effective pseudo substrate. A high resolution structure of PdxK in complex with ATP revealed important structural differences with the human enzyme. These findings suggest that pyridoxal kinase is an essential and druggable target that could lead to much needed alternative treatments for this devastating disease.
Does reduction in mycophenolic acid dose compromise efficacy regardless of tacrolimus exposure level? An analysis of prospective data from the Mycophenolic Renal Transplant (MORE) Registry
Authors: Langone Anthony , Doria Cataldo , Greenstein Stuart , Narayanan Mohanram , Ueda Kimi , Sankari Bashir , Pankewycz Oleh , Shihab Fuad , Chan Laurence 
Published: August 2012

AbstractProspective data are lacking concerning the effect of reduced mycophenolic acid (MPA) dosing on efficacy and the influence of concomitant tacrolimus exposure. The Mycophenolic Renal Transplant (MORE) Registry is a prospective, observational study of de novo kidney transplant patients receiving MPA therapy under routine management. The effect of MPA dose reduction, interruption, or discontinuation (dose changes) was assessed in 870 tacrolimus‐treated patients: 375 (43.1%) reduced tacrolimus (≤7 ng/mL at baseline) and 495 (56.9%) standard tacrolimus (>7 ng/mL); enteric‐coated mycophenolate sodium 589 (67.7%) and mycophenolate mofetil 281 (32.3%). During baseline to month 1, months 1–3, months 3–6, and months 6–12, 9.3% (78/838), 16.6% (132/794), 20.7% (145/701), and 13.1% (70/535) patients, respectively, required MPA dose changes. These patients experienced an increased risk of biopsy‐proven acute rejection at one yr with tacrolimus exposure either included in the model (hazard ratio [HR] 2.60, 95% CI 1.28–5.29, p = 0.008) or excluded (HR 2.58, 95% CI 1.28–5.23, p = 0.008). MPA dose changes were significantly associated with one yr graft failure when tacrolimus exposure was included (HR 2.23; 95% CI 1.01–4.89, p = 0.047) but not when tacrolimus exposure was excluded (HR 2.16; 95% CI 0.99–4.79; p = 0.054). These results suggest that reducing or discontinuing MPA can adversely affect graft outcomes regardless of tacrolimus trough levels.
Mapping of within‐species segregation distortion in Drosophila persimilis and hybrid sterility between D. persimilis and D. pseudoobscura
Authors: Mcdermott S. R. , Noor M. A. F. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractIn contrast to the prevailing dogma in the 1990s, recent studies have suggested that an evolutionary history of segregation distortion within species may contribute to sterility in species hybrids. However, this recent work identified segregation distortion exclusively in species hybrids that may never have had an evolutionary history of segregation distortion in either parent species. We expand on previous work using a strain of Drosophila persimilis exhibiting segregation distortion within species to generate QTL maps for segregation distortion and hybrid sterility in crosses between D. persimilis and D. pseudoobscura. The maps localize regions along the XR contributing to both phenotypes, and they indicate one region of overlap between the two maps. This overlap could provide preliminary evidence for an association between segregation distortion within species and hybrid sterility, but the localizations are currently too broad to have confidence in this conclusion. This work is a first step towards possibly supporting a genetic conflict model of speciation in this system.
Hoarding patterns of sigmodontine rodent species in the Central Monte Desert (Argentina)
Authors: GIANNONI STELLA M. , CAMPOS VALERIA E. , ANDINO NATALIA , RAMOS‐CASTILLA MARÍA , OROFINO ALEJANDRO , BORGHI CARLOS E. , DE LOS RÍOS CLAUDIA , CAMPOS CLAUDIA M. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractHoarding food is an important strategy of rodents in desert environments characterized by unpredictable and poor food resource availability. In the Monte Desert, Prosopis produces abundant food, unevenly in time and space, in the form of pods and seeds. Sigmodontine rodents (Graomys griseoflavus, Akodon molinae, Eligmodontia typus and Calomys musculinus) use Prosopis propagules extensively, and they could be predators or dispersers depending on how they handle and where they leave the propagules. The objectives of this study were: (1) to know what rodent species transported propagules; (2) to evaluate what hoarding pattern was used by species that transport propagules (larder and scatterhoarding); and (3) to analyse in which condition were propagules left by the rodent species, both at the food source and in caches. Our results showed that all four species transported propagules, with G. griseoflavus and E. typus being the species that carried more seeds. Our study supported the evidence that food caching is common among species and that many species both larderhoard and scatterhoard food. Graomys griseoflavus and A. molinae, the largest species, larderhoarded more than did the smaller E. typus. These results uphold the hypothesis that larger species will show greater propensity to larderhoard than smaller species. Considering the interaction between seed‐hoarding patterns and plants, E. typus was the species that could most improve germination because it scatterhoarded propagules and left seeds out of pods. In contrast, G. griseoflavus could have a negative impact on plant populations because this was the species that predated more seeds and larderhoarded a high percentage of them. The smallest C. musculinus was the species that transported propagules least, and left them as seeds inside pods or pod segments mainly at the food source, which makes seeds more vulnerable to predation.
Behavioural antecedents to pro re nata psychotropic medication administration on acute psychiatric wards
Authors: Stewart Duncan , Robson Deborah , Chaplin Robert , Quirk Alan , Bowers Len 
Published: August 2012

AbstractThis study examined the antecedents to administration of pro re nata (PRN) psychotropic medication on acute psychiatric wards, with a particular focus on its use in response to patient aggression and other conflict behaviours. A sample of 522 adult in‐patients was recruited from 84 acute psychiatric wards in England. Data were collected from nursing and medical records for the first 2 weeks of admission. Two‐thirds of patients received PRN medication during this period, but only 30% of administrations were preceded by patient conflict (usually aggression). Instead, it was typically administered to prevent escalation of patient behaviour and to help patients sleep. Overall, no conflict behaviours or further staff intervention occurred after 61% of PRN administrations. However, a successful outcome was less likely when medication was administered in response to patient aggression. The study concludes that improved monitoring, review procedures, training for nursing staff, and guidelines for the administration of PRN medications are needed.
Combined excision and intralesional bevacizumab for sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid in an Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
Authors: Edelmann Michele L. , Utter Mary L. , Klein Lin V. , Wotman Kathryn L. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractAn 18‐year‐old zoo‐kept female Amur tiger presented with an approximately 5 mm diameter lateral canthal eyelid mass in the left eye which grossly appeared red and irregular. The mass was completely excised via lateral canthoplasty. Histopathologic evaluation was consistent with a diagnosis of sebaceous cell carcinoma, which is a potentially aggressive cutaneous neoplasm. The sebaceous carcinoma recurred within 3 months and slowly increased in size until a second surgical excision was performed 9 months following the first surgery. The second surgical excision was combined with intralesional injection of 10 mg of the antiangiogenic drug bevacizumab. Histology confirmed the diagnosis. The tiger was euthanized 16 months postoperatively for reasons unrelated to, and without recurrence of, the eyelid neoplasm. At postmortem, no gross periocular or metastatic lesions were noted, and histopathology of the lateral canthus provided no evidence of recurrence. Surgical excision combined with intralesional bevacizumab treatment induced life‐long resolution of the sebaceous carcinoma. Bevacizumab treatment may be associated with the regression of periocular angiogenic proliferative conditions, including neoplasia, by inhibiting angiogenesis.
What do newspapers make of China in the South Pacific?
Authors: Sullivan Jonathan , Seiler‐Helmer Gudrun 
Published: August 2012

AbstractThe purpose of this research note is to provide an empirical indication of how China's increasing role in the South Pacific has been presented in their own and other nations' media over the last 20 years. What is the tone of coverage? Which issues are salient? How does this vary by nation? What changes are there over time? This research note reports information derived from over 1000 articles published in Australasian, Asian and Pacific newspapers in the last 20 years. The findings demonstrate that nations dealing with ‘China's rise’ in the South Pacific are faced with a range of complex issues, which can produce ambivalent and mixed reactions. For instance, although the tone of Australian and New Zealand newspaper coverage of China's entry into their ‘special patch’ is, overall, more negative than positive, negativity is largely driven by coverage of China's diplomatic efforts in the region and geopolitical considerations. Other aspects of China's expanding role (e.g. economic and cultural aspects) are treated much more positively. Similarly, although the major focus of Pacific newspapers is on Chinese aid and economic impact, which are treated very positively, coverage of other issues can be negative.