bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adult triclabendazole-resistantFasciola hepatica: morphological changes in the tegument and gut followingin vivotreatment with artemether in the rat model
Authors: O'Neill J.F. , Johnston R.C. , Halferty L. , Brennan G.P. , Keiser J. , Fairweather I. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractA study has been carried out to determine the morphological changes to the adult liver fluke,Fasciola hepaticaafter treatmentin vivowith artemether. Rats were infected with the triclabendazole-resistant Sligo isolate ofF. hepatica, dosed orally with artemether at a concentration of 200 mg/kg and flukes recovered at 24, 48 and 72 h post-treatment (p.t.). Surface changes were monitored by scanning electron microscopy and fine structural changes to the tegument and gut by transmission electron microscopy. Twenty-four hours p.t., the external surface showed minor disruption, in the form of mild swelling of the tegument. The tegumental syncytium and sub-tegumental tissues appeared relatively normal. Forty-eight and seventy-two hours p.t., disruption to the tegumental system increased, with isolated patches of surface blebbing and reduced production of secretory bodies by the tegumental cells being the main changes seen. The gastrodermal cells showed a relatively normal morphology 24 h p.t. By 48 h, large numbers of autophagic vacuoles and lipid droplets were present. Autophagy increased in magnitude by 72 h p.t. and substantial disruption to the granular endoplasmic reticulum was observed. Results from this study show that flukes treatedin vivowith artemether display progressive and time-dependent alterations to the tegument and gut. Disruption to the gut was consistently and substantially more severe than that to the tegument, suggesting that an oral route of uptake for this compound predominates. This is the first study providing ultrastructural information on the effect of an artemisinin compound against liver fluke.
Visualization ofToxoplasma gondiistage conversion by expression of stage-specific dual fluorescent proteins
Authors: UNNO A. , SUZUKI K. , BATANOVA T. , CHA S.-Y. , JANG H.-K. , KITOH K. , TAKASHIMA Y. 
Published: April 2009

SUMMARYTo recognize the stage conversion ofToxoplasma gondiibetween tachyzoite and bradyzoite in live host cells, a transgenicT. gondiiline, which expressed stage-specific red and green fluorescence, was constructed.T. gondiiPLK strain tachyzoites were stably transformed with genes encoding red fluorescent protein (DsRed Express) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of tachyzoite-specific SAG1 and bradyzoite-specific BAG1 promoters, respectively. The resulting transgenic parasite was designated PLK/DUAL. When PLK/DUAL was cultured in pH 7·0 medium, the PLK/DUAL zoites expressed red fluorescence, but no detectable levels of green fluorescence were observed. The PLK/DUAL zoites reacted with anti-SAG1 antibody, but not anti-BAG1 antiserum. When PLK/DUAL was cultured under high pH conditions, or in the presence of the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB202190, a small number of zoites expressed green fluorescence and were BAG1 positive. C57BL/6J mice were infected with PLK/DUAL tachyzoites. During the acute and reactivating phase, zoites expressed red fluorescence. However, green fluorescence was not detectable. By contrast, latent cysts expressed green fluorescence. The stage-specific dual fluorescence of PLK/DUAL facilitates identification of the parasitic stage in live cells, with the advantage that fixation or immunostaining is not required.
Characterization of Ca2+uptake in a subcellular membrane fraction ofHerpetomonassp. promastigotes
Authors: SODRÉ C. L. , MOREIRA B. L. M. , MEYER-FERNANDES J. R. , DUTRA P. M. L. , LOPES A. H. C. S. , SCOFANO H. M. , BARRABIN H. 
Published: April 2009

SUMMARYATP-dependent Ca2+uptake was studied in a subcellular fraction fromHerpetomonassp. prepared by mechanical disruption and using45Ca2+as a tracer. The uptake was stimulated by Ca2+with a K0·5of 0·1 μmand a Hill number (nH)=2·8±0·4. The Ca2+-dependent ATP hydrolysis was optimal at pH 7·0 and had a Ca2+dependence identical to uptake. The uptake was highly stimulated by oxalate whereas calmodulin had no activating effect. ATP stimulated Ca2+uptake with a biphasic pattern that resembled the curves described for the purified preparations of rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum. The ATP stimulation is described as the sum of two Michaelis-Menten curves with Km1=0·25±0·19 μmand Km2=29·6±6·8 μm. GTP or UTP could also promote Ca2+uptake, but with less efficiency than ATP. Vanadate inhibited the uptake with low apparent affinity. Thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid were almost ineffective. The Ca2+uptake was insensitive to H+ionophores and to bafilomycin suggesting no participation of acidocalcisomes. The results are comparable to those obtained using cells permeabilized with digitonin and using arsenaze III as Ca2+indicator. The Ca2+uptake activity described here seems to belong to the endoplasmic reticulum ofHerpetomonassp. and is suitable for further studies on the mechanisms of calcium homeostasis in parasites.
Thymidine kinase and uridine-cytidine kinase from Entamoeba histolytica: cloning, characterization, and search for specific inhibitors
Authors: LOSSANI A. , TORTI A. , GATTI S. , BRUNO A. , MASERATI R. , WRIGHT G. E. , FOCHER F. 
Published: April 2009

SUMMARYEntamoeba histolytica is an intestinal parasite and the causative agent of amoebiasis, which is a significant source of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Although anti-amoebic drugs such as metronidazole, emetine, chloroquine and nitazoxanide are generally effective, there is always potential for development of drug resistance. In order to find novel targets to control E. histolytica proliferation we cloned, expressed and purified thymidine kinase (Eh-TK) and uridine-cytidine kinase (Eh-UCK) from E. histolytica. Eh-TK phosphorylates thymidine with a Km of 0·27 μm, whereas Eh-UCK phosphorylates uridine and cytidine with Km of 0·74 and 0·22 mm, respectively. For both enzymes, ATP acts as specific phosphate donor. In order to find alternative treatments of E. histolytica infection we tested numerous nucleoside analogues and related compounds as inhibitors and/or substrates of Eh-TK and Eh-UCK, and active compounds against E. histolytica in cell culture. Our results indicate that inhibitors or alternative substrates of the enzymes, although partially reducing protozoan proliferation, are reversible and not likely to become drugs against E. histolytica infections.
Population dynamics ofTrichuris suisin trickle-infected pigs
Authors: NEJSUM P. , THAMSBORG S. M. , PETERSEN H. H. , KRINGEL H. , FREDHOLM M. , ROEPSTORFF A. 
Published: April 2009

SUMMARYThe population dynamics ofTrichuris suisin pigs was studied during long-term experimental infections. Twenty-three 10-week-old pigs were inoculated with 5T. suiseggs/kg/day. Seven, 8, and 8 pigs were necropsied at weeks 4, 8, and 14 post-start of infection (p.i.), respectively. The median numbers of worms in the colon were 538 (min–max: 277–618), 332 (14–1140) and 0 (0–4) at 4, 8, and 14 weeks p.i. respectively, suggesting an increased aggregation of the worms with time and acquisition of nearly sterile immunity. The serum levels ofT. suisspecific antibodies (IgG1, IgG2 and IgA) peaked at week 8 p.i. By week 14 p.i. the IgG2 and IgA antibody levels remained significantly elevated above the level of week 0. The population dynamics ofT. suistrickle infections in pigs is discussed with focus on interpretation of diagnostic and epidemiological data of pigs, the use of pigs as a model for humanTrichuris trichiurainfections and the novel approach of usingT. suiseggs in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Interaction ritual and not just artful performance in crossing and stylization
Authors: RAMPTON BEN 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACTAs Coupland and others show, Bauman’s account of “performance” provides a valuable perspective on speech stylization across a range of public contexts. This article explores the limitations of performance as a window on crossing and stylization in everyday practice, and although recognizing other frames as well, it dwells on Goffman’s interaction ritual, cross-referring to two studies of adolescents in England. In the first, race and ethnicity were controversial, and the performance of other-ethnic styles was risky. But interaction ritual constructed crossing and stylization as urgent responses to the exigencies of the moment, and this made them more acceptable. In the second, performance implies a reflexive composure that is hard to reconcile with informants’ experience of social class as an uncomfortable but only half-articulated issue, whereas interaction ritual provides a sharp lens on how youngsters used stylized “posh” and Cockney varieties to register their apprehension of ongoing stratification. (Interaction ritual, stylization, crossing, performance)1
Agency as an interactive achievement
Authors: AL ZIDJALY NAJMA 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACTThis study explores how agency emerges and is negotiated moment by moment in interaction by applying Erving Goffman’s notion of production format to an extended sequence of discourse that revolves around accomplishing a conjoint action: the rewriting of an official letter. Deconstructing the participants into the social roles they undertake in accomplishing this task illustrates what is involved in exercising agency: interactively negotiating production format roles and footing shifts through several linguistic strategies aimed at either claiming, ratifying, or rejecting the participants’ agency. These include providing options, negotiating production format roles, asking questions, speaking for another, questioning and asserting expertise, providing counter-arguments, and asserting past agentive selves. This study, thus, contributes to an understanding of agency as co-constructed, mediated, and continually negotiated, while also identifying specific linguistic strategies through which agency is negotiated in interaction. (Agency, disability, production format, social actor, conjoint action, linguistic strategies)*
Validation of energy requirement equations for estimation of breast milk consumption in infants
Authors: Schoen Stefanie , Sichert-Hellert Wolfgang , Kersting Mathilde 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjectiveTo test equations for calculating infants’ energy requirements as a simple and reliable instrument for estimating the amount of breast milk consumed in epidemiological studies where test-weighing is not possible.DesignInfants’ energy requirements were calculated using three different equations based on reference data and compared with actual energy intakes assessed using the 3 d weighed dietary records of breast-fed infants from the DOrtmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) Study.SettingA sub-sample of 323 infants from the German DONALD Study who were predominantly breast-fed for at least the first four months of life, and who had 3 d weighed dietary records and repeated body weight measurements within the first year of life.SubjectsHealthy, term infants breast-fed for at least 4 months, 0–12 months of age.ResultsThe overall differences between measured energy intake and calculated energy requirements were quite small, never more than 10 % of total energy intake, and smaller than the mean variance of energy intake between the three days of recording. The equation of best fit incorporated body weight and recent growth, while the worst fit was found for the equation not considering body weight.ConclusionsBreast milk consumption in fully and partially breast-fed infants can be reasonably quantified by calculating the infants’ individual energy requirements via simple equations. This provides a feasible approach for estimating infant energy intake in epidemiological studies where test-weighing of breast milk is not possible.
Evaluation of an FFQ for assessment of antioxidant intake using plasma biomarkers in an ethnically diverse population
Authors: Hodge Allison M , Simpson Julie A , Fridman Masha , Rowley Kevin , English Dallas R , Giles Graham G , Su Qing , O’Dea Kerin 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate FFQ estimates of dietary intake of individual antioxidants, fruit and vegetables in comparison to plasma concentrations of each antioxidant, and to determine which individual foods are associated with plasma antioxidant concentrations.DesignDietary (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene, retinol, and vitamin E) intakes over 12 months were estimated from a 121-item FFQ. Correlation coefficients, corrected for within-person variability in diet and plasma antioxidants, were used to examine associations between antioxidant concentrations in diet and plasma.SettingMelbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS).SubjectsMen and women (n3110) who were randomly selected from the MCCS. Participants were aged 36–72 years and were born in Australia, Greece, Italy or the UK.ResultsCorrelation coefficients for the carotenoids ranged from 0·28 for lycopene to 0·46 for β-cryptoxanthin. There was no association between dietary and plasma retinol or dietary vitamin E with plasma α- and γ-tocopherol. Individual plasma carotenoid concentrations were associated with intakes of fruit and vegetables.ConclusionsOur data suggest that the FFQ provides useful information on intakes of each of the carotenoids: α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein/zeaxanthin. There was no association between diet and plasma markers of retinol or vitamin E; this may reflect the importance of factors other than intake in modifying circulating levels of these nutrients.
Phenazine antibiotics produced by fluorescent pseudomonads contribute to natural soil suppressiveness to Fusarium wilt
Authors: Mazurier Sylvie , Corberand Thérèse , Lemanceau Philippe , Raaijmakers Jos M 
Published: April 2009

Abstract
Natural disease-suppressive soils provide an untapped resource for the discovery of novel beneficial microorganisms and traits. For most suppressive soils, however, the consortia of microorganisms and mechanisms involved in pathogen control are unknown. To date, soil suppressiveness to Fusarium wilt disease has been ascribed to carbon and iron competition between pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum and resident non-pathogenic F. oxysporum and fluorescent pseudomonads. In this study, the role of bacterial antibiosis in Fusarium wilt suppressiveness was assessed by comparing the densities, diversity and activity of fluorescent Pseudomonas species producing 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) (phlD+) or phenazine (phzC+) antibiotics. The frequencies of phlD+ populations were similar in the suppressive and conducive soils but their genotypic diversity differed significantly. However, phlD genotypes from the two soils were equally effective in suppressing Fusarium wilt, either alone or in combination with non-pathogenic F. oxysporum strain Fo47. A mutant deficient in DAPG production provided a similar level of control as its parental strain, suggesting that this antibiotic does not play a major role. In contrast, phzC+ pseudomonads were only detected in the suppressive soil. Representative phzC+ isolates of five distinct genotypes did not suppress Fusarium wilt on their own, but acted synergistically in combination with strain Fo47. This increased level of disease suppression was ascribed to phenazine production as the phenazine-deficient mutant was not effective. These results suggest, for the first time, that redox-active phenazines produced by fluorescent pseudomonads contribute to the natural soil suppressiveness to Fusarium wilt disease and may act in synergy with carbon competition by resident non-pathogenic F. oxysporum.
16S rRNA gene-based analysis of fecal microbiota from preterm infants with and without necrotizing enterocolitis
Authors: Wang Yunwei , Hoenig Jeanette D , Malin Kathryn J , Qamar Sanaa , Petrof Elaine O , Sun Jun , Antonopoulos Dionysios A , Chang Eugene B , Claud Erika C 
Published: April 2009

Abstract
Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an inflammatory intestinal disorder affecting preterm infants. Intestinal bacteria have an important function; however no causative pathogen has been identified. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in microbial patterns that may be critical to the development of this disease. Fecal samples from 20 preterm infants, 10 with NEC and 10 matched controls (including 4 twin pairs) were obtained from patients in a single site level III neonatal intensive care unit. Bacterial DNA from individual fecal samples was PCR-amplified and subjected to terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and library sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize diversity and structure of the enteric microbiota. The distribution of samples from NEC patients distinctly clustered separately from controls. Intestinal bacterial colonization in all preterm infants was notable for low diversity. Patients with NEC had even less diversity, an increase in abundance of Gammaproteobacteria, a decrease in other bacteria species, and had received a higher mean number of previous days of antibiotics. Our results suggest that NEC is associated with severe lack of microbiota diversity that may accentuate the impact of single dominant microorganisms favored by empiric and widespread use of antibiotics.
Delving into Vertebrate Serpins for Understanding their Evolution
Authors: Kumar Abhishek 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe superfamily of serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins) is involved in an array of fundamental biological processes such as blood coagulation, cell differentiation, cell migration, complement activation, embryo implantation, fibrinolysis, angiogenesis, and inflammation, and tumor suppression. Vertebrate serpins can be conveniently classified into six sub-groups, based on three independent biological features - genomic organization, diagnostic amino acid sites and rare indels. The present vertebrate serpins are derived from an original serpin most probably by intron insertion and we are trying to reconstruct the phylogeny of vertebrate serpin and looking for the reconstruction of original vertebrate gene(s). We started with fish genomes and characterized fish serpins and assigned orthology with respect to human serpins. Most fish serpins are characterised as stereotype vertebrate serpins with some interesting exceptions which suggest that either there are some fish-specific serpins or some fish serpins do not have human orthologs.Presented at "BREW 2005":http://cmb.molgen.mpg.de/brew/program.html.
Francis Whyte Ellis and the Beginning of Comparative Dravidian Linguistics
Authors: Sreekumar P. 
Published: April 2009

SummaryThis article assesses Francis Whyte Ellis’s (1777–1819) “Note to the Introduction” to Alexander Duncan Campbell’s (1789–1857)Grammar of the Teloogoo Language(1816) in the context of the history of comparative linguistics in India. The idea of a ‘South Indian family of languages’, later named ‘Dravidian’ by Robert Caldwell in 1856, was first proposed by Ellis in 1816, and so a case could be made to claim for him the beginnings of a comparative methodology in the study of Dravidian languages. Until now, in the history of comparative Dravidian linguistics Caldwell (1814–1891) has been celebrated as the pioneer in this field. The present study attempts to establish Ellis’s rightful place in this history by critically evaluating his contribution. The careful examination of the data presented by Ellis indeed suggests that he should be regarded as the discoverer of the Dravidian family of languages well before Caldwell.
Sentinel node detection in melanomas using contrast-enhanced ultrasound
Authors: Nielsen K. Rue , Klyver H. , Chakera A. Hougaard , Nedergaard L. , Hesse B. , Nielsen M. Bachmann 
Published: April 2009

Background: Sentinel node (SN) biopsy has proven to be a useful clinical method based on the combination of radionuclide tracer principles and the dye technique. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has been used successfully for detection of SN in animals, but the use of CEUS has not been reported in humans. Purpose: To investigate the possible use of CEUS in detecting SN in patients with malignant melanomas (MM), and to improve the method by using different concentrations of contrast agent and various positions of the extremity. Material and Methods: Ten patients with MM on an extremity and one healthy volunteer were included. One milliliter of a contrast agent (Sonovue; Bracco, Milan, Italy) was injected subcutaneously on both sides of the scar from the excised tumor. Contrast-enhanced lymph channels and lymph nodes (LNs) were searched for using low-mechanical-index CEUS and by stimulated acoustic emission. Afterward, lymphoscintigraphy was performed and the patient operated. During surgery, the SNs were located via scintigraphic findings, gamma-probe signals, and blue-dye visualization of lymph channels and LNs. Before the human study, a study of 10 mice was performed to exclude possible tissue damage, as the contrast agent was not registered for subcutaneous administration. Results: In one patient, two contrast-enhanced inguinal LNs were visualized by CEUS, corresponding to two inguinal SNs found by scintigraphic imaging. No contrast-enhanced lymph channels or LNs were visualized in any other patients or in the volunteer. No tissue damage was observed in the 10 mice. Conclusion: This study does not support the use of CEUS for detection of SNs in humans. However, the application of CEUS for the investigation of SNs is still not fully explored in humans, and an alternative setup and/or contrast agent might provide better results.
Physiological uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in uterine endometrium and myometrium: Correlation with uterine motility evaluated by cine magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Kido A. , Nakamoto Y. , Nishizawa S. , Yamamoto A. , Fujimoto K. , Okada H. , Togashi K. 
Published: April 2009

Background: Accumulation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in the uterine endometrium and uterine motility are dependent on menstrual cycle. However, the relationship between them remains unknown. Purpose: To investigate the relationship between radiometabolic activity of 18F-FDG in the uterus and uterine motility observed by cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Material and Methods: The study population consisted of 65 healthy, fertile women, selected from 229 women who underwent positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), and MRI for cancer screening at our facility. They were divided into three groups according to their menstrual cycle phases: menstrual, follicular-periovulatory, and luteal. Regions of interest (ROIs) were placed over the endometrium and myometrium to calculate the standardized uptake value (SUV). Uterine peristalsis and contraction shown by cine MR imaging were evaluated visually, and the correlation between FDG uptake and uterine movements was assessed. Results: After excluding nine patients due to inadequate images, 56 patients (19 follicular-periovulatory, 27 luteal, and 10 menstrual) were analyzed. FDG uptake of the endometrium, frequency of peristalsis, and the presence of sustained contraction varied according to the menstruation cycle, with a tendency toward greater uptake in the menstrual phase, but there was little relationship between the frequency of uterine peristalsis and FDG accumulation in the uterus. Significantly higher FDG accumulation in the endometrium was observed in patients with sustained contractions (3.32±1.47) than in those without contractions (2.45±0.66). Conclusion: Our preliminary data suggest that FDG accumulation in the endometrium tends to be higher in patients with uterine contraction, although there was no significant correlation between uterine peristalsis and FDG uptake in the uterine myometrium or endometrium.