bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Recurrent wheeze in children with Down syndrome: is it asthma?
Authors: Weijerman Michel E , Brand Paul LP , van Furth Marceline A , Broers Chantal JM , Gemke Reinoud JBJ 
Published: May 2011

AbstractAim:  To compare the prevalence of current wheeze in children with Down syndrome (DS), their siblings, and nonrelated population controls.Methods:  This was a case–control study in which the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood questionnaire for respiratory symptoms was completed by parents for 130 children with DS, 167 of their siblings, and for 119 age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects from the general population.Results:  Both wheeze ever and wheeze during the last 12 months was more commonly reported in DS than in their siblings or controls. The relative risk (RR) of current wheeze in DS was 2.8 (95% CI, 1.42–5.51) compared with siblings, and 2.75 (95% CI, 1.28–5.88) compared with controls. A doctor’s diagnosis of asthma was found in 3.1% in children with DS, in 4.2% in siblings and in 6.7% in controls. During 4‐years follow‐up, the diagnosis of asthma could not be confirmed in the 24 DS children with current wheeze, and atopy was found in none of them.Conclusion:  Wheeze is common in children with DS. This is likely to be related to the factors specific for DS and probably unrelated to asthma.
Predictors of death in under‐five children with diarrhoea admitted to a critical care ward in an urban hospital in Bangladesh
Authors: Chisti Mohammod J , Pietroni Mark AC , Smith Jonathan H , Bardhan Pradip K , Salam Mohammed A 
Published: May 2011

AbstractAim : To evaluate the clinical and laboratory predictors of death in hospitalized under‐five children with diarrhoea.Methods : This is a prospective cohort study carried out in the Special Care Ward (SCW) of the Dhaka Hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), Dhaka, Bangladesh. All admitted diarrhoeal children of both sexes, aged 0–59 months, from September 2007 through December 2007 were enrolled. We compared and analysed factors among diarrhoeal children who died (n = 29) with those who survived (n = 229).Results : In logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for potential confounders (infusion of intravenous fluid and immature PMN), absent peripheral pulse even after complete rehydration (OR 10.9, 95% CI 2.1–56.8; p < 0.01), severe malnutrition (OR 7.9, 95% CI 1.8–34.8; p < 0.01), hypoxaemia (OR 8.5, 95% CI 1.0‐75.0; p = 0.05), radiological lobar pneumonia (OR 17.8, 95% CI 3.7–84.5; p < 0.01) and hypernatraemia (OR 15.8, 95% CI 3.0–81.8; p < 0.01) were independently associated with deaths among diarrhoeal children admitted to SCW.Conclusions: Thus, the absence of peripheral pulses even after full rehydration, severe malnutrition, hypoxaemia, lobar pneumonia and hypernatraemia are independent predictors of death among the under‐five children with diarrhoea admitted to critical care ward of a resource‐limited setting in Bangladesh.
Soft drink and sweet food consumption and suicidal behaviours among Chinese adolescents
Authors: Pan Xiaoqun , Zhang Cuilin , Shi Zumin 
Published: May 2011

AbstractAim:  Greater soft drink consumption was associated with increased risk of mental health problems in Western countries. The objective of the study was to examine the association between soft drink and sweet food consumption and suicidal behaviours among adolescents in China.Methods:  In 2005, a population‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted in 100 schools in Jiangsu Province, China. Participants were aged 12–19 years old (n = 23 976).Results:  Among the participants, 20.5% reported daily soft drink consumption; 18.6% reported having suicidal ideation. Soft drink consumption was significantly and positively associated with risk of suicidal plan or suicide attempt. Prevalence of suicidal plan was12.8% among those who consumed soft drink at least three times per day and 6.2% among those who did not consume any soft drinks. In multivariate analyses, compared with soft drink consumption less than once per day, consumption at least three times per day was associated with 80% increased risk for suicidal plan and more than 3.5‐fold increased risk for suicide attempt. Of note, nonconsumption of soft drinks was also associated with about 32% elevated risk for suicidal plan and suicidal attempt. High frequency intake of sweet food was associated with increased risk of suicidal behaviours.Conclusions:  There is a positive association between consumption of soft drinks and sweet food and risks for suicidal behaviours among adolescents in China. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
Waist circumference and waist‐to‐height ratio in Norwegian children 4–18 years of age: Reference values and cut‐off levels
Authors: Brannsether B , Roelants M , Bjerknes R , Júlíusson PB 
Published: May 2011

AbstractAim:  To establish reference values for waist circumference and waist‐to‐height ratio of Norwegian children.Material:  Data were collected in 2003–2006 as part of a cross‐sectional study, including 5725 children 4–18 years of age. Reference curves were fitted with the LMS method; appropriate cut‐offs were selected using receiver operating characteristic analysis.Results:  Reference values for waist circumference and waist‐to‐height ratio are presented. Mean waist circumference increased with age for both genders. Boys had a higher waist circumference at almost all ages. Mean waist‐to‐height ratio decreased until early adolescence and thereafter increased slightly towards adult age. There was a strong positive correlation between waist circumference and BMI (r = 0.907, p < 0.01) and a moderate positive correlation between waist‐to‐height ratio and BMI (r = 0.397 p < 0.01). A waist circumference cut‐off value of 1.0 SDS (85th percentile) gave a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 94% to detect overweight. A cut‐off value of 1.6 SDS (95th percentile) gave a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 96% to detect obesity.Conclusion:  This study presents the first reference values of waist circumference and waist‐to‐height ratio for Norwegian children 4–18 years, which also represent the first reference in Scandinavian schoolchildren. The 85th and 95th percentiles of waist circumference are proposed as appropriate cut‐offs for central overweight and obesity.
Direct and indirect effects of grazing constrain shrub encroachment in semi‐arid Patagonian steppes
Authors: Cipriotti Pablo A. , Aguiar Martín R. 
Published: May 2011

Abstract
Question: What are the long‐term effects of grazing exclusion on the population structure and dynamics of, and interactions among, three dominant shrub species?
Location: Grass‐shrub Patagonian steppe, Chubut, Argentina.
Methods: Permanent plots were established in grazed paddocks and paddocks excluded from grazing in representative Patagonian rangelands. Shrub abundance, population size‐structure, short‐term (two 3‐yr periods) and long‐term (matrix models) population dynamics, and neighborhood interactions of three native and codominant shrub species (Mulinum spinosum, Senecio filaginoides and Adesmia volckmanni) were measured and analysed using different statistical approaches.
Results: The total density of shrubs was 74% higher in paddocks excluded from grazing, owing mainly to increases in Mulinum (80%) and Senecio (68%) species. However, differences in size structure between ungrazed and grazed paddocks were only detected in Mulinum. Demographic rates differed between shrub species, time‐periods and grazing conditions. In particular, recruitment in the short term (especially in wet years) and population growth rate in the long term (λ) were higher in paddocks excluded from grazing only in Mulinum populations. Senecio populations showed a marginal increase in recruitment and mortality independent of the grazing condition in the wet and dry period. Grazing exclusion modified the balance of neighborhood interactions among the three shrub species. In grazing‐exclusion paddocks, there was a balance between positive and negative interspecific interactions, while in grazed paddocks there were more negative intraspecific and interspecific interactions, resulting in a net negative balance of neighborhood interactions.
Conclusions: Our understanding of woody encroachment in arid rangelands can be informed through evaluation of direct and indirect effects of grazing exclusion on the abundance and demography of dominant woody species. In Patagonian arid steppes, the occurrence of woody encroachment in rangelands excluded from grazing can be explained by altered responses in plant‐animal and plant‐plant interactions among shrub species.
Maternal nutrition in rural Kenya: health and socio‐demographic determinants and its association with child nutrition
Authors: Gewa Constance A. , Oguttu Monica , Yandell Nanette S. 
Published: May 2011

AbstractHigh levels of food insecurity and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection place most breastfeeding mothers in Kenya at high risk of malnutrition. We examined the role of selected socio‐economic, demographic and health factors as determinants of nutritional status among HIV‐infected and HIV‐uninfected mothers in rural Kenya and further examined the interrelationship between maternal nutritional and child nutritional status within this population. A cross‐sectional design was used to collect data from non‐pregnant mothers with children ages 4–24 months in Kisumu District, Kenya. Over 80% of the mothers were breastfeeding at the time of the study. Mean maternal body mass index (BMI) (21.60 ± 3.15) and percent body fat (22.29 ± 4.86) values were lower than among lactating mothers in other Sub‐Sahara African countries. Maternal HIV status was not significantly associated with any of the maternal nutritional indicators assessed in the study. Breastfeeding, recent severe illness and having multiple children below 2 years of age were negatively associated with maternal nutritional status, while higher maternal age, socio‐economic status and household food security were each positively associated with maternal nutritional status. Significant positive association was reported between maternal weight, height, BMI, mid‐upper arm circumference (MUAC), body fat and fat‐free mass estimates, and children's height‐for‐age, weight‐for‐age, weight‐for‐height and MUAC‐for‐agez‐score. This analysis identifies determinants of maternal nutritional status in rural Kenya and highlights the importance of interventions that address malnutrition in both HIV‐infected and HIV‐uninfected mothers in rural Kenya. Significant association between maternal and child nutritional status stresses the importance of addressing maternal and young child nutritional status as interrelated factors.
Decolourization performance and mechanism of leachate secondary effluent using Poly‐aluminium(III)–magnesium(II) sulphate
Authors: Liu Zhan‐Meng , Sang Yi‐Min , Tong Zhen‐Gong , Wang Qun‐Hui , Sun Ti‐Chang 
Published: May 2011

AbstractPoly‐aluminium(III)–magnesium(II) sulphate (PMAS) was used to remove the colour from the secondary effluent of landfill leachate and the decolourization mechanism was researched. The results indicated that the decolourization efficiency using PMAS was better than the decolourization that occurred using other traditional coagulants, with a colour removal >90%. X‐ray diffraction and infrared spectrometry showed that PMAS was probably a type of macromolecular composite polymer of aluminium and magnesium that was based on –OH bonds. The coagulation mechanism of PMAS was primarily charge neutralization and coprecipitation netting, with charge neutralization being the dominant mechanism at low doses. In addition, the flocculation behaviour differed in response to various pH values of wastewater at high doses. Specifically, flocculation was primarily driven by charge neutralization at a low pH and coprecipitation netting at a high pH, while it occurred via a combination of these procedures under neutral conditions.
Anion/Cation Induced Optical Switches Based on Luminescent Lanthanide (Tb3+ and Eu3+) Hydrogels
Authors: Zhang Liguo , Tan Chaoliang , Wang Qianming , Zhang Cheng Cheng 
Published: May 2011

AbstractTwo novel silica based lanthanide complexes (Tb(a)2 and Eu(a)2) were encapsulated into poly(acrylic acid) host. Both Tb(III) and Eu(III) containing hydrogels have typical and easily distinguished narrow line emissions occurring in the green and red region respectively. Particularly, the excitation wavelength for Eu complex can be extended into nearly visible light range (λex = 395 nm). Interestingly, we discover that these target materials not only exhibit selective emission response towards HSO4− (detection limit 10−5 m) compared with CH3COO−, F−, Cl−, Br− and I− but also give unique quenching to Cu2+ (detection limit 10−5 m) (tested cations: Cu2+, Pd2+, Cd2+, Co2+ and Mn2+). More importantly, this kind of materials can be recycled more than 10 times.
A novel screening system for secretion of heterologous proteins in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Trip Hein , van der Veek Patricia J. , Renniers Ton C. , Meima Rob , Sagt Cees M. , Mohrmann Lisette , Kuipers Oscar P. 
Published: May 2011

SummaryHigh‐level production of secretory proteins in Bacillus subtilis leads to a stress response involving the two‐component system CssRS and its target genes htrA and htrB. Here, we used this sensing system in a reporter strain in which gfp is under control of PhtrA, the secretion stress responsive promoter of htrA. Overexpression of heterologous secretory proteins in this strain results in green fluorescent cells, which can be separated from non‐secreting, low fluorescent cells using a fluorescence‐activated cell sorter (FACS). Using this principle, genomic libraries of uncharacterized prokaryotic organisms, expressed in the reporter strain, can be screened for genes encoding secretory proteins.
Cellulose mediates attachment of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium to tomatoes
Authors: Shaw Robert K. , Lasa Iñigo , García Begoña M. , Pallen Mark J. , Hinton Jay C. D. , Berger Cedric N. , Frankel Gad 
Published: May 2011

SummaryFresh fruit and vegetables are important components of a healthy and balanced diet. However, they are increasingly being recognized as important vehicles for transmission of human pathogens that were traditionally classified as zoonotic. There is a significant gap in our knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms by which human pathogens colonize and survive on or in fruits and vegetables. In this study we investigated the binding of Salmonella enterica to tomato fruits (Solanum lycopersicum), which is becoming a major source of human infection. We report that Salmonella enterica serovars Typhimurium and Senftenberg bound to the surface of unripe tomatoes in an aggregative pattern, while serovar Thompson adhered diffusely. We found that while flagella did not have a role in binding, bcsC S. Typhimurim mutants, deficient in cellulose production, exhibited significantly reduced level of attachment to tomatoes. Trans complementation of the mutation restored adhesion to the wild‐type level.
Microbiology of the Red Sea (and other) deep‐sea anoxic brine lakes
Authors: Antunes André , Ngugi David Kamanda , Stingl Ulrich 
Published: May 2011

SummaryThe Red Sea harbours approximately 25 deep‐sea anoxic brine pools. They constitute extremely unique and complex habitats with the conjugation of several extreme physicochemical parameters rendering them some of the most inhospitable environments on Earth. After 50 years of research mostly driven by chemists, geophysicists and geologists, the microbiology of the brines has been receiving increased interest in the last decade. Recent molecular and cultivation‐based studies have provided us with a first glimpse on the enormous biodiversity of the local microbial communities, the identification of several new taxonomic groups, and the isolation of novel extremophiles that thrive in these environments. This review presents a general overview of these unusual biotopes and compares them with other similar environments in the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, with a focus on their microbial ecology.
Accounting for uncertainty in species delineation during the analysis of environmental DNA sequence data
Authors: Powell Jeff R. 
Published: May 2011

Summary1. Defining species boundaries represents a significant challenge in biodiversity studies, especially as these studies increasingly rely on high‐throughput DNA sequencing technologies. A promising approach for delineating species in environmental sequence data combines phylogenetics and coalescence theory to estimate species boundaries from distributions of lineage birth rates within multispecies coalescent trees.2. Existing methods for interpreting these models utilize hypothetico‐deductive reasoning to identify thresholds associated with a mixed speciation‐coalescent model that fits the data better than a null model. Here, I describe an alternative approach that ranks and assigns weights to models based on their fit to the data using information criteria and then uses model averaging to estimate parameters and species probabilities.3. This approach is applied to data from two independent studies that address (i) patterns of cospeciation in an aphid–bacterial symbiosis and (ii) diversity of bacterial communities associated with the human gut. In both of these cases, accounting for uncertainty during model selection allowed greater flexibility to detect variable (with respect to time) speciation‐coalescent thresholds among lineages.4. The precision of the predicted species boundaries varied among the studies, and the variance‐to‐mean ratio for richness estimates ranged from 0.023 to 0.079. Sample‐based estimates of gut bacteria richness revealed that accounting for uncertainty during species delineation increased the variance in the estimates of population means (by individual from which the samples were taken or by sex of the individuals) by up to 7.5%.5. In ecological and evolutionary studies, conclusions are highly dependent on the classification system that is adopted; given the uncertainty in species boundaries observed here, ignoring this source of error (as is common practice) likely results in inflated type I error rates. The approach described here represents an objective, theory‐based method for predicting species boundaries and explicitly incorporates uncertainty in the classification system into biodiversity estimation, thus allowing researchers to better address the causes and consequences of biodiversity.
Involvement of Multiple Loci in Quorum Quenching of Autoinducer I Molecules in the Nitrogen-Fixing Symbiont Rhizobium (Sinorhizobium) sp. Strain NGR234
Authors: Krysciak D. , Schmeisser C. , Preuß S. , Riethausen J. , Quitschau M. , Grond S. , Streit W. R. 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT

Rhizobium
sp. strain NGR234 is a unique alphaproteobacterium (order
Rhizobiales
) that forms nitrogen-fixing nodules with more legumes than any other microsymbiont. Since we have previously described the complete genome sequence of NGR234, we now report on a genome-wide functional analysis of the genes and enzymes involved in autoinducer I hydrolysis in this microbe. Altogether we identified five cosmid clones that repeatedly gave a positive result in our function-based approach for the detection of autoinducer I hydrolase genes. Of these five cosmid clones, two were located on pNGR234
b
and three were on cNGR234. Subcloning and
in vitro
mutagenesis in combination with BLAST analyses identified the corresponding open reading frames (ORFs) of all cosmid clones:
dlhR
,
qsdR1
,
qsdR2
,
aldR
, and
hitR-hydR
. Analyses of recombinant DlhR and QsdR1 proteins by using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) demonstrate that these enzymes function as acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) lactonases. Furthermore, we showed that these enzymes inhibited biofilm formation and other quorum-sensing-dependent processes in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
,
Chromobacterium violaceum
, and
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
. Finally, our experimental data suggest that competitive colonization of roots in the rhizospheres of cowpea plants is affected by DlhR and QsdR1.
Sorption and Distribution of Copper in Unsaturated Pseudomonas putida CZ1 Biofilms as Determined by X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy
Authors: Chen Guangcun , Chen Xincai , Yang Yuanqiang , Hay Anthony G. , Yu Xiaohan , Chen Yingxu 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT

The spatial and temporal distribution of metals in unsaturated
Pseudomonas putida
CZ1 biofilms was determined using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XRF). It was found that Fe, Mn, and Ca were mainly distributed near the air-biofilm interface of a biofilm grown on 40 mM citrate, while there were two Fe-, Mn-, and Ca-rich layers within a biofilm grown on 10 mM citrate. The sorption of copper by biofilm grown in medium containing 10 mM citrate was rapid, with copper being found throughout the biofilm after only 1 h of exposure. Copper initially colocalized with Fe and Mn element layers in the biofilm and then precipitated in a 40-μm-thick layer near the air-biofilm interface when exposed for 12 h. Cu K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analysis revealed that Cu was primarily bound with citrate within the biofilm, and the precipitate formed in the biofilm exposed to copper for 12 h was most similar to copper phosphate. LIVE/DEAD staining revealed that cells at the biofilm-membrane interface were mostly alive even when the copper concentration reached 80.5 mg copper g
−1
biomass. This suggests that the biofilm matrix provided significant protection for cells in this area. These results significantly improve our understanding of metal acquisition, transportation, and immobilization in unsaturated biofilm systems.
Influence of Environmental and Genetic Factors Linked to Celiac Disease Risk on Infant Gut Colonization by Bacteroides Species
Authors: Sánchez Ester , De Palma Giada , Capilla Amalia , Nova Esther , Pozo Tamara , Castillejo Gemma , Varea Vicente , Marcos Ascensión , Garrote José Antonio , Polanco Isabel , López Ana , Ribes-Koninckx Carmen , García-Novo Maria Dolores , Calvo Carmen , Ortigosa Luis , Palau Francesc , Sanz Yolanda 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT

Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated enteropathy involving genetic and environmental factors whose interaction might influence disease risk. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of milk-feeding practices and the HLA-DQ genotype on intestinal colonization of
Bacteroides
species in infants at risk of CD development. This study included 75 full-term newborns with at least one first-degree relative suffering from CD. Infants were classified according to milk-feeding practice (breast-feeding or formula feeding) and HLA-DQ genotype (high or low genetic risk). Stools were analyzed at 7 days, 1 month, and 4 months by PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The
Bacteroides
species diversity index was higher in formula-fed infants than in breast-fed infants. Breast-fed infants showed a higher prevalence of
Bacteroides uniformis
at 1 and 4 months of age, while formula-fed infants had a higher prevalence of
B. intestinalis
at all sampling times, of
B. caccae
at 7 days and 4 months, and of
B. plebeius
at 4 months. Infants with high genetic risk showed a higher prevalence of
B. vulgatus
, while those with low genetic risk showed a higher prevalence of
B. ovatus
,
B. plebeius
, and
B. uniformis
. Among breast-fed infants, the prevalence of
B. uniformis
was higher in those with low genetic risk than in those with high genetic risk. Among formula-fed infants, the prevalence of
B. ovatus
and
B. plebeius
was increased in those with low genetic risk, while the prevalence of
B. vulgatus
was higher in those with high genetic risk. The results indicate that both the type of milk feeding and the HLA-DQ genotype influence the colonization process of
Bacteroides
species, and possibly the disease risk.