bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interplay between modifications of chromatin and meiotic recombination hotspots
Authors: Brachet Elsa , Sommermeyer Vérane , Borde Valérie 
Published: December 2011

AbstractMeiotic recombination lies at the heart of sexual reproduction. It is essential for producing viable gametes with a normal haploid genomic content and its dysfunctions can be at the source of aneuploidies, such as the Down syndrome, or many genetic disorders. Meiotic recombination also generates genetic diversity that is transmitted to progeny by shuffling maternal and paternal alleles along chromosomes. Recombination takes place at non‐random chromosomal sites called ‘hotspots’. Recent evidence has shown that their location is influenced by properties of chromatin. In addition, many studies in somatic cells have highlighted the need for changes in chromatin dynamics to allow the process of recombination. In this review, we discuss how changes in the chromatin landscape may influence the recombination map, and reciprocally, how recombination events may lead to epigenetic modifications at sites of recombination, which could be transmitted to progeny.
Multicenter randomized controlled trial on combination therapy with 0.1% adapalene gel and oral antibiotics for acne vulgaris: Comparison of the efficacy of adapalene gel alone and in combination with oral faropenem
Authors: HAYASHI Nobukazu , KAWASHIMA Makoto 
Published: December 2011

AbstractWe conducted a randomized controlled trial in patients with acne vulgaris with moderate to severe inflammatory lesions. The patients were assigned to the following three treatment groups: group A received monotherapy with 0.1% topical adapalene gel for 4 weeks; group B received combination therapy with 0.1% topical adapalene gel and 600 mg oral faropenem for 2 weeks followed by 0.1% topical adapalene gel alone for 2 weeks; and group C received combination therapy with 0.1% topical adapalene gel and 600 mg oral faropenem for 4 weeks. The result of the analysis indicated that the percentage reduction in inflammatory lesion counts after 2 weeks of treatment was significantly higher in groups B and C than in group A (P < 0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, group C showed significantly higher percentage reduction in inflammatory lesion counts than in groups A and B (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was noted between the latter two groups. Adverse reactions included dryness and irritation at the adapalene application sites that were observed in 10.1% of cases (16/158 patients) and diarrhea and loose stool because of oral faropenem that were observed in 7.5% of cases (8/106 patients). Taken together, our results suggest that combination therapy with oral antibiotics and adapalene results in earlier improvement in patients with moderate to severe inflammatory acne compared to the application of adapalene alone, and that 4 weeks of the combination therapy is preferable to 2 weeks of treatment.
Predominant or complete recipient T‐cell chimerism following alemtuzumab‐based allogeneic transplantation is reversed by donor lymphocytes and not associated with graft failure
Authors: Mohamedbhai Sajir G. , Edwards Noha , Morris Emma C. , Mackinnon Stephen , Thomson Kirsty J. , Peggs Karl S. 
Published: December 2011

SummaryThe clinical significance of mixed chimerism following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains controversial. Its relevance and incidence are probably influenced by the conditioning regimen and incorporation of T‐cell depletion. The presence of recipient chimerism levels >40–50% following T‐cell replete reduced intensity transplantation correlates with a high risk of graft rejection, regardless of donor‐lymphocyte infusions, but it is unclear whether this finding translates to T‐cell depleted transplants. We conducted a retrospective single‐institution analysis of patients receiving alemtuzumab‐based HSCT. 27/152 (18%) evaluable cases had predominantly recipient T‐cell chimerism at 3 months or beyond. By contrast, coincident chimerism in the granulocyte lineage was predominantly of donor origin (median 100%) in all but one patient. Donor lymphocyte infusion effectively converted predominantly recipient T‐cell chimerism to ful donor chimerism in all evaluable cases including three cases with no detectable donor T cells. The only graft failure occurred in the patient with predominantly recipient myeloid chimerism in whom rejection occurred rapidly before donor lymphocytes could be administered. We conclude that predominant or complete recipient T‐cell chimerism following alemtuzumab‐based regimens does not have the same clinical implications as that following T‐cell replete transplants and can be effectively converted with donor lymphocytes without the need for lympho‐depleting agents or re‐conditioning.
Platelet apoptosis in paediatric immune thrombocytopenia is ameliorated by intravenous immunoglobulin
Authors: Winkler Jeannine , Kroiss Sabine , Rand Margaret L. , Azzouzi Imane , Annie Bang K. W. , Speer Oliver , Schmugge Markus 
Published: December 2011

SummaryTo evaluate the role of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in platelet apoptosis in paediatric immune thrombocytopenia, we investigated the platelets of 20 paediatric patients with acute immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), before and after IVIg treatment. Healthy children with platelet counts in the normal range and children with thrombocytopenia due to chemotherapy were enrolled as controls. All ITP patients presented with platelet counts <20 × 109/l and bleeding symptoms. Markers of apoptosis, including activated caspase‐3, ‐8 and ‐9, phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, mitochondrial inner membrane potential (ΔΨm), as well as platelet‐derived microparticle formation, were analysed by flow cytometry. After IVIg treatment, platelet counts increased to >20 × 109/l in all patients. ITP patients had significantly increased proportions of platelets with activated caspase‐3, ‐8 and ‐9, with PS exposure, and with decreased ΔΨm, and demonstrated increased microparticle formation. Except for ΔΨm, these markers for apoptosis were reduced by IVIg treatment. Platelets of children with thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy also demonstrated increased microparticle formation and decreased ΔΨm, but no activation of caspases 3, 8 and 9 or PS exposure. In conclusion, in acute paediatric ITP, enhanced platelet apoptosis is seen at diagnosis that normalizes after IVIg treatment.
Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its determinants in Australian adults aged 25 years and older: a national, population‐based study
Authors: Daly Robin M. , Gagnon Claudia , Lu Zhong X. , Magliano Dianna J. , Dunstan David W. , Sikaris Ken A. , Zimmet Paul Z. , Ebeling Peter R. , Shaw Jonathan E. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractObjective  Vitamin D deficiency is recognized as a global public health problem, but the population‐based prevalence of deficiency and its determinants in Australian adults is not known. This study evaluated the vitamin D status of Australian adults aged ≥25 years and risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in this population.Design and Patients  We studied a national sample of 11 247 Australian adults enrolled in the 1999/2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study drawn from 42 randomly selected districts throughout Australia.Measurements  Serum concentrations of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured by immunoassay. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a concentration <50 nmol/l. Information on demographic and lifestyle factors was derived from interview‐administered questionnaires.Results  The mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 63 nmol/l (95% CI: 59–67 nmol/l). Only 4% of the population had a level <25 nmol/l, but the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/l) was 31% (22% men; 39% women); 73% had levels <75 nmol/l. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency increased significantly with age, was greater in women, in those of non‐Europid origin, in the obese and those who were physically inactive and with a higher level of education. Deficiency was also more common during winter and in people residing in southern Australia (latitude >35°S); 42% of women and 27% of men were deficient during summer–autumn, which increased to 58% and 35%, respectively, during winter–spring.Conclusion  Vitamin D deficiency is common in Australia affecting nearly one‐third of adults aged ≥25 years. This indicates that strategies are needed at the population level to improve vitamin D status of Australians.
Dispersal ability rather than ecological tolerance drives differences in range size between lentic and lotic water beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)
Authors: Arribas Paula , Velasco Josefa , Abellán Pedro , Sánchez‐Fernández David , Andújar Carmelo , Calosi Piero , Millán Andrés , Ribera Ignacio , Bilton David T. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAim In aquatic ecosystems, standing (lentic) and running (lotic) waters differ fundamentally in their stability and persistence, shaping the comparative population genetic structure, geographical range size and speciation rates of lentic versus lotic lineages. While the drivers of this pattern remain incompletely understood, the suite of traits making up the ability of a species to establish new populations is instrumental in determining such differences. Here we explore the degree to which the association between habitat type and geographical range size results from differences in dispersal ability or fundamental niche breadth in the members of theEnochrus bicolorcomplex, an aquatic beetle clade with species across the lentic–lotic divide.Location Western Mediterranean, with a special focus on North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and Sicily.Methods DNA sequences for four loci were obtained from species of theE. bicolorcomplex and analysed using phylogenetic inference. Dispersal and establishment abilities were assessed in lentic–lotic species pairs of the complex, using flight wing morphometrics and thermal tolerance ranges as surrogates, respectively.Results There were clear differences in range size between the lotic and lentic taxa of the complex, which appears to have had a lotic origin with two transitions to standing waters. Only small differences were observed in temperature tolerance and acclimation ability between the two lotic–lentic sister species studied. By contrast, wing morphometrics revealed clear, consistent differences between lotic and lenticEnochrusspecies pairs, the latter having a higher dispersal capacity.Main conclusions We hypothesize that there have been two habitat shifts from lotic to lentic waters, which have allowed marked expansions in geographical range size in western Mediterranean species of theE. bicolorcomplex. Differences in dispersal rather than in establishment ability appear to underlie differences in geographical range extent, as transitions to lentic waters were associated with changes in wing morphology, but not in thermal tolerance range. In this lineage of water beetles, selection for dispersal in geologically short‐lived lentic systems has driven the evolution of larger range sizes in lentic taxa compared with those of their lotic relatives.
The island species–area relationship: biology and statistics
Authors: Triantis Kostas A. , Guilhaumon François , Whittaker Robert J. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAim  We conducted the most extensive quantitative analysis yet undertaken of the form taken by the island species–area relationship (ISAR), among 20 models, to determine: (1) the best‐fit model, (2) the best‐fit model family, (3) the best‐fit ISAR shape (and presence of an asymptote), (4) system properties that may explain ISAR form, and (5) parameter values and interpretation of the logarithmic implementation of the power model.Location  World‐wide.Methods  We amassed 601 data sets from terrestrial islands and employed an information‐theoretic framework to test for the best‐fit ISAR model, family, and shape, and for the presence/absence of an asymptote. Two main criteria were applied: generality (the proportion of cases for which the model provided an adequate fit) and efficiency (the overall probability of a model, when adequate, being the best at explaining ISARs; evaluated using the mean overall AICc weight). Multivariate analyses were used to explore the potential of island system properties to explain trends in ISAR form, and to describe variation in the parameters of the logarithmic power model.Results  Adequate fits were obtained for 465 data sets. The simpler models performed best, with the power model ranked first. Similar results were obtained at model family level. The ISAR form is most commonly convex upwards, without an asymptote. Island system traits had low descriptive power in relation to variation in ISAR form. However, the z and c parameters of the logarithmic power model show significant pattern in relation to island system type and taxon.Main conclusions  Over most scales of space, ISARs are best represented by the power model and other simple models. More complex, sigmoid models may be applicable when the spatial range exceeds three orders of magnitude. With respect to the log power model, z‐values are indicative of the process(es) establishing species richness and composition patterns, while c‐values are indicative of the realized carrying capacity of the system per unit area. Variation in ISAR form is biologically meaningful, but the signal is noisy, as multiple processes constrain the ecological space available within island systems and the relative importance of these processes varies with the spatial scale of the system.
Bacterial infections of Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), returning to gamete collecting weirs in Michigan
Authors: Loch T P , Scribner K , Tempelman R , Whelan G , Faisal M 
Published: December 2011

AbstractHerein, we describe the prevalence of bacterial infections in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), returning to spawn in two tributaries within the Lake Michigan watershed. Ten bacterial genera, including Renibacterium, Aeromonas, Carnobacterium, Serratia, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Hafnia, Salmonella, Shewanella and Morganella, were detected in the kidneys of Chinook salmon (n = 480) using culture, serological and molecular analyses. Among these, Aeromonas salmonicida was detected at a prevalence of ∼15%. Analyses revealed significant interactions between location/time of collection and gender for these infections, whereby overall infection prevalence increased greatly later in the spawning run and was significantly higher in females. Renibacterium salmoninarum was detected in fish kidneys at an overall prevalence of >25%. Logistic regression analyses revealed that R. salmoninarum prevalence differed significantly by location/time of collection and gender, with a higher likelihood of infection later in the spawning season and in females vs. males. Chi‐square analyses quantifying non‐independence of infection by multiple pathogens revealed a significant association between R. salmoninarum and motile aeromonad infections. Additionally, greater numbers of fish were found to be co‐infected by multiple bacterial species than would be expected by chance alone. The findings of this study suggest a potential synergism between bacteria infecting spawning Chinook salmon.
Diurnal variation of phenylalanine concentrations in tyrosinaemia type 1: should we be concerned?
Authors: Daly A. , Gokmen‐Ozel H. , MacDonald A. , Preece M. A. , Davies P. , Chakrapani A. , McKiernan P. 
Published: December 2011

How to cite this article
Daly A., Gokmen‐Ozel H., MacDonald A., Preece M.A., Davies P., Chakrapani A. & McKiernan P. (2012) Diurnal variation of phenylalanine concentrations in tyrosinaemia type 1: should we be concerned? J Hum Nutr Diet.25, 111–116AbstractBackground:  Tyrosinaemia type 1 (HT1) is treated with a tyrosine and phenylalanine‐restricted diet, amino acids free of phenylalanine and tyrosine, and nitisinone (NTBC). Treatment guidelines recommend plasma tyrosine between 200–400 μm and phenylalanine at least >30 μm. There is little information on the diurnal variation of plasma tyrosine or phenylalanine in HT1. Low plasma phenylalanine <30 μm may be associated with poor growth and cognitive delay. The present study aimed to document diurnal variation of tyrosine and phenylalanine plasma concentrations and growth in children with HT1.Methods:  Median tyrosine and phenylalanine plasma concentrations were reviewed retrospectively over 3 years in 11 subjects (median age 4 years) with HT1. Subjects routinely collected morning fasting blood samples but afternoon nonfasted samples were taken in the clinic (<10% of samples). Growth Z‐scores were calculated.Results:  The percentage of all plasma phenylalanine concentrations <30 μm was 8.6% and <40 μm was 13.6%. Only 2% of fasting morning phenylalanine concentrations were <30 μm, compared to 83% of nonfasting afternoon samples. All but one child had a height Z‐score <0.Conclusions:  Blood phenylalanine concentrations were consistently lower in the afternoon. Taking blood samples at variable time points in the day may lead to variation in interpreting dietary control. A detailed study is necessary to examine the 24‐h diurnal variation of plasma phenylalanine and tyrosine in HT1. It is possible that phenylalanine concentrations may be very low for a substantive time over 24 h and the potential impact that this may have on cognitive development and growth in children is unknown.
Fast scanning STED and two‐photon fluorescence excitation microscopy with continuous wave beam
Authors: BIANCHINI P. , DIASPRO A. 
Published: December 2011

SummaryIn this paper we report stimulated emission depletion (STED) and two‐photon excitation (2PE) fluorescence microscopy with continuous wave (CW) laser beam using a new generation laser scanning confocal microscope equipped for STED‐CW (TCS STED‐CW, Leica Microsystems, Mannheim, Germany). We show the possibility to achieve CW‐2PE with the very same beam used for STED‐CW. This feature extends the performance of the microscope allowing multimodal imaging (CW‐2PE, STED‐CW, confocal).
Microtubule and cellulose microfibril orientation during plant cell and organ growth
Authors: CHAN J. 
Published: December 2011

SummaryIn this review, I ask the question of what is the relationship between growth and the orientations of microtubules and cellulose microfibrils in plant cells. This should be a relatively simple question to answer considering that text books commonly describe microtubules and cellulose microfibrils as hoops that drive expansion perpendicular to their orientation. However, recent live imaging techniques, which allow microtubules and cellulose synthase dynamics to be imaged simultaneously with cell elongation, show that cells can elongate with nonperpendicular microtubule arrays. In this review, I look at the significance of these different microtubule arrangements for growth and cell wall architecture and how these resultant walls differ from those derived from perpendicular arrays. I also discuss how these divergent arrays in stems may be important for coordinating growth between the different cell layers. This role reveals some general features of microtubule alignment that can be used to predict the growth status of organs. In conclusion, nonperpendicular arrays demonstrate alternative ways of cell elongation that do not require hooped arrays of microtubules and cellulose microfibrils. Such nonperpendicular arrays may be required for optimal growth and strengthening of tissues.
The genetic ghost of an invasion past: colonization and extinction revealed by historical hybridization inSenecio
Authors: PELSER PIETER B. , ABBOTT RICHARD J. , COMES HANS P. , MILTON JOSEPH J. , MÖLLER MICHAEL , LOOSELEY MARK E. , CRON GLYNIS V. , BARCELONA JULIE F. , KENNEDY AARON H. , WATSON LINDA E. , BARONE RUBÉN , HERNÁNDEZ FABIÁN , KADEREIT JOACHIM W. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractHybridization is an important evolutionary factor in the diversification of many plant and animal species. Of particular interest is that historical hybridization resulting in the origin of new species or introgressants has occurred between species now geographically separated by great distances. Here, we report thatSenecio massaicus, a tetraploid species native to Morocco and the Canary Islands, contains genetic material of two distinct, geographically separated lineages: a Mediterranean lineage and a mainly southern African lineage. A time‐calibrated internal transcribed spacer phylogeny indicates that the hybridization event took place up to 6.18 Ma. Because the southern African lineage has never been recorded from Morocco or the Canary Islands, we hypothesize that it reached this area in the distant past, but never became permanently established. Interestingly, the southern African lineage includesS. inaequidens, a highly invasive species that has recently become widespread throughout Europe and was introduced at the end of the 19th century as a ‘wool alien’. Our results suggest that this more recent invasion of Europe byS. inaequidensrepresents the second arrival of this lineage into the region.
Jack of all nectars, master of most: DNA methylation and the epigenetic basis of niche width in a flower‐living yeast
Authors: HERRERA C. M. , POZO M. I. , BAZAGA P. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractIn addition to genetic differences between individuals as a result of nucleotide sequence variation, epigenetic changes that occur as a result of DNA methylation may also contribute to population niche width by enhancing phenotypic plasticity, although this intriguing possibility remains essentially untested. Using the nectar‐living yeastMetschnikowia reukaufiias study subject, we examine the hypothesis that changes in genome‐wide DNA methylation patterns underlie the ability of this fugitive species to exploit a broad resource range in its heterogeneous and patchy environment. Data on floral nectar characteristics and their use byM. reukaufiiin the wild were combined with laboratory experiments and methylation‐sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) analyses designed to detect epigenetic responses of single genotypes to variations in sugar environment that mimicked those occurring naturally in nectar.M. reukaufiiexploited a broad range of resources, occurring in nectar of 48% of species and 52% of families surveyed, and its host plants exhibited broad intra‐ and interspecific variation in sugar‐related nectar features. Under experimental conditions, sugar composition, sugar concentration and their interaction significantly influenced the mean probability of MSAP markers experiencing a transition from unmethylated to methylated state. Alterations in methylation status were not random but predictably associated with certain markers. The methylation inhibitor 5‐azacytidine (5‐AzaC) had strong inhibitory effects onM. reukaufiiproliferation in sugar‐containing media, and a direct relationship existed across sugar × concentration experimental levels linking inhibitory effect of 5‐AzaC and mean per‐marker probability of genome‐wide methylation. Environmentally induced DNA methylation polymorphisms allowed genotypes to grow successfully in extreme sugar environments, and the broad population niche width ofM. reukaufiiwas largely made possible by epigenetic changes enabling genotype plasticity in resource use.