bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Frequency of vacA, cagA and babA2 virulence markers in Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from Mexican patients with chronic gastritis
Authors: Paniagua Gloria Luz , Monroy Eric , Rodríguez Raymundo , Arroniz Salvador , Rodríguez Cristina , Cortés José Luis , Camacho Ausencio , Negrete Erasmo , Vaca Sergio 
Published: May 2009

Abstract

Background

Helicobacter pylori has been strongly associated with chronic gastritis, peptic and duodenal ulcers, and it is a risk factor for gastric cancer. Three major virulence factors of H. pylori have been described: the vacuolating toxin (VacA), the cytotoxin-associated gene product (CagA) and the adhesion protein BabA2. Since considerable geographic diversity in the prevalence of H. pylori virulence factors has been reported, the aim of this work was to establish the H. pylori and vacA, cagA and babA2 gene status in 238 adult patients, from a marginal urban area of Mexico, with chronic gastritis.

Methods

H. pylori was identified in cultures of gastric biopsies by nested PCR. vacA and cagA genes were detected by multiplex PCR, whereas babA2 gene was identified by conventional PCR.

Results

H. pylori-positive biopsies were 143 (60.1%). All H. pylori strains were vacA
+; 39.2% were cagA
+; 13.3% were cagA
+
babA2
+ and 8.4% were babA2
+. Mexican strains examined possessed the vacA s1, m1 (43.4%), s1, m2 (24.5%), s2, m1 (20.3%) and s2, m2 (11.9%) genotypes.

Conclusion
These results show that the Mexican patients suffering chronic gastritis we have studied had a high incidence of infection by H. pylori. Forty four percent (63/143) of the H. pylori strains analyzed in this work may be considered as highly virulent since they possessed two or three of the virulence markers analyzed: vacA s1 cagA babA2 (9.8%, 14/143), vacA s1 babA2 (4.9%, 7/143), and vacA s1 cagA (29.4%, 42/143). However, a statistically significant correlation was not observed between vacAs1, cagA and babA2 virulence markers (χ2 test; P > 0.05).
What is the function of neuroglobin?
Authors: Burmester Thorsten , Hankeln Thomas 
Published: May 2009

SUMMARY
For a long time, haemoglobin and myoglobin had been assumed to represent the only globin types of vertebrates. In 2000, however, we discovered a third globin type by mining the genome sequence data. Based on a preferential expression in the nervous system, this globin is referred to as neuroglobin. Despite nine years of research, its function is still uncertain and a number of hypotheses have been put forward. Neuroglobin enhances cell viability under hypoxia and under various types of oxidative stress in transgenic systems, but does not appear to be strongly upregulated in response to stress. A close phylogenetic relationship with invertebrate nerve globins and its positive correlation with the oxidative metabolism and mitochondria suggest a role in O2 supply. In vitro studies and cell culture experiments imply that neuroglobin may detoxify reactive oxygen or nitric oxide. Still other studies propose neuroglobin as being part of a signalling chain that transmits the redox state of the cell or that inhibits apoptosis. Although some functions are more probable than others, we conclude that it is still too early to definitively decide what may be the physiological role(s) of neuroglobin in vertebrates. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that neuroglobin has an essential, conserved function and is beneficial to neurons.
A comparative study of the mechanical properties of Mytilid byssal threads
Authors: Pearce Trevor , LaBarbera Michael 
Published: May 2009

SUMMARY
Mytilid bivalves employ a set of threads (the byssus) to attach themselves to both hard and soft substrates. In this study, we measured the mechanical properties of byssal threads from two semi-infaunal mytilids (Geukensia demissa Dillwyn and Modiolus modiolus Linnaeus) and two epifaunal mytilids (Mytilus californianus Conrad and Mytilus edulis Linnaeus). We compared material properties with and without the assumption that changes of length and area during tensile testing are insignificant, demonstrating that previous researchers have overestimated extensibility values by 30% and may also have underestimated strength values. We detected significant differences in thread properties among tested mytilid species, contrary to previous findings. Threads from semi-infaunal species were significantly thinner than those from epifaunal species, perhaps to allow the production of a greater number of threads, which form a dense network within the substrate. Geukensia demissa threads were weaker than those of the other species, and had a significantly lower stiffness at failure. Modiolus modiolus threads were significantly stiffer than M. edulis threads but also significantly less extensible, suggesting a trade-off between stiffness and extensibility. The only thread property that did not show significant differences across species was toughness – even when byssal threads differ in strength or stiffness, they seem to absorb similar amounts of energy per unit volume prior to failure. This study reveals notable differences between the byssal thread properties of different mytilid bivalves and provides a reliable and thorough methodology for future comparative studies.
Dolphins maintain cognitive performance during 72 to 120 hours of continuous auditory vigilance
Authors: Ridgway Sam , Keogh Mandy , Carder Don , Finneran James , Kamolnick Tricia , Todd Mark , Goldblatt Allen 
Published: May 2009

SUMMARYThe present study reports the first use of a choice visual–vocal response time cognitive task, during 72 or 120 h of continuous auditory vigilance. Two adult bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), NAY(male) and SAY (female), maintained a very high detection rate(91.1–98.7%) of random 1.5 s goal tones infrequently substituted in a background of frequent 0.5 s equal-amplitude tones over continuous 72 or 120 h sessions. In addition, a choice visual–vocal response time task (CVVRT)tested cognitive performance during night time sessions, when the dolphins would have ordinarily been resting or asleep as we had observed in previous studies. NAY and SAY detected a single-bar, posterior, vertical, green (S1g)or 3-bar, anterior, horizontal, red (S2r) LED light stimulus presented randomly to each eye. They responded with a different vocalization (whistle or pulse burst) to each stimulus (S1g or S2r) presented randomly to left and right eyes. The animals maintained high levels of goal tone detection without signs of sleep deprivation as indicated by behavior, blood indices or marked sleep rebound during 24 h of continuous post-experiment observation. Acoustic goal tone response time (AGTRT) overall did not change during the 72 h(F=0.528, P=0.655) or 120 h (F=0.384, P=0.816) sessions. Nor did CVVRT slow or degrade over the 72 h(F=4.188, P=0.104) or 120 h (F=2.298, P=0.119) AGTRT sessions.
Is the feeding and reproductive performance of the flea,Xenopsylla ramesis, affected by the gender of its rodent host,Meriones crassus?
Authors: Khokhlova Irina S. , Serobyan Vahan , Krasnov Boris R. , Degen A. Allan 
Published: May 2009

SUMMARYMale-biased parasitism is commonly found in higher vertebrates and is most likely to be a result of higher mobility and lower immunocompetence of male hosts than female hosts. The latter would result in higher fitness of parasites exploiting males rather than females. To test this hypothesis, we investigated foraging and reproductive performance of fleas (Xenopsylla ramesis) parasitizing male and female Meriones crassus, a gerbilline rodent. We allowed fleas to feed on groom-restricted rodents and predicted that: (1) the size of a blood meal would be greater from a male than a female host and (2) female fleas will produce more eggs when exploiting a male than a female host. There was no effect of host gender on the mass-specific amount of blood consumed by a flea across eight days of feeding. However, on the first day fleas on a male rodent consumed significantly more blood than fleas on a female rodent. Thereafter, the amount of blood consumed from a male host tended to decrease whereas that from a female host tended to increase. A higher proportion of fleas satiated earlier than 60 min when they fed on male rather than on female hosts but this proportion decreased from the first to the last feeding event. Fleas produced significantly more eggs when they fed on male rather than on female hosts for days one to five of oviposition. We concluded that gender difference in immune defence is the mechanism behind male-biased parasitism.
Medieval Romance and Wagner's Musical Narrative in the Ring
Authors: Harper-Scott J. P. E. 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
Wagner's engagement with medieval sources like the Nibelungenlied has generally been examined in relation to poetic style in his librettos. One of the defining structural features of his literary inspirations is the narrative interlace structure, which is common to literature, art, and even manuscript organization in the Middle Ages. In place of the classical Aristotelian unity of time, place, and action, the interlace design sets up a literary form based on sudden disjunctions, mysterious failures of explanation, and multiplicities of motive. These formal models propose radically different views of reality and the self: one suggests that human experience is shaped by a culmination that can already be known, the other more contingent, fractured, and paradoxically “modern.” Wagner's incorporation of the interlace design operates in the libretto and, more significantly and complexly, in the music. Wagner's structural and philosophical engagement with his medieval sources in the Ring may be elucidated via a combination of neo-Riemannian and modified Schenkerian analytical approaches and a sensitivity to Wagner's tendency to highlight the structural joints between his massive interlaced threads (rather than smoothly modulating, as the prevalent view suggests). The work is seen to have an existentialist, not an essentialist, view of human nature that provided an intellectual model for the artists and thinkers that grew up in Wagner's considerable intellectual shadow.
Mendelssohn in Nineteenth-Century American Hymnody
Authors: Mercer-Taylor Peter 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
The nineteenth century witnessed the rapid rise and gentle decline of an unprecedented vogue, particularly in the English-speaking world, for crafting hymn tunes from the work of Europe's most revered composers. Indeed, through the widely circulated publications of Lowell Mason and several like-minded American editors, it was in the form of hymnody that the European classical tradition reached a substantial part of the American population for the first time.
After setting forth broadly the historical underpinnings of such adaptations' dissemination, this study seeks to bring an unprecedented critical focus to the examination of a much-maligned repertoire through an exploration of the hymn tunes based on the work of one of its leading beneficiaries, Felix Mendelssohn. Gathered here are fifty-eight hymn tunes drawn from Mendelssohn's work, capturing what appears (based on a survey of 250 tune books and hymnals) to be the entry point of each particular melody into the American hymn repertoire. This body of music permits us not only to explore a multiplicity of approaches to the adaptation process itself, but to articulate a set of fundamental shifts that appear to have occurred in the genre as the nineteenth century wore on. From the late 1850s onward, we see not only a markedly heightened eagerness to adhere, in the adaptation process, to Mendelssohn's compositional will, but a pronounced move in the selection of melodic material away from the adventurous, catch-as-catch-can breadth of the mid-century publications toward tunes drawn from a more tightly circumscribed body of works that were coming to enjoy an established place in the concert repertoire at large.
Evaluation of dicloran's contribution to the mutagenic activity of Cristais river, Brazil, water samples
Authors: de Oliveira Danielle Palma , Sakagami Maureen , Warren Sarah , Kummrow Fábio , Umbuzeiro Gisela de Aragão 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
2,6-Dichloro-4-nitroaniline (dicloran) is a mutagenic aromatic amine used as an agricultural fungicide and in the synthesis of disperse dyes. It is a known mutagen (Salmonella/microsome assay) in strains TA98 and TA100. Dicloran was initially detected, but not quantified, in the Cristais River, Brazil. The objective of the present study was to estimate the contribution of dicloran to mutagenic activity in samples from this river. Dicloran was found in the raw water at 0.14 μg/L but not in the treated water. Comparison of mutagenic potencies in Salmonella strain YG1041 for dicloran and the river water sample indicated that dicloran contributed less than 0.1% of total mutagenic activity.
Comparison of two fecal egg recovery techniques and larval culture for cyathostomins in horses
Authors: Bello Thomas R. , Allen Tammy M. 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
Objective—To compare the McMaster and centrifugal flotation techniques and larval culture for recovery of cyathostomin (small strongyle) eggs from the feces of horses.
Sample Population—Fecal samples from 101 horses.
Procedures—In experiment I, homogenized fresh feces from a single horse were randomly subsampled by use of each technique for 10 replicates. In experiment II, samples from 43 horses that had no anthelmintic treatment were analyzed by use of McMaster, centrifugal flotation, and larval culture techniques. In experiment III, 57 horses were treated with an anthelmintic by owners, and fecal samples were analyzed as for experiment II.
Results—In experiment I, use of the McMaster technique recovered 72% of the eggs obtained by use of centrifugal flotation from paired subsamples. In experiment II, use of the McMaster technique recovered 81% of the eggs obtained by use of centrifugal flotation. Only cyathostomins resulted from individual larval cultures. In experiment III, 24 samples had negative results for all 3 tests, 18 samples had positive results only with larval cultures, and 15 samples had positive results of centrifugal flotation (only 5 of which had positive results via the McMaster technique).
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Centrifugal flotation consistently was superior to the McMaster technique, especially at low fecal egg numbers. The combination of centrifugal flotation and larval culture may provide the best accuracy for evaluation of anthelmintic efficacy.
Use of signal analysis of heart sounds and murmurs to assess severity of mitral valve regurgitation attributable to myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs
Authors: Ljungvall Ingrid , Ahlstrom Christer , Höglund Katja , Hult Peter , Kvart Clarence , Borgarelli Michele , Ask Per , Häggström Jens 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
Objective—To investigate use of signal analysis of heart sounds and murmurs in assessing severity of mitral valve regurgitation (mitral regurgitation [MR]) in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD).
Animals—77 client-owned dogs.
Procedures—Cardiac sounds were recorded from dogs evaluated by use of auscultatory and echocardiographic classification systems. Signal analysis techniques were developed to extract 7 sound variables (first frequency peak, murmur energy ratio, murmur duration > 200 Hz, sample entropy and first minimum of the auto mutual information function of the murmurs, and energy ratios of the first heart sound [S1] and second heart sound [S2]).
Results—Significant associations were detected between severity of MR and all sound variables, except the energy ratio of S1. An increase in severity of MR resulted in greater contribution of higher frequencies, increased signal irregularity, and decreased energy ratio of S2. The optimal combination of variables for distinguishing dogs with high-intensity murmurs from other dogs was energy ratio of S2 and murmur duration > 200 Hz (sensitivity, 79%; specificity, 71%) by use of the auscultatory classification. By use of the echocardiographic classification, corresponding variables were auto mutual information, first frequency peak, and energy ratio of S2 (sensitivity, 88%; specificity, 82%).
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Most of the investigated sound variables were significantly associated with severity of MR, which indicated a powerful diagnostic potential for monitoring MMVD. Signal analysis techniques could be valuable for clinicians when performing risk assessment or determining whether special care and more extensive examinations are required.
Effects of low-dose oligofructose treatment administered via nasogastric intubation on induction of laminitis and associated alterations in glucose and insulin dynamics in horses
Authors: Kalck Karen A. , Frank Nicholas , Elliott Sarah B. , Boston Raymond C. 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
Objective—To ascertain whether laminitis can be induced via administration of oligofructose (OF) at doses of 5.0 and 7.5 g/kg in horses and to assess glucose and insulin dynamics before and after treatment.
Animals—19 adult horses.
Procedures—Horses were fed OF (1.0 g/kg) mixed with oats for 6 days. Oligofructose at doses of 5.0 and 7.5 g/kg was then mixed with 4 L of water and administered (0 hours) to 8 (group A) and 4 (group B) horses, respectively, via nasogastric intubation; 8 horses received water alone. One horse in group A that did not develop laminitis was subsequently treated again and included in group B. Before and at intervals after treatment, resting plasma glucose and serum insulin concentrations were measured and frequently sampled IV glucose tolerance tests were performed. Area under the glucose curve (AUCg) and area under the insulin curve (AUCi) were calculated, and minimal model analyses were performed.
Results—3 of 8 horses in group A and all 4 horses in group B developed laminitis. Significant treatment-time effects were detected for resting plasma glucose concentrations and AUCg. Among horses in group A, mean AUCg values at 24 and 48 hours were 34% and 32% higher, respectively, than the mean value at 24 hours. Treatment groups did not differ significantly with respect to resting serum insulin concentration, AUCi, or minimal model analysis results.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—In horses, laminitis can be induced and glucose dynamics altered via nasogastric administration of 5.0 g of OF/kg. An alteration in insulin dynamics was not detected following treatment with OF.
Assessment of clotrimazole gels for in vitro stability and in vivo retention in the frontal sinus of dogs
Authors: Mathews Kyle G. , Linder Keith E. , Davidson Gigi S. , Goldman Rebecca B. , Papich Mark G. 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
Objective—To evaluate the stability and retention of viscous formulations of the antifungal drug clotrimazole in vitro and to evaluate retention times, absorption, and histologic response to these compounds when placed in the frontal sinus of dogs.
Animals—6 male Beagles.
Procedures—1% clotrimazole gels were formulated with hydroxypropyl cellulose, poloxamer, and carboxymethylcellulose sodium bases. Commercially available 1% clotrimazole creams were also evaluated. Each compound was incubated at 37°C in a funnel. Volume retained and clotrimazole stability were evaluated for 4 weeks. Six compounds were then chosen for in vivo evaluation. The frontal sinuses of 6 dogs were filled with 1 of the 6 compounds. Computed tomographic evaluation was performed weekly for up to 4 weeks to evaluate gel retention. Blood samples were collected to evaluate clotrimazole absorption. Following euthanasia, sinuses were examined histologically.
Results—Commercially available clotrimazole creams were not retained in funnels in vitro. In vivo, hydroxypropyl cellulose– and carboxymethylcellulose-based gels resulted in the most severe inflammatory response and were retained the longest. Poloxamer-based gels had a shorter retention time and were associated with less inflammation. Clotrimazole was minimally absorbed. Despite a marked inflammatory response to several of the clotrimazole-containing gels, no notable adverse clinical responses were observed.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Poloxamer gels had the most promise for improving drug contact within the frontal sinus of dogs, while limiting the inflammatory response. Poloxamer gels have the additional benefit of improved handling as a result of reverse gelation (ie, they gel when warmed to 37°C).
Effects of treadmill inclination on electromyographic activity and hind limb kinematics in healthy hounds at a walk
Authors: Lauer Susanne K. , Hillman Robert B. , Li Li , Hosgood Giselle L. 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
Objective—To evaluate the effect of treadmill incline on muscle activity and joint range of motion (ROM) in hind limbs of dogs.
Animals—8 purpose-bred healthy adult hounds.
Procedures—Activities of the hamstring (semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris muscles), gluteal (superficial, middle, and deep gluteal muscles), and quadriceps (femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, and vastus medialis muscles) muscle groups and hip and stifle joint ROM were measured with surface electrogoniometric and myographic sensors in hounds walking on a treadmill at 0.54 m/s at inclines of 5%, 0%, and −5% in random order. Mean electromyographic activities and mean ROMs at each inclination were compared for swing and stance phases.
Results—Treadmill inclination did not affect duration of the stance and swing phases or the whole stride. When treadmill inclination was increased from −5% to 5%, hip joint ROM increased and the degree of stifle joint extension decreased significantly. In the beginning of the stance phase, activity of the hamstring muscle group was significantly increased when walking at a 5% incline versus a 5% decline. In the end of the stance phase, that activity was significantly increased when walking at a 5% incline versus at a 5% decline or on a flat surface. Activity of the gluteal and quadriceps muscle groups was not affected when treadmill inclination changed.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Treadmill inclination affected joint kinematics only slightly. Walking on a treadmill at a 5% incline had more potential to strengthen the hamstring muscle group than walking on a treadmill with a flat or declined surface.
Molecular screening test in familial forms of cerebral cavernous malformation: the impact of the Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification approach
Authors: Penco Silvana , Ratti Rachele , Bianchi Elena , Citterio Alberto , Patrosso Maria Cristina , Marocchi Alessandro , Tassi Laura , La Camera Alessandro , Collice Massimo 
Published: May 2009

Object
The purpose of this study was to underline the effectiveness of molecular analysis in cerebral cavernous angioma, with special attention to the familial forms.

Methods
Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification analysis integrates the consecutive sequence analysis of the 3 genes (Krit1/CCM1, MGC4607/CCM2, and PDCD10/CCM3) known to be responsible for cerebral cavernous malformation lesions.

Results
The Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification analysis revealed a new mutation, a heterozygous exon 9/10 deletion of Krit1, in the proband and in all affected family members.

Conclusions
The identification of the molecular defect allows physicians to screen family members at risk and to identify affected individuals before the onset of clinical symptoms caused by the presence of lesions.