bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Non-genomic inhibitory effect of glucocorticoids on activated peripheral blood basophils through suppression of lipid raft formation
Authors: Yamagata S , Tomita K , Sano H , Itoh Y , Fukai Y , Okimoto N , Watatani N , Inbe S , Miyajima H , Tsukamoto K , Santoh H , Ichihashi H , Sano A , Sato R , Tohda Y 
Published: July 2012

SummaryWe investigated the non-genomic effects of glucocorticoids (GCs) on inhibition of plasma membrane lipid raft formation in activated human basophils. Human basophils obtained from house dust mite (HDM)-sensitive volunteers were pretreated with hydrocortisone (CORT) or dexamethasone (Dex) for 30 min and then primed with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, 10 ng/ml) or HDM (10 µg/ml). The expression of CD63, a basophil activation marker, was assessed by flow cytometry. Membrane-bound GC receptors (mGCRs) were analysed by flow cytometry and confocal laser microscopy. Lipid rafts were assessed using a GM1 ganglioside probe and visualization by confocal laser microscopy. Pretreatment of basophils with CORT (10−4 M and 10−5 M) and Dex (10−7 M) significantly inhibited CD63 expression 20 min after addition of PMA or HDM. The inhibitory effects of GCs were not altered by the nuclear GC receptor (GCR) antagonist RU486 (10−5 M) or the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (10−4 M) (P &lt; 0·05). CORT coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA-CORT) mimicked the rapid inhibitory effects of CORT, suggesting the involvement of mGCRs. mGCRs were detectable on the plasma membrane of resting basophils and formed nanoclusters following treatment with PMA or HDM. Pretreatment of cells with BSA-CORT inhibited the expression of mGCRs and nanoclustering of ganglioside GM1 in lipid rafts. The study provides evidence that non-genomic mechanisms are involved in the rapid inhibitory effect of GCs on the formation of lipid raft nanoclusters, through binding to mGCRs on the plasma membrane of activated basophils.
Evaluating female remating rates in light of spermatophore degradation in Heliconius butterflies: pupal‐mating monandry versus adult‐mating polyandry
Authors: WALTERS JAMES R. , CORBIN CHRIS , HARDCASTLE THOMAS J. , JIGGINS CHRIS D. 
Published: July 2012

1. Butterflies are frequently used in comparative studies of sexual selection because of their diverse mating systems. In Heliconius, the two major clades in the genus are characterised by contrasting pupal‐mating and adult‐mating strategies. Adult‐mating females are considered to be promiscuous whereas pupal‐mating females are thought to be monandrous.2. Counting spermatophores in female Lepidoptera is a common method for assessing patterns of female remating. However, in pupal‐mating Heliconius butterflies spermatophores can become completely degraded, potentially leading to underestimation of female remating rates.3. We qualitatively characterised the different states of spermatophore degradation, and showed that complete degradation takes approximately 3 weeks in captive‐bred H. erato females.4. We counted spermatophores and/or assayed spermatophore degradation in > 500 Heliconius females across 28 species sampled from natural populations. Among pupal‐maters these observations yielded a few rare observations of double mating by recently eclosed females, but generally indicated a lack of rematings. In contrast, approximately 25% of sampled adult‐mating females remated at least once.5. Using a novel statistical analysis, we estimated remating rates from patterns of spermatophore degradation or from counts stratified by age, as indicated by wing‐wear. This analysis showed no statistically significant evidence for remating for the pupal‐mating H. erato whereas significant remating rates were detected for adult‐mating species.6. The present results support the established view of Heliconius mating systems in which pupal‐maters are largely monandrous, whereas adult‐maters are polyandrous.
An ecological analysis of mating biology of Xylocopa virginica in southern Ontario
Authors: PRAGER SEAN M. , RICHARDSON JEAN M. L. 
Published: July 2012

1. Xylocopa virginica virginica Linnaeus is a wide‐ranging species with plastic nesting behaviour that appears to represent an intermediary between solitary and social nesting species. Over 3 years, a natural population was studied with the objective of quantifying the relationship among population dynamics, climate, female nest provisioning behaviour, and male mating strategy.2. Males in the population congregated around female‐occupied nesting sites before the beginning of nest provisioning by females; both resident and satellite male mating strategies were observed. Overall, the present results are consistent with female defence polygyny.3. Male mating strategies were consistent across the three breeding seasons of our study, in spite of annual variation in population size, sex ratio, and weather. Male mating behaviour was also consistent with that seen in other populations with longer breeding seasons.4. Adult non‐breeding females that never leave nests are observed in nests throughout the breeding season and we hypothesise that males continue to defend territories after breeding females have mated because of a small probability they can mate with one of these non‐breeding females.5. These results are important to our understanding of the relationship between mating systems and the evolution of sociality, contributing data on the role of ecological factors to male mating behaviour. Collection of such data for a variety of species that differ in sociality is necessary for the comparative analysis that is required to fully elucidate coevolution of mating systems and sociality.
Endophytic fungi increase the processing rate of leaves by leaf‐cutting ants (Atta)
Authors: VAN BAEL SUNSHINE A. , SEID MARC A. , WCISLO WILLIAM T. 
Published: July 2012

1. Fungal endophytes are microfungi that reside asymptomatically inside of leaf tissues, increasing in density and diversity through time after leaves flush. Previous studies have suggested that the presence of fungal endophytes in the harvest material of leaf‐cutting ants (Atta colombica, Guérin‐Méneville) may negatively affect the ants and their fungal cultivar.2. In the present study, it was tested whether the presence and diversity of fungal endophytes affected the amount of time necessary for leaf‐cutter ants to cut, process, and plant leaf material in their fungal garden. It was found that ants took 30–43% longer to cut, carry, clean, and plant leaf tissue with high relative to low endophyte abundance, and that the ants responded similarly to leaf tissue with high or low endophyte diversity.3. It was further investigated whether the fungal cultivars' colonisation rate was greater on leaf material without fungal endophytes. No difference in the ants' cultivar colonisation rate on leaf tissue with high or low endophyte abundance was observed.
Fast waveform inversion without source‐encoding
Authors: van Leeuwen Tristan , Herrmann Felix J. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTRandomized source‐encoding has recently been proposed as a way to dramatically reduce the costs of full waveform inversion. The main idea is to replace all sequential sources by a small number of simultaneous sources. This introduces random cross‐talk in model updates and special stochastic optimization strategies are required to deal with this. Two problems arise with this approach: i) source‐encoding can only be applied to fixed‐spread acquisition setups and ii) stochastic optimization methods tend to converge very slowly, relying on averaging to suppress the cross‐talk. Although the slow convergence is partly off‐set by a low iteration cost, we show that conventional optimization strategies are bound to outperform stochastic methods in the long run. In this paper we argue that we do not need randomized source‐encoding to reap the benefits of stochastic optimization and we review an optimization strategy that combines the benefits of both conventional and stochastic optimization. The method uses a gradually increasing batch of sources. Thus, iterations are initially very cheap and this allows the method to make fast progress in the beginning. As the batch‐size grows, the method behaves like conventional optimization, allowing for fast convergence. Stylized numerical examples suggest that the stochastic and hybrid methods perform equally well with and without source‐encoding and that the hybrid method outperforms both conventional and stochastic optimization. The method does not rely on source‐encoding techniques and can thus be applied to marine data. We illustrate this on a realistic synthetic model.
In vitro rumen methane output of grasses and grass silages differing in fermentation characteristics using the gas‐production technique (GPT)
Authors: Navarro‐Villa A. , O'Brien M. , López S. , Boland T. M. , O'Kiely P. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe chemical composition of silage consumed by cattle can influence the subsequent rumen microbial fermentation patterns and methane (CH4) emissions. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the effect of ensilage on the in vitro rumen methane output of perennial ryegrass and (ii) relate the silage fermentation characteristics of grass silages with in vitro rumen methanogenesis. Three pre‐harvest herbage‐conditioning treatments and seven silage‐additive treatments were used in a laboratory‐scale silo experiment to produce a diversity of silage fermentation characteristics. Ensilage reduced (P < 0·01) the in vitro rumen CH4 output (mL CH4 g−1 dry matter (DM) disappeared). This reflected differences in the direction of rumen fermentation (lower acetic (P < 0·05) and higher propionic (P < 0·001) acid proportions in volatile fatty acids) rather than major changes in the extent of in vitro rumen fermentation (i.e. mmol VFA g−1 DM). The magnitude of the decrease in CH4 output (mL g−1 DM incubated) owing to ensilage increased as the extent of silage fermentation, and in particular the lactic acid concentration, increased. In contrast, among silages with relatively similar extents of silage fermentation (i.e. total fermentation products), an increase in the proportion of lactic acid in silage fermentation products led to a more extensive in vitro rumen fermentation and thus to a greater CH4 output (mL g−1 DM).
Hypovitaminosis D and osteopenia/osteoporosis in a haemophilia population: a study in HCV/HIV or HCV infected patients
Authors: Linari S. , Montorzi G. , Bartolozzi D. , Borderi M. , Melchiorre D. , Benelli M. , Morfini M. 
Published: July 2012

SummaryRecent reports show a correlation between haemophilia and osteoporosis. HIV, HCV and their treatments are independently associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D plays a pivotal role in bone mineralization. The aim of our study was to compare Vitamin D levels, bone metabolism markers and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with haemophilia with or without co‐infections. Seventy‐eight adult patients with severe or moderate haemophilia A or B were subdivided into three groups of 26 patients each (HIV‐HCV co‐infected, HCV mono‐infected and uninfected). The BMD was measured by dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) at both the femoral area (F) and lumbar spine (L). This was correlated to laboratory values and haemophilic arthropathy was assessed using validated clinical and radiological scores. The DXA showed a homogeneous F‐BMD reduction in all the three groups, whereas L‐BMD was significantly lower in co‐infected patients (P < 0.05). The clinical score was higher in co‐infected (P < 0.002) and mono‐infected (P < 0.006). The radiological score was higher in mono‐infected than in the other two groups (P < 0.001). Overall 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐OH Vit D) was reduced (87%). Bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase (b‐ALP) and telopeptide were increased in co‐infected (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01) and mono‐infected (P < 0.001 and P < 0.02). The result of the homogeneous F‐BMD reduction in all groups could be explained by the pivotal role of arthropathy; the lower L‐BMD in co‐infected and the increase of b‐ALP and telopeptide in co‐infected and mono‐infected groups suggest faster bone metabolism in case of infections.
Identification and characterization of an adenine to guanine transition within intron 10 of the factor VIII gene as a causative mutation in a patient with mild haemophilia A
Authors: Inaba H. , Koyama T. , Shinozawa K. , Amano K. , Fukutake K. 
Published: July 2012

SummaryHaemophilia A is caused by various genetic mutations in the factor VIII gene (F8). However, after conventional analysis, no candidate mutation could be identified in the F8 of about 2% of haemophilia A patients. The F8 of a patient with mild congenital haemophilia A, in whom no candidate mutation was found in the exons or their flanking regions, was analysed in detail to identify the patient's aetiological genetic abnormality. We also characterized anti‐FVIII antibody (inhibitor) development in this patient. Genomic DNA analysis revealed an adenine to guanine transition deep inside intron 10 (c.1478 + 325A>G) of F8 as a causative mutation. Analysis of the transcripts demonstrated that the majority of the patient's transcript was abnormal, with 226 bp of the intronic sequence inserted between exon 10 and 11. However, the analysis also indicated the existence of a small amount of normal transcript. Semi‐quantification of ectopic F8
mRNA showed that about one‐tenth of the normal mRNA level was present in the patient. After the use of a recombinant FVIII concentrate, the presence of an inhibitor was confirmed. The inhibitor was characterized as oligoclonal immunoglobulin IgG4 directed against both the A2 domain and light chain of the FVIII molecule with type I reaction kinetics of inhibition of FVIII activity. When no mutations are found by conventional analysis, deep intronic nucleotide substitutions may be responsible for mild haemophilia. The inhibitor development mechanism of the patient producing some normal FVIII was thought to be of interest.
Influence of clinical experience on the radiographic determination of endodontic working length
Authors: Alothmani O. S. , Friedlander L. T. , Monteith B. D. , Chandler N. P. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAimTo determine the influence of clinical experience on the accuracy and consistency of estimation of radiographic working length (WL) for the root canal treatment of single‐rooted teeth.MethodologyForty conventional WL periapical radiographs that included variations in file length were selected. They were digitally scanned and arranged in PowerPoint presentations on CDs. These were distributed to three assessor groups; fourth‐year undergraduates at two stages of training (Groups 1 and 2) and endodontic postgraduates (Group 3). Participants were asked to determine the adjustment needed in millimetres to position the file tip at the correct WL for each image. A gold standard file position was provided by three experienced endodontists. For inter‐group comparison of scores, the Kruskal–Wallis, ANOVA and post hoc Bonferroni tests were used. Evaluation of intra‐examiner consistency was with the Kappa test. To evaluate intra‐group consistency, the Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the frequency of weighted correct scorings.ResultsFile adjustments of Group 3 were significantly more accurate than those of Group 1 (P = 0.006). The scores of Group 3 were also better than those of Group 2, although the difference was not significant. When the scores of the undergraduate groups were compared, the difference was not statistically significant. The consistency of the groups was not affected by a 2‐week pause between assessments, and no definite pattern could be detected across any of the groups with the Kappa test.ConclusionClinical experience after graduation influenced the accuracy of estimating the adjustments needed for correct radiographic WL of single‐rooted teeth. The most experienced group was significantly more accurate than the other groups.
Ex vivo evaluation of the effects of several root canal preparation techniques and irrigation regimens on a mixed microbial infection
Authors: Nakamura V. C. , Cai S. , Candeiro G. T. M. , Ferrari P. H. , Caldeira C. L. , Gavini G. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAimTo assess the ex vivo effectiveness of the alternated use of 1% NaOCl and 15% citric acid in association with two instrumentation techniques for the disinfection of root canals infected with Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans.MethodologyEighty human mandibular premolars with straight, oval root canals standardized to 15 mm in length were infected with a mixed culture of E. faecalis and C. albicans for 28 days. Five other teeth were used as controls and were neither contaminated nor instrumented. Specimens were divided into two groups (n = 40), according to whether the canal preparation technique used manual (K‐type) or rotary (Protaper Universal) instruments. These groups were further divided into four subgroups (n = 10) according to the irrigation solution used: saline, 1% NaOCl, 1% NaOCl with alternated use of 15% citric acid and 5.25% NaOCl. Root canals were prepared with a crown‐down technique until a size 50 K‐file or with rotary preparation until an F5 instrument. Microbiological sampling was performed before (S1) and after (S2) the chemomechanical preparation, using sterile paper points. The specimens were split, and 0.02 g of dentine chips was collected from the root thirds to verify the presence of microorganisms in root canal walls.ResultsSaline and 1% NaOCl were less effective in reducing microorganisms compared with 1% NaOCl with alternated use of 15% citric acid or 5.25% NaOCl alone (P < 0.05). Both manual and rotary preparations significantly reduced microorganisms regardless of the irrigation solution used (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the canal preparation techniques (P > 0.05).ConclusionsIrrigation with 5.25% NaOCl and 1% NaOCl alternated with 15% citric acid reduced microorganisms in infected root canals significantly more than saline and 1% NaOCl.
Exploring conflict between caregiving and work for caregivers of elders with dementia: a cross‐sectional, correlational study
Authors: Wang Yu‐Nu , Shyu Yea‐Ing Lotus , Tsai Wen‐Che , Yang Pei‐Shan , Yao Grace 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAimTo report the moderating effects of work‐related conditions and interactive family‐care‐giving variables, including mutuality and preparedness, on caregiver role strain and mental health for family caregivers of patients with dementia.BackgroundFew studies have examined the interrelationships among caregivers' working conditions, care‐giving dynamics and caregiver well‐being.DesignCross‐sectional, correlational study.MethodsData were collected by self‐completed questionnaires from 176 primary family caregivers of patients with dementia in Taiwan from May 2005–January 2006. Caregiver role strain and mental health were analysed by multiple regressions using a hierarchical method to enter independent variables and two‐ and three‐way interaction terms after controlling for caregiver age and gender, employment status, and work flexibility and the simple effect of each independent variable.ResultsMore preparedness was associated with less role strain for family caregivers with less work/care‐giving conflict. More care‐giving demand was associated with poorer mental health only for caregivers with low work/care‐giving conflict and with average and low preparedness, but not high preparedness. For family caregivers with less work/care‐giving conflict, more preparedness decreased role strain and maintained mental health even when care‐giving demand was high.ConclusionThese results provide a knowledge base for understanding complex family caregiver phenomena and serve as a guide for developing interventions. Future studies with longitudinal follow‐ups are suggested to explore actual causal relationships.
General practitioners' views on perceived and actual gains, benefits and barriers associated with the implementation of an Australian health assessment for people with intellectual disability
Authors: Lennox N. G. , Brolan C. E. , Dean J. , Ware R. S. , Boyle F. M. , Taylor Gomez M. , van Dooren K. , Bain C. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBackground  Health assessments for people with intellectual disability have been implemented in the UK, New Zealand and Australia, and have led to improved health outcomes. The Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (CHAP) has been shown to improve the health of people with intellectual disability. Similar to other health assessments, it is designed to address healthcare needs, many of which are often overlooked in this population, through better communication between the general practitioner (GP), support worker and the person with intellectual disability. This study investigates GP views of the perceived and actual benefits, gains and barriers associated with its uptake and use in practice.Method  As part of a larger randomised controlled trial of the CHAP, 46 GPs in Queensland, Australia, completed two telephone interviews that included open‐ended questions about their perceptions of the health assessment. The GPs were enrolled in the intervention arm of the trial. Interviews took place at commencement and conclusion of the trial to gain the views of GPs as they experienced using the CHAP. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes and patterns from the GP responses.Results  Four themes were identified: better healthcare and uncertain benefits captured GP perceptions of the potential gains associated with use of the CHAP, while two further themes, organisational barriers in the general practice setting and engagement across the healthcare triad highlighted strengths and barriers related to implementation. Anticipated concerns about time raised by GPs at commencement of the trial were borne out in practice, but concerns about communication and cooperation of people with disabilities were not. Matters associated with support worker engagement emerged as an area of concern.Conclusions  GPs perceive the CHAP as a structured and comprehensive approach to the detection of medical problems as well as an aid in overcoming communication barriers between the doctor and the person with disability. Our findings suggest that some GPs may find it difficult to predict the benefits of using health assessments such as the CHAP. Achieving optimal uptake is likely to require attention at policy and systems levels to address: GP time constraints in providing healthcare to this population; enhancement of support worker training and organisational structures to encourage comprehensive health assessment and follow‐up activities; and GP awareness of the improved health outcomes shown to derive from the use of comprehensive health assessments.