bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification and characterization of a cis,trans‐mixed heptaprenyl diphosphate synthase from Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Kera Kota , Takahashi Seiji , Sutoh Tsuyoshi , Koyama Tanetoshi , Nakayama Toru 
Published: August 2012

In eukaryotes, dolichols (C70‐120) play indispensable roles as glycosyl carrier lipids in the biosynthesis of glycoproteins on endoplasmic reticulum. In addition to dolichols, seed plants have other types of Z,E‐mixed polyisoprenoids termed ficaprenol (tri‐trans,poly‐cis‐polyprenol, C45‐75) and betulaprenol (di‐trans,poly‐cis‐polyprenol, C30‐45 and C≥70) in abundance. However, the physiological significance of these polyprenols has not been elucidated because of limited information regarding cis‐prenyltransferases (cPTs) which catalyze the formation of the structural backbone of Z,E‐mixed polyisoprenoids. In the comprehensive identification and characterization of cPT homologues from Arabidopsis thaliana, AtHEPS was identified as a novel cis,trans‐mixed heptaprenyl diphosphate synthase. AtHEPS heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli catalyzed the formation of C35 polyisoprenoid as a major product, independent of the chain lengths of all‐trans allylic primer substrates. Kinetic analyses revealed that farnesyl diphosphate was the most favorable for AtHEPS among the allylic substrates tested suggesting that AtHEPS was responsible for the formation of C35 betulaprenol. AtHEPS partially suppressed the phenotypes of a yeast cPT mutant deficient in the biosynthesis of dolichols. Moreover, in A. thaliana cells, subcellular localization of AtHEPS on the endoplasmic reticulum was shown by using green fluorescent protein fused proteins. However, a cold‐stress‐inducible expression of AtHEPS suggested that AtHEPS and its product might function in response to abiotic stresses rather than in cell maintenance as a glycosyl carrier lipid on the endoplasmic reticulum.
Alpha‐Galactosidase A Activity Levels in Turkish Male Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Kalkan Uçar Sema , Sozmen Eser , Duman Soner , Başçi Ali , Çoker Mahmut 
Published: August 2012

AbstractFabry disease is an X‐linked lysosomal storage disorder due to deficient activity of alpha‐galactosidase A (α‐Gal A) leading to renal insufficiency in males. The aim of present study was to investigate the level of α‐Gal A activity and to determine the prevalence of Fabry disease in a Turkish male hemodialysis population. The activity of plasma α‐Gal A was measured in a group of 808 male hemodialysis patients using fluorimetric methods. Patients with low α‐Gal A activity were evaluated clinically and genetic testing was carried out. A correlation with creatinine, uric acid, urea, white blood cell (WBC), and high sensitivity (hs)CRP and α‐Gal A activity was also investigated. Plasma α‐Gal A activity among this male population undergoing hemodialysis was 7.88 ± 5.18 µM/hour/L (0.40–55.72), significantly lower when compared to controls. No influence of creatinine, uric acid, WBC, or hsCRP on measured α‐Gal A activity was reported. Two new Fabry disease patients were identified. Both were previously diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2. These findings provide, for the first time, data regarding the prevalence of α‐Gal A deficiency (0.24%) in Turkish males receiving hemodialysis.
Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Physical Activity Behavior Among Elementary School Personnel: Baseline Results from the ACTION! Worksite Wellness Program*
Authors: Webber Larry S. , Rice Janet C. , Johnson Carolyn C. , Rose Donald , Srinivasan Sathanur R. , Berenson Gerald S. 
Published: August 2012

BACKGROUND:Although the prevalence of obesity is increasing during adulthood, there have been few assessments of obesity, cardiovascular risk factors, and levels of physical activity among adult elementary school staff.METHODS:Data were collected from 745 African‐American and White female school personnel in a suburban school district in southeastern Louisiana as part of the baseline assessment before implementation of a program to improve eating and physical activity behaviors. Anthropometry, blood pressure, serum lipids and lipoproteins, and glucose were measured using established protocols. Physical activity was assessed by accelerometry.RESULTS:For both White and Black females, 30% were overweight (body mass index [BMI]) ≥25 kg/m2but <30 kg/m2). Whereas 37% of White females were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), 61% of the Black females were obese. There was a positive association between BMI and other cardiovascular risk factors except for high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, where the association was negative. The mean number of minutes of daily moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity was <1 minute per day and was lower for overweight and obese women than for normal weight women.CONCLUSIONS:School personnel in the study have adverse cardiovascular risk factors, including high rates of obesity and very low levels of physical activity. Because these individuals are often called upon to promote health for children, they are an important target population for wellness interventions.
The susceptibility ofPseudomonas spp. isolated from dogs with otitis to topical ear cleaners
Authors: Steen S. I. , Paterson S. 
Published: August 2012

ObjectiveTo investigate the in vitro efficacy of commercially available topical otic preparations (“ear cleaners”) againstPseudomonas spp. isolated from canine ear infections.MethodsBetween January and May 2011, 50 isolates that were morphologically and phenotypically confirmed asPseudomonas spp. were isolated from 48 dogs that had been identified with clinical signs of otitis externa and media at a referral dermatology clinic in the north west of the UK. The in vitro efficacy of eight different topical preparations against these isolates was investigated using an in‐agar inhibition test.ResultsOf the eight preparations tested, three showed consistently good in vitro activity againstPseudomonas spp., while a further three were consistently ineffective. For the remaining two ‐preparations, in vitro efficacy was variable and inconsistent.Clinical SignificanceTopical treatment with ear cleaners is considered to be a valuable adjunct in the treatment of canine otitis that involves multi‐antimicrobial‐resistant organisms such asPseudomonas spp. Where treatment with antimicrobials is not an option, the use of these preparations, as a sole form of therapy, may be effective in some cases. As a comparison with other similar studies looking at the activity of ear cleaners against bacterial isolates from otitis, this study uses isolates from 50 ears from 48 dogs providing a significant number of isolates for analysis.
Paleontology to policy: the Quaternary history of Southeast Asian tapirs (Tapiridae) in relation to large mammal species turnover, with a proposal for conservation of Malayan tapir by reintroduction to Borneo
Authors: CRANBROOK Earl of , PIPER Philip J. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractThe Southeast Asian zoogeographical region is divided into Indochinese, Sundaic and Philippine subregions. Two clades of tapirs, Tapirus spp., have been recognized in Quaternary Southeast Asia. A review of sites at which they occurred shows that representatives of both clades, one of which was the ancestral Malayan tapir Tapirus indicus, co‐existed with a diversity of other Pleistocene mammal megafauna. The process of replacement of archaic large mammals was progressive and prolonged through the Quaternary. Zooarcheological investigation has extended knowledge of the former occurrence and distribution of tapirs and other large mammals of the region, with discoveries beyond the outer limits of their previously known ranges. These large mammals were subjected to paleoenvironmental changes as a consequence of the Quaternary cycles of glacial and interglacial periods. Archeological evidence suggests that hunting pressure has intensified the effects of altered environments, leading ultimately to the local disappearance of the Malayan tapir in most of Southeast Asia, including Borneo. The survival of the Malayan tapir through the Quaternary until the present shows that the species is both resilient to environmental change and flexible in its ecological re'uirements and, given proper protection, could continue to inhabit tropical Southeast Asia. To assist the species conservation, reintroduction is proposed from the remaining range of Malayan tapir in the wild, to suitable sites of past occurrence in Borneo, where these ancient survivors of the Quaternary megafauna can be accommodated and safeguarded alongside other forms of land usage.
Observations on Degenerative Changes Within the Optic Nerve in Patients With Primary Open Glaucoma and Arterial Hypertension: 6‐Month Follow‐Up
Authors: Krasińska Beata , Banach Maciej , Karolczak‐Kulesza Małgorzata , Krasiński Zbigniew , Głuszek Jerzy , Tykarski Andrzej 
Published: August 2012

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012;14:701–710. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.The authors aimed to determine the effect of the time of hypotensive drug administration on the progress of degenerative changes within the optic nerve in patients with hypertension and glaucoma. Two groups were included in the study: group A comprised patients‐dippers taking drugs in the mornings, and group B comprised patients‐nondippers taking drugs both in the mornings and in the evenings. After 6 months, group B showed significant drops in nocturnal diastolic blood pressure (BP) (month 1=73.27 mm Hg vs month 6=67.50 mm Hg), nocturnal mean BP (89.34 vs 84.65 mm Hg), and minimum diastolic BP (50.74 vs 44.03 mm Hg). Group B also showed significant reductions in nocturnal ocular perfusion pressure (43.0 vs 39.73), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (131.31 vs 113.12 μm), and flow in the eye vessels. Taking hypotensive drugs in the evening may significantly decrease blood flow in the eye arteries, cause degenerative changes within the optic nerves, and result in greater loss in the field of vision.
Role of Single‐Pill Combination Therapy in Optimizing Blood Pressure Control in High‐Risk Hypertension Patients and Management of Treatment‐Related Adverse Events
Authors: Abdellatif Abdul Ali 
Published: August 2012

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012;14:718–726. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors in combination with other antihypertensive drugs (eg, calcium channel blockers [CCBs] and/or diuretics) are a preferred treatment option for managing uncontrolled hypertension in high‐risk patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes, or heart failure because RAAS inhibitors provide cardiorenal benefits in addition to lowering blood pressure (BP). However, when prescribing antihypertensive therapies to high‐risk patients, physicians must be aware of the risks of treatment‐related adverse events of hyperkalemia and peripheral edema associated with RAAS inhibitors and CCBs, respectively. This review discusses the use of single‐pill combination antihypertensive therapy to optimize BP control in high‐risk patients with CKD, diabetes, and/or heart failure and provides strategies for preventing and managing hyperkalemia and peripheral edema in this group. Single‐pill combination therapy can utilize different classes of antihypertensive drugs to reduce BP while mitigating the risks of treatment‐related adverse events, reducing pill burden, lowering medical cost, and improving patient compliance.
Learning in Place: Immigrants' Spatial and Temporal Strategies for Occupational Advancement
Authors: Iskander Natasha , Riordan Christine , Lowe Nichola 
Published: August 2012

abstractStudies of low‐wage workers have long recognized the role of space in mediating access to employment. Significantly less attention has been paid to the ways in which space informs workers' ability to develop the attributes that would make them more employable. In this article, we address this gap through an examination of how immigrant workers use the relative spatial organization of residence and production to cultivate the skills that enable them to shift out of low‐wage occupations. We also argue that workers' spatial job market strategies have an important, but often overlooked, temporal aspect: workers use space over time not only to shape their access to jobs but also to create breathing room for learning skills that enable them to improve their employment trajectories over the long term. Drawing on a multiyear ethnographic study of Mexican immigrants in downtown Philadelphia, we show that immigrant workers used the functional proximity among the restaurant industry, small‐scale residential construction work pertaining to housing renovation, and the neighborhoods where they lived to develop skill sets that enabled them to shift into higher‐wage construction jobs. In essence, these workers knitted together two seemingly separate industries, such that they could use their employment time in one for learning in and about the other. Our study suggests that interventions that curtail immigrants' mobility may have implications that are far more serious than limiting immediate access to jobs: these measures may undercut immigrants' strategies for developing the skills required for long‐term occupational mobility and advancement.
The association between positive outcome expectancies and avoidance in predicting the outcome of cognitive behavioural therapy for major depressive disorder
Authors: Renaud Jesse , Russell Jennifer J. , Myhr Gail 
Published: August 2012

Objectives: Although cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an empirically supported treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), individual differences in the effectiveness of CBT have been observed. Preliminary evidence suggests that positive outcome expectancies for treatment predict better therapy outcomes (Constantino, Arnkoff, Glass, & Smith, 2011); however, researchers have not examined whether avoidance, an important predictor of depressive symptoms (Ottenbreit & Dobson, 2004), may play an important role in this association. In the present study, we examined whether the association between positive outcome expectancies and therapy outcome is associated with patients' levels of avoidance.Design: Data were collected as part of a prospective, longitudinal study.Methods: The sample consisted of 51 patients diagnosed with MDD who underwent CBT. Prior to treatment, clinicians rated patients on their levels of avoidance and positive outcome expectancies. A self‐report rating of positive outcome expectancies was also obtained, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI‐II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) was completed pre‐ and post‐treatment. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between positive outcome expectancies and avoidance for predicting changes in depressive symptoms after CBT.Results: For patients with lower levels of positive outcome expectancies, lower levels of avoidance predicted greater improvement after CBT and higher levels of avoidance predicted poorer treatment outcomes.Conclusions: These findings suggest that the impact that lower positive outcome expectancies have on therapy outcome can be attenuated if patients do not avoid dealing with emotionally difficult material in session.Practitioner Points

The detrimental effects of lower positive outcome expectancies for therapy may be lessened in patients who do not demonstrate avoidance at the outset of therapy.

Clinicians’ early reinforcement of patient engagement in therapy may help patients increase their positive outcome expectancies for treatment.

The importance of avoidance and lower positive outcome expectancies has only been examined in patients referred for cognitive behavioural therapy in a University Teaching Unit and the findings may not apply to other psychotherapies in other contexts.

The interaction between avoidance and positive outcome expectancies has only been examined in patients with major depressive disorder and the findings may not extend to patients with other psychological disorders.
A cryptic BAP1 splice mutation in a family with uveal and cutaneous melanoma, and paraganglioma
Authors: Wadt Karin , Choi Jiyeon , Chung Joon‐Yong , Kiilgaard Jens , Heegaard Steffen , Drzewiecki Krzysztof T. , Trent Jeffrey M. , Hewitt Stephen M. , Hayward Nicholas K. , Gerdes Anne‐Marie , Brown Kevin M. 
Published: August 2012

SummaryInactivating germ line BRCA1‐associated protein‐1 (BAP1) mutations have recently been reported in families with uveal or cutaneous malignant melanoma (UMM, CMM), mesothelioma, and meningioma. Although apparently predisposing to a wide range of tumors, the exact tumor spectrum associated with germ line BAP1 mutations has yet to be established. Here, we report a novel germ line BAP1 splice mutation, c.1708C>G (p.Leu570fs*40), in a multiple‐case Danish UMM family with a spectrum of other tumors. Whole‐exome sequencing identified an apparent missense mutation of BAP1 in UMM, CMM, as well as paraganglioma, breast cancer, and suspected mesothelioma cases in the family. Bioinformatic analysis and splicing assays demonstrated that this mutation creates a strong cryptic splice donor, resulting in aberrant splicing and a truncating frameshift of the BAP1 transcript. Somatic loss of the wild‐type allele was also confirmed in the UMM and paraganglioma tumors. Our findings further support BAP1 as a melanoma susceptibility gene and extend the potential predisposition spectrum to paraganglioma.
Heligmosmoides polygyrus fourth stages induce protection against DSS‐induced colitis and change opioid expression in the intestine
Authors: DONSKOW‐ŁYSONIEWSKA K. , MAJEWSKI P. , BRODACZEWSKA K. , JÓŹWICKA K. , DOLIGALSKA M. 
Published: August 2012

SummaryPrimary exposure of mice to the nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus infection reduces inflammation in an experimental model of colitis. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate whether the reduced inflammation provoked by H. polygyrus L4 larvae in BALB/c mice treated with dextran sulphate sodium is associated with changed expression of opioids in the small intestine and colon. Colitis was induced by 5% Dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) oral administration for 3 days before oral infection with 200 infective larvae (L3) H. polygyrus until the end of the experiment, 6 days post‐infection. Clinical disease symptoms were monitored daily. The expressions of proopiomelanocortin POMC1, MOR1 (Oprm1) – opioid receptor and β‐endorphin were determined by RT‐PCR, Western blot and immunoassay, respectively, in the colon and small intestine of mice. RT‐PCR analysis of colon tissues showed up‐regulation of the expression of POMC and MOR1 opioid‐dependent genes in mice with DSS‐induced colitis. H. polygyrus L4 larvae inhibited DSS‐induced colitis symptoms that were correlated with increased IL‐1β, TNF‐α, IL‐6, myeloperoxidase (MPO) concentration, macrophages infiltration and MOR1, POMC and β‐endorphin increased expression in the small intestine and inhibition of those in the colon.
Neurocardiac dysregulation and neurogenic arrhythmias in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease
Authors: Kiriazis Helen , Jennings Nicole L. , Davern Pamela , Lambert Gavin , Su Yidan , Pang Terence , Du Xin , La Greca Luisa , Head Geoffrey A. , Hannan Anthony J. , Du Xiao‐Jun 
Published: August 2012

Key points
Heart disease has been attributed as a major cause of death in patients with Huntington's disease (HD). While little is known about cardiac complication(s) in HD, dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) may play a role.
Using a mouse model of HD, we demonstrated that even from an early HD phase, there was enhanced sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous activities, leading to an unstable heart beat, various arrhythmias and, ultimately, sudden arrhythmic death.
Greater numbers of active neurons were found in brain regions important for autonomic regulation in HD mice, suggesting a centrally mediated mechanism that was underlying the ANS‐cardiac dysfunction.
Our findings provide insight into a likely neurocardiac cause of death in HD, and warrant further clinical investigation.
Abstract  Huntington's disease (HD) is a heritable neurodegenerative disorder, with heart disease implicated as one major cause of death. While the responsible mechanism remains unknown, autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction may play a role. We studied the cardiac phenotype in R6/1 transgenic mice at early (3 months old) and advanced (7 months old) stages of HD. While exhibiting a modest reduction in cardiomyocyte diameter, R6/1 mice had preserved baseline cardiac function. Conscious ECG telemetry revealed the absence of 24‐h variation of heart rate (HR), and higher HR levels than wild‐type littermates in young but not older R6/1 mice. Older R6/1 mice had increased plasma level of noradrenaline (NA), which was associated with reduced cardiac NA content. R6/1 mice also had unstable R–R intervals that were reversed following atropine treatment, suggesting parasympathetic nervous activation, and developed brady‐ and tachyarrhythmias, including paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and sudden death. c‐Fos immunohistochemistry revealed greater numbers of active neurons in ANS‐regulatory regions of R6/1 brains. Collectively, R6/1 mice exhibit profound ANS‐cardiac dysfunction involving both sympathetic and parasympathetic limbs, that may be related to altered central autonomic pathways and lead to cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death.
MODELING OF PARTICLE SIZE SEGREGATION: CALIBRATION USING THE DISCRETE PARTICLE METHOD
Authors: THORNTON ANTHONY , WEINHART THOMAS , LUDING STEFAN , BOKHOVE ONNO 
Published: August 2012

Over the last 25 years a lot of work has been undertaken on constructing continuum models for segregation of particles of different sizes. We focus on one model that is designed to predict segregation and remixing of two differently sized particle species. This model contains two dimensionless parameters: Sr, a measure of the segregation rate, and Dr, a measure of the strength of diffusion. These, in general, depend on both flow and particle properties and one of the weaknesses of the model is that these dependencies are not predicted. They have to be determined by either experiments or simulations. We present steady-state, periodic, chute-flow simulations using the discrete particle method (DPM) for several bi-disperse systems with different size ratios. The aim is to determine one parameter in the continuum model, i.e. the segregation Péclet number (ratio of the segregation rate to diffusion, Sr/Dr) as a function of the particle size ratio. Reasonable agreement is found; but, also measurable discrepancies are reported; mainly, in the simulations a thick pure phase of large particles is formed at the top of the flow. Additionally, it was found that the Péclet number increases linearly with the size ratio for low values, but saturates to a value of approximately 7.7.