bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
α-Galactosylceramide Promotes Killing ofListeria monocytogeneswithin the Macrophage Phagosome through Invariant NKT-Cell Activation
Authors: Emoto Masashi , Yoshida Tomomi , Fukuda Toshio , Kawamura Ikuo , Mitsuyama Masao , Kita Eiji , Hurwitz Robert , Kaufmann Stefan H. E. , Emoto Yoshiko 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTα-Galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) has been exploited for the treatment of microbial infections. Although amelioration of infection by α-GalCer involves invariant natural killer T (iNKT)-cell activation, it remains to be determined whether macrophages (Mφ) participate in the control of microbial pathogens. In the present study, we examined the participation of Mφ in immune intervention in infection by α-GalCer using a murine model of listeriosis. Phagocytic and bactericidal activities of peritoneal Mφ from C57BL/6 mice, but not iNKT cell-deficient mice, were enhanced after intraperitoneal injection of α-GalCer despite the absence of iNKT cells in the peritoneal cavity. High levels of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and nitric oxide (NO) were detected in the peritoneal cavities of mice treated with α-GalCer and in culture supernatants of peritoneal Mφ from mice treated with α-GalCer, respectively. Although enhanced bactericidal activity of peritoneal Mφ by α-GalCer was abrogated by endogenous IFN-γ neutralization, this was only marginally affected by NO inhibition. Similar results were obtained by using a listeriolysin O-deficient strain ofListeria monocytogenes. Moreover, respiratory burst in Mφ was increased after α-GalCer treatment. Our results suggest that amelioration of listeriosis by α-GalCer is, in part, caused by enhanced killing ofL. monocytogeneswithin phagosomes of Mφ activated by IFN-γ from iNKT cells residing in an organ(s) other than the peritoneal cavity.
Biological Characterization ofChlamydia trachomatisPlasticity Zone MACPF Domain Family Protein CT153
Authors: Taylor Lacey D. , Nelson David E. , Dorward David W. , Whitmire William M. , Caldwell Harlan D. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTChlamydia trachomatisstrains are obligate intracellular human pathogens that share near genomic synteny but have distinct infection and disease organotropisms. The genetic basis for differences in the pathogen-host relationship among chlamydial strains is linked to a variable region of chlamydial genomes, termed the plasticity zone (PZ). Two groups of PZ-encoded proteins, the membrane attack complex/perforin (MACPF) domain protein (CT153) and members of the phospholipase D-like (PLD) family, are related to proteins that modify membranes and lipids, but the functions of CT153 and the PZ PLDs (pzPLDs) are unknown. Here, we show that full-length CT153 (p91) was present in the elementary bodies (EBs) of 15C. trachomatisreference strains. CT153 underwent a rapid infection-dependent proteolytic cleavage into polypeptides of 57 and 41 kDa that was independent ofde novochlamydial protein synthesis. Following productive infection, p91 was expressed during the mid-developmental cycle and was similarly processed into p57 and p41 fragments. Infected-cell fractionation studies showed that insoluble fractions contained p91, p57, and p41, whereas only p91 was found in the soluble fraction, indicating that unprocessed CT153 may be secreted. Finally, CT153 localized to a distinct population of reticulate bodies, some of which were in contact with the inclusion membrane.
Chlamydia pneumoniae
Infection in Polarized Epithelial Cell Lines
Authors: Törmäkangas Liisa , Markkula Eveliina , Lounatmaa Kari , Puolakkainen Mirja 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

We set up a polarized cell culture model to study the pathogenicity of a common respiratory tract pathogen,
Chlamydia pneumoniae
. Immunofluorescence staining of ZO-1 (a tight junction protein) and Na
+
K
+
ATPase (a protein pump localized at the basolateral membrane in the polarized epithelial cells), as well as TER measurements, suggested that the filter-grown Calu-3 cells, but not the A549 cells, were polarized when grown on collagen-coated membranes. Both the flat and the filter-grown cultures were infected with
C. pneumoniae
. Infection in the polarized Calu-3 cultures produced more
C. pneumoniae
genome equivalents than infection in the flat cultures. However, this progeny was not as infective as that in the flat cultures. The maximum amount of
C. pneumoniae
was detected at 6 days postinfection in the filter-grown A549 cells, indicating a slower developmental cycle than that observed in the flat A549 cultures. The effect of cycloheximide on the growth of
C. pneumoniae
in the polarized cells was negligible. Furthermore, the infection in the polarized Calu-3 cells was resistant to doxycycline, and several cytokines were released mainly on the apical side of the polarized cells in response to
C. pneumoniae
infection. These findings indicate that the growth of chlamydiae was altered in the filter-grown epithelial culture system. The diminished production of infective progeny of
C. pneumoniae
, together with the resistance to doxycycline and polarized secretion of cytokines from the infected Calu-3 cells, suggests that this model is useful for examining epithelial cell responses to
C. pneumoniae
infection, and it might better resemble
in vivo
infection in respiratory epithelial cells.
New Automated Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Core Antigen Assay as an Alternative to Real-Time PCR for HCV RNA Quantification
Authors: Park Yongjung , Lee Jong-Han , Kim Beom Seok , Kim Do Young , Han Kwang-Hyub , Kim Hyon-Suk 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

An automated hepatitis C virus (HCV) antigen (Ag) assay was evaluated with clinical samples. Determination of HCV Ag and RNA levels in 282 subjects using Abbott HCV Ag and Roche Cobas
Taq
Man assays revealed that these two tests were highly correlated (
r
= 0.9464). Thus, the HCV Ag assay could be an alternative test to quantitative reverse transcription-PCR.
High Prevalence of Dihydropteroate Synthase Mutations in
Pneumocystis jirovecii
Isolated from Patients with
Pneumocystis
Pneumonia in South Africa
Authors: Dini Leigh , du Plessis Mignon , Frean John , Fernandez Victor 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

Pneumocystis jirovecii
pneumonia (PCP) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Sulfa-containing drugs are used for the treatment and prophylaxis of PCP. Mutations in the
P. jirovecii fas
gene, which encodes dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS), are associated with prior exposure to sulfa drugs, and their appearance suggests the emergence of variants with reduced sulfa susceptibility. The present study examined the prevalence of DHPS mutations in
P. jirovecii
strains isolated from South African patients with PCP.
P. jirovecii
infection was investigated by immunofluorescence microscopy and quantitative real-time PCR with respiratory specimens from 712 patients (93% of whom were >15 years of age) with suspected PCP consecutively received for the detection of
P. jirovecii
over 1 year. PCR amplification and sequencing of the DHPS
fas
gene was attempted with DNA from the
P. jirovecii
-positive samples.
P. jirovecii
infection was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy in 168/712 (24%) of the patients. Carriage of the fungus was revealed by real-time PCR in 17% of the patients with negative microscopy results. The
P. jirovecii fas
gene was successfully amplified from specimens from 151 patients and sequenced. Mutations resulting in the Thr55Ala and/or Pro57Ser amino acid substitution were detected in
P. jirovecii
strains from 85/151 (56%) patients. The high frequency of PCP episodes with
P. jirovecii
harboring DHPS mutations in South Africa indicates that populations of this fungus are evolving under the considerable selective pressure exerted by sulfa-containing antibiotics. These results, similar to previous observations of sulfa drug resistance in bacterial populations, underscore the importance of the rational use of sulfa medications either prophylactically against PCP or for the treatment of other infections.
Improved Detection of Lassa Virus by Reverse Transcription-PCR Targeting the 5′ Region of S RNA
Authors: Ölschläger Stephan , Lelke Michaela , Emmerich Petra , Panning Marcus , Drosten Christian , Hass Meike , Asogun Danny , Ehichioya Deborah , Omilabu Sunday , Günther Stephan 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT
The method of choice for the detection of Lassa virus is reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. However, the high degree of genetic variability of the virus poses a problem with the design of RT-PCR assays that will reliably detect all strains. Recently, we encountered difficulties in detecting some strains from Liberia and Nigeria in a commonly used glycoprotein precursor (GPC) gene-specific RT-PCR assay (A. H. Demby, J. Chamberlain, D. W. Brown, and C. S. Clegg, J. Clin. Microbiol. 32:2898-2903, 1994), which prompted us to revise the protocol. The design of the new assay, the GPC RT-PCR/2007 assay, took into account 62 S RNA sequences from all countries where Lassa fever is endemic, including 40 sequences generated from the strains in our collection. The analytical sensitivity of the new assay was determined with 11 strains from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria by probit analysis; the viral loads detectable with a probability of 95% ranged from 342 to 2,560 S RNA copies/ml serum, which corresponds to 4 to 30 S RNA copies/assay. The GPC RT-PCR/2007 assay was validated with 77 serum samples and 1 cerebrospinal fluid sample from patients with laboratory-confirmed Lassa fever. The samples mainly originated from Liberia and Nigeria and included strains difficult to detect in the assay of 1994. The GPC RT-PCR/2007 assay detected virus in all clinical specimens (100% sensitivity). In conclusion, a new RT-PCR assay, based in part on the protocol developed by Demby et al. in 1994, for the detection of Lassa virus is described. Compared to the assay developed in 1994, the GPC RT-PCR/2007 assay offers improved sensitivity for the detection of Liberian and Nigerian Lassa virus strains.
Short-Term Effect of Acupuncture on Intraocular Pressure in Healthy Subjects
Authors: Meira-Freitas Daniel , Cariello Angelino Julio , Vita Ruth Cardoso , Tabosa Ângela , Melo Luiz Alberto S 
Published: March 2010

Purpose To evaluate the short-term effect of acupuncture on the intraocular pressure (IOP) in healthy subjects. Methods A randomised controlled double-blinded trial was performed. 48 healthy volunteers (94 eyes) were randomly allocated to three groups: acupuncture group—19 subjects (38 eyes) were submitted to a 20 min session of acupuncture (GB1, GB14 and BL1); sham group—14 subjects (27 eyes) were submitted to a 20 min session of acupuncture with needles inserted in false points; and control group—15 subjects (29 eyes) who underwent no intervention. All subjects had the IOP measured by a masked investigator using Goldmann applanation tonometry immediately before intervention, as well as 20 min and 24 h after. Results The mean (SD) IOP in the acupuncture group was 17.9 (3.3) mm Hg at baseline, 16.4 (3.9) mm Hg at 20 min and 16.3 (3.3) mm Hg at 24 h. The mean (SD) IOP in the sham group was 18.6 (3.3) mm Hg at baseline, 17.7 (2.6) mm Hg at 20 min and 15.9 (3.6) mm Hg at 24 h. The mean (SD) IOP in the control group was 16.9 (3.5) mm Hg at baseline, 16.5 (3.8) mm Hg at 20 min and 15.8 (3.3) mm Hg at 24 h. There was no statistically significant difference in the IOP variation (post-intervention minus baseline measurements) between groups after 20 min (p=0.13) and 24 h (p=0.21). Conclusion Acupuncture in the studied points did not produce significant short-term effect on the IOP of healthy individuals in comparison with control groups. Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT00639977
Electroacupuncture Therapy for Arthralgia and Raynaud's Phenomenon in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Donoyama Nozomi , Ohkoshi Norio 
Published: March 2010

A 45-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus presented with multiple arthralgia, coldness in fingers and toes, and Raynaud's phenomenon. Electroacupuncture (EA) therapy was performed in two courses (14 treatment sessions) 1 month apart. A needle was inserted in the proximal (or medial) side of the painful joint and another needle was inserted in the distal (or lateral) side of the same joint and a 50 Hz stimulus was applied (3 s bursts with 1 s gaps) for 15 min. A visual analogue scale was used to evaluate pain intensity. Cold provocation testing was conducted before and after EA sessions to determine the vasomotor response. Visual analogue scale scores were lower after EA sessions than before. Before starting EA, the skin temperature of the right mid fingertip was 27.9°C and that of the left mid fingertip was 28.3°C. In contrast, after the EA sessions, the skin temperature of the right mid fingertip was 34.8°C and that of the left mid fingertip was 34.7°C. In the last EA session, the patient reported that the cold in her fingers and toes had eased and Raynaud's phenomenon, in which nail colour tone changed from white to red, had disappeared. In the cold-provocation test, before EA, the temperature recovery rates of mid fingertips after cold exposure reached over 80% in 20 min. In contrast, after EA had been completed, the temperature recovery rate exceeded 80% in 10 min, thus the delay of temperature recovery was alleviated.
Introducing a professional development framework for postgraduate medical supervisors in secondary care: considerations, constraints and challenges
Authors: Swanwick Tim , McKimm Judy , Clarke Robert 
Published: March 2010

Abstract

Purpose of study
As the duration of postgraduate training becomes shorter, direct patient contact time is reduced, and supervision becomes more distributed, there is a move to ‘professionalise’ postgraduate medical education. This paper reports an initiative in one postgraduate training institution (the London Deanery) to develop and introduce a developmental framework and system of portfolio-based review of educational supervisors in the secondary care setting.

Study design
16 acute, mental health, foundation and primary-care Trusts participated in a pilot project, which was subsequently evaluated using focus groups and a semistructured questionnaire.

Results
Thematic analysis of transcripts identified a number of considerations, constraints and challenges, important observations given the current policy intention of the UK health departments to introduce mandatory training and performance review for educational supervisors.

Conclusion
This pilot study shows that such a process can be implemented at local level if facilitated by a clear and unambiguous developmental framework that can be applied flexibly across all specialities. Systems of review also need to be simple and straightforward, take into account existing appraisal processes, and simultaneously address issues of motivation, recognition and reward.
Clinical experience of methotrexate in Crohn’s disease: response, safety and monitoring of treatment
Authors: Parker Richard , Dixit Anyinda , Fraser Aileen , Creed Tom J , Probert Chris S 
Published: March 2010

Abstract

Background
Methotrexate is an immunosuppressant used in the treatment of patients with Crohn’s disease who are intolerant or refractory to azathioprine.

Aim
To present clinical experience in terms of response, side effects and reason for cessation of methotrexate treatment as well as adherence to monitoring regimens.

Design
Retrospective review of case records of 37 patients taking methotrexate for Crohn’s disease at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, a large UK teaching hospital. Thirty-five patients used oral methotrexate.

Results
Response rate to methotrexate was 78% at 3 months. Adverse events were uncommon and rarely dangerous. Monitoring of treatment did not adhere to British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines.

Conclusion
Oral methotrexate is effective and safe in the treatment of Crohn’s disease. This is in contrast to findings of previous series, which have mainly reported on intramuscular methotrexate use. Monitoring of treatment is currently inadequate and consensus should be sought for a pragmatic monitoring schedule to resolve this important governance issue.
Malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction: pathophysiology, diagnosis and management
Authors: Treadwell Sean D , Thanvi Bhomraj 
Published: March 2010

Abstract
‘Malignant MCA infarction’ is the term used to describe rapid neurological deterioration due to the effects of space occupying cerebral oedema following middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory stroke. Early neurological decline and symptoms such as headache and vomiting should alert the clinician to this syndrome, supported by radiological evidence of cerebral oedema and mass effect in the context of large hemispheric infarction. The prognosis is generally poor, and death usually occurs as a result of transtentorial herniation and brainstem compression. Treatment options include general measures and pharmacological agents to limit the extent of oedema, and surgical decompression to relieve the pressure effects. Until recently there has been little evidence to guide appropriate treatment, though in the last few years randomised data have been published addressing the role of surgical decompression. A pooled analysis of three European randomised controlled trials suggests that hemicraniectomy performed within 48 h significantly reduces mortality, and improves functional outcome in selected patients, and this has been reflected in recent national guidelines.
REACTIVE SELF COLLISION AVOIDANCE WITH DYNAMIC TASK PRIORITIZATION FOR HUMANOID ROBOTS
Authors: SUGIURA HISASHI , GIENGER MICHAEL , JANßEN HERBERT , GOERICK CHRISTIAN 
Published: March 2010

We propose a self collision avoidance system for humanoid robots designed for interacting with the real world. It protects not only the humanoid robots' hardware but also expands its working range while keeping smooth motions. It runs in real-time in order to handle unpredictable reactive tasks such as reaching to moving targets tracked by vision during dynamic motions like e.g. biped walking. The collision avoidance is composed of two important elements. The first element is reactive self collision avoidance which controls critical segments in only one direction — as opposed to other methods which use 3D position control. The virtual force for the collision avoidance is applied to this direction and therefore the system has more redundant degrees of freedom which can be used for other criteria. The other second element is a dynamic task prioritization scheme which blends the priority between target reaching and collision avoidance motions in a simple way. The priority between the two controllers is changed depending on current risk. We test the algorithm on our humanoid robot ASIMO and works while the robot is standing and walking. Reaching motions from the front to the side of the body without the arm colliding with the body are possible. Even if the target is inside the body, the arm stops at the closest point to the target outside the body. The collision avoidance is working as one module of a hierarchical reactive system and realizes reactive motions. The proposed scheme can be used for other applications: We also apply it to realizing a body schema and occlusion avoidance.
Spatial Variability of Sea Level Rise in Twenty-First Century Projections
Authors: Yin Jianjun , Griffies Stephen M. , Stouffer Ronald J. 
Published: March 2010

Abstract
A set of state-of-the-science climate models are used to investigate global sea level rise (SLR) patterns induced by ocean dynamics in twenty-first-century climate projections. The identified robust features include bipolar and bihemisphere seesaws in the basin-wide SLR, dipole patterns in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, and a beltlike pattern in the Southern Ocean. The physical and dynamical mechanisms that cause these patterns are investigated in detail using version 2.1 of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) Coupled Model (CM2.1). Under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B scenario, the steric sea level changes relative to the global mean (the local part) in different ocean basins are attributed to differential heating and salinity changes of various ocean layers and associated physical processes. As a result of these changes, water tends to move from the ocean interior to continental shelves. In the North Atlantic, sea level rises north of the Gulf Stream but falls to the south. The dipole pattern is induced by a weakening of the meridional overturning circulation. This weakening leads to a local steric SLR east of North America, which drives more waters toward the shelf, directly impacting northeastern North America. An opposite dipole occurs in the North Pacific. The dynamic SLR east of Japan is linked to a strong steric effect in the upper ocean and a poleward expansion of the subtropical gyre. In the Southern Ocean, the beltlike pattern is dominated by the baroclinic process during the twenty-first century, while the barotropic response of sea level to wind stress anomalies is significantly delayed.
Optimal Detection of Regional Trends Using Global Data
Authors: Leroy Stephen S. , Anderson James G. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractA complete accounting of model uncertainty in the optimal detection of climate signals requires normalization of the signals produced by climate models; however, there is not yet a well-defined rule for the normalization. This study seeks to discover such a rule. The authors find that, to arrive at the equations of optimal detection from a general application of Bayesian statistics to the problem of climate change, it is necessary to assume that 1) the prior probability density function (PDF) for climate change is separable into independent PDFs for sensitivity and the signals’ spatiotemporal patterns; 2) postfit residuals are due to internal variability and are normally distributed; 3) the prior PDF for sensitivity is uninformative; and 4) a continuum of climate models used to estimate model uncertainty gives a normally distributed PDF for the spatiotemporal patterns for the climate signals. This study also finds that the rule for normalization of the signals’ patterns is a simple division of model-simulated climate change in any observable quantity or set of quantities by a change in a single quantity of interest such as regionally averaged temperature or precipitation. With this normalization, optimal detection yields the most probable estimates of the underlying changes in the region of interest due to external forcings. Data outside the region of interest add information that effectively suppresses the interannual fluctuations associated with internal climate variability.