bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of using different laboratory assays to detect human leukocyte antigen antibodies in female blood donors
Authors: Lopes Larissa B. , Fabron‐Jr Antonio , Chiba Akemi K. , Ruiz Marcelo O. , Bordin José O. 
Published: December 2009

BACKGROUND: HLA antibodies passively transferred to transfused recipients may cause transfusion reactions such as transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI), but in many of the reported TRALI incidents, no white blood cell antibodies have been identified. We investigated whether a higher number of anti‐HLA would be detected in donor's plasma by using a method with potential higher sensitivity rate.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Sera from 300 previously pregnant female blood donors were screened for anti‐HLA using a solid‐phase mixed‐antigen assay (enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]). Samples from 60 women with three or more pregnancies with a negative ELISA were further tested using microbead‐flow assays (LABScreen mixed, panel‐reactive antibodies [PRA], and single antigen).RESULTS: Anti‐HLA Class I and/or Class II were detected by ELISA in 26.7% (80/300) of all women and in 37.0% (37/100) of women with three or more pregnancies. The LABScreen assays detected additional anti‐HLA specificities (44 Class I and 17 Class II) in 28.3% (17/60) of ELISA‐negative donors with three or more pregnancies. HLA antibodies were detected in 8.3% (5/60), 18.3% (11/60), and 21.7% (13/60) of ELISA‐negative women by LABScreen mixed, PRA, or single antigen, respectively.CONCLUSION: Our data showed that the microbead‐flow detected more HLA antibodies than ELISA, but the clinical significance of these antibodies is currently unknown. Detecting anti‐HLA is useful for donor management and could contribute to the decision to definitively defer blood donors involved in TRALI incidents. However, further studies are necessary to better determinate the relative risk of TRALI induced by anti‐HLA detected only by techniques with higher sensitivity rate.
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura at the Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1992 to 2008: clinical outcomes and risk factors for relapse
Authors: Zhan Huichun , Streiff Michael B. , King Karen E. , Segal Jodi B. 
Published: December 2009

BACKGROUND: Plasma exchange, the standard treatment for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), has significantly decreased disease mortality. However, TTP recurs in 20% to 50% of patients who survive the initial episode. We aimed to describe the clinical spectrum of TTP, to determine the valid endpoint for plasma exchange cessation, and to explore the risk factors for disease relapse.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Using the ICD‐9 diagnosis code, we identified patients treated for TTP at the Johns Hopkins Hospital between 1992 and 2008. Complete demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were collected from the medical records.RESULTS: A total of 72 patients were treated for 134 episodes of TTP at the Johns Hopkins Hospital during the study period. With standardized combined immunosuppression and plasma exchange treatment, the all‐cause mortality rate was 4%. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) normalization lagged behind platelet (PLT) recovery by an average of 9 days and did not predict response. Relapse occurred in 36% of patients during a median follow‐up of 30 months with most (76%) occurring in the first 24 months. African American ethnicity was associated with increased risk of relapse (odds ratio = 4.8, p = 0.03).CONCLUSIONS: Excellent outcomes in patients with TTP are achievable with multimodality therapy. LDH normalization lags behind PLT recovery and might not be an informative endpoint for plasma exchange cessation. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm the influence of race on relapse and identify additional risk factors for adverse outcomes that could be targeted to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients with TTP.
Prolonged elevation of plasma argatroban in a cardiac transplant patient with a suspected history of heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia with thrombosis
Authors: Genzen Jonathan R. , Fareed Jawed , Hoppensteadt Debra , Kurup Viji , Barash Paul , Coady Michael , Wu Yan Yun 
Published: December 2009

BACKGROUND: Direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs) provide an alternative method of anticoagulation for patients with a history of heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) or HIT with thrombosis (HITT) undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). In the following report, a 65‐year‐old critically ill patient with a suspected history of HITT was administered argatroban for anticoagulation on bypass during heart transplantation. The patient required massive transfusion support (55 units of red blood cells, 42 units of fresh‐frozen plasma, 40 units of cryoprecipitate, 40 units of platelets, and three doses of recombinant Factor VIIa) for severe intraoperative and postoperative bleeding.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Plasma samples from before and after CPB were analyzed postoperatively for argatroban concentration using a modified ecarin clotting time (ECT) assay.RESULTS: Unexpectedly high concentrations of argatroban were measured in these samples (range, 0‐32 µg/mL), and a prolonged plasma argatroban half life (t1/2) of 514 minutes was observed (published elimination t1/2 is 39‐51 minutes [≤181 minutes with hepatic impairment]).CONCLUSIONS: Correlation of plasma argatroban concentration versus the patient's coagulation variables and clinical course suggest that prolonged elevated levels of plasma argatroban may have contributed to the patient's extended coagulopathy. Because DTIs do not have reversal agents, surgical teams and transfusion services should remain aware of the possibility of massive transfusion events during anticoagulation with these agents. This is the first report to measure plasma argatroban concentration in the context of CPB and extended coagulopathy.
Relationships between water temperatures and upstream migration, cold water refuge use, and spawning of adult bull trout from the Lostine River, Oregon, USA
Authors: Howell P. J. , Dunham J. B. , Sankovich P. M. 
Published: December 2009

Howell PJ, Dunham JB, Sankovich PM. Relationships between water temperatures and upstream migration, cold water refuge use, and spawning of adult bull trout from the Lostine River, Oregon, USA. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 96–106. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USAAbstract –  Understanding thermal habitat use by migratory fish has been limited by difficulties in matching fish locations with water temperatures. To describe spatial and temporal patterns of thermal habitat use by migratory adult bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, that spawn in the Lostine River, Oregon, we employed a combination of archival temperature tags, radio tags, and thermographs. We also compared temperatures of the tagged fish to ambient water temperatures to determine if the fish were using thermal refuges. The timing and temperatures at which fish moved upstream from overwintering areas to spawning locations varied considerably among individuals. The annual maximum 7‐day average daily maximum (7DADM) temperatures of tagged fish were 16–18 °C and potentially as high as 21 °C. Maximum 7DADM ambient water temperatures within the range of tagged fish during summer were 18–25 °C. However, there was no evidence of the tagged fish using localized cold water refuges. Tagged fish appeared to spawn at 7DADM temperatures of 7–14 °C. Maximum 7DADM temperatures of tagged fish and ambient temperatures at the onset of the spawning period in late August were 11–18 °C. Water temperatures in most of the upper Lostine River used for spawning and rearing appear to be largely natural since there has been little development, whereas downstream reaches used by migratory bull trout are heavily diverted for irrigation. Although the population effects of these temperatures are unknown, summer temperatures and the higher temperatures observed for spawning fish appear to be at or above the upper range of suitability reported for the species.
Mechano‐biology of skeletal muscle hypertrophy and regeneration: Possible mechanism of stretch‐induced activation of resident myogenic stem cells
Authors: TATSUMI Ryuichi 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTIn undamaged postnatal muscle fibers with normal contraction and relaxation activities, quiescent satellite cells of resident myogenic stem cells are interposed between the overlying external lamina and the sarcolemma of a subjacent mature muscle fiber. When muscle is injured, exercised, overused or mechanically stretched, these cells are activated to enter the cell proliferation cycle, divide, differentiate, and fuse with the adjacent muscle fiber, and are responsible for regeneration and work‐induced hypertrophy of muscle fibers. Therefore, a mechanism must exist to translate mechanical changes in muscle tissue into chemical signals that can activate satellite cells. Recent studies of satellite cells or single muscle fibers in culture and in vivo demonstrated the essential role of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and nitric oxide (NO) radical in the activation pathway. These experiments have also reported that mechanically stretching satellite cells or living skeletal muscles triggers the activation by rapid release of HGF from its extracellular tethering and the subsequent presentation to the receptor c‐met. HGF release has been shown to rely on calcium‐calmodulin formation and NO radical production in satellite cells and/or muscle fibers in response to the mechanical perturbation, and depend on the subsequent up‐regulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity. These results indicate that the activation mechanism is a cascade of events including calcium ion influx, calcium‐calmodulin formation, NO synthase activation, NO radical production, MMP activation, HGF release and binding to c‐met. Better understanding of ‘mechano‐biology’ on the satellite cell activation is essential for designing procedures that could enhance muscle growth and repair activities in meat‐animal agriculture and also in neuromuscular disease and aging in humans.
Seed Dispersal Phenology and Germination Characteristics of a Drought‐Prone Vegetation in Southeastern Brazil
Authors: Braz Maria Isabel Guedes , de Mattos Eduardo Arcoverde 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTSeed germination is determined by the environmental conditions typical of a habitat and also by the geographical origin of the source species pool. During the Quaternary, Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest species expanded their distribution into the sandy coastal plains (restingas). Periods of water shortage, however, are frequent in the sandy substrate of the restinga. We investigated whether the germination characteristics of restinga species are more related to their biogeographical origin in the humid forest or to water shortage on sandy substrates. We characterized the seed dispersal phenology of a restinga community and conducted experiments to determine the water requirements for seed germination and the short‐term seed dehydration sensitivity of different species. Species shed seeds throughout the year in the restinga. When subjected to Ψ=−0.37 MPa, seed germination percentage decreased and germination time increased in six of ten species when compared with Ψ=0 MPa. Most species showed high seed moisture content (MC>40 %) at seed dispersal. Seeds took 3–17 d to dehydrate when subjected to relative humidity≤76 percent and only two of eight species had seeds sensitive to short‐term dehydration. Thus, rather than a specific set of germination characteristics related to humid or dry habitats, we gathered evidence to show that the germination characteristics of restinga species represent a multiplicity of responses that may be found in both kinds of habitat.
Can Growth Form Classification Predict Litter Nutrient Dynamics and Decomposition Rates in Lowland Wet Forest?
Authors: Santiago Louis S. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACTThis study investigates whether it is possible to simplify the complex influence of numerous species on leaf litter decomposition in a diverse tropical forest using functional classifications to predict litter quality, decomposition rate, and nutrient dynamics during decomposition, over a 2‐yr period. Thirty‐three lowland tropical forest plant species from contrasting growth forms (canopy trees, pioneer trees, lianas, palms, herbs) were studied. Twelve of 18 indices of litter quality varied significantly among growth forms, with canopy trees and palms showing lower litter quality than pioneer trees and herbs. Canopy leaves decomposed more slowly than understory leaves. Decomposition rate and mass loss trended greater (P<0.1) in herbs and pioneer trees compared with other growth forms. There were no significant differences between monocots and dicots, and no phylogenetic signal for decomposition was observed. Significant correlations between continuous litter quality variables and decomposition rate were observed with correlation coefficients up to 0.72. Litter lignin:Mg, P concentration, and lignin:K, were the litter quality variables most related to decomposition rate. All elements showed significant negative correlations between initial litter concentration and percent remaining, but many elements showed significant correlation between percent element remaining and initial concentrations of other elements, indicating a stoichiometric balance between these elements during decomposition. The results show that although classification by growth form and canopy position are helpful for considering the ecosystem implications of changing community composition, litter quality traits provide additional predictive power for estimating the effects of species change on decomposition.
Making Doha More Developmentally Friendly for Agriculture
Authors: Huff H. Bruce 
Published: December 2009

The opportunity to achieve the substantial benefits from the “once‐in‐a‐generation” reduction in the support and protection of the agriculture sector under the Doha Development Agenda appears to be slipping away. The paper outlines a series of factors for the delay in the negotiations. The author contends that if developed countries had been more proactive on a trade and development agenda, then there could have been an agreement reached several months ago. Such a developmentally friendly agenda could involve (i) better Special and Differential Treatment on market access and more flexible market access protection for developing countries, (ii) a binding commitment to increase aid for trade assistance, (iii) more resources to provide human resource capacity building in export marketing in developing countries, (iv) an agreement for the termination of trade distorting domestic support, and (v) revisions to the SPS Agreement to accommodate the concerns of developing countries. A developmentally friendly agreement would likely still allow the majority of the Doha Round gains to be realized by developed countries. The paper also tracks the developments, describes the progress, and reviews the empirical estimates of the expected global impact of the eight‐year Doha Round negotiations. L'occasion de profiter des avantages substantiels que pourrait procurer la réduction « unique » du soutien et du protectionnisme agricoles dans le cadre du Programme de Doha pour le développement semble s'échapper. Le présent article expose une série de facteurs responsables du retard dans les négociations. L'auteur soutient que si les pays développés avaient été davantage proactifs quant à l'élaboration d'un programme d'échanges et de développement, un accord aurait pu être conclu il y a plusieurs mois déjà. Un programme soucieux du développement pourrait inclure: i) un « Traitement spécial et différencié» amélioré sur l'accès au marché et une protection de l'accès au marché plus souple pour les pays en développement; ii) un engagement obligatoire pour accroître l'aide au commerce; iii) davantage de ressources pour accroître le renforcement des capacités des pays en développement dans le domaine de la commercialisation des exportations; iv) un accord pour mettre fin au soutien interne qui distord les échanges; v) des modifications à l'Accord MSP pour répondre aux préoccupations des pays en développement. Un accord soucieux du développement permettrait probablement aux pays développés de réaliser la majorité des gains du cycle de Doha. Le présent article fait état des développements, décrit les progrès et examine les estimations empiriques des répercussions globales de la huitième année de négociations du cycle de Doha.
Transmissibility of the 1918 pandemic influenza in Montreal and Winnipeg of Canada
Authors: Zhang Shenghai , Yan Ping , Winchester Brian , Wang Jun 
Published: December 2009

Background The threat of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) is still causing widespread public concern. A comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of 1918 pandemic influenza commonly referred to as the Spanish flu may be helpful in offering insight into control strategies for the new pandemic.Objective We explore how the preparedness for a pandemic at the community and individual level impacts the spread of the virus by comparing the transmissibility of the 1918 Spanish flu in two Canadian cities: Montreal and Winnipeg, bearing in mind that each pandemic is unique and the current one may not follow the pattern of the 1918 outbreak.Methods The historical epidemiological data obtained for Montreal and Winnipeg in Canada is analyzed to estimate the basic reproduction number which is the most important summary measure of transmission potential of the pandemic.Results The transmissibility of the 1918 pandemic influenza virus in Winnipeg in the fall of 1918 was found to be much lower than in Montreal based on the estimated reproduction number obtained assuming different serial intervals which are the time between onsets of symptoms in an index case and a secondary case.Conclusion The early preparedness and public health control measures could suggest an explanation for the fact that the number of secondary cases generated by a primary case was significantly reduced in Winnipeg comparing to it in Montreal.
pedagog: software for simulating eco‐evolutionary population dynamics
Authors: COOMBS JASON A. , LETCHER B. H. , NISLOW K. H. 
Published: December 2009

Abstractpedagogis a Windows program that can be used to determine power for, and validate inferences drawn from, eco‐evolutionary studies. It models dynamics of multiple populations and their interactions through individual‐based simulations while simultaneously recording genotype, pedigree and trait information at the individual level.pedagogalso allows for specification of heritable traits, natural and sexual selection acting upon those traits, population sampling schemes and incorporation of genetic and demographic errors into the output. Overall, parameters can be specified for genetic diversity, demographics, mating design, genetic and demographic errors, individual growth models, trait heritability and selection, and output formatting. Demographic parameters can be either age or function based, and all parameters can be drawn from 12 statistical distributions where appropriate. Simulation results can be automatically formatted for 57 existing software programs to facilitate postsimulation analyses.pedagogis freely available for download athttps://bcrc.bio.umass.edu/pedigreesoftware/.
Catching the baby: accounting for biodiversity and the ecosystem sector in emissions trading
Authors: Van Oosterzee Penny , Preece Noel , Dale Allan 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe agriculture, forestry, and other land‐use sector is a crucial sector, second only to the energy sector, in fighting climate change, and provides an important greenhouse gas abatement opportunity for the world. Recently, released figures for Australia, for example, suggest that agriculture, forestry, and other land‐uses, which depend on healthy functioning ecosystems, could abate as much as three quarters of the country's emissions. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was concerned primarily with ecosystems and humankind, but the Kyoto Protocol of the Convention forfeited the potential of using agriculture, forestry, and other land‐uses for global climate mitigation. This had the effect of decoupling biodiversity and ecosystems from carbon pollution reduction and climate change considerations. The Australian Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, one of the first emission trading schemes in the world to follow Kyoto “rules,” excludes the agriculture, forestry, and other land‐use sector, apart from plantation reforestation, potentially creating perverse incentives that themselves can turn into threatening ecological processes. We use Australia and its emerging emissions trading scheme as a case study of the potential effects of this decoupling, and demonstrate the potential impacts on a landscape‐scale regional greenhouse gas abatement and carbon sequestration project.
Assessing Cognitively Complex Strategy Use in an Untrained Domain
Authors: Jackson George T. , Guess Rebekah H. , McNamara Danielle S. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractResearchers of advanced technologies are constantly seeking new ways of measuring and adapting to user performance. Appropriately adapting system feedback requires accurate assessments of user performance. Unfortunately, many assessment algorithms must be trained on and use pre‐prepared data sets or corpora to provide a sufficiently accurate portrayal of user knowledge and behavior. However, if the targeted content of the tutoring system changes depending on the situation, the assessment algorithms must be sufficiently independent to apply to untrained content. Such is the case for Interactive Strategy Training for Active Reading and Thinking (iSTART), an intelligent tutoring system that assesses the cognitive complexity of strategy use while a reader self‐explains a text. iSTART is designed so that teachers and researchers may add their own (new) texts into the system. The current paper explores student self‐explanations from newly added texts (which iSTART had not been trained on) and focuses on evaluating the iSTART assessment algorithm by comparing it to human ratings of the students’ self‐explanations.
Immune Responses in Cattle Inoculated with
Mycobacterium bovis
,
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
, or
Mycobacterium kansasii
Authors: Waters W. R. , Whelan A. O. , Lyashchenko K. P. , Greenwald R. , Palmer M. V. , Harris B. N. , Hewinson R. G. , Vordermeier H. M. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Cattle were inoculated with
Mycobacterium bovis
,
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
, or
Mycobacterium kansasii
to compare the antigen-specific immune responses to various patterns of mycobacterial disease. Disease expression ranged from colonization with associated pathology (
M. bovis
infection) and colonization without pathology (
M. tuberculosis
infection) to no colonization or pathology (
M. kansasii
infection). Delayed-type hypersensitivity and gamma interferon responses were elicited by each mycobacterial inoculation; however, the responses by the
M. bovis
- and
M. tuberculosis
-inoculated animals exceeded those of the
M. kansasii
-inoculated animals. Specific antibody responses were detected in all
M. tuberculosis
- and
M. bovis
-inoculated cattle 3 weeks after inoculation. From 6 to 16 weeks after
M. tuberculosis
inoculation, the antibody responses waned, whereas the responses persisted with
M. bovis
infection. With
M. kansasii
inoculation, initial early antibody responses waned by 10 weeks after inoculation and then increased 2 weeks after the injection of purified protein derivative for the skin test at 18 weeks after challenge. These findings indicate that antibody responses are associated with the antigen burden rather than the pathology, cellular immune responses to tuberculin correlate with infection but not necessarily with the pathology or bacterial burden, and exposure to mycobacterial antigens may elicit an antibody response in a presensitized animal.