bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Skin- and gut-homing molecules on human circulating γδ T cells and their dysregulation in inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Mann E R , McCarthy N E , Peake S T C , Milestone A N , Al-Hassi H O , Bernardo D , Tee C T , Landy J , Pitcher M C , Cochrane S A , Hart A L , Stagg A J , Knight S C 
Published: July 2012

SummaryChanges in phenotype and function of γδ T cells have been reported in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Dysregulation of lymphocyte migration plays a key role in IBD pathogenesis; however, data on migratory properties of γδ T cells are scarce. Human circulating γδ T cells from healthy controls (n = 27), patients with active CD (n = 15), active UC (n = 14) or cutaneous manifestations of IBD (n = 2) were characterized by flow cytometry. Circulating γδ T cells in healthy controls were CD3hi and expressed CD45RO. They expressed gut-homing molecule β7 but not gut-homing molecule corresponding chemokine receptors (CCR)9, or skin-homing molecules cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA) and CCR4, despite conventional T cells containing populations expressing these molecules. CCR9 expression was increased on γδ T cells in CD and UC, while skin-homing CLA was expressed aberrantly on γδ T cells in patients with cutaneous manifestations of IBD. Lower levels of CD3 expression were found on γδ T cells in CD but not in UC, and a lower proportion of γδ T cells expressed CD45RO in CD and UC. Enhanced expression of gut-homing molecules on circulating γδ T cells in IBD and skin-homing molecules in cutaneous manifestations of IBD may be of clinical relevance.
Innate and adaptive immune gene expression profiles as biomarkers in human type 1 diabetes
Authors: Han D , Cai X , Wen J , Matheson D , Skyler J S , Kenyon N S , Chen Z 
Published: July 2012

Summary
The mRNA levels of a set of immune-related genes were analysed with peripheral blood samples from at-risk, new-onset and long-term type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients, in comparison to those from healthy controls. The selected set includes T lymphocyte genes [CD3G and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4)], B lymphocyte genes (CD19 and CD20) and myeloid cell-related genes [CD11b, Toll-like receptor (TLR)-9, arginase (ARG1)]. Also included is a subset of the S100 family members that has been documented recently as regulatory elements of innate immunity. Samples from patients with long-term T1D had a reduced level of mRNA for most of selected innate and adaptive immune genes. No such reduction was detected in samples collected from at-risk or new-onset T1D patients. Analyses of regulatory gene expression ratios revealed a dynamic disproportion of CTLA4 versus CD3G expression in samples from at-risk, new-onset and long-term T1D patients. These changes could serve as immunological biomarkers for the status of the immune system during T1D progression and therapeutic interventions.
Cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions and associated cervical infections in an HIV‐positive population in Rural Mpumalanga, South Africa
Authors: Swanepoel P. J. , Michelow P. , Du Plessis R. , Proudfoot I. G. , Tarr G. A. , Bockel S. L. , Swanepoel C. J. 
Published: July 2012

P. J. Swanepoel, P. Michelow, R. Du Plessis, I. G. Proudfoot, G. A. Tarr, S. L. Bockel, C. J. Swanepoel  Cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions and associated cervical infections in an HIV‐positive population in Rural Mpumalanga, South AfricaBackground:  The incidences of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, associated squamous intraepithelial lesions and cervical squamous cell carcinoma are significantly increased in HIV‐positive women. The role of other cervicovaginal infections in the acquisition of the HPV infection, cervical carcinogenesis and genital HIV infection remains largely speculative.Methods:  A retrospective study was conducted including 1087 HIV‐positive women in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa, for the period 1 May 2009 to 31 August 2010. For each patient, the age at first presentation, cervical cytological diagnosis, subsequent follow‐up cytology and histology, and microscopically visible infections (including endemic Bilharzia) were tabulated and statistically analysed.Results:  The prevalence of low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), squamous cell carcinoma, atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC‐US) and atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude HSIL (ASC‐H) in the study population were 22.1%, 30.9%, 0.6%, 13.5% and 4.0%, respectively. LSIL, HSIL and squamous cell carcinoma were diagnosed, respectively, at the average ages of 35.7, 37.9 and 37.2 years. Four patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 (CIN1), 32 with CIN2/CIN3 and two with cervical squamous cell carcinoma were also diagnosed with Bilharzia. Of the other infections only bacterial vaginosis had a positive statistical correlation with HPV‐induced cervical abnormalities (LSIL, HSIL or squamous cell carcinoma).Conclusion:  This study confirms the high prevalence of progressive HPV‐associated cervical disease in a rural Southern African HIV‐positive population, which is at least equal to or worse than in other African HIV‐positive studies. The high incidence of Bilharzia infection in those cases that underwent cervical cone excision suggests a possible relationship with progressive HPV disease and cervical carcinogenesis. Bacterial vaginosis (perhaps in combination with Bilharzia) may compromise the normal barriers against HPV and HIV infection.
Physiological and ecological hosts ofPopenaias popeii(Bivalvia: Unionidae): laboratory studies identify more hosts than field studies
Authors: LEVINE TODD D. , LANG BRIAN K. , BERG DAVID J. 
Published: July 2012

Summary1. Freshwater mussels are critically endangered in North America, making it important to understand their environmental requirements at all life stages. As glochidia (larvae), they attach to fish hosts where they undergo substantial mortality, making this transition important in their life cycle. Larval host fish requirements have typically been described using data from laboratory infestations to determine suitable hosts.2. Laboratory infestations circumvent many natural barriers that prevent infestation of physiologically compatible fishes by mussel larvae. While such methods are invaluable for identifying ‘physiological hosts,’ they cannot fully describe realised ‘ecological hosts’ in the field.3. We studiedPopenaias popeiiin the Black River in New Mexico, because it is of conservation concern and it is the only mussel species present, facilitating identification of glochidial infestation. To explore the difference between physiological hosts and ecological hosts, we conducted a 3‐year field study of fishes infested byP. popeiiglochidia.4. Substantially fewer fish species were infested byP. popeiiin the wild (10 of 20 observed) than had been identified as physiological hosts in laboratory trials (24 of 31). We combined data on fish abundance, proportion of fish hosts infested (prevalence) and the number of glochidia per fish (intensity) and identified three fish species that probably contributed substantially more to mussel recruitment by carrying more glochidia than other host species.5. Similarities in behaviour among these fishes allowed us to hypothesise routes of infestation, such as benthos‐feeding by catostomids, that allow glochidia to infest these hosts at higher rates than other suitable hosts. Overall, this approach provides a method of quantifying the relative importance of different species of host fish in the mussel lifecycle.
Prophylaxis in severe forms of von Willebrand's disease: results from the von Willebrand Disease Prophylaxis Network (VWD PN)
Authors: Abshire T. C. , Federici A. B. , Alvárez M. T. , Bowen J. , Carcao M. D. , Cox Gill J. , Key N. S. , Kouides P. A. , Kurnik K. , Lail A. E. , Leebeek F. W. G. , Makris M. , Mannucci P. M. , Winikoff R. , Berntorp E. ,   VWD PN
Published: July 2012

SummaryThe bleeding patterns of severe von Willebrand's disease (VWD) adversely affect quality of life, and may be life threatening. There is a presumed role for prophylaxis with VWF‐containing concentrates, but data are scarce. The von Willebrand Disease Prophylaxis Network (VWD PN) was formed to investigate the role of prophylaxis in clinically severe VWD that is not responsive to other treatment(s).Using a retrospective design, the effect of prophylaxis was studied. Availability of records to document, or reliably assess, the type and frequency of bleeding episodes prior to, and after, the initiation of prophylaxis was required. Annualized bleeding rates were calculated for the period prior to prophylaxis, during prophylaxis and by primary bleeding indication defined as the site accounting for more than half of all bleeding symptoms. The Wilcoxon signed‐rank test of differences in the medians was used. Sixty‐one subjects from 20 centres in 10 countries were enrolled. Data for 59 were used in the analysis. The median age at onset of prophylaxis was 22.4 years. Type 3 VWD accounted for the largest number (N = 34, 57.6%). Differences in bleeding rates within individuals during compared with before prophylaxis were significant for the total group (P < 0.0001), and for those with primary bleeding indications of epistaxis (P = 0.0005), joint bleeding (P = 0.002) and GI bleeding (P = 0.001). The effect of prophylaxis was similar among those age < 18 years and those ≥18. One person developed an inhibitor during treatment. We conclude that prophylactic treatment of VWD is efficacious.
FromDTCA‐PDto patient information to health information: the complex politics and semantics ofEUhealth policy
Authors: Brooks Eleanor , Geyer Robert 
Published: July 2012

AbstractRationale, aims and objectivesBetween 2001 and 2011 the pharmaceutical industry, supported byDG Enterprise, was engaged in an ongoing campaign to repeal/amend theEuropeanUnion (EU) ban on direct‐to‐consumer advertising of prescription drugs (DTCA‐PD). As it became increasingly clear that the ban would not be repealed,DTCA‐PDsupporters tried to shift the debate away from advertising and towards the provision of ‘patient information’ and the rights of patients to access such information. Meanwhile, a variety of national and European health organizations, supported byDG SANCO, sought to maintain the ban and oppose the industry‐supported ‘patient information’ campaign. Instead, they promoted a concept of ‘health information’ that included all aspects of citizens' health, not just pharmaceuticals. This article aims to analyse the transition fromDTCA‐PDto patient information to health information and examine its implications forEUhealth policy as a complex policy space.MethodsThe article examines the emergence and development ofEUhealth policy and the evolution of theDTCA‐PDdebate through the lens of complexity theory. It analyses the nature of the semantic, political and policy transition and asks why it occurred, what it tells us aboutEUhealth policy and futureEUhealth legislation and how it may be understood from a complexity perspective.Results and conclusionsThe article concludes that the complexity framework is ideally suited for the field of public health and, in particular, theDTCA‐PDdebate. Having successfully shifted the policy‐focus of the debate to patients’ rights and health information, opponents of the legislation are likely to face their next battle in the realm of cyberspace, where regulatory issues change the nature of advertising.
The effects of cranio‐cervical flexion on activation of swallowing‐related muscles
Authors: Woo H.‐S. , Park S.‐H. , Jung M.‐Y. , Yoo E.‐Y. , Park J.‐H. 
Published: July 2012

SummaryWe tested the effects of cranio‐cervical flexion (CCF) on activation of swallowing‐related muscles while swallowing liquid in a sample of 45 healthy volunteers. Activation following CCF movement was examined across two positions (supine and sitting) and, three pressure levels and two different postures were examined in each condition, respectively. When CCF was applied, activation of swallowing‐related muscles was significantly increased compared to the neutral neck position, and such findings were found across both the supine and sitting positions. Also in the supine position, when the pressure level of the stabilizer was escalated, there was a significant difference in the activity of the swallowing‐related muscles compared to the baseline level. In conclusion, our results suggest that CCF may be a viable method to enhance the effectiveness of swallowing‐related muscles by changing neck position. When CCF is applied, the stability of the deep flexor muscles must be secured first after which superficially located muscles may better assist swallowing with less effort.
Low Digit Ratio Predicts Early Age at Menarche in Colombian Schoolgirls
Authors: Oberg Anna S. , Villamor Eduardo 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBackground:  The ratio between the lengths of the second and fourth fingers (digit ratio: 2D : 4D), a purported negative correlate of prenatal androgen exposure, has been inversely related to age at menarche. However, a recent study found high digit ratios in carriers of a single variant in the LIN28B gene, which has been linked to delayed menarche.Methods:  We investigated the association of digit ratio and age at menarche in 299 pre‐menarcheal girls aged 5–12 years who participated in a longitudinal cohort study in Bogotá, Colombia. Finger lengths were measured at baseline and the occurrence of menarche was periodically ascertained over a median 32 months of follow‐up. We used time‐to‐event analysis to estimate median ages at menarche as well as hazard ratios for menarche according to tertiles of the digit ratio for each hand.Results:  Estimated median age at menarche was lower for girls in the lowest digit ratio tertile of the right hand compared with those in the highest (12.0 vs. 12.3 years; P‐value = 0.04). After adjustment for baseline age, height‐ and body mass index‐for‐age z‐scores, the hazard of menarche was 86% higher in girls of the lowest digit ratio tertile (hazard ratio 1.9 [95% confidence interval 1.2, 2.9]) compared with those in the highest digit ratio tertile of the right hand. No significant associations were found with the left hand.Conclusions:  Digit ratio was positively associated with age at menarche in this longitudinal investigation, consistent with results from a recent gene‐linkage study.
The SELMA Study: A Birth Cohort Study in Sweden Following More Than 2000 Mother–Child Pairs
Authors: Bornehag Carl‐Gustaf , Moniruzzaman Syed , Larsson Malin , Lindström Cecilia Boman , Hasselgren Mikael , Bodin Anna , von Kobyletzkic Laura B. , Carlstedt Fredrik , Lundin Fredrik , Nånberg Eewa , Jönsson Bo A. G. , Sigsgaard Torben , Janson Staffan 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBackground:  This paper describes the background, aim and study design for the Swedish SELMA study that aimed to investigate the importance of early life exposure during pregnancy and infancy to environmental factors with a major focus on endocrine disrupting chemicals for multiple chronic diseases/disorders in offspring.Methods:  The cohort was established by recruiting women in the 10th week of pregnancy. Blood and urine from the pregnant women and the child and air and dust from home environment from pregnancy and infancy period have been collected. Questionnaires were used to collect information on life styles, socio‐economic status, living conditions, diet and medical history.Results:  Of the 8394 reported pregnant women, 6658 were invited to participate in the study. Among the invited women, 2582 (39%) agreed to participate. Of the 4076 (61%) non‐participants, 2091 women were invited to a non‐respondent questionnaire in order to examine possible selection bias. We found a self‐selection bias in the established cohort when compared with the non‐participant group, e.g. participating families did smoke less (14% vs. 19%), had more frequent asthma and allergy symptoms in the family (58% vs. 38%), as well as higher education among the mothers (51% vs. 36%) and more often lived in single‐family houses (67% vs. 60%).Conclusions:  These findings indicate that the participating families do not fully represent the study population and thus, the exposure in this population. However, there is no obvious reason that this selection bias will have an impact on identification of environmental risk factors.
A new african fossil caprin and a combined molecular and morphological bayesian phylogenetic analysis of caprini (Mammalia: Bovidae)
Authors: Bibi F. , Vrba E. , Fack F. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractGiven that most species that have ever existed on Earth are extinct, no evolutionary history can ever be complete without the inclusion of fossil taxa. Bovids (antelopes and relatives) are one of the most diverse clades of large mammals alive today, with over a hundred living species and hundreds of documented fossil species. With the advent of molecular phylogenetics, major advances have been made in the phylogeny of this clade; however, there has been little attempt to integrate the fossil record into the developing phylogenetic picture. We here describe a new large fossil caprin species from ca. 1.9‐Ma deposits from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia. To place the new species phylogenetically, we perform a Bayesian analysis of a combined molecular (cytochrome b) and morphological (osteological) character supermatrix. We include all living species of Caprini, the new fossil species, a fossil takin from the Pliocene of Ethiopia (Budorcas churcheri), and the insular subfossil Myotragus balearicus. The combined analysis demonstrates successful incorporation of both living and fossil species within a single phylogeny based on both molecular and morphological evidence. Analysis of the combined supermatrix produces superior resolution than with either the molecular or morphological data sets considered alone. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses of the data set are also compared and shown to produce similar results. The combined phylogenetic analysis indicates that the new fossil species is nested within Capra, making it one of the earliest representatives of this clade, with implications for molecular clock calibration. Geographical optimization indicates no less than four independent dispersals into Africa by caprins since the Pliocene.
The evolution of experience‐mediated plasticity in mate preferences
Authors: Fowler‐Finn K. D. , Rodríguez R. L. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractExperience of sexual signals can alter mate preferences and influence the course of sexual selection. Here, we examine the patterns of experience‐mediated plasticity in mate preferences that can arise in response to variation in the composition of mates in the environment. We use these patterns to test hypotheses about potential sources of selection favouring experience‐mediated plasticity. We manipulated signal experience of female Enchenopa treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae) in a vibrational playback experiment with the following treatments: silence; two types of non‐preferred signals; preferred signals; and a mixture of preferred and non‐preferred signals. This experiment revealed plasticity in mate preference selectivity, with greatest selectivity in the mixed signal treatment, followed by the preferred signal treatment. We found no plasticity in peak preference. These results suggest that females have been selected to adjust preference selectivity according to the variability of potential mates in their social environment, as well as to the presence/absence of preferred mates. We discuss how experience‐mediated plasticity in mate preferences can influence the strength of selection on male signals and can result in evolutionary dynamics between variation in preferences and signals that either promote the maintenance of variation or facilitate rapid trait fixation.
Do immunological, endocrine and metabolic traits fall on a single Pace‐of‐Life axis? Covariation and constraints among physiological systems
Authors: Versteegh M. A. , Schwabl I. , Jaquier S. , Tieleman B. I. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractVariation in demographic and physiological attributes of life history is thought to fall on one single axis, a phenomenon termed the Pace‐of‐Life. A slow Pace‐of‐Life is characterized by low annual reproduction, long life span and low metabolic rate, a fast Pace‐of‐Life by the opposite characteristics. The existence of a single axis has been attributed to constraints among physiological mechanisms that are thought to restrict evolutionary potential. In that case, physiological traits should covary in the same fashion at the levels of individual organisms and species. We examined covariation at the levels of individual and subspecies in three physiological systems (metabolic, endocrine and immune) using four stonechat subspecies with distinct life‐history strategies in a common‐garden set‐up. We measured basal metabolic rate, corticosterone as endocrine measure and six measures of constitutive immunity. Metabolic rate covaried with two indices of immunity at the individual level, and with corticosterone concentrations and one index of immunity at the subspecies level, but not with other measures. The different patterns of covariation among individuals and among subspecies demonstrate that links among physiological traits are loose and suggest that these traits can evolve independent of each other.
Beyond the pollination syndrome: nectar ecology and the role of diurnal and nocturnal pollinators in the reproductive success of Inga sessilis (Fabaceae)
Authors: Amorim F. W. , Galetto L. , Sazima M. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractInga species present brush‐type flower morphology allowing them to be visited by distinct groups of pollinators. Nectar features in relation to the main pollinators have seldom been studied in this genus. To test the hypothesis of floral adaptation to both diurnal and nocturnal pollinators, we studied the pollination ecology of Inga sessilis, with emphasis on the nectar secretion patterns, effects of sequential removals on nectar production, sugar composition and the role of diurnal and nocturnal pollinators in its reproductive success. Inga sessilis is self‐incompatible and pollinated by hummingbirds, hawkmoths and bats. Fruit set under natural conditions is very low despite the fact that most stigmas receive polyads with sufficient pollen to fertilise all ovules in a flower. Nectar secretion starts in the bud stage and flowers continually secreting nectar for a period of 8 h. Flowers actively reabsorbed the nectar a few hours before senescence. Sugar production increased after nectar removal, especially when flowers were drained during the night. Nectar sugar composition changed over flower life span, from sucrose‐dominant (just after flower opening, when hummingbirds were the main visitors) to hexose‐rich (throughout the night, when bats and hawkmoths were the main visitors). Diurnal pollinators contributed less than nocturnal ones to fruit production, but the former were more constant and reliable visitors through time. Our results indicate I. sessilis has floral adaptations, beyond the morphology, that encompass both diurnal and nocturnal pollinator requirements, suggesting a complementary and mixed pollination system.