bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of digital dermoscopy analysis on the decision to follow up or to excise a pigmented skin lesion: a multicentre study
Authors: Burroni Marco , Wollina Uwe , Torricelli Rocco , Gilardi Stefano , Dell'Eva Giordana , Helm Cathrine , Bardey Wolfgang , Nami Niccolò , Nobile Franco , Ceccarini Massimo , Pomponi Adriano , Alessandro Biondi , Rubegni Pietro 
Published: March 2011

Background: The quality of early malignant melanoma (MM) diagnosis is dependent on the experience of dermatologists, tools like dermoscopy and histopathology, and awareness and education of the studied population. Does a higher rate of excision of pigmented skin lesions (PSL) increase the rate of detected melanomas?Material and Methods: The DB‐MIPS objective tool, able to evaluate mathematical defined variables, has been used to verify the variability of measurements among PSL stored by five different centres located in Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.Results: The objective analysis showed low differences in terms of moles' features among the different groups, arguing for robustness of the dermatological patient's PSL inspection. Differences in terms of false positives and predictive positive values have been detected. The tendency to follow up a lesion was proportional to the percentage of thin MM (<0.75 mm tumour thickness), while the interventism was proportional to the percentage of dysplastic moles. Similar percentage of thin melanoma has been observed in all the centres, indicating a standardization in early diagnosing among experienced dermatologists. The main difference among the centres was their mode of action, i.e. to follow up or remove suspicious PSL.Conclusion: Interventism depends neither on the geographic site nor on the features of the observed moles. Higher removal rates do not correspond to higher MM detections: this means that an in‐depth knowledge of melanoma patterns is required and follow‐up of suspicious moles is highly suggested.
Pseudo‐Bartter’s syndrome revealing cystic fibrosis in an infant caused by 3849 + 1G>A and 4382delA compound heterozygosity
Authors: Nahida El‐Rifai , Mohammed Hourani , Guy Lalau 
Published: March 2011

AbstractPseudo‐Bartter’s (PB) syndrome characterized by hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis and persistent failure to thrive constitutes a rare typical presentation of cystic fibrosis (CF) with prevalence of 16.8%. We present a case of CF presenting with failure to thrive, dehydration, PB syndrome associated with chest infection and primo‐colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Sweat chloride test was 102 mmol/L. DNA analysis identified 2 mutations 3849 + 1G>A (intron 19) and 4382delA (exon 24) present in heterozygous status. To the best of our knowledge, our case is the first reported case in the literature of CF manifested by PB syndrome associated with chest infection and primo‐colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Conclusion:  The genotype 3849 + 1G>A/4382delA found in our patient is described for the first time in the literature. It explains the lung involvement with the dehydration and electrolyte disturbances. The role of the mutation in exon 24 in cases of CF with PB syndrome remains to be determined.
Anthropometric measurements and obesity diagnosis in schoolchildren
Authors: Cândido Ana PC , Freitas Sílvia N , Machado‐Coelho George LL 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAim:  To evaluate whether anthropometric methods such as arm muscle area, arm fat area, Rohrer index, conicity index, and waist‐to‐height ratio and the commonly used body mass index method are suitable for obesity screening in a multiethnic paediatric population.Method:  A cross‐sectional population study was carried out in the city of Ouro Preto, Brazil, in 2006. Schoolchildren (n = 788) aged 6–15 years were selected by the stratified random sampling procedure by the proportion of students according to age and gender in all schools. Nonparametric receiver‐operating characteristic analysis was used to define the cut‐off for obesity for each method studied, using the tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance technique as the reference method.Results:  Arm fat area measurements and Rohrer index were most suitable for adiposity screening in prepubertal and pubertal boys and in pubertal and prepubertal girls, respectively. In postpubertal period, the Rohrer index was the most suitable body fat assessment method in both genders.Conclusion:  Body mass index presented the best balance between sensitivity and specificity only in the prepubertal period and postpubertal boys. Anthropometric measurements, especially arm fat area measurements and Rohrer index, are useful for screening of adiposity in a multiethnic paediatric population.
UPTAKE KINETICS AND INTRACELLULAR LOCALIZATION OF HYPOCRELLIN PHOTOSENSITIZERS FOR PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY: A CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY STUDY
Authors: Miller Gerald G. , Brown Kevin , Moore Ronald B. , McPhee Malcolm S. , Diwu Zhenjun J. , Liu Jixiang , Huang Liren , Lown J. William , Begg David A. , Chlumecky Vera , Tulip John 
Published: March 2011

AbstractHypocrellins are naturally occurring compounds with photosensitizing properties in biological systems. We have prepared synthetic derivatives of hypocrellin B, which have promise as photosensitizers in the clinical application of photodynamic therapy. The intracellular localization and uptake kinetics of hypocrellin B and several selected hypocrellin congeners were determined semiquantitatively by fluorescence confocal microscopy in monolayer cultures of EMT6/Ed murine tumor cells. Each compound had unique uptake kinetics. Although no compound tested to date has demonstrated nuclear labeling, most could be detected in lysosomes, Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum and, to a minor extent, in cellular membranes. No two compounds gave identical labeling distributions. The differences are assumed to originate in physicochemical properties characteristic of each compound, which may ultimately impact upon the primary modality of phototoxicity.
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN N‐ASPARTYL CHLORIN E6, DETERGENT MICELLES AND PLASMA LIPOPROTEINS
Authors: Kessel David 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAddition of plasma to the photosensitizing agent N‐aspartyl chlorin e6 (NPe6) in Triton X‐100 micelles results in a blue‐shift of fluorescence emission, corresponding to a change in the average environmental dielectric constant from 8 to 32. This effect was not observed with anionic or cationic detergents or with several other sensitizers including a close analog, chlorin e6. The apolipoprotein fraction of high‐density lipoproteins (HDL) was found responsible for this blue‐shift. These results indicate a highly selective interaction between HDL apolipoproteins and NPe6 molecules. Addition of the HDL apolipoprotein to NPe6 incorporated into Triton micelles decreased the fraction of NPe6 molecules accessible to Cd2+ ‐induced fluorescence quenching but resulted in an increase in the Stern‐Volmer quenching constant (an index of quenching efficiency).
Ultimate Strength
Analysis of Ship Hull Girder Under Random Material and Geometric
Properties
Authors: Vhanmane Suhas , Bhattacharya Baidurya 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
The ultimate strength of a ship’s hull depends on its material and geometric properties, some or all of which may be random in nature. In addition, initial imperfections in the form of initial deflection and residual welding stresses in plating between stiffeners can significantly affect the hull ultimate strength. In this paper, the effect of randomness in yield strength and in the initial imperfections on ultimate hull girder strength is determined. Different levels of statistical dependence between yield strength and initial imperfection of stiffeners and plating between stiffeners have been considered. The methodology is applied on a bulk carrier and a VLCC tanker.
Surface Localization Determinants of Borrelia OspC/Vsp Family Lipoproteins
Authors: Kumru Ozan S. , Schulze Ryan J. , Rodnin Mykola V. , Ladokhin Alexey S. , Zückert Wolfram R. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT

The dimeric OspC/Vsp family surface lipoproteins of
Borrelia
spirochetes are crucial to the transmission and persistence of Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne relapsing fever. However, the requirements for their proper surface display remained undefined. In previous studies, we showed that localization of
Borrelia burgdorferi
monomeric surface lipoprotein OspA was dependent on residues in the N-terminal “tether” peptide. Here, site-directed mutagenesis of the
B. burgdorferi
OspC tether revealed two distinct regions affecting either release from the inner membrane or translocation through the outer membrane. Determinants of both of these steps appear consolidated within a single region of the
Borrelia turicatae
Vsp1 tether. Periplasmic OspC mutants still were able to form dimers. Their localization defect could be rescued by the addition of an apparently structure-destabilizing C-terminal epitope tag but not by coexpression with wild-type OspC. Furthermore, disruption of intermolecular Vsp1 salt bridges blocked dimerization but not surface localization of the resulting Vsp1 monomers. Together, these results suggest that
Borrelia
OspC/Vsp1 surface lipoproteins traverse the periplasm and the outer membrane as unfolded monomeric intermediates and assemble into their functional multimeric folds only upon reaching the spirochetal surface.
Evidence that WapB Is a 1,2-Glucosyltransferase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Involved in Lipopolysaccharide Outer Core Biosynthesis
Authors: Kocíncová Dana , Hao Youai , Vinogradov Evgeny , Lam Joseph S. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is an important opportunistic pathogen infecting debilitated individuals. One of the major virulence factors expressed by
P. aeruginosa
is lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is composed of lipid A, core oligosaccharide (OS), and O-antigen polysaccharide. The core OS is divided into inner and outer regions. Although the structure of the outer core OS has been elucidated, the functions and mechanisms of the glycosyltransferases involved in core OS biogenesis are currently unknown. Here, we show that a previously uncharacterized gene,
pa1014
, is involved in outer core biosynthesis, and we propose to rename this gene
wapB
. We constructed a chromosomal mutant,
wapB
::Gm, in a PAO1 (O5 serotype) strain background. Characterization of the LPS from the mutant by Western immunoblotting showed a lack of reactivity to PAO1 outer core-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) 5c-101. The chemical structure of the core OS of the
wapB
mutant was elucidated using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry techniques and revealed that the core OS of the
wapB
mutant lacked the terminal β-1,2-linked-
d
-glucose residue. Complementation of the mutant with
wapB in trans
restored the core structure to one that is identical to that of the wild type. Eleven of the 20
P. aeruginosa
International Antigenic Typing Scheme (IATS) serotypes produce LPSs that lack the terminal
d
-glucose residue (Glc
IV
). Interestingly, expressing
wapB
in each of these 11 serotypes modifies each of their outer core OS structures, which became reactive to MAb 5c-101 in Western immunoblotting, suggesting the presence of a terminal
d
-glucose in these core OS structures. Our results strongly suggested that
wapB
encodes a 1,2-glucosyltransferase.
The Phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 Has Three High-Affinity Iron-Scavenging Systems Functional under Iron Limitation Conditions but Dispensable for Pathogenesis
Authors: Jones Alexander M. , Wildermuth Mary C. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTHigh-affinity iron scavenging through the use of siderophores is a well-established virulence determinant in mammalian pathogenesis. However, few examples have been reported for plant pathogens. Here, we use a genetic approach to investigate the role of siderophores inPseudomonas syringaepv. tomato DC3000 (DC3000) virulence in tomato. DC3000, an agronomically important pathogen, has two known siderophores for high-affinity iron scavenging, yersiniabactin and pyoverdin, and we uncover a third siderophore, citrate, required for growth when iron is limiting. Though growth of a DC3000 triple mutant unable to either synthesize or import these siderophores is severely restricted in iron-limited culture, it is fully pathogenic. One explanation for this phenotype is that the DC3000 triple mutant is able to directly pirate plant iron compounds such as heme/hemin or iron-nicotianamine, and our data indicate that DC3000 can import iron-nicotianamine with high affinity. However, an alternative explanation, supported by data from others, is that the pathogenic environment of DC3000 (i.e., leaf apoplast) is not iron limited but is iron replete, with available iron of >1 μM. Growth of the triple mutant in culture is restored to wild-type levels by supplementation with a variety of iron chelates at >1 μM, including iron(III) dicitrate, a dominant chelate of the leaf apoplast. This suggests that lower-affinity iron import would be sufficient for DC3000 iron nutritionin plantaand is in sharp contrast to the high-affinity iron-scavenging mechanisms required in mammalian pathogenesis.
RecA-Dependent Replication in the
nrdA101
(Ts) Mutant of Escherichia coli under Restrictive Conditions
Authors: Salguero Israel , Guarino Estrella , Guzmán Elena C. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT

Cells carrying the thermosensitive
nrdA101
allele are able to replicate entire chromosomes at 42°C when new DNA initiation events are inhibited. We investigated the role of the recombination enzymes on the progression of the DNA replication forks in the
nrdA101
mutant at 42°C in the presence of rifampin. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), we demonstrated that the replication forks stalled and reversed during the replication progression under this restrictive condition. DNA labeling and flow cytometry experiments supported this finding as the deleterious effects found in the RecB-deficient background were suppressed specifically by the absence of RuvABC; however, this did not occur in a RecG-deficient background. Furthermore, we show that the RecA protein is absolutely required for DNA replication in the
nrdA101
mutant at restrictive temperature when the replication forks are reversed. The detrimental effect of the
recA
deletion is not related to the chromosomal degradation caused by the absence of RecA. The inhibition of DNA replication observed in the
nrdA101 recA
mutant at 42°C in the presence of rifampin was reverted by the presence of the wild-type RecA protein expressed ectopically but only partially suppressed by the RecA protein with an S25P mutation [RecA(S25P)], deficient in the rescue of the stalled replication forks. We propose that RecA is required to maintain the integrity of the reversed forks in the
nrdA101
mutant under certain restrictive conditions, supporting the relationship between DNA replication and recombination enzymes through the stabilization and repair of the stalled replication forks.
Role of the Nfo and ExoA Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonucleases in Radiation Resistance and Radiation-Induced Mutagenesis of Bacillus subtilis Spores
Authors: Moeller Ralf , Setlow Peter , Pedraza-Reyes Mario , Okayasu Ryuichi , Reitz Günther , Nicholson Wayne L. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT

The roles of DNA repair by apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases alone, and together with DNA protection by α/β-type small acid-soluble spore proteins (SASP), in
Bacillus subtilis
spore resistance to different types of radiation have been studied. Spores lacking both AP endonucleases (Nfo and ExoA) and major SASP were significantly more sensitive to 254-nm UV-C, environmental UV (>280 nm), X-ray exposure, and high-energy charged (HZE)-particle bombardment and had elevated mutation frequencies compared to those of wild-type spores and spores lacking only one or both AP endonucleases or major SASP. These findings further implicate AP endonucleases and α/β-type SASP in repair and protection, respectively, of spore DNA against effects of UV and ionizing radiation.
The Moraxella catarrhalis Nitric Oxide Reductase Is Essential for Nitric Oxide Detoxification
Authors: Wang Wei , Kinkel Traci , Martens-Habbena Willm , Stahl David A. , Fang Ferric C. , Hansen Eric J. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT

Moraxella catarrhalis
is a Gram-negative obligate aerobe that is an important cause of human respiratory tract infections. The
M. catarrhalis
genome encodes a predicted truncated denitrification pathway that reduces nitrate to nitrous oxide. We have previously shown that expression of both the
M. catarrhalis aniA
(encoding a nitrite reductase) and
norB
(encoding a putative nitric oxide reductase) genes is repressed by the transcriptional regulator NsrR under aerobic conditions and that
M. catarrhalis
O35E
nsrR
mutants are unable to grow in the presence of low concentrations of nitrite (W. Wang, et al., J. Bacteriol. 190:7762–7772, 2008). In this study, we constructed an
M. catarrhalis norB
mutant and showed that planktonic growth of this mutant is inhibited by low levels of nitrite, whether or not an
nsrR
mutation is present. To determine the importance of NorB in this truncated denitrification pathway, we analyzed the metabolism of nitrogen oxides by
norB
,
aniA norB
, and
nsrR norB
mutants. We found that
norB
mutants are unable to reduce nitric oxide and produce little or no nitrous oxide from nitrite. Furthermore, nitric oxide produced from nitrite by the AniA protein is bactericidal for a
Moraxella catarrhalis
O35E
norB
mutant but not for wild-type O35E bacteria under aerobic growth conditions
in vitro
, suggesting that nitric oxide catabolism in
M. catarrhalis
is accomplished primarily by the
norB
gene product. Measurement of bacterial protein
S
-nitrosylation directly implicates nitrosative stress resulting from AniA-dependent nitric oxide formation as a cause of the growth inhibition of
norB
and
nsrR
mutants by nitrite.
An Antirepressor, SrpR, Is Involved in Transcriptional Regulation of the SrpABC Solvent Tolerance Efflux Pump of Pseudomonas putida S12
Authors: Sun Xu , Zahir Zileena , Lynch Karlene H. , Dennis Jonathan J. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT

Organic compounds exhibit various levels of toxicity toward living organisms based upon their ability to insert into biological membranes and disrupt normal membrane function. The primary mechanism responsible for organic solvent tolerance in many bacteria is energy-dependent extrusion via efflux pumps. One such bacterial strain,
Pseudomonas putida
S12, is known for its high tolerance to organic solvents as provided through the SrpABC resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) family efflux pump. To determine how two putative regulatory proteins (SrpR and SrpS, encoded directly upstream of the SrpABC structural genes) influence SrpABC efflux pump expression, we conducted transcriptional analysis, β-galactosidase fusion experiments, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and pulldown analysis. Together, the results of these experiments suggest that expression of the
srpABC
operon can be derepressed by two distinct but complementary mechanisms: direct inhibition of the SrpS repressor by organic solvents and binding of SrpS by its antirepressor SrpR.
A Novel Gene Inactivation System Reveals Altered Periplasmic Flagellar Orientation in aBorrelia burgdorferi fliLMutant
Authors: Motaleb M. A. , Pitzer Joshua E. , Sultan Syed Z. , Liu Jun 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTMotility and chemotaxis are essential components of pathogenesis for many infectious bacteria, includingBorrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Motility and chemotaxis genes comprise 5 to 6% of the genome ofB. burgdorferi, yet the functions of most of those genes remain uncharacterized, mainly due to the paucity of a nonpolar gene inactivation system. In this communication, we describe the development of a novel gene inactivation methodology to targetB. burgdorferi fliL, a putative periplasmic flagellar gene located in a large motility operon and transcribed by RNA polymerase containing σ70. Although the morphology of nonpolarfliLmutant cells was indistinguishable from that of wild-type cells, the mutant exhibited a defective-motility phenotype. Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) of intact organisms revealed that the periplasmic flagella in thefliLmutant were frequently tilted toward the cell pole instead of their normal orientation toward the cell body. These defects were corrected when the mutant was complemented incis. Moreover, a comparative analysis of flagellar motors from the wild type and the mutant provides the first structural evidence that FliL is localized between the stator and rotor. Our results suggest that FliL is likely involved in coordinating or regulating the orientation of periplasmic flagella inB. burgdorferi.
Combinatorial Regulation by MrpC2 and FruA Involves Three Sites in the
fmgE
Promoter Region during Myxococcus xanthus Development
Authors: Son Bongjun , Liu Yu , Kroos Lee 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT

Starvation causes cells in a dense population of
Myxococcus xanthus
to change their gliding movements and construct mounds. Short-range C-signaling between rod-shaped cells within mounds induces gene expression that promotes differentiation into spherical spores. Several C-signal-dependent genes have been shown to be regulated by cooperative binding of two transcription factors to the promoter region. These
F
ruA- and
M
rpC2-regulated
g
enes (designated
fmg
) each exhibit a different arrangement of binding sites. Here, we describe
fmgE
, which appears to be regulated by three sites for cooperative binding of FruA and MrpC2. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that association of MrpC2 and/or its longer form, MrpC with the
fmgE
promoter region, depends on FruA, consistent with cooperative binding of the two proteins
in vivo
. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays with purified His
10
-MrpC2 and FruA-His
6
indicated cooperative binding
in vitro
to three sites in the
fmgE
promoter region. The effects of mutations on binding
in vitro
and on expression of
fmgE-lacZ
fusions correlated site 1 (at about position −100 relative to the transcriptional start site) with negative regulation and site 2 (just upstream of the promoter) and site 3 (at about position +100) with positive regulation. Site 3 was bound by His
10
-MrpC2 alone, or the combination of His
10
-MrpC2 and FruA-His
6
, with the highest affinity, followed by site 1 and then site 2, supporting a model in which site 3 recruits MrpC2 and FruA to the
fmgE
promoter region, site 1 competes with site 2 for transcription factor binding, and site 2 occupancy is required to activate the promoter but only occurs when C-signaling produces a high concentration of active FruA.