bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Haem oxygenase 1 expression is altered in monocytes from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Herrada Andrés A. , Llanos Carolina , Mackern‐Oberti Juan P. , Carreño Leandro J. , Henriquez Carla , Gómez Roberto S. , Gutierrez Miguel A. , Anegon Ignacio , Jacobelli Sergio H. , Kalergis Alexis M. 
Published: May 2012

SummarySystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by multiple functional alterations affecting immune cells, such as B cells, T cells, dendritic cells (DCs) and monocytes. During SLE, the immunogenicity of monocytes and DCs is significantly up‐regulated, promoting the activation of self‐reactive T cells. Accordingly, it is important to understand the contribution of these cells to the pathogenesis of SLE and the mechanisms responsible for their altered functionality during disease. One of the key enzymes that control monocyte and DC function is haem oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), which catalyses the degradation of the haem group into biliverdin, carbon monoxide and free iron. These products possess immunosuppressive and anti‐inflammatory capacities. The main goal of this work was to determine HO‐1 expression in monocytes and DCs from patients with SLE and healthy controls. Hence, peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained from 43 patients with SLE and 30 healthy controls. CD14+ monocytes and CD4+ T cells were sorted by FACS and HO‐1 expression was measured by RT‐PCR. In addition, HO‐1 protein expression was determined by FACS. HO‐1 levels in monocytes were significantly reduced in patients with SLE compared with healthy controls. These results were confirmed by flow cytometry. No differences were observed in other cell types, such as DCs or CD4+ T cells, although decreased MHC‐II levels were observed in DCs from patients with SLE. In conclusion, we found a significant decrease in HO‐1 expression, specifically in monocytes from patients with SLE, suggesting that an imbalance of monocyte function could be partly the result of a decrease in HO‐1 expression.
Enzymatic hydrolysates from tuna backbone and the subsequent Maillard reaction with different ketohexoses
Authors: Zeng Yan , Zhang Xiaoxi , Guan Yuping , Sun Yuanxia 
Published: May 2012

SummaryEnzymatic hydrolysates from tuna backbone were prepared, and the subsequent Maillard reaction with rare sugars (d‐psicose, d‐sorbose and d‐tagatose) was investigated. The hydrolysates were found to contain a large number of short peptides under 1000 Da and were good sources of essential amino acids. In assays of free radical scavenging activity and reducing power, the Maillard reaction products from rare sugars, especially d‐tagatose, performed better than that from d‐fructose. After heating at 55 °C for 48 h, the scavenging capacity of the hydrolysates for 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picryl‐hydrazyl radicals improved by 8.9‐ and 16‐fold in the presence of d‐fructose and d‐tagatose. Hence, hydrolysates with high nutrient contents could be prepared from fish by‐products via proteolysis, and the Maillard reaction of rare sugars may greatly promote the antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates.
Long‐term responses of Mediterranean birds to forest fuel management
Authors: Santana Joana , Porto Miguel , Gordinho Luís , Reino Luís , Beja Pedro 
Published: May 2012

Summary1. Mechanical management of forest fuels is increasingly used in the Euro‐Mediterranean region in response to the abandonment of traditional agroforestry and the concurrent increase in fire hazard. Although fuel management may have positive side effects for biodiversity, its long‐term impacts remain largely unknown.2. We used a 70‐year post‐management chronosequence to investigate the influence of time since fuel management and management frequency on bird assemblages in cork oak Quercus suber forests.3. Fuel management strongly affected bird species richness, abundances and assemblage composition, with rapid changes often occurring during the first 10–20 years, followed in the next decades by a slow convergence to pre‐management levels.4. In winter, overall species richness and abundance, and that of frugivores and shrub foragers, were negatively affected by recent and recurrent management, only recovering in stands unmanaged for >50 years. In spring, insectivore abundance and the richness and abundance of shrub foragers declined immediately following management, increased to a maximum about 20 years later, and declined thereafter. Breeding granivores and ground foragers were the only groups that benefitted from fuel management. There were no overall effects on species of conservation concern, although a few species with unfavourable status benefitted from fuel management.5. Synthesis and applications. Our study confirmed that mechanical fuel management has positive effects on some early‐successional bird species of conservation concern, although its effects were limited. These benefits should be compared with the strong negative impacts on key bird species such as wintering frugivores, which play a pivotal role in ecosystems by promoting seed dispersal. To reconcile the positive and negative aspects, fuel management should be used to create heterogeneous mosaics of forest patches encompassing a range of sizes (10–100 ha) and successional stages of understorey vegetation, including stands undisturbed for >50 years. This management strategy will likely maintain conditions for a wide range of species with contrasting ecological requirements while also reducing fire hazard.
Segmentation and tracking of live cells in phase‐contrast images using directional gradient vector flow for snakes
Authors: SEROUSSI I. , VEIKHERMAN D. , OFER N. , YEHUDAI‐RESHEFF S. , KEREN K. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryCell shape is an important characteristic of the physiological state of a cell and is used as a primary read‐out of cell behaviour in various assays. Automated accurate segmentation of cells in microscopy images is hence of large practical importance in cell biology. We report a simple algorithm for automated cell segmentation in high‐magnification phase‐contrast images, which takes advantage of the characteristic directionality of the local image intensity gradient at cellular boundaries due to the ‘halo‐effect’. We employ a two‐step algorithm in which a gradient vector flow (GVF) field is first used to direct active contours to an approximate cell boundary. A directional GVF (DGVF) field is then calculated by considering only edges for which the image intensity gradient is directed outwards with respect to the approximate cell contour. Subsequently, the DGVF field is used to refine the cell contour, by directing active contours to edges with the desired gradient directionality. This method allows us to accurately segment cells in an image series, as well as follow the dynamics of cell shape over time in an automated fashion.
Variable mesophyll conductance revisited: theoretical background and experimental implications
Authors: THOLEN DANNY , ETHIER GILBERT , GENTY BERNARD , PEPIN STEEVE , ZHU XIN‐GUANG 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTThe CO2 concentration at the site of carboxylation inside the chloroplast stroma depends not only on the stomatal conductance, but also on the conductance of CO2 between substomatal cavities and the site of CO2 fixation. This conductance, commonly termed mesophyll conductance (gm), significantly constrains the rate of photosynthesis. Here we show that estimates of gm are influenced by the amount of respiratory and photorespiratory CO2 from the mitochondria diffusing towards the chloroplasts. This results in an apparent CO2 and oxygen sensitivity of gm that does not imply a change in intrinsic diffusion properties of the mesophyll, but depends on the ratio of mitochondrial CO2 release to chloroplast CO2 uptake. We show that this effect (1) can bias the estimation of the CO2 photocompensation point and non‐photorespiratory respiration in the light; (2) can affect the estimates of ribulose 1·5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) kinetic constants in vivo; and (3) results in an apparent obligatory correlation between stomatal conductance and gm. We further show that the amount of photo(respiratory) CO2 that is refixed by Rubisco can be directly estimated through measurements of gm.
The granulocytes in neutropenia 1 (GIN 1) study: a safety study of granulocytes collected from whole blood and stored in additive solution and plasma
Authors: Massey Edwin , Harding Kay , Kahan Brennan C. , Llewelyn Charlotte , Wynn Robert , Moppett John , Robinson Stephen P. , Green Ann , Lucas Geoff , Sadani Deepak , Liakopoulou Effie , Bolton‐Maggs Paula , Marks David I. , Stanworth Simon 
Published: May 2012

Objective/Aim: To evaluate the safety of transfusing pooled, whole blood‐derived granulocytes in additive solution and plasma (GASP) in 30 recipients.Background: Demand for granulocytes in England has increased five‐fold. With the advantages of reduced red cell, plasma and overall volume, GASP maintains function in vitro.Methods and Materials: Observations were recorded prior to and post transfusion. Increments were recorded at 1 h and the following morning. Leucocyte antibody screening was undertaken prior to and at 1–6 months following transfusion.Results: Thirty patients aged between 8 months and 68 years received 221 GASP in 148 transfusion episodes. GASP contained an average of 1·0 ×1010 granulocytes in 207 mL. Adults usually received two packs and children 10–20 mL kg–1. Children and adults received a median [interquartile range (IQR)] dose of 12·5 (9·1–25·3) and 19·7 (12·0–25·8) ×109 granulocytes per transfusion, respectively. There was one episode of transfusion‐associated circulatory overload (TACO) in a patient with chronic cardiac failure following 600 mL of unpooled granulocytes, other fluids and one GASP. New leucocyte alloimmunisation occurred in 3/30 recipients 10%. No other significant reactions were reported. Median peripheral blood neutrophil increments at 1 h post transfusion were 0·06 (IQR, 0·01–0·17) in children and (0·03) (IQR, 0–0·16) in adults.Conclusion: GASP has a similar safety profile to other sources of granulocytes for patients with refractory infection or in need of secondary prophylactic transfusion. Further studies are required to clarify the role of GASP in the treatment of neutropenic patients.
Mortality of HIV‐infected and uninfected children in a longitudinal cohort in rural south‐west Uganda during 8 years of follow‐up
Authors: Munyagwa Mary , Baisley Kathy , Levin Jonathan , Brian Michael , Grosskurth Heiner , Maher Dermot 
Published: May 2012

AbstractObjectives  To determine the impact of HIV on child mortality and explore potential risk factors for mortality among HIV‐infected and HIV‐exposed uninfected children in a longitudinal cohort in rural Uganda.Methods  From July 2002 to March 2010, HIV‐infected and HIV‐exposed uninfected children aged 6 weeks–13 years were enrolled in an open population‐based clinical cohort. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) was introduced in 2005. Clinical and laboratory data were collected every 3 months. Person‐years at risk were calculated from time of enrolment until earliest date of ART initiation, death or last visit. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for mortality.Results  Eighty‐nine (30.2%) HIV‐infected and 206 (69.8%) HIV‐exposed but uninfected children were enrolled. Twenty‐one children died. The mortality rate was six times higher in ART‐naive HIV‐infected children than in HIV‐exposed but uninfected children (HR = 6.4, 95% CI = 2.4–16.6). Among HIV‐infected children, mortality was highest in those aged <2 years. Decreasing weight‐for‐age Z (WAZ) score was the strongest risk factor for mortality among HIV‐infected children (HR for unit decrease in WAZ = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.6–4.1). Thirty‐five children (aged 7 months–15.6 years; median, 5.4 years) started ART.Conclusions  Mortality among HIV‐infected children was highest among those aged <2 years. Intensified efforts to prevent mother‐to‐child transmission of HIV and ensure early HIV diagnosis and treatment are required to decrease child mortality caused by HIV in rural Africa.
Automated intelligent rotor tine cultivation and punch planting to improve the selectivity of mechanical intra‐row weed control
Authors: RASMUSSEN J , GRIEPENTROG HW , NIELSEN J , HENRIKSEN CB 
Published: May 2012

RasmussenJ, GriepentrogHW, NielsenJ & HenriksenCB (2012). Automated intelligent rotor tine cultivation and punch planting to improve the selectivity of mechanical intra‐row weed control.Weed Research52, 327–337.SummaryThere is much research on technical aspects related to sensor and mapping techniques, which enable so‐called intelligent cultivators to target the intra‐row spaces within crop rows. This study investigates (i) an expected advantage of an intelligent rotor tine cultivator (the cycloid hoe) in terms of crop‐weed selectivity and (ii) an expected synergistic effect between punch planting and post‐emergence weed harrowing, in terms of improved crop‐weed selectivity. Selectivity is defined as the relationship between weed density decline and associated crop density decline 1 week after cultivation. Punch planting is a sowing technique where holes are created in the ground with a minimum of soil disturbance, and seeds are inserted into them, without soil disturbance outside the holes. Two experiments were carried out with the cycloid hoe in organic sugar beet. The rotation tines were guided by RTK‐GPS relative to geo‐referenced sugar beets. Tines were moved into the row when there was enough space between crop plants to cultivate and kept outside when they were predicted to strike a crop plant. The selectivity of the cycloid hoe was tested against two machine variants without intelligent guidance: the rotor tine cultivator in a locked mode, where tines rotate within the crop row without taking crop plants into consideration, and an ordinary flex tine weed harrow. The experiments showed no differences between the three machine variants in terms of selectivity. Five experiments with punch planting in sugar beet and carrot crops showed no synergistic effects between plant establishment procedures and selectivity of post‐emergence weed harrowing. Even if punch planting and automated intelligent rotor tine cultivation were not combined, the results indicated that there was no reason to believe that a combination contributes significantly in mechanical intra‐row weed control in direct sown crops to the solution of the main problem of low selectivity, which still remains a major challenge. Future studies on precision intra‐row cultivation should focus on cutting implements, instead of tine implements that mainly work through soil burial.
Report on the 15th International Society of Blood Transfusion platelet immunology workshop
Authors: Sachs U. J. , Kiefel V. , Kroll H. , Bein G. , Santoso S. 
Published: May 2012

Background and Objectives  The aim of the 15th ISBT Platelet Immunology Workshop was to evaluate the detection of free platelet‐reactive autoantibodies from ITP patients by the use of a standardized MAIPA protocol, to compare sensitivity and specificity of antibody detection for anti‐HPA‐1a and serologically difficult‐to‐assess antibodies against HPA‐3, to identify whether anti‐HPA‐1a titration results can be compared between laboratories, and to evaluate HPA genotyping methods.Materials and Methods  Workshop materials were shipped from the organizing laboratory in Giessen, Germany. Thirty laboratories from 19 countries participated.Results  Results for the detection of autoantibodies differed greatly between the laboratories and no consensus was reached for one of the two sera. Detection and titration of antibodies against HPA‐1a, in contrast, gave largely congruent results. Serologically difficult‐to‐assess antibodies recognizing HPA‐3a and HPA‐3b were not detected by many laboratories. For genotyping, good agreement was achieved.Conclusions  Detection of HPA‐1a antibodies, titration of anti‐HPA‐1a, and HPA genotyping are well performed in most participating laboratories. The workshop has identified two specific areas with room and need for improvement: the detection of autoantibodies and the detection of HPA‐3 alloantibodies. Recommendations of the Working Party on techniques that can help to overcome these problems are desirable.
Structural alterations of the mucosa stroma in the Barrett's esophagus metaplasia‐dysplasia‐adenocarcinoma sequence
Authors: Bobryshev Yuri V , Killingsworth Murray C , Lord Reginald V N 
Published: May 2012

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Accumulating evidence suggests that the extracellular matrix play important roles in intercellular communications and contribute to the development of a number of diseases, including diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The present study examined the structural characteristics and alterations of the extracellular matrix of the mucosa stroma in the Barrett's esophagus metaplasia‐dysplasia‐adenocarcinoma sequence.Methods:  A total of 41 esophageal tissue specimens (15 esophageal adenocarcinoma, 10 Barrett's esophagus intestinal metaplasia, seven dysplasia and nine normal esophagus) were studied. The present study used transmission electron microscopy and computerized quantitative electron‐microscopic analysis in order to investigate the characteristics of the extracellular matrix of the mucosa.Results:  The study revealed that marked structural alterations of the mucosa stroma, relating to changes in the distribution and appearance of collagen fibers as well as to changes in numbers of matrix microvesicles, occur in Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. It was found that there were 3.1 times more microvesicles in the stroma in Barrett's esophagus than in the stroma of the normal esophagus (P < 0.0001) and that there were 5.8 times more microvesicles in esophageal adenocarcinoma than in the normal esophagus (P < 0.0001). There were 1.9 times more microvesicles in esophageal adenocarcinoma than in Barrett's esophagus (P = 0.0043).Conclusions:  The study demonstrates distinctive alterations of the mucosa stroma extracellular matrix in the metaplasia‐dysplasia‐adenocarcinoma sequence. The findings suggest that the redistribution of collagen fibers and increases in numbers of matrix microvesicles may play roles in the formation of specialized intestinal metaplasia and the development of adenocarcinoma.
Lung transplant infection
Authors: BURGUETE SERGIO R. , MASELLI DIEGO J. , FERNANDEZ JUAN F. , LEVINE STEPHANIE M. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTLung transplantation has become an accepted therapeutic procedure for the treatment of end‐stage pulmonary parenchymal and vascular disease. Despite improved survival rates over the decades, lung transplant recipients have lower survival rates than other solid organ transplant recipients. The morbidity and mortality following lung transplantation is largely due to infection‐ and rejection‐related complications. This article will review the common infections that develop in the lung transplant recipient, including the general risk factors for infection in this population, and the most frequent bacterial, viral, fungal and other less frequent opportunistic infections. The epidemiology, diagnosis, prophylaxis, treatment and outcomes for the different microbial pathogens will be reviewed. The effects of infection on lung transplant rejection will also be discussed.
Dynamic cohesive crack propagation modelling using the scaled boundary finite element method
Authors: OOI E. T. , YANG Z. J. , GUO Z. Y. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTThis study develops a scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM)‐based approach for modelling fast cohesive crack propagation in quasi‐brittle materials subjected to transient dynamic loadings. In this approach, the elastic bulk material is modelled by SBFEM subdomains and the cracks by nonlinear cohesive interface finite elements that are automatically inserted by a remeshing procedure. The global equation system is solved using an implicit time integration algorithm. Because all the solutions (displacements, stresses, velocities, accelerations) are semi‐analytical in an SBFEM subdomain, this approach offers a few advantages over other methods, such as accurate calculation of dynamic stress intensity factors and T‐stress without using fine crack‐tip meshes, simpler remeshing, more accurate and efficient mesh mapping, and the need of much fewer degrees of freedom for the same accuracy. The approach is validated by modelling two concrete beams under impact, subjected to mode‐I and mixed‐mode fracture, respectively.
Self‐monitoring of blood glucose in Type 2 diabetes: cross‐sectional analyses in 1993, 1999 and 2009
Authors: Evans J. M. M. , Mackison D. , Emslie‐Smith A. , Lawton J. 
Published: May 2012

Diabet. Med. 29, 792–795 (2012)AbstractAim  To characterize the numbers of reagent strips dispensed for self‐monitoring of blood glucose to patients with Type 2 diabetes in Tayside, Scotland, in 1993, 1999 and 2009.Methods  A diabetes clinical information system in Tayside, record‐linked to electronic dispensed prescribing records, was used to collate all dispensed prescribing records for three cross‐sectional samples of patients with Type 2 diabetes in 1993 (n = 5728), 1999 (n = 8109) and at 1 January 2009 (n = 16 450). The numbers of reagent strips dispensed during the relevant calendar year were calculated and patients stratified by treatment. We also explored whether age, sex or material and social deprivation were associated with whether a patient received strips.Results  Proportions of people who received self‐monitoring reagent strips increased from 15.5% in 1993, to 24.2% in 1999 to 29.8% in 2009, as did numbers of strips dispensed. While the proportion of diet‐treated patients who received reagent strips was still very low in 2009 (5.6%), the proportion among those treated with oral agents tripled from 9.4 to 27.4% between 1993 and 2009. Over 90% of patients treated with insulin received reagent strips and, among non‐insulin‐treated patients, this was more common among women, younger people and less deprived groups.Conclusions  The numbers of reagent strips dispensed for self‐monitoring of blood glucose has increased and almost all insulin‐treated patients receive strips. While few diet‐treated patients receive strips, they are more extensively dispensed to those treated with oral agents. Given that self‐monitoring of blood glucose is no longer routinely recommended in non‐insulin treated patients, strategies to reduce unnecessary dispensing of reagent strips are needed.