bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Allogeneic transplantation for Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Authors: Corradini Paolo , Sarina Barbara , Farina Lucia 
Published: December 2010

SummaryHodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) can be cured in most of the patients, but in case of refractory disease or relapse after autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) the prognosis becomes very poor. In these patients a consensus about the standard approach has not been achieved so far and only allogeneic SCT has shown a long‐term disease control. The postulated graft‐versus‐Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a matter of controversy, but the clinical responses observed after donor lymphocyte infusions may explain the superiority of alloSCT over standard chemo‐radiotherapy. The results of conventional myeloablative alloSCT had a relevant non‐relapse mortality (NRM), discouraging its widespread application as salvage treatment. In the last 10 years, reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) significantly decreased the NRM, widening the application of alloSCT also to heavily pretreated patients. Taking into account all phase II studies, 20–30% of patients receiving RIC alloSCT are disease‐free and probably some of them are cured.
The multiple faces of indirect defences and their agents of natural selection
Authors: Kessler André , Heil Martin 
Published: December 2010

Summary1.Plants commonly attract predatory and parasitoid organisms, and may thereby increase resistance against antagonistic herbivores. Mechanisms for indirect resistance include the provision of resources (e.g. food and shelter) for predators as well as the provision of information (e.g. herbivore‐induce volatiles) on the location of hosts and prey that can facilitate the foraging behaviour of natural enemies of herbivores.2.These ecologically divergent mechanisms for attracting bodyguards should also differ fundamentally in their evolution, particularly in how herbivores and their predators select on plant resistance traits. However, these different strategies are typically lumped together in theoretical discussions of indirect defences.3.Here we highlight the fundamental differences between resource‐mediated and information‐mediated indirect resistance and discuss the relative evolutionary impacts of the interacting organisms as agents of natural selection in shaping indirect defence traits of plants.4.We review clear evidence for a defensive function of resource‐mediated indirect resistance, and recognize a significant lack of evidence for an adaptive function of information‐mediated traits. A comparison of the underlying factors driving coevolution in each category of indirect defences, suggests that information‐mediated indirect resistance is less likely to be subject to coevolution between plants and the third trophic level.
Cell wall integrity is linked to mitochondria and phospholipid homeostasis in Candida albicans through the activity of the post‐transcriptional regulator Ccr4‐Pop2
Authors: Dagley Michael J. , Gentle Ian E. , Beilharz Traude H. , Pettolino Filomena A. , Djordjevic Julianne T. , Lo Tricia L. , Uwamahoro Nathalie , Rupasinghe Thusitha , Tull Dedreja L. , McConville Malcolm , Beaurepaire Cecile , Nantel André , Lithgow Trevor , Mitchell Aaron P. , Traven Ana 
Published: December 2010

SummaryThe cell wall is essential for viability of fungi and is an effective drug target in pathogens such as Candida albicans. The contribution of post‐transcriptional gene regulators to cell wall integrity in C. albicans is unknown. We show that the C. albicans Ccr4‐Pop2 mRNA deadenylase, a regulator of mRNA stability and translation, is required for cell wall integrity. The ccr4/pop2 mutants display reduced wall β‐glucans and sensitivity to the echinocandin caspofungin. Moreover, the deadenylase mutants are compromised for filamentation and virulence. We demonstrate that defective cell walls in the ccr4/pop2 mutants are linked to dysfunctional mitochondria and phospholipid imbalance. To further understand mitochondrial function in cell wall integrity, we screened a Saccharomyces cerevisiae collection of mitochondrial mutants. We identify several mitochondrial proteins required for caspofungin tolerance and find a connection between mitochondrial phospholipid homeostasis and caspofungin sensitivity. We focus on the mitochondrial outer membrane SAM complex subunit Sam37, demonstrating that it is required for both trafficking of phospholipids between the ER and mitochondria and cell wall integrity. Moreover, in C. albicans also Sam37 is essential for caspofungin tolerance. Our study provides the basis for an integrative view of mitochondrial function in fungal cell wall biogenesis and resistance to echinocandin antifungal drugs.
RatA (YfjG), an Escherichia coli toxin, inhibits 70S ribosome association to block translation initiation
Authors: Zhang Yonglong , Inouye Masayori 
Published: December 2010

SummaryRatA (YfjG) is a toxin encoded by the ratA–ratB (yfjG–yfjF) operon on the Escherichia coli genome. Induction of RatA led to the inhibition of protein synthesis, while DNA and RNA synthesis was not affected. The stability of mRNAs was also unchanged as judged by in vivo primer extension experiments and by Northern blotting analysis. The ribosome profile of the cells overexpressing RatA showed that 70S ribosomes as well as polysomes significantly decreased with concomitant increase of 50S and 30S subunits. The addition of purified RatA to a cell‐free system inhibited the formation of 70S ribosomes even in the presence of 6 mM Mg2+. RatA was specifically associated with 50S subunits, indicating that it binds to 50S subunits to block its association with 30S subunits leading to the inhibition of formation of 70S ribosomes. However, RatA did not cause dissociation of 70S ribosomes and its anti‐association activity was blocked by paromomycin, an inhibitor for IF3, an essential initiation factor, having 21% sequence homology with RatA. Here we demonstrate that RatA is a new E. coli toxin, which effectively blocks the translation initiation step. We propose that this toxin of previously unknown function be renamed as RatA (Ribosome association toxin A).
Leptospira immunoglobulin‐like protein B (LigB) binding to the C‐terminal fibrinogen αC domain inhibits fibrin clot formation, platelet adhesion and aggregation
Authors: Lin Yi‐Pin , McDonough Sean P. , Sharma Yogendra , Chang Yung‐Fu 
Published: December 2010

Summary Leptospira immunoglobulin‐like (Lig) proteins including LigA and LigB are adhesins that bind to fibronectin, collagen, laminin and elastin. In addition, Lig proteins are fibrinogen (Fg)‐binding proteins, although the physiological role of the Lig–Fg interaction is unclear. In this study, a previously identified Fg‐binding region, LigBCen2 (amino acids 1014–1165 of LigB), has been further localized to LigBCen2R, which consists of the partial 11th and entire 12th Ig‐like domain (amino acids 1014–1119). LigBCen2R was found to bind to the C‐terminal αC domain of Fg (FgαCC; amino acids 392–644 in Fg α chain; isothermal titration calorimetry, KD = 0.375 µM; fluorescence spectrometry, KD = 0.364 µM). The quenching and blue shift observed for the maximum wavelength intensities of the tryptophan fluorescence spectra for FgαCCY570W upon LigBCen2RW1073C binding suggested an RGD motif close to the sole tryptophan on FgαCCY570W was buried in LigBCen2R upon saturation with FgαCC. A conformational change in LigBCen2R when bound to the FgαCC RGD motif blocked further binding to integrin αIIbβ3 on platelets, thus preventing their aggregation. LigBCen2R binding to FgαCC reduced clot formation but did not affect plasminogen and tissue‐type plasminogen activator interactions with FgαCC. This study is the first to report that a spirochaetal protein binds to the C‐terminal αC domain of Fg, which regulates thrombosis and fibrinolysis, and may help explain the pulmonary haemorrhage and thrombocytopenia seen in clinical cases of leptospirosis.
Regulation of HLA class II expression prevents allogeneic T‐cell responses
Authors: Jaimes Y. , Seltsam A. , Eiz‐Vesper B. , Blasczyk R. , Figueiredo C. 
Published: December 2010

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecules are polymorphic heterodimers that present peptides to CD4+ T‐cells. The HLA‐DM molecule contributes to assemble HLA class II‐peptide complexes. We investigated the effect of silencing either HLA‐DR or HLA‐DM expression in the allogeneic T‐cell responses.The delivery of HLA‐DR‐ or HLA‐DM‐specific short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) in a monocytic cell line caused a decrease by up to 85% and 75% at the respective mRNA level. Allogeneic T‐cells stimulated with HLA‐DM‐silenced monocytes decreased to 30% granzyme B mRNA and interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) production in comparison with T‐cells stimulated with monocytes expressing a non‐specific shRNA. By contrast, HLA‐DR‐silenced monocytes did not induce proliferation, up‐regulation of granzyme B mRNA levels or high IFN‐γ secretion by allogeneic T‐cells vs HLA‐DR expressing cells.Direct targeting of HLA‐DR expression prevented more efficiently an allogeneic T‐cell response in comparison with the knockdown of the expression of HLA‐DM molecules. Silencing the expression of HLA‐DR molecules might contribute to the development of new allogeneic cell‐based therapeutic approaches.
Challenges in pediatric transplantation: The impact of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular risk factors on long‐term outcomes and recommended management strategies
Authors: Filler Guido 
Published: December 2010

Filler G. Challenges in pediatric transplantation: The impact of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular risk factors on long‐term outcomes and recommended management strategies. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15:25–31. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract:  Barriers to successful outcomes following pediatric transplantation have shifted from ischemic reperfusion injury and rejection to more long‐term complications. Of particular concern is the high prevalence of CKD owing to preexisting damage and nephrotoxicity, as well as other CV complications such as hypertension and cardiomyopathy. All of these contribute to graft loss and shortened life expectancy, thereby limiting the success story of solid‐organ transplantation. Managing CKD and related CV morbidity should be integral to the care of pediatric transplant patients, and timely detection of any irregularities would increase the chances of restoring lost kidney function. GFR is still the widely accepted indicator of renal function, and nuclear medicine techniques are the gold standard measurement methods. These methods are limited by costs, radiation exposure and substrate injection, and current practice still uses the Schwartz estimate, despite its well‐documented limitations. Newer endogenous markers of GFR, such as cystatin C clearance, give a more accurate measure of true GFR but have not been embraced in the management of pediatric transplant recipients. Furthermore, indirect markers (e.g., microalbuminuria and hypertension) could also aid early detection of renal damage. The effects of mainstay immunosuppressants on kidney and heart function are varied, with available data indicating favorable outcomes with tacrolimus compared with ciclosporin. There is a need for appropriately designed and powered randomized controlled trials to validate innovative concepts for tailored immunosuppression in the pediatric population. To date, very few studies have generated long‐term data in pediatric renal transplant patients – results of 1–4‐yr study favored tacrolimus over ciclosporin, but other immunosuppressive agents also need to be evaluated.
Pollen and stigma morphology of some Phaseoleae species (Leguminosae) with different pollinators
Authors: Basso‐Alves J. P. , Agostini K. , de Pádua Teixeira S. 
Published: December 2010

AbstractPollen transport to a receptive stigma can be facilitated through different pollinators, which submits the pollen to different selection pressures. This study aimed to associate pollen and stigma morphology with zoophily in species of the tribe Phaseoleae. Species of the genera Erythrina, Macroptilium and Mucuna with different pollinators were chosen. Pollen grains and stigmas were examined under light microscopy (anatomy), scanning electronic microscopy (surface analyses) and transmission electronic microscopy (ultrastructure). The three genera differ in terms of pollen wall ornamentation, pollen size, pollen aperture, thickness of the pollen wall, amount of pollenkitt, pollen hydration status and dominant reserves within the pollen grain, while species within each genus are very similar in most studied characteristics. Most of these features lack relationships to pollinator type, especially in Erythrina and Mucuna. Pollen reserves are discussed on a broad scale, according to the occurrence of protein in the pollen of invertebrate‐ or vertebrate‐pollinated species. Some pollen characteristics are more associated to semi‐dry stigma requirements. This apical, compact, cuticularised and secretory stigma occurs in all species investigated. We conclude that data on pollen and stigma structure should be included together with those on floral morphology and pollinator behaviour for the establishment of functional pollination classes.
Coagulation considerations for infants and children undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass
Authors: Eaton Michael P. , Iannoli Ellen M. 
Published: December 2010

SummaryCardiac surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass imposes a significant pathophysiologic burden on patients. Pediatric patients are especially predisposed to the adverse effects of surgery and bypass on the coagulation system, with resultant bleeding, transfusion, and poor outcomes. These risks accrue to pediatric patients in inverse proportion to their weight and are attributable to hematologic immaturity, coagulation defects associated with congenital heart disease, bypass equipment, and the nature of congenital heart surgery. Standard anticoagulation does not completely inhibit thrombin generation, and continuous consumption of coagulation factor continues throughout bypass. Conventional measurements of anticoagulation during bypass poorly reflect this incomplete anticoagulation, and alternate methods may improve anticoagulant therapy. Emerging therapies for blocking the effects of bypass on the coagulation system hold promise for decreasing bleeding and related complications, and improving outcomes in congenital heart surgery.
Reconstituted blood reduces blood donor exposures in children undergoing craniofacial reconstruction surgery
Authors: Stricker Paul A. , Fiadjoe John E. , Davis Amanda R. , Sussman Emily , Burgess Beverly J. , Ciampa Brian , Mendelsohn Jared , Bartlett Scott P. , Sesok‐Pizzini Deborah A. , Jobes David R. 
Published: December 2010

SummaryObjective/Aims:  To assess the effect of prophylactic administration of fresh‐frozen plasma (FFP) in the form of reconstituted blood in children undergoing craniofacial reconstruction. The outcomes of interest included immediate postoperative coagulation laboratory test results, postoperative surgical drain output, and the number of unique blood donor exposures incurred.Background:  We recently changed our intraoperative transfusion strategy in children undergoing craniofacial reconstruction surgery to one in which blood loss is replaced with donor‐matched reconstituted blood rather than traditional blood component therapy.Methods:  We performed a query of our prospective craniofacial surgery perioperative registry for children who underwent fronto‐orbital advancement or posterior cranial vault reconstruction. Registry data from this query were compared to data from a historical cohort.Results:  Data for 46 registry cases were compared to 150 historical cohort cases. The median number of unique donor exposures for the reconstituted blood group was 2 vs 3 in the historical cohort (P = 0.004). The reconstituted blood group had a decreased incidence of postoperative derangements in soluble clotting factor tests (fibrinogen, PT, or aPTT; 2% vs 24%, P = 0.001), while there was no evidence for a difference in the incidence of thrombocytopenia. There was no evidence for differences in postoperative surgical drain output in the reconstituted blood group and historical cohort over the first 12, 24, and 48 h.Conclusions:  Prophylactic administration of FFP in the form of donor‐matched reconstituted blood in children undergoing craniofacial reconstruction was associated with improved postoperative coagulation parameters, reduced blood donor exposures, and unchanged postoperative surgical drain output.
Phase locking, the Moran effect and distance decay of synchrony: experimental tests in a model system
Authors: Fox Jeremy W. , Vasseur David A. , Hausch Stephen , Roberts Jodie 
Published: December 2010

Ecology Letters (2011) 14: 163–168AbstractSpatially separated populations of many species fluctuate synchronously. Synchrony typically decays with increasing interpopulation distance. Spatial synchrony, and its distance decay, might reflect distance decay of environmental synchrony (the Moran effect), and/or short‐distance dispersal. However, short‐distance dispersal can synchronize entire metapopulations if within‐patch dynamics are cyclic, a phenomenon known as phase locking. We manipulated the presence/absence of short‐distance dispersal and spatially decaying environmental synchrony and examined their separate and interactive effects on the synchrony of the protist prey species Tetrahymena pyriformis growing in spatial arrays of patches (laboratory microcosms). The protist predator Euplotes patella consumed Tetrahymena and generated predator–prey cycles. Dispersal increased prey synchrony uniformly over both short and long distances, and did so by entraining the phases of the predator–prey cycles. The Moran effect also increased prey synchrony, but only over short distances where environmental synchrony was strongest, and did so by increasing the synchrony of stochastic fluctuations superimposed on the predator–prey cycle. Our results provide the first experimental demonstration of distance decay of synchrony due to distance decay of the Moran effect. Distance decay of the Moran effect likely explains distance decay of synchrony in many natural systems. Our results also provide an experimental demonstration of long‐distance phase locking, and explain why cyclic populations provide many of the most dramatic examples of long‐distance spatial synchrony in nature.
Immigrants in Denmark: Access to Employment, Class Attainment and Earnings in a High‐Skilled Economy
Authors: Brodmann Stefanie , Polavieja Javier G. 
Published: December 2010

AbstractThis study examines employment access, class attainment, and earnings among native‐born and first‐generation immigrants in Denmark using Danish administrative data from 2002. Results suggest large gaps in employment access between native‐born Danes and immigrants, as well as among immigrant groups by country of origin and time of arrival. Non‐Western immigrants and those arriving after 1984 are at a particular disadvantage compared to other immigrants, a finding not explained by education differences. Immigrants are more likely to be employed in unskilled manual jobs and less likely to be employed in professional and intermediate‐level positions than native‐born Danes, although the likelihood of obtaining higher‐level positions increases as immigrants’ time in Denmark lengthens. Class attainment and accumulated work experience explain a significant portion of native‐immigrant gaps in earnings, but work experience reduces native‐immigrant gaps in class attainment for lower‐level positions only. The Danish “flexicurity” model and its implications for immigrants living in Denmark are discussed.
Differential susceptibility of astrocytic and neuronal function to 3‐chloropropanediol in the rat inferior colliculus
Authors: Brown Angus M. , Skamarauskas John , Lister Timothy , Madjd Ameneh , Ray David E. 
Published: December 2010

J. Neurochem. (2011) 116, 996–1004.AbstractWe have previously shown that systemic administration of S(+)3‐chloropropanediol (3‐CPD) produces a morphological loss of astrocytes in specific nuclei of the rodent brain that precedes loss of both neurones and endothelial tight junctions. Here, we have evaluated the differential susceptibility of neuronal and astrocytic function to 3‐CPD, in order to see if this parallels the morphological selectivity. To do this, we have developed an in vivo method for monitoring astrocyte function over time by giving hourly 20‐min bolus challenge exposures to ammonia via an implanted microdialysis probe and measuring the resulting transient increases in the extracellular glutamine : glutamate ratio. These challenge ammonia exposures evoked a stable response for at least 5 h when the probe was implanted in the rat inferior colliculus, but caused no behavioural response or morphological damage. Although 3‐CPD produced a rapid and sustained abolition of the ammonia response within 2 h, the field potential response of inferior collicular neurones to sound fell significantly to 75.0 ± 3.9% pre‐dose at up to 8 h but then fell markedly, reaching 20.5 ± 3.7% at 2 days. Blood flow in the inferior colliculus also showed only late changes, increasing substantially at 2 days. Astrocyte damage at the EM level was seen from 3 h, followed by loss of astrocytes from 18 h to a minimum of 7 ± 10% control at 3 days. The rapid abolition of the ammonia response suggests that in addition to selective astrocyte death, 3‐CPD also produces an earlier impairment of astrocyte function that precedes loss of neuronal function. This initial functional selectivity of 3‐CPD provides a potential investigative tool in neurochemical studies of astrocyte‐neuronal interactions.
Structural Priming as Structure‐Mapping: Children Use Analogies From Previous Utterances to Guide Sentence Production
Authors: Goldwater Micah B. , Tomlinson Marc T. , Echols Catharine H. , Love Bradley C. 
Published: December 2010

AbstractWhat mechanisms underlie children’s language production? Structural priming—the repetition of sentence structure across utterances—is an important measure of the developing production system. We propose its mechanism in children is the same as may underlie analogical reasoning: structure‐mapping. Under this view, structural priming is the result of making an analogy between utterances, such that children map semantic and syntactic structure from previous to future utterances. Because the ability to map relationally complex structures develops with age, younger children are less successful than older children at mapping both semantic and syntactic relations. Consistent with this account, 4‐year‐old children showed priming only of semantic relations when surface similarity across utterances was limited, whereas 5‐year‐olds showed priming of both semantic and syntactic structure regardless of shared surface similarity. The priming of semantic structure without syntactic structure is uniquely predicted by the structure‐mapping account because others have interpreted structural priming as a reflection of developing syntactic knowledge.