bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Application of a Real‐Time PCR‐Based System for Monitoring of O26, O103, O111, O145 and O157 Shiga Toxin‐Producing Escherichia coli in Cattle at Slaughter
Authors: Hofer E. , Stephan R. , Reist M. , Zweifel C. 
Published: February 2012

SummaryFaecal samples were collected from 573 slaughtered cattle aged between three and 24 months in seven abattoirs. After enrichment (mTSB with novobiocin), samples were screened by real‐time PCR first for stx and if positive, tested for the top‐five Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serogroups using PCR assays targeting genes specific for serogroups O26, O103, O111, O145 and O157. Of 563 samples with available results, 74.1% tested positive for stx genes. Amongst them, the serogroups O145, O103, O26, O157 and O111 were detected in 41.9%, 25.9%, 23.9%, 7.8% and 0.8%, respectively. From 95 O26, 166 O145 and 30 O157 PCR‐positive samples, 17 O26, 28 O145 and 12 O157 strains were isolated by colony hybridization after immunomagnetic separation. The 17 O26 strains were eae‐positive, but only nine strains harboured stx (eight possessing stx1 and one stx2). Of the 28 O145 strains, ten were eae‐positive including four harbouring stx1 or stx2, whereas 18 were negative for stx and eae. Five of the 12 O157 strains harboured stx2 and eae, did not ferment sorbitol, and were identified as STEC O157:H7/H−. The other seven O157 strains were negative for stx and eae or positive only for eae. Shiga toxin genes and the top‐five STEC serogroups were frequently found in young Swiss cattle at slaughter, but success rates for strain isolation were low and only few strains showed a virulence pattern of human pathogenic STEC.
Involvement of inflammation in severe post-operative pain demonstrated by pre-surgical and post-surgical treatment with piroxicam and ketorolac
Authors: Fujita Isami , Okumura Takako , Sakakibara Ayano , Kita Yasuhiro 
Published: February 2012

Abstract

Objectives
Post-operative pain is considered to involve inflammation caused by tissue injury. However, the mechanism and timing of the involvement of inflammation in the post-operative pain remain complicated because they can vary among different types of surgery. In this study a rat incision model was used to investigate how inflammation induced by cyclooxygenases (COXs) is involved in severe post-operative pain.

Methods
Longitudinal incision with a length of 1 cm was made through skin and fascia on the right hind paw of rats, starting 0.5 cm from the edge of the heel and extending towards the toes. Allodynia was evaluated using the von Frey hair test and its degree was recorded as the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT). Two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), piroxicam and ketorolac, were given to rats after or before surgery, and the effects of the drugs on allodynia induced by the hind paw incision were examined.

Key findings
The PWT reduction reached a sub-maximal level at 3 h, a maximal level at one day after the surgery and lasted for more than 8 days, with the parallel development of inflammation (characterized by cell infiltration and oedema). Treatment with morphine (1 mg/kg, s.c.) at one day after the surgery showed a significant anti-allodynic effect. Treatment with either piroxicam (10 mg/kg, p.o.) or ketorolac (10 mg/kg, p.o.) at one day after the surgery did not exhibit significant anti-allodynic effect, whereas pre-surgical treatment with each drug showed significant anti-allodynic effects at 3 h after surgery.

Conclusions
These findings suggest the involvement of cyclooxygenases in evoking pain that occurs in the immediate post-operative period, and that an initial suppression of rapid inflammation by treatment with NSAIDs before major surgery plays an important role in the management of severe post-operative pain.
Long-term methadone treatment reduces phosphorylation of CaMKII in rat brain
Authors: Andersen Jannike M , Klykken Christine , Mørland Jørg 
Published: February 2012

Abstract

Objectives
To reveal a possible relationship between a previously reported impairment of novelty seeking in rats exposed to methadone and changes in intracellular molecules related to learning and memory.

Methods
Expression of phosphorylated Ca2+-calmodulin kinase II (pCaMKII), extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 2 (pERK2) and cAMP-responsive element binding protein (pCREB), as well as protein kinase A (PKA), was investigated in rat hippocampus one hour, one day and one week after a three-week methadone administration regime. Studies after an equivalent exposure to morphine, and in the frontal pole, were included for comparison.

Key findings
One day after the last methadone injection the hippocampal level of pCaMKII was significantly reduced. This coincides with a previously reported impairment of novelty seeking. At one hour and one week no significant changes were seen. There was no effect on the other proteins. Morphine affected pCaMKII similarly to methadone. Also in the frontal pole the two drugs reduced pCaMKII one day after the last injection.

Conclusion
The impaired novelty seeking previously found in rats administered methadone for three weeks coincides with a reduced level of pCaMKII in the brain. This finding implies that methadone treatment may affect learning and memory processes, and should stimulate further studies in a field with important knowledge gaps.
Evaluation of changes in hepatic disposition of phenolsulfonphthalein, indocyanine green and fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran at low temperatures using a rat liver perfusion system
Authors: Miyamoto Hirotaka , Miyake Hideaki , Yoshikawa Naoki , Hirata Haruna , Ohwaki Yuichi , Fumoto Shintaro , Sasaki Hitoshi , Nakamura Junzo , Nishida Koyo 
Published: February 2012

Abstract

Objectives
The aim of this study was to determine the factor changing the hepatic disposition of a drug during hypothermia using a rat liver perfusion system.

Methods
The livers of male Wistar rats were perfused at 37, 32 or 28°C in the single-pass mode. Venous outflow dilution patterns and biliary excretion rate patterns of phenolsulfonphthalein (PSP), indocyanine green (ICG) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran (FD-4, MW 4400) after the injection of a bolus into the perfused rat liver were analysed based on statistical moment theory.

Key findings
The first-pass extraction ratio (Eh) of PSP was significantly decreased at 32 and 28°C compared with 37°C. The biliary recovery of PSP and its conjugate was decreased and the biliary excretion was kept at a high concentration and was prolonged by low perfusion temperatures. ICG was almost extracted by a single-pass through the liver even at 32 and 28°C. The biliary recovery of ICG was significantly decreased at low temperature. Although the distribution volume of FD-4 as a vascular reference was not changed by perfusion temperature, the Eh of FD-4 was decreased at 28°C although not markedly.

Conclusion
The change in hepatic disposition of a drug at low perfusion temperatures differed according to disposition processes under hypothermia.
Blame attributions and rape: Effects of belief in a just world and relationship level
Authors: Strömwall Leif A. , Alfredsson Helen , Landström Sara 
Published: February 2012

Purpose. The blaming of rape victims can cause secondary victimization. It is of importance to investigate factor that might lead to victim blaming. This study investigated the effect of belief in a just world (BJW), gender of participant, and level of relationship closeness between victim and perpetrator on attributions of both victim and perpetrator blame.Methods. In a between‐subjects experiment, a community sample (N= 166) answered questions of victim blame and perpetrator blame after reading one of four scenarios, each depicting a different level of relationship between the victim and the perpetrator (strangers, acquaintances, dating, or married).Results. Overall, high levels of perpetrator blame and low levels of victim blame were found. Contrary to previous research, the victim of a stranger rape was blamed more than when the perpetrator was known to the victim. Furthermore, participants high on BJW attributed higher levels of victim blame and lower levels of perpetrator blame. Specifically, female participants high on BJW attributed most blame to a victim of stranger rape.Conclusions. In conclusion, BJW was a significant predictor of blame attributions, and relationship type is a variable that merits further research.
Adenosine 5′‐diphosphate‐ribose is a neural regulator in primate and murine large intestine along with β‐NAD+
Authors: Durnin Leonie , Hwang Sung Jin , Ward Sean M. , Sanders Kenton M. , Mutafova‐Yambolieva Violeta N. 
Published: February 2012

Key points
Normal gastrointestinal activity depends upon orderly movement of nutrients and wastes through the alimentary canal. These movements require coordinated contractions of the muscular wall and regulation by excitatory and inhibitory motor neurons of the enteric nervous system.
We examined the nature of candidate purine neurotransmitters (ATP and β‐NAD) and their metabolites (ADP and ADP‐ribose) and the effects of these compounds on electrical and mechanical responses of colonic muscles.
After release, ATP and β‐NAD were rapidly degraded to ADP and ADP‐ribose, suggesting that inhibitory neural responses may include actions of primary transmitters and metabolites.
Metabolites of both neurotransmitter candidates elicited responses similar to responses to inhibitory nerve stimulation. However, only ADP‐ribose had pharmacology that mimicked the effects of the endogenous inhibitory neurotransmitter.
These results help us better understand neural regulation of colonic motility and provide new insights about how defects in neural responses might lead to motility disorders such as constipation.
Short‐term field stimulation mimics synaptic maturation of hippocampal synapses
Authors: Bagley Elena E. , Westbrook Gary L. 
Published: February 2012

Key points
During postnatal development there are changes in the fundamental properties of many, but not all, glutamatergic synapses in the brain. These changes include how readily glutamate is released and which glutamate receptors are at synapses.
Are these changes a consequence of a strict developmental programme or do they occur in response to neural activity? Because the hippocampus receives diverse synaptic inputs, it is difficult to control neural activity in vivo. Therefore, we tested whether neural activity in vitro could stimulate synapse maturation.
We found that maturation of synaptic properties, which usually occurs over 7 days, could be mimicked by 4 h of synaptic activity in slices from young mice.
This means that whether synapses have ‘mature’ properties is more a measure of recent neural activity than a consequence of strictly developmental changes and may bring about the diverse mix of synapses with ‘immature’ and ‘mature’ properties observed in adult brains.
Ca2+‐stimulated adenylyl cyclases regulate the L‐type Ca2+ current in guinea‐pig atrial myocytes
Authors: Collins Thomas P. , Terrar Derek A. 
Published: February 2012

Key points
Adenylyl cyclases (ACs), the enzymes that synthesize cAMP, are essential for the inotropic response of cardiac muscle to adrenergic stimulation.
Ca2+‐stimulated isoforms of AC have previously been identified in the sino‐atrial node of the heart, where they contribute to pacemaking.
In this study, we demonstrate that Ca2+‐stimulated isoforms of AC regulate the L‐type Ca2+ current in atrial myocytes.
This regulation of the L‐type Ca2+ current provides a feedback mechanism for the Ca2+ released from intracellular stores to control Ca2+ entry to atrial myocytes.
These Ca2+‐stimulated ACs may be significant for the compartmentalization of cAMP signalling in atrial myocytes.
Complete Genomic Sequence of Duck Flavivirus from China
Authors: Liu Ming , Liu Chunguo , Li Gang , Li Xiaojun , Yin Xiuchen , Chen Yuhuan , Zhang Yun 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT
We report here the complete genomic sequence of the Chinese duck flavivirus TA strain. This work is the first to document the complete genomic sequence of this previously unknown duck flavivirus strain. The sequence will help further relevant epidemiological studies and extend our general knowledge of flaviviruses.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel Picornavirus, Canine Picornavirus, Discovered in Dogs
Authors: Woo Patrick C. Y. , Lau Susanna K. P. , Choi Garnet K. Y. , Yip Cyril C. Y. , Huang Yi , Tsoi Hoi-Wah , Yuen Kwok-Yung 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT

We discovered a novel canine picornavirus in fecal, nasopharyngeal, and urine samples from dogs. The coding potential of its genome (5′-VP4-VP2-VP3-VP1-2A-2B-2C-3A-3B-3C
pro
-3D
pol
-3′, where 3C
pro
is 3C protease and 3D
pol
is 3D polymerase) is similar to those of other picornaviruses, with putative P1, P2, and P3 sharing 54% to 58%, 60%, and 64% to 67% amino acid identities with bat picornavirus groups 1, 2, and 3.
Combinatorial Chemotherapeutic Efficacy in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Can Be Predicted by a Signaling Model of CD20 Pharmacodynamics
Authors: Harrold John M. , Straubinger Robert M. , Mager Donald E. 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
Combination chemotherapy represents the standard-of-care for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, the development of new therapeutic regimens is empirical and this approach cannot be used prospectively to identify novel or optimal drug combinations. Quantitative system pharmacodynamic models could promote the discovery and development of combination regimens based upon first principles. In this study, we developed a mathematical model that integrates temporal patterns of drug exposure, receptor occupancy, and signal transduction to predict the effects of the CD20 agonist rituximab in combination with rhApo2L/TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand or fenretinide, a cytotoxic retinoid, upon growth kinetics in non-Hodgkin lymphoma xenografts. The model recapitulated major regulatory mechanisms, including target-mediated disposition of rituximab, modulation of proapoptotic intracellular signaling induced by CD20 occupancy, and the relative efficacy of death receptor isoforms. The multiscale model coupled tumor responses to individual anticancer agents with their mechanisms of action in vivo, and the changes in Bcl-xL and Fas induced by CD20 occupancy were linked to explain the synergy of these drugs. Tumor growth profiles predicted by the model agreed with cell and xenograft data, capturing the apparent pharmacologic synergy of these agents with fidelity. Together, our findings provide a mechanism-based platform for exploring new regimens with CD20 agonists. Cancer Res; 72(7); 1632–41. ©2012 AACR.
Jab1/CSN5 Negatively Regulates p27 and Plays a Role in the Pathogenesis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Pan Yunbao , Zhang Qingxiu , Tian Ling , Wang Xin , Fan Xiaohang , Zhang Huizhong , Claret Francois X. , Yang Huiling 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an Epstein-Barr virus–associated malignancy most common in East Asia and Africa. Aberrant expression of Jab1/CSN5, a negative regulator of the cell-cycle inhibitor p27, is correlated with reduced p27 expression and associated with advanced tumor stage and poor prognosis in several human cancers. In this study, we examined the functional relationship between Jab1 and p27 protein expression in NPC. Immunohistochemical analysis showed an inverse association between Jab1 and p27 in NPC tissue samples, and overexpression of Jab1 correlated with poor survival in patients with NPC. Mechanistically, Jab1 and p27 were found to interact directly in NPC cells, with Jab1 mediating p27 degradation in a proteasome-dependent manner. Knockdown of Jab1 resulted in a remarkable increase in p27 levels and inhibition of cell proliferation, indicating that Jab1 targets p27 for degradation, thereby controlling its stability. Jab1 depletion also enhanced the antitumor effects of cisplatin in NPC cells. Together, our findings suggest that Jab1 overexpression plays an important role in the pathogenesis of NPC through Jab1-mediated p27 degradation. Jab1 therefore represents a novel diagnostic marker and therapeutic target in patients with NPC. Cancer Res; 72(7); 1890–900. ©2012 AACR.
MAPKAP Kinase 2 Overexpression Influences Prognosis in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors and Associates with Copy Number Variations on Chromosome 1 and Expression of p38 MAP Kinase and ETV1
Authors: Birner Peter , Beer Andrea , Vinatzer Ursula , Stary Susanne , Höftberger Romana , Nirtl Nadine , Wrba Fritz , Streubel Berthold , Schoppmann Sebastian F. 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
Purpose: ETV1 has been proposed to be activated by KIT mutations in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical role of ETV1 and associated proteins in GIST.
Experimental Design: Expressions of ETV1, MAPKAP kinase 2 (MAPKAPK2), phosphorylated p38 MAP kinase (pp38), phosphorylated MSK1 (pMSK1), phosphorylated RSK1, COP1, and KIT protein were determined immunohistochemically in 139 GISTs. Sequence analysis of KIT, PDGFRA, and MAPKAPK2 and FISHs of ETV1 as well as chromosomes 1 and 7 were done.
Results: Prominent ETV1 expression was seen in 50% of GISTs, but no correlation with clinical outcome was found. Correlation of ETV1 expression and KIT mutation was seen in 60% of cases. MAPKAPK2 overexpression (n = 62/44.6%) correlated with pp38 expression (P = 0.021, χ2 test) and alterations of chromosome 1 (n = 17, P = 0.024, χ2 test). In one of 20 sequenced cases with high MAKAPK2 expression, a putative damaging MAPKAPK2 gene mutation was found. All relapsing GISTs with very low/low risk according to Fletcher showed high MAPKAPK2 and KIT expression. MAPKAPK2 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (P = 0.006, Cox regression).
Conclusion: ETV1 is not universally overexpressed in GIST and seems to also be induced by pathways other than KIT mutation. Nevertheless, its clinical relevance is low. Overexpression of ETV1 inhibitor MAPKAPK2 is associated with shorter survival in GIST, indicating a clinically relevant role of this gene not reported previously. Patients with low-risk GISTs showing MAPKAPK2 overexpression might profit from early adjuvant tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 18(7); 1879–87. ©2012 AACR.
Surface Geostrophic Circulation of the Mediterranean Sea Derived from Drifter and Satellite Altimeter Data
Authors: Poulain Pierre-Marie , Menna Milena , Mauri Elena 
Published: February 2012

AbstractDrifter observations and satellite-derived sea surface height data are used to quantitatively study the surface geostrophic circulation of the entire Mediterranean Sea for the period spanning 1992–2010. After removal of the wind-driven components from the drifter velocities and low-pass filtering in bins of 1° × 1° × 1 week, maps of surface geostrophic circulation (mean flow and kinetic energy levels) are produced using the drifter and/or satellite data. The mean currents and kinetic energy levels derived from the drifter data appear stronger/higher with respect to those obtained from satellite altimeter data. The maps of mean circulation estimated from the drifter data and from a combination of drifter and altimeter data are, however, qualitatively similar. In the western basin they show the main pathways of the surface waters flowing eastward from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Sicily Channel and the current transporting waters back westward along the Italian, French, and Spanish coasts. Intermittent and long-lived subbasin-scale eddies and gyres abound in the Tyrrhenian and Algerian Seas. In the eastern basin, the surface waters are transported eastward by several currents but recirculate in numerous eddies and gyres before reaching the northward coastal current off Israel, Lebanon, and Syria and veering westward off Turkey. In the Ionian Sea, the mean geostrophic velocity maps were also produced separately for the two extended seasons and for multiyear periods. Significant variations are confirmed, with seasonal reversals of the currents in the south and changes of the circulation from anticyclonic (prior to 1 July 2007) to cyclonic and back to anticyclonic after 31 December 2005.
Nonlinear Parameter Estimation: Comparison of an Ensemble Kalman Smoother with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo Algorithm
Authors: Posselt Derek J. , Bishop Craig H. 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
This paper explores the temporal evolution of cloud microphysical parameter uncertainty using an idealized 1D model of deep convection. Model parameter uncertainty is quantified using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm. A new form of the ensemble transform Kalman smoother (ETKS) appropriate for the case where the number of ensemble members exceeds the number of observations is then used to obtain estimates of model uncertainty associated with variability in model physics parameters. Robustness of the parameter estimates and ensemble parameter distributions derived from ETKS is assessed via comparison with MCMC. Nonlinearity in the relationship between parameters and model output gives rise to a non-Gaussian posterior probability distribution for the parameters that exhibits skewness early and multimodality late in the simulation. The transition from unimodal to multimodal posterior probability density function (PDF) reflects the transition from convective to stratiform rainfall. ETKS-based estimates of the posterior mean are shown to be robust, as long as the posterior PDF has a single mode. Once multimodality manifests in the solution, the MCMC posterior parameter means and variances differ markedly from those from the ETKS. However, it is also shown that if the ETKS is given a multimode prior ensemble, multimodality is preserved in the ETKS posterior analysis. These results suggest that the primary limitation of the ETKS is not the inability to deal with multimodal, non-Gaussian priors. Rather it is the inability of the ETKS to represent posterior perturbations as nonlinear functions of prior perturbations that causes the most profound difference between MCMC posterior PDFs and ETKS posterior PDFs.
Evaluating the Impact of Microfinance on Savings and Income in Sri Lanka:Quasi-experimental Approach Using Propensity Score Matching
Authors: Silva Indunil De 
Published: February 2012

The study applied recent advances in propensity score matching methods to assess the impact of microfinance on household income and savings. Results suggest that overall programme participants’ benefit incidence is indeed pro-poor. With respect to both household per capita income and savings, programme participation definitely has a positive impact for all low-income households. Consequently, this article’s findings have several important policy implications. The large positive impact of participating in microfinance programmes on household income and savings suggest that microfinance programmes may improve household status in terms of wealth. The regressive effect on household per capita income suggests that poorer households do not feel as much the effects of the intervention compared to richer households. The policy implication of this regressive effect might be that for the poorest programme participants, the availability of programme loans and savings schemes may be not sufficient to become highly productive in income-generating activities. The finding of participation in microfinance programmes not being highly effective in terms of savings for richer households highlights the importance of a robust and accurate targeting mechanism for the microfinance programme in Sri Lanka. Against the backdrop of these findings, policy planners and microfinance practitioners could re-examine the targeting approach of microfinance in Sri Lanka. Finally, the principal message that emerges from the study is: there are quantitatively non-negligible, average gains from microfinance on household savings and income, especially for the poor. JEL Classification: O16, C14, C21, G21