bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical and molecular analysis of haemoglobin H disease in Sardinia: haematological, obstetric and cardiac aspects in patients with different genotypes
Authors: Origa R. , Sollaino M. C. , Giagu N. , Barella S. , Campus S. , Mandas C. , Bina P. , Perseu L. , Galanello R. 
Published: November 2006

SummaryIn this study, 251 Sardinian patients (187 adults and 64 children) with haemoglobin (Hb) H disease were evaluated. Two‐hundred and sixteen patients (86%) had the deletional type (‐ ‐/‐α) and 36 (14%) patients had the non‐deletional type (‐ ‐/αNDα). A clear genotype–phenotype correlation was found, with the non‐deletional type more severe than the deletional type. Diagnosis of Hb H disease was incidental in about 60% of cases. Aplastic crises due to B19 parvovirus infection were found in five patients (2·1%), while 23 patients (9·6%) experienced one or more haemolytic crises. Nineteen patients with Hb H received sporadic red blood cell transfusions and three patients were repeatedly transfused. Forty‐seven of 61 married women (77%) had 82 pregnancies. In children, mean serum ferritin was 87 ±92 μg/l and in adults, was 192 ± 180 μg/l in females and 363 ± 303 μg/l in males. For the 98 male patients, a significant correlation was found between ferritin values and age (r2 = 0·33, P < 0·0001). In the Sardinian population, Hb H disease needs regular monitoring for early detection and treatment of possible complications, such as worsening of anaemia that may require red cell transfusion, cholelithiasis and iron overload.
Chronic inflammation: importance of NOD2 and NALP3 in interleukin-1β generation
Authors: Ferrero-Miliani L , Nielsen O H , Andersen P S , Girardin S E 
Published: November 2006

SummaryInflammation is part of the non-specific immune response that occurs in reaction to any type of bodily injury. In some disorders, the inflammatory process − which under normal conditions is self-limiting − becomes continuous and chronic inflammatory diseases might develop subsequently. Pattern recognition molecules (PRMs) represent a diverse collection of molecules responsible for sensing danger signals, and together with other immune components they are involved in the first line of defence. NALP3 and NOD2, which belong to a cytosolic subgroup of PRMs, dubbed Nod-like-receptors (NLRs), have been associated recently with inflammatory diseases, specifically Crohn's disease and Blau syndrome (NOD2) and familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome, Muckle–Wells syndrome and chronic infantile neurological cutaneous and articular syndrome (NALP3). The exact effects of the defective proteins are not fully understood, but activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, transcription, production and secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β and activation of the inflammasome are some of the processes that might hold clues, and the present review will provide a thorough update in this area.
Elevated levels of soluble non-classical major histocompatibility class I molecule human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-G in the blood of HIV-infected patients with or without visceral leishmaniasis
Authors: Donaghy L , Gros F , Amiot L , Mary C , Maillard A , Guiguen C , Gangneux J-P 
Published: November 2006

Summary
The non-classical class I major histocompatibility complex molecules human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-G have been shown to play a role in HIV persistence, but no data are available on the expression of the soluble forms HLA-G5 and sHLA-G1 in HIV-infected patients with and without opportunistic infections. The soluble HLA-G isoform was measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in plasma from 94 subjects: 31 HIV-1-seropositive, 17 with visceral leishmaniasis (VL), seven with both VL and HIV-1 infection and 39 healthy HIV-seronegative subjects. Between groups, the frequency of sHLA-G positivity was statistically different: 81% of HIV-infected patients were positive, as were 57% of HIV–Leishmania infantum co-infected patients, 35% of HIV-seronegative patients with VL and 3% of healthy controls. Levels of the soluble forms of the immunomodulatory molecules HLA-G are elevated during HIV infection. In HIV–Leishmania co-infected patients, sHLA-G secretion could contribute to the tolerogenic environment and to Leishmania immune evasion.
Colposcopic management of high‐grade referral smears: a retrospective audit supporting ‘see and treat'?
Authors: Errington C. A. , Roberts M. , Tindle P. , Michael E. , Bulmer J. N. , Wadehra V. 
Published: November 2006

Objective:  The National Health Service Cervical Screening Programme monitors the quality of colposcopy services through the annual KC65 returns. The 2002 returns demonstrated that Standard 7c, which specifies a biopsy rate ≥90% at first colposcopy visit for high‐grade referrals, was not met in the assessed 3‐month period. This was investigated along with the other standards.Methods:  Retrospective colposcopy records were accessed for the 597 new referrals, excluding 10 pregnant patients, seen at the colposcopy clinic at the Royal Victoria Infirmary between 1 July 2001 and 31 December 2002, following an abnormal high‐grade smear. Cytology and histopathology computer records were checked for confirmation. The results were assessed against the colposcopy standards applicable at that time and the revised standards (2004).Results:  Biopsies were taken from 94.47% (Standard ≥90%) of women at index colposcopy visit including wire loop excision biopsies from 66.16% (87.97% of high‐grade colposcopic appearances). Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) on histology was found in 91.79% in the study group (Standard ≥85%) and in 96.71% of index visit biopsies (Standard ≥90%), meeting the applicable colposcopy standards. The revised 2004 standards specify a biopsy in ≥95% of high‐grade referrals and excision biopsies in 95% if colposcopic appearances are also high‐grade, if colposcopy is low grade but the smear is severely dyskaryotic, or when the lesion extends into the canal. The positive predictive value of high‐grade cytology for this entire group was 75.54% with CIN present in 90.95%.Conclusion:  From this study it appears that high‐grade cytology in this centre reliably indicates high‐grade CIN. Therefore, in women referred for colposcopy following a high‐grade smear, excision biopsies should be performed in a higher proportion at the first visit to comply with the revised standards.
Epidemiology of sharka disease in Spain
Authors: Cambra M. , Capote N. , Cambra M. A. , Llácer G. , Botella P. , López‐Quílez A. 
Published: November 2006

PPV was first detected in Spain in 1984 in Japanese plum (Prunus salicinaLindl) cv. Red Beaut and spread very quickly to other Japanese and European plums and apricot cultivars but left peach cultivars unaffected. In the years following the detection of PPV, the predominant aphid species visitingPrunusorchards in Mediterranean areas wereAphis gossypiifollowed byAphis spiraecola, the latter being the main aphid species found at present. Both species are considered to be the main vectors of PPV in Spanish earlyPrunusgrowing areas. Spatial analysis of the spread of PPV‐D in Japanese plum and apricot trees confirmed the lack of significant association between immediately adjacent trees. The observed spatial pattern of sharka suggests a lack of movement of PPV‐viruliferous aphid vectors to immediately adjacent trees and indicates their preferential movement to trees several tree spaces away. PPV‐D is the only type currently present in Spain, with the exception of a PPV‐M outbreak that was detected in and successfully eradicated from Aragón in 2002. The short‐distance spread of PPV‐M infection occurred as far as 12 m along the rows of peach trees. However, PPV‐D has not been observed to spread through peach cultivars, despite being grown in the vicinity of heavily infected plots of apricot or Japanese plum trees.
Unravelling the Prunus/Plum pox virus interactions
Authors: Decroocq V. , Ion L. , Lansac M. , Eyquard J‐P. , Schurdi‐Levraud V. 
Published: November 2006

Plum pox virus (PPV) belongs to the genus Potyvirus that contains the largest number of virus species infecting plants. Its virus genome has been extensively characterised and sequenced. However, few data are available on its interactions with woody host plants. We therefore focused, in the past 4 years, both on the cellular and molecular aspects of the compatible and incompatible Prunus/PPV interactions. GFP (Green fluorescent protein)‐tagged PPV and in situ hybridisation were used to compare the localization of viral particles in stems and leaves of susceptible and resistant apricot cultivars. In parallel, molecular tools were developed through the cloning and characterization of polymorphic, homologous resistance genes and of candidate genes involved in the expression of Prunus/PPV interactions. Candidate genes are currently used to target genomic regions involved in resistance or susceptibility and to identify molecular markers indispensable for further marker assisted selection for resistance to sharka disease.
Preoperative and intraoperative diagnosis of low‐grade adenosquamous carcinoma of the breast: potential diagnostic pitfalls
Authors: Ho B C‐S , Tan H W , Lee V K‐M , Tan P H 
Published: November 2006

Aims Low‐grade adenosquamous carcinoma (LGAC), a rare variant of metaplastic breast cancer, may mimic benign or other low‐grade malignant lesions histologically. Diagnostic difficulty may be encountered when evaluating breast cytology, core needle biopsy or intraoperative frozen section specimens.Methods and results Pathology reports, cytology aspirates and histological slides of LGAC diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, were reviewed. Four cases of LGAC were analysed. Cytology from the first case showed atypical cells and the subsequent surgical excision specimen showed a complex sclerosing lesion with LGAC. The second and third cases were investigated by core needle biopsies: the preoperative histological features were suggestive of but not diagnostic of LGAC, until further excision biopsies were performed. The fourth case entailed a frozen section specimen, for which definitive diagnosis was deferred to paraffins. The patients remained well with no evidence of recurrent disease to date.Conclusions When limited material, in the form of needle aspirates, core biopsy specimens or frozen sections, is submitted for histology, making a diagnosis of LGAC is not only challenging, but may be impossible. In difficult cases, careful pathological assessment, clinicopathological correlation and follow‐up or complete excision biopsy may prove invaluable in establishing a definitive diagnosis.
Versican but not decorin accumulation is related to metastatic potential and neovascularization in testicular germ cell tumours
Authors: Labropoulou V T , Theocharis A D , Ravazoula P , Perimenis P , Hjerpe A , Karamanos N K , Kalofonos H P 
Published: November 2006

Aims:  To investigate the expression of versican and decorin in patients with testicular germ cell tumours (GCTs) and to correlate this with the clinicopathological findings. Matrix proteoglycans versican and decorin are frequently overexpressed in various malignancies and are involved in the progression of cancer.Methods and results:  Overexpression of versican and decorin was detected in GCTs by immunoblotting. Immunohistochemical staining for proteoglycans was performed on 71 cases of paraffin‐embedded tissues. In most of the cases increased decorin and versican stromal staining was demonstrated. In both seminomas and non‐seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCTs) strong staining of decorin was not found to be related to any of the clinicopathological variables. Accumulation of versican was found to be associated with vascular and lymphatic invasion, nodal metastasis and disease stage in seminomas and NSGCTs and, in addition, with tumour size and distant metastasis only in NSGCTs. Additionally, only the deposition of versican was linearly correlated with the number of microvessels in the tumour stroma in GCTs.Conclusions:  Ectopic versican and decorin expression is a frequent feature in GCTs. Versican but not decorin accumulation in GCTs is related to metastatic potential and neovascularization and might be a useful marker for testicular malignancy.
Endogenous testosterone levels and smoking in men. The fifth Tromsø study
Authors: Svartberg Johan , Jorde Rolf 
Published: November 2006

SummarySmoking is a risk factor of coronary heart disease (CHD), while the role of testosterone in the development of CHD is controversial. The reported effects of cigarette smoking on testosterone levels in men are conflicting, and smoking may be an important confounding factor when evaluating the relationship between testosterone levels and CHD. Thus, the objective of the present study was to examine the associations of smoking status and number of cigarettes smoked per day with total and free testosterone levels in a cross‐sectional population‐based study of 3427 men participating in the fifth Tromsø study. Total testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle‐stimulating hormone and sex hormone‐binding globulin levels were measured with immunoassay while free testosterone levels were calculated. Waist circumference was also measured and two standardized questionnaires were completed, including smoking status and number of cigarettes smoked. The data were analysed with analysis of variance and covariance and multiple regression analysis. Smoking men had significantly higher levels of total and free testosterone compared with men who never smoked (p < 0.001 and <0.01 respectively). Both total and free testosterone levels increased significantly with increasing number of cigarettes smoked daily (p < 0.001). Smoking men had 15% higher total and 13% higher free testosterone levels compared with men who never smoked. Thus, smoking seems to be an important confounding factor when evaluating testosterone levels, and could possibly mask borderline hypogonadism.
Coryneform bacteria in semen of chronic prostatitis patients
Authors: Türk Silver , Korrovits Paul , Punab Margus , Mändar Reet 
Published: November 2006

SummaryOur aim was to compare the presence and species composition of coryneform bacteria in chronic prostatitis patients and controls. Semen of 50 men with inflammatory prostatitis and 59 controls (without pelvic pain/discomfort complaints and leukocytospermia) was investigated. First‐catch urine was additionally investigated in 36 men (30 with and 6 without prostatitis). Coryneform bacteria were found in semen of 76% men with inflammatory prostatitis and 83% controls. More than half of the isolates were identified as Corynebacterium seminale. Prostatitis patients with severe leukocytospermia (>1 million white blood cells per ml) harboured significantly more Corynebacterium group G (33% vs. 2%, p = 0.0003) and Arthrobacter sp. (17% vs. 2%, p = 0.03) in comparison with controls. Nine species of coryneforms with high concentration (≥10 000 CFU per ml) were found in prostatitis patients as against only four species in controls. Half of the men harboured corynebacteria in semen as well as in urine, 22% of men in semen only, and 3% in urine only. The total concentration of coryneforms was greater in semen than in urine (median 5000 vs. 100 CFU per ml, p = 0.053). We suggest that although coryneforms are generally considered as saprophytes, they are not uniform and some species (Corynebacterium group G and Arthrobacter sp.) may be associated with inflammatory prostatitis.
Comparing the efficacy of agri‐environment schemes to enhance bumble bee abundance and diversity on arable field margins
Authors: CARVELL C. , MEEK W. R. , PYWELL R. F. , GOULSON D. , NOWAKOWSKI M. 
Published: November 2006

Summary

Declines in abundance and diversity of bumble bees (Bombus spp.) in Europe have been linked to agricultural intensification and the resulting loss of suitable foraging and nesting habitats. Environmental Stewardship (ES) is a new scheme in England offering the opportunity to restore habitats of value for these important pollinators to agricultural land. Scientific evaluation of the options prescribed within the scheme is essential to ensure that their objectives are met and that the benefits can be realized by the full bumble bee species assemblage.
We compared the efficacy of different ES options for field margins on arable land in enhancing the abundance and diversity of flowering resources and foraging bumble bees. Our study was conducted over 3 years using a multisite experiment.
Overall, uncropped margins sown with mixtures containing nectar and pollen‐producing plants were more effective in providing bumble bee forage than margins sown with a grass mix, allowed to regenerate naturally or managed as conservation headlands.
A mixture of agricultural legumes established quickly and attracted on average the highest total abundance and diversity of bumble bees, including the rare long‐tongued species Bombus ruderatus and Bombus muscorum. However, marked differences were observed between species and sexes in their responses to field margin management over time.
A diverse mixture of native wildflowers attracted more of the shorter‐tongued Bombus spp. and provided greater continuity of forage resources, especially early in the season. Allowing Cirsium spp. to flower on such margins also increased their attractiveness to male bumble bees.
Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that the legume‐based ‘pollen and nectar flower mix’, as prescribed under Entry Level Stewardship in England, can quickly provide a highly attractive forage resource for bumble bees, but that issues of seasonal flowering phenology and longevity of the mixture need to be addressed. Establishment of ‘floristically enhanced margins’ under Higher Level Stewardship will be important to provide diverse perennial communities of forage plants and to support a greater range of Bombus spp. and other pollinators. The population‐level responses of bumble bees to introduced seed mixtures and other agri‐environment options require further study in order to maximize the benefits of such schemes in intensively farmed landscapes.
Ecogenomic approach to the role of herbivore‐induced plant volatiles in community ecology
Authors: SNOEREN TJEERD A. L. , DE JONG PETER W. , DICKE MARCEL 
Published: November 2006

Summary

Linking new developments in genomics with ecology provides interesting novel tools to address ecological questions in ways that have not been possible up to now. In this paper we address this issue for the ecology of infochemicals and plant–insect interactions in a food web context.
Plants are at the basis of most terrestrial food webs and insects are a dominant animal group interacting with plants. Insect–plant communities are characterized by direct and indirect interactions, many of which are mediated by infochemicals. Plants respond to insect herbivory with the production of volatiles that attract the enemies of the herbivores, such as insect predators and parasitoids. Moreover, the plant volatiles may be exploited by any organism in the environment and this results in many more infochemically mediated interactions. Thus, a food web is overlaid with an infochemical web.
In the past, several manipulative tools have been developed to investigate the role of infochemicals. The rapid advancement of molecular genetics and ‘‐omics’ technologies results in interesting new tools. A recent development is the use of well‐characterized genotypes that are modified in the mechanisms underlying the induced plant volatiles. These genotypes produce precisely manipulated phenotypes that often differ in only a single gene, and can be used to investigate the effect of particular genes on specific interactions. Moreover, these genotypes can be introduced into a natural community to assess the effects of the genetic change and its resulting phenotypic change on interactions with the entire natural community.
Furthermore, with the progress in microarray technology it becomes possible to assess the expressed genotype of plants in the field, which can be exploited to investigate expressed genetic variation under field conditions.
These developments are expected to be only the beginning of a successful integration of ‐omics technologies, such as transcriptomics and metabolomics, with community ecology into the new research field of ecogenomics.
In this review we present the current status and discuss the prospects for the future of an ecogenomic approach to the role of herbivore‐induced plant volatiles in insect–plant community ecology.
Evidence for subdivision within the M molecular form of Anopheles gambiae
Authors: SLOTMAN M. A. , TRIPET F. , CORNEL A. J. , MENESES C. R. , LEE Y. , REIMER L. J. , THIEMANN T. C. , FONDJO E. , FOFANA A. , TRAORÉ S. F. , LANZARO G. C. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe principal vector of malaria in sub‐Saharan Africa, Anopheles gambiae is subdivided into two molecular forms M and S. Additionally, several chromosomal forms, characterized by the presence of various inversion polymorphisms, have been described. The molecular forms M and S each contain several chromosomal forms, including the Savanna, Mopti and Forest forms. The M and S molecular forms are now considered to be the reproductive units within A. gambiae and it has recently been argued that a low recombination rate in the centromeric region of the X chromosome has facilitated isolation between these forms. The status of the chromosomal forms remains unclear however. Therefore, we studied genetic differentiation between Savanna S, Forest S, Forest M and Mopti M populations using microsatellites. Genetic differentiation between Savanna S and Forest S populations is very low (FST = 0.0053 ± 0.0049), even across large distances. In comparison, the Mopti M and Forest M populations show a relatively high degree of genetic differentiation (FST = 0.0406 ± 0.0054) indicating that the M molecular form may not be a single entity, but could be subdivided into at least two distinct chromosomal forms. Previously it was proposed that inversions have played a role in the origin of species within the A. gambiae complex. We argue that a possible subdivision within the M molecular form could be understood through this process, with the acquisition of inversions leading to the expansion of the M molecular form into new habitat, dividing it into two distinct chromosomal forms.
MHC‐DRB3 variation in a free‐living population of the European bison, Bison bonasus
Authors: RADWAN J. , KAWAŁKO A. , WÓJCIK J. M. , BABIK W. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractMHC genes play a crucial role in pathogen recognition and are the most polymorphic genes in vertebrates. Loss of variation in these genes in bottlenecked species is thought to put their survival at risk. We examined variation at the MHC II DRB3 locus in the European bison, Bison bonasus, a species that has undergone an extreme bottleneck: the current population originated from only 12 founders. We also tested for the association of DRB3 genes with the incidence of posthitis, a disease affecting the reproductive organs of bulls and posing a new threat to the survival of the species. We found very limited MHC diversity, with only four alleles segregating in a sample of 172 individuals from a free‐ranging Białowieża population. The alleles were highly divergent and revealed the hallmark of positive selection acting on them in the past, that is, a significant excess of nonsynonymous substitutions. This excess was concentrated in putative antigen‐binding sites, suggesting that selection was driven by pathogens. However, we did not observe departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, an indicator of strong ongoing selection. Neither have we found a significant association between DRB3 alleles or genotypes and susceptibility to posthitis. Alleles conferring resistance to males may have been lost during the extreme bottleneck the species had undergone.