bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Immunoglobulin G4: an odd antibody
Authors: Aalberse R. C. , Stapel S. O. , Schuurman J. , Rispens T. 
Published: February 2009

SummaryDespite its well‐known association with IgE‐mediated allergy, IgG4 antibodies still have several poorly understood characteristics. IgG4 is a very dynamic antibody: the antibody is involved in a continuous process of half‐molecules (i.e. a heavy and attached light‐chain) exchange. This process, also referred to as ‘Fab‐arm exchange’, results usually in asymmetric antibodies with two different antigen‐combining sites. While these antibodies are hetero‐ bivalent, they will behave as monovalent antibodies in most situations. Another aspect of IgG4, still poorly understood, is its tendency to mimic IgG rheumatoid factor (RF) activity by interacting with IgG on a solid support. In contrast to conventional RF, which binds via its variable domains, the activity of IgG4 is located in its constant domains. This is potentially a source of false positives in IgG4 antibody assay results. Because regulation of IgG4 production is dependent on help by T‐helper type 2 (Th2) cells, the IgG4 response is largely restricted to non‐microbial antigens. This Th2‐dependency associates the IgG4 and IgE responses. Another typical feature in the immune regulation of IgG4 is its tendency to appear only after prolonged immunization. In the context of IgE‐mediated allergy, the appearance of IgG4 antibodies is usually associated with a decrease in symptoms. This is likely to be due, at least in part, to an allergen‐blocking effect at the mast cell level and/or at the level of the antigen‐presenting cell (preventing IgE‐facilitated activation of T cells). In addition, the favourable association reflects the enhanced production of IL‐10 and other anti‐inflammatory cytokines, which drive the production of IgG4. While in general, IgG4 is being associated with non‐activating characteristics, in some situations IgG4 antibodies have an association with pathology. Two striking examples are pemphigoid diseases and sclerosing diseases such as autoimmune pancreatitis. The mechanistic basis for the association of IgG4 with these diseases is still enigmatic. However, the association with sclerosing diseases may reflect an excessive production of anti‐inflammatory cytokines triggering an overwhelming expansion of IgG4‐producing plasma cells. The bottom line for allergy diagnosis: IgG4 by itself is unlikely to be a cause of allergic symptoms. In general, the presence of allergen‐specific IgG4 indicates that anti‐inflammatory, tolerance‐inducing mechanisms have been activated. The existence of the IgG4 subclass, its up‐regulation by anti‐inflammatory factors and its own anti‐inflammatory characteristics may help the immune system to dampen inappropriate inflammatory reactions.
Differential effects ofStaphylococcalenterotoxin B-mediated immune activation on intestinal defensins
Authors: Dhaliwal W , Kelly P , Bajaj-Elliott M 
Published: February 2009

SummaryIn the small intestine members of both the α-defensin (DEFA5 and DEFA6) and β-defensin (DEFB1 and DEFB2) family contribute to the anti-microbial barrier against infection. The aim of this study was to determine whether Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB)-mediated immune activation and proinflammatory cytokines play a role in the regulation of intestinal defensin expression. Defensin mRNA and peptide secretion was studied after ex vivo tissue culture of duodenal biopsies over 24 h. Immune (T cell and macrophage) activation was induced by SEB, and in separate experiments exogenous proinflammatory cytokines were added individually. Defensin mRNA levels were quantified by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, and peptide release into culture supernatants was quantified by immuno dot blot or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Increasing concentrations of SEB down-regulated DEFA5, DEFA6 and DEFB1 mRNA in a dose-dependent manner but increased DEFB2 simultaneously. The down-regulation of α-defensins was reversed by dexamethasone. DEFA5 and DEFB2 peptide secretion levels were altered in parallel with mRNA. Interferon-γ and interleukin (IL)-1β exhibited a dose-dependent down-regulation of α-defensin mRNA, IL-6 significantly down-regulated only DEFA6; in contrast, tumour necrosis factor-α and IL-4 had no significant effect. Immune cell activation and proinflammatory cytokines down-regulated the constitutively expressed DEFA5, DEFA6 and DEFB1 defensins, and up-regulated DEFB2 in intact human intestinal tissue explants in short-term culture. The effect of local immune activation on innate defence may explain the reduced α-defensin expression noted in inflammatory T cell-mediated enteropathies.
Coexistence of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is associated with lower recurrence rates in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Kim Eui Young , Kim Won Gu , Kim Won Bae , Kim Tae Yong , Kim Jung Min , Ryu Jin‐Sook , Hong Suck Joon , Gong Gyungyub , Shong Young Kee 
Published: February 2009

SummaryObjective  The effect of coexistent chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) on prognosis in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients remains controversial. We evaluated the influence of coexistent CLT on prognostic outcome and the association of coexistent CLT with clinicopathological parameters.Design  A retrospective study with a median follow‐up of 70 months.Patients and measurements  Patients with PTC who underwent total thyroidectomy followed by 131I remnant ablation between 1995 and 2003 at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea were enrolled. CLT was diagnosed histopathologically.Results  Among 1441 patients, 214 (14·9%) had coexistent CLT. A greater female preponderance was noted in the patients with CLT compared with those without CLT (P < 0·01). Mean tumour size in the patients with CLT was smaller than that in patients without CLT (2·0 ± 1·2 vs. 2·2 ± 1·4 cm; P = 0·02). One hundred and fifty‐one (12·3%) patients without CLT had recurrence, whereas 14 (7·1%) patients with CLT had recurrence during the follow‐up period (P = 0·016). In patients with cervical lymph node metastases, those with coexistent CLT showed a significantly lower recurrence rate than those without CLT (P = 0·012). However, this association was lost on multivariate analysis adjusting for other clinicopathological predictors for recurrence.Conclusions  In this study, CLT was commonly associated with PTC and was associated with smaller size of the primary tumour at presentation. CLT was also associated with a reduced risk of recurrence during follow‐up, although this was not significant after adjustment for other prognostic factors.
A potential role of endogenous progesterone in modulation of GH, prolactin and thyrotrophin secretion during normal menstrual cycle
Authors: Caufriez Anne , Leproult Rachel , L’Hermite‐Balériaux Mireille , Moreno‐Reyes Rodrigo , Copinschi Georges 
Published: February 2009

SummaryObjective  Previous studies investigating the fluctuations of endocrine secretion across the menstrual cycle yielded inconsistent results. Our objective was to evaluate during the menstrual cycle the potential role of endogenous oestradiol and progesterone in the regulation of hormones primarily controlled by the circadian clock and/or the sleep‐wake cycle.Subjects and design  Ten normally cycling young lean women were investigated once during follicular and once during luteal phase. Sleep was polygraphically recorded, and blood samples were obtained at 20‐min intervals for 24 h.Results  Sleep variables and diurnal melatonin and cortisol profiles (hormones primarily controlled by the circadian clock) were similar in both conditions. The TSH evening rise (a circadian marker) was similar in both conditions, but the sleep‐related nocturnal TSH decrease occurred earlier during the luteal phase (P = 0·03) and tended to correlate positively with progesterone levels (rs = −0·64, P < 0·06). Daytime GH secretion and afternoon/evening PRL secretion (hormones primarily controlled by the sleep‐wake homeostasis) were increased in the luteal phase compared with those of the follicular phase (GH: P = 0·04; PRL: P = 0·01). The increase in 24‐h GH secretion was associated with higher progesterone levels (rs = 0·78, P = 0·02). In luteal phase, the evening PRL rise was associated with higher progesterone (rs = 0·70, P = 0·04) and oestradiol (rs = 0·72, P = 0·03) levels.Conclusion  The present data indicate that in normally cycling young women, daytime GH and PRL secretions are increased in luteal phase. These data also suggest that endogenous progesterone could play a modulation role on pituitary hormone secretion, stimulating GH and PRL release and enhancing the inhibitory action of sleep on TSH secretion.
Effect of non‐lethal sampling on life‐history traits of the protected moth Graellsia isabelae (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)
Authors: VILA M. , AUGER‐ROZENBERG M. A. , GOUSSARD F. , LOPEZ‐VAAMONDE C. 
Published: February 2009

Abstract 1. Non‐lethal genetic surveys in insects usually extract DNA from a leg or a piece of wing. Although preferable to lethal sampling, little is known about the effect of leg/wing non‐lethal sampling on fitness‐related traits.2. Graellsia isabelae (Graells, 1849) is a European moth protected by the Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention. Conservation genetics surveys on this species should therefore use non‐lethal sampling.3. The present study aimed to (1) quantify the effects of both leg and hind‐wing tail sampling on survivorship and reproductive behaviour of adult males and females, and (2) assess the quality and quantity of DNA obtained from those tissues.4. Both hind‐wing tails and mid‐legs proved to be good sources of high quality nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. DNA concentration was significantly higher when extracted from a large (130 mm2) piece of the hind‐wing tails than from about half of the mid‐leg. Using mark–release–recapture experiments with adults, it was found that neither mid‐leg nor hind‐wing tail sampling significantly reduced male survivorship or total number of matings. However, although mid‐leg sampling did not significantly affect female survivorship, it had a negative effect on female mating success.5. Wing‐tail clipping on males appeared to be the best non‐lethal sampling procedure for G. isabelae. It is a fast procedure, similar to natural wing impairment, and did not significantly affect survival or mating behaviour.
Groundwater biodiversity in Europe
Authors: DEHARVENG L. , STOCH F. , GIBERT J. , BEDOS A. , GALASSI D. , ZAGMAJSTER M. , BRANCELJ A. , CAMACHO A. , FIERS F. , MARTIN P. , GIANI N. , MAGNIEZ G. , MARMONIER P. 
Published: February 2009

Summary1. The spatial patterns of groundwater biodiversity in Europe remain poorly known, yet their knowledge is essential to understand local variation in groundwater assemblages and to develop sound conservation policies. We explore here the broad‐scale distribution of groundwater biodiversity across Europe, focussing on obligate subterranean species.2. We compiled published distributional data of obligate subterranean aquatic taxa for six European countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain), and conducted a detailed biological survey of six regions (one in Belgium, two in France, one in Italy, one in Slovenia and one in Spain). Based on this data set, we mapped spatial patterns of biodiversity in Europe on a cell grid with 0.2 × 0.2 ° resolution.3. As of mid‐2006, the total number of described stygobiotic species in the six countries was 930 and the total number of genera with at least one described stygobiotic species was 191. The total number of sampling sites where at least one stygobiont had been collected was 4709, distributed in 1228 of the 4668 grid cells covering the study area.4. Groundwater stygobiotic biodiversity was dominated by Crustacea with 757 species in 122 genera. Insects were represented by only two species of a single genus of dytiscid beetles restricted to south‐eastern France.5. The geographic distribution of stygobionts was extremely heterogeneous. Stygobionts were recorded in 26% of the 4668 grid cells and only 33 cells had more than 20 stygobiotic species. These 33 ‘hot‐cells’ of groundwater species richness clustered in seven hotspots.6. Endemicity was very high, with 43% of the total number of stygobiotic species restricted to a single cell, i.e. <500 km2.7. Hotspots defined by rarity, number of genera, number of genera with only one species known in Europe, or number of monospecific genera differed markedly in ranking from those based on species richness. However, a core of four hotspots emerged in all cases: one stretching across Slovenia and northeastern Italy, one in the French Pyrenees, one in the Cévennes in southern France and one in the Rhine River valley in northeastern France.8. Unevenness in stygobiont distribution cannot be explained solely by unevenness in sampling effort. This is indicated in particular by the fact that our comprehensive sampling survey roughly matched the level of taxonomic richness of the studied regions based on previously published information.9. With sampling effort continuing, a twofold or higher increase in species richness can be expected in several Mediterranean areas, with a potential to discover up to 50% more new species than are currently known in the region.
Assemblage structure and dynamics of large branchiopods in Mediterranean temporary wetlands: patterns and processes
Authors: WATERKEYN ALINE , GRILLAS PATRICK , DE ROECK ELS R. M. , BOVEN LIESBET , BRENDONCK LUC 
Published: February 2009

Summary1. To monitor the diversity and distribution patterns of large branchiopods and the effects of local and regional processes, 30 temporary wetlands in a nature reserve in the Camargue (southern France) were sampled and characterised during three consecutive inundations (2005–08). Additional species were added to the list for each wetland by hatching animals from the resting egg bank, after determining the optimal hatching conditions.2. A total of five species were found, representing 28% of the species known in France and 56% of the known Camargue species. Tanymastix stagnalis, Branchipus schaefferi, Chirocephalus diaphanus (Anostraca), Triops cancriformis (Notostraca) and Imnadia yeyetta (Spinicaudata) were distributed over a total of 19 wetlands.3. More than one species was present in 79% of the wetlands containing large branchiopods. Individual wetlands harboured on average 2.8 species, with a maximum of five coexisting species. Large branchiopod assemblages were temporally variable, differing among the three inundations with different climatological conditions.4. The most important habitat factor influencing the distribution of large branchiopods was salinity, adversely affecting the density and survival of hatchlings. The persistence of large branchiopods in these temporary waters may be threatened by increasing salinisation driven by intensive water management and climate change.
Aetiology of molar–incisor hypomineralization: a critical review
Authors: CROMBIE FELICITY , MANTON DAVID , KILPATRICK NICOLA 
Published: February 2009

Objective.  The objective of this study was to assess the strength of evidence for the aetiology of molar–incisor hypomineralization (MIH), often as approximated by demarcated defects.Method.  A systematic search of online medical databases was conducted with assessment of titles, abstracts, and finally full articles for selection purposes. The level and quality of evidence were then assessed for each article according to Australian national guidelines.Results.  Of 1123 articles identified by the database search, 53 were selected for review. These covered a variety of potential aetiological factors, some of which were grouped together for convenience. The level of evidence provided by the majority of papers was low and most did not specifically investigate MIH. There was moderate evidence that polychlorinated biphenyl/dioxin exposure is involved in the aetiology of MIH; weak evidence for the role of nutrition, birth and neonatal factors, and acute or chronic childhood illness/treatment; and very weak evidence to implicate fluoride or breastfeeding.Conclusion.  There is currently insufficient evidence in the literature to establish aetiological factor/s relevant for MIH. Improvements in study design, as well as standardization of diagnostic and examination protocols, would improve the level and strength of evidence.
Mental illness and intellectual disability in Magistrates Courts in New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Vanny K. A. , Levy M. H. , Greenberg D. M. , Hayes S. C. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractBackground  Little is known about the prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) and/or cognitive impairment (CI) among accused persons in the Magistrates (Local) Courts, the personal, health and mental health characteristics of this cohort, and their service provision needs in the community. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of dual diagnoses of ID and/or CI and psychiatric disorder in a sample of accused persons appearing before four Magistrates Courts. Accused persons with ID and/or CI may not be identified in the Magistrates Court as having a disability and therefore may be unable to access the legal safeguards which exist for their protection within the criminal justice system and/or may fail to receive appropriate community health and welfare services.Method  The sample was drawn from accused persons aged over 18 years appearing before four Magistrates Courts in metropolitan and urban areas of a large city. Participants were assessed using the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, Second Edition (KBIT‐2), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition (VABS2) and the Psychiatric Assessment Schedules for Adults with Developmental Disabilities Checklist.Results  On the KBIT‐2, 10% of participants achieved a standard score (SS) below 70 (mild ID range) and a further 20% were in the 70–79 (borderline) range. The VABS2 results indicated that 12% of participants had SS below 70 and a further 9% were in the 70–79 (borderline) range. The prevalence of mental illness in the group with intellectual deficits was 46%, compared with a prevalence of 36% for those without intellectual deficits.Conclusions  People with ID and/or CI were found to be over‐represented in the Magistrates Court. Furthermore, results highlight the unmet mental health needs of this cohort in the criminal justice system. The results of the study have implications for the planning of services and diversionary options to facilitate better management of defendants with ID and/or CI with mental health needs.
Immune responses against fibronectin modified by lipoprotein oxidation and their association with cardiovascular disease
Authors: Dunér P. , To F. , Alm R. , Gonçalves I. , Fredrikson G. N. , Hedblad B. , Berglund G. , Nilsson J. , Bengtsson E. 
Published: February 2009

Abstract.Objectives.  Accumulation and subsequent oxidation of LDL in the arterial wall are considered as key events in the development of atherosclerosis. We have investigated the possibility that LDL oxidation results in release of aldehydes that modify surrounding matrix proteins and that this may target immune responses against the plaque extracellular matrix and modulate the disease progression.Results.  Using custom‐made ELISAs we demonstrate that human plasma contains autoantibodies against aldehyde‐modified fibronectin (FN) and to a lesser extent also other extracellular matrix proteins including collagen type I, type III, and tenascin‐C. Immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis showed that aldehyde‐modified FN is present in human atherosclerotic plaques and that aldehydes generated by oxidation of LDL formed adducts with FN in vitro. We also demonstrate that aldehyde‐modification of FN results in a loss of its ability to promote basal secretion of cytokines and growth factors from cultured macrophages without affecting the ability of the cells to respond to stimulation with LPS. A prospective clinical study demonstrated that subjects that subsequently developed acute myocardial infarction or sudden cardiac death had lower baseline levels of autoantibodies against aldehyde‐modified FN than matched controls.Conclusions.  These observations demonstrate that oxidation of LDL in the arterial wall may lead to aldehyde‐modification of surrounding extracellular matrix proteins and that these modifications may affect macrophage function and activate autoimmune responses of pathophysiological importance for the development of atherosclerosis.
Interplay of host specificity and biogeography in the population structure of a cosmopolitan endoparasite: microsatellite study ofLigula intestinalis(Cestoda)
Authors: ŠTEFKA J. , HYPŠA V. , SCHOLZ T. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractOrganisms with wide geographical or phenotypic diversity often constitute assemblages of genetically distinct species or lineages. Within parasites, an emergence of host‐specific lineages is assumed to create such cryptic variability; however, empirical evaluation of these processes is scarce. Here, we analyse populations of a parasite with a complex life cycle, wide host spectrum and global distribution, with the aim to reveal factors underlying the evolution of host‐ or geography‐dependent lineages. Using 15 microsatellite loci, deep genetic distances were observed between populations from distant geographical areas. On the local scale, host‐mediated genetic structure was found among sympatric samples. Two lineages differing in the spectrum of infected hosts co‐occurred in the Euro‐Mediterranean area, and two distinct lineages were recovered from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Although sampled across several host taxa and multiple localities, a lack of marked genetic structure was seen in the populations belonging to one of the European lineages. Only weak genetic differentiation between sympatric samples from two host species was found. Complexity of the parasite life‐cycle contributed to such a stratified pattern. Differences in the immune response between fish hosts were suggested as the factor diversifying the populations locally; conversely, high mobility of the parasite due to migration with its bird (definitive) host were assessed to homogenize populations across the area of distribution. However, despite the high mobility, large bodies of salt water prevent the parasite from long‐distance migrations, as was demonstrated in an example of the Mediterranean Sea which represented an effective barrier to gene flow.