bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Psychological status of patients with chronic urticaria
Authors: PASAOGLU Gülden , BAVBEK Sevim , TUGCU Handan , ABADOGLU Oznur , MISIRLIGIL Zeynep 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTAlthough chronic urticaria is the most common cutaneous disorder seen in our outpatient allergy clinics, to our knowledge, no study of psychiatric morbidity in allergy departments has been carried out in our country. For the present study, we used the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to evaluate the personality traits and psychological status of patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). Fifty‐nine outpatients with CIU and 59 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Patients were included if no specific cause for their urticaria could be identified by detailed history and appropriate investigations. Psychiatric evaluation for all patients and controls was conducted at the Department of Psychiatry by using MMPI. Analysis of the MMPI profile showed that the scores for hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, psychopathic deviance, paranoia, psychasthenia, schizophrenia, and social introversion were higher in patients with CIU compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The mean score of hysteria was significantly higher in women. There were no significant correlations between the scores of MMPI and duration of the disease. These data indicate that our patients with CIU seem to have more depressive, hysteric, touchy and suspicious personality traits with hypochondriac tendencies and in more conflict with their social environment. Attitudes such as perfectionism, need for approval, external control and need to be loved were also characteristics of the patient group. We believe that psychological status should be considered for effective management of patients with CIU.
Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa: Case of non‐Hallopeau–Siemens variant with premature termination codons in both alleles
Authors: YONEI Nozomi , OHTANI Toshio , FURUKAWA Fukumi 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTDystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is caused by mutations in the COL7A1 gene encoding collagen, the major component of anchoring fibrils. Premature termination codon (PTC) mutations in both alleles usually lead to the Hallopeau–Siemens variant that shows the most severe phenotype. We experienced a case of the non‐Hallopeau–Siemens variant (nHS‐RDEB), which had a mild clinical severity although it has PTC mutations in both alleles. Our patient was a compound heterozygote for a nonsense mutation (R669X) in exon 15 and a nonsense mutation (E2857X) in exon 116. But we confirmed the existence of some anchoring fibrils on electron micrograph. This suggested that a PTC close to the 3′ end of COL7A1 does not completely abolish the collagen VII mRNA. We hypothesized that the truncated procollagen VII from the mutant allele with a nonsense mutation (E2857X) in exon 116 included two out of eight cysteines needed for disulfide bond formation, and hence a few functional anchoring fibrils could be formed.
Case of childhood granulomatous periorificial dermatitis in a Korean boy treated by oral erythromycin
Authors: CHOI Yun‐Lim , LEE Kwang‐Jun , CHO Hye‐Jin , KIM Won‐Serk , LEE Joo‐Heung , YANG Jun‐Mo , LEE Eil‐Soo , LEE Dong‐Youn 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTSChildhood granulomatous periorificial dermatitis (CGPD) is a disease presenting most commonly in prepubertal children as yellow‐brown papules limited to the perioral, perinasal and periocular regions. The condition is benign, self‐limiting and is not associated with systemic involvement. We herein report a case of an 11‐year‐old Korean boy with multiple, asymptomatic, monomorphic, red‐to‐yellow‐colored papular eruptions on the perioral areas of 7‐month duration. Histopathological examination revealed upper dermal and perifollicular granulomatous infiltrate. After using oral erythromycin 500 mg daily for 1 year, the condition resolved completely without leaving a scar.
Eruptive pruritic papular porokeratosis: A pruritic variant of porokeratosis
Authors: KANEKURA Takuro , YOSHII Noriko 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTPorokeratosis is a chronic skin disorder characterized clinically by the presence of crater‐like patches with an elevated thick keratotic border and central atrophy. Histology reveals cornoid lamellae. While porokeratosis is practically asymptomatic, a pruritic variant has been reported. We recently encountered an 82‐year‐old man with pruritic porokeratosis. He presented with erythematous papules and intensively itchy patches on his lower limbs that had been present for 6 months. Histopathological examination revealed the characteristic cornoid lamellae. We describe this case in detail and provide a review of the published work.
Hyperkeratotic lichenified skin lesion of gluteal region
Authors: NIIYAMA Shiro , SAKURAI Syugo , KATSUOKA Kensei 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTElderly people may develop typical skin lesions on the superior part and both sides of the anal cleft. Although such skin changes have recently been reported as anosacral cutaneous amyloidosis in primary cutaneous amyloidosis, in our histopathological examinations no amyloid deposition has been detected at the sites of these lesions. Because hyperkeratosis, acanthosis and follicular plugging were seen in all of the cases histopathologically, we think that these skin manifestations are essentially a type of keratinization abnormality instead. We consider this disease to be a type of senile skin change that develops in response to prolonged mechanical irritation.
Functional analysis of the Alternaria brassicicola non‐ribosomal peptide synthetase gene AbNPS2 reveals a role in conidial cell wall construction
Authors: KIM KWANG‐HYUNG , CHO YANGRAE , LA ROTA MAURICIO , CRAMER ROBERT A. , LAWRENCE CHRISTOPHER B. 
Published: October 2006

SUMMARY Alternaria brassicicola is a necrotrophic pathogen causing black spot disease on virtually all cultivated Brassica crops worldwide. In many plant pathosystems fungal secondary metabolites derived from non‐ribosomal peptide synthetases (NPSs) are phytotoxic virulence factors or are antibiotics thought to be important for niche competition with other micro‐organisms. However, many of the functions of NPS genes and their products are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the function of one of the A. brassicicola NPS genes, AbNPS2. The predicted amino acid sequence of AbNPS2 showed high sequence similarity with A. brassicae, AbrePsy1, Cochliobolus heterostrophus, NPS4 and a Stagonospora nodorum NPS. The AbNPS2 open reading frame was predicted to be 22 kb in length and encodes a large protein (7195 amino acids) showing typical NPS modular organization. Gene expression analysis of AbNPS2 in wild‐type fungus indicated that it is expressed almost exclusively in conidia and conidiophores, broadly in the reproductive developmental phase. AbNPS2 gene disruption mutants showed abnormal spore cell wall morphology and a decreased hydrophobicity phenotype. Conidia of abnps2 mutants displayed an aberrantly inflated cell wall and an increase in lipid bodies compared with wild‐type. Further phenotypic analyses of abnps2 mutants showed decreased spore germination rates both in vitro and in vivo, and a marked reduction in sporulation in vivo compared with wild‐type fungus. Moreover, virulence tests on Brassicas with abnps2 mutants revealed a significant reduction in lesion size compared with wild‐type but only when aged spores were used in experiments. Collectively, these results indicate that AbNPS2 plays an important role in development and virulence.
Identification of transcripts modulated by ETV6 expression
Authors: Boily Gino , Larose Josiane , Langlois Sylvie , Sinnett Daniel 
Published: October 2006

SummaryDeletions at chromosome 12p12‐13 are observed in 26–47% of childhood pre‐B acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) cases, suggesting the presence of a tumour suppressor gene (TSG). Accumulating genetic and functional evidence points to ETV6 as being the most probable TSG targeted by the deletions. ETV6 is a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor of the ETS family with very few known targets. To understand its function and to elucidate the impact of its absence in leukaemia, we conducted a study to identify targeted genes. Following the induction of ETV6 expression, global expression was evaluated at different time points. We identified 87 modulated genes, of which 10 (AKR1C1, AKR1C3, IL18, LUM, PHLDA1, PTGER4, PTGS2, SPHK1, TP53 and VEGF) were validated by real‐time quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. To assess the significance of the validated candidate genes in leukaemia, their expression patterns were determined, as well as that of ETV6, in pre‐B ALL patients. The expression of IL18, LUM, PTGER4, SPHK1 and TP53 was significantly correlated with that of ETV6, further suggesting that ETV6 could regulate the expression of these genes in leukaemia. This work constitutes another step towards the understanding of the functions of ETV6 and the impact of its inactivation in childhood leukaemia.
Factors determining length distribution and abundance of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla, in the River Mondego (Portugal)
Authors: DOMINGOS ISABEL , COSTA JOSÉ LINO , COSTA MARIA JOSÉ 
Published: October 2006

Summary1. The distribution and abundance of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla, were investigated in the Mondego River, a strongly modified river in central Portugal. Nine freshwater sites, located below the first impassable obstacle to eel migration, were surveyed for 2 years. The study was conducted monthly during the first year and seasonally during the second year. Fish were caught by electric fishing and, physical and biotic variables potentially influencing eel length distribution and abundance were determined at each sampling session.2. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to explain the relationships between abiotic and biotic habitat variables, and eel length distribution. Spatial variation was strongly associated with distance from the sea, number of obstacles, river width and percentage of instream cover. Depth, river flow, water temperature and cannibalism had weaker effects on the longitudinal distribution, but contributed as explanatory variables for the model. The influence of spatial variables outweighed the importance of temporal variables as predictors in this model.3. Length distribution changed in space from a dominance of small eels (<100 mm) closer to the sea to larger eels (≥250 mm) in the upper reaches of the river. The smallest length class (eels <100 mm) was strongly associated with wider stretches where instream cover, mainly composed of aquatic submerged macrophytes, was abundant (>75% area coverage). On the contrary, larger eels (≥250 mm) preferred deeper stretches with stronger river flow and less instream cover.4. The effect of biotic interactions with conspecifics as well as with the non‐native red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii, in sites with poor instream cover, modified this general pattern of distribution leading to fewer eels <100 mm at some sites closer to the sea. Therefore, despite the ubiquity and plasticity shown by this species, there were clear ontogenetic variations in habitat use such that the first two canonical axes of a CCA accounted for 58.4% of the spatial variability in size structure.
Population ecology, vertical migration and feeding of the Ponto‐Caspian invader Hemimysis anomala in a gravel‐pit lake connected to the River Rhine
Authors: BORCHERDING JOST , MURAWSKI SIMONE , ARNDT HARTMUT 
Published: October 2006

Summary1. The Ponto‐Caspian invader, Hemimysis anomala, was recently found in large numbers in a gravel‐pit lake connected to the Lower Rhine. Mysids were sampled with Perspex traps between September 2002 and April 2003 to study the population dynamics, vertical migration and feeding.2. The abundance (as catch per unit effort, CPUE) of H. anomala declined from 270 individuals (ind.) trap−1 (4 h)−1 in December to below 4 ind. trap−1 (4 h)−1 in April. Average lengths ranged from 4.9 mm in autumn to 9.9 mm in March. The length–weight relationship of virgin females changed throughout the sampling period, from a size‐corrected wet weight of 5.1 mg in September to 16.6 mg in April for a female of 7.8 mm.3. Successive monthly samples taken over 24 h revealed that H. anomala preferred the surface at twilight and night. During dawn the mysids migrated to the middle and bottom layers and were hardly found during day. Diel vertical migration clearly depends on the proximate factor light.4. Stomach analyses revealed that larger H. anomala preferred zooplankton, whereas small individuals fed more on phytoplankton. The seasonal comparison showed an increasing percentage of zooplankton with increasing length. The proportion of zooplankton in the stomachs of large H. anomala individuals was highest during night and lowest during day.5. The results suggest that H. anomala may become an important link between primary/secondary production and higher trophic levels in the food web of its new environments at the Lower Rhine.
Genomic and transcriptional analysis of protein heterogeneity of the honeybee venom allergen Api m 6
Authors: Peiren N. , De Graaf D. C. , Evans J. D. , Jacobs F. J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractSeveral components of honeybee venom are known to cause allergenic responses in humans and other vertebrates. One such component, the minor allergen Api m 6, has been known to show amino acid variation but the genetic mechanism for this variation is unknown. Here we show that Api m 6 is derived from a single locus, and that substantial protein‐level variation has a simple genome‐level cause, without the need to invoke multiple loci or alternatively spliced exons. Api m 6 sits near a misassembled section of the honeybee genome sequence, and we propose that a substantial number of indels at and near Api m 6 might be the root cause of this misassembly. We suggest that genes such as Api m 6 with coding‐region or untranslated region indels might have had a strong effect on the assembly of this draft of the honeybee genome.
A deficit of detoxification enzymes: pesticide sensitivity and environmental response in the honeybee
Authors: Claudianos C. , Ranson H. , Johnson R. M. , Biswas S. , Schuler M. A. , Berenbaum M. R. , Feyereisen R. , Oakeshott J. G. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe honeybee genome has substantially fewer protein coding genes (≈ 11 000 genes) than Drosophila melanogaster (≈ 13 500) and Anopheles gambiae (≈ 14 000). Some of the most marked differences occur in three superfamilies encoding xenobiotic detoxifying enzymes. Specifically there are only about half as many glutathione‐S‐transferases (GSTs), cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) and carboxyl/cholinesterases (CCEs) in the honeybee. This includes 10‐fold or greater shortfalls in the numbers of Delta and Epsilon GSTs and CYP4 P450s, members of which clades have been recurrently associated with insecticide resistance in other species. These shortfalls may contribute to the sensitivity of the honeybee to insecticides. On the other hand there are some recent radiations in CYP6, CYP9 and certain CCE clades in A. mellifera that could be associated with the evolution of the hormonal and chemosensory processes underpinning its highly organized eusociality.
Nuclear receptors of the honey bee: annotation and expression in the adult brain
Authors: Velarde Rodrigo A. , Robinson Gene E. , Fahrbach Susan E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe Drosophila genome encodes 18 canonical nuclear receptors. All of the Drosophila nuclear receptors are here shown to be present in the genome of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Given that the time since divergence of the Drosophila and Apis lineages is measured in hundreds of millions of years, the identification of matched orthologous nuclear receptors in the two genomes reveals the fundamental set of nuclear receptors required to ‘make’ an endopterygote insect. The single novelty is the presence in the A. mellifera genome of a third insect gene similar to vertebrate photoreceptor‐specific nuclear receptor (PNR). Phylogenetic analysis indicates that this novel gene, which we have named AmPNR‐like, is a new member of the NR2 subfamily not found in the Drosophila or human genomes. This gene is expressed in the developing compound eye of the honey bee. Like their vertebrate counterparts, arthropod nuclear receptors play key roles in embryonic and postembryonic development. Studies in Drosophila have focused primarily on the role of these transcription factors in embryogenesis and metamorphosis. Examination of an expressed sequence tag library developed from the adult bee brain and analysis of transcript expression in brain using in situ hybridization and quantitative RT‐PCR revealed that several members of the nuclear receptor family (AmSVP, AmUSP, AmERR, AmHr46, AmFtz‐F1, and AmHnf‐4) are expressed in the brain of the adult bee. Further analysis of the expression of AmUSP and AmSVP in the mushroom bodies, the major insect brain centre for learning and memory, revealed changes in transcript abundance and, in the case of AmUSP, changes in transcript localization, during the development of foraging behaviour in the adult. Study of the honey bee therefore provides a model for understanding nuclear receptor function in the adult brain.
Expression of insulin pathway genes during the period of caste determination in the honey bee,Apis mellifera
Authors: Wheeler D. E. , Buck N. , Evans J. D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractFemale honeybees have two castes, queens and workers. Developmental fate is determined by larval diet. Coding sequences made available through the Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Consortium allow for a pathway‐based approach to understanding caste determination. We examined the expression of several genes of the insulin signalling pathway, which is central to regulation of growth based on nutrition. We found one insulin‐like peptide expressed at very high levels in queen but not worker larvae. Also, the gene for an insulin receptor was expressed at higher levels in queen larvae during the 2nd larval instar. These results demonstrate that the insulin pathway is a compelling candidate for pursing the relationship between diet and downstream signals involved in caste determination and differentiation.
Comparative analysis of serine protease‐related genes in the honey bee genome: possible involvement in embryonic development and innate immunity
Authors: Zou Z. , Lopez Dawn L. , Kanost Michael R. , Evans Jay D. , Jiang Haobo 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWe have identified 44 serine protease (SP) and 13 serine protease homolog (SPH) genes in the genome ofApis mellifera. Most of these genes encode putative secreted proteins, but four SPs and three SPHs may associate with the plasma membrane via a transmembrane region. Clip domains represent the most abundant non‐catalytic structural units in these SP‐like proteins −12 SPs and six SPHs contain at least one clip domain. Some of the family members contain other modules for protein–protein interactions, including disulphide‐stabilized structures (LDLrA, SRCR, frizzled, kringle, Sushi, Wonton and Pan/apple), carbohydrate‐recognition domains (C‐type lectin and chitin‐binding), and other modules (such as zinc finger, CUB, coiled coil and Sina). Comparison of the sequences with those fromDrosophilaled to a proposed SP pathway for establishing the dorsoventral axis of honey bee embryos. Multiple sequence alignments revealed evolutionary relationships of honey bee SPs and SPHs with those inDrosophila melanogaster,Anopheles gambiae, andManduca sexta. We identified homologs ofD. melanogasterpersephone,M. sextaHP14, PAP‐1 and SPH‐1.A. melliferagenome includes at least five genes for potential SP inhibitors (serpin‐1 through ‐5) and three genes of SP putative substrates (prophenoloxidase, spätzle‐1 and spätzle‐2). Quantitative RT‐PCR analyses showed an elevation in the mRNA levels of SP2, SP3, SP9, SP10, SPH41, SPH42, SP49, serpin‐2, serpin‐4, serpin‐5, and spätzle‐2 in adults after a microbial challenge. The SP41 and SP6 transcripts significantly increased after an injection ofPaenibacillus larva, but there was no such increase after injection of saline orEscherichia coli. mRNA levels of most SPs and serpins significantly increased by 48 h after the pathogen infection in 1st instar larvae. On the contrary, SP1, SP3, SP19 and serpin‐5 transcript levels reduced. These results, taken together, provide a framework for designing experimental studies of the roles of SPs and related proteins in embryonic development and immune responses ofA. mellifera.
Characteristics of the nuclear (18S, 5.8S, 28S and 5S) and mitochondrial (12S and 16S) rRNA genes ofApis mellifera(Insecta: Hymenoptera): structure, organization, and retrotransposable elements
Authors: Gillespie J. J. , Johnston J. S. , Cannone J. J. , Gutell R. R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAs an accompanying manuscript to the release of the honey bee genome, we report the entire sequence of the nuclear (18S, 5.8S, 28S and 5S) and mitochondrial (12S and 16S) ribosomal RNA (rRNA)‐encoding gene sequences (rDNA) and related internally and externally transcribed spacer regions ofApis mellifera(Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apocrita). Additionally, we predict secondary structures for the mature rRNA molecules based on comparative sequence analyses with other arthropod taxa and reference to recently published crystal structures of the ribosome. In general, the structures of honey bee rRNAs are in agreement with previously predicted rRNA models from other arthropods in core regions of the rRNA, with little additional expansion in non‐conserved regions. Our multiple sequence alignments are made available on several public databases and provide a preliminary establishment of a global structural model of all rRNAs from the insects. Additionally, we provide conserved stretches of sequences flanking the rDNA cistrons that comprise the externally transcribed spacer regions (ETS) and part of the intergenic spacer region (IGS), including several repetitive motifs. Finally, we report the occurrence of retrotransposition in the nuclear large subunit rDNA, as R2 elements are present in the usual insertion points found in other arthropods. Interestingly, functional R1 elements usually present in the genomes of insects were not detected in the honey bee rRNA genes. The reverse transcriptase products of the R2 elements are deduced from their putative open reading frames and structurally aligned with those from another hymenopteran insect, the jewel waspNasonia(Pteromalidae). Stretches of conserved amino acids shared betweenApisandNasoniaare illustrated and serve as potential sites for primer design, as target amplicons within these R2 elements may serve as novel phylogenetic markers for Hymenoptera. Given the impending completion of the sequencing of theNasoniagenome, we expect our report eventually to shed light on the evolution of the hymenopteran genome within higher insects, particularly regarding the relative maintenance of conserved rDNA genes, related variable spacer regions and retrotransposable elements.
Genome sequences of the honey bee pathogens Paenibacillus larvae and Ascosphaera apis
Authors: Qin X. , Evans J. D. , Aronstein K. A. , Murray K. D. , Weinstock G. M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractGenome sequences offer a broad view of host–pathogen interactions at the systems biology level. With the completion of the sequence of the honey bee, interest in the relevant pathogens is heightened. Here we report the genome sequences of two of the major pathogens of honey bees, the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae (causative agent for American foulbrood disease) and the fungus Ascosphaera apis. (causative agent for chalkbrood disease). Ongoing efforts to characterize the genomes of these species can be used to understand and mitigate the effects of two important pathogens, and will provide a contrast with pathogenic, benign and freeliving relatives.