bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Salmonellaand on‐farm risk factors in healthy slaughter‐age cattle and sheep in eastern Australia
Authors: Vanselow BA , Hornitzky MA , Walker KH , Eamens GJ , Bailey GD , Gill PA , Coates K , Corney B , Cronin JP , Renilson S 
Published: December 2007

Objective  To examine healthy slaughter‐age cattle and sheep on‐farm for the excretion ofSalmonellaserovars in faeces and to identify possible risk factors using a questionnaire.Procedure  The study involved 215 herds and flocks in the four eastern states of Australia, 56 with prior history of salmonellosis. Production systems examined included pasture beef cattle, feedlot beef cattle, dairy cattle, prime lambs and mutton sheep and animals were all at slaughter age. From each herd or flock, 25 animals were sampled and the samples pooled forSalmonellaculture. AllSalmonellaisolated were serotyped and anySalmonellaTyphimurium isolates were phage typed. Questionnaires on each production system, prepared in Epi Info 6.04, were designed to identify risk factors associated withSalmonellaspp excretion, with separate questionnaires designed for each production system.Results  Salmonellaewere identified in all production systems and were more commonly isolated from dairies and beef feedlots than other systems. Statistical analysis revealed that dairy cattle were significantly more likely to shedSalmonellain faeces than pasture beef cattle, mutton sheep and prime lambs (P < 0.05). A wide diversity ofSalmonellaserovars, all of which have been isolated from humans in Australia, was identified in both cattle and sheep. Analysis of the questionnaires showed access to new arrivals was a significant risk factor forSalmonellaexcretion on dairy properties. For beef feedlots, the presence of large numbers of flies in the feedlot pens or around stored manure were significant risk factors forSalmonellaexcretion.Conclusion  Dairy cattle pose the highest risk of all the slaughter‐age animals tested. Some of the identified risk factors can be overcome by improved management practices, especially in relation to hygiene.
Intelligence failures: a political economy perspective
Authors: Patacconi Andrea 
Published: December 2007

AbstractIn this article I discuss recent episodes of military intelligence failures. Many believe that in the case of Iraq intelligence community judgements were warped by inappropriate political pressure to build a case for war. I examine that claim in a simple framework where disclosure of information gives policymakers an incentive to ‘fix the evidence’ around their preferred policy. The analysis suggests that making government more transparent creates a trade‐off between manipulation of information and accountability. The most surprising finding is that insulating intelligence agencies from political pressure may sometimes reduce voter welfare.
Modelling a century and a half of UK macroeconomic data using general to specific methodology
Authors: Castle Jennifer L. 
Published: December 2007

AbstractGrowth, structural change and evolution is endemic in any economy, and yet we require well‐specified, constant parameter econometric models of macro phenomena to understand economies, forecast and undertake policy analysis. This article draws on recent developments in econometric modelling, including general‐to‐specific modelling, non‐linearity testing and modelling, and outlier detection using indicator saturation, to propose a methodology in which constant parameter models can be built over long periods, yielding substantial insights into macroeconomic behaviour over a century and a half.
Telithromycin Resistance in
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Is Conferred by a Deletion in the Leader Sequence of
erm
(B) That Increases rRNA Methylation
Authors: Wolter Nicole , Smith Anthony M. , Farrell David J. , Northwood John Blackman , Douthwaite Stephen , Klugman Keith P. 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT

A telithromycin-resistant clinical isolate of
Streptococcus pneumoniae
(strain P1501016) has been found to contain a version of
erm
(B) that is altered by a 136-bp deletion in the leader sequence. By allele replacement mutagenesis, a second strain of
S. pneumoniae
(PC13) with a wild-type
erm
(B) gene was transformed to the telithromycin-resistant phenotype by introduction of the mutant
erm
(B) gene. Whereas the wild-type PC13 strain showed slight telithromycin resistance only after induction by erythromycin (telithromycin MIC increased from 0.06 to 0.5 μg/ml), the transformed PC13 strain is constitutively resistant (MIC of 16 μg/ml). Expression of
erm
(B) was quantified by real-time reverse transcription-PCR in the presence of erythromycin or telithromycin;
erm
(B) expression was significantly higher in the transformed PC13 strain than the wild-type strain. Furthermore, the transformed strain had significantly higher levels of ribosomal methylation in the absence as well as in the presence of the antibiotics. Growth studies showed that the transformed PC13 strain had a shorter lag phase than the wild-type strain in the presence of erythromycin. Telithromycin resistance is conclusively shown to be conferred by the mutant
erm
(B) gene that is expressed at a constitutively higher level than the inducible wild-type gene. Elevated
erm
(B) expression results in a higher level of rRNA methylation that presumably hinders telithromycin binding to the ribosome.
In Vitro Activities of Voriconazole, Itraconazole, and Terbinafine Alone or in Combination against
Pythium insidiosum
Isolates from Brazil
Authors: Argenta Juliana S. , Santurio Janio M. , Alves Sydney H. , Pereira Daniela I. B. , Cavalheiro Ayrton S. , Spanamberg Andréia , Ferreiro Laerte 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT

We evaluated the in vitro activities of voriconazole, itraconazole, and terbinafine against 30 clinical isolates of
Pythium insidiosum
using a checkerboard macrodilution method. The combined activity of terbinafine plus itraconazole or plus voriconazole was synergic against 17% of the strains. Antagonism was not observed.
Cidofovir and (S)-9-[3-Hydroxy-(2-Phosphonomethoxy)Propyl]Adenine Are Highly Effective Inhibitors of Vaccinia Virus DNA Polymerase When Incorporated into the Template Strand
Authors: Magee Wendy C. , Aldern Kathy A. , Hostetler Karl Y. , Evans David H. 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACTThe acyclic nucleoside phosphonate drug (S)-9-[3-hydroxy-(2-phosphonomethoxy)propyl]adenine [(S)-HPMPA], is a broad-spectrum antiviral and antiparasitic agent. Previous work has shown that the active intracellular metabolite of this compound, (S)-HPMPA diphosphate [(S)-HPMPApp], is an analog of dATP and targets DNA polymerases. However, the mechanism by which (S)-HPMPA inhibits DNA polymerases remains elusive. Using vaccinia virus as a model system, we have previously shown that cidofovir diphosphate (CDVpp), an analog of dCTP and a related antiviral agent, is a poor substrate for the vaccinia virus DNA polymerase and acts to inhibit primer extension and block 3′-to-5′ proofreading exonuclease activity. Based on structural similarities and the greater antiviral efficacy of (S)-HPMPA, we predicted that (S)-HPMPApp would have a similar, but more pronounced effect on vaccinia polymerase than CDVpp. Interestingly, we found that (S)-HPMPApp is a good substrate for the viral enzyme, exhibitingKmandVmaxparameters comparable to those of dATP, and certainly not behaving like CDVpp as a functional chain terminator. Metabolic experiments indicated that (S)-HPMPA is converted to (S)-HPMPApp to a much greater extent than CDV is converted to CDVpp, although both drugs cause identical effects on virus DNA replication at their 50% effective concentration. Subsequent studies showed that both compounds can be faithfully incorporated into DNA, but when CDV and (S)-HPMPA are incorporated into the template strand, both strongly inhibittrans-lesion DNA synthesis. It thus appears that nucleoside phosphonate drugs exhibit at least two different effects on DNA polymerases depending upon in what form the enzyme encounters the drug.
Posaconazole Activity against
Candida glabrata
after Exposure to Caspofungin or Amphotericin B
Authors: Spreghini Elisabetta , Maida Carmelo Massimo , Milici Maria Eleonora , Scalise Giorgio , Barchiesi Francesco 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT

We evaluated the effects of sequential therapy with caspofungin (CAS) or amphotericin B (AMB) followed by posaconazole (POS) against
Candida glabrata
. The susceptibilities to POS of yeast cells pre-exposed to CAS or AMB were identical to those of untreated cells as shown by standard Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute broth dilution, cell viability, and disk diffusion methods. We then investigated the activity of sequential regimens in an experimental model of disseminated candidiasis. CAS given at 1 mg/kg/day for 2 days followed by POS at either 15 or 30 mg/kg/day significantly reduced the counts compared to the controls, but this treatment was not superior to the use of CAS alone. Also, sequential regimens with AMB given at 1 mg/kg/day for 2 days followed by POS (AMB/POS) were effective at reducing the fungal burden against the controls. In addition, AMB/POS with both doses of the triazole were significantly more effective than AMB alone. Overall, our data showed that there is no therapeutic advantage in using CAS followed by POS, whereas an induction therapy with AMB followed by a maintenance regimen with POS might be a suitable strategy in managing
C. glabrata
infections.
Listeria monocytogenesDesensitizes Immune Cells to Subsequent Ca2+Signaling via Listeriolysin O-Induced Depletion of Intracellular Ca2+Stores
Authors: Gekara Nelson O. , Groebe Lothar , Viegas Nuno , Weiss Siegfried 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACTListeriolysin O (LLO), the pore-forming toxin ofListeria monocytogenes, is a prototype of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) secreted by several pathogenic and nonpathogenic gram-positive bacteria. In addition to mediating the escape of the bacterium into the cytosol, this toxin is generally believed to be a central player in host-pathogen interactions duringL.monocytogenesinfection. LLO triggers the influx of Ca2+into host cells as well as the release of Ca2+from intracellular stores. Thus, many of the cellular responses induced by LLO are related to calcium signaling. Interestingly, in this study, we report that prolonged exposure to LLO desensitizes cells to Ca2+mobilization upon subsequent stimulations with LLO. Cells preexposed to LLO-positiveL.monocytogenesbut not to the LLO-deficient Δhlymutant were found to be highly refractory to Ca2+induction in response to receptor-mediated stimulation. Such cells also exhibited diminished Ca2+signals in response to stimulation with LLO and thapsigargin. The presented results suggest that this phenomenon is due to the depletion of intracellular Ca2+stores. The ability of LLO to desensitize immune cells provides a significant hint about the possible role played by CDCs in the evasion of the immune system by bacterial pathogens.
Cerebral Lateralization of Frontal Lobe Language Processes and Lateralization of the Posterior Visual Word Processing System
Authors: Cai Qing , Lavidor Michal , Brysbaert Marc , Paulignan Yves , Nazir Tatjana A. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
The brain areas involved in visual word processing rapidly become lateralized to the left cerebral hemisphere. It is often assumed this is because, in the vast majority of people, cortical structures underlying language production are lateralized to the left hemisphere. An alternative hypothesis, however, might be that the early stages of visual word processing are lateralized to the left hemisphere because of intrinsic hemispheric differences in processing low-level visual information as required for distinguishing fine-grained visual forms such as letters. If the alternative hypothesis was correct, we would expect posterior occipito-temporal processing stages still to be lateralized to the left hemisphere for participants with right hemisphere dominance for the frontal lobe processes involved in language production. By analyzing event-related potentials of native readers of French with either left hemisphere or right hemisphere dominance for language production (determined using a verb generation task), we were able to show that the posterior occipito-temporal areas involved in visual word processing are lateralized to the same hemisphere as language production. This finding could suggest top-down influences in the development of posterior visual word processing areas.
Syntactic and Thematic Constraint Effects on Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent Signal Correlates of Comprehension of Relative Clauses
Authors: Caplan David , Stanczak Louise , Waters Gloria 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
The effects of plausibility of thematic role assignment and syntactic structure on blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal were studied using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging by orthogonally varying syntactic structure (subject-vs. object-extracted relative clauses) and the plausibility of nouns playing thematic roles (constrained vs. unconstrained sentences) in a plausibility judgment task. In plausible sentences, BOLD signal increased for object-compared to subject-extracted clauses in unconstrained sentences in left middle temporal and left inferior frontal areas, for this contrast in constrained sentences in left middle temporal but not left inferior frontal areas, and for constrained subject-extracted sentences compared to unconstrained subject-extracted sentences in the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We relate these areas of activation to the assignment of the syntactic structure of object-compared to subject-extracted structures and the process of checking which thematic roles activated in the course of processing a sentence are licensed by the syntactic structure of the sentence.
Distinct Processing of Objects and Faces in the Infant Brain
Authors: Southgate Victoria , Csibra Gergely , Kaufman Jordy , Johnson Mark H. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Previous work has shown that gamma-band electroencephalogram oscillations recorded over the posterior cortex of infants play a role in maintaining object representations during occlusion. Although it is not yet known what kind of representations are reflected in these oscillations, behavioral data suggest that young infants maintain spatiotemporal (but not featural) information during the occlusion of graspable objects, and surface feature (but not spatiotemporal) information during the occlusion of faces. To further explore this question, we presented infants with an occlusion paradigm in which they would, on half of the trials, see surface feature violations of either a face or an object. Based on previous studies, we predicted higher gamma-band activation when infants were presented with a surface feature violation of a face, but not of an object. These results were confirmed. A further analysis revealed that whereas infants exhibited a significant increase in gamma during the occlusion of an object (as reported in previous studies), no such increase was evident during the occlusion of a face. These data suggest markedly different processing of objects and faces in the infant brain and, furthermore, indicate that the representation underpinned by the posterior gamma increase may contain only spatiotemporal information.
Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated suppression of Ca2+/calmodulin kinase IV activity in the nucleus accumbens modulates emotional behaviour in mice
Authors: Schneider Miriam , Spanagel Rainer , Zhang Sheng-Jia , Bading Hilmar , Klugmann Matthias 
Published: December 2007

Abstract

Background
Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) controls activity-dependent gene transcription by regulating the activity of the cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB). This signaling pathway is involved in gating emotional responses in the CNS but previous studies did not address the potential roles of CaMKIV in discrete brain regions. In the present study, we aimed at specifically dissecting the role of CaMKIV in the nucleus accumbens of adult mice.

Results
We used recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-mediated gene transfer of a dominant-negative CaMKIV variant (rAAV-dnCaMKIV) to inhibit endogenous CaMKIV in the nucleus accumbens. rAAV-dnCaMKIV treated animals were subjected to a battery of tests including, prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response, open field, social interaction and anxiety-related behaviour. We found that basal locomotor activity in the open field, and prepulse inhibition or startle performance were unaltered in mice infected with rAAV-dnCaMKIV in the nucleus accumbens. However, anxiogenic effects were revealed in social interaction testing and the light/dark emergence test.

Conclusion
Our findings suggest a modulatory role of CaMKIV in the nucleus accumbens in anxiety-like behaviour but not sensorimotor gating.
Impact of estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms and mRNA levels on obesity and lipolysis – a cohort study
Authors: Nilsson Maria , Dahlman Ingrid , Jiao Hong , Gustafsson Jan-Åke , Arner Peter , Dahlman-Wright Karin 
Published: December 2007

Abstract

Background
The estrogen receptors α and β (ESR1, ESR2) have been implicated in adiposity, lipid metabolism and feeding behaviour. In this report we analyse ESR1 and ESR2 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for association with obesity. We also relate adipose tissue ESR1 mRNA levels and ESR1 SNPs to adipocyte lipolysis and lipogenesis phenotypes.

Methods
23 ESR1 and 11 ESR2 tag-SNPs, covering most of the common haplotype variation in each gene according to HAPMAP data, were analysed by Chi2 for association with obesity in a cohort comprising 705 adults with severe obesity and 402 lean individuals. Results were replicated in a cohort comprising 837 obese and 613 lean subjects. About 80% of both cohorts comprised women and 20% men. Adipose tissue ESR1 mRNA was quantified in 122 women and related to lipolysis and lipogenesis by multiple regression. ESR1 SNPs were analysed for association with adipocyte lipolysis and lipogenesis phenotypes in 204 obese women by simple regression.

Results
No ESR1 SNP was associated with obesity. Five ESR2 SNPs displayed nominal significant allelic association with obesity in women and one in men. The two ESR2 SNPs associated with obesity with nominal P value < 0.01 were genotyped in a second cohort where no association with obesity was observed. There was an inverse correlation between ESR1 mRNA levels in abdominal subcutaneous (sc) adipose tissue and basal lipolysis, as well as responsiveness to adrenoceptor agonists independent of age and BMI (P value 0.009–0.045). ESR1 rs532010 was associated with lipolytic sensitivity to noradrenaline (nominal P value 0.012), and ESR1 rs1884051 with responsiveness to the non-selective beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline (nominal P value 0.05). These associations became non-significant after Bonferroni correction.

Conclusion

ESR1 gene alleles are unlikely to be a major cause of obesity in women. A minor importance of ESR2 on severe obesity cannot be excluded. The inverse correlation between ESR1 mRNA levels and lipolytic responsiveness to adrenoceptor agonists implies that low adipose tissue ESR1 levels attenuate catecholamine resistance in sc fat cells of obese women hereby contributing to loss of sc and gain of visceral fat. There is no evidence for a genetic impact of ESR1 on lipolysis or lipogenesis.
Increased serum levels of TGFβ1 in children with localized scleroderma
Authors: Uziel Yosef , Feldman Brian M , Krafchik Bernice R , Laxer Ronald M , Yeung Rae SM 
Published: December 2007

Abstract

Background
There are neither sensitive nor specific laboratory tests for measuring disease activity in localized scleroderma (LS). Monitoring is done almost exclusively by clinical assessment. Our aim was to determine whether serum concentrations of TGFβ1 are a good biomarker of disease activity in children with LS.

Methods
55 pediatric patients with LS were divided into sub-types according to their main lesion; morphea, generalized morphea, linear scleoderma affecting a limb or the face. The lesions were further categorized by overall clinical assessment into active, inactive, and indeterminate groups according to disease activity. Serum TGFβ1 concentration levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), analyzed and correlated with disease subtypes and disease activity.

Results
The mean TGFβ1 concentration were significantly higher in the patient group (51393 ± 33953 pg/ml) than in the control group (9825 ± 5287 pg/ml) (P < 0.001). The mean concentration were elevated in all the disease subtypes, and did not correlate with disease duration or activity.

Conclusion
Serum concentration of TGFβ1 were elevated in patients with all subtypes of LS irrespective of clinical disease activity. Although TGFβ1 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of local skin fibrosis, circulating blood levels of molecules known to act locally may not be useful biomarkers of disease activity.
Determination of suitable housekeeping genes for normalisation of quantitative real time PCR analysis of cells infected with human immunodeficiency virus and herpes viruses
Authors: Watson Sarah , Mercier Sarah , Bye Chris , Wilkinson John , Cunningham Anthony L , Harman Andrew N 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
The choice of an appropriate housekeeping gene for normalisation purposes has now become an essential requirement when designing QPCR experiments. This is of particular importance when using QPCR to measure viral and cellular gene transcription levels in the context of viral infections as viruses can significantly interfere with host cell pathways, the components of which traditional housekeeping genes often encode. In this study we have determined the reliability of 10 housekeeping genes in context of four heavily studied viral infections; human immunodeficiency virus type 1, herpes simplex virus type 1, cytomegalovirus and varicella zoster virus infections using a variety of cell types and virus strains. This provides researchers of these viruses with a shortlist of potential housekeeping genes to use as normalisers for QPCR experiments.