bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Importance of Lineage-Specific Expansion of Plant Tandem Duplicates in the Adaptive Response to Environmental Stimuli
Authors: Hanada Kousuke , Zou Cheng , Lehti-Shiu Melissa D. , Shinozaki Kazuo , Shiu Shin-Han 
Published: August 2008

AbstractPlants have substantially higher gene duplication rates compared with most other eukaryotes. These plant gene duplicates are mostly derived from whole genome and/or tandem duplications. Earlier studies have shown that a large number of duplicate genes are retained over a long evolutionary time, and there is a clear functional bias in retention. However, the influence of duplication mechanism, particularly tandem duplication, on duplicate retention has not been thoroughly investigated. We have defined orthologous groups (OGs) between Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and three other land plants to examine the functional bias of retained duplicate genes during vascular plant evolution. Based on analysis of Gene Ontology categories, it is clear that genes in OGs that expanded via tandem duplication tend to be involved in responses to environmental stimuli, while those that expanded via nontandem mechanisms tend to have intracellular regulatory roles. Using Arabidopsis stress expression data, we further demonstrated that tandem duplicates in expanded OGs are significantly enriched in genes that are up-regulated by biotic stress conditions. In addition, tandem duplication of genes in an OG tends to be highly asymmetric. That is, expansion of OGs with tandem genes in one organismal lineage tends to be coupled with losses in the other. This is consistent with the notion that these tandem genes have experienced lineage-specific selection. In contrast, OGs with genes duplicated via nontandem mechanisms tend to experience convergent expansion, in which similar numbers of genes are gained in parallel. Our study demonstrates that the expansion of gene families and the retention of duplicates in plants exhibit substantial functional biases that are strongly influenced by the mechanism of duplication. In particular, genes involved in stress responses have an elevated probability of retention in a single-lineage fashion following tandem duplication, suggesting that these tandem duplicates are likely important for adaptive evolution to rapidly changing environments.
Parents’ personality and parenting stress in families of children with spina bifida
Authors: Vermaes I. P. R. , Janssens J. M. A. M. , Mullaart R. A. , Vinck A. , Gerris J. R. M. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground  Spina bifida (SB) can place parents at risk for increased levels of parenting stress. Little is known, however, about the role of parents’ intrapersonal resources. Therefore, based on ideas of the Disability‐Stress‐Coping Model, relations between the severity of SB, parents’ personality traits and parenting stress were examined.Methods  Forty‐six mothers and 37 fathers of children with SB (6–14 years) participated. Severity of SB (physical dysfunctions and cognitive functions), parental personality (Big Five) and parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index) were measured. Multiple regression analyses were performed.Results  The severity of the child's physical dysfunctions was positively associated with parenting stress. Extraversion (mothers only), emotional stability and agreeableness (fathers only) were negatively related to parenting stress. In the final model, 64% of the variance in mothers’ and 67% of the variance in fathers’ levels of parenting stress was explained. Parents’ personality traits explained the largest proportions of variance in parenting stress.Conclusion  Mobility, bladder and bowel dysfunctions in school‐aged children with SB represent ongoing stressors for parents. Parents’ intrapersonal resources of positive affectivity, however, are more important determinants of parental adjustment to SB than the child's physical dysfunctions.
Autism spectrum disorders: clinical and research frontiers
Authors: Reading Richard 
Published: August 2008

.

Caronna E. B.,
Milunsky J. M. &
Tager‐Flusberg H.
(
2008
)

,
93
,
518
–
523
.

DOI: 10.1136/adc.2006.115337
.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders that occur along a broad continuum of severity with impairments in social interactions, communication and behaviour. This review highlights recent advances in autism research that shed light on the causes of the disorder and that have implications for clinical practice. It focuses on (1) the rising prevalence of ASD with attention given to recent epidemiological studies, (2) important genetic discoveries that may affect clinical evaluation of children with ASD, (3) active areas of research in cognitive neuroscience that seek to explain the underlying mechanisms of a complex disorder and (4) important studies on clinical populations with implications for screening and early identification of infants and toddlers with ASD.
Importance of early neglect for childhood aggression
Authors: Reading Richard 
Published: August 2008

.

Kotch J. B.,
Lewis T.,
Hussey J. M.,
English D.,
Thompson R.,
Litrownik A. J.,
Runyan D. K.
,
et al.
(
2008
)

,
121
,
725
–
731
.

DOI: 10.1542/peds.2006‐3622
.
Objective  The goal was to examine the association between early childhood neglect (birth to age 2 years) and later childhood aggression at ages 4, 6 and 8 years, compared with aggression's associations with early childhood abuse and later abuse and neglect.Methods  A prospective cohort of 1318 predominantly at‐risk children, recruited from four US cities and one southern state, were monitored from birth to 8 years of age. Maltreatment was determined through review of local child protective services records. A hierarchical, linear model approach, a special case of general, linear, mixed modelling, was used to predict aggressive behaviour scores, as reported by the child's primary caregiver at ages 4, 6 and 8 years.Results  Only early neglect significantly predicted aggression scores. Early abuse, later abuse and later neglect were not significantly predictive in a controlled model with all four predictors.Conclusion  This longitudinal study suggests that child neglect in the first 2 years of life may be a more important precursor of childhood aggression than later neglect or physical abuse at any age.
Spreading and impact of the World Health Organization's Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma guidelines in everyday medical practice in France. Ernani survey
Authors: Demoly P. , Concas V. , Urbinelli R. , Allaert F‐A. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryObjectives
The aim of this study was to determine the spreading level of the WHO‐ARIA (World Health Organization's Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) guidelines among the medical community and their influence on medical practices.Methods
A cross‐sectional study based on a questionnaire was performed between April and July 2005 on randomly chosen general practitioners (GPs) (943) and ear, nose and throat (ENT) physicians (277).Results
About 54.4% of the physicians claimed to know the WHO‐ARIA guidelines and 49.7% said they followed them. These results vary significantly, mainly according to medical specialty (ENT vs. GP). In comparison to those who did not know the guidelines, their patients benefited more frequently (P<0.0001) from allergen search (42.2% vs. 31.7%), a nasal endoscopy (38.3% vs. 26.0%), a follow‐up consultation (64.9% vs. 52.6%) and written information on rhinitis (30.7% vs. 14.1%). Paradoxically, they do not search more frequently for asthma and do not provide different first‐line treatment strategy and duration.
Sleep loss affects vigilance: effects of chronic insomnia and sleep therapy
Authors: ALTENA ELLEMARIJE , VAN DER WERF YSBRAND D. , STRIJERS ROB L. M. , VAN SOMEREN EUS J. W. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryAlthough complaints of impaired daytime functioning are essential to the diagnosis of primary insomnia, objective evidence for cognitive dysfunction has been hard to establish. A prerequisite for understanding the neurocognitive consequences of primary insomnia is to establish task paradigms that robustly differentiate insomniacs from well‐sleeping subjects. We hypothesized that the decline in performance that typically occurs with an increasing cognitive demand would provide a more sensitive measure than performance on a single task version. The hypothesis was tested, first, by assessing the performance on two vigilance tasks with different cognitive demands in 25 elderly patients with primary insomnia and 13 healthy well‐sleeping age‐matched subjects. Secondly, we investigated the performance response to sleep therapy using a waiting‐list controlled design. Sleep therapy consisted of a multi‐component intervention including sleep restriction, cognitive behavioral therapy, bright‐light therapy, structured physical activity and body temperature manipulations. The results show that insomniacs differed markedly from controls in their reaction times across tasks with different cognitive demands: patients responded faster on the ‘simple’ vigilance task, yet slower on the ‘complex’ vigilance task. Sleep therapy effectively restored normal performance: patients became significantly slower on the ‘simple’ task and faster on the ‘complex’ task, returning to the performance levels of control subjects. These findings indicate that the performance decline associated with increasing cognitive demands is possibly the first sensitive and robust measure of the neurocognitive sequelae of insomnia. We suggest that future studies on cognition in primary insomnia should apply a design that varies task demands.
Possibility that certain hypnotics might cause cancer in skin
Authors: KRIPKE DANIEL F. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryFifteen epidemiologic studies have associated hypnotic drugs with excess mortality, especially excess cancer deaths. Until recently, insufficient controlled trials were available to demonstrate whether hypnotics actually cause any cancers. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Approval History and Documents were accessed for zaleplon, eszopiclone and ramelteon. Since zolpidem was used as a comparison drug in zaleplon trials, some zolpidem data were also available. Incident cancers occurring during randomized hypnotics administration or placebo administration were tabulated. Combining controlled trials for the four drugs, there were 6190 participants given hypnotics and 2535 given placebo in parallel. There were eight mentions of incident non‐melanoma skin cancers among participants receiving hypnotics but no comparable mentions of cancers among those receiving placebo (P = 0.064, one‐tailed). There were also four mentions of incident tumors of uncertain malignancy among those receiving hypnotics but none among those receiving placebo, so combining uncertain and definite malignancies yielded a more significant contrast (P = 0.016). FDA files revealed that all four of the new hypnotics were associated with cancers in rodents. Three had been shown to be clastogenic. Together with the epidemiologic data and laboratory studies, the available evidence signals that new hypnotics may increase cancer risk. Due to limitations in available data, confirmatory research is needed.
Contrasting demographic and genetic estimates of dispersal in the endangered Coahuilan box turtle: a contemporary approach to conservation
Authors: HOWETH JENNIFER G. , MCGAUGH SUZANNE E. , HENDRICKSON DEAN A. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThe evolutionary viability of an endangered species depends upon gene flow among subpopulations and the degree of habitat patch connectivity. Contrasting population connectivity over ecological and evolutionary timescales may provide novel insight into what maintains genetic diversity within threatened species. We employed this integrative approach to evaluating dispersal in the critically endangered Coahuilan box turtle (Terrapene coahuila) that inhabits isolated wetlands in the desert‐spring ecosystem of Cuatro Ciénegas, Mexico. Recent wetland habitat loss has altered the spatial distribution and connectivity of habitat patches; and we therefore predicted thatT. coahuilawould exhibit limited movement relative to estimates of historic gene flow. To evaluate contemporary dispersal patterns, we employed mark–recapture techniques at both local (wetland complex) and regional (intercomplex) spatial scales. Gene flow estimates were obtained by surveying genetic variation at nine microsatellite loci in seven subpopulations located across the species’ geographical range. The mark–recapture results at the local spatial scale reveal frequent movement among wetlands that was unaffected by interwetland distance. At the regional spatial scale, dispersal events were relatively less frequent between wetland complexes. The complementary analysis of population genetic substructure indicates strong historic gene flow (globalFST = 0.01). However, a relationship of genetic isolation by distance across the geographical range suggests that dispersal limitation exists at the regional scale. Our approach of contrasting direct and indirect estimates of dispersal at multiple spatial scales inT. coahuilaconveys a sustainable evolutionary trajectory of the species pending preservation of threatened wetland habitats and a range‐wide network of corridors.
SreA‐mediated iron regulation in Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Schrettl Markus , Kim H. Stanley , Eisendle Martin , Kragl Claudia , Nierman William C. , Heinekamp Thorsten , Werner Ernst R. , Jacobsen Ilse , Illmer Paul , Yi Hyojeong , Brakhage Axel A. , Haas Hubertus 
Published: August 2008

Summary Aspergillus fumigatus, the most common airborne fungal pathogen of humans, employs two high‐affinity iron uptake systems: iron uptake mediated by the extracellular siderophore triacetylfusarinine C and reductive iron assimilation. Furthermore, A. fumigatus utilizes two intracellular siderophores, ferricrocin and hydroxyferricrocin, to store iron. Siderophore biosynthesis, which is essential for virulence, is repressed by iron. Here we show that this control is mediated by the GATA factor SreA. During iron‐replete conditions, SreA deficiency partially derepressed synthesis of triacetylfusarinine C and uptake of iron resulting in increased cellular accumulation of both iron and ferricrocin. Genome‐wide DNA microarray analysis identified 49 genes that are repressed by iron in an SreA‐dependent manner. This gene set, termed SreA regulon, includes all known genes involved in iron acquisition, putative novel siderophore biosynthetic genes, and also genes not directly linked to iron metabolism. SreA deficiency also caused upregulation of iron‐dependent and antioxidative pathways, probably due to the increased iron content and iron‐mediated oxidative stress. Consistently, the sreA disruption mutant displayed increased sensitivity to iron, menadion and phleomycin but retained wild‐type virulence in a mouse model. As all detrimental effects of sreA disruption are restricted to iron‐replete conditions these data underscore that A. fumigatus faces iron‐depleted conditions during infection.
Evidence for photic‐zone euxinia in the Early Albian Santana Formation (Araripe Basin, NE Brazil)
Authors: Heimhofer U. , Hesselbo S. P. , Pancost R. D. , Martill D. M. , Hochuli P. A. , Guzzo J. V. P. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractOrganic matter from two black shale units in the Santana Formation, Araripe Basin, NE Brazil, has been studied to investigate the palaeoenvironmental conditions prevailing during formation of this famous fossil lagerstätte. Optical and organic geochemical analyses indicate a predominantly autochthonous source with very limited terrestrial input. Molecular fossils of green sulphur bacteria show that the water column was stratified with euxinic conditions reaching up into the photic zone. Thus, mass‐mortality events of fish may be explained by intrusion of sulphide‐containing waters. The low quantity of material derived from land plants in this interior marine setting is interpreted to reflect a consequence of enhanced marine productivity, resulting in dilution of the continental signal. Different depositional scenarios are proposed to explain our findings including (1) coastal erosion and nutrient leaching during a transgressive event, (2) intrusion of euxinic waters during an early Albian OAE or (3) an estuarine circulation pattern associated with thermohaline stratification.
Ophiolitic trondhjemites: a possible analogue for Hadean felsic 'crust'
Authors: Rollinson Hugh 
Published: August 2008

AbstractIt has been argued that >4.0 Ga detrital zircons preserved in sediments of the Jack Hills, western Australia, preserve evidence for a well‐developed continental crust on the Earth at 4.4–4.5 Ga ago. Here, it is shown that there are geochemical similarities between the Jack Hills zircons and the zircons found in trondhjemites in ophiolite sequences, suggesting that the Earth's first felsic crust may have formed in a manner analogous to modern ophiolitic trondhjemites. The trondhjemites of the Oman ophiolite were formed by the hydrous partial melting of the upper (hornblende) gabbros in the roof‐zone of an axial magma chamber. A similar hydrous melting of a mafic protolith may have operated during the Hadean, to create small volumes of felsic rocks within a dominantly mafic crust, obviating the need to postulate a felsic continental crust at 4.4–4.5 Ga.
The importance of context in malaria diagnosis and treatment decisions ‐ a quantitative analysis of observed clinical encounters in Tanzania
Authors: Chandler Clare I. R. , Chonya Semkini , Boniface Gloria , Juma Kaseem , Reyburn Hugh , Whitty Christopher J. M. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryObjective  To gain a better understanding of the decision‐making context in the diagnosis of malaria in order to inform behaviour change strategies, using quantitative methods.Methods  We observed hospital outpatient and inpatient consultations in northeast Tanzania where malaria testing was routinely available, recording potential influences on testing and prescribing decisions. We analysed the effects of variables at patient, clinical context and clinician levels on three key decisions in malaria diagnosis and treatment: decision to test for malaria, presumptive treatment and treatment of test‐negative patients with antimalarials.Results  Observation of 2082 consultations took place during 120 clinics (different shifts on different days and in different departments) with 34 clinicians. Malaria tests were requested for 16.9% of patients. This decision was driven primarily by clinical symptoms. Of patients not tested for malaria, 36.0% were prescribed antimalarials, this decision being associated with both clinical and non‐clinical factors. In outpatients fever was a strong predictor of presumptive treatment [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 45.9, 95% CI: 30–73], in inpatients this was less so (AOR: 2.7, 95% CI: 0.98–7.7). Outpatient clinicians who were working alone or who had attended <2 in‐service training sessions in the past year were more likely to prescribe antimalarials presumptively. The decision to prescribe antimalarials without also prescribing antibiotic treatment to 22.8% patients who tested negative for malaria was not driven by clinical symptoms but was associated with age over 5 years, lower patient load and male sex of clinician.Conclusions  Non‐clinical factors are important in the overdiagnosis of malaria. Strategies to target antimalarials and antibiotics better need to use methods that address the context of clinical decision making in addition to the dissemination of conventional clinical algorithms.
Nested PCRs and sequencing of nuclear ITS‐rDNA fragments detect three Leishmania species of gerbils in sandflies from Iranian foci of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis
Authors: Parvizi P. , Ready P. D. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryObjective  To identify and understand the natural transmission cycles of Leishmania in Iranian sandflies.Method  Nested PCR protocols were developed to amplify two regions of the ribosomal RNA amplicon of Leishmania (ITS1‐5.8S rRNA gene, and a microsatellite DNA region of ITS2), which were species‐specific by DNA sequence or fragment size.Results  The PCR assays detected in Iranian sandflies not only Leishmania major but also for the first time L. turanica and L. gerbilli sensu lato, two other parasites of the great gerbil. All three parasites were found in the northeast and centre of Iran, in two foci of rural Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) caused by L. major. Fifty infections were detected in common sandfly species: at least six geographically differentiated haplotypes of L. major in four to five sandfly species; one strain of L. gerbilli s.l. in five to six sandfly species and one strain of L. turanica in one sandfly species.Conclusion  Past conclusions about the transmission cycles of L. major in Iran should be treated with caution. Careful molecular eco‐epidemiological investigations are essential for modelling the roles of different sandfly species in maintaining and spreading ZCL foci. Even if non‐pathogenic to humans, frequent inoculations of L. turanica by sandflies might alter the efficacy of vaccines against L. major. Phlebotomus papatasi is probably the key vector in many ZCL foci because of its abundance and high infection rates with both L. major and L. turanica.
Envenoming after carpet viper (Echis ocellatus) bite during pregnancy: timely use of effective antivenom improves maternal and foetal outcomes
Authors: Habib A. G. , Abubakar S. B. , Abubakar I. S. , Larnyang S. , Durfa N. , Nasidi A. , Yusuf P. O. , Garnvwa J. , Theakston R. D. G. , Salako L. , Warrell D. A. ,   for the EchiTab Study Group (Nigeria & UK)
Published: August 2008

SummaryThe report describes successful management of 10 women in 2nd and 3rd pregnancy trimesters with EchiTab IgG antivenom after carpet viper (Echis ocellatus) envenoming. All women survived but foetal loss in a victim with delayed presentation and a case of mild hypersensitivity reaction were recorded. Excellent outcomes can be achieved in rural and semi‐nomadic populations without specialized care and immediate access and provision of effective antivenoms is paramount in curtailing snakebite maternal morbidity, mortality and foetal loss.
Introduction of Aedes albopictus in Gabon: what consequences for dengue and chikungunya transmission?
Authors: Vazeille Marie , Moutailler Sara , Pages Frédéric , Jarjaval Fanny , Failloux Anna‐Bella 
Published: August 2008

SummaryThe 2007 outbreak of chikungunya in Gabon has indicated the potential of this disease to spread beyond its usual range ensuing from the expansion of the mosquito Aedes albopictus. A few cases of dengue (DEN) infection were also detected. Because little is known about the potential for Gabonese mosquito species to transmit both chikungunya and DEN viruses (DENV), we conducted studies to determine the susceptibility of Ae. albopictus and Aedes aegypti collected in Libreville to both viruses by experimental infections. Disseminated infection rates were high for Ae. albopictus infected with chikungunya virus (CHIKV) (66.7–86%) and low with DENV (13–21.4%). Moreover, Ae. aegypti sp. formosus was a less efficient vector of CHIKV than Ae. albopictus. The recent introduction and dissemination of chikungunya associated with the invasion of Ae. albopictus in Africa illustrates the potential for CHIKV to spread to other parts of the world.