bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fast food consumption counters the protective effect of breastfeeding on asthma in children?
Authors: Mai X‐M. , Becker A. B. , Liem J. J. , Kozyrskyj A. L. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryBackground
Fast food consumption and childhood asthma have rapidly increased in recent decades. During the same period there has been an increased rate of prolonged breastfeeding.Objective
To evaluate if fast food consumption was associated with asthma in children, and if the proposed protective effect of breastfeeding on asthma was altered by fast food consumption.Methods
This case–control study included 246 children with allergist‐diagnosed asthma and 477 non‐asthmatic controls at age 8–10 years. Information on fast food consumption and exclusive breastfeeding was obtained from questionnaire data. The association between asthma and fast food consumption was evaluated. Asthma in relation to exclusive breastfeeding was also evaluated, taking into account fast food consumption as a modifying factor.Results
Children with asthma were more likely to consume fast food than children without asthma [crude odds ratio (OR) 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23–2.34]. In comparison to prolonged exclusive breastfeeding (12 weeks), asthma was positively associated with short‐term exclusive breastfeeding (<12 weeks) in children who never or occasionally consumed fast food (crude OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.09–3.11), but not in children who frequently consumed fast food (crude OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.72–1.61). The P‐value for this interaction (0.109) was borderline. Children with high fast food consumption who were exclusively breastfed <12 weeks as infants, had greater than a twofold risk of asthma compared with infants who had been exclusively breastfed for a longer time period and who did not become high consumers of fast food in later childhood. These findings were not affected after final adjustment of confounders and covariates.Conclusion
Fast food consumption is associated with asthma in children and potentially counteracts the protective effect of prolonged breastfeeding on asthma. This may explain the paradoxical phenomenon of parallel increased rates of prolonged breastfeeding and asthma in children.
Relevance of cytotoxic alloreactivity under different immunosuppressive regimens in clinical islet cell transplantation
Authors: Roelen D L , Huurman V A L , Hilbrands R , Gillard P , Duinkerken G , Van Der Meer-Prins P W M , Versteeg-van der Voort Maarschalk M F J , Mathieu C , Keymeulen B , Pipeleers D G , Roep B O , Claas F H J 
Published: January 2009

Summary
Islet or β cell transplantation provides a promising cure for type 1 diabetes patients, but insulin-independency decreases frequently over time. Immunosuppressive regimens are implemented attempting to cope with both auto- and alloimmunity after transplantation. We analysed the influence of different immunotherapies on autoreactive and alloreactive T cell patterns and transplant outcome. Patients receiving three different immunosuppressive regimens were analysed. All patients received anti-thymocyte globulin induction therapy. Twenty-one patients received tacrolimus–mycophenolate mofetil maintenance immunosuppression, whereas the other patients received tacrolimus–sirolimus (SIR, n = 5) or SIR only (n = 5). Cellular autoreactivity and alloreactivity (CTL precursor frequency) were measured ex vivo. Clinical outcome in the first 6 months after transplantation was correlated with immunological parameters. C-peptide levels were significantly different between the three groups studied (P = 0·01). We confirm that C-peptide production was correlated negatively with pretransplant cellular autoreactivity and low graft size (P = 0·001, P = 0·007 respectively). Combining all three therapies, cellular autoimmunity after transplantation was not associated with delayed insulin-independence or C-peptide production. In combined tacrolimus–SIR and SIR-treated patients, CTL alloreactivity was associated with less insulin independence and C-peptide production (P = 0·03). The percentage of donors to whom high CTLp frequencies were measured was lower in insulin-independent recipients (P = 0·03). In this cohort of islet cell graft recipients, clinical outcome in the first 6 months after transplantation correlates with the applied immunosuppressive regimen. An association exists between insulin-independence and lower incidence of CTL alloreactivity towards donor human leucocyte antigen. This observational study demonstrates the usefulness of monitoring T cell reactivity against islet allografts to correlate immune function with graft survival.
Functional aspects of Toll-like receptor/MyD88 signalling during protozoan infection: focus on Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Egan C E , Sukhumavasi W , Butcher B A , Denkers E Y 
Published: January 2009

Summary
Toll-like receptor (TLR)/MyD88 signalling has emerged as a major pathway of pathogen recognition in the innate immune system. Here, we review recent data that begin to show how this pathway controls the immune response to protozoan infection, with particular emphasis on the opportunistic pathogen Toxoplasma gondii. The various ways that the parasite activates and suppresses TLR/MyD88 signalling defines several key principals that illuminate the complexities of the host–pathogen interaction. We also speculate how TLR/MyD88 signalling might be exploited to provide protection against Toxoplasma, as well as other protozoa and infection in general.
Saccharomyces boulardii inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of human dendritic cells and T cell proliferation
Authors: Thomas S , Przesdzing I , Metzke D , Schmitz J , Radbruch A , Baumgart D C 
Published: January 2009

Summary
Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb) is a probiotic yeast preparation that has demonstrated efficacy in inflammatory and infectious disorders of the gastrointestinal tract in controlled clinical trials. Although patients clearly benefit from treatment with Sb, little is known on how Sb unfolds its anti-inflammatory properties in humans. Dendritic cells (DC) balance tolerance and immunity and are involved critically in the control of T cell activation. Thus, they are believed to have a pivotal role in the initiation and perpetuation of chronic inflammatory disorders, not only in the gut. We therefore decided to investigate if Sb modulates DC function. Culture of primary (native, non-monocyte-derived) human myeloid CD1c+CD11c+CD123– DC (mDC) in the presence of Sb culture supernatant (active component molecular weight &lt; 3 kDa, as evaluated by membrane partition chromatography) reduced significantly expression of the co-stimulatory molecules CD40 and CD80 (P &lt; 0·01) and the DC mobilization marker CC-chemokine receptor CCR7 (CD197) (P &lt; 0·001) induced by the prototypical microbial antigen lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Moreover, secretion of key proinflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin (IL)-6 were notably reduced, while the secretion of anti-inflammatory IL-10 increased. Finally, Sb supernatant inhibited the proliferation of naive T cells in a mixed lymphocyte reaction with mDC. In summary, our data suggest that Sb may exhibit part of its anti-inflammatory potential through modulation of DC phenotype, function and migration by inhibition of their immune response to bacterial microbial surrogate antigens such as LPS.
The use of screening episodes linked to CIN3 and invasive cancer registrations to study outcomes from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme
Authors: Blanks R. G. , Moss S. M. , Coleman D. A. , Addou S. , Swerdlow A. J. 
Published: January 2009

Objective:  To examine how NHS cervical screening data can be collected and analysed in order to evaluate women’s screening histories as episodes rather than as individual smears.Design:  Analysis of routine cervical screening data grouped into screening episodes for a cohort of women regarding episodes starting in a given year.Setting:  NHS Cervical Screening Programme.Population:  Data from four Health Authorities (now eight Primary Care Trusts) from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme with primary smears (first in an episode) taken between 1 April 1999 and 31 March 2000.Methods:  Cytology information obtained from the call/recall (‘Exeter’) computer system was linked to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3 and invasive cancer outcome information obtained from cancer registries. Screening histories were divided into episodes, each starting with a primary smear that was followed up to episode closure or, for episodes still open followed for an average 4.25 years, from the primary smear. The episode was divided into two parts (up to referral to colposcopy and following the referral). The outcomes of the episodes are described including referral rate to colposcopy and CIN3 and invasive cancer rates by factors such as age.Main outcome measures:  Episode histories and rates of referral to colposcopy, CIN3 and invasive cancer.Results:  There were 176 923 episodes from 176 319 women (1.003 episodes per woman) followed up to March 2004, the date at which the first phase of information accrual ceased. Of these episodes, 172 100 (97.3%) were closed either by a negative smear referring the woman back to routine recall or by default (defined as no smear recorded within 21 months following a smear requiring an action of repeat or refer to colposcopy). The remaining 4823 (2.7%) of episodes were still open, of which in 3121 (1.8%) the woman had been referred to colposcopy and in 1702 (1.0%) no referral decision had been made. Referral rates to colposcopy varied by age from 5.7% in women aged 20–24 years down to 0.9% in women aged 60–64 years. The overall efficiency of screening was highest for woman aged about 30 years, with a CIN3 detection rate of eight per 1000 women and a positive predictive value (for CIN3 or worse) of referral to colposcopy of 21%.Conclusion:  The study has shown that routinely collected NHS cervical screening data can be combined to give information on complete episodes, allowing important performance measures to be studied. We suggest that in future information in the NHS screening system should be structured to facilitate such analysis and to allow cytology and histology information to be readily linked.
Atypical glandular cells in cervical smears: histological correlation and a suggested plan of management based on age of the patient in a low‐resource setting
Authors: Adhya A. K. , Mahesha V. , Srinivasan R. , Nijhawan R. , Rajwanshi A. , Suri V. , Dhaliwal L. K. 
Published: January 2009

Objectives:  To perform an audit of all smears reported as atypical glandular cells (AGC) using the Bethesda system (TBS) 2001.Methods:  A total of 18 376 cervical smears were screened from January 2005 to June 2007, of which 65 cases were reported as AGC. Follow‐up histology was available in 31 cases (47.7%), in whom a detailed cytological/histological correlation was carried out.Results:  AGC constituted 0.35% of all Pap smears. Follow‐up histology was normal or benign in 20 cases, whereas a squamous or glandular abnormality was seen in 11 cases. Squamous abnormalities included one case each of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)1, CIN2 and CIN3 and five cases of squamous cell carcinoma. All glandular epithelial abnormalities were endometrial in origin and included two endometrial adenocarcinomas and one uterine serous carcinoma. Neither in situ nor invasive adenocarcinoma of the endocervix was observed. Review of smears and reclassification as AGC, not otherwise specified and favour neoplasia revealed a higher proportion of abnormality in the latter group, reaffirming the utility of subtyping. The median age of women with AGC was 41 years. The outcome was analysed with respect to the median age. In women aged equal or more than 40 years, AGC reflected a high‐grade squamous or glandular epithelial abnormality in 50% of cases compared with none in those less than 40 years old (P = 0.010).Conclusion:  The age of the woman as well as the subtype of atypical glandular cells influences outcome and hence must be taken into consideration while formulating an acceptable management strategy in these women in a low‐resource setting.
Carbon losses due to soil warming: Do autotrophic and heterotrophic soil respiration respond equally?
Authors: SCHINDLBACHER ANDREAS , ZECHMEISTER‐BOLTENSTERN SOPHIE , JANDL ROBERT 
Published: January 2009

AbstractGlobal warming has the potential to increase soil respiration (RS), one of the major fluxes in the global carbon (C) cycle. RS consists of an autotrophic (RA) and a heterotrophic (RH) component. We combined a soil warming experiment with a trenching experiment to assess how RS, RA, and RH are affected. The experiment was conducted in a mature forest dominated by Norway spruce. The site is located in the Austrian Alps on dolomitic bedrock. We warmed the soil of undisturbed and trenched plots by means of heating cables 4 °C above ambient during the snow‐free seasons of 2005 and 2006. Soil warming increased the CO2 efflux from control plots (RS) by ∼45% during 2005 and ∼47% during 2006. The CO2 efflux from trenched plots (RH) increased by ∼39% during 2005 and ∼45% during 2006. Similar responses of RS and RH indicated that the autotrophic and heterotrophic components of RS responded equally to the temperature increase. Thirty‐five to forty percent or 1 t C ha−1 yr−1 of the overall annual increase in RS (2.8 t C ha−1 yr−1) was autotrophic. The remaining, heterotrophic part of soil respiration (1.8 t C ha−1 yr−1), represented the warming‐induced C loss from the soil. The autotrophic component showed a distinct seasonal pattern. Contribution of RA to RS was highest during summer. Seasonally derived Q10 values reflected this pattern and were correspondingly high (5.3–9.3). The autotrophic CO2 efflux increase due to the 4 °C warming implied a Q10 of 2.9. Hence, seasonally derived Q10 of RA did not solely reflect the seasonal soil temperature development.
Climate change and plant distribution: local models predict high‐elevation persistence
Authors: RANDIN CHRISTOPHE F. , ENGLER ROBIN , NORMAND SIGNE , ZAPPA MASSIMILIANO , ZIMMERMANN NIKLAUS E. , PEARMAN PETER B. , VITTOZ PASCAL , THUILLER WILFRIED , GUISAN ANTOINE 
Published: January 2009

AbstractMountain ecosystems will likely be affected by global warming during the 21st century, with substantial biodiversity loss predicted by species distribution models (SDMs). Depending on the geographic extent, elevation range, and spatial resolution of data used in making these models, different rates of habitat loss have been predicted, with associated risk of species extinction. Few coordinated across‐scale comparisons have been made using data of different resolutions and geographic extents. Here, we assess whether climate change‐induced habitat losses predicted at the European scale (10 × 10′ grid cells) are also predicted from local‐scale data and modeling (25 m × 25 m grid cells) in two regions of the Swiss Alps. We show that local‐scale models predict persistence of suitable habitats in up to 100% of species that were predicted by a European‐scale model to lose all their suitable habitats in the area. Proportion of habitat loss depends on climate change scenario and study area. We find good agreement between the mismatch in predictions between scales and the fine‐grain elevation range within 10 × 10′ cells. The greatest prediction discrepancy for alpine species occurs in the area with the largest nival zone. Our results suggest elevation range as the main driver for the observed prediction discrepancies. Local‐scale projections may better reflect the possibility for species to track their climatic requirement toward higher elevations.
Seminal expression of NY‐ESO‐1 and MAGE‐A4 as markers for the testicular cancer
Authors: Satie Anne‐Pascale , Auger Jacques , Chevrier Cécile , Le Bon Cynthia , Jouannet Pierre , Samson Michel , Jégou Bernard 
Published: January 2009

SummaryTesticular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) are the most common malignancies in Caucasian young men and their incidence has increased over the past decades. However, a non‐invasive test allowing an early diagnosis of TGCT often proves inaccurate. We have previously shown that two Cancer‐Testis Antigens (CTA), namely MAGE‐A4 and NY‐ESO‐1, were expressed by TGCT. As exfoliation of carcinoma in situ (CIS) cells or tumour germ cells from testis into seminal fluid can occur, here we studied the expression of the 2 CTA in semen smears of patients with testicular cancer in comparison with healthy men. Using semen smears from healthy controls (n = 65) and patients diagnosed for testicular tumour (n = 57) and immunological staining, we observed expression of MAGE‐A4 and NY‐ESO‐1 proteins in seminal fluid exfoliated cells. We found a highly statistically significant difference in the ratios of stained cells to the total number of round cells between testicular cancer patients and healthy controls. Multivariable analysis, including sperm parameters and immunostaining on sperm smears, shows the improvement. This technique can provide towards testicular cancer diagnosis when it is included in the current testing regime. However, the fact that expression of these markers was not restricted to foetal germ cells led to detection in the semen of a number of healthy subjects. Although the detection of these CTA could be useful to characterize the sub‐type of individual TGCTs better, we stress here that the false positive rate precludes the exclusive employment of these CTA for the early detection of testicular neoplasia.
Bird diversity: a predictable function of satellite‐derived estimates of seasonal variation in canopy light absorbance across the United States
Authors: Coops Nicholas C. , Waring Richard H. , Wulder Michael A. , Pidgeon Anna M. , Radeloff Volker C. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractAim  To investigate the relationships between bird species richness derived from the North American Breeding Bird Survey and estimates of the average, minimum, and the seasonal variation in canopy light absorbance (the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, fPAR) derived from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).Location  Continental USA.Methods  We describe and apply a ‘dynamic habitat index’ (DHI), which incorporates three components based on monthly measures of canopy light absorbance through the year. The three components are the annual sum, the minimum, and the seasonal variation in monthly fPAR, acquired at a spatial resolution of 1 km, over a 6‐year period (2000–05). The capacity of these three DHI components to predict bird species richness across 84 defined ecoregions was assessed using regression models.Results  Total bird species richness showed the highest correlation with the composite DHI [R2 = 0.88, P < 0.001, standard error of estimate (SE) = 8 species], followed by canopy nesters (R2 = 0.79, P < 0.001, SE = 3 species) and grassland species (R2 = 0.74, P < 0.001, SE = 1 species). Overall, the seasonal variation in fPAR, compared with the annual average fPAR, and its spatial variation across the landscape, were the components that accounted for most (R2 = 0.55–0.88) of the observed variation in bird species richness.Main conclusions  The strong relationship between the DHI and observed avian biodiversity suggests that seasonal and interannual variation in remotely sensed fPAR can provide an effective tool for predicting patterns of avian species richness at regional and broader scales, across the conterminous USA.
Determinants of cryptogam composition and diversity in Sphagnum‐dominated peatlands: the importance of temporal, spatial and functional scales
Authors: Lang Simone I. , Cornelissen Johannes H. C. , Hölzer Adam , Ter Braak Cajo J. F. , Ahrens Matthias , Callaghan Terry V. , Aerts Rien 
Published: January 2009

Summary

Changing temperature regimes and precipitation patterns in the Subarctic will impact on vegetation composition and diversity including those of bryophyte and lichen communities, which are major drivers of high‐latitude carbon and nutrient cycling and hydrology.
We investigated the relative importance of such impacts at different temporal, spatial and plant functional scales in subarctic Sphagnum fuscum‐dominated peatlands, comprising both an in situ warming experiment and natural climatic and topographic gradients in northern Sweden and Norway. We applied multivariate analyses to investigate the relationships among cryptogam and vascular plant species composition and abiotic (temperature, moisture) and biotic (Sphagnum growth) regimes at various scales.
At the short‐term temporal scale (4‐year warming experiment), increased temperature yielded no clear effect on cryptogam or vascular plant species composition. Spatially, direct effects of temperature were decisive for overall species composition across regions (macro‐scale) rather than within one region (meso‐scale). Moisture and Sphagnum growth were drivers of species composition at all spatial scales, and Sphagnum growth itself depended on its position on the microtopographic gradient and on temperature.
Grouping of bryophytes and lichens at increasing scales of functional aggregation from species, growth form to the major higher taxon level (Sphagnum, other mosses, liverworts, lichens) revealed mostly increasing correlation with climate regimes and Sphagnum growth. Excluding liverworts from the analysis tended to reduce the correlation.
Abundances of lichens, liverworts, non‐Sphagnum mosses and (to a lesser degree) vascular plants were negatively related to Sphagnum abundance. Few cryptogam and vascular plant species showed a positive relationship with Sphagnum abundance. Correspondingly, cryptogam species richness and Shannon Index on peatlands strongly declined as Sphagnum abundance increased, while indices for vascular plants showed no significant relationship.
Synthesis. Scale, be it spatial or functional, strongly determined which environmental drivers showed the clearest relationships with vegetation composition and diversity. Our findings will help to optimize predictions about long‐term effects of climate on peatland vegetation composition, and subsequently its feedbacks to carbon and water cycles, at the regional scale.