bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Magpie Trial: a randomised trial comparing magnesium sulphate with placebo for pre‐eclampsia. Outcome for women at 2 years
Authors:   Magpie Trial Follow‐Up Study Collaborative Group
Published: December 2006

Objective  The aim of this study was to assess long‐term effects for women following the use of magnesium sulphate for pre‐eclampsia.Design  Assessment at 2–3 years after delivery for women recruited to the Magpie Trial (recruitment in 1998–2001, ISRCTN 86938761), which compared magnesium sulphate with placebo for pre‐eclampsia.Setting  Follow up after discharge from hospital at 125 centres in 19 countries across five continents.Population  A total of 7927 women were randomised at the follow‐up centres. Of these women, 2544 were not included for logistic reasons and 601 excluded (109 at a centre where <20% of women were contacted, 466 discharged without a surviving child and 26 opted out). Therefore, 4782 women were selected for follow‐up, of whom 3375 (71%) were traced.Methods  Questionnaire assessment was administered largely by post or in a dedicated clinic. Interview assessment of selected women was performed.Main outcome measures  Death or serious morbidity potentially related to pre‐eclampsia at follow up, other morbidity and use of health service resources.Results  Median time from delivery to follow up was 26 months (interquartile range 19–36). Fifty‐eight of 1650 (3.5%) women allocated magnesium sulphate died or had serious morbidity potentially related to pre‐eclampsia compared with 72 of 1725 (4.2%) women allocated placebo (relative risk 0.84, 95% CI 0.60–1.18).Conclusions  The reduction in the risk of eclampsia following prophylaxis with magnesium sulphate was not associated with an excess of death or disability for the women after 2 years.
Use of intravenous immunoglobulin for treatment of recurrent miscarriage: a systematic review
Authors: Hutton B , Sharma R , Fergusson D , Tinmouth A , Hebert P , Jamieson J , Walker M 
Published: December 2006

Background  Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a fractionated blood product whose off‐label use for treating a variety of conditions, including spontaneous recurrent miscarriage, has continued to grow in recent years. Its high costs and short supply necessitate improved guidance on its appropriate applications.Objective  We conducted a systematic review of randomised controlled trials evaluating IVIG for treatment of spontaneous recurrent miscarriage.Search strategy  A systematic search strategy was applied to Medline (1966 to June 2005) and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (June 2005).Selection criteria  We included all randomised controlled trials comparing all dosages of IVIG to placebo or an active control.Data collection and analysis  Two investigators independently extracted data using a standardised data collection form. Measures of effect were derived for each trial independently, and studies were pooled based on clinical and methodologic appropriateness.Main results  We identified eight trials involving 442 women that evaluated IVIG therapy used to treat recurrent miscarriage. Overall, IVIG did not significantly increase the odds ratio (OR) of live birth when compared with placebo for treatment of recurrent miscarriage (OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.78–2.10). There was, however, a significant increase in live births following IVIG use in women with secondary recurrent miscarriage (OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.09–6.73), while those with primary miscarriage did not experience the same benefit (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.35–1.26).Author’s conclusions  IVIG increased the rates of live birth in secondary recurrent miscarriage, but there was insufficient evidence for its use in primary recurrent miscarriage.
Agreement between hospital records and maternal recall of mode of delivery: Evidence from 12 391 deliveries in the UK Millennium Cohort Study
Authors: Quigley MA , Hockley C , Davidson LL 
Published: December 2006

Objective  The objective of this study was to measure the agreement between hospital records and maternal reporting of mode of delivery in a representative UK sample.Design  Population‐based survey (Millennium Cohort Study).Setting  UK.Population  A total of 12 391 singleton infants born in 2000–2002.Methods  Mothers were interviewed when infants were approximately 9 months old. Information was collected by interview on many obstetric and perinatal factors including mode of delivery. Record linkage to the mother’s delivery hospital records was undertaken in those who gave consent (90%). A matching record was found for 83%. Maternal report and hospital records were compared using mode of delivery classified into three (normal, assisted and caesarean) and six groups. Factors associated with disagreement between the two data sources were identified.Main outcome measure  Proportion of records in which there was agreement between the two data sources.Results  Agreement between maternal report and hospital records was at least 94% using six mode of delivery groups and 98% using three groups. Much of the disagreement (57–63%, depending on country) was between forceps and ventouse, and between planned and emergency caesarean. Disagreement was more common in women whose babies were first born and in women not born in the UK.Conclusion  Our study confirms that maternal reporting of mode of delivery is highly reliable. This is important for clinical staff caring for women and those conducting epidemiological studies. Additional data sources may be necessary to gather reliable data from ethnic minority women, particularly those born outside the UK, or to distinguish forceps from ventouse, or planned from emergency caesarean section.
p53‐dependent neuronal cell death in a DJ‐1‐deficient zebrafish model of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Bretaud Sandrine , Allen Claire , Ingham Phillip W. , Bandmann Oliver 
Published: December 2006

AbstractMutations in DJ‐1 lead to early onset Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of this study was to elucidate further the underlying mechanisms leading to neuronal cell death in DJ‐1 deficiency in vivo and determine whether the observed cell loss could be prevented pharmacologically. Inactivation of DJ‐1 in zebrafish, Danio rerio, resulted in loss of dopaminergic neurons after exposure to hydrogen peroxide and the proteasome inhibitor MG132. DJ‐1 knockdown by itself already resulted in increased p53 and Bax expression levels prior to toxin exposure without marked neuronal cell death, suggesting subthreshold activation of cell death pathways in DJ‐1 deficiency. Proteasome inhibition led to a further increase of p53 and Bax expression with widespread neuronal cell death. Pharmacological p53 inhibition either before or during MG132 exposure in vivo prevented dopaminergic neuronal cell death in both cases. Simultaneous knockdown of DJ‐1 and the negative p53 regulator mdm2 led to dopaminergic neuronal cell death even without toxin exposure, further implicating involvement of p53 in DJ‐1 deficiency‐mediated neuronal cell loss. Our study demonstrates the utility of zebrafish as a new animal model to study PD gene defects and suggests that modulation of downstream mechanisms, such as p53 inhibition, may be of therapeutic benefit.
BACA: a mitochondrial genome retriever, organizer and visualizer
Authors: ANTAO T. , BEJA‐PEREIRA A. , FONSECA M. M. , HARRIS D. J. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractRetrieving and organizing data from complete genomes is a time‐consuming task, even more so if the interest lies only in part of the genome (for nongenomic analysis). Furthermore, when comparing several genomes or genes, data retrieval has to be repeated multiple times. We present baca, a software for retrieving, organizing and visualizing multiple mitochondrial genomes. baca takes a GenBank query, retrieves all related genomes and generates multiple fasta files organized both by genomes and genes. A web‐based user interface and an interactive graphical map of all genomes with all genes are also provided. The program is available from http://cibio.up.pt/software/baca.
Development and multiplex PCR amplification of new microsatellite markers for the freshwater fish, ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis)
Authors: HA T. T. T. , OKABE M. , MORISHIMA K. , NAKAYAMA I. , NAGASAWA K. , UMINO T. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractMultiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique has recently been applied to gain many advantages in molecular genetics. The present study focused on the development of 15 new microsatellite markers with multiplex PCR systems in ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis, an important freshwater fish in Japan. All loci were followed Mendelian inheritance in 27 F1 progeny except for the one locus. The number of alleles per locus ranged from nine to 44 and the observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.680 to 0.980 in 50 unrelated individuals. The results indicate that these new microsatellite markers are useful for studies of linkage mapping and population genetics for the species.
Simultaneous cloning of multiple nuclear genes by pooling PCR products of variable size: a cost‐effective method of improving efficiency in large‐scale genetic analyses
Authors: ADDISON JASON A. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractI present a simple approach to overcome the high cost and low efficiency of cloning polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products for individuals in wide‐scale population genetic analyses. The methodology reduces the number of cloning reactions per individual by engineering a suite of genetic markers that differ in size and pooling these PCR products prior to cloning. Alleles from each gene are then recovered by screening transformed bacterial colonies and identifying the inserts corresponding to each gene based on size. I demonstrate the utility of this technique by presenting the results I obtained from cloning four nuclear genes in 118 individuals from three species of sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, S. droebachiensis and S. pallidus). Of the 472 different PCR products I cloned, I recovered at least one allele for 432 of them (91.5%) by screening between 16 and 32 bacterial colonies for each individual. There existed a bias with respect to recovery efficiency: the two largest fragments (1130–800 bp) were recovered 100% of the time, while the two smaller fragments (580–650 bp) were recovered in 85.6% and 81.4% of the experiments, respectively. I discuss the promise of this application for wide‐scale genetic analyses.
Uncovering the chemical enrichment and mass-assembly histories of star-forming galaxies
Authors: Fernandes R. Cid , Asari N. V. , Sodré L. , Stasińska G. , Mateus A. , Torres-Papaqui J. P. , Schoenell W. 
Published: December 2006

Abstract
We explore the mass-assembly and chemical enrichment histories of star-forming galaxies by applying a population synthesis method to a sample of 84828 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5. Our method decomposes the entire observed spectrum in terms of a sum of simple stellar populations spanning a wide range of ages and metallicities, thus allowing the reconstruction of galaxy histories. A comparative study of galaxy evolution is presented, where galaxies are grouped on to bins of nebular abundances or mass. We find that galaxies whose warm interstellar medium is poor in heavy elements are slow in forming stars. Their stellar metallicities also rise slowly with time, reaching their current values (Z★∼ 1/3Z⊙) in the last ∼100 Myr of evolution. Systems with metal-rich nebulae, on the other hand, assembled most of their mass and completed their chemical evolution long ago, reaching Z★∼ Z⊙ at lookback times of several Gyr. These same trends, which are ultimately a consequence of galaxy downsizing, appear when galaxies are grouped according to their stellar mass. The reconstruction of galaxy histories to this level of detail out of integrated spectra offers promising prospects in the field of galaxy evolution theories.
Inhibition of Gene Expression and Growth by Antisense Peptide Nucleic Acids in a Multiresistant β-Lactamase-Producing
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Strain
Authors: Kurupati Prathiba , Tan Kevin Shyong Wei , Kumarasinghe Gamini , Poh Chit Laa 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Klebsiella pneumoniae
causes common and severe hospital- and community-acquired infections with a high incidence of multidrug resistance. The emergence and spread of β-lactamase-producing
K. pneumoniae
strains highlight the need to develop new therapeutic strategies. In this study, we developed antisense peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) conjugated to the (KFF)
3
K peptide and investigated whether they could mediate gene-specific antisense effects in
K. pneumoniae
. No outer membrane permeabilization was observed with antisense PNAs when used alone. Antisense peptide-PNAs targeted at two essential genes,
gyrA
and
ompA
, were found to be growth inhibitory at concentrations of 20 μM and 40 μM, respectively. Mismatched antisense peptide-PNAs with sequence variations of the
gyrA
and
ompA
genes when used as controls were not growth inhibitory. Bactericidal effects exerted by peptide-anti-
gyrA
PNA and peptide-anti-
ompA
PNA on cells were observed within 6 h of treatment. The antisense peptide-PNAs specifically inhibited expression of DNA gyrase subunit A and OmpA from the respective targeted genes in a dose-dependent manner. Both antisense peptide-PNAs cured IMR90 cell cultures that were infected with
K. pneumoniae
(10
4
CFU) in a dose-dependent manner without any noticeable toxicity to the human cells.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Synergy Studies of
Burkholderia cepacia
Complex Isolated from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Zhou Juyan , Chen Yunhua , Tabibi Setareh , Alba Luis , Garber Elizabeth , Saiman Lisa 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Susceptibility (18 antimicrobial agents including high-dose tobramycin) and checkerboard synergy (23 combinations) studies were performed for 2,621 strains of
Burkholderia cepacia
complex isolated from 1,257 cystic fibrosis patients. Minocycline, meropenem, and ceftazidime were the most active, inhibiting 38%, 26%, and 23% of strains, respectively. Synergy was rarely noted (range, 1% to 15% of strains per antibiotic combination).
In Vitro Effects of Antimicrobial Agents on Planktonic and Biofilm Forms of
Staphylococcus lugdunensis
Clinical Isolates
Authors: Frank Kristi L. , Reichert Emily J. , Piper Kerryl E. , Patel Robin 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Staphylococcus lugdunensis
is an atypically virulent coagulase-negative staphylococcal species associated with acute and destructive infections that often resemble
Staphylococcus aureus
infections. Several types of infection caused by
S. lugdunensis
(e.g., native valve endocarditis, prosthetic joint infection, and intravascular catheter infection) are associated with biofilm formation, which may lead to an inability to eradicate the infection due to the intrinsic nature of biofilms to resist high levels of antibiotics. In this study, planktonic MICs and MBCs and biofilm bactericidal concentrations of 10 antistaphylococcal antimicrobial agents were measured for 15
S. lugdunensis
isolates collected from patients with endocarditis, medical device infections, or skin and soft tissue infections. Planktonic isolates were susceptible to all agents studied, but biofilms were resistant to high concentrations of most of the drugs. However, moxifloxacin was able to kill 73% of isolates growing in biofilms at ≤0.5 μg/ml. Relative to the effect on cell density, subinhibitory concentrations of nafcillin substantially stimulated biofilm formation of most isolates, whereas tetracycline and linezolid significantly decreased biofilm formation in 93 and 80% of isolates, respectively. An unexpected outcome of MBC testing was the observation that vancomycin was not bactericidal against 93% of
S. lugdunensis
isolates, suggesting widespread vancomycin tolerance in this species. These data provide insights into the response of
S. lugdunensis
isolates when challenged with various levels of antimicrobial agents in clinical use.
Site-Specific Reduction of Oxidative and Lipid Metabolism in Adipose Tissue of 3′-Azido-3′-Deoxythymidine-Treated Rats
Authors: Deveaud Catherine , Beauvoit Bertrand , Reynaud Annabel , Bonnet Jacques 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACTAlthough it is well accepted that treatment with some nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors modifies both fat metabolism and fat distribution in humans, the mechanisms underlying these modifications are not yet known. The present investigation examined whether a decrease in oxidative capacity, induced by a chronic oral administration of 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (AZT) in rats, could be associated with an alteration of the lipogenic capacity of white adipose tissues. The impact of obesity as a factor was then evaluated. Results showed that AZT treatment induced differential effects depending on anatomical localization. Indeed, in the inguinal adipose tissue, the specific activities of cytochromecoxidase and fatty acid synthase, two rate-controlling enzymes in energy and lipogenic metabolisms, respectively, both decreased under AZT treatment, thus leading to a lowered cell lipid accumulation. Moreover, the AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation level tended to increase, thus implying that AZT causes an energy imbalance. Furthermore, the inguinal tissue of obese rats presented a sensitivity to AZT treatment that was higher than that of lean rats. In contrast, for epididymal tissue, no significant change in all these parameters could be detected under AZT treatment, regardless of the nutritional status of the animals. Taken together, these data demonstrate differential effects of AZT on subcutaneous adipose tissue and visceral white adipose tissue. It could be considered that the chronic decreases in energy and lipogenic metabolism of inguinal adipocyte, consecutive to AZT treatment, may lead, in the long term, to adipose tissue atrophy.
Reduced Susceptibility to Polyenes Associated with a Missense Mutation in the
ERG6
Gene in a Clinical Isolate of
Candida glabrata
with Pseudohyphal Growth
Authors: Vandeputte Patrick , Tronchin Guy , Bergès Thierry , Hennequin Christophe , Chabasse Dominique , Bouchara Jean-Philippe 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Little information is available about the molecular mechanisms responsible for polyene resistance in pathogenic yeasts. A clinical isolate of
Candida glabrata
with a poor susceptibility to polyenes, as determined by disk diffusion method and confirmed by determination of MIC, was recovered from a patient treated with amphotericin B. Quantitative analysis of sterols revealed a lack of ergosterol and an accumulation of late sterol intermediates, suggesting a defect in the final steps of the ergosterol pathway. Sequencing of Cg
ERG11
, Cg
ERG6
, Cg
ERG5
, and Cg
ERG4
genes revealed exclusively a unique missense mutation in Cg
ERG6
leading to the substitution of a cysteine by a phenylalanine in the corresponding protein. In addition, real-time reverse transcription-PCR demonstrated an overexpression of genes encoding enzymes involved in late steps of the ergosterol pathway. Moreover, this isolate exhibited a pseudohyphal growth whatever the culture medium used, and ultrastructural changes of the cell wall of blastoconidia were seen consisting in a thinner inner layer. Cell wall alterations were also suggested by the higher susceptibility of growing cells to Calcofluor white. Additionally, complementation of this isolate with a wild-type copy of the Cg
ERG6
gene restored susceptibility to polyenes and a classical morphology. Together, these results demonstrated that mutation in the Cg
ERG6
gene may lead to a reduced susceptibility to polyenes and to a pseudohyphal growth due to the subsequent changes in sterol content of the plasma membrane.
Improved Antibacterial Host Defense and Altered Peripheral Granulocyte Homeostasis in Mice Lacking the Adhesion Class G Protein Receptor CD97
Authors: Wang Tao , Tian Linhua , Haino Makoto , Gao Ji-Liang , Lake Ross , Ward Yvona , Wang Hongshan , Siebenlist Ulrich , Murphy Philip M. , Kelly Kathleen 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACTCD97 is a member of the adhesion family of G protein-coupled receptors. Alternatively spliced forms of CD97 bind integrins α5β1 and αvβ3, decay accelerating factor, or dermatan sulfate. CD97 is expressed on myeloid cells at high levels and a variety of other cell types at lower levels. Little is known about the physiological function of CD97. To begin dissecting the function of CD97, we evaluated the immune response of CD97 null mice to systemic infection byListeria monocytogenes. CD97 null mice were significantly more resistant to listeriosis than matched wild-type mice. A major determinant of the difference in survival appeared to be the comparatively more robust accumulation of granulocytes in the blood and in infected livers of CD97 null mice within 18 h of inoculation, correlating with a decrease in the number of bacteria. CD97 null mice also displayed a mild granulocytosis in the nonchallenged state. Because there is a strong suggestion that CD97 functions in an adhesive capacity, we examined the migratory properties of granulocytes in CD97 null mice. In chimeric animals, CD97 null and wild-type granulocytes migrated similarly, as determined by inflammation-induced emigration from the bone marrow and accumulation in the peritoneum. Granulocyte development in the bone marrow of CD97 null mice was comparable to that of wild-type mice, and CD97 deficiency did not appear to stimulate granulocytosis secondary to peripheral inflammation and resultant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor induction, unlike various other models of adhesion deficiencies. Our results suggest that CD97 plays a role in peripheral granulocyte homeostasis.
Functional Characterization of thePlasmodium falciparumandP. bergheiHomologues of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor
Authors: Augustijn Kevin D. , Kleemann Robert , Thompson Joanne , Kooistra Teake , Crawford Carina E. , Reece Sarah E. , Pain Arnab , Siebum Arjan H. G. , Janse Chris J. , Waters Andrew P 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACTMacrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a mammalian cytokine that participates in innate and adaptive immune responses. Homologues of mammalian MIF have been discovered in parasite species infecting mammalian hosts (nematodes and malaria parasites), which suggests that the parasites express MIF to modulate the host immune response upon infection. Here we report the first biochemical and genetic characterization of aPlasmodiumMIF (PMIF). Like human MIF, histidine-tagged purified recombinantPMIF shows tautomerase and oxidoreductase activities (although the activities are reduced compared to those of histidine-tagged human MIF) and efficiently inhibits AP-1 activity in human embryonic kidney cells. Furthermore, we found thatPlasmodium bergheiMIF is expressed in both a mammalian host and a mosquito vector and that, in blood stages, it is secreted into the infected erythrocytes and released upon schizont rupture. MutantP. bergheiparasites lackingPMIF were able to complete the entire life cycle and exhibited no significant changes in growth characteristics or virulence features during blood stage infection. However, rodent hosts infected with knockout parasites had significantly higher numbers of circulating reticulocytes. Our results suggest thatPMIF is produced by the parasite to influence host immune responses and the course of anemia upon infection.