bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal scintigraphic study of parotid and submandibular gland function after total body irradiation in children and adolescents
Authors: BÅGESUND MATS , RICHTER SVEN , RINGDÉN OLLE , DAHLLÖF GÖRAN 
Published: October 2006

Objective. Total body irradiation (TBI) and cyclophosphamide (CY) during allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) cause salivary gland dysfunction in children. The aim of this investigation was to study the scintigraphic functional changes over time of the parotid and submandibular glands in children and young adults one year after treatment with CY and TBI at ASCT.Methods. Salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS) was performed before ASCT, and 3–6 months and 12 months after ASCT. The three male patients who fulfilled the scintigraphic study had a mean age (± SD) of 17.3 ± 9.8 years at ASCT.Results. The parotid secretion capacity (SPar) was 83.5 ± 3.2% before ASCT and 48.5 ± 25.8% during the next 3–6 months (P < 0.05). The SPar did not increase (48.1 ± 12.4%) during the rest of the first year after ASCT. The submandibular emptying capacity (SSub) was 91.3 ± 12.9% before ASCT and 35.4 ± 2.3% after 3–6 months (P < 0.05). The SSub was 87.9 ± 17.9% one year after ASCT.Conclusions. The parotid glands were more sensitive to irradiation since they did not recover lost capacity to secrete saliva, while the submandibular glands recovered the secretion capacity at the one‐year follow‐up.
Treatment of extrusive luxation by intentional replantation
Authors: MARTINS WILSON DENIS , WESTPHALEN VANIA PORTELA DITZEL , PERIN CAMILA PAIVA , DA SILVA NETO ULISSES XAVIER , WESTPHALEN FERNANDO HENRIQUE 
Published: October 2006

Background.  The accepted treatment for extrusive luxation is repositioning of the extruded tooth at the earliest possible opportunity.Case report.  Repositioning was not possible in a patient who presented for treatment 4 days after the accident, and therefore, an intentional replantation was performed instead. The tooth was carefully extracted, the blood clot removed from the alveolus and the tooth was then replanted.Conclusion.  Intentional replantation involves the deliberate removal of a tooth and its reinsertion into the alveolus almost immediately afterwards. It is now an accepted endodontic procedure. The favourable outcome of this case suggests that intentional replantation of severely extruded teeth may be a treatment option in cases where the tooth cannot be repositioned and if treatment conditions are adequately followed.
Mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv0444c, the gene encoding anti‐SigK, explain high level expression of MPB70 and MPB83 in Mycobacterium bovis
Authors: Saïd‐Salim Battouli , Mostowy Serge , Kristof Arnold S. , Behr Marcel A. 
Published: October 2006

SummaryIt has recently been advanced that Mycobacterium tuberculosis sigma factor K (SigK) positively regulates expression of the antigenic proteins MPB70 and MPB83. As expression of these proteins differs between M. tuberculosis (low) and Mycobacterium bovis (high), this study set out to determine whether M. bovis lacks a functional SigK repressor (anti‐SigK). By comparing genes near sigK in M. tuberculosis H37Rv and M. bovis AF2122/97, we observed that Rv0444c, annotated as unknown function, had variable sequence in M. bovis. Analysis of in vitro mpt70/mpt83 expression and Rv0444c sequencing across M. tuberculosis complex (MTC) members revealed that high‐level expression was associated with a mutated Rv0444c. Complementation of M. bovis bacillus Calmette‐Guerin Russia, a high producer of MPB70/MPB83, with wild‐type Rv0444c resulted in a significant decrease in mpb70/mpb83 expression. Conversely, a M. tuberculosis H37Rv mutant which expressed sigK but not Rv0444c manifested the M. bovis phenotype of high‐level MPB70/MPB83 expression. Further support that Rv0444c encodes the anti‐SigK was obtained by yeast two‐hybrid studies, where the N‐terminal region of Rv0444c‐encoded protein interacted with SigK. Together these findings indicate that Rv0444c encodes the regulator of SigK (RskA) and mutations in this gene explain high‐level MPT70/MPT83 expression by certain MTC members.
Leaving on the lights: host‐specific derepression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene expression by anti‐sigma factor gene mutations
Authors: Husson Robert N. 
Published: October 2006

SummaryRegulation of transcription by alternative sigma factors is a strategy widely used by bacteria to adapt to changes in environmental conditions. For several pathogenic bacteria, alternative sigma factor‐regulated gene expression is critical for virulence. The activity of many alternative sigma factors is in turn controlled by regulatory proteins that transduce and integrate environmental signals. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Said‐Salim et al. demonstrate high‐level expression of genes encoding major protein antigens in the bovine subspecies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, in contrast to low‐level expression in the human subspecies. Having previously suggested that SigK regulates the expression of these genes, the authors found that the high‐expressers have point mutations in Rv0444c, a gene adjacent to sigK, and provided evidence that this gene encodes an anti‐sigma factor whose function is abrogated by these mutations. These findings not only demonstrate an adaptive mechanism of potential importance in tuberculosis immunity and pathogenesis, but also raise interesting questions regarding the origin of these mutations and their effects on anti‐sigma factor function.
Genetic life history effects on juvenile survival in bluegill
Authors: NEFF B. D. , LISTER J. S. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractForaging behaviour under the risk of predation has important consequences on an individual's survivorship and fitness. In bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), we have recently shown that offspring sired by males of alternative life histories differ in their foraging behaviour. Specifically, offspring sired by ‘cuckolder’ males take fewer risks during foraging than do offspring sired by ‘parental’ males. This behavioural difference can have important consequences on the fitness of the two life histories and thus the underlying evolutionary mechanism. Here, we examine the consequences of this behavioural variation on growth rate, condition and survivorship during early development of juveniles. We used split in vitro fertilization to generate maternal half‐sibs that differed in sire life history. The resulting 18 455 larvae from 50 families were released into a microcosm with safe and risky foraging areas for approximately 2 months. A total of 262 juveniles (1.4%) survived of which parentage was unambiguously determined using microsatellite genetic markers for 254 (97%). Although we found significant dam effects, there was no difference in apparent growth rate or condition of juveniles sired by males of the two life histories. Of the 25 paired half‐sib families, 15 had higher survivorship when sired by a cuckolder male, seven had higher survivorship when sired by a parental male and three had no surviving offspring from either sire. Thus, although growth was similar between the two offspring types, survivorship was not. Combining the differential survivorship estimate with paternity data from natural nests and the frequency of males adopting each life history, we calculated that the cuckolder life history has 1.87 times higher fitness than the parental life history. As such, the life histories likely are not governed by a genetic polymorphism.
Pilot study on the correlation of optical coherence tomography with histology in celiac disease and normal subjects
Authors: Masci Enzo , Mangiavillano Benedetto , Albarello Luca , Mariani Alberto , Doglioni Claudio , Testoni Pier Alberto 
Published: October 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Celiac disease (CD) is a common condition but often it goes unrecognized because characteristic histopathological abnormalities must be found to confirm the diagnosis. A way is needed to select patients who need biopsy of the duodenal mucosa to detect CD. No data are currently available on the use of in vivo optical coherence tomography (OCT), during real‐time endoscopic imaging, in the small intestine and, particularly, in the diagnosis of CD. The aim of the present study was to test the utility of OCT in patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for histological diagnosis.Methods:  Eighteen patients with suspected CD (positive for antigliadin, antiendomysial and antitransglutaminase antibodies) and 22 dyspeptic subjects (negative for these antibodies) who were also examined by EGD, were prospectively enrolled. OCT scans of descending duodenum were taken during diagnostic EGD, with biopsies of the same duodenal area. OCT images and histological specimens were evaluated blindly, analysis being done independently by a gastroenterologist and a pathologist. Three patterns of intestinal villous morphology were considered (1, no atrophy; 2, mild atrophy; 3, marked atrophy).Results:  Concordance was total between OCT and histology for villi morphology in both patients and normal subjects.Conclusions:  OCT appears to be a promising method for correctly identifying villous atrophy; it may help in selecting patients for intestinal biopsies, considering the limited usefulness of endoscopic criteria, and may also help the endoscopist to perform target biopsies in mucosal areas where the villi are damaged or absent, considering that CD often causes patchy mucosal lesions.
Increased serum gamma‐glutamyl‐transpeptidase concentration is associated with nonalcoholic steatosis and not with cholestasis in patients with chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Benini Federica , Pigozzi Marie Graciella , Baisini Ornella , Romanini Laura , Ahmed Hafez , Pozzi Alessandro , Ricci Chiara , Lanzini Alberto 
Published: October 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Increased pretreatment gamma‐glutamyl‐transpeptidase (γGT) is common in patients with chronic hepatitis C and with little or no alcohol consumption. The mechanism involved in this phenomenon is unclear, and the aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with increased γGT levels, specifically looking at the role of cholestasis that frequently accompanies hepatitis C.Methods:  Fifty patients with chronic hepatitis C enrolled in two trials of antiviral treatment, 25 with normal and 25 with elevated pretreatment γGT levels, were retrospectively selected. In addition to the common liver function and virological tests, other values measured were serum bile acid concentration and composition by gas‐chromatography as a sensitive index of cholestasis, and liver biopsy scores for cholestasis and steatosis in addition to siderosis, fibrosis and inflammation.Results:  Total mean serum bile acid concentration was 11.6 ± 1.4 μmol/L and 8.5 ± 1.2 μmol/L (not significant) in patients with elevated and with normal γGT, respectively, and individual bile acid composition was similar in the two groups. By univariate analysis, serum γGT level was linearly related to total serum bile acid (P < 0.05) and to cholestasis score (P < 0.001) among other variables, but steatosis score (P < 0.001) and Knodell score (P < 0.04) were the only variables independently associated with elevated serum γGT level by multivariate analysis.Conclusions:  Increased serum γGT level in patients with chronic hepatitis C is associated with liver steatosis and fibrosis, and indicates more advanced liver disease rather than reflecting the cholestasis that often accompanies this condition.
Elevated level of interleukin‐6 predicts organ failure and severe disease in patients with acute pancreatitis
Authors: Sathyanarayan Garipati , Garg Pramod Kumar , Prasad HK , Tandon Rakesh Kumar 
Published: October 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis (AP). The aim of the present paper was to study the profile of anti‐ and proinflammatory cytokines in AP and to determine their predictive value for severity of AP, organ failure and mortality.Methods:  Consecutive patients with AP were included in the study. Cytokines were measured in those patients who presented within the first 72 h of the onset of AP. Plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin (IL)‐Iβ, IL‐6 and anti‐inflammatory cytokine IL‐10 were measured on days 1, 3, 7 and 14 of AP.Results:  Of 108 patients, 30 presented within 72 h of the onset (mean age 40.27 ± 13.89 years; 22 males). Of the 30 patients, 13 (43.3%) had severe and 17 (56.7%) had mild pancreatitis. Eleven (36.7%) patients developed organ failure and three died. The level of IL‐6 on day 3 was significantly higher in severe pancreatitis than in mild pancreatitis (146.29 ± 57.53 pg/mL vs 91.42 ± 71.65 pg/mL; P = 0.04) and was significantly higher in patients who developed organ failure compared with those who did not (161.59 ± 53.46 pg/mL vs 88.16 ± 65.50 pg/mL; P = 0.004). At a cut‐off value of 122 pg/mL on day 3, IL‐6 predicted organ failure and severe pancreatitis with a sensitivity and specificity of 81.8% and 77.7%, respectively. TNF‐α and IL‐10 were detectable only in one‐third of patients and were not related to the severity of pancreatitis, while Il‐1β was not detectable.Conclusion:  Elevated levels of IL‐6 predicted organ failure and severe pancreatitis and suggested its pathophysiological significance in AP.
The bacterial storage compound poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate protects Artemia franciscana from pathogenic Vibrio campbellii
Authors: Defoirdt Tom , Halet Dirk , Vervaeren Han , Boon Nico , Van de Wiele Tom , Sorgeloos Patrick , Bossier Peter , Verstraete Willy 
Published: October 2006

SummaryInfections caused by antibiotic‐resistant luminescent Vibrios can cause dramatic losses in aquaculture. In this study, the short‐chain fatty acid β‐hydroxybutyrate and its polymer poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate were investigated as possible new biocontrol agents. β‐Hydroxybutyrate was shown to completely inhibit the growth of pathogenic Vibrio campbelli at 100 mM. Moreover, the addition of 100 mM of this fatty acid to the culture water of Artemia nauplii infected with the V. campbelli strain significantly increased the survival of the nauplii. As Artemia is a non‐selective and particle filter feeder, we also investigated whether poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate particles could be used to protect Artemia from the pathogenic V. campbellii. The addition of 100 mg l−1 poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate or more to the Artemia culture water offered a preventive and curative protection from the pathogen as a significantly enhanced survival was noticed. If added as a preventive treatment, a complete protection of infected nauplii (no significant mortality compared with uninfected nauplii) was observed at 1000 mg l−1 poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate. Our data indicate that the use of poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate might constitute an ecologically and economically sustainable alternative strategy to fight infections in aquaculture.
Plant–microbe association for rhizoremediation of chloronitroaromatic pollutants with Comamonas sp. strain CNB‐1
Authors: Liu Lei , Jiang Cheng‐Ying , Liu Xing‐Yu , Wu Jian‐Feng , Han Ji‐Gang , Liu Shuang‐Jiang 
Published: October 2006

Summary Comamonas sp. strain CNB‐1, isolated from activated sludge and having a strong ability to degrade 4‐chloronitrobenzene (4CNB), was applied for rhizoremediation of 4CNB‐polluted soil through association with alfalfa. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that strain CNB‐1 successfully colonized alfalfa roots. Determination of strain CNB‐1 populations by cultivation method and by quantitative competitive PCR technique targeting the chloronitrobenzene nitroreductase gene showed that the population of strain CNB‐1 in the rhizosphere was about 10–100 times higher than that in the bulk soil. Gnotobiotic and outdoor experiments showed that pollutant 4CNB was completely removed within 1 or 2 days after 4CNB application into soil, and that its phytotoxicity to alfalfa was eliminated by inoculation of strain CNB‐1. Results from PCR‐denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and analysis of 16S rRNA gene libraries revealed that the indigenous soil microbial community mainly consisted of alphaproteobacteria, betaproteobacteria, gammaproteobacteria, the CFB bacteria (Cytophaga‐Flavabacterium‐Bacteriodes), and Acidobacteria. This microbial community was not significantly influenced by inoculation of strain CNB‐1. Thus, this study has developed a Comamonas‐alfalfa system for rhizoremediation of 4CNB.
Spatial variation of active microbiota in the rice rhizosphere revealed by in situ stable isotope probing of phospholipid fatty acids
Authors: Lu Yahai , Abraham Wolf‐Rainer , Conrad Ralf 
Published: October 2006

SummaryThis report is part of a serial study applying stable isotope labelling to rice microcosms to track the utilization of recently photosynthesized carbon by active microbiota in the rhizosphere. The objective of the present study was to apply phospholipid fatty acid‐based stable isotope probing (PLFA‐SIP) to detect the spatial variation of active microorganisms associated with rhizosphere carbon flow. In total, 49 pulses of 13CO2 were applied to rice plants in a microcosm over a period of 7 days. Rhizosphere soil was separated from bulk soil by a root bag. Soil samples were taken from rhizosphere and bulk soil, and the bulk soil samples were further partitioned both vertically (up layer and down layer) and horizontally with increasing distance to the root bag. Incorporation of 13C into PLFAs sharply decreased with distance to the roots. The labelling of 16:1ω9, 18:1ω7, 18:1ω9, 18:2ω6,9 and i14:0 PLFAs was relatively stronger in the rhizosphere while that of i15:0 and i17:0 increased in the bulk soil. The microorganisms associated with 16:1ω9 were active in both up‐ and down‐layer soils. The microorganisms represented by i14:0, 18:1ω7 and 18:2ω6,9 exhibited a relatively higher activity in up‐layer soil, whereas those represented by i15:0 and i17:0 were more active in down‐layer soil. These results suggest that in the rhizosphere Gram‐negative and eukaryotic microorganisms were most actively assimilating root‐derived C, whereas Gram‐positive microorganisms became relatively more important in the bulk soil. The active populations apparently differed between up‐ and down‐layer soil and in particular changed with distance to the roots, demonstrating systematic changes in the activity of the soil microbiota surrounding roots.
Filling the gap: a fossil frogfish, genus Antennarius (Teleostei, Lophiiformes, Antennariidae), from the Miocene of Algeria
Authors: Carnevale G. , Pietsch T. W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA new species of frogfish, Antennarius monodi sp. nov., is described from the Upper Miocene (Messinian) of Raz‐el‐Aïn, near Oran, north‐east Algeria. The type and only specimen of this taxon is the first articulated skeleton belonging to the family Antennariidae ever recorded as a fossil. The morphological and meristic characters observed support the inclusion of this species in the Antennarius ocellatus group, where it shares several features with the extant Antennarius senegalensis. Morphological features, sedimentary characters and faunal association concur to suggest that A. monodi sp. nov. possibly was a tropical, continental species that lived on muddy bottoms and turbid waters at depths less than 90–100 m. From a biogeographic point of view, the presence of an antennariid closely related to A. senegalensis in the Late Miocene of the Mediterranean suggests that this area had strong biotic relationships with the eastern tropical Atlantic at that time. The integrative analysis of phylogenetic interrelationships and fossil record of the entire order Lophiiformes reveals that all the lophiiform lineages were already in existence in the Eocene. Moreover, the existence of a derived species of the genus Antennarius in the Late Miocene at last fills a large gap that exists in the fossil record of the Teleostei, suggesting that the modern antennariid body plan originated well before that period.
Dual regulation of translation initiation and peptide chain elongation during BDNF‐induced LTP in vivo: evidence for compartment‐specific translation control
Authors: Kanhema Tambudzai , Dagestad Grethe , Panja Debabrata , Tiron Adrian , Messaoudi Elhoucine , Håvik Bjarte , Ying Shui‐Wang , Nairn Angus C. , Sonenberg Nahum , Bramham Clive R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractProtein synthesis underlying activity‐dependent synaptic plasticity is controlled at the level of mRNA translation. We examined the dynamics and spatial regulation of two key translation factors, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and elongation factor‐2 (eEF2), during long‐term potentiation (LTP) induced by local infusion of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) into the dentate gyrus of anesthetized rats. BDNF‐induced LTP led to rapid, transient phosphorylation of eIF4E and eEF2, and enhanced expression of eIF4E protein in dentate gyrus homogenates. Infusion of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor U0126 blocked BDNF‐LTP and modulation of the translation factor activity and expression. Quantitative immunohistochemical analysis revealed enhanced staining of phospho‐eIF4E and total eIF4E in dentate granule cells. The in vitro synaptodendrosome preparation was used to isolate the synaptic effects of BDNF in the dentate gyrus. BDNF treatment of synaptodendrosomes elicited rapid, transient phosphorylation of eIF4E paralleled by enhanced expression of α‐calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II. In contrast, BDNF had no effect on eEF2 phosphorylation state in synaptodendrosomes. The results demonstrate rapid ERK‐dependent regulation of the initiation and elongation steps of protein synthesis during BDNF‐LTP in vivo. Furthermore, the results suggest a compartment‐specific regulation in which initiation is selectively enhanced by BDNF at synapses, while both initiation and elongation are modulated at non‐synaptic sites.
Functional down‐regulation of volume‐regulated anion channels in AQP4 knockdown cultured rat cortical astrocytes
Authors: Benfenati Valentina , Nicchia Grazia Paola , Svelto Maria , Rapisarda Carmela , Frigeri Antonio , Ferroni Stefano 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn the brain, the astroglial syncytium is crucially involved in the regulation of water homeostasis. Accumulating evidence indicates that a dysregulation of the astrocytic processes controlling water homeostasis has a pathogenetic role in several brain injuries. Here, we have analysed by RNA interference technology the functional interactions occurring between the most abundant water channel in the brain, aquaporin‐4 (AQP4), and the swelling‐activated Cl– current expressed by cultured rat cortical astrocytes. We show that in primary cultured rat cortical astrocytes transfected with control small interfering RNA (siRNA), hypotonic shock promotes an increase in cellular volume accompanied by augmented membrane conductance mediated by volume‐regulated anion channels (VRAC). Conversely, astroglia in which AQP4 was knocked down (AQP4 KD) by transfection with AQP4 siRNA changed their morphology from polygonal to process‐bearing, and displayed normal cell swelling but reduced VRAC activity. Pharmacological manipulations of actin cytoskeleton in rat astrocytes, and functional analysis in mouse astroglial cells, which retain their morphology upon knockdown of AQP4, suggest that stellation of AQP4 KD rat cortical astrocytes was not causally linked to reduction of VRAC current. Molecular analysis of possible candidates of swelling‐activated Cl– current provided evidence that in AQP4 KD astrocytes, there was a down‐regulation of chloride channel‐2 (CIC‐2), which, however, was not involved in VRAC conductance. Inclusion of ATP in the intracellular saline restored VRAC activity upon hypotonicity. Collectively, these results support the view that in cultured astroglial cells, plasma membrane proteins involved in cell volume homeostasis are assembled in a functional platform.