bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
First trimester adipocytokine concentrations and risk of developing gestational diabetes later in pregnancy
Authors: Lain Kristine Y. , Daftary Ashi R. , Ness Roberta B. , Roberts James M. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryObjective  Adipocytokines are important regulators of insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to compare maternal adipocytokines in early pregnancy among women diagnosed with and without gestational diabetes (GDM) months later.Design  A nested case‐control study.Patients  Adiponectin, resistin and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) were measured in 59 nulliparous women (30 women with GDM and 29 controls) in plasma obtained in early pregnancy. Patients underwent routine testing for GDM in late pregnancy.Measurements  Adiponectin was measured using radioimmunoassay. Resistin and IL‐6 were measured by ELISA. Statistical analysis included Student's t‐test, logistic regression and Pearson's correlation.Results  Groups were not different by baseline descriptors or obstetric outcomes. Mean gestational age at sampling was 9·3 ± 2·6 weeks. Adiponectin was lower (P < 0·001) in women who later developed GDM compared to controls (4·3 ± 0·4 vs. 6·9 ± 0·6 µg/ml). Adiponectin was negatively associated with the development of GDM (P = 0·002; OR: 0·70, 95% CI: 0·56, 0·88) and the association persisted in multivariable analysis controlling for confounders (P = 0·01; OR: 0·69, 95% CI: 0·52, 0·92). Women with first trimester adiponectin concentrations < 25th% were 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with GDM (OR 10·2; 95% CI 1·3, 78·7). Early adiponectin concentrations negatively correlated with BMI (P = 0·01; r = –0·32) and subsequent 50 g glucose challenge (P = 0·03; r =–0·29). Mean resistin and IL‐6 concentrations were not different between the two groups.Conclusions  Women with GDM have evidence of altered adipocyte function as measured by adiponectin early in pregnancy, months before the clinical diagnosis of GDM is traditionally made.
Ovariectomy increases vascular calcification via the OPG/RANKL cytokine signalling pathway
Authors: Choi B. G. , Vilahur G. , Cardoso L. , Fritton J. C. , Ibanez B. , Zafar M. U. , Yadegar D. , Speidl W. S. , Schaffler M. B. , Fuster V. , Badimon J. J. 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTBackground  Observational studies suggest a strong relationship between menopause and vascular calcification. Receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κΒ ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) are critical regulators of bone remodelling and modulate vascular calcification. We assessed the hypothesis that ovariectomy increases vascular calcification via the OPG/RANKL axis.Materials and methods  Age‐matched sexually mature rabbits were randomized to ovariectomy (OVX, n = 12) or sham procedure (SHAM, n = 12). One month post‐procedure, atherosclerosis was induced by 15 months 0·2%‐cholesterol diet and endothelial balloon denudations (at months 1 and 3). Aortic atherosclerosis was assessed in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at months 9 and 15. At sacrifice, aortas were harvested for ex vivo microcomputed tomography (µCT) and molecular analysis of the vascular tissue.Results  Vascular calcification density and calcific particle number were significantly greater in OVX than SHAM (8·4 ± 2·8 vs. 1·9 ± 0·6 mg cm−3, P = 0·042, and 94 ± 26 vs. 33 ± 7 particles cm−3, P = 0·046, respectively). Calcification morphology, as assessed by the arc angle subtended by the largest calcific particle, showed no difference between groups (OVX 33 ± 7° vs. SHAM 33 ± 5°, P = 0·99). By Western blot analysis, OVX increased the vascular OPG:RANKL ratio by 66%, P = 0·029, primarily by decreasing RANKL (P = 0·019). At month 9, MRI demonstrated no difference in atheroma volume between OVX and SHAM, and no significant change was seen by the end of the study.Conclusions  In contrast to bone, vascular OPG:RANKL ratio increased in response to ovariectomy with a corresponding fourfold increase in arterial calcification. This diametrical organ‐specific response may explain the comorbid association of osteoporosis with calcifying atherosclerosis in post‐menopausal women.
Redox potential distribution inferred from self‐potential measurements associated with the corrosion of a burden metallic body
Authors: Castermant J. , Mendonça C.A. , Revil A. , Trolard F. , Bourrié G. , Linde N. 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTNegative self‐potential anomalies can be generated at the ground surface by ore bodies and ground water contaminated with organic compounds. These anomalies are connected to the distribution of the redox potential of the ground water. To study the relationship between redox and self‐potential anomalies, a controlled sandbox experiment was performed. We used a metallic iron bar inserted in the left‐hand side of a thin Plexiglas sandbox filled with a calibrated sand infiltrated by an electrolyte. The self‐potential signals were measured at the surface of the tank (at different time lapses) using a pair of non‐polarizing electrodes. The self‐potential, the redox potential, and the pH were also measured inside the tank on a regular grid at the end of the experiment. The self‐potential distribution sampled after six weeks presents a strong negative anomaly in the vicinity of the top part of the iron bar with a peak amplitude of −82 mV. The resulting distributions of the pH, redox, and self‐potentials were interpreted in terms of a geobattery model combined with a description of the electrochemical mechanisms and reactions occurring at the surface of the iron bar. The corrosion of iron yields the formation of a resistive crust of fougerite at the surface of the bar. The corrosion modifies both the pH and the redox potential in the vicinity of the iron bar. The distribution of the self‐potential is solved with Poisson's equation with a source term given by the divergence of a source current density at the surface of the bar. In turn, this current density is related to the distribution of the redox potential and electrical resistivity in the vicinity of the iron bar. A least‐squares inversion method of the self‐potential data, using a 2D finite difference simulation of the forward problem, was developed to retrieve the distribution of the redox potential.
Species persistence in northerly glacial refugia of Europe: a matter of chance or biogeographical traits?
Authors: Bhagwat Shonil A. , Willis Katherine J. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAim  The southern European peninsulas (Iberian, Italian and Balkan) are considered to have been refugia for many European species of plants and animals during the climatic extremes of the Pleistocene ice ages. A number of recent studies (fossil and genetic), however, have provided evidence for full‐glacial survival of some species beyond these peninsulas. Here we explore the biogeographical traits of these species, and ask whether they possessed certain characteristics that enabled them to persist in more northerly refugia.Location  Europe.Methods  Fossil and genetic evidence for refugial localities of species that survived in Europe during the last full‐glacial was obtained from the literature (totalling 90 species: 34 woody plants and 56 vertebrates). Forty‐seven of these species (23 woody plants and 24 vertebrates) had fossil evidence, whereas the remaining 43 species (11 woody plants and 32 vertebrates) had only genetic evidence. All species were scored according to their present geographical distribution, habitat preference and life‐history traits. The species were classified on the basis of these traits using hierarchical cluster analysis. Analysis of similarities was used to examine differences in vertebrate and woody plant species groups that survived only in southerly refugia and those that also persisted in more northerly locations. Non‐metric multi‐dimensional scaling was used to examine patterns observed between and within groups.Results  Results from our analysis of species with fossil and genetic evidence for survival in refugia reveal that species that survived only in southerly refugia were large‐seeded trees or thermophilous vertebrates. In contrast, species that had a full‐glacial distribution, including more northerly locations, were wind‐dispersed, habitat‐generalist trees with the ability to reproduce vegetatively, and habitat‐generalist mammals with present‐day northerly distributions.Main conclusions  Analysis of the geographical distribution, habitat preference and life‐history traits of the species studied suggests that underlying biogeographical traits may have determined their response to Pleistocene glaciation. The traits most commonly found in present populations with a northerly distribution in Europe enabled the same species to exist much farther north than the southern European peninsulas during the full‐glacial. It is possible that many of these species are now in restricted populations, within the ‘warm‐stage’ refugia of the current interglacial. The northerly full‐glacial survival of a number of woody plants and vertebrate species has significant implications for understanding migration rates of these species in response to climate change. It also has important implications for understanding current patterns of genetic diversity of European species. We suggest that both fossil and genetic evidence should be used to identify and prioritize for conservation of refugial localities in southern and northern Europe.
Catching fairies and the public representation of biogeography
Authors: Ladle Richard J. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBiogeography is a vibrant academic discipline that plays an important role in framing and directing debates on some of the most important environmental issues of our time, such as the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, biotic homogenization and the effectiveness of global conservation policy. Despite this, biogeography suffers from a low public profile and may consequently be poorly understood by the public. Here I review the representation of the term biogeography, and a selection of biogeographers in the public sphere (newspapers, websites, blogs) and the academic sphere (journals and reports) to understand more fully the public perception of the discipline. As anticipated, the survey suggests that the term ‘biogeography’ has little public currency, and that the public still largely associate the subject area with either eminent Victorians such as A.R. Wallace or modern greats such as E.O. Wilson. I conclude by discussing the potential consequences of the virtual absence of biogeography from public discourse for education and professional biogeographers.
Longevity of teeth and implants – a systematic review
Authors: TOMASI C. , WENNSTRÖM J. L. , BERGLUNDH T. 
Published: February 2008

Summary  The objective of this systematic review was to describe the incidence of tooth and implant loss reported in long‐term studies.Prospective longitudinal studies reporting on teeth or implants survival with a follow‐up period of at least 10 years were considered. Papers were excluded if the drop out rate exceeded 30% or if <70% of the initial subject sample was examined at 10 years of follow‐up.Seventy publications on teeth were identified as potentially relevant for the focussed question. The analysis of the abstracts yielded 37 studies eligible for full‐text analysis. The inclusion criteria were met in 11 of the publications that included in all 3015 subjects. The initial search on implant studies generated 52 publications that possibly could be included. Following the evaluation of the abstracts and full‐text analysis nine publications were found to fulfil the inclusion criteria. The nine studies included 476 subjects.The incidence of tooth loss among subjects with a follow‐up period of 10–30 years varied from 1.3% to 5% in the majority of studies, while in two epidemiological studies on rural Chinese populations the incidences of tooth loss were 14% and 20%. The percentage of implants reported as lost during the follow‐up period varied between 1% and 18%.In clinically well‐maintained patients, the loss rate at teeth was lower than that at implant. Bone level changes appeared to be small at teeth as well as at implants in well‐maintained patients. Comparisons of the longevity at teeth and dental implants are difficult due to heterogeneity among the studies.
Medico‐legal assessment of disability in narcolepsy: an interobserver reliability study
Authors: INGRAVALLO FRANCESCA , VIGNATELLI LUCA , BRINI MARTINA , BRUGALETTA CONCETTA , FRANCESCHINI CHRISTIAN , LUGARESI FEDERICA , MANCA MARIA C. , GARBARINO SERGIO , MONTAGNA PASQUALE , CICOGNANI ALBERTO , PLAZZI GIUSEPPE 
Published: February 2008

SummaryImpairment because of narcolepsy strongly limits job performance, but there are no standard criteria to assess disability in people with narcolepsy and a scale of disease severity is still lacking. We explored: (1) the interobserver reliability among Italian Medical Commissions making disability and handicap benefit decisions for people with narcolepsy, searching for correlations between the recognized disability degree and patients’ features; (2) the willingness to report patients to the driving licence authority and (3) possible sources of variance in judgement. Fifteen narcoleptic patients were examined by four Medical Commissions in simulated sessions. Raw agreement and interobserver reliability among Commissions were calculated for disability and handicap benefit decisions and for driving licence decisions. Levels of judgement differed on percentage of disability (P < 0.001), severity of handicap (P = 0.0007) and the need to inform the driving licence authority (P = 0.032). Interobserver reliability ranged from Kappa = −0.10 to 0.35 for disability benefit decision and from Kappa = −0.26 to 0.36 for handicap benefit decision. The raw agreement on driving licence decision ranged from 73% to 100% (Kappa not calculable). Spearman’s correlation between percentages of disability and patients’ features showed correlations with age, daytime naps, sleepiness, cataplexy and quality of life. This first interobserver reliability study on social benefit decisions for narcolepsy shows the difficulty of reaching an agreement in this field, mainly because of variance in interpretation of the assessment criteria. The minimum set of indicators of disease severity correlating with patients’ self assessments encourages a disability classification of narcolepsy.
A quantitative statistical analysis of the submentalis muscle EMG amplitude during sleep in normal controls and patients with REM sleep behavior disorder
Authors: FERRI RAFFAELE , MANCONI MAURO , PLAZZI GIUSEPPE , BRUNI OLIVIERO , VANDI STEFANO , MONTAGNA PASQUALE , FERINI‐STRAMBI LUIGI , ZUCCONI MARCO 
Published: February 2008

SummaryThe aim of this study was to evaluate quantitatively the amplitude of the submentalis muscle EMG activity during sleep in controls and in patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) or with RBD and multiple system atrophy (MSA). We recruited 21 patients with idiopathic RBD, 10 with MSA, 10 age‐matched and 24 young normal controls. The average amplitude of the rectified submentalis muscle EMG signal was used for the assessment of atonia and a Sleep Atonia Index was developed; moreover, also chin muscle activations were detected and their duration and interval analyzed. The Sleep Atonia Index was able to distinguish clearly REM from NREM sleep in normal controls with values very close to 1 in young normal subjects and only slightly (but significantly) lower in old controls. Idiopathic RBD patients showed a further significant decrease of this index; MSA patients showed the lowest values of REM Sleep Atonia Index, which were very well distinguishable from those of normal controls and of idiopathic RBD patients. The distribution of the duration of chin activations was monomodal in all groups, with idiopathic RBD patients showing the highest levels. This study is a really quantitative attempt to provide practical indices for the objective evaluation of EMG atonia during REM sleep and of EMG activations. Our proposed Sleep Atonia Index can have a practical application in the clinical evaluations of patients and represents an additional useful parameters to be used in conjunction with the other criteria for the diagnosis of this sleep motor disorder.
DrRRA: a novel response regulator essential for the extreme radioresistance of Deinococcus radiodurans
Authors: Wang Liangyan , Xu Guangzhi , Chen Huan , Zhao Ye , Xu Nan , Tian Bing , Hua Yuejin 
Published: February 2008

SummaryTwo‐component systems are predominant signal transduction pathways in prokaryotes, and also exist in many archaea as well as some eukaryotes. A typical TCS consists of a histidine kinase and a cognate response regulator. In this study, a novel gene encoding a response regulator (we designate it drRRA) is identified to be essential for the extreme radioresistance of Deinococcus radiodurans. DrRRA null mutant (we designate it MR) is sensitive to gamma‐radiation compared with the wild‐type strain. Transcriptional assays show that numerous genes are changed in their transcriptional levels in MR at exponential growth phase under normal or gamma‐radiation condition. Most of them are related to stress response and DNA repair. Antioxidant activity assays exhibit that both superoxide dismutases and catalases are decreased in the mutant, whereas Western blotting assays show that RecA and PprA are also reduced in MR, verifying the microarray and quantitative real‐time PCR data. Furthermore, pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis assay demonstrates that deletion of drRRA results in the delay of genome restitution. These data support the hypothesis that DrRRA contributes to the extreme radioresistance of D. radiodurans through its regulatory role in multiple pathways such as antioxidation and DNA repair pathways.
Heterogeneity of gas exchange rates over the leaf surface in tobacco: an effect of hydraulic architecture?
Authors: NARDINI ANDREA , GORTAN EMMANUELLE , RAMANI MATTEO , SALLEO SEBASTIANO 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTSpatial heterogeneity of gas exchange rates in the leaves of Nicotiana tabacum L. (tobacco) was investigated. Leaf conductance to water vapour was higher (by about 18%) at the apical regions of leaves than at the basal ones. Local, small‐scale measurements of pressure–volume (PV) parameters and water status (performed with a dewpoint hygrometer) revealed that bulk leaf water potential, osmotic potential, turgor pressure and bulk modulus of elasticity were not significantly different in the leaf apex or base. Hydraulic measurements showed that the apical regions of the leaf blade were about 30% more conductive than the basal regions. Such differences were explained by analogous differences in terms of venation patterns. In fact, vein density turned out to be higher (by about 13%) near the leaf apex with respect to the leaf base. On the contrary, stomatal density was the same both in the apical and basal leaf portions. Our data suggest that spatial stomatal heterogeneity may arise from heterogenous distribution of local hydraulic resistances and would be addressed to maintaining local water potential above critical values, possibly triggering vein cavitation.
Microbiological diversity of generalized aggressive periodontitis by 16S rRNA clonal analysis
Authors: Faveri M. , Mayer M. P. A. , Feres M. , De Figueiredo L. C. , Dewhirst F. E. , Paster B. J. 
Published: February 2008

Background/aim:  The purpose of this study was to determine the bacterial diversity in the subgingival plaque of subjects with generalized aggressive periodontitis by using culture‐independent molecular methods based on 16S ribosomal DNA cloning.Methods:  Samples from 10 subjects with generalized aggressive periodontitis were selected. DNA was extracted and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified with the universal primer pairs 9F and 1525R. Amplified genes were cloned, sequenced, and identified by comparison with known 16S rRNA sequences.Results:  One hundred and ten species were identified from 10 subjects and 1007 clones were sequenced. Of these, 70 species were most prevalent. Fifty‐seven percent of the clone (40 taxa) sequences represented phylotypes for which no cultivated isolates have been reported. Several species of Selenomonas and Streptococcus were found at high prevalence and proportion in all subjects. Overall, 50% of the clone libraries were formed by these two genera. Selenomonas sputigena, the species most commonly detected, was found in nine of 10 subjects. Other species of Selenomonas were often present at high levels, including S. noxia, Selenomonas sp. EW084, Selenomonas sp. EW076, Selenomonas FT050, Selenomonas sp. P2PA_80, and Selenomonas sp. strain GAA14. The classical putative periodontal pathogens, such as, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, was below the limit of detection and was not detected.Conclusion:  These data suggest that other species, notably species of Selenomonas, may be associated with disease in generalized aggressive periodontitis subjects.
Differential utilization of nuclear factor‐κB signaling pathways for gingival epithelial cell responses to oral commensal and pathogenic bacteria
Authors: Chung W. O. , Dale B. A. 
Published: February 2008

Introduction:  Human β‐defensin‐2 (hBD‐2) is an antimicrobial peptide, induced by bacterial stimuli and inflammation, that plays a role in mucosal and skin innate immune defense. The nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) transcription factor family is important in innate and adaptive immune responses to bacteria and proinflammatory cytokines. NF‐κB operates via the traditional IKKβ signaling, as well as an alternative pathway utilizing IKKα signaling, which is important in keratinocyte differentiation. Our previous studies showed that pathogenic, but not commensal, bacteria used NF‐κB signaling in hBD‐2 induction. The objective of this study was to understand which arm of the NF‐κB pathway is involved in gingival epithelial cell responses to pathogenic bacteria, including hBD‐2 induction.Methods:  Cultured oral epithelial cells were transfected with synthetic small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) specific for various steps in each pathway, namely IKKβ, TRAF6 and MyD88 in the canonical, and IKKα and TRAF3 in the alternative pathway, and subsequently stimulated with various oral bacteria.Results:  The hBD‐2 induction level was reduced to 21–61% in cells in which the alternative NF‐κB pathway was blocked and subsequently stimulated with pathogenic bacteria, while cells in which the canonical pathway was blocked showed reduction to 78–99%. Cells stimulated with commensals showed little change in hBD‐2 induction level regardless of the siRNA used. Microarray analysis showed that oral epithelia differentially regulated numerous innate immune markers in response to pathogens and commensals.Conclusion:  Our data suggest a role for the IKKα/TRAF3 pathway in NF‐κB activation by pathogenic bacteria, while commensal bacteria do not utilize either NF‐κB pathway, for hBD‐2 induction.