bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Molar incisor hypomineralization in Hong Kong Chinese children
Authors: CHO SHIU‐YIN , KI YUNG , CHU VANESSA 
Published: July 2008

Background.  Most prevalence studies on molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) were carried out in European countries, and data from the East‐Asian populations were lacking.Aim.  This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of MIH in Hong Kong Chinese children.Design.  Since 2006, charting of teeth with MIH was included into the routine dental examination in a school dental clinic. The dental records of grade 6 primary school children who attended annual check‐up in this clinic in 2006 were subsequently reviewed retrospectively. The records were selected for this study if the charting indicated that the children were affected by MIH.Results.  A total of 2635 records were reviewed and 73 cases of MIH were identified. The prevalence of MIH in this group of children was 2.8%. Their mean age was 12, and the male‐to‐female ratio was 1 : 1.2. The mean decayed, missing, or filled permanent teeth value of those affected was 1.5, which was higher than that of the general Hong Kong Chinese children aged 12 years old (0.8). A total of 192 teeth were affected. The most commonly affected teeth were permanent maxillary first molars, followed by mandibular first molars and maxillary central incisors. Dental fillings and fissure sealants were found in 52 (38%) and 65 (47%) permanent first molars with hypomineralization, respectively. Medical histories were unremarkable in 60 children, whereas early childhood diseases were reported in 13 cases.Conclusions.  The prevalence of MIH in the permanent dentition of Hong Kong Chinese children was 2.8%. Children with MIH showed higher caries experience in the permanent dentition than the general population of similar age.
Risk factors for injuries to maxillary permanent incisors and upper lip among schoolchildren in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Authors: KAHABUKA FEBRONIA KOKULENGYA , MUGONZIBWA EMERIA ABELLA 
Published: July 2008

Background.   Dental trauma is common among children, and the maxillary permanent central incisors are the most often affected teeth.Aim.   This study aimed to investigate the risk factors for injury to maxillary permanent incisors and the upper lip among Tanzanian schoolchildren aged 8–14 years.Design.   A cross‐sectional study involving 1119 children. The risk variables investigated included age, gender, lip competence, and overjet. The corresponding proportions of injuries and the relative risk (with 95% confidence interval) were calculated and tested by Fisher's exact test. Logistic regression was applied to ascertain the strength and direction of the association of the risk variables to injuries, and backward selection was used to test significant risk factors.Results.   About 24% of the children had trauma to maxillary incisors, 45% had incompetent lip whereas 31% had increased overjet. Age, gender, overjet, and lip competence showed significant association with injuries to upper lip and maxillary incisors. Boys had sustained more injuries than girls, with a higher relative risk for luxation injuries. Enamel fracture was associated with overjet combined with lip competence, whereas enamel dentine fracture without pulp involvement was related to gender. Luxation injuries were associated with gender, tooth avulsion with overjet, and lip competence. Injury to the upper lip was associated with age.Conclusion.   Male gender, increased overjet, and lip incompetence were the main risk factors of getting trauma to maxillary incisors, whereas age was the risk factor for injury to the upper lip.
Behavioural plasticity associated with propagule size, resources, and the invasion success of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile
Authors: Sagata Katayo , Lester Philip J. 
Published: July 2008

Summary

The number of individuals involved in an invasion event, or ‘propagule size’, has a strong theoretical basis for influencing invasion success. However, rarely has propagule size been experimentally manipulated to examine changes in invader behaviour, and propagule longevity and success.
We manipulated propagule size of the invasive Argentine ant Linepithema humile in laboratory and field studies. Laboratory experiments involved L. humile propagules containing two queens and 10, 100, 200 or 1000 workers. Propagules were introduced into arenas containing colonies of queens and 200 workers of the competing native ant Monomorium antarcticum. The effects of food availability were investigated via treatments of only one central resource, or 10 separated resources. Field studies used similar colony sizes of L. humile, which were introduced into novel environments near an invasion front.
In laboratory studies, small propagules of L. humile were quickly annihilated. Only the larger propagule size survived and killed the native ant colony in some replicates. Aggression was largely independent of food availability, but the behaviour of L. humile changed substantially with propagule size. In larger propagules, aggressive behaviour was significantly more frequent, while L. humile were much more likely to avoid conflict in smaller propagules.
In field studies, however, propagule size did not influence colony persistence. Linepithema humile colonies persisted for up to 2 months, even in small propagules of 10 workers. Factors such as temperature or competitor abundance had no effect, although some colonies were decimated by M. antarcticum.
Synthesis and applications. Although propagule size has been correlated with invasion success in a wide variety of taxa, our results indicate that it will have limited predictive power with species displaying behavioural plasticity. We recommend that aspects of animal behaviour be given much more consideration in attempts to model invasion success. Secondly, areas of high biodiversity are thought to offer biotic resistance to invasion via the abundance of predators and competitors. Invasive pests such as L. humile appear to modify their behaviour according to local conditions, and establishment was not related to resource availability. We cannot necessarily rely on high levels of native biodiversity to repel invasions.
Medicine and science in the fight against doping in sport
Authors: Catlin D. H. , Fitch K. D. , Ljungqvist A. 
Published: July 2008

Abstract.The fight against doping in sports commenced as a result of the death of a Danish cyclist during the Rome Olympic Games in 1960. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) established a Medical Commission (IOC‐MC) which had the task of designing a strategy to combat the misuse of drugs in Olympic Sport. Some International Sport Federations (IF) and National Sports Federations followed suit, but progress was modest until the world’s best male sprinter was found doped with anabolic steroids at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988. Further progress was made following the cessation of the cold war in 1989 and in 1999 public authorities around the world joined the Olympic Movement in a unique partnership by creating WADA – the ‘World Anti‐Doping Agency’. The troubled history of the anti‐doping fight from the 1960s until today is reviewed. In particular, the development of detection methods for an ever increasing number of drugs that can be used to dope is described, as are the measures that have been taken to protect the health of the athletes, including those who may need banned substances for medical reasons.
Follicular Lymphoma in a X‐linked Lymphoproliferative Syndrome Carrier Female
Authors: Woon S.‐T. , Ameratunga R. , Croxson M. , Taylor G. , Neas K. , Edkins E. , Browett P. , Gane E. , Munn S 
Published: July 2008

AbstractX‐linked lymphoproliferative (XLP) syndrome is a rare primary immune‐deficiency disorder caused by mutations of the SH2D1A or XIAP genes. Males with the disorder are usually in good health until contracting Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) whereupon the majority of patients die from fulminant infectious mononucleosis, lymphoma or hypogammaglobulinaemia. This report describes a female carrier with an XLP phenotype who was retrospectively identified after her grandson died from the disorder. Subsequent genetic testing identified the patient's mother and affected maternal grandmother as XLP carriers. The family’s medical records were significant. The proband had lymphoma at ages 2 and 8 and made a full recovery following treatment. Both the maternal grandmother and uncle died of non‐Hodgkin’s lymphoma. We were concerned that the XLP carrier mother may be predisposed to lymphoma if the normal X chromosome is skewed towards inactivation. The human androgen receptor assay detected random X chromosome inactivation in the carrier mother. EBV was not detected in the lymphoma tissues of the proband and his grandmother, confirming previous findings that EBV is not always associated with lymphoma in XLP. More significantly, our study highlights the importance of identifying XLP in families with a high incidence of lymphoma.
Adaptive survival mechanisms and growth limitations of small‐stature herb species across a plant diversity gradient
Authors: Daßler A. , Roscher C. , Temperton V. M. , Schumacher J. , Schulze E.‐D. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractSeveral biodiversity experiments have shown positive effects of species richness on aboveground biomass production, but highly variable responses of individual species. The well‐known fact that the competitive ability of plant species depends on size differences among species, raises the question of effects of community species richness on small‐stature subordinate species. We used experimental grasslands differing in species richness (1–60 species) and functional group richness (one to four functional groups) to study biodiversity effects on biomass production and ecophysiological traits of five small‐stature herbs (Bellis perennis, Plantago media, Glechoma hederacea, Ranunculus repens and Veronica chamaedrys). We found that ecophysiological adaptations, known as typical shade‐tolerance strategies, played an important role with increasing species richness and in relation to a decrease in transmitted light. Specific leaf area and leaf area ratio increased, while area‐based leaf nitrogen decreased with increasing community species richness. Community species richness did not affect daily leaf carbohydrate turnover of V. chamaedrys and P. media indicating that these species maintained efficiency of photosynthesis even in low‐light environments. This suggests an important possible mechanism of complementarity in such grasslands, whereby smaller species contribute to a better overall efficiency of light use. Nevertheless, these species rarely contributed a large proportion to community biomass production or achieved higher yields in mixtures than expected from monocultures. It seems likely that the allocation to aboveground plant organs to optimise carbon assimilation limited the investment in belowground organs to acquire nutrients and thus hindered these species from increasing their performance in multi‐species mixtures.
Fitness and genetic variation of Viola calaminaria, an endemic metallophyte: implications of population structure and history
Authors: Bizoux J.‐P. , Daïnou K. , Raspé O. , Lutts S. , Mahy G. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractWe investigated variations in genetic diversity and plant fitness in a rare endemic metallophyte of calamine soils, Viola calaminaria, in relation to population size, population connectivity and population history in order to evaluate and discuss potential conservation strategies for the species. Mean population genetic diversity (Hs = 0.25) of V. calaminaria was similar to endemic non‐metallophyte taxa. Twenty‐one per cent of the genetic variation was partitioned among populations and a low (9%) but significant differentiation was found among geographical regions. Our results did not support the hypothesis that the acquisition of metal tolerance may result in reduced genetic diversity, and suggested that strict metallophytes do not exhibit higher inter‐population differentiation resulting from scattered habitats. There were no relationships between population genetic diversity and population size. Significant correlations were found between plant fitness and (i) population size and (ii) connectivity index. Recently‐founded populations exhibited the same level of genetic diversity as ancient populations and also possessed higher plant fitness. There was no indication of strong founder effects in recently‐established populations. The results suggest that the creation of habitats through human activities could provide new opportunities for conservation of this species.
Unique occurrence of pectin‐like fibrillar cell wall deposits in xylem fibres of poplar
Authors: Arend M. , Muninger M. , Fromm J. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractUsing light and electron microscopic techniques, we studied the unique occurrence of fibrillar cell wall deposits in mature xylem fibres from poplar. These cell wall deposits lined the lumen‐facing side of the wall, mainly in fibres next to vessel elements. Different lines of evidence point to the pectin‐like nature of these fibrillar cell wall deposits. First, specific staining by Alcian Blue 8GX, a dye with high affinity for pectic substances. Second, the strongly reduced staining of the cell wall deposits in microscopic sections treated with pectolytic enzyme. Third, concomitant staining of pits, which are known to consist mainly of pectic substances. Given the pectin‐like nature of the fibrillar cell wall deposits as well as their preferred occurrence in fibres neighbouring water‐conducting vessel elements, a function for the fibrillar cell wall deposits in lateral water diffusion and stem water storage is hypothesised. The hypothesis is supported by the increased abundance of these cell wall deposits in wood tissue of a drought‐sensitive poplar species.
Identification of potential protein regulators bound to the tissue‐specific positive and negative cis‐acting elements of a green tissue‐specific promoter in rice
Authors: Cai M. , Yuan T. , Duan L. , Li X. , Wang S. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractAlthough some tissue‐specific cis‐acting elements have been identified, the molecular mechanisms of tissue‐specific gene expression remain elusive. Here, we report the identification by a yeast one‐hybrid screen of five proteins, Os10g31330/glycine‐rich, Os01g10400/metallothionein‐like, Os05g51180/nucleic acid‐binding, Os05g37930/unknown and Os01g01689/phosphatidylinositol kinase that bound to either the positive or negative tissue‐specific cis elements of a rice promoter from the green tissue‐specific D54O gene. These proteins are localised in the nucleus and the genes encoding them are differentially expressed in different tissues, further suggesting their putative roles in regulating gene expression. These results suggest that the green tissue‐specific expression of the D54O gene may be regulated by the interaction of multiple proteins with cis elements in the promoter region.
Female reproductive output in a Mediterranean shrub: effects from inflorescence to population
Authors: Sánchez A. M. , Albert M. J. , Escudero A. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractInflorescence effects have been poorly studied, in spite of the functional relevance of the inflorescence in fruit and seed ecology. The present study focused on the effects of inflorescence size and phenology, and flower position within the inflorescence, in relation to fruit and seed production of the Mediterranean shrub Ononis fruticosa. Variability in fruit and seed production, seed weight and germination were estimated and modelled. Results confirmed that the most important predictors in seed production were inflorescence flowering time and flower position within the inflorescence. Thus, the number of mature seeds per fruit was higher in earlier inflorescences and in basal positions. On the other hand, predation was higher in fruits in basal positions. In fact, seed predation seemed to be the most important factor controlling final seed production. Models at the plant level suggested a negative incidence of geitonogamous pollination and resource limitation, which were also observed at the fruit level. This study confirmed the relevance of inflorescence effects on the reproductive output of O. fruticosa. Although the underlying processes could not be identified, our results provide several hypotheses for future experimental studies.
Mapping of QTL for resistance to powdery mildew and resistance gene analogues in perennial ryegrass
Authors: Schejbel B. , Jensen L. B. , Asp T. , Xing Y. , Lübberstedt T. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe objective of this study was to map resistance gene analogues (RGA) and quantitative trait loci (QTL) for powdery mildew resistance in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). The mapping population consisted of 184 F2 genotypes produced from a cross between one genotype of a synthetic perennial ryegrass variety Veyo and one genotype from the perennial ryegrass ecotype Falster. The greenhouse infection was measured as number of sporulating colonies on a 10‐cm leaf area with the maximum possible number of colonies to be counted set to 50. The range of infection scores in the population was 0–50 and the heritability was 71.7%. In total, two QTL for powdery mildew resistance were identified, and mapped to linkage groups (LG) LG3 and LG7. Individually, these QTL explained between 7.5% and 22.1% of the total phenotypic variation. Six RGA and three laccases were mapped to LG2, LG3, LG4, LG5 and LG7, however, no close linkage between RGA and QTL was observed.
Chromosomal location in triticale of leaf rust resistance genes introduced from Triticum monococcum
Authors: Sodkiewicz W. , Strzembicka A. , Apolinarska B. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThis study was undertaken to understand the inheritance of leaf rust resistance in line TM16 of Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum var. macedonicum Papag. which is the source of resistance transferred into hexaploid triticale lines (Tcl/Tm). Thirty‐two secondary tetraploid genotypes were analysed cytologicaly to identify substitutions of Am‐genome chromosomes by their homoeologous A‐genome chromosomes from a leaf rust susceptible hexaploid triticale accession. Plants with one (or more) substituted chromosomes were inoculated with leaf rust at two growth stages. The disease phenotypes of these lines indicated that a major resistance gene was located on the short arm of T. monococcum chromosome 2Am. An additional gene on chromosome 6Am had complementary effects in enhancing the effects of the gene on chromosome 2Am.
Wheat leaf rust resistance gene Lr59 derived from Aegilops peregrina
Authors: Marais G. F. , McCallum B. , Marais A. S. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractAn Aegilops peregrina (Hackel in J. Fraser) Maire & Weiller accession that showed resistance to mixed leaf rust (Puccinia triticina Eriks.) inoculum was crossed with, and backcrossed to, hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). During backcrossing a chromosome segment containing a leaf rust resistance gene (here designated Lr59) was spontaneously translocated to wheat chromosome 1A. Meiotic, monosomic and microsatellite analyses suggested that the translocated segment replaced most of, or the complete, 1AL arm, and probably resulted from centromeric breaks and fusion. The translocation, of which hexaploid wheat line 0306 is the appropriate source material, provided seedling leaf rust resistance against a wide range of South African and Canadian pathotypes.
Development of PCR‐based markers for a major locus conferring powdery mildew resistance in mungbean (Vigna radiata)
Authors: Zhang M. C. , Wang D. M. , Zheng Z. , Humphry M. , Liu C. J. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractPowdery mildew (PM) can cause significant yield loss in mungbean and several loci conferring resistance to this disease have been identified. A restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) marker (VrCS65) linked closely to one of these loci was used to screen a mungbean bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library and positive BAC clones identified were used to develop simple sequence repeat (SSR or microsatellite) and sequence tagged site (STS) markers. Four of the new PCR markers (including two SSRs and two STSs) co‐segregated with the original RFLP marker VrCS65, and another SSR marker (VrCS SSR2) was located 0.5 cM away from it. These PCR‐based and locus‐specific markers could be useful in breeding cultivars with enhanced resistance to PM and in the further characterization of the locus including the isolation of gene(s) responsible for the resistance.
Na+/Ca2+ EXCHANGER INHIBITOR AMELIORATES IMPAIRED ENDOTHELIUM‐DEPENDENT Na+ RELAXATION INDUCED BY HIGH GLUCOSE IN RAT AORTA
Authors: Su Ying , Liu Xiao‐Min , Sun Yan‐Ming , Jin Hong‐Bo , Luan Ying , Wu Yun 
Published: July 2008

SUMMARY

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of KB‐R7943, an inhibitor of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, on impaired endothelium‐dependent relaxation (EDR) induced by high glucose in rat isolated aorta.
Both acetylcholine (ACh)‐induced EDR and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)‐induced endothelium‐independent relaxation (EIR) were measured after aortic rings had been exposed to high glucose in the absence and presence of KB‐R7943.
Coincubation of aortic rings with high glucose (25 mmol/L) for 24 h resulted in a significant inhibition of EDR, but had no effect on EIR. After incubation of aortic rings in the presence of both KB‐R7943 (0.1–10 µmol/L) and high glucose for 24 h, significantly attenuation of impaired EDR was observed. This protective effect of KB‐R7943 (10 µmol/L) was abolished by superoxide dismutase (SOD; 200 U/mL) and l‐arginine (3 mmol/L), whereas d‐arginine (3 mmol/L) had no effect. Similarly, high glucose decreased SOD activity and the release of nitric oxide (NO) and increased superoxide anion () production in aortic tissue. KB‐R7943 significantly decreased production and increased SOD activity and NO release.
These results suggest that KB‐R7943 can restore impaired EDR induced by high glucose in rat isolated aorta, which may be related to the scavenging of oxygen free radicals and enhanced NO production.
Effect of the CYP2C19 polymorphism on the eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori infection by 7‐day triple therapy with regular proton pump inhibitor dosage
Authors: Kang Jung Mook , Kim Nayoung , Lee Dong Ho , Park Young Soo , Kim Joo Sung , Chang In Jin , Song In Sung , Jung Hyun Chae 
Published: July 2008

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are mainly metabolized by cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) in the liver. We investigated whether the CYP2C19 genotype plays a role in the eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in patients receiving pantoprazole‐ or esomeprazole‐based triple therapy.Methods:  A total of 327 patients infected with H. pylori were treated with either pantoprazole or esomeprazole, plus amoxicillin and clarithromycin for 7 days. The presence of the CYP2C19 genotype was determined by pyrosequencing.Results:  The overall H. pylori eradication rate was 85%; 82.6% for the PAC regimen, and 88.3% for the EAC regimen; the differences were not statistically significant. The overall eradication rate in the poor metabolizer groups (PM) was significantly higher than in the extensive metabolizer groups (EM) (97.4% vs 83.3%; P = 0.016). The eradication rates in the EM and PM groups were 80.8% and 95.7% for the PAC regimen and 86.8% and 100% for the EAC regimen, respectively.Conclusion:  The results of this study suggest that the CYP2C19 genotype status may play a role in the H. pylori eradication rate in patients receiving pantoprazole or esomeprazole‐based triple therapy.