bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Smoking status of step‐parents as a risk factor for smoking in adolescence
Authors: Fidler Jennifer A. , West Robert , Van Jaarsveld Cornelia H. M. , Jarvis Martin J. , Wardle Jane 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTAim  To examine the extent to which smoking by step‐parents and biological parents predicts adolescent smoking.Design  Five‐year cohort study.Setting  Thirty‐six schools in South London, England.Participants  A subset of 650 students participating in the Health and Behaviour In Teenagers Study (HABITS), who reported living in step‐families, were assessed annually from age 11–12 to age 15–16 years.Measurements  Students reported their smoking status, which was cotinine‐verified, as well as whether their parents smoked and, if they lived with a step‐parent, whether that step‐parent smoked. Analyses also controlled for gender, ethnicity and deprivation.Findings  Students who reported that just their step‐parent smoked at age 11–12 were significantly more likely to report current smoking at any time‐point from age 11–16 than those who reported having neither biological parents nor a step‐parent who smoked [odds ratio (OR) 2.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.36–5.47], as were those with both a parent and a step‐parent who smoked (OR 2.23, 95% CI = 1.46–3.41). While the association between smoking in students and smoking in biological parents in this subsample did not reach statistical significance (OR 1.39, 95% CI = 0.88–2.19), these students were no more or less likely to smoke than those with just a step‐parent who smoked.Conclusion  Smoking by a non‐biological parent appears at least as influential as smoking by biological parents. This confirms the importance of social influence on smoking initiation and suggests that attempts to work with parents in smoking prevention should involve, and perhaps pay particular attention to, step‐parents who smoke.
Seasonal changes in antigen‐specific T‐helper clone sizes in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis: a 2‐year study
Authors: Horiguchi S. , Tanaka Y. , Uchida T. , Chazono H. , Ookawa T. , Sakurai D. , Okamoto Y. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryBackground
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a typical type I allergic disease that occurs through the induction of allergen‐specific effector T cells. Once established, new effector T cells derive mostly from memory T cells that are capable of surviving for extended periods, although the mechanisms by which these memory functions are maintained have not yet been clarified. In particular, the exact life‐span of memory T cells is still not well understood.Objective
Pollinosis patients seemed to be suitable subjects to investigate because such patients are exposed to antigens strongly for only a limited period once a year. We compared the seasonal changes in memory T‐helper type 2 (Th2) between pollinosis and perennial allergic subjects.Methods
The clone sizes of the Japanese cedar pollen‐specific memory Th cells were measured by an ELISPOT assay using specific peptides from the patients with cedar pollinosis, and the seasonal changes were noted. This study was performed for 2 years. The cedar‐specific IgE levels in the peripheral blood were also studied. Mite allergy patients were also enrolled in the study.Results
The Japanese cedar‐specific IL‐4‐producing Th2 cells were detected in all patients examined, although the number of cells was low. These Th memory cells increased during the pollen season and decreased during the off‐season. However, more than 60% of the cedar‐specific memory Th2 cells survived up to 8 months after the pollen season. The cedar‐specific IgE levels exhibited changes similar to the cedar‐specific Th cells. On the other hand, there was no drifting of Th memory clone size with the mite allergics, and the IgE levels also did not change.Conclusions
While pollen‐specific Th cells decreased after pollen exposure, their memory functions continued. Memory clone size maintenance therefore requires repetitive antigen irritation.
Associations of FcɛRIβ E237G polymorphism with wheezing in Taiwanese schoolchildren
Authors: Lee Y‐L. , Gilliland F. D. , Wang J‐Y. , Lee Y‐C. , Guo Y. L. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryBackground
The β‐chain of a high‐affinity IgE receptor (FcɛRIβ) has been proposed as a candidate gene for atopic diseases, but previous studies have come to inconsistent conclusions. Because some air pollutants would produce oxidative stress, increase serum IgE, and trigger T‐helper type 2 (Th2)‐type airway inflammation, the associations of FcɛRIβ polymorphism with wheezing illness may vary by their exposures and variants of oxidant defence genes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of FcɛRIβ E237G polymorphism with wheezing illness and to determine whether these associations vary with air pollution and glutathione S‐transferase (GST) P1‐105 and M1 genotypes.Methods
In 2001, we conducted a case–control study comprised of 214 children with any history of wheezing and 185 non‐wheezing controls, all of whom were selected from 2558 fourth‐ to ninth‐grade schoolchildren in southern Taiwan. We examined differences in associations with ambient air pollution and by GST genotypes.Results
Compared with the FcɛRIβ EE genotype, children with the G allele had a significantly reduced risk of lifetime wheezing with low‐ozone exposure [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08–0.69]. The risk was not reduced in children living in high‐ozone communities (aOR=0.98, 95% CI 0.57–1.67). This difference in genotypic effects between low‐ and high‐pollution environments was statistically significant. The reduction of the protective effect from the G allele with higher air pollution was most marked in the GSTP1‐105 Ile/Val or Val/Val and GSTM1 null groups.Conclusion
The FcɛRIβ E237G allele may have a protective role in wheezing illness among Taiwanese schoolchildren, depending on airway oxidative stress levels.
Factor analysis in the Genetics of Asthma International Network family study identifies five major quantitative asthma phenotypes
Authors: Pillai S. G. , Tang Y. , Van Den Oord E. , Klotsman M. , Barnes K. , Carlsen K. , Gerritsen J. , Lenney W. , Silverman M. , Sly P. , Sundy J. , Tsanakas J. , Von Berg A. , Whyte M. , Ortega H. G. , Anderson W. H. , Helms P. J. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryBackground
Asthma is a clinically heterogeneous disease caused by a complex interaction between genetic susceptibility and diverse environmental factors. In common with other complex diseases the lack of a standardized scheme to evaluate the phenotypic variability poses challenges in identifying the contribution of genes and environments to disease expression.Objective
To determine the minimum number of sets of features required to characterize subjects with asthma which will be useful in identifying important genetic and environmental contributors.Methods
Probands aged 7–35 years with physician diagnosed asthma and symptomatic siblings were identified in 1022 nuclear families from 11 centres in six countries forming the Genetics of Asthma International Network. Factor analysis was used to identify distinct phenotypes from questionnaire, clinical, and laboratory data, including baseline pulmonary function, allergen skin prick test (SPT).Results
Five distinct factors were identified:(1) baseline pulmonary function measures [forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC)], (2) specific allergen sensitization by SPT, (3) self‐reported allergies, (4) symptoms characteristic of rhinitis and (5) symptoms characteristic of asthma. Replication in symptomatic siblings was consistent with shared genetic and/or environmental effects, and was robust across age groups, gender, and centres. Cronbach's α ranged from 0.719 to 0.983 suggesting acceptable internal scale consistencies. Derived scales were correlated with serum IgE, methacholine PC20, age and asthma severity (interrupted sleep). IgE correlated with all three atopy‐related factors, the strongest with the SPT factor whereas severity only correlated with baseline lung function, and with symptoms characteristic of rhinitis and of asthma.Conclusion
In children and adolescents with established asthma, five distinct sets of correlated patient characteristics appear to represent important aspects of the disease. Factor scores as quantitative traits may be better phenotypes in epidemiological and genetic analyses than those categories derived from the presence or absence of combinations of +ve SPTs and/or elevated IgE.
Alveolar macrophages from allergic lungs are not committed to a pro‐allergic response and can reduce airway hyperresponsiveness following ex vivo culture
Authors: Pouliot P. , Spahr A. , Careau É. , Turmel V. , Bissonnette E. Y. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryBackground
We already demonstrated that adoptive transfer of alveolar macrophages (AMs) from non‐allergic rats into AM‐depleted allergic rats prevents airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). We also showed that AMs from non‐sensitized, but not from sensitized, allergy‐prone rats can prevent AHR following allergen challenge in sensitized allergic animals, establishing the importance of rat immunological status on the modulation of AM functions and suggesting that an allergic lung environment alters AM functions.Objective
We investigated how the activation of allergic AMs can be modulated to reinstitute them with their capacity to reduce AHR.Methods
AMs from sensitized Brown Norway rats were cultured ex vivo for up to 18 h in culture media to deprogram them from the influence of the allergic lung before being reintroduced into the lung of AM‐depleted sensitized recipient. AHR and cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were measured following allergen challenge. AMs stimulated ex vivo with Bacillus Calmette‐Guerin (BCG) were used as positive controls as BCG induces a T‐helper type 1 activation in AMs.Results
AMs ex vivo cultured for 4–18 h reduced AHR to normal level. Interestingly, pro‐allergic functions of AMs were dampened by 18 h culture and they reduced AHR even after spending 48 h in an allergic lung microenvironment. Furthermore, transfer of cultured AMs caused an increase in the levels of IFN‐γ and IL‐12 in BAL when compared with their ovalbumin control. After 18 h of ex vivo culture, AMs expressed reduced levels of TNF, IL‐1α, IL‐6, and Arginase‐2 mRNAs compared with freshly isolated AMs, suggesting that ex vivo culture exempted AMs from lung stimuli that affected their functions.Conclusions
There is a significant crosstalk between lung microenvironment and AMs, affecting their functions. It is also the first report showing that sensitized AMs can be modulated ex vivo to reduce lung pro‐allergic environment, opening the way to therapies targetting AMs.
Soluble PD‐1 rescues the proliferative response of simian immunodeficiency virus‐specific CD4 and CD8 T cells during chronic infection
Authors: Onlamoon Nattawat , Rogers Kenneth , Mayne Ann E. , Pattanapanyasat Kovit , Mori Kazuyasu , Villinger Francois , Ansari Aftab A. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryPhenotypic and functional studies of the programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) molecule on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells from uninfected and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)‐infected rhesus macaques. These data demonstrated a rapid upregulation of PD‐1 expression on tetramer‐positive CD8+ T cells from MamuA.01+ SIV‐infected macaques upon infection. Upregulation of PD‐1 on total CD8+ T cells was not detectable. In contrast, CD4+ T‐cell PD‐1 expression was markedly higher in total CD4+ T cells during chronic, but not acute, infection and there was a correlation between the level of PD‐1 expression on naive and central memory CD4+ T cells and the levels of viral loads. Such association was emphasized further by a marked decrease of PD‐1 expression on tetramer‐positive CD8 T cells as well as on CD4+ T cells on longitudinal samples collected before and after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy and downregulation of viral replication in vivo. Cloning of PD‐1 and its two ligands from several non‐human primate species demonstrated > 95% conservation for PD‐1 and PD‐L2 and only about 91% homology for PD‐L1. Functional studies using soluble recombinant PD‐1 protein or PD‐1–immunoglobulin G fusion proteins induced marked increases in the SIV‐specific proliferative responses of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from rhesus macaques. The results of these studies serve as a foundation for future in vivo trials of the use of rMamu‐PD‐1 to potentially enhance and/or restore antiviral immune responses in vivo.
Quantitative trait loci analysis of phytate and phosphate concentrations in seeds and leaves of Brassica rapa
Authors: ZHAO JIANJUN , JAMAR DIAAN C. L. , LOU PING , WANG YANHUA , WU JIAN , WANG XIAOWU , BONNEMA GUUSJE , KOORNNEEF MAARTEN , VREUGDENHIL DICK 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTPhytate, being the major storage form of phosphorus in plants, is considered to be an anti‐nutritional substance for human, because of its ability to complex essential micronutrients. In the present study, we describe the genetic analysis of phytate and phosphate concentrations in Brassica rapa using five segregating populations, involving eight parental accessions representing different cultivar groups. A total of 25 quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting phytate and phosphate concentrations in seeds and leaves were detected, most of them located in linkage groups R01, R03, R06 and R07. Two QTL affecting seed phytate (SPHY), two QTL affecting seed phosphate (SPHO), one QTL affecting leaf phosphate and one major QTL affecting leaf phytate (LPHY) were detected in at least two populations. Co‐localization of QTL suggested single or linked loci to be involved in the accumulation of phytate or phosphate in seeds or leaves. Some co‐localizing QTL for SPHY and SPHO had parental alleles with effects in the same direction suggesting that they control the total phosphorus concentration. For other QTL, the allelic effect was opposite for phosphate and phytate, suggesting that these QTL are specific for the phytate pathway.
Predictors of trait aggression in bipolar disorder
Authors: Garno Jessica L , Gunawardane Nisali , Goldberg Joseph F 
Published: February 2008

Objectives:  Although aggressive behavior has been associated with bipolar disorder (BD), it has also been linked with developmental factors and disorders frequently found to be comorbid with BD, making it unclear whether or not it represents an underlying biological disturbance intrinsic to bipolar illness. We therefore sought to identify predictors of trait aggression in a sample of adults with BD.Methods:  Subjects were 100 bipolar I (n = 73) or II (n = 27) patients consecutively evaluated in the Bipolar Disorders Research Program of the New York Presbyterian Hospital‐Payne Whitney Clinic. Diagnoses were established using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM‐IV (SCID‐I) and Cluster B sections of the SCID‐II. Mood severity was rated by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). Histories of childhood maltreatment were assessed via the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), while trait aggression was measured by the Brown‐Goodwin Aggression Scale (BGA).Results:  In univariate analyses, significant relationships were observed between total BGA scores and CTQ total (r = 0.326, p = 0.001), childhood emotional abuse (r = 0.417, p < 0.001), childhood physical abuse (r = 0.231, p = 0.024), childhood emotional neglect (r = 0.293, p = 0.004), post‐traumatic stress disorder (t = −2.843, p = 0.005), substance abuse/dependence (t = −2.914, p = 0.004), antisocial personality disorder (t = −2.722, p = 0.008) and borderline personality disorder (t = −5.680, p < 0.001) as well as current HDRS (r = 0.397, p < 0.001) and YMRS scores (r = 0.371, p < 0.001). Stepwise multiple regression revealed that trait aggression was significantly associated with: (i) diagnoses of comorbid borderline personality disorder (p < 0.001); (ii) depressive symptoms (p = 0.001); and (iii) manic symptoms (p < 0.001).Conclusions:  Comorbid borderline personality disorder and current manic and depressive symptoms each significantly predicted trait aggression in BD, while controlling for confounding factors. The findings have implications for nosologic distinctions between bipolar and borderline personality disorders, and the developmental pathogenesis of comorbid personality disorders as predisposing to aggression in patients with BD.
Efficacy of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. against the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris L., in strawberries
Authors: Sabbahi R. , Merzouki A. , Guertin C. 
Published: February 2008

Abstract Beauveria bassiana has a high insecticidal potential to control the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, a significant pest of strawberries. Screening experiments showed that L. lineolaris adults were susceptible to several B. bassiana isolates. Another screening test with Coleomegilla maculata, a natural enemy found in strawberries, was also performed in order to select the isolate having lower entomopathogenic impact on this insect. Based on data obtained from both insect species and on the ecozone origin of the B. bassiana isolates, INRS‐IP and INRS‐CFL isolates were selected for further experiments. The LC50 values of these two isolates against L. lineolaris adults were 7.8 × 105 and 5.3 × 105 conidia/ml, and average survival time (AST) values were 4.46 and 4.37 days at a concentration of 1 × 108 conidia/ml respectively. Results also indicated that L. lineolaris nymphs are susceptible to the selected isolates. During field experiments, using a randomized block design with four replicates, INRS‐IP and INRS‐CFL isolates were applied at two rates (1 × 1011 and 1 × 1013 conidia/ha) weekly during a period of 4 weeks. These multiple applications triggered a significant reduction of L. lineolaris nymphal populations in strawberries. Twenty‐four days after the first application, a significant difference was observed between the mean population densities of surviving nymphs in all B. bassiana‐treated plots (less than one insect per five plants) compared with those in control plots (four insects per five plants). During the field experiment, persistence of insecticidal activity and viability of B. bassiana conidia were also monitored. The results showed the presence of viable and infective conidia up to 6 days after each application on strawberry foliage. Moreover, the multiple applications of B. bassiana at the rate of 1 × 1013 conidia/ha triggered a significant reduction in strawberry fruit injuries induced by L. lineolaris feeding behaviour compared with the control plots.
Efficacy of Beauveria bassiana against the strawberry pests, Lygus lineolaris, Anthonomus signatus and Otiorhynchus ovatus
Authors: Sabbahi R. , Merzouki A. , Guertin C. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThere are several insect species causing serious economic losses in strawberry, Fragaria vesca L., productions. In Quebec, Canada, the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), the strawberry bud weevil clipper, Anthonomus signatus (Say) and the strawberry root weevil, Otiorhynchus ovatus (L.) are the most important pests. We tested the susceptibility of these pests to the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana under laboratory conditions. Sixteen isolates were evaluated for their insecticide potential against these insects. Adults of each species were infected by the immersion method. All isolates were pathogenic to adults of all three species, causing mortality rates between 23.3% and 100% at a concentration of 1 × 107 conidia/ml. Based on the screening results, isolate INRS‐CFL was selected for its insecticide potential and then used for further analyses against L. lineolaris, A. signatus and O. ovatus adults. Bioassays were performed to evaluate the lethal concentration (LC50) and the average survival time (AST) of this isolate against both insect species. Results of dose–response mortality bioassays using four concentrations – 1 × 104, 1 × 106, 1 × 108 and 1 × 109 conidia/ml – indicated a LC50 values of 5.3 × 105, 1.8 × 107 and 9.9 × 107 conidia/ml at 7 days after inoculation for L. lineolaris, A. signatus and O. ovatus respectively. Using a dose of 1 × 108 conidia/ml, the AST values were estimated at 4.41, 7.56 and 8.29 days, respectively, at a concentration of 1 × 108 conidia/ml. This study demonstrated the potential of B. bassiana for the management of L. lineolaris, A. signatus and O. ovatus. Results also suggest that the heteropteran species is more susceptible than coleopteran species to B. bassiana.
Soil Salinity and Water Stress and Their Effect on Susceptibility to Verticillium Wilt Disease, Ion Composition and Growth of Pistachio
Authors: Saadatmand A. R. , Banihashemi Z. , Sepaskhah A. R. , Maftoun M. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe effects of soil salinity and water stress on Verticillium wilt, ion composition and growth of pistachio were studied in a greenhouse experiment (18–32°C). Treatments consisted of three levels of salinity (0, 1200 and 2400 mg NaCl/kg soil), three levels of water stress (3, 7 and 14 day irrigation regimes) and two Pistachio cultivars (Sarakhs and Qazvini, common rootstocks in Iran). Infested soil containing 50 microsclerotia/g of a pistachio isolate of Verticillium dahliae was used for all treatments and non‐infested soils were used as control. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. Eight‐week‐old pistachio seedlings were transferred to infested and non‐infested soil and then exposed to salt stress and thereafter water stress. Shoot dry weights of both rootstocks were reduced significantly with increasing NaCl levels; however, increasing irrigation regimes reduced salt injury. Salt stress significantly increased shoot and root colonization by V. dahliae in both cultivars. Moreover, increasing of salinity level was positively correlated with increasing concentrations of Na+, K+ and Cl− in both cultivars, but negatively correlated with increasing irrigation regimes. Based on these results, Sarakhs and Qazvini were found to be sensitive and tolerant to the effect of irrigation regimes, salinity and Verticillium wilt disease, respectively. Although there were no interactive effects of irrigation and salinity on V. dahliae infection.