bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strong relationship between coral bleaching and growth anomalies in massive Porites
Authors: McCLANAHAN TIM R. , WEIL E. , MAINA J. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractReports of coral diseases are increasing and may result from human land use and climate change conditions such as increased water temperature, coral bleaching, runoff from land, and changes in the ecology of heavily fished reefs. We examined a stable coral syndrome or a growth anomaly [Porite growth anomaly (PGA)] (skeletal tissue anomaly, hyperplasia, or ‘tumor’) that was present in 0–15% of massive Porites colonies in 12 Kenyan reef lagoons. At the level of the calice morphology, this growth anomaly showed larger calices with less distance between calices and some calices with higher than normal numbers of septa, which indicate the influence of microboring organisms. Scanning electron micrographs of affected corals revealed a high abundance of fungal hyphae, a potential microboring pathogenic agent. To test the hypothesis that the PGA covaries with environmental variables, we evaluated its prevalence in relationship to 16 parameters of water quality, temperature, intensity of bleaching, benthic composition, and management at the end of the 2005 warm season. Stepwise regression models found eight environmental variables significantly associated with the frequency of the PGA, and the site's bleaching intensity was the most strongly associated variable. When bleaching intensity was removed from the dataset, the concentration of phosphorus was the one significant and positively associated variable, which suggest that the other significant environmental variables were associated with bleaching and not the growth anomalies. Our hypothetical model of causation is that the patchy loss of symbionts, often associated with bleaching, reduces calcification, increases susceptibility to pathogens, and allows endolithic fungi to perforate the skeleton creating a porous and anomalous growth of the skeleton. Consequently, we suggest that the frequency of skeletal growth anomalies is expected to increase with the frequency of coral bleaching.
Areas and algorithms: evaluating numerical approaches for the delimitation of areas of endemism in the Canary Islands archipelago
Authors: Carine Mark A. , Humphries Christopher J. , Guma I. Rosana , Reyes‐Betancort J. Alfredo , Santos Guerra Arnoldo 
Published: November 2008

AbstractAim Areas of endemism are the fundamental units of cladistic biogeographical analysis but there is no consensus on the most appropriate method for their delimitation. In this paper, the relative performance of a number of algorithmic approaches for the delimitation of areas of endemism is investigated within the context of the Canary Islands flora, and areas of endemism within the Canary Islands archipelago are defined.Location The Canary Islands.Methods A data matrix comprising the distributions of 609 endemic spermatophyte taxa (c. 90% of the endemic flora) scored on a 10 × 10 km UTM grid was analysed using: (1) UPGMA (unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean) clustering of Jaccard and Kulczynski similarity coefficient matrices, (2) parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE), and (3) the programndm(eNDeMism). The performance of each method was then determined by the extent to which the resulting areas of endemism met three criteria: (1) possession of two or more strict endemic taxa, (2) diagnosability, and (3) geographical contiguity.Results Each of the four methods resulted in substantially different sets of areas.ndmanalysis resolved 17 areas of endemism consistent with all three criteria, and collectively these accounted for 59% of all cells. In the hierarchical analyses none of the methods recovered more than eight areas of endemism, and the total coverage of cells ranged from 13% to 33% when the results were confined to intra‐island areas of endemism.Main conclusions ndmoutperforms hierarchical clustering methods in terms of both the number of intra‐island areas of endemism delimited that meet the three evaluation criteria and the total coverage of those areas.ndmmay also be considered preferable because it is non‐hierarchical, incorporates spatial information into the delimitation of areas, and permits overlap between areas of endemism where there is evidence to support it. The results support the use ofndmas the most appropriate method currently available for the delimitation of areas of endemism. The areas of endemism identified by thendmanalysis are discussed.
Larvae of related Diptera species from thermally contrasting habitats exhibit continuous up‐regulation of heat shock proteins and high thermotolerance
Authors: GARBUZ DAVID G. , ZATSEPINA OLGA G. , PRZHIBORO ANDREY A. , YUSHENOVA IRINA , GUZHOVA IRINA V. , EVGEN’EV MICHAEL B. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractA population of Stratiomys japonica, a species belonging to the family Stratiomyidae (Diptera), common name ‘soldier flies’, occurs in a hot volcanic spring, which is apparently among the most inhospitable environments for animals because of chemical and thermal conditions. Larvae of this species, which naturally often experience temperatures more than 40 °C, have constitutively high concentrations of the normally inducible heat‐shock protein Hsp70, but very low level of corresponding mRNA. Larvae of three other species of the same family, Stratiomys singularior, Nemotelus bipunctatus and Oxycera pardalina, are confined to different type semi‐aquatic habitats with contrasting thermal regime. However, all of them shared the same pattern of Hsp70 expression. Interestingly, heat‐shock treatment of S. japonica larvae activates heat‐shock factor and significantly induces Hsp70 synthesis, whereas larvae of O. pardalina, a species from constant cold environment, produce significantly less Hsp70 in response to heat shock. Adults of the four species also exhibit lower, but detectable levels of Hsp70 without heat shock. Larvae of all species studied have very high tolerance to temperature stress in comparison with other Diptera species investigated, probably representing an inherent adaptive feature of all Stratiomyidae enabling successful colonization of highly variable and extreme habitats.
Open‐ocean barriers to dispersal: a test case with the Antarctic Polar Front and the ribbon wormParborlasia corrugatus(Nemertea: Lineidae)
Authors: THORNHILL DANIEL J. , MAHON ANDREW R. , NORENBURG JON L. , HALANYCH KENNETH M. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractOpen‐ocean environments provide few obvious barriers to the dispersal of marine organisms. Major currents and/or environmental gradients potentially impede gene flow. One system hypothesized to form an open‐ocean dispersal barrier is the Antarctic Polar Front, an area characterized by marked temperature change, deep water, and the high‐flow Antarctic Circumpolar current. Despite these potential isolating factors, several invertebrate species occur in both regions, including the broadcast‐spawning nemertean wormParborlasia corrugatus. To empirically test for the presence of an open‐ocean dispersal barrier, we sampledP. corrugatusand other nemerteans from southern South America, Antarctica, and the sub‐Antarctic islands. Diversity was assessed by analyzing mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochromecoxidase subunit I sequence data with Bayesian inference andtcshaplotype network analysis. Appropriate neutrality tests were also employed. Although our results indicate a single well‐mixed lineage in Antarctica and the sub‐Antarctic, no evidence for recent gene flow was detected between this population and South AmericanP. corrugatus. Thus, even thoughP. corrugatuscan disperse over large geographical distances, physical oceanographic barriers (i.e. Antarctic Polar Front and Antarctic Circumpolar Current) between continents have likely restricted dispersal over evolutionary time. Genetic distances and haplotype network analysis between South American and Antarctic/sub‐AntarcticP. corrugatussuggest that these two populations are possibly two cryptic species.
OxyR tightly regulates catalase expression in Neisseria meningitidis through both repression and activation mechanisms
Authors: Ieva Raffaele , Roncarati Davide , Metruccio Matteo M. E. , Seib Kate L. , Scarlato Vincenzo , Delany Isabel 
Published: November 2008

SummaryMechanisms for coping with oxidative stress (OS) are crucial for the survival of pathogenic Neisseria spp. in the human host. In this study we investigate the mechanism by which OxyR finely regulates the catalase gene (kat) in Neisseria meningitidis. Detailed transcriptional analyses show that catalase is transcribed from a single promoter that is induced by H2O2 in an OxyR‐dependent manner and two key cysteine residues are essential for this. OxyR also represses the kat promoter: kat expression in the null mutant is at a constitutive intermediary level higher than uninduced, but lower than H2O2‐induced levels in the wild type. Our data are consistent with a model in which OxyR binds to the kat promoter and exerts: (i) repression of transcription in the absence of OS signal and (ii) activation of the promoter in response to OS signal. This direct double‐edged mechanism may ensure tight regulatory control of kat expression ensuring catalase is synthesized only when needed. In addition, our results provide an explanation for the altered OS resistance phenotypes seen in Neisseria mutant strains where, paradoxically, the oxyR mutants are more resistant than the wild type in oxidative killing assays.
Post‐transcriptional processing of the LEE4 operon in enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli
Authors: Lodato Patricia B. , Kaper James B. 
Published: November 2008

SummaryEnterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) employs a type III secretion system (T3SS) to export translocator and effector proteins required for mucosal colonization. The T3SS is encoded in a pathogenicity island called the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) that is organized in five major operons, LEE1 to LEE5. LEE4 encodes a regulator of secretion (SepL), translocators (EspA, D and B), two chaperones (CesD2 and L0017), a T3SS component (EscF) and an effector protein (EspF). It was originally proposed that the esp transcript is transcribed from a promoter located at the end of sepL but other authors suggested that this transcript is the result of a post‐transcriptional processing event. In this study, we established that the espADB mRNA is generated by post‐transcriptional processing at the end of the sepL coding sequence. RNase E is the endonuclease involved in the cleavage, but the interaction of this enzyme with other proteins through its C‐terminal half is dispensable. A putative transcription termination event in the cesD2 coding region would generate the 3′ end of the transcript. Similar to what has been described for other processed transcripts, the cleavage of LEE4 seems a mechanism to differentially regulate SepL and Esp protein production.
Monitoring the quality of maternity care: how well are labour and delivery events reported in population health data?
Authors: Roberts Christine L. , Bell Jane C. , Ford Jane B. , Morris Jonathan M. 
Published: November 2008

SummaryAdministrative or population health data sets (PHDS), such as birth and hospital discharge data, are used increasingly to evaluate maternity care. Use of PHDS requires reliable identification of diagnoses and procedures. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy and reliability of the reporting of diagnoses and procedures related to childbirth in both individual and linked, birth and ICD10‐coded hospital discharge data. Data from a population‐based validation study of 1200 women provided the ‘gold standard’ for labour and delivery events and were compared with the hospital discharge and birth databases. Reporting characteristics (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values) were determined for: induction, augmentation and obstruction of labour, modes of delivery (including failed instrumental delivery), episiotomy, perineal tears and repairs, and manual removal of the placenta. Differences in reporting by mode of delivery were also examined.Of the 1184 records available for review, 25% had labour induced, 25% had labour augmented and, of those who laboured, 17% had obstructed labour reported. Fourteen per cent had an elective/planned caesarean section (CS) including 2% that went into labour prior to the planned date, and 11% had an emergency, unplanned CS including 2% who had no labour. With the exception of augmentation and obstruction of labour, failed instrumental delivery and manual removal, there were high levels of accuracy for reporting of diagnoses and procedures during labour and delivery. There were no significant differences in reporting by mode of delivery. The findings suggest that PHDS‐reported induction of labour, mode of delivery, and 3rd and 4th degree tears and repairs can be reliably used to evaluate maternity care. Consistency in reporting in birth and hospital discharge data from different countries and over time suggests the findings are likely to be generalisable to high‐income countries.
Association between maternal seafood consumption before pregnancy and fetal growth: evidence for an association in overweight women. The EDEN mother‐child cohort
Authors: Drouillet Peggy , Kaminski Monique , De Lauzon‐Guillain Blandine , Forhan Anne , Ducimetière Pierre , Schweitzer Michel , Magnin Guillaume , Goua Valérie , Thiébaugeorges Olivier , Charles Marie‐Aline 
Published: November 2008

SummaryStudies in countries with high seafood consumption have shown a benefit on fetal growth and child development. The objective of our study was to determine the association between seafood consumption in French pregnant women and fetal growth. Pregnant women included in the EDEN mother‐child cohort study completed two food frequency questionnaires on their usual diet in the year before and during the last 3 months of pregnancy (n = 1805). Fetal circumferences were measured by ultrasound and anthropometry at birth. Variables were compared across tertiles of the mother's seafood consumption using multiple linear regression to adjust for confounding variables. Analyses were stratified by maternal overweight status because of an interaction between maternal seafood consumption and her body mass index (P < 0.01).There was no association between seafood intake and fetal growth in the whole sample of women. For overweight women (n = 464), higher consumption of seafood before pregnancy was associated with higher fetal biparietal and abdominal circumferences and anthropometric measures. From the lowest to the highest tertiles, mean birthweight was 167 g higher (P = 0.002). No significant association was found with consumption at the end of pregnancy. In conclusion, high seafood consumption before pregnancy is positively associated with fetal growth in overweight women.
The joint effects of maternal prepregnancy body mass index and age on the risk of gastroschisis
Authors: Siega‐Riz Anna Maria , Herring Amy H. , Olshan Andrew F. , Smith Joanna , Moore Cynthia ,   The National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Published: November 2008

SummaryYoung maternal age has been associated with an increased risk of gastroschisis, while high maternal weight status has been associated with a decreased risk. We were interested in investigating the joint effect of these two risk factors to identify thresholds in risk associated with body mass index (BMI) for a given age. Data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study included 464 case infants with gastroschisis and 4842 healthy controls. A generalised additive model with a bivariate spline for continuous maternal age and prepregnancy BMI was used to model the probability of gastroschisis.The bivariate spline in BMI and maternal age was significantly associated with gastroschisis (P = 0.0001) after adjustment for study centre, maternal race/ethnicity, education, income and number of persons supported by income, smoking, alcohol use, vitamin use, vasoconstrictor medication use and gestational diabetes. The data indicate that women who are younger and who have lower BMI are at the greatest risk; a woman with a BMI of 17 who gives birth at age 15 has 7 times the odds (adjusted odds ratio = 7.0 [95% CI 4.2, 11.5]) of having an offspring with gastroschisis compared with a woman of age 24 with a BMI of 23. Furthermore, there was an interaction between maternal age and BMI for this risk. The increased risk of low maternal age and prepregnancy BMI associated with gastroschisis appears to suggest an aetiological role related to biological immaturity for this particular birth defect.
Absence of fumarate hydratase mutation in a family with cutaneous leiomyosarcoma and renal cancer
Authors: Badeloe Sadhanna , Van Geest Adrienne J. , Van Marion Ariënne M. W. , Frank Jorge 
Published: November 2008

AbstractA 41‐year‐old man was diagnosed with a cutaneous leiomyosarcoma on the left shoulder. Family history revealed that his brother had died of a metastatic kidney tumor at young age. Although apparently rare, the familial occurrence of cutaneous leiomyosarcoma with renal cancer has been described in the context of hereditary cutaneous leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC). This rare genetic syndrome is caused by heterozygous mutations in the fumarate hydratase (FH) gene. Hence, the manifestation of these two rare malignancies within one family was strongly suggestive of a common underlying genetic defect. However, mutation analysis in the FH gene excluded HLRCC in this family. Although the familial occurrence of these rare tumors might be coincidental, it cannot be ruled out that, beside FH, mutations in another as yet unknown gene could give rise to both leiomyosarcoma and kidney cancer.
Brooke–Spiegler syndrome complicated by unilateral hearing loss
Authors: Parren Lizelotte J. M. T. , Bauer Boris , Hamm Henning , Frank Jorge 
Published: November 2008

AbstractBrooke–Spiegler syndrome is an autosomal dominant tumor predisposition disorder. The disease is characterized by the occurrence of multiple skin appendage tumors, including cylindroma, trichoepithelioma, and spiradenoma. In some patients, tumors cover the entire head circumference, thereby causing disfigurement and other complications. Here, we report on a man with multiple cylindroma that were distributed in a turban tumor‐like fashion. One of these neoplasms arose in the meatus externus of the right ear leading to unilateral hearing loss, a complication that has been documented only on few occasions in this disease.
HSP70 expression in the Copper butterfly Lycaena tityrus across altitudes and temperatures
Authors: KARL I. , SØRENSEN J. G. , LOESCHCKE V. , FISCHER K. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe ability to express heat‐shock proteins (HSP) under thermal stress is an essential mechanism for ectotherms to cope with unfavourable conditions. In this study, we investigate if Copper butterflies originating from different altitudes and/or being exposed to different rearing and induction temperatures show differences in HSP70 expression. HSP70 expression increased substantially at the higher rearing temperature in low‐altitude butterflies, which might represent an adaptation to occasionally occurring heat spells. On the other hand, high‐altitude butterflies showed much less plasticity in response to rearing temperatures, and overall seem to rely more on genetically fixed thermal stress resistance. Whether the latter indicates a higher vulnerability of high‐altitude populations to global warming needs further investigation. HSP70 expression increased with both colder and warmer induction temperatures.
Testing evolutionary stasis and trends in first lower molar shape of extinct Italian populations of Terricola savii (Arvicolidae, Rodentia) by means of geometric morphometrics
Authors: PIRAS P. , MARCOLINI F. , RAIA P. , CURCIO M. T. , KOTSAKIS T. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractExtinct populations of Terricola savii have been investigated in order to analyse evolutionary stasis and correlation of first lower molar shape with climatic proxies by means of geometric morphometrics. Evolutionary stasis, its recognition and explanation are central topics in evolutionary paleobiology. In this study, tooth shape variation of the arvicolid T. savii has been analysed through time. In addition to explicit multivariate tests of stasis based on landmark and semi‐landmark geometric morphometrics, first lower molar M1 shape has been decomposed in orthogonal axes of variation and tested for correlation with climate changes. Multivariate tests were consistent with evolutionary stasis. Yet, according to univariate tests, the dominant dimension of shape variation shows a temporal trend well correlated with a climatic proxy, i.e. δ18O. The remaining variation does not show any trend. Adaptation to current climatic condition might occur even without affecting shape as a whole. Phenotypic plasticity of this species could be invoked to explain evolutionary stasis, as a long time pattern.
Inactivation of hepatitis A virus by heat and high hydrostatic pressure: variation among laboratory strains
Authors: Shimasaki N. , Kiyohara T. , Totsuka A. , Nojima K. , Okada Y. , Yamaguchi K. , Kajioka J. , Wakita T. , Yoneyama T. 
Published: November 2008

Background and Objectives  Hepatitis A virus (HAV) transmission via contaminated blood products has been reported. Cell‐adapted HAV strains are generally used to confirm virus inactivation in manufacturing blood products, but the strains may differ in their sensitivity to inactivation treatment. To select an appropriate cell‐adapted HAV strain for virus validation, we compared the inactivation efficiency among four strains under two different physical inactivation treatments: heat and high hydrostatic pressure.Materials and Methods  The cell‐adapted HAV strains used here were KRM238, KRM003 (subgenotype IIIB), KRM031 (IA), and TKM005 (IB). The strains were treated at 60°C for up to 10 h or under high hydrostatic pressure (up to 420 MPa). The reduction in HAV infectivity was measured by an immunofocus‐staining method.Results  The heat treatment at 60°C for 10 h reduced HAV infectivity in the range of 3 to 5 log10 among the strains; KRM238 and TKM005 were harder to inactivate than the other two. The high hydrostatic pressure treatment at 420 MPa also reduced infectivity in the range of 3 to 5 log10 among the strains, and KRM031 was easier to inactivate than the other strains.Conclusion  Heat treatment and high hydrostatic pressure treatment revealed differences in inactivation efficiencies among cell‐adapted HAV strains, and each strain reacted differently depending on the treatment. KRM238 may be the best candidate for virus validation to ensure the safety of blood products against viral contamination, as it is harder to inactivate and it replicates better in cell culture than the other strains.
Human immunodeficiency virus 1 subtypes detected in Scottish blood donors
Authors: Davidson F. , Yirrell D. L. , Lycett C. , Petrik J. , Dow B. C. 
Published: November 2008

The aim of our study was to determine human immunodeficiency virus 1 subtypes in Scottish blood donors. We were able to document virus subtypes present in this population over a period of 19 years and examine associated risk factors where available. Subtype B was found to be the predominant cause of human immunodeficiency virus 1 infection in Scottish blood donors with subtype C increasing in this population after 2002. Non‐B subtypes were found mainly in heterosexuals but also in all other risk categories with the exception of men having sex with men (MSM). Within Scotland there is an increase in transmission via heterosexual contact and the consequential introduction of non‐B subtypes.