bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A matrix effect in pectin‐rich fruits hampers digestion of allergen by pepsin in vivo and in vitro
Authors: Polovic N. , Blanusa M. , Gavrovic‐Jankulovic M. , Atanaskovic‐Markovic M. , Burazer L. , Jankov R. , Velickovic T. Cirkovic 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground
It is a general belief that a food allergen should be stable to gastric digestion. Various acidic plant polysaccharides, including pectin, are ubiquitous in fruit matrixes and can form hydrogels under low‐pH conditions.Objective
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hydrogel forming polysaccharide‐rich fruit matrixes on in vivo gastric and in vitro pepsic digestion of fruit allergens.Methods
Fruit extract proteins (kiwi, banana, apple and cherry) and a purified major kiwi allergen Act c 2 were digested with simulated gastric fluid in accordance with the US Pharmacopeia. In vivo experiments on kiwi fruit digestion were performed on four healthy non‐atopic volunteers by examining the gastric content 1 h after ingestion of kiwi fruit. The Act c 2 and kiwi proteins were detected in immunoblots using monoclonal anti‐Act c 2 antibodies and rabbit polyclonal antisera.Results
Crude fruit extracts were resistant to digestion by pepsin when compared with commonly prepared extracts. In the gastric content of all volunteers, following kiwi fruit ingestion and immunoblotting, intact Act c 2 was detected with anti‐Act c 2 monoclonal antibodies, while kiwi proteins of higher molecular weights were detected using rabbit polyclonal antisera. Addition of apple fruit pectin (1.5% and 3%) to the purified kiwi allergen was able to protect it from pepsin digestion in vitro.Conclusion
The matrix effect in pectin‐rich fruits can influence the digestibility of food proteins and thereby the process of allergic sensitization in atopic individuals.
Cost‐effectiveness of grass allergen tablet (GRAZAX®) for the prevention of seasonal grass pollen induced rhinoconjunctivitis – a Northern European perspective
Authors: Bachert C. , Vestenbæk U. , Christensen J. , Griffiths U. K. , Poulsen P. B. 
Published: May 2007

SummaryBackgroundThe prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis has increased dramatically. Seventeen million people in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland suffer from grass pollen induced allergic rhinitis. Symptomatic therapy with antihistamines and topical steroids is partially effective but allergen‐specific immunotherapy by injection or sublingual routes is superior. The grass allergen tablet (GRAZAX®) is a new allergen‐specific immunotherapy for home administration.ObjectiveTo assess the cost‐effectiveness of the grass allergen tablet compared with symptomatic medication in seven Northern European countries.MethodsA prospective pharmacoeconomic analysis was carried out alongside a multinational clinical trial. Pooled data on resource use and health outcomes were collected. A societal perspective was adopted, and the analysis had a 9‐year time horizon. The outcome measure was Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs).ResultsThe grass allergen tablet was clinically superior to symptomatic treatment, producing statistically significant differences for all efficacy end‐points, including the number of QALYs gained – 0.976 vs. 0.947 QALYs gained. There was a significantly higher usage of the rescue medications loratadine and budesonide, and more hours missed from work (production loss), in the symptomatic treatment group. The cost per QALY gained in the grass allergen tablet group was similar in the seven countries (€12 930 to €18 263 for an annual cost of the grass allergen tablet of €1500). The analysis showed that the grass allergen tablet was cost‐effective for all countries for an annual treatment cost below €2200.ConclusionThe pharmacoeconomic analysis illustrated that allergen‐specific immunotherapy with the grass allergen tablet is a cost‐effective intervention for the prevention of grass pollen induced rhinoconjunctivitis in Northern European countries, for a tablet price below €6. In Germany for example the price of the tablet is €2.95 corresponding to a yearly treatment cost of €358 – based on a 9‐year time horizon.
Rapid evolution of sexual signals in sympatricCalopteryxdamselflies: reinforcement or ‘noisy‐neighbour’ ecological character displacement?
Authors: MULLEN S. P. , ANDRÉS J. A. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractEnhanced prezygotic isolation in sympatry is one of the most intriguing patterns in evolutionary biology and has frequently been interpreted as evidence for reinforcement. However, the frequency with which reinforcement actually completes speciation remains unclear. The Jewelwing damselflies (Calopteryx aequabilisandC. maculata) have served as one of the few classic examples of speciation via reinforcement outside ofDrosophila. Although evidence for wing pattern displacement and increased mate discrimination in this system have been demonstrated, the degree of hybridization and gene flow in nature are unknown. Here, we show that sympatric populations of these two species are the result of recent secondary contact, as predicted under a model of speciation via reinforcement. However, we found no phenotypic evidence of hybridization in natural populations and a complete association between species‐specific haplotypes at two different loci (mitochondrial CO I and nuclear EF1‐α), suggesting little or no contemporary gene flow. Moreover, genealogical and coalescent‐based estimates of divergence times and migration rates indicate that, speciation occurred in the distant past. The rapid evolution of wing colour in sympatry is recent, therefore, relative to speciation and seems to be better explained by selection against wasting mating effort and/or interspecific aggression resulting from a ‘noisy neighbour’ signalling environment.
Contraction‐induced [18F]‐fluoro‐deoxy‐glucose uptake can be measured in human calf muscle using high‐resolution PET
Authors: Kalliokoski Kari K. , Bojsen‐Møller Jens , Seppänen Marko , Johansson Jarkko , Kjaer Michael , Teräs Mika , Magnusson S. Peter 
Published: May 2007

SummaryContraction‐induced glucose uptake can be imaged and quantified by the use of positron emission tomography (PET). In the human extremities, such data may reveal important information regarding the in vivo mechanical function of e.g. the force transmitting tissues such as tendons. However, to investigate structures of limited size, a PET scanner with high resolution is required. We tested the potential of the recently developed high‐resolution brain PET scanner (ECAT HRRT) for imaging of human lower extremities. [18F]‐fluoro‐deoxy‐glucose uptake following voluntary and stimulated isometric muscle contractions was studied in a 30‐year‐old male. The results showed that the activated muscle or muscles are clearly delineated in the high‐resolution PET images. Furthermore, the load‐induced gain in tendon uptake was clearly visualized. In conclusion, the HRRT scanner is an appropriate tool for investigating physiological processes within the human extremities, and the very high resolution yields a potential for more accurate conclusions when target tissues are limited in size.
Diapause dynamics, seasonal phenology, and pupal color dimorphism of Papilio polyxenes in southern Florida, USA
Authors: Sims Steven R. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe seasonal phenology, pupal diapause, and pupal color dimorphism of a Papilio polyxenes Fabr. (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae: Papilionini) population from subtropical southern Florida, USA, were studied. Adult eclosion from field‐collected individuals indicated that this population is primarily active from the late dry season through the wet season (March–September). Most pupae entering diapause in April eclosed the same year but one pupa eclosed the following February. In laboratory tests, larval rearing under short days (L10:D14) induced 88.6% pupal diapause. Diapause responses to relatively longer (L12:D12–L16:D8) photoperiods ranged from 35.1–51.5%, and were statistically equivalent. These results indicate greater variability in the photoresponse of subtropical P. polyxenes compared to temperate populations that generally show little diapause under long‐day conditions and complete diapause under short days. The proportions of diapause pupae and brown pupal color, among broods reared at photoperiods ≥L12:D12, were both normally distributed. Diapause pupae were sensitive to photoperiods from L10:D14 to L16:D8. Diapause duration was inversely related to the photophase length to which the pupae were continuously exposed. Four generations of selection, at L10:D14, for non‐diapause reduced pupal diapause from 88.6 to 20.6%, indicating the existence of considerable additive genetic variance for this trait. Selection for non‐diapause increased the percentage of green pupae from 21.8 to 58.8% and decreased the incidence of diapause in both green and brown pupae. Brown pupal color and liability to diapause are linked, but this linkage is weaker than that documented in temperate populations. The overriding effect of short days (L10:D14) inducing only brown diapause pupae did not occur in southern Florida P. polyxenes.
Odour‐baited traps influence thrips capture in proximal unbaited traps in the field
Authors: Teulon David A.J. , Butler Ruth C. , James Dale E. , Davidson Melanie M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractTwo field experiments examined the distance over which an attractant odour of a volatile chemical could influence thrips capture in proximal traps that were without the odour. In each experiment a star‐shaped array of water traps consisted of a centre trap with or without an odour surrounded by odourless traps at 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 m in eight equally spaced radial arms 45° apart. Experiments ran for 47 h (centre trap: ethyl nicotinate) or 7 h (centre trap: ethyl isonicotinate). Each had four replicates. With ethyl nicotinate, more thrips were trapped in the centre‐baited traps than in the unbaited centre traps (63×, 7×, 98× and 200× for total thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman ♀, and Thrips obscuratus Crawford ♀and ♂, respectively) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). More total thrips and T. tabaci♀ were trapped in the centre traps baited with ethyl isonicotinate than in unbaited centre traps (21× for both). For ethyl nicotinate, numbers of T. obscuratus in unbaited traps downwind from the baited centre trap declined by 50% within 0.4 m (♀) and 2 m (♂) and by 95% within 3 m (both ♀ and ♂) based on model predictions. For ethyl isonicotinate, numbers of T. tabaci in unbaited traps downwind from the baited centre trap declined by 50% within 1.3 m and by 95% within 10 m based on model predictions. Wind direction was an important factor in the degree and direction of thrips capture with the highest thrips capture downwind from the centre trap with odour. There was no increase in numbers of T. tabaci in any traps without odour in the ethyl nicotinate‐centred array. Differences in trapping patterns between thrips species and odours indicated that there were thrips species–odour specific interactions. Experiments examining differences between traps with and without a thrips attractant odour need to be designed very carefully to ensure meaningful results especially in enclosed and/or low‐wind indoor situations.
Imperfect preference for singly parasitized hosts over doubly parasitized hosts in the semisolitary parasitoid Echthrodelphax fairchildii: implications for profitable self‐superparasitism
Authors: Ito Emi , Yamada Yoshihiro Y. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractSelf‐superparasitism can be profitable (i.e., a fitness gain) when conspecific female adult parasitoids prefer singly parasitized hosts over doubly parasitized hosts. This preference is expected to evolve when the value (i.e., the fitness gain from oviposition) of doubly parasitized hosts is lower than that of singly parasitized hosts. We examined whether such a preference is found in the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén) (Homoptera: Delphacidae), and its semisolitary infanticidal parasitoid Echthrodelphax fairchildii Perkins (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae). We compared the preferences and host values between each of four pairs of double and triple parasitism, each of which had the same time interval between the first and last oviposition bouts. Ovipositions on doubly and singly parasitized hosts occurred with similar frequencies in each of the four pairs, even though the doubly parasitized hosts were of lower value than the singly parasitized hosts. However, the value of doubly parasitized hosts with the first and second parasitoid offspring on the same side of the host was higher than that of hosts with the two offspring on different sides, and the value of the former did not differ significantly from that of singly parasitized hosts. The preferences between singly and doubly parasitized hosts with the two offspring on the same or different sides were as expected from differences in their values, except for one pair of double and triple parasitisms. This exception is considered attributable to an imperfect ability to evaluate hosts.
Effect of temperature on development, overwintering and establishment potential of Franklinothrips vespiformis in the UK
Authors: Larentzaki Eleni , Powell Glen , Copland Mike J. W. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThis study investigated the effect of temperature on the development and overwintering potential of the predatory thrips Franklinothrips vespiformis (Crawford) (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae), a biological control agent used against glasshouse pests in continental Europe and Israel. Developmental rates increased linearly with rearing temperatures. It was estimated that 304.9 degree days, above a lower threshold temperature of 11.9 °C, were required for F. vespiformis to complete development from egg to adult eclosion. The effect of low temperatures (–5, 0, and 5 °C) was examined on adult female and larval survival. Subsequent reproductive and developmental attributes of survivors were also investigated. Lethal time experiments indicated that larval stages are more cold tolerant than adult F. vespiformis females. Surviving larvae increased their developmental times to adults with decreasing temperature and increasing exposure periods and second instars were significantly more successful than first instars in reaching adulthood. Surviving adult females decreased their oviposition rate with decreasing temperature and increasing exposure periods, and exposures to low temperatures affected the number of viable eggs produced. The results are discussed in the context of overwintering and establishment potential of F. vespiformis in the UK in the event of introducing the predatory thrips as a biological control agent against glasshouse pests.
Mapping complex traits in diseases of the hair and skin
Authors: Aita V. M. , Christiano A. M. , Gilliam T. C. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe past decade has witnessed the ascendance of human genetics in modern medicine, and at the forefront of this movement is the identification of genetic factors underlying inherited diseases. The methods of genetic mapping and positional cloning have made the discovery of genes with alleles that cause simple Mendelian diseases commonplace. The elucidation of the genetic basis of such disorders has vitalized both human genetics and the entire medical community as the field has gained prominence. The fact remains, however, that diseases resulting from the action of alleles of a single gene comprise only a minor percentage of traits that are medically relevant to humanity. The majority of these are multifactorial “complex traits”, which result from the aggregate contribution of an unknown number of genes interacting with each other and with the environment. The current challenge has become one of parlaying successes in the mapping of Mendelian diseases into the discovery of genes whose alleles predispose the development of a complex disease. In light of this challenge, this review summarizes the methods and addresses some of the central issues of complex trait mapping, while using examples from dermatologically‐relevant complex traits such as psoriasis and alopecia. Additionally, current techinical and theoretical advances as well as the potential impact of the Human Genome Project will be discussed.
Detection of melanocortin‐1 receptor antigenicity on human skin cells in culture and in situ
Authors: Böhm M. , Metze D. , Schulte U. , Becher E. , Luger T. A. , Brzoska T. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe proopiomelanocortin (POMC) products α‐melanocyte stimulating hormone (α‐MSH) and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) bind to specific receptors known as the melanocortin (MC) receptors. There is increasing evidence that the MC receptor subtype 1 (MC‐1R) is expressed in vitro by several other cutaneous cell types besides melanocytes and keratinocytes. Our knowledge on the MC‐1R expression in skin, however, remains fragmentary. In order to examine the expression of MC‐1R in human skin cells in vitro and in situ, we made use of a recently described antibody directed against the amino acids 2‐18 of the human MC‐1R. Flow cytometry analysis revealed the highest MC‐1R antigenicity in normal melanocytes and keratinocytes, followed by dermal fibroblasts, microvacualar endothelial cells and WM 35 melanoma cells. Little or no expression was detected in KB carcinoma cells and Fs4 fibroblasts. In normal human skin, immunoreactivity for the anti‐MC‐1R antibody was detected in hair follicle epithelia, sebocytes, secretory and ductal epithelia of weat glands, and periadnexal mesenchymal cells. Interfollicular epidermis was largely unreactive in adult skin as opposed to undifferentiated kertinocytes of fetal skin. Our findings form a framework within which MC‐1 receptor expression can be studied in various skin diseases.
Skin roughness and wrinkle formation induced by repeated application of squalenemonohydroperoxide to the hairless mouse
Authors: Chiba K. , Sone T. , Kawakami K. , Onoue M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe present study examines the cumulative effects of sub‐erythema application of squalene‐monohydroperoxide (Sq‐OOH), the initial products of UV‐peroxidated squalene, to the skin of hairless mice. Sq‐OOH was isolated by the methanol extraction and preparative HPLC method. Repeated topical application of 10mM Sq‐OOH to hairless mice for 3 weeks induced definite skin roughness and crinkle formation. 3‐D surface parameter analysis revealed changes in all roughness parameters (number of furrows and crests, distance between a furrows and next crest, and irregularity) of the group treated with more than 3 mM Sq‐OOH compared to the control group. Theses skin surface changes were not induced by squalene, squalene‐monohydroxide (Sq‐OH) or organic hydroperxide such as tert‐butyl hydroperoxide and cumene ‐hydroperoxide at 10mM. Similarly, such changes were not induced by primary irritants, such as sodium lauryl sulfate and n‐tetradecane under the same experimental conditions. Skin conductance decreased, following application of 10 mM Sq‐OOH. Histological observation revealed that application of 10 mM Sq‐OOH induced slight hyperkeratosis, moderate epidermal thickening and slight hyperplasia of sebaceous glands.
Tumor necrosis factor‐alpha impairs contact hypersensitivity induction after ultraviolet B radiation via TNF‐receptor 2 (p75)
Authors: Kurimoto I. , Streilein J. W. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractAcute, low dose ultraviolet B radiation (UVR) impairs induction of contact hypersensitivity (CH) in genetically susceptible mice. Polymorphic alleles at the TNF‐α locus dictate the susceptibility phenotype, and neutralizing anti‐TNF‐α antibodies restore CH induction in mice exposed to UVR. This circumstantial evidence strongly implicates TNF‐α in the pathogenesis of failed CH induction after UVR. Using mice genetically deficient in TNF‐receptor 1 (p55) or TNF‐receptor 2 (p75), we now report that the capacity of TNF‐α to impair CH induction after UVR required signaling via TNF‐receptor 2, rather than TNF‐receptor 1. Moreover, acting via the same receptor, TNF‐α altered the density and morphology of class II MHC‐bearing epidermal Langerhans cells. However, UVR retained its capacity to induce tolerance in both TNF‐receptor 1 and TNF‐receptor 2 deficient mice, indicating that TNF‐α plays no role in the systemic immune deficit created by UVR.
How realistic is cutaneous gene therapy?
Authors: Hengge U. R. , Taichman L. B. , Kaur P. , Rogers G. , Jensen T. G. , Goldsmith L. A. , Rees J. L. , Christiano A. M. 
Published: May 2007

Recent progress with innovative, experimental gene therapy approaches in animals, and recent improvements in our understanding and manipulation of stem cells, gene expression and gene delivery systems, have raised plenty of hopes in essentially all branches of clinical medicine that hitherto untreatable or poorly manageable diseases will soon become amenable to treatment. Few other organ systems have received such enthusiastic reviews in recent years as to the chances and prospects of gene therapy as the skin, with its excellent accessibility and its pools of – seemingly – readily manipulated epithelial stem cells (cf. Cotsarelis et al., Exp Dermatol 1999: 8: 80–88).However, as in other sectors of clinical medicine, the actual implementation of general gene therapy strategies in clinical practice has been faced with a range of serious difficulties (cf. Smith, Lancet 1999: 354 (suppl 1): 1–4; Lattime & Gerson (eds.), Gene Therapy of Cancer, Academic Press, San Diego, 1999). Thus, it is critically important to carefully distinguish unfounded hype from justified hope in this embryonal area of dermatologic therapy, to discuss in detail what can be realistically expected from cutaneous gene therapy approaches in the next few years, and importantly, what kind of promises should not be made to our patients at this time.
Anesthesia and intraoperative support of homeostasis in fast‐track rehabilitation for elective colonic surgery
Authors: HENSEL MARIO , STRACKE S. , KRIMPHOVE M. , BLOCH A. , VON HEYMANN CHRISTIAN , SPIES CLAUDIA 
Published: May 2007

SUMMARYThis review discusses the fast‐track rehabilitation protocol in use at the Charité University Hospital for patients undergoing elective colonic resection, as well as underlying mechanisms and clinical pathways. In particular, it examines the anesthesiological aspects of this multimodal approach, such as revised guidelines for preoperative fasting, modified pre‐ and postoperative fluid management and effective analgetic therapy, including epidural analgesia, short‐acting anesthetic agents and the avoidance of high doses of systemic opioids. Maintenance of normothermia and normovolemia is also discussed.