bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A patatin‐like protein protects Toxoplasma gondii from degradation in activated macrophages
Authors: Mordue Dana G. , Scott‐Weathers Casey F. , Tobin Crystal M. , Knoll Laura J. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryThe apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is able to suppress nitric oxide production in activated macrophages. A screen of over 6000 T. gondii insertional mutants identified two clones, which were consistently unable to suppress nitric oxide production from activated macrophages. One strain, called 89B7, grew at the same rate as wild‐type parasites in naïve macrophages, but unlike wild type, the mutant was degraded in activated macrophages. This degradation was marked by a reduction in the number of parasites within vacuoles over time, the loss of GRA4 and SAG1 protein staining by immunofluorescence assay, and the vesiculation and breakdown of the internal parasite ultrastructure by electron microscopy. The mutagenesis plasmid in the 89B7 clone disrupts the promoter of a 3.4 kb mRNA that encodes a predicted 68 kDa protein with a cleavable signal peptide and a patatin‐like phospholipase domain. Genetic complementation with the genomic locus of this patatin‐like protein restores the parasites ability to suppress nitric oxide and replicate in activated macrophages. A haemagglutinin‐tagged version of this patatin‐like protein shows punctate localization into atypical T. gondii structures within the parasite. This is the first study that defines a specific gene product that is needed for parasite survival in activated but not naïve macrophages.
Management of liver hemangiomas according to size and symptoms
Authors: Erdogan Deha , Busch Olivier RC , Van Delden Otto M , Bennink Roelof J , Ten Kate Fiebo JW , Gouma Dirk J , Van Gulik Thomas M 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Liver hemangiomas are the most common benign liver tumors. These lesions are usually incidental findings during imaging studies of the abdomen performed for other reasons. The indication for surgical resection of these lesions remains controversial.Methods:  Records of patients referred for evaluation of radiologically and/or histopathologically proven liver hemangiomas, from June 1991 to February 2006, were retrospectively analyzed. Reason for referral, results of imaging studies, and surgical treatment and outcome were reviewed.Results:  There were 34 patients identified. The hemangioma size was <5 cm in 15 patients (44%) and >5 cm in 19 patients. The most common reason for referral was right upper abdominal pain in 59% (20/34) of patients. Abdominal ultrasound was conclusive in 66.7% (16/24) and four‐phase computed tomography (CT) in 82.6% (19/23) of patients. Surgical resection was undertaken in 14 patients (41%) after a mean follow‐up time of 36.5 months. The indication for treatment was progressive abdominal pain in 78.6% (11/14). Mean size of resected lesions was larger compared to non‐resected lesions (10.3 vs 4.8 cm; P = 0.004). Postoperative morbidity occurred in three patients (21.4%). One patient had persisting abdominal pain after resection of an 8‐cm hemangioma. Twenty patients were observed and showed no complications related to the liver hemangioma during follow‐up.Conclusions:  Liver hemangiomas can be readily diagnosed by ultrasound or multiphase contrast‐enhanced helical CT. The indications for surgical resection are progressive abdominal pain in combination with size >5 cm. Observation is justified in patients with minimal or no symptoms, even in patients with giant hemangiomas.
Defective triggering of secondary peristalsis in patients with non‐erosive reflux disease
Authors: Iwakiri Katsuhiko , Hayashi Yoshinori , Kotoyori Makoto , Tanaka Yuriko , Kawami Noriyuki , Sano Hirohito , Takubo Kaiyo , Sakamoto Choitsu , Holloway Richard H 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  The pathophysiology of non‐erosive reflux disease is poorly understood. Triggering of secondary peristalsis is impaired in patients with erosive esophagitis but data in patients with non‐erosive reflux disease are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in esophageal motility between patients with non‐erosive reflux disease and healthy subjects.Methods:  Twenty patients with non‐erosive reflux disease, with reflux symptoms occurring more than twice per week, and 20 healthy subjects of comparable age and sex underwent esophageal manometry. Primary peristalsis was tested with 10 swallows of a 5‐mL water bolus. Secondary peristalsis was triggered by esophageal distention using a 20‐mL air bolus, which was injected rapidly into the mid‐esophagus. After 20 s, each stimulus was followed by a dry swallow to clear any residual air and then each stimulus was repeated five times.Results:  Basal lower esophageal sphincter pressure, pressure wave amplitude in the upper, middle and lower esophagus, wave velocity and the rates of successful primary peristalsis were similar in non‐erosive reflux disease patients and controls. The rate of triggering of secondary peristalsis in patients with non‐erosive reflux disease (median 20%, interquartile range 0–40%) was significantly lower (P < 0.0001) than that in healthy subjects (90%, 70–100%). When secondary peristalsis occurred in patients with non‐erosive reflux disease, however, there were no differences in the amplitude and velocity of secondary peristalsis between the groups.Conclusions:  Triggering of secondary peristalsis is defective in non‐erosive reflux disease. This could lead to prolongation of the contact time between refluxed gastric acid and esophageal mucosa thereby leading to symptoms.
PPAR agonists treatment is effective in a nonalcoholic fatty liver disease animal model by modulating fatty‐acid metabolic enzymes
Authors: Seo Yeon Seok , Kim Ji Hoon , Jo Nam Young , Choi Kyung Mook , Baik Sei Hyun , Park Jong‐Jae , Kim Jae Seon , Byun Kwan Soo , Bak Young‐Tae , Lee Chang Hong , Kim AeRee , Yeon Jong Eun 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground and Aims:  In a previous study, the authors found that reduced expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)‐α might play an important role in developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of PPAR‐α and ‐γ agonists on NAFLD and verify the mechanisms underlying the PPAR‐α and ‐γ agonist‐induced improvements by evaluating the hepatic gene expression profile involved in fatty‐acid metabolism, using the Otsuka–Long Evans–Tokushima fatty (OLETF) rat.Methods:  Rats were assigned to a control group (group I), fatty liver group (group II), PPAR‐α agonist treatment group (group III), or PPAR‐γ agonist treatment group (group IV). Fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured. Liver tissues from each group were processed for histological and gene expression analysis. mRNAs of enzymes involved in fatty‐acid metabolism and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α were measured.Results:  After 28 weeks treatment with PPAR‐α or ‐γ agonist, steatosis of the liver was improved in groups III and IV compared with group II. Fasting blood glucose levels were significantly lower in groups III and IV than in group II. In group III, mRNA expression of fatty‐acid β‐oxidation enzymes, such as fatty‐acid transport protein (FATP), fatty‐acid binding protein, carnitine palmitoyltransferase II, medium‐chain acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD), long‐chain acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase, and acyl‐CoA oxidase, was significantly increased. However, the treatment‐induced modulation of fatty‐acid β‐oxidation enzymes was confined to FATP and MCAD in group IV. TNF‐α tended to be reduced in groups III and IV compared with group II.Conclusions:  Treatment with PPAR agonists, especially a PPAR‐α agonist, improved the histological and biochemical parameters in the OLETF rat model by inducing fatty‐acid metabolic enzymes.
Impact of sleep disturbances in inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Ranjbaran Ziba , Keefer Laurie , Farhadi Ashkan , Stepanski Edward , Sedghi Shahriar , Keshavarzian Ali 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground:  Normal sleep is paramount for a healthy lifestyle and high quality of life. Sleep modulates the immune system and thus affects the course of several chronic inflammatory conditions. There are no reported studies that address the role of sleep disturbance in the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this study was to characterize sleep disturbance in IBD using validated measures of sleep and quality of life.Methods:   A self‐administered, mail‐in questionnaire package was sent to 205 subjects after a brief instruction. The questionnaire package was composed of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a measure of disease severity and the IBD‐Quality of Life Questionnaire. A total of 119 subjects were recruited (58% response rate): 80 with inactive IBD, 24 with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and 15 healthy controls.Results:  The IBD subjects reported significantly prolonged sleep latency, frequent sleep fragmentation, higher rate of using sleeping pills, decreased day‐time energy, increased tiredness and poor overall sleep quality compared to healthy controls. The abnormal sleep patterns in IBD subjects were similar to IBS subjects. The reported sleep quality was correlated with IBD disease severity score (r2 = 0.55, P = 0.02). Both IBD and IBS subjects thought that sleep and their disease status were correlated.Conclusion:  The results show that IBD patients have significant sleep disturbance even when their disease is not active. This problem might affect quality of life, gastrointestinal symptoms and coping ability, and might potentially modify disease severity or increase risk of flare‐up. Regardless of the primary or secondary origin of this problem, sleep disturbance should be addressed in the clinical management of patients with IBD.
Rat control and breeding performance in Cory's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea): effects of poisoning effort and habitat features
Authors: Igual J. M. , Forero M. G. , Gomez T. , Orueta J. F. , Oro D. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIntroduced predators are one of the main threats to island avifaunas. However, the magnitude of their impact in the Mediterranean has not often been studied. This is the case for the introduced alien black rats Rattus rattus, the most destructive predator of seabirds in the Mediterranean. Here, we analyse the impact of black rats on the breeding performance of Cory's shearwater Calonectris diomedea breeding at the Chafarinas Islands, an archipelago with a very high density of rats. An intensive rat control campaign (through anticoagulant poison) was carried out during 1999–2004 at two shearwater sub‐colonies with contrasting habitat features (vegetated vs. rocky). Breeding success of Cory's shearwaters increased in proportion to the effort of rat control. Such increase was mainly due to a decline in black rat predation on chicks, while eggs losses remained constant throughout the period. We found a differential effectiveness of rat control in each sub‐colony. The increase in breeding success after rat control was higher in the sub‐colony with lower breeding success (the vegetated habitat), but this parameter never reached the values shown by the other sub‐colony (the rocky habitat). Our results suggest that habitat characteristics of each case of study must be taken into account when designing and evaluating specific rat control programs.
Gamebird vulnerability to forest fragmentation: patch occupancy of the crested guineafowl (Guttera edouardi) in Afromontane forests
Authors: Lawes M. J. , Fly S. , Piper S. E. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe forest‐restricted and social crested guineafowlGuttera edouardiis believed to be declining in Afromontane forests due to the fragmentation of its habitat. Incidence functions, derived from presence/absence data from 82 forests, were used to investigate area, isolation and environmental/anthropogenic effects on guineafowl patch occupancy and persistence. The incident probability of the guineafowl increased significantly with increasing area, but was invariant with increasing isolation distance from a putative mainland source patch. Most large patches (>24 ha, mean of occupied patches=192 ha), comprising 22% of those surveyed, were occupied. From incidence functions the estimated minimum viable patch size, at which the extinction probability was unity, was 33 ha. Guineafowl were less likely to be present in forests close (<0.5 km) to human dwellings. Apart from the proximity of a patch to dwellings, all other environmental factors had no significant effect on occupancy patterns. However, because of their large home‐range area requirements, the guineafowl are more vulnerable to fragmentation effects, especially area effects, than most forest songbird species. Although reluctant dispersers, crested guineafowl appear to persist in mainland–island metapopulations with low immigration rates. The crested guineafowl is not under immediate threat of regional extinction and current populations are not too isolated to create a sound mainland–island metapopulation network.
A new method to identify important conservation areas applied to the butterflies of the Aegean Islands (Greece)
Authors: Fattorini S. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractSelection of priority areas in conservation biology should incorporate an evaluation of the contribution of imperilled species to the total species richness. To rank areas according to their conservation value, a new index – termed biodiversity conservation concern (BCC) – is proposed. This index combines the conservation status of each species belonging to a given species assemblage with the total species richness. In the BCC index, species are classified into categories of endangerment and weighted by the respective risk of extinction. The new method is applied here to the butterflies of the Aegean Islands (Greece) using different (national and international) red lists. Results were consistent with both classifications based on multivariate analyses and findings from other researches. The BCC index has two important features: it assigns a biodiversity value to an area based on many species, and it facilitates multi‐species assessments of ecological effects.
Estimation of the nesting season of marine turtles from incomplete data: statistical adjustment of a sinusoidal function
Authors: Gratiot N. , Gratiot J. , Kelle L. , de Thoisy B. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBecause of logistical and financial constraints, nest counts of marine turtles are often limited in time and space. To overcome this difficulty, we developed a numerical model that fits the seasonal pattern of marine turtles nesting from complete or fragmented datasets. The duration of the main nesting season, the position and amplitude of its maximum as well as the residual number of nests, outside of the main season are obtained numerically by a least square adjustment. For the seven complete time series at our disposal (Dermochelys coriacea and Lepidochelys olivacea turtles, coast of French Guiana), the model reproduces the seasonal pattern with a correlation of r≥0.97. When applied on a fragmented dataset, the model accuracy depends on the duration and on the temporal distribution of the monitoring (effort equally distributed during the entire season or concentrated on a part of it only). As a result of this study, we clearly advocate a strategy of monitoring distributed all over the nesting season. Following this recommendation, the model estimates the annual number of nests with a median error lower than 10% when considering only 50 days of monitoring.
Advanced‐glycation end products (AGEs) derived from glycated albumin suppress early β1‐adrenergic preconditioning
Authors: Robinet Arnaud , Alouane Loubna , Hoizey Guillaume , Millart Hervé 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIschemic heart disease in diabetic patients might be linked to the accumulation of advanced‐glycation end products (AGEs). In ischemic rat hearts, expression of receptor for AGEs and its ligands is significantly enhanced and involved in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury even in the absence of diabetes. It has recently been reported that diabetic human myocardium cannot be protected by preconditioning. In this context, our hypothesis was that β1‐adrenergic preconditioning might be altered in the presence of AGEs. Using an isolated non‐working rat heart model, this study investigated the effect of AGEs on cardioprotection induced by transient β1‐adrenoceptor (β1‐AR) stimulation with xamoterol (Xa). After 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) pre‐treatment and a 20‐min stabilization period, hearts were perfused at constant pressure for 20 min, then subjected to 40 min of global ischemia and 30 min of reperfusion (I/R, Ctrl); and exposed to 0.01 μm Xa for 5 min framed with or without 15.2 μm albumin (Alb) or glycated albumin (Gly Alb). The main endpoints were the mean coronary flow (MCF), the left ventricular end‐diastolic pressure (LVEDP), rate‐pressure product (RPP) and creatine kinase (CK) release and necrosis area. XA induced an increase in the MCF after I/R (t = 85 min), a protective effect on the LVEDP, an improvement in RPP, a decrease of CK release during reperfusion and a reduction of necrotic area. The beneficial effects induced by Xa during reperfusion were suppressed by the administration of Gly Alb during Xa infusion, whereas Alb did not hamper Xa‐induced protection. These results suggest that AGEs suppress the cardioprotection resulting from the activation of β1‐ARs and thus might contribute to cardiovascular damages seen in diabetic patients.
Effect of resveratrol, a polyphenolic phytoalexin, on thermal hyperalgesia in a mouse model of diabetic neuropathic pain
Authors: Sharma Sameer , Kulkarni Shrinivas K. , Chopra Kanwaljit 
Published: December 2006

AbstractDiabetic neuropathic pain, an important microvascular complication in diabetes mellitus, has been recognized as one of the most difficult types of pain to treat. The underlying mechanisms of painful symptoms may be closely associated with hyperglycaemia but a lack of the understanding of its proper aetiology, inadequate relief, development of tolerance and potential toxicity of classical antinociceptives warrant the investigation of the newer agents to relieve this pain. The aim of the present study was to explore the antinociceptive effect of resveratrol on diabetic neuropathic pain and to examine its effect on serum tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and whole brain nitric oxide (NO) release. Four weeks after a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 200 mg/kg), mice were tested in the tail immersion and hot‐plate assays. Diabetic mice exhibited significant hyperalgesia along with increased plasma glucose and decreased body weights when compared with control mice. Daily treatment with resveratrol (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg body weight; p.o.) for 4 weeks starting from the 4th week of STZ injection significantly attenuated thermal hyperalgesia. Resveratrol also decreased the serum TNF‐α levels and whole brain NO release in a dose‐dependent manner. These results point towards the potential of resveratrol in attenuating diabetic neuropathic pain.
Vasorelaxant effect of iloprost on isolated human internal mammary artery
Authors: Serbest M.O. , Soner B.C. , Sariosmanoglu O.N. , Kalkan S. , Guven H. , Ugurlu B. , Hazan E. , Oto O. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIn this study, vasodilator effect of iloprost on KCl‐induced contraction in human internal mammary artery (IMA) was studied and compared with other vasodilators papaverin and diltiazem. Ring segments of IMA were studied in organ baths for measurement of isometric tension. After the tissues has reached their baseline tension, precontraction was induced by 100 mm KCl and cumulative concentration–relaxation was measured by the application of iloprost (10−9–10−6 m), papaverine (10−5–10−4 m), diltiazem (10−9–10−4 m) or ethanol; a solvent for iloprost; alone. The maximal relaxation of IMA segments to iloprost was 13.5 ± 2.2%. Iloprost caused significantly limited relaxation when compared with papaverin (106.0 ± 2.9%) and diltiazem (93.6 ± 2.5%) (P < 0.001). Papaverin produced the greatest maximal relaxation to KCl‐induced contraction of IMA. The potency of iloprost (−log EC50 = 6.59 ± 0.19) was significantly higher than those of papaverine (−log EC50 = 4.21 ± 0.11) and diltiazem (−log EC50 = 5.63 ± 0.06) (P < 0.001). In addition, −log EC50 of diltiazem was significantly greater than papaverin (P < 0.001). Iloprost appears to be more potent than those of papaverine and diltiazem but it was inefficient in maximal inhibition on KCl‐induced contraction. Iloprost may have little benefit in KCl‐related vasoconstriction on human IMA segments.
Contractile and relaxant properties of rat‐isolated pulmonary veins related to localization and histology
Authors: Bronquard Cécile , Maupoil Véronique , Arbeille Brigitte , Fetissof Franck , Findlay Ian , Cosnay Pierre , Freslon Jean‐Louis 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro vasomotor properties of rat extra‐and intralobar pulmonary veins (PVs) related to their localization and to assess the modulatory role of endothelium on these properties. Segments from PVs were mounted in small vessel myograph and stretched at various diameters (D10, D20, D30) corresponding to intraluminal pressures of 10, 20 or 30 mmHg. At D10 or D20, contractile responses to phenylephrine, U46619 and angiotensin II of distal intralobar part of PVs were smaller compared with those of proximal extralobar part, but no longer different when distal part was stretched at D30. When submitted to an NO donor, sodium nitroprusside, distal part of PV relaxed more strongly when stretched at D30 compared with D10. Acetylcholine and bradykinin were devoid of relaxing effect on distal parts stretched at D10, but in contrast to acetylcholine, bradykinin slightly relaxed preparations stretched at D30. Isoprenaline strongly relaxed PVs (∼80% of initial precontraction), with the distal part exhibiting a higher sensitivity to the agonist compared with the proximal part. This relaxation was also observed with salbutamol and suppressed with ICI 118551, which is in favour of the involvement of β2‐adrenoceptors in this effect. Preincubation of the preparations with NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (10−4 m) and indomethacin (10−5 m) did not modify the contractile responses to U46619, nor the relaxing response to isoprenaline, which support that endothelium does not appear to play a significant modulatory role in these responses. Histological and electron microscopical examinations of proximal and distal sections of the same vein show that the layers of smooth muscle cells and cardiomyocytes were thicker in the proximal compared with the distal part. This study shows that, because of morphological heterogeneity of the PVs, the site of dissection and the initial condition of tension can play a significant role upon the sensitivity and the magnitude of the responses to both contractile and relaxing agonists.