bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antigen presentation and dendritic cell biology in malaria
Authors: STEVENSON M. M. , URBAN B. C. 
Published: December 2005

SUMMARY Dendritic cells (DCs) are important both in amplifying the innate immune response and in initiating adaptive immunity and shaping the type of T helper (Th) response. Although the role of DCs in immune responses to many intracellular pathogens has been delineated and research is underway to identify the mechanisms involved, relatively little is known concerning the role of DCs in immunity to malaria. In this review, we provide an overview and summary of previous and current studies aimed to investigate the role of DCs as antigen presenting cells (APCs). In addition, the role of DCs in inducing innate and adaptive immunity to blood‐stage malaria is discussed and, where information is available, the mechanisms involved are presented. Data from studies in humans infected with Plasmodium falciparum, the major human parasite responsible for the high morbidity and mortality associated with malaria throughout many regions of the developing world, as well as data from experimental mouse models are presented. Overall, the data from these studies are conflicting. The possible reasons for these differences, including the use of different parasite species and parasite strains in the mouse studies, are discussed. Nevertheless, together the data have important implications for development of an effective malaria vaccine since the selection of appropriate Plasmodium antigens and/or adjuvants, targeting innate immune responses involving DCs, may provide optimal protection against malaria. It is hoped that this review promotes more investigation among malariologists and immunologists alike on DCs and malaria.
Immune effector mechanisms in malaria
Authors: MARSH K. , KINYANJUI S. 
Published: December 2005

SUMMARY
That humans in endemic areas become immune to malaria offers encouragement to the idea of developing protective vaccines. However natural immunity is relatively inefficient, being bought at the cost of substantial childhood mortality, and current vaccines are only partially protective. Understanding potential targets and mechanisms of protective immunity is important in the development and evaluation of future vaccines. Some of the problems in identifying such targets and mechanisms in humans naturally exposed to malaria may stem from conceptual and methodological issues related to defining who in a population is susceptible, problems in defining immune responsiveness at single time points and issues related to antigenic polymorphism, as well as the failure of many current approaches to examine functional aspects of the immune response. Protective immune responses may be directed to the pre erythrocytic parasite, to the free merozoite of the blood stage parasite or to new antigens induced on the infected red cell surface. Tackling the methodological issues of defining protection and immune response, together with studies that combine functional assays with new approaches such as allelic exchange and gene knock out offer opportunities for better defining key targets and mechanisms.
Intergenic recombination with HLA‐C leads to a novel HLA‐A*19 allele, HLA‐A*2910†, that is characterized by a functionally inactive amino acid exchange in the loop connecting the α2 and α3 domains
Authors: Mosebach M. , Brixner V. , Bader P. , Klingebiel T. H. , Seifried E. , Seidl C. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractThis report describes the HLA‐A*29 allele (A*2910) that has been identified by sequence‐based typing in an 8‐year‐old Turkish female with leukaemia during search for a family‐related stem cell donor. The allele is characterized by a nucleotide substitution (Guanine to Adenine) in exon 3 at position 258, leading to an amino acid exchange from glutamic acid to lysine at position 177. From family analysis and sequence comparison, the HLA‐A*2910 allele has arisen from intergenic recombination with HLA‐C. Structurally, the amino acid exchange at position 177 is probably functionally inactive due to the location of this amino acid exchange in the loop connecting the α2 and α3 domains.
Levels of the soluble forms of CD80, CD86, and CD83 are elevated in the synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients
Authors: Hock B. D. , O'Donnell J. L. , Taylor K. , Steinkasserer A. , McKenzie J. L. , Rothwell A. G. , Summers K. L. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractThe release of soluble forms of CD80 (sCD80), CD86 (sCD86), and CD83 (sCD83) provide a potentially powerful immunoregulatory mechanism. We therefore investigated the potential presence and relative levels of these molecules in the synovial fluid (SF) and serum of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). Serum and SF levels were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Serum levels of sCD80, sCD86, and sCD83 in RA and OA patients were similar to those present in normal donor serum (NDS) and the SF of OA patients. In contrast, when compared with NDS and OA SF levels, almost all RA SF samples had elevated sCD83 levels (32/35, >0.63 ng/ml) and a substantial proportion had elevated sCD80 (13/29, >0.22 ng/ml) or sCD86 (16/33, >2.31 ng/ml) levels. Analysis of matched pairs of serum and SF from RA patients demonstrated that the SF/serum ratio for sCD80 (95% CI = 1.7–3), sCD86 (95% CI = 1.5–3.1), and sCD83 (95% CI = 3.6–7.8) levels was >1 in almost all patients. In conclusion, this study shows that the SF from almost all RA patients contain elevated levels of sCD83 and the majority of these samples also contain elevated levels of sCD80 and/or sCD86. These molecules may play a role in modulating immune responses within the rheumatoid joint.
A deletion in exon 3 results in a new HLA‐A*01 null allele (A*0115N) in a Martinican woman
Authors: Béra O. , Dubois V. , Assaqa A. , Belon P. , Favre‐Victoire I. , Gebuhrer L. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractWe report the identification of a new HLA‐A null allele, HLA‐A*0115N. This null allele has been identified within the A*01 group by a combination of serological and molecular typing [Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sequence‐specific primers, PCR sequence‐specific oligoprobes and sequence‐based typing (SBT)] in a potential intrafamilial bone marrow donor from Martinique (French West Indies). To characterize this A*01 null allele, we performed DNA typing by PCR‐SBT on genomic DNA from the beginning of exon 2 (position 84) through the end of the exon 4 (position 895) and revealed a nucleotide deletion at the end of the exon 3. This sole difference between the new allele and the HLA‐A*0101 generates a premature stop codon (TGA) in the beginning of exon 4. This deletion most likely explains the lack of cell surface expression of the encoded protein despite the presence of A*01 allele. The absence of correct expression of the antigen on the cell surface was confirmed by one‐dimensional isoelectric focusing (1D‐IEF). To date, this is the fourth null allele described within the A*01 group.
Clinical Acceptability of Crown Margins Versus Marginal Gaps as Determined by Pre‐Doctoral Students and Prosthodontists
Authors: Bronson Michael R. , Lindquist Terry J. , Dawson Deborah V. 
Published: December 2005

Purpose: Marginal integrity is a very important element in evaluating a restoration; however, there is no agreement in definition of a clinically acceptable margin. The purpose of this investigation was to examine margin acceptability using an explorer versus the actual marginal gap widths at four locations on uncemented crowns on three extracted teeth using both predoctoral students and prosthodontists as evaluators.
Materials and Methods: The crown margin evaluation used 16 surfaces of four crowns fitting to three extracted caries‐free teeth fitted into a dentiform. The teeth (nos. 14, 20, and 29) were prepared for a full cast (gold) crown using a chamfer finish line configuration, with some margins supragingival and others subgingival. After final impressions and working casts were made, die spacer was applied to the marginal area of the die before waxing to vary the marginal opening. The dentiform was placed in a mannequin in a supine position. Predoctoral students (N = 10) and prosthodontists (N = 9) evaluated each axial surface of each crown in the zone along the margin with an explorer and rated each surface as either “clinically acceptable” or “unacceptable.” After casting, the axial marginal openings were measured with Image Pro Software using a digital microscopic image of the surface. Each participant repeated the margin evaluations 6 months later.
Results: Upon casting, marginal gaps ranged from 40 μm to 615 μm. The proportions of prosthodontists and of predoctoral students rating a given surface as “clinically unacceptable” were highly correlated (Spearman rank correlation = 0.81, p= 0.0001). The prosthodontists did not provide more or fewer ratings of clinical acceptability than the students, although kappa results indicated that the prosthodontists might be more consistent among themselves than the student raters. Upon re‐evaluation, both groups rated between one and six of the surfaces differently than they had previously: the median number of inconsistencies was 1 for prosthodontists and 3 for predoctoral students. The prosthodontists tended to have fewer inconsistencies than the predoctoral students (0.05 < p < 0.10 Wilcoxon rank sum test), but this was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: The data provided evidence that those surfaces associated with greater margin gaps tended to have a greater proportion of ratings of “clinically unacceptable.” The proportion of prosthodontists and predoctoral students rating a margin “clinically unacceptable” were highly correlated. Prosthodontists tended to have fewer inconsistencies than predoctoral students, but that difference was not statistically significant.
The Effect of Water Absorption on Acrylic Surface Properties
Authors: Devlin Hugh , Kaushik Prashant 
Published: December 2005

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to determine whether an increased water content during thermal cycling of hot water‐treated acrylic was associated with a reduction in surface hardness and an increased opacity or whitening of the surface.
Materials and Methods: Ten acrylic samples were treated with 30 soak cycles (cycle duration, 24 hours), using warm water (40°C) and an alkaline peroxide tablet (Efferdent® control group); a further ten samples were treated with boiling water (100°C) and one Efferdent® tablet (experimental group). Indentation hardness of the acrylic specimens was measured prior to and immediately following the completion of the warm and hot water treatments, using an automated micro‐indentation system. The hydrated acrylic specimens were then allowed to air dry at room temperature (20°C) and were weighed weekly until they had obtained a constant dry weight. The loss in weight of the acrylic specimens represented the maximum water absorption.
Results: The hot water‐treated specimens were much whiter than the warm water‐treated specimens. The mean reduction in hardness (HIT) of the acrylic specimens following the treatment with hot water and alkaline peroxide tablet was 12.9%. Treatment with warm water and alkaline peroxide resulted in a slight increase in mean hardness (2.63%). There was a significant correlation between the water content of the acrylic specimens after treatment and the percentage of change in indentation hardness (r= 0.495, p= 0.026).
Conclusions: The hot water treatment of the acrylic was associated with a significant reduction in hardness. We attribute the whitening and reduction in the hardness of the hot water‐treated specimens to absorption of water and a disruption of the acrylic surface structure.
A Survey of U.S. Prosthodontists and Dental Schools on the Current Materials and Methods for Final Impressions for Complete Denture Prosthodontics
Authors: Petrie Cynthia S. , Walker Mary P. , Williams Karen 
Published: December 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to survey members of The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) to evaluate current materials and methods for final impressions for complete denture prosthodontics in the United States. In addition, those methods were compared with methods and materials taught in U.S. dental schools via a second survey sent to the chairpersons of prosthodontic/restorative departments.
Materials and Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was mailed to all 1762 active ACP members in the United States in 2003. A slightly modified questionnaire was also distributed to chairpersons of prosthodontic/restorative departments in the 54 U.S. dental schools. Data analysis was performed via frequency distribution and chi‐square statistics.
Results: Nine hundred and forty‐five questionnaires were returned by members of the ACP (54% return rate) and 42 questionnaires were returned by the U.S. dental schools (78% return rate). The majority of the reporting prosthodontists (88%) and dental schools (98%) use a border‐molded custom tray for final impressions for complete denture prosthodontics. The most popular material for border molding was plastic modeling compound (67% of reporting ACP members, and 95% of the responding dental schools). Variability of the materials used for final impressions was observed, with the most popular materials being polyvinylsiloxane for the ACP members (36%) and polysulfide for the dental schools (64%). Statistically significant differences were found in the materials used for border molding by prosthodontists based on the time elapsed since completion of prosthodontic training. No differences were found in the materials used for impression of edentulous arches based on years of experience. Geographic location did not influence the materials and methods used by prosthodontists for complete denture final impressions.
Conclusions: There was variability of the materials and techniques used for final impressions by ACP members and dental schools; however, overall there was an agreement on the materials and techniques used by prosthodontists and dental schools. Distinct trends for increasing use of polyvinylsiloxane and polyether for border molding procedures and impressions of edentulous arches were observed both in members of the ACP and in the U.S. dental schools.
Comparison of Bond Strength of a Pressed Ceramic Fused to Metal versus Feldspathic Porcelain Fused to Metal
Authors: Schweitzer Daniel M. , Goldstein Gary R. , Ricci John L. , Silva N.R.F.A. , Hittelman Eugene L. 
Published: December 2005

Purpose: To compare the debonding/crack initiation strength (D/CIS) of a low‐fusing pressable leucite‐based glass ceramic (PC) fused to metal to a feldspathic porcelain (FP) fused to metal.
Materials & Methods: As per ISO 9693:1999, 40 rectangular metal specimens (25.0 mm × 0.5 mm × 3.0 mm) were prepared. Twenty of the specimens were cast in a base metal nickel‐chromium alloy (BA), and 20 were cast in a noble metal palladium‐silver alloy (NA). Ten randomly selected NA and BA alloy specimens had FP applied. The remaining 10 NA and BA alloy specimens had ash‐free wax patterns applied, the metal‐wax complexes invested, and were pressed with a PC. The dimensions of the ceramic specimens were 8.0 mm × 1.0 mm × 3.0 mm, creating a combined metal‐ceramic complex thickness of 1.5 mm. All specimens were subject to a three‐point bending test at a crosshead speed of 1.5 mm/min. Fracture loads were recorded in Newtons and D/CISs calculated by the formula τb=k×Ffail.
Results: Mean D/CISs, measured in MPa (standard deviations): NA‐FP 32.56 (4.62), NA‐PC 30.23 (5.06), BA‐FP 30.98 (4.41), and BA‐PC 31.81 (3.48). A two‐way ANOVA (p > 0.05) did not demonstrate significant difference between groups.
Conclusion: The debonding/crack initiation strength of a low‐fusing pressable leucite‐based glass ceramic fused to metal was equivalent to that of a feldspathic porcelain fused to metal.
Red blood cell alloantibodies after transfusion: factors influencing incidence and specificity
Authors: Schonewille Henk , Van De Watering Leo M.G. , Loomans Dominique S.E. , Brand Anneke 
Published: December 2005

BACKGROUND:  Alloimmunization after exposure to red cell (RBC) alloantigens depends on genetic and acquired patient‐related factors, dose and route of administration, and the immunogenicity of the antigen, but exact kinetics are still unknown.STUDY DESIGN and METHODS:  A 5‐year retrospective multicenter study analyzing factors influencing the rate and specificity of RBC alloimmunization was performed, with special emphasis on the time interval between transfusion event and antibody detection. Included were clinically significant alloantibodies against the Rhesus, Kell, Duffy, Kidd, and MSs blood group systems.RESULTS:  Multivariate analysis involving 1710 immunized patients revealed that time interval between transfusion and antibody tests was strongly associated with the antibody specificity. Anti‐Jka and anti‐Jkb were predominantly found in patients tested within 3 months, whereas anti‐K and anti‐Fya were the most encountered antibodies at more than 5 years after transfusion. Of all immunized patients, new antibodies were detected within 14 days after transfusion in 299 patients (16.8%) and in 1479 patients (83.2%) after more than 14 days. Fifty percent of transfusion recipients were retested for alloimmunization because of a new transfusion indication. Eleven of 2932 patients (0.4%) retested up to 3 days after transfusion had formed new antibodies.CONCLUSION:  The time interval between transfusion and antibody test was associated with RBC antibody specificity. Because RBC antibody tests after transfusion are not routinely performed, many antibodies may (not) be detected at the time of a new transfusion event, posing the transfusion recipient at risk for transfusion delay or a (delayed) hemolytic transfusion reaction. Routine RBC antibody screening at set time intervals after transfusion would reduce these risks.
Worse quality of life in volunteer blood donors with hepatitis C
Authors: Dias Teixeira Maria Cristina , De Sá Ribeiro Maria de Fátima Gomes , Gayotto Luis Carlos da Costa , Chamone Dalton de Alencar Fischer , Strauss Edna 
Published: December 2005

BACKGROUND:  Health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) encompasses many different aspects of health perceived by the individual, and its alterations in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been recently reported. The objective was to study a population of volunteer blood donors at different stages of HCV liver disease.STUDY DESIGN and METHODS:  The Medical Outcomes Study 36‐Item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐36), a generic tool, was used to evaluated HRQOL. The SF‐36 scores of HCV patients were compared with those of matched healthy blood donors and at the sixth month in those who were submitted to antiviral treatment. Sex, drug use, and alcohol consumption were also evaluated. A total of 120 HCV chronic carriers were divided into three groups: 1) patients with no indication for liver biopsy (n = 37); 2) patients submitted to liver biopsy with mild liver disease (n = 40); and 3) patients with moderate to severe liver disease submitted to interferon plus ribavirin treatment (n = 43).RESULTS:  HCV patients had significantly lower SF‐36 scores when compared with matched healthy blood donors. There was no correlation between SF‐36 scores and history of intravenous and/or inhaled drug use or alcohol consumption. Women had lower SF‐36 scores than men in six domains. At the sixth month of treatment, patients who continued to be positive for the presence of HCV RNA (nonresponders) had lower quality of life than those who became HCV RNA–negative.CONCLUSION:  Healthy blood donors with HCV showed significantly reduced HRQOL that was more marked in women. The presence of the virus is one of the possible explanations for the reduced HRQOL.
Donor reactions in high‐school donors: the effects of sex, weight, and collection volume
Authors: Newman B.H. , Satz S.L. , Janowicz N.M. , Siegfried B.A. 
Published: December 2005

BACKGROUND:  The high incidence of donor reactions in first‐time, 17‐year‐old Caucasian whole‐blood donors makes this group ideal for the study of donor reactions.STUDY DESIGN and METHODS:  Donor reaction rates were retrospectively evaluated in 7274 first‐time, 17‐year‐old Caucasian whole‐blood donors based on observa‐tions recorded at the collection sites. The effect of sex and weight on donor reactions was determined. In addition, a model was developed to estimate how different blood collection volumes would affect donor reaction rates.RESULTS:  The donor reaction rate was 12.0 percent (870/7274). Female donors overall had a higher donor reaction rate than male donors (16.7% vs. 7.3%) and also had a higher donor reaction rate than male donors at each 20‐lb weight interval in the range from 110 to 189 lb. A model suggested that a change in the blood‐unit volume from 450 to 500 mL would increase donor reaction rates by 18 percent in either female or male donors, whereas a reduction in the blood‐unit volume from 500 to 400 mL would decrease donor reaction rates by 29 and 27 percent in female and male donors, respectively.CONCLUSION:  First‐time, 17‐year‐old Caucasian female donors had a higher donor reaction rate than male donors overall and at equivalent donor weights. In the range of present US blood‐unit volumes, a change in collection of as little as 50 mL could have a significant impact on blood donor reaction rates in high‐school students.
Risk‐behavior reporting by blood donors with an automated telephone system
Authors: Fielding Richard , Lam Tai Hing , Hedley Anthony 
Published: December 2005

BACKGROUND:  Donor risk‐behavior assessment is important for blood safety. Few evaluations of automated telephone systems for eliciting risk exposure among voluntary blood donors have been reported.STUDY DESIGN and METHODS:  A modified risk‐behavior questionnaire was presented after donation via an automated telephone polling system to 805 of 15,092 Hong Kong Chinese voluntary blood donors. Risk‐behavior rates were compared to those of all other donors (14,287) simultaneously completing the questionnaire in a pencil‐and‐paper format.RESULTS:  The telephone group included proportionally more women (46.3% vs. 44.9%), previous donors (93.3% vs. 83.6%), and sexually inactive donors (66.5% vs. 71.2%) with lower educational achievement (60.7% vs. 54.5%). The telephone group demonstrated fewer missing data (mean 1.3%, range 0.4%‐3.1% vs. mean 9.8%, range 8.0%‐14.2%) and more complete demographic detailing, probably accounting for the demographic differences. The telephone group reported higher prevalence rates of needle or syringe sharing (1.5% vs. 0.3%), homosexual and/or bisexual intercourse (4.1% vs. 1.3%), knowing or suspecting that partner had intercourse with another during past year (12.4% vs. 8.5%), and future intention to use blood donation as a means to test for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; 19.1% vs. 13.7%). There was no difference in knowledge of the HIV window period or proportions visiting or using condoms with commercial sex workers between telephone and pencil‐and‐paper groups.CONCLUSION:  This survey with automated telephone screening of potential blood donors revealed increased reporting of risk exposure relative to commonly used paper‐and‐pencil methods. This raises questions of possible underreporting of risk among blood donors screened by paper questionnaire and perhaps face‐to‐face interview.