bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of transforming growth factor‐beta1 on expression of the connective tissue growth factor (CCN2/CTGF) gene in normal human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells
Authors: Takeuchi H. , Kubota S. , Murakashi E. , Fukada T. , Hashimoto S. , Takigawa M. , Numabe Y. 
Published: February 2009

Background and Objective:  Connective tissue growth factor (CCN2/CTGF) plays an important role in wound healing and regulation of the extracellular matrix in periodontal tissue. However, the functional relationship between altered transforming growth factor‐beta1 levels and CCN2/CTGF has not been extensively investigated in human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells. This study investigated the effects of transforming growth factor‐beta1 on the expression of the CCN2/CTGF gene in human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells in vitro.Material and Methods:  Cells were isolated from normal periodontal tissues and cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s minimal essential medium/F12 containing 10% fetal bovine serum. Subconfluent cells were maintained under serum deprivation for 24 h then treated with Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s minimal essential medium/F12 containing 0.5% fetal bovine serum (control) and 0.1, 1, 5 or 10 ng/mL of transforming growth factor‐beta1 for 24, 48 or 72 h. The effects of transforming growth factor‐beta1 on CCN2/CTGF mRNA expression were measured by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. CCN2/CTGF protein was quantitatively analyzed using enzyme‐liked immunosorbent assay. Subcellular distribution of CCN2/CTGF protein in both human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells was observed using immunofluorescence microscopy.Results:  In both human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells, the expression of CCN2/CTGF mRNA and CCN2/CTGF protein was significantly increased, in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner, in the presence of transforming growth factor‐beta1. Moreover, immunofluorescence analysis indicated that immunoreactivity to CCN2/CTGF showed a granular pattern of protein localization.Conclusion:  The expression of CCN2/CTGF mRNA and protein was induced by transforming growth factor‐beta1 in human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells. These results suggest that CCN2/CTGF plays an important role in wound healing and in the regeneration of periodontal tissue.
Salivary cytokine levels in subjects with chronic periodontitis and in periodontally healthy individuals: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Teles R. P. , Likhari V. , Socransky S. S. , Haffajee A. D. 
Published: February 2009

Background and Objective:  Saliva has been proposed as a noninvasive diagnostic fluid that could be used in the diagnosis of oral and systemic diseases. The levels of salivary biomarkers, such as cytokines, could potentially be used as a surrogate to distinguish periodontally healthy individuals from subjects with periodontitis. Therefore, the goal of the present investigation was to determine if the levels of 10 different cytokines in saliva differed between a group of periodontally healthy individuals and a group of subjects with periodontitis. Correlations between the concentrations of these 10 cytokines and clinical parameters of periodontal disease were also examined.Material and Methods:  In this cross‐sectional study, 74 subjects with chronic periodontitis and 44 periodontally healthy individuals were periodontally examined and had the levels of granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor, interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐2, interleukin‐4, interleukin‐5, interleukin‐6, interleukin‐8, interleukin‐10, interferon‐γ and tumor necrosis factor‐α measured in whole saliva using a multiplexed bead immunoassay (Luminex). Significance of statistical differences in the levels of salivary cytokines between groups was determined using nonparametric analysis of covariance, adjusting for age and smoking status. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to explore associations between the mean levels of salivary cytokines and mean clinical parameters.Results:  There were no statistically significant differences between groups for any of the cytokines. There were weak, statistically significant positive associations between salivary interleukin‐8 and pocket depth (rs = 0.2, p < 0.05) and bleeding on probing (rs = 0.2, p < 0.05), and weak negative correlations between salivary interleukin‐10 and attachment level (rs = −0.2, p < 0.05) and bleeding on probing (rs = −0.3, p < 0.001).Conclusion:  Mean salivary levels of granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor, interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐2, interleukin‐4, interleukin‐5, interleukin‐6, interleukin‐8, interleukin‐10, interferon‐γ and tumor necrosis factor‐α could not discriminate between periodontal health and disease.
Cyclosporine A inhibits the expression of membrane type‐I matrix metalloproteinase in gingiva
Authors: Chiu H‐C. , Lu Y‐T. , Chin Y‐T. , Tu H‐P. , Chiang C‐Y. , Gau C‐H. , Nieh S. , Fu E. 
Published: February 2009

Background and Objective:  Membrane type‐I matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase‐2 (TIMP‐2) regulate the activation of MMP‐2; however, their roles in the activation of MMP‐2 in gingiva during treatment with cyclosporine A are still unknown. Therefore, the expressions of membrane type‐I MMP and TIMP‐2, as well as MMP‐2, in gingivae upon treatment with cyclosporine A were examined in vivo and in vitro.Material and Methods:  Thirty‐four rats were divided into two groups after edentulous ridges were established. The experimental group received 30 mg/kg/d of cyclosporine A and the control group received vehicle. At the end of the experimental period, the rats were killed, the gingivae were obtained and the expression of mRNA and protein of membrane type‐I MMP, TIMP‐2 and MMP‐2 in gingiva were examined using real‐time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. In human gingival fibroblasts, the activity of MMP‐2 and the expression of MMP‐2, membrane type‐I MMP and TIMP‐2 mRNAs were examined (using zymography and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, respectively) after treatment with cyclosporine A.Results:  In gingivae of rats, cyclosporine A significantly decreased the expression of mRNA and protein of membrane type‐I MMP, but not of TIMP‐2. The expression of MMP‐2 mRNA was unaffected but the expression of MMP‐2 protein showed a significant decrease upon treatment with cyclosporine A. In fibroblast culture medium, the presence of cyclosporine A induced a decrease in MMP‐2 activity in a dose‐dependent manner. The expression of MMP‐2, membrane type‐I MMP and TIMP‐2 mRNAs in fibroblasts was not significantly affected by cyclosporine A; however, in fibroblasts the ratio of mRNA expression of membrane type‐I MMP to that of TIMP‐2 decreased as the cyclosporine A dose was increased.Conclusion:  Cyclosporine A inhibits the expression of membrane type‐I MMP in gingiva and it may further reduce the activation of MMP‐2.
Seed dispersal in a polder after partial tidal restoration: Implications for salt‐marsh restoration
Authors: Dausse Armel , Bonis Anne , Bouzillé Jan‐Bernard , Lefeuvre Jean‐Claude 
Published: February 2009

AbstractQuestion: The vegetation in a polder after partial tidal restoration does not resemble the targeted salt‐marsh vegetation. Is this difference in vegetation due to lack of dispersal or unsuitable abiotic conditions? What could be done for a better restoration of the site?Location: Northwestern France.Methods: Seeds were trapped at the single inlet of the polder with a 200‐μ m mesh net to estimate inputs of seeds from the bay. In parallel, seed dispersal was studied in the polder by placing Astroturf® seed traps on the surface of the sediment at three different elevations in three distinct areas. Abiotic conditions such as flooding frequency, water table level and soil salinity were monitored.Results: All but one species from the adjacent salt marshes were trapped at the inlet. Not all of these species were on the seed traps inside the polder. Seed dispersal was not homogeneous in the polder and seed trap content mostly discriminated in function of their elevation. Salinity and water logging at the bottom of the slope were very high compared to tolerance of most halophytes but decreased rapidly higher up the slope.Conclusions: The development of salt marsh target species is highly restricted by limited hydrochory inside the polder but also by unfavourable soil conditions induced by the actual hydrological regime. Halophytes are excluded at the bottom of the slope by abiotic conditions and out‐competed by sub‐halophytes higher up. In order to restore salt marsh vegetation inside the polder, a larger opening should be induced in order to increase the flooded surface, and diminish water logging and flooding frequencies.
Seasonal storage of nutrients by perennial herbaceous species in undisturbed and disturbed deciduous hardwood forests
Authors: Mabry Cathy M. , Gerken Michaeleen E. , Thompson Janette R. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractQuestion:Pollution and eutrophication of surface water is increasingly a problem in agricultural landscapes. Do intact (relatively undisturbed) and degraded forests differ in seasonal nutrient storage and therefore potential to ameliorate nutrient pollution?Location:United States, Midwestern region.Methods:We used three sets of paired plots, where intact plots were located close to disturbed woodlands. Herbaceous perennials located in eight 0.25 m2quadrats in the plots were harvested (in spring and mid‐summer), dried, separated into above‐ and below‐ground plant parts, and weighed to determine biomass. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content of the plant tissues were then determined, and these data combined with biomass to estimate nutrient storage.Results:In spring, intact sites had 62% greater above‐ground biomass than disturbed sites and 75% greater below‐ground biomass. In summer, below‐ground biomass of intact plots was still much greater than that of disturbed plots (73 percent), but above‐ground biomass was similar. Nutrient tissue concentration generally did not differ, nor did soil nutrient levels. The disturbed sites were largely missing one group of species, the spring ephemerals, and this accounted for the difference in biomass and nutrient storage between sites.Conclusions:Relatively undisturbed woodlands in our study had a much greater capacity to store nutrients, and therefore ameliorate nutrient pollution, in early spring. This is significant because spring is also the time of highest potential leaching of nutrients into surface water.
Long‐term effects of the abandonment of grazing on steppe‐like grasslands
Authors: Enyedi Z. Márton , Ruprecht Eszter , Deák Mónika 
Published: February 2009

AbstractQuestion: What are the consequences of grazing abandonment on the Stipa lessingiana dominated steppe‐like grasslands? What is the relative importance of management and environmental factors in causing variation in species composition and abundance in the continuously grazed and abandoned grassland stands?Location: Transylvanian Lowland, Romania.Methods: Repeated vegetation mapping of a grassland stand, where grazing was abandoned 35 years ago; re‐sampling six grassland stands surveyed 29–57 years ago. For revealing long‐term changes in species composition and rank abundance PCoA ordination was applied. The relative importance of management and environmental factors in structuring vegetation were explored by CCA ordination. Diversity, evenness and the relative number and abundance of red‐listed species were compared between managed and abandoned stands.Results: Our results pointed out that grasslands which were formerly grazed and dominated by S. lessingiana, in the long‐term absence of grazing, have been transformed into a S. pulcherrima dominated type. Management, probably by creating bare surfaces and preventing litter accumulation, had the strongest effect on the species composition and abundance in the grasslands. Abandoned grassland stands had lower diversity and evenness compared to continuously grazed stands. While at the same time, the relative number of threatened, rare species did not differ between managed and abandoned sites.Conclusion: Maintaining extensively grazed, as well as un‐managed, Stipa dominated grasslands would be important in order to create various habitat conditions for plant species, especially threatened and rare species, and promote diversity on the landscape scale.
Long‐term effects of drainage and initial effects of hydrological restoration on rich fen vegetation
Authors: Mälson K. , Backéus I. , Rydin H. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractQuestions: What vegetational changes does a boreal rich fen (alkaline fen) undergo during a time period of 24 years after drainage? How is plant species richness affected, and what are the changes in composition of ecological groups of species? Is it possible to recover parts of the original flora by rewetting the rich fen? Which are the initial vegetation changes in the flora after rewetting? What are the major challenges for restoration of rich fen flora after rewetting?Location: Eastern central Sweden, southern boreal vegetational zone. Previously rich fen site, drained for forestry purposes during 1978–1979. The site was hydrologically restored (rewetted) in 2002.Method: Annual vegetation survey in permanent plots during a period of 28 years.Results: There were three successional stages in the vegetational changes. In the first stage there was a rapid (< 5 years) loss of rich fen bryophytes. The second step was an increase of sedges and early successional bryophytes, which was followed by an increase of a few emerging dominants, such as Molinia caerulea, Betula pubescens and Sphagnum spp. After rewetting, there are indications of vegetation recovery, albeit at slow rates. Depending on, for instance, initial species composition different routes of vegetation change were observed in the flora after drainage, although after 24 years, species composition became more homogenous and dominated by a few species with high cover.Conclusion: Major changes have occurred after changes in the hydrology (drainage and rewetting) with a severe impact on the biodiversity among vascular plants and bryophytes. Several rich fen bryophytes respond quickly to the changes in water level (in contrast to vascular plants). The recovery after rewetting towards the original rich fen vegetation is slow, as delayed by substrate degradation, dispersal limitation and presence of dominant species.
Land‐cover/use transitions in the binational Tijuana River watershed during a period of rapid industrialization
Authors: Ojeda‐Revah L. , Bocco G. , Ezcurra E. , Espejel I. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractQuestion: How do differing social and economic systems affect the dynamics and trajectory of land cover / land use change on similar, neighbouring ecosystems in a time span when an economic industrialization program was enforced?Location: Tijuana River watershed, located on the border between Baja California, Mexico and California, United States.Methods: We quantified land use changes between 1970 and 1994 in the Tijuana River watershed. Using aerial photographs and geographic information systems, we elaborated land‐cover/use maps and calculated transition probability matrices to describe natural land‐cover changes at the landscape level on both sides of the border.Results: Land cover / land use transitions are mainly driven by urban development on both sides of the border, but exhibit different patterns in each country. The processes seem to be more complex in the Mexican part of the basin, where itinerant land use may revert induced grasslands and rain‐fed agriculture into natural communities, than on the US side, where the transition pathways are few and unidirectional.Conclusions: Despite the need for an integrated planning and management of binational basins and shared water resources, in practice, these goals may be hampered by different economic and social factors triggering land use change within each country.
Linking vegetation heterogeneity and functional attributes of temperate grasslands through remote sensing
Authors: Aragón Roxana , Oesterheld Martín 
Published: February 2009

AbstractQuestion:How are plant communities of the Flooding Pampa grasslands spatially distributed? How do canopy dynamics of the different communities vary among seasons and years?Location:Buenos Aires province, Argentina.Methods:We characterized the distribution of communities through a supervised classification based on four Landsat 5TM images. We sampled species composition of 200 sites, with 130 of them corresponding to natural communities. Of the sampling areas 60% were used to classify, and the remaining areas to assess classification accuracy. We characterized the seasonal and interannual variability of canopy dynamics using NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data provided by MODIS /Terra images.Results:Overall accuracy of the classification was satisfactory. The resulting maps showed a landscape formed by a matrix of extended lowlands with small patches of mesophytic and humid mesophytic meadows. The October scene (near the peak of productivity) was particularly important in discriminating among communities. The seasonal pattern of NDVI differed among communities and years. Mesophytic meadows had the highest NDVI mean and the lowest interannual coefficient of variation, halophytic steppes had the lowest mean, and vegetated ponds were the most variable.Conclusions:These grasslands have a fine‐grained heterogeneity at the landscape scale. Each plant community has distinct seasonal and interannual canopy dynamics. These two features of grassland structure and functioning represent key information for rangeland management that may be obtained through a combination of minor field sampling and remote sensing.
The influence of management history on spatial prediction of Eryngium spinalba, an endangered endemic species
Authors: Marage Damien , Garraud Luc , Rameau Jean‐Claude 
Published: February 2009

AbstractQuestion: Spatial prediction of plant populations is essential for conservation management. This is especially true for rare and/or threatened endemic species, for which knowledge of determinants of distribution is necessary to mitigate threats and counteract decline. We therefore ask if the distribution of an endemic species can be accurately predicted by georeferenced environmental variables or, if anthropogenic variables also need to be taken into account.Location: Alps, Hautes‐Alpes, France.Methods: Potential distribution area and abundance of Eryngium spinalba were predicted with logistic regression and ordinal logistic regression, respectively, in a 57‐km2 watershed.Results: Aspect, global solar radiation in March, elevation and grazing pressure were the main predictors of the probability of occurrence of Eryngium spinalba. Taking into account the persistence of agro‐pastoral activities by diachronic analysis (Napoleonic cadastral map and orthorectified photographs) improved predictions from the model and the level of spatial concordance with independent surveys.Conclusions: Niche modelling improved our understanding of the distribution of this threatened species which, in the context of land abandonment, is diminishing as a result of the decline of its favoured habitats. The key role of pastoral activities and historic continuity for its distribution and persistence was clearly demonstrated.
Occurrence of Senecio aquaticus in relation to grassland management
Authors: Suter Matthias , Lüscher Andreas 
Published: February 2009

Abstract.Background: Senecio aquaticus is an esteemed wetland species, but it is also a poisonous species in grasslands for forage production of various countries (e.g. Great Britain and Central European states), and its further spread onto farmland must be prevented. To reveal links between management practice and the occurrence of S. aquaticus, a survey was carried out on agricultural grassland in the summer of 2005.Location: The mountain region in the northern and central part of Switzerland.Methods: Botanical assessments were carried out on management units (parcels) where S. aquaticus occurred and on neighbouring parcels without occurrence. For all parcels, we analysed the soil nutrients and the details of management such as intensity of fertilisation and defoliation frequency.Results: There was a high risk of S. aquaticus occurrence in parcels with low nitrogen fertilisation, a change of management intensity in the preceding 15 years, high inclination, and gaps in the sward. The change in the vegetation composition caused by altering the management intensity most probably provided gaps in the sward, which were then colonised by S. aquaticus. A novel finding is that, despite its preference for low‐nutrient sites, the species was also persistent at sites with a moderate to high management intensity.Conclusion: A long‐term control of S. aquaticus on agricultural grasslands can best be achieved by avoiding sward damage and by promoting dense and stable swards. The management should be adjusted to the local environmental conditions and the requirements of the favourable plant species. This could prevent the spread of S. aquaticus from the protected wetlands onto agricultural grasslands, where the species would threaten animal health.
The Impact of On-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery vs. Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery on Sexual Function
Authors: Mohamed Osama A. , Bennett Carol J. , Roaiah Mohamed Farid , Helmy Tarek , Mahran Ali , Hamed Hamed A. 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Erectile dysfunction and ischemic heart disease are common health problems that affect elderly individuals. Despite advances in treatment strategies, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been used for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for over three decades for surgical myocardial revascularization.

Aim
To discuss the difference between the on pump and the newer alternative—the off-pump CABG (OPCABG) surgery—on the sexual function.

Methods
This prospective study included 100 patients who underwent CABG.

Main Outcome Measures
The patients were evaluated by an abridged form of International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire (IIEF-5), Pharmaco-Penile Duplex Ultrasound and finally by the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation. The patients were underwent either on-pump CABG or OPCABG. Six months after surgery, the erectile function was revaluated according to the same preoperative measures.

Results
Patients included in the study were classified into two matched groups: group I—patients who underwent on-pump CABG (N = 50); and group II—patients who underwent OPCABG (N = 50). The frequency of intercourse was significantly higher in OPCABG (P &lt; 0.05) after surgery. The mean ± standard deviation of the IIEF-5 scores of the on-pump group postoperatively became 12.48 ± 7.19 whereas it became 15.88 ± 6.67 in the off-pump group (P &lt; 0.05). Moreover, the number of patients who reported postoperative improvement of their IIEF-5 score was significantly higher in OPCABG group (N = 23) compared with the conventional on-pump CABG group (N = 13) (P &lt; 0.05). There was no significant change in the duplex ultrasound after surgery between both groups.

Conclusions
The OPCABG has a diminished impact on the sexual function of patients compared with the conventional on-pump CABG. Therefore, the type of operation can be considered a predictive factor of sexual function following CAB surgery.