bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Utility of AVP gene testing in familial neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus
Authors: Chitturi Sridhar , Harris Mark , Thomsett Michael J. , Bowling Francis , McGown Ivan , Cowley David , Leong Gary M. , Batch Jennifer , Cotterill Andrew M. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryContext  Familial neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus (FNDI) is a rare disorder resulting from arginine vasopressin (AVP) gene mutations. A partial defect in AVP secretion occurs early in the course of FNDI and may not be detected by a water deprivation test (WDT). Testing for AVP gene mutations may confirm a diagnosis of FNDI when a WDT is inconclusive and may also predict individuals who will later develop FNDI.Objective  To test the utility of AVP gene analysis in confirming the diagnosis of FNDI.Patients  Five families (20 subjects, 14 symptomatic and six asymptomatic) with FNDI and nine children with idiopathic neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus (INDI).Measurements  Genomic DNA was analysed for AVP gene mutations using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequencing.Results  Heterozygous AVP gene mutations were found in all subjects with FNDI but none of the ICDI patients. Each family had their own distinct mutation. We identified two novel mutations (C44W and C105S). One asymptomatic subject developed diabetes insipidus (DI) 4 months after detection of an AVP gene mutation. The WDT suggested partial DI in 4/6 but was normal in 2/6 children with FNDI.Conclusion  AVP gene testing allowed diagnostic confirmation of FNDI when the WDT was inconclusive in symptomatic children, therefore obviating the need for a repeat WDT and enabling earlier initiation of appropriate treatment. AVP gene testing also has the potential to identify which asymptomatic children will later develop FNDI.
Detecting trophic‐level variation in consumer assemblages
Authors: MATTHEWS BLAKE , MAZUMDER ASIT 
Published: May 2008

Summary1. Stable isotopes of nitrogen are useful for quantifying the trophic structure of food webs, but only if the variation in trophic enrichment (ΔN), which is the difference in δ15N between a consumer and its food, is small relative to the value of ΔN itself.2. We examined the sources of variation in zooplankton ΔN by measuring the trophic enrichment (ΔN) of seven species of freshwater cladocerans, and by testing for an effect of age and temperature on the ΔN of Daphnia pulicaria.3. We found that ΔN was similar among Cladocera and was not correlated with body size. Overall, the ΔN for D. pulicaria was 1.4‰ (SE = 0.69, n = 57), as was expected for the detritus diet that we used in our experiments. We found no effect of temperature (15–25 °C) on ΔN, but found that ΔN of D. pulicaria increased with increasing age (10–30 days).4. We developed a new method to test for trophic‐level variation in a group of consumers that explicitly accounts for the uncertainty in ΔN. Using this approach, we confirmed that natural assemblages of zooplankton feed at several trophic levels in lake food webs.
Relative influences of submersed macrophytes and bioturbating fauna on biogeochemical processes and microbial activities in freshwater sediments
Authors: MERMILLOD‐BLONDIN FLORIAN , LEMOINE DAMIEN , BOISSON JEAN‐CLAUDE , MALET EMMANUEL , MONTUELLE BERNARD 
Published: May 2008

Summary1. Invertebrates and aquatic plants often play a key role in biogeochemical processes occurring at the water–sediment interface of aquatic ecosystems. However, few studies have investigated the respective influences of plants and bioturbating animals on ecological processes (nutrient fluxes, benthic oxygen uptake, microbial activities) occurring in freshwater sediments.2. We developed a laboratory experiment in aquaria to quantify the effects of (i) one invertebrate acting as a bioturbator (Tubifex tubifex); (ii) one submersed plant with a high sediment‐oxygenating potential (Myriophyllum spicatum) and (iii) one submersed plant with a low sediment‐oxygenating potential (Elodea canadensis).3. The tubificid worms significantly increased the fluxes of nitrogen at the water–sediment interface (influx of nitrate, efflux of ammonium), whereas the two plant species did not have significant influences on these nitrogen fluxes. The differences in nitrogen fluxes between tubificid worms and plants were probably due to the bioirrigation process caused by T. tubifex, which increased water exchanges at the water–sediment interface. Tubifex tubifex and M. spicatum produced comparable reductions of nutrient concentrations in pore water and comparable stimulations of benthic oxygen uptake and microbial communities (percentages of active eubacteria and hydrolytic activity) whereas E. canadensis had a very weak influence on these variables. These differences between the two plants were due to their contrasting abilities to increase oxygen in sediments by radial oxygen losses (release of oxygen from roots).4. Our study suggests that the bioirrigation process and radial oxygen loss are major functional traits affecting biogeochemical functioning at the water–sediment interface of wetlands.
Staff acceptance of video monitoring for coordination: a video system to support perioperative situation awareness
Authors: Kim Young Ju , Xiao Yan , Hu Peter , Dutton Richard 
Published: May 2008

Aim.  To understand staff acceptance of a remote video monitoring system for operating room (OR) coordination.Background.  Improved real‐time remote visual access to OR may enhance situational awareness but also raises privacy concerns for patients and staff.Design.  Survey.Methods.  A system was implemented in a six‐room surgical suite to display OR monitoring video at an access restricted control desk area. Image quality was manipulated to improve staff acceptance. Two months after installation, interviews and a survey were conducted on staff acceptance of video monitoring.Results.  About half of all OR personnel responded (n = 63). Overall levels of concerns were low, with 53% rated no concerns and 42% little concern. Top two reported uses of the video were to see if cases are finished and to see if a room is ready. Viewing the video monitoring system as useful did not reduce levels of concern. Staff in supervisory positions perceived less concern about the system’s impact on privacy than did those supervised (p < 0·03). Concerns for patient privacy correlated with concerns for staff privacy and performance monitoring. Technical means such as manipulating image quality helped staff acceptance.Conclusions.  Manipulation of image quality resulted overall acceptance of monitoring video, with residual levels of concerns. OR nurses may express staff privacy concern in the form of concerns over patient privacy.Relevance to clinical practice.  This study provided suggestions for technological and implementation strategies of video monitoring for coordination use in OR. Deployment of communication technology and integration of clinical information will likely raise concerns over staff privacy and performance monitoring. The potential gain of increased information access may be offset by negative impact of a sense of loss of autonomy.
Speciation timing and neotropical biodiversity: the Tertiary–Quaternary debate in the light of molecular phylogenetic evidence
Authors: RULL VALENTÍ 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe evolutionary origin of extant species in the Neotropics, one of the most biodiverse regions of the world, has been widely debated. One hypothesis is that neotropical species emerged primarily during the Quaternary (the last ~2 million years), favoured by alternating glacial/interglacial climates. An opposite view proposes an older Tertiary origin linked primarily to palaeogeographical changes. Here, a thorough review of the available literature on DNA molecular dating shows that the Tertiary–Quaternary debate no longer makes sense. Indeed, the > 1400 neotropical species whose origin has been dated have appeared in a continual fashion since the late Eocene/early Oligocene (~39 million years before present) to the Quaternary. Palaeogeographical mechanisms of speciation are relatively well accepted, but diversification processes linked to climate are still controversial. These results are important to unravel both the origin of present‐day biodiversity patterns at both local and global scales and the genetic and environmental mechanisms involved, which are two crucial aspects for suitable biodiversity conservation strategies.
Fruiting body and soil rDNA sampling detects complementary assemblage of Agaricomycotina (Basidiomycota, Fungi) in a hemlock‐dominated forest plot in southern Ontario
Authors: PORTER TERESITA M. , SKILLMAN JANE E. , MONCALVO JEAN‐MARC 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThis is the first study to assess the diversity and community structure of the Agaricomycotina in an ectotrophic forest using above‐ground fruiting body surveys as well as soil rDNA sampling. We recovered 132 molecular operational taxonomic units, or ‘species’, from fruiting bodies and 66 from soil, with little overlap. Fruiting body sampling primarily recovered fungi from the Agaricales, Russulales, Boletales and Cantharellales. Many of these species are ectomycorrhizal and form large fruiting bodies. Soil rDNA sampling recovered fungi from these groups in addition to taxa overlooked during the fruiting body survey from the Atheliales, Trechisporales and Sebacinales. Species from these groups form inconspicuous, resupinate and corticioid fruiting bodies. Soil sampling also detected fungi from the Hysterangiales that form fruiting bodies underground. Generally, fruiting body and soil rDNA samples recover a largely different assemblage of fungi at the species level; however, both methods identify the same dominant fungi at the genus‐order level and ectomycorrhizal fungi as the prevailing type. Richness, abundance, and phylogenetic diversity (PD) identify the Agaricales as the dominant fungal group above‐ and below‐ground; however, we find that molecularly highly divergent lineages may account for a greater proportion of total diversity using the PD measure compared with richness and abundance. Unless an exhaustive inventory is required, the rapidity and versatility of DNA‐based sampling may be sufficient for a first assessment of the dominant taxonomic and ecological groups of fungi in forest soil.
Inter‐population variation in multiple paternity and reproductive skew in the guppy
Authors: NEFF BRYAN D. , PITCHER TREVOR E. , RAMNARINE INDAR W. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractWe use microsatellite loci to detail the multiple paternity patterns in broods from 10 wild populations of the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) found in Northern Trinidad. The populations span two major drainages comprising the Caroni and the Oropouche, and include sites that are characterized by either high or low predation. Across the populations the frequency of multiple paternity is high with 95% (range: 70%–100%) of broods having multiple sires. Broods have an average of 3.5 sires (range: 1–9) and a mixed‐model analysis suggests that broods from high predation sites have marginally more sires than do those from low predation sites, but this is true only in the Oropouche drainage. There is no difference in sire number between predation sites in the Caroni drainage. Brood size, but not female body length, is correlated with the number of sires and the correlation cannot be attributed solely to the stochastic process associated with sperm competition and a ‘fair raffle’. Within broods there is significant skew in reproductive success among males, which may reflect variation in sperm competitiveness or female choice. There is, however, no difference in the skew among populations from different predation regimes or drainages. Finally, high predation populations were characterized by increased genetic variability at the microsatellite loci, suggesting a larger effective population size. We discuss explanations for the high degree of multiple paternity but the general lack of any major differences among broods from ecologically different populations.
Population structure of ice‐breeding seals
Authors: DAVIS COREY S. , STIRLING IAN , STROBECK CURTIS , COLTMAN DAVID W. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe development of population genetic structure in ice‐breeding seal species is likely to be shaped by a combination of breeding habitat and life‐history characteristics. Species that return to breed on predictable fast‐ice locations are more likely to exhibit natal fidelity than pack‐ice‐breeding species, which in turn facilitates the development of genetic differentiation between subpopulations. Other aspects of life history such as geographically distinct vocalizations, female gregariousness, and the potential for polygynous breeding may also facilitate population structure. Based on these factors, we predicted that fast‐ice‐breeding seal species (the Weddell and ringed seal) would show elevated genetic differentiation compared to pack‐ice‐breeding species (the leopard, Ross, crabeater and bearded seals). We tested this prediction using microsatellite analysis to examine population structure of these six ice‐breeding species. Our results did not support this prediction. While none of the Antarctic pack‐ice species showed statistically significant population structure, the bearded seal of the Arctic pack ice showed strong differentiation between subpopulations. Again in contrast, the fast‐ice‐breeding Weddell seal of the Antarctic showed clear evidence for genetic differentiation while the ringed seal, breeding in similar habitat in the Arctic, did not. These results suggest that the development of population structure in ice‐breeding phocid seals is a more complex outcome of the interplay of phylogenetic and ecological factors than can be predicted on the basis of breeding substrate and life‐history characteristics.
Health‐risk behaviours: examining social disparities in the occurrence of stillbirth
Authors: Goy Jennifer , Dodds Linda , Rosenberg Mark W. , King Will D. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryWhile an association between low socio‐economic status (SES) and increased risk of stillbirth has been observed consistently over several decades, the pathways through which SES exerts these effects have not been established. Given that some key health‐risk behaviours for stillbirth, including smoking and pre‐pregnancy obesity, have strong relationships with SES, health‐risk behaviours may serve as a channel through which low SES contributes to stillbirth outcomes. The objective of this study was to estimate the proportion of the relationship between low SES and the occurrence of stillbirth that is explained by health‐risk behaviours in populations of Eastern Ontario and Nova Scotia (112 stillbirth cases and 398 controls). Both area and individual level influences of SES were assessed. The study population consisted of 112 cases (women delivering stillborn infants) and 398 controls. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals estimated by multivariable logistic regression were used to approximate relative risks. The contribution of health‐risk behaviours to relationships between SES and stillbirth was assessed by a change in the relative risk estimate following omission of each health‐risk behaviour from the model.Of the three measures of individual level SES examined (household income, education, Blishen occupational index), only household income was a statistically significant predictor of stillbirth. After controlling for individual level SES, no community level SES effects were observed for stillbirth. Adjustments for key health‐risk behaviours (smoking) resulted in an 18.5% reduction in the odds ratio estimate for low SES, from 3.31 to 2.79. This large unexplained SES effect that remained highlights the need for research into other potential pathways that may account for increased risk of stillbirth among those of lower SES.
Biosynthesis of astaxanthin in tobacco leaves by transplastomic engineering
Authors: Hasunuma Tomohisa , Miyazawa Shin‐Ichi , Yoshimura Satomi , Shinzaki Yuki , Tomizawa Ken‐Ichi , Shindo Kazutoshi , Choi Seon‐Kang , Misawa Norihiko , Miyake Chikahiro 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe natural pigment astaxanthin has attracted much attention because of its beneficial effects on human health, despite its expensive market price. In order to produce astaxanthin, transgenic plants have so far been generated through conventional genetic engineering of Agrobacterium‐mediated gene transfer. The results of trials have revealed that the method is far from practicable because of low yields, i.e. instead of astaxanthin, large quantities of the astaxanthin intermediates, including ketocarotenoids, accumulated in the transgenic plants. In the present study, we have overcome this problem, and have succeeded in producing more than 0.5% (dry weight) astaxanthin (more than 70% of total caroteniods) in tobacco leaves, which turns their green color to reddish brown, by expressing both genes encoding CrtW (β‐carotene ketolase) and CrtZ (β‐carotene hydroxylase) from a marine bacterium Brevundimonas sp., strain SD212, in the chloroplasts. Moreover, the total carotenoid content in the transplastomic tobacco plants was 2.1‐fold higher than that of wild‐type tobacco. The tobacco transformants also synthesized a novel carotenoid 4‐ketoantheraxanthin. There was no significant difference in the size of the aerial part of the plant between the transformants and wild‐type plants at the final stage of their growth. The photosynthesis rate of the transformants was also found to be similar to that of wild‐type plants under ambient CO2 concentrations of 1500 μmol photons m−2 s−1 light intensity.
Arabidopsis thaliana Y‐family DNA polymerase η catalyses translesion synthesis and interacts functionally with PCNA2
Authors: Anderson Heather J. , Vonarx Edward J. , Pastushok Landon , Nakagawa Mayu , Katafuchi Atsushi , Gruz Petr , Di Rubbo Antonio , Grice Desma M. , Osmond Megan J. , Sakamoto Ayako N. , Nohmi Takehiko , Xiao Wei , Kunz Bernard A. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryUpon blockage of chromosomal replication by DNA lesions, Y‐family polymerases interact with monoubiquitylated proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) to catalyse translesion synthesis (TLS) and restore replication fork progression. Here, we assessed the roles of Arabidopsis thaliana POLH, which encodes a homologue of Y‐family polymerase η (Polη), PCNA1 and PCNA2 in TLS‐mediated UV resistance. A T‐DNA insertion in POLH sensitized the growth of roots and whole plants to UV radiation, indicating that AtPolη contributes to UV resistance. POLH alone did not complement the UV sensitivity conferred by deletion of yeast RAD30, which encodes Polη, although AtPolη exhibited cyclobutane dimer bypass activity in vitro, and interacted with yeast PCNA, as well as with Arabidopsis PCNA1 and PCNA2. Co‐expression of POLH and PCNA2, but not PCNA1, restored normal UV resistance and mutation kinetics in the rad30 mutant. A single residue difference at site 201, which lies adjacent to the residue (lysine 164) ubiquitylated in PCNA, appeared responsible for the inability of PCNA1 to function with AtPolη in UV‐treated yeast. PCNA‐interacting protein boxes and an ubiquitin‐binding motif in AtPolη were found to be required for the restoration of UV resistance in the rad30 mutant by POLH and PCNA2. These observations indicate that AtPolη can catalyse TLS past UV‐induced DNA damage, and links the biological activity of AtPolη in UV‐irradiated cells to PCNA2 and PCNA‐ and ubiquitin‐binding motifs in AtPolη.
Metabolite profiling of Calvin cycle intermediates by HPLC‐MS using mixed‐mode stationary phases
Authors: Cruz Jeffrey A. , Emery Caroline , Wüst Matthias , Kramer David M. , Lange B. Markus 
Published: May 2008

SummaryA sensitive and robust mixed‐mode high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the qualitative and quantitative determination of sugar phosphates, which are notoriously difficult to separate using reversed‐phase materials. Sugar phosphates were separated on a Primesep SB® column by gradient elution using aqueous ammonium formate and acetonitrile as mobile phases. Target analytes were identified by their precursor/product ions and retention times. Quantitative analysis was performed in negative ionization/multiple reaction monitoring mode with five different time segments. The method was validated by spiking authentic sugar phosphate standards into complex plant tissue extracts. Standard curves of neat authentic standards and spiked extracts were generated for concentrations in the low picomole to nanomole range, with correlation coefficients of R2 > 0.991, and the degree of ion suppression in the presence of a plant matrix was calculated for each analyte. Analyte recoveries, which were determined by including known quantities of authentic standards in the sugar phosphate extraction protocol, ranged from 40.0% to 57.4%. The analytical reproducibility was assessed by determining the coefficient of variance based on repeated extractions/measurements (<20%). The utility of our method is demonstrated with two types of applications: profiling of Calvin cycle intermediates in (i) dark‐adapted and light‐treated tobacco leaves, and in (ii) antisense plants expressing reduced levels of the Calvin cycle enzymes glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase or ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (comparison with wild‐type controls). The broader applicability of our method is illustrated by profiling sugar phosphates extracted from the leaves of five taxonomically diverse plants.
Azithromycin therapy of papillomatosis in dogs: a prospective, randomized, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled clinical trial
Authors: Yaǧcı Buǧrahan Bekir , Ural Kerem , Öcal Naci , Haydardedeoǧlu Ali Evren 
Published: May 2008

AbstractAzithromycin, an azalide subclass macrolide antibiotic, is an effective, well‐tolerated and safe therapeutic option for treatment of papillomatosis in humans. This study reports the clinical and histopathological results from a prospective, randomized, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled trial of 17 dogs of various breeds with diagnosis of oral (n= 12) and cutaneous papillomatosis (n= 5) treated with azithromycin. Papillomas appeared as whitish, verrucous, hyperkeratotic papules 1–2.7 mm in size. The cases were randomly assigned to azithromycin (n= 10) and placebo treatment groups (n= 7). Both owners and investigators were blinded to the allocation to the groups. Azithromycin (10 mg/kg) was administered per os every 24 h for 10 days. Clinical evaluations were done by the same investigator throughout the trial. Azithromycin treatment significantly decreased clinical scores (P < 0.001), whereas there was no change seen in the placebo group. In the azithromycin treatment group, skin lesions disappeared in 10–15 days. One case in the placebo had spontaneous regression of its papillomas by day 41, but lesions were still evident at day 50 in the remaining six cases. There was no recurrence of papillomatosis in the azithromycin treated dogs (follow up 8 months). No adverse effects were seen in either group. In conclusion, azithromycin appears to be a safe and effective treatment for canine papillomatosis.