bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Parenting and children's cardiovascular functioning
Authors: Bell B. G. , Belsky J. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractObjectives  To test the hypothesis that more supportive/less negative parenting is associated with lower resting blood pressure and heart rates in children and to determine whether parent and/or child gender and developmental stage moderate the relations in question.Design  Longitudinal data on 835 children/families who participated in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were analysed. Children (one per family) were followed from age 1 month to 11 years.Methods  Data were collected from children and their families via interviews, observations of parent–child interaction and physical health assessments.Results  Correlations show that more supportive and less negative parenting prior to kindergarten entry (∼5 years) are associated with lower heart rates and blood pressure in children of primary school grades 4–6 (∼9 to 11 years), especially in the case of fathering, sons and parenting during the pre‐school years.Conclusions  Such findings raise the prospect that interventions to enhance parenting, especially the early fathering of sons, may have beneficial effects on children's cardiovascular functioning. The inability to discount genetic mediation of parenting effects makes it clear that behaviour‐genetic and/or experimental research is needed to document cause and effect relations.
Administration of medicines to children using sports and leisure facilities: a survey of the South West of England
Authors: Bedwani S. , Baverstock A. , Finlay F. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractBackground  It is widely recognized that a healthy diet and regular exercise are important for general health. Sports and leisure centres are providing many opportunities for children to participate in various activities.Methods  A pre‐piloted questionnaire was sent to the manager of sports and leisure centres throughout the South West of England to look at provision for the administration and storage of medication.Results  Response rate is 66%. While 91% of centres have sessions for children without a parent present, only 57% had a policy for administration of medication.Conclusion  Despite clear guidance on administration of medicine being available, relatively few sports and leisure facilities we surveyed are currently operating within this framework. At present, the current practice regarding administration of medicine in many leisure facilities seems to be suboptimal.
Interrelationship among selected measures of motor skills
Authors: Haga M. , Pedersen A. V. , Sigmundsson H. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractBackground This study set out to explore the interrelationship among selected measures of motor skills.Methods Ninety‐one 4‐year‐old children from 10 nursery schools were tested using eight motor tasks from the Movement Assessment Battery for Children test.Results The most striking finding was that there were very low correlations between the motor tasks.Conclusions In relation to these findings, it is possible to argue that learning of particular motor skills is specific to that task. This is discussed in relation to the principle of task specificity of learning.
The immune system in healthy adults and patients with atopic dermatitis seems to be affected differently by a probiotic intervention
Authors: Roessler (nee Klein) A. , Friedrich U. , Vogelsang H. , Bauer A. , Kaatz M. , Hipler U. C. , Schmidt I. , Jahreis G. 
Published: November 2007

SummaryBackground
Probiotic bacteria are proposed to alleviate atopic dermatitis (AD) in infants. There are few indications about the effect of probiotics on AD in adults.Objective
The purpose of this study was to elucidate the influence of a probiotic drink containing a combination of the probiotics Lactobacillus paracasei Lpc‐37, Lactobacillus acidophilus 74‐2 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DGCC 420 (B. lactis 420) in healthy volunteers and in patients with AD on clinical and immunological parameters and their detection in feces.Methods
A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized cross‐over study was conducted in 15 healthy adults and 15 patients with AD. The probiotic product or placebo was given over 8 weeks. A 2‐week washout period was interconnected before the intervention was crossed. At the end of each period, blood and stool samples were collected. In patients, the severity of AD was evaluated using the Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD).Results
L. paracasei and B. lactis were recovered in high numbers in feces after supplementation, whereas L. acidophilus marginally increased. In patients, the SCORAD tended to decrease by 15.5% (P=0.081). Major lymphocyte subsets were not affected by the probiotic intervention. However, CD57+ increased significantly (P=0.034) in healthy subjects after probiotic intake and was not changed in patients, whereas CD4+CD54+ decreased significantly (P=0.031) in patients with AD and remained uninfluenced in healthy subjects. The expression of CD4+CD25+ T cells was similar in healthy subjects and AD patients. The phagocytic activity of monocytes and granulocytes was significantly increased in healthy subjects after probiotic intervention (P=0.014).Conclusion
L. paracasei Lpc‐37 and B. lactis 420 are able to colonize the intestine transiently. This study reveals that the probiotics differently modulate peripheral immune parameters in healthy subjects and patients with AD.
Interaction of suplatast tosilate (IPD) with chloride channels in human blood eosinophils: a potential mechanism underlying its anti‐allergic and anti‐asthmatic effects
Authors: Agrawal D. K. , Cheng G. , Kim M.‐J. , Kiniwa M. 
Published: November 2007

SummaryIntroduction
Alterations in chloride ion channels have been implicated in the induction of changes in cell shape and volume. Because blood and tissue eosinophilia are hallmarks of bronchial asthma, in this study we examined the role of chloride channels in the underlying effects of suplatast tosilate (IPD), an anti‐allergic drug, in human blood eosinophils.Methods
Eosinophils were isolated and purified from the blood of allergic asthmatic donors. Chloride ion currents were recorded using the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique in freshly isolated eosinophils. The current–voltage relationship of whole‐cell currents in human blood eosinophils was calculated and recorded. The effect of chloride channel blockers was examined on superoxide release, eosinophil chemotaxis as measured by the Boyden chamber, and eosinophil adhesion to endothelial cells. Radioligand binding studies with [3H]IPD and competition curves with chloride channel blockers were performed.Results
IPD increased both inward and outward chloride currents in human blood eosinophils. IPD in 1 ng/mL did not have significant effect on chloride current. However, at 5 ng/mL IPD activated both outward and inward currents in human blood eosinophils. Chloride channel blockers inhibited IPD‐induced respiratory burst in eosinophils, eosinophil chemotaxis, and eosinophil adhesion to endothelial cells. All these effects of IPD on chloride current and the resultant functional responses in human blood eosinophils were not due to its basic salt, p‐toluenesulphonic acid monohydrate. Human blood eosinophils contained specific binding sites for [3H]IPD with KD and Bmax values of 187.7±105.8 nm and 58.7±18.7 fmol/106 cells, respectively. Both NPPB and DIDS competed, in a dose‐dependent manner, for the specific binding of [3H]IPD in human blood eosinophils.Conclusion
These data suggest that the anti‐allergic and anti‐asthmatic effects of IPD could be due to its interaction with chloride channels in human blood eosinophils.
Climate control on the long‐term anomalous changes of zooplankton communities in the Northwestern Mediterranean
Authors: MOLINERO JUAN CARLOS , IBANEZ FRÉDÉRIC , SOUISSI SAMI , BUECHER EMMANUELLE , DALLOT SERGE , NIVAL PAUL 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIn marine ecosystems, pelagic copepods, chaetognaths and jellyfish play a key role in matter and energy flow. While copepods support most food webs and the biological pump of carbon into the deep ocean, chaetognaths and jellyfish may affect the strength of the top‐down control upon plankton communities. In this study, we show that the main events in the long‐term variability of these functional groups in the Northwestern Mediterranean were tightly linked to changes of climate forcing of the North Atlantic sector. Large‐scale climate forcing has altered the pelagic food‐web dynamics through changes in biological interactions, competition and predation, leading to substantial changes manifested as bursts or collapses in zooplankton populations, and consequently to a major change ca. 1987. These events become more frequent in the 1980s and the early 1990s in the studied zooplankton functional groups suggesting a shift in the functioning of the pelagic ecosystem. The environmental modifications and the results reported here are therefore, indicators of a regime change pointing to a more regeneration‐dominated system in the study area. We suggest a chain of mechanisms, whereby climate variation has modified the long‐term dynamics of pelagic copepods, chaetognaths and jellyfish in the Ligurian Sea.
A Leishmania infantum cytosolic tryparedoxin activates B cells to secrete interleukin‐10 and specific immunoglobulin
Authors: Menezes Cabral Sofia , Leal Silvestre Ricardo , Moreira Santarém Nuno , Costa Tavares Joana , Franco Silva Ana , Cordeiro‐da‐Silva Anabela 
Published: November 2007

SummaryThe immune evasion mechanisms of pathogenic trypanosomatids involve a multitude of phenomena such as the polyclonal activation of lymphocytes, cytokine modulation and the enhanced detoxification of oxygen reactive species. A trypanothione cascade seems to be involved in the detoxification process. It was recently described and characterized a tryparedoxin (LiTXN1) involved in Leishmania infantum cytoplasmatic hydroperoxide metabolism. LiTXN1 is a secreted protein that is up‐regulated in the infectious form of the parasite, suggesting that it may play an important role during infection. In the present study, we investigated whether recombinant LiTXN1 (rLiTXN1) affects T‐ and B‐cell functions in a murine model. We observed a significant increase in the CD69 surface marker on the B‐cell population in total spleen cells and on isolated B cells from BALB/c mice after in vitro rLiTXN1 stimulus. Activated B‐cells underwent further proliferation, as indicated by increased [3H]thymidine incorporation. Cytokine quantification showed a dose‐dependent up‐regulation of interleukin (IL)‐10 secretion. B cells were identified as a source of this secretion. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of rLiTXN1 into BALB/c mice triggered the production of elevated levels of rLiTXN1‐specific antibodies, predominantly of the immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG1 and IgG3 isotypes, with a minimum reactivity against other heterologous antigens. Taken together, our data suggest that rLiTXN1 may participate in immunopathological processes by targeting B‐cell effector functions, leading to IL‐10 secretion and production of specific antibodies.
Evaluation of different methods for monitoring incipient carious lesions in smooth surfaces under fluoride varnish therapy
Authors: FERREIRA JAINARA MARIA SOARES , SILVA MILTON FERNANDO ANDRADE , OLIVEIRA ANDRESSA FEITOSA BEZERRA , SAMPAIO FÁBIO CORREIA 
Published: November 2007

Background.  There are only a few studies relating visual inspection methods and laser fluorescence when monitoring regression of incipient carious lesions.Aim.  The purpose of this study was to monitor incipient carious lesions in smooth surfaces under varnish fluoride therapy using visual inspection methods and laser fluorescence (LF).Design.  Active white spot lesions (n = 111) in upper front teeth of 36 children were selected. The children were subjected to four or eight applications of fluoride varnish in weekly intervals. The visual systems were activity (A) and maximum dimension in millimetres (D). They were applied together with LF readings (L) in the beginning of the study (W1), in the 5th week (W5), and in the 9th (W9) week.Results.  The mean (SD) of L values in W5 and W9 were 5.6 (3.8) and 4.5 (3.3), respectively; both were significantly different from the initial score of 7.4 (5.1) in W1. There was a positive correlation between D and L in W5 (r = 0.25) and W9 (r = 0.36; P < 0.05). The mean (SD) values of L were lower following the activity criteria.Conclusions.  Our findings support the finding that incipient carious lesions in smooth surfaces under fluoride therapy can be monitored by laser fluorescence and visual inspection methods.
Chemotaxis mediated by NarX–FrzCD chimeras and nonadapting repellent responses in Myxococcus xanthus
Authors: Xu Qian , Black Wesley P. , Mauriello Emilia M. F. , Zusman David R. , Yang Zhaomin 
Published: November 2007

Summary Myxococcus xanthus requires gliding motility for swarming and fruiting body formation. It uses the Frz chemosensory pathway to regulate cell reversals. FrzCD is a cytoplasmic chemoreceptor required for sensing effectors for this pathway. NarX is a transmembrane sensor for nitrate from Escherichia coli. In this study, two NarX–FrzCD chimeras were constructed to investigate M. xanthus chemotaxis: NazDF contains the N‐terminal sensory module of NarX fused to the C‐terminal signalling domain of FrzCD; NazDR is similar except that it contains a G51R mutation in the NarX domain known to reverse the signalling output of a NarX–Tar chimera to nitrate. We report that while nitrate had no effect on the wild type, it decreased the reversal frequency of M. xanthus expressing NazDF and increased that of M. xanthus expressing NazDR. These results show that directional motility in M. xanthus can be regulated independently of cellular metabolism and physiology. Surprisingly, the NazDR strain failed to adapt to nitrate in temporal assays as did the wild type to known repellents. The lack of temporal adaptation to negative stimuli appears to be a general feature in M. xanthus chemotaxis. Thus, the appearance of biased movements by M. xanthus in repellent gradients is likely due to the inhibition of net translocation by repellents.
Mutations that alter the regulation of the chb operon of Escherichia coli allow utilization of cellobiose
Authors: Kachroo Aashiq H. , Kancherla Aswani K. , Singh Nongmaithem S. , Varshney Umesh , Mahadevan Subramony 
Published: November 2007

SummaryWild‐type strains of Escherichia coli are normally unable to metabolize cellobiose. However, cellobiose‐positive (Cel+) mutants arise upon prolonged incubation on media containing cellobiose as the sole carbon source. We show that the Cel+ derivatives carry two classes of mutations that act concertedly to alter the regulation of the chb operon involved in the utilization of N,N′‐diacetylchitobiose. These consist of mutations that abrogate negative regulation by the repressor NagC as well as single base‐pair changes in the transcriptional regulator chbR that translate into single‐amino‐acid substitutions. Introduction of chbR from two Cel+ mutants resulted in activation of transcription from the chb promoter at a higher level in the presence of cellobiose, in reporter strains carrying disruptions of the chromosomal chbR and nagC. These transformants also showed a Cel+ phenotype on MacConkey cellobiose medium, suggesting that the wild‐type permease and phospho‐β‐glucosidase, upon induction, could recognize, transport and cleave cellobiose respectively. This was confirmed by expressing the wild‐type genes encoding the permease and phospho‐β‐glucosidase under a heterologous promoter. Biochemical characterization of one of the chbR mutants, chbRN238S, showed that the mutant regulator makes stronger contact with the target DNA sequence within the chb promoter and has enhanced recognition of cellobiose 6‐phosphate as an inducer compared with the wild‐type regulator.
Integration of two essential virulence modulating signals at theErwinia chrysanthemi pelgene promoters: a role for Fis in the growth‐phase regulation
Authors: Lautier Thomas , Blot Nicolas , Muskhelishvili Georgi , Nasser William 
Published: November 2007

SummaryProduction of the essential virulence factors, called pectate lyases (Pels), in the phytopathogenic bacteriumErwinia chrysanthemiis controlled by a complex regulation system and responds to various stimuli, such as the presence of pectin or plant extracts, growth phase, temperature and iron concentration. The presence of pectin and growth phase are the most important signals identified. Eight regulators modulating the expression of thepelgenes (encoding Pels) have been characterized. These regulators are organized in a network allowing a sequential functioning of the regulators during infection. Although many studies have been carried out, the mechanisms of control of Pel production by growth phase have not yet been elucidated. Here we report that afismutant ofE. chrysanthemishowed a strong increase in transcription of thepelgenes during exponential growth whereas induction of expression in the parental strain occurred at the end of exponential growth. This reveals that Fis acts to prevent an efficient transcription ofpelgenes at the beginning of exponential growth and also provides evidence of the involvement of Fis in the growth‐phase regulation of thepelgenes. By usingin vitroDNA–protein interactions and transcription experiments, we find that Fis directly represses thepelgene expression at the transcription initiation step. In addition, we show that Fis acts in concert with KdgR, the main repressor responding to the presence of pectin compounds, to shut down thepelgene transcription. Finally, we find that active Fis is required for the efficient translocation of the Pels in growth medium. Together, these data indicate that Fis tightly controls the availability of Pels during pathogenesis by acting on both their production and their translocation in the external medium.
Unravelling a histone code for malaria virulence
Authors: Comeaux Christy A. , Duraisingh Manoj T. 
Published: November 2007

SummaryEpigenetic phenomena have been shown to play a role in the regulated expression of virulence genes in several pathogenic organisms, including the var gene family in Plasmodium falciparum. A better understanding of how P. falciparum can both maintain a single active var gene locus through many erythrocytic cycles and also achieve successive switching to different loci in order to evade the host immune system is greatly needed. Disruption of this tightly co‐ordinated expression system presents an opportunity for increased clearance of the parasites by the immune system and, in turn, reduced mortality and morbidity. In the current issue of Molecular Microbiology, Lopez‐Rubio and colleagues investigate the correlation of specific post‐translational histone modifications with different transcriptional states of a single var gene, var2csa. Quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation is used to demonstrate that different histone methylation marks are enriched at the 5′ flanking and coding regions of active, poised or silenced var genes. They identify an increase of H3K4me2 and H3K4me3 in the 5′ flanking region of an active var locus and expand on an earlier finding that H3K9me3 is enriched in the coding regions of silenced var genes. The authors also present evidence that H3K4me2 bookmarks the active var gene locus during later developmental stages for expression in the subsequent asexual cycle, hinting at a potential mechanism for transcriptional ‘memory’. The stage is now set for work generating a complete catalogue of all histone modifications associated with var gene regulation as well as functional studies striving to uncover the precise mechanisms underlying these observations.
Palaeoenvironments, palaeogeography, and physiography of a large, shallow, muddy ramp: Late Cenomanian‐Turonian Kaskapau Formation, Western Canada foreland basin
Authors: VARBAN BOGDAN L. , GUY PLINT A. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe Kaskapau Formation spans Late Cenomanian to Middle Turonian time and was deposited on a low‐gradient, shallow, storm‐dominated muddy ramp. Dense well log control, coupled with exposure on both proximal and distal margins of the basin allows mapping of sedimentary facies over about 35 000 km2. The studied portion of the Kaskapau Formation is a mudstone‐dominated wedge that thins from 700 m in the proximal foredeep to 50 m near the forebulge about 300 km distant. Regional flooding surfaces permit mapping of 28 allomembers, each of which represent an average of ca 125 kyr. More than 200 km from shore, calcareous silty claystone predominates, whereas 100 to 200 km offshore, mudstone and siltstone predominate. From about 30 to 100 km offshore, centimetre‐bedded very fine sandstone and mudstone record along‐shelf (SSE)‐directed storm‐generated geostrophic flows. Five to thirty kilometres from shore, decimetre‐bedded hummocky cross‐stratified fine sandstone and mudstone record strongly oscillatory, wave‐dominated flows whereas some gutter casts indicate shore‐oblique, apparently mostly unidirectional geostrophic flows. Nearshore facies are dominated by swaley cross‐stratified or intensely bioturbated clean fine sandstone, interpreted as recording, respectively, areas strongly and weakly affected by discharge from distributary mouths. Shoreface sandstones grade locally into river‐mouth conglomerates and sandstones, including conglomerate channel‐fills up to 15 m thick. Locally, brackish lagoonal shelly mudstones are present on the extreme western margin of the basin.There is no evidence for clinoform stratification, which indicates that the Kaskapau sea floor had extremely low relief, lacked a shelf‐slope break, and was probably nowhere more than a few tens of metres deep. The absence of clinoforms probably indicates a long‐term balance between rates of accommodation and sediment supply. Mud is interpreted to have been transported >250 km offshore in a sea‐bed nepheloid layer, repeatedly re‐suspended by storms. Fine‐grained sediment accumulated up to a ‘mud accommodation envelope’, perhaps only 20 to 40 m deep. Continuous re‐working of the sea floor by storms ensured that excess sediment was redistributed away from areas that had filled to the ‘accommodation envelope’, being deposited in areas of higher accommodation further down the transport path. The facies distributions and stratal geometry of the Kaskapau shelf strongly suggest that sedimentary facies, especially grain‐size, were related to distance from shore, not to water depth. As a result, the ‘100 to >300 m’ depth interpreted from calcareous claystone facies for the more central parts of the Interior Seaway, might be a significant overestimate.