bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prescribed doses of inhaled steroids in Dutch children: too little or too much, for too short a time
Authors: Schirm Eric , De Vries Tjalling W. , Tobi Hilde , Van Den Berg Paul B. , De Jong‐van den Berg Lolkje T. W. 
Published: June 2006

AimsTo investigate the dosage and duration of inhaled steroids prescribed to children and to compare the prescribed doses with recommended doses for the treatment of asthma in children.MethodsFor 2514 Dutch children aged 0–12 years who had used inhaled steroids in 2002, pharmacy dispensing data were obtained from the InterAction database, type of steroid (beclomethason, budesonide, fluticasone) and type of user (first time or existing) and the average prescribed doses according to age were determined and compared with the doses as recommended in the national Dutch Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap (NHG) guideline. Furthermore, for all first‐time users the duration of therapy with inhaled steroids was determined using a Kaplan–Meier analysis.ResultsThe major findings were that: (i) overall 43% of children starting inhaled steroids were prescribed doses that are half the recommended dose or less; (ii) overall 8% of the children starting inhaled steroids were prescribed doses that were twice the recommended dose or more, up to 50% in the 12‐year‐olds fluticasone group; and (iii) only 8% of the children who started with inhaled steroids used them continuously for a full year.ConclusionsDoses of inhaled steroids for many children deviate from those recommended, with lower doses more frequently occurring than higher doses. Less than 10% of the children receive prescriptions for a prolonged period of time.
Different inflammatory cell pattern and macrophage phenotype in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, smokers and non-smokers
Authors: Löfdahl J M , Wahlström J , Sköld C M 
Published: June 2006

SummarySmokers exhibit airway inflammation and increased number of alveolar macrophages (AM), but not all develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We hypothesized that AMs in COPD patients have an altered functional capacity mirrored in a different phenotype. Sixteen steroid-naive COPD patients [forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) &lt; 70% of predicted] underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Age- and smoking-matched non-obstructive smokers (n = 10) and healthy non-smokers (n = 9) served as controls. Nine COPD patients had a BAL cell yield sufficient for flow cytometry analysis, where expression of AM cell surface markers reflecting various functions was determined. AMs from COPD patients showed decreased expression of CD86 (co-stimulation) and CD11a (adhesion) compared to smokers’ AMs (P &lt; 0·05). Furthermore, smokers’ AMs showed lower (P &lt; 0·05) expression of CD11a compared to non-smokers. AM expression of CD11c was higher in the COPD and smokers groups compared to non-smokers (P &lt; 0·05). The expression of CD54 (adhesion) was lower in smokers’ AMs compared to non-smokers (P &lt; 0·05), whereas CD16 was lower (P &lt; 0·05) in COPD patients compared to non-smokers. The AM expression of CD11b, CD14, CD58, CD71, CD80 and human leucocyte antigen (HLA) Class II did not differ between the three groups. The AM phenotype is altered in COPD and further research may develop disease markers. The lower AM expression of CD86 and CD11a in COPD implies a reduced antigen-presenting function. Some alterations were found in smokers compared to non-smokers, thus indicating that changes in AM phenotype may be associated with smoking per se. The functional relevance of our findings remains to be elucidated.
The historic man‐made soils of the Generalife garden (La Alhambra, Granada, Spain)
Authors: Delgado R. , Martín‐García J. M. , Calero J. , Casares‐Porcel M. , Tito‐Rojo J. , Delgado G. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryWe studied the soils of the Patio de la Acequia garden of the Generalife, a palatial villa forming part of La Alhambra, a World Heritage Site in Granada, Spain. This garden, which is estimated to be around 700 years old, is the oldest historical garden in the Western World. The soils are man‐made cumulimollihumic‐calcaric (hypereutric, anthric) Regosols. Noteworthy amongst the main pedogenic processes, in relation to the human activities of cultivation, irrigation and tillage, are horizonation, melanization (the contents of organic carbon varied between 0.59% and 8.87%, and those of P205 extracted with citric acid between 723 mg kg−1 and 7333 mg kg−1, with maximae in the Ap horizons) and structure formation. The soil fabric, studied at the ultramicroscopic level using scanning electron microscopy, is of laminar and partition‐walls’ type in the lower horizons, depending on the microped zones. The partition‐walls’ fabrics found are different to those of the possible pre‐existing sedimentary fabrics. These are numerous lithological discontinuities and at least two burials, leading us to deduce that there have been two main stages of filling with materials in the formation of these soils. The first is Arabic‐Medieval (13th century), when the garden was created, its surface being some 50 cm below the level of the paved area of the present patio. In the deeper parts, the materials employed in the fill are similar to the in situ soils of the zone, unaffected by the buildings. The second stage is Christian (15th century to the present day). During this period the Medieval garden was gradually buried under a layer of materials from the nearby soils and/or sediments mixed with manure until the surface was only just below the level of the paved area of the patio. In this work we discuss the difficult classification of these relatively little studied soils. In spite of their being clearly related to human activity, they are not classified as Anthrosols in the FAO system (1998) because soil materials cannot be classified as anthropopedogenic or as anthropogeomorphic.
Vertical distribution and behaviour of shrimp Pandalus borealis larval stages in thermally stratified water columns: laboratory experiment and field observations
Authors: OUELLET PATRICK , ALLARD JEAN‐PIERRE 
Published: June 2006

AbstractBy combining field data and laboratory observations of larvae in a simulated thermal gradient, we described the ontogenetic changes in vertical distribution and behaviour of early stages of shrimp Pandalus borealis in thermally stratified water columns. Both in the laboratory and at stations in the north‐western Gulf of St Lawrence, the first two larval stages appear to actively select and maintain a position in the upper layer of warmer temperatures, within the thermocline and above the cold (<1°C) intermediate layer. Stage III larvae were distributed deeper in the water column and in colder waters than the previous two stages. Stage IV and V larvae showed the highest degree of swimming activity in the laboratory and a much wider range (from surface to ∼200 m) in vertical distribution in the field. The shift to deeper waters and settlement to the bottom habitat appears to happen after the fifth moult, at stage VI. We propose that the pattern of vertical distribution in the field reflects the adjustment of the different developmental stages to the distribution of preferred prey. The description of the ontogenetic change in the vertical distributions and movements of early stages of P. borealis should be valuable information for future attempts to model larval transport and dispersion, and for detecting settlement/recruitment areas using 3D ocean circulation models. The identification of the thermal habitat of the different larval stages and the timing for settlement at the bottom also provides important information for the development of temperature‐dependent growth models up to the first juvenile stages.
Bayesian correlation between temperature and blossom onset data
Authors: DOSE VOLKER , MENZEL ANNETTE 
Published: June 2006

AbstractThe recent quantification of changes in time series of phenology data with Bayesian methods has provided compelling evidence for changes during the last 20 years. In this paper we correlate the phenological observations with spring temperature time series. We provide quantitative answers to the question whether changes in temperature and phenological time series should be regarded as coherent or independent. For the three considered species snowdrops, cherry and lime tree we find factors of 1.05, 2.19 and 3.26, respectively, in favor of coherence. The functional behavior and the trend in the temperature time series are presented. They amount to 0.15°C yr−1 for the January–March average, 0.09°C yr−1 for February–April and 0.1°C yr−1 for March–May in 2002. In addition, we compare blossom trends for the coherent and independent hypotheses and find that the transition from trend values slightly positive before 1970 to strongly negative at present becomes sharper as the temperature data are included in the analysis.
Fingerprints of environmental change on the rare mediterranean flora: a 115‐year study
Authors: LAVERGNE SÉBASTIEN , MOLINA JAMES , DEBUSSCHE MAX 
Published: June 2006

AbstractWe empirically assessed the long‐term changes in the rare species assemblage of a Mediterranean flora, in terms of species life history traits, niche and biogeographic features, and taxonomic groups. We used a 115‐year historical record of ca. 2100 plant species occurrences in a 6250 km2region in Mediterranean France. Species were assigned to two classes of regional abundance for the years 1886 and 2001 (rare species, i.e. exhibiting one or two occurrences vs. nonrare species), and to three classes of abundance changes during 1886–2001 (decreasing/extinct, stable, increasing/immigrant). Then, we tested whether species regional abundance and species abundance change were related to their morphological and life‐history traits (life form, perenniality, height, dispersal agent, pollination mode), niche and biogeographic features (habitat specialization, level of endemism, biogeographic origin) and taxonomic group. The regional assemblage of rare species was not biologically random and significantly changed between 1886 and 2001. Species classified as rare in 1886 had a significantly higher rate of extinction in the study region during 1886–2001. The highest rate of regression/extinction was found among hydrophyte and/or water‐dispersed rare species, and among annual rare species. However, herbaceous perennial, tree and wind‐dispersed rare species significantly increased in abundance during 1886–2001. Rare species with Eurosiberian distributions, occurring at the southern margin of their range in the study region, dramatically declined or went extinct in the region during 1886–2001; whereas rare species with Mediterranean affinities remained significantly stable. We also found strong evidence for taxonomic patterns in species abundance and abundance changes from 1886 to 2001. The long‐term biological changes documented here in the rare species assemblage of a Mediterranean flora are consistent with the predicted consequences of climate and land use changes currently occurring in the Mediterranean Basin. With the potential decline or even extinction of entire taxa and the loss of southern ecotypes of widespread Eurosiberian species, both evolutionary history and speciation potential of the Mediterranean Region could be strongly altered in future decades.
Increasing CO2 from subambient to elevated concentrations increases grassland respiration per unit of net carbon fixation
Authors: WAYNE POLLEY H. , MIELNICK PATRICIA C. , DUGAS WILLIAM A. , JOHNSON HYRUM B. , SANABRIA JOAQUIN 
Published: June 2006

AbstractRespiration (carbon efflux) by terrestrial ecosystems is a major component of the global carbon (C) cycle, but the response of C efflux to atmospheric CO2 enrichment remains uncertain. Respiration may respond directly to an increase in the availability of C substrates at high CO2, but also may be affected indirectly by a CO2‐mediated alteration in the amount by which respiration changes per unit of change in temperature or C uptake (sensitivity of respiration to temperature or C uptake). We measured CO2 fluxes continuously during the final 2 years of a 4‐year experiment on C3/C4 grassland that was exposed to a 200–560 μmol mol−1 CO2 gradient. Flux measurements were used to determine whether CO2 treatment affected nighttime respiration rates and the response of ecosystem respiration to seasonal changes in net C uptake and air temperature. Increasing CO2 from subambient to elevated concentrations stimulated grassland respiration at night by increasing the net amount of C fixed during daylight and by increasing either the sensitivity of C efflux to daily changes in C fixation or the respiration rate in the absence of C uptake (basal ecosystem respiration rate). These latter two changes contributed to a 30–47% increase in the ratio of nighttime respiration to daytime net C influx as CO2 increased from subamient to elevated concentrations. Daily changes in net C uptake were highly correlated with variation in temperature, meaning that the shared contribution of C uptake and temperature in explaining variance in respiration rates was large. Statistically controlling for collinearity between temperature and C uptake reduced the effect of a given change in C influx on respiration. Conversely, CO2 treatment did not affect the response of grassland respiration to seasonal variation in temperature. Elevating CO2 concentration increased grassland respiration rates by increasing both net C input and respiration per unit of C input. A better understanding of how C efflux varies with substrate supply thus may be required to accurately assess the C balance of terrestrial ecosystems.
A T2 cytokine environment may not limit T1 responses in human immunodeficiency virus patients with a favourable response to antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Price Patricia , Keane Niamh M. , Lee Silvia , Lim Andrew F. Y. , McKinnon Elizabeth J. , French Martyn A. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryLow‐level production of interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) marks human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐induced immunodeficiency and has been ascribed to a bias towards T2 cytokines. This was investigated in two cross‐sectional studies of HIV patients who were immunodeficient when they began antiretroviral therapy (ART) and had stable increases in CD4 T‐cell counts. Blood leucocytes were assessed unstimulated or after stimulation with cytomegalovirus (CMV), anti‐CD3 or mitogen. IFN‐γ and interleukin (IL)‐5 responses were initially assessed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent spot‐forming cell assay (ELISPOT) and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We then adopted a sensitive reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) system to assess IFN‐γ, IL‐5, IL‐4 and IL‐4δ2 (an inhibitory splice variant of IL‐4) mRNA. The results were correlated with putative serological markers of a T1 [lymphocyte activation gene‐3 (LAG‐3), CD26] or a T2 [CD30, immunoglobulin E (IgE)] cytokine environment. IL‐5 production and IgE levels were elevated in patients. IgE levels did not correlate with IFN‐γ, but showed an inverse correlation with IL‐5 released in culture (P = 0·05). The levels of IL‐4, IFN‐γ, IL‐5 and IL‐4δ2 mRNA were correlated after anti‐CD3 stimulation, where IL‐5 was the best predictor of IFN‐γ mRNA (P = 0·006). Weak positive correlations were evident between CD30 and cytokine mRNA levels, whilst IgE correlated inversely with IL‐4, IL‐4δ2, IL‐5 and IFN‐γ mRNA levels. These analyses provide no evidence for an inverse relationship between T1 and T2 cytokine responses in HIV patients, but suggest that the elevation of IgE marks low cytokine responses.
T cells developing in fetal thymus of T‐cell receptor α‐chain transgenic mice colonize γδ T‐cell‐specific epithelial niches but lack long‐term reconstituting potential
Authors: Leandersson Karin , Jaensson Elin , Ivars Fredrik 
Published: June 2006

SummaryThe γδ T cells generated during mouse fetal development are absolutely dependent on their invariant T‐cell receptors (TCRs) for their function. However, there is little information on whether the epithelial homing properties of fetal T cells might also be developmentally induced by factors unrelated to TCR specificity. We have previously described TCR α‐chain transgenic (2B4 TCR‐α TG) mice, in which the transgenic TCR α‐chain is expressed early, already at embryonic day 14 (E14). These mice have a large population of ‘γδ T‐cell‐like’ CD4– CD8– (double‐negative; DN) αβ T cells, some of which develop during E14–E18 contemporarily to intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) expressing invariant TCR‐γδ. Using the 2B4 TCR‐α TG mouse model we have been able to more precisely study the impact of a variant TCR expression on IEL development and homing. In this study we show that TCR‐α TG and TCR‐α TG crossed to TCR‐δ‐deficient mice (TCR‐α TG × TCR‐δ–/–) carry TG TCR‐α+ dendritic epidermal T cells (DETCs) and TCR‐α TG+ IELs in the small intestine. The TG+ DETCs develop and seed the epidermis with similar kinetics as Vγ5+ DETCs of normal mice, in contrast to the TCR‐αβ+ DETCs found in TCR‐δ–/– mice. However, whereas the intestinal TCR‐α TG+ IELs persist in old mice (> 20 months), the TCR‐α TG+ DETCs do not. The data in this study indicate that the timing of TCR expression and thereby development during ontogeny regulates the specific homing potential for fetal T cells but not their subsequent functions and properties.
Global migration patterns in the fungal wheat pathogen Phaeosphaeria nodorum
Authors: STUKENBROCK EVA H. , BANKE SØREN , McDONALD BRUCE A. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractThe global migration patterns of the fungal wheat pathogen Phaeosphaeria nodorum were analysed using 12 microsatellite loci. Analysis of 693 isolates from nine populations indicated that the population structure of P. nodorum is characterized by high levels of genetic diversity and a low degree of subdivision between continents. To determine whether genetic similarity of populations was a result of recent divergence or extensive gene flow, the microsatellite data were analysed using an isolation‐with‐migration model. We found that the continental P. nodorum populations diverged recently, but that enough migration occurred to reduce population differentiation. The migration patterns of the pathogen indicate that immigrants originated mainly from populations in Europe, China and North America.
Role of pathogenicity island‐associated integrases in the genome plasticity of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain 536
Authors: Hochhut Bianca , Wilde Caroline , Balling Gudrun , Middendorf Barbara , Dobrindt Ulrich , Brzuszkiewicz Elzbieta , Gottschalk Gerhard , Carniel Elisabeth , Hacker Jörg 
Published: June 2006

SummaryThe genome of uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolate 536 contains five well‐characterized pathogenicity islands (PAIs) encoding key virulence factors of this strain. Except PAI IV536, the four other PAIs of strain 536 are flanked by direct repeats (DRs), carry intact integrase genes and are able to excise site‐specifically from the chromosome. Genome screening of strain 536 identified a sixth putative asnW‐associated PAI. Despite the presence of DRs and an intact integrase gene, excision of this island was not detected. To investigate the role of PAI‐encoded integrases for the recombination process the int genes of each unstable island of strain 536 were inactivated. For PAI I536 and PAI II536, their respective P4‐like integrase was required for their excision. PAI III536 carries two integrase genes, intA, encoding an SfX‐like integrase, and intB, coding for an integrase with weak similarity to P4‐like integrases. Only intB was required for site‐specific excision of this island. For PAI V536, excision could not be abolished after deleting its P4‐like integrase gene but additional deletion of the PAI II536‐specific integrase gene was required. Therefore, although all mediated by P4‐like integrases, the activity of the PAI excision machinery is most often restricted to its cognate island. This work also demonstrates for the first time the existence of a cross‐talk between integrases of different PAIs and shows that this cross‐talk is unidirectional.
Pathogenicity island integrase cross‐talk: a potential new tool for virulence modulation
Authors: Manson Janet M. , Gilmore Michael S. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryInstability and excision of pathogenicity islands (PAIs) have already been described in Escherichia coli 536. In this edition of Molecular Microbiology, Bianca Hochhut and colleagues from the University of Würzburg in Germany have shown that the instability of four of the E. coli 536 PAIs is mediated by a P4‐type integrase encoded within the specific PAI by a site‐specific recombination mechanism. The integrase encoded on PAI II536 is able to mediate excision and integration of both PAI II536, and also PAI V536. The att sites of both these PAIs have a region of sequence similarity, which is also found in several other PAIs and in tRNA genes in several bacterial species. The cross‐PAI activity of this integrase (IntPAI II) suggests that it plays an important role in both genome evolution and horizontal transfer of pathogenicity elements, possibly even across species barriers. Deletion of PAIs that carry genes for adhesins and other traits might lead to a phase variation‐like phenomenon. Differential regulation of integrase activity or production might add a further level of fine‐tuning during bacterial infection.
Different genetic programmes within identical bacteria under identical conditions: the phenomenon of bistability greatly modifies our view on bacterial populations
Authors: Graumann Peter L. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryTwo different behavioural or developmental patters can operate within a single bacterial population in which all of the cells are exposed to the same environmental conditions. Investigations of single cells using green fluorescent protein reveal that a bacterial population can be composed of two distinct fractions in different physiological states, and that cells can even switch between states. Such behaviour, termed ‘bistability’, can occur even in exponentially growing populations, in which cells have always been regarded as behaving almost identically and having the same pattern of gene expression. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Dubnau and Losick review four examples of such bistable populations found in two different bacterial species, and explain why this behaviour makes sense. These investigations have established the new concept of genetically identical cells that behave differently, which will profoundly change how we view bacterial populations.