bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rivaroxaban (BAY 59‐7939) – an oral, direct Factor Xa inhibitor – has no clinically relevant interaction with naproxen
Authors: Kubitza Dagmar , Becka Michael , Mueck Wolfgang , Zuehlsdorf Michael 
Published: November 2006

What is already known about this subject • Rivaroxaban is a novel anticoagulant with predictable, dose‐proportional pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in healthy subjects.• It is in clinical development for the prevention of thromboembolic disorders in patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery.• Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen, are widely used for pain relief and treatment of inflammation, particularly in patients who have undergone orthopaedic surgery. As it is likely that patients receiving rivaroxaban after orthopaedic surgery will also receive NSAIDs, this study was performed to determine whether there was any mechanistic interaction between rivaroxaban and naproxen. What this study adds • This study demonstrated that there was no mechanistic interaction between rivaroxaban and naproxen in healthy subjects.• This finding was used to design large‐scale clinical trials of rivaroxaban, in which patients were also allowed to use NSAIDs.• These ongoing trials will provide definitive data regarding the interaction between rivaroxaban and NSAIDs.AimsRivaroxaban (BAY 59‐7939) is in advanced clinical development for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic disorders. Frequent co‐medications in the patient populations likely to receive rivaroxaban include NSAIDs. This randomized, two‐way crossover study, with a naproxen run‐in period, was performed to determine whether naproxen influences the tolerability, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of rivaroxaban.MethodsEleven healthy, young males received naproxen 500 mg on two consecutive days, a single dose of rivaroxaban 15 mg, or both.ResultsTreatments were well tolerated: adverse events (eight in total), reported by three subjects, were mild and not drug related. Rivaroxaban inhibited Factor Xa activity by 35% and prolonged prothrombin time [by 1.4 times baseline (tb)], activated partial thromboplastin time (1.3 tb) and the HepTest (1.9 tb). Naproxen had no influence on these measures and the combination of rivaroxaban and naproxen did not affect platelet aggregation. Rivaroxaban and naproxen given together significantly increased bleeding time compared with rivaroxaban alone (P = 0.017). However, this difference was small compared with the effect of naproxen given alone, except in one subject. Least squares‐means ratios for the AUC and Cmax of rivaroxaban after administration alone and with naproxen were 1.125 [90% confidence interval (CI) 0.995, 1.271] and 1.095 (90% CI 0.905, 1.325), respectively.ConclusionsThere appeared to be no clinically relevant interaction between rivaroxaban and naproxen in healthy subjects, although some individuals may be more sensitive to the combination. Large‐scale Phase III clinical studies will be required to confirm whether there is an increased risk of bleeding during treatment with rivaroxaban and concomitant NSAIDs.
Mechanism of interleukin‐25 (IL‐17E)‐induced pulmonary inflammation and airways hyper‐reactivity
Authors: Sharkhuu T. , Matthaei K. I. , Forbes E. , Mahalingam S. , Hogan S. P. , Hansbro P. M. , Foster P. S. 
Published: November 2006

SummaryBackground
IL‐25, a novel member of the IL‐17 cytokine family, promotes CD4+ T‐helper 2 lymphocyte‐like (Th type‐2) inflammatory responses in the lung. Although IL‐25 up‐regulates IL‐13 in the lung, the contribution of this and other type 2 cytokine signalling pathways to the induction and persistence of airways hyper‐reactivity (AHR) and allergic inflammation are unclear.Objective
To determine the downstream factors employed by IL‐25 to induce Th type‐2 pulmonary inflammation and AHR.Methods
IL‐25 was delivered to the airways of BALB/c mice by intra‐tracheal (i.t.) instillation and AHR and Th type‐2 inflammatory responses were characterized in wild type (WT) and Th type‐2‐cytokine and ‐signalling pathway‐deficient (−/−) mice.Results
IL‐25 treatment resulted in AHR, eosinophilic inflammation, mucus hypersecretion and a progressive increase in the production of Th type‐2 cytokines in the lungs. Levels of arginase‐I (arg‐I) and eotaxin were also elevated by IL‐25 treatment. A significant reduction in AHR, and attenuation of mucus production was observed in IL‐25‐treated IL‐13−/−, IL‐4 receptor alpha (IL‐4Rα−/−)‐ and signal‐transducer‐and‐activator‐of‐transcription‐factor‐6 (STAT6−/−)‐deficient mice. AHR was also inhibited in IL‐4−/−‐ and IL‐5/eotaxin(1)−/−‐ deficient mice treated with IL‐25, however, mucus hypersecretion was not completely ablated. IL‐25 promoted Th type‐2 responses by directly acting on naïve T cells.Conclusion
IL‐25 potently (single dose) induces sustained AHR and acute pulmonary inflammation with eosinophilia. IL‐25‐induced AHR is dependent on the production of Th type‐2 cytokines, and removal of IL‐13 and its signal transduction pathway prevents IL‐25‐induced airways inflammation and AHR. IL‐25 potently induces inflammatory cascades that may exacerbate allergic airways inflammation by promoting Th type‐2 cytokine responses in conjunction with the up‐regulation of factors (eotaxin and arg‐I) that can amplify inflammation associated with allergic disorders. Dysregulation in IL‐25 production may predispose to features of allergic airways disease.
Conservation of the vaquita Phocoena sinus
Authors: ROJAS‐BRACHO LORENZO , REEVES RANDALL R. , JARAMILLO‐LEGORRETA ARMANDO 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT

The vaquita Phocoena sinus is a small porpoise that is endemic to the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. It is the most critically endangered marine small cetacean in the world. The most precise estimate of global abundance based on a 1997 survey is 567 (95% CI 177–1073).
Vaquitas mainly live north of 30°45′N and west of 114°20′W. Their ‘core area’ consists of about 2235 km2 centred around Rocas Consag, 40 km east of San Felipe, Baja California. Genetic analyses and population simulations suggest that the vaquita has always been rare, and that its extreme loss of genomic variability occurred over evolutionary time rather than being caused by human activities.
Gill nets for fish and shrimp cause very high rates of by‐catch (entanglement) of vaquitas. Estimates of bycatch rates are from 1993–94 and refer to one of three main fishing ports: 84 per year (95% CI 14–155) using only data collected by observers and 39 per year (95% CI 14–93) using combined data from observers and interviews with fishermen. Boats from other ports may experience similar rates, and the total is probably well above what would be sustainable.
Other less well‐characterized and longer‐term risk factors include the potential for disturbance by trawling to affect vaquita behaviour, and the uncertain effects of dam construction on the Colorado River and the resultant loss of freshwater input to the upper Gulf. However, entanglement is the clearest and most immediate concern.
Progress towards reducing entanglement has been slow in spite of efforts to phase out gill nets in the vaquita’s core range, and the development of schemes involving compensation for fishermen. The Biosphere Reserve in the northern Gulf has fallen far short of its potential for vaquita conservation. On 29 December 2005, the Mexican Ministry of Environment declared a Vaquita Refuge that contains within its borders the positions of approximately 80% of verified vaquita sightings. In the same decree, the state governments of Sonora and Baja California were offered $1 million to compensate affected fishermen. The effectiveness of this major initiative remains to be seen.
The vaquita’s survival does not depend on more or better science but on improved management. As a funding priority, implementation of conservation measures and evaluation of their effectiveness should come ahead of more surveys or improved estimation of by‐catch.
Estimating red deer Cervus elaphus populations: an analysis of variation and cost‐effectiveness of counting methods
Authors: DANIELS MIKE J. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT

Different counting methods are currently used to estimate red deer populations in the open range in Scotland, but there are few data available to compare variation in estimates, or relative cost‐effectiveness.
While it is impossible to determine the accuracy of counts (as real numbers are unknown), variation within and between different methods can be measured by repeat counts of the same area within as short a period as possible.
This study aimed to quantify the variation observed from repeat counts using each of four methods (ground, helicopter, infrared helicopter and dung‐counting methods) at one of three study sites in late winters 2003, 2004 and 2005. Additional data from digital camera images of groups from counts in other areas of Scotland were also used to assess the accuracy of visual counts.
Coefficients of variation (CVs) within any method of between 5% and 16% were recorded, consistent with previous comparisons for red deer open range counts in Scotland. CVs were lowest for ground and helicopter counts. The infrequency of optimal conditions was likely to limit the applicability of infrared counts in Scotland.
In terms of cost‐effectiveness, helicopter counting was the least labour‐intensive, with costs of other techniques depending on the availability of existing manpower as an overhead cost.
It is concluded that helicopter counts are most likely to minimize errors while maximizing cost‐efficiency. Accuracy can be improved by the use of digital photography for counting larger deer groups. Estimates are likely to be improved further by increasing the frequency of counts and using the same methods, counters and routes for repeat counts.
Identification of pseudomurein cell wall binding domains
Authors: Steenbakkers Peter J. M. , Geerts Wim J. , Ayman‐Oz Nilgün A. , Keltjens Jan T. 
Published: November 2006

Summary Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus is a methanogenic Gram‐positive microorganism with a cell wall consisting of pseudomurein. Currently, no information is available on extracellular pseudomurein biology and so far only two prophage pseudomurein autolysins, PeiW and PeiP, have been reported. In this paper we show that PeiW and PeiP contain two different N‐terminal pseudomurein cell wall binding domains. This finding was used to identify a novel domain, PB007923, on the M. thermautotrophicus genome present in 10 predicted open reading frames. Three homologues were identified in the Methanosphaera stadtmanae genome. Binding studies of fusion constructs of three separate PB007923 domains to green fluorescent protein revealed that it also constituted a cell wall binding domain. Both prophage domains and the PB007923 domain bound to the cell walls of Methanothermobacter species and fluorescence microscopy showed a preference for the septal region. Domain specificities were revealed by binding studies with other pseudomurein‐containing archaea. Localized binding was observed for M. stadtmanae and Methanobrevibacter species, while others stained evenly. The identification of the first pseudomurein cell wall binding domains reveals the dynamics of the pseudomurein cell wall and provides marker proteins to study the extracellular pseudomurein biology of M. thermautotrophicus and of other pseudomurein‐containing archaea.
Correlated evolution of life history and host range in the nonphotosynthetic parasitic flowering plants Orobanche and Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae)
Authors: SCHNEEWEISS G. M. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractMost members of the nonphotosynthetic parasitic genera Orobanche and Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae) have narrow host ranges, and, as they grow on perennial hosts, are (at least potentially) perennial themselves. A few species, however, have wide host ranges and grow on annual hosts, and are thus (at least facultatively) annuals themselves. Among the latter are the weedy species, which include economically important pest taxa such as Orobanche crenata or Phelipanche aegyptiaca. Using a phylogenetically based maximum likelihood approach, which takes phylogenetic and branch length uncertainty into account, we can show that the life trait host range and life history evolve in a correlated fashion. This supports the hypothesis that parasite specialization is associated with predictable resources (i.e. long‐lived hosts) and generalism with unpredictable ones (i.e. short‐lived hosts), a pattern often found in animal parasites. The mechanisms and temporal sequence of the life trait changes and their interrelations remain speculative.
The effects of reproduction on courtship, fertility and longevity within and between alternative male mating tactics of the horned beetle, Onthophagus binodis
Authors: SIMMONS L. W. , KOTIAHO J. S. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractLife history theory provides a powerful tool to study an organism's biology within an evolutionary framework. The notion that males face a longevity cost of competing for and displaying to females lies at the core of sexual selection theory. Likewise, recent game theory models of the evolution of ejaculation strategies assume that males face a trade‐off between expenditure on the ejaculate and expenditure on gaining additional matings. Males of the dung beetle Onthophagus binodis adopt alternative reproductive tactics in which major males fight for and help provision females, and minor males sneak copulations with females that are guarded by major males. Minor males are always subject to sperm competition, and consistent with theoretical expectation, minor males have a greater expenditure on their ejaculate than major males. We used this model system to seek evidence that mating comes at a cost for future fertility and/or male expenditure on courtship and attractiveness, and to establish whether these traits vary between alternative mating tactics. We monitored the lifespan of males exposed to females and nonmating populations, and sampled males throughout their lives to assess their fertility and courtship behaviour. We found a significant longevity cost of reproduction, but no fertility cost. On average, males from mating populations had a lower courtship rate than those from nonmating populations. This small effect, although statistically nonsignificant, was associated with significant increases in the time males required to achieve mating. Minor males had lower courtship rates than major males, and took longer to achieve mating. Although we did not measure ejaculate expenditure in this study, the correlation between lower courtship rate and longer mating speed of minor males documented here with their greater expenditure on the ejaculate found in previous studies, is consistent with game theory models of ejaculate expenditure which assume that males trade expenditure on gaining matings for expenditure on gaining fertilizations.
Genetic Differentiation of Rice and Non‐rice Populations of Magnaporthe grisea from North‐western Himalayas using Native Protein and Isozyme Polymorphisms
Authors: Rathour R. , Sharma R. , Sharma V. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractNative protein and isozyme markers were used to analyse the population structure of rice, finger millet (Eleusine coracana), jungle rice (Echinochloa colonum), goosegrass (Eleusine indica) and crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) infecting isolates of Magnaporthe grisea from the north‐western Himalayan region of India. Both protein and isozyme analyses revealed a high level of genetic diversity among different host‐limited populations of the pathogen including those infecting rice. Cluster analysis of protein and isozyme data permitted the grouping of isolates in accordance with their host specificity. A close association was observed between specific esterase and shikimate dehydrogenase (SDH) isozyme electromorphs and the host specificity of the isolates, indicating that these electromorphs might be linked to the genes conditioning host specialization. Cluster analysis indicated the presence of two lineages in M. grisea species complex: first lineage with moderate bootstrap support was constituted by the isolates from rice, finger millet, goosegrass and jungle rice and a second statistically robust lineage was represented by the isolates from crabgrass. Subpopulations of the pathogen attacking rice and weeds in the same field were genetically distinct and the isolates from different hosts never exhibited a same multilocus haplotype. The overall results indicated that M. grisea populations infecting different hosts were genetically isolated and there was no gene flow among rice and non‐rice isolates of the pathogen.
Transmission of Hop Latent and Hop Mosaic Carlaviruses by Macrosiphum euphorbiae and Myzus persicae
Authors: Crowle D. R. , Pethybridge S. J. , Wilson C. R. 
Published: November 2006

Abstract Macrosiphum euphorbiae and Myzus persicae, polyphagous aphid species commonly found within hop gardens in Australia, were confirmed as vectors of hop latent virus (HpLV) and hop mosaic virus in glasshouse trials. Both vectors transmitted either virus with equivalent efficiency. This is the first record of HpLV transmission by an aphid other than Phorodon humuli. Furthermore, aphids feeding on single infected plants, sequentially on plants infected with one virus and then the other or on co‐infected source plants did not influence transmission efficiency of either virus, nor was the frequency of co‐transmission affected by the order of virus acquisition. The role of these vectors in carlavirus epidemics in Australian hop gardens is discussed.
Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA Markers for Trichoderma species and Antagonism Against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris Causing Chickpea Wilt
Authors: Dubey S. C. , Suresh M. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractRandomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to examine the genetic variability among 10 isolates of Trichoderma representing three species and their ability to antagonize Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris causing chickpea wilt using dual culture assay and volatile and non‐volatile compound production. Using 10 oligonucleotide primers, we are able to distinguish among the species of Trichoderma. Primer OPA 13 efficiently differentiated all the isolates of Trichoderma in to their species except T2 of Trichoderma viride. Some of the other primer as Primer OPA 10 also showed species‐specific banding pattern. These species of Trichoderma were evaluated against the pathogen. All the isolates of the fungal antagonists caused significant reduction in the mycelial growth of the pathogen in vitro. The principle mechanism of mycoparasitism was observed as coiling of antagonistic hyphae around the pathogen hyphae and lysis.
Isolation and Characterization of Resistance Gene Homology Sequence from Wheat
Authors: Wang H. Y. , Yang W. X. , Zhang L. R. , Meng Q. F. , Liu D. Q. , Zhang T. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractTwo pairs of primers were designed according to the amino acid conserved regions of reported plant disease resistance gene which encode proteins that contain nucleotide‐binding site (NBS) and leucine‐rich repeats (LRR). Two resistance gene analogues (RGAs) had been obtained, which were named as S2A2 and LRR1, from the RNA of TcLr35 containing Lr35 gene conferring resistance against wheat leaf rust by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). S2A2 had 539 bp encoding 177 amino acids and LRR1 had 215 bp encoding 58 amino acids. Homology search in GenBank showed that S2A2 was 91% identical to a resistance gene homology EST sequence of barley. BLASTp analysis showed that S2A2 contained the conserved motifs of NB‐ARC: P‐loop, kinase 2, kinase 3a and transmembrance domain and the amino acid of LRR1 was 74% identical to Xa21. Northern hybridization showed that these RGAs expression was not induced by Puccinia triticina inoculation, indicating that they are constitutive genes with low abundance in wheat. 3′RACE‐PCR was carried out with gene‐specific primers and the 3′‐universal primer provided in the kit. An amplified fragment of 567 bp that overlapped with the LRR1 sequence by 184 bp was obtained. A 598 bp fragment was determined to be the sequence of LRR1 except the 5′cDNA end encoding a predicted polypeptide of 153 amino acid containing three LRR repeats. The fragment also contained 84 bp untranslated region (UTR) at 3′‐ends and 21 bp poly(A) tail. The study paved the way for the cloning of Lr35 or the resistance‐related gene.
Atomic Force Microscopy for Direct Imaging and Nanoscale Morphometry of the Rice False Smut Fungus Ustilaginoidea virens
Authors: Kim K. W. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractAtomic force microscopy (AFM) was used for direct imaging and nanoscale morphometry of spined conidia of Ustilaginoidea virens. Basic components of AFM include a piezoscanner, a cantilever and a photodiode for surface scanning and image formation. Topographic imaging by AFM exhibited surface topographic images of ‘untreated’ conidia at the comparable spatial resolution with conventional scanning electron microscopy. Numerical analysis of the surface parameters over 1.0 × 1.0 μm2 scan areas revealed a variety of mean height (239.5 ± 124.7 nm), root‐mean‐squared roughness (78.2 ± 31.8 nm), surface area (1.8 ± 0.6 μm2), and volume (239.6 ± 124.7 nm3) from acquired topographic images. These results suggest that AFM imaging and surface analysis can provide insights into a comprehensive understanding of fungal spores at the nanoscale level, opening a new venue in plant pathology and its related research areas.
Molecular Detection of Fusarium foetens in Begonia
Authors: De Weerdt M. , Zijlstra C. , Van Brouwershaven I. R. , Van Leeuwen G. C. M. , De Gruyter J. , Kox L. F. F. 
Published: November 2006

Abstract Fusarium foetens is a new destructive pathogen on Begonia. This fungus is morphologically difficult to distinguish from other known Fusarium species. Moreover, the currently used assays for identification of this species require isolation and growth of the fungus which make the process time consuming. This study describes the development of a gel‐based conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and a real‐time PCR test for fast, practical, sensitive and specific detection of F. foetens. The gel‐based PCR test presented amplifies a 275‐bp fragment of the elongation factor (EF)‐1α region. The real‐time PCR test was based on the mitochondrial small subunit sequence of F. foetens. Both tests are suitable to detect F. foetens in cultures as well as in infected plant materials and offer potential for routine detection purposes.
Molecular Diversity in Puccinia triticina Isolates from Ethiopia and Germany
Authors: Mebrate S. A. , Dehne H. W. , Pillen K. , Oerke E. C. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractA total of 43 isolates of the wheat leaf rust fungus, Puccinia triticina Eriks, collected from Ethiopia and Germany were analysed for their genetic diversity using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique. Out of 18 EcoRI/MseI primer combinations screened, 15 produced 219 highly polymorphic fragments. The average AFLP difference between pairs of the leaf rust isolates (26 from Ethiopia, 17 from Germany) was calculated using Dice's genetic similarity (GS) coefficient. The overall GS for the 43 isolates was 0.67 ± 0.13. The Ethiopian leaf rust isolates had lower average GS (0.63 ± 0.13) than the German ones (0.76 ± 0.10). A cluster analysis and a two‐dimensional principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) grouped the 43 isolates into two significantly different (P ≤ 0.01) clusters. Isolates in cluster I (35 isolates) had an average GS of 0.76 ± 0.06 while the isolates in cluster II (8 isolates) had an average GS of 0.55 ± 0.12. Isolates were also grouped into three regions of collection, central Ethiopia, south and south‐east Ethiopia, and Germany. The regions were significantly different at P ≤ 0.01 indicating regional variation in terms of molecular diversity of the leaf rust isolates studied. Each isolate, however, had a unique AFLP fingerprint. The results indicated that the leaf rust population in central Ethiopia is genetically distinct and this might be related to the predominant cultivation of durum wheat cultivars in this area.