bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
AluyMICB dimorphism within the class I region of the major histocompatibility complex is associated with asthma and airflow obstruction in the Busselton population
Authors: Hui J. , Palmer L. J. , James A. L. , Musk A. W. , Beilby J. P. 
Published: May 2006

SummaryAim
To examine the association between the Alu dimorphism within the first intron of the MICB gene and asthma and airflow obstruction.Background
The highly polymorphic non‐classical MHC class I polypeptide‐related (MIC) genes, MICA and MICB, encode stress inducible glycoproteins, which are expressed on a variety of epithelial cells, including those of the lungs.Methods
AluyMICB genotyping was performed on 1109 subjects from the Busselton Health Study. From a standard questionnaire, 359 individuals indicated that they had been diagnosed by a doctor with asthma. Lung function was assessed by the forced expired volume in 1 second (FEV1) and expressed as a percent of the predicted value. Airflow obstruction was defined as FEV1<80% predicted.Results
In men, a dominant relationship was found between the AluyMICB DD genotype and asthma (P=0.006; χ22=7.65). Furthermore, multivariate analysis adjusted for age, height, weight and body mass index (BMI) showed a relationship between DD genotype and asthma in men in a dominant model (odds ratio (OR)=1.97; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.11–3.51; P=0.021). In women, an association was found between the AluyMICB II genotype and FEV1 percent predicted as a continuous variable (P=0.001). When adjusted for age and BMI, it showed a significant relationship between AluyMICB and airflow obstruction in a dominant model (OR=14.11%, 95% CI 3.29–60.57, P<0.001). However, no association was found between the AluyMICB II genotypes and airflow obstruction in men.Conclusion
These findings suggest the possible involvement of a MHC class I gene in abnormal airway structure in women and airway function in men.
Chemokine receptor expression and modulation by Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens on mononuclear cells from human lymphoid tissues
Authors: Arias Mauricio A. , Pantoja Adelis E. , Jaramillo Gabriela , Paris Sara C. , Shattock Robin J. , García Luis F. , Griffin George E. 
Published: May 2006

SummaryChemokine receptor switching on lymphoid cells is an important factor regulating migration and homing, but little is known about the expression of such molecules during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in humans. We describe CCR2, CCR5 and CCR7 expression on human cells from blood, spleen and pulmonary hilar lymph nodes (PHLN) stimulated by M. tuberculosis antigens. CCR2 was not expressed by CD3+ cells regardless of the presence of antigen, but was highly expressed on CD14+ CD63+ monocytes/macrophages. CCR2 decreased on splenic monocytes/macrophages by nearly 50% in culture, independent of antigen, but remained high in blood and PHLN. CCR5 was low in CD3+ cells and was down‐regulated by M. tuberculosis antigens on blood and splenic cells but not in PHLN. CCR5 was highly expressed on monocytes/macrophages and was down‐regulated by M. tuberculosis antigens at 48 hr only in blood. Less than 15% of CD3+ cells from spleen and PHLN were CCR7+, whereas nearly 40% from blood expressed this receptor on primary isolation. However, CCR7 in PHLN increased in culture, independent of antigen. Monocytes/macrophages did not express CCR7. Thus, we characterize, for the first time, chemokine receptor expression and differential modulation by M. tuberculosis antigens on human mononuclear cells from spleen, blood and PHLN. Knowledge of chemokine receptor switching in human lymphoid tissue provides novel insight into mechanisms of the immune response to M. tuberculosis with potential effects on directing cell trafficking.
On plotting species abundance distributions
Authors: GRAY JOHN S. , BJØRGESÆTER ANDERS , UGLAND KARL. I. 
Published: May 2006

Summary

There has been a revival of interest in species abundance distribution (SAD) models, stimulated by the claim that the log‐normal distribution gave an underestimate of the observed numbers of rare species in species‐rich assemblages. This led to the development of the neutral Zero Sum Multinomial distribution (ZSM) to better fit the observed data.
Yet plots of SADs, purportedly of the same data, showed differences in frequencies of species and of statistical fits to the ZSM and log‐normal models due to the use of different binning methods.
We plot six different binning methods for the Barro Colorado Island (BCI) tropical tree data. The appearances of the curves are very different for the different binning methods. Consequently, the fits to different models may vary depending on the binning system used.
There is no agreed binning method for SAD plots. Our analysis suggests that a simple doubling of the number of individuals per species in each bin is perhaps the most practical one for illustrative purposes. Alternatively rank‐abundance plots should be used.
For fitting and testing models exact methods have been developed and application of these does not require binning of data. Errors are introduced unnecessarily if data are binned before testing goodness‐of‐fit to models.
Modelling the impacts of two exotic invasive species on a native butterfly: top‐down vs. bottom‐up effects
Authors: KEELER MARGARET S. , CHEW FRANCES S. , GOODALE BRITTON C. , REED J. MICHAEL 
Published: May 2006

Summary

Exotic invasive species can influence population dynamics of native species through top‐down or bottom‐up forces. The present study examined separate and interactive effects of multiple exotic species invasions on the native mustard white butterfly, Pieris napi oleracea Harris (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), using a stochastic simulation model.
P. n. oleracea populations in North America have decreased regionally since the 1860s. Competition with an exotic congener (P. rapae L.), loss of native host plants and parasitism by the introduced broconid wasp (Cotesia glomerata L.), have been suggested to be independently responsible for its decline. The present study examined these hypotheses, as well as an alternative, invasion by an exotic crucifer, garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata[Bieb.] Cavara & Grande).
A stochastic simulation model of P. n. oleracea population dynamics revealed that decreasing the number of host plants available for oviposition and larval development (i.e. habitat loss), sharply reduced the probability of populations persistence and decreased population size for those that persisted.
Simulated invasion by garlic mustard also substantially decreased both probability of persistence (= 0 at approximately 50% cover) and mean population size. Persistence probability never reached zero under any C. glomerata scenarios, even when larval mortality in the second generation due to parasitism was 100%. The impact of garlic mustard was intensified by the addition of C. glomerata parasitism.
Results suggest that bottom‐up forces, loss of host plants through forest understorey loss and/or garlic mustard invasion are the most important forces driving P. n. oleracea population decline. Parasitism by C. glomerata may interact to reduce P. n. oleracea populations more rapidly, but appears insufficient alone to cause local extinction.
Impact of transgenic potatoes expressing anti‐bacterial agents on bacterial endophytes is comparable with the effects of plant genotype, soil type and pathogen infection
Authors: RASCHE FRANK , VELVIS HENK , ZACHOW CHRISTIN , BERG GABRIELE , VAN ELSAS JAN D. , SESSITSCH ANGELA 
Published: May 2006

Summary

Blackleg and soft rot disease of potatoes Solanum tuberosum L., mainly caused by the bacterial pathogen Erwinia carotovora ssp. atrospetica (Eca), lead to enormous yield losses world‐wide. Genetically modified (GM) potatoes producing anti‐bacterial agents, such as cecropin/attacin and T4 lysozyme, may offer effective future pathogen control strategies. Because of concerns about undesirable ecological side‐effects of GM crops, it is important to analyse the potential environmental impact of GM crops carefully. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of GM potatoes with anti‐bacterial activity on the diversity and functional abilities of bacteria colonizing the intercellular spaces and vascular tissues (endosphere) of potato plants.
A greenhouse experiment was performed to analyse the effect of GM potatoes expressing either attacin/cecropin or T4 lysozyme on endophytic bacterial communities. Endophytic bacteria colonizing the GM potato lines as well as their nearly isogenic wild types were analysed at two vegetation stages. In order to compare GM‐related variations with impacts caused by changing environmental conditions, potatoes were cultivated in two different soil types, and challenged with the pathogen Eca. Endophytic diversity was assessed by 16S rRNA‐based terminal‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (T‐RFLP) analysis. Cultivated community members were identified by 16S rRNA gene analysis and screened for a range of plant growth‐promoting and plant pathogen‐antagonistic abilities.
Both genetic transformation events induced a differentiation in the community structures of associated bacterial populations and in the related functional abilities of cultivated bacterial endophytes. In comparison with the other factors analysed, the impact of both genetic modification types was minor or comparable with the variations caused by plant genotype, vegetation stage, pathogen exposure and soil type.
Synthesis and applications. This study has shown that the expression of anti‐bacterial proteins may affect bacterial endophytes; however, the impacts were no greater than those of other factors analysed. Future risk assessment studies of GM crops should consider different environmental factors. This study contributes to the ongoing risk assessment of GM crops and provides valuable baseline information for prospective GM crop assays.
Prophylactic treatment of bipolar disorder in pregnancy and breastfeeding: focus on emerging mood stabilizers
Authors: Gentile Salvatore 
Published: May 2006

Objectives:  Bipolar disorders are reported to have a high incidence during childbearing years and the need may arise to start or continue a pharmacological treatment during pregnancy and the postpartum period. In the last few years several investigations have evaluated the efficacy of emerging mood‐stabilizing agents in the treatment of bipolar disorders, such as lamotrigine, olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, aripiprazole and ziprasidone. A number of studies, which examined the use of oxcarbazepine, point to its potential usefulness in prophylactic treatment. The aim of this review is to compare information from the literature on the safety of lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, risperidone, olanzapine, and quetiapine to the safety data on classic mood stabilizers during pregnancy and the postpartum period.Methods:  A computerized search carried out from 1980 to April 5, 2006 led to the summarization of the results. (References were updated after acceptance and prior to publication.)Results:  Emerging mood stabilizers show uncertain safety parameters in pregnancy and lactation. Limited information on lamotrigine and oxcarbazepine does not suggest a clear increase in teratogenicity, while olanzapine appears to be associated with a higher risk of metabolic complications in pregnant women. Data about risperidone and quetiapine are still inconclusive. Finally, the literature on the safety of these compounds in breastfeeding is anecdotal.Conclusions:  Untreated pregnant bipolar women are at an increased risk of poor obstetrical outcomes and relapse of affective symptoms. On the other hand, classic antiepileptic drugs are well‐known human teratogens, whereas data on lithium are partially ambiguous. The safety of emerging mood stabilizers in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been examined extensively. Therefore, when approaching bipolar disorder, if possible, each episode must be considered separately.
Does inbreeding avoidance maintain gender dimorphism in Wurmbea dioica (Colchicaceae)?
Authors: Ramsey M. , Vaughton G. , Peakall R. 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
The maintenance of females in gender dimorphic populations requires that they have a fitness advantage to compensate for their loss of male reproductive function. We assess whether inbreeding avoidance provides this advantage in two subdioecious Wurmbea dioica populations by estimating seed production, outcrossing rates and inbreeding depression. Fruiting males produced less than half as many seeds as females, owing to low outcrossing rates and early acting inbreeding depression. Inbreeding coefficients of fruiting males demonstrated that progeny were more inbred than their parents, implying that few selfed progeny reach maturity, as confirmed by inbreeding depression estimates that exceeded 0.85. In a glasshouse experiment, open-pollinated females exhibited a fitness advantage of 3.7 relative to fruiting males, but when we increased fruiting male outcrossing rate, female advantage was only 1.4. This reduced advantage is insufficient to maintain females if nuclear genes control sex. Thus, inbreeding avoidance could maintain females at high frequencies, although this is contingent upon high frequencies of fruiting males, which can be altered by environmentally determined gender plasticity.
A change of expression in the conserved signaling gene MKK7 is associated with a selective sweep in the western house mouse Mus musculus domesticus
Authors: Harr B. , Voolstra C. , Heinen T. J. A. J. , Baines J. F. , Rottscheidt R. , Ihle S. , Müller W. , Bonhomme F. , Tautz D. 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
Changes in gene expression are known to occur between closely related species, but it is not yet clear how many of these are due to random fixation of allelic variants or due to adaptive events. In a microarray survey between subspecies of the Mus musculus complex, we identified the mitogen-activated protein-kinase-kinase MKK7 as a candidate for change in gene expression. Quantitative PCR experiments with multiple individuals from each subspecies confirmed a specific and significant up-regulation in the testis of M. m. domesticus. Northern blot analysis shows that this is due to a new transcript that is not found in other tissues, nor in M. m. musculus. A cis-trans test via allele specific expression analysis of the MKK7 gene in F1 hybrids between domesticus and musculus shows that the expression change is mainly caused by a mutation located in cis. Nucleotide diversity was found to be significantly reduced in a window of at least 20 kb around the MKK7 locus in domesticus, indicative of a selective sweep. Because the MKK7 gene is involved in modulating a kinase signalling cascade in a stress response pathway, it seems a plausible target for adaptive differences between subspecies, although the functional role of the new testis-specific transcripts will need to be further studied.
Mycelial growth and exclusion of Heterobasidion parviporum inoculated in branches of 15‐year‐old Picea abies clones
Authors: Swedjemark G. , Karlsson B. 
Published: May 2006

SummaryTwigs of 22 clones of 15‐year‐old Picea abies grafts were inoculated with Heterobasidion parviporum in July and in September 2003. Fungal growth varied between clones and exclusion of the pathogen varied significantly among clones inoculated in July. The results indicate that twigs exhibit the same infection pattern as cuttings when inoculated with H. parviporum and that exclusion of the pathogen in twigs is a clone‐dependent character that occurs during the vegetation period.
The relationships between leptin concentrations and body fat reserves in lambs are reduced by short‐term fasting
Authors: Altmann M. , Sauerwein H. , Von Borell E. 
Published: May 2006

SummaryFeed deprivation decreases plasma leptin concentrations depending on the amount of body fat reserves. While a greater response was observed in lean than in fat humans and rats, a few results for ruminants are inconsistent. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of feed deprivation on plasma leptin concentration in growing lambs with different body fat reserves and on the relationship between leptin and fatness. In addition, we included other hormones (growth hormone, GH; insulin‐like growth factor‐I, IGF‐I and insulin) involved in tissue development. Thirty male lambs of 40 kg live weight were used. Blood was sampled before and after a fasting period of 24 h. The lambs were slaughtered and dissected into several fat and lean tissues. Feed deprivation reduced plasma leptin by an average of 34.6% (p < 0.001). Obese lambs exhibited a greater decline of leptin than lean lambs (2.50 vs. 1.36 ng/ml, p < 0.05). The correlations between leptin and several fat tissues were lower in those lambs than that were fasted. This indicates that leptin concentrations after short‐term fasting scarcely reflect the extent of body fat reserves but reflect more the actual metabolic situation. Body fat did not significantly influence the response of GH, IGF‐I and insulin to fasting in most cases.
Short‐term effects of metformin in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Eriksson A. , Attvall S. , Bonnier M. , Eriksson J. W. , Rosander B. , Karlsson F. A. 
Published: May 2006

Background:  Although metformin is widely used in the management of type 2 diabetes, its mechanism(s) of action is not fully known, and there have been remarkably few reports on short‐term effects of the drug. Here, we examined early effects on glucose and lipid metabolism, and on certain adipose tissue and inflammatory markers during treatment for 28 days.Methods:  Twenty‐one patients were randomized to metformin (n = 16) or placebo (n = 5) and studied at baseline, 1, 2 and 4 weeks with blood sampling and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT). The active group received 500 mg metformin daily in week 1, 500 mg twice daily in week 2 and 1000 mg twice daily in week 3 and 4.Results:  After 7 days of treatment, a reduced area under curve (AUC) for glucose at OGTT with no change in AUC for insulin levels was observed compared with baseline. Insulin sensitivity, as derived from the OGTT by Gutt’s index, was increased. Reductions in fasting plasma glucose, total and LDL‐cholesterol appeared after 14 days, and reductions in triglycerides, plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1) and leptin after 28 days of treatment. There were no changes in body weight, adiponectin or C‐reactive protein. Compared with placebo, the changes between day 0 and day 28 differed significantly with regard to AUC for glucose at OGTT and Gutt’s index, and showed strong trends for PAI‐1 and leptin.Conclusions:  The data demonstrate that in type 2 diabetes metformin rapidly affects glucose handling without changing the concentrations of insulin. Reductions in PAI‐1 and leptin levels indicate that the early effects of metformin involve also the adipose tissue.
Social Policy & Administration: Journal and Discipline
Authors: Powell Martin 
Published: May 2006

Abstract ‘Social Policy & Administration’ is the oldest British social policy journal. This article charts its evolution over the last 40 years in the wider context of British social policy. It presents a timeline of the journal and discipline, an analysis of articles in the journal, and presents its most‐cited articles and most‐published authors. It uses this material to inform some impressions of the journal and discipline.
Access, Choice and Travel: Implications for Health Policy
Authors: Exworthy Mark , Peckham Stephen 
Published: May 2006

Abstract The UK National Health Service is introducing policies offering patients a choice of the hospital where they would like to be treated. ‘Patient choice’ policies form part of a wider debate about the access to health care and the interaction between providers (including information, provision, performance and reputation) and patients (including knowledge, resources and willingness to travel). As the hospital of ‘choice’ might not necessarily be the ‘local’ provider, such policy developments are predicated on an assumption that some patients will be willing to travel further. This will, in turn, affect patients’ access to services. In general, use of services decreases with distance but this is dependent on accessibility to services, the organization of those services, the socio‐economic characteristics of the patient, perceptions of the provider and the condition for which they are to be treated. This article reviews the evidence on patients’ willingness to travel in terms of access to health care and assesses the emerging implications of and for current UK policy on patient choice.
Partisanship and Views about Immigration in Southern California: Just How Partisan is the Issue of Immigration?
Authors: Neiman Max , Johnson Martin , Bowler Shaun 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTGiven the prevailing levels of elite partisan contentiousness over immigration issues, we expect to see mass attitudes towards immigration replicate this polarization. We explore the partisan implications of this issue by examining popular attitudes towards immigrants in California, where attitudes towards immigration and immigrants have formed central themes in a series of highly charged political campaigns and elite discourse on the issue is polarized. Yet even in California we find that many different kinds of voters share a surprisingly similar set of concerns about the flow of immigrants into the nation. We are particularly interested in whether Democrats and Republicans view the public policy consequences of immigration in similar or different ways. We find that Republicans more likely indicate they think immigration will have harmful effects on social and policy outcomes in the United States, but Democrats tend to share similar concerns. One consequence of this pattern is that the US Republican Party ‐ at least the party in California ‐ may be able to use the immigration issue as a wedge to attract support from people who tend to support Democratic candidates, often thought friendlier to immigrants.
Regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression by retinoic acid receptor
Authors: Jeong Hyerhan , Kim Mi‐Soo , Kim Sung‐Woo , Kim Kwang‐Soo , Seol Wongi 
Published: May 2006

AbstractRetinoic acid (RA), a derivative of vitamin A, critically controls brain patterning and neurogenesis during embryogenesis, and is known to regulate morphological differentiation of catecholaminergic neuronal cells. In this study, we investigated whether the retinoic acid receptor (RAR), a transcription factor specifically activated by all‐trans‐RA, could directly regulate transcription of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the first and rate‐limiting step in the catecholamine biosynthesis pathway. First, treating TH‐expressing human neuroblastoma SK‐N‐BE(2)C cells with all‐trans RA resulted in an approximately 1.7‐fold increase in endogenous TH mRNA expression, as determined by real‐time PCR analysis. Second, when SK‐N‐BE(2)C cells were transiently co‐transfected with the TH promoter‐luciferase reporter construct, reporter gene expression was prominently activated by RAR in a ligand‐dependent manner. Third, we identified a putative RAR responsive cis‐regulatory element at − 1500 to − 1487 bp in the TH upstream promoter region by deletional and site‐directed mutational analysis. Finally, we demonstrated that this putative motif directly interacts with RAR protein in a sequence‐specific manner by means of an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Taken together, our results indicate that the TH gene may be a direct downstream target of the RA signaling pathway and that RAR is able to activate TH transcription through interaction with an upstream sequence motif residing at − 1500 to − 1487 bp.