bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adenosine increases calcium sensitivity via receptor‐independent activation of the p38/MK2 pathway in mesenteric arteries
Authors: Martinka P. , Lai E. Y. , Fähling M. , Jankowski V. , Jankowski J. , Schubert R. , Gaestel M. , Persson A. E. G. , Persson P. B. , Patzak A. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAim:  Adenosine (Ado) restores desensitized angiotensin II‐induced contractions in the renal arterioles via an intracellular, receptor‐independent mechanisms including the p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK). In the present study we test the hypothesis that MAPK‐activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) mediates the Ado effect downstream from p38 MAPK resulting in an increased phosphorylation of the reglatory unit of the myosin light chain (MLC20).Methods and results:  Contraction experiments were performed in rings of mesenteric arteries under isometric conditions in C57BL6 and MK2 knock out mice (MK2−/−). Ado pretreatment (10−5 mol L−1) strongly increased Ang II sensitivity, calcium sensitivity and the phosphorylation of MLC20. Treatment with Ado (3 × 10−6 or 10−5 mol L−1 in between successive Ang II applications) enhanced the desensitized Ang II responses (second to fifth application). Ca2+ transients were not effected by Ado. Further, blockade of type 1 and type 2 Ado receptors during treatment did not influence the effect. Type 3 receptor activation by inosine instead of Ado had no effect. Conversely, inhibition of nitrobenzylthioinosine‐sensitive Ado transporters prevented the effects of Ado. Inhibition of p38 MAPK as well as use of MK2−/− mice prevented contractile Ado effects on the mesenteric arteries and the phosphorylation of MLC20.Conclusion:  The study shows that Ado activates the p38 MAPK/MK2 pathway in vascular smooth muscle via an intracellular action, which results in an increased MLC20 phosphorylation in concert with increased calcium sensitivity of the contractile apparatus. This mechanism can significantly contribute to the regulation of vascular tone, e.g. under post‐ischaemic conditions.
Nitric oxide depresses connexin 43 after myocardial infarction in mice
Authors: Jackson P. E. M. , Feng Q. P. , Jones D. L. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAims:  Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of death and morbidity. Connexin 43 (Cx43) content is reduced in the failing myocardium, but regulating factors have not been identified. In HF, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)‐induced high levels of nitric oxide (NO) cause apoptosis and cardiac dysfunction. However, a direct iNOS–Cx43 link has not been demonstrated. We investigated this relationship in mice after myocardial infarction.Methods:  Effects of myocardial infarction were evaluated 2 weeks after coronary artery ligation in wild‐type C57BL/6 (WT) and iNOS−/− knockout mice. Myocardial Cx43 and Cx45 content were assessed by immunofluorescence confocal imaging and western blotting. Cardiac function was evaluated in anaesthetized mice using a micro pressure‐tipped catheter inserted into the left ventricle.Results:  Despite similar infarct size, deficiency in iNOS resulted in significantly lower plasma nitrate/nitrite levels, better haemodynamic performance and lower mortality 2 weeks after coronary ligation. Myocardial Cx43, but not Cx45, content was lower in WT mice following ligation. The reduction in Cx43 was less in iNOS−/− compared with WT mice. To assess the direct effect of NO on Cx43 expression, cultured neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes were employed. Incubation with the NO donor, S‐nitroso‐N‐acetylpenicillamine, elicited a dose‐dependent decrease in Cx43 content in cultured neonatal cardiomyocytes.Conclusions:  Increased NO production from iNOS depressed cardiac performance and contributed to the decreased myocardial Cx43 content 2 weeks after myocardial infarction.
What is Sino‐Tibetan? Snapshot of a Field and a Language Family in Flux
Authors: Handel Zev 
Published: April 2008

AbstractSino‐Tibetan is one of the great language families of the world, containing hundreds of languages spoken by over 1 billion people, from Northeast India to the Southeast Asian peninsula. The best‐known languages in the family are Chinese, Tibetan, and Burmese. Although the existence of the family has been recognized for nearly 200 years, significant progress in reconstructing the history of the family was not achieved until the latter half of the twentieth century. In recent decades, this progress has accelerated, thanks to an explosion of new data and new approaches. At the same time, a number of interesting controversies have emerged in the field, centered on such issues as subgrouping and reconstruction methodology.
Towards Lefebvrian Socio‐Nature? A Film about Rhythm, Nature and Science
Authors: Evans James , Jones Phil 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe first thing you will notice about this article is that it is actually a film. We did not set out to make a film, it just ended up that way. We started out making music out of environmental data, wondering why we only ever look at scientific data, why we do not listen to it. Wandering around the city passing through the transformed landscapes of channelised rivers and broken industrial spaces, we wanted to reveal the socio‐natural rhythms of this hybrid city. The text you see below represents the shooting script for a film that explores Lefebvre's notion of rhythmanalysis in the context of socio‐natural rhythms. The video accompanying it is far more interesting, including the environmental music that we produced by feeding scientific data through samplers and drum machines. The video questions the nature of scientific representation and whether the notion of rhythmanalysis can be stretched to explore rhythms beyond the human. Furthermore, the process of actually making the video, submitting it to this journal, and responding to the referees’ comments made us question the very nature of what constitutes an academic paper in the twenty‐first century. The accompanying commentary is our attempt to deal with these issues.To link to the film please go toPart 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQg86oSlVm4Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xx1Ya3TA24There are also ‘directors commentary’ which can be fount at:Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul8Grc_iDQAPart 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LUaZuN58XU
Urban Lightning: Current Research, Methods, and the Geographical Perspective
Authors: Stallins J. Anthony , Rose L. Shea 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis review of urban lightning research begins with a description of cloud‐to‐ground flash data and some of the conditioning practices related to their use. Urban lightning studies from the United States and internationally are then examined to distill findings as well as to compare and contrast the modes of inquiry among the meteorologists, climatologists, engineers, and geographers who study lightning. In summary, these investigations convey how urban heating, building‐induced surface friction, aerosols, and specificities such as local physiography and synoptic setting are intertwined causal mechanisms underlying urban flash modification. A tension among methodological approaches in these studies circumscribes how questions are posed, and how findings are valued and ultimately synthesized. Flash research tends to follow either a descriptive phenomenological approach or a foundational approach in which prediction and mechanism are paramount. Selecting the spatial extent of an urban lightning study and the methods to assess the statistical embeddedness of flash counts within thunderstorms events are two other methodological points of contention. City‐to‐city comparisons and integrated analysis of aerosols, precipitation, and flashes over multiple scales are important directions for future research.
Untangling the Links between Narcissism and Self‐esteem: A Theoretical and Empirical Review
Authors: Bosson Jennifer K. , Lakey Chad E. , Campbell W. Keith , Zeigler‐Hill Virgil , Jordan Christian H. , Kernis Michael H. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe links among narcissism, explicit (deliberate, controllable) self‐esteem, and implicit (automatic, uncontrollable) self‐esteem are unclear despite numerous attempts to illuminate these links. Some investigations suggest that narcissism reflects high explicit self‐esteem that masks low implicit self‐esteem, but other investigations fail to replicate this pattern. Here, we place the ‘mask’ model of narcissism in historical context and review the existing empirical evidence for this model. We then discuss three possible issues that might shed light on the inconsistent findings that have emerged from tests of the mask model. These issues include the unreliability of implicit attitude measures, narcissism's different associations with agentic versus communal self‐views, and distinctions between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism subtypes. We also summarize several alternatives to the mask model of narcissism. Throughout, we offer suggestions for improving the study of narcissism and self‐esteem and point to directions for future research on this topic.
Use of the
Brucella melitensis
Native Hapten To Diagnose Brucellosis in Goats by a Rapid, Simple, and Specific Fluorescence Polarization Assay
Authors: Ramírez-Pfeiffer Carlos , Díaz-Aparicio Efrén , Gomez-Flores Ricardo , Rodríguez-Padilla Cristina , Morales-Loredo Alberto , Álvarez-Ojeda Genoveva 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACT

The performance of the fluorescence polarization assay (FPA) using the recently described
Brucella melitensis
native hapten and the
Brucella abortus O
-polysaccharide tracer was evaluated and compared with those of The World Organization for Animal Health tests related to indirect and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays as classification variables for goat sera obtained from a high-prevalence area where vaccination was performed; test series were also evaluated to increase the final specificity of the tests. Our results showed that the respective relative sensitivity and specificity were 99.7% and 32.5% for the rose Bengal test with a 3% cell concentration (RBT3), 92.8% and 68.8% for the rose Bengal test with 8% cell concentration (RBT8), 98.4% and 84.9% for the Canadian complement fixation test (CFT), 83.7% and 65.5% for the Mexican CFT, 98.4% and 81.0% for the buffered plate agglutination test (BPAT), and 78.1% and 89.3% for the fluorescence polarization assay (FPA). The use of the FPA as the secondary test significantly increased the final specificities of test combinations; the screening tests BPAT, RBT3, and RBT8 plus FPA resulted in 90%, 91.2%, and 91.3% final specificities, respectively, whereas for the combinations RBT3 plus Mexican CFT, RBT8 plus Mexican CFT, and BPAT plus Canadian CFT, the specificities were 65.5%, 63.2%, and 91.7%, respectively. The results suggested that the FPA may be routinely applied as an adaptable screening test for diagnosis of goat brucellosis, since its cutoff can be adjusted to improve its sensitivity or specificity, it is a rapid and simple test, it can be the test of choice when specificity is relevant or when an alternative confirmatory test is not available, and it is not affected by vaccination, thus reducing the number of goats wrongly slaughtered due to misdiagnosis.
Oligonucleotide Array-Based Identification of Species in the
Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-A. baumannii
Complex in Isolates from Blood Cultures and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of the Isolates
Authors: Ko Wen-Chien , Lee Nan-Yao , Su Siou Cing , Dijkshoorn Lenie , Vaneechoutte Mario , Wang Li-Rong , Yan Jin-Jou , Chang Tsung Chain 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACT

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus
,
A. baumannii
,
Acinetobacter
genomic species (gen. sp.) 3, and
Acinetobacter
gen. sp. 13TU, which are included in the
A. calcoaceticus
-
A. baumannii
complex, are difficult to distinguish by phenotypic methods. An array with six oligonucleotide probes based on the 16S-23S rRNA gene intergenic spacer (ITS) region was developed to differentiate species in the
A. calcoaceticus
-
A. baumannii
complex. Validation of the array with a reference collection of 52 strains of the
A. calcoaceticus
-
A. baumannii
complex and 137 strains of other species resulted in an identification sensitivity and specificity of 100%. By using the array, the species distribution of 291 isolates of the
A. calcoaceticus
-
A. baumannii
complex from patients with bacteremia were determined to be
A. baumannii
(221 strains [75.9%]),
Acinetobacter
gen. sp. 3 (67 strains [23.0%]),
Acinetobacter
gen. sp. 13TU (2 strains [0.7%]), and unidentified
Acinetobacter
sp. (1 strain [0.3%]). The identification accuracy of the array for 12 randomly selected isolates from patients with bacteremia was further confirmed by sequence analyses of the ITS region and the 16S rRNA gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the 291 isolates from patients with bacteremia revealed that
A. baumannii
strains were less susceptible to antimicrobial agents than
Acinetobacter
gen. sp. 3. All
Acinetobacter
gen. sp. 3 strains were susceptible to ampicillin-sulbactam, imipenem, and meropenem; but only 67.4%, 90%, and 86% of the
A. baumannii
strains were susceptible to ampicillin-sulbactam, imipenem, and meropenem, respectively. The observed significant variations in antimicrobial susceptibility among different species in the
A. calcoaceticus
-
A. baumannii
complex emphasize that the differentiation of species within the complex is relevant from a clinical-epidemiological point of view.
Identification of Thermotolerant
Campylobacter
Species by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization
Authors: Poppert Sven , Haas Michaela , Yildiz Tatjana , Alter Thomas , Bartel Edda , Fricke Ursula , Essig Andreas 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACT

Thermotolerant
Campylobacter
spp. (
Campylobacter jejuni
,
C. coli
,
C. lari
, and
C. upsaliensis
) are leading causes of food-borne diarrhea in humans. In this study, the usefulness of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for the identification of
Campylobacter
isolates was investigated. A hierarchical FISH probe set that included six group-, genus-, and species-specific probes was developed and evaluated with 12 reference strains and 94 clinical isolates of
Campylobacter
,
Arcobacter
, and
Helicobacter
. FISH correctly identified all isolates to the genus level and detected all thermotolerant
Campylobacter
isolates. The assay showed high degrees of sensitivity for the identification of
C. jejuni
(90%),
C. coli
(97%),
C. lari
(81%), and
C. upsaliensis
(100%) to the species level.
Performance of HerpeSelect and Kalon Assays in Detection of Antibodies to Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2
Authors: LeGoff Jérôme , Mayaud Philippe , Gresenguet Gérard , Weiss Helen A. , Nzambi Khonde , Frost Eric , Pepin Jacques , Belec Laurent 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACT

The performances of commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in detecting herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) antibodies have been inconsistent for African and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive populations. We compared the performances of the HerpeSelect and Kalon glycoprotein G2 ELISAs for patients with genital ulcer disease in Ghana and the Central African Republic. Sera from 434 women were tested with the HerpeSelect assay, and a subsample (
n
= 199) was tested by the Kalon assay. Ulcer swabs and cervicovaginal lavage samples were tested for HSV-2 DNA by PCR. HSV-2-seronegative women with detectable genital HSV-2 DNA were retested for HSV-2 antibodies 14 and 28 days later by the two ELISAs. A total of 346 (80%) women were positive by HerpeSelect at baseline, and 225 (54%) had detectable genital (lesional or cervicovaginal) HSV-2 DNA. Sixty-six (19%) HerpeSelect-positive samples had low-positive index values (1.1 to 3.5), and 58% of these samples had detectable genital HSV-2 DNA. Global agreement between the two serological assays was 86%. Concordance was high (99%) for sera that were negative by HerpeSelect or had high index values (>3.5). Defining infection detected by HSV-2 DNA PCR and/or Kalon assay as true infection, 71% of sera with low-positive index values were associated with true HSV-2 infection. Twenty-five women were identified as having nonprimary first-episode genital HSV-2 infection. Rates of HSV-2 seroconversion at day 14 were 77% (10/13 patients) by HerpeSelect assay and 23% (3/13 patients) by Kalon assay, with four additional seroconversions detected by Kalon assay at day 28. HIV serostatus did not influence assay performance. Low index values obtained with the HerpeSelect assay may correspond to true HSV-2 infection, in particular to nonprimary first episodes of genital HSV-2 infection, and need to be interpreted in the context of clinical history.
Bacterial Profiles of Root Caries in Elderly Patients
Authors: Preza Dorita , Olsen Ingar , Aas Jørn A. , Willumsen Tiril , Grinde Bjørn , Paster Bruce J. 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACT

Culture-based studies have shown that
Streptococcus mutans
and lactobacilli are associated with root caries (RC). The purpose of the present study was to assess the bacterial diversity of RC in elderly patients by use of culture-independent molecular techniques and to determine the associations of specific bacterial species or bacterial communities with healthy and carious roots. Plaque was collected from root surfaces of 10 control subjects with no RC and from 11 subjects with RC. The bacterial 16S rRNA genes from extracted DNA were PCR amplified, cloned, and sequenced to determine species identity. From a total of 3,544 clones, 245 predominant species or phylotypes were observed, representing eight bacterial phyla. The majority (54%) of the species detected have not yet been cultivated. Species of
Selenomonas
and
Veillonella
were common in all samples. The healthy microbiota included
Fusobacterium nucleatum
subsp.
polymorphum
,
Leptotrichia
spp.,
Selenomonas noxia
,
Streptococcus cristatus
, and
Kingella oralis
. Lactobacilli were absent,
S. mutans
was present in one, and
Actinomyces
spp. were present in 50% of the controls. In contrast, the microbiota of the RC subjects was dominated by
Actinomyces
spp., lactobacilli,
S. mutans
,
Enterococcus faecalis
,
Selenomonas
sp. clone CS002,
Atopobium
and
Olsenella
spp.,
Prevotella multisaccharivorax
,
Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus
, and
Propionibacterium
sp. strain FMA5. The bacterial profiles of RC showed considerable subject-to-subject variation, indicating that the microbial communities are more complex than previously presumed. The data suggest that putative etiological agents of RC include not only
S. mutans
, lactobacilli, and
Actinomyces
but also species of
Atopobium
,
Olsenella
,
Pseudoramibacter
,
Propionibacterium
, and
Selenomonas
.
Pulmonary Paragonimiasis Diagnosed by Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy
Authors: Zarrin-Khameh Neda , Citron Deborah R. , Stager Charles E. , Laucirica Rodolfo 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACT

We report a case of paragonimiasis involving a 12-year-old Latin American boy. The diagnosis was made by fine-needle aspiration biopsy of a pulmonary nodule. Identification of the species by morphometric analysis of the eggs indicated that the infection was caused by
Paragonimus mexicanus
.
Insertion of the Two Cleavage Sites of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus Fusion Protein in Sendai Virus Fusion Protein Leads to Enhanced Cell-Cell Fusion and a Decreased Dependency on the HN Attachment Protein for Activity
Authors: Rawling Joanna , García-Barreno Blanca , Melero José A. 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTCell entry by paramyxoviruses requires fusion of the viral envelope with the target cell membrane. Fusion is mediated by the viral fusion (F) glycoprotein and usually requires the aid of the attachment glycoprotein (G, H or HN, depending on the virus). Human respiratory syncytial virus F protein (FRSV) is able to mediate membrane fusion in the absence of the attachment G protein and is unique in possessing two multibasic furin cleavage sites, separated by a region of 27 amino acids (pep27). Cleavage at both sites is required for cell-cell fusion. We have investigated the significance of the two cleavage sites and pep27 in the context of Sendai virus F protein (FSeV), which possesses a single monobasic cleavage site and requires both coexpression of the HN attachment protein and trypsin in order to fuse cells. Inclusion of both FRSVcleavage sites in FSeVresulted in a dramatic increase in cell-cell fusion activity in the presence of HN. Furthermore, chimeric FSeVmutants containing both FRSVcleavage sites demonstrated cell-cell fusion in the absence of HN. The presence of two multibasic cleavage sites may therefore represent a strategy to regulate activation of a paramyxovirus F protein for cell-cell fusion in the absence of an attachment protein.
Attenuation of V- or C-Defective Measles Viruses: Infection Control by the Inflammatory and Interferon Responses of Rhesus Monkeys
Authors: Devaux Patricia , Hodge Gregory , McChesney Michael B. , Cattaneo Roberto 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACT

Patients recruited in virus-based cancer clinical trials and immunocompromised individuals in need of vaccination would profit from viral strains with defined attenuation mechanisms. We generated measles virus (MV) strains defective for the expression of either the V protein, a modulator of the innate immune response, or the C protein, which has multiple functions. The virulence of these strains was compared with that of the parental wild-type MV in a natural host,
Macaca mulatta
. Skin rash, viremia, and the strength of the innate and adaptive immune responses were characterized in groups of six animals. Replication of V- or C-protein-defective viruses was short-lived and reached lower levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and lymphatic organs compared to the wild-type virus; none of the mutants reverted to the wild type. The neutralizing antibody titers and MV-specific T-cell responses were equivalent in monkeys infected with the viral strains tested, documenting strong adaptive immune responses. In contrast, the inflammatory response was better controlled by wild-type MV, as revealed by inhibition of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha transcription. The interferon response was also better controlled by the wild-type virus than by the defective viruses. Since V- and C-defective MVs induce strong adaptive immune responses while spreading less efficiently, they may be developed as vaccines for immunocompromised individuals. Moreover, MV unable to interact with single innate immunity proteins may be developed for preferential replication in tumors with specific contexts of vulnerability.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor II mRNA Binding Protein 1 Associates with Gag Protein of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1, and Its Overexpression Affects Virus Assembly
Authors: Zhou Yongdong , Rong Liwei , Lu Jennifer , Pan Qinghua , Liang Chen 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACT
The assembly of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particles is driven by viral Gag protein. This function of Gag not only benefits from its self-multimerization property but also depends on its interaction with a number of cellular factors such as TSG101 and ALIX/AIP1 that promote virus budding and release from cell surfaces. However, interaction with Gag also allows some cellular factors such as APOBEC3G and Trim5α to access viral replication machinery and block viral replication. In this study, we report a new HIV-1 Gag-binding factor named insulin-like growth factor II mRNA binding protein 1 (IMP1). Gag-IMP1 interaction requires the second zinc finger of the nucleocapsid (NC) domain of Gag and the KH3 and KH4 domains of IMP1. A fourfold reduction of HIV-1 infectivity was seen with overexpression of the wild-type IMP1 and its mutant that is able to interact with Gag but not with overexpression of IMP1 mutants exhibiting Gag-binding deficiency. The decreased viral infectivity was further shown as a result of diminished viral RNA packaging, abrogated Gag processing on the cellular membranes, and impeded maturation of virus particles. Together, these results demonstrate that IMP1 interacts with HIV-1 Gag protein and is able to block the formation of infectious HIV-1 particles.