bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reduction of asthenopia related to accommodative relaxation by means of far point stimuli
Authors: Iwasaki Tsuneto , Tawara Akihiko , Miyake Nobuyuki 
Published: February 2005

Abstract.Purpose:  To conduct an experimental investigation of the effect of accommodative relaxation using far point shift stimuli for the reduction of asthenopia. Methods:  Twenty‐two female students accommodated to a far point shift stimuli during a 2‐min period immediately after a 15‐min sustained task on a three‐dimensional display. Before and after the trial, their accommodative step response and symptoms were assessed. The far point shift stimuli in the optical system, which were presented on a refractometer, were created by moving the target scenery images from far to near, lineally centred about the far point position of each eye. During 2 min of fixating on the far point shift stimuli, changes in refraction were recorded in the same eye. Results:  While looking at the far point shift stimuli, 10 of 22 subjects had changes in refraction that showed a hypermetropic shift, and the other 12 subjects had changes in refraction that showed a myopic shift. The time taken for the accommodative step response from far to near post‐trial in the myopic shift group was markedly prolonged, and the accommodative lag at the far target in the optometer was significantly increased. In the myopic shift group, the symptoms of ‘eye fatigue’, ‘eye pain’, ‘eye heaviness’, and ‘eye dryness’ also increased after the trial. In the hyperopic shift group, however, only the symptom of ‘eye dryness’ increased, with no reduction of accommodation function. Conclusions:  We suggest that accommodative relaxation by accommodative far point shift stimuli is effective in the reduction of asthenopia.
Endophthalmitis following cataract surgery in Sweden: national prospective survey 1999–2001
Authors: Wejde Gisela , Montan Per , Lundström Mats , Stenevi Ulf , Thorburn William 
Published: February 2005

Abstract.Purpose:  To investigate the epidemiology of postoperative endophthalmitis (POE) following cataract surgery in Sweden during a 3‐year period, using the framework of the Swedish National Cataract Register. Methods:  Clinically presumed cases of POE were reported in a prospective survey involving all Swedish ophthalmic surgical units except one. Data on results of the intraocular culture and visual outcome after infection, as well as patient age and gender and various elements of the surgical procedure, were collected. Results:  The nationwide incidence of POE was 0.0595%, representing 112 cases in 188 151 cataract operations. Gram‐positive bacteria were the predominant aetiology, with an 84.6% share of culture‐positive cases. A significantly decreased risk for POE was found for patients who had received prophylactic intracameral antibiotics (mainly cefuroxime) in comparison with those who had been treated with topical antibiotics only. Conclusions:  The prevalence of POE after cataract surgery in Sweden is at the lower end of the spectrum of incidence currently reported in the developed world. The administration of intracameral antibiotics may have contributed to these results.
Total iris expulsion through a sutureless cataract incision due to vomiting
Authors: Slettedal Jon Klokk , Bragadóttir Ragnheiður 
Published: February 2005

Abstract.Purpose:  To present a case of isolated total iris expulsion through a self‐sealing cataract incision 2 weeks postoperatively due to vomiting. Methods:  Ophthalmological examination included visual acuity assessment, tonometry, slit‐lamp examination, fundus ophthalmoscopy and ultrasound examination. Results:  A 65‐year‐old woman experienced sudden visual loss during an episode of vigorous vomiting 2 weeks after uncomplicated phacoemulsification cataract surgery with a sutureless corneal incision. Clinical examination showed a dense anterior chamber haemorrhage. When the blood had cleared, isolated total aniridia was seen. Conclusions:  This is the first reported case of aniridia after cataract surgery due to vomiting.
Strategies for improving the diagnostic specificity of the frequency doubling perimeter
Authors: Heeg Govert P. , Stoutenbeek Remco , Jansonius Nomdo M. 
Published: February 2005

Abstract.Purpose:  To evaluate various strategies designed to improve the specificity of the interpretation of results obtained with the frequency doubling technology perimeter (FDT) used in the full‐threshold mode. Methods:  Three different strategies were compared using data from 452 glaucoma patients and 237 healthy subjects: combining several FDT parameters from a single test, combining the FDT test with a GDx test, and confirming an abnormal FDT test result with a repeat test. Results:  Confirming an abnormal FDT test result with a repeat test yielded a specificity increase of 0.10, from 0.80 to 0.90, at the expense of some loss of sensitivity for early but not for moderate or severe glaucoma. Combining several FDT parameters from a single test and combining FDT with GDx did not yield any noticeable increase in diagnostic performance. Conclusions:  A modest increase in FDT diagnostic performance can be obtained by the confirmation of an abnormal test result with a repeat test.
Das klinische Spektrum der Dermatomyositis
Authors: Kaufmann Julia , Hunzelmann Nicolas , Genth Ekkehard , Krieg Thomas 
Published: February 2005

ZusammenfassungDie Dermatomyositis weist eine große klinische Heterogenität auf. Es existieren eine Reihe von Klassifikationen, die sich auf die Beteiligung der Muskulatur, auf das Vorkommen von Autoantikörpern und das Vorhandensein zusätzlicher Symptome anderer Kollagenosen stützen. Ätiologisch wesentlich sind vorangegangene virale Infektionen, sowie das Entstehen von Tumoren, die auch erst nach Auftreten der Dermatomyositis klinisch manifest werden können. Genaue, auch wiederholte Untersuchungen sind daher bei diesen Patienten ratsam. Eine exakte Feststellung der Organbeteiligung, sowie die Charakterisierung bestimmter zirkulierender Antikörper sind wichtige Voraussetzungen für das Erstellen einer Prognose für die Patienten. Die Dermatomyositis macht oft eine intensive, hochdosierte Therapie mit Glukokortikoiden, sowie immunsuppressiven Medikamenten oder Immunglobinen notwendig. Diese muß dem Verlauf der Erkrankung individuell angepaßt sein.
Genomic Analysis of Anaerobic Respiration in the ArchaeonHalobacteriumsp. Strain NRC-1: Dimethyl Sulfoxide and TrimethylamineN-Oxide as Terminal Electron Acceptors
Authors: Müller Jochen A. , DasSarma Shiladitya 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACTWe have investigated anaerobic respiration of the archaeal model organismHalobacteriumsp. strain NRC-1 by using phenotypic and genetic analysis, bioinformatics, and transcriptome analysis. NRC-1 was found to grow on either dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or trimethylamineN-oxide (TMAO) as the sole terminal electron acceptor, with a doubling time of 1 day. An operon,dmsREABCD, encoding a putative regulatory protein, DmsR, a molybdopterin oxidoreductase of the DMSO reductase family (DmsEABC), and a molecular chaperone (DmsD) was identified by bioinformatics and confirmed as a transcriptional unit by reverse transcriptase PCR analysis.dmsR,dmsA, anddmsDin-frame deletion mutants were individually constructed. Phenotypic analysis demonstrated thatdmsR,dmsA, anddmsDare required for anaerobic respiration on DMSO and TMAO. The requirement fordmsR, whose predicted product contains a DNA-binding domain similar to that of the Bat family of activators (COG3413), indicated that it functions as an activator. A cysteine-rich domain was found in thedmsRgene, which may be involved in oxygen sensing. Microarray analysis using a whole-genome 60-mer oligonucleotide array showed that thedmsoperon is induced during anaerobic respiration. Comparison ofdmsR+and ΔdmsRstrains by use of microarrays showed that the induction of thedmsEABCDoperon is dependent on a functionaldmsRgene, consistent with its action as a transcriptional activator. Our results clearly establish the genes required for anaerobic respiration using DMSO and TMAO in an archaeon for the first time.
Common Evolutionary Origin for the Unstable Virulence Plasmid pMUM Found in Geographically Diverse Strains ofMycobacterium ulcerans
Authors: Stinear Timothy P. , Hong Hui , Frigui Wafa , Pryor Melinda J. , Brosch Roland , Garnier Thierry , Leadlay Peter F. , Cole Stewart T. 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACTThe 174-kb virulence plasmid pMUM001 inMycobacterium ulceransepidemic strain Agy99 harbors three very large and homologous genes that encode giant polyketide synthases (PKS) responsible for the synthesis of the lipid toxin mycolactone. Deeper investigation ofM. ulceransAgy99 resulted in identification of two types of spontaneous deletion variants of pMUM001 within a population of cells that also contained the intact plasmid. These variants arose from recombination between two 8-kb sections of the same plasmid sequence, resulting in the loss of a 65-kb region bearing two of the three mycolactone PKS genes. Investigation of nine diverseM. ulceransstrains by using PCR and Southern hybridization for eight pMUM001 gene sequences confirmed the presence of pMUM001-like elements (collectively called pMUM) in allM. ulceransstrains. Physical mapping of these plasmids revealed that likeM. ulceransAgy99, three strains had undergone major deletions in their mycolactone PKS loci. Online liquid chromatography-sequential mass spectrometry analysis of lipid extracts confirmed that strains with PKS deletions were unable to produce mycolactone or any related cometabolites. Interstrain comparisons of the plasmid gene sequences revealed greater than 98% nucleotide identity, and the phylogeny inferred from these sequences closely mimicked the phylogeny from a previous multilocus sequence typing study in which chromosomally encoded loci were used, a result that is consistent with the hypothesis thatM. ulceransdiverged from the closely related organismMycobacterium marinumby acquiring pMUM. Our results suggest that pMUM is a defining characteristic ofM. ulceransbut that in the absence of purifying selection, deletion of plasmid sequences and a corresponding loss of mycolactone production readily arise.
A Chimeric N-Terminal
Escherichia coli
-C-Terminal
Rhodobacter sphaeroides
FliG Rotor Protein Supports Bidirectional
E. coli
Flagellar Rotation and Chemotaxis
Authors: Morehouse Karen A. , Goodfellow Ian G. , Sockett R. Elizabeth 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT

Flagellate bacteria such as
Escherichia coli
and
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium typically express 5 to 12 flagellar filaments over their cell surface that rotate in clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise directions. These bacteria modulate their swimming direction towards favorable environments by biasing the direction of flagellar rotation in response to various stimuli. In contrast,
Rhodobacter sphaeroides
expresses a single subpolar flagellum that rotates only CW and responds tactically by a series of biased stops and starts. Rotor protein FliG transiently links the MotAB stators to the rotor, to power rotation and also has an essential function in flagellar export. In this study, we sought to determine whether the FliG protein confers directionality on flagellar motors by testing the functional properties of
R. sphaeroides
FliG and a chimeric FliG protein, EcRsFliG (N-terminal and central domains of
E. coli
FliG fused to an
R. sphaeroides
FliG C terminus), in an
E. coli
FliG null background. The EcRsFliG chimera supported flagellar synthesis and bidirectional rotation; bacteria swam and tumbled in a manner qualitatively similar to that of the wild type and showed chemotaxis to amino acids. Thus, the FliG C terminus alone does not confer the unidirectional stop-start character of the
R. sphaeroides
flagellar motor, and its conformation continues to support tactic, switch-protein interactions in a bidirectional motor, despite its evolutionary history in a bacterium with a unidirectional motor.
The Core Lipopolysaccharide ofEscherichia coliIs a Ligand for the Dendritic-Cell-Specific Intercellular Adhesion Molecule Nonintegrin CD209 Receptor
Authors: Klena John , Zhang Pei , Schwartz Olivier , Hull Sheila , Chen Tie 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACTThe dendritic-cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) CD209 is a receptor forEscherichia coliK-12 that promotes bacterial adherence and phagocytosis. However, the ligand ofE. colifor DC-SIGN has not yet been identified. In this study, we found that DC-SIGN did not mediate the phagocytosis of several pathogenic strains ofE. coli, including enteropathogenicE. coli, enterohemorrhagicE. coli, enterotoxigenicE. coli, and uropathogenicE. coli, in dendritic cells or HeLa cells expressing human DC-SIGN antigen. However, we showed that an outer core lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (rough) mutant, unlike an inner core LPS (deep rough) mutant or O-antigen-expressing recombinant ofE. coliK-12 was phagocytosed. These results demonstrate that the host cells expressing DC-SIGN can phagocytoseE. coliin part by interacting with the complete core region of the LPS molecule. These results provide a mechanism for how O antigen acts as an antiphagocytic factor.
Cytoplasmic Control of Premature Activation of a Secreted Protease Zymogen: Deletion of Staphostatin B (SspC) in
Staphylococcus aureus
8325-4 Yields a Profound Pleiotropic Phenotype
Authors: Shaw Lindsey N. , Golonka Ewa , Szmyd Grzegorz , Foster Simon J. , Travis James , Potempa Jan 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT

The cytoplasmic protein SspC of
Staphylococcus aureus
, referred to as staphostatin B, is a very specific, tightly binding inhibitor of the secreted protease staphopain B (SspB). SspC is hypothesized to protect intracellular proteins against proteolytic damage by prematurely folded and activated staphopain B (M. Rzychon, A. Sabat, K. Kosowska, J. Potempa, and A. Dubin, Mol. Microbiol.
49:
1051-1066, 2003). Here we provide evidence that elimination of intracellular staphopain B activity is indeed the function of SspC. An isogenic
sspC
mutant of
S. aureus
8325-4 exhibits a wide range of striking pleiotropic alterations in phenotype, which distinguish it from the parent. These changes include a defect in growth, a less structured peptidoglycan layer within the cell envelope, severely decreased autolytic activity, resistance to lysis by
S. aureus
phages, extensively diminished sensitivity to lysis by lysostaphin, the ability to form a biofilm, and a total lack of extracellular proteins secreted into the growth media. The same phenotype was also engineered by introduction of
sspB
into an 8325-4
sspBC
mutant. In contrast,
sspC
inactivation in the SH1000 strain did not yield any significant changes in the mutant phenotype, apparently due to strongly reduced expression of
sspB
in the sigma B-positive background. The exact pathway by which these diverse aberrations are exerted in 8325-4 is unknown, but it is apparent that a very small amount of staphopain B (less than 20 ng per 200 μg of cell proteins) is sufficient to bring about these widespread changes. It is proposed that the effects observed are modulated through the proteolytic degradation of several cytoplasmic proteins within cells lacking the inhibitor. Seemingly, some of these proteins may play a role in protein secretion; hence, their proteolytic inactivation by SspB has pleiotropic effects on the SspC-deficient mutant.
Cyclic Diguanylate Is a Ubiquitous Signaling Molecule in Bacteria: Insights into Biochemistry of the GGDEF Protein Domain
Authors: Ryjenkov Dmitri A. , Tarutina Marina , Moskvin Oleg V. , Gomelsky Mark 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT

Proteins containing GGDEF domains are encoded in the majority of sequenced bacterial genomes. In several species, these proteins have been implicated in biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides, formation of biofilms, establishment of a sessile lifestyle, surface motility, and regulation of gene expression. However, biochemical activities of only a few GGDEF domain proteins have been tested. These proteins were shown to be involved in either synthesis or hydrolysis of cyclic-bis(3′→5′) dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) or in hydrolysis of cyclic AMP. To investigate specificity of the GGDEF domains in
Bacteria
, six GGDEF domain-encoding genes from randomly chosen representatives of diverse branches of the bacterial phylogenetic tree, i.e.,
Thermotoga
,
Deinococcus-Thermus
,
Cyanobacteria
, spirochetes, and α and γ divisions of the
Proteobacteria
, were cloned and overexpressed. All recombinant proteins were purified and found to possess diguanylate cyclase (DGC) activity involved in c-di-GMP synthesis. The individual GGDEF domains from two proteins were overexpressed, purified, and shown to possess a low level of DGC activity. The oligomeric states of full-length proteins and individual GGDEF domains were similar. This suggests that GGDEF domains are sufficient to encode DGC activity; however, enzymatic activity is highly regulated by the adjacent sensory protein domains. It is shown that DGC activity of the GGDEF domain protein Rrp1 from
Borrelia burgdorferi
is strictly dependent on phosphorylation status of its input receiver domain. This study establishes that majority of GGDEF domain proteins are c-di-GMP specific, that c-di-GMP synthesis is a wide-spread phenomenon in
Bacteria
, and that it is highly regulated.
Polyphosphate:AMP Phosphotransferase as a Polyphosphate-Dependent Nucleoside Monophosphate Kinase in
Acinetobacter johnsonii
210A
Authors: Shiba Toshikazu , Itoh Hiromichi , Kameda Atsushi , Kobayashi Keiju , Kawazoe Yumi , Noguchi Toshitada 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT

We have cloned the gene for polyphosphate:AMP phosphotransferase (PAP), the enzyme that catalyzes phosphorylation of AMP to ADP at the expense of polyphosphate [poly(P)] in
Acinetobacter johnsonii
210A. A genomic DNA library was constructed in
Escherichia coli
, and crude lysates of about 6,000 clones were screened for PAP activity. PAP activity was evaluated by measuring ATP produced by the coupled reactions of PAP and purified
E. coli
poly(P) kinases (PPKs). In this coupled reaction, PAP produces ADP from poly(P) and AMP, and the resulting ADP is converted to ATP by PPK. The isolated
pap
gene (1,428 bp) encodes a protein of 475 amino acids with a molecular mass of 55.8 kDa. The C-terminal region of PAP is highly homologous with PPK2 homologs isolated from
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PAO1. Two putative phosphate-binding motifs (P-loops) were also identified. The purified PAP enzyme had not only strong PAP activity but also poly(P)-dependent nucleoside monophosphate kinase activity, by which it converted ribonucleoside monophosphates and deoxyribonucleoside monophosphates to ribonucleoside diphosphates and deoxyribonucleoside diphosphates, respectively. The activity for AMP was about 10 times greater than that for GMP and 770 and about 1,100 times greater than that for UMP and CMP.
Transcriptome of
Treponema pallidum
: Gene Expression Profile during Experimental Rabbit Infection
Authors: Šmajs David , McKevitt Matthew , Howell Jerrilyn K. , Norris Steven J. , Cai Wei-Wen , Palzkill Timothy , Weinstock George M. 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT

RNA transcript levels in the syphilis spirochete
Treponema pallidum
subsp.
pallidum
(Nichols) isolated from experimentally infected rabbits were determined by the use of DNA microarray technology. This characterization of the
T. pallidum
transcriptome during experimental infection provides further insight into the importance of gene expression levels for the survival and pathogenesis of this bacterium.
"Consider that it is a Raid on the Path of God": The Spiritual Manual of the Attackers of 9/11
Authors: Kippenberg Hans 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThe document found with three of the four cells responsible for the crimes of 9/11 is unique in providing specific information about how the Muslim suicide terrorists conceived of their action. The document shows that they found justification for violence by emulating the moment in early Islamic history when Muhammad cancelled contracts with non-Muslims and organized raids (ghazwa) against the Meccans in order to establish Islam as a political order. No statement in the Manual explicitly identifies the United States as the financial, military, and political center of today's paganism; rather, such identification is tacitly assumed, as was shown by the action itself. Instead, the Manual prescribes recitations, prayers and rituals by which each member of the four cells should prepare for the ghazwa, purify his intention and anticipate in his mind the successive stages of the struggle to come. Not the objective aim but the subjective intention is at the center of the Manual. The article places this type of justification of violence in the history of Islamic activism since the 1980s.
Shared and distinct roles mediated through C-terminal subdomains of acute myeloid leukemia/Runt-related transcription factor molecules in murine development
Authors: Fukushima-Nakase Yoko , Naoe Yoshinori , Taniuchi Ichiro , Hosoi Hajime , Sugimoto Tohru , Okuda Tsukasa 
Published: February 2005

AbstractAML1/Runx1 is a frequent target of human leukemia–associated gene aberration and encodes a transcription factor with nonredundant biologic functions in initial development of definitive hematopoiesis, T-cell development, and steady-state platelet production. AML1/Runx1 and 2 closely related family genes, AML2/Runx3 and AML3/Runx2/Cbfa1, present in mammals, comprise the Runt-domain transcription factor family. Although they have similar structural and biochemical properties, gene-targeting experiments have identified distinct biologic roles. To directly determine the presence of functional overlap among runt-related transcription factor (Runx) family molecules, we replaced the C-terminal portion of acute myeloid leukemia 1 (AML1) with that derived from its family members, which are variable in contrast to conserved Runt domain, using the gene knock-in method. We found that C-terminal portions of either AML2 or AML3 could functionally replace that of AML1 for myeloid development in culture and within the entire mouse. However, while AML2 substituted for AML1 could effectively rescue lymphoid lineages, AML3 could not, resulting in a smaller thymus and lymphoid deficiency in peripheral blood. Substitution by the C-terminal portion of AML3 also led to high infantile mortality and growth retardation, suggesting that AML1 has as yet unidentified effects on these phenotypes. Thus, the C-terminal portions of Runx family members have both similar and distinct biologic functions.