bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Respiratory syncytial virus and neutrophil activation
Authors: Bataki E L , Evans G S , Everard M L 
Published: June 2005

SummaryRespiratory syncytial virus infects almost all children by 2 years of age. Neutrophils are the predominant airway leucocytes in RSV bronchiolitis and they are activated in the presence of infection. However it is not clear whether RSV can directly signal to activate neutrophil cytotoxic function. To investigate this we have used a preparation of RSV washed using a new centrifugal diafiltration method to rapidly remove inflammatory molecules produced by the epithelial cells used to propagate the RSV stock. Human neutrophils were isolated from peripheral blood and activated with either the unwashed crude RSV preparations or the purified intact RSV. Neutrophils were also challenged with purified RSV G-glycoprotein. The effect of challenging human neutrophils with these preparations of intact RSV, or the RSV G-glycoprotein, was assessed by measuring the cell surface expression of CD11b and CD18b, the phagocytic oxidative burst, and intracellular release of calcium pools. Neutrophils challenged with the washed RSV exhibited significantly lower activation of surface marker expression (P &lt; 0·001) and oxidative burst (P &lt; 0·001) than those challenged with unwashed virus or with virus free supernatant. There was no increase in intracellular calcium release on exposure to the washed RSV. Purified G glycoprotein did not stimulate neutrophils, whilst the use of a blocking antibody to the F protein did not prevent unwashed RSV from activating cytotoxic responses. These results suggest that neutrophils have no innate signalling system that recognizes RSV but they are activated at sites of RSV infection as a result of the cytokines and inflammatory molecules released by virally infected cells.
Growth factor deficiency in patients with ataxia telangiectasia
Authors: Schubert R , Reichenbach J , Zielen S 
Published: June 2005

Summary
One prominent feature of patients with the autosomal recessive disease ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is somatic growth retardation. Due to their essential roles in development we examined levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) as well as its main binding protein (IGFBP-3) in a group of AT patients. Growth status of 19 patients was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and nutritional protocols. As suspected, BMI was low in AT patients despite adequate nutrition. Serum levels of IGF-I were found to be below the 3rd percentile in 9 (56%) out of 16 patients and of IGFBP-3 in 13 (81%) out of 16 patients. Our observations demonstrate that IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels reflect the impaired growth status in patients with AT.
The immune recognition of gluten in coeliac disease
Authors: Ciccocioppo R , Di Sabatino A , Corazza G R 
Published: June 2005

SummaryCoeliac disease, the most common intestinal disorder of western populations, is an autoimmune enteropathy caused by an abnormal immune response to dietary gluten peptides that occurs in genetically susceptible individuals carrying the HLA-DQ2 or -DQ8 haplotype. Despite the recent progresses in understanding the molecular mechanisms of mucosal lesions, it remains unknown how increased amounts of gluten peptides can enter the intestinal mucosa to initiate the inflammatory cascade. Current knowledge indicates that different gluten peptides are involved in the disease process in a different manner, some fragments being ‘toxic’ and others ‘immunogenic’. Those defined as ‘toxic’ are able to induce mucosal damage either when added in culture to duodenal endoscopic biopsy or when administered in vivo, while those defined as ‘immunogenic’ are able to specifically stimulate HLA-DQ2- or DQ8-restricted T cell clones isolated from jejunal mucosa or peripheral blood of coeliac patients. These peptides are able to trigger two immunological pathways: one is thought to be a rapid effect on the epithelium that involves the innate immune response and the other represents the adaptive immune response involving CD4+ T cells in the lamina propria that recognize gluten epitopes processed and presented by antigen presenting cells. These findings are the subject of the present review.
Differential pattern of cytokine expression by macrophages infectedin vitrowith differentMycobacterium tuberculosisgenotypes
Authors: Chacón-Salinas R , Serafín-López J , Ramos-Payán R , Méndez-Aragón P , Hernández-Pando R , Van Soolingen D , Flores-Romo L , Estrada-Parra S , Estrada-García I 
Published: June 2005

SummaryIt has been shown recently that different genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis induce distinct immune responses in the host, as reflected by variations in cytokine and iNOS expression. Because these molecules are probably regulated by multiple factors in vivo this complex phenomenon was partially analysed by assessing cytokine and iNOS expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in an in vitro model of bone marrow-derived macrophages infected with three different M. tuberculosis genotypes: Canetti, H37 Rv and Beijing. Although the three genotypes induced production of iNOS and the different cytokines tested at 24 h post-infection, macrophages infected with the Beijing isolate expressed the highest levels of mRNA for iNOS, interleukin (IL)-1β, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-12 cytokines and lower levels of IL-10 compared with cells infected with other genotypes. This expression pattern has been associated with infection control, but during infection in vivo with the Beijing genotype it is lost upon progression to chronic phase. The failure to control infection is likely to be influenced by cytokines produced by other cell types and bacterial molecules expressed during the course of disease. Results presented in this work show that each genotype has the ability to induce different levels of cytokine expression that could be related to its pathogenesis during infection.
Mammalian Toll-like receptors: to immunity and beyond
Authors: Hopkins P A , Sriskandan S 
Published: June 2005

SummaryToll-like receptors (TLRs) constitute an archetypal pattern recognition system. Their sophisticated biology underpins the ability of innate immunity to discriminate between highly diverse microbial pathogens and self. However, the remarkable progress made in describing this biology has also revealed new immunological systems and processes previously hidden to investigators. In particular, TLRs appear to have a fundamental role in the generation of clonal adaptive immune responses, non-infectious disease pathogenesis and even in the maintenance of normal mammalian homeostasis. Although an understanding of TLRs has answered some fundamental questions at the host–pathogen interface, further issues, particularly regarding therapeutic modulation of these receptors, have yet to be resolved.
Effects of increasing fire frequency on black carbon and organic matter in Podzols of Siberian Scots pine forests
Authors: Czimczik C. I. , Schmidt M. W. I. , Schulze E.‐D. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryFires in boreal forests frequently convert organic matter in the organic layer to black carbon, but we know little of how changing fire frequency alters the amount, composition and distribution of black carbon and organic matter within soils, or affects podzolization. We compared black carbon and organic matter (organic carbon and nitrogen) in soils of three Siberian Scots pine forests with frequent, moderately frequent and infrequent fires.Black carbon did not significantly contribute to the storage of organic matter, most likely because it is consumed by intense fires. We found 99% of black carbon in the organic layer; maximum stocks were 72 g m−2. Less intense fires consumed only parts of the organic layer and converted some organic matter to black carbon (> 5 g m−2), whereas more intense fires consumed almost the entire organic layer. In the upper 0.25 m of the mineral soil, black carbon stocks were 0.1 g m−2 in the infrequent fire regime.After fire, organic carbon and nitrogen in the organic layer accumulated with an estimated rate of 14.4 g C m−2 year−1 or 0.241 g N m−2 year−1. Maximum stocks 140 years after fire were 2190 g organic C m−2 and 40 g N m−2, with no differences among fire regimes. With increasing fire frequency, stocks of organic carbon increased from 600 to 1100 g m−2 (0–0.25 m). Stocks of nitrogen in the mineral soil were similar among the regimes (0.04 g m−2). We found that greater intensities of fire reduce amounts of organic matter in the organic layer but that the greater frequencies may slightly increase amounts in the mineral soil.
A numerical investigation into factors affecting the anchorage of roots in tension
Authors: Dupuy L. , Fourcaud T. , Stokes A. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThe arrangement of a plant's roots in the soil determines the ability of the plant to resist uprooting. We have investigated the influence of root morphology on anchorage using simple patterns of root systems and numerical simulation. The form and mechanical properties of roots were derived from results found in the literature. Major parameters determining soil characteristics, root patterns and strength were varied so that their influence could be evaluated. The design of the experimental method we used generated an optimal number of configurations of different root systems, the tensile resistances of which were calculated by two‐dimensional finite element analysis. We could quantify the influence of specific parameters, e.g. branching angle, number of lateral roots and soil cohesion, as well as global parameters such as total contact area, basal diameter and volume of the whole root system. We found that the number of roots and the diameter of roots were major components affecting the resistance to uprooting. The combination of topology and biomass explained 70% of the variation of tensile resistance.
Characterization of recently 14C pulse‐labelled carbon from roots by fractionation of soil organic matter
Authors: Bhupinderpal‐Singh  , Hedley M. J. , Saggar S. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThe inability of physical and chemical techniques to separate soil organic matter into fractions that have distinct turnover rates has hampered our understanding of carbon (C) and nutrient dynamics in soil. A series of soil organic matter fractionation techniques (chemical and physical) were evaluated for their ability to distinguish a potentially labile C pool, that is ‘recent’ root and root‐derived soil C. ‘Recent’ root and root‐derived C was operationally defined as root and soil C labelled by 14CO2 pulse labelling of rye grass–clover pasture growing on undisturbed cores of soil. Most (50–94%) of total soil + root 14C activity was recovered in roots.Sequential extraction of the soil + roots with resin, 0.1 m NaOH and 1 m NaOH allocated ‘recent’ soil + root 14C to all fractions including the alkali‐insoluble residual fraction. Approximately 50% was measured in the alkali‐insoluble residue but specific activity was greater in the resin and 1 m NaOH fractions. Hot 0.5 m H2SO4 hydrolysed 80% of the 14C in the alkali‐insoluble residue of soil + roots but this diminished specific activity by recovering much non‐14C organic matter. Pre‐alkali extraction treatment with 30% H2O2 and post‐alkali treatment extractions with hot 1 m HNO3 removed organic matter with a large 14C specific activity from the alkali‐insoluble residue.Density separation failed to isolate a significant pool of ‘recent’ root‐derived 14C. The density separation of 14C‐labelled roots, and roots remixed with non‐radioactive soil, showed that the adhesion of soil particles to young 14C‐labelled roots was the likely cause of the greater proportion of 14C in the heavy fraction.Simple chemical or density fractionations of C appear unsuitable for characterizing ‘recent’ root‐derived C into fractions that can be designated labile C (short turnover time).
Influence of land use on the characteristics of humic substances in some tropical soils of Nigeria
Authors: Piccolo A. , Conte P. , Spaccini R. , Mbagwu J. S. C. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryIn highly weathered tropical conditions, soil organic matter is important for soil quality and productivity. We evaluated the effects of deforestation and subsequent arable cropping on the qualitative and quantitative transformation of the humic pool of the soil at three locations in Nigeria. Cultivation reduced the humic pool in the order: acetone‐soluble hydrophobic fraction (HE) > humic acid (HA) > humin (HU) > fulvic acid (FA), but not to the same degree at all three sites. The C and N contents, as well as the C/N ratios of humic extracts, were large and not substantially influenced by land use. The δ13C values of the humic extracts were invariably more negative in forested soils thereby showing a dilution of δ13C signature with cultivation from C3 to C4 plants. The δ13C values of apolar HE fractions were generally more negative, indicating a reduced sensitivity compared with other humic fractions to turnover of crop residues. The contents of hydrophobic constituents (alkyl and aromatic C), as revealed by cross‐polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS)13C‐NMR spectroscopy, in HA, FA and HU were generally < 50%, with the exception of larger hydrophobicity in HU in the forested soil at Nsukka and HA in that at Umudike. The HE fraction contained significantly more apolar constituents, and consequently had a larger intrinsic hydrophobicity than the other humic fractions. The larger reduction of apolar humic constituents than of the less hydrophobic humic fractions, when these soils were deforested for cultivation, indicates that at those sites the stability of accumulated organic matter is to be ascribed mainly to the selective preservation of hydrophobic compounds.
Exploring scale‐dependent correlation of soil properties by nested sampling
Authors: Lark R. M. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThe value of nested sampling for exploring the spatial structure of univariate variation of the soil has been demonstrated in several studies and applied to practical problems. This paper shows how the method can be extended to the multivariate case. While the extension is simple in theory, in practice the direct estimation of covariance components by equating mean‐square matrices with their expectation will often lead to estimates that are not positive semidefinite. This paper discusses solutions to this problem for balanced and unbalanced sample designs. In the balanced case there is a residual maximum likelihood (REML) estimator that will find estimates of covariance components that maximize an overall likelihood on the condition that all components are positive semidefinite (p.s.d.). This is possible because the condition is met if the differences of successive mean‐square matrices are positive semidefinite, and this constraint can be incorporated into an algorithm. This does not hold for unbalanced designs. In this paper the problem was solved for unbalanced designs by scaling covariance components that were not p.s.d. to the nearest p.s.d. matrix according to a Euclidean distance.These methods were applied to data from three surveys, two with balanced and one with unbalanced sampling. Different patterns of scale‐dependence of the correlation of soil properties were found. For example, at Ginninderra Experimental Station in Australia the soil water content and bulk density were correlated significantly, with the correlation increasing with distance to 56 m, but at longer distances the properties were not significantly correlated. By contrast, the pH of the soil and the available P content showed correlation that increased with distance. The implications of these results for planning more detailed sampling, both for prediction and for investigation of processes, are discussed.
In situ accumulation of methane bubbles in a natural wetland soil
Authors: Tokida T. , Miyazaki T. , Mizoguchi M. , Seki K. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryNatural wetlands are a significant source of atmospheric methane, an important greenhouse gas. Compared with numerous papers on measurements of methane emission from natural wetland surfaces, there are few reports on methane configuration and distribution within wetland soil profiles. By using a newly designed gas sampler, we succeeded in collecting free‐phase gas from beneath the water table down to 120 cm in a peat. The volumetric percentage of methane in the gas phase increased with depth and was generally more than 50% beneath the zone within which the water table fluctuates. The volume of the gas phase in the peat beneath the water table was estimated to be from 0 to 19% with significant variation with depth, suggesting uneven distribution of gas bubbles. Using the volume ratio of the gas and liquid phases and methane concentration data in the gas phase, as well as assuming that methane was in equilibrium (based on Henry's Law between the two phases), we calculated that ∼60% of the methane accumulates in the form of bubbles. These results suggest the importance of ebullition in methane emission, which might be a major cause for the reportedly large variation of methane emission in both space and time. Most importantly, our results show the need to consider gaseous‐phase methane for understanding the production, transport and emission mechanisms of methane in wetlands, which has been overlooked to date.
Direct evidence of basic aluminium sulphate minerals in an S‐impacted Andosol
Authors: Delfosse T. , Elsass F. , Delvaux B. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThe formation of basic aluminium sulphate (BAS) minerals [(K,Na)nAlx(OH)y(SO4)z] has often been invoked to explain sulphate retention in soils. These minerals have not yet, however, been directly observed in the soil. We extracted the clay fractions of Andosols intercepting large inputs of volcanogenic sulphur dioxide and acids (HCl, HF), simply by dispersing clays with Na+‐resins in deionized water without any other chemical treatment. Clay fractions concentrate 39–63% of total sulphur content of soil. Transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy‐dispersive analysis revealed the presence of BAS particles, appearing as nodules and spheres. These particles have an equivalent diameter smaller than 0.2 µm. They have an Al:S ratio close to 2.2 and 3.8 and are possibly amorphous aluminite or basaluminite, respectively. They seem to have been formed in microenvironments enriched in sulphate, but also in fluoride anions. Their formation seems to have been enhanced by the combination of large inputs of acids and SO2 and an effective Al supply from weathering of volcanic glass.
Hydrostructural characteristics of two African tropical soils
Authors: Braudeau E. , Sene M. , Mohtar R. H. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThis paper describes the characteristic shrinkage curve of a soil as it dries. It also introduces a new method to measure specific soil moisture states such as permanent wilting point and field capacity using the shrinkage curve. The model considers the soil fabric as a non‐rigid, aggregated and unsaturated soil water medium. Its functional parameters (defined as pedohydral parameters) are the independent parameters of the shrinkage curve, which defines two major aspects of the structure of the fabric: (i) the volumetric functional elements of the soil fabric, and (ii) the arrangement of solid, water and air as functions of water content.Two African tropical soils were characterized and analysed according to a structural model with parameters of their shrinkage curve. The parameters of four soil horizons for the two soil types were determined continuously along their shrinkage curves. They were then used as descriptive variables representing the soil's hydrostructural behaviour in a canonical variate analysis, the results of which showed the A horizons to be distinct from the lower horizons, which appear as continua down the profiles. Analysis of the results reveals the importance of the clay and of the iron/clay ratio in the hydrostructural properties of the two soils. Transitional points of the shrinkage curve matched well some particular moisture states of the water potential curve, such as wilting points and field capacities. A more precise method of calculating water‐holding characteristics and other structural properties such as air capacity and swelling index can be obtained from the characteristic shrinkage curve.
Kinetics of degradation of adenosine triphosphate in chill‐stored rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Howgate Peter 
Published: June 2005

SummaryTrout that had been held in freshwater or in sea water were stored at 0, 5, or 10 °C, and in the case of sea‐water‐held trout, also at 15 °C. Samples were taken during storage for analysis of ATP‐derived metabolites. The kinetics of degradation of ATP were investigated using two mathematical models, one depending on only endogenous enzymes acting in a sequence of consecutive first order reactions, and one assuming inosine was additionally converted to hypoxanthine by bacterial action. The former model adequately fitted the data from trout held in sea water, but the latter model was a better fit to data from the trout held in freshwater. The activation energy of loss of inosine monophosphate was estimated to be 17.4 kcal mol−1.
From the emergency department to home
Authors: Dunnion Mary E , Kelly Billy 
Published: June 2005

Aim.  The purpose of this study was to explore dimensions of the management of the older person following care in an emergency department in preparation for discharge home by identifying perceptions and attitudes of staff in both emergency department and primary care sectors.Background.  It is recognized that older people discharged home directly from the emergency department are a vulnerable group. Effective communication and liaison are seen to be keys to the provision of high quality care for older people in the emergency department and in ensuring a seamless care between sectors.Design.  A purposeful sample was collected that comprised the total population (n = 222) of all grades of medical and nursing staff in both the emergency department and all nursing (Public Health Nurses & Practice nurses) and medical staff (General Practitioners) in the primary care area.Methods.  Methodology used was that of a survey approach of nursing and medical staff in both the emergency department and primary care services. Standardized questionnaires were employed which comprised both open and closed questioning style. Raw statistical data were analysed using SPSS for Windows while the qualitative data arising from the open‐ended questions were content analysed for themes.Results.  Many staff in the primary care area reported the level of communication between the emergency department and the primary care area as unsatisfactory with confusion regarding follow‐up care and a lack of support for older people on discharge. Hospital staff reported the level of communication to be much greater than that perceived by their colleagues in primary care. There was agreement of staff in both sectors in relation to the perceived usefulness of a discharge liaison nurse in the emergency department.Conclusions.  Previous research highlights communication difficulties when patients are discharged from hospital. Findings from this study indicate that this problem can also be applied to the emergency department.Relevance to clinical practice.  Implications for practice include a need for a multidisciplinary approach to developing referral guidelines, staff training and a comprehensive dissemination of information between sectors ultimately to improve quality and continuity of care for the older person.