bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High response rate and manageable toxicity with an intensive, short‐term chemotherapy programme for Burkitt's lymphoma in adults
Authors: Nicola Massimo Di , Carlo‐Stella Carmelo , Mariotti Jacopo , Devizzi Liliana , Massimino Maura , Cabras Antonello , Magni Michele , Matteucci Paola , Guidetti Anna , Gandola Lorenza , Gianni Alessandro M. 
Published: October 2004

SummaryA very short, intensive paediatric chemotherapy programme was tested in a consecutive monoinstitutional group of 22 adult Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) patients. After a 5‐week induction phase of weekly infusions consisting of vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, high‐dose (HD) methotrexate (MTX) plus leukovorin rescue, and intrathecal MTX or cytarabine (ARA‐C), a consolidation phase including HD ARA‐C plus cisplatin was given. Responding patients achieving less than complete response (CR) after completion of the initial induction phase, were promptly shifted to a high‐dose, stem cell supported sequential chemotherapy schema (R‐HDS). Patient characteristics: median age, 35·5 (range 18–76) years; Ann Arbor stage I–II/III–IV, 11/11; bulky disease, 15 patients; LDH ≥ 460 U/l, 11 patients. The median duration of the chemotherapy programme was 62 d (range, 43–94 d). Seventeen patients achieved a CR (77%), one patient died of progressive disease and four partial responders following induction were converted to CR following R‐HDS. Of 17 patients in CR, one died of infectious toxicity while in CR, and one relapsed at 30 months and died of progressive disease. After a median follow‐up of 28·7 months (range, 6–158 months), 16 patients (73%) were in continued CR. Overall survival and progression‐free survival were 77% [95% confidence interval (CI), 52–99%] and 68% (95% CI, 43–99%) respectively. Confirmation of these excellent efficacy and feasibility results by larger, multicentre and prospective studies is warranted.
A novel silent β‐thalassemia mutation in the distal CACCC box affects the binding and responsiveness to EKLF
Authors: Moi Paolo , Faà Valeria , Marini Maria Giuseppina , Asunis Isadora , Ibba Giuseppe , Cao Antonio , Rosatelli Maria Cristina 
Published: October 2004

SummaryThe silent β‐thalassemia mutation, β+‐101C→T, is the only mutation currently described in the distal β‐globin CACCC box. We present a novel mutation, a C→G transversion, in the same position. Expression analysis in heterozygous subjects demonstrated that the mutation determines a 20% reduction in the output of the β‐globin gene. DNA–protein interaction and transactivation analysis correlated the decrease in the β‐globin synthesis with the reduced binding and transactivation of EKLF to the mutant promoter. These data predict that the β‐101C→G mutation will display a silent thalassemia phenotype similar to that of the β‐101C→T mutation.
Proterozoic anticlockwise P–T path of the Lewisian Complex of South Harris, Outer Hebrides, NW Scotland
Authors: BABA S. 
Published: October 2004

The Leverburgh Belt and South Harris Igneous Complex in South Harris (northwest Scotland) experienced high‐pressure granulite facies metamorphism during the Palaeoproterozoic. The metamorphic history has been determined from the following mineral textures and compositions observed in samples of pelitic, quartzofeldspathic and mafic gneisses, especially in pelitic gneisses from the Leverburgh Belt: (1) some coarse‐grained garnet in the pelitic gneiss includes biotite and quartz in the inner core, sillimanite in the outer core, and is overgrown by kyanite at the rims; (2) garnet in the pelitic gneiss shows a progressive increase in grossular content from outer core to rims; (3) the AlVI/AlIV ratio of clinopyroxene from mafic gneiss increases from core to rim; (4) retrograde reaction coronas of cordierite and hercynite+cordierite are formed between garnet and kyanite, and orthopyroxene+cordierite and orthopyroxene+plagioclase reaction coronas develop between garnet and quartz; (5) a P–T  path is deduced from inclusion assemblages in garnet and from staurolite breakdown reactions to produce garnet+sillimanite and garnet+sillimanite+hercynite with increasing temperature; and (6) in sheared and foliated rocks, hydrous minerals such as biotite, muscovite and hornblende form a foliation, modifying pre‐existing textures.The inferred metamorphic history of the Leverburgh Belt is divided into four stages, as follows: (M1) prograde metamorphism with increasing temperature; (M2) prograde metamorphism with increasing pressure; (M3) retrograde decompressional metamorphism with decreasing pressure and temperature; and (M4) retrograde metamorphism accompanied by shearing. Peak P–T  conditions of the M2 stage are 800±30 °C, 13–14 kbar. Pressure increasing from M1 to M2 suggests thrusting of continental crust over the South Harris belt during continent–continent collision. The inferred P–T  path and tectonic history of the South Harris belt are different from those of the Lewisian of the mainland.
Ferrihydrite-Dependent Growth of
Sulfurospirillum deleyianum
through Electron Transfer via Sulfur Cycling
Authors: Straub Kristina L. , Schink Bernhard 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

Observations in enrichment cultures of ferric iron-reducing bacteria indicated that ferrihydrite was reduced to ferrous iron minerals via sulfur cycling with sulfide as the reductant. Ferric iron reduction via sulfur cycling was investigated in more detail with
Sulfurospirillum deleyianum
, which can utilize sulfur or thiosulfate as an electron acceptor. In the presence of cysteine (0.5 or 2 mM) as the sole sulfur source, no (microbial) reduction of ferrihydrite or ferric citrate was observed, indicating that
S. deleyianum
is unable to use ferric iron as an immediate electron acceptor. However, with thiosulfate at a low concentration (0.05 mM), growth with ferrihydrite (6 mM) was possible and sulfur was cycled up to 60 times. Also, spatially distant ferrihydrite in agar cultures was reduced via diffusible sulfur species. Due to the low concentrations of thiosulfate,
S. deleyianum
produced only small amounts of sulfide. Obviously, sulfide delivered electrons to ferrihydrite with no or only little precipitation of black iron sulfides. Ferrous iron and oxidized sulfur species were produced instead, and the latter served again as the electron acceptor. These oxidized sulfur species have not yet been identified. However, sulfate and sulfite cannot be major products of ferrihydrite-dependent sulfide oxidation, since neither compound can serve as an electron acceptor for
S. deleyianum
. Instead, sulfur (elemental S or polysulfides) and/or thiosulfate as oxidized products could complete a sulfur cycle-mediated reduction of ferrihydrite.
Discovery of Rare and Highly Toxic Microcystins from Lichen-Associated Cyanobacterium
Nostoc
sp. Strain IO-102-I
Authors: Oksanen Ilona , Jokela Jouni , Fewer David P. , Wahlsten Matti , Rikkinen Jouko , Sivonen Kaarina 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

The production of hepatotoxic cyclic heptapeptides, microcystins, is almost exclusively reported from planktonic cyanobacteria. Here we show that a terrestrial cyanobacterium
Nostoc
sp. strain IO-102-I isolated from a lichen association produces six different microcystins. Microcystins were identified with liquid chromatography-UV mass spectrometry by their retention times, UV spectra, mass fragmentation, and comparison to microcystins from the aquatic
Nostoc
sp. strain 152. The dominant microcystin produced by
Nostoc
sp. strain IO-102-I was the highly toxic [ADMAdda
5
]microcystin-LR, which accounted for ca. 80% of the total microcystins. We assigned a structure of [DMAdda
5
]microcystin-LR and [
d
-Asp
3
,ADMAdda
5
]microcystin-LR and a partial structure of three new [ADMAdda
5
]-XR type of microcystin variants. Interestingly,
Nostoc
spp. strains IO-102-I and 152 synthesized only the rare ADMAdda and DMAdda subfamilies of microcystin variants. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated congruence between genes involved directly in microcystin biosynthesis and the 16S rRNA and
rpoC1
genes of
Nostoc
sp. strain IO-102-I.
Nostoc
sp. strain 152 and the
Nostoc
sp. strain IO-102-I are distantly related, revealing a sporadic distribution of toxin production in the genus
Nostoc. Nostoc
sp. strain IO-102-I is closely related to
Nostoc punctiforme
PCC 73102 and other symbiotic
Nostoc
strains and most likely belongs to this species. Together, this suggests that other terrestrial and aquatic strains of the genus
Nostoc
may have retained the genes necessary for microcystin biosynthesis.
Persistence of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in New Zealand Broilers after Discontinuation of Avoparcin Use
Authors: Manson Janet M. , Smith John M. B. , Cook Gregory M. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

Large amounts of tylosin, zinc-bacitracin, and avilamycin are currently used as prophylactics in New Zealand broiler production. Avoparcin was also used from 1977 to 2000. A total of 382 enterococci were isolated from 213 fecal samples (147 individual poultry farms) using enrichment broths plated on m-
Enterococcus
agar lacking antimicrobials. These isolates were then examined to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. Of the 382 isolates, 5.8% (22 isolates) were resistant to vancomycin, and 64.7% were resistant to erythromycin. The bacitracin MIC was ≥256 μg/ml for 98.7% of isolates, and the avilamycin MIC was ≥8 μg/ml for 14.9% of isolates. No resistance to ampicillin or gentamicin was detected. Of the 22 vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) isolates, 18 (81.8%) were
Enterococcus faecalis
, 3 were
Enterococcus faecium
, and 1 was
Enterococcus durans
. However, when the 213 fecal enrichment broths were plated on m-
Enterococcus
agar containing vancomycin, 86 VRE were recovered; 66% of these isolates were
E. faecium
and the remainder were
E. faecalis
. Vancomycin-resistant
E. faecium
isolates were found to have heterogenous pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns of SmaI-digested DNA, whereas the PFGE patterns of vancomycin-resistant
E. faecalis
isolates were identical or closely related, suggesting that this VRE clone is widespread throughout New Zealand. These data demonstrate that vancomycin-resistant
E. faecalis
persists in the absence and presence of vancomycin-selective pressure, thus explaining the dominance of this VRE clone even in the absence of avoparcin.
Strain-Specific Differences in the Grazing Sensitivities of Closely Related Ultramicrobacteria Affiliated with the
Polynucleobacter
Cluster
Authors: Boenigk Jens , Stadler Peter , Wiedlroither Anneliese , Hahn Martin W. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

Ultramicrobacteria (cell volume < 0.1 μm
3
) are the numerically dominant organisms in the plankton of marine and freshwater habitats. Flagellates and other protists are assumed to be the most important predators of these ultramicrobacteria as well as of larger planktonic bacteria. However, due to controversial observations conducted previously, it is not clear as to whether fractions of the ultramicrobacteria are resistant to flagellate predation. Furthermore, it is not known if closely related bacteria vary significantly in their sensitivity to flagellate predation. We investigated the sensitivity of ultramicrobacteria affiliated with the cosmopolitan
Polynucleobacter
cluster to grazing by
Spumella
-like nanoflagellates. Laboratory grazing experiments with four closely related (≥99.6% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) bacteria and three closely related (100% 18S rRNA gene sequence similarity) flagellates were performed. In comparison to larger bacteria, predation on the ultramicrobacterial
Polynucleobacter
strains was weak, and the growth of the predating flagellates was slow. Specific clearance rates ranged between 0.14 × 10
5
and 2.8 × 10
5
units of predator size h
−1
. Feeding rates strongly depended on the flagellate and bacterial strain (
P
< 0.001). Grazing mortality rates of the three flagellate strains investigated varied for the same prey strain by up to almost fourfold. We conclude that (i) ultramicrobacteria affiliated with the
Polynucleobacter
cluster are not protected from grazing, (ii) strain-specific variations in grazing sensitivity even between closely related bacteria are high, and (iii) strain-specific differences in predator-prey interaction could be an important factor in the evolution and maintenance of microbial microdiversity.
Isolation and Purification of Pyranose 2-Oxidase fromPhanerochaete chrysosporiumand Characterization of Gene Structure and Regulation
Authors: de Koker Theodorus H. , Mozuch Michael D. , Cullen Daniel , Gaskell Jill , Kersten Philip J. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACTPyranose 2-oxidase (POX) was recovered fromPhanerochaete chrysosporiumBKM-F-1767 solid substrate culture using mild extraction conditions and was purified.13C-nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed production ofd-arabino-hexos-2-ulose (glucosone) fromd-glucose with the oxidase. Peptide fingerprints generated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of tryptic digests and analysis of the corresponding cDNA revealed a structurally unusual sequence for theP. chrysosporiumPOX. Relatively high levels ofpoxtranscript were detected under carbon-starved culture conditions but not under nutrient sufficiency. This regulation pattern is similar to that observed for lignin peroxidases, manganese peroxidases, and glyoxal oxidase ofP. chrysosporium, supporting evidence that POX has a role in lignocellulose degradation.
Development and Application of a Selective PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis Approach To Detect a Recently Cultivated
Bacillus
Group Predominant in Soil
Authors: Tzeneva Vesela A. , Li Youguo , Felske Andreas D. M. , de Vos Willem M. , Akkermans Antoon D. L. , Vaughan Elaine E. , Smidt Hauke 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

The worldwide presence of a hitherto-nondescribed group of predominant soil microorganisms related to
Bacillus benzoevorans
was analyzed after development of two sets of selective primers targeting 16S rRNA genes in combination with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The high abundance and cultivability of at least some of these microorganisms makes them an appropriate subject for studies on their biogeographical dissemination and diversity. Since cultivability can vary significantly with the physiological state and even between closely related strains, we developed a culture-independent 16S rRNA gene-targeted DGGE fingerprinting protocol for the detection of these bacteria from soil samples. The composition of the
B. benzoevorans
relatives in the soil samples from The Netherlands, Bulgaria, Russia, Pakistan, and Portugal showed remarkable differences between the different countries. Differences in the DGGE profiles of these communities in archived soil samples from the Dutch Wieringermeer polder were observed over time during which a shift from anaerobic to aerobic and from saline to freshwater conditions occurred. To complement the molecular methods, we additionally cultivated
B. benzoevorans
-related strains from all of the soil samples. The highest number of
B. benzoevorans
relatives was found in the soils from the northern part of The Netherlands. The present study contributes to our knowledge of the diversity and abundance of this interesting group of microbes in soils throughout the world.
Listeria monocytogenesIsolates from Foods and Humans Form Distinct but Overlapping Populations
Authors: Gray Michael J. , Zadoks Ruth N. , Fortes Esther D. , Dogan Belgin , Cai Steven , Chen Yuhuan , Scott Virginia N. , Gombas David E. , Boor Kathryn J. , Wiedmann Martin 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACTA total of 502Listeria monocytogenesisolates from food and 492 from humans were subtyped by EcoRI ribotyping and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the virulence genehly. Isolates were further classified into genetic lineages based on subtyping results. Food isolates were obtained through a survey of selected ready-to-eat food products in Maryland and California in 2000 and 2001. Human isolates comprised 42 isolates from invasive listeriosis cases reported in Maryland and California during 2000 and 2001 as well as an additional 450 isolates from cases that had occurred throughout the United States, predominantly from 1997 to 2001. Assignment of isolates to lineages and to the majority ofL. monocytogenessubtypes was significantly associated with the isolate source (food or human), although most subtypes and lineages included both human and food isolates. Some subtypes were also significantly associated with isolation from specific food types. Tissue culture plaque assay characterization of the 42 human isolates from Maryland and California and of 91 representative food isolates revealed significantly higher average infectivity and cell-to-cell spread for the human isolates, further supporting the hypothesis that food and human isolates form distinct populations. Combined analysis of subtype and cytopathogenicity data showed that strains classified into specific ribotypes previously linked to multiple human listeriosis outbreaks, as well as those classified into lineage I, are more common among human cases and generate larger plaques than other subtypes, suggesting that these subtypes may represent particularly virulent clonal groups. These data will provide a framework for prediction of the public health risk associated with specificL. monocytogenessubtypes.
Movement of Viruses between Biomes
Authors: Sano Emiko , Carlson Suzanne , Wegley Linda , Rohwer Forest 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT
Viruses are abundant in all known ecosystems. In the present study, we tested the possibility that viruses from one biome can successfully propagate in another. Viral concentrates were prepared from different near-shore marine sites, lake water, marine sediments, and soil. The concentrates were added to microcosms containing dissolved organic matter as a food source (after filtration to allow 100-kDa particles to pass through) and a 3% (vol/vol) microbial inoculum from a marine water sample (after filtration through a 0.45-μm-pore-size filter). Virus-like particle abundances were then monitored using direct counting. Viral populations from lake water, marine sediments, and soil were able to replicate when they were incubated with the marine microbes, showing that viruses can move between different ecosystems and propagate. These results imply that viruses can laterally transfer DNA between microbes in different biomes.
Statistical Quantification of Detachment Rates and Size Distributions of Cell Clumps from Wild-Type (PAO1) and Cell Signaling Mutant (JP1)
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Biofilms
Authors: Wilson Suzanne , Hamilton Martin A. , Hamilton Gordon C. , Schumann Margo R. , Stoodley Paul 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

The detachment of cells from bacterial biofilms is an important, yet poorly understood and largely unquantified phenomenon. Detached cell clumps from medical devices may form microemboli and lead to metastasis, especially if they are resistant to host defenses and antibiotics. In manufacturing plants detached clumps entering a process stream decrease product quality. Two strains of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, a wild type (PAO1) and a cell signaling mutant (JP1), were studied to (i) quantify and model detachment patterns and (ii) determine the influence of cell signaling on detachment. We collected effluent from a biofilm flowthrough reactor and determined the size distribution for cell detachment events by microscopic examination and image analysis. The two strains were similar in terms of both biofilm structure and detachment patterns. Most of the detachment events were single-cell events; however, multiple-cell detachment events contributed a large fraction of the total detached cells. The rates at which events containing multiple cells detached from the biofilm were estimated by fitting a statistical model to the size distribution data. For events consisting of at least 1,000 cells, the estimated rates were 4.5 events mm
−2
min
−1
for PAO1 and 4.3 events mm
−2
min
−1
for JP1. These rates may be significant when they are scaled up to the total area of a real biofilm-contaminated medical device surface and to the hours or days of patient exposure.
Characterization of Plasmid pOR1 from
Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale
and Construction of a Shuttle Plasmid
Authors: Jansen Ruud , Chansiripornchai Niwat , Gaastra Wim , van Putten Jos P. M. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

The bacterium
Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale
has been recognized as an emerging pathogen in poultry since about 10 years ago. Knowledge of this bacterium and its mechanisms of virulence is still very limited. Here we report the development of a transformation system that enables genetic modification of
O. rhinotracheale
. The system is based on a cryptic plasmid, pOR1, that was derived from an
O. rhinotracheale
strain of serotype K. Sequencing indicated that the plasmid consisted of 14,787 nucleotides. Sequence analysis revealed one replication origin and several
rep
genes that control plasmid replication and copy number, respectively. In addition, pOR1 contains genes with similarity to a heavy-metal-transporting ATPase, a TonB-linked siderophore receptor, and a laccase. Reverse transcription-PCR demonstrated that these genes were transcribed. Other putative open reading frames exhibited similarities with a virulence-associated protein in
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
and a number of genes coding for proteins with unknown function. An
Escherichia coli
-
O. rhinotracheale
shuttle plasmid (pOREC1) was constructed by cloning the replication origin and
rep
genes from pOR1 and the
cfxA
gene from
Bacteroides vulgatus
, which codes for resistance to the antibiotic cefoxitin, into plasmid pGEM7 by using
E. coli
as a host. pOREC1 was electroporated into
O. rhinotracheale
and yielded cefoxitin-resistant transformants. The pOREC1 isolated from these transformants was reintroduced into
E. coli
, demonstrating that pOREC1 acts as an independent replicon in both
E. coli
and
O. rhinotracheale,
fulfilling the criteria for a shuttle plasmid that can be used for transformation, targeted mutagenesis, and the construction of defined attenuated vaccine strains.
Inheritance of Resistance to
Bacillus thuringiensis
subsp.
kurstaki
in
Trichoplusia ni
Authors: Janmaat Alida F. , Wang Ping , Kain Wendy , Zhao Jian-Zhou , Myers Judith 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

The genetic inheritance of resistance to a commercial formulation of
Bacillus thuringiensis
subsp.
kurstaki
was examined in a
Trichoplusia ni
colony initiated from a resistant population present in a commercial vegetable greenhouse in British Columbia, Canada. Progeny of F
1
reciprocal crosses and backcrosses between F
1
larvae and resistant (P
R
) and susceptible (P
S
) populations were assayed at different
B. thuringiensis
subsp.
kurstaki
concentrations. The responses of progeny of reciprocal F
1
crosses were identical, indicating that the resistant trait was autosomal. The 50% lethal concentration for the F
1
larvae was slightly higher than that for P
S
, suggesting that resistance is partially recessive. The responses of both backcross progeny (F
1
× P
R
, F
1
× P
S
) did not correspond to predictions from a single-locus model. The inclusion of a nonhomozygous resistant parental line in the monogenic model significantly increased the correspondence between the expected and observed results for the F
1
× P
R
backcross but decreased the correspondence with the F
1
× P
S
backcross results. This finding suggests that resistance to
B. thuringiensis
subsp.
kurstaki
in this
T. ni
population is due to more than one gene.