bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms dependent on tryptophan catabolism regulate immune responses in primary Sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Pertovaara M , Raitala A , Uusitalo H , Pukander J , Helin H , Oja S S , Hurme M 
Published: September 2005

Summary
To investigate the possible role of tryptophan metabolism in immune regulation of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) the serum concentrations of tryptophan and its metabolite kynurenine were measured by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in 103 patients with pSS, 56 patients with sicca symptoms and 309 healthy blood donors. The kynurenine per tryptophan ratio (kyn/trp), which reflects the activity of the indoleamine-pyrrole 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) enzyme involved in tryptophan catabolism, was calculated. Both female and male patients with pSS had significantly higher serum kynurenine concentrations and kyn/trp than subjects with sicca symptoms or healthy blood donors. The median (quartile range) concentration of kynurenine in female patients with pSS was 2·41 µmol/l (1·86–3·26) compared with 1·85 µmol/l (1·58–2·38, P &lt; 0·0001) in subjects with sicca symptoms and 1·96 µmol/l (1·65–2·27, P &lt; 0·0001) in healthy blood donors. Their kyn/trp × 1000 was 34·0 (25·1–44·3) compared with 25·3 (21·1–31·5, P &lt; 0·0001) in subjects with sicca symptoms and 24·3 (21·0–28·9, P &lt; 0·0001) in healthy blood donors. Female pSS patients with high IDO activity (kyn/trp × 1000 ≥ 34·0) had significantly higher ESR, serum C-reactive protein, serum IgA and serum beta-2 microglobulin concentrations as well as higher serum creatinine levels, and they had positive antinuclear antibodies more frequently and presented with more American-European consensus group criteria than those with low IDO activity (kyn/trp × 1000 &lt; 34·0). These data suggest that mechanisms dependent on tryptophan catabolism regulate immune responses in pSS. Tryptophan degradation is enhanced in patients with pSS, and high IDO activity is associated with severity of pSS.
Association between atopy and recurrent vaginal candidiasis
Authors: Neves N A , Carvalho L P , De Oliveira M A M , Giraldo P C , Bacellar O , Cruz Á A , Carvalho E M 
Published: September 2005

SummaryTo determine whether there is an association between atopy and recurrent vaginal candidiasis (RVC) and to evaluate the type-2 immune response in patients with RVC. Evaluation of immediate hypersensitivity skin tests to aeroallergens, measurement of total IgE and Candida albicans specific IgE and levels of IL-5 in 44 women with RVC and 26 with sporadic vaginal candidiasis (SVC). Statistical analyses were performed by Mann–Whitney test and χ2 test with Yates correction. History of atopy (68%) and positive skin test (42%) were higher (P &lt; 0·05) in RVC than in patients with SVC. No significant difference was found in total IgE, C. albicans specific IgE and IL-5 levels. There was a strong association between atopy and RVC, but type-2 immune response to C. albicans antigen was absent or similar in the two groups of patients.
Absence of reuptake of serotonin influences susceptibility to clinical autoimmune disease and neuroantigen-specific interferon-gamma production in mouse EAE
Authors: Hofstetter H H , Mössner R , Lesch K P , Linker R A , Toyka K V , Gold R 
Published: September 2005

SummarySerotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is one of the most extensively studied neurotransmitters of the central nervous system. It also has been identified in constituents of the immune system. Therefore serotonin has been suggested to serve as a mediator of bidirectional interactions between the nervous system and the immune system. We investigated this interaction in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a well-defined animal model of autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) mimicking features of the human disease multiple sclerosis. EAE was induced by immunization with the autoantigens myelin basic protein (MBP) or the immunodominant peptide of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) spanning amino acids 35–55 (MOGp 35–55). We studied EAE in knockout (KO) mice lacking the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) on a C57.BL/6 background, in comparison with wild-type C57.BL/6 animals. After immunization with MOGp 35–55, or with rat MBP, the disease courses of the 5-HTT knockout mice were attenuated as compared to wildtype control mice. This difference was more pronounced in female animals. To dissect potential immune mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, histological studies of the CNS and cytokine measurements in mononuclear cells from the spleens of 5-HTT KO mice and wild-type controls were performed. We found a reduction of the inflammatory infiltrate in the CNS and of the neuroantigen-specific production of IFN-γ in splenocytes, again accompanied by a gender difference. These findings suggest a potential role of extracellular 5-HT homeostasis in the fine-tuning of neuroantigen-specific immune responses.
MHC class I chain-related gene A-A5·1 allele is associated with ulcerative colitis in Chinese population
Authors: Ding Yijuan , Xia Bing , Lü Min , Zhang Yan , Li Jin , Ye Mei , Luo Hesheng , Yu Jieping , Zhang Xiaolian , Tan Jingquan 
Published: September 2005

Summary
The human MHC class I chain-related gene A (MICA) plays a role in regulating protective responses by intestinal epithelial Vδ1 γ δ T cells and the polymorphism of MICA were reported to be related to several autoimmune diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the association of the microsatellite polymorphisms of TM region of MICA gene with the susceptibility to ulcerative colitis (UC) in Chinese population. The microsatellite polymorphisms of the MICA were genotyped in unrelated 86 Chinese patients with UC and 172 ethnically matched healthy controls by a semiautomatic fluorenscently labelled PCR method. All the subjects were the Chinese with Han nationality. The frequency of MICA-A5·1 homozygous genotype and A5·1 allele were significantly increased in UC patients compared with healthy controls (22·1%versus 7%, P = 0·0009, Pc = 0·0126, OR = 3·781, 95%CI: 1·738–8·225 and 30·2%versus 17·4%, P = 0·0014, Pc = 0·007, OR = 2·051, 95%CI: 1·336–3·148, respectively). Adjusted the effects of gender and age at onset, MICA-A5·1 homozygous genotype and A5·1 allele were also increased in the UC patients. Moreover MICA-A5·1 allele was significantly increased in frequency in the female UC patients (38·2%versus 21·0%, P = 0·0095, Pc = 0·0475, OR = 2·326, 95%CI: 1·234–4·382). Logistic regression analysis also revealed that gender was independently associated with UC patients carried MICA-A5·1 allele (P = 0·046, OR (male) = 0·511, 95% CI: 0·264–0·987). Although the UC patients with extensive colitis (32·5%versus 17·4% in the healthy controls, P = 0·005, Pc = 0·025) and the UC patients with extraintestinal manifestations (36%versus 17·4% in the healthy controls, P = 0·0039, Pc = 0·0195) were more likely to carry the MICA-A5·1 allele, EIMs was associated with extent of disease (P &lt; 0·0001, OR (with EIMs) = 3·511, 95% CI 1·747–7·056) and MICA-A5·1 allele was not associated with UC patients with extensive colitis or with EIMs in the logistic regression analysis. Therefore, the MICA-A5·1 homozygous genotype and A5·1 allele were closely associated with UC and the MICA-A5·1 allele was positively associated with the female UC patients in Chinese population.
Thermal reaction norms in two Coenagrion damselfly species: contrasting embryonic and larval life‐history traits
Authors: VAN DOORSLAER W. , STOKS R. 
Published: September 2005

Summary1. We studied the temperature‐dependence of important life‐history traits both at the embryonic (egg hatching success, embryonic development time and hatchling size) and the larval stage (larval growth rate, larval survival and larval size after 100 days) using full‐sib families of two congeneric damselflies, Coenagrion hastulatum and Coenagrion puella, that differ in latitudinal distribution. Larvae were reared in the laboratory from the egg stage at four temperatures (12, 17, 22 and 27 °C).2. The observed patterns of thermal plasticity in embryonic traits showed that the northern species was more successful than the southern species at lower temperatures, in line with the pattern of temperature adaptation in thermal reaction norms.3. At the larval stage, we found no consistent pattern of latitudinal compensation. The thermal family reaction norms indicate, however, the potential for latitudinal compensation to evolve. We observed an ontogenetic shift in thermal optima for larval growth rate, with a higher optimal temperature for growth rate during the first 2 weeks of the larval stage.4. This is the first indication of the existence of latitudinal compensation at the interspecific level in an invertebrate; it is stage‐specific, being present only in the embryonic stage. We argue that compensation in the embryonic stage may be much more likely than in the larvae and stress the importance of including more then one life‐history stage when drawing conclusions about the adaptiveness of patterns in thermal reaction norms.
Differential effects of CpG‐DNA in Toll‐like receptor‐2/‐4/‐9 tolerance and cross‐tolerance
Authors: Dalpke Alexander H. , Lehner Martin D. , Hartung Thomas , Heeg Klaus 
Published: September 2005

SummaryLipopolysaccharide (LPS) tolerance is a state of refractoriness towards a second stimulation by LPS after a preceding stimulation. LPS is recognized by Toll‐like receptor‐4 (TLR‐4), which belongs to a group of pattern recognition receptors mediating activation of innate immunity by microbial components. To date, it is not known in detail to what extent other TLR‐dependent stimuli also induce tolerance and whether preceding and challenging stimuli are interchangeable. We have examined tolerance induction in detail for lipoteichoic acid (LTA), LPS and CpG‐DNA, which are recognized by TLR‐2, ‐4 and ‐9, respectively. In RAW264·7 macrophages, all three stimuli induced tolerance towards a subsequent challenge with the same stimulus used for priming, as well as cross‐tolerance towards subsequent challenge with other stimuli signalling via different TLRs. However, whereas LPS/LTA cross‐tolerance was also functional in an in vivo model of galactosamine (GalN)‐primed liver damage, pretreatment with CpG only protected against GalN/CpG challenge and failed to induce cross‐tolerance for LPS and LTA. CpG‐DNA pretreatment even enhanced tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α production and liver damage upon subsequent challenge with LPS or LTA. Stimulation with CpG‐DNA resulted in a peculiar sensitization for interferon (IFN)‐γ secretion. The data indicate that, in contrast to in vitro macrophage desensitization, the in vivo consequences of repeated TLR stimulation greatly differ amongst different TLR ligands.
Tyrosine kinase activity and remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton are co‐temporally required for degranulation by cytotoxic T lymphocytes
Authors: Shen Aimee , Puente Lawrence G. , Ostergaard Hanne L. 
Published: September 2005

SummaryIn this study, we examined the contribution of the actin cytoskeleton to T‐cell receptor (TCR)‐initiated signalling in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). We demonstrate that cytoskeletal remodelling is required for sustaining TCR‐stimulated signals that lead to degranulation by CTLs. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton in CTLs already undergoing signalling responses results in an almost immediate loss of essentially all protein tyrosine phosphorylation. This signal reversal is not restricted to tyrosine phosphorylation, as disruption of the actin cytoskeleton also reverses the phosphorylation of the more downstream serine/threonine kinase extracellular signal regulated kinase (Erk). An intact cytoskeleton and cell spreading are not sufficient for maintaining signals, as stabilization of actin filaments, at a point when peak tyrosine phosphorylation is occurring, also leads to the rapid loss of protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Disruption of tyrosine kinase activity after TCR signals are maximally induced causes the immediate reversal of tyrosine phosphorylation as well as cytoskeletal disruption, as indicated by loss of cell spreading, adhesion and CTL degranulation. Taken together, our results indicate that actin remodelling occurs co‐temporally with ongoing tyrosine kinase activity, leading to CTL degranulation. We hypothesize that continuous actin remodelling is important for sustaining productive signals, even after downstream signalling molecules such as Erk have been activated, and that the actin cytoskeleton is not solely required for initiating and maintaining the T cell in contact with its stimulus.
Quality of life and its measurement: important principles and guidelines
Authors: Verdugo M. A. , Schalock R. L. , Keith K. D. , Stancliffe R. J. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractBackground  The importance of the valid assessment of quality of life (QOL) is heightened with the increased use of the QOL construct as a basis for policies and practices in the field of intellectual disability (ID).Method  This article discusses the principles that should guide the measurement process, the major interrogatories (i.e. who, what, when, where, why, and how) of QOL measurement, issues and procedures in the cross‐cultural measurement of QOL, and the current uses of QOL data.Results  Based on the above methods, the article presents a number of important guidelines regarding QOL measurement.Conclusion  From a measurement perspective the use of the QOL construct is changing. Initially it was used as a sensitizing notion, social construct, and unifying theme. Increasingly, it is being used as conceptual framework for assessing quality outcomes, a social construct that guides quality enhancement strategies, and a criterion for assessing the effectiveness of those strategies. This new role places additional emphasis on the valid assessment of one's QOL.
Conceptual principles of quality of life: an empirical exploration
Authors: Bramston P. , Chipuer H. , Pretty G. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractBackground  Quality of life is a popular measure of outcomes and its widespread use has led to recent calls for a better understanding of the construct, emphasizing the need to build a substantial body of knowledge around what determines perceptions of life quality. Three widely reported and used conceptual principles are examined in this study.Methods  Self‐ratings of life quality and three likely determinants at an individual level (stress), an interactional level (social support) and a community level (neighbourhood belonging) were used. The study involved two groups of young adults from an urban community, one identified as having an intellectual disability (ID).Results  Young adults with ID rated their satisfaction with health significantly higher and intimacy and community involvement lower than the comparison group. Social support emerged as the strongest predictor of life satisfaction across both groups.Conclusion  The conceptual principles of subjective quality of life provide a useful framework to discuss findings and to stimulate further research.
Quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities in China: a cross‐culture perspectives study
Authors: Xu J. , Wang M. , Xiang Y. , Hu X. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractBackground  The concept of quality of life (QOL) is explained on the basis of traditional Chinese culture and contemporary social and cultural trends.Method  The importance of internationally recognized QOL domains and indicators was determined for three respondent groups: consumers, parents of the consumers, and teachers and rehabilitation professionals working with the clients.Results  Principal component analysis confirmed seven factors influencing QOL for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in China. These seven components are conceptually equivalent to the eight domains found in the international QOL literature.Conclusion  The concept of QOL has become one of the most sensitive issues in present Chinese society and peoples’ lives, and an important theoretical framework for the education and rehabilitation for people with ID in several ways: curriculum development, service delivery models, education and rehabilitation practices, and employment models.
Variables influencing the ratings of importance and use of quality of life domains and indicators by Polish professionals
Authors: Otrębski W. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractBackground  Interest in the concept of quality of life (QOL) as a category guiding the development and provision of services for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Poland is increasingly being observed. Its presence in rehabilitation and care is strongly associated with the assessment of importance and use of QOL domains and indicators by Polish professionals.Method  The present study examined the differences related to selected demographic variables in the assessment of importance and use of eight QOL domains made by professionals in Poland working with persons with ID.Results  The evaluation of the importance and use of eight QOL domains and their indicators is related significantly to professionals’ level of education, place of work, and total years of work.Conclusions  The perception of professionals cannot be overlooked when considering the development and provision of QOL‐related services and supports.
The effect of different types of employment on quality of life
Authors: Kober R. , Eggleton I. R. C. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractBackground Despite research that has investigated whether the financial benefits of open employment exceed the costs, there has been scant research as to the effect sheltered and open employment have upon the quality of life of participants. The importance of this research is threefold: it investigates outcomes explicitly in terms of quality of life; the sample size is comparatively large; and it uses an established and validated questionnaire.Method One hundred and seventeen people with intellectual disability (ID) who were employed in either open or sheltered employment by disability employment agencies were interviewed. Quality of life was assessed using theQuality of Life Questionnaire. After making an initial assessment to see whether the outcomes achieved depended on type of employment, quality of life scores were analyzed controlling for participants’ level of functional work ability (assessed via the Functional Assessment Inventory).Results The results showed that participants placed in open employment reported statistically significant higher quality of life scores. When the sample was split based upon participants’ functional work ability, the type of employment had no effect on the reported quality of life for participants with a low functional work ability. However, for those participants with a high functional work ability, those in open employment reported statistically significantly higher quality of life.Conclusions The results of this study support the placement of people with ID with high functional work ability into open employment. However, a degree of caution needs to be taken in interpreting the results presented given the disparity in income levels between the two types of employment.
Conceptualizing and measuring family quality of life
Authors: Summers J. A. , Poston D. J. , Turnbull A. P. , Marquis J. , Hoffman L. , Mannan H. , Wang M. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractBackground  Increasing emphasis on family‐centred approaches to services and supports for families of children with disabilities has surfaced the issue of accountability for family outcomes. We present a review of literature about the impacts of children with disabilities on families as a backdrop to proposing family quality of life as a concept that encompasses impacts of disability and one that can be used to assess the impact of supports and services on families.Method  We briefly introduce the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale, providing information about its factor structure, reliability and convergent validity.Results  The Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale contains 25 items assessing family ratings of importance and satisfaction with five domains: Family interaction, Parenting, Emotional well‐being, Physical/material well‐being and Disability‐related supports.Conclusion  We present a framework for utilizing a measure of family quality of life as a long‐term outcome in concert with other short‐term measures of service outcomes for families.
A self‐evaluation instrument for support plans
Authors: Schippers A. P. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractBackground  Actual practice in the Netherlands has shown the need of an instrument to evaluate the quality of support plans. This article describes the development of an instrument for such evaluation.Method  The concept of quality of life (QOL) domains were used to develop an instrument to evaluate the quality of support plans within a QOL conceptual and measurement model. Information from the literature and client files was used along with expert judgement.Results  Views on support can be divided in two dimensions: an emphasis on the person and an emphasis on relationships. With this information an instrument was developed for self‐evaluation and one that is intended for the drafters of support plans.Conclusion  Data from 268 respondents demonstrated the instruments reliability and validity.
Left ventricular function and calcium phosphate plasma levels in uraemic patients
Authors: GALETTA F. , CUPISTI A. , FRANZONI F. , FEMIA F. R. , ROSSI M. , BARSOTTI G. , SANTORO G. 
Published: September 2005

Abstract.Background.  Recent investigations have focused on the pathogenetic role of disturbances of calcium phosphate metabolism in causing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in haemodialysis patients. The aim of the present study was to assess left ventricular function and its relationship to phosphate and calcium plasma levels in stable uraemic patients on haemodialysis treatment.Methods.  Twenty uraemic patients (mean age 51 ± 13 years) on maintenance haemodialysis and free from overt cardiac dysfunction, and 20 healthy volunteers underwent standard echocardiography, tissue Doppler‐derived early (Em) and late (Am) diastolic velocities, tissue characterization with cyclic variations of integrated backscatter (CV‐IBS), and serum biochemistry.Results.  With respect to tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), uraemic patients showed a lower Em peak, a higher Am peak, and a reduced Em/Am ratio of both interventricular septum and lateral wall (0.01 > P < 0.001) than controls. CV‐IBS of both septum and posterior wall was significantly smaller in uraemic patients than in the control subjects (P < 0.001). Moreover, the Em/Am ratio of septum and lateral wall were negatively related to serum phosphorus and to calcium phosphate product (P < 0.001 for all). Accordingly, an inverse relationship was also found between CV‐IBS of septum and lateral wall and calcium phosphate product and phosphorus (P < 0.05 for all).Conclusions.  These results showed early cardiac impairment of diastolic myocardial function evaluated by TDI and IBS analysis, and a close relationship between these changes and the calcium‐phosphate plasma levels. These findings are well in keeping with the important role of hyperphosphataemia as a risk factor for cardiovascular damage, and justify the effort for optimal control of calcium phosphate metabolism in uraemic patients.