bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Isolation, characterization and comparison of bacteria from swine faeces and manure storage pits
Authors: Cotta Michael A. , Whitehead Terence R. , Zeltwanger Rhonda L. 
Published: August 2003

SummaryStorage of swine manure is associated with the microbiological production of a variety of odorous chemicals including ammonia, organic acids and alcohols, and sulphides. Although largely the product of microbiological activity, little is known about the microorganisms present in swine manure. In order to gain a better understanding of the types and activities of the microorganisms present, representative strains of microorganisms were isolated from faeces and stored manure slurry, identified, and physiologically characterized. For swine manure slurry samples, total anaerobe colony counts were greatest when a non‐selective, habitat simulating medium containing clarified swine manure slurry was used whereas the highest counts for faecal anaerobes were obtained on rumen fluid containing medium. Faecal and slurry samples were also plated onto the appropriate medium containing the antibiotics tetracycline, erythromycin and tylosin (10 µg ml−1, individually) and the proportional counts of organisms capable of growing in the presence of these antibiotics determined. Randomly selected isolates from the highest dilutions were identified by 16 s rDNA sequence analysis, and selected physiological characteristics were determined. The results of these examinations indicate that the predominant culturable microorganisms from these environments are obligately anaerobic, low mol percentage G + C Gram positive bacteria (Firmicutes) who are members of Clostridial, Eubacterial, and Lactobacillus/Streptococcus phylogenetic groups. Isolates similar to Sporomusa and Flexibacter/Cytophaga/Bacteroides (CFB or Bacteroidetes) groups were also obtained. Although similar overall, faecal and slurry samples differed in bacterial composition. Manure slurry samples were dominated by organisms similar to Clostridium coccoides and Enterococcus species whereas the distribution of species present in faeces appeared much broader. Whereas most of the pure cultures could be assigned to known phylogenetic groupings, few could be identified as known species. Examination of some growth and physiological characteristics of faecal and slurry isolates showed these to be primarily carbohydrate fermenters, although some were able to ferment lactate and amino acids. When the ability of manure and faecal isolates to ferment protein, peptides and amino acids was examined, a relatively small percentage of these were able to do so and most of these fermented carbohydrates in addition to the amino acid sources provided. The predominant amino acid fermenters were most closely related to C. coccoides and C. botulinum, but representatives of the Bacteroides, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus and other phylogenetic groups were also found. The results reported here are compared with those obtained from clone libraries prepared from the same environmental samples.
Alcanivorax which prevails in oil‐contaminated seawater exhibits broad substrate specificity for alkane degradation
Authors: Hara Akihiro , Syutsubo Kazuaki , Harayama Shigeaki 
Published: August 2003

Summary Alcanivorax is an alkane‐degrading marine bacterium which propagates and becomes predominant in crude‐oil‐containing seawater when nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients are supplemented. In order to understand why Alcanivorax overcomes other bacteria under such cultural conditions, competition experiments between Alcanivorax indigenous to seawater and the exogenous alkane‐degrading marine bacterium, Acinetobacter venetianus strain T4, were conducted. When oil‐containing seawater supplemented with nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients was inoculated with A. venetianus strain T4, this bacterium was the dominant population at the early stage of culture. However, its density began to decrease after day 6, and Alcanivorax predominated in the culture after day 20. The crude‐oil‐degrading profiles of both bacteria were therefore investigated. Alcanivorax borkumensis strain ST‐T1 isolated from the Sea of Japan exhibited higher ability to degrade branched alkanes (pristane and phytane) than A. venetianus strain T4. It seems that this higher ability of Alcanivorax to degrade branched alkanes allowed this bacterium to predominate in oil‐containing seawater. It is known that some marine zooplanktons produce pristane and Alcanivorax may play a major role in the biodegradation of pristane in seawater.
In situ distribution and activity of nitrifying bacteria in freshwater sediment
Authors: Altmann Dörte , Stief Peter , Amann Rudolf , De Beer Dirk , Schramm Andreas 
Published: August 2003

SummaryNitrification was investigated in a model freshwater sediment by the combined use of microsensors and fluorescence in situ hybridization with rRNA‐targeted oligonucleotide probes. In situ nitrification activity was restricted mainly to the upper 2 mm of the sediment and coincided with the maximum abundance of nitrifying bacteria, i.e. 1.5 × 107 cells cm−3 for ammonia‐oxidizing Beta‐proteobacteria (AOB) and 8.6 × 107 cells cm−3 for Nitrospira‐like nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Cell numbers of AOB decreased more rapidly with depth than numbers of NOB. For the first time, Nitrospira‐like bacteria could be quantified and correlated with in situ nitrite oxidation rates in a sediment. Estimated cell‐specific nitrite oxidation rates were 1.2–2.7 fmol NO2– cell−1 h−1.
Diversity of Bacteria and Archaea in sulphate‐reducing enrichment cultures inoculated from serial dilution of Zostera noltii rhizosphere samples
Authors: Cifuentes Ana , Antón Josefa , De Wit Rutger , Rodríguez‐Valera Francisco 
Published: August 2003

SummaryWe have analysed the diversity of culturable sulphate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) in Zostera noltii colonized sediments from Bassin d’Arcachon (France). Four organic substrates have been tested as well as the combination of H2 and CO2 to select for lithotrophic SRB. All energy sources were supplied in parallel cultures that were amended with yeast extract plus NH4+ and prepared without a source of combined nitrogen, the latter to select for diazotrophic SRB. The 10 different enrichment media were inoculated from serial dilution of rhizosphere samples. The highest dilution cultures yielding positive growth (i.e. 10−7) were studied by molecular techniques (16S rDNA clone libraries, RISA and ARDRA). Lactate as a single organic substrate in combination with a source of combined nitrogen resulted in selection of members of the Desulfovibrionaceae. Surprisingly, when lactate was added without a source of combined nitrogen, Desulfobacteriaceae were selected. A strong influence of the presence or absence of combined nitrogen was also observed for the substrates sucrose and fructose. Whereas the liquid culture growing on sucrose and NH4+ systematically yielded 16S rDNA clones related to an environmental unidentified green sulphur bacterium (OPS185), on plates we were able to isolate a SRB related to Desulfovibrio dechloracetivorans, which likely represents a non‐described species. Under diazotrophic conditions, sucrose selected for SRB clones related to the cluster formed by Desulfovibrio zosterae, Desulfovibrio salexigens and Desulfovibrio bastinii. The corresponding isolate obtained on plates showed only low sequence similarity with this closest neighbour (93.8%), and we suggest that it also represents a non‐described species. Surprisingly, a 16S rDNA sequence corresponding to an archaeon, i.e. a non‐extremophile Crenoarchaeota, was retrieved from several of the SRB enrichment cultures even after subsequent transfers.
A myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D) kinase activated during neuronal apoptosis is a novel target inhibited by lithium
Authors: Linseman Daniel A. , Cornejo Brandon J. , Le Shoshona S. , Meintzer Mary Kay , Laessig Tracey A. , Bouchard Ron J. , Heidenreich Kim A. 
Published: August 2003

AbstractDepolarization promotes the survival of cerebellar granule neurons via activation of the transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D). Removal of depolarization induces hyperphosphorylation of MEF2D on serine/threonine residues, resulting in its decreased DNA binding and susceptibility to caspases. The subsequent loss of MEF2‐dependent gene transcription contributes to the apoptosis of granule neurons. The kinase(s) that phosphorylates MEF2D during apoptosis is currently unknown. The serine/threonine kinase, glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β), plays a pro‐apoptotic role in granule neurons. To investigate a potential role for GSK‐3β in MEF2D phosphorylation, we examined the effects of lithium, a non‐competitive inhibitor of GSK‐3β, on MEF2D activity in cultured cerebellar granule neurons. Lithium inhibited caspase‐3 activation and chromatin condensation in granule neurons induced to undergo apoptosis by removal of depolarizing potassium and serum. Concurrently, lithium suppressed the hyperphosphorylation and caspase‐mediated degradation of MEF2D. Moreover, lithium sustained MEF2 DNA binding and transcriptional activity in the absence of depolarization. Lithium also attenuated MEF2D hyperphosphorylation and apoptosis induced by calcineurin inhibition under depolarizing conditions, a GSK‐3β‐independent model of neuronal death. In contrast to lithium, MEF2D hyperphosphorylation was not inhibited by forskolin, insulin‐like growth factor‐I, or valproate, three mechanistically distinct inhibitors of GSK‐3β. These results demonstrate that the kinase that phosphorylates and inhibits the pro‐survival function of MEF2D in cerebellar granule neurons is a novel lithium target distinct from GSK‐3β.
Effects of Taurine and Glycine on Epileptiform Activity Induced by Removal of Mg2+ in Combined Rat Entorhinal Cortex–Hippocampal Slices
Authors: Kirchner Anne , Breustedt Jorg , Rosche Berit , Heinemann Uwe F. , Schmieden Volker 
Published: August 2003

Summary:  Purpose: The imbalance between neuronal inhibition and excitation contributes to epileptogenesis. Inhibition in the central nervous system (CNS) is mediated by γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine. Recent studies indicate the expression of glycine receptor (GlyR) in hippocampus and neocortex. However, the function of GlyR in these regions is not clarified completely. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the GlyR agonists glycine and taurine promote an anticonvulsive effect. Methods: We induced epileptiform discharges by reducing extracellular Mg2+ concentration in combined rat entorhinal cortex–hippocampal slices (400 μm). Epileptiform discharges were detected by using extracellular recording techniques. Results: Seizure‐like events were suppressed by taurine, exhibiting a half‐maximal inhibitory effect (IC50) of 0.9 mM. Suppression of late recurrent discharges in the medial entorhinal cortex and recurrent short discharges in the hippocampus was obtained at an IC50 value of 1.6 and 2.1 mM, respectively. Strychnine at concentrations <1 μM abolished these effects. Likewise glycine, after an initial proconvulsant effect, suppressed epileptiform discharges. Conclusions: These findings show that GlyR agonists, in particular taurine, could serve as potential anticonvulsants and suggest an important role of GlyR in cortical function and dysfunction.
Epilepsy in Offspring of Whom Both Parents Have Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy: Biparental Inheritance
Authors: Marini Carla , Harvey A. Simon , Pelekanos James T. , Berkovic Samuel F. 
Published: August 2003

Summary:  Background: Little is known about offspring of parents who both have idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). This is of importance for understanding the complex genetic architecture of IGE Methods: Families in whom both parents had proven IGE were ascertained through a multiplex families database. Clinical information including EEG recordings and detailed pedigrees was obtained. Results: In family I, the mother had juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), and the father had IGE. One daughter had Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, and the other had unclassified epilepsy. In family II, the mother had JME, and the father had IGE. Two of three sons had an identical clinical picture of clinical picture of childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), but with fast polyspike–wave discharges on EEG. Conclusions: The clinical phenotype of affected offspring suggested that their epilepsy could be due to the combination of a putative “double dose” of genes from both sides of the family. In such families, as epilepsy genes could be inherited from both parents, a high risk of epilepsy in the offspring could be expected.
Interictal Patterns of Cerebral Glucose Metabolism, Perfusion, and Magnetic Field in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Sakamoto Shinichi , Tsuyuguchi Naohiro , Takami Toshihiro , Morino Michiharu , Goto Takeo , Hattori Hideji , Tsutada Tsuyoshi , Haque Moududul , Sunada Ichiro , Shimogawara Masahiro , Hara Mitsuhiro 
Published: August 2003

Summary:  Purpose: To characterize the epileptogenic condition of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, the interictal patterns of glucose metabolism, perfusion, and magnetic field in the temporal lobe were evaluated by using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography, [99mTc]‐ethylcysteinate dimer–single photon emission computed tomography, and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Methods: Twenty‐one patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy related to hippocampal sclerosis were studied. The ictal‐onset area was located by continuous video‐EEG monitoring. Quantitative analysis of glucose metabolism and perfusion in the temporal lobe was performed, and the cerebral magnetic field was evaluated to measure the equivalent current dipole (MEG‐ECD). Results: Although hypometabolism and hypoperfusion in the temporal lobe were lateralized with the ictal‐onset area in 16 (76.2%) and in 11 (52.4%) respectively, they were localized in diverse ways without any coupling. MEG‐ECD was distributed in diverse ways unrelated to the ictal‐onset area: ipsilateral medial temporal origin in five (23.8%), ipsilateral lateral temporal origin in two (9.5%), ipsilateral mixed (medial and lateral) temporal origin in six (28.6%), bilateral temporal origin in four (19.0%), and contralateral temporal origin in two (9.5%). Conclusions: MEG‐ECD was distributed in varied ways with the disorder and uncoupling of glucose metabolism and perfusion in the temporal lobe. These results may help resolve the clinical controversy over the possibility that the cortical irritative area generating the interictal epileptic discharge is distinct from the ictal‐onset area, and also may have some functional implications in identifying different brain compartments in the generation of metabolic signals.
Increased Frequency of Rolandic Spikes in ADHD Children
Authors: Holtmann Martin , Becker Katja , Kentner‐Figura Beate , Schmidt Martin H. 
Published: August 2003

Summary:  Purpose: Some children with rolandic epilepsy have associated neuropsychiatric deficits resembling symptoms of attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood. The clinical overlap between both syndromes has received relatively little attention. The study examines the frequency of rolandic spikes in nonepileptic children with ADHD and compares it with a historic control group of 3,726 normal school‐aged children. ADHD patients with and without discharges are compared regarding age at admission, sex, global functioning, and distribution of ADHD subtypes. Methods: The EEGs of 483 ADHD outpatients between 2 and 16 years meeting diagnostic criteria for ADHD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐IV) were evaluated prospectively. If rolandic spikes were present, separate sleep EEGs were performed to exclude a bioelectrical status epilepticus during slow‐wave sleep. Results: Rolandic spikes were detected in the EEGs of 27 children (5.6%; 22 boys and five girls). Seizure rate during follow‐up tended to be larger in children with rolandic spikes. No significant differences were found between ADHD patients with and without spikes regarding sex and global functioning. ADHD children with rolandic spikes came to our attention significantly earlier than did children without discharges and tended to exhibit more hyperactive–impulsive symptoms, evidenced in a larger proportion of the diagnosis of ADHD combined type than ADHD inattentive type. Conclusions: The frequency of rolandic spikes in children with ADHD is significantly higher than expected from epidemiologic studies. The question arises how ADHD symptoms are related to rolandic spikes in this ADHD subgroup. Possibly rolandic discharges or underlying, not fully understood mechanisms of epileptogenesis decrease the vulnerability threshold, advance the onset, or aggravate the course of ADHD.
Furosemide Terminates Limbic Status Epilepticus in Freely Moving Rats
Authors: Holtkamp Martin , Matzen Julia , Buchheim Katharina , Walker Matthew C. , Meierkord Hartmut 
Published: August 2003

Summary:  Purpose: To evaluate the anticonvulsant properties of furosemide and to determine sedative side effects compared with pentobarbital and diuretic side effects compared with saline‐treated controls in an experimental model of limbic status epilepticus. Methods: Self‐sustaining status epilepticus was induced in rats by continuous electrical stimulation of the perforant path. Five minutes after the end of the stimulation, animals were given 100 mg/kg furosemide, 30 mg/kg pentobarbital, or an equal amount of saline, intraperitoneally. After administration of the substance, animals were monitored clinically and electrographically for 3 h regarding status epilepticus, level of sedation, and diuresis. Results: In seven of 10 animals, furosemide terminated status epilepticus after 68 ± 26 min, whereas pentobarbital was successful in all animals after 5 ± 0.8 min. In contrast to pentobarbital, sedation did not occur with furosemide. Weight loss after furosemide was 10.2 ± 1.7% compared with 6.5 ± 1.1% in animals given saline (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results suggest that furosemide may serve as an alternative or additional agent for refractory complex partial status epilepticus in patients in whom common anesthetics are not justifiable.
Spatial Stability over Time of Brain Areas Generating Fast Ripples in the Epileptic Rat
Authors: Bragin Anatol , Wilson Charles L. , Engel Jerome 
Published: August 2003

Summary:  Purpose: Fast ripples (FRs) are interictal, pathological, high‐frequency oscillations in the 200‐ to 600‐Hz range, which can be recorded from limbic regions capable of generating spontaneous seizures in rodent models of epilepsy and in human mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. To evaluate the spatial stability of FR‐generating brain areas over long periods, we monitored interictal FR oscillations in rats with chronic recurrent spontaneous seizures. Methods: After unilateral intrahippocampal injection of kainic acid, 22 rats were video monitored until spontaneous behavioral seizures occurred, and then implanted with multiple hippocampal, dentate gyrus, and entorhinal cortex microelectrodes. Electrophysiological monitoring of microelectrode sites was carried out during daily 8‐h recordings for periods ranging from 6 to 98 days. Results: Interictal FRs were recorded from discretely localized areas, adjacent to non–FR‐generating areas in dentate gyrus and entorhinal cortex. The location of interictal FR oscillations remained fixed, and the electrophysiological pattern of FRs remained the same over the time of our study. For the duration of monitoring, sites initially recording interictal FRs continued to display FR oscillations, and sites that initially did not record FRs never demonstrated FR activity. A direct relation was seen between the total number of electrode contacts recording interictal FRs and the frequency of spontaneous seizure generation (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: These results suggest that interictal FRs reflect abnormal discharges from a fixed pathologic substrate imbedded within less‐epileptogenic tissue, and that spontaneous seizure frequency is dependent on the extent and distribution of this pathologic substrate.
Overexpression of the Human Major Vault Protein in Gangliogliomas
Authors: Aronica Eleonora , Gorter Jan A. , Van Vliet Erwin A. , Spliet Wim G. M. , Van Veelen Cees W. M. , Van Rijen Peter C. , Leenstra Sieger , Ramkema Marja D. , Scheffer George L. , Scheper Rik J. , Sisodiya Sanjay M. , Troost Dirk 
Published: August 2003

Summary:  Purpose: Recent evidence has been obtained that the major vault protein (MVP) may play a role in multidrug resistance (MDR). We investigated the expression and cellular localization of MVP in gangliogliomas (GGs), which are increasingly recognized causes of chronic pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Methods: Surgical tumor specimens (n = 30), as well as peritumoral and control brain tissues, were examined for the cellular distribution pattern of MVP with immunocytochemistry. Western blot analysis showed a consistent increase in MVP expression in GGs compared with that in control cortex. Results: In normal brain, MVP expression was below detection in glial and neuronal cells, and only low immunoreactivity (IR) levels were detected in blood vessels. MVP expression was observed in the neuronal component of 30 of 30 GGs and in a population of tumor glial cells. In the majority of the tumors, strong MVP IR was found in lesional vessels. Perilesional regions did not show increased staining in vessels or in neuronal and glial cells compared with normal cortex. However, expression of MVP was detected in the hippocampus in cases with dual pathology. Conclusions: The increased expression of MVP in GGs is another example of an MDR‐related protein that is upregulated in patients with refractory epilepsy. Further research is necessary to investigate whether it could play role in the mechanisms underlying drug resistance in chronic human epilepsy.
Activation by N‐Acetyl‐l‐Aspartate of Acutely Dissociated Hippocampal Neurons in Rats via Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors
Authors: Yan Hai‐Dun , Ishihara Kumatoshi , Serikawa Tadao , Sasa Masashi 
Published: August 2003

Summary:  Purpose: We previously reported that an increase in the N‐acetyl‐l‐aspartate (NAA) level due to the lack of aspartoacylase gene was found in the brain of the tremor rat (tm/tm), which is a mutant with a causative gene named tm that shows epileptic seizures. Therefore, NAA is suggested to be one of the factors involved in the induction of epileptic seizures. Patch‐clamp studies were performed to determine whether NAA produces an excitatory effect on acutely dissociated rat hippocampal neurons. Methods: Acutely dissociated hippocampal neurons were prepared from normal Wistar rats aged 3–4 weeks. NAA‐induced currents were investigated by using the whole‐cell voltage‐clamp recording technique. Results: Application of NAA at concentrations of 100 nM to 1 mM through a U‐tube for 2 s produced an inward current in a concentration‐dependent manner at a holding potential of –60 mV. When the current–voltage relation was examined, the reversal potential of the NAA‐induced current was found to be ∼0 mV. The NAA‐induced current was inhibited by bath application of the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) antagonist (±)‐α‐methyl‐4‐carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG) and by intracellular application of guanosine 5′‐O‐(2‐thiodiphosphate) (GDP‐βS), a nonhydrolyzable GDP analogue. However, the NAA‐induced current remained unaffected by glutamic acid diethyl ester, a non–N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA)‐subtype ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonist, or the voltage‐dependent ion channel blockers tetrodotoxin, CdCl2, and tetraethylammonium‐chloride. Conversely, the mGluR agonist, trans‐(1S,3R)‐1‐amino‐1,3‐cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid (ACPD) also induced an inward current, with a reversal potential of 0 mV. The ACPD‐induced current also was inhibited by MCPG. Conclusions: These results suggest that NAA acts on the G protein‐coupled mGluRs to induce an inward current that results in excitation of the neurons, thereby contributing to the occurrence of epileptic seizures.