bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measuring the Effects of an Ever-Changing Environment on Malaria Control
Authors: McCutchan Thomas F. , Grim K. Christiana , Li Jun , Weiss Walter , Rathore Darmendar , Sullivan Margery , Graczyk Thaddeus K. , Kumar Sanjai , Cranfield Mike R. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACTThe effectiveness of malaria control measures depends not only on the potency of the control measures themselves but also upon the influence of variables associated with the environment. Environmental variables have the capacity either to enhance or to impair the desired outcome. An optimal outcome in the field, which is ultimately the real goal of vaccine research, will result from prior knowledge of both the potency of the control measures and the role of environmental variables. Here we describe both the potential effectiveness of control measures and the problems associated with testing in an area of endemicity. We placed canaries with different immunologic backgrounds (e.g., naïve to malaria infection, vaccinated naïve, and immune) directly into an area where avian malaria,Plasmodium relictum, is endemic. In our study setting, canaries that are naïve to malaria infection routinely suffer approximately 50% mortality during their first period of exposure to the disease. In comparison, birds vaccinated and boosted with a DNA vaccine plasmid encoding the circumsporozoite protein ofP. relictumexhibited a moderate degree of protection against natural infection (P< 0.01). In the second year we followed the fate of all surviving birds with no further manipulation. The vaccinated birds from the first year were no longer statistically distinguishable for protection against malaria from cages of naïve birds. During this period, 36% of vaccinated birds died of malaria. We postulate that the vaccine-induced protective immune responses prevented the acquisition of natural immunity similar to that concurrently acquired by birds in a neighboring cage. These results indicate that dominant environmental parameters associated with malaria deaths can be addressed before their application to a less malleable human system.
Cytokine and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase mRNA Expression during Experimental Murine Cryptococcal Meningoencephalitis
Authors: Maffei Claudia M. L. , Mirels Laurence F. , Sobel Raymond A. , Clemons Karl V. , Stevens David A. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACTThe immune events that take place in the central nervous system (CNS) during cryptococcal infection are incompletely understood. We used competitive reverse transcription-PCR to delineate the time course of the local expression of mRNAs encoding a variety of cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) during progressive murine cryptococcal meningoencephalitis and assessed the CNS inflammatory response using immunohistochemistry. Interleukin 18 (IL-18), transforming growth factor β1, and IL-12p40mRNAs were constitutively expressed in the brains of infected and uninfected mice; IL-2 mRNA was not detected at any time. Increased levels of transcripts corresponding to IL-1α, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and iNOS were detected as early as day 1 postinfection, with TNF-α rising by ∼30-fold and iNOS increasing by ∼5-fold by day 7. Each remained at these levels thereafter. IL-4, IL-6, and gamma interferon transcripts were detected on day 5, and IL-1β and IL-10 transcripts were detected beginning on day 7. Once detected, each remained at a relatively constant level through 28 days of infection. This cytokine profile does not suggest a polarized Th1 or Th2 response. Immunohistochemistry did not reveal inflammatory infiltrates before day 7, despite the presence of cryptococci. Intraparenchymal abscesses with inflammatory cells in their peripheries were found beginning on day 10. The infiltrates were comprised primarily of cells expressing CD4, CD8, or CD11b; low numbers of cells expressing CD45R/B220 were also present. The persistence ofCryptococcusobserved in the CNS may result from an ineffective immune response, perhaps owing to an insufficient anticryptococcal effector function of endogenous glial cells resulting from competing pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. These data detail the immune response in the brain and could be important for the future design of specific immunomodulatory therapies for this important opportunistic infection.
Pathology Affects Different Organs in Two Mouse Strains Chronically Infected by a
Trypanosoma cruzi
Clone: a Model for Genetic Studies of Chagas’ Disease
Authors: Marinho Claudio R. F. , Bucci Daniella Z. , Dagli Maria Lúcia Z. , Bastos Karina R. B. , Grisotto Marcos G. , Sardinha Luiz R. , Baptista Cristiane R. G. M. , Penha Gonçalves Carlos , Lima Maria Regina D’Império , Álvarez José M. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

Chagas’ disease is a chronic infection caused by
Trypanosoma cruzi
and represents an important public health burden in Latin America. Frequently the disease evolves undetectable for decades, while in a significant fraction of the affected individuals it culminates in death by heart failure. Here, we describe a novel murine model of the chronic infection with
T. cruzi
using a stable clone isolated from a human patient (Sylvio X10/4). The infection in the C3H/HePAS mouse strain progresses chronically and is mainly characterized by intense cardiac inflammatory lesions that recapitulate the chronic cardiac pathology observed in the human disease. Moderate striated muscle lesions are also present in C3H/HePAS mice. Viable parasites are detected and recovered from the chronic heart lesions of C3H/HePAS mice, supporting the current notion that development of heart pathology in Chagas’ disease is related to parasite persistence in the inflamed tissue. By contrast, in infected A/J mice, chronic inflammatory lesions are targeted to the liver and the skeletal muscle, while pathology and parasites are undetectable in the heart. The phenotypic analysis of F
1
(A/J × C3H/HePAS) and F
2
(A/J × C3H/HePAS) mice suggests that the genetic predisposition to develop the inflammatory lesions caused by
T. cruzi
(Sylvio X10/4 clone) is heterogeneous because the heart and liver pathology segregate in the F
2
generation. These findings raise the hypothesis that the pathology heterogeneity observed in humans with Chagas’ disease (absence and presence of cardiac or digestive chronic lesions) may be attributable to host genetic factors.
Genes ofHelicobacter pyloriRegulated by Attachment to AGS Cells
Authors: Kim Nayoung , Marcus Elizabeth A. , Wen Yi , Weeks David L. , Scott David R. , Jung Hyun Chae , Song In Sung , Sachs George 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACTReciprocal interactions betweenHelicobacter pyloriand cells of the gastric epithelium to which it adheres may affect colonization. Changes in gene expression ofH. pyloriinduced by adhesion to AGS gastric cancer cells by coculture were compared to changes in gene expression ofH. pyloricultured without AGS cells by using cDNA filter macroarrays. Adhesion was quantitatively verified by confocal microscopy of green fluorescent protein-expressing bacteria. Four experiments showed that 22 and 21H. pylorigenes were consistently up- and down-regulated, respectively. The up-regulated genes included pathogenicity island, motility, outer membrane protein, and translational genes. The σ28factor antagonistflgM,flgG, the stress response gene,flaA,omp11, and the superoxide dismutase gene (sodB) were down-regulated. The up-regulation ofcag3,flgB,tonB,rho, anddeaDwas confirmed by quantitative PCR, and the up-regulation oflpxD,omp6,secG,fabH, HP1285, HP0222, and HP0836 was confirmed by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. The down-regulation offlaA,sodB, and HP0874 was confirmed by quantitative PCR, and the down-regulation ofomp11was confirmed by RT-PCR. The alteration of gene expression inH. pyloriafter adhesion to gastric cells in vitro suggests that changes in motility, outer membrane composition, and stress responses, among other changes, may be involved in gastric colonization.
Tec1p-Independent Activation of a Hypha-Associated
Candida albicans
Virulence Gene during Infection
Authors: Staib Peter , Binder Ayfer , Kretschmar Marianne , Nichterlein Thomas , Schröppel Klaus , Morschhäuser Joachim 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

The Tec1p transcription factor is involved in the expression of hypha-specific genes in
Candida albicans
. Although the induction of the hypha-associated
SAP5
gene by serum in vitro depends on Tec1p, deletion of all Tec1p binding site consensus sequences from the
SAP5
promoter did not affect its activation. In two different animal models of candidiasis, the
SAP5
promoter was induced even in a Δ
tec1
deletion mutant, demonstrating that the requirement for Tec1p in gene expression in
C. albicans
depends on the environmental conditions within the host.
A Deep-Rough Mutant of
Campylobacter jejuni
81-176 Is Noninvasive for Intestinal Epithelial Cells
Authors: Kanipes Margaret I. , Holder Lindsay C. , Corcoran Adrian T. , Moran Anthony P. , Guerry Patricia 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

A
waaF
mutant of
Campylobacter jejuni
81-176 showed decreased invasion of INT407 cells in vitro and increased sensitivity to some antibiotics compared to what was seen with the wild-type strain.
Effect of sex on preactivation of the gastrocnemius and hamstring muscles: Table 1
Authors: DeMont R G , Lephart S M 
Published: March 2004

Background:The reason for the higher incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury from non-contact mechanisms in female athletes is not known. Stability of the joint from dynamic restraints occurs through proprioceptive and kinaesthetic mechanisms providing a flexion moment. Reflexive muscle activation is different between the sexes, but it is unclear if sex differences exist in the ability to dynamically stabilise joints through a neuromuscular feed forward process as measured by preactivation of the muscles.Objective:To determine if the level of preactivation of the gastrocnemius and hamstring muscles during dynamic activity is affected by sex.Methods:Thirty four healthy active subjects, evenly grouped by sex, participated in the study. Maximum voluntary contraction normalised electromyographic (EMG) activity of the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius muscles was recorded during downhill walking (0.92 m/s) and running (2.08 m/s) on a 15° declined treadmill. Preactivation of the EMG signal was calculated by setting a mark 150 milliseconds before foot strike, as indicated by a footswitch. Multiplettests for sex differences of preactivity mean percentage (M-EMG%) during the downhill activities were performed.Results:The female subjects had a higher M-EMG% for the medial hamstrings than the male subjects (31.73 (9.89) and 23.04 (8.59) respectively;t(2,32) =  2.732, p  =  0.01) during walking. No other muscles exhibited a sex difference in M-EMG% during either activity.Conclusion:The female subjects in this study showed higher medial hamstring preactivation. However, this may be because they were not injured, indicating their propensity for joint stabilisation. A long term prospective study is required to eliminate this potential explanation. No sex difference in gastrocnemius preactivation was seen, adding to the controversy about whether this muscle contributes to feed forward joint stability. Further research of preactivation of the musculature of the leg is required.
Fitness levels of middle aged martial art practitioners
Authors: Douris P , Chinan A , Gomez M , Aw A , Steffens D , Weiss S 
Published: March 2004

Objectives:To quantify and compare fitness levels of middle aged practitioners of soo bahk do (SBD; a Korean martial art similar to karate) with those of sedentary subjects.Methods:Eighteen volunteers, 14 men and four women (aged 40–60 years), participated. Nine sedentary subjects (mean age 46.7 years) and nine SBD practitioners (mean age 46.8 years) were matched for sex and age. All subjects participated in a one day battery of fitness tests. The following dependent variables were tested: body composition, balance, flexibility, quadriceps strength, grip strength, muscle endurance, and aerobic capacity.Results:All dependent variables were analysed using pairedttests. Body composition (% body fat) for the SBD group was 18.9%v30.8% for the sedentary group (p  =  0.004). The SBD group was able to balance for 61.8 secondsv26.2 seconds for the sedentary group (p  =  0.02). The result for the sit and reach flexibility test was 22.3 cm for the SBD groupv10.4 cm for the sedentary group (p  =  0.01). The number of push ups performed in one minute was 47.0 for the SBD groupv18.6 for the sedentary group (p  =  0.0003), and the number of sit ups performed was 66.1 for the SBD group and 37.3 for the sedentary group (p  =  0.00006). Aerobic capacity was 41.0 ml/kg/minv31.1 ml/kg/min for the sedentary group (p  =  0.04). Quadriceps strength was 99.5% (peak torque/body weight) v 83.0% for the sedentary group (p  =  0.02). Only grip strength was not significantly different.Conclusions:There were significant differences between the groups for most of the physical fitness tests. The SBD practitioners displayed greater aerobic capacity, balance, flexibility, muscle endurance, and strength, and less body fat than the sedentary controls matched for age and sex. SBD can be considered an excellent form of exercise for the promotion of fitness in adults. Health professionals should be aware that there are alternative methods to traditional exercise that can increase the physical fitness and health of the middle aged population.
Massage provision by physiotherapists at major athletics events between 1987 and 1998
Authors: Galloway S D R , Watt J M 
Published: March 2004

Background:The equivocal findings in the literature on efficacy of massage makes it difficult to assess the requirement for, or justify the use of, specialist massage personnel at major athletics events. However, the use of massage by athletes during training and competition remains popular.Objectives:To quantify the amount of their time that physiotherapists devote to massage treatment at major athletics events in an attempt to determine the importance of this treatment modality, and to examine whether the use of massage at athletics events is changing over time.Methods:Data recorded by the head team physiotherapist from 12 major athletics events (national and international events) between 1987 and 1998 were examined. For each event, the data included: total number of treatments administered by the physiotherapist, the treatment modalities used, and the number of attendances for treatment. The amount of massage provided was expressed as a percentage of the total number of treatments for each athletic event, and the pattern of change in use of massage treatment over time was evaluated.Results:The percentage of time spent providing massage treatment ranged from 24.0% to 52.2% of the total number of treatments made. The overall median percentage of total treatments in the form of massage was 45.2%. No significant increase or decrease in the use of massage as a treatment modality was observed between 1987 and 1998 in the athletics events examined (p  =  0.95).Conclusions:A significant proportion of physiotherapists’ time is devoted to the delivery of massage treatment at athletics events. The demand for massage treatment has been steady over the time period, in the events for which data are available, indicating a consistent use of this treatment modality. Given the popularity of massage among athletes, consideration should be given to the use of specialist sports massage staff at major athletics events. Furthermore, it would seem prudent to further investigate the efficacy of the treatment.
Association between stressful life events and exacerbation in multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis
Authors: Mohr David C , Hart Stacey L , Julian Laura , Cox Darcy , Pelletier Daniel 
Published: March 2004

AbstractObjective To quantify the association between stressful life events and exacerbations of multiple sclerosis.Data sources PubMed, PsychInfo, and Psychological Abstracts searched for empirical papers from 1965 to February 2003 with terms “stress”, “trauma”, and “multiple sclerosis”.Review methods Three investigators independently reviewed papers for inclusion/exclusion criteria and extracted the relevant data, including methods, sample statistics, and outcomes.Results Of 20 studies identified, 14 were included. The meta-analysis showed a significant increase in risk of exacerbation in multiple sclerosis after stressful life events, with a weighted average effect size of d = 0.53 (95% confidence interval 0.40 to 0.65), P < 0.0001. The studies were homogenous, q = 16.62, p = 0.22, i2 = 21.8%. Neither sampling nor study methods had any effect on study outcomes.Conclusions There is a consistent association between stressful life events and subsequent exacerbation in multiple sclerosis. However these data do not allow the linking of specific stressors to exacerbations nor should they be used to infer that patients are responsible for their exacerbations. Investigation of the psychological, neuroendocrine, and immune mediators of stressful life events on exacerbation may lead to new behavioural and pharmacological strategies targeting potential links between stress and exacerbation.
Acclimation to hypothermic incubation in developing chicken embryos(Gallus domesticus)
Authors: Black Juli L. , Burggren Warren W. 
Published: March 2004

SUMMARYHypothermic incubation reduces the ability of the late-stage chicken embryo to mount endothermic heat production. This study investigates whether blood O2 transport is similarly limited by cooler incubation temperatures. Two populations of chicken embryos were incubated at 38°C and 35°C. At Hamilton–Hamburger (HH) developmental stage 41–42, hypothermic incubation had no significant effect on hematocrit(∼26%) or [Hb] (7 g%). However, in the final stages of incubation (stage 43–44), hypothermic incubation reduced hematocrit from ∼31% at 38°C to ∼27.5% at 35°C. Hypothermic incubation similarly caused a reduced [Hb] from 8.5 g% (38°C) to 6.25 g% (35°C), indicating a reduction in blood O2-carrying capacity in embryos. Incubation temperature had a strong effect on blood–O2 affinity in late development (stage 43–44), with P50 at 38°C falling significantly from ∼6 kPa in 38°C embyros to ∼4 kPa in 35°C embryos. PO2 values in chorioallantoic arterial blood at HH 41–42 were 4.3 kPa at pH 7.46 (38°C) and 3.4 kPa at pH 7.39 (35°C). In chorioallantoic venous blood these values were 9.1 kPa at pH 7.34 (38°C) and 8.1 kPa at pH 7.42 (35°C). With further development to HH 43–44, chorioallantoic arterial blood oxygenation fell to 2.4 kPa at pH 7.54 (38°C) and 2.8 kPa at pH 7.52 (35°C). Similarly, PO2 in chorioallantoic venous blood fell slightly to 7.7 kPa at pH 7.42 (38°C) and 7.4 kPa at pH 7.48 (35°C). Collectively, these data reveal that beyond HH 41–42, 35°C embryos experience retarded hematological development, and the findings that support the observed delayed metabolic response to acute temperature changes.
β-naphthoflavone induction of CYP1A in brain of juvenile lake trout(Salvelinus namaycush Walbaum)
Authors: Chung-Davidson Yu-Wen , Rees Christopher B. , Wu Hong , Yun Sang-Seon , Li Weiming 
Published: March 2004

SUMMARY
Many environmental pollutants induce expression of the cytochrome P450(CYP) 1A subfamily of genes. We integrated cellular and molecular biological techniques to examine the effects of β-naphthoflavone (BNF) exposure in lake trout brain CYP1A distribution and dynamics. Over a 32-day time-course,real time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(Q-RT-PCR) results showed that CYP1A mRNA induction in response to BNF exposure occurred rapidly and continued to rise in the BNF-treated lake trout after 4 h, with a peak at or after 2 days. Messenger RNA levels fell after 4 days, and this trend continued after 16 days of exposure. In situhybridization indicated that CYP1A mRNA was universally elevated in the brain of BNF-exposed fish and was mainly expressed in the endothelia and occasionally in the glial cells. CYP1A immunoreactivity was induced in the olfactory bulb and valvula cerebelli of BNF-treated fish. Other brain areas showed constitutive CYP1A immunoreactivity in both control and BNF-treated fish. Some BNF-treated fish contained multifocal hemorrhages in the brain tissue, and these fish had overall depressed CYP1A immunoreactivity in the brain. The relationship between transcriptional and translational effects of BNF exposure in the brain of juvenile lake trout is discussed.
On the nature of pre-freeze mortality in insects: water balance, ion homeostasis and energy charge in the adults ofPyrrhocoris apterus
Authors: Koštál V. , Vambera J. , Bastl J. 
Published: March 2004

SUMMARYThree acclimation groups [i.e. non-diapause (LD), diapause (SD) and diapause, cold-acclimated (SDA)] of the adult bugs Pyrrhocoris apterus differed markedly in their levels of chill tolerance. Survival time at a sub-zero, but non-freezing, temperature of –5°C (Lt50)extended from 7.6 days, through 35.6 days, to &gt;60 days in the LD, SD and SDA insects, respectively. The time necessary for recovery after chill-coma increased linearly with the increasing time of exposure to –5°C, and the steepness of the slope of linear regression decreased in the order LD&gt;SD&gt;SDA. The capacity to prevent/counteract leakage of Na+ down the electrochemical gradient (from haemolymph to tissues) during the exposure to –5°C increased in the order LD&lt;SD&lt;SDA. As a result, the rates of counteractive outward movement of K+, and of the EK dissipation, decreased in the same order. The least chill-tolerant insects (LD) showed the highest rate of body-water loss. Most of the water was lost from the haemolymph compartment. The ability to regulate a certain fraction of ion pools into the hindgut fluid was the highest in the SDA group, medium in the SD group and missing in the LD group. The adenylate energy charge in the fat body cells was constant in all three groups. The total pools of ATP, ADP and AMP, however, decreased in the SD and SDA groups but remained constant in the LD group. The inability of insects to maintain ion gradients at sub-zero temperature is discussed as an important cause of pre-freeze mortality.