bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Scrofuloderma and Sweet’s syndrome
Authors: Mahaisavariya Punkae , Chaiprasert Angkana , Manonukul Jane , Khemngern Supakan 
Published: March 2003

AbstractBackground In recent years, the rare association of Sweet’s syndrome with nontuberculous mycobacterial lymphadenitis has been reported.Objective To report the clinical, demographic, and bacteriologic data and association with Sweet’s syndrome of 18 patients with scrofuloderma and scrofuloderma‐like condition caused by nontuberculous mycobacterial infections seen during the past 7 years (1994–2000).Methods In all patients, a biopsy specimen was obtained for histopathologic and microbiologic studies. Patients from whom Mycobacterium tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacteria were isolated from the culture of skin biopsy specimens were included. Deep fungal infection was excluded by the lack of a fungal element in histologic section and cultural methods. The patients were treated with antimicrobials or antituberculous drugs according to the causative species.Results Eighteen cases of scrofuloderma (nine male, nine female; mean age, 36.9 years) were found among 104 patients with cutaneous tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacterial cutaneous infections. Sixteen of the 18 cases had lymphadenitis as the underlying focus of scrofuloderma: 15 cases occurred in the cervical group and one case in the inguinal area. One case drained from the soft tissue and one from the paranasal air sinus. Five cases had multiple episodes of Sweet’ s syndrome during the course of treatment. Most cases in this group (four of the five) were middle‐aged women with cervical lymphadenitis, and the most common species were rapid growers.Conclusions Age, sex, and the site of infection may have some influence on the association with Sweet’s syndrome in nontuberculous mycobacterial infections.
Rapid response of Trichophyton tonsurans‐induced onychomycosis after treatment with terbinafine
Authors: Aly Raza , Hafeez Zeba Hasan , Rodwell Carmen , Frieden Ilona J , Abrams Beatrice 
Published: March 2003

We describe an 8‐year‐old Hispanic female who presented with distal subungual onychomycosis and tinea capitis. Both foci of infection yielded Trichophyton tonsurans upon culture, and were clinically and mycologically cured with terbinafine 62.5 mg twice daily for 1 week. This aspect of treatment with terbinafine has not previously been reported.
Multiple subcutaneous angiolipomas associated with new‐onset diabetes mellitus
Authors: Levitt Jacob , Lutfi Ali Suad A. , Sapadin Allen 
Published: March 2003

A 44‐year‐old Hispanic man, with a past medical history of diabetes mellitus type 2 and cerebrovascular accident, presented to the Mount Sinai Department of Dermatology with sudden, fast‐growing nodules over both of his shins. Approximately 2 months before the appearance of the nodules, the patient was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2 with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 8.5%. The patient was taking metformin orally, 500 mg three times daily, at the time of presentation. Six nodules appeared over a period of days. They caused a burning, throbbing pain upon ambulation. Over a period of 6 months, the lumps decreased in size, and two totally disappeared. The resolution of the nodules coincided with the control of the patient's diabetes, as demonstrated by HbA1c of 5.5%. The patient denied trauma to the sites of the nodules. The patient denied any associated purpura or ecchymoses over the nodules. The past medical history was significant for a stroke with residual right hemiparesis at 42 years of age. The family history was negative for similar lesions, but an aunt did have diabetes mellitus type 2. The patient denied alcohol use, smoking, or intravenous drug use.Physical examination was positive for six soft, tender, freely mobile, symmetrical, well‐demarcated, round masses, 1–2 cm in diameter and skin colored, over the anterior aspects of both legs. The patient was obese (body mass index, 38.5). Laboratory tests (barring the initially elevated HbA1c) were normal.One lesion was excised. Histopathology revealed features typical of an angiolipoma (see Fig. 1a,b). A karyotype of the angiolipoma was not performed.(a) Prominent vessels filled with fibrin thrombi at the periphery of mature fat lobules. (b) At higher magnificationimageBecause excision of one angiolipoma produced scarring with a poor cosmetic result, intralesional triamcinolone, 5 mg/mL, was tried without success.
Modulation in vitro of keratinocyte integrins by interferon‐α and interferon‐γ
Authors: Tenaud Isabelle , Leroy Sabine , Chebassier Nathalie , Dreno Brigitte 
Published: March 2003

AbstractBackground Interferon‐α and ‐γ are glycoproteins with antiviral and immunoregulatory properties. In vitro studies have shown a role for these cytokines in the regulation of epidermal keratinocyte growth and differentiation. In the same way, integrins are adhesion molecules which regulate keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation.Aim To determine whether the regulatory activity of interferons on keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation is related to a modulation of keratinocyte integrins.Methods Two different methods were used: monolayers and reconstituted skin, incubated either with 1200 U/mL interferon‐α or 500 U/mL interferon‐γ or control medium for 48 h. The integrin expression was assessed by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry.Results In monolayers, only the α3 subunit was significantly inhibited by interferon‐γ. In reconstituted skin, where keratinocytes are differentiated, both interferons had an inductive effect on β1 expression and interferon‐α had an inhibitory effect on α6 expression.Conclusion Interferon‐α and ‐γ induce a modulatory effect on α3, α6 and β1 which appears to be related to the state of differentiation. Moreover, the decreased expression of α6 and α3 could be one of the mechanisms involved in the formation of bullous lesions during long‐term interferon therapy.
Nevus comedonicus with hidradenoma papilliferum and syringocystadenoma papilliferum in the female genital area
Authors: Lee Hye Jung , Chun Eun Young , Kim You Chan , Lee Min‐Geol 
Published: March 2003

AbstractBackground Nevus comedonicus is an uncommon malformation of the pilosebaceous unit. Association of nevus comedonicus with tumors originating from the apocrine gland has not previously been reported.Method We present a case of nevus comedonicus associated with hidradenoma papilliferum (HAP) and syringocystadenoma papilliferum (SCAP) in the female genital area.Results Histological features strongly suggested nevus comedonicus associated with HAP and SCAP.Conclusion Although the association of nevus comedonicus with HAP and SCAP is very rare, the possibility of coexistence cannot be excluded.
Condition-dependent asymmetry is fluctuating asymmetry
Authors: Møller  
Published: March 2003

Abstract
Asymmetry has been demonstrated to play a role in signalling systems such as sexual selection and pollination, with receivers showing a preference for symmetrical signals. Large signals often have the smallest degree of asymmetry, a finding that is consistent with signal asymmetry being condition-dependent. The kind of asymmetry displayed by signals was supposed or shown to be fluctuating asymmetry, and signals revealing individual differences in the ability to stabilize developmental processes, despite a hostile developmental environment, was supposed to be the basis for the preference for symmetric signals. Recently, it has been suggested that condition-dependent signals display antisymmetry rather than fluctuating asymmetry, based on analyses of the relationship between asymmetry and mean length of the left and the right character in a few published graphs of absolute asymmetry of signals. Here I demonstrate on the basis of a much larger number of data sets, including those previously published, that the previous results are biased because of the methods used for the analyses, and that characters with condition-dependent asymmetry show fluctuating asymmetry rather than antisymmetry. In particular, frequency distributions of signed left-minus-right character values display leptokurtosis, as predicted if asymmetry distributions reflected individual differences in developmental precision, rather than platykurtosis. Platykurtosis is predicted if the traits are antisymmetric. The preponderance of leptokurtic distributions is consistent with recent modelling showing that inherent differences in the ability of individuals to control developmental processes invariably leads to leptokurtic distributions of signed left-minus-right character values.
Molecular phylogeny of cuckoos supports a polyphyletic origin of brood parasitism
Authors: Aragón  , Møller  , Soler  , Soler  
Published: March 2003

Abstract
We constructed a molecular phylogeny of 15 species of cuckoos using mitochondrial DNA sequences spanning 553 nucleotide bases of the cytochrome b gene and 298 nucleotide bases of the ND2 gene. A parallel analysis for the cytochrome b gene including published sequences in the Genbank database was performed. Phylogenetic analyses of the sequences were done using parsimony, a sequence distance method (Fitch-Margoliash), and a character-state method which uses probabilities (maximum likelihood). Phenograms support the monophyly of three major clades: Cuculinae, Phaenicophaeinae and Neomorphinae-Crotophaginae. Clamator, a strictly parasitic genus traditionally included within the Cuculinae, groups together with Coccyzus (a nonobligate parasite) and some nesting cuckoos. Tapera and Dromococcyx, the parasitic cuckoos from the New World, appear as sister genera, close to New World cuckoos: Neomorphinae and Crotophaginae. Based on the results, and being conscious that a more strict resolution of the relationships among the three major clades is required, we postulate that brood parasitism has a polyphyletic origin in the Cuculiformes, with parasite species being found within the three defined clades. Evidence suggests that species within each clade share a common parasitic ancestor, but some show partial or total loss of brood parasitic behaviour.
Model fitting and hypothesis testing for age-specific mortality data
Authors: Pletcher  
Published: March 2003

Abstract
Demographic studies focusing on age-specific mortality rates are becoming increasingly common throughout the fields of life-history evolution, ecology and biogerontology. Well-defined statistical techniques for quantifying patterns of mortality within a cohort and identifying differences in age-specific mortality among cohorts are needed. Here I discuss using maximum likelihood (ML) statistical methods to estimate the parameters of mathematical models, which are used to describe the change in mortality with age. ML provides a convenient and powerful framework for choosing an adequate mortality model, estimating model parameters and testing hypotheses about differences in parameters among experimental or ecological treatments. Simulations suggest that experiments designed to estimate age-specific mortality should involve at least 100-500 individuals per cohort per treatment. Significant bias in the estimation of model parameters is introduced when the mortality model is misspecified and samples are too small to detect the true mortality pattern. Furthermore, the lack of simple and efficient procedures for comparing different mortality models has forced the use of the Gompertz model, which specifies an exponentially increasing mortality with age, and which may not apply to the majority of experimental systems.
Genetic differentiation and phylogeny of beech on the Balkan peninsula
Authors: Gömöry  , Paule  , Brus  , Zhelev  , Tomović  , Gračan  
Published: March 2003

Abstract
Genetic differentiation of 57 beech populations originating from a wide geographical space from the foothills of the Eastern Alps over the Balkan peninsula was investigated employing isozyme markers. Pooled datasets of European beech populations originating from four adjacent regions and Eastern beech populations originating from Thrace and Western Asia Minor were compared. Considerable differences of allele frequencies among regions were found in several marker loci. The highest level of genetic multiplicity and differentiation was found in the populations from the southern Balkans; however, the north-western populations showed higher genetic diversity. The pattern of genetic differentiation based on multilocus genetic distances is a clinal one. The populations belonging to the putative taxon Fagus moesiaca Czeczott seem to form an independent group. Three hypotheses of the evolutionary origin of this taxon are discussed: selection, introgressive hybridization and continuous evolution.
Molecular phylogeny and plumage evolution in gulls (Larini)
Authors: Crochet  , Bonhomme  , Lebreton  
Published: March 2003

Abstract
We used DNA sequence data of the mitochondrial control region and cytochrome b gene to assess phylogenetic relationships among 32 gull species and two outgroup representatives. We tentatively estimated divergence times from transversional substitutions calibrated against DNA–DNA hybridization data. Several strongly supported species groups are identified, but the relationships between these species groups and the rooting of the gull tree remain unresolved. Geographical range extension appears as a factor of speciation, but several related, well-differentiated species seem to have evolved within comparatively restricted areas. Some plumage characters used in the past for delimiting species groups appear inappropriate. The dark hooded species, for instance, do not constitute a natural assemblage. Molecular data also allowed the identification of several striking plumage convergences that had obscured the true relationships between gull species until now. For example, the dark tropical gulls analysed here each belong to totally different clades and are independent examples of convergent plumage evolution under common environmental constraints. The reverse situation also happened, with two arctic-distributed species, the ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea) and the Sabine’s gull (Xema sabini), appearing as sister taxa despite completely different plumage features. Molecular data have thus significantly improved our understanding of gull evolution.
How to compare fluctuating asymmetry of different traits
Authors: Windig  , Nylin  
Published: March 2003

Abstract
Comparing fluctuating asymmetry (FA) between different traits can be difficult because traits vary at different scales. FA is generally quantified either as the variance of the difference between left and right (σ2L−R) or the mean of the absolute value of this difference (μ|R−L|). Corrections for scale differences are obtained by dividing by trait size mean. We show that a third index, one minus the correlation coefficient between left and right (1 − rL,R), is equivalent to σ2L−R standardized by trait size variance. The indices are compared with Monte-Carlo simulations. All achieve the expected correction for scale differences. High type I error rates (false indication of differences) occur only for σ2L−R and μ|R−L| if trait sizes close to or below 0 occur. 1 − rL,R with a bootstrap test has always low error rates. Recommendation of the index to be used should be based on whether standardization of FA by trait size mean or trait size variance is preferred. A survey of 36 traits in the Speckled Wood Butterfly (Pararge aegeria) indicated that σ2L−R is slightly higher correlated to trait size variance than to trait size mean. Thus 1 − rL,R seems to be the superior index and should be reported when FA of different traits is compared.
Genetic and environmental effects on morphology and fluctuating asymmetry in nestling barn swallows
Authors: Cadée  
Published: March 2003

Abstract
A barn swallow Hirundo rustica partial cross-fostering experiment with simultaneous brood size manipulation was conducted in two years with contrasting weather conditions, to estimate heritable variation in tarsus, tail and wing size and fluctuating asymmetry. Environmental stress had contrasting effects depending on trait type. Significant heritabilities for tarsus, tail and wing size were found only in enlarged broods irrespective of year effects, while tarsus asymmetry was significantly heritable in the year with benign weather conditions irrespective of brood size manipulation effects. Tail, wing and composite (multicharacter) asymmetry were never significantly heritable. The environment with the higher heritability generally had higher additive genetic variance and lower environmental variance, irrespective of trait type. Heritability was larger for trait size than for trait asymmetry. Patterns of genetic variation in nestlings do not necessarily translate to the juvenile or adult stage, as indicated by lack of correlation between nestling and fledgling traits.
Selection favours low hsp70 levels in chronically metal-stressed soil arthropods
Authors: KÖhler  , Zanger  , Eckwert  , Einfeldt  
Published: March 2003

Abstract
Thirty-eight populations of woodlice (Oniscus asellus, Porcellio scaber) and millipedes (Julus scandinavius) from 28 differently metal-polluted field sites were analysed for their 70-kDa stress protein (hsp70) level. Although ANOVA revealed significant dependence of the hsp70 level on the concentrations of water-soluble lead, cadmium and zinc and the soil pH, each of these parameters accounted for at most 18% of the intersite variability of the stress protein level only. A multivariate model based on multiple regression analysis explained more than 96% of hsp70 variance and revealed both the pollution history of a site (strong metal contamination for more than 70 years) and invertebrate species identity to act as the most important parameters. The model accounted for the observation that most of the populations from long-term polluted sites exhibited comparatively low stress protein levels in response to their own (contaminated) habitats. In contrast, isopods (O. asellus) from a control site were not able to maintain a low hsp70 level when they were exposed to either an artificial metal cocktail or soil taken from one of the contaminated field sites. They did not acclimatize to the exposure conditions within 3 months. We propose that selection of insensitive phenotypes in long-term polluted soils has taken place so as to minimize the stress protein level which, in turn, is indicative of high intracellular protein integrity. Long-term selection for a high hsp70 level to compensate for adverse metal impact was not observed, which suggests that such a strategy may trade off against other fitness consequences. In this context, insensitivity to metal stress involved increased selectivity in food choice and reduced variability in stress response. Multiple regression models showed species-specificity in those abiotic factors which determined (1) high hsp70 levels in sensitive populations as well as (2) low hsp70 levels in insensitive ones. Therefore, abiotic factors can be assigned to act as the main components of selection: lead and cadmium for J. scandinavius and O. asellus, zinc for P. scaber.
Developmental instability and inbreeding in natural bird populations exposed to different levels of habitat disturbance
Authors: Lens L. , Van Dongen S. , Galbusera P. , Schenck T. , Matthysen E. , Van De Casteele T. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract
As habitat disturbance and inbreeding increasingly stress natural populations, ecologists are in urgent need of simple estimators to measure their impact. It has been argued that developmental instability (DI) could be such a measure. Observed associations between DI and environmental or genetic stress, however, are largely inconsistent. We here test whether an interaction between habitat disturbance and inbreeding could, at least partly, explain these discordant patterns. We therefore studied individual estimates of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and of inbreeding in three populations of the critically endangered Taita thrush that are differentially exposed to habitat disturbance following severe forest fragmentation. As predicted, the relationship between DI and inbreeding was pronounced under high levels of disturbance, but weak or nonexistent under less disturbed conditions. Examining this relationship with mean d2, an allelic distance estimator assumed to reflect ancestral inbreeding, did not reveal any significant trend, hence suggesting that inbreeding effects in the Taita thrush are fairly recent.
Purging of inbreeding depression and fitness decline in bottlenecked populations of Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Miller P. S. , Hedrick P. W. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract
Drastic reductions in population size, or bottlenecks, are thought to significantly erode genetic variability and reduce fitness. However, it has been suggested that a population can be purged of the genetic load responsible for reduced fitness when subjected to bottlenecks. To investigate this phenomenon, we put a number of Drosophila melanogaster isofemale lines known to differ in inbreeding depression through four ‘founder-flush’ bottleneck cycles with flush sizes of 5 or 100 pairs and assayed for relative fitness (single-pair productivity) after each cycle. Following the founder-flush phase, the isofemale lines, with a large flush size and a history of inbreeding depression, recovered most of the fitness lost from early inbreeding, consistent with purging. The same isofemale lines, with a small flush size, did not regain fitness, consistent with the greater effect of genetic drift in these isofemale lines. On the other hand, the isofemale lines that did not show initial inbreeding depression declined in fitness after repeated bottlenecks, independent of the flush size. These results suggest that the nature of genetic variation in fitness may greatly influence the way in which populations respond to bottlenecks and that stochastic processes play an important role. Consequently, an attempt intentionally to purge a population of detrimental variation through inbreeding appears to be a risky strategy, particularly in the genetic management of endangered species.
Evolution of trophic transmission in parasites: the need to reach a mating place?
Authors: Brown S. P. , Renaud F. , Guégan J.-F. , Thomas F. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract
Although numerous parasite species have a simple life cycle (SLC) and complete their life cycle in one host, there are other parasite species that exploit several host species successively. From an evolutionary perspective, understanding the mix of adaptive and contingent forces shaping the transition from an ancestral single-host state to such a complex life cycle (CLC) has proved an intriguing challenge. In this paper, we propose a new hypothesis, which states that CLCs involving trophic transmission (i.e. transmission to a predator) evolved because they are an efficient way for parasites to meet a sexual partner, assuming that selective benefits are associated with cross-fertilization. Predators that eat a lot of prey in a relatively short time interval act to concentrate isolated parasites. We use an optimality model to develop our hypothesis and discuss further directions of potential research.