bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anaplasma marginale msp1
α Genotypes Evolved under Positive Selection Pressure but Are Not Markers for Geographic Isolates
Authors: de la Fuente José , Van Den Bussche Ronald A. , Prado Tulio M. , Kocan Katherine M. 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

Anaplasma marginale
(order
Rickettsiales
, family
Anaplasmataceae
), a tick-borne pathogen of cattle, is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Many geographic isolates of
A. marginale
occur in the United States and have been identified by major surface protein 1a (MSP1a), which varies in sequence and molecular weight due to different numbers of tandem 28- to 29-amino-acid repeats. The present study was undertaken to examine the genetic variations among isolates of
A. marginale
obtained during 2001 from infected cattle from east-central Oklahoma, where
A. marginale
is endemic. The gene and protein sequences of MSP1a and
msp4
nucleotide sequences were used to infer the phylogenetic relationships among Oklahoma and New World isolates from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. All 11
A. marginale
isolates collected from Oklahoma had different MSP1a sequences but identical MSP4 sequences. The phylogenies of the
msp4
sequences of 13 isolates from Oklahoma in comparison with those of 7 Latin American isolates and 12 U.S. isolates by maximum-parsimony (MP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) analyses, with
A. centrale
and
A. ovis
sequences used as outgroups, provided strong bootstrap analysis support for a Latin American clade. Isolates of
A. marginale
from the southern United States (Florida, Mississippi, and Virginia) and the west-central United States (California, Idaho, Illinois, Oregon, Missouri, and Texas) also grouped into two clades. Both clades contained isolates from Oklahoma, suggesting extensive cattle movement. ML analysis of the
msp4
sequences of isolates from Oklahoma provided bootstrap analysis support for east-central and north-central clades in Oklahoma, and both clades included isolates from Stillwater, Okla. Analysis of the codon and amino acid changes among the
msp4
sequences of isolates with different phylogenies provided evidence that
msp4
is not under positive selection pressure. In contrast, the phylogenies of the MSP1a DNA and protein sequences of 13 isolates from Oklahoma in comparison with those of 7 Latin American and 13 isolates from the United States by MP and ML analyses demonstrated no geographic clustering and provided evidence that this gene is under positive selection pressure. The results indicate that
msp1α
is not a marker for the characterization of
A. marginale
geographic isolates and suggest that the genetic heterogeneity observed among isolates of
A. marginale
within Oklahoma could be explained by cattle movement and the maintenance of different genotypes by independent transmission events.
Clinical Value of Specific Immunoglobulin E Detection by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay in Cases of Acquired and Congenital Toxoplasmosis
Authors: Foudrinier F. , Villena I. , Jaussaud R. , Aubert D. , Chemla C. , Martinot F. , Pinon J. M. 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

The clinical value of immunoenzymatic (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) detection of anti-
Toxoplasma
immunoglobulin E (IgE) was assessed by studying 2,036 sera from 792 subjects, comprising seronegative controls and subjects with acute, active, reactivated, or congenital toxoplasmosis. Included were nonimmunized adults; pregnant women with recently acquired infection (acute toxoplasmosis); immunocompetent subjects with recently acquired severe infection (active toxoplasmosis) expressed as fever, adenopathies, splenomegaly, pneumonia, meningitis, or disseminated infection; subjects—some of them immunocompromised—whose previously moderate IgG antibody levels rose, suggesting a reactivation of quiescent toxoplasmosis; and infants born to seroconverted mothers and evaluated for diagnosis of congenital infection and therapeutic management. Specific IgE antibodies were never detected in seronegative subjects. They were present in 85.7% of asymptomatic seroconverters and in 100% of seroconverters with overt toxoplasmosis, following two different kinetics: in the former, the specific IgE titer generally presented a brief peak 2 to 3 months postinfection and then fell rapidly, whereas specific IgE persisted at a very high titer for several months in the latter. IgE emerged concomitantly with the increase in IgG during toxoplasmic reactivation. For neonatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis, IgE was less informative than IgM and IgA (sensitivities, 59.5, 64.3, and 76.2%, respectively) and had a specificity of 91.9%. Nevertheless, simultaneous measurement of the three isotypes at birth improved the diagnostic yield to 81% relative to the combination of IgA and IgM. Emergence of specific IgE during postnatal treatment for congenital toxoplasmosis is a sign of poor adherence or inadequate dosing.
Nocardia veterana
, a New Emerging Pathogen
Authors: Pottumarthy Sudha , Limaye Ajit P. , Prentice Jennifer L. , Houze Yolanda B. , Swanzy Susan R. , Cookson Brad T. 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

Nocardia veterana
is a newly described species named after the veteran's hospital where it was first isolated. This initial type strain was not thought to be clinically significant. We describe three cases of pulmonary disease attributable to
N
.
veterana
: two cases in patients presenting with multiple pulmonary nodules in a setting of immunocompromise and one case of exacerbation of chronic pulmonary disease. The isolates were susceptible to ampicillin, imipenem, gentamicin, amikacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and had reduced susceptibilities to ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, minocycline, and ciprofloxacin. The MICs of amoxicillin-clavulanate were higher than that of ampicillin alone, and the bacteria produced a β-lactamase detectable only after induction with clavulanic acid. Phenotypically, the isolates could not be characterized beyond the
Nocardia
genus level. All three isolates were definitively identified as
N
.
veterana
by PCR and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. On the basis of their susceptibility and restriction enzyme analysis profiles, our findings indicate that they could potentially be misidentified as
N
.
nova
. These cases illustrate the pathogenic potential of this newly described species and emphasize the importance of accurate identification of
Nocardia
isolates to the species level by integrated use of phenotypic and genotypic methods.
Nucleotide and Predicted Amino Acid Sequence-Based Analysis of the Avian Metapneumovirus Type C Cell Attachment Glycoprotein Gene: Phylogenetic Analysis and Molecular Epidemiology of U.S. Pneumoviruses
Authors: Alvarez Rene , Lwamba Humphrey M. , Kapczynski Darrell R. , Njenga M. Kariuki , Seal Bruce S. 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

A serologically distinct avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) was isolated in the United States after an outbreak of turkey rhinotracheitis (TRT) in February 1997. The newly recognized U.S. virus was subsequently demonstrated to be genetically distinct from European subtypes and was designated aMPV serotype C (aMPV/C). We have determined the nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the cell attachment glycoprotein (G) of aMPV/C (Colorado strain and three Minnesota isolates) and predicted amino acid sequence by sequencing cloned cDNAs synthesized from intracellular RNA of aMPV/C-infected cells. The nucleotide sequence comprised 1,321 nucleotides with only one predicted open reading frame encoding a protein of 435 amino acids, with a predicted
M
r
of 48,840. The structural characteristics of the predicted G protein of aMPV/C were similar to those of the human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) attachment G protein, including two mucin-like regions (heparin-binding domains) flanking both sides of a CX3C chemokine motif present in a conserved hydrophobic pocket. Comparison of the deduced G-protein amino acid sequence of aMPV/C with those of aMPV serotypes A, B, and D, as well as hRSV revealed overall predicted amino acid sequence identities ranging from 4 to 16.5%, suggesting a distant relationship. However, G-protein sequence identities ranged from 72 to 97% when aMPV/C was compared to other members within the aMPV/C subtype or 21% for the recently identified human MPV (hMPV) G protein. Ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous nucleotide changes were greater than one in the G gene when comparing the more recent Minnesota isolates to the original Colorado isolate. Epidemiologically, this indicates positive selection among U.S. isolates since the first outbreak of TRT in the United States.
Molecular Detection of
Histoplasma capsulatum
var.
capsulatum
in Human Clinical Samples
Authors: Bracca Andrea , Tosello María Elena , Girardini Javier E. , Amigot Susana L. , Gomez Carlos , Serra Esteban 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

We developed a seminested PCR for the diagnosis of histoplasmosis that amplifies a portion of the
Histoplasma capsulatum
H antigen gene. This assay is highly sensitive and specific, being able to detect genomic material corresponding to less than 10 yeast cells without cross-reaction against other bacterial or fungal pathogens.
The fundamental matrix for a certain random walk
Authors: Taylor Howard M. 
Published: April 2003

Consider the random walk {Sn} whose summands have the distribution P(X=0) = 1-(2/π), and P(X = ± n) = 2/[π(4n2−1)], for n ≥ 1. This random walk arises when a simple random walk in the integer plane is observed only at those instants at which the two coordinates are equal. We derive the fundamental matrix, or Green function, for the process on the integral [0,N] = {0,1,…,N}, and from this, an explicit formula for the mean time xk for the random walk starting from S0 = k to exit the interval. The explicit formula yields the limiting behavior of xk as N → ∞ with k fixed. For the random walk starting from zero, the probability of exiting the interval on the right is obtained. By letting N → ∞ in the fundamental matrix, the Green function on the interval [0,∞) is found, and a simple and explicit formula for the probability distribution of the point of entry into the interval (−∞,0) for the random walk starting from k = 0 results. The distributions for some related random variables are also discovered.Applications to stress concentration calculations in discrete lattices are briefly reviewed.
Intermediate and long-term memories of associative learning are differentially affected by transcriptionversustranslation blockers inLymnaea
Authors: Sangha Susan , Scheibenstock Andi , McComb Chloe , Lukowiak Ken 
Published: April 2003

SUMMARYAerial respiratory behaviour in the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis,can be operantly conditioned. This associative learning then undergoes consolidation into a long-lasting memory which, depending on the training procedure used, causes intermediate-term memory (ITM; lasting 3 h) or long-term memory (LTM; lasting &gt;6 h) to be formed. We determined the differential susceptibility of these two forms of memory to translation and transcription blockers. The injection of a translation blocker, Anisomycin,2.5 h before training prevents the establishment of both ITM and LTM. On the other hand, injection of the transcription blocker Actinomycin D, 2.5 h before training, did not prevent the establishment of ITM, but did, however, prevent LTM formation. Thus in Lymnaea, following associative learning, both ITM and LTM are dependent on new protein synthesis. ITM appears to be dependent on protein synthesis from preexisting transcription factors, whilst LTM is dependent on protein synthesis from new transcription messages.
A new intracellular pathway of haem detoxification in the midgut of the cattle tick Boophilus microplus: aggregation inside a specialized organelle, the hemosome
Authors: Lara Flavio Alves , Lins Ulysses , Paiva-Silva Gabriela , Almeida Igor C. , Braga Cláudia M. , Miguens Flávio C. , Oliveira Pedro L. , Dansa-Petretski Marílvia 
Published: April 2003

SUMMARY
The hard tick Boophilus microplus ingests large volumes of cattle blood, as much as 100 times its own mass before feeding. Huge amounts of haem are produced during haemoglobin digestion, which takes place inside acidic lysosomal-type vacuoles of the digest cells of the midgut. Haem is a promoter of free radical formation, so haemoglobin digestion poses an intense oxidative challenge to this animal.
In the present study we followed the fate of the haem derived from haemoglobin hydrolysis in the digest cells of the midgut of fully engorged tick females. The tick does not synthesize haem, so during the initial phase of blood digestion, absorption is the major route taken by the haem, which is transferred from the digest cells to the tick haemocoel. After this absorptive period of a few days, most of the haem produced upon haemoglobin degradation is accumulated in the interior of a specialized, membrane-delimited, organelle of the digest cell, herein called hemosome. Haem accounts for 90% of the hemosome mass and is concentrated in the core of this structure, appearing as a compact, non-crystalline aggregate of iron protoporphyrin IX without covalent modifications. The unusual FTIR spectrum of this aggregate suggests that lateral propionate chains are involved in the association of haem molecules with other components of the hemosome, which it is proposed is a major haem detoxification mechanism in this blood-sucking arthropod.
Growth and sexual dimorphism in orangutan crania: A three‐dimensional approach
Authors: Hens Samantha M. 
Published: April 2003

AbstractNew insights may be gleaned by taking an ontogenetic approach to investigations of adult dimorphism. Previous work in this area relied on traditional, caliper‐based, morphometric methods, and produced conflicting results. This study uses a three‐dimensional (3‐D) approach for both local and global form comparisons of sex‐specific growth and growth patterns. 3‐D coordinate data were collected for 20 landmarks on 94 orangutan crania divided into five developmental stages. Data were analyzed using Euclidean distance matrix analysis (EDMA). Results indicate that differences in growth patterns between male and female orangutans exist in the youngest age intervals. Dimorphic patterns are strongest in the face and basicranium at the youngest age intervals, and in the face and neurocranium during adult stages. Females grow substantially more in the cranial base and face during the youngest age groups, while males grow more than females in all anatomical regions later in development. Growth in the palate was similar between sexes. Sexual dimorphism may be produced through the continued growth of one sex relative to the other, representing differences in timing, or growth duration. Dimophism may also result from different growth rates between sexes, where one sex develops faster than the other sex in the same time interval. Orangutan males and females differ in both the rate and duration of their craniofacial development. The data analysis technique used here, EDMA, was integral in identifying dynamic growth processes rather than just the static end results of each developmental stage. Am J Phys Anthropol 121:000–000, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Determination of the enantiomeric composition of chiral delta‐2‐oxazolines‐1,3 by 1H and 19F NMR spectroscopy using chiral solvating agents
Authors: Beaufour M. , Merelli B. , Menguy L. , Cherton J.‐C. 
Published: April 2003

AbstractStudies of the perturbing effect of chiral solvating agents (CSAs) 5a and mostly of 5c upon the NMR spectra of chiral Δ2‐oxazoline 1 demonstrated the ability of these fluoroalcohols to afford diastereomeric solvates from these solutes. Thus, for all tested Δ2‐oxazolines 1Aa–d, 1Ba, and 1e there is at least one possibility to proceed to their enantiomeric discrimination either by 1H or 19F NMR using these CSAs (see Fig. 1). NMR results are discussed from substrate and CSA structure standpoints and a solvation model is proposed on the basis of the inequivalence senses generally observed. Then the method was applied to extracts of incubated locust tissues obtained by solid phase extraction (SPE) after a partial unmasking of the substrate 1. Chirality 15:382–390, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identification of rat cytochrome P450 forms involved in the metabolism of clausenamide enantiomers
Authors: Zhu Chuan Jiang , Zhang Jun Tian 
Published: April 2003

AbstractTo identify which cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoform(s) are responsible for the metabolism of clausenamide (CLA) enantiomers in rats, effects of various CYP isoform inducers and inhibitors on the formation of CLA metabolites were investigated in liver microsomes. In incubations with rat liver microsomes, CLA enantiomers were mainly converted to 4‐hydroxy, 5‐hydroxy, and 7‐hydroxy‐metabolites. 4‐OH‐CLA was the major metabolite of (+)‐3R, 4S, 5S, 6R‐CLA [(+)‐CLA], while 7‐OH‐CLA was the major one of (−)‐3S, 4R, 5R, 6S‐CLA [(−)‐CLA]. In induction studies, enzymatic parameters were used to assess the role of different CYP forms in CLA hydroxylation reactions. A marked increase in the rate of metabolism of CLA enantiomers was observed in microsomes of dexamethasone treated rats, Vmax/Km values for 4‐OH‐(+)‐CLA, 7‐OH‐, 5‐OH‐, and 4‐OH‐(−)‐CLA were 5.3, 6.5, 3.0, and 5.9 times higher than those in control microsomes, respectively. Rifampicin treatment caused corresponding 1.7‐, 2.6‐, 3.1‐, and 2.8‐fold increases. Dex and Rif also increased in the amount of (+)‐5‐ and (+)‐7‐OH‐CLA that were not detectable in the control group. These results suggested that inducible CYP3A1 was involved in the hydroxylation of CLA enantiomers. In inhibition studies, ketoconazone (6.25 μM) completely inhibited the production of main metabolites of (−)‐CLA (100%) and (+)‐CLA (97%). Triacetyloleandomycin (12.5 μM) strongly inhibited the corresponding metabolites by 34–85%. These findings also indicated that institutive CYP3A2 shared a major role in the hydroxylation of CLA enantiomers with CYP3A1 in untreated rats. Together, the data suggested that CYP3A was the predominant isoform responsible for the metabolism of CLA enantiomers. Chirality 15:448–455, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cadherin expression coincides with birth dating patterns in patchy compartments of the developing chicken telencephalon
Authors: Heyers Dominik , Kovjanic Dragica , Redies Christoph 
Published: April 2003

AbstractSome gray matter regions of the vertebrate brain, e.g., the mammalian striatum, are organized into clusters of functionally similar neurons (“patches”) that are surrounded by a gray matter matrix. A similar type of compartmentation recently has been found also in the avian telencephalon, based on two sorts of evidence. First, a birth dating study showed that, in some telencephalic areas, cells born at the same time form “isochronic” cell clusters, which differ in their birth dating pattern from their surrounding tissue. Second, patchy expression was found for different members of the cadherin family of adhesion molecules (R‐cadherin, N‐cadherin, and/or cadherin‐7). The relation between these two findings has remained unclear. Here, we demonstrate a general spatial coincidence between the birth dating patterns and the heterogeneities in cadherin expression. This coincidence is found in areas of the avian ventral and lateral pallium (ventral hyperstriatum, neostriatum, and ectostriatum) and in a part of the archistriatum, which is of pallial origin. For example, in the neostriatum, a part of the ventral pallium, both the cadherin‐7–positive patches and their R‐cadherin–positive surroundings are born between embryonic day 5 and 7, but the cadherin‐7–positive cells are born during a shorter time period than the R‐cadherin–positive cells. We propose that the patchy gray matter architecture observed in the mammalian striatum and avian pallium are regulated by a common type of morphogenetic mechanism. This mechanism possibly involves the differential expression of adhesive factors, such as cadherins. J. Comp. Neurol. 460:155–166, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitative study of the coexpression of Fos and N‐methyl‐D aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunits in otolith‐related vestibular nuclear neurons of rats
Authors: Chen Liang‐Wei , Lai Chun‐Hong , Law Hoi‐Yan , Yung Ken K.L. , Chan Ying‐Shing 
Published: April 2003

AbstractThe expression of NMDA receptor subunits (NR1 and NR2A/B) was demonstrated immunocytochemically in otolith‐related neurons within the vestibular nuclear complex and its subnuclei of conscious Sprague‐Dawley adult rats. All experimental animals were subjected to constant velocity off‐vertical axis rotation (OVAR). The rotating gravity vector during OVAR sequentially activates hair cells on all sectors of the utricular maculae; neurons so activated within the vestibular nuclei were denoted by the expression of Fos protein. Control animals, i.e., labyrinthectomized rats subjected to OVAR and normal rats that remained stationary, showed only a few sporadically scattered labeled neurons. In the brainstem of normal rats subjected to OVAR, a high density of Fos‐immunoreactive (Fos‐ir) neurons was found in the vestibular nuclear complex (namely, spinal vestibular nucleus, SpVe; medial vestibular nucleus, Mve; superior vestibular nucleus, SuVe) and subnuclei (namely, group x and group y), whereas a lower density was found in the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVe). A double‐immunofluorescence study indicated that both NR1 and NR2A/B subunits were highly expressed in Fos‐ir neurons within the vestibular nuclei. Fos/NR1 or Fos/NR2A/B double‐labeled neurons constitute over three‐quarters of the total number of Fos‐ir neurons in SpVe, MVe, LVe, SuVe, and groups x and y. Our findings suggest that NMDA‐type ionotropic glutamate receptors play a key role in the OVAR‐induced neuronal activation of the vestibular nuclei, thus providing a morphological basis for further study of glutamatergic central otolith neurons and their involvement in sensorimotor regulation and autonomic functions of rats. J. Comp. Neurol. 460:292–301, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Remote adaptation effect on perceived subjective color: A model approach
Authors: Tsofe Avital , Rotgold Gil , Spitzer Hedva 
Published: April 2003

AbstractAn elaborated subjective color model is presented that includes the predictions of emulated Benham disk results and additional predictions that refer to local and remote achromatic illuminations on perceived subjective color shifts. A computer emulated Benham disk pattern was used as a stimulus to test the effects of remote illumination on its color sensation. An analytical model and its predictions are proposed in order to account for the results of the perceived hue shift, when changing either the remote illumination area or the stimulus illumination. This model is based on previous retinal color‐coded cells responses which yield the subjective color, and on local and remote adaptation mechanisms. The similarity between the role and mechanism of remote illumination (achromatic or chromatic) in subjective and perceived color is also discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 28, 197–208, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.10145
Metaphor as a method in the domain of marketing
Authors: Cornelissen Joep P. 
Published: April 2003

AbstractPrior research has laid the groundwork for a discussion of the role of metaphor in marketing, but has fallen short of offering a clear‐cut method for guiding and evaluating its use. This article outlines such a method, and illustrates its use through extended discussions of the heuristic status of corporate identity and relationship marketing as metaphors for the generation of knowledge about the subjects that both supposedly illuminate. Implications of this methodology of metaphor for marketing research are outlined. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.