bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interleukin‐21 differentially affects human natural killer cell subsets
Authors: Wendt Katy , Wilk Esther , Buyny Sabine , Schmidt Reinhold Ernst , Jacobs Roland
Published: July 2007

Interleukin‐21 (IL‐21) is a cytokine with pleiotropic effects on various cell types including dendritic cells, B cells, T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. To evaluate if IL‐21 affects human NK cell subpopulations in a similar fashion, functional studies were performed on CD56dim and CD56bright NK cells, both bearing IL‐21 receptors at identical densities. Stimulation with IL‐21 strongly induced proliferation of CD56bright NK cells and cytotoxicity against K562 target cells was preferentially augmented in CD56dim NK cells. In contrast, stimulation with IL‐2 and IL‐21 alone or in combination failed to induce interferon‐γ and tumour necrosis factor‐α production in the two NK cell subsets. Intracellular analysis of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins revealed that IL‐21 by itself induces phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3 in CD56dim NK cells, and to an even higher degree in CD56bright NK cells. In this CD56bright NK cell population alone, IL‐2 weakly phosphorylated STAT1 and STAT3, which was further increased when cells were treated with the combination of both cytokines. In contrast, STAT5 was strongly phosphorylated only in CD56bright NK cells by low‐dose IL‐2, while IL‐21 did not affect STAT5 at all. In summary, we present data indicating that the NK‐cell‐directed cytokines IL‐2 and IL‐21 not only affect functions in NK cell subpopulations differently but can also act additively.
FtsH protease is required for induction of inorganic carbon acquisition complexes in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Authors: Zhang Pengpeng , Sicora Cosmin I. , Vorontsova Natalia , Allahverdiyeva Yagut , Battchikova Natalia , Nixon Peter J. , Aro Eva‐Mari
Published: July 2007

Cyanobacteria possess a complex CO2‐concentrating mechanism (CCM), which is induced by low inorganic carbon conditions. To investigate the involvement of proteases in the processes of induction and degradation of the CCM complexes, we studied the FtsH2 (ΔSlr0228) and Deg‐G (ΔSlr1204/ΔSll1679/ΔSll1427) protease mutants of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. WT and protease mutant cells were grown under high CO2 and then shifted to low CO2, followed by a proteome analysis of the membrane protein complexes. Interestingly, in the FtsH2 protease mutant, inducible CCM complexes were not detected upon shift to low CO2, whereas the Deg‐G mutant behaved like WT. Also the transcripts of the inducible CCM genes and their regulator ndhR failed to accumulate upon shift of FtsH2 mutant cells from high to low CO2, indicating that the regulation by the FtsH2 protease is upstream of NdhR. Moreover, functional photosynthesis was shown a prerequisite for induction of CCM in WT at low CO2, possibly via generation of oxidative stress, which was shown here to enhance the expression of inducible CCM genes even at high CO2 conditions. Once synthesized, the CCM complexes were not subject to proteolytic degradation, even when dispensable upon a shift of cells to high CO2.
Lysis of a Broad Range of Epithelial Tumour Cells by Human γδ T Cells: Involvement of NKG2D ligands and T‐cell Receptor‐ versus NKG2D‐dependent Recognition
Authors: Wrobel P. , Shojaei H. , Schittek B. , Gieseler F. , Wollenberg B. , Kalthoff H. , Kabelitz D. , Wesch D.
Published: July 2007

Human γδ T cells expressing a Vγ9Vδ2 T‐cell receptor (TCR) kill various tumour cells including autologous tumours. In addition to TCR‐dependent recognition, activation of NKG2D‐positive γδ T cells by tumour cell‐expressed NKG2D ligands can also trigger cytotoxic effector function. In this study, we investigated the involvement of TCR versus NKG2D in tumour cell recognition as a prerequisite to identify tumour types suitable for γδ T‐cell‐based immunotherapy. We have characterized epithelial tumour cells of different origin with respect to cell surface expression of the known NKG2D ligands MHC class I‐chain‐related antigens (MIC) A/B and UL16‐binding proteins (ULBP), and susceptibility to γδ T‐cell killing. Most tumour cells expressed comparable levels of MICA and MICB as well as ULBP with the exception of ULBP‐1 which was absent or only weakly expressed. Most epithelial tumours were susceptible to allogeneic γδ T‐cell lysis and in the case of an established ovarian carcinoma to autologous γδ T‐cell killing. Lysis of resistant cells was enhanced by pre‐treatment of tumour cells with aminobisphosphonates or pre‐activation of γδ T cells with phosphoantigens. A potential involvement of TCR and/or NKG2D was investigated by antibody blockade. These experiments revealed three patterns of inhibition, i.e. preferential inhibition by anti‐TCR antibody, preferential inhibition by anti‐NKG2D antibody, or additive blockade by anti‐TCR plus anti‐NKG2D antibodies. Our results indicate for the first time that the NKG2D pathway is involved in the lysis of different melanomas, pancreatic adenocarcinomas, squameous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, and lung carcinoma.
NK1.1 Cells Downregulate Murine Endotoxin‐Induced Uveitis Following Intraocular Administration of Interleukin‐12
Authors: Figueiredo F. , Commodaro A. G. , De Camargo M. M. , Rizzo L. V. , Belfort R.
Published: July 2007

To evaluate the role of IFN‐γ (interferon gamma) in IL‐12‐ (interleukin‐12)‐induced inhibition of the inflammatory response in the eye during endotoxin‐induced uveitis (EIU). C57BL/6 wild type mice and IFN‐γ‐deficient (GKO) mice were injected with 250 μg of Salmonella typhymurium endotoxin as a model for EIU. Animals were then injected intraocularly with 100 ng of rIL‐12 or the equivalent volume of Phosphate‐buffer saline (PBS). Histopathologic grading of disease was performed 12, 36 and 72 h after endotoxin injection. Chemokine mRNA expression in the eye was evaluated by reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction. Depletion of NK1.1+ cells in vivo was performed using a PK136 antibody. Depletion of IFN‐γ was performed using the R4‐6A2 antibody. C57BL/6 mice treated with rIL‐12 intraocularly were protected from the development of EIU. Neutralization of IFN‐γ with a monoclonal antibody abrogated such protection. The IL‐12 protective effects were lost in NK1.1‐depleted mice. Intraocular IL‐12 decreased the expression of keratinocyte‐derived chemokines (KC) gene but had no effect on macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP‐2) gene. The protective effect of IL‐12 during EIU occurs through production of IFN‐γ by NK1.1+ cells. IL‐12‐induced higher levels of IFN‐γ are also correlated with lower expression of the chemokine KC, resulting in diminished attraction of neutrophils to the inflammatory site.
Confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit (CAM‐ICU): translation, retranslation and validation into Swedish intensive care settings
Authors: Larsson C. , Axell A. Granberg , Ersson A.
Published: July 2007

Background:  Becoming critical ill or severely injured leads to a process of worry, anxiety and pain. Patients in intensive care sometimes have strange and frightening experiences and may show symptoms of acute confusion or delirium. CAM‐ICU, the confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit, was based on the DSM IV, the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders IV, and today, healthcare professionals and researchers are increasingly accepting this concept of diagnosing ICU delirium. In Sweden, there is no commonly used, single instrument or method to test the development of ICU delirium. The aim of this study was to translate, retranslate and validate CAM‐ICU for use in Swedish ICU settings.

Methods:  The translation of the instrument was done according to the guidelines suggested by The Translation and Cultural Adaptation group which includes preparation, forward translation/reconciliation, back translation, back translation review, harmonization, cognitive debriefing and validation. In the validation process, the applicability of the Swedish version of the instruments was tested in a Swedish intensive care unit.

Results:  Fourteen adult patients were included in the study, 40 paired tests were carried out, and 80 CAM‐ICU instruments were completed. The participating patients were given CAM‐ICU ratings using independent paired evaluations by two nurses, specialized in intensive care, at least twice during the patients’ stay in the ICU. Interrater reliability was calculated using kappa statistics. In the 40 paired observations, interrater reliability was ‘very good’ (kappa statistics > 0.81). In our material, we recognized a delirium rate of 48%, which is in accordance with previous studies.

Conclusion:  The translation of the instrument CAM‐ICU showed good correlation with the original version and could therefore be applicable in a Swedish ICU setting. In the 40 paired observations, interrater reliability was very good. Although there are limitations in using CAM‐ICU, previous studies reveal a need for a homogeneous screening instrument making it possible to detect and determine ICU delirium; and from this basis are able to implement and make the necessary decisions required in medical and nursing care practice preventing ICU delirium.
Good clinical research practice in pharmacodynamic studies of neuromuscular blocking agents II: the Stockholm revision
Authors: Fuchs‐Buder T. , Claudius C. , Skovgaard L. T. , Eriksson L. I. , Mirakhur R. K. , Viby‐Mogensen J.
Published: July 2007

The set of guidelines for good clinical research practice (GCRP) in pharmacodynamic studies of neuromuscular blocking agents, which was developed following an international consensus conference in Copenhagen, has been revised and updated following the second consensus conference in Stockholm in 2005. It is hoped that these guidelines will continue to help researchers in the field and assist the pharmaceutical industry and equipment manufacturers in enhancing the standards of the studies they sponsor.
Role of magnetic resonance imaging and scintigraphy in the diagnosis and follow‐up of osteomyelitis in cat‐scratch disease
Authors: Rozmanic Vojko , Banac Srdjan , Miletic Damir , Manestar Koraljka , Kamber Silvija , Paparic Sime
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  Cat‐scratch disease (CSD) is a self‐limiting infectious disease characterised with lymphadenopathy in a patient with a history of cat contact. Cases of bone involvement in patients with CSD are rare. We reported a case of 11‐year‐old boy with prolonged intermittent fever, inguinal lymphadenopathy and osteomyelitis. He had a history of exposure to kittens. The physical examination revealed a febrile boy without an apparent site of infection except an enlarged inguinal lymph node. Its histopathology demonstrated ganulomatous lesion with no presence of acid‐fast bacilli. Serum titers for Bartonella henselae were positive. Multiple bone lesions were detected by skeletal scintigraphy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed and characterised osteolytic masses. The oral combination of azithromycin and rifampicin were given for 6 weeks with a good clinical response. At follow‐up, the boy was without symptoms or signs of the disease. Successive MRI controls showed gradual regression of the bone lesions together with significant decrease of acute‐phase reactants. In conclusion, CSD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of osteomyelitis. MRI is more reliable for the characterisation, evaluation of soft‐tissue extension and follow‐up of the bone lesions than scintigraphy. However, the later method permits an overview of the multiple osseous lesions. Therefore, standard MRI equipment may not exclude bone scintigraphy. Both methods are required until whole‐body MRI units become routine.
Passive patient or engaged expert? Using a Ptolemaic approach to enhance mental health nurse education and practice
Authors: Warne Tony , McAndrew Sue
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT:  This discussion paper seeks to explore an approach that metal health nurses can adopt that ensures the patient is at the centre of training and professional development opportunities. Although nurse training and education is shaped by practice and theory, the lived experiences of the patients as an educational resource often become lost in the milieu of ‘doing’ nursing. We argue that in addition to theoretical knowledge and practice knowledge, there is the need to harness the equally important patient experience knowledge. Drawing upon Ptolemaic concepts, this paper explores the potential tensions for mental health nurses resulting from the imbalance in power when engaging in therapeutic relationships with patients. It is argued that in order for mental health nurses to become more effective, they need to learn how to relinquish some of their power, even where this gives rise to uncomfortable tensions for the nurse. Such tensions result from the centrality afforded to theoretical knowledge and ritualized practice that underpins nursing and the difficulties this may cause for many nurses in accepting the value of patient experience as a primary source of knowledge. The difficulties of adopting this approach point to a need for mental health nurses and nurse educationalists to take a more reflexive approach to their patient encounters and within their encounters with each other.
Reclaiming the humanity in personality disorder
Authors: Wright Karen , Haigh Kevin , McKeown Mick
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT:  This paper provides a commentary upon the nursing care of individuals diagnosed with personality disorder and associated education courses. The discussion focuses upon recent policy trends in the UK as a point of departure. This policy discourse is critical of mainstream mental health services in previously operating to exclude such individuals. One of the consequences has been a recent growth in interest in relevant training courses, many of which devote significant attention to staff attitudes regarding this client group. Various previous researchers and commentators have remarked upon the implications for practice of a perceived negative attitude among care staff. We reflect upon our own anecdotal experience of developing and delivering new university‐based courses for practitioners working in the field of personality disorder to offer a particular critique of the UK context, in which this policy, training, and practice is framed. Social constructionist theories are drawn on to offer insights into public and practitioner discourse and the possible effects on therapeutic relationships. The available discourse constructs individuals with a diagnosis of personality disorder as essentially different from other people. We argue that staff training and practice development initiatives are likely to be more successful if such discourse is challenged, and attempts are made in therapeutic encounters to recognize shared characteristics and positive attributes as much as perceived difference and negative attributes. We refer to this as a re‐engagement with common humanity. Despite the singular national context, the discursive themes explored are not necessarily restricted to the UK.
UXT interacts with the transcriptional repressor protein EVI1 and suppresses cell transformation
Authors: McGilvray Roger , Walker Mark , Bartholomew Chris
Published: July 2007

The EVI1 transcriptional repressor is critical to the normal development of a variety of tissues and participates in the progression of acute myeloid leukaemias. The repressor domain (Rp) was used to screen an adult human kidney yeast two‐hybrid library and a novel binding partner designated ubiquitously expressed transcript (UXT) was isolated. Enforced expression of UXT in Evi1‐expressing Rat1 fibroblasts suppresses cell transformation and UXT may therefore be a negative regulator of Evi1 biological activity. The Rp‐binding site for UXT was determined and non‐UXT‐binding Evi1 mutants (Evi1Δ706–707) were developed which retain the ability to bind the corepressor mCtBP2. Evi1Δ706–707 transforms Rat1 fibroblasts, showing that the interaction is not essential for Evi1‐mediated cell transformation. However, Evi1Δ706–707 produces an increased proportion of large colonies relative to wild‐type, showing that endogenous UXT has an inhibitory effect on Evi1 biological activity. Exogenous UXT still suppresses Evi1Δ706–707‐mediated cell transformation, indicating that it inhibits cell proliferation and/or survival by both Evi1‐dependent and Evi1‐independent mechanisms. These observations are consistent with the growth‐suppressive function attributed to UXT in human prostate cancer. Our results show that UXT suppresses cell transformation and might mediate this function by interaction and inhibition of the biological activity of cell proliferation and survival stimulatory factors like Evi1.
Identification and characterization of an R‐Smad ortholog (SmSmad1B) from Schistosoma mansoni
Authors: Carlo Joelle M. , Osman Ahmed , Niles Edward G. , Wu Wenjie , Fantappie Marcelo R. , Oliveira Francisco M. B. , LoVerde Philip T.
Published: July 2007

Smad proteins are the cellular mediators of the transforming growth factor‐β superfamily signals. Herein, we describe the isolation of a fourth Smad gene from the helminth Schistosoma mansoni, a receptor‐regulated Smad (R‐Smad) gene termed SmSmad1B. The SmSmad1B protein is composed of 380 amino acids, and contains conserved MH1 and MH2 domains separated by a short 42 amino acid linker region. The SmSmad1B gene (> 10.7 kb) is composed of five exons separated by four introns. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, SmSmad1B demonstrates homology to Smad proteins involved in the bone morphogenetic protein pathway. SmSmad1B transcript is expressed in all stages of schistosome development, and exhibits the highest expression level in the cercariae stage. By immunolocalization experiments, the SmSmad1B protein was detected in the cells of the parenchyma of adult schistosomes as well as in female reproductive tissues. Yeast two‐hybrid experiments revealed an interaction between SmSmad1B and the common Smad, SmSmad4. As determined by yeast three‐hybrid assays and pull‐down assays, the presence of the wild‐type or mutated SmTβRI receptor resulted in a decreased interaction between SmSmad1B and SmSmad4. These results suggest the presence of a nonfunctional interaction between SmSmad1B and SmTβRI that does not give rise to the phosphorylation and the release of SmSmad1B to form a heterodimer with SmSmad4. SmSmad1B, as well as the schistosome bone morphogenetic protein‐related Smad SmSmad1 and the transforming growth factor‐β‐related SmSmad2, interacted with the schistosome coactivator proteins SmGCN5 and SmCBP1 in pull‐down assays. In all, these data suggest the involvement of SmSmad1B in critical biological processes such as schistosome reproductive development.
Enzymatic oxidation of NADP+ to its 4‐oxo derivative is a side‐reaction displayed only by the adrenodoxin reductase type of ferredoxin‐NADP+ reductases
Authors: de Rosa Matteo , Pennati Andrea , Pandini Vittorio , Monzani Enrico , Zanetti Giuliana , Aliverti Alessandro
Published: July 2007

We have previously shown that Mycobacterium tuberculosis FprA, an NADPH‐ferredoxin reductase homologous to mammalian adrenodoxin reductase, promotes the oxidation of NADP+ to its 4‐oxo derivative 3‐carboxamide‐4‐pyridone adenine dinucleotide phosphate [Bossi RT, Aliverti A, Raimondi D, Fischer F, Zanetti G, Ferrari D, Tahallah N, Maier CS, Heck AJ, Rizzi M et al. (2002) Biochemistry41, 8807–8818]. Here, we provide a detailed study of this unusual enzyme reaction, showing that it occurs at a very slow rate (0.14 h−1), requires the participation of the enzyme‐bound FAD, and is regiospecific in affecting only the C4 of the NADP nicotinamide ring. By protein engineering, we excluded the involvement in catalysis of residues Glu214 and His57, previously suggested to be implicated on the basis of their localization in the three‐dimensional structure of the enzyme. Our results substantiate a catalytic mechanism for 3‐carboxamide‐4‐pyridone adenine dinucleotide phosphate formation in which the initial and rate‐determining step is the nucleophilic attack of the nicotinamide moiety by an active site water molecule. Whereas plant‐type ferredoxin reductases were unable to oxidize NADP+, the mammalian adrenodoxin reductase also catalyzed this unusual reaction. Thus, the 3‐carboxamide‐4‐pyridone adenine dinucleotide phosphate formation reaction seems to be a peculiar feature of the mitochondrial type of ferredoxin reductases, possibly reflecting conserved properties of their active sites. Furthermore, we showed that 3‐carboxamide‐4‐pyridone adenine dinucleotide phosphate is good ligand and a competitive inhibitor of various dehydrogenases, making this nucleotide analog a useful tool for the characterization of the cosubstrate‐binding site of NADPH‐dependent enzymes.
The local supermassive black hole mass density: corrections for dependencies on the Hubble constant
Authors: Graham Alister W. , Driver Simon P.
Published: July 2007

We have investigated past measurements of the local supermassive black hole mass density, correcting for hitherto unknown dependencies on the Hubble constant, which, in some cases, had led to an underestimation of the mass density by factors of ∼2. Correcting for this, we note that the majority of (but not all) past studies yield a local supermassive black hole mass density that is consistent with the range 4.4–5.9 × 105f(H0) M⊙ Mpc−3 (when using H0= 70 km s−1 Mpc−1). In addition, we address a number of ways in which these past estimates can be further developed. In particular, we tabulate realistic bulge-to-total flux ratios which can be used to estimate the luminosity of bulges and subsequently their central black hole masses.
Moonlets wandering on a leash-ring
Authors: Winter O. C. , Mourão D. C. , Giuliatti Winter S. M. , Spahn F. , Da Cruz C.
Published: July 2007

Since the Voyager flybys, embedded moonlets have been proposed to explain some of the surprising structures observed in Saturn's narrow F ring. Experiments conducted with the Cassini spacecraft support this suggestion. Images of the F ring show bright compact spots, and seven occultations of stars by the F ring, monitored by ultraviolet and infrared experiments, revealed nine events of high optical depth. These results point to a large number of such objects, but it is not clear whether they are solid moonlets or rather loose particle aggregates. Subsequent images suggested an irregular motion of these objects so that a determination of their orbits consistent with the F ring failed. Some of these features seem to cross the whole ring. Here we show that these observations are explained by chaos in the F ring driven mainly by the ‘shepherd’ moons Prometheus and Pandora. It is characterized by a rather short Lyapunov time of about a few hundred orbital periods. Despite this chaotic diffusion, more than 93 per cent of the F-ring bodies remain confined within the F ring because of the shepherding, but also because of a weak radial mobility contrasted by an effective longitudinal diffusion. This chaotic stirring of all bodies involved prevents the formation of ‘propellers’ typical of moonlets, but their frequent ring crossings explain the multiple radial ‘streaks’ seen in the F ring. The related ‘thermal’ motion causes more frequent collisions between all bodies which steadily replenish F-ring dust and allow for ongoing fragmentation and re-accretion processes (ring recycling).
Do mergers spin-up dark matter haloes?
Authors: D'Onghia Elena , Navarro Julio F.
Published: July 2007

We use a large cosmological N-body simulation to study the origin of possible correlations between the merging history and spin of cold dark matter haloes. In particular, we examine claims that remnants of major mergers tend to have higher-than-average spins, and find that the effect is driven largely by unrelaxed systems: equilibrium dark matter haloes show no significant correlation between spin and merging history. Out-of-equilibrium haloes have, on average, higher spin than relaxed systems, suggesting that the virialization process leads to a net decrease in the value of the spin parameter. We find that this decrease is due to the internal redistribution of mass and angular momentum that occurs during virialization. This process is especially efficient during major mergers, when high angular momentum material is pushed beyond the virial radius of the remnant. Because such redistribution likely affects the angular momentum of baryons and dark matter unevenly, our findings question the common practice of identifying the specific angular momentum content of a halo with that of its embedded luminous component. Further work is needed to elucidate the true relation between the angular momentum content of baryons and dark matter in galaxy systems assembled hierarchically.
COMPUTER SIMULATIONS OF MEMBRANE-LYTIC PEPTIDES: PERSPECTIVES IN DRUG DESIGN
Authors: POLYANSKY ANTON A. , VOLYNSKY PAVEL E. , EFREMOV ROMAN G.
Published: July 2007

Structure activity relationships were investigated for membrane-lytic peptides (MLP) Ltc1 and Ltc2a from the latarcin family. The peptides were studied via long-term molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in different membrane environments (detergent micelles, mixed lipid bilayers mimiking eukaryotic and bacterial membranes). The calculated structure of Ltc2a in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelle agrees well with the data obtained by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. This validates the applied modeling approach. The binding mode of MLPs is governed by several factors: (i) the membrane surface curvature; (ii) the conformational plasticity and hydrophobic organization of the peptide, which depend on the arrangement of charged, non-polar and helix-breaking residues in the amino acid sequence. In contrast to Ltc1, insertion of Ltc2a into model membranes induces significant changes in dynamic behavior of lipids in the contact region. Such a prominent membrane destabilization correlates with high membrane-lytic activity of Ltc2a. In all cases the "membrane response" has a local character and is caused by formation of specific peptide-lipid contacts. Results of MD simulations of Ltc2a in model membranes were used to develop a number of its analogs with predefined activity.
SYMBOLIC MODELING OF GENETIC REGULATORY NETWORKS
Authors: MATEUS DANIEL , GALLOIS JEAN-PIERRE , COMET JEAN-PAUL , LE GALL PASCALE
Published: July 2007

Understanding the functioning of genetic regulatory networks supposes a modeling of biological processes in order to simulate behaviors and to reason on the model. Unfortunately, the modeling task is confronted to incomplete knowledge about the system. To deal with this problem we propose a methodology that uses the qualitative approach developed by Thomas. A symbolic transition system can represent the set of all possible models in a concise and symbolic way. We introduce a new method based on model-checking techniques and symbolic execution to extract constraints on parameters leading to dynamics coherent with known behaviors. Our method allows us to efficiently respond to two kinds of questions: is there any model coherent with a certain hypothetic behavior? Are there behaviors common to all selected models? The first question is illustrated with the example of the mucus production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa while the second one is illustrated with the example of immunity control in bacteriophage lambda.
The Western Accretionary Margin of the East European Craton: an overview
Authors: Pharaoh T. C. , Winchester J. A. , Verniers J. , Lassen A. , Seghedi A.
Published: July 2007

Multidisciplinary investigations of the western margin of the East European Craton (EEC) by EUROPROBE projects since 1992 have confirmed that the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ) is the most fundamental lithospheric boundary in Europe, extending 2000 km from the North Sea to the Black Sea-Crimean region. The crust of the EEC is thicker and denser than that of Phanerozoic-accreted Europe, and the base of the lithospheric mantle significantly deeper. These characteristics persist throughout the length of the TESZ, despite the variation in age of the accreted crust along strike. Geological studies of key deep borehole cores and the limited outcrop data confirm that the crust of Phanerozoic-accreted Central Europe comprises a number of terranes, each thought to be derived from Gondwana during several episodes of rifting, ocean formation, ocean destruction and sequential accretion to the EEC throughout Palaeozoic time. There is still much discussion about the identity, provenance and history of these orogenic terranes. The process of accretion led to the formation of terrane-bounding orogenic sutures, which may be marked in outcrop by ophiolitic and eclogitic relics. Recognition of concealed sutures is obviously more difficult, and relies on a variety of geophysical techniques, used in an integrated way by multidisciplinary teams; the evidence from deep seismic reflection and refraction surveys, teleseismic tomography, magnetotelluric experiments and from geophysical potential-field modelling is crucial for such studies. Since the European Geotraverse, much has been learnt about the geometry of the Thor, Iapetus, Rheic, Saxo-Thuringian and Moldanubian oceanic sutures, through the crust and sometimes into the mantle. This has led to a much better understanding of the 3D crustal structure of the Western Accretionary Margin of the EEC, and the lithospheric processes that have shaped it. From this, the influence of tectonic heterogeneities within the orogenic crust on the development of post-orogenic structures and basins can be much better constrained.
Palaeozoic accretion of Gondwana-derived terranes to the East European Craton: recognition of detached terrane fragments dispersed after collision with promontories
Authors: Winchester J. A. , Pharaoh T. C. , Verniers J. , Ioane D. , Seghedi A.
Published: July 2007

Recent work in Central Europe, combined with emerging information about basement massifs in SE Europe and NW Turkey, permits a new look at the relationships between crustal blocks abutting the East European Craton (EEC) along the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ). The simplest model indicates that the end-Cambrian establishment of the Bruno-Silesian, Lysogory and Malopolska terranes close to their present location on the SW margin of the EEC formed a major promontory on this margin of the continent. Moesia may also have formed part of this block. Both late Ordovician accretion of Avalonia and early Carboniferous accretion of the Armorican Terrane Assemblage (ATA) attached new continental material around the Bruno-Silesian Promontory (BSP). Palaeozoic faunal affinities and inherited isotopic signatures similar to those of Avalonia seen in the Istanbul block of NW Turkey, and in minor thrust slices in Moravia and Romania, suggest that easternmost Avalonia was severed, on collision with the BSP, and migrated east along the southern margin of the EEC. Likewise, the similarities to the ATA of the Balkan, Istranca, Sakarya and eastern Pontides blocks suggests that more easterly components of the ATA were detached at the BSP and migrated east. All the newly accreted blocks contain similar Neoproterozoic basement indicating a peri-Gondwanan origin; Palaeozoic plume-influenced metabasite geochemistry in the Bohemian Massif may explain their progressive separation from Gondwana before their accretion to the EEC. Inherited ages from Avalonia contain a 1.5 Ga 'Rondonian' component arguing for proximity to the Amazonian Craton at the end of the Neoproterozoic; Armorican terranes lack such a component, suggesting that they have closer affinities with the West African Craton. Models showing the former locations of these terranes and the larger continents from which they rifted, or later became attached to, must conform to both these constraints and those provided by palaeomagnetic data. In the late Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic, these smaller terranes, some containing Neoproterozoic ophiolitic marginal basin and magmatic arc remnants, probably fringed the end-Proterozoic supercontinent as part of a 'Pacific-type' margin. When this margin fragmented, most resulting fragments accreted to the EEC.
Transpressional collision tectonics and mantle plume dynamics: the Variscides of southwestern Iberia
Authors: Simancas J. F. , Carbonell R. , González Lodeiro F. , Pérez Estaún A. , Juhlin C. , Ayarza P. , Kashubin A. , Azor A. , Martínez Poyatos D. , Sáez R. , Almodóvar G. R. , Pascual E. , Flecha I. , Martí D.
Published: July 2007

In southwestern Iberia, three continental domains (the South Portuguese Zone (SPZ), Ossa-Morena Zone (OMZ) and Central Iberian Zone (CIZ) collided in Devonian-Carboniferous time. The collision was transpressional, with left-lateral kinematics, and was interrupted by extensional tectonics during the earliest Carboniferous, when bimodal magmatism (with associated mineral deposits) and basin development were the dominant orogenic features. Transpression was renewed in Visean time, and persisted until the end of the Carboniferous. The IBERSEIS deep seismic reflection profile helps to define the 3D geometry of transpressional structures: out-of-section displacements concentrate in bands, which bound wedges of upper crust; this crustal wedging strongly modifies the geometry of the sutures between continental blocks. A mid-crustal strongly reflective thick band (the Iberseis Reflective Body, IRB) is interpreted as a huge body of basic rocks. The IRB magma trapped in the middle crust was linked to the Early Carboniferous mantle-derived magmatism that crops out in the SPZ, OMZ and CIZ. Magmatism at the surface and trapped in the crust, high thermal gradients and basin development reflect a thermal anomaly in the underlying mantle, influencing both the thermal and the stress state of the orogen at that time. A mantle plume is inferred to have existed in the Early Carboniferous, the transpressional tectonic regime dominating again after its decay.
Tectonic processes in the Southern and Middle Urals: an overview
Authors: Brown D. , Puchkov V. , Alvarez-Marron J. , Bea F. , Perez-Estaún A.
Published: July 2007

The tectonic evolution of the Uralide orogen began during the Late Palaeozoic as the continental margin of Baltica entered an east-dipping (today's coordinates) subduction zone beneath the Magnitogorsk and Tagil island arcs. The subsequent arc-continent collision resulted in the development and emplacement of an accretionary complex over the continental margin, the development and deformation of a foreland basin, and the extrusion of high-pressure rocks along the arc-continent suture. There is mounting evidence that, at about the same time as arc-continent collision was occurring along this margin of Baltica, eastward-directed subcontinental subduction of the Uralian oceanic crust was also taking place beneath the Kazakhstan plate. This subcontinental subduction is thought to have resulted in the formation of a continental volcanic arc. The final closure of the Uralian ocean basin and the start of collision between the Baltica and Kazakhstan plates occurred during the Late Carboniferous. This continent-continent collision resulted in development of the Late Carboniferous to Early Triassic western foreland fold and thrust belt and foreland basin of the Uralides. The foreland fold and thrust belt displays a large amount of basement involvement, extensive reactivation of pre-existing faults, and a small amount of shortening. At the same time, widespread strike-slip faulting accompanied by melt generation and granitoid emplacement took place in the interior part of the Uralides, leading to the transfer of material laterally along the strike of the orogen. The final crustal structure of the Uralides that resulted from the combination of all of these tectonic events is bivergent, with a crustal root reaching c. 53 km depth.
The Timanide, Caledonide and Uralide orogens in the Eurasian high Arctic, and relationships to the palaeo-continents Laurentia, Baltica and Siberia
Authors: Gee D. G. , Bogolepova O. K. , Lorenz H.
Published: July 2007

abstract

Recent studies of structure, stratigraphy and isotope geochronology on Svalbard and East Greenland have provided a foundation for reconstructing the Laurentian margin of the Arctic segment of the North Atlantic Caledonides. The axial zone of the high Arctic, Barentsian Caledonides has been inferred to trend northwards through the Barents Shelf to the northern edge of the Eurasian margin between Kvitøya (easternmost Svalbard) and western Franz Josef Land, based on analysis of drill-cores that sampled the pre-Carboniferous basement beneath Alexandra Island. The deformation front of the Barentsian Caledonides has been inferred to trend northeastwards between Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya. The North Kara Terrane, reaching from Severnaya Zemlya (SZ) and northernmost Taimyr in the east to northern Novaya Zemlya in the west, comprises the northernmost foreland to the Barentsian orogen. Four lines of independent evidence are presented here demonstrating that the North Kara Terrane is a direct northerly continuation of the Timanide domain, the latter composing the Neoproterozoic accreted margin of Baltica in the Timan-Pechora-Urals region. These lines of evidence, all from October Revolution Island (SZ), include: (1) a westerly source for Old Red Sandstones successions, with 'Caledonian' fish fauna and detrital muscovites yielding Ar/Ar ages of c. 450 Ma; (2) Ordovician igneous rocks containing c. 550 Ma xenocrysts; (3) Cambrian turbidites with c. 545 Ma detrital muscovites; (4) Cambro-Silurian fauna with many species shared with Baltica. In addition, the Neoproterozoic turbidites of northern Taimyr have been previously reported to contain c. 560 Ma zircon populations, a signature that has been recently found in similar lithologies from Bol'shevik Island (SZ). All these late Vendian ages are characteristic of the Timanide Orogen of the Timan-Pechora-Novaya Zemlya region and, together, indicate that the North Kara Terrane was not an independent 'plate' or 'microcontinent' in the Palaeozoic, as previously proposed, but an essential part of southernmost (Ordovician coordinates) Baltica. Comparability of the evolution of the Timanian margin of the North Kara Terrane with the contemporaneous Baikalian evolution of adjacent Taimyr, together with the lack of evidence of Palaeozoic oceanic rocks and Uralian collisional, high-pressure metamorphic assemblages in Taimyr, suggests that the palaeocontinents Siberia and Baltica were never separated by a major ocean in the high Arctic.
Crustal structure and tectonic model of northeastern Baltica, based on deep seismic and potential field data
Authors: Kostyuchenko S. , Sapozhnikov R. , Egorkin A. , Gee D. G. , Berzin R. , Solodilov L.
Published: July 2007

The Early-Mid-Palaeozoic successions of the Pechora Basin along continent Baltica's northeastern margin unconformably overlie Neoproterozoic complexes of the Timanide orogen; further west, Palaeozoic platform strata cover the East European Craton basement. The latter is exposed in the northern parts of the Fennoscandian (Baltic) Shield and is also present beneath the Neoproterozoic (perhaps also Mesoproterozoic) and younger successions of the Mezen Basin. Geophysical data help define the crustal and upper mantle structures of this part of northwestern Russia, from the Kola Peninsula to the Uralide orogen. Within the Shield, seismic refraction and near-vertical reflection profiling allow the terranes of Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic age, defined at the surface (the Murmansk, Kola-Liinakhamary, Central Kola, Keivy and Belomorian terranes, and the Pechenga-Imandra-Varzuga and Lapland-Kolvitsa Granulite Belts constituting the Lapland-Kola orogen, and the West Karelian, Central Karelian and Vodlozer terranes forming the Karelian province), to be traced into the deeper crust, promoting interpretation of various early Precambrian compressional and extensional regimes. Thrusting, transcurrent and extensional faulting have been identified in a crust that has been partly thickened during late Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic collision and locally extended both in back-arc basin settings and during syn-post-collisional collapse. The main Fennoscandian terranes can be traced southeastwards beneath the Mezen Basin based on gravity and magnetic data. Seismic profiling shows that the Phanerozoic successions of this basin overlie intracratonic rifts of Neoproterozoic and possibly Mesoproterozoic age. The rifts are composed of a number of half-graben, the details of which are well defined by vibroseis reflection profiling. During the development of Mezen Basin rifts, a Neoproterozoic passive margin was established in the vicinity of what is now the Timan Range. Late Neoproterozoic (Vendian) orogeny emplaced slope-rise turbidite-dominated successions southwestwards onto the platform. Towards the hinterland of the Timanides (also referred to as Baikalides), beneath the Phanerozoic Pechora Basin, a combination of potential field and seismic surveys, both shallow reflection and deep refraction profiling, have allowed analysis of the crust and uppermost mantle. Neoproterozoic magmatic arcs, Grenville-age(?) microcontinents and possible oceanic domains are inferred to exist beneath the early Palaeozoic unconformity. A vast region of Neoproterozoic accretion reaches from the western Urals, northwards beneath the Pechora Basin and the eastern Barents Shelf.
The Svecofennian orogen: a collage of microcontinents and island arcs
Authors: Korja Annakaisa , Lahtinen Raimo , Nironen Mikko
Published: July 2007

Based on an integrated study of geological and geophysical data, a tectonic model for the Palaeoproterozoic evolution of the Svecofennian orogen within the Fennoscandian Shield at the northwestern corner of the East European Craton is proposed. The Svecofennian orogen is suggested to have formed during five, partly overlapping, orogenies: Lapland-Savo, Lapland-Kola, Fennian, Nordic and Svecobaltic. The Svecofennian orogen evolved in four major stages, involving microcontinent accretion (1.92-1.88 Ga), large-scale extension of the accreted crust (1.87-1.84 Ga), continent-continent collision (1.87-1.79 Ga) and finally gravitational collapse (1.79 and 1.77 Ga). The stages partly overlapped in time and space, as different processes operated simultaneously in different parts of the plates. In the Lapland-Savo and Fennian orogenies, microcontinents (suspect terranes) and island arcs were accreted to the Karelian microcontinent, which itself was accreting to Laurentia in the Lapland-Kola orogeny. The formation of the Svecofennian orogen was finalized in two continental collisions producing the Nordic orogen in the west (Fennoscandia-Amazonia) and Svecobaltic orogen in the SSW (Fennoscandia- Sarmatia). The collisions were immediately followed by gravitational collapse.
The Lapland-Kola orogen: Palaeoproterozoic collision and accretion of the northern Fennoscandian lithosphere
Authors: Daly J. Stephen , Balagansky Victor V. , Timmerman Martin J. , Whitehouse Martin J.
Published: July 2007

A tectonic model is proposed for the Palaeoproterozoic Lapland-Kola orogen (LKO) in the northern Fennoscandian Shield. Although long regarded as an Archaean craton, integrated geological, geochemical and geophysical observations show that the Lapland-Kola orogen is a Palaeoproterozoic collisional belt containing both Archaean terranes and an important component of juvenile Palaeoproterozoic crust. Rifting, from 2.5 to 2.1 Ga, began under the influence of a mantle plume (> 1000 km diameter), related to the break-up of the Kenorland supercontinent. Two linear suture zones within the orogeriic core mark the sites of continental separation, ocean formation and closure. One of these is identified as a belt of 1.98-1.91 Ga juvenile crust of both arc magmatic and sedimentary origin, marked by the Lapland Granulite, Umba and Tersk terranes. Palaeomagnetic data and ancient sedimentary detritus within these terranes suggest limited oceanic separation. Collision of juvenile terranes with the surrounding Archaean took place mainly between 1.93 and 1.91 Ga, resulting in a Himalayan-scale mountain belt, manifest by a thick-skinned region of high-
P
granulite-facies metamorphism, including the classical Lapland Granulite Belt and a broad zone of compressional deformation extending southwards into the Belomorian Mobile Belt. Protracted cooling and exhumation, possibly related to the buttressing effect of surrounding lithosphere, culminated in the intrusion of 1.80-1.77 Ga post-tectonic granites.
The Archaean nucleus of the Fennoscandian (Baltic) Shield
Authors: Slabunov A. I. , Lobach-Zhuchenko S. B. , Bibikova E. V. , Sorjonen-Ward P. , Balangansky V. V. , Volodichev O. I. , Shchipansky A. A. , Svetov S. A. , Chekulaev V. P. , Arestova N. A. , Stepanov V. S.
Published: July 2007

abstract

Archaean supracrustal complexes, known in the Fennoscandian (Baltic) Shield, are described and discussed by analysing the time sections 3.1-2.9, 2.9-2.75 and 2.75-2.65 Ga. Data on granitoid complexes, interrelated in time and space, and evidence for Archaean metamorphic events are classified and presented briefly. Fragments of ophiolitic and eclogitic associations have been found in Archaean rocks in the Shield. The first evidence of continental crust in the Shield is from Meso-Archaean time (3.5-3.1 Ga); isolated microcontinents, such as Vodlozero, lisalmi and North Finland, have been identified. New continental crust was mainly generated in the 2.9-2.65 Ga interval. The geodynamic settings in which the continental crust was formed in the Meso-and Neoarchaean included subduction (ensialic and ensimatic), accretion and collisional mechanisms. The continental and oceanic crust were affected by mantle plumes.
What Do We Know about the Serotonergic Genetic Heterogeneity in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity and Autistic Disorders?
Authors: Sinzig J. , Lehmkuhl G.
Published: July 2007

Background: Shared candidate gene regions point to a link between autistic disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although they represent nosologically different diagnoses, the disorders do show some shared symptoms, above all inattention. For both disorders, the association with the serotonergic system is a focus of current research. Sampling and Methods: The current work provides an overview of serotonergic mechanisms in ADHD and autistic disorders as well as the resulting pharmacogenetic approaches. Results: No uniform picture emerges either for ADHD or for autistic disorders. In pharmacogenetic terms, there are some isolated studies on associations between serotonergic mechanisms and pharmacotherapy. For the area of autism, such studies are still lacking. Conclusions: The presented serotonergic mechanisms show relationships of this polymorphism to ADHD and autistic disorders, but they do not result in a uniform picture. The overlaps can best be explained by a dimensional classification approach. As yet, only a small number of studies on attentional disorders in autism and ADHD using shared samples have been carried out. With regard to diagnostics and therapy, analyses on the etiology of the attentional disorder of ADHD and autism are required.