bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hemodynamic and electrophysiological evidence of resting-state network activity in the primate
Authors: Ardestani Allen , Shen Wei , Darvas Felix , Toga Arthur , Fuster Joaquin
Published: November 2008

An expanding body of literature describes the existence of concerted brain activations in the absence of any external stimuli. Resting-state networks have been identified and demonstrated to be modulated during the performance of specific cognitive operations. However, despite mounting evidence the possibility still remains that those correlated signal fluctuations reflect non-neural phenomena. In order to isolate functionally relevant spontaneous coactivations, we utilized a multi-level sampling approach to obtain co-registered brain signals across a range of sampling resolution and sensitivity. Surface and local field potentials, hemodynamic signals (near-infrared spectroscopy, NIRS), and cell spiking were recorded from dorsolateral prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices in four monkeys trained to remain motionless in a primate chair. The use of an optical recording technique (NIRS) allows measurement of a signal that is physiologically equivalent to that obtained using BOLD fMRI, though with millisecond temporal resolution and minimal technical or environmental constraints. The different signal types exhibited correlations between the two regions of interest in both the frequency and time domains. This evidence suggests that the resting-state network activations detected by fMRI do in fact reflect functional coactivations of areas across multiple levels of network communication.
Visualising a scientific article
Authors: Page Roderic
Published: November 2008

This paper describes my entry in the Elsevier Grand Challenge "Knowledge Enhancement in the Life Sciences" contest. The entry takes a collection of fulltext issues of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution as the starting point, then extracts citation links to both papers and data, such as Genbank sequences and specimens, together with geotagged localities, and builds a "web" of objects linked by typed relationships. Each object (such as a publication, a sequence, a specimen, a taxon name, etc.) is treated equally, so that you can take a publication and see what taxa it refers to, or take the taxon and find all the publications that refer to the taxon. Although the database has been seeded with some articles from Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, much of the data comes from GenBank, PubMed, and specimen databases. These are accessed through "bioGUID":http://bioguid.info, a tool I constructed to resolve globally unique identifiers and return associated metadata.
Administration of a substituted adamantyl urea inhibitor of soluble epoxide hydrolase protects the kidney from damage in hypertensive Goto–Kakizaki rats
Authors: Olearczyk Jeffrey J. , Quigley Jeffrey E. , Mitchell Bradford C. , Yamamoto Tatsuo , Kim In-Hae , Newman John W. , Luria Ayala , Hammock Bruce D. , Imig John D.
Published: November 2008

Hypertension and Type 2 diabetes are co-morbid diseases that lead to the development of nephropathy. sEH (soluble epoxide hydrolase) inhibitors are reported to provide protection from renal injury. We hypothesized that the sEH inhibitor AUDA [12-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureido)-dodecanoic acid] protects the kidney from the development of nephropathy associated with hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. Hypertension was induced in spontaneously diabetic GK (Goto–Kakizaki) rats using AngII (angiotensin II) and a high-salt diet. Hypertensive GK rats were treated for 2 weeks with either AUDA or its vehicle added to drinking water. MAP (mean arterial pressure) increased from 118±2 mmHg to 182±20 and 187±6 mmHg for vehicle and AUDA-treated hypertensive GK rats respectively. AUDA treatment did not alter blood glucose. Hypertension in GK rats resulted in a 17-fold increase in urinary albumin excretion, which was decreased with AUDA treatment. Renal histological evaluation determined that AUDA treatment decreased glomerular and tubular damage. In addition, AUDA treatment attenuated macrophage infiltration and inhibited urinary excretion of MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and kidney cortex MCP-1 gene expression. Taken together, these results provide evidence that sEH inhibition with AUDA attenuates the progression of renal damage associated with hypertension and Type 2 diabetes.
Toroidal equilibria in spherical coordinates
Authors: Tsui K. H.
Published: November 2008

The standard Grad–Shafranov equation for axisymmetric toroidal plasma equilibrium is customary expressed in cylindrical coordinates with toroidal contours, and through which benchmark equilibria are solved. An alternative approach to cast the Grad–Shafranov equation in spherical coordinates is presented. This equation, in spherical coordinates, is examined for toroidal solutions to describe low β Solovev and high β plasma equilibria in terms of elementary functions.
Adhesion and interfacial fracture toughness between hard and soft materials
Authors: Rahbar Nima , Wolf Kurt , Orana Argjenta , Fennimore Roy , Zong Zong , Meng Juan , Papandreou George , Maryanoff Cynthia , Soboyejo Wole
Published: November 2008

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and theoretical study of adhesion between hard and soft layers that are relevant to medical devices such as drug-eluting stents and semiconductor applications. Brazil disk specimens were used to measure the interfacial fracture energies between model parylene C and 316L stainless steel over a wide range of mode mixities. The trends in the overall fracture energies are predicted using a combination of adhesion theories and fracture mechanics concepts. The measured interfacial fracture energies are shown to be in good agreement with the predictions.
Photoluminescence of confined electron-hole plasma in core-shell silicon/silicon oxide nanowires
Authors: Demichel O. , Oehler F. , Noé P. , Calvo V. , Pauc N. , Gentile P. , Baron T. , Peyrade D. , Magnea N.
Published: November 2008

We study by low temperature photoluminescence measurements the electronic states of silicon nanowires obtained by copper catalyzed chemical vapor deposition and compare them with those of wires made by etching silicon on the insulator structure. Thermal oxidation of nanowires appears to be absolutely necessary to passivate surface states and to enhance radiative recombinations at the silicon band gap. The study of the behavior of this transition as a function of temperature and pump power demonstrates that it involves the phonon assisted recombination of free carriers. The recombination energy appears at the silicon band gap, renormalized by exchange and correlation interactions favored by spatial confinement.
Modeling the Pauli potential in the pair density functional theory
Authors: Amovilli C. , Nagy Á.
Published: November 2008

In the ground state the pair density can be determined by solving a single auxiliary equation of a two-particle problem. A novel method for determining the Pauli potential entering this equation is presented and, starting from a reliable description of the pair density, an analytical expression is derived for atomic systems. Test calculations are presented for Be and isoelectronic C2+ and O4+ ions.
Ferromagnetic spin-correlations in strained LaCoO3 thin films
Authors: Freeland J. W. , Ma J. X. , Shi J.
Published: November 2008

We present an element-resolved study of the valence and magnetic properties of LaCoO3 thin films grown via pulsed laser deposition. The Co L edge x-ray absorption shows that ferromagnetic (FM) order arises from a slight hole doping of the system presumably due to nonstoichiometry, which in the bulk system disrupts the low-spin state. However, even though the films are hole doped, the magnetic moments under tensile strain are much larger than the bulk system indicating that the strain can greatly increase the FM fraction observed in the spin-glass regime at low doping.
The influence of interfaces on the dielectric properties of MnZn-based hybrid polymer composites
Authors: Moučka R. , Vilčáková J. , Kazantseva N. E. , Lopatin A. V. , Sáha P.
Published: November 2008

In the present paper we report on the specific features of the dielectric properties of a MnZn ferrite/Al based composite. Previously, it has been shown that high-frequency magnetic losses in such hybrid composites (HCs) can be enhanced due to the formation of a core-shell-like structure of a composite, in which ferrite particles are immersed into a conducting medium formed by a continuous network of conducting particles that spans throughout the polymer matrix. Simultaneously, one can vary the dielectric properties of HCs by changing the type and the concentration of conducting particles. Dielectric constant and ac conductivity measurements of MnZn-based composites have been made over the frequency range of 10 Hz–100 kHz in temperature interval from −30 to 100 °C and at ambient temperature up to 3 GHz. The results obtained show that addition of aluminum into the MnZn ferrite/polyurethane composite leads to a decrease in the dc conductivity due to the insulating barrier of Al–Al2O3. On the other hand, ac conductivity of MnZn ferrite and aluminum/polyurethane composite is greater than that of a two-component system due to the occurrence of Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars relaxation processes with a rather low value of activation energy and significantly higher relaxation time. Thus, on one side, aluminum provides sufficient conductivity of the “shell” and thus leads to the enhancement of effective permeability, but, on other side, it does not significantly contribute to the total conductivity (effective permittivity) of HCs. The analysis of the efficiency of HCs with different types of conducting filler as electromagnetic wave absorbers (EWAs) has shown that the matching frequency of EWAs can be effectively controlled in the radio-frequency range through an appropriate choice of the type of conducting filler.
Geodesic acoustic modes excited by finite beta drift waves
Authors: Chakrabarti N. , Guzdar P. N. , Kleva R. G. , Naulin V. , Rasmussen J. J. , Kaw P. K.
Published: November 2008

Presented in this paper is a mode-coupling analysis for the nonlinear excitation of the geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) in tokamak plasmas by finite beta drift waves. The finite beta effects give rise to a strong stabilizing influence on the parametric excitation process. The dominant finite beta effect is the combination of the Maxwell stress, which has a tendency to cancel the primary drive from the Reynolds stress, and the finite beta modification of the drift waves. The zonal magnetic field is also excited at the GAM frequency. However, it does not contribute to the overall stability of the three-wave process for parameters of relevance to the edge region of tokamaks.
Scaling behaviors of reset voltages and currents in unipolar resistance switching
Authors: Lee S. B. , Chae S. C. , Chang S. H. , Lee J. S. , Seo S. , Kahng B. , Noh T. W.
Published: November 2008

The wide distributions of switching voltages in unipolar switching currently pose major obstacles for scientific advancement and practical applications. Using NiO capacitors, we investigated the distributions of the reset voltage and current. We found that they scaled with the resistance value Ro in the low resistance state and that the scaling exponents varied at Ro≈30 Ω. We explain these intriguing scaling behaviors and their crossovers by analogy with percolation theory. We show that the connectivity of conducting filaments plays a crucial role in the reset process.
Narrow-line coherently combined tapered laser diodes in a Talbot external cavity with a volume Bragg grating
Authors: Paboeuf David , Lucas-Leclin Gaëlle , Georges Patrick , Michel Nicolas , Krakowski Michel , Lim Jun , Sujecki Slawomir , Larkins Eric
Published: November 2008

We present the phase locking of an array of index-guided tapered laser diodes. An external cavity based on the self-imaging Talbot effect has been built. A volume Bragg grating is used as the output coupler to stabilize and narrow the spectrum at 976nm. A power of 1.7W is achieved in the in-phase single main lobe mode with a high visibility. We have checked that each emitter is locked to the Bragg wavelength with a 100pm spectrum linewidth. The experimental results compare well with numerical simulations performed with two-dimensional wide-angle finite difference beam propagation method.
Neutrophil Adhesion and Activation under Flow
Authors: ZARBOCK ALEXANDER , LEY KLAUS
Published: November 2008

Neutrophil recruitment into inflamed tissue in response to injury or infection is tightly regulated. Reduced neutrophil recruitment can result in a reduced ability to fight invading microorganisms. During inflammation, neutrophils roll along the endothelial wall of postcapillary venules and integrate inflammatory signals. Neutrophil activation by selectins and chemokines regulates integrin adhesiveness. Binding of activated integrins to their counter‐receptors on endothelial cells induces neutrophil arrest and firm adhesion. Adherent neutrophils can be further activated to undergo cytoskeletal rearrangement, crawling, transmigration, superoxide production, and respiratory burst. Signaling through G‐protein‐coupled receptors, selectin ligands, Fc receptors and outside‐in signaling through integrins are all involved in neutrophil activation, but their interplay in the multistep process of recruitment is only beginning to emerge. This review provides an overview of signaling in rolling and adherent neutrophils.
MFEprimer: multiple factor evaluation of the specificity of PCR primers
Authors: Qu Wubin , Shen Zhiyong , Zhao Dongsheng , Yang Yi , Zhang Chenggang
Published: November 2008

Summary: We developed a program named MFEprimer for evaluating the specificity of PCR primers based on multiple factors, including sequence similarity, stability at the 3 ′ -end of the primer, melting temperature, GC content and number of binding sites between the primer and DNA templates. MFEprimer can help the user to select more suitable primers before running either standard or multiplex PCR reactions. The cDNA and genomic DNA databases of 10 widely used species, as well as user custom databases, were used as DNA templates for analyzing primers specificity. Furthermore, we maintained a Primer3Plus server with a modified Primer3Manager for one-stop primer design and specificity checking.

Availability: The web service of MFEprimer is freely available at http://biocompute.bmi.ac.cn/MFEprimer/. A stand-alone version of MFEprimer can be downloaded at http://biocompute.bmi.ac.cn/MFEprimer/download/. Primer3Plus on our server is located at http://biocompute.bmi.ac.cn/MFEprimer/primer3plus.cgi. All programs are licensed under the General Public License (Free Software Foundation, 1991).

Contact:  zhangcg@bmi.ac.cn

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Occupational Lung Disease
Authors: Simon Chantal
Published: November 2008

Exposure to gases, vapours and dusts at work can lead to lung disease. If a patient develops an occupational lung disease, a doctor is obliged to notify the patient's employer in writing with the patient's consent. A list of notifiable respiratory diseases is included in Box 1 . The doctor does not need to make a judgement about whether the disease is, in that particular case, caused by the occupation.
Sudden Visual Loss
Authors: Harding Emma
Published: November 2008

A patient presenting with sudden visual loss can be a terrifying experience for both patient and doctor. Patients want to know if they could be permanently blinded and doctors are faced with a rarely encountered highly distressing symptom which they can often do little to improve in the surgery.
Diagnosis of Asthma
Authors: Lynch Jeanette
Published: November 2008

Asthma is a condition of paroxysmal, reversible airways obstruction. It is due to a chronic underlying inflammatory process and has characteristic features of reversible airway narrowing and airway hyper-responsiveness to a wide range of stimuli.
Management of Dry Eyes
Authors: Newsom Richard , Simon Chantal
Published: November 2008

A dry eye (sometimes called keratoconjunctivitis sicca) is an eye where there are insuffi cient or inadequate tears to keep the front surface of the eye moist. Patients usually complain of grittiness or irritation which often worsens towards the end of the day.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Newsom Richard , Simon Chantal
Published: November 2008

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in the UK accounting for 16 000 registrations of blindness every year. One in fifty people over the age of 65 in the UK are blind in one or both eyes due to AMD. Macular degeneration is always a bilateral disease but one eye is usually more severely affected than the other. Smoking is the most important risk factor for development of AMD. The risk of developing AMD is 3.6 times greater for smokers and former smokers than those who have never smoked.
Good Record Keeping
Authors: Wilkie Veronica
Published: November 2008

Keeping good notes is essential for effective medical care and for the day-today smooth and safe running of general practice. The GMC states as part of Good Medical Practice that:
APOBEC proteins and intrinsic resistance to HIV-1 infection
Authors: Malim Michael H
Published: November 2008

Members of the APOBEC family of cellular polynucleotide cytidine deaminases, most notably APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F, are potent inhibitors of HIV-1 infection. Wild type HIV-1 infections are largely spared from APOBEC3G/F function through the action of the essential viral protein, Vif. In the absence of Vif, APOBEC3G/F are encapsidated by budding virus particles leading to excessive cytidine (C) to uridine (U) editing of negative sense reverse transcripts in newly infected cells. This registers as guanosine (G) to adenosine (A) hypermutations in plus-stranded cDNA. In addition to this profoundly debilitating effect on genetic integrity, APOBEC3G/F also appear to inhibit viral DNA synthesis by impeding the translocation of reverse transcriptase along template RNA. Because the functions of Vif and APOBEC3G/F proteins oppose each other, it is likely that fluctuations in the Vif–APOBEC balance may influence the natural history of HIV-1 infection, as well as viral sequence diversification and evolution. Given Vif's critical role in suppressing APOBEC3G/F function, it can be argued that pharmacologic strategies aimed at restoring the activity of these intrinsic anti-viral factors in the context of infected cells
in vivo
have clear therapeutic merit, and therefore deserve aggressive pursuit.
Myogenic regulatory factors Myf5 and Mrf4 of fish: current status and perspective
Authors: Chen Y. H. , Tsai H. J.
Published: November 2008

Recent advances in the understanding of fish myogenic regulatory factors (MRF) are described in this review. Specifically, two of the MRFs are discussed, Myf5 and Mrf4, which are encoded by a highly linked gene loci (mrf4 and myf5) that is conserved among vertebrates. Experiments related to the expression patterns, biological functions and regulatory network of mrf4 and myf5 are highlighted, and examples of gene organizations and protein features among known vertebrate species are outlined. Furthermore, the complicated regulatory mechanisms of myf5 are discussed using zebrafish Danio rerio as a model. Multiple regulatory elements that control the specific expression of zebrafish myf5 are elucidated, including enhancer, silencer, proximal and distal elements, the interaction between proximal regulatory cassette −82/−62 and its cognate binding transcription factors, and a plausible post‐transcriptional regulatory mechanism. This review article highlights a fundamental molecular mechanism of mrf4 and myf5 during fish muscle development.
High gene flow in Girella punctata (Perciformes, Kyphosidae) among the Japanese Islands inferred from partial sequence of the control region in mitochondrial DNA
Authors: Saito T. , Washio S. , Dairiki K. , Shimojo M. , Itoi S. , Sugita H.
Published: November 2008

Sequencing analysis of the partial control region (c. 450 bp) detected 88 haplotypes from 249 individuals of Girella punctata collected from coastal waters of nine locations in the Japanese Islands. A single haplotype was the most numerous at all sampling locations, and no significant genetic difference was found among G. punctata samples collected from various locations (FST=−0·0274 to 0·0247) with high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity, suggesting that G. punctata population had experienced a bottleneck followed by rapid population growth around the Japanese Islands and might be affected by larval dispersal in association with warm currents.
The thoracic morphology of Archostemata and the relationships of the extant suborders of Coleoptera (Hexapoda)
Authors: Friedrich Frank , Farrell Brian D. , Beutel Rolf G.
Published: November 2008

Thoracic structures ofTetraphalerus bruchiare described in detail. The results were compared with features found in other representatives of Archostemata and other coleopteran suborders. Differences between thoracic structures ofTetraphalerusand members of other archostematan subgroups are discussed. External and internal characters of larval and adult representatives of 37 genera of the coleopteran suborders are outlined, coded and analysed cladistically, with four groups of Neuropterida as outgroup taxa. The results strongly suggest the branching pattern Archostemata + [Adephaga + (Myxophaga + Polyphaga)]. Coleoptera excluding Archostemata are supported with a high Bremer support. Important evolutionary changes linked with this branching event are simplifications of the thoracic skeleton resulting in reduced degrees of freedom (i.e. a restricted movability, especially at the leg bases), and a distinct simplification of the muscle system. This development culminates in Polyphaga, which are also strongly supported as a clade. Internalization of the partly reduced propleura, further muscle losses, and the fusion of the mesoventrites and metaventrites—with reversal in Scirtoidea and Derodontidae—are autapomorphies of Polyphaga. Archostemata is a small relict group in contrast to highly successful xylobiontic groups of Polyphaga. The less efficient thoracic locomotor apparatus, the lack of cryptonephric Malpighian tubules, and the rise of angiosperms with beetle groups primarily adjusted to them may have contributed to the decline of Archostemata.

© The Willi Hennig Society 2008.
New ITS genotype of Cryptococcus gattii isolated from an AIDS patient in Brazil
Authors: Kang Yingqian , Tanaka Hiroko , Moretti Maria Luiza , Mikami Yuzuru
Published: November 2008

Based on combinations of nine variable nucleotides at nine different base positions in the ITS1‐5.8S‐ITS2 region, Cryptococcus gattii strains were classified into six genotypes. A new genotype of C. gattii, designated as ITS type 8, was isolated from an AIDS patient in Brazil. The ITS type 8 strain is closely related to the ITS type 4 strain, which has been frequently isolated in Brazil and the USA, but which shows ITS‐signatured nucleotide difference at each nucleotide position. The ITS type 8 strain is also differentiated from all heretofore reported ITS types of C. gattii strains in the RAPD band patterns and IGS sequence information.
Analysis of cis‐regulatory elements in the 5′ untranslated region of murine leukemia virus controlling protein expression
Authors: Yamamoto Naoki , Takase‐Yoden Sayaka
Published: November 2008

It has previously been reported by us that high‐level expression of the Env protein of Fr‐MLV clone A8 in brains is crucial for induction of spongiform neurodegeneration, and that the 0.3‐kb fragment containing the R, U5, and the 5′ leader sequence of A8 is responsible for neuropathogenicity. In the present study, the role of the 5′ untranslated region in protein expression was investigated. Luciferase expression vectors containing the LTR (R‐U3‐U5) and 5′ leader sequence of A8 and non‐neuropathogenic 57 Fr‐MLV, designated gl‐A8 and gl‐57, and their chimeric vectors, were constructed, and transfected into rat glial cells F10. Replacement of the region containing the 3′ half of R, U5, and 5′ leader sequence of gl‐A8 with that of 57 showed a reduction in luciferase activities, and replacement of this region of gl‐57 with that of A8 showed increased luciferase activity. These results show that the region containing the 3′ half of R, U5, and 5′ leader sequence of A8 more efficiently up‐regulates protein expression than 57. In particular, the 3′ half of 5′ leader of A8 was most responsible for the up‐regulation of protein expression. Of interest, after replacement of the fragments between A8 and 57, changes in the activities of vectors containing A8‐U3 paralleled the amount of mRNA, but the activities of vectors containing 57‐U3 did not. Furthermore, it is suggested that the region containing R, U5, and the 5′ leader sequence influences transcriptional or post‐transcriptional steps, depending on the upstream sequence containing enhancer elements and promoter.
Infliximab treatment for symptomatic Crohn’s disease strictures
Authors: PELLETIER A.‐L. , KALISAZAN B. , WIENCKIEWICZ J. , BOUARIOUA N. , SOULÉ J.‐C.
Published: November 2008

Background  Some reports have suggested that infliximab may induce obstructive symptoms and, although there is no firm evidence, it is usually contra‐indicated in‐patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and strictures.

Aims  To evaluate the effect of infliximab on symptomatic strictures of the small intestine in CD and to identify predictive factors of clinical response.

Methods  This retrospective study included symptomatic patients treated with infliximab after conventional treatment had failed. The short‐term (week 8) and long‐term results were classified according to predefined criteria as complete, partial response, or failure.

Results  Before infliximab, 18 patients had complete obstruction or intermittent chronic abdominal pain. Fourteen patients were treated by corticosteroids and 13 received immunosuppressive drugs. At week 8, complete, partial response and failure were observed in 10, 7 and 1 patients, respectively. Fourteen patients continued maintenance infliximab treatment after week 8. During the most recent evaluation (median follow‐up: 18 months), 8 patients were on maintenance infliximab treatment; only eight were still on prednisone; there were five complete responses, 10 partial responses and three failures. Initiating prednisone or increasing its dosage was the only factor associated with a short‐term complete response.

Conclusions  Infliximab may be effective in patients with symptomatic strictures from CD, and should be tested before considering surgery.
Continuous distal oesophageal acidification decreases postprandial gastric acidity in healthy human subjects
Authors: BLONDEAU K. , SIFRIM D. , GARDNER J. D.
Published: November 2008

Background  Previously, we hypothesized that exposing the distal oesophagus to acid signals the stomach to decrease gastric acidity.

Aim  To test the hypothesis that exposing the distal oesophagus to acid signals the stomach to decrease gastric acidity.

Methods  Twenty‐two healthy humans ingested a standard meal containing [14C]octanoic acid and [13C]glycine over 30 min on 2 separate occasions. Gastric pH was measured for 90 min before and 240 min after the meal. 10 mm HCl was infused continuously at 1 mL/min into either the distal oesophagus or stomach in a 2‐way crossover fashion for 60 min before and 240 min after the meal. Gastric emptying of solid and liquid were determined with breath tests.

Results  Compared to gastric infusion, oesophageal infusion significantly decreased gastric acidity after the meal, but not before the meal and the magnitude of the decrease varied directly with gastric acidity. Gastric emptying of solid or liquid with oesophageal infusion was not significantly different from that with gastric infusion.

Conclusions  These findings support the hypothesis of the existence of a physiological oesophago‐gastric feedback mechanism that might contribute to regulation of postprandial gastric acidity. Oesophageal acidification might decode gastric information and signal the stomach to decrease gastric acidity. Further studies are needed to assess the characteristics of such feedback mechanism in‐patients with gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Atopic and non‐atopic allergic disorders: current insights into the possible involvement of free immunoglobulin light chains
Authors: Groot Kormelink T. , Thio M. , Blokhuis B. R. , Nijkamp F. P. , Redegeld F. A.
Published: November 2008

Allergic diseases have become a serious global health problem in the developed world. IgE interacting with its high‐affinitiy receptor FcɛRI is considered a major contributing factor to most types of allergies, but depending on the type of allergy, however, a subgroup of patients displays common symptoms and yet lack elevated levels of total serum IgE and/or antigen‐specific IgE. Novel therapeutic strategies such as anti‐IgE therapy may therefore not be applicable to these patients. It is clear, however, that these patients do display activation of mast cells. In several patients suffering from immunological disorders, an increase in free immunoglobulin (IG) light chain levels can be detected. Previously, we have described the capability of free light chains to elicit immediate hypersensitivity responses. In this Opinion article, we will discuss the role of IgE‐ and non‐IgE‐mediated mechanisms in allergic disorders and point out a possible role of free IG light chains in the pathogenesis of the non‐atopic types of these allergies.
Simultaneous constraining of model and data smoothness for regularization of geophysical inverse problems
Authors: Gholami A. , Siahkoohi H. R.
Published: November 2008

In this paper, a new approach is introduced to solve ill-posed linear inverse problems in geophysics. Our method combines classical quadratic regularization and data smoothing by imposing constraints on model and data smoothness simultaneously. When imposing a quadratic penalty term in the data space to control smoothness of the data predicted by classical zero-order regularization, the method leads to a direct regularization in standard form, which is simple to be implemented and ensures that the estimated model is smooth. In addition, by enforcing Tikhonov's predicted data to be sparse in a wavelet domain, the idea leads to an efficient regularization algorithm with two superior properties. First, the algorithm ensures the smoothness of the estimated model while substantially preserving the edges of it, so, it is well suited for recovering piecewise smooth/constant models. Second, parsimony of wavelets on the columns of the forward operator and existence of a fast wavelet transform algorithm provide an efficient sparse representation of the forward operator matrix. The reduced size of the forward operator makes the solution of large-scale problems straightforward, because during the inversion process, only sparse matrices need to be stored, which reduces the memory required. Additionally, all matrix–vector multiplications are carried out in sparse form, reducing CPU time.

Applications on both synthetic and real 1-D seismic-velocity estimation experiments illustrate the idea. The performance of the method is compared with that of classical quadratic regularization, total-variation regularization and a two-step, wavelet-based, inversion method.
EGFR, HER‐2 and COX‐2 levels in colorectal cancer
Authors: Antonacopoulou A G , Tsamandas A C , Petsas T , Liava A , Scopa C D , Papavassiliou A G , Kalofonos H P
Published: November 2008

Aims:  Receptor tyrosine kinases epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER‐2 and cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) are promising molecular targets for cancer therapy and/or prevention. The aim was to evaluate EGFR, HER‐2 and COX‐2 mRNA and protein expression in colorectal cancer patients.

Methods and results:  EGFR, HER‐2 and COX‐2 protein levels were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in malignant tissue, dysplastic tissue and normal mucosa samples from 124 cases with primary colorectal carcinoma. Moreover, the corresponding mRNA levels were assessed by quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction in 46 colorectal carcinomas. There was strong correlation between mRNA and protein expression for EGFR (P < 0.001), HER‐2 (P < 0.004) and COX‐2 (P < 0.007). EGFR levels did not correlate with stage of the disease or tumour differentiation. HER‐2 and COX‐2 levels increased in advanced stages and in differentiated carcinomas. Furthermore, a correlation between HER‐2 and COX‐2 expression was revealed in neoplastic tissue.

Conclusions:  EGFR as well as HER‐2 and COX‐2 overexpression represent important alterations that are related to the molecular pathways underpinning colorectal carcinogenesis. Further investigation is required to evaluate the impact of these markers on the management of patients with colorectal cancer.
Deregulated expression of p16INK4a and p53 pathway members in benign and malignant myoepithelial tumours of the salivary glands
Authors: Vékony H , Röser K , Löning T , Raaphorst F M , Leemans C R , Van der Waal I , Bloemena E
Published: November 2008

Aims:  Myoepithelial salivary gland tumours are uncommon and follow an unpredictable biological course. The aim was to examine their molecular background to acquire a better understanding of their clinical behaviour.

Methods and results:  Expression of protein (E2F1, p16INK4a, p53, cyclin D1, Ki67 and Polycomb group proteins BMI‐1, MEL‐18 and EZH2) was investigated in 49 benign and 30 primary malignant myoepithelial tumours and five histologically benign recurrences by immunohistochemistry and the findings correlated with histopathological characteristics. Benign tumours showed a higher percentage of cells with expression of p16INK4a pathway members [p16INK4a and E2F1 (both P < 0.001), and cyclin D1, P = 0.002] compared with normal salivary gland. Furthermore, malignant tumours expressed p53 (P = 0.003) and EZH2 (P = 0.09) in a higher percentage. Recurrences displayed more p53 + tumour cells (P = 0.02) than benign primaries. Amongst the benign tumours, the clear cell type had the highest proliferation fraction (P = 0.05) and a higher percentage of EZH2 was detected in the plasmacytoid cell type (P = 0.002).

Conclusions:  This study is the first to demonstrate that deregulation of the p16INK4a senescence pathway is involved in the development of myoepithelial tumours. We propose that additional inactivation of p53 in malignant primaries and benign recurrences contributes to myoepithelial neoplastic transformation and aggressive tumour growth.
Alternative fish species for cold‐smoking process
Authors: Gómez‐Guillén Ma Carmen , Gómez‐Estaca Joaquín , Giménez Begońa , Montero Pilan
Published: November 2008

Suitability of sardine (lean and fatty), dolphinfish and blue whiting for cold‐smoking was evaluated. Stable water‐holding capacity was observed in dolphinfish and blue whiting, but this tended to decrease in sardine throughout the storage. The 2‐thiobarbituric acid index was not suitable for lipid oxidation measure in these smoked fishes and rancid flavours were only detected in sardine at the end of storage period. Total volatile basic nitrogen tended to increase in all three species. Lactic acid bacteria became the dominant microflora and Enterobacteriaceae did not show any growth. A bacteriostatic effect of at least 21 days was observable in all the smoked species. Sensory shelf life was 11 weeks for both types of sardine and 9 weeks for dolphinfish and blue whiting. Softening of muscle tissue and the development of bitter and off flavours were the main causes of rejection. Smoking as a processing technology can be used to add value to excess sardine and dolphinfish catches, due to sensory acceptability ratings. In contrast, the blue whiting was not suitable for smoking due to unacceptable soft texture, a characteristic of this species.
Effects of high‐pressure treatment on the extraction yield, phenolic content and antioxidant activity of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) fruit pericarp
Authors: Prasad Nagendra K. , Yang Bao , Zhao Mouming , Wang Biao S. , Chen Feng , Jiang Yueming
Published: November 2008

As a promising technique, high‐pressure extraction (HPE) method was used to extract bioactive compounds from litchi fruit pricarp. The study involved in different experimental factors such as solvent, ethanol concentration (35‐95, v/v), material to solvent ratio (1:25‐1:100, w/v), acidic medium, extraction pressure (200‐500 MPa), time (2.5‐30 min) and temperature (30‐90 °C). The extraction yield, total phenolic contents, 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and superoxide anion scavenging capability of the HPE sample were examined and then compared with those of ultrasonic extraction and conventional extraction samples. The application of HPE obtained higher extraction yield compared to other extraction methods. However, there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the total phenolic content and the antioxidant activities among these various extractions. Compared with some conventional extraction method, the HPE exhibited higher extraction efficiency in terms of higher extraction yield and extraction time.
Nonstationary spatio‐temporal small rodent dynamics: evidence from long‐term Norwegian fox bounty data
Authors: Henden John‐André , Ims Rolf A. , Yoccoz Nigel G.
Published: November 2008

The geographical pattern in Fennoscandian small rodent population dynamics with a southern noncyclic and a northern cyclic region, and with latitudinal gradients in density‐dependent structure, cycle period length and spatial synchrony within the northern cyclic region, has been widely publicized and interpreted in the ecological literature. However, the time‐series data on which these inferences have been established are relatively short and originate from a specific time period (mostly around 1970–90). Hence, it can be questioned whether the geographical population dynamics patterns are consistent over time (i.e. whether they are stationary).

Here we analyse an almost century long (1880–1976) panel of fox bounty time series including 18 counties of Norway, thus spanning the whole range of latitudes of Fennoscandia (i.e. 15 latitudinal degrees). These fox time series mirror the dynamics of their dominant small rodent prey, in particular, with respect to cycle period length and spatial synchrony.

While we found some evidence consistent with previous analyses showing a clearly patterned dynamics according to latitude, such patterns were not stationary on a longer time‐scale. In particular, we observed a shift from an extensively synchronous (i.e. regionalized) 4‐year cycle north of 60°N just after the ‘Little Ice Age’ (1880–1910) to a diversification of cycle period length (3–5 years) and eventually, partial loss of cyclicity and synchronicity in later periods. Incidents of loss of cyclicity appeared to be preceded by changes in cycle period (i.e. period lengthening and shortening).

These results show that the dynamics of Fennoscandian small rodents, and their associated guild of predators, are more prone to change than previously acknowledged.
Regression of language and non‐language skills in pervasive developmental disorders
Authors: Meilleur A.‐A. S. , Fombonne E.
Published: November 2008

Background  As part of the pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), there is a subgroup of individuals reported to have a different onset of symptom appearance consisting of an apparently normal early development, followed by a loss of verbal and/or non‐verbal skills prior to 2 years of age. This study aims at comparing the symptomatology of children who displayed a regression and often an associated intellectual disability through investigation of two types of loss, namely language and other skill regression.

Methods  This study examined the occurrence of regression in 135 children with PDD, mean age 6.3 years. The sample was composed of 80 (59.4%) children diagnosed with autism, 44 (32.6%) with pervasive developmental disorder‐not otherwise specified (PDD‐NOS) and 11 (8%) with Asperger syndrome. The Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI‐R) was used to evaluate the type of loss and to characterise associated factors including birth rank, gender and thimerosal exposure through vaccination.

Results  A total of 30 (22%) subjects regressed: nine (30%) underwent language regression alone, 17 (57%) lost a skill other than language and four (13%) lost both language and another skill. Significantly higher levels of regression were found in autism (30%) compared with PDD‐NOS (14%) and Asperger syndrome (0%). Children who regressed in language skills spoke at a significantly earlier age ( = 12 months) than those who did not regress in this domain ( = 26 months). Parents and interviewers consistently reported developmental abnormalities prior to the loss. ADI‐R domain mean scores indicated a more severe autistic symptomatology profile in children who regressed compared with those who did not, especially in the repetitive behaviour domain. Regression was not associated to thimerosal exposure, indirectly estimated by year of birth.

Conclusions  A loss of skill, present in one out of five children with PDD, is associated with a slightly more severe symptomatology as measured by the ADI‐R, particularly in the repetitive behaviours domain. Furthermore, although abnormalities are often noticed by the caregivers at the time of regression, the ADI‐R reveals that other atypical behaviours were in fact present prior to the onset of regression in most cases. None of the secondary factors investigated were associated with regression. In children unexposed to thimerosal‐containing vaccines, the rate of regression was similar to that reported in studies of samples exposed to thimerosal, suggesting that thimerosal has no specific association with regressive autism.
The ARGONAUTE10 gene modulates shoot apical meristem maintenance and establishment of leaf polarity by repressing miR165/166 in Arabidopsis
Authors: Liu Qili , Yao Xiaozhen , Pi Limin , Wang Hua , Cui Xiaofeng , Huang Hai
Published: November 2008

The shoot apical meristem (SAM) of angiosperms comprises a group of undifferentiated cells which divide to maintain the meristem and also give rise to all the above‐ground structures of the plant. Previous studies revealed that the Arabidopsis ARGONAUTE10 [AGO10, also called PINHEAD (PNH) or ZWILLE (ZLL)] gene is one of the critical SAM regulators, but the mechanism by which AGO10 modulates the SAM is unknown. In the present study we show that AGO10 genetically represses microRNA165/166 (miR165/166) for SAM maintenance as well as establishment of leaf adaxial–abaxial polarity. Levels of miR165/166 in leaves and embryonic SAMs of pnh/zll/ago10 mutants are abnormally elevated, leading to a reduction in the quantity of homeodomain‐leucine zipper (HD‐ZIP) III gene transcripts, the targets of miR165/166. This reduction is the primary cause of pnh/zll SAM and leaf defects, because the aberrant pnh/zll phenotypes were partially rescued by either increasing levels of HD‐ZIP III transcripts or decreasing levels of miR165/166 in the SAM and leaf. Furthermore, plants with an abnormal apex were more frequent among pnh/zll rdr6 and pnh/zll ago7 double mutants and increased levels of miR165/166 were detected in rdr6 apices. These results indicate that AGO10 and RDR6/AGO7 may act in parallel in modulating accumulation of miR165/166 for normal plant development.
Patients’ perceptions of safety if interpersonal continuity of care were to be disrupted
Authors: Pandhi Nancy , Schumacher Jessica , Flynn Kathryn E. , Smith Maureen
Published: November 2008

Objective  To determine if patients vary in perceptions of safety if interpersonal continuity were to be disrupted. If so, which characteristics are associated with feeling unsafe?

Background  The extent to which patients’ preference for continuity with a personal physician is due to perceptions of safety is unclear.

Design  Observational study (Wisconsin Longitudinal Study Graduate and Sibling Survey).

Setting and participants  A total of 6827 respondents (most aged 63–66 years) who completed the 2003–06 survey round.

Main variables studied  Age, gender, marital status, education, health insurance type, illnesses, medications, length of relationship with provider and place, personality type, decision‐making preference and trust in physician deliberation.

Main outcome measures  Safety perception when visiting another doctor or clinic if own doctor were not available.

Results  Twelve percent of respondents felt unsafe. After adjustment, as compared to those who felt safe, those who felt unsafe were more likely to be women (Odds ratio = 1.65, 95% confidence interval = 1.35–2.01), have more chronic conditions (1.27, 1.08–1.50) and have a longer relationship with a usual provider: 5–9 years (1.53, 1.11–2.10) 10–14 years (1.41, 1.02–1.95) and 15 or more years (1.62, 1.20–2.17) compared to 0–4 years. Those who preferred active participation in decision making and had trust in their physician were less likely to feel safe (1.63, 1.10–2.41).

Conclusions  Certain older adults perceive being unsafe if not seeing their usual physician. Further research should investigate reasons for perceptions of safety if continuity were disrupted and any implications for care.
Patient evaluations of accessibility and co‐ordination in general practice in Europe
Authors: Wensing Michel , Hermsen Jan , Grol Richard , Szecsenyi Joachim
Published: November 2008

Objective  To determine whether patient evaluations of the accessibility to general practice and co‐ordination with other care providers were associated with characteristics of general practice organizations.

Background  In 1998 patients across Europe perceived that small general practices have better accessibility than large practices. Since then a number of changes in primary care have had impact on accessibility and co‐ordination of care.

Design, setting and participants  The study was based on data from the European Practice Assessment study, an observational study in 284 general practices in 10 countries in 2004.

Main outcome measures  Patient evaluations of general practice were measured with the 23‐item Europep instrument, from which seven items on accessibility and co‐ordination were selected in a principal factor analysis. Six practice characteristics were examined: percentage of female general practitioners, mean age of physicians, mean number of physician hours worked per week, number of general practitioners, number of care providers, urbanization level. Mixed regression models were applied, in which patients were clustered within practices, and practices within countries.

Results  Practices with a higher numbers of care providers received less positive patient evaluations (b = −0.112, P = 0.004). The other practice characteristics were not related to patient evaluations. Only a small proportion of the total variation in patient evaluations of accessibility and co‐ordination (1.8%) was explained by characteristics of the general practice organizations.

Conclusions  General practices have become larger in most developed countries in recent years, but patients seemed to prefer general practice organizations with fewer health professionals.