bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CD146 expression on primary nonhematopoietic bone marrow stem cells is correlated with in situ localization
Authors: Tormin Ariane , Li Ou , Brune Jan Claas , Walsh Stuart , Schütz Birgit , Ehinger Mats , Ditzel Nicholas , Kassem Moustapha , Scheding Stefan
Published: March 2011

Nonhematopoietic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are of central importance for bone marrow stroma and the hematopoietic environment. However, the exact phenotype and anatomical distribution of specified MSC populations in the marrow are unknown. We characterized the phenotype of primary human BM-MSCs and found that all assayable colony-forming units-fibroblast (CFU-Fs) were highly and exclusively enriched not only in the lin−/CD271+/CD45−/CD146+ stem-cell fraction, but also in lin−/CD271+/CD45−/CD146−/low cells. Both populations, regardless of CD146 expression, shared a similar phenotype and genotype, gave rise to typical cultured stromal cells, and formed bone and hematopoietic stroma in vivo. Interestingly, CD146 was up-regulated in normoxia and down-regulated in hypoxia. This was correlated with in situ localization differences, with CD146 coexpressing reticular cells located in perivascular regions, whereas bone-lining MSCs expressed CD271 alone. In both regions, CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells were located in close proximity to MSCs. These novel findings show that the expression of CD146 differentiates between perivascular versus endosteal localization of non-hematopoietic BM-MSC populations, which may be useful for the study of the hematopoietic environment.
Platelet microRNA-mRNA coexpression profiles correlate with platelet reactivity
Authors: Nagalla Srikanth , Shaw Chad , Kong Xianguo , Kondkar Altaf A. , Edelstein Leonard C. , Ma Lin , Chen Junmei , McKnight G. Stanley , López José A. , Yang Linghai , Jin Ying , Bray Molly S. , Leal Suzanne M. , Dong Jing-fei , Bray Paul F.
Published: March 2011

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate cell physiology by altering protein expression, but the biology of platelet miRNAs is largely unexplored. We tested whether platelet miRNA levels were associated with platelet reactivity by genome-wide profiling using platelet RNA from 19 healthy subjects. We found that human platelets express 284 miRNAs. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of miRNA profiles resulted in 2 groups of subjects that appeared to cluster by platelet aggregation phenotypes. Seventy-four miRNAs were differentially expressed (DE) between subjects grouped according to platelet aggregation to epinephrine, a subset of which predicted the platelet reactivity response. Using whole genome mRNA expression data on these same subjects, we computationally generated a high-priority list of miRNA-mRNA pairs in which the DE platelet miRNAs had binding sites in 3′-untranslated regions of DE mRNAs, and the levels were negatively correlated. Three miRNA-mRNA pairs (miR-200b:PRKAR2B, miR-495:KLHL5, and miR-107:CLOCK) were selected from this list, and all 3 miRNAs knocked down protein expression from the target mRNA. Reduced activation from platelets lacking PRKAR2B supported these findings. In summary, (1) platelet miRNAs are able to repress expression of platelet proteins, (2) miRNA profiles are associated with and may predict platelet reactivity, and (3) bioinformatic approaches can successfully identify functional miRNAs in platelets.
Autologous transplantation gives encouraging results for young adults with favorable-risk acute myeloid leukemia, but is not improved with gemtuzumab ozogamicin
Authors: Fernandez Hugo F. , Sun Zhuoxin , Litzow Mark R. , Luger Selina M. , Paietta Elisabeth M. , Racevskis Janis , Dewald Gordon , Ketterling Rhett P. , Rowe Jacob M. , Lazarus Hillard M. , Tallman Martin S.
Published: March 2011

We report the results of a prospective, randomized phase 3 trial evaluating the use of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) in an intensive consolidation approach in 657 patients 17-60 years of age. Patients in first complete remission (CR1) after cytarabine and standard- or high-dose daunorubicin induction received 2 cycles of consolidation with high-dose cytarabine followed by peripheral blood progenitor cell collection. The 352 patients who entered consolidation were randomized to receive GO (n = 132) or not (n = 138) and then proceeded to autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). GO was given to 67 patients. Median follow-up was 50.9 months. Results of the intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated a 4-year disease-free survival (DFS) of 33.6% versus 35.9% (P = .54) and an overall survival (OS) of 41.3% versus 41.9% (P = .52) for those randomized to receive GO versus no GO, respectively. Patients with favorable- and intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with high-dose daunorubicin and autologous HCT had 4-year DFS rates of 60% and 40% and OS rates of 80% and 49.3%, respectively. For younger AML patients in CR1, autologous HCT should be considered in favorable- and intermediate-cytogenetic risk patients who do not have an allogeneic donor. The addition of a single dose of GO in this setting did not improve outcomes. This trial is registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00049517.
CD41 is developmentally regulated and differentially expressed on mouse hematopoietic stem cells
Authors: Robin Catherine , Ottersbach Katrin , Boisset Jean-Charles , Oziemlak Aneta , Dzierzak Elaine
Published: March 2011

CD41 expression is associated with the earliest stages of mouse hematopoiesis. It is notably expressed on some cells of the intra-aortic hematopoietic clusters, an area where the first adult-repopulating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are generated. Although it is generally accepted that CD41 expression marks the onset of primitive/definitive hematopoiesis, there are few published data concerning its expression on HSCs. It is as yet uncertain whether HSCs express CD41 throughout development, and if so, to what level. We performed a complete in vivo transplantation analysis with yolk sac, aorta, placenta, and fetal liver cells, sorted based on CD41 expression level. Our data show that the earliest emerging HSCs in the aorta express CD41 in a time-dependent manner. In contrast, placenta and liver HSCs are CD41−. Thus, differential and temporal expression of CD41 by HSCs in the distinct hematopoietic territories suggests a developmental/dynamic regulation of this marker throughout development.
The role of vitamin D in pulmonary disease: COPD, asthma, infection, and cancer
Authors: Herr Christian , Greulich Timm , Koczulla Rembert A , Meyer Silke , Zakharkina Tetyana , Branscheidt Meret , Eschmann Rebecca , Bals Robert
Published: March 2011

The role of vitamin D (VitD) in calcium and bone homeostasis is well described. In the last years, it has been recognized that in addition to this classical function, VitD modulates a variety of processes and regulatory systems including host defense, inflammation, immunity, and repair. VitD deficiency appears to be frequent in industrialized countries. Especially patients with lung diseases have often low VitD serum levels. Epidemiological data indicate that low levels of serum VitD is associated with impaired pulmonary function, increased incidence of inflammatory, infectious or neoplastic diseases. Several lung diseases, all inflammatory in nature, may be related to activities of VitD including asthma, COPD and cancer. The exact mechanisms underlying these data are unknown, however, VitD appears to impact on the function of inflammatory and structural cells, including dendritic cells, lymphocytes, monocytes, and epithelial cells. This review summarizes the knowledge on the classical and newly discovered functions of VitD, the molecular and cellular mechanism of action and the available data on the relationship between lung disease and VitD status.
MicroSyn: A user friendly tool for detection of microsynteny in a gene family
Authors: Cai Bin , Yang Xiaohan , Tuskan Gerald A , Cheng Zong-Ming
Published: March 2011

Background

The traditional phylogeny analysis within gene family is mainly based on DNA or amino acid sequence homologies. However, these phylogenetic tree analyses are not suitable for those "non-traditional" gene families like microRNA with very short sequences. For the normal protein-coding gene families, low bootstrap values are frequently encountered in some nodes, suggesting low confidence or likely inappropriateness of placement of those members in those nodes.

Results

We introduce MicroSyn software as a means of detecting microsynteny in adjacent genomic regions surrounding genes in gene families. MicroSyn searches for conserved, flanking colinear homologous gene pairs between two genomic fragments to determine the relationship between two members in a gene family. The colinearity of homologous pairs is controlled by a statistical distance function. As a result, gene duplication history can be inferred from the output independent of gene sequences. MicroSyn was designed for both experienced and non-expert users with a user-friendly graphical-user interface. MicroSyn is available from: http://fcsb.njau.edu.cn/microsyn/.

Conclusions

Case studies of the microRNA167 genes in plants and Xyloglucan ndotransglycosylase/Hydrolase family in Populus trichocarpa were presented to show the utility of the software. The easy using of MicroSyn in these examples suggests that the software is an additional valuable means to address the problem intrinsic in the computational methods and sequence qualities themselves in gene family analysis.
Network based transcription factor analysis of regenerating axolotl limbs
Authors: Jhamb Deepali , Rao Nandini , Milner Derek J , Song Fengyu , Cameron Jo Ann , Stocum David L , Palakal Mathew J
Published: March 2011

Background

Studies on amphibian limb regeneration began in the early 1700's but we still do not completely understand the cellular and molecular events of this unique process. Understanding a complex biological process such as limb regeneration is more complicated than the knowledge of the individual genes or proteins involved. Here we followed a systems biology approach in an effort to construct the networks and pathways of protein interactions involved in formation of the accumulation blastema in regenerating axolotl limbs.

Results

We used the human orthologs of proteins previously identified by our research team as bait to identify the transcription factor (TF) pathways and networks that regulate blastema formation in amputated axolotl limbs. The five most connected factors, c-Myc, SP1, HNF4A, ESR1 and p53 regulate ~50% of the proteins in our data. Among these, c-Myc and SP1 regulate 36.2% of the proteins. c-Myc was the most highly connected TF (71 targets). Network analysis showed that TGF-β1 and fibronectin (FN) lead to the activation of these TFs. We found that other TFs known to be involved in epigenetic reprogramming, such as Klf4, Oct4, and Lin28 are also connected to c-Myc and SP1.

Conclusions

Our study provides a systems biology approach to how different molecular entities inter-connect with each other during the formation of an accumulation blastema in regenerating axolotl limbs. This approach provides an in silico methodology to identify proteins that are not detected by experimental methods such as proteomics but are potentially important to blastema formation. We found that the TFs, c-Myc and SP1 and their target genes could potentially play a central role in limb regeneration. Systems biology has the potential to map out numerous other pathways that are crucial to blastema formation in regeneration-competent limbs, to compare these to the pathways that characterize regeneration-deficient limbs and finally, to identify stem cell markers in regeneration.
Identification and characterization of maize microRNAs involved in the very early stage of seed germination
Authors: Wang Liwen , Liu Huaihua , Li Detao , Chen Huabang
Published: March 2011

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of endogenous small RNAs that play essential regulatory roles in plant growth, development and stress response. Extensive studies of miRNAs have been performed in model plants such as rice, Arabidopsis thaliana and other plants. However, the number of miRNAs discovered in maize is relatively low and little is known about miRNAs involved in the very early stage during seed germination.

Results

In this study, a small RNA library from maize seed 24 hours after imbibition was sequenced by the Solexa technology. A total of 11,338,273 reads were obtained. 1,047,447 total reads representing 431 unique sRNAs matched to known maize miRNAs. Further analysis confirmed the authenticity of 115 known miRNAs belonging to 24 miRNA families and the discovery of 167 novel miRNAs in maize. Both the known and the novel miRNAs were confirmed by sequencing of a second small RNA library constructed the same way as the one used in the first sequencing. We also found 10 miRNAs that had not been reported in maize, but had been reported in other plant species. All novel sequences had not been earlier described in other plant species. In addition, seven miRNA* sequences were also obtained. Putative targets for 106 novel miRNAs were successfully predicted. Our results indicated that miRNA-mediated gene expression regulation is present in maize imbibed seed.

Conclusions

This study led to the confirmation of the authenticity of 115 known miRNAs and the discovery of 167 novel miRNAs in maize. Identification of novel miRNAs resulted in significant enrichment of the repertoire of maize miRNAs and provided insights into miRNA regulation of genes expressed in imbibed seed.
Herpes simplex virus infections among rural residents in eastern China
Authors: Lin Haijiang , He Na , Su Meifang , Feng Jifu , Chen Li , Gao Meiyang
Published: March 2011

Background

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) has two types: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Both infect epithelial cells and establish latent infections in neurons causing an infection that persists for life. Information on age- and gender-specific seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 is valuable for understanding HSV transmission dynamics and designing population-based prevention and intervention programs for HSV. However, such information is not available for China.

Methods

Cryopreserved serum samples of all subjects aged 5 to 60 years from two randomly selected rural villages in Zhejiang province in Eastern China who had participated in the China national seroepidemiological survey of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection conducted in 2006 were tested. Seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections were determined by type-specific IgG antibody tests using an ELISA technique. Their 95% confidence intervals adjusted for the sampling fraction were calculated according to the Clopper-Pearson method.

Results

A total of 2,141 residents participated in the survey, with a response rate of 82.3%. HSV-1 seroprevalence was 92.0% overall, 89.1% for males and 94.2% for females. HSV-1 seroprevalence was 61.6% among children aged 5-9 years, 90.3% among 25-29 years, and nearly 100% among those aged > = 40 years. HSV-2 seroprevalence was 13.2% overall, 10.5% for males and 15.3% for females. No children aged 5-14 years were HSV-2 positive, and HSV-2 seroprevalence was 7.1% among 15-19 years and peaked at 24.3% among those aged 45-49 years. Neither HSV-1 nor HSV-2 infections were significantly different by gender. About 11.8% of study subjects were co-infected with both types of HSV. Among 549 participating couples, 8.6% were HSV-1 serodiscordant and 11.8% were HSV-2 serodiscordant. No one tested positive for HIV. The overall prevalence of HBsAg was 16.2%, 16.9% for males and 15.4% for females.

Conclusions

HSV-1 was highly prevalent among all rural residents aged between 5-60 years in Eastern China, whereas HSV-2 was prevalent among sexually active people. HSV-1 and HSV-2 have different transmission modes and dynamics. Future HSV prevention and control programs in China should be type specific.
Theoretical study of the role of metallic contacts in probing transport features of pure and defected graphene nanoribbons
Authors: La Magna Antonino , Deretzis Ioannis
Published: March 2011

Understanding the roles of disorder and metal/graphene interface on the electronic and transport properties of graphene-based systems is crucial for a consistent analysis of the data deriving from experimental measurements. The present work is devoted to the detailed study of graphene nanoribbon systems by means of self-consistent quantum transport calculations. The computational formalism is based on a coupled Schrödinger/Poisson approach that respects both chemistry and electrostatics, applied to pure/defected graphene nanoribbons (ideally or end-contacted by various fcc metals). We theoretically characterize the formation of metal-graphene junctions as well as the effects of backscattering due to the presence of vacancies and impurities. Our results evidence that disorder can infer significant alterations on the conduction process, giving rise to mobility gaps in the conductance distribution. Moreover, we show the importance of metal-graphene coupling that gives rise to doping-related phenomena and a degradation of conductance quantization characteristics.
Crystallographic plane-orientation dependent atomic force microscopy-based local oxidation of silicon carbide
Authors: Ahn Jung-Joon , Jo Yeong-Deuk , Kim Sang-Cheol , Lee Ji-Hoon , Koo Sang-Mo
Published: March 2011

The effect of crystalline plane orientations of Silicon carbide (SiC) (a-, m-, and c-planes) on the local oxidation on 4H-SiC using atomic force microscopy (AFM) was investigated. It has been found that the AFM-based local oxidation (AFM-LO) rate on SiC is closely correlated to the atomic planar density values of different crystalline planes (a-plane, 7.45 cm-2; c-plane, 12.17 cm-2; and m-plane, 6.44 cm-2). Specifically, at room temperature and under about 40% humidity with a scan speed of 0.5 μm/s, the height of oxides on a- and m-planes 4H-SiC is 6.5 and 13 nm, respectively, whereas the height of oxides on the c-plane increased up to 30 nm. In addition, the results of AFM-LO with thermally grown oxides on the different plane orientations in SiC are compared.
Measurement of the extinction coefficients of magnetic fluids
Authors: Fang Xiaopeng , Xuan Yimin , Li Qiang
Published: March 2011

A novel spectral transmittance approach for measuring the extinction coefficient of magnetic fluids is proposed. The measuring principle and accuracy of the approach are analysed. Experiments are conducted to measure the extinction coefficient of magnetic fluids with different particle volume fractions. The relative uncertainty of experimental data is less than 1.8%. The experimental results indicate that the extinction coefficient of magnetic fluids increases with increase of the volume fraction of suspended magnetic nanoparticles and the optical properties of the particle material have a significant effect on the extinction coefficient of the magnetic fluids.
Fast local fragment chaining using sum-of-pair gap costs
Authors: Otto Christian , Hoffmann Steve , Gorodkin Jan , Stadler Peter F
Published: March 2011

Background

Fast seed-based alignment heuristics such as and have become indispensable tools in comparative genomics for all studies aiming at the evolutionary relations of proteins, genes, and non-coding RNAs. This is true in particular for the large mammalian genomes. The sensitivity and specificity of these tools, however, crucially depend on parameters such as seed sizes or maximum expectation values. In settings that require high sensitivity the amount of short local match fragments easily becomes intractable. Then, fragment chaining is a powerful leverage to quickly connect, score, and rank the fragments to improve the specificity.

Results

Here we present a fast and flexible fragment chainer that for the first time also supports a sum-of-pair gap cost model. This model has proven to achieve a higher accuracy and sensitivity in its own field of application. Due to a highly time-efficient index structure our method outperforms the only existing tool for fragment chaining under the linear gap cost model. It can easily be applied to the output generated by alignment tools such as or . As an example we consider homology-based searches for human and mouse snoRNAs demonstrating that a highly sensitive search with subsequent chaining is an attractive option. The sum-of-pair gap costs provide a substantial advantage is this context.

Conclusions

Chaining of short match fragments helps to quickly and accurately identify regions of homology that may not be found using local alignment heuristics alone. By providing both the linear and the sum-of-pair gap cost model, a wider range of application can be covered. The software clasp is available at http://www.bioinf.uni-leipzig.de/Software/clasp/.
Heterogeneity in the kinetics of nuclear proteins and trajectories of substructures associated with heterochromatin
Authors: Stixová Lenka , Bártová Eva , Matula Pavel , Daněk Ondřej , Legartová Soňa , Kozubek Stanislav
Published: March 2011

Background

Protein exchange kinetics correlate with the level of chromatin condensation and, in many cases, with the level of transcription. We used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to analyse the kinetics of 18 proteins and determine the relationships between nuclear arrangement, protein molecular weight, global transcription level, and recovery kinetics. In particular, we studied heterochromatin-specific heterochromatin protein 1β (HP1β) B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 (BMI1), and telomeric-repeat binding factor 1 (TRF1) proteins, and nucleolus-related proteins, upstream binding factor (UBF) and RNA polymerase I large subunit (RPA194). We considered whether the trajectories and kinetics of particular proteins change in response to histone hyperacetylation by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors or after suppression of transcription by actinomycin D.

Results

We show that protein dynamics are influenced by many factors and events, including nuclear pattern and transcription activity. A slower recovery after photobleaching was found when proteins, such as HP1β, BMI1, TRF1, and others accumulated at specific foci. In identical cells, proteins that were evenly dispersed throughout the nucleoplasm recovered more rapidly. Distinct trajectories for HP1β, BMI1, and TRF1 were observed after hyperacetylation or suppression of transcription. The relationship between protein trajectory and transcription level was confirmed for telomeric protein TRF1, but not for HP1β or BMI1 proteins. Moreover, heterogeneity of foci movement was especially observed when we made distinctions between centrally and peripherally positioned foci.

Conclusion

Based on our results, we propose that protein kinetics are likely influenced by several factors, including chromatin condensation, differentiation, local protein density, protein binding efficiency, and nuclear pattern. These factors and events likely cooperate to dictate the mobility of particular proteins.
Stepped care and cognitive–behavioural therapy for bulimia
nervosa: randomised trial
Authors: Mitchell James E. , Agras Stewart , Crow Scott , Halmi Katherine , Fairburn Christopher G. , Bryson Susan , Kraemer Helena
Published: March 2011

Background

This study compared the best available treatment for bulimia nervosa,
cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) augmented by fluoxetine if indicated,
with a stepped-care treatment approach in order to enhance treatment
effectiveness.

Aims

To establish the relative effectiveness of these two approaches.

Method

This was a randomised trial conducted at four clinical centres
(Clinicaltrials.gov registration number: NCT00733525). A total of 293
participants with bulimia nervosa were randomised to one of two treatment
conditions: manual-based CBT delivered in an individual therapy format
involving 20 sessions over 18 weeks and participants who were predicted
to be non-responders after 6 sessions of CBT had fluoxetine added to
treatment; or a stepped-care approach that began with supervised
self-help, with the addition of fluoxetine in participants who were
predicted to be non-responders after six sessions, followed by CBT for
those who failed to achieve abstinence with self-help and medication
management.

Results

Both in the intent-to-treat and completer samples, there were no
differences between the two treatment conditions in inducing recovery (no
binge eating or purging behaviours for 28 days) or remission (no longer
meeting DSM–IV criteria). At the end of 1-year follow-up, the
stepped-care condition was significantly superior to CBT.

Conclusions

Therapist-assisted self-help was an effective first-level treatment in
the stepped-care sequence, and the full sequence was more effective than
CBT suggesting that treatment is enhanced with a more individualised
approach.
Obama's Engagement Strategy with Iran: Limited Results
Authors: El-Khawas Mohamed
Published: March 2011

Obama's diplomacy had early success with Iran's agreement in October 2009 to ship most of its low-enriched uranium abroad in exchange for fuel rods for its medical research reactor. This agreement did not last, however, in the face of strong domestic US opposition and the Western powers' refusal to allow modifications. Obama had further success in June 2010, when the UN Security Council imposed new sanctions on Iran. In addition, the United States and the European Union imposed sanctions of their own. Whatever happens in the future, Iran does not seem ready to give up its nuclear program, although it is currently feeling the weight of new sanctions from the UN—as well as pressures from the United States and the EU.
Sodium tetradecyl sulphate foam stability prior to injection: factors affecting liquid reformation
Authors: McMaster S
Published: March 2011

Objective

To study the effect of sclerosant concentration, use of 5-µm filter, use of CO2 versus air and needle size on the stability of sodium tetradecyl sulphate (STS) foam and observe the dynamics of liquid reformation from foam within the syringe prior to injection.

Method

Observations of liquid reformation within the syringe following foam preparation using the Tessari method.

Result

Foam stability varies little with STS concentration between 0.5% and 3%. Needle size has little effect in this study. An in-line filter produces significantly more stable foam, and CO2 foam is significantly less stable than air foam. Liquid reformation is predictable and does not progress at a constant rate.

Conclusion

Regardless of the method and details of the foam produced, sclerotherapists should be aware of the dynamics and speed of foam degradation, and reconstitute foam at the first sign of liquid reformation, as this heralds the onset of rapid degradation of the foam. This is particularly relevant for rapidly deteriorating foam produced from CO2, or without the use of a filter.
Handlebar injury to femoral vein: case report and review
Authors: Hassouna A , Dennis M
Published: March 2011

Handlebar injury varies from minor trauma to life-threatening visceral and vascular damage resulting in a significant morbidity among children. Femoral vein injuries secondary to handlebar trauma are rare but potentially serious. Venous continuity should be restored and several techniques for repair of femoral injuries have been described. We reported a case of femoral vein injury secondary to handlebar trauma in a child and we described techniques used for its repair.
Recurrent generalized tetanus: a case report
Authors: Alhaji M A , Mustapha M G , Ashir G M , Akuhwa R T , Bello M A , Farouk A G
Published: March 2011

We describe recurrent generalized tetanus in a four-year-old unimmunized boy following recurrent suppurative otitis media (SOM) within an 11-month period. There are not many published reports on recurrent tetanus. We highlight the importance of both primary immunizations and the need for active immunization before discharge as the infection does not confer a lifelong immunity. The usefulness of booster doses of tetanus toxoid and missed opportunities for immunization are emphasized.
Conservative treatment of ectopic pregnancy in a sub-Saharan African setting
Authors: Foumane P , Mboudou E T , Dohbit J S , Mbakop Ndingue S , Tebeu P M , Doh A S
Published: March 2011

In the sub-Saharan African setting, laparotomy for salpingectomy is the common method of treatment for ectopic pregnancy (EP). The objective of this retrospective study was to find out how common EP is treated conservatively in the Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital, Cameroon. Of the 281 patient files analysed, 126 patients (44.8%) were treated conservatively and successfully for EP. Of these, 86 (68.2%) had received conservative surgical treatment while 40 (31.8%) had non-surgical treatment. Salpingostomy was the conservative surgery for 79.1% of the cases. According to the publications available for the sub-Saharan setting, the rate of conservative management of EP at the Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital, Cameroon is high. We recommend that this rate should be improved so that, eventually, the conservative treatment methods of EP become routine.
Networking in a global world: Establishing functional connections between neural splicing regulators and their target transcripts
Authors: Calarco John A. , Zhen Mei , Blencowe Benjamin J.
Published: March 2011

Recent genome-wide analyses have indicated that almost all primary transcripts from multi-exon human genes undergo alternative pre-mRNA splicing (AS). Given the prevalence of AS and its importance in expanding proteomic complexity, a major challenge that lies ahead is to determine the functional specificity of isoforms in a cellular context. A significant fraction of alternatively spliced transcripts are regulated in a tissue- or cell-type-specific manner, suggesting that these mRNA variants likely function in the generation of cellular diversity. Complementary to these observations, several tissue-specific splicing factors have been identified, and a number of methodological advances have enabled the identification of large repertoires of target transcripts regulated by these proteins. An emerging theme is that tissue-specific splicing factors regulate coherent sets of splice variants in genes known to function in related biological pathways. This review focuses on the recent progress in our understanding of neural-specific splicing factors and their regulatory networks and outlines existing and emerging strategies for uncovering important biological roles for the isoforms that comprise these networks.
Distinct response of yeast ribosomes to a miscoding event during translation
Authors: Eyler Daniel E. , Green Rachel
Published: March 2011

Numerous mechanisms have evolved to control the accuracy of translation, including a recently discovered retrospective quality control mechanism in bacteria. This quality control mechanism is sensitive to perturbations in the codon:anticodon interaction in the P site of the ribosome that trigger a dramatic loss of fidelity in subsequent tRNA and release factor selection events in the A site. These events ultimately lead to premature termination of translation in response to an initial miscoding error. In this work, we extend our investigations of this mechanism to an in vitro reconstituted Saccharomyces cerevisiae translation system. We report that yeast ribosomes do not respond to mismatches in the P site by loss of fidelity in subsequent substrate recognition events. We conclude that retrospective editing, as initially characterized in Escherichia coli, does not occur in S. cerevisiae. These results highlight potential mechanistic differences in the functional core of highly conserved ribosomes.
Whole Blood Immunoassay Based on Centrifugal Bead Sedimentation
Authors: Schaff Ulrich Y , Sommer Greg J
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND

Centrifugal “lab on a disk” microfluidics is a promising avenue for developing portable, low-cost, automated immunoassays. However, the necessity of incorporating multiple wash steps results in complicated designs that increase the time and sample/reagent volumes needed to run assays and raises the probability of errors. We present proof of principle for a disk-based microfluidic immunoassay technique that processes blood samples without conventional wash steps.

METHODS

Microfluidic disks were fabricated from layers of patterned, double-sided tape and polymer sheets. Sample was mixed on-disk with assay capture beads and labeling antibodies. Following incubation, the assay beads were physically separated from the blood cells, plasma, and unbound label by centrifugation through a density medium. A signal-laden pellet formed at the periphery of the disk was analyzed to quantify concentration of the target analyte.

RESULTS

To demonstrate this technique, the inflammation biomarkers C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 were measured from spiked mouse plasma and human whole blood samples. On-disk processing (mixing, labeling, and separation) facilitated direct assays on 1-μL samples with a 15-min sample-to-answer time, <100 pmol/L limit of detection, and 10% CV. We also used a unique single-channel multiplexing technique based on the sedimentation rate of different size or density bead populations.

CONCLUSIONS

This portable microfluidic system is a promising method for rapid, inexpensive, and automated detection of multiple analytes directly from a drop of blood in a point-of-care setting.
Pilot Evaluation for Lead-Based Paint Proficiency Testing of Field Portable XRF Instruments
Authors: White Kenneth T. , Dewalt F. Gary , Cox David C. , Schmehl Richard , Friedman Warren , Pinzer Eugene A.
Published: March 2011

A proficiency testing procedure for evaluating the accuracy of lead measurements taken by certified lead-based paint inspectors using portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instruments was developed and pilot tested. XRF instruments are widely used for inspection of housing units to determine the presence or absence of lead-based paint. Previous research showed variability between different XRF instruments when used to conduct lead-based paint inspections. Due to concerns over potential errors in inspection reports resulting from biased XRF measurements, a proficiency testing procedure was pilot tested to provide entities, such a state or federal regulators, a means of evaluating the instrumentation being used for lead-based paint inspections.
Type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase in human physiology and disease
Authors: Maia Ana Luiza , Goemann Iuri Martin , Meyer Erika L Souza , Wajner Simone Magagnin
Published: March 2011

Thyroid hormone is essential for the normal function of virtually all tissues. The iodothyronine deiodinases catalyze the removal of an iodine residue from the pro-hormone thyroxine (T4) molecule, thus producing either the active form triiodothyronine (T3; activation) or inactive metabolites (reverse T3; inactivation). Type I deiodinase (D1) catalyzes both reactions. Over the last years, several studies have attempted to understand the mechanisms of D1 function, underlying its effects on normal thyroid hormone metabolism and pathological processes. Although peripheral D1-generated T3 production contributes to a portion of plasma T3 in euthyroid state, pathologically increased thyroidal D1 activity seems to be the main cause of the elevated T3 concentrations observed in hyperthyroid patients. On the other hand, D1-deficient mouse models show that, in the absence of D1, inactive and lesser iodothyronines are excreted in feces with the loss of associated iodine, demonstrating the scavenging function for D1 that might be particularly important in an iodine deficiency setting. Polymorphisms in the DIO1 gene have been associated with changes in serum thyroid hormone levels, whereas decreased D1 activity has been reported in the nonthyroid illness syndrome and in several human neoplasias. The current review aims at presenting an updated picture of the recent advances made in the biochemical and molecular properties of D1 as well as its role in human physiology.
Benchmark of experimental techniques for measuring and controlling suction
Authors: TARANTINO A. , GALLIPOLI D. , AUGARDE C.E. , DE GENNARO V. , GOMEZ R. , LALOUI L. , MANCUSO C. , EL MOUNTASSIR G. , MUNOZ J.J. , PEREIRA J.-M. , PERON H. , PISONI G. , ROMERO E. , RAVEENDIRARAJ A. , ROJAS J.C. , TOLL D.G. , TOMBOLATO S. , WHEELER S.
Published: March 2011

The paper presents a benchmarking study carried out within the ‘Mechanics of Unsaturated Soils for Engineering' (MUSE) network aimed at comparing different techniques for measurement and control of suction. Techniques tested by the eight ‘Mechanics of Unsaturated Soils for Engineering' research teams include axis-translation (pressure plate and suction-controlled oedometer), high-capacity tensiometer and osmotic technique. The soil used in the exercise was a mixture of uniform sand, sodium bentonite (active clay) and kaolinite (non-active clay), which were all commercially available. Samples were prepared by one team and distributed to all other teams. They were normally consolidated from slurry under one-dimensional conditions (consolidometer) to a given vertical stress. The water retention characteristics of the initially saturated specimens were investigated along the main drying path. Specimens were de-saturated by applying suction through the liquid phase when using an axis-translation technique or osmotic method and de-saturated by air-drying, when suction was measured using high-capacity tensiometers. In general, the same technique was tested by at least two teams. The water retention curves obtained using the different techniques are compared and discrepancies are discussed in the paper.
Hydromechanical behaviour of compacted granular expansive mixtures: experimental and constitutive study
Authors: ALONSO E.E. , ROMERO E. , HOFFMANN C.
Published: March 2011

Compacted granular mixtures of high-density bentonite pellets have been evaluated as an alternative buffer material to fill the empty space around nuclear waste disposal canisters in horizontal drifts. Despite the obvious benefits of these compacted mixtures (the backfilling operation becomes easier and the gaps between the host rock and the buffer are minimised), there are several aspects of concern such as the effective blockage of the large inter-pellet pores due to granule swelling – this blockage improves the water permeability properties – and the tendency to develop initial collapses before reaching an adequate swelling pressure. Selected test results of a comprehensive laboratory experimental programme are presented to gain insight into the hydromechanical response of this multi-porosity compacted material. To improve the information on local transient behaviour, simulation-assisted techniques using a double-structure constitutive model are used. The paper presents a physically based one-dimensional model to simulate experimental results of different transient processes, such as the progressive loss of permeability during wetting and the occurrence of concurrent phenomena during fast flooding at constant stress (initial collapse of the granular arrangement and parallel expansion of granules).
Poultry Litter Incineration as a Source of Energy: Reviewing the Potential for Impacts on Environmental Health and Justice
Authors: Stingone Jeanette A. , Wing Steve
Published: March 2011

Legislation in North Carolina has mandated obtaining renewable energy from the incineration of poultry waste, resulting in proposals for three poultry-litter-fueled power plants statewide. This article summarizes environmental health and environmental justice issues associated with incineration of poultry waste for the generation of electric power. Emissions from poultry waste incineration include particulate matter, dioxins, arsenic, bioaerosols and other toxins; various components are associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory illness, and other diseases. Industrial farm animal production tends to be concentrated in low-income, rural communities, where residents may be more vulnerable to air pollutants due to pre-existing diseases, other exposures and stressors, and poor access to medical services. These communities lack the political clout to prevent siting of polluting facilities or to pressure industry and government to follow and enforce regulations. Policies intended to reduce reliance on fossil fuels have the potential to increase environmental injustices and threats to environmental health.
The Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Act of the People's Republic of China: An Awareness Assessment among Workers at Foreign-Invested Enterprises
Authors: Yongming Shou , Rongzhu Lu , Jie Lin , Yan Xu , Zhu Yiliang , Schweigert Michael
Published: March 2011

The Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Act (ODPC-Act) of the People's Republic of China came into effect on May 1, 2002. Given the scope of foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) in China and an unabated increasing trend of foreign investment, compliance with the ODPC-Act among FIEs is of particular interest, yet little is known. The extent to which an employer educates its workforce to understand the ODPC-Act may be a measure of an employer's compliance. Based on a 25-item questionnaire survey, we found that among 166 workers from three FIEs in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, the majority had little knowledge regarding the ODPC-Act; many were unaware of their rights granted under the ODPC-Act. They were also unable to recognize employers' potential violations of the ODPC-Act. Improving FIE workers' awareness of the ODPC-Act is desirable.
Who Benefits from New Medical Technologies? Estimates of Consumer and Producer Surpluses for HIV/AIDS Drugs
Authors: Philipson Tomas J , Jena Anupam B
Published: March 2011

The social value of an innovation is comprised of the value to consumers and the value to innovators. We estimate that for the HIV/AIDS therapies that entered the market from the late 1980's onwards, innovators appropriated only 5% of the social surplus arising from these new technologies. Despite the high annual costs of these drugs to patients, the low share of social surplus going to innovators raises concerns about advocating cost-effectiveness criteria that would further reduce this share, and hence further reduce incentives for innovation.
Insurance and Incentives for Medical Innovation
Authors: Garber Alan M , Jones Charles I. , Romer Paul
Published: March 2011

This paper studies the interactions between health insurance and the incentives for innovation. Although we focus on pharmaceutical innovation, our discussion applies to other industries producing novel technologies for sale in markets with subsidized demand. Standard results in the growth and productivity literatures suggest that firms in many industries may possess inadequate incentives to innovate. Standard results in the health literature suggest that health insurance leads to the overutilization of health care. Our study of innovation in the pharmaceutical industry emphasizes the interaction of these incentives. Because of the large subsidies to demand from health insurance, limits on the lifetime of patents and possibly limits on monopoly pricing may be necessary to ensure that pharmaceutical companies do not possess excess incentives for innovation.
Proliferative Glomerulonephritis Secondary to Dysfunction of the Alternative Pathway of Complement
Authors: Sethi Sanjeev , Fervenza Fernando C. , Zhang Yuzhou , Nasr Samih H. , Leung Nelson , Vrana Julie , Cramer Carl , Nester Carla M. , Smith Richard J. H.
Published: March 2011

Background and objectives

dense deposit disease (DDD) is the prototypical membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), in which fluid-phase dysregulation of the alternative pathway (AP) of complement results in the accumulation of complement debris in the glomeruli, often producing an MPGN pattern of injury in the absence of immune complexes. A recently described entity referred to as GN with C3 deposition (GN-C3) bears many similarities to DDD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate AP function in cases of GN-C3.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

Five recent cases of MPGN with extensive C3 deposition were studied. Renal biopsy in one case exhibited the classic findings of DDD. Three cases showed GN-C3 in the absence of significant Ig deposition; however, the classic hallmark of DDD—dense deposits along the glomerular basement membranes and mesangium—was absent. The remaining case exhibited features of both DDD and GN-C3.

Results

Evidence of AP activation was demonstrable in all cases and included increased levels of soluble membrane attack complex (all cases), positive AP functional assays (four cases), and a positive hemolytic assay (one case). Autoantibodies were found to C3 convertase (two cases) and to factor H (one case). Factor H mutation screening identified the H402 allele (all cases) and a c.C2867T p.T956M missence mutation (one case). Laser microdissection and mass spectrometry of glomeruli of GN-C3 (two cases) showed a proteomic profile very similar to DDD.

Conclusions

These studies implicate AP dysregulation in a spectrum of rare renal diseases that includes GN-C3 and DDD.
Chemical composition of the essential oil of basil (Ocimum basilicum L. Lamiaceae)
Authors: Jelacic Slavica , Beatovic Damir , Prodanovic Slaven , Tasic Slavoljub , Moravcevic Djordje , Vujosevic Ana , Vuckovic Savo
Published: March 2011

In Serbia basil has been grown traditionally as a decorative, medicinal,
seasoning and ritual herb, and there is a variety of different populations of
basil. Basil is considered to have been brought to Serbia in the 12th century
by monks returning from their pilgrimages. Essential oils isolated from herb
of ten basil populations traditionally grown on the territory of the Republic
of Serbia have been analyzed. The selected populations have been designated
under codes from T-1 to T-10 and deposited in the Plant Genes Bank at Serbia
and at the Institute for Crop Sciences of the Faculty of Agriculture in
Belgrade. Essential oils of all tested basil populations were light yellow
and had a specific aromatic scent. The composition of essential oil in the
dry herb of the tested populations ranged from 0.87 to 1.84%. The results of
gas chromatographic analysis of essential oils in tested basil populations
pointed to their complex chemical composition and to the fact that they
belong to the most appreciated European chemotype. In total thirty three
components have been identified in the essential oils. The most common
fraction of components in all tested oils was terpenoides. The predominant
component in all essential oils is monoterpen linalol, ranging from 51.52 to
74.73%. Phenylpropranoid methylchavicol ranged from 2.49 to 18.97%. Essential
oils of populations T-6, T-7, T-8 and T-10 were characterized by elevated
1.8-cineol (4.44, 3.70, 4.01 and 3.43%, respectively). Populations T-3 and
T-4 in essential oil contained higher percent of geraniol (4.27 and 3.31%,
respectively). In all ten essential oils sesquiterpen fraction consisted of
greater number of components, with germacrene having special significance as
it was found in high percentage in all populations. The highest content of
germacrene was registered in population T-9 (4.30%), T-10 (4.18%), while in
others it ranged from 2.17 to 3.69%. Basil populations traditionally grown in
Serbia have exceptional quality. They represent an excellent raw material for
the production of basil essential oils, for the needs of pharmaceutical, food
and chemical industry.