bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Platelet Response to Hypotonic Shock. Its Value as an Indicator of Platelet Viability After Storage
Authors: Kim B. K. , Baldini M. G.
Published: October 2009

The nature of the platelet response to osmotic shock and its relationship to platelet viability were studied. Light absorbancy changes of human platelet concentrates exposed to hypotonic shock were measured in a spectrophotometer: a sudden drop of light absorbancy was followed by a reversal of light absorbancy towards normal (reversal reaction).

It was confirmed that the reversal reaction is a complex phenomenon dependent on the integrity of biochemical and enzymatic functions of the platelets. It was suppressed by glycolytic inhibitors and by SH‐blocking agents. Ouabain had no immediate effect, but with prolonged incubation it depressed the reaction. Suspension of the platelets in a protein‐free medium caused a rapid loss of the reversal reaction. Disappearance of the marginal bundle of microtubules by exposure to colchicine did not change the reaction leading to the hypothesis that microfibrils rather than the microtubules may have been responsible for the reversal reaction. The conclusion was derived that the reversal reaction is due to cell volume contraction for which integrity of the platelet contractile protein and energy availability are essential.

Platelet storage at 4 C or at 22 C caused a progressive depression of the reversal reaction which was more severe in platelets preserved at 4 C than in those preserved at 22 C, and paralleled the loss of the platelet capacity to survive in vivo. Cryo‐protective agents (DMSO, DMAC and glycerol) partially inhibited the reversal reaction. Freezing with these agents caused a more severe depression of the reaction. The least depression was observed with 5 per cent DMSO. The results demonstrated that the reversal reaction is a valid and accurate in vitro indicator of in vivo platelet viability when the results to be compared are limited to a single method of storage. Usefulness of the reversal reaction is reduced when results obtained with different methods of storage are compared.
American National Red Cross Experience with Heptitis‐B Antibody (HBAb or Anti‐HBAg) Testing
Authors: Ni L. Y. , Lama S. , Krakaur R. B. , Greenwalt T. J. , Levin J. J.
Published: October 2009

Blood collected by 11 Red Cross Regional Blood Centers were screened by the method of agar gel diffusion (AGD) for the presence of hepatitis‐B antibody. Of the 185,134 units tested, 114 were found to be positive for HBAb by the Regional Centers and were forwarded to National Special Projects Laboratory for confirmation. Only five out of 114 samples revealed lines of identity with a control anti‐HBAg when reacted with a pool of plasma positive for hepatitis‐B antigen that was different from that which was provided to the Centers. Apparently, the precipitation reactions observed by the Centers were largely due to the antithrombin antibodies in the donors' sera reacting with the residual thrombin used by the manufacturer to convert HBAg positive plasma to serum. We conclude that the incidence of hepatitis‐B antibody as measured by agar gel diffusion in the Red Cross Blood donor population was extremely low.
The Purification of Red Cells for Transfusion by Freeze Preservation and Washing
Authors: Crowley J. P. , Valeri C. R.
Published: October 2009

Leukocytes were removed from washed, freeze‐preserved red blood cells primarily by the clumping together of damaged cells. This agglomeration was associated with membrane and nuclear changes which were usually manifested after the removal of glycerol from the red blood cells. Washing glycerolized, freeze‐preserved leukocytes with solutions containing deoxyribonuclease prevented the agglomeration. Polymorphonuclear granulocytes were preferentially damaged and removed. Of the residual leukocytes that were isolated by the dextran sedimentation method, 70 per cent were lymphocytes. The dye exclusion test showed that the majority of the agglomerated leukocytes were nonviable, while the majority of the leukocytes isolated by dextran sedimentation were viable. The agglomerated material ranged in size from macroscopic aggregates to microscopic particles with a minimum diameter of 40‐50μ. HL‐A antibody adsorption demonstrated that particulate antigenic material was present in the washed red blood cells which could he decreased by micropore filtration.
The Risk of Immunization to IgG Following Rh Immune Globulin Therapy
Authors: Sebring E. S. , Polesky H. F. , Schanfield M. S.
Published: October 2009

Three hundred thirteen women were typed for Gm and Inv factors and screened for the presence of antibodies to gamma globulin both before receiving Rh immune globulin and at six weeks, three, six, and nine months after injection. Thirty‐five of the 313 women received multiple doses of Rh immune globulin following one or more pregnancies. In this group of patients, the incidence of anti‐gamma globulins was no greater than in the women given a single 0.7 to 2.25 ml dose. Anti‐gamma globulins were found in only 17 women (5.4%). Eleven had antibody prior to treatment and in six it first appeared in post injection specimens. Five of the women had allotype specific Gm agglutinators. In three, these were found in the pretreatment specimens. No evidence of Rh sensitization was demonstrable in the eleven Rh immune globulin recipients who had circulating anti‐gamma globulins at the time of treatment. Our data indicates that the risk of sensitization to Gm and Inv factors is a function of the concentration of the antigen in the Rh immune globulin and the pheno‐type of the recipients.
A Bradykinin‐Like Substance in Heat‐Treated Human Plasma Protein Solution
Authors: Izaka K. , Tsutsui E. , Mima Y. , Hasegawa E.
Published: October 2009

The vasodepressive activity contained in a 5 per cent heat‐treated human plasma protein solution has been studied and found to be a bradykinin‐like substance. When the solution was injected intravenously into a dog at a dose of 125 to 214 mg protein per kg body weight, at a rate of 18 to 30 ml per minute, a decrease in arterial pressure of 11.5 to 25.0 per cent was observed.

The solution also showed a marked contractile effect on smooth muscle of the isolated rat uterus. The extent of contraction was nearly equal to that caused by a bradykinin solution at a concentration of 25 to 125 ng/ml. The molecular weight of the vasodepressive substance is in the range of 1,000 to 10,000 as demonstrated by ultrafiltration. The substance was thermostable, dialyzable, and inactivated by carboxypeptidase B. Separation of the vasodepressive substance from the heat‐treated plasma protein was achieved either by gel filtration on Sephadex G‐50 or by selective adsorption. The active substance is probably bradykinin‐like, of molecular weight of 1,000 to 10,000, and contains lysine or arginine at its carboxyl terminal.
Effects of Centrifugation on Erythrocytes
Authors: Miller W. V. , Wilson M. J.
Published: October 2009

In order to determine the effects of centrifugation on stored erythrocytes, survival studies were performed on units which were centrifuged either once on the day of collection, twice on the day of collection, or once on day 21. No meaningful differences existed between the study groups and a control group. These findings indicate that single centrifugation at any time throughout storage is not harmful, and that double centrifugation on the day of collection does not significantly alter erythrocyte survival. Regulations requiring sedimentation rather than centrifugation for the preparation of Red Blood Cells (Human) after the sixth day of storage should be re‐evaluated.
Washing of Red Blood Cells Previously Frozen in Liquid Nitrogen. Experience with the Elutramatic Ultra‐Flo System
Authors: ÅKerblom O. , Kreuger A.
Published: October 2009

An automated continuous‐flow washing system, the Elutramatic Ultra‐Flo system, has been tested for the deglycerolization of red blood cells previously frozen in liquid nitrogen. Packed red blood cells frozen with 100 ml of a 55 per cent glycerol solution were, after thawing, diluted with 175 ml 3.7 per cent sodium chloride solution. The standard wash program was used for the processing. Approximately 2.2 liter of saline solution were used for the washing of one unit of blood. The processing time for two units was 27 minutes in the automated cycles. The mean red blood cell recovery was 81 per cent and the mean residual hemolysis in the washed blood was 0.36 per cent. No important changes of ATP, DPG, and intraerythro‐cytic potassium occurred during the processing. The 24‐hour posttransfusion red blood cell survival was 91.6 ± 1.8 per cent. For the trained blood bank technician the Elutramatic Ultra‐Flo system offers a rapid and convenient method for the deglycerolization of red blood cells previously frozen in liquid nitrogen.
Increased Granulocyte Collection with the Blood Cell Separator and the Addition of Etiocholanolone and Hydroxyethyl Starch
Authors: McCredie K. B. , Freireich E. J. , Hester J. P. , Vallejos C.
Published: October 2009

A total of 201 leukaphereses have been performed on 73 donors to collect granulocytes for transfusion to infected leukopenic recipients. The pretreatment of the donor with etiocholanolone and the addition of hydroxyethyl starch to the extracorporeal circulation significantly increased the total number of granulocytes collected. Adverse side effects were minimal. The majority of donors underwent the procedure on 13 occasions over a period of eight weeks. Follow‐up donors two or more years later has revealed no long‐term adverse side effects from leukapheresis or from the addition of etiocholanolone and hydroxyethyl starch.
Physical Characteristics of Microaggregates in Stored Blood
Authors: Solis R. T. , Goldfinger D. , Gibbs M. B. , Zeller J. A.
Published: October 2009

The volume of microaggregates 13 to 80 μ in size which developed in blood components stored under varying conditions was measured with a particle size analyzer. The microaggregates were found to develop progressively during storage of ACD whole blood at 4 to 6 C. Coincident with this there was a drop in the platelet count during the first week of storage and a progressive reduction in the absolute granulocyte count. Microaggregate development after storage of various components of ACD blood was proportional to the concentration of platelets and leukocytes prior to storage. The microaggregates settled into the buffy coat after centrifugation and became larger. In vitro studies indicated that they were resistant to dissociation in vitro in comparison to platelet aggregates induced in fresh blood by adenosine diphosphate. Microaggregate formation was greater in CPD than in ACD anticoagulated blood stored at 4 to 6 C for 24 hours, but was not different after seven days of storage. A greater volume of microaggregates was formed in aliquots of ACD blood stored at 4 to 6 C than at room temperature, while no differences were noted after storage of blood in plastic bags or glass vacuum bottles.
An Evaluation of the Effects of Diethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP) on Mitotically Capable Cells in Blood Packs
Authors: Turner J. H. , Petricciani J. C. , Crouch M. L. , Wenger S.
Published: October 2009

Published data on the characteristics of Di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) have suggested that the use of plastic blood bags could cause adverse effects following excessive transfusion. In this report it is shown that any difference in the overall frequency of chromosomal abnormalities for cells stored in glass or plastic containers is not related to structural components leaching into the cellular millieu but very likely is a property inherent in the blood. This conclusion is supported by our failure to find a dose response relationship between damage to lymphocytic chromosomes and DEHP concentration over the range expected to be found in plastic blood bags. The study also investigated the mitotic rate and growth of lymphocytes exposed to DEHP. The findings suggest that the major effect of DEHP on lymphocytes is an inhibition of mitosis and growth rather than genetic damage.
Pressure Recovery Explains Doppler Overestimation of Invasive Pressure Gradient across Segmental Vascular Stenosis
Authors: Giardini Alessandro , Tacy Theresa A.
Published: October 2009

Aims: This investigation sought to discern the accuracy of Doppler predictions of pressure drops in stenotic jets mimicking aortic coarctation (AC) across a broad spectrum of conditions, using an in vitro nonpulsatile flow model. Methods and results: The model allowed for different AC diameter and length, different cardiac output, and different diameter of the aorta distal to the AC. For each study condition, pressure drops across a model of AC were measured both noninvasively using the simplified Bernoulli equation (SBE) and invasively using the instantaneous actual pressure gradient. We observed a good correlation of SBE‐predicted and actual pressure gradients (slope = 0.929; r = 0.907, P < 0.0001) when AC diameter was small and the diameter of the aorta distal to the AC was large. However, we observed various degrees of overestimation by Doppler when mild AC was simulated (P = 0.0003), or when the diameter of the aorta distal to the coarctation was reduced (P < 0.0001). Increased AC length was associated with underestimation of actual pressure gradient by Doppler when AC diameter was small. Accounting for pressure recovery and viscous losses reduced the discrepancies between Doppler‐predicted and actual pressure gradients in all study conditions (slope = 0.964; r = 0.989, P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Caution should be used in applying the SBE to the noninvasive assessment of AC severity. Significant segmental stenosis is associated with significant underestimation of the actual pressure gradient because of viscous losses. A substantial overestimation of the actual pressure drop due to a pressure recovery effect may occur in mild AC, especially when the distal aorta is not dilated. (Echocardiography 2010;27:21‐31)
The Puzzle of the Diffusion of Central‐Bank Independence Reforms: Insights from an Agent‐Based Simulation
Authors: Rapaport Orit , Levi‐Faur David , Miodownik Dan
Published: October 2009

The emergence of an ever‐widening sphere of global public policy is a new reality in a world characterized by the blurring of boundaries between the national and the global; by flows of ideas, people, and commodities; and by new global risks and opportunities. In this context, this article explores the empirical puzzle of the sudden outbreak of reforms leading to central‐bank independence. How can we best understand the outbreak of reforms in the 1990s? It is suggested here that the reforms were diffused in a contagious and uncoordinated manner in a global policy process that may best be captured by Kingdon's policy stream model. We develop an agent‐based model to evaluate the effects of three little‐explored aspects of the diffusion process. These are (i) the likelihood of the outbreak of reform, (ii) the rate of adoption of the reform, and (iii) the time to outbreak. We find that the likelihood of outbreak depends on the saliency of a problem, in conjunction with the length of time that a problem has been on the public agenda. We also find that an increase in the size of the environment surveyed before a decision is made increases the rate of adoption but also the time to outbreak. The more global the information available for agents, the longer is the time to outbreak, but outbreaks unfold much faster.
How to Reform a Reform Coalition: Outreach, Agenda Expansion, and Brokerage in Urban School Reform
Authors: Ansell Chris , Reckhow Sarah , Kelly Andrew
Published: October 2009

Coalitions have always played an advocacy role in policymaking, but they are increasingly regarded as a form of community capacity that can be harnessed to civic ends. As explored in this study of urban school reform in Oakland, California, this civic view of coalitions confronts a tension between the cohesiveness and the inclusiveness of coalitions. Coalitions unified around cohesive goals and beliefs are often narrowly based, which can encourage the formation of rival coalitions. By contrast, reform coalitions that build broad‐based support across the community may have difficulty developing coherent reform strategies. Using a social network analysis of key stakeholders to analyze the challenges of building civic capacity in Oakland, we find that the school district's recent reform experience more closely resembles an advocacy coalition than a broad civic coalition. The article then explores strategies for developing a broad civic coalition by expanding the existing advocacy coalition. We use the network analysis to identify opportunities for brokerage across individuals, institutions, and issues.
Vertical Politics in Horizontal Policy Networks: Framework Setting as Coupling Arrangement
Authors: Koppenjan Joop , Kars Mirjam , Voort Haiko van der
Published: October 2009

Horizontal governance arrangements potentially conflict with the very principles of the representative democracy and its political institutions. This conflict manifests itself in the interaction between representatives and the executive power: Although the former has the formal power to decide upon policies and to check their implementation, the latter participates in horizontal networks and therefore has more resources to influence the content, evolvement, and outcomes of the policy process. This erodes the power position of representatives. Framework setting is commonly suggested as an arrangement for representatives to enhance their grip on policy processes. The authors of this contribution examine the effects of framework setting as coupling mechanism between horizontal networks and vertical politics in six policy processes in a Dutch province. Based on network theory and research findings, they suggest redefining the concept of framework setting in order to make it more attuned to the complex, interdependent, and dynamic nature of policymaking in networks.
Feedbacks of consumer nutrient recycling on producer biomass and stoichiometry: separating direct and indirect effects
Authors: Knoll Lesley B. , McIntyre Peter B. , Vanni Michael J. , Flecker Alexander S.
Published: October 2009

Herbivores can have both direct (consumptive) and indirect (nutrient‐mediated) effects on primary producer biomass and nutrient stoichiometry. Ecological stoichiometry theory predicts that herbivores of contrasting body stoichiometry will differentially remineralize nutrients, resulting in feedbacks on producer stoichiometry. We experimentally separated direct and indirect effects of aquatic vertebrate grazers on periphyton by manipulating grazer abundance and identity in mesocosms, and using grazer exclusion cages to expose periphyton to recycled nutrients in the absence of direct grazing. In experiment 1, we used a catfish with high body phosphorus (low body N:P), Ancistrus triradiatus, to assess consumptive versus nutrient‐mediated effects of grazer density on periphyton. In experiment 2, we compared the nutrient‐mediated effects of grazing by Ancistrus triradiatus and Rana palmipes, a tadpole with low body phosphorus and high body N:P. In experiment 1, we found that increasing catfish density led to lower biomass and particulate nutrients in periphyton through direct consumptive effects, but that nutrient‐mediated indirect effects enhanced periphyton biomass when grazers were experimentally separated from direct contact with periphyton. As predicted by stoichiometry theory, nutrient recycling by this P‐rich grazer tended to increase algal C:P and N:P (although effects were not statistically significant), while their consumptive effects reduced algal C:P and N:P. In experiment 2, grazer identity had strong effects on dissolved water nutrient concentrations, N recycling (measured with a 15N tracer), and periphyton stoichiometry. In accordance with stoichiometry theory, catfish increased N concentrations and recycling rates leading to higher periphyton N:P, while tadpoles had greater effects on P availability leading to lower periphyton N:P. Our experiments elucidate the importance of both the density and identity of grazers in controlling periphyton biomass and stoichiometry through consumptive and nutrient‐mediated effects, and support the power of ecological stoichiometry theory to predict feedbacks on producer stroichiometry arising from consumer stoichiometry through nutrient recycling.
Modeling herbivore competition mediated by inducible changes in plant quality
Authors: Anderson Kurt E. , Inouye Brian D. , Underwood Nora
Published: October 2009

Competition between herbivorous insects often occurs as a trait mediated indirect effect mediated by inducible changes in plant quality rather than a direct effect mediated by plant biomass. While plant‐mediated competition likely influences many herbivores, progress linking studies of plant‐mediated competition in terrestrial phytophagous insects to longer‐term consequences for herbivore communities has been elusive, and there is little relevant theory to guide this effort. We present simple models describing plant‐mediated interactions between two herbivorous insects or other functionally equivalent organisms. These models consider general features of plant‐mediated competition including specificity of elicitation by and effects on herbivores, positive and negative interactions among herbivores, competition independent of changes in plant biomass, and the existence of multiple relevant plant traits. Our analyses generate four important conclusions. First, herbivores competing strongly via only one plant quality phenotype exhibit a limited range of outcomes. These include coexistence and competitive exclusion of either herbivore, but do not include initial condition dependence. Second, when the outcome of competition is competitive exclusion, the herbivore that persists is the one that can do so under the highest inducible reductions in plant quality. Third, competition via more than one inducible phenotype can exhibit a wider range of outcomes including multiple equilibria and initial condition dependence. Finally, transient dynamics may not predict the eventual outcome of competition when changes in plant quality are slow relative to herbivore population growth, especially when herbivores compete through multiple phenotypes. We interpret our results in terms of competition outcomes reported in the literature, and suggest directions for the future empirical study of herbivore competition mediated by inducible changes in plant quality.
Propagule pressure and disturbance interact to overcome biotic resistance of marine invertebrate communities
Authors: Clark Graeme F. , Johnston Emma L.
Published: October 2009

Propagule pressure is fundamental to invasion success, yet our understanding of its role in the marine domain is limited. Few studies have manipulated or controlled for propagule supply in the field, and consequently there is little empirical data to test for non‐linearities or interactions with other processes. Supply of non‐indigenous propagules is most likely to be elevated in urban estuaries, where vessels congregate and bring exotic species on fouled hulls and in ballast water. These same environments are also typically subject to elevated levels of disturbance from human activities, creating the potential for propagule pressure and disturbance to interact. By applying a controlled dose of free‐swimming larvae to replicate assemblages, we were able to quantify a dose–response relationship at much finer spatial and temporal scales than previously achieved in the marine environment. We experimentally crossed controlled levels of propagule pressure and disturbance in the field, and found that both were required for invasion to occur. Only recruits that had settled onto bare space survived beyond three months, precluding invader persistence in undisturbed communities. In disturbed communities initial survival on bare space appeared stochastic, such that a critical density was required before the probability of at least one colony surviving reached a sufficient level. Those that persisted showed 75% survival over the following three months, signifying a threshold past which invaders were resilient to chance mortality. Urban estuaries subject to anthropogenic disturbance are common throughout the world, and similar interactions may be integral to invasion dynamics in these ecosystems.
Catching a red herring: autumn colours and aphids
Authors: White T. C. R.
Published: October 2009

The purpose of this note is not to support any particular hypothesis explaining the evolution of red coloured autumn leaves, but to present evidence that shows existing knowledge does not support one such hypothesis – that red coloured leaves evolved as a signal to protect trees from aphids feeding and laying eggs on them in autumn. An alternative hypothesis is that autumn‐feeding aphids are senescence‐feeders, evolved to feed only on senescing leaves. These aphids are programmed to detect and feed on such leaves when they are still green and yellow and actively exporting their nutrients. Aphids reject or ignore red leaves because they are no longer good food, not because they are protecting the trees from the aphids.
New method for detecting antiandrogenic effects through the measurement of external genitalia in rabbits
Authors: Inawaka Kunifumi , Kishimoto Noriyuki , Higuchi Hashihiro , Okamoto Takayuki , Kawamura Satoshi
Published: October 2009

The aim of the present study was to develop a quantitative evaluation method for detecting antiandrogenic activity of chemicals in rabbits that are regularly used for developmental toxicity studies. Kbl: New Zealand White rabbits (n = 8–9) were injected intramuscularly with an antiandrogen, cyproterone acetate (CA; 10 mg/kg body weight [BW]/day), on gestation days (GD) 13–24. On GD 29, live fetuses were obtained by cesarean section and sexed by examination of the internal genitalia. The external genitalia were evaluated in cross‐section measurements of the phallus by both diameter and width of the ventral gap of the preputial lamella with a micrometer under a stereoscopic microscope. The diameters of the preputial lamella were 1015 ± 83.5, 856 ± 64.0, and 865 ± 72.6 µm in control males, control females, and CA‐treated males, respectively. The ventral gaps of the preputial lamella were 26 ± 8.2, 437 ± 72.3, and 318 ± 59.4 µm in the control males, control females, and CA‐treated males, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in both parameters between control males and control females or CA‐treated males. The lower fetal BW in CA‐treated males did not disturb the detection of the feminization of the ventral gap of the preputial lamella; however, the diameter of the preputial lamella might be influenced by fetal BW because no difference in the relative diameter of the preputial lamella was found between control males and CA‐treated males.

These results demonstrated that this approach could detect the antiandrogen activity of CA quantitatively by feminization of male external genitalia in rabbit fetuses.
No association between severe constipation with related drug treatment in pregnant women and congenital abnormalities in their offspring: A population‐based case‐control study
Authors: Ács Nándor , Bánhidy Ferenc , Puhó Erzsébet H. , Czeizel Andrew E.
Published: October 2009

Constipation is a common pathological condition in pregnant women; nevertheless, its possible association with structural birth defects (i.e. congenital abnormalities [CA]) in their offspring has not been studied in controlled epidemiological studies. We evaluated the possible association between severe constipation with laxative treatment in pregnant women and congenital abnormalities in their offspring. The dataset of the population‐based Hungarian Case‐Control Surveillance System of Congenital Abnormalities (HCCSCA) 1980–1996 contained 22 843 cases with CA and 38 151 matched controls without CA. Only pregnant women with prospectively and medically recorded constipation were included in the study and 13 CA groups were compared in cases and all their matched controls. A total of 78 (0.34%) cases had mothers with severe constipation and treatment during pregnancy compared to 144 (0.38%) controls (adjusted OR with 95% CI = 1.0, 0.7–1.3). Specified groups of CA were also assessed versus controls, but a higher occurrence of pregnant women with severe constipation and related treatment was not found in any CA group. Among laxative drugs, senna has no teratogenic potential; thus, if severe constipation requires laxative drug treatment in pregnant women, senna is not contraindicated. A higher rate of CA was not found in the offspring of pregnant women with severe constipation and related senna treatment.
Global gene profiling and comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of a 46,XY female with pericentric inversion of the Y chromosome
Authors: Mitsuhashi Tomoko , Warita Katsuhiko , Tabuchi Yoshiaki , Takasaki Ichiro , Kondo Takashi , Sugawara Teruo , Hayashi Fumio , Wang Zhi‐Yu , Matsumoto Yoshiki , Miki Takanori , Takeuchi Yoshiki , Ebina Yasuhiko , Yamada Hideto , Sakuragi Noriaki , Yokoyama Toshifumi , Nanmori Takashi , Kitagawa Hiroshi , Kant Jeffrey A. , Hoshi Nobuhiko
Published: October 2009

XY females are rare individuals who carry a Y chromosome but are phenotypically female. In approximately 80–90% of these cases, there are no mutations in the SRY gene, a testis‐determining gene on the short arm of the Y chromosome, and the pathophysiology of XY females without SRY mutation remains unclear. In the present study, we used a molecular data mining technique to analyze the pathophysiology of an XY female with functional SRY and pericentric inversion of the Y chromosome, and compared the results with those of a normal male. Interestingly, upregulations of numerous genes included in the development category of the Biological Process ontology, including genes associated with sex determination and organ morphogenesis, were seen in the patient. Additionally, the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) signaling pathway and Wnt signaling pathway, in which most cell–cell interactions during embryonic development are involved, were altered. Alterations in the expression of numerous genes at the developmental stage, including alterations at both the gene and pathway levels, may persist as a vestige of anomalies of sex differentiation that presumably began in the fetal period. The present study indicates that a data mining technique using bioinformatics contributes to identification of not only genes responsible for birth defects, but also disorders of sex development (DSD)‐specific pathways, and that this kind of analysis is an important tool for clarifying the pathophysiology of human idiopathic XY gonadal dysgenesis. Our findings could serve as one of the basic datasets which will be used for future follow‐up investigations.
Gender‐dependent differences in the incidence of ochratoxin A‐induced neural tube defects in the Pdn/Pdn mouse
Authors: Ueta Etsuko , Kodama Mami , Sumino Yoshiki , Kurome Maho , Ohta Ken‐ichi , Katagiri Ryu‐ichi , Naruse Ichiro
Published: October 2009

Genetic polydactyly/arhinencephaly mouse embryo, Pdn/Pdn, exhibits suppression of Gli3 gene expression. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a teratogen that causes neural tube defects (NTD) in mice. We investigated gender‐dependent differences in the incidence of NTD induced by OTA in the Pdn/Pdn mouse. After administering 2 mg/kg OTA to Pdn/+ female mice, mated with Pdn/+ males, on day 7.5 of gestation, we examined the genotypes, sex and NTD of fetuses on day 18. Non‐treated Pdn/Pdn had a 15.8% risk of NTD, and all NTD fetuses were female. When Pdn/Pdn embryos were exposed to OTA, the incidence of NTD increased to 16 (51.6%) of 31 Pdn/Pdn fetuses, and 10 (71.4%) of 14 male Pdn/Pdn fetuses exhibited NTD. From these results, it was speculated that NTD in OTA‐treated male Pdn/Pdn were due to the synergistic effect between depressed Gli3 and altered sex‐correlated gene expression from OTA treatment. After treatment with OTA, the embryos were recovered on day 9 and gene expressions, which were correlated with Gli3, telencephalic morphogenesis, formation of gonadal anlage, and gender‐dependent differentiation were investigated. From real‐time polymerase chain reaction analysis results, it was suggested that the manifestation of NTD in the male OTA‐treated Pdn/Pdn might be due to the complicated altered gene expressions among Gli3, Wnt7b, Wnt8b, Fez1, Barx1, Lim1, Dmrt1, Igf1, Fog2, Dax1 and Sox9, and in particular, upregulation and gender‐dependent difference in Barx1 and gender‐dependent difference in Sox9 gene expressions might be noteworthy findings.
Sexuality During Pregnancy
Authors: Pauleta Joana Rocha , Pereira Nuno Monteiro , Graça Luís Mendes
Published: October 2009

Introduction

Sexuality is an important part of health and well-being. Sexual behavior modifies as pregnancy progresses, influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.

Aim

To evaluate changes in sexual perceptions and activities during pregnancy and to determine sexual dysfunctions in that period.

Main Outcome Measures

Sexual perceptions (desire from the partner, feelings of attractiveness, and fear of sexual intercourse), sexual activities during pregnancy (sexual intercourse frequency, the most frequent sexual intercourse trimester, sexual activity during the birth week, type(s) of sexual intercourse, changes in sexual satisfaction and desire compared with the pre-pregnancy period, and changes in sexual intercourse frequency during each trimester compared with the pre-pregnancy period), and sexual dysfunctions.

Methods

Puerperal women were asked to anonymously complete a self-administered and structured questionnaire at the day of discharge from hospital.

Results

One hundred and eighty-eight women, aged between 17 years and 40 years with a mean age of 28.9 years, were analyzed. The first trimester was considered the most frequent period of sexual intercourse (44.7%), followed by the second trimester (35.6%). Fifty-five percent reported a decrease of sexual activity during the third trimester. Fear of sexual intercourse was referred by 23.4% of the women questioned. Sexual satisfaction was unchanged in 48.4% of the subjects and decreased in 27.7% (P <0.0001); sexual desire is reported to be unchanged in 38.8% and decreased in 32.5% (P = 0.196) of the population. Vaginal, oral, anal sex, and masturbation were performed by 98.3%, 38.1%, 6.6%, and 20.4% of the women, respectively.

Conclusions

We determined in our study that sexual satisfaction do not change in pregnancy compared with the pre-pregnancy patterns despite a decline of sexual activity during the third trimester. A discussion of expected changes in sexuality should be routinely done by the doctor in order to improve couples’ perception of possible sexual modifications induced by pregnancy.
Factors affecting adventitious regeneration from in vitro leaf explants of ‘Improved French’ plum, the most important dried plum cultivar in the USA
Authors: Petri C. , Scorza R.
Published: October 2009

An adventitious shoot regeneration protocol from in vitro leaves of the most important dried plum cultivar in the USA, ‘Improved French’, has been established. Factors affecting regeneration were studied in order to optimise regeneration. The proliferation medium in which the shoots, used as the source of leaf explants, were cultured had a strong influence on subsequent regeneration. Shoot regeneration was observed at a mean frequency of 52% when a Murashige‐based and Skoog‐based shoot culture medium with 3 μM N6‐benzylaminopurine and 0.25 μM indole‐3‐butyric acid (IBA) was employed compared with shoot regeneration frequencies of less than 5% for a Quoirin‐based and Lepoivre‐based shoot culture medium, with 8.9 μM N6‐benzylaminopurine and 0.49 μM IBA. The shoot regeneration medium contained α‐naphthaleneacetic acid at 2.0–6.0 μM and thidiazuron at 4.5–15.0 μM. 2,4 Dichlorophenoxy‐acetic acid at 9.0 μM was included in the medium but only for the first 4 days of culture. Shoot regeneration frequencies were positively related to thidiazuron concentration and significantly greater (P < 0.05) for 9–15 μM thidiazuron than for the media with 4.5 μM thidiazuron. Leaf explants, incubated in a 16‐h‐light/8‐h‐dark photoperiod or in the dark for 1 week followed by exposure to light, showed significantly more organogenic activity (P < 0.01) than was observed for leaves cultured in the dark for 2 or 3 weeks before they were transferred to the light. The utilisation of Bacto agar (0.7%) as the gelling agent increased organogenesis compared with media gelled with TC Agar (0.7%), or an agar–gellan gum blend (Agargel™) (0.45%). The addition of the ethylene inhibitor silver thiosulphate at 60–120 μM also improved organogenesis. When all the studied factors were optimised, a regeneration rate of 65% was achieved. Rooting frequency of regenerated shoots was significantly increased (P < 0.05) by the use of full‐strength Murashige and Skoog salts (40%) or 100 mg L−1 phloroglucinol (53%) to the rooting medium.
The Design, Synthesis and Potential Utility of Fluorescence Probes that Target DFG‐out Conformation of p38α for High Throughput Screening Binding Assay
Authors: Tecle Haile , Feru Frederic , Liu Hu , Kuhn Cyrille , Rennie Glen , Morris Mark , Shao Jiangxing , Cheng Alan C. , Gikunju Diana , Miret Juan , Coli Rocco , Xi Simon (Hualin) , Clugston Susan L. , Low Simon , Kazmirski Steven , Ding Yuan‐Hua , Cao Qing , Johnson Theresa L. , Deshmukh Gayatri D. , DiNitto Jonathan P. , Wu Joe C. , English Jessie M.
Published: October 2009

The design, synthesis and utility of fluorescence probes that bind to the DFG‐out conformation of p38α kinase are described. Probes that demonstrate good affinity for p38α, have been identified and one of the probes, PF‐04438255, has been successfully used in an high throughput screening (HTS) assay to identify two novel non‐classical p38α inhibitors. In addition, a cascade activity assay was utilized to validate the selective binding of these non‐classical kinase inhibitors to the unactive form of the enzyme.
Detection of virulence factors in Serratia strains isolated from contact lens‐associated corneal ulcers
Authors: Pinna Antonio , Usai Donatella , Sechi Leonardo A. , Carta Arturo , Zanetti Stefania
Published: October 2009

Purpose:  This paper reports on the microbiological findings pertaining to three Serratia isolates from soft contact lens‐related corneal ulcers, which represent a complication of contact lens wear reported with increasing frequency.

Methods:  Bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed using the Vitek system. Serratia’s ability to form biofilm, produce gelatinase, elastase and alkaline protease, and invade human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells was investigated. The isolates’ susceptibility to the following disinfectants was tested: (a) ReNu MultiPlus®, containing polyaminopropyl biguanide 0.0001%; (b) Opti‐Free Express®, containing polyquaternium‐1 0.001% and myristamidopropyldimethylamine 0.0005%; (c) Opti‐Free Replenish®, containing polyquaternium‐1 0.001% and myristamidopropyldimethylamine 0.0005%, and (d) Oxysept Comfort®, a one‐step 3% hydrogen peroxide‐catalase system.

Results:  Two Serratia marcescens and one Serratia liquefaciens were identified. All the strains were susceptible to aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones. No isolate formed biofilm or significantly invaded HCE cells; all produced alkaline protease and gelatinase, but not elastase. Opti‐Free Express® and Opti‐Free Replenish® were active against S. liquefaciens, but failed to kill the S. marcescens isolates within the minimum recommended time (6 hours). ReNu MultiPlus® needed 6 hours to kill one strain of S. marcescens, which is 2 hours more than recommended. Conversely, Oxysept Comfort® was always effective within the minimum recommended time (6 hours).

Conclusions:  The ability to produce alkaline protease and gelatinase may play a major role in the pathogenesis of contact lens‐related Serratia keratitis. Several types of contact lens solutions may be ineffective in eradicating Serratia from contaminated contact lens cases within the minimum recommended time. Only exposure to Oxysept Comfort® was always effective against Serratia in this study.
‘A Garland in Place of Ashes’:1Transformative Spirituality and Mission in the Post‐Modern and Secular Contexts
Authors: Cruchley‐Jones Peter
Published: October 2009

In this paper I aim to explore not what is the so‐called ‘post‐modern and secular context’ but how the church responds to it, which is predominantly to blame it for ‘decline’. Yet it may not be decline, it may be something else altogether. I am reflecting on a western/UK context, but within this are theological assumptions that characterize the wider church. So, having made some remarks on how to approach decline I will then explore some transformations of spirituality and mission that are responses to the post‐modern and secular context. Underlying this is an attitude to ‘spirituality’ which is not about how we worship or our experience of the ‘ethereal’ but is about our ‘capacity for life’. But, I want to maintain that nothing new or transformative can emerge until the church stops resenting and despairing of the context and change we are experiencing. Further, I am not convinced the church in the UK or the West is able to adapt to the strangeness of this new context and will seek always to bring it back under church control. But, I will then offer a post‐modern image for transformative spirituality and mission that could leave its mark on the church.
Transformative Spirituality for a Transformed World: Contributions from the Indigenous Perspective
Authors: Quispe María Chávez
Published: October 2009

A Transformative Spirituality from the perspective of indigenous peoples should be rooted in the life experience, cultural values and spirituality of the indigenous peoples. From the identity and history of the indigenous relationship with Christianity, the article presents some experiences and voices of indigenous peoples and concludes with some suggestions to think about the theme. In this perspective Transformative Spirituality is a proposal of an alternative way of life to the current one which is marked by financial crisis and hopelessness in the face of the future. Pachamama as the Mother Earth, origin and end of life, is the main symbol of this spirituality.
“I Saw a Peach Tree in Full Bloom”: Transformative Spirituality and Mission in an Interreligious Context
Authors: Premawardhana Shanta
Published: October 2009

The crisis in Sri Lanka, which is rooted in the politics of ethnicity and reached a new stage in May 2009 when the government forces militarily defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels, forms the backdrop to this article. Transformative spirituality in this context is demonstrated in the strong bond of friendship between the author, a Sri Lankan Sinhalese, and a colleague who is a Sri Lankan Tamil. The article draws upon four principles of transformative spirituality in the interreligious context articulated by Sri Lankan Jesuit priest Aloysius Pieris. First, it must take the context seriously, which, in the Sri Lankan context means its grinding poverty and its rich religious diversity, to which must now be added the devastating war that has just concluded. Second, robust interreligious dialogue requires that Christians look beyond typologies such as exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism, and engage other religious traditions on their own terms. Third, unless religions engage with the other core‐to‐core, rather than engage the kernel of Christianity with the husk of Buddhism, there cannot be genuine transformative spirituality. Fourth, transformative spirituality is only possible when the core of Christianity meets the core of Buddhism in the praxis of liberation. Acknowledging that dialogue never engages only the participants' religious identity, but engages the other as a whole person with multiple identities, the article applies Pieris' interreligious dialogue principles to conflictual ethnic relations seeking to provide dialogue as a model for other types of reconciliation.
Transformative Spirituality and Mission as Healing and Reconciliation
Authors: López Elisa Estévez
Published: October 2009

The memory of the therapeutic praxis of Jesus Christ, narrated and celebrated in the heart of communities of believers, configures the personal and collective identity and recreates it in each social‐historical situation. This memory has the power of questioning discourses and practices that move away from the message of life in fullness that they involve; it invites change and encourages ways of life in harmony with the path of a great community of memory which, in its diversity, has sought to walk in the steps of the Resurrected. The healing encounters are therefore a manifestation of the love and mercy of God and they aim to make men and women open themselves up to this reality and allow themselves to be transformed by it, putting it at the centre of their lives and with the possibility of transforming all dimensions of life. Then, communities and every person become mediators of healing and salvation. In this article I aim to reflect the most significant dimensions of the therapeutic praxis of Christ in order to illuminate mission and transformative spirituality as healing and reconciliation (mercy, proximity, living touch, compassionate gaze, listening, dialogue and liberating word, forgiveness). The summons to heal and reconcile gradually intertwines with a way and style of life and a way of committing to history by welcoming the Spirit of God that acts and reveals itself therein.
Women's Spiritualities: Resource for Mission
Authors: Melanchthon Monica J.
Published: October 2009

What are the distinguishing features of women's spiritualities, what informs women's spiritualities and practice? This paper attends to the transformative elements that women's spiritualities potentially offer to the task of mission. Mary and her song in Luke 1 are explored in order to plumb something of the depth of the spirituality of Mary and her song and Mary in her role as woman, as co‐worker with God to redeem and transform the world.
God's Mission as Word Event in an Age of World Christianity: An Asian Linguistic‐Transcultural Model
Authors: Chung Paul S.
Published: October 2009

Christian community lives according to the Word of God, inspiring the church to be in ecumenical fellowship and to be amenable to the act of God's speech in an age of world Christianity. The Word of God is able to be translated transculturally in different times and places, while keeping the transversal, irregular horizon of God's discourse. In view of the rise of world Christianity much has been said about the indigenization of the Christian narrative that challenges the western concept of missio Dei. To renew God's mission in an East Asian configuration, a linguistic‐transcultural model is proposed for a public theology of mission that promotes the full humanity of those on the underside of history and acknowledges religious outsiders. A public mission of God's narrative takes seriously the project of interculturation and emancipation in the post‐western Christian era.