bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acute renal failure in African children with Burkitt's lymphoma: A comparison of two treatment regimens
Authors: Olowu Wasiu A. , Elusiyan Jerome B.E. , Badejo Sekinat A. , Adenowo Olusola A.
Published: October 2005

Background

The outcome for patients presenting with acute renal failure and Burkitt lymphoma (BLARF) without dialysis is poor. This was a retrospective non‐randomized comparative study designed to determine the outcome of two different treatment protocols.

Methods

One group of patients (TPA) received oral allopurinol, intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide, vincristine, methotrexate, furosemide, 8.4% sodium bicarbonate, and intrathecal (IT) methotrexate; the other (TPB) alternate day IV infusion of low dose cyclosphosphamide (125 mg/m2 × 4 doses), IT methotrexate (Days 1 and 5) and aggressive pre‐emptive anti‐tumor lysis syndrome therapy including oral allopurinol and calcium lactate, IV calcium gluconate, salbutamol, insulin and infusions of furosemide, sodium bicarbonate and glucose.

Results

Nine of 16 received TPA, 7 received TPB. Post chemotherapy anemia was more severe with TPA (P < 0.05). TPB patients received significantly more chemotherapy than those in TPA (P = 0.04). All 16 had tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). Six of nine patients with TPA died from this (three from other causes), two deaths in TPB were due to causes other than tumor lysis. Other evaluated outcome indices were similar in both groups.

Conclusion

Slow IV infusion of low dose cyclophosphamide given on alternate days in addition to pre‐emptive anti‐TLS measures (TPB) were associated with better outcome in BLARF patients compared to a high dose multiple chemotherapy regimen (TPA). Pediatr Blood Cancer 2006, 46:446–453. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prenatal diagnosis of de novo (7;19)(q11.2;q13.3) translocation associated with a thick corpus callosum and Wilms tumor of the kidneys
Authors: Cavicchioni Ottavia , Gomes Denise Molina , Leroy Brigitte , Vialard François , Hillion Yvette , Selva Jacqueline , Ville Yves
Published: September 2005

We present a case of prenatal diagnosis of a de novo (7;19)(q11.2;q13.3) translocation associated with ultrasound features, including enlarged cisterna magna, normal vermis, thick corpus callosum, micrognathia, small and low‐set ears and right hyperechogenic kidney. Karyotyping was performed at 24 weeks of gestation. Termination of pregnancy was accepted at the parents' request. Postmortem examination confirmed the prenatal findings, but revealed bilateral Wilms tumors of the kidneys. Parental karyotype was normal. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prenatal diagnosis of Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome
Authors: Williams Daniel H. , Gauthier Daniel W. , Maizels Max
Published: September 2005

Objectives

The diagnosis of Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) typically is made after birth. To our knowledge, no established guidelines exist for the prenatal diagnosis of this condition. We present two new cases of prenatally diagnosed BWS and propose a diagnostic schema.

Methods

Published reports obtained from Medline searches were reviewed and combined with our cases.

Results

Our proposed schema of two major criteria (abdominal wall defect, macroglossia, macrosomia) or one major plus two minor criteria (nephromegaly/dysgenesis, adrenal cytomegaly, aneuploidy/abnormal loci, polyhydramnios) fits all published reports of prenatally diagnosed BWS.

Conclusion

The prenatal diagnosis of BWS can be reliably made by applying our proposed guidelines. This schema allows for uniform fetal diagnosis of the syndrome and helps prepare for prenatal counseling and peri‐ and post‐natal management strategies. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prenatal infantile cortical hyperostosis (Caffey's disease): a ‘hepatic myeloid hyperplasia‐pulmonary hypoplasia sequence’ can explain the lethality of early onset cases
Authors: Wright James R. , Van den Hof Michiel C. , Macken Marian B.
Published: September 2005

Background

Infantile cortical hyperostosis (ICH) is benign and self‐limiting when it presents near or after birth but is usually lethal when it presents earlier.

Methods

We present the clinical, ultrasonic, radiographic and pathologic findings in an instructive case of early onset prenatal ICH.

Results

A 40‐year‐old G2P1 woman delivered spontaneously at 22 weeks' gestation. Prenatal ultrasounds showed rib and mandibular abnormalities as well as short humeri. Post‐mortem radiographs showed asymmetric hyperostosis in long bones, mandible, scapulae and pelvis with sparing of spine, hands, feet and skull. The affected skeleton showed marked bony sclerosis and ballooning of the diaphyses of the long bones with periosteal sclerosis. A complete autopsy showed characteristic histologic findings in affected bones. Previous reports at 20+ weeks have described anasarca, fetal hydrops, hepatomegaly, and pulmonary hypoplasia. In our case, there was no hydrops/anasarca; hepatomegaly, due to massive extramedullary hematopoiesis with marked myeloid hyperplasia, combined with ribcage abnormalities, caused mild pulmonary hypoplasia.

Conclusion

We hypothesize that early onset fetal ICH is usually lethal because massive hepatic myeloid hyperplasia sequentially causes: (1) hepatomegaly and, in conjunction with rib abnormalities, mild pulmonary hypoplasia, (2) sinusoidal and pre‐sinusoidal portal hypertension followed by ascites/hydrops, and (3) ascites/hydrops‐induced severe pulmonary hypoplasia. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Isolated right diaphragmatic eventration mimicking congenital heart disease in utero
Authors: Yang C.‐K. , Shih J.‐C. , Hsu W.‐M. , Peng S.‐S. , Shyu M.‐K. , Lee C.‐N. , Hsieh F.‐J.
Published: September 2005

Diaphragmatic eventration is the upward displacement of the abdominal viscera secondary to a thin or paralytic diaphragm. Its clinical presentations and radiographic pictures are similar to those of diaphragmatic hernia. Prenatal diagnosis of diaphragmatic eventration is extremely rare. A pregnant woman was referred to us because of abnormal cardiac findings noted at 20 weeks of gestation. A diagnosis of partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection was made on the basis of our findings of right atrial enlargement with an abnormal vascular channel drainage to it. The infant was born via cesarean section at 40 weeks and developed complications of cyanosis immediately after birth. Postnatal imaging studies and surgical findings disclosed right side diaphragmatic eventration with liver and associated vasculature upward displacement into the right pleural cavity. The cardiac structure was otherwise normal. We conclude that when an abnormal vessel tracing and unexplainable cardiac chamber asymmetry is encountered, diaphragmatic eventration should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses. Correct recognition and transferral to the hospital for neonatal assistance may lead to timely and appropriate management of these fetuses. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Energy payback and life‐cycle CO2 emissions of the BOS in an optimized 3·5 MW PV installation
Authors: Mason J. E. , Fthenakis V. M. , Hansen T. , Kim H. C.
Published: September 2005

This study is a life‐cycle analysis of the balance of system (BOS) components of the 3·5 MWp multi‐crystalline PV installation at Tucson Electric Power's (TEP) Springerville, AZ field PV plant. TEP instituted an innovative PV installation program guided by design optimization and cost minimization. The advanced design of the PV structure incorporated the weight of the PV modules as an element of support design, thereby eliminating the need for concrete foundations. The estimate of the life‐cycle energy requirements embodied in the BOS is 542 MJ/m2, a 71% reduction from those of an older central plant; the corresponding life‐cycle greenhouse gas emissions are 29 kg CO2 eq./m2. From field measurements, the energy payback time (EPT) of the BOS is 0·21 years for the actual location of this plant, and 0·37 years for average US insolation/temperature conditions. This is a great improvement from the EPT of about 1·3 years, estimated for an older central plant. The total cost of the balance of system components was $940 US per kWp of installed PV, another milestone in improvement. These results were verified with data from different databases and further tested with sensitivity‐ and data‐uncertainty analyses. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of sulfonated poly(imidoaryl ether sulfone) membranes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells
Authors: Kim Dae Sik , Park Ho Bum , Jang Jae Young , Lee Young Moo
Published: October 2005

New sulfonated poly(imidoaryl ether sulfone) copolymers derived from sulfonated 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenyl sulfone, 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenyl sulfone, and imidoaryl biphenol were evaluated as polymer electrolyte membranes for direct methanol fuel cells. The sulfonated membranes were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The state of water in the membranes was measured with differential scanning calorimetry, and the existence of free water and bound water was discussed in terms of the sulfonation level. The 10 wt % weight loss temperatures of these copolymers were above 470 °C, indicating excellent thermooxidative stability to meet the severe criteria of harsh fuel‐cell conditions. The proton conductivities of the membranes ranged from 3.8 × 10−2 to 5 × 10−2 S/cm at 90 °C, depending on the degree of sulfonation. The sulfonated membranes maintained the original proton conductivity even after a boiling water test, and this indicated the excellent hydrolytic stability of the membranes. The methanol permeabilities ranged from 1.65 × 10−8 to 5.14 × 10−8 cm2/s and were lower than those of other conventional sulfonated ionomer membranes, particularly commercial perfluorinated sulfonated ionomer (Nafion). The properties of proton and methanol transport were discussed with respect to the state of water in the membranes. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5620–5631, 2005
The caregiver reaction assessment: psychometrics, and temporal stability in primary caregivers of Norwegian cancer patients in late palliative phase
Authors: Grov Ellen Karine , Fosså Sophie D. , Tønnessen Arnfinn , Dahl Alv A.
Published: September 2005

Background: Limited research has been done on the situation of primary caregivers (PCs) to patients staying at home with cancer in the palliative phase. This study uses the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA) to examine PCs caregiver burden and well‐being.

Patients and methods: The sample consisted of 85 PCs examined at baseline, among them 42 were re‐examined four months later. We explored the psychometric properties of the CRA at baseline, and introduced a CRA sum score. The CRA sum score was correlated with the Short Form 36 (SF‐36) and The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores.

Results: The internal consistency of the CRA dimensions varied between alpha 0.57 and 0.85, and the factor structure was in line with earlier studies. The CRA sum score correlated significantly with all mental dimensions on the SF‐36 and the HADS. At baseline the PCs showed significantly worse scores except for family support when compared to newly diagnosed cancer patients. The mean scores on the CRA dimensions as well as the total score did not change significantly from baseline to follow‐up.

Conclusion: We have confirmed the psychometric properties of the CRA, which seems to be an appropriate instrument for assessment the PCs caregiver situation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Unwinding the helical linker of calcium‐loaded calmodulin: A molecular dynamics study
Authors: Fiorin G. , Biekofsky R. R. , Pastore A. , Carloni P.
Published: September 2005

The fold of calmodulin (CaM) consists of two globular domains connected by a helical segment (the linker), whose conformational properties play a crucial role for the protein's molecular recognition processes. Here we investigate the structural properties of the linker by performing a 11.5 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of calcium‐loaded human CaM in aqueous solution. The calculations are based on the AMBER force field. The calculated S2 order parameters are in good accord with NMR data: The structure of the linker in our simulations is much more flexible than that emerging from the Homo sapiens X‐ray structure, consistently with the helix unwinding observed experimentally in solution. This process occurs spontaneously in a nanosecond timescale, as observed also in a very recent simulation based on the GROMOS force field. A detailed description of the mechanism that determines the linker unwinding is provided, in which electrostatic contacts between the two globular domains play a critical role. The orientation of the domains emerging from our MD calculations is consistent both with former X‐ray scattering data and a recent NMR work. Based on our findings, a rationale for the experimentally measured entropy cost associated to binding to the protein's cellular partners is also given. Proteins 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Origin of the sequence‐dependent polyproline II structure in unfolded peptides
Authors: Kentsis Alex , Mezei Mihaly , Osman Roman
Published: September 2005

Recent studies have indicated that the unfolded states of polypeptides contain a substantial amount of polyproline type II (PII) structure. This energetically and structurally preorganized state may contribute to the reduction of the folding search, as well as to the recognition of intrinsically unstructured proteins and polyproline ligands. Using Monte Carlo simulations of natively unfolded peptides in the presence of explicit aqueous solvation, we observe that residue‐specific PII conformational propensity is the result of the modulation of polypeptide backbone hydration by a proximal side‐chain. Such a mechanism may be unique among those that contribute to the modulation of secondary structures in proteins. The calculated conformational propensities should prove useful for the development of a configurational PII scale necessary for the prediction and design of natural‐like polypeptides. Proteins 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rice (Oryza sativa) response to drift rates of glyphosate
Authors: Koger Clifford H , Shaner Dale L , Krutz L Jason , Walker Timothy W , Buehring Nathan , Henry W Brien , Thomas Walter E , Wilcut John W
Published: September 2005

Greenhouse and field studies were conducted to investigate response of two rice varieties, Priscilla and Cocodrie, to sub‐lethal rates of glyphosate in terms of injury, shikimate accumulation and yield. In the greenhouse, more shikimate accumulated in Cocodrie than Priscilla at comparable glyphosate rates applied to plants at the three‐leaf stage. In field studies, glyphosate was applied to both varieties when they were 74‐cm tall and in the internode separation growth stage. Visual injury, plant height, and leaf‐tissue samples for shikimate analysis were collected at 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after treatment (DAT). Rice yield was also determined. Noticeable visual injury and height reduction to both varieties was observed as early as 7 and 3 DAT in Cocodrie and Priscilla, respectively. Shikimate levels in leaves began to increase in both varieties by 3 DAT in a dose‐dependent manner and reached a peak between 7 and 14 DAT. Elevated shikimate levels were still detectable by 28 DAT. Similar levels of shikimate accumulated in both varieties at comparable glyphosate rates. However, glyphosate treatment at comparable rates reduced rice yields more in Cocodrie than in Priscilla. The highest rate of glyphosate reduced yield in Cocodrie by 92% whereas there was only a 60% yield reduction in Priscilla. Shikimate levels in glyphosate‐treated rice were strongly correlated to yield reductions across both varieties and appeared to be a better predictor of yield reduction than was visual injury. Visual injury coupled with measured shikimate levels can be used collaboratively to identify glyphosate exposure and estimate subsequent rice yield reductions. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Direct identification of intramolecular disulfide links in peptides using negative ion electrospray mass spectra of underivatised peptides. A joint experimental and theoretical study
Authors: Bilusich Daniel , Maselli Vita M. , Brinkworth Craig S. , Samguina Tatiana , Lebedev Albert T. , Bowie John H.
Published: October 2005

[MH]− parent anions of underivatised peptides containing an intramolecular disulfide bridge undergo characteristic loss of the elements of H2S2, a process diagnostic of the presence of the disulfide moeity. This facile process is initiated from a side‐chain enolate anion. Theoretical calculations (at the HF/6‐31G(d)//AM1 level of theory) indicate that the process is exothermic with a small barrier. When the disulfide link involves a C‐terminal Cys, the negative ion spectrum shows an [(MH)(H2S2+CO2)] fragment anion which is usually the main peak of the spectrum. This process is also directed by an enolate anion: theoretical calculations suggest a stepwise sequence with loss of CO2 preceding loss of H2S2. Both [(MH)H2S2] and [(MH)(H2S2+CO2)] anions undergo backbone cleavage allowing identification of the amino acid sequence of the peptide. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of tomato glycoalkaloids by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Cataldi Tommaso R. I. , Lelario Filomena , Bufo Sabino A.
Published: October 2005

Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) extracted from tomato leaves and berries (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were separated and identified using optimized reversed‐phase liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization (ESI) and ion trap mass spectrometry (ITMS). The ESI source polarity and chromatographic conditions were evaluated. The ESI spectra contain valuable information, which includes the mass of SGAs, the mass of the aglycones, and several characteristic fragment ions. Cleavage at the interglycosidic bonds proximal to the aglycones is the most prominent process in the ESI process. A protonated molecule, [M+H]+, accompanied by a mixed adduct ion, [M+H+Na]2+, was observed for α‐tomatine (i.e., m/z 1034.7 and 528.9) and dehydrotomatine (i.e., m/z 1032.6 and 527.9) in positive ion mode spectra. The structures of these tomato glycoalkaloids were confirmed using tandem mass spectrometry. The identification of a new α‐tomatine isomer glycoalkaloid, named filotomatine (MW 1033), which shares a common tetrasaccharide structure (i.e., lycotretraose) with α‐tomatine and dehydrotomatine, and soladulcidine as an aglycone, is described for the first time. It occurs in significant amounts in the extracts of wild tomato foliage. Multistage mass spectrometry both of the protonated molecules and of the doubly charged ions was used for detailed structural elucidation of SGAs. Key fragmentations and regularities in fragmentation pathways are described and the fragmentation mechanisms involved are proposed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Selenium reduces the proapoptotic signaling associated to NF‐κB pathway and stimulates glutathione peroxidase activity during excitotoxic damage produced by quinolinate in rat corpus striatum
Authors: Santamaría Abel , Vázquez‐Román Beatriz , La cruz Verónica Pérez‐De , González‐Cortés Carolina , Trejo‐Solís Ma. Cristina , Galván‐Arzate Sonia , Jara‐Prado Aurelio , Guevara‐Fonseca Jorge , Ali Syed F.
Published: October 2005

Quinolinate (QUIN) neurotoxicity has been attributed to degenerative events in nerve tissue produced by sustained activation of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor (NMDAr) and oxidative stress. We have recently described the protective effects that selenium (Se), an antioxidant, produces on different markers of QUIN‐induced neurotoxicity (Santamaría et al., 2003, J Neurochem 86:479–488.). However, the mechanisms by which Se exerts its protective actions remain unclear. Since some of these events are thought to be related with inhibition of deadly molecular cascades through the activation of antioxidant selenoproteins, in this study we investigated the effects of Se on QUIN‐induced cell damage elicited by the nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) pathway, as well as the time‐course response of striatal glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. Se (sodium selenite, 0.625 mg/kg/day, i.p.) was administered to rats for 5 days, and 120 min after the last administration, animals received a single striatal injection of QUIN (240 nmol/μl). Twenty‐four hours later, their striata were tested for the expression of IκB‐α (the NF‐κB cytosolic binding protein), the immunohistochemical expression of NF‐κB (evidenced as nuclear expression of P65), caspase‐3‐like activation, and DNA fragmentation. Additional groups were killed at 2, 6, and 24 h for measurement of GPx activity. Se reduced the QUIN‐induced decrease in IκB‐α expression, evidencing a reduction in its cytosolic degradation. Se also prevented the QUIN‐induced increase in P65‐immunoreactive cells, suggesting a reduction of NF‐κB nuclear translocation. Caspase‐3‐like activation and DNA fragmentation produced by QUIN were also inhibited by Se. Striatal GPx activity was stimulated by Se at 2 and 6 h, but not at 24 h postlesion. Altogether, these data suggest that the protective effects exerted by Se on QUIN‐induced neurotoxicity are partially mediated by the inhibition of proapoptotic events underlying IκB‐α degradation, NF‐κB nuclear translocation, and caspase‐3‐like activation in the rat striatum, probably involving the early activation of GPx. Synapse 58:258–266, 2005. Published 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mathematical analysis and numerical simulation of a nonsmooth road‐vehicle spatial model
Authors: Addi K. , Goeleven D. , Rodić A.
Published: September 2005

In this paper, the superpotential approach of Moreau is used in order to propose a rigorous mathematical formulation of a nonsmooth spatial model of vehicle dynamics. A 18 degrees of freedom mathematical model of three dimensional vehicle dynamics is presented in the paper considering rigid body dynamics, dynamics of tire suspensions as well as tire dynamics. Both, the linear and the nonlinear tire suspension models are presented and discussed in the paper. Amplitude and phase frequency characteristics of the considered spatial model of vehicle system are derived on the basis of the nonlinear, spatial model of the considered vehicle system. The comparison between the linear and nonlinear response of tire suspensions as well as tire pneumatics are discussed. Besides, the stability properties of the vehicle system are illustrated by the phase portraits of the characteristic system state variables.
A numerical method for solving the curved rod model
Authors: Tambača J.
Published: September 2005

In this work a numerical procedure for the solution of the one‐dimensional equilibrium model of linear elastic curved rods is derived. The middle curve of the curved rod is approximated by a piecewise linear curve while applied loads are approximated by a piecewise constant function. The curved rod model for the piecewise linear curve and piecewise constant force is solved analytically producing a numerical procedure. The difference in sup–norm and H1–norm of the solutions of the boundary value problem of curved rods for the smooth and piecewise linear curve is estimated giving the error estimate of the procedure. Results of the numerical tests agree with the analytical error estimate.
Survival and cause‐specific mortality rates of female sika deer in eastern Hokkaido, Japan
Authors: Uno Hiroyuki , Kaji Koichi
Published: September 2005

Survival and cause‐specific mortality rates of female sika deer (Cervus nippon) were studied using radio telemetry in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. We captured and radio‐collared 18 female deer, and monitored their survival from April 1993 to May 1996. Estimated annual survival rate for adult females was 0.779 (95% confidence interval was 0.609–0.997). The harvest mortality rate of adult females was higher than the natural mortality rate. Experimental female hunting during 1994–1996 contributed to an increase in the mortality rate for females and was useful in the control of the sika deer population.
The effect of physical training in chronic heart failure
Authors: Jónsdóttir Sólrún , Andersen Karl K. , Sigurðsson Axel F. , Sigurðsson Stefán B.
Published: September 2005

Background:

Supervised cardiac rehabilitation programs have been offered to patients following myocardial infarct (MI), coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for many years. However, limited information is available on the usefulness of rehabilitation programs in chronic heart failure (CHF). The aim of our study was to evaluate the outcome of supervised physical training on CHF patients by measuring both central and peripheral factors.

Methods:

This was a prospective randomized study, including 43 patients with CHF, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II or III, mean age 68 years. After initial measurements of VO2peak, 6 min walk distance, muscle strength, plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), echocardiogram, measurements of pulmonary function and quality of life questionnaire, patients were randomized to either a training group (n=21) or a control group (n=22). The training group had supervised aerobic and resistance training program twice a week for five months. After the training program was completed, all measurements were repeated in both groups.

Results:

No training related adverse events were reported. Significant improvement was found between groups in the six minute walk test (+37.1 m vs. +5.3 m, p=0.01), work load on the bicycle exercise test (+6.1 W vs. +2.1 W, p=0.03), time on the bicycle exercise test (+41 s vs. +0 s, p=0.02) and quadriceps muscle strength test (+2.8 kg. vs. +0.2 kg., p=0.003). Quality of life factors that reflect exercise tolerance and general health, improved significantly in the training group compared to the control group. No other significant changes were found between the two groups.

Conclusion:

Supervised physical training as used in this study appears safe for CHF patients in NYHA class II or III. The improvement in functional capacity observed in the training group seems to be related to peripheral factors rather than in central cardiovascular performance.
RNAi‐directed assembly of heterochromatin in fission yeast
Authors: Verdel André , Moazed Danesh
Published: September 2005

Heterochromatin is an epigenetically heritable and conserved feature of eukaryotic chromosomes with important roles in chromosome segregation, genome stability, and gene regulation. The formation of heterochromatin involves an ordered array of chromatin changes, including histone deacetylation, histone H3‐lysine 9 methylation, and recruitment of histone binding proteins such as Swi6/HP1. Recent discoveries have uncovered a role for the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway in heterochromatin assembly in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and other eukaryotes. Purification of two RNAi complexes, RITS and RDRC, from fission yeast has provided further insight into the mechanism of RNAi‐mediated heterochromatin assembly. These discoveries have given rise to a model in which small interfering RNA molecules act as specificity factors that initiate epigenetic chromatin modifications and double strand RNA synthesis at specific chromosome regions.
Progesterone inhibits human breast cancer cell growth through transcriptional upregulation of the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 gene
Authors: Gizard Florence , Robillard Romain , Gervois Philippe , Faucompré Anne , Révillion Françoise , Peyrat Jean-Philippe , Hum W. Dean , Staels Bart
Published: September 2005

The effects of progesterone derivatives on breast cancer development are still controversial, probably accounting for their biphasic, opposed effects on mammary cell‐cycle regulation. Here, we demonstrate in vitro that the growth‐inhibitory effects of progesterone on breast cancer T‐47D cells require the transcriptional upregulation of the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 (p27) gene. A statistical analysis of human tumor biopsies further indicates that p27 mRNA levels correlate to progesterone receptor (PR) levels. Moreover, p27 gene expression is inversely associated with tumor aggressiveness, and is a prognostic factor of favorable disease outcome. Thus, progesterone derivatives selectively activating the p27 gene promoter could be promising drugs against breast cancer progression.
Selective regulation of cellular processes via protein cascades acting as band‐pass filters for time‐limited oscillations
Authors: Marhl Marko , Perc Matjaž , Schuster Stefan
Published: September 2005

We show by mathematical modelling that a two‐level protein cascade can act as a band‐pass filter for time‐limited oscillations. The band‐pass filters are then combined into a network of three‐level signalling cascades that by filtering the frequency of time‐limited oscillations selectively switches cellular processes on and off. The physiological relevance for the selective regulation of cellular processes is demonstrated for the case of regulation by time‐limited calcium oscillations.
HIPK2 inhibits both MDM2 gene and protein by, respectively, p53‐dependent and independent regulations
Authors: Di Stefano Valeria , Mattiussi Marina , Sacchi Ada , D'Orazi Gabriella
Published: September 2005

We address here the involvement of the homeodomain‐interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2)/p53 complex on MDM2 regulation following apoptotic DNA damage. Our results provide a plausible transcriptional (p53‐dependent) and posttranscriptional (p53‐independent) double mechanism by which HIPK2 accomplishes MDM2 downmodulation. First, in wtp53‐carrying cells HIPK2‐dependent p53Ser46 phosphorylation selectively inhibits MDM2 at transcriptional level. Secondly, HIPK2 interacts with MDM2 in vitro and in vivo and promotes MDM2 nuclear export and proteasomal degradation, in p53‐null cellular context. This p53‐independent effect is likely mediated by HIPK2 catalytic activity and we found that HIPK2 phosphorylates MDM2 in vitro. In response to DNA damage, depletion of HIPK2 by RNA‐interference abolishes MDM2 protein degradation. We propose that HIPK2 contributes to drug‐induced modulation of MDM2 activity at transcriptional (through p53Ser46 phosphorylation) and posttranscriptional (through p53‐independent subcellular re‐localization and proteasomal degradation) levels.
Inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 by interferons and TGF‐β1 through distinct signalings accounts for reduced monocyte invasiveness
Authors: Nguyen Juliette , Knapnougel Perrine , Lesavre Philippe , Bauvois Brigitte
Published: September 2005

Cytokines may provide signals for regulating human monocyte matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) activity. In this study, we investigated the roles of interferons (IFN) type I/II and transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) in MMP‐9‐mediated invasiveness. MMP‐9 antibody and inhibitor, IFNs and TGF‐β1 inhibited monocyte transmigration through Matrigel. IFNs and TGF‐β1 downregulated MMP‐9 mRNA, protein and activity levels. The inhibitory action of IFNs was associated with the STAT1/IRF‐1 pathway since the JAK inhibitor AG490 blocked STAT1 phosphorylation, IRF‐1 synthesis and counteracted the blockade of MMP‐9 release. TGF‐β1‐mediated MMP‐9 inhibition appeared STAT1/IRF‐1‐independent but reversed by the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin 25. Our data point out the importance of IFNs and TGF‐β1 in the control of monocyte MMP‐9‐mediated extravasation.
Rhinovirus‐stabilizing activity of artificial VLDL‐receptor variants defines a new mechanism for virus neutralization by soluble receptors
Authors: Nicodemou Andreas , Petsch Martina , Konecsni Tunde , Kremser Leopold , Kenndler Ernst , Casasnovas José M. , Blaas Dieter
Published: September 2005

Members of the low‐density lipoprotein receptor family possess various numbers of ligand binding repeats that non‐equally contribute to binding of minor group human rhinoviruses. Using an artificial concatemer of five copies of repeat 3 of the human very‐low density lipoprotein receptor, we demonstrate protection of HRV2 against low‐pH mediated uncoating and inhibition of penetration of an RNA‐specific fluorescent dye into the intact virion. This indicates that the recombinant receptor inhibits viral breathing and irreversible conformational modifications of the capsid that precede RNA release, providing a new mechanism for rhinovirus neutralization by soluble receptor molecules.
X‐linked adrenoleukodystrophy mice demonstrate abnormalities in cholesterol metabolism
Authors: Weinhofer Isabelle , Forss-Petter Sonja , Kunze Markus , Žigman Mihaela , Berger Johannes
Published: September 2005

The neurodegenerative disorder X‐linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X‐ALD) is caused by ABCD1 mutations and characterized by very long‐chain fatty acid (VLCFA) accumulation. Cholesterol‐lowering normalized VLCFA in fibroblasts and plasma of X‐ALD patients. We show that in cultured cells, cholesterol‐loading induces ABCD1. In X‐ALD mice, plasma cholesterol is elevated and not further increasable by cholesterol‐feeding, whereas hepatic HMG‐CoA reductase and Abcd2 are downregulated. Upon cholesterol modulation, brain VLCFA increased in X‐ALD mice, but decreased in controls. In murine X‐ALD fibroblasts, cholesterol‐lowering did not normalize VLCFA. Thus, ALDP‐deficiency and VLCFA are linked to cholesterol but species differences complicate evaluating cholesterol‐lowering drugs in X‐ALD mice.
Production of a thermostable archaeal superoxide reductase in plant cells
Authors: Im Yang Ju , Ji Mikyoung , Lee Alice M. , Boss Wendy F. , Grunden Amy M.
Published: September 2005

Pyrococcus furiosus superoxide reductase (SOR) is a thermostable archaeal enzyme that reduces superoxide without producing oxygen. When produced as a fusion protein with the green fluorescent protein in plant cells, P. furiosus SOR is located in the cytosol and nucleus. The recombinant SOR enzyme retains its function and heat stability when assayed in vitro. Importantly, expressing SOR in plant cells enhances their survival at high temperature indicating that it functions in vivo. The archaeal SOR provides a novel mechanism to reduce superoxide and demonstrates the potential for using archaeal genes to alter eukaryotic metabolism.
Validating the use of database potentials in protein structure determination by NMR
Authors: Mertens Haydyn D.T. , Gooley Paul R.
Published: September 2005

The refinement of protein structures determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy against database potentials of mean force allows for the exclusion of unfavourable conformations of the protein backbone during a structure calculation, resulting in protein structures with a marked improvement in Ramachandran statistics. In this communication, we use multiple sets of residual dipolar couplings as quality assessment criteria for several proteins and show that not only do the Ramachandran and structural quality statistics improve, but a significant improvement in the accuracy of structures is achieved upon refinement.
Changes in recruitment, growth, and stock size of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) at West Greenland: temperature and density-dependent effects at released predation pressure
Authors: Wieland Kai
Published: October 2005

Stock size of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in West Greenland waters has been fairly stable from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Thereafter, survey estimates of biomass increased substantially, and the exploitation rate declined slightly in the most recent years. The present analysis was carried out on a spatially disaggregated basis in order to account for the latitudinal differences in bottom temperature and shrimp density. Changes in recruitment and, with a lag of 2 years, in stock biomass were most pronounced in the northern part of its distributional range, while bottom temperature increased in all survey regions since the mid-1990s. Length-at-age was positively correlated with temperature in general, but a trend towards slower growth was observed in areas with the highest stock densities in the most recent years. It is concluded that the moderate increase in temperature above a lower threshold of the optimal range in the northern regions has extended the distributional area that is most favourable for northern shrimp. This, together with a decreasing rate of exploitation and a continuous low predation pressure, resulted in an increase of the stock to a level at which density-dependent effects have become prominent in parts of study area.
Determinants of stock option use by Japanese companies
Authors: Uchida Konari
Published: September 2005

Japanese data show a negative relation between leverage and the probability of firms' use of stock options. Such a relation is more marked for firms affiliated with specific keiretsu or main banks. This evidence reflects the fact that Japanese companies are more reliant on debt financing and that the agency cost of debt is a central issue in corporate governance. Results show that the frequency of the firms' use of stock options is positively associated with firm size. Finally, independent firms, which reveal more concern about shareholder wealth, are more likely to use stock options.
Oral Orthography: Early Rabbinic Oral and Written Transmission of Parallel Midrashic Tradition in the Mekhilta of Rabbi Shimon B. Yoḥai and the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael
Authors: Nelson W. David
Published: September 2005

Throughout the past two centuries, the corpus of rabbinic writings, called either tannaitic midrashim or halakhic midrashim, has served as a pivotal foundation upon which scholars have based their historical reconstructions of the development of rabbinic Judaism. The reasons for this dependence are manifold. Predated in redaction by only the Mishnah, these documents contain a wealth of traditions attributed to the founders of rabbinic Judaism who flourished during its nascency. Moreover, these texts differ significantly in rhetorical style, logic, scope, and concern not only from those rabbinic documents which precede them (Mishnah), follow them (Palestinian/Babylonian Talmuds and amoraic midrashim), or are, perhaps, contemporaneous with them (Tosefta), but also among themselves as a corpus of writings. Finally, these documents are the earliest collections of rabbinic biblical exegesis (“Midrash”) and, were it not for a small number of examples of exegesis preserved in the Mishnah and Tosefta, they would also represent the earliest examples of rabbinic biblical interpretation known today. For reasons such as these, the tannaitic midrashim have figured prominently in research conducted over the past century on the historical development of Rabbinic Judaism.
Exposed to All the Currents of the Mediterranean—A Sixteenth-Century Venetian Rabbi on Muslim History
Authors: Jacobs Martin
Published: September 2005

The Western perception of Islam as a belligerent religion owes many of its stereotypes not only to the Crusades, but also to the early modern rivalry between the Ottoman Empire and Christian Europe. Heated debates about the “Turkish menace” dominated European political discourse until the (second) Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683, as documented by the innumerable Turcica that circulated both swiftly and widely thanks to revolutionary advances in printing. Sixteenth-century Christian authors provided their eager readers with constantly updated versions of Ottoman history, as did some of their Jewish contemporaries. Probably the first Jew to make the Ottomans the major subject matter of his work was Elijah Capsali of Candia in Venetian Crete, who in 1523 completed a Hebrew chronicle titled Seder ءEliyahu Zuta (“Minor Order of Elijah”).
“Yiddish Literature for the Masses”?; A Reconsideration of Who Read What in Jewish Eastern Europe
Authors: Quint Alyssa
Published: September 2005

In the early 1880s, the staunch Hebraist and bibliophile Ephraim Deinard (1846–1930) became a reluctant witness to the fast-paced growth of modern Yiddish culture that began in his hometown of Odessa. At the time, Deinard owned a Hebrew bookshop that had been sliding toward bankruptcy until he grudgingly adapted his wares to better reflect the market forces of the Jewish reading culture. In Memories of My People (Zikhronot bat עami), he briefly accounts for (in his view) the ill fortune of being forced to sell the Yiddish books that his customers demanded of him rather than the Hebrew literature he held so dear. Although he mentions a host of nineteenth-century Yiddish writers whom the reader will come to know in the following pages, for our present purpose, it is sufficient to remark upon the catalytic agency he assigns to the Yiddish romance novelist Nakhum Shaykevitsh (aka Shomer) (1849–1905) and Avraham Goldfaden (1840–1908), best known as the father of the Yiddish theatre. Deinard writes:
Cultivating Roots: The Promotion of Exilarchal Ties to David in the Middle Ages
Authors: Franklin Arnold
Published: September 2005

Jewish sources emanating from the Islamic world of the Middle Ages abound in references to individuals bearing the title nasiء (“prince”; plural, nesiءim). In the unique religious and cultural world of the medieval Near East this biblical designation signified, with rare exception, descent from King David through the line of the Babylonian exilarchs. While at one time the title was restricted to incumbents of the exilarchate, by the eleventh century CE it had been appropriated by a broader circle of individuals who claimed descent from David but were often only distantly related to occupants of that office. These nesiءim enjoyed a measure of status in the Jewish communities of the Near East that was informed by the importance of noble ancestry in Arabic society in general and Islamic veneration for King David in particular.
Scholarly Dictionaries of Two Dialects of Jewish Aramaic
Authors: Levine Baruch A.
Published: September 2005

The two dictionaries under review represent the product of decades of assiduous research and persistent effort on the part of Professor Michael Sokoloff of Bar Ilan University. Previoiusly, he has contributed major works in the Aramaic field in collaboration with other scholars. There is, first of all, A Corpus of Christian Palestinian Aramaic (Gröningen: Styx Publications, 1997), a multivolume edition of texts prepared in collaboration with Christa Müller-Kessler. This was followed by a Hebrew work, [Jewish Palestinian Aramaic Poetry from Late Antiquity] (Jerusalem: Israel Academy of the Sciences and Humanities, 1999), prepared in collaboration with Joseph Yahalom. However, the dictionaries reviewed here, which represent his most ambitious projects, bear his name alone, with only technical and electronic assistance in their actual preparation provided on the part of others. Sokoloff has also published A Dictionary of Judean Aramaic (Ramat Gan: Bar Ilan University, 2003), covering sources from 150 BCE to 200 CE, which includes the rich material preserved in the Aramaic papyri from the Judean Desert.
“Music is the Pen of the Soul”:
Recent Works on Ḥasidic and Jewish Instrumental Klezmer Music
Authors: Rubin Joel E.
Published: September 2005

Despite the focus by the popular media on the revival of Jewish instrumental klezmer music during the past decades, surprisingly little of a scholarly nature has been written until recently about either the klezmer tradition or its revival. Since 1999 a relatively large number of new book publications of both a scholarly and a popular nature have appeared. Besides the four volumes under review here, they include books by Rita Ottens and Joel Rubin, Moshe Beregovski, Seth Rogovoy, Mark Slobin, Zinovij Stoljar, and Yale Strom. It is hoped that the publication of these four works (and the other recent works not reviewed here) will open a broader discussion of the complex of issues surrounding klezmer and ḥasidic music and stimulate further research in these areas.
Ziony Zevit. The Religions of Ancient Israel: A Synthesis of Parallactic Approaches. New York: Continuum, 2001. xx, 821 pp.
Authors: Sommer Benjamin D.
Published: September 2005

This set of interrelated studies is full of closely reasoned analyses and bold but careful speculation. Several of these studies provide a model, almost unique within biblical studies, of how to integrate biblical and extra-biblical data within a framework deeply informed by theory. The book is intended for specialists with expertise in technical details the book addresses but rarely pauses to describe.
Israel Knohl. The Divine Symphony: The Bible's Many Voices. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2003. xv, 207 pp.
Authors: Sweeney Marvin A.
Published: September 2005

In this wide-ranging overview of biblical literature, Israel Knohl argues that the Hebrew Bible does not present a consistent or monolithic viewpoint concerning ancient Israel's or Judaism's understanding of God, itself, and the world in which it lived. Rather, Knohl contends that the Bible presents a pluralism of viewpoints that to a great degree anticipates the pluralistic outlook of Rabbinic Judaism. This will hardly come as a surprising thesis to anyone familiar with modern biblical and theological scholarship. Indeed, it takes up the classic question of unity and diversity within the Hebrew Bible that might be illustrated by Gerhard von Rad's well-known Old Testament Theology. Von Rad recognized the diversity of traditions that informed the various writings and viewpoints now gathered in the Bible while simultaneously trying to systematize them into a general concept of Heilsgeschichte, that is, “salvation history” or “sacred history.” Such Heilsgeschichte moved inexorably to what von Rad believed would be the ultimate culmination of human history. Knohl's contribution comes not in relation to the model of pluralism in the Bible per se, but in relation to his argument that so much of the priestly literature that engages in pluralistic debate with other biblical works is rooted in the monarchic period of ancient Israel's (or Judah's) history. In this respect, Knohl's own work—although original in its own right—owes much to an earlier model advocated by Yehezkel Kaufmann, one of the founding fathers of modern Israeli biblical scholarship.
Ithamar Gruenwald. Rituals and Ritual Theory in Ancient Israel. The Brill Reference Library of Judaism. Leiden: Brill, 2003. xii, 278 pp.
Authors: Klawans Jonathan
Published: September 2005

Ithamar Gruenwald's recent book brings together various essays the author has published over the last few years, each seeking to rethink aspects of ritual theory, especially as applied to the rituals of ancient Israel. After introducing his themes and approach in the first chapter, Gruenwald addresses (in Chapter 2) what he calls the “economic ethos” of ancient Israel, speculating that “in the history of ancient Israel, the transition from ethos to religion is connected to the passage from nomadic lifestyle to an urban one” (p. 67). The third chapter reexamines the relationship between myth and ritual. The last three chapters are devoted to ritual theory as it pertains, respectively, to rabbinic halakhah (Chapter 4), biblical sacrifice (Chapter 5), and the “Lord's Supper,” as related primarily in the writings of Paul. Throughout the book, Gruenwald emerges as an emphatic spokesperson for the non-symbolic nature of rituals in general, and of biblical sacrifice in particular. While this book is wide-ranging in scope, a significant portion of chapters 2 and 6 are devoted to the stated theme of chapter 5: biblical sacrifice. Because Gruenwald himself believes that “sacrifices constitute the core of religion” (p. 189), perhaps the best way to review his complicated book briefly is to examine his approach to this particular ritual structure.