bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of tinea capitis in Ethiopian schoolchildren
Authors: Woldeamanuel Y. , Leekassa R. , Chryssanthou E. , Menghistu Y. , Petrini B.
Published: March 2005

The prevalence of dermatophytosis and the spectrum of dermatophyte species were determined in children attending two schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Demographic and clinico‐dermatological data were collected. Specimens were taken for microscopy and culture from all suspected lesions. Dermatophyte species were identified by morphology and biochemical tests, supplemented by sequencing of the rDNA ITS 2 region in selected isolates. From the Biruh Tesfa Elementary School (BTES) 824 students, and from Mount Olive Academy (MOA) all 124 students, were included. In BTES 513 (62.3%) students were clinically diagnosed with dermatophytosis, 463 (90.3 %) of them with tinea capitis. In 200 consecutive samples from BTES, and in 66 from MOA, 75 and 62%, respectively, contained fungal elements at microscopy. From BTES, 163/496 (33%) samples were culture‐positive, of which 149 (91.4%) grew with dark purple colonies identified as Trichophyton violaceum, while 244 (49.4%) samples were contaminated. A few strains grew slowly developing white to cream colonies, two were identified as T. verrucosum, and 12 as white T. violaceum. From MOA 44 (66.7%) of samples were culture‐positive, 38 (87%) were identified as T. violaceum, and one (2.3%) as T. verrucosum, while 33% showed no growth. Four white isolates of T.violaceum were confirmed by DNA‐sequencing. Dermatophytosis was thus diagnosed in 55–62% of children screened at two schools of different socioeconomic standards in the Ethiopian capital. Trichophyton violaceum constituted 87–90% of all isolates. White variants of T. violaceum were diagnosed in 16 cases.
Cryptococcosis: the 1981–2000 epidemic
Authors: Friedman Gary D. , Jeffrey Fessel W. , Udaltsova Natalia V. , Hurley Leo B.
Published: March 2005

The annual incidence of cryptococcosis during 1981–2000 was determined in subscribers of a large integrated health care program in Northern California and in those among them who were HIV positive. The incidence of cryptococcosis had been measured in this setting in the previous decade. The 20‐year incidence per million person‐years was 19.0 in males and 2.6 in females. In males, annual incidence rose sharply but irregularly from 1981 to 1992, then decreased irregularly. In females, trends were less marked, with maximum incidence in 1997. In HIV‐positive patients cryptococcosis incidence was highest in 1981–85 and decreased thereafter in men. In women, maximum incidence occurred in 1986–90 and was followed by a decrease. Cryptococcosis was rare in the non‐predisposed. Thus, cryptococcosis incidence increased markedly in men early in the AIDS epidemic, and began to decrease in both male and female HIV‐positive patients well before highly active antiretroviral therapy became available.
Intestinal prevalence of the neurotropic black yeast Exophiala (Wangiella) dermatitidis in healthy and impaired individuals
Authors: de Hoog G. S. , Matos T. , Sudhadham M. , Luijsterburg K. F. , Haase G.
Published: March 2005

A screening of 2300 samples of faeces from humans with and without underlying disease revealed that the black yeast Exophiala dermatitidis is present at a frequency of 5.2‰ (n = 12). Eight individuals positive for the fungus had diarrhoea at the moment of its isolation, out of 11 where relevant information was available. Judging from repeated isolation over several weeks in one patient, the organism is able to persist in the human intestinal tract.
Molecular epidemiology of Candida species isolated from urine at an intensive care unit
Authors: Ergon M. C. , Gülay Z.
Published: March 2005

Candida spp. has been the leading microorganism isolated from the urine specimens of patients hospitalized at the Anesthesiology and Reanimation intensive care unit (ICU) of Dokuz Eylul University Hospital, Izmir, since 1998. This study was undertaken to investigate the clonal relationship of Candida urine isolates in order to find the mode of spread among the patients. Epidemiological surveillance of 38 Candida albicans, 15 Candida tropicalis and 12 Candida glabrata recovered from the urine specimens of patients who were hospitalized in the ICU between June 11, 2000 and October 15, 2001 was carried out by antifungal susceptibility testing and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Two short primers [Cnd3 (5′‐CCAGATGCAC‐3′) and Cnd4 (5′‐ACGGTACACT‐3′)] were used for RAPD. None of the isolates had high minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values (>1 μg ml−1) against amphotericin B with MIC50values of 0.5 μg ml−1, 0.5 μg ml−1 and 0.125 μg ml−1 for C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C. glabrata isolates, respectively. However, three C. glabrata isolates were resistant and one C. albicans and five C. glabrata isolates were dose‐dependent susceptible (D‐DS) to fluconazole. Among C. albicans isolates 19 and 20 patterns were detected with primers Cnd3 and Cnd4, respectively. When primers Cnd3 and Cnd4 were evaluated together, three and four genotypes were identified for C. tropicalis and C. glabrata isolates, respectively. Our results suggest that the source of C. albicans isolates was mostly endogenous. It is difficult to interpret the mode of spread of C. tropicalis and C. glabrata urine isolates as we obtained insufficient banding patterns for these species.
New insights into the effect of amorolfine nail lacquer
Authors: Flagothier C. , Piérard‐Franchimont C. , Piérard G. E.
Published: March 2005

Despite improvements in antifungal strategies, the outcome of treating onychomycoses often remains uncertain. Several factors account for treatment failure, of which the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the antifungal are of importance. The taxonomic nature and ungual location of the fungus cannot be neglected, besides the type of nail and its growth rate. In addition, the biological cycle of the fungus and the metabolic activity of the pathogen likely play a marked influence in drug response. The presence of natural antimicrobial peptides in the nail is also probably a key feature controlling the cure rates. There are many outstanding publications that cover the full spectrum of the field. The purpose of this review is to put in perspective some facets of activity of the topical treatment using amorolfine nail laquer. The antifungal activity of the drug is likely less pronounced in onychomycosis than that expected from conventional in vitro studies. However, the nail laquer formulation should reduce the propensity to form antifungal‐resistant spores and limit the risk of reinfection.
Protective effect of taurine against cyclophosphamide‐induced urinary bladder toxicity in rats
Authors: Abd‐Allah Adel RA , Gado Ali M , Al‐Majed Abdulhakeem A , Al‐Yahya Abdulaziz A , Al‐Shabanah Othman A
Published: March 2005

1. In the present study, the effect of taurine, on cyclophosphamide (CP)‐induced urinary bladder toxicity was investigated.

2. Administration of a single dose of CP (150 mg/kg, i.p.) induced cystitis, as manifested by marked congestion, oedema and extravasation in rat urinary bladder, as well as a marked desquamative damage to the urothium, severe inflammation in the lamina propria, focal erosions and polymorphonuclear leucocytes associated with occasional lymphocyte infiltration as determined by macroscopic and histopathological examination.

3. A significant decrease in the endogenous anti‐oxidant compound glutathione and elevation of lipid peroxidation also resulted in rat urinary bladder tissue.

4. Cyclophosphamide‐induced cystitis markedly affected the contractile function of the urinary bladder, as revealed by a significant inhibition of tissue responsiveness to acetylcholine (ACh) at different molar concentrations in vitro.

5. Conversely, pretreatment with taurine (1% in drinking water to reach a dose of 1 g/kg per day) for 7 days before and 1 day after CP injection produced a significant decrease in urinary bladder weight (oedema) and a marked decrease in vascular congestion and haemorrhage, as well as a profound improvement in histological structure. Moreover, taurine pretreatment resulted in a significant decrease in lipid peroxide in urinary bladder tissue and glutathione content was greatly restored.

6. Urinary bladder rings isolated from rats treated concurrently with taurine and CP showed a significant increase in their responsiveness to ACh compared with the CP group.

7. These results suggest that taurine offers a protective effect against CP‐induced urinary bladder toxicity and may, therefore, decrease the limitation on its clinical application. These results merit extension and further investigation of the impact of taurine on CP antitumour activity.
Exploring the potential of xenobiotic‐metabolising enzymes as biocatalysts: Evolving designer catalysts from polyfunctional cytochrome P450 enzymes
Authors: Gillam Elizabeth MJ
Published: March 2005

1. Biological catalysts have the advantage of being able to catalyse chemical reactions with an often exquisite degree of regio‐ and stereospecificity in contrast with traditional methods of organic synthesis.

2. The cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in human drug metabolism are ideal starting materials for the development of designer biocatalysts by virtue of their catalytic versatility and extreme substrate diversity. Applications can be envisaged in fine chemical synthesis, such as in the pharmaceutical industry and bioremediation.

3. A variety of techniques of enzyme engineering are currently being applied to P450 enzymes to explore their catalytic potential. Although most studies to date have been performed with bacterial P450s, reports are now emerging of work with mammalian forms of the enzymes.

4. The present minireview will explore the rationale and general techniques for redesigning P450s, review the results obtained to date with xenobiotic‐metabolising forms and discuss strategies to overcome some of the logistic problems limiting the full exploitation of these enzymes as industrial‐scale biocatalysts.
Sphingosine kinase signalling in immune cells
Authors: Kee Tay Hwee , Vit Patricia , Melendez Alirio J
Published: March 2005

1. Sphingolipids are potent second messengers modulating biochemical intracellular events and acting as ligands to mediate extracellular systems. Sphingosine kinase (SPHK) is the enzyme that phosphorylates sphingosine into sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P), a potent bioactive sphingolipid.

2. The fact that SPHK is highly conserved from protozoa to mammals and is ubiquitous in living tissues reveals important roles of the SPHK pathway for the maintenance of health maintenance. This is also supported by comprehensive reviews on features of its main product, S1P, as having intracellular as well as extracellular roles, inducing a wide range of physiological responses from triggering Ca2+ release from internal stores to promoting growth and cell motility.

3. Immune cell activities have been shown to be modulated by the dynamic balance between ceramide, sphingosine and S1P, conceptualized as a rheostat. Cell proliferation, differentiation, motility and survival have been attributed to the regulatory actions of S1P. The properties of SPHK activity in immune cells are linked to the functions of triggered growth and survival factors, phorbol esters, hormones, cytokines and chemokines, as well as antigen receptors, such as FcγRI and FcεRI.

4. Mechanisms of the SPHK signalling pathway are explored as new targets for drug development to suppress inflammation and other pathological conditions.
Effects of uninephrectomy on renal structural properties in spontaneously hypertensive rats*
Authors: Kinuno Hiroyuki , Tomoda Fumihiro , Koike Tsutomu , Takata Masanobu , Inoue Hiroshi
Published: March 2005

1. To investigate effects of a reduction in nephron numbers on renal structural properties in hypertension, either unilateral nephrectomy (UNX) or sham operation (SO) was performed at 5 weeks of age in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY) rats (n = 9 for each operation for each strain).

2. At 10–12 weeks of age, flow–pressure (F‐P) and pressure–glomerular filtration rate (P‐GFR) relationships were determined for maximally vasodilated, perfused kidneys. Kidneys were then perfusion fixed for histological analysis.

3. In the SO groups, the slope of F‐P (minimal renal vascular resistance, reflecting overall luminal dimensions of pre‐ and post‐glomerular vasculature) was greater in SHR than in WKY rats. The threshold pressure for beginning filtration at P‐GFR (preglomerular to post‐glomerular vascular resistance ratio) was higher in SHR than in WKY rats, but the slope of P‐GFR (glomerular filtration capacity) did not differ between the two strains. These results suggest that vascular narrowing occurred, especially in the preglomerular resistance vessels in the kidneys of SHR, although glomerular filtration capacity was normal.

4. In UNX animals, the following results were obtained: (i) the slope of F‐P was not affected in either strain; (ii) the pressure for beginning filtration at P‐GFR was unchanged in WKY rats, but was decreased in SHR; (iii) the slope of P‐GFR increased in WKY rats, but a compensatory adaptive increase was missing in SHR; and (iv) histologically, small increases in the luminal cross‐sectional area of interlobular arteries and glomerular tuft area were observed in both strains. However, the increase in vascular lumen was more pronounced in SHR, whereas glomerular enlargement was greater in WKY rats.

5. These results suggested that UNX attenuates vascular narrowing of the preglomerular resistance vessels and glomerular structural adaptations to UNX (i.e. increased filtering capacity and glomerular enlargement) are impaired in SHR.
Protecting murine hearts from ischaemia–reperfusion using selective inhibitors of adenosine metabolism
Authors: Willems Laura , Headrick John P
Published: March 2005

1. By selectively modifying adenosine metabolism via adenosine deaminase or adenosine kinase inhibitors, it may be possible to enhance the receptor‐mediated protective actions of adenosine in a site‐ and event‐specific fashion.

2. We characterized cardioprotective actions of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor erythro‐2‐(2‐hydroxy‐3‐non‐yl)adenine (EHNA) and the adenosine kinase inhibitor iodotubercidin in C57/Bl6 mouse hearts subjected to 20 min global normothermic ischaemia and 40 min reperfusion.

3. Ventricular pressure development only recovered to 45 ± 2% of baseline levels (67 ± 5 mmHg) in untreated hearts, with sustained and pronounced diastolic contracture (25 ± 2 mmHg). Treatment with 20 µmol/L EHNA increased recovery of ventricular pressure (107 ± 9 mmHg), reduced postischaemic diastolic pressure (13 ± 1 mmHg) and reduced loss of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; an indicator of necrotic damage) by 50% (9 ± 2 vs 19 ± 2 IU/g). Adenosine kinase inhibition with 10 µmol/L iodotubercidin also improved pressure development (to 100 ± 8 mmHg) and reduced LDH efflux (5 ± 2 IU/g).

4. Protective actions were mimicked by adenosine and inhibited by adenosine receptor antagonism (50 µmol/L 8‐ρ‐sulfophenyltheophylline) and mitochondrial KATP channel inhibition (50 µmol/L 5‐hydroxydecanoate).

5. Coinfusion of the inhibitors, ‘trapping’ formed adenosine, failed to exert protection and, in some instances, was detrimental. Although substantial benefit was gained by these agents in hearts from young animals, neither inhibitor was effective in ‘aged’ hearts (18 months).

6. Our data demonstrate that adenosine deaminase or kinase inhibition substantially limits injury during ischaemia–reperfusion. Protection involves adenosine receptor activation. However, cardioprotection via either enzyme inhibitor requires an alternative purine‐salvage pathway to be functional and was reduced in aged hearts known to be increasingly susceptible to ischaemic damage.
Inhibitory effect of sildenafil on rat duodenal contractility In vitro: Putative cGMP involvement
Authors: Araújo Paula Vasconcelos , Clemente Cristiano Magalhães , Da Graça José Ronaldo Vasconcelos , Rola Francisco Hélio , De Oliveira Ricardo Brandt , Dos Santos Armênio Aguiar , Magalhães Pedro Jorge Caldas
Published: March 2005

1. Sildenafil citrate (Viagra™; Pfizer, Sandwich, Kent, UK), a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor, rises cGMP levels in smooth muscle cells. It relaxes both vascular and visceral smooth muscle. In order to assess the intestinal effects of sildenafil, we decided to investigate its actions on rat duodenal motor activity in vitro.

2. In isolated duodenal segments maintained in Tyrode's solution, sildenafil exhibited a concentration‐dependent antispasmodic effect on acetylcholine (ACh)‐induced phasic contractions, with an IC50 value of 26.7 µmol/L (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0–55.3 µmol/L).

3. Sildenafil also relaxed the carbamylcholine (CCh)‐induced sustained contraction with an IC50 of 16.2 µmol/L (95% CI 9.5–27.6 µmol/L). Sildenafil produced significant additional relaxation of 25.2 ± 8.1% of the CCh‐induced contraction, beyond basal tone.

4. Sildenafil reduced the amplitude of spontaneous duodenal contractions with an EC50 of 9.6 µmol/L (95% CI 5.7–16.2 µmol/L). This effect was significantly more potent than the effects of zaprinast and papaverine, which also reduced duodenal contractions with EC50 values of 91.6 µmol/L (95% CI 46.0–182.2 µmol/L) and 78.5 µmol/L (95% CI 37.1–166.3 µmol/L), respectively.

5. In preparations treated previously with methylene blue (10 μmol/L) or 1H‐[1,2,4]oxadiazolo(4,3‐a)quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ; 10 µmol/L), the EC50 values for the sildenafil effect were significantly increased to 39.0 µmol/L (95% CI 23.9–63.4 µmol/L) and 43.8 µmol/L (95% CI 24.5–78.3 µmol/L), respectively. These values were significantly greater than those obtained with sildenafil alone.

6. In conclusion, sildenafil has myorelaxant and antispasmodic effects on rat duodenal segments in vitro. The contractile inhibitory effect of sildenafil on rat isolated duodenum is probably due to intracellular cGMP accumulation as a result of its decreased degradation.
Role of heme oxygenase/carbon monoxide pathway on the vascular response to noradrenaline in portal hypertensive rats
Authors: Erario MA , Gonzales S , Romay S , Eizayaga FX , Castro JL , Lemberg A , Tomaro ML
Published: March 2005

1. Portal hypertension (PH), a major syndrome in cirrhosis, producing hyperdynamic splanchnic circulation and hyperaemia. In order to elucidate the contribution of heme oxygenase to the vascular hyporeactivity, we assessed the activity of heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), measured the in vivo pressure response to noradrenaline (NA) and investigated the effects of blocking the carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO) pathways in a prehepatic model of PH in rats.

2. Portal hypertension was induced by partial portal vein ligation (PPVL). Noradrenaline was injected intravenously. Liver, spleen and mesentery homogenates were prepared for measurement of HO‐1 activity and expression. Four groups of rats were used: (i) a sham group; (ii) a PPVL group; (iii) a sham group pretreated with Zn‐protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX); and (iv) a PPVL group pretreated with ZnPPIX. Each group was studied before and after treatment with the NO synthase inhibitor NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME).

3. For basal pressures and the pressure response to NA, inhibition of CO and NO pathways by ZnPPIX and l‐NAME, respectively, produced an increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) in sham‐operated and in PH rats. Similarly, when both inhibitors were used together in either sham or PPVL rats, a greater increase in MAP was observed.

4. These results, together with the increased HO‐1 activity and expression only in the PH group, have led us to suggest that the heme oxygenase/CO pathway is involved in the vascular response to NA in PH rats.
Effect of pregnancy on the roles of nitric oxide and prostaglandins in 5‐hydroxytryptamine‐induced contractions in rat isolated thoracic and abdominal aorta
Authors: Bobadilla L Rosa A , Pérez‐Alvarez Víctor , Bracho Valdés Ismael , López‐Sanchez Pedro
Published: March 2005

1. Vascular resistance and sensitivity to circulating pressor and vasoconstrictor substances are blunted during pregnancy. This has been attributed mainly to an increased production of endothelium‐derived mediators. The aim of the present study was to determine whether pregnancy changes the relative participation of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandins (PG) in the modulation of the contractile response to 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) in two anatomically distint segments of the rat aorta.

2. Full concentration–response curves to 5‐HT were obtained in isolated rings from the thoracic and abdominal portion of the aorta from pregnant and non‐pregnant rats in the presence and absence of the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME; 10 µmol/L) or the PG synthesis inhibitor indomethacin (10 µmol/L). Cyclo‐oxygenase (COX)‐1, COX‐2 and endothelial (e) NOS protein expression were determined in the same tissues by immunoblot.

3. The effects of pregnancy were accentuated in the abdominal compared with the thoracic aorta. In addition, the relative participation of the NO and PG pathways seems to be changed during pregnancy. Although NO seems to be the mediator mainly responsible for the effect of pregnancy in the thoracic aorta, our results suggest a complex interaction between NO and PG in the abdominal aorta. Indomethacin significantly reduced the contractile response of both segments of the aorta, whereas expression of COX‐1, COX‐2 and eNOS were increased only in the abdominal segment of pregnant animals.

4. These results show that the effect of pregnancy is not homogeneous along the aorta. There seems to be a mutual interaction between PG and NO in the abdominal, but not in the thoracic, aorta from pregnant rats: the role of NO becomes evident in the absence of vasodilatory PG, whereas the participation of the latter increases in the absence of NO working as a compensatory mechanism.
Acute effects of hydrocortisone on plasma nitrate/nitrite activity and forearm vasodilator responsiveness in normal human subjects
Authors: Williamson Paula M , Kohlhagen Johanna L , Mangos George J , Whitworth Judith A , Kelly John J
Published: March 2005

1. The aim of the present study was to examine the acute effects of cortisol infusion on plasma nitrate/nitrite (NO) activity and forearm vascular responsiveness to acetylcholine.

2. We performed two randomized, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over studies. Study A examined the effects of intravenous hydrocortisone (200 mg over a 3 h period) on blood pressure (BP) and plasma NO activity in six healthy male volunteers. Study B examined the effects of intra‐arterial hydrocortisone on cholinergic vasodilator responsiveness in six healthy male volunteers. Vasodilator responsiveness was measured by bilateral strain gauge plethysmography.

3. In study A, there was no significant change in BP during the hydrocortisone infusion. Comparing values obtained following 180 min infusion of hydrocortisone and control, there were significant increases in plasma cortisol (3441 ± 342 vs 209 ± 29 nmol/L, respectively; P < 0.001) and glucose (5.7 ± 0.2 vs 4.6 ± 0.2 mmol/L, respectively; P < 0.05) and a reduction in plasma renin concentration (PRC) (8.1 ± 1.2 vs 11.0 ± 1.8 pg/mL, respectively; P < 0.05) following hydrocortisone infusion. However, there were no significant changes in either plasma NO or in the endogenous NO synthase inhibitors asymmetrical and symmetrical dimethylarginine.

4. In study B, there was no significant change in BP or in cholinergic vasodilator responsiveness during the hydrocortisone infusion.

5. Short‐term cortisol infusions do not alter biochemical or physiological markers of NO activity. If cortisol‐induced hypertension is mediated by suppression of NO activity in humans, it seems likely that these changes take more than 3 h to become detectable.
Experimental and clinical study of the combined effect of arterial stiffness and heart rate on pulse pressure: Differences between central and peripheral arteries
Authors: Papaioannou Theodoros G , Protogerou Athanassios , Papamichael Christos , Mathioulakis Dimitrios , Tsangaris Sokratis , Karatzis Emmanouil , Toumanidis Savvas , Zakopoulos Nicolaos , Lekakis John
Published: March 2005

1. Pulse pressure (PP) constitutes an independent predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality in various populations. Heart rate (HR) and arterial stiffness, in addition to their independent predictive value for cardiovascular complications, seem to interact with regard to the modification of PP. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of PP with HR under different levels of arterial compliance (AC), revealing their synergistic effects.

2. Seventy‐one normotensive and untreated hypertensive subjects were examined. Arterial compliance was measured by the ‘area’ method, whereas central blood pressures and wave reflections were evaluated using the Sphygmocor® system (AtCor Medical, Sydney, NSW, Australia). A hydraulic Windkessel model was also used to evaluate the independent effect of HR and AC on PP. Peripheral PP was associated only with mean pressure and AC. In contrast, central PP was further related to HR (20 b.p.m. decrease in HR resulted in central PP augmentation by 5.6 mmHg) regardless of mean pressure, stroke volume, age and gender. However, this association was statistically significant only for subjects with lower AC (< 1.1 mL/mmHg) and not for those with more compliant arteries. These findings are also in accordance with the experimental data.

3. Aortic PP is affected to a greater degree by HR changes compared with peripheral PP. This response was observed only at high levels of arterial stiffness.

4. The present study provides the first evidence regarding the combined effect of AC and HR on aortic PP, which may lead to larger clinical or epidemiological studies aiming to optimization of drug treatment and to a possible reduction of cardiovascular risk.
Effects of 15‐deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2 on the expression of Toll‐like receptor 4 and 2 in the murine lung in the presence of lipopolysaccharide
Authors: Inoue Ken‐ichiro , Takano Hirohisa , Yanagisawa Rie , Ichinose Takamichi , Sadakane Kaori , Yoshino Shin , Yamaki Kouya , Uchiyama Kazuhiko , Yoshikawa Toshikazu
Published: March 2005

1. Previously, we have demonstrated that 15‐deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2 (15d‐PGJ2) enhances acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. The enhancement in acute lung injury by 15d‐PGJ2 was concomitant with the enhanced expression of several pro‐inflammatory cytokines in the lung. However, other underlying mechanisms of this enhancement remain to be elucidated. The present study investigated the effects of 15d‐PGJ2 on the expression of Toll‐like receptor (TLR) 4 and 2 in the lung in the absence or presence of LPS.

2. In the present study, ICR mice were divided into four experimental groups that received (intratracheally) vehicle, LPS (125 μg/kg), 15d‐PGJ2 (1 mg/kg) or 15d‐PGJ2 + LPS. The mRNA expression of both TLR4 and 2 in the lung was evaluated 4 h after intratracheal administration.

3. 15‐Deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2 enhanced the mRNA expression of both TLR4 and 2 in the presence of LPS.

4. These results suggest that the enhancing effects of 15d‐PGJ2 on LPS‐induced acute lung injury may be explained, at least in part, by its effect on the lung expression of TLR4 and 2.
Inhibition of calcineurin increases monocarboxylate transporters 1 and 4 protein and glycolytic enzyme activities in rat soleus muscle
Authors: Suwa Masataka , Nakano Hiroshi , Kumagai Shuzo
Published: March 2005

1. The present study was designed to examine the role of calcineurin in muscle metabolic components by the administration of the specific calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A (CsA) to rats.

2. Male Wistar rats were divided into either a CsA‐treated group (CT) or a vehicle‐treated group (VT). Cyclosporine A was administered subcutaneously to rats at a rate of 25 mg/kg bodyweight per day for 10 successive days. Thereafter, changes in muscle enzyme activities and glucose transporter (GLUT)‐4 and monocarboxylate transporter (MCT)‐1 and MCT‐4 proteins in the slow‐twitch soleus and fast‐twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were examined.

3. There was a significant increase in MCT‐1 and MCT‐4 proteins in the soleus muscle in the CT group, but not in the EDL muscle. The activities of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase in the soleus muscle also increased significantly in the CT group, but a similar increase in enzyme activity was not seen in EDL muscle. The activities of citrate synthase or malate dehydrogenase and the GLUT‐4 protein content were not altered by CsA treatment in either the soleus or EDL muscles.

4. These results seem to imply that calcineurin negatively regulates the components of glucose/lactate metabolism, except for GLUT‐4, especially in slow‐twitch muscle.
Oxidized low‐density lipoprotein‐induced apoptosis is attenuated by insulin‐activated phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/Akt through p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase
Authors: Nihei Shun‐ichi , Yamashita Kazuhito , Tasaki Hiromi , Ozumi Kiyoshi , Nakashima Yasuhide
Published: March 2005

1. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) is involved in oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (oxLDL)‐induced apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We also sought to determine whether this apoptosis is regulated by the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway.

2. Low‐density lipoprotein was oxidized with CuSO4 and used as oxLDL. Using HUVEC, we determined whether LDL/oxLDL induces apoptosis by DNA fragmentation and the cell cycle distribution (SubG1 method). The mechanism and activation of p38 MAPK and Akt were determined by western blot analysis.

3. The results showed that oxLDL induced DNA fragmentation, whereas cell cycle distribution showed that it also significantly increased the rate of cell death compared with the LDL group. SB203580 significantly inhibited cell death induced by oxLDL, as did the administration of insulin. Western blot analysis showed the activation of p38 MAPK by oxLDL, but not with LDL. It was found that Akt was activated in the presence of insulin. In the presence of either SB203580 or insulin, activation of p38 MAPK was significantly inhibited compared with stimulation by oxLDL alone. However, application of both insulin and wortmannin resulted in no significant difference compared with HUVEC stimulated by oxLDL only.

4. The results showed that apoptosis in HUVEC can be induced by oxLDL and involves p38 MAPK. It was also demonstrated that insulin inhibited oxLDL‐induced apoptosis and may inhibit the activation of p38 MAPK through the PI3K/Akt pathway.
Embryonic and larval development of Thai Pangas (Pangasius sutchi Fowler, 1937)
Authors: Islam Asiful
Published: March 2005

The embryonic and larval development of Thai pangas was investigated during peak (May–July 1995) and late spawning (August–October 1995) periods. The fertilized eggs are adhesive and spherical with a yellowish or greenish‐brown egg capsule. The yolk sac is yellowish‐brown in color and 1.20–1.80 mm in diameter. Nine hours post‐fertilization, the first cleavage stage, embryonic shield, head, tail region, neural grooves and somites were evident. The incubation period ranges from 24–36 h at a temperature of 20–30°C. The newly hatched larvae are quite transparent and light yellowish in color with a body length of 2.98–3.10 mm. Eye pigments appear and the heart starts to work within 12–14 h of hatching. In 1‐day‐old pro‐larvae, the mouth becomes well developed; barbules are elongated, prominent and look like tiny threads. The yolk sac is fairly well absorbed and the palatine teeth are fully developed during the 3 day pro‐larval stage. At the end of 12 days of larval development, the stomach becomes functional and aerial respiration starts. After 2 weeks, the young fry is well‐developed, and is of an adult appearance, that is, measuring up to 13.56 mm in length.
Gonadal structure of the serial‐sex changing gobiid fish Trimma okinawae
Authors: Kobayashi Yasuhisa , Sunobe Tomoki , Kobayashi Tohru , Nagahama Yoshitaka , Nakamura Masaru
Published: March 2005

In order to obtain basic information about the role played by endogenous sex hormones in bringing about sex changes in the serial‐sex changing gobiid fish Trimma okinawae, the gonadal structure of male and female phases were observed histologically. Steroid‐producing cells (SPC; Leydig cells in a testis) were observed ultrastructurally in the ovaries and testes of both female‐phase and male‐phase fish. In addition, gonadal expression of P450 cholesterol side‐chain‐cleavage (scc) was examined immunohistochemically. Gonads of fish in female and male phases were observed to have both ovaries and testes simultaneously. Female‐phase fish had matured with many developed vitellogenic oocytes, while male‐phase individuals had immature ovaries with many numbers of previtellogenic oocytes at the perinucleolus stage. Testes of fish in different sexual phases had active spermatogenic germ cells. Organellae of SPC in the ovaries of female‐phase fish had active structures of steroid production. In contrast, SPC in the ovaries of male‐phase fish did not show active structures of steroid production. Immunopositive reactions against the scc antibody in the ovaries of female‐phase fish were very strong, but immunoreactions in the ovaries of male‐phase fish were very weak. In the testis, moderate immunopositive signals were obtained from dual‐phase male/females.
The testicular fatty acid binding protein PERF15 regulates the fate of germ cells in PERF15 transgenic mice
Authors: Kido Tatsuo , Arata Satoru , Suzuki Ryusuke , Hosono Tomohiko , Nakanishi Yoshinobu , Miyazaki Jun‐ichi , Saito Izumu , Kuroki Toshio , Shioda Seiji
Published: March 2005

The quality control of sperm is critical for efficient reproduction. In germ cells, cell death involves different processes to those in somatic cells, and in many cases, the trigger to induce cell death in deficient germ cells is still unclear. It is known that the fatty acid composition of sperm is related to fertility. Composition of the fatty acid of germ cells changes dynamically during spermatogenesis, and fatty acid binding protein (FABP) may be involved in these changes. In this study, we developed transgenic mice with a testicular germ‐cell‐specific FABP (PERF15) transgene, whose expression was controlled by the Cre‐LoxP site‐specific recombination system. We also developed transgenic mice with the Cre gene under the control of the spermatocyte specific Pgk2 promoter. In double transgenic mice, following Cre‐mediated recombination of the PERF15 containing transgene, PERF15 was strongly overexpressed. Its overexpression induced multinucleate symplasts to form, indicating programmed germ cell death occurred at the elongated spermatid stage. As a result, sperm harboring the transgene were significantly decreased, but the surviving sperm demonstrated higher fertility than natural sperm. Therefore, we conclude that PERF15 associate with the direction of germ cell fates and preserve the quality of sperm.
Gamete fusion and cytokinesis preceding zygote establishment in the sexual process of Dictyostelium discoideum
Authors: Ishida Kentaro , Hata Toshihiro , Urushihara Hideko
Published: March 2005

Cells of Dictyostelium discoideum become sexually mature under submerged and dark conditions, and fuse with opposite mating‐type cells to form zygote giant cells, which gather surrounding cells and finally develop into dormant structures called macrocysts. In the present study, we found that the multinuclear fused cells formed during this process frequently underwent cytokinesis driven by random local movements. The split cells were capable of re‐fusion, and repeated cytokinesis. These radical behaviors continued until the extensive cell aggregation started around the giant cells. Thus, gamete fusion and initiation of zygote development do not coincide in the mating of D. discoideum. Analyses by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry indicated that the cessation of the random movement followed pronuclear fusion, and that microtubule organizing centers (MTOC), abundant in the fused cells at the beginning, gradually decreased and only one of them remained within the developed macrocyst. Some of the genes known to control cell movement, such as rasGEFB and rasS, increased shortly before the cessation of repeated fusion‐cytokinesis and initiation of phagocytosis. These results suggest that the sequential molecular events are necessary in D. discoideum after gamete fusion to establish a new individuality of zygotes.
The mode and molecular mechanisms of the migration of presumptive PGC in the endoderm cell mass of Xenopus embryos
Authors: Nishiumi Fumiko , Komiya Tohru , Ikenishi Kohji
Published: March 2005

We investigated the mode of migration of presumptive primordial germ cells (pPGC) in the endoderm cell mass of Xenopus embryos at stages 7–40. The molecules underlying the migration were also studied cytochemically and immunocytologically. By examining the relative positions of pPGC and somatic cells derived from the single, fluorescein‐dextran lysine (FDL)‐injected, germ plasm‐bearing cells of stage 6 embryos, pPGC in embryos at stages 7–23 and those at stages later than 24 were assumed to passively and actively migrate in the endoderm cell mass, respectively. This assumption was supported by the observation that F‐actin, essential for active cell migration, was recognized on pPGC of the latter stages, but never on those of the former ones. In addition, the molecule like CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) found on directionally migrating PGC in mouse and zebrafish, probably Xenopus CXCR4 (xCXCR4), was detected on pPGC only at latter stages. Accordingly, F‐actin and xCXCR4, and probably β1‐integrin and collagen type IV, which are indispensable for the formation of F‐actin, are thought to be involved in the active migration of pPGC in the endoderm cell mass.
Aerial migration of the Dictyostelium slug
Authors: Sternfeld John , O'Mara Ryan
Published: March 2005

The Dictyostelium slug lays down curved marks in its slime sheath trail as it migrates across an agar substrate. These ‘footprints’ are caused by elevation of the slug anterior as it initiates a period of aerial migration and can be used as a measure of the slug's propensity for this behavior. A variety of factors have been found to affect the number of footprints created per distance migrated. Smaller slugs produce a higher incidence of footprints than larger slugs. Migration in the light and lower temperatures during migration increase footprint incidence. Activated charcoal reduces, while exogenous addition of ammonia increases, the incidence of footprints. Simulation of the three‐dimensional (3D) environment of the soil suggests that aerial migration plays a role in the slug's movement through the cavities of its natural environment. A model proposes that aerial migration is initiated by a small group of continually changing prestalk cells that acts as a pacemaker and is moved around the circumference of the slug tip by the rotation of the prestalk cells. As this pacemaker reaches the upper surface of the slug it can initiate aerial migration.
Rethinking theatre in modern operating rooms
Authors: Riley Robin , Manias Elizabeth
Published: March 2005

Metaphor is a means through which a widely accepted meaning of a word is used in a different context to add understanding that would otherwise be difficult to conceive. Through etymological and metaphorical associations, we contend that aspects of ‘theatre’ are still relevant in the modern operating rooms and that the use of dramaturgical metaphors can add another layer of understanding about the social reality in this setting. We begin by exploring the historical roots and derivation of the word theatre as it applied to anatomical dissection and surgery. Briefly, we touch on the work of Erving Goffman and examine how his work has been used by others to explore aspects of operating room nursing. Then, drawing on data from a postmodern ethnographic study that has been used to examine communication in operating room nursing, four dramaturgical metaphors are used to illustrate the argument. They are drama, the script and learning the lines, the show must go on, and changing between back stage and front stage. To conclude, the small amount of previously published literature on this topic is compared and contrasted, and the relevance of using dramaturgical metaphors to understand modern operating rooms is discussed. Being able to distinguish between the inherent drama in operating room work and the dramatic realisation of individuals who work within, can help operating room nurses to think differently about, and perhaps re‐evaluate their social situation and how they function within it.
Sustaining self: moving beyond the unexpected realities of teaching in practice
Authors: Paton Brenda I.
Published: March 2005

Nurse educators who teach undergraduate students in clinical practice frequently encounter, or are thrown into situations that interrupt smooth activity, pausing to make sense of what is going on in order to respond in a manner that is consistent with their professional beliefs and values. In moving towards, within and beyond this interruption in smooth activity, identified within this research as an Unready‐to‐Hand immersion, these educators create a matrix of situational knowing and wisdom that surrounds propositional knowing. In striving to clarify the knowing that informs the clinical nurse educator's response to unexpected situations, I referred to philosophical literature on tacit knowledge, practice wisdom, smooth activity and the Unready‐to‐Hand mode of engagement. I carried out an interpretive research project involving reflections on personal experiences followed by two layers of interviewing with nurse educators teaching students in practice. The first layer of individual interviews was with eight nurse educators who in their role experienced Unready‐to‐Hand immersions. The second layer involved of three of these eight participants who chose to continue with more in‐depth, unstructured interviews. One participant not involved in the original set of interviews approached me individually and asked to participate in the in‐depth interviews, which they did. An interpretive analysis of these nurse educators’ stories illuminated Unready‐to‐Hand as Adventure, highlighting the elements of attuning to difference, the domains of practice within Unready‐to‐Hand and three modes of unknowing. This paper focuses on one of the domains of practice: sustaining self.
Dwelling with stories that haunt us: building a meaningful nursing practice
Authors: Rashotte Judy
Published: March 2005

The purpose of this article is to reflect on pediatric critical care nurses’ experience of grief by focusing on the meaning of the stories that haunt them. It is suggested that these stories are the nurses’ attempt to find ways to journey through their grief and to live with the mystery of life and death. It is also the task of these stories to throw light on their experiences, a task that is never entirely finished. Dwelling with the stories that haunt them helps to provide nurses with a moral structure of critical care nursing practice. Their reflections upon the meaning of their experiences of grief can lead to a view of death that is not always perceived as an evil to flee, but is upheld as a source of value and revelation as critical care nurses strive to build who they are and how they practice the art of nursing.
Nursing scholars appropriating new methods: the use of discourse analysis in scholarly nursing journals 1996–2003
Authors: Buus Niels
Published: March 2005

Nursing scholars appropriate the analysis of discourse. ‘Discourse analysis’ covers a wide spectrum of approaches to analysing meaning and language and there is no widely accepted definition of either a concept or an analysis of discourse. A sample of the discourse analyses indexed in the CINAHL database was analysed in order to identify what notions of discourse and discourse analysis are preferred by nursing scholars. The results showed that nursing scholars prefer approaches to discourse that resemble mainstream qualitative research avoiding social life and interaction. Explanations for these findings are briefly outlined.
Recovery from depression: a discourse analysis of interpersonal psychotherapy
Authors: Crowe Marie , Luty Sue
Published: March 2005

This paper describes a discourse analysis of the process of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) in the recovery from depression. It demonstrates how IPT is an effective treatment strategy for mental health nurses to utilise in the treatment of depression. The discourse analysis highlights how the development of more meaningful subject positions enables one woman to recover from her depression. The process of recovery is underpinned by an understanding of women's depression as promoted by contemporary social and cultural expectations for detachment and reflexivity. This paper shows how IPT provides an opportunity for recovery from depression for one woman by facilitating a reconstruction of her subject positions in relation to others. The discourse analysis revealed that the therapist facilitated this through the use of a range of techniques: seeking information, exploring beliefs/values/assumptions, exploring communication patterns, exploring affective responses and exploring alternative subject positions.
Regulating hospital use: length of stay, beds and whiteboards
Authors: Heartfield Marie
Published: March 2005

This paper presents part of a larger study of contemporary nursing practice and the rationalisation of hospital length of stay. Informed by Michel Foucault's work on governmentality, length of hospital stay and the re‐engineering of surgical services are examined, not in terms of numerical representations of hospital use, but as part of social and political processes through which certain concepts are made susceptible to measurement and practices are organised. Using data generated through fieldwork in a hospital surgical division this analysis offers understandings of how social practices around length of hospital stay are translated and how they pattern contemporary hospital nursing practice. Nursing practice is explored through the reconstitution of hospital beds and the demands of local administration of hospital length of stay.
The anatomy of a forbidden desire: men, penetration and semen exchange
Authors: Holmes Dave , Warner Dan
Published: March 2005

The rising popularity of unprotected anal sex (bareback sex) among men who have sex with men (MSM) is perplexing healthcare providers working in sexual health clinics. Epidemiological research on the topic overlooks several socio‐cultural and psychological dimensions. Our research attempts to construct an appropriate theoretical edifice by which we can understand this sexual practice. In order to achieve this objective, a qualitative design was selected and 18 semiconductive in‐depth interviews were carried out with barebackers from five European and North American cities. We then analyzed the data using two theoretical approaches that were sensitive to the issues of desire, transgression and pleasure. These theories are those of the late French psychoanalyst, Jacques Lacan, and those of poststructural thinkers, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. These theoretical frameworks helped shed light on the significance of bareback sex, and can potentially influence healthcare providers in gaining a better understanding not only of their clients, but also of their own role in the circuitry of desire at work within bareback. We found that while the exchange of semen constitutes a dangerous and irrational practice to healthcare professionals, it is nevertheless a significant variable in the sexual lives of barebackers that needs to be taken into consideration in the provision of healthcare services.