bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Designated Hitter Rule Debate: A Search for Mr. Hyde in Pitchers
Authors: Kawaura Akihiko
Published: November 2009

This article investigates the effect of baseball’s designated hitter rule on the number of hit batsmen, with a focus on individual pitchers. Researchers have debated the rule’s incentives for pitchers and its impact on hit batsmen based on aggregate and cross-section statistics: They treat pitchers as a group. This article argues that individual pitchers are concerned with their reputation in the baseball community, and that they do not necessarily respond to the rule change by throwing at batters. Analyses of performance data of individual pitchers in a Japanese baseball league indicate that the rule did not prompt their behavioral change.
Critical Homelessness: Expanding Narratives of Inclusive Democracy
Authors: Finley Susan , Diversi Marcelo
Published: November 2009

The experience (as opposed to the concept) of homelessness is hardly part of the academic discourse in education, cultural studies, or human development. One of the central goals of our special issue is to create a bridge between homelessness as a personal experience and homelessness as a public issue. Along with the personal experience that breaks free from the deficit-model informing dominant notions of homelessness, we also want to bring attention to the politics in the construction of knowledge about homelessness. Starting from street folk’s textual representations of their visceral knowledge of homelessness, we offer a reading of current dominant narratives of homelessness: narratives of poverty as individual trouble (as opposed to systemic expression of ideologies of domination), narratives of personal choice (as in “choose the right” movements), and narratives of charity (as in “feel good about yourself for spending a week of your spring break vacation helping clean and build around Katrina”).
Preventing Weight Regain After Bariatric Surgery: An Overview of Lifestyle and Psychosocial Modulators
Authors: Zalesin Kerstyn C. , Franklin Barry A. , Miller Wendy M. , Nori Janosz Katherine E. , Veri Silvia , Odom Jacqueline , McCullough Peter A.
Published: November 2009

Bariatric surgery is being increasingly used as a treatment for obesity. With this weight loss intervention, obesity-specific disease remission and mortality reduction benefits are undeniable. After surgical weight loss is complete, one of the greatest challenges becomes long-term weight loss maintenance, which is largely behavior-ally based. The fundamental behavioral components to maintaining surgical weight loss include dietary control, commitment to regular physical activity, and behavior modification. Changing these longstanding lifestyle habits, however, is a serious challenge and, unfortunately, many formerly obese individuals ultimately experience weight regain due to noncompliance. Further research is needed to identify optimal treatment strategies for postoperative bariatric surgery patients to minimize weight regain.
Surface coating effects on contact stress and wear: An approach of surface engineering design and modelling
Authors: Mao K. , Sun Y. , Bloyce A. , Bell T.
Published: November 2009

The present paper is a dedication to Professor Tom Bell, a distinguished scientist and engineer, for his great contributions and achievements in surface engineering design and modelling. An initial attempt has been made in surface system design through combining the authors’ previous achievements in understanding contact mechanics of surface engineering system. The approach is taken mainly from modelling the contact behaviour of multilayer surface system with real rough surface profiles in terms of contact stress and deformation, and both boundary and finite element methods have been employed to understand the system contact behaviour. Experimental investigations have also been carried out on the performance of surface engineered gears (steel and titanium). Tests were carried out on untreated, TiN coated, plasma nitrided and duplex treated steel gears under dry running conditions, and it has been shown that the duplex system gives the best wear resistance. For titanium gears, experimental tests were carried out on untreated and thermal oxidised titanium against steel gears and the thermal oxidised treated has showed a significant wear improvement compared to that for the untreated specimens. Finally, possible further investigations have been proposed.
Coatings tribology drivers for high density plasma technologies
Authors: Dearnley P. A. , Neville A. , Turner S. , Scheibe H.-J. , Tietema R. , Tap R. , Stüber M. , Hovsepian P. , Layyous A. , Stenbom B.
Published: November 2009

The tribological operating environment for cutting tools, automotive components and biomedical implant bearing surfaces is highly challenging. An assessment of the limitations of state of the art of coated materials for use in these applications has been made. Special consideration is given to the prospects for diamond-like carbon coating materials and the requirements for future high density plasma based surface engineering technologies.
The Cytochrome P450 Engineering Database: integration of biochemical properties
Authors: Sirim Demet , Wagner Florian , Lisitsa Andrey , Pleiss Jürgen
Published: November 2009

Background

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) form a vast and diverse enzyme class of particular interest in drug development and a high biotechnological potential. Although very diverse in sequence, they share a common structural fold. For the comprehensive and systematic comparison of protein sequences and structures the Cytochrome P450 Engineering Database (CYPED) was established. It was built up based on an extensible data model that enables its functions readily enhanced.

Description

The new version of the CYPED contains information on sequences and structures of 8613 and 47 proteins, respectively, which strictly follow Nelson's classification rules for homologous families and superfamilies. To gain biochemical information on substrates and inhibitors, the CYPED was linked to the Cytochrome P450 Knowledgebase (CPK). To overcome differences in the data model and inconsistencies in the content of CYPED and CPK, a metric was established based on sequence similarity to link protein sequences as primary keys. In addition, the annotation of structurally and functionally relevant residues was extended by a reliable prediction of conserved secondary structure elements and by information on the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms.

Conclusion

The online accessible version of the CYPED at http://www.cyped.uni-stuttgart.de provides a valuable tool for the analysis of sequences, structures and their relationships to biochemical properties.
An expression database for roots of the model legume Medicago truncatula under salt stress
Authors: Li Daofeng , Su Zhen , Dong Jiangli , Wang Tao
Published: November 2009

Background

Medicago truncatula is a model legume whose genome is currently being sequenced by an international consortium. Abiotic stresses such as salt stress limit plant growth and crop productivity, including those of legumes. We anticipate that studies on M. truncatula will shed light on other economically important legumes across the world. Here, we report the development of a database called MtED that contains gene expression profiles of the roots of M. truncatula based on time-course salt stress experiments using the Affymetrix Medicago GeneChip. Our hope is that MtED will provide information to assist in improving abiotic stress resistance in legumes.

Description

The results of our microarray experiment with roots of M. truncatula under 180 mM sodium chloride were deposited in the MtED database. Additionally, sequence and annotation information regarding microarray probe sets were included. MtED provides functional category analysis based on Gene and GeneBins Ontology, and other Web-based tools for querying and retrieving query results, browsing pathways and transcription factor families, showing metabolic maps, and comparing and visualizing expression profiles. Utilities like mapping probe sets to genome of M. truncatula and In-Silico PCR were implemented by BLAT software suite, which were also available through MtED database.

Conclusion

MtED was built in the PHP script language and as a MySQL relational database system on a Linux server. It has an integrated Web interface, which facilitates ready examination and interpretation of the results of microarray experiments. It is intended to help in selecting gene markers to improve abiotic stress resistance in legumes. MtED is available at http://bioinformatics.cau.edu.cn/MtED/.
Discovery of novel human transcript variants by analysis of intronic single-block EST with polyadenylation site
Authors: Wang Pingzhang , Yu Peng , Gao Peng , Shi Taiping , Ma Dalong
Published: November 2009

Background

Alternative polyadenylation sites within a gene can lead to alternative transcript variants. Although bioinformatic analysis has been conducted to detect polyadenylation sites using nucleic acid sequences (EST/mRNA) in the public databases, one special type, single-block EST is much less emphasized. This bias leaves a large space to discover novel transcript variants.

Results

In the present study, we identified novel transcript variants in the human genome by detecting intronic polyadenylation sites. Poly(A/T)-tailed ESTs were obtained from single-block ESTs and clustered into 10,844 groups standing for 5,670 genes. Most sites were not found in other alternative splicing databases. To verify that these sites are from expressed transcripts, we analyzed the supporting EST number of each site, blasted representative ESTs against known mRNA sequences, traced terminal sequences from cDNA clones, and compared with the data of Affymetrix tiling array. These analyses confirmed about 84% (9,118/10,844) of the novel alternative transcripts, especially, 33% (3,575/10,844) of the transcripts from 2,704 genes were taken as high-reliability. Additionally, RT-PCR confirmed 38% (10/26) of predicted novel transcript variants.

Conclusion

Our results provide evidence for novel transcript variants with intronic poly(A) sites. The expression of these novel variants was confirmed with computational and experimental tools. Our data provide a genome-wide resource for identification of novel human transcript variants with intronic polyadenylation sites, and offer a new view into the mystery of the human transcriptome.
Correlation of microsynteny conservation and disease gene distribution in mammalian genomes
Authors: Lovell Simon C , Li Xiting , Weerasinghe Nimmi R , Hentges Kathryn E
Published: November 2009

Background

With the completion of the whole genome sequence for many organisms, investigations into genomic structure have revealed that gene distribution is variable, and that genes with similar function or expression are located within clusters. This clustering suggests that there are evolutionary constraints that determine genome architecture. However, as most of the evidence for constraints on genome evolution comes from studies on yeast, it is unclear how much of this prior work can be extrapolated to mammalian genomes. Therefore, in this work we wished to examine the constraints on regions of the mammalian genome containing conserved gene clusters.

Results

We first identified regions of the mouse genome with microsynteny conservation by comparing gene arrangement in the mouse genome to the human, rat, and dog genomes. We then asked if any particular gene types were found preferentially in conserved regions. We found a significant correlation between conserved microsynteny and the density of mouse orthologs of human disease genes, suggesting that disease genes are clustered in genomic regions of increased microsynteny conservation.

Conclusion

The correlation between microsynteny conservation and disease gene locations indicates that regions of the mouse genome with microsynteny conservation may contain undiscovered human disease genes. This study not only demonstrates that gene function constrains mammalian genome organization, but also identifies regions of the mouse genome that can be experimentally examined to produce mouse models of human disease.
Comparison of a new transcutaneous bilirubinometer (Bilimed®) with serum bilirubin measurements in preterm and full-term infants
Authors: Karen Tanja , Bucher Hans Ulrich , Fauchère Jean-Claude
Published: November 2009

Background

The gold standard to assess hyperbilirubinemia in neonates remains the serum bilirubin measurement. Unfortunately, this is invasive, painful, and costly. Bilimed®, a new transcutaneous bilirubinometer, suggests more accuracy compared to the existing non-invasive bilirubinometers because of its new technology. It furthermore takes into account different skin colours. No contact with the skin is needed during measurement, no additional material costs occur. Our aim was to assess the agreement between the Bilimed® and serum bilirubin in preterm and term infants of different skin colours.

Methods

The transcutaneous bilirubin measurements were performed on the infant's sternum and serum bilirubin was determined simultaneously. The agreement between both methods was assessed by Pearson's correlation and by Bland-Altman analysis.

Results

A total of 117 measurement cycles were performed in 99 term infants (group1), further 47 measurements in 38 preterm infants born between 34 - 36 6/7 gestational weeks (group 2), and finally 21 measurements in 13 preterm infants born between 28 - 33 6/7 gestational weeks (group 3). The mean deviation and variability (+/- 2SD) of the transcutaneous from serum bilirubin were: -14 (+/- 144) μmol/l; -0.82 (+/- 8.4) mg/dl in group 1, +16 (+/- 91) μmol/l;+0.93(+/- 5.3) mg/dl in group 2 and -8 (+/- 76) μmol/l; -0.47 (+/- 4.4) mg/dl in group 3. These limits of agreement are too wide to be acceptable in a clinical setting. Moreover, there was to be a trend towards less good agreement with increasing bilirubin values.

Conclusion

Despite its new technology the Bilimed® has no advantages, and more specifically no better agreement not only in term and near-term Caucasian infants, but also in non-Caucasian and more premature infants.
Self-medication with over-the-counter drugs and complementary medications in South Australia's elderly population
Authors: Goh Lynn Yeen , Vitry Agnes I , Semple Susan J , Esterman Adrian , Luszcz Mary A
Published: November 2009

Background

A number of surveys have examined use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) in Australia. However, there are limited Australian data on use of CAM and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines in the elderly population. The main aims of this study were to examine self-medication practices with CAM and OTC medicines among older Australians and variables associated with their use.

Methods

The Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA) is an ongoing multidisciplinary prospective study of the older population which commenced in 1992 in South Australia. Data collected in 4 waves of ALSA between 1992 and 2004 were used in this study with a baseline sample of 2087 adults aged 65 years and over, living in the community or residential aged care. OTC medicines were classified according to the World Health Organization Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification. CAM were classified according a modified version of the classification adopted by the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia.

Results

The prevalence of CAM or OTC use ranged from 17.7% in 2000-2001 to 35.5% in 2003-2004. The top classes of CAM and OTC medicines used remained relatively constant over the study period. The most frequent classes of CAM used were vitamins and minerals, herbal medicines and nutritional supplements while the most commonly used OTC were analgesics, laxatives and low dose aspirin. Females and those of younger age were more likely to be CAM users but no variable was associated with OTC use.

Conclusion

Participants seemed to self-medicate in accordance with approved indications, suggesting they were informed consumers, actively looking after their own health. However, use of analgesics and aspirin are associated with an increased risk of adverse drug events in the elderly. Future work should examine how self-medication contributes to polypharmacy and increases the risk of adverse drug reactions.
Tsukamurella tyrosinosolvens - An unusual case report of bacteremic pneumonia after lung transplantation
Authors: Ménard Armelle , Degrange Sébastien , Peuchant Olivia , Nguyen Thi Diem Tien , Dromer Claire , Maugein Jeanne
Published: November 2009

Background

Lung transplant recipients have an increased risk for actinomycetales infection secondary to immunosuppressive regimen.

Case presentation

A case of pulmonary infection with bacteremia due to Tsukamurella tyrosinosolvens in a 54-year old man who underwent a double lung transplantation four years previously is presented.

Conclusion

The identification by conventional biochemical assays was unsuccessful and hsp gene sequencing was used to identify Tsukamurella tyrosinosolvens.
Frontal skull craniotomy combined with moderate-dose radiotherapy effectively ameliorate a rare case of non-secretory, multiple myeloma with orbital involvement
Authors: Ko Hui-Ling , Chen Ching-Lin , Chi Kwan-Hwa
Published: November 2009

Background

Orbital infiltration in patients with multiple myeloma is a rare condition, with less than 50 cases reported in the medical literature. Most patients undergo conservative treatment because multiple myeloma is a disseminated systemic disease.

Case presentation

A 43-year-old male subject with multiple myeloma and long-term survival presented with orbital involvement. The subject lacked the typical features and poor prognostic factors associated with multiple myeloma, such as renal failure, hypercalcemia, and paraprotein in the serum and urine. The orbital computed tomographic scan revealed the tumor encasing the optic nerve, but without prominent bony destruction. Therefore, a frontal skull craniotomy with an epidural entrance to the orbital space was performed, to completely extirpate the orbital mass. The surgical procedure was followed by moderate-dose radiation therapy. After 32 months of follow-up care, the subject is doing well with excellent local control.

Conclusion

Although the effectiveness and applicability of this approach remains to be determined, this case report demonstrates that accurate and early detection combined with local surgical treatment and appropriate radio/chemotherapy, can be applied to effectively extend an orbital multiple myeloma patient's life.
Antinociceptive Action of Oxytocin Involves Inhibition of Potassium Channel Currents in Lamina Ii Neurons of the Rat Spinal Cord
Authors: Breton Jean Didier , Poisbeau Pierrick , Darbon Pascal
Published: November 2009

Background

Growing evidence in the literature shows that oxytocin (OT) has a strong spinal anti-nociceptive action. Oxytocinergic axons originating from a subpopulation of paraventricular hypothalamic neurons establish synaptic contacts with lamina II interneurons but little is known about the functional role of OT with respect to neuronal firing and excitability.

Results

Using the patch-clamp technique, we have recorded lamina II interneurons in acute transverse lumbar spinal cord slices of rats (15 to 30 days old) and analyzed the OT effects on action potential firing ability. In the current clamp mode, we found that bath application of a selective OT-receptor agonist (TGOT) reduced firing in the majority of lamina II interneurons exhibiting a bursting firing profile, but never in those exhibiting a single spike discharge upon depolarization. Interestingly, OT-induced reduction in spike frequency and increase of firing threshold were often observed, leading to a conversion of the firing profile from repetitive and delayed profiles into phasic ones and sometimes further into single spike profile. The observed effects following OT-receptor activation were completely abolished when the OT-receptor agonist was co-applied with a selective OT-receptor antagonist. In current and voltage clamp modes, we show that these changes in firing are strongly controlled by voltage-gated potassium currents. More precisely, transient IA currents and delayed-rectifier currents were reduced in amplitude and transient IA current was predominantly inactivated after OT bath application.

Conclusion

This effect of OT on the firing profile of lamina II neurons is in good agreement with the antinociceptive and analgesic properties of OT described in vivo.
Mixed hepatoblastoma and teratoma of the liver in a 3-year-old child: a unique combination and clinical challenge
Authors: Moll Alexander , Krenauer Alexander , Bierbach Uta , Till Holger , Hirsch Wolfgang , Leuschner Ivo , Schmitz Nicole , Wittekind Christian , Aigner Thomas
Published: November 2009

Primary liver tumors in children are rare with malignant hepatoblastoma being the most common neoplasm. In this report, we describe the diagnosis and clinical management of a large liver tumor in a 3-year-old child that displayed the features of both, conventional hepatoblastoma and malignant teratoma. Pathological assessment on a pre-operative bioptical specimen showed an immature teratoid tumor with no area of hepatoblastic differentiation present. Histological and immunhistological examination of the resected tumor specimen additionally showed tumor areas of very different differentiation pattern intermixed with each other, namely areas of hepatoblastoma-typical and neuroblastoma-like morphology as well as areas of rhadomyosarcomatous differentiation.

After chemotherapy the tumor size increased and an extended right hemihepatectomy was performed. Post-operatively, the general condition of the child improved and adjuvant chemotherapy was started two weeks later. 36 months after initial diagnosis the patient is healthy, in good general condition, and without any sign of residual tumor disease.

Overall, we describe the diagnosis and clinical management of a large liver tumor in a 3-year-old child that displayed the features of both, conventional hepatoblastoma and malignant teratoma and was designated as mixed hepatoblastoma and teratoma. Though mesenchymal tumor portions can occur within hepatoblastomas, most commonly osteoid or chondroid, our case is different as it presents a large spectrum of mesenchymal and epithelial differentiation pattern in most of the lesion.
In vitro proliferation of human osteogenic cells in presence of different commercial bone substitute materials combined with enamel matrix derivatives
Authors: Reichert Christoph , Al-Nawas Bilal , Smeets Ralf , Kasaj Adrian , Götz Werner , Klein Marcus O
Published: November 2009

Background

Cellular reactions to alloplastic bone substitute materials (BSM) are a subject of interest in basic research. In regenerative dentistry, these bone grafting materials are routinely combined with enamel matrix derivatives (EMD) in order to additionally enhance tissue regeneration.

Materials and methods

The aim of this study was to evaluate the proliferative activity of human osteogenic cells after incubation over a period of seven days with commercial BSM of various origin and chemical composition. Special focus was placed on the potential additional benefit of EMD on cellular proliferation.

Results

Except for PerioGlas®, osteogenic cell proliferation was significantly promoted by the investigated BSM. The application of EMD alone also resulted in significantly increased cellular proliferation. However, a combination of BSM and EMD resulted in only a moderate additional enhancement of osteogenic cell proliferation.

Conclusion

The application of most BSM, as well as the exclusive application of EMD demonstrated a positive impact on the proliferation of human osteogenic cells in vitro. In order to increase the benefit from substrate combination (BSM + EMD), further studies on the interactions between BSM and EMD are needed.
Clinical-dosimetric analysis of measures of dysphagia including gastrostomy-tube dependence among head and neck cancer patients treated definitively by intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy
Authors: Li Baoqing , Li Dan , Lau Derick H , Farwell D Gregory , Luu Quang , Rocke David M , Newman Kathleen , Courquin Jean , Purdy James A , Chen Allen M
Published: November 2009

Purpose

To investigate the association between dose to various anatomical structures and dysphagia among patients with head and neck cancer treated by definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and concurrent chemotherapy.

Methods and materials

Thirty-nine patients with squamous cancer of the head and neck were treated by definitive concurrent chemotherapy and IMRT to a median dose of 70 Gy (range, 68 to 72). In each patient, a gastrostomy tube (GT) was prophylacticly placed prior to starting treatment. Prolonged GT dependence was defined as exceeding the median GT duration of 192 days. Dysphagia was scored using standardized quality-of-life instruments. Dose-volume histogram (DVH) data incorporating the superior/middle pharyngeal constrictors (SMPC), inferior pharyngeal constrictor (IPC), cricoid pharyngeal inlet (CPI), and cervical esophagus (CE) were analyzed in relation to prolonged GT dependence, dysphagia, and weight loss.

Results

At 3 months and 6 months after treatment, 87% and 44% of patients, respectively, were GT dependent. Spearman's ρ analysis identified statistical correlations (p < 0.05) between prolonged GT dependence or high grade dysphagia with IPC V65, IPC V60, IPC Dmean, and CPI Dmax. Logistic regression model showed that IPC V65 > 30%, IPC V60 > 60%, IPC Dmean > 60 Gy, and CPI Dmax > 62 Gy predicted for greater than 50% probability of prolonged GT dependence.

Conclusion

Our analysis suggests that adhering to the following parameters may decrease the risk of prolonged GT dependence and dysphagia: IPC V65 < 15%, IPC V60 < 40%, IPC Dmean < 55 Gy, and CPI Dmax < 60 Gy.
A small supernumerary marker chromosome present in a Turner syndrome patient not derived from X- or Y-chromosome: a case report
Authors: Sheth Frenny , Ewers Elisabeth , Kosyakova Nadezda , Weise Anja , Sheth Jayesh , Desai Manisha , Andrieux Joris , Vermeesch Joris , Hamid Ahmed B , Ziegler Monika , Liehr Thomas
Published: November 2009

Background

Small supernumerary marker chromosomes (sSMC) can be present in numerically abnormal karyotypes like in a 'Turner-syndrome karyotype' mos 45,X/46,X,+mar.

Results

Here we report the first case of an sSMC found in Turner syndrome karyotypes (sSMCT) derived from chromosome 14 in a Turner syndrome patient. According to cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic characterization the karyotype was 46,X,+del(14)(q11.1). The present case is the third Turner syndrome case with an sSMCT not derived from the X- or the Y-chromosome.

Conclusion

More comprehensive characterization of such sSMCT might identify them to be more frequent than only ~0.6% in Turner syndrome cases according to available data.
Regulation of Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein Transcription in Largemouth Bass by Orphan Nuclear Receptor Signaling Pathways
Authors: Kocerha Jannet , Prucha Melinda S. , Kroll Kevin J. , Steinhilber Dieter , Denslow Nancy
Published: November 2009

The steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein mediates the rate-limiting step of mitochondrial transport of cholesterol for steroid biosynthesis. To investigate the regulation of this protein in lower vertebrates, we cloned the StAR coding region from large-mouth bass for analysis. Induction of the mRNA corresponded with increasing levels of plasma sex steroids in vivo. Cultures of largemouth bass ovarian follicles were exposed to dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP), a potent signaling molecule for steroidogenesis. StAR mRNA expression was significantly up-regulated by dbcAMP signaling, suggesting that the 5′ regulatory region of the gene is functionally conserved. To further analyze its transcriptional regulation, a 2.9-kb portion of the promoter was cloned and transfected into Y-1 cells, a steroidogenic mouse adrenocortical cell line. The promoter activity was induced in a dose-responsive manner upon stimulation with dbcAMP; however, deletion of 1 kb from the 5′ end of the promoter segment significantly diminished the transcriptional activation. A putative retinoic acid-related receptor-α/rev-erbα element was identified between the −1.86- and −2.9-kb region and mutated to assess its potential role in dbcAMP regulation of the promoter. Mutation of the rev-erbα element significantly impeded dbcAMP-induced activation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and EMSA results revealed rev-erbα and retinoic acid-related receptor-α enrichment at the site under basal and dbcAMP-induced conditions, respectively. These results implicate important roles for these proteins previously uncharacterized for the StAR promoter. Altogether these data suggest novel regulatory mechanisms for dbcAMP up-regulation of StAR transcription in the distal part of the largemouth bass promoter.
The Deletion Variant of Nicotinamide Nucleotide Transhydrogenase (Nnt) Does Not Affect Insulin Secretion or Glucose Tolerance
Authors: Wong Nicole , Blair Amy R. , Morahan Grant , Andrikopoulos Sofianos
Published: November 2009

The C57BL/6J (B6J) strain is the most widely used mouse strain in metabolic research. B6J mice produce a truncated form of nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT), an enzyme that pumps protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane. It has been proposed that this results in B6J mice having reduced insulin secretion and glucose intolerance compared with other strains of mice (e.g. C3H/HeH and DBA/2) that have a full-length NNT. The aim of this study was to determine whether truncated NNT was associated with reduced insulin secretion and glucose intolerance, comparing B6 substrains that differ in having a truncated NNT. C57BL/6N (B6N) mice have wild-type Nnt. We compared Nnt expression and activity levels as well as in vivo insulin secretion and glucose tolerance between these mice and B6J. Body weights and specific fat-pad depot masses were alike and Nnt expression and activity levels were similar between B6N and B6J mice. Glucose-mediated insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity were comparable between the two groups of mice, as were plasma glucose and insulin levels during the oral glucose tolerance test. The presence of a truncated Nnt did not affect insulin secretion or glucose tolerance on the C57BL/6 background. We suggest that low or normal levels of NNT (regardless of truncation) have little effect on insulin secretion. Rather, it is the increase in expression of Nnt that regulates and enhances insulin secretion. Our data confirm that B6J is a reasonable control strain for diabetes research; this is especially important considering that it is the strain commonly used to generate genetically modified animals.
Unraveling the Directional Link between Adiposity and Inflammation: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Approach
Authors: Welsh Paul , Polisecki Eliana , Robertson Michele , Jahn Sabine , Buckley Brendan M. , de Craen Anton J. M. , Ford Ian , Jukema J. Wouter , Macfarlane Peter W. , Packard Chris J. , Stott David J. , Westendorp Rudi G. J. , Shepherd James , Hingorani Aroon D. , Smith George Davey , Schaefer Ernst , Sattar Naveed
Published: November 2009

Context: Associations between adiposity and circulating inflammation markers are assumed to be causal, although the direction of the relationship has not been proven.

Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the causal direction of the relationship between adiposity and inflammation using a bidirectional Mendelian randomization approach.

Methods: In the PROSPER study of 5804 elderly patients, we related C-reactive protein (CRP) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1800947 and rs1205) and adiposity SNPs (FTO and MC4R) to body mass index (BMI) as well as circulating levels of CRP and leptin. We gave each individual two allele scores ranging from zero to 4, counting each pair of alleles related to CRP levels or BMI.

Results: With increasing CRP allele score, there was a stepwise decrease in CRP levels (P for trend < 0.0001) and a 1.98 mg/liter difference between extremes of the allele score distribution, but there was no associated change in BMI or leptin levels (P ≥ 0.89). By contrast, adiposity allele score was associated with 1) an increase in BMI (1.2 kg/m2 difference between extremes; P for trend 0.002); 2) an increase in circulating leptin (5.77 ng/ml difference between extremes; P for trend 0.0027); and 3) increased CRP levels (1.24 mg/liter difference between extremes; P for trend 0.002).

Conclusions: Greater adiposity conferred by FTO and MC4R SNPs led to higher CRP levels, with no evidence for any reverse pathway. Future studies should extend our findings to other circulating inflammatory parameters. This study illustrates the potential power of Mendelian randomization to dissect directions of causality between intercorrelated metabolic factors.
The Obscene, Violent Supplement of State Power: Korean Welfare and Class Warfare in Interwar Japan
Authors: Kawashima Ken C.
Published: November 2009

This article reconsiders the concept of the state apparatus by looking at the micropolitics and history surrounding the largest “Korean welfare organization” in interwar Japan, the Sôaikai (), or Mutual Love Association. As a welfare organization of Korean workers in Japan, the Sôaikai not only operated as the largest institutional supplier of Korean day workers to the construction industry; it was also considered as a “preventive police organization” by the Japanese police. This connection to the police revealed a bloody history that has yet to be accounted for fully in historical studies of Korean workers in Japan.

My thesis is that the history of the Sôaikai teaches us that the concept of the state apparatus must be considered in terms of its internal splitting, between a publicly avowed appearance and its publicly disavowed, spectral, or supplemental forms of organization. The stakes of understanding this splitting of state power, however, is that it compels us to reconsider the concept of the social “margin,” for the Sôaikai did not simply police Koreans in the “margin” of Japanese society. Rather, its work marked the division of Korean surplus populations in Japan as the ground for commodification and political repression. I call this the “divided margin.” The divided margin represented a larger colonial and policing strategy of dividing and conquering Korean proletarian movements and working-class identification by promoting and supporting ethnic identity instead—but only to the point where the ethnic consciousness did not become radicalized to the point of promoting national liberation. The problem of political repression has to be considered in light of the failings of this effort to neutralize proletarian identification through the promotion of ethnic identity.

I then analyze anti-Sôaikai political movements by Korean workers, movements that coincided with the rise to parliamentary fame of the Sôaikai's cofounder, Pak Ch'um-gum, who became the first colonial subject elected into the Japanese National Diet in 1932. The inimitable and not quite indomitable Pak Ch'um-gum was arguably Japan's most famous colonial opportunist, and he failed consistently and miserably as a parliamentarian. As I discuss in the last pages of the article, Pak's failings as a parliamentarian reveal important aspects of how the Japanese empire tried to govern and represent its colonial populations in Korea and in Japan.
Governing China's Children: Governmentality and “Education for Quality”
Authors: Woronov T. E.
Published: November 2009

This article is a close study of the discourses and practices of suzhi jiaoyu or “Education for Quality” in contemporary Beijing. Through a study of efforts to raise the “quality” of the capital's children in order to raise the “quality” of the Chinese nation and its future, this article frames suzhi jiaoyu as a form of governmentality, dedicated to teaching children the “conduct of conduct” in postsocialist Beijing. Based on ethnographic research conducted in elementary schools, among families, and in public spaces in Beijing, the article focuses on how attempts to define and raise children's “moral quality” are linked to changing forms and practices of state power.
Suzhi on the Move: Body, Place, and Power
Authors: Sun Wanning
Published: November 2009

Work on migration and gendered mobility has shown us that places are constituted not only by their location and physical features, but also by the specific, often regulated forms of bodies that inhabit them. In this essay, I want to call into question the process by which the connection between place, suzhi (quality), and the migrant body is made to appear logical and commonsensical. I consider a common discursive practice of branding the baomu (maid), namely identifying the domestic worker and comments on the service provided by the domestic worker according to her place of origin (e.g., “Sichuan baomu are more competent than Anhui baomu,” or “local baomu (in Shanghai) are more reliable than waidi baomu” (maids from outside the city). By engaging with critiques of an array of suzhi discourses made by the state, media, and domestic service industry—including both employers of baomu and baomus themselves—to endorse or deplore the performance of domestic workers, I show that public statements about the quality of individuals increasingly take on an external, spatial, and geographic dimension. In other words, the possession or lack of suzhi by an individual or group seems increasingly attributable to place of origin. I argue that an understanding of the ways in which the mobile body is inscribed with difference is crucial to uncovering the variegated processes commodifying and objectifying the migrant body.
Surrogate Military, Subimperialism, and Masculinity: South Korea in the Vietnam War, 1965-73
Authors: Lee Jin-kyung
Published: November 2009

In reconsidering South Korean military involvement in the Vietnam War between 1965 and 1973, this essay focuses on the multivalent relationship between military labor and masculine sexuality in the overlapping contexts of class stratification, nationalist economic development under the military dictatorship of Park Chung Hee, the rising transnational anticommunism, and the U.S.-led neocolonizing capitalization of the greater Asian region. I argue that South Korean military labor in Vietnam was a type of sexual proletarianization, a process I define as mobilizing respectively gendered sexualities into working-class service labors, such as male/female prostitution, other sexualized service work, and military labor. South Korean military proletarian labor, reconstituted as a supraclass, ethnonational masculinity, functioned simultaneously as an intranational class surrogate labor and as a transnational racialized surrogate labor in the U.S. war in Vietnam. The essay first examines the ways in which military labor is elevated into military service/duty by a complex of (supra)ideological causes such as ethnonationalism, masculinism, racism, and transnational anticommunism. By delinking the economic dimension of military labor from the causes it was supposed to serve and obfuscating national commodification of working-class masculinity, state representations of the South Korean military venture in Vietnam exceptionalized military labor during the war and then obliterated it after the war. The second part of the essay explores South Korean critical literary representations of military labor that deexceptionalize military labor by situating military labor back in the broader continuum of sexual proletarianization, that is, in the context of production of other developmentalist sexual-labor commodities that were less visible, such as female prostitution and other masculine (a)sexualized service labors.
Residual Selves: Trauma and Forgetting in Park Chan-Wook's Oldboy
Authors: Jeon Joseph Jonghyun
Published: November 2009

This article situates Park Chan-wook's Oldboy (2003) in the wake of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) crisis in South Korea and argues that the film's particular emphasis on forgetting signals a turn away both from traditional, Freudian theorizations of trauma and from the deployment of these models as a primary means of conceptualizing modern Korean history. The article reads the film's protagonist, O Dae-su, as an embodiment of the anxieties and vexations of the salary men working for the chaebôls at a time of economic collapse. The salary man is a pivotal figure not only because he figures financial hardship but also, and more importantly, because he indexes a profound ideological crisis in which the sustaining fictions of the chaebôl, often referred to as “Confucian capitalism,” reveal themselves as always already unraveled. Because of the nationalist orientation of South Korean corporate enterprise, this unraveling has broader consequences for the national imaginary. The article thus draws a parallel between the film's residual selves and Derridean ghosts as discussed in the Specters of Marx (1994), which are less the expressions of a repressed past returning and more the disembodied embodiments of a failed inheritance and disjointed temporality. The discontinuity between traditional past and modernized present was once obscured by the fantasy of corporate paternalism; and when this discontinuity is exposed, a disconcerting vacuum opens up, leaving the present troubling and illegible.
The Gli2 transcriptional activator is a crucial effector for Ihh signaling in osteoblast development and cartilage vascularization
Authors: Joeng Kyu Sang , Long Fanxin
Published: November 2009

Indian hedgehog (Ihh) critically regulates multiple aspects of endochondral bone development. Although it is generally believed that all Ihh functions are mediated by the Gli family of transcription activators and repressors, formal genetic proof for this notion has not been provided. Moreover, the extent to which different Gli proteins contribute to Ihh functions is not fully understood. Previous work has shown that de-repression of the Gli3 repressor is the predominant mode through which Ihh controls chondrocyte proliferation and maturation, but that osteoblast differentiation and hypertrophic cartilage vascularization require additional mechanisms. To test the involvement of Gli2 activation in these processes, we have generated a mouse strain that expresses a constitutive Gli2 activator in a Cre-dependent manner, and have attempted to rescue the Ihh-null mouse with the Gli2 activator, either alone or in combination with Gli3 removal. Here, we report that the Gli2 activator alone is sufficient to induce vascularization of the hypertrophic cartilage in the absence of Ihh but requires simultaneous removal of Gli3 to restore osteoblast differentiation. These results therefore provide direct genetic evidence that Gli2 and Gli3 collectively mediate all major aspects of Ihh function during endochondral skeletal development.
Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase gamma 3 (CamKIIγ3) mediates the cell cycle resumption of metaphase II eggs in mouse
Authors: Chang Heng-Yu , Minahan Kyra , Merriman Julie A. , Jones Keith T.
Published: November 2009

Mature mammalian eggs are ovulated arrested at meiotic metaphase II. Sperm break this arrest by an oscillatory Ca2+ signal that is necessary and sufficient for the two immediate events of egg activation: cell cycle resumption and cortical granule release. Previous work has suggested that cell cycle resumption, but not cortical granule release, is mediated by calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CamKII). Here we find that mouse eggs contain detectable levels of only one CamKII isoform, gamma 3. Antisense morpholino knockdown of CamKIIγ3 during oocyte maturation produces metaphase II eggs that are insensitive to parthenogenetic activation by Ca2+ stimulation and insemination. The effect is specific to this morpholino, as a 5-base-mismatch morpholino is without effect, and is rescued by CamKIIγ3 or constitutively active CamKII cRNAs. Although CamKII-morpholino-treated eggs fail to exit metaphase II arrest, cortical granule exocytosis is not blocked. Therefore, CamKIIγ3 plays a necessary and sufficient role in transducing the oscillatory Ca2+ signal into cell cycle resumption, but not into cortical granule release.
Atf4 regulates chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation during endochondral ossification by activating Ihh transcription
Authors: Wang Weiguang , Lian Na , Li Lingzhen , Moss Heather E. , Wang Weixi , Perrien Daniel S. , Elefteriou Florent , Yang Xiangli
Published: November 2009

Activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4) is a leucine-zipper-containing protein of the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) family. Ablation of Atf4 (Atf4−/−) in mice leads to severe skeletal defects, including delayed ossification and low bone mass, short stature and short limbs. Atf4 is expressed in proliferative and prehypertrophic growth plate chondrocytes, suggesting an autonomous function of Atf4 in chondrocytes during endochondral ossification. In Atf4−/− growth plate, the typical columnar structure of proliferative chondrocytes is disturbed. The proliferative zone is shortened, whereas the hypertrophic zone is transiently expanded. The expression of Indian hedgehog (Ihh) is markedly decreased, whereas the expression of other chondrocyte marker genes, such as type II collagen (Col2a1), PTH/PTHrP receptor (Pth1r) and type X collagen (Col10a1), is normal. Furthermore, forced expression of Atf4 in chondrocytes induces endogenous Ihh mRNA, and Atf4 directly binds to the Ihh promoter and activates its transcription. Supporting these findings, reactivation of Hh signaling pharmacologically in mouse limb explants corrects the Atf4−/− chondrocyte proliferation and short limb phenotypes. This study thus identifies Atf4 as a novel transcriptional activator of Ihh in chondrocytes that paces longitudinal bone growth by controlling growth plate chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation.
Regulation of adipogenic differentiation by LAR tyrosine phosphatase in human mesenchymal stem cells and 3T3-L1 preadipocytes
Authors: Kim Won-Kon , Jung Hyeyun , Kim Do-Hyung , Kim Eun-Young , Chung Jin-Woong , Cho Yee-Sook , Park Sung-Goo , Park Byoung-Chul , Ko Yong , Bae Kwang-Hee , Lee Sang-Chul
Published: November 2009

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells that can differentiate into a variety of mesodermal-lineage cells. MSCs have significant potential in tissue engineering and therapeutic applications; however, the low differentiation and proliferation efficiencies of these cells in the laboratory are fundamental obstacles to their therapeutic use, mainly owing to the lack of information on the detailed signal-transduction mechanisms of differentiation into distinct lineages. With the aid of protein-tyrosine-phosphatase profiling studies, we show that the expression of leukocyte common antigen related (LAR) tyrosine phosphatase is significantly decreased during the early adipogenic stages of MSCs. Knockdown of endogenous LAR induced a dramatic increase in adipogenic differentiation, whereas its overexpression led to decreased adipogenic differentiation in both 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and MSCs. LAR reduces tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor, in turn leading to decreased phosphorylation of the adaptor protein IRS-1 and its downstream molecule Akt (also known as PKB). We propose that LAR functions as a negative regulator of adipogenesis. Furthermore, our data support the possibility that LAR controls the balance between osteoblast and adipocyte differentiation. Overall, our findings contribute to the clarification of the mechanisms underlying LAR activity in the differentiation of MSCs and suggest that LAR is a candidate target protein for the control of stem-cell differentiation.