bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vulvodynia: Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Gumus Ilknur Inegol , Sarifakioglu Evren , Uslu Hilal , Turhan Nilgun Ozturk
Published: November 2007

Vulvodynia is defined as chronic vulvar burning, stinging, rawness, soreness or pain in the absence of objective clinical or laboratory findings to explain these symptoms. Vulvodynia is a chronic pain syndrome affecting up to 18% of the female population and is generally regarded as an underdiagnosed difficult to treat gynecological disorder. An increasing number of patients present with symptoms of vulvar pain, soreness, burning or irritation, which becomes chronic. Vulvodynia is a term used to describe chronic burning and/or pain in the vulva without objective clinical or laboratory findings to explain these symptoms. We present a case of vulvodynia accompanying somatoform disorder and depression.
Dose-Dense Primary Chemotherapy, as Part of Multidisciplinary Treatment, for Inoperable Stage III B Breast Cancer – Long-Term Results of a Phase II Trial
Authors: Massidda Bruno , Atzori Francesco , Scanu Antioco , Contu Antonio , Farris Antonio , Catino Anna Maria , Palmeri Sergio , Minerba Luigi , Ionta Maria Teresa
Published: November 2007

Background: Primary chemotherapy as part of multidisciplinary approach is the established treatment for inoperable stage III B breast cancer. The primary endpoints were conversion to operable disease and feasibility of conservative surgery (breast-conserving therapy: BCT); secondary were clinical and pathological complete response rate, local and distant control and safety of the primary regimen. Methods: Between 1998 and 2001, 40 inoperable breast cancer patients ≤60 years, 72% T4abc and 28% T4d, received 6 cycles of primary PEV dose-dense regimen: cisplatin 50 mg/m2, epirubicin 100 mg/m2 and vinorelbine 25 mg/m2, i.v. (q 14). Modified radical mastectomy (MRM) or BCT was performed, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy. Results: All patients were converted to operable disease, and BCT was feasible in 24% of T4abc patients. After a median follow-up of 84 months (range 58–96), local and distant relapses were 7.5% (0% in BCT ) and 25% (25% in BCT), respectively. Clinical response was 80% (clinical complete response [cCR]: 20%); pathological complete response (pCR) was 40% in breast, 50% in axilla (pLN0); 32% both in breast and axilla. Neutropenia (G4, 30%), leukopenia (G4, 25%), alopecia (G2, 100%), nausea and vomiting (G4, 20%) were the most common toxicities. Conclusions: The PEV dose-dense regimen seems to be highly effective in terms of resectability and pCR. Toxicity, mainly hematological, was acceptable. Successful BCT is feasible, in selected patients, without compromising local and distant control.
Advanced Gastric Carcinoma with Signet Ring Cell Histology
Authors: Li Chen , Kim Sungsoo , Lai Ji Fu , Hyung Woo Jin , Choi Won Hyuk , Choi Seung Ho , Noh Sung Hoon
Published: November 2007

Background: Gastric signet ring cell carcinoma (SRC) is a histological type based on microscopic characteristics and not on biological behavior. This study compared the clinicopathological features and prognosis of advanced SRC with non-signet ring cell adenocarcinoma (NSRC) of the stomach. Methods: We reviewed the records of 4,759 consecutive patients diagnosed with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma who were resected surgically from 1987 to 2003. Of these, 662 patients (13.9%) had SRC and were compared with 4,097 patients with NSRC. Results: Significant differences were noted in tumor size, Borrmann type, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, peritoneal dissemination and TNM stage. The cumulative 5-year survival rate for advanced SRC was 42.4%, compared with 50.1% in NSRC (p = 0.009). Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size ≧5 cm, Borrmann III and IV, T3–4 invasion and SRC histology were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis. Depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, hepatic and peritoneal metastasis and surgical curability were significant factors affecting survival. SRC histology alone was not an independent prognostic factor. Conclusions: Advanced gastric SRC tends toward deeper tumor invasion and more lymph node and peritoneal metastasis than NSRC. Advanced gastric SRC had a worse prognosis than NSRC. Therefore, curative surgical operation with extended lymph node dissection is recommended.
Ataques de Nervios and Psychiatric Disorders in Older Puerto Rican Primary Care Patients
Authors: Tolin David F. , Robison Julie T. , Gaztambide Sonia , Horowitz Sheryl , Blank Karen
Published: November 2007

The present study aimed to examine the phenomenon of ataques de nervios ( ataques) among a primary care sample of Puerto Ricans age 50 years and older living in the mainland United States. The sample included 303 participants who were asked whether they had ever experienced an ataque and to describe the episode and the situation that provoked it. Participants were administered a Spanish-language version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview—Short Form. Ataques occurred in 26% of participants and were a strong risk factor for current psychiatric disorders. Of participants with ataques, 84% met criteria for at least one anxiety, mood, suicidal, psychotic, or substance use problem. Ataques were most commonly elicited by interpersonal conflict. Factor analysis suggested three possible constellations of ataques symptoms that appeared to map onto anxious, angry, and depressive symptomatology. Ataques were associated with poorer subjective health status but not with other proposed vulnerability factors.
Parental Monitoring, Peer Drug Involvement, and Marijuana Use Across Three Ethnicities
Authors: Tragesser Sarah L. , Beauvais Fred , Swaim Randall C. , Edwards Ruth W. , Oetting Eugene R.
Published: November 2007

The purposes of the present study were to test differences in parental monitoring and marijuana use rates and relationships among constructs across three ethnicities, and to use Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Van de Vijver and Leung's Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) technique to test for cultural equivalence and item bias in the measurement of these constructs. Participants included 7,500 Mexican American, African American, and non-Hispanic White 10th-12th graders. African American participants showed higher levels of parental monitoring, lower levels of marijuana use, and a stronger relationship between parental monitoring and peer influence. SEM results indicated lack of cultural equivalence for each latent factor. ANOVA results indicated item bias for specific items. Putative cultural differences in the relations between parental monitoring and peer influence, as well as potential sources of bias in measuring family, peer, and drug involvement factors among participants from different cultural groups are discussed.
Universalism Values and the Inclusiveness of Our Moral Universe
Authors: Schwartz Shalom H.
Published: November 2007

Inclusiveness of the moral universe refers to the breadth of the community to which people apply moral values and rules of fairness. A preliminary study establishes the values typically viewed as moral. The author indexes moral inclusiveness at the societal level by the number of value items focused on the welfare of non-in-group members that form a distinct region in a multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS), rather than intermixing with moral values that usually relate to the in-group. Three societal characteristics predict inclusiveness of the moral universe across 66 societies: cultural egalitarianism, cultural embeddedness, and level of democratization. Using representative national samples from 21 countries, the author assesses how the societal level of moral inclusiveness influences relations between individuals' universalism values and their perceptions of immigration, opposition to immigrants from different racial or ethnic groups, and participation in activities that benefit the wider society. Findings suggest that, where moral inclusiveness is high, people understand universalism (but not benevolence) values as applying to all members of society.
Cultural Competency as a Relational Process
Authors: Charles Laurie L.
Published: November 2007

This article describes the experiences of a U.S.-based family therapy practitioner during a 3-week academic consultation in the Philippines. Revisioning the concept of cultural competency as a performance that occurs in relationship, the author shares three autoethnographic stories that illustrate cultural borderlands in the global arena of family therapy training and practice. The stories address (a) questioning dominant (U.S.) views of family therapy process, (b) deconstructing the multiple meanings of the clinical presenting problem “I've killed my child,” and (c) redefining the act of “cheating” as a performance of solidarity and relationship.
Fiscal Institutions and the Relation between Central and Sub-National Government Fiscal Balances
Authors: Thornton John , Mati Amine
Published: November 2007

Skeptics of fiscal decentralization argue that it can complicate fiscal stabilization policies at the level of the central government because of uncoordinated fiscal actions by the national and sub-national tiers of government. However, panel data estimates for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development economies suggest that this danger has been overstated in that changes in the fiscal balances of central and sub-national governments are highly positively correlated. This result partly reflects the success of institutional arrangements that govern intergovernmental fiscal relations and appears unrelated to the extent of fiscal decentralization.
Deletion of murine kininogen gene 1 (mKng1) causes loss of plasma kininogen and delays thrombosis
Authors: Merkulov Sergei , Zhang Wan-Ming , Komar Anton A. , Schmaier Alvin H. , Barnes Ellen , Zhou Yihua , Lu Xincheng , Iwaki Takayuki , Castellino Francis J. , Luo Guangbin , McCrae Keith R.
Published: November 2007

High-molecular-weight kininogen (HK) plays an important role in the assembly of the plasma kallikrein-kinin system. While the human genome contains a single copy of the kininogen gene, 3 copies exist in the rat (1 encoding K-kininogen and 2 encoding T-kininogen). Here, we confirm that the mouse genome contains 2 homologous kininogen genes, mKng1 and mKng2, and demonstrate that these genes are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. To determine the roles of these genes in murine development and physiology, we disrupted mKng1, which is expressed primarily in the liver. mKng1−/− mice were viable, but lacked plasma HK and low-molecular-weight kininogen (LK), as well as ΔmHK-D5, a novel kininogen isoform that lacks kininogen domain 5. Moreover, despite normal tail vein bleeding times, mKng1−/− mice displayed a significantly prolonged time to carotid artery occlusion following Rose Bengal administration and laser-induced arterial injury. These results suggest that a single gene, mKng1, is responsible for production of plasma kininogen, and that plasma HK contributes to induced arterial thrombosis in mice.
Endothelin Potentiates TRPV1 via ETAReceptor-Mediated Activation of Protein Kinase C
Authors: Plant Tim D , Zöllner Christian , Kepura Frauke , Mousa Shaaban S , Eichhorst Jenny , Schaefer Michael , Furkert Jens , Stein Christoph , Oksche Alexander
Published: November 2007

Background:

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) both stimulates nociceptors and sensitizes them to noxious stimuli, an effect probably mediated by the ETAreceptor (ETAR) expressed in sensory neurons. The cellular mechanisms of this ET-1-mediated effect are only poorly understood. TRPV1, the heat-, pH- and capsaicin-sensitive cation channel already known to be modulated by a number of cellular mediators released in response to noxious stimuli and during inflammation, is a potential target for the action of ET-1.

Results:

We studied the effects of ET-1 on TRPV1 in sensory neurons from the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and in HEK293 cells coexpressing TRPV1 and the ETAR. Specific125I-ET-1 binding sites (817 ± 92 fmol/mg) were detected in membrane preparations of DRG with an ETAR/ETBR ratio of 60:40. In an immunofluorescence analysis, coexpression of TRPV1 and the ETAR was found in a subpopulation of primary sensory neurons. ET-1 strongly potentiated capsaicin-induced TRPV1 currents in some neurons, and in HEK293 cells co-expressing TRPV1 and the ETAR. Weaker potentiation was observed in HEK293 cells coexpressing TRPV1 and the ETBR. ETAR activation also increased responses to low pH and heat. In HEK293 cells, strong potentiation of TRPV1 like that induced by ET-1 via the ETAR could be induced by PKC activation, but not with activators of the adenylyl cyclase or the PKA pathway. Furthermore, inhibition of PKC with bisindolylmaleimide X (BIM X) or mutation of the PKC phosphorylation site S800 completely prevented ETAR-mediated potentiation.

Conclusion:

We conclude that ET-1 potentiates TRPV1 by a PKC-dependent mechanism and that this could play a major role in the algogenic and hyperalgesic effects of ET-1 described in previous studies.
Ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, radiography, and clinical assessment of inflammatory and destructive changes in fingers and toes of patients with psoriatic arthritis
Authors: Wiell Charlotte , Szkudlarek Marcin , Hasselquist Maria , Møller Jakob M , Vestergaard Aage , Nørregaard Jesper , Terslev Lene , Østergaard Mikkel
Published: November 2007

The aim of the present study was to assess ultrasonography (US) for the detection of inflammatory and destructive changes in finger and toe joints, tendons, and entheses in patients with psoriasis-associated arthritis (PsA) by comparison with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), projection radiography (x-ray), and clinical findings. Fifteen patients with PsA, 5 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 5 healthy control persons were examined by means of US, contrast-enhanced MRI, x-ray, and clinical assessment. Each joint of the 2nd–5th finger (metacarpophalangeal joints, proximal interphalangeal [PIP] joints, and distal interphalangeal [DIP] joints) and 1st–5th metatarsophalangeal joints of both hands and feet were assessed with US for the presence of synovitis, bone erosions, bone proliferations, and capsular/extracapsular power Doppler signal (only in the PIP joints). The 2nd–5th flexor and extensor tendons of the fingers were assessed for the presence of insertional changes and tenosynovitis. One hand was assessed by means of MRI for the aforementioned changes. X-rays of both hands and feet were assessed for bone erosions and proliferations. US was repeated in 8 persons by another ultrasonographer. US and MRI were more sensitive to inflammatory and destructive changes than x-ray and clinical examination, and US showed a good interobserver agreement for bone changes (median 96% absolute agreement) and lower interobserver agreement for inflammatory changes (median 92% absolute agreement). A high absolute agreement (85% to 100%) for all destructive changes and a more moderate absolute agreement (73% to 100%) for the inflammatory pathologies were found between US and MRI. US detected a higher frequency of DIP joint changes in the PsA patients compared with RA patients. In particular, bone changes were found exclusively in PsA DIP joints. Furthermore, bone proliferations were more common and tenosynovitis was less frequent in PsA than RA. For other pathologies, no disease-specific pattern was observed. US and MRI have major potential for improved examination of joints, tendons, and entheses in fingers and toes of patients with PsA.
Ovulatory Response to Treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Is Associated with a Polymorphism in the STK11 Gene
Authors: Legro Richard S. , Barnhart Huiman X. , Schlaff William D. , Carr Bruce R. , Diamond Michael P. , Carson Sandra A. , Steinkampf Michael P. , Coutifaris Christos , McGovern Peter G. , Cataldo Nicholas A. , Gosman Gabriella G. , Nestler John E. , Giudice Linda C. , Ewens Kathryn G. , Spielman Richard S. , Leppert Phyllis C. , Myers Evan R.
Published: November 2007

Context: Clomiphene and insulin sensitizers such as metformin are used to induce ovulation in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but the ovulatory response is variable, and the causes of this variation are poorly understood.

Objective: Our objective was to identify predictive genetic polymorphisms and other determinants of ovulatory response.

Design: This was a substudy of a multicenter randomized clinical trial.

Setting: This study was performed at academic medical centers and their affiliates.

Participants: A total of 312 women with PCOS were included in the study.

Main Outcome Measures: Historical, biometric, biochemical, and genetic parameters were performed.

Results: We found that the C allele of a single nucleotide polymorphism in the STK11 gene (expressed in liver; also known as LKB1) was associated with a significantly decreased chance of ovulation in PCOS women treated with metformin. In an analysis of ovulation per cycle, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) comparing the C/C genotype to the G/G genotype was 0.30 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.14, 0.66], and the OR for the C/G genotype vs. the G/G genotype was also 0.30 (95% CI 0.14, 0.66). In an analysis of metformin-treated subjects, we found that the percentage of women who ovulated increased with the number of G alleles present: 48% (10 of 21) of C/C women, 67% (32 of 48) of C/G women, and 79% (15 of 19) of G/G women ovulated. We also found that increased frequency of ovulation was associated with lower body mass index (BMI) [adjusted OR of 2.36 (95% CI 1.65, 3.36) and 2.05 (95% CI 1.46, 2.88), respectively, for comparisons of BMI less than 30 vs. BMI equal to or more than 35, BMI 30–34 vs. BMI equal to or more than 35, in the analysis of ovulation per cycle], a lower free androgen index (FAI) [adjusted OR of 1.59 (95% CI 1.17, 2.18) for FAI < 10 vs. FAI ≥ 10], and a shorter duration of attempting conception [adjusted OR of 1.63 (95% CI 1.20, 2.21) for < 1.5 vs. ≥ 1.5 yr].

Conclusions: We have demonstrated that a polymorphism in STK11, a kinase gene expressed in liver and implicated in metformin action, is associated with ovulatory response to treatment with metformin alone in a prospective randomized trial. The interaction with the effects of changes in modifiable factors (e.g. BMI or FAI) requires further study.
Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy Specifically Reduces Human Fetal Desert Hedgehog Gene Expression during Testis Development
Authors: Fowler Paul A. , Cassie Sarah , Rhind Stewart M. , Brewer Mark J. , Collinson J. Martin , Lea Richard G. , Baker Paul J. , Bhattacharya Siladitya , O’Shaughnessy Peter J.
Published: November 2007

Context: Maternal cigarette smoking during gestation increases cryptorchidism and hypospadias and reduces testis size and fertility in sons by unknown mechanisms.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether maternal smoking is linked with changes in male human fetal endocrinology, testis gene expression, and liver concentrations of cigarette smoke chemicals.

Design: This was an observational study of the male fetus, comparing pregnancies during which the mothers either did or did not smoke.

Setting: The study was conducted at the universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Nottingham and Macaulay Institute (Aberdeen).

Patients/Participants: Testes, blood, and livers were collected from 69 morphologically normal human male fetuses of women undergoing elective termination of normal second-trimester pregnancies.

Main Outcome Measures: Testosterone, human chorionic gonadotropin, LH, and cotinine; expression of 30 reproductive/developmental genes; liver concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; and Leydig, Sertoli. and germ cell numbers were determined.

Results: There were no significant differences in fetal size, testis weight, cell numbers, seminiferous tubule diameter, or circulating LH and testosterone. Fetuses from smoking mothers had smoking range cotinine levels and liver concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that were significant predictors of maternal smoking (P < 0.001). Only the Sertoli cell-specific gene, desert hedgehog (DHH), was significantly altered by maternal smoking (reduced 1.8-fold, P = 0.013).

Conclusions: The consequences of reduced DHH signaling in men and mice are consistent with epidemiology for effects of gestational maternal smoking on sons. Given the absence of other observed effects of maternal smoking, we concluded that reduced DHH is part of a mechanism linking maternal gestational smoking with impaired reproductive development in male offspring.
Report of Fertility in a Woman with a Predominantly 46,XY Karyotype in a Family with Multiple Disorders of Sexual Development
Authors: Dumic Miroslav , Lin-Su Karen , Leibel Natasha I. , Ciglar Srecko , Vinci Giovanna , Lasan Ruzica , Nimkarn Saroj , Wilson Jean D. , McElreavey Ken , New Maria I.
Published: November 2007

Context: We report herein a remarkable family in which the mother of a woman with 46,XY complete gonadal dysgenesis was found to have a 46,XY karyotype in peripheral lymphocytes, mosaicism in cultured skin fibroblasts (80% 46,XY and 20% 45,X) and a predominantly 46,XY karyotype in the ovary (93% 46,XY and 6% 45,X).

Patients: A 46,XY mother who developed as a normal woman underwent spontaneous puberty, reached menarche, menstruated regularly, experienced two unassisted pregnancies, and gave birth to a 46,XY daughter with complete gonadal dysgenesis.

Results: Evaluation of the Y chromosome in the daughter and both parents revealed that the daughter inherited her Y chromosome from her father. Molecular analysis of the genes SOX9, SF1, DMRT1, DMRT3, TSPYL, BPESC1, DHH, WNT4, SRY, and DAX1 revealed normal male coding sequences in both the mother and daughter. An extensive family pedigree across four generations revealed multiple other family members with ambiguous genitalia and infertility in both phenotypic males and females, and the mode of inheritance of the phenotype was strongly suggestive of X-linkage.

Conclusions: The range of phenotypes observed in this unique family suggests that there may be transmission of a mutation in a novel sex-determining gene or in a gene that predisposes to chromosomal mosaicism.
Degradation of hypomodified tRNAiMet in vivo involves RNA-dependent ATPase activity of the DExH helicase Mtr4p
Authors: Wang Xuying , Jia Huijue , Jankowsky Eckhard , Anderson James T.
Published: November 2007

Effective turnover of many incorrectly processed RNAs in yeast, including hypomodified tRNAiMet, requires the TRAMP complex, which appends a short poly(A) tail to RNA designated for decay. The poly(A) tail stimulates degradation by the exosome. The TRAMP complex contains the poly(A) polymerase Trf4p, the RNA-binding protein Air2p, and the DExH RNA helicase Mtr4p. The role of Mtr4p in RNA degradation processes involving the TRAMP complex has been unclear. Here we show through a genetic analysis that MTR4 is required for degradation but not for polyadenylation of hypomodified tRNAiMet. A suppressor of the trm6-504 mutation in the tRNA m1A58 methyltransferase (Trm6p/Trm61p), which causes a reduced level of tRNAiMet, was mapped to MTR4. This mtr4-20 mutation changed a single amino acid in the conserved helicase motif VI of Mtr4p. The mutation stabilizes hypomodified tRNAiMet in vivo but has no effect on TRAMP complex stability or polyadenylation activity in vivo or in vitro. We further show that purified recombinant Mtr4p displays RNA-dependent ATPase activity and unwinds RNA duplexes with a 3′-to-5′ polarity in an ATP-dependent fashion. Unwinding and RNA-stimulated ATPase activities are strongly reduced in the recombinant mutant Mtr4-20p, suggesting that these activities of Mtr4p are critical for degradation of polyadenylated hypomodified tRNAiMet.
Gustatory Expression Pattern of the Human TAS2R Bitter Receptor Gene Family Reveals a Heterogenous Population of Bitter Responsive Taste Receptor Cells
Authors: Behrens Maik , Foerster Susann , Staehler Frauke , Raguse Jan-Dirk , Meyerhof Wolfgang
Published: November 2007

Human bitter taste is mediated by ∼25 members of the human TAS2 receptor (hTAS2R) gene family. The hTAS2R genes are expressed in taste buds of gustatory papillae on the tongue surface. Because many naturally occurring bitter compounds are toxic, bitter taste receptors are believed to serve as warning sensors against the ingestion of toxic food compounds. An important question is whether bitter taste receptor cells are a homogeneous, broadly tuned population of cells, which uniformly express all bitter taste receptor genes, or not. Gene expression analyses in rodents demonstrated an essentially overlapping expression of TAS2R genes indicating a broad tuning, whereas functionalin vivoanalyses suggest a narrow tuning. The present study demonstrates the expression of all 25 human TAS2R genes in taste receptor cells of human circumvallate papillae. As shown byin situhybridization experiments, the expression of hTAS2R genes differs in both the apparent level of expression and the number of taste receptor cells expressing these genes, suggesting a heterogeneous bitter taste receptor cell population. Differences in gene expression levels were verified by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR experiments for a subset of hTAS2R genes. Direct evidence for the heterogeneity of bitter taste receptor cells is provided by dual-labelingin situhybridizations with selected pairs of hTAS2R gene-specific probes. Functional coexpression experiments in heterologous cells show competition among hTAS2Rs, indicating a possible biological reason for the observed expression pattern. From the data, we conclude that human bitter taste receptor cells are tuned to detect a limited subset of bitter stimuli.
Molecular Mechanisms of Subtype-Specific Inhibition of Neuronal T-Type Calcium Channels by Ascorbate
Authors: Nelson Michael T. , Joksovic Pavle M. , Su Peihan , Kang Ho-Won , Van Deusen Amy , Baumgart Joel P. , David Laurence S. , Snutch Terrance P. , Barrett Paula Q. , Lee Jung-Ha , Zorumski Charles F. , Perez-Reyes Edward , Todorovic Slobodan M.
Published: November 2007

T-type Ca2+channels (T-channels) are involved in the control of neuronal excitability and their gating can be modulated by a variety of redox agents. Ascorbate is an endogenous redox agent that can function as both an anti- and pro-oxidant. Here, we show that ascorbate selectively inhibits native Cav3.2 T-channels in peripheral and central neurons, as well as recombinant Cav3.2 channels heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, by initiating the metal-catalyzed oxidation of a specific, metal-binding histidine residue in domain 1 of the channel. Our biophysical experiments indicate that ascorbate reduces the availability of Cav3.2 channels over a wide range of membrane potentials, and inhibits Cav3.2-dependent low-threshold-Ca2+spikes as well as burst-firing in reticular thalamic neurons at physiologically relevant concentrations. This study represents the first mechanistic demonstration of ion channel modulation by ascorbate, and suggests that ascorbate may function as an endogenous modulator of neuronal excitability.
Increased Expression of Golli Myelin Basic Proteins Enhances Calcium Influx into Oligodendroglial Cells
Authors: Paez Pablo M. , Spreuer Vilma , Handley Vance , Feng Ji-Ming , Campagnoni Celia , Campagnoni Anthony T.
Published: November 2007

The myelin basic protein (MBP) gene encodes two families of proteins: the classic MBP constituents of myelin and the golli-MBPs, the function of which is less well understood. Previous work suggests that golli proteins may play a role in Ca2+homeostasis in oligodendrocytes (OLs) and in T-cells. Overexpression of golli in OL cell lines induces elaboration of sheets and processes. Live imaging of these cells revealed a rapid retraction of the processes and sheets after depolarization with high K+. This phenomenon was associated with a significant increase in [Ca2+]intwithout changes in cell viability. The results indicated that golli produced its effect through Ca2+influx, rather than Ca2+release from intracellular stores. Furthermore, a specific [Ca2+]intchelator (BAPTA) or Cd2+, a specific blocker of voltage-operated Ca2+channels, abolished the ability of golli to promote process extension in a dose-dependent manner. Analysis of the golli protein identified a myristoylation site at the C terminus of the golli domain, which was essential for the action of golli on Ca2+influx, suggesting that binding of golli to the plasma membrane is important for modulating Ca2+homeostasis. High-resolution spatiotemporal analysis along N19 processes revealed higher-amplitude local Ca2+influx in regions with elevated levels of golli. These findings suggest a key role for golli proteins in regulating voltage-gated Ca2+channels in OLs during process remodeling. Our observations are consistent with the hypothesis that golli proteins, as a part of a protein complex, modulate Ca2+influx at the plasma membrane and along OL processes.
The Nuclear Kinase Mitogen- and Stress-Activated Protein Kinase 1 Regulates Hippocampal Chromatin Remodeling in Memory Formation
Authors: Chwang Wilson B. , Arthur J. Simon , Schumacher Armin , Sweatt J. David
Published: November 2007

The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) cascade has been established as a potent regulator of gene transcription in long-term memory formation, but the precise mechanisms of this regulation are poorly understood. ERK does not directly affect many of its nuclear targets, but rather must act through intermediary kinases. In this study, we investigated the role of mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1), a nuclear kinase downstream of ERK, in chromatin remodeling during hippocampus-dependent memory formation. Mice lacking MSK1 show impaired Pavlovian fear conditioning and spatial learning, as well as a deficiency in histone phosphorylation and acetylation in the hippocampus after fear training. In addition, hippocampal slices from MSK1 knock-out mice exhibit a deficiency in both histone phosphorylation and acetylation after activation of the ERK pathwayin vitro.In vivoinjections of a histone deacetylase inhibitor, sodium butyrate, fail to alleviate the fear conditioning deficit in MSK1 knock-out mice. Finally, MSK1 knock-out mice demonstrate a deficiency in cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation after fear training, which persists after sodium butyrate injection. This suggests that CREB phosphorylation and histone acetylation represent parallel targets of MSK1 function. Our study identifies MSK1 as an important regulator of chromatin remodeling in long-term memory.
Mental Simulation of Action in the Service of Action Perception
Authors: Raos Vassilis , Evangeliou Mina N. , Savaki Helen E.
Published: November 2007

We used the quantitative14C-deoxyglucose method to map the activity pattern throughout the frontal cortex of rhesus monkeys, which either grasped a three-dimensional object or observed the same grasping movements executed by a human. We found that virtually the same frontal cortical networks were recruited for the generation and the perception of action, including the primary motor cortex (MI/F1), premotor cortical areas (F2, F5, and F6), the primary (SI) and supplementary (SSA) somatosensory cortex, medial cortical areas (8m and 9m), and the anterior cingulate. The overlapping networks for action execution and action observation support the notion that mental simulation of action could underlie the perception of others' actions. We suggest that the premotor and the somatotopic MI/F1 activations induced by action observation reflect motor grasp of the observed action, whereas the somatotopic SI and the SSA activations reflect recruitment of learned sensory–motor associations enabling perceptual understanding of the anticipated somatosensory feedback. We also found that the premotor activations were stronger for action observation, in contrast to the primary somatosensory–motor ones, which were stronger for action execution, and that activations induced by observation were bilateral, whereas those induced by execution were contralateral to the moving forelimb. We suggest that these differences in intensity and lateralization of activations between the executive and the perceptual networks help attribute the action to the correct agent, i.e., to the “self” during action execution and to the “other” during action observation. Accordingly, the “sense of agency” could be articulated within the core components of the circuitry supporting action execution/observation.
Toll-Like Receptor Signaling Is Critical for Wallerian Degeneration and Functional Recovery after Peripheral Nerve Injury
Authors: Boivin Audrey , Pineau Isabelle , Barrette Benoit , Filali Mohammed , Vallières Nicolas , Rivest Serge , Lacroix Steve
Published: November 2007

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) bind specific components conserved among microorganisms as well as endogenous ligands produced by necrotic cells, injured axons, and the extracellular matrix. Here, we investigated whether TLRs are involved in regulating the immune response, Wallerian degeneration (WD), and nerve regeneration after sciatic nerve lesion. Early expression of interleukin-1β and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 was compromised in the sciatic nerve distal stump of mice deficient in TLR signaling. In addition, significantly fewer macrophages were recruited and/or activated in the sciatic nerve distal stump of TLR2-, TLR4-, and MyD88-deficient mice compared with wild-type littermates, whereas WD, axonal regeneration, and recovery of locomotor function were impaired. In contrast, animals that received a single microinjection of TLR2 and TLR4 ligands at the site of sciatic nerve lesion had faster clearance of the degenerating myelin and recovered earlier than saline-injected control rats. Finally, rats that had altered innate immune response through dexamethasone treatment exhibited three times more myelin debris in their sciatic nerve distal stump and a significant delay in recovery of locomotor function. Our results provide strong evidence that TLR signaling plays a critical role in orchestrating the innate immune response leading to efficient and rapid clearance of inhibitory myelin debris and nerve regeneration.
Microstructural Changes of the Baboon Cerebral Cortex during Gestational Development Reflected in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Diffusion Anisotropy
Authors: Kroenke Christopher D. , Van Essen David C. , Inder Terrie E. , Rees Sandra , Bretthorst G. Larry , Neil Jeffrey J.
Published: November 2007

Cerebral cortical development involves complex changes in cellular architecture and connectivity that occur at regionally varying rates. Using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) to analyze cortical microstructure, previous studies have shown that cortical maturation is associated with a progressive decline in water diffusion anisotropy. We applied high-resolution DTI to fixed postmortem fetal baboon brains and characterized regional changes in diffusion anisotropy using surface-based visualization methods. Anisotropy values vary within the thickness of the cortical sheet, being higher in superficial layers. At a regional level, anisotropy at embryonic day 90 (E90; 0.5 term; gestation lasts 185 d in this species) is low in allocortical and periallocortical regions near the frontotemporal junction and is uniformly high throughout isocortex. At E125 (0.66 term), regions having relatively low anisotropy (greater maturity) include cortex in and near the Sylvian fissure and the precentral gyrus. By E146 (0.8 term), cortical anisotropy values are uniformly low and show less regional variation. Expansion of cortical surface area does not occur uniformly in all regions. Measured using surface-based methods, cortical expansion over E125–E146 was larger in parietal, medial occipital, and lateral frontal regions than in inferior temporal, lateral occipital, and orbitofrontal regions. However, the overall correlation between the degree of cortical expansion and cortical anisotropy is modest. These results extend our understanding of cortical development revealed by histologic methods. The approach presented here can be appliedin vivoto the study of normal brain development and its disruption in human infants and experimental animal models.
Cocaine-Conditioned Place Preference by Dopamine-Deficient Mice Is Mediated by Serotonin
Authors: Hnasko Thomas S. , Sotak Bethany N. , Palmiter Richard D.
Published: November 2007

Rodents learn to associate the rewarding effects of drugs with the environment in which they are encountered and, subsequently, will display a conditioned place preference (CPP) for that environment. Cocaine-induced CPP is generally thought to be mediated through inhibition of the dopamine transporter and the consequent increase in extracellular dopamine. However, here we report that dopamine-deficient (DD) mice formed a CPP for cocaine that was not blocked by a dopamine D1-receptor antagonist. Fluoxetine, a serotonin transporter (SERT) inhibitor, produced CPP in DD, but not control mice, suggesting that serotonin mediates cocaine CPP in DD mice. Inhibition of dopamine neuron firing by pretreatment with quinpirole, a dopamine D2-receptor agonist, blocked both cocaine- and fluoxetine-induced CPP in DD mice. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that, in the absence of dopamine, cocaine-mediated SERT blockade activates dopamine neurons, which then release some other neurotransmitter that contributes to cocaine reward in DD mice.
E2F1 Works as a Cell Cycle Suppressor in Mature Neurons
Authors: Wang Li , Wang Rong , Herrup Karl
Published: November 2007

Neurons are highly differentiated cells that normally never enter a cell cycle; if they do, the result is usually death, not division. For example, cerebellar granule neurons instaggererandlurchermutant mice initiate a cell cycle-like process just before they die. E2F1 is a transcription factor that promotes cell cycle progression. Because E2F1 is also involved in apoptosis, we bred double mutants (E2f1−/−;staggererandE2f1−/−;lurcher) to assess its role in the cell cycle-related death of cerebellar granule cellsin vivo. We found neither granule cell cycle initiation nor cell death was significantly altered in either double mutant. However, after postnatal day 10, neurons throughout the CNS ofE2f1−/−andE2f1+/−animals were found to express cell cycle proteins and replicate their DNA. Whereas Map2 and synapsin1 staining are little altered, there is a reduction of calbindin in Purkinje cell dendrites at 1 year of age, suggesting that the mutant cells also undergo a slow, subtle atrophy. These events are cell autonomous, because culturedE2f1−/−cortical neurons “cycle”in vitro, whereas wild-type neurons do not. Our results suggest that, in mature CNS neurons, E2F1 functions as a cell cycle suppressor.
A Neat Specimen
Authors: clouse doug
Published: November 2007

Printed ephemera can be beguiling evidence of historic foodways. An ad for an English food merchant from 1880 uses language that blurs its time of origin. It shows familiar terms, such as "American cheese," but others, such as "green ham," that signal its antiquity. Because ads and other bits of throwaway graphic design are usually tied to brief, transitory events, they express their time succinctly and offer many paths for food historians to follow. This ad leads to investigations about what foods were popular in 1880 England, the terms used for them, the differences between city life and country life, and the rapid changes in food production at the end of the nineteenth century.
Feeding the City
Authors: donofrio gregory alexander
Published: November 2007

The food system has, until recently, been conspicuously absent from city and regional planning practice, education, and research. Earlier in the twentieth century, food issues were a central concern of the nascent planning profession. Primary and archival source materials examined for this paper indicate that the planning profession's interest in the sources of food and the efficiency of its route to consumers evolved through three stages. During the height of the City Beautiful movement between 1900 and 1909, planners like Charles Mulford Robinson saw urban markets as public nuisances best eliminated from city centers and residential districts. From 1909 to roughly World War I, planners such as George B. Ford embraced a more scientific approach to researching and addressing food distribution problems. In the interwar period, Clarence Stein and other notable regional planners began to consider the food system in its entirety. The modern food system planning movement is largely unaware of this important early legacy. In conclusion, two possible explanations are offered for why, despite a promising start, the food system failed to become a core discipline within the larger planning profession. Planners' earlier experiences with food industry executives and high-ranking officials of government agricultural agencies may offer meaningful insights into contemporary food system planning challenges and goals.
Samuel Chamberlain's Cléémentine in the Kitchen
Authors: jordi nathalie
Published: November 2007

Even apparently insignificant artifacts like menus or food columns function as spy-holes into an epistemology, revealing coded cultural mores, rituals and desires. This article explores the nature of the relationship between distinction and French cooking in Samuel Chamberlain's 1941––43 Gourmet magazine column, Cléémentine in the Kitchen, a fictionalized account of family life with a Burgundian cook. What tropes are drawn upon to evoke the desirability of French cooking, and what about Chamberlain lent them their discursive power? How are the discourse's recurring metaphors——nostalgia for a (partly invented) past, for instance, or authenticity, or the dichotomy between tradition and modernity——used to convince Americans of the refinement and achievability of French cooking?
The third dual of a Banach algebra
Authors: Ettefagh Mina
Published: November 2007

Let
A
be a Banach algebra and (
A
″, □) be its second dual with first Arens product. The third dual of
A
can be regarded as dual of
A
″ (
A
‴ = (
A
″)′) or as the second dual of
A
′ (
A
‴ = (
A
′)″), so there are two (
A
″, □)-bimodule structures on
A
‴ that are not always equal. This paper determines the conditions that make these structures equal. As a consequence, there are some relations between weak amenability of
A
and (
A
″, □).
Arithmetical affine complete varieties and inverse monoids
Authors: Kaarli Kalle
Published: November 2007

This paper gives a classification of arithmetical affine complete varieties of finite type up to categorical equivalence. It is proved that two such varieties are equivalent as categories if and only if their weakly diagonal generators have isomorphic monoids of bicongruences. Moreover, it is proved that the monoids appearing in this situation are precisely the inverse factorizable monoids with zero, with distributive lattice of idempotents, and satisfying a certain idempotent-unit condition (IU).
Penalizing a BES ( d ) process (0 < d < 2) with a function of its local time, V
Authors: Roynette Bernard , Vallois Pierre , Yor Marc
Published: November 2007

We describe the limit laws, as
t
→ ∞, of a Bessel process (
Rs
,
s
≦
t
) of dimension
d
∈ (0, 2) penalized by an integrable function of its local time
Lt
at 0, thus extending our previous work of this kind, relative to Brownian motion.
A proof of Itô’s formula using a discrete Itô’s formula
Authors: Fujita Takahiko , Kawanishi Yasuhiro
Published: November 2007

In this paper we will prove Itô’s formula for Brownian motion in the case of
f
∈
C2
(ℝ), using a discrete Itô’s formula.
Periodic solutions of dissipative neutral differential systems with singular potential and P -Laplacian
Authors: Li Yong , Liu Bing
Published: November 2007

In this paper, by using topological degree theory and some analysis skill, we consider the periodic solutions for the dissipative neutral differential systems with singular potential andp-Laplacian: (ϕp(x′(t) −μx′(t−τ1)))′ +\documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage{bbm} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} $$\tfrac{d} {{dt}}$$ \end{document}gradG(x(t−τ2)) =e(t). Sufficient conditions to guarantee the existence of periodic solution for the systems are obtained under having no restriction on the damping forces\documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage{bbm} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} $$\tfrac{d} {{dt}}$$ \end{document}gradF(x).
Ecologia política, economia ecológica e saúde coletiva: interfaces para a sustentabilidade do desenvolvimento e para a promoção da saúde
Authors: Porto Marcelo Firpo , Martinez-Alier Joan
Published: November 2007

Este trabalho busca trazer para o campo da Saúde Coletiva as contribuições da ecologia política e da economia ecológica, visando a integrar as discussões em torno da promoção da saúde, da sustentabilidade sócio-ambiental e dos processos de desenvolvimento. A economia ecológica é um campo de estudos transdisciplinar recente que reúne economistas com outros profissionais das ciências sociais, humanas e biológicas. Ela tem desenvolvido novos conceitos e metodologias que buscam captar a relação entre a economia com os processos ecológicos e sociais, como metabolismo social e perfil metabólico, inter-relacionando os fluxos econômicos com os de materiais e energia, e produzindo indicadores e índices de (in)sustentabilidade. A ecologia política, por sua vez, aborda as questões ecológicas e os conflitos sócio-ambientais a partir de dinâmicas econômicas e de poder que caracterizam as sociedades modernas. A Saúde Coletiva e as discussões sobre a promoção da saúde podem ampliar sua compreensão sobre o território, as comunidades, o papel da ciência e das instituições a partir das contribuições da ecologia política e da economia ecológica no entendimento dos modelos de desenvolvimento e os conflitos distributivos e sócio-ambientais por ele gerados.
Quantifying the impact of air pollution on the urban population of Brazil
Authors: Marcilio Izabel , Gouveia Nelson
Published: November 2007

This study aimed to quantify air pollution impact on morbidity and mortality in the Brazilian urban population using locally generated impact factors. Concentration-response coefficients were used to estimate the number of hospitalizations and deaths attributable to air pollution in seven Brazilian cities. Poisson regression coefficients (beta) were obtained from time-series studies conducted in Brazil. The study included individuals 65 years old and over and children under five. More than 600 deaths a year from respiratory causes in the elderly and 47 in children were attributable to mean air pollution levels, corresponding to 4.9% and 5.5% of all deaths from respiratory causes in these age groups. More than 4,000 hospital admissions for respiratory conditions were also attributable to air pollution. These results quantitatively demonstrate the currently observed contribution of air pollution to mortality and hospitalizations in Brazilian cities. Such assessment is thought to help support the planning of surveillance and control activities for air pollution in these and similar areas.