bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Small-subunit rDNA sequences from representatives of selected families of the Gigartinales and Rhodymeniales (Rhodophyta). 3. Delineating the Gigartinales sensu stricto
Authors: Saunders Gary W , Chiovitti Anthony , Kraft Gerald T
Published: February 2004

Nuclear small-subunit ribosomal DNA sequences were determined for 65 members of the Gigartinales and related orders. With representatives of 15 families of the Gigartinales sensu Kraft and Robins included for the first time, our alignment now includes members of all but two of the ca. 40 families. Our data continue to support ordinal status for the Plocamiales, to which we provisionally transfer the Pseudoanemoniaceae and Sarcodiaceae. The Halymeniales is retained at the ordinal level and consists of the Halymeniaceae (including the Corynomorphaceae), Sebdeniaceae, and Tsengiaceae. In the Halymeniaceae, Grateloupia intestinalis is only distantly related to the type species, Grateloupia filicina, but is closely affiliated with the genus Polyopes. The Nemastomatales is composed of the Nemastomataceae and Schizymeniaceae. The Acrosymphytaceae (now including Schimmelmannia, formerly of the Gloiosiphoniaceae) and the Calosipho niaceae (represented by Schmitzia) have unresolved affinities and are considered as incertae sedis among lineage 4 orders. We consider the Gigartinales sensu stricto to include 29 families, although many contain only one or a few genera and mergers will probably result following further investigation. Although the small-subunit ribosomal DNA was generally too conservative to resolve family relationships within the Gigartinales sensu stricto, a few key conclusions are supported. The Hypneaceae, questionably distinct from the Cystocloniaceae on anatomical grounds, is now subsumed into the latter family. As recently suggested, the Wurdemanniaceae should be incorporated into the Solieriaceae, but the latter should not be merged with the Areschougiaceae. The Corynocystaceae Kraft, fam. nov., is described and added to the Gigartinales sensu stricto.Key words: Corynocystaceae, Cryptonemiales, Florideophyceae, Gigartinales, Rhodymeniales, systematics.
pCLCA1 lacks inherent chloride channel activity in an epithelial colon carcinoma cell line
Authors: Loewen Matthew E. , Bekar Lane K. , Walz Wolfgang , Forsyth George W. , Gabriel Sherif E.
Published: March 2004

The effects of CLCA protein expression on the regulation of Cl− conductance by intracellular Ca2+ and cAMP have been studied previously in nonepithelial cell lines chosen for low backgrounds of endogenous Cl− conductance. However, CLCA proteins have been cloned from, and normally function in, differentiated epithelial cells. In this study, we examine the effects of differentiation of the Caco-2 epithelial colon carcinoma cell line on modulation of Cl− conductance by pCLCA1 protein expression. Cl− transport was measured as 36Cl− efflux, as transepithelial short-circuit currents, and as whole cell patch-clamp current-voltage relations. The rate of 36Cl− efflux and amplitude of currents in patch-clamp studies after the addition of the Ca2+ ionophore A-23187 were increased significantly by pCLCA1 expression in freshly passaged Caco-2 cells. However, neither endogenous nor pCLCA1-dependent Ca2+-sensitive Cl− conductance could be detected in 14-day-postpassage cells. In contrast to Ca2+-sensitive Cl− conductance, endogenous cAMP-dependent Cl− conductance does not disappear on Caco-2 differentiation. cAMP-dependent Cl− conductance was modulated by pCLCA1 expression in Caco-2 cells, and this modulation was observed in freshly passaged and in mature 14-day-postpassage Caco-2 cultures. pCLCA1 mRNA expression, antigenic pCLCA1 protein epitope expression, and pCLCA1 function as a modulator of cAMP-dependent Cl− conductance were retained through differentiation in Caco-2 cells, whereas Ca2+-dependent Cl− conductance disappeared. We conclude that pCLCA1 expression may increase the sensitivity of preexisting endogenous Cl− channels to Ca2+ and cAMP agonists but apparently lacks inherent Cl− channel activity under growth conditions where endogenous channels are not expressed.
Glycosaminoglycan polymerization may enable osmotically inactive Na+storage in the skin
Authors: Titze Jens , Shakibaei Mehdi , Schafflhuber Markus , Schulze-Tanzil Gundula , Porst Markus , Schwind Karl H. , Dietsch Peter , Hilgers Karl F.
Published: February 2004

Osmotically inactive skin Na+storage is characterized by Na+accumulation without water accumulation in the skin. Negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) may be important in skin Na+storage. We investigated changes in skin GAG content and key enzymes of GAG chain polymerization during osmotically inactive skin Na+storage. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a 0.1% or 8% NaCl diet for 8 wk. Skin GAG content was measured by Western blot analysis. mRNA content of key dermatan sulfate polymerization enzymes was measured by real-time PCR. The Na+concentration in skin was determined by dry ashing. Skin Na+concentration during osmotically inactive Na+storage was 180–190 mmol/l. Increasing skin Na+coincided with increasing GAG content in cartilage and skin. Dietary NaCl loading coincided with increased chondroitin synthase mRNA content in the skin, whereas xylosyl transferase, biglycan, and decorin content were unchanged. We conclude that osmotically inactive skin Na+storage is an active process characterized by an increased GAG content in the reservoir tissue. Inhibition or disinhibition of GAG chain polymerization may regulate osmotically inactive Na+storage.
Screening anti-inflammatory compounds in injured spinal cord with microarrays: a comparison of bioinformatics analysis approaches
Authors: Pan Jonathan Z. , Jörnsten Rebecka , Hart Ronald P.
Published: February 2004

Inflammatory responses contribute to secondary tissue damage following spinal cord injury (SCI). A potent anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid, methylprednisolone (MP), is the only currently accepted therapy for acute SCI but its efficacy has been questioned. To search for additional anti-inflammatory compounds, we combined microarray analysis with an explanted spinal cord slice culture injury model. We compared gene expression profiles after treatment with MP, acetaminophen, indomethacin, NS398, and combined cytokine inhibitors (IL-1ra and soluble TNFR). Multiple gene filtering methods and statistical clustering analyses were applied to the multi-dimensional data set and results were compared. Our analysis showed a consistent and unique gene expression profile associated with NS398, the selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, in which the overall effect of these upregulated genes could be interpreted as neuroprotective. In vivo testing demonstrated that NS398 reduced lesion volumes, unlike MP or acetaminophen, consistent with a predicted physiological effect in spinal cord. Combining explanted spinal cultures, microarrays, and flexible clustering algorithms allows us to accelerate selection of compounds for in vivo testing.
Impaired Myocardial Perfusion Is a Major Explanation of the Poor Outcome Observed in Patients Undergoing Primary Angioplasty for ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Signs of Heart Failure
Authors: De Luca Giuseppe , van’t Hof Arnoud W.J. , de Boer Menko-Jan , Hoorntje Jan C.A. , Gosselink A.T. Marcel , Dambrink Jan-Henk E. , Ottervanger Jan Paul , Zijlstra Felix , Suryapranata Harry
Published: February 2004

Background—

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic implication of myocardial perfusion in patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and signs of heart failure, treated with primary angioplasty.

Methods and Results—

Our population is represented by 1548 consecutive patients undergoing primary angioplasty for STEMI. Congestive heart failure was defined as Killip class >1 at admission. Killip class was linearly associated with myocardial perfusion, enzymatic infarct size, predischarge ejection fraction, and 1-year mortality rate. Myocardial blush was an independent predictor of 1-year mortality (RR [95% CI]=2.92 [1.37 to 6.23],
P
=0.005) in patients with advanced Killip class at presentation.

Conclusions—

Our study shows that patients with heart failure complicating STEMI have impaired myocardial perfusion, which accounts for the poor outcome observed in these patients. Further efforts should be aimed at improving myocardial perfusion, beyond epicardial recanalization, to further improve the outcome of these high-risk patients.
Disability Measures in Stroke
Authors: Kwon Sooyeon , Hartzema Abraham G. , Duncan Pamela W. , Min-Lai Sue
Published: February 2004

Background and Purpose—

Residual disability after stroke presents a major economic and humanistic burden. To quantify disability in patients, activities of daily living (ADL; Barthel Index [BI], and motor component of Functional Independence Measure [M-FIM]) and categorical disability measures (Modified Rankin Scale [MRS]) are used. The purpose of this study is to examine the predicting ability of ADL measures to global disability scale.

Methods—

Kansas City Stroke Study data were used for the present study. Correlation coefficient, Kruskal-Wallis test, and polytomous logistic regression analysis were applied to examine the relationship between the ADL measure and global disability scale. Model fit statistics were examined to verify logistic regression appropriateness. A categorization scheme, which minimized the false-positive response rate, was selected as the optimal categorizing system.

Results—

The 3 measures were highly correlated. Both BI and M-FIM differentiated disability better in lower than higher disability. In logistic regression, BI differentiated 4 disability levels; M-FIM differentiated 3 levels in MRS. However, on the basis of results of the Kruskal-Wallis and multiple comparison tests, we suspect that M-FIM may have the potential to predict MRS categories better with a different model.

Conclusions—

The proposed categorization scheme can serve as a translation between measures. However, because of the ceiling effect of BI and M-FIM, the translation could not be completed for all 6 levels of MRS. No apparent variation over time in the categorization scheme was observed. Further research needs to be conducted to develop better prediction models explaining the relationship between M-FIM and MRS.
High prevalence of autoreactive, neuroantigen-specific CD8+ T cells in multiple sclerosis revealed by novel flow cytometric assay
Authors: Crawford Michael P. , Yan Shirley X. , Ortega Sterling B. , Mehta Riyaz S. , Hewitt Rachel E. , Price David A. , Stastny Peter , Douek Daniel C. , Koup Richard A. , Racke Michael K. , Karandikar Nitin J.
Published: February 2004

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with features suggestive of T-cell-mediated pathology. Most prior reports have focused on CD4+ T cells with the underlying assumption that MS is predominantly a CD4+ T helper 1 (Th1)-mediated disease. In this report, we used a novel flow cytometric approach to evaluate autoreactive T-cell responses against a large variety of neuroantigenic targets. We found that both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells targeted against several CNS autoantigens were widely prevalent in patients with MS and healthy individuals. Whereas the distribution of CD4+ responses was similar in different groups, patients with relapsing-remitting MS showed a higher proportion of CNS-specific CD8+ responses. Autoreactive CD4+ T cells from patients with MS exhibited a more differentiated Th1 phenotype compared with healthy subjects. Similarly, CNS-specific CD8+ T-cell responses from patients with MS were functionally distinct from those in healthy individuals. Collectively, these studies reveal the high prevalence of class I-restricted autoreactive CD8+ T-cell responses in MS that has been underappreciated thus far. The results emphasize the need to evaluate both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses in MS and to make both subsets a consideration in the development of novel therapeutic strategies. (Blood. 2004; 103:4222-4231)
Estrogen Receptor Gene Expression in Relation to Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Authors: ÖSTLUND HANNA , KELLER EVA , HURD YASMIN L.
Published: March 2004

Abstract: Compelling evidence now exists for estrogen's involvement in the regulation of mood and cognitive functions. Serum estrogen levels have been shown to play an important role in the expression of psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. We have characterized the distribution of the estrogen receptors, ERα and ERβ, in the human brain and showed a preferential limbic‐related expression pattern for these transcripts. The ERα mRNA dominates in the amygdala and hypothalamus, suggesting estrogen modulation of autonomic and neuroendocrine as well as emotional functions. In contrast, the hippocampal formation, entorhinal cortex, and thalamus appear to be ERβ‐dominant areas, suggesting a role for ERβ in cognition, non‐emotional memory, and motor functions. The role of estradiol can also be examined in regard to its relationship to other neurotransmitter systems known to be linked to specific psychiatric disorders. Estradiol has been shown to regulate the serotonin (5‐HT) system, which has been strongly implicated in affective disorders. We have studied a genetic animal model of depression, and found altered 5‐HT receptor mRNA levels in discrete brain regions; many of the abnormalities are reversed by estradiol treatment, especially for the 5‐HT2A receptor subtype. The norepinephrine (NE) system is, similar to serotonin, a target for antidepressant drugs, and projects to mesocorticolimbic structures implicated in mood disorders. We have recently observed that NE neurons in the human locus coeruleus (LC) express moderate levels of both ER transcripts. The possibility of estrogen's regulating LC function has been documented in animal studies. Results from our preliminary experiments have revealed that the ERβ mRNA is decreased in persons committing suicide, a cause of death that is highly linked to affective disorder. Follow‐up studies are currently under way with a much larger population to validate these results. Overall, the discrete anatomical organization of the ER mRNAs in the human brain provide evidence as to the specific neuronal populations in which the actions of ERs could modulate mood and thus underlie the neuropathology of psychiatric disorders such as depression.
The Use of Estrogens and Related Compounds in the Treatment of Damage from Cerebral Ischemia
Authors: YANG SHAO‐HUA , LIU RAN , WU SAMUEL S. , SIMPKINS JAMES W.
Published: March 2004

Abstract: There are 750,000 new cases of stroke each year in the United States, and brain damage from stroke leads to high health care costs and disabilities. Needed, but currently not available, are therapies that can be administered prior to, during, or after cerebral ischemia that reduce or eliminate neuronal damage from stroke. To address this issue, we began to assess the neuroprotective effects of estrogens and related compounds in stroke neuroprotection to determine whether these compounds had potential for clinical application. First, we demonstrated that 17 β‐estradiol (E2) pretreatment exerted potent neuroprotection of the cerebral cortex over a wide dose range and pretreatment interval. Thereafter, we assessed the ability of a variety of non‐feminizing estrogens to protect brain tissue from stroke. We observed that pretreatment with 17 α‐estradiol, the complete enantiomer of E2 (ENT‐E2), 2‐adamantylestrone, and the enantiomer of 17‐desoxyestradiol, were as effective as E2 in pretreatment protection from stroke damage. These data suggest that non‐estrogen receptor mechanisms are involved in brain neuroprotection under our treatment conditions. We then determined whether the observed E2 protection could be extended to times after the onset of the cerebral ischemic event. Using a formulation of E2 that rapidly delivers the steroid, a necessary condition for acute therapy of an ongoing stroke, we demonstrated that 100 mg E2/kg could protect brain tissue for up to 3 h after the onset of the stroke. To determine whether this therapeutic window could be extended with higher doses of the steroid, we conducted a dose‐response assessment of E2 when administered at 6 h after the onset of the ischemic event. While the effectiveness of the 100 μg E2/kg was reduced at this time interval, higher doses of E2 were effective. E2, at doses of 500 and 1000 μg/kg, reduced infarct volume by more than 50%, even with this 6‐h delay in treatment. Collectively, these data indicate that estrogens could prove to be useful therapies in preventing brain damage from strokes.
High‐Quality Antidepressant Discovery by Understanding Stress Hormone Physiology
Authors: HOLSBOER FLORIAN
Published: March 2004

Abstract: Compensating the consequences of impaired corticosteroid receptor signaling is a novel strategy to discover better antidepressants. The prevailing drugs gradually improve stress hormone regulation along with ameliorating psychopathology. The current understanding of how neuropeptides, such as corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) and vasopressin (AVP), drive cortisol secretion via corticotrophin has paved the way for CRH‐ and AVP‐receptor antagonists. As alternative strategies, the blockade of corticosteroid receptors or inhibition of cortisol synthesis has emerged. All these strategies are not yet fully clinically developed, but preliminary data from basic and clinical research strongly underscore that such strategies may lead to innovative treatment modalities.
Acute Monocytic Leukemia (French-American-British classification M5) Does Not Have a Worse Prognosis Than Other Subtypes of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Report From the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
Authors: Tallman Martin S. , Kim Haesook T. , Paietta Elisabeth , Bennett John M. , Dewald Gordon , Cassileth Peter A. , Wiernik Peter H. , Rowe Jacob M.
Published: February 2004

Purpose

Acute monocytic leukemia is a distinct subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with characteristic biologic and clinical features. This study was designed to compare the outcome of patients with M5 to that of other subtypes of AML, and to identify differences in M5a and M5b.

Patients and Methods

We reviewed all patients with AML M5 entered in three clinical trials for newly diagnosed AML conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group between 1989 and 1998. Eighty-one patients, 21 with M5a and 60 with M5b, were identified.

Results

The complete remission rate was 62% for all patients with M5; 52% for patients with M5a and 65% for patients with M5b (P = .3), and 60% for the 1,122 patients with non-M5 AML entered on the same clinical trials (P = .8 for M5 v non-M5). The 3-year disease-free survival was 26% for all M5 patients; 18% for M5a and 28% for M5b (P = .31), and 33% for non-M5 patients (P = .13 for M5 v non-M5). The 3-year overall survival was 31% for all M5 patients; 33% for M5a and 30% for M5b (P = .65), and 30% for non-M5 (P = .74 for M5 v non-M5). The karyotypes of patients with AML M5 were heterogeneous. CD11b was the only leukemic cell antigen expressed differently in M5a (53%) compared to M5b (77%) to a significant degree (P = .02).

Conclusion

AML M5 represents an immunologically heterogeneous population similar to non-M5 AML with a prognosis that is not dependent on morphology. The disease-free survival and overall survival of patients with M5a, M5b, and non-M5 appear not to differ with currently available therapy.
Chiral Bis(12-crown-4)-based Electrodes for Sodium Ion
Authors: Shibutani Yasuhiko , Mino Shigeto , Long Shen Shuang , Moriuchi-Kawakami Takayo , Yakabe Kenji , Shono Toshiyuki
Published: March 2004

New optically active bis(12-crown-4) based electrodes for Na+ were evaluated. The best selectivity (log k = −2.3) was obtained when the sensors were used in association with NPOE as a plasticizing solvent mediator and NaHFPB as an anion excluder in PVC matrices. Na+ selectivity against K+ was augmented by a factor of nearly two using R,R- or S,S- bis(12-crown-4) compared with that of optically inactive bis(12-crown-4)s reported previously.
Risks and benefits of sling procedures
Authors: Chaliha Charlotte , Stanton Stuart L.
Published: February 2004

Over the past century over 150 operations have been described for the treatment of urodynamic stress incontinence. The spectrum of operative approaches that are used reflect its variety of causes. Classical sling procedures provide bladder neck support, permitting urethral compression or kinking with increases in intra‐abdominal pressure and decreasing voiding dysfunction. There are well‐documented complications associated with sling procedures. Modifications of operative technique and sling materials, in particular the tension‐free vaginal tape, have lowered complication rates and operative morbidity. This article discusses potential benefits and risks associated with different surgical options, to aid selection of the most appropriate treatment for any individual.
Should we transfer only one embryo?
Authors: Murdoch Alison
Published: February 2004

IVF treatment usually involves the transfer of more than one embryo, since there is a positive relationship between the number of embryos transferred and the pregnancy rate. The disadvantage of this is the unacceptable rate of multiple pregnancy. Initial regulations in the UK have restricted the number of embryos that can be transferred to three and following professional advice this is being reduced to a maximum of two. The debate is now focussing on whether or not this regulation should be reduced further to just one embryo. Such a decision cannot be separated from the problems caused by the lack of NHS recognition of the physical and psychological pathologies associated with infertility.
Investigating the limits of filopodial sensing: a brief report using SEM to image the interaction between 10 nm high nano‐topography and fibroblast filopodia
Authors: Dalby M.J. , Riehle M.O. , Johnstone H. , Affrossman S. , Curtis A.S.G
Published: February 2004

Having the ability to control cell behaviour would be of great advantage in tissue engineering. One method of gaining control over cell adhesion, proliferation, guidance and differentiation is use of topography. Whilst it has be known for some time that cells can be guided by micro‐topography, it is only recently becoming clear that cells will respond strongly to nano‐scale topography. The fact that cells will take cues from their micro‐ and nano‐environment suggests that the cells are in some way ‘spatially aware’. It is likely that cells probe the shape of their surroundings using filopodia, and that this initial filopodia/topography interaction may be critical to down‐stream cell reactions to biomaterials, or indeed, the extracellular matrix. One intriguing question is how small a feature can cells sense? In order to investigate the limits of cell sensing, high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy has been used to simultaneously view cell filopodia and 10 nm high nano‐islands. Fluorescence microscopy has also been used to look at adhesion formation. The results showed distinct filopodial/nano‐island interaction and changes in adhesion morphology.
Apoptosis and nitric oxide release induced by thalidomide, gossypol and dexamethasone in cultured human chronic myelogenous leukemic K‐562 cells
Authors: Ergun Mehmet Ali , Konac Ece , Erbas Deniz , Ekmekci Abdullah
Published: February 2004

The effects of different dosages of thalidomide, gossypol and dexamethasone on the levels of apoptosis and nitric oxide (NO) production were studied in a human chronic myelogenous leukemic cell line, K‐562. Increases in the levels of apoptosis were induced by both 15 and 30 μM of thalidomide but only 15 μM significantly increased NO production. All dosages of gossypol used increased the production of NO and all dosages except 200 μM raised the level of apoptosis. After dexamethasone treatment the level of NO either decreased or stayed constant. Thus, some dosages of thalidomide and gossypol concomitantly raise the levels of apoptosis and NO production, but dexamethasone, though it induced apoptosis, had no significant effect on NO production.
In situ target strength of the Baltic Sea herring and sprat
Authors: Didrikas Tomas , Hansson Sture
Published: February 2004

Using single- and split-beam hydroacoustic equipment (70 and 38 kHz), and gillnet and trawl catches, we derived the relationship TS = 25.5 log10 L − 73.6 (r2=0.95) between acoustic target strength (TS) and fish length (L, cm) for Baltic Sea herring (Clupea harengus membras L.) and sprat (Sprattus sprattus balticus (Schneider)). Fixing the slope to 20, which is a standard practice in hydroacoustics, gave TS = 20 log10 L − 67.8 (r2=0.91). Normally, the fisheries agencies around the Baltic use a TS–length relationship that is based mainly on data from the North Sea and the intercept-value in this equation is 3.4 dB lower than that reported in this paper. This difference corresponds to an approximately twofold difference in assessed stock biomass.
Risk factors for feline coronavirus seropositivity in cats relinquished to a UK rescue charity
Authors: Cave Thomas A. , Golder Matthew C. , Simpson Joyce , Addie Diane D.
Published: February 2004

Two thousand, two hundred and seven cats from 14 shelters of a major UK cat charity were blood tested for feline coronavirus (FCoV) antibodies. Data was collated on breed, sex, age, number of cats at original location, outdoor access, health status, and time spent in the shelter prior to sampling (range 0 to 4 years). Some cats were also tested for feline leukaemia virus antigen, feline immunodeficiency virus, and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. The effect of these variables on FCoV seropositivity was explored by multivariable logistic regression. FCoV seropositivity in cats that had spent 5 days or less in a shelter at sampling was significantly associated with a multi-cat origin, cats aged 3 years or less, and Persian breed. Whether pet, stray or feral, health status, indoor/outdoor access, and sex had no significant effect. Overall FCoV seropositivity was associated with time spent in a shelter but this association was not linear. Cats that had spent more than 60 days in a shelter were over five times as likely to be seropositive. This may be the result of a change in husbandry from solitary to communal housing for cats remaining in shelters long term. Rescue of cats for less than 60 days was not associated with a significant increasing risk of seropositivity. Significant variation existed in seropositivity between individual shelters overall and in cats rescued for less than 5 days. These findings may reflect inter-shelter variation in cat husbandry and variation in seropositivity of shelter intake respectively.
Bone mass is preserved in a critical‐sized osteotomy by low energy pulsed electromagnetic fields as quantitated by in vivo micro‐computed tomography
Authors: Ibiwoye Michael O. , Powell Kimerly A. , Grabiner Mark D. , Patterson Thomas E. , Sakai Yoshitada , Zborowski Maciej , Wolfman Alan , Midura Ronald J.
Published: February 2004

The effectiveness of non‐invasive pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) on stimulating bone formation in vivo to augment fracture healing is still controversial, largely because of technical ambiguities in data interpretation within several previous studies. To address this uncertainty, we implemented a rigorously controlled, blinded protocol using a bilateral, mid‐diaphyseal fibular osteotomy model in aged rats that achieved a non‐union status within 3–4 weeks post‐surgery. Bilateral osteotomies allowed delivery of a PEMF treatment protocol on one hind limb, with the contralateral limb representing a within‐animal sham‐treatment. Bone volumes in both PEMF‐treated and sham‐treated fibulae were assessed simultaneously in vivo using highly sensitive, high‐resolution micro‐computed tomography (μCT) over the course of treatment. We found a significant reduction in the amount of time‐dependent bone volume loss in PEMF‐treated, distal fibular segments as compared to their contralateral sham‐treated bones. Osteotomy gap size was significantly smaller in hind limbs exposed to PEMF over sham‐treatment. Therefore, our data demonstrate measurable biological consequences of PEMF exposure on in vivo bone tissue. © 2004 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published y Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The existence of a putative post‐transcriptional regulatory element in 3′‐UTR of drosophila antibacterial peptide diptericin's mRNA
Authors: Chen Hai-xu , Li Yue , Jiang Zhao-zhao , Qu Xian-ming , Yang Sheng-li , Ma Wei-jun
Published: February 2004

Antibacterial peptides’ genes are rapidly and transiently expressed on immune stimulation, which is the characteristic of immediate early genes. It implies post‐transcriptional regulation is an important pathway in antibacterial peptides’ gene expression. In a search of putative post‐transcriptional regulatory elements, we found a segment of an AU‐rich sequence in 3′‐untranslated region (UTR) of drosophila diptericin mRNA. 3′‐UTR of diptericin mRNA can be specifically bound with Elav and this binding can be competed with the typical AU‐rich element (ARE) of c‐fos mRNA. These results suggest that the AU‐rich sequence in the 3′‐UTR of diptericin mRNA may be a cis‐acting element and involved in post‐transcriptional regulation.
Regiospecificity and kinetic properties of a plant natural product O‐methyltransferase are determined by its N‐terminal domain
Authors: Vogt Thomas
Published: February 2004

A recently discovered, S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine and bivalent cation‐dependent O‐methyltransferase from the ice plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, is involved in the methylation of various flavonoid and phenylpropanoid conjugates. Differences in regiospecificity as well as altered kinetic properties of the recombinant as compared to the native plant O‐methyltransferase can be attributed to differences in the N‐terminal part of the protein. Upon cleavage of the first 11 amino acids, the recombinant protein displays essentially the same substrate specificity as observed earlier for the native plant enzyme. Product formation of the newly designed, truncated recombinant enzyme is consistent with light‐induced accumulation of methylated flavonoid conjugates in the ice plant. Therefore, substrate affinity and regiospecificity of an O‐methyltransferase in vivo and in vitro can be controlled by cleavage of an N‐terminal domain.
Normal linear models with genetically structured residual variance heterogeneity: a case study
Authors: SORENSEN DANIEL , WAAGEPETERSEN RASMUS
Published: February 2004

Normal mixed models with different levels of heterogeneity in the residual variance are fitted to pig litter size data. Exploratory analysis and model assessment is based on examination of various posterior predictive distributions. Comparisons based on Bayes factors and related criteria favour models with a genetically structured residual variance heterogeneity. There is, moreover, strong evidence of a negative correlation between the additive genetic values affecting litter size and those affecting residual variance. The models are also compared according to the purposes for which they might be used, such as prediction of ‘future’ data, inference about response to selection and ranking candidates for selection. A brief discussion is given of some implications for selection of the genetically structured residual variance model.
Beetling around the genome
Authors: BROWN SUSAN J. , DENELL ROBIN E. , BEEMAN RICHARD W.
Published: February 2004

The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, has been selected for whole genome shotgun sequencing in the next year. In this minireview, we discuss some of the genetic and genomic tools and biological properties of Tribolium that have established its importance as an organism for agricultural and biomedical research as well as for studies of development and evolution. A Tribolium genomic database, Beetlebase, is being constructed to integrate genetic, genomic and biological data as it becomes available.
Leadership Change and Chinese Political Development
Authors: Dittmer Lowell
Published: February 2004

This article has three goals. The first is to characterize the nature of the current Chinese political system, culminating at the 16th Party Congress, as a combination of economic, domestic political and foreign policy reform. Economically, it represents a continuation of marketization, privatization and globalization under more centrally controlled auspices. Politically, it represents a continuation of Dengist emphases on elite civility and administrative institutionalization. And in foreign policy, it brings China to the threshold of great power status, as the old ambivalence between overthrowing the international system and assuming an important role within it nears resolution. The second purpose, viewing “Jiangism” in comparative developmental terms, conceives political development in terms of both state-building and nation-building: the greatest emphasis has been on the former. The third goal is to subject Jiangism to immanent critique by pointing out the most conspicuous emergent contradictions. These seem to include gaps between rich and poor and between east and west, a largely unsuccessful attempt to reform the nation's industrial core and its attendant financial system, and a paradoxical inability to police the state even while increasing state capacity.
Between the State and Labour: The Conflict of Chinese Trade Unions' Double Identity in Market Reform
Authors: Chen Feng
Published: February 2004

Chinese official union's reactions to labour contentions can be explained by its double institutional identity as both a state apparatus and the labour organization. Before the reform, the union did not confront tense conflicts between its double identity, as its representation function was absorbed by the paternalist state. As the state retreats from socialist paternalism, the union finds that its double identity becomes contradictory. What role the union is apt to play in any particular dispute issue is determined by whether and to what extent its double institutional identity is in conflict. Specifically, three patterns of the union's roles can be identified: representing, mediating and pre-empting. State corporatism remains the fundamental institutional parameter that shapes the union's behaviour. A combination of state corporatism binding the union and rampant capitalist assaults on workers tends either to produce more spontaneous protests or to force workers to seek independent organizing outside the ACFTU framework.
Selling China: Foreign Direct Investment During the Reform Era. By Yasheng Huang. [New York and London: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 383 pp. £40.00. ISBN: 0-521-81428-6.]
Internationalizing China: Domestic Interests and Global Linkages. By David Zweig. [Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2002. 291 pp. $54.00. ISBN 0-8014-8755-2.]
Authors: Gallagher Mary
Published: February 2004

In 2001 China attracted more foreign direct investment than any other nation in the world, including the United States. China's love affair with foreign capital and foreign investors' ardour for China is increasingly a subject of academic inquiry. What are the causes of this mutual attraction? And perhaps more important, what are its effects on China's internal political and economic development? Two recent books by political scientists are focused on answering the former question and, by way of conclusion, speculating on the latter. In their attempts they have contributed to a new and fascinating debate on how globalization (increased contact and interdependence between states, organizations, and individuals) is changing China.

Despite their similar focus, these books are complementary rather than overlapping. They employ different theoretical approaches and modes of empirical evidence. Huang's book is situated in the general business literature on foreign direct investment with scant emphasis on political science while Zweig forges an eclectic argument that draws from political economy, China studies, and sociology. Zweig employs various methods of data collection and empirical evidence, relying both on extensive interviews and statistical data. Huang relies mainly on statistical data culled from various sources and a small number of interviews with firm managers and officials. Both books are data rich and are argued persuasively. While Zweig's research is more finely-grained and attentive to regional differences in opening up, Huang uses some key case studies to make his general points more specific.
Dangerous Minds: Political Psychiatry in China Today and its Origins in the Mao Era. By Human Rights Watch and Geneva Initiative on Psychiatry. [New York: Human Rights Watch, 2002. 298 pp. ISBN 1-56432-278-5.]
Authors: Kent Ann
Published: February 2004

This report on the political misuse of psychiatry in China today and in the past, based primarily on the indefatigable research of Robin Munro, combines human rights concerns with the insights of forensic psychiatry. Munro has adopted the research methodology of Soviet psychiatrist Semyon Gluzman, who proposed three approaches to the study of political psychiatry in any one country: personal examination of victims; the systematic study of the different schools of psychiatric theory; and the examination of a range of psychiatric publications. Although only the third method is available to researchers of the situation in China – a fact that reveals China's lack of transparency in this area – Munro has made good use of it. The result is a searching examination that throws light on the complex interrelationship between political dissent and mental illness in China and on the tendency of its officials, and even its forensic psychiatrists, to conflate or confuse the two. A comparative global context to the study is provided in several sections: a review by psychiatrist Robert Van Doren of the Soviet experience in political psychiatry; a discussion of international standards in ethical psychiatry; a guide to political psychosis; and a historical overview of law and psychiatry in China before and after 1949. Fourteen major documents are included in the appendices, of which the most interesting and disturbing are debates between Chinese psychiatrists during the Cultural Revolution, and a survey of the current situation in China's mental hospitals, or ankang.
Contemporary China: The Dynamics of Change at the Start of the New Millennium. Edited by P.W. Preston and Ju¨rgen Haacke. [London and New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2002. ix +360 pp. £60.00. ISBN 0-7007-1637-8.]
Authors: Kerr David
Published: February 2004

This volume originated in a collection of workshop papers given at the University of Birmingham in June 2000. The problems with such collections are well known: the papers can quickly become out of date; their quality can be variable; or the collection can lack over-arching intellectual purpose. With this volume the first two problems are negligible: the papers are still largely relevant and of sufficient quality to demand our attention. The third problem is, however, evident: the volume has 14 main chapters divided into three sections covering economic, social and political, and foreign policy change in China, yet the relationship between some of the chapters within sections, or indeed between sections, is not established. This is not too apparent in the six chapters on economic change, which work well together, but much more so in the section on social and political change where chapters on welfare reform, the internet, Taiwan, neo-authoritarianism, and the Asian financial crisis sit alongside each other. The section on foreign policy is largely detached at the back of the volume with no apparent relationship to the preceding chapters.

We can have some sympathy for the editors and their aspiration to present “a comprehensive book on the scope and dynamics of change affecting China” (p. ix): the facets of rapid change in China are so many and their interaction so complex that building a model of China's transformation is particularly challenging. Yet this is precisely what social science must attempt not least by rigorous use of theory, and it is a major weakness of the book that it is largely an exercise in micro-level empiricism with few appeals to theory building. This is not true of all contributions: Zhao Chenggen's chapter on the limits of rational authoritarianism in dealing with the problems arising from economic liberalization is acerbic and convincing. Guan Xinping ties China's struggle to create a modern welfare system to the pressures of neo-liberal globalization. But with regard to the volume as a whole the editors seem uncertain where to locate China's changes in social science terms: industrialization, modernization theory, Asian developmentalism, transition studies? They call for a dialogue of theoretical approaches (p. 9) but this feels as much like uncertainty as eclecticism.
Popular China: Unofficial Culture in a Globalizing Society. Edited by Perry Link, Richard P. Madsen and Paul G. Pickowicz. [Lanham, NY: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002. 316 pp. Hardcover $75.00, ISBN 0-7425-1078-6; paperback $21.95, ISBN 0-7425-1079-4.]
Authors: Moran Thomas
Published: February 2004

The dozen chapters in this book, based on papers for a 1999 conference, comprise an interdisciplinary glimpse into the increasingly diverse and contradictory world of Chinese popular culture. A theme of Popular China is representation: most of the chapters examine the way in which group and individual identity is represented (in newspapers, magazines, popular sayings, and advertisements, and in the stories people tell about their lives). Many of the authors draw on surveys and interviews – of young basketball fans, rural women, home owners in Shanghai, migrant workers, and entrepreneurs – allowing the people of China to speak for themselves. The book contains nothing that is revelatory (especially for anyone who visits China regularly and reads Chinese), but it provides a detailed, informed look at each of several phenomena often noted only in passing.
Taiwan: A Political History. By Denny Roy. [Ithica, NY: Cornell University Press, 2003. xiii +255 pp. Hard cover £31.50, ISBN: 0-8014-4070-X; paperback £11.95, ISBN 0-8014-8805-2.]
Authors: Rawnsley Gary D.
Published: February 2004

Anyone wishing to read a compelling and thorough history of Taiwan will do no better than turn in the first instance to Denny Roy's new volume. Its aspiration is simple: to trace the political development of Taiwan from Chinese outpost and contested European colony to 21st-century democracy. Applying a broad-brush approach, Taiwan is a careful synthesis of the published research with few surprises for the specialist, but the book will appeal most to the non-specialist and the student market.

In the opening pages, the author sells short his contribution. This book, he promises, “examines selected events from the last several centuries . . . ,” but “more recent periods are studied in greater depth” (p. 2). In fact, the first 54 pages that analyse the history of Taiwan prior to the more familiar story of the island's return to rule by mainlanders are the most fascinating. In saying this, I do not intend to demean the remaining 200 pages – far from it, for Roy's account of the rise and fall of the Kuomintang is among the finest available. However, authors rarely allow their readers to appreciate the full impact of pre-1945 colonial (European, Chinese or Japanese) administration on Taiwan, though for Roy this is an essential part of the story. Without this historical context, it is impossible to understand fully the foundations of Taiwan's recent regime change.
Industrialization and the State: The Changing Role of the Taiwan Government in the Economy, 1945–1998. Edited by Li-min Hsueh, Chen-kuo Hsu, and Dwight H. Perkins. [Cambridge, MA: Harvard Institute for International Development, 2001. v +350 pp. Hard cover £21.50, ISBN 0-674-00252-0; paperback £11.50, ISBN 0-674-00253-9.]
Authors: Wu Yongping
Published: February 2004

This is the first volume to introduce Taiwan's industrial growth both in the early years and in the recent period. The existing English and Chinese literature on post-war Taiwan economic history does not go beyond the mid-1980s. Despite studies of individual sectors and cases, a more general introduction about the economic adjustments since the late 1980s from a historical perspective has remained absent. Therefore, this volume to some extent can fill this gap in the literature. The book also uses some new materials about the policy process and the factors that influenced government industrial policy.

However, there are a number of weaknesses in the book. The theme of the volume – the role of government in economic growth – is not new. Readers may be disappointed to find that the book does not provide any new accounts of this issue. The major argument made by the authors is that the industrial success in Taiwan can be attributed to the state's capability to continually adopt new development strategies in response to changing circumstances. Thus, this is another volume on the statist paradigm that holds that a capable state is responsible for industrial success. The account provided by the developmental state thesis, a dominant approach in the statist paradigm, is an institutional approach – that the right institutional arrangements enable the state to formulate and implement its industrial policy to govern the market (see, Robert Wade, Governing the Market (Princeton, 1990)). What is the book's explanation for the government being able to adopt the right development models in response to changing environments? Do the authors agree with the developmental state thesis's argument of a strong state with autonomy and capability, or do they develop a new account? Surprisingly, no answers are provided. But without such an explanation, the argument is based on a shaky foundation.
The Origins of the Boxer War: A Multinational Study. By Lanxin Xiang. [London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003. xvii +382 pp. $80.00. ISBN 0-7007-1563-0.]
Authors: Esherick Joseph W.
Published: February 2004

This old-fashioned political and diplomatic history of the conflict between the Qing court and foreign powers in 1900 makes a significant, if not always convincing, contribution to our understanding of the Boxer troubles. Arguing that previous studies have been flawed by an excessive focus on “the so-called ‘Boxer Rebellion’ ” (p. vii), this book focuses on how the Qing court came to declare war on the foreign powers in June of 1900. Its close analysis of court politics and actions of the foreign diplomatic corps in Beijing makes excellent use of archival records from Belgium, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States plus published documents from Russia and Japan – an impressive research accomplishment that adds an important new dimension to our understanding this critical moment in modern Chinese history.

In four chapters tracing the background to the Boxer incident, Xiang argues that the death of Prince Gong in 1898 deprived the Qing court of a critical balancing figure. When southern reformers overplayed their hand in the 1898 reforms, the Empress Dowager responded in a coup that brought an incompetent group of ultra-conservative Manchu princelings to power. At the same time, a new kind of imperialism representing an “unholy alliance” of nationalist elites, commercial interests and Christian missionaries threatened China with the scramble for concessions. Xiang is particularly effective in describing the catch-up imperialism of Germany, spurred by the erratic Catholic bishop Anzer, and the “theatrical performance” of the Italians, whose rebuff by the Qing court emboldened the conservative princes.