bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phylogeography of the black fly Simulium tani (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Thailand as inferred from mtDNA sequences
Authors: PRAMUAL PAIROT , KUVANGKADILOK CHALIOW , BAIMAI VISUT , WALTON CATHERINE
Published: September 2005

Intraspecific phylogeography has been used widely as a tool to infer population history. However, little attention has been paid to Southeast Asia despite its importance in terms of biodiversity. Here we used the cytochrome oxidase I gene of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) for a phylogeographic study of 147 individuals of the black fly Simulium tani from Thailand. The mtDNA revealed high genetic differentiation between the major geographical regions of north, east and central/south Thailand. Mismatch distributions indicate population expansions during the mid‐Pleistocene and the late Pleistocene suggesting that current population structure and diversity may be due in part to the species’ response to Pleistocene climatic fluctuations. The genealogical structure of the haplotypes, high northern diversity and maximum‐likelihood inference of historical migration rates, suggest that the eastern and central/southern populations originated from northern populations in the mid‐Pleistocene. Subsequently, the eastern region had had a largely independent history but the central/southern population may be largely the result of recent (c. 100 000 years ago) expansion, either from the north again, or from a relictual population in the central region. Cytological investigation revealed that populations from the south and east have two overlapping fixed chromosomal inversions. Since these populations also share ecological characteristics it suggests that inversions are involved in ecological adaptation. In conclusion both contemporary and historical ecological conditions are playing an important role in determining population genetic structure and diversity.
Biogeography of the túngara frog, Physalaemus pustulosus: a molecular perspective
Authors: WEIGT LEE A. , CRAWFORD ANDREW J. , RAND A. STANLEY , RYAN MICHAEL J.
Published: September 2005

Physalaemus pustulosus, a small leptodactylid frog with South American affinities, ranges across northern South America through Middle America to southern Mexico. To investigate its geographic variation and evolutionary origins, we analysed the presumptive gene products of 14 allozyme loci and sequenced a portion of the mitochondrial COI gene from individuals sampled throughout the distribution. Generally, allozyme dissimilarities and sequence divergences are correlated with each other and with geographic proximity. The greatest discontinuity in genetic variation was found between populations in Middle America vs. South America + Panama. Based on two Bayesian MCMC (Markov chain Monte Carlo) divergence time estimates involving two independent temporal constraints, the timing of the separation of northern and southern túngara frog lineages is significantly older than the time since completion of the current Panama land bridge. P. pustulosus first invaded Middle America from South America about 6–10 million years ago giving rise to the northern lineage. The southern lineage then invaded Panama independently after land bridge completion. Despite millions of years of independent evolution, the multilocus allozyme data revealed that western Panama populations represent a contact zone containing individuals with alleles from both groups present.
Growth at elevated CO2 concentrations leads to modified profiles of secondary metabolites in tobacco cv. SamsunNN and to increased resistance against infection with potato virus Y
Authors: MATROS ANDREA , AMME STEFFEN , KETTIG BARBARA , BUCK‐SORLIN GERHARD H. , SONNEWALD UWE , MOCK HANS‐PETER
Published: September 2005

The effect of elevated CO2 concentrations on the levels of secondary metabolites was investigated in tobacco plants grown under two nitrogen supply (5 and 8 mm NH4NO3) and CO2 conditions (350 and 1000 p.p.m.) each. High CO2 resulted in a dramatic increase of phenylpropanoids in the leaves, including the major carbon‐rich compound chlorogenic acid (CGA) and the coumarins scopolin and scopoletin at both nitrogen fertilizations. This was accompanied by increased PAL activity in leaves and roots, which was even higher at the lower nitrogen supply. Hardly any change was observed for the structural phenolic polymer lignin and the sesquiterpenoid capsidiol. In contrast, elevated CO2 led to clearly decreased levels of the main nitrogen‐rich constituent nicotine at the lower N‐supply (5 mm NH4NO3) but not when plants were grown at the higher N‐supply (8 mm NH4NO3). Inoculation experiments with potato virus Y (PVY) were used to evaluate possible ecological consequences of elevated CO2. The titre of viral coat‐protein was markedly reduced in leaves under these conditions at both nitrogen levels. Since PR‐gene expression and free salicylic acid (SA) levels remained unchanged at elevated CO2, we suggest that the accumulation of phenylpropanoids, for example, the major compound CGA and the coumarins scopolin and scopoletin may result in an earlier confinement of the virus at high CO2. Based on our results two final conclusions emerge. First, elevated CO2 leads to a shift in secondary metabolite composition that is dependent on the availability of nitrogen. Second, changes in the pool of secondary metabolites have important consequences for plant–pathogen interactions as shown for PVY as a test organism.
Microfacies of detrital event layers deposited in Quaternary varved lake sediments of the Piànico‐Sèllere Basin (northern Italy)
Authors: MANGILI C. , BRAUER A. , MOSCARIELLO A. , NAUMANN R.
Published: September 2005

A Quaternary interglacial lake sediment record from the Piànico‐Sèllere Basin (northern Italy) consists of biochemical calcite varves with intercalated detrital layers. At the end of the Piànico Interglacial, continuous varve formation was replaced by predominantly detrital sedimentation. However, 427 varve‐years before this shift, an abrupt increase in the frequency and thickness of detrital layers occurred. Microfacies analyses reveal a total of 152 detrital layers, ranging from 0·2 to 20·15 mm in thickness, deposited during the last 896 years of the Piànico Interglacial. Three microfacies types are distinguished: (i) graded layers, (ii) non‐graded silt layers, and (iii) matrix‐supported layers. The position of detrital layers within an individual varve provides additional information on the season in which they have been deposited. Microfacies analyses in combination with varve counting further enabled precise varve‐to‐varve correlation of the detrital layers for two sediment sections cropping out ca 130 m apart. The detailed intra‐basin correlation allows the source regions of detrital layers to be inferred. Moreover, micro‐erosion at sub‐millimetre scale has been established. Of the described facies types, only the accumulation of summer and spring graded and non‐graded silt layers abruptly increased before the end of interglacial varve formation whereas non‐graded winter silt and matrix‐supported layers are randomly distributed over the entire study period. Heavy rainfalls are assumed to have triggered spring and summer graded layers, so that the occurrence of these layers is thought to be a proxy for extreme precipitation events in the past.
Influence of waves and horseshoe crab spawning on beach morphology and sediment grain‐size characteristics on a sandy estuarine beach
Authors: JACKSON NANCY L. , NORDSTROM KARL F. , SMITH DAVID R.
Published: September 2005

The effects of wave action and horseshoe crab spawning on the topography and grain‐size characteristics on the foreshore of an estuarine sand beach in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, USA were evaluated using data collected over six consecutive high tides. Data were gathered inside and outside a 25 m long exclosure constructed to create a control area free of disturbance by crabs. The density of crabs in the swash zone outside the exclosure was 8·1 organisms m−2. The maximum depth of sediment activation on the upper foreshore where spawning occurred was 0·103 m during periods characterized by low significant wave heights: < 0·08 m. This depth is greater than the depth of activation by waves alone during moderate significant wave heights of 0·16–0·18 m but less than the maximum depth (0·127 m) recorded when spawning occurred during periods of moderate wave heights. Spawning, combined with moderate wave heights, creates a concave upper foreshore that is similar to the type of profile change that occurs during storms, thus lowering the wave‐energy threshold for morphological response. Spawning during low wave heights increases the mean grain size and sorting of surface sediments caused by the addition of gravel to the swash. Sedimentological differences are most pronounced on the upper foreshore, and data from this location may be most useful when using grain‐size characteristics to interpret the effect of spawning in the sedimentary record. Depths of sediment reworking by horseshoe crabs can be greater than those by subsequent storm waves, so evidence of spawning can be preserved on non‐eroding beaches. Greater depth of activation by horseshoe crab spawning than by waves alone, even during moderate‐energy conditions, reveals the importance of crab burrowing in releasing eggs to the water column and making them available for shore birds.
What leads to reduced fitness in non‐photochemical quenching mutants?
Authors: Külheim Carsten , Jansson Stefan
Published: September 2005

Feedback de‐excitation (FDE) is a process that protects photosystem II from damage during short periods of overexcitation. Arabidopsis thaliana mutants lacking this mechanism have reduced fitness in environments with variable light intensities. We have assayed the physiological consequences of mutations resulting in the lack of FDE and analysed the differences between field‐grown plants and plants grown under fluctuating light in the laboratory. We show that FDE is an important mechanism in short‐term responses to fluctuating light. Anthocyanin and carbohydrate levels indicated that the mutant plants were stressed to a higher degree than wild‐type (WT) plants. Field‐grown mutants were photo‐inactivated to a greater degree than WT, whereas mutant plants in the fluctuating light environment in the laboratory seemed to downregulate the photosynthetic quantum yield, thereby avoiding photo‐damage but resulting in impaired growth in the case of one mutant. Finally, we provide evidence that FDE is most important under conditions when photosynthesis limits plant growth, for example during flower and seed development.
Biosynthesis of (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan in developing endosperms of barley (Hordeum vulgare)
Authors: Tsuchiya Kouji , Urahara Takeshi , Konishi Tomoyuki , Kotake Toshihisa , Tohno‐oka Takuji , Komae Kozo , Kawada Naoyuki , Tsumuraya Yoichi
Published: September 2005

A (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan synthase catalysing the synthesis of (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan (mixed‐linkage glucan) was investigated using microsomal membranes prepared from developing barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Shikokuhadaka 97) endosperms harvested 21 days after flowering. The microsomal fraction produced (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan by incorporation of [14C]Glc from UDP‐[14C]Glc. The production of (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan was ascertained by specific enzymatic digestion with endo‐(1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucanase (lichenase; EC 3.2.1.73) from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, which released a radiolabelled trisaccharide (3‐O‐β‐cellobiosyl‐glucose) and a tetrasaccharide (3‐O‐β‐cellotriosyl‐glucose), the diagnostic oligosaccharides for the identification of (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan. Digestion of the products with exo‐(1→3)‐β‐glucanase (EC 3.2.1.58) from Basidiomycete QM806 released radiolabelled Glc, indicating that not only (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucans but also (1→3)‐β‐glucans (callose) had been formed due to the presence of (1→3)‐β‐glucan (callose) synthase (EC 2.4.1.34) in the microsomal fraction. The activity of (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan synthase was maximal at pH 9.0 and at 25°C and in the presence of at least 2 mM Mg2+. The apparent Km and Vmax values for UDP‐Glc were 0.33 mM and 480 pmol min−1 mg protein−1, respectively. Investigating the dependence of enzyme activity on developmental stage (7–35 days after flowering) of the endosperms, we found an increase of activity during the initial development reaching a maximum at 19 days, followed by a gradual decrease as the endosperms matured. The amount of (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan in the cell walls of the endosperms, however, increased gradually towards maturation, even after 19 days. Analysing the relationship between enzyme activity and (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan deposition in cell walls of endosperms prepared from 12 different barley varieties harvested 11–22 days after flowering showed that some varieties had both low activity and low glucan content, and in some both were high. But for several other varieties, the availability of donor substrate and other factors seem to influence the production of (1→3),(1→4)‐β‐glucan as well.
Continuous light may induce photosynthetic downregulation in onion – consequences for growth and biomass partitioning
Authors: Van Gestel Natasja C. , Nesbit April D. , Gordon Elizabeth P. , Green Cary , Paré Paul W. , Thompson Leslie , Peffley Ellen B. , Tissue David T.
Published: September 2005

Onions were grown in environmentally controlled growth chambers for 85 days to investigate the effect of relatively low light intensity (350 µmol m−2 s−1) at two different total irradiance periods (12‐h and 24‐h photoperiods) on growth and photosynthetic performance. To test whether photosynthetic downregulation occurred due to carbohydrate feedback, we used onions that differed in bulb‐forming capacity. Allium fistulosum (L. cv. ‘Kinka’) is a non‐bulbing onion, with potentially limited carbohydrate storage capacity, while Allium cepa (L. cv. ‘Cal 296’) is a bulb‐forming onion with possibly greater carbohydrate storage capacity. In A. fistulosum, photosynthetic downregulation was observed in 24‐h plants as indicated by reductions in the light‐ and CO2‐saturated photosynthetic capacity (Asat and Amax, respectively) by 26%, reduced maximum rate of carboxylation (Vcmax) by ribulose‐1,5‐biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) by 33%, reduced maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax) by 27% and 3‐fold higher foliar sugar concentration. In contrast, the photosynthetic and biochemical capacity of A. cepa was not affected by exposure to 24‐h photoperiod, presumably because substantial amounts of foliar carbohydrates were re‐allocated to bulbs. In 24‐h A. cepa, up to 84% of total plant mass was allocated to bulbs, while in 12‐h plants, more mass was allocated to leaves. Production of greater leaf area in 12‐h plants compared with 24‐h plants compensated for lower total daily irradiance such that 12‐h and 24‐h plants of both species exhibited similar daily total leaf net CO2 exchange and plant mass at the end of the experiment.
Nitric oxide generation upon growth of Antarctic Chlorella sp. cells
Authors: Estevez María Susana , Puntarulo Susana
Published: September 2005

The aim of this work was to characterize nitric oxide (NO) generation during the growth of Chlorella sp. cells. The profile of NO production was compared with that observed in Chlorella from temperate climate and Antarctic Chlamydomonas sp. A distinctive electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal for the adduct MGD‐Fe‐NO was detected in the Antarctic Chlorella sp. cells on days 6 and 7 of growth. An assay based upon the time‐dependent detection of NO by EPR was developed to assess both nitrate reductase (NR) and NO synthase (NOS)‐like activities. A significant increase in both enzymatic activities was observed on day 6 of growth of Antarctic Chlorella sp. cells. However, NOS‐like activity proved undetectable on day 10 of growth, while NR activity was observed until day 22 of growth. When the cultures were supplemented with Nω‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME) from day 0 to day 13, no growth was observed. After administration of l‐NAME from day 5 to day 12, growth rate at log phase was inhibited from 0.18 ± 0.02 (control) to 0.11 ± 0.01 per day. Removal of l‐NAME on day 12 increased the growth rate to 0.15 ± 0.02 per day. Supplementation with S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl‐penicillamine on day 5, in the presence of l‐NAME from day 0, restored the growth rate to control values. The same profile of NO generation was observed during the growth of Antarctic Chlamydomonas sp.; however, Chlorella cells from temperate climate did not show any difference in NO generation over the growth period. The data reported here are the first observations, by employing EPR, of NO and the activity of the enzymes responsible for its generation during the growth of Antarctic photosynthetic alga.
Toxoplasma gondii regulates ICAM‐1 mediated monocyte adhesion to trophoblasts
Authors: Pfaff Alexander W , Georges Sophie , Abou‐Bacar Ahmed , Letscher‐Bru Valerie , Klein Jean‐Paul , Mousli Marc , Candolfi Ermanno
Published: September 2005

Materno‐foetal transmission causes one of the most serious forms of infection with the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In the placenta, trophoblast cells constitute the barrier between maternal circulation and foetal tissue. We looked at the factors that determine the extent of cell adhesion to human BeWo trophoblast cells during T. gondii infection. BeWo monolayers stimulated with the supernatant of T. gondii‐infected PBMC showed a large increase in THP‐1 cell adhesion and upregulation of the intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)‐1. Neutralization of cytokines by corresponding antibodies demonstrated that anti‐IFN‐γ, but not anti‐TNF‐α or anti‐IL‐1β, led to a significant reduction of THP‐1 adhesion to a BeWo monolayer. Treatment of BeWo cells with single cytokines failed to induce upregulation of adhesion. In contrast, simultaneous treatment with IFN‐γ and either TNF‐α or IL‐1β mimicked strongly the effect of infected cell supernatant. The results suggest that IFN‐γ plays a pivotal role in the cell adhesion process through upregulation of ICAM‐1 and in the process of congenital transmission of T. gondii.
Multipotential acceptance of Peyer's patches in the intestine for both thymus‐derived T cells and extrathymic T cells in mice
Authors: Takahashi Satoshi , Kawamura Toshihiko , Kanda Yasuhiro , Taniguchi Tomoyo , Nishizawa Tetsuro , Iiai Tsuneo , Hatakeyama Katsuyoshi , Abo Toru
Published: September 2005

Peyer's patches (PP) are important inductive sites for the mucosal immune response. It is well known that lymphocytes that migrate into PP are mainly of T‐cell lineage from thymus‐derived cells (i.e. αβTCRhigh cells). In this study, we further characterized the properties of PP lymphocytes in mice using a mouse model of colitis induced by dextran sulphate sodium (DSS). Although the major site of the inflammation induced by DSS is known to be the large intestine, the small intestine was also damaged. When mice developed DSS‐induced colitis, CD3+CD8+B220+ γδ T cells increased in PP in the small intestine. These γδ T cells, which are not seen in the PP of normal mice, resembled intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) in the small intestine in terms of their expression of CD5, CD103 and Thy1.2. In addition, the Vγ/δ repertoire of these γδ T cells was similar to that of γδ IEL. When DSS‐treated mice were injected with IEL isolated from normal mice, IEL including γδ T cells preferentially migrated to PP, raising the possibility that B220+ T cells seen in PP of diseased mice may derive from IEL in the small intestine. Our present study suggests that PP might be able to accept T‐cell lineages from intestinal IEL as well as from thymus‐derived T cells.
Correlation between mRNA expression of Th1/Th2 cytokines and their specific transcription factors in human helper T‐cell clones
Authors: Kitamura Noriko , Kaminuma Osamu , Mori Akio , Hashimoto Tomomi , Kitamura Fujiko , Miyagishi Makoto , Taira Kazunari , Miyatake Shoichiro
Published: September 2005

The mechanisms that underlie Th1/Th2 differentiation of human T cells are incompletely defined. In the present study, a panel of human T‐cell clones was used to elucidate the relationship between Th1/Th2‐specific transcription factors and cytokine production in human helper T cells. The mRNA expression level of T‐bet, a Th1‐specific transcription factor, was higher in Th1 clones than in Th2 clones. In contrast, inducible expression of Th2‐specific transcription factors (GATA‐3 and c‐Maf) in Th2 clones was higher than that in Th1 clones. The expression level of T‐bet in various T‐cell clones was positively correlated with that of IFN‐γ and negatively correlated with that of Th2 cytokines, particularly IL‐4. Interestingly, the expression of IL‐3 and IL‐13, but not of other Th2 cytokines IL‐4 and IL‐5, was strongly correlated with GATA‐3 mRNA levels. A reduction of GATA‐3 using RNA interference technology suppressed, whereas overexpression of GATA‐3 enhanced, the expression of IL‐3 and IL‐13. In conclusion, the level of T‐bet expression is correlated with Th1/Th2 polarization status, whereas GATA‐3 is a crucial factor in determining the IL‐3 and IL‐13 producing capacity of human T cells.
Time to abandon dogma: CD14 is expressed by non‐myeloid lineage cells
Authors: Jersmann Hubertus PA
Published: September 2005

CD14 is a pattern recognition receptor; its important role in innate immunity is reviewed here. Since its discovery and subsequent classification at the first leucocyte typing workshop in 1982, CD14 has been thought of as a leucocyte differentiation antigen. However, it has become clear that CD14 is also expressed by many non‐myeloid cells, and the evidence for this is presented. The possible role of the presence of low copy number CD14 on non‐myeloid cells is discussed. It is time to acknowledge CD14 as an ubiquitous molecule and abandon the position that it is expressed by myeloid cells alone.
Dendritic cell dysfunction in cancer: A mechanism for immunosuppression
Authors: Pinzon‐Charry Alberto , Maxwell Tammy , López J Alejandro
Published: September 2005

Several reports have demonstrated that tumours are not intrinsically resistant to the immune response. However, neoplasias commonly fail to initiate and maintain adequate immunity. A number of factors have been implicated in causing the failure, including aberrant antigen processing by tumour cells, anergy or deletion of T cells, and recruitment of inhibitory/regulatory cell types. It has been suggested that dysfunction of dendritic cells (DC) induced by the tumour is one of the critical mechanisms to escape immune surveillance. As a minor subset of leucocytes, DC are the key APC for initiating immune responses. DC are poised at the boundaries of the periphery and the inner tissues, sampling antigens of diverse origin. Following their encounter with antigen or danger signals, DC migrate to lymph nodes, where they activate effector cells essential for tumour clearance. Although the DC system is highly heterogeneous, the differentiation and function of DC populations is largely regulated by exogenous factors. Malignancies appear to exploit this by producing a plethora of immunosuppressive factors capable of affecting DC, thus exerting systemic effects on immune function. This review examines recent findings on the effects of tumour‐derived factors inducing DC dysfunction and in particular examines the findings on alteration of DC differentiation, maturation and longevity as a potent mechanism for immune suppression in cancer.
Macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α expression plasmid enhances DNA vaccine‐induced immune responses against HSV‐2
Authors: Shao Wenai , Li Xiaomian , Li Mei , Shi Liying , Qin Yu , Li Kangsheng
Published: September 2005

In this study, we examined the effectiveness of macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)‐1α cDNA as a HSV‐2 DNA vaccine adjuvant. pcDNA3‐gD (pgD) and pcDNA3‐MIP‐1α (pMIP‐1α) were co‐injected to examine the modulatory effects of MIP‐1α on immune phenotype and protection against lethal challenge with HSV‐2. We found that Th‐cell proliferative responses were dramatically enhanced by co‐injection of pgD and pMIP‐1α compared with injection of pgD alone. The secretion of IL‐2 and IFN‐γ was also significantly increased by pgD and pMIP‐1α co‐injection; however, the production of cytokines IL‐4 and IL‐10 was not affected by co‐injection. pgD and pMIP‐1α co‐injection resulted in a moderate enhancement of systemic gD‐specific antibody level, but mucosal secretory IgA was markedly enhanced. When BALB/c mice were challenged intravaginally with 100 LD50 of HSV‐2 strain Sav, pMIP‐1α co‐injection with pgD improved their survival rate and significantly reduced both the number of mice with lesions and the lesion severity. Therefore, MIP‐1α cDNA as a HSV‐2 DNA vaccine adjuvant drives antigen‐specific Th1‐type responses, reducing HSV‐2‐derived morbidity and mortality.
Protection against malaria by anti‐erythropoietin antibody due to suppression of erythropoiesis in the liver and at other sites
Authors: Tsubata Shyunsuke , Ebe Kazuto , Kawamura Toshihiko , Ishimoto Yuiko , Tomiyama‐Miyaji Chikako , Watanabe Hisami , Sekikawa Hiroho , Aoyagi Yutaka , Abo Toru
Published: September 2005

We have previously reported that erythropoiesis commences in the liver and spleen after malarial infection, and that newly generated erythrocytes in the liver are essential for infection of malarial parasites as well as continuation of infection. At this time, erythropoietin (EPO) is elevated in the serum. In the present study, we administered EPO or anti‐EPO antibody into C57BL/6 (B6) mice to modulate the serum level of EPO. When mice were infected with a non‐lethal strain (17NXL) of Plasmodium yoelii (blood‐stage infection of 104 parasitized erythrocytes per mouse), parasitemia continued for 1 month, showing a peak at day 17. Daily injection of EPO (200 IU/day per mouse) from day five to day 14 prolonged parasitemia, whereas injection of anti‐EPO antibody (1.5 mg/day per mouse) every second day from day five to day 28 decreased it. Erythropoiesis was confirmed in the liver, spleen and bone marrow by the appearance of nucleated erythrocytes (TER119+). When anti‐EPO antibody was injected by the same protocol into mice infected with a lethal strain (17XL) of P. yoelii, all mice showed decreased parasitemia and recovered from the infection. These results suggest that the use of anti‐EPO antibody after malarial infection may be of therapeutic value in severe cases of malaria.
Evidence that insulin‐like growth factor‐1 requires protein kinase C‐ɛ, PI3‐kinase and mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathways to protect human vascular smooth muscle cells from apoptosis
Authors: Allen Todd R , Krueger Kristopher D , Hunter William J , Agrawal Devendra K
Published: September 2005

Insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐1 has been implicated in the development of occlusive vascular lesions. Although its role in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) growth and migration are fairly well characterized, anti‐apoptotic signals of IGF‐1 in human VSMC remain largely unknown. In this study, we examined IGF‐1 signals that protect human and rat VSMC from staurosporine (STAU)‐ and c‐myc‐ induced apoptosis, respectively. Treatment with STAU resulted in apoptotic DNA fragmentation, phosphatidylserine externalization and cell shrinkage, but only occasional VSMC ‘blebbing’. STAU‐induced death and IGF‐1‐mediated survival were concentration dependent, while time‐lapse video microscopy showed that IGF‐1 inhibited c‐myc‐induced apoptosis by 90%. Pretreatment with mitogen‐activated protein kinase/extracellular signal regulated kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors UO126 and PD098059, or with the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3‐K) inhibitor wortmannin, reversed IGF‐1‐mediated human VSMC survival by 25–27% and 66%, respectively. Translocation studies showed that IGF‐1 activated protein kinase C (PKC)‐ɛ, but not PKC‐α or PKC‐δ, even in the presence of STAU, while pharmacological PKC inhibition (Ro‐318220 or Go6976) implicated PKC‐ζ or a novel PKC isozyme in IGF‐1‐mediated survival. Transient expression of activated PKC‐ɛ but not activated PKC‐ζ decreased myc‐induced apoptosis in rat VSMC. In human VSMC, antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to PKC‐ɛ partially reversed IGF‐1‐induced survival. In addition, IGF‐1 elicited a mild but sustained activation of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 in human VSMC that was abolished after 1 h in the presence of STAU. PKC downregulation reversed both IGF‐1‐ and PMA‐induced ERK activity, but platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF)‐induced activity was unchanged. These results indicate for the first time that IGF‐1 can protect human VSMC via multiple signals, including PKC‐ɛ, PI3‐K and mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathways.
Activators of the energy sensing kinase AMPK inhibit random cell movement and chemotaxis in U937 cells
Authors: Kanellis John , Kandane Rangi K , Etemadmoghadam Dariush , Fraser Scott A , Mount Peter F , Levidiotis Vicki , Kemp Bruce E , Power David A
Published: September 2005

AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key energy sensor, known to regulate energy metabolism in diverse cell types. Hypoxia is encountered frequently in the microenvironments of inflammatory lesions and is a critical regulator of function in inflammatory cells. Energy deficiency is one of the consequences of hypoxia, but its potential role in modulating leucocyte function has received little attention. Using micropore chemotaxis assays to assess migratory responses of the monocyte‐like cell line U937, it was found that the AMPK activators AICAR and phenformin rapidly reduced random migration (chemokinesis) as well as chemotaxis due to stromal cell‐derived factor (SDF)1α. There was an approximate 50% reduction in both chemokinesis and chemotaxis following 30 min preincubation with both AICAR and phenformin (P < 0.01), and this continued with up to 24 h preincubation. The binding of SDF1α to its receptor CXCR4 was unaltered, suggesting AMPK was acting on downstream intracellular signalling pathways important in cell migration. As AMPK and statins are known to inhibit HMG CoA reductase, and both reduce cell migration, the effect of mevastatin on U937 cells was compared with AMPK activators. Mevastatin inhibited cell migration but required 24 h preincubation. As expected, the inhibitory effect of mevastatin was associated with altered subcellular localization of the Rho GTPases, RhoA and cdc42, indicating decreased prenylation of these molecules. Although the effect of AMPK activation was partially reversed by mevalonate, this was not associated with altered subcellular localization of Rho GTPases. The data suggest that activation of AMPK has a general effect on cell movement in U937 cells, and this is not due to inhibition of HMG CoA reductase. These are the first data to show an effect of AMPK on cell movement, and suggest a fundamental role for energy deficiency in regulating cellular behaviour.
Development of murine plasmacytoid dendritic cell subsets
Authors: Naik Shalin H , Corcoran Lynn M , Wu Li
Published: September 2005

Plasmacytoid predendritic cells (pDC) are a haematopoietic cell population with a characteristic plasma cell‐like morphology found in many tissues of the mouse, including blood, thymus, bone marrow, liver, and the T‐cell areas of lymphoid organs. Recent studies of pDC have revealed them to be crucial mediators linking the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system. In this review, rather than focus on pDC function, we focus on recent evidence regarding pDC development. We examine the requirements for pDC development from several perspectives, including organ localization, cytokine requirements, development from myeloid‐ and lymphoid‐restricted bone marrow precursors, expression of lineage‐restricted markers, transcription factor dependence, and markers that separate pDC into distinct subsets.
Activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells
Authors: Fuchsberger Martina , Hochrein Hubertus , O'Keeffe Meredith
Published: September 2005

Four years after the discovery of mouse plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC), pDC are still very much an ‘enigmatic’ cell type. It is clear that pDC are potent producers of type I IFN in response to viral, bacterial and even mammalian nucleotides. The role that they play in vivo before and after activation is still under scrutiny. This review concentrates on the pathways to activation of pDC, examining the activating ligands, receptors and signalling molecules that are known to be involved, and the relevance of these activation pathways to human disease.
Role for plasmacytoid dendritic cells in anti‐HIV innate immunity
Authors: Müller‐Trutwin Michaela , Hosmalin Anne
Published: September 2005

The role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) in anti‐HIV immunity is mostly represented by the production of type I IFN in response to HIV infection in vitro and in vivo. This production is decreased in HIV‐1 infected patients at the time of primary infection and during chronic disease in association with progression of disease. Circulating pDC counts are decreased concomitantly with type I IFN, and both factors correlate inversely overall with viral loads and positively with CD4+ T‐cell counts. These parameters might be used in clinical immunology to monitor treatment and as predictive factors of immune control of HIV‐1 replication to help decide whether to interrupt antiretroviral treatment. They may be related to control of HIV replication as well as to pathogenesis of infection, perhaps in setting the balance between immunity or tolerance to the virus. A better understanding of these parameters is required while attempts to use IFN‐α or ligands of Toll‐like receptors found on pDC are being made.
Prostate‐specific antigen, Gleason sum and clinical T stage for predicting the need for radionuclide bone scan for prostate cancer patients in Japan
Authors: ISHIZUKA OSAMU , TANABE TOMOAKI , NAKAYAMA TSUYOSHI , KAWAKAMI MASAKO , KINEBUCHI YOSHIAKI , NISHIZAWA OSAMU
Published: September 2005

Abstract

Aim: In the present study, we evaluated the relationships between prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level and bone metastasis, between Gleason sum and bone metastasis, and between clinical T stage and bone metastasis in Japanese patients.

Methods: Between November 1998 and June 2004, we performed ultrasound‐guided biopsies on 709 patients (mean age: 70.5 years, range: 39–90). Prostate cancer was detected in 339 patients (47.8%), 297 (87.6%) of whom underwent a radionuclide bone scan. In close collaboration with orthopedists, bone computed tomography scans, bone magnetic resonance imaging and/or plain rentogenograms were performed for cases that were difficult to diagnose as bone metastasis through radionuclide bone scans only.

Results: We detected 61 (20.6%) bone metastasis cases in 296 patients. A simple linear regression analysis between log[PSA] and bone metastasis (n = 296) produced a significant relationship (P < 0.05). When we set the cut‐off PSA value for the indication for a bone scan at 15 ng/mL, the possibility of bone metastasis was 10%. However, from our experience, there was no bone metastasis in the patients whose Gleason sums were less than five, and in the patients whose Gleason sum were five or more, and the PSA levels were less than 15, there was no bone metastasis. The rate of bone metastasis increased with the increase of PSA level. In the clinical T1–T2 stage cases, there were significant higher PSA levels in the cases with bone metastasis. In the T1–T2 patients whose PSA levels were less than 16, there was no bone metastasis.

Conclusions: From the analysis of PSA, Gleason sum and clinical T stage, we suggest that bone scan is unnecessary for patients whose PSA level is less than 15 ng/mL or Gleason sum is less than five.
Age‐associated increase of prostate‐specific antigen in a high level of men visiting urological clinics
Authors: KOBAYASHI TAKASHI , KINOSHITA HIDEFUMI , NISHIZAWA KOJI , MITSUMORI KENJI , OGAWA OSAMU , KAMOTO TOSHIYUKI
Published: September 2005

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the distribution of serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels as a function of age in men with no evidence of prostate cancer who visited urological clinics.

Methods: Simultaneous measurements of total PSA and PSA‐α‐1‐antichymotrypsin (PSA‐ACT) were performed on patients who presented at urological clinics in Japan. After excluding 490 patients because of follow‐up biopsy findings indicating prostate cancer, patients’ history of prostatic surgery and medication affecting the serum PSA level, 1520 patients with PSA levels of less than 20.0 ng/mL were available for the study.

Results: Medians (95th percentile) of the total PSA levels were 0.9 (4.7), 1.2 (5.6), 1.7 (11.0), 2.1 (9.8) and 2.8 (11.0) ng/mL in men in their 40s (n = 37), 50s (n = 211), 60s (n = 488), 70s (n = 609) and 80s (n = 175), respectively, whereas those of PSA‐ACT were 0.5 (2.9), 0.7 (3.7), 1.1 (7.4), 1.2 (5.9) and 1.6 (6.4) ng/mL, respectively. Both total PSA and PSA‐ACT increase with aging, although comparison between the 10‐year age groups showed a significant difference in the two molecular forms only between men in their 50s and 60s.

Conclusions: The PSA ranges of men who visited urological clinics were higher than those of men participating in prostate cancer screening programs reported in other published studies. An age‐associated increase in PSA similar to screening populations was also observed in urological outpatients. The results of the present study indicate that age‐adjusted PSA cut‐off levels can be used in outpatient settings, although the PSA reference value derived from the screening population should be carefully applied to symptomatic men of clinical practices.
Morbidity of prophylactic inguinal lymphadenectomy with saphenous vein preservation for squamous cell penile carcinoma
Authors: MILATHIANAKIS CONSTANTINE , BOGDANOS JOHN , KARAMANOLAKIS DIMITRIOS
Published: September 2005

Abstract

Background: Inguinal lymphadenectomy has an essential role in the cure of patients with inguinal metastasis from penile cancer; however, this procedure is associated with a significant morbidity. In recent years, modified lymphadenectomy with saphenous vein preservation has been postulated to reduce morbidity. Herein, we present our recent experience with prophylactic inguinal lymhadenectomy and saphenous vein preservation in patients with invasive penile carcinoma and non‐palpable inguinal lymph nodes.

Methods: Seven patients with invasive squamous cell penile carcinoma, who underwent bilateral prophylactic inguinal lymphadenectomy with saphenous vein preservation between 1995 and 2001, were reviewed retrospectively. Mean age was 67.7 years. The pathological stage of the primary tumor was pT2 in four and pT3 in three patients respectively. Postoperative complications were defined as minor – wound infection, seroma formation requiring drainage, and skin necrosis, and major – deep venous thrombosis, persistent seroma formation, flap necrosis requiring a skin graft, as well as permanent and disabling leg lymphedema.

Results: Minimum follow up was 2 years. Minor complications – wound infection – occurred in one patient (one groin). No major complications occurred. All patients are alive without evidence of disease recurrence.

Conclusions: Prophylactic inguinal lymphadenectomy seems to offer reduced morbidity in high risk penile cancer patients without compromising survival outcome.
Effectiveness of an anti‐inflammatory drug, loxoprofen, for patients with nocturia
Authors: SAITO MOTOAKI , KAWATANI MASAHITO , KINOSHITA YUKAKO , SATOH KEISUKE , MIYAGAWA IKUO
Published: September 2005

Abstract

Aim: There is increasing evidence that non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs are effective for the treatment of nocturia. In this study, we attempted to investigate the role of loxoprofen sodium (loxoprofen) in the therapeutic management of patients with nocturia.

Methods: Fifteen benign protastatic hyperplasia and/or overactive bladder patients (13 males and 2 females, 71.1 ± 1.5 years old) with three or more voids per night were involved. These patients had received standard drug therapy. Although these patients had received standard drug therapy for more than half a year, they had still three or more episodes of nocturia. The patients took a single dose of 60 mg of loxoprofen at night prior to sleep. Before and 1 week after the initiation of this therapy, the effects of this treatment were assessed by frequency volume chart and a questionnaire.

Results: In the questionnaire, seven patients answered as excellent, six patients demonstrated improvement of their symptoms, two patients did not show a significant change in their symptoms and no patients demonstrated a deterioration in the symptoms. In frequency volume chart, total void per day, total void per night, total urine volume per day, total night urine volume per day and single voided volume in the night before and after this treatment were 9.97 ± 0.81 and 8.99 ± 0.74 per day, 3.82 ± 0.25 and 1.82 ± 0.27 per night, 1349 ± 81 and 1258 ± 91 mL per day, 567 ± 46 and 325 ± 51 mL per night, and 143 ± 13 and 149 ± 10 mL, respectively.

Conclusions: Loxoprofen can be effective and useful for patients with nocturia. Our data suggest that the main mechanism of this effect is to decrease urine production during a night's sleep.
Primary synovial sarcoma of the kidney
Authors: PERLMUTTER ADAM E , SAUNDERS SUSAN E , ZASLAU STANLEY , CHANG WILLIAM WL , FARIVAR‐MOHSENI HESAM
Published: September 2005

Abstract

Primary renal synovial sarcomas (SS) are rare tumors of the kidney. Faria first described primary renal synovial sarcoma in 1999. Twenty‐one cases of primary renal synovial sarcoma have been reported to date. Primary renal synovial sarcomas can exist in either a monophasic or a biphasic pattern. The monophasic variant of primary renal synovial sarcoma is more common and tends to have a better prognosis than the biphasic variant. We present the case of a 61 year‐old woman with a monophasic variant of primary renal synovial sarcoma.
Reduction of Prussian Blue by the two iron‐reducing microorganisms Geobacter metallireducens and Shewanella alga
Authors: Jahn Michael K. , Haderlein Stefan B. , Meckenstock Rainer U.
Published: September 2005

Cyanide or cyanide–metal complexes are frequent contaminants of soil or aquifers at industrial sites, which can be released from such sites by outgassing or transport with the groundwater. They form very stable complexes with iron, which may occur in the subsurface as an insoluble blue mineral, the so‐called Prussian Blue (Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3). In this study, we show that the insoluble and colloidal Fe(III)–cyanide complex Prussian Blue can be reduced and utilized as electron acceptor by the dissimilatory iron‐reducing bacteria Geobacter metallireducens and Shewanella alga strain BrY. The microbial reduction of the dark blue pigment Prussian Blue leads to the formation of a completely colourless solid mineral, presumably Prussian White (Fe2[Fe(CN)6]), which could be reoxidized through exposure to air, regaining the dark blue colour. In addition, the microorganisms were able to grow with Prussian Blue, using it as the sole electron acceptor. Geobacter metallireducens could also reduce Prussian Blue coatings on sand, which was sampled from a contaminated site.
Personality and Daily Experience Revisited
Authors: Tennen Howard , Affleck Glenn , Armeli Stephen
Published: September 2005

Abstract
In this introduction to the Journal of Personality special issue devoted to “Advances in Personality and Daily Experience” we attempt to trace recent progress in the study of personality and daily life. We begin by comparing and contrasting the methods of daily experience research adopted by investigators who authored empirical articles in the 1991 and current special issues according to the mode, schedule, and sampling frame for data collection. We then compare data analytic strategies across the 14 years between the two special issues and conclude that although the nature of the questions addressed has not changed dramatically, newer analytic methods and associated software have enhanced our ability to answer these questions more precisely. Finally, we provide an overview of the special issue contributions organized around three broad themes: personal vulnerabilities and resources that predict reactions to everyday events, interpersonal manifestations of personality in daily experience, and how personality in daily life affects physical and mental health and relates to disease risk.
Distinguishing Affective and Non‐Affective Reactions to Daily Events
Authors: Nezlek John B.
Published: September 2005

AbstractThe study of daily events has been dominated by a focus on affective reactions to daily events. Although informative, this research needs to be complemented by research on non‐affective and cognitive reactions to events. Although daily events are certainly related to how people feel, they are also related to how people think, particularly about themselves. The present article presents the results of a series of studies examining relationships between daily events and both affective and non‐affective states. These results suggest that although affective and non‐affective reactions to daily events may covary (e.g., when people feel badly, they may think more poorly about themselves and vice versa), this covariation is not perfect. Non‐affective states covary with daily events above and beyond the covariation between events and affect, and affective states covary with events above and beyond the covariation between events and non‐affective states.
Fatigue among HIV‐infected patients in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Henderson M , Safa F , Easterbrook P , Hotopf M
Published: September 2005

Objective

To describe the prevalence of operationally defined fatigue in an ethnically diverse HIV‐infected population in south London, and to examine the association of fatigue with demographic characteristics, stage of disease, antiretroviral therapy and psychological factors.

Methods

A descriptive comparative cross‐sectional study of HIV‐infected patients attending a London HIV clinic over a 5‐month period in 2002 was performed. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from the local database. Participants completed four self‐administered questionnaires–the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS), a measure of physical and mental fatigue; the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐12) to detect anxiety and depression; the Medical Outcomes Study 36‐Item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐36) to measure functional status, and the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ). Fatigue ‘cases’ were defined as those scoring at least 4 on the CFS. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the presence of fatigue.

Results

Two hundred and five patients were approached and 148 (72%) agreed to participate. Overall, 65% of patients were defined as fatigued. Significant psychological distress on the GHQ‐12, functional impairment on the SF‐36 and a higher CD4 count were all independently associated with the presence of fatigue. There was no association with use of antiretroviral therapy or demographic characteristics.

Conclusions

The presence of fatigue in HIV‐infected patients is most strongly associated with psychological factors and not with more advanced HIV disease or the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy. This highlights the importance of investigation and management of underlying depression and anxiety in patients presenting with fatigue.