bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Food allergy and non‐allergic food hypersensitivity in children and adolescents
Authors: Roehr C. C. , Edenharter G. , Reimann S. , Ehlers I. , Worm M. , Zuberbier T. , Niggemann B.
Published: October 2004

Background
Previous studies have shown a 10‐fold discrepancy of self‐reported food‐induced symptoms and physician‐diagnosed food hypersensitivity. Little information is available on the prevalence of food hypersensitivity in unselected paediatric populations. No data were available for German children.

Objective
To study the perception of food‐induced symptoms in the paediatric population, to investigate the allergens accused, to objectify patients' reports, and to identify subgroups at risk of having food‐induced allergy (FA) or non‐allergic food hypersensitivity (NAFH) reactions.

Methods
This paper presents the data of the paediatric group (0–17 years) of a representative, randomly sampled, cross‐sectional population‐based survey studying 13 300 inhabitants of the German capital city Berlin regarding food‐related symptoms. Instruments included mailed questionnaires, structured telephone interviews, physical examination, skin‐prick tests, specific serum IgE and standardized, controlled and blinded oral food challenges.

Results
Two thousand three hundred and fifty‐four individuals were contacted by mailed questionnaire, 739 (31.4%) responses could be fully evaluated. Four hundred and fifty‐five (61.5%) participants reported symptoms related to food ingestion, 284 (38.4%) affirmed reproducible symptoms in the standardized telephone interview. One hundred and eighty‐four (24.8%) individuals were fully examined. Reproducible symptoms to food were found in 31 (4.2%) children and adolescents: 26 (3.5%) showed symptoms of FA and five (0.7%) of NAFH. The oral allergy syndrome was most often observed. Foods most commonly identified by oral challenges were apple, hazelnut, soy, kiwi, carrot and wheat.

Conclusion: The perception of food‐related symptoms is common among children and adolescents from the general population. Self‐reports could be confirmed in around one out of 10 individuals, still resulting in 4.2% of proven clinical symptoms. However, most reactions were mild and mainly because of pollen‐associated FA, while NAFH reactions were less common. Severe IgE‐mediated FA was observed in individuals with pre‐existing atopic disease, who should be fully investigated for clinically relevant FA.
Non‐anaphylactic surface‐exposed peptides of the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, for preventive vaccination
Authors: Focke M. , Linhart B. , Hartl A. , Wiedermann U. , Sperr W. R. , Valent P. , Thalhamer J. , Kraft D. , Valenta R.
Published: October 2004

Background
Almost 100 million allergic patients are sensitized to the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, a 17 kDa protein containing most of the IgE epitopes present in pollens of trees belonging to the Fagales order and plant‐derived food.

Objective
Our aim was to develop an approach for the rational design of B cell epitope‐derived, non‐allergenic peptide allergy vaccines.

Methods
According to the three‐dimensional (3‐D) structure of birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, six peptides comprising 25–32 preferably solvent‐exposed amino acids were synthesized.

Results
Because of lack of secondary structure, the peptides showed no allergenic activity in allergic patients. In a mouse model of birch pollen allergy, peptide vaccination induced Bet v 1‐specific IgG and prevented IgE‐mediated allergic sensitization to Bet v 1. The protective role of peptide‐induced blocking antibodies is demonstrated by inhibition of allergic patients IgE binding to the allergen and by blocking of allergen‐induced basophil degranulation.

Conclusion
Our results indicate the mechanistic importance of blocking antibodies for allergy vaccination and present a B cell epitope‐based approach for the rational design of safe peptide allergy vaccines whenever the structure of the disease‐eliciting allergen is known.
Dynamic changes in sensitization to specific aeroallergens in children raised in a desert environment
Authors: Stern D. A. , Lohman I. C. , Wright A. L. , Taussig L. M. , Martinez F. D. , Halonen M.
Published: October 2004

Background
Allergen skin test reactivity and total serum IgE are objective measures used to characterize and help diagnose allergic diseases. Cross‐sectional studies have shown that overall aeroallergen skin test reactivity increases throughout childhood. However, little attention has been paid to whether individual aeroallergen remittance occurs, which could distort or mask relationships to disease.

Objective
To access the incidence and remittance of skin test reactions to individual allergens in children aged 6–11 years.

Methods
Longitudinal sensitization to six aeroallergens and total IgE were assessed in 828 children raised in the semi‐arid US southwest at ages 6 and 11 years.

Results
New sensitization (to any allergen) between 6 and 11 years occurred in 30.2% of children compared with 39.7% before age 6 years. The rate of complete remittance from positive to negative between ages 6 and 11 years was 8.2%, and total IgE at age 6 years was not predictive. Remittance rates for individual allergens were high and variable (19–49%). The perennial allergens Bermuda and Alternaria were early sensitizers and had low remittance rates. Early sensitization to the four seasonal allergens was less common and more subject to remittance with the bulk of sensitization occurring between 6 and 11 years.

Conclusion
This study shows that sensitization to individual aeroallergens in childhood is dynamic and indicates the limitation of single point assessment of skin test reactivity.
Overcompensation and grazing optimisation in a swan–pondweed system?
Authors: Nolet Bart A.
Published: October 2004

1. The general notion is that negative effects of vertebrate herbivores on water plants, which play a key role in freshwaters, prevail, and that positive feedbacks of herbivores on plants are insignificant.

2. The most likely systems to find such positive feedbacks are those in which herbivores exert strong feeding pressures on plants during part of the year. Previous theoretical work has suggested that compensatory production occurs when migratory Bewick's swans forage on tubers of fennel pondweed. As a corollary, the swans can exploit the tubers down to a level that maximises their tuber yield.

3. In order to test these hypotheses, I measured pondweed tuber biomass on three occasions per year (just before and after foraging, and just before tuber sprouting) in three consecutive years. The 17 sampling sites in the Lauwersmeer (the Netherlands) were classified according to their silt content and water depth. Within four silt‐depth classes, I predicted for each year tuber biomass production and, from that, the optimum foraging threshold that would result in the maximum tuber biomass yield.

4. Water depth did not affect tuber production, and silt content only did in one of the 3 years. In accordance with overcompensation predictions, tuber production was higher at plots with moderate foraging pressures than at plots with little or no grazing. However, the winter and summer conditions following the swan foraging had large unpredictable effects on tuber mortality and production.

5. These results indicate that overcompensation by fennel pondweed occurs and that Bewick's swans are generally able to profit from it, albeit without fine‐tuning of the foraging threshold to the yield.
Seasonal and interannual variation of bacterial production in lowland rivers of the Orinoco basin
Authors: Castillo María M. , David Allan J. , Sinsabaugh Robert L. , Kling George W.
Published: October 2004

1. We examined the influence of hydrologic seasonality on temporal variation of planktonic bacterial production (BP) in relatively undisturbed lowland rivers of the middle Orinoco basin, Venezuela. We sampled two clearwater and two blackwater rivers over 2 years for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chlorophyll, phosphorus and bacterial abundance to determine their relationship to temporal variation in BP.

2. Dissolved organic carbon concentration was greater in blackwater (543–664 μm) than in clearwater rivers (184–240 μm), and was generally higher during periods of rising and high water compared with low water. Chlorophyll concentration peaked (3 μg L−1) during the first year of study when discharge was lowest, particularly in blackwater rivers. Soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was very low in the study rivers (<3.8 μg L−1) and concentration increased during low water.

3. Average BP was higher in clearwater (0.20–0.26 μg C L−1 h−1) than in blackwater rivers (0.14–0.17 μg C L−1 h−1), although mean bacterial abundance was similar among rivers (0.6–0.8 × 106 cells mL−1).

4. Periods of higher chlorophyll a concentration (low water) or flushing of terrestrial organic material (rising water) were accompanied by higher BP, while low BP was observed during the period of high water.

5. Interannual variation in BP was influenced by variations in discharge related to El Niño Southern Oscillation events.

6. Seasonal variation in BP in the study rivers and other tropical systems was relatively small compared with seasonal variation in temperate rivers and lakes. In addition to the low seasonal variation of temperature in the tropics, low overall human disturbance could result in less variation in the inputs of nutrients and carbon to the study rivers compared with more disturbed temperate systems.
Seasonal variation in the thermal performance of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Authors: Finstad Anders G. , Næsje Tor F. , Forseth Torbjørn
Published: October 2004

1. Experimental data on the maximum growth and food consumption of winter‐acclimatised Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) juveniles from three Norwegian rivers situated at 59 and 70°N were compared with predictions from published models of growth and food consumption of summer‐acclimatised fish from the same populations.

2. All winter‐acclimatised fish maintained positive growth and a substantial energy intake over the whole range of experimental temperature (1–6 °C). This contrasted with predictions from growth models based on summer acclimatised Atlantic salmon, where growth and energy intake ceased at approximately 5 °C.

3. Growth and food consumption varied significantly among populations. Winter‐acclimatised fish from a Northern population had a higher mass‐specific growth rate, higher energy intake and higher growth efficiency than southern populations, which is contrary to predictions from models developed using summer‐acclimatised salmon, where fish from the Northern population had the lowest growth efficiency.

4. The experiment provides evidence that thermal performance varies seasonally and suggests adaptation to the annual thermal regime.
Zooplankton interactions in an enclosure experiment: insights from stable isotope analyses
Authors: Feuchtmayr H. , Zöllner E. , Santer B. , Sommer U. , Grey J.
Published: October 2004

1. Density gradients of cladocerans and copepods were generated in an enclosure experiment to compare the impact on the plankton of a filter feeder (Daphnia hyalina × galeata) with that of more selective feeders (calanoid and cyclopoid copepods). The experiment was conducted in situ over 25 days during spring in a mesotrophic lake, Schöhsee, Germany.

2. The plankton community was monitored regularly. Daphniids were able to graze on the phytoplankton present, which mainly consisted of small (<1000 μm3) species, whereas copepods did not show any impact on algae.

3. At the end of the experiment, Daphnia and remaining cyclopoid copepods were harvested and sorted manually, prior to analyses for stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. Daphniids from mesocosms stocked purely with differing densities of Daphnia showed little variability in stable isotope values, whereas those that thrived in enclosure bags together with copepods exhibited lower δ13C values.

4. The change in Daphniaδ13C indicates a change of food sources, modified by the presence of the copepods: the higher the mean abundance of copepods in the enclosures, the more 13C‐depleted the daphniids. Increasing abundance of high nucleic acid (HNA) bacteria in the copepod bags may account for the trend in Daphniaδ13C via increased grazing on the bacteria themselves, or via grazing on phytoplankton utilising isotopically light CO2 from respiratory release.

5. Cyclopoid copepod stable isotope signatures were related to Daphnia and copepod abundances in copepod bags, suggesting that cyclopoids preyed on the available zooplankton.
Feeding response of the Aldabra giant tortoise (Geochelone gigantea) to island plants showing heterophylly
Authors: Eskildsen Louise I. , Olesen Jens M. , Jones Carl G.
Published: October 2004

Aim Heterophylly is present in many plant species on oceanic islands. Almost all of these plants are island endemics, and heterophylly may have evolved as a response to feeding from large insular browsers such as giant tortoises and flightless birds. We tested this anti‐browser hypothesis by feeding Aldabra giant tortoises (Geochelone gigantea) with leaves of native Mauritian plants to see if they distinguished between juvenile and adult leaves and between heteophyllous and homophyllous species.

Location Mauritius.

Methods In a choice experiment we recorded feeding response of four captive Aldabra giant tortoises to 10 species of Mauritian plants, of which seven were heterophyllous and three homophyllous.

Results In general, juvenile leaves of heterophyllous species showed convergence in shape and midrib coloration. Homophyllous foliage was preferred to heterophyllous, and among heterophyllous species adult foliage was preferred to juvenile.

Main conclusions Several Mascarene heterophyllous plants show convergence in morphology of juvenile leaves and these are avoided by giant tortoises. This indicates a strong selection history from large browsers such as the giant tortoises. The Mascarene example is in accordance with several other comparable cases of plant‐large browser interactions from other archipelagos.
Evolution and phylogeny of the New Zealand cicada genusKikihiaDugdale (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadidae) with special reference to the origin of the Kermadec and Norfolk Islands' species
Authors: Arensburger Peter , Simon Chris , Holsinger Kent
Published: October 2004

Aim Determine the phylogeny and dispersal patterns of the cicada genusKikihiain New Zealand and the origin of the Norfolk, Kermadec, and Chatham Island cicadas.

Location New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Kermadec Islands and Chatham Island.

Methods DNA sequences from 16 species and four soon to be described species of cicadas from New Zealand and Norfolk Island (Australia) were examined. A total of 1401 base pairs were analysed from whole genome extraction of three mitochondrial genes (cytochrome oxidase subunit II, ATPase6 and ATPase8). These DNA sequences were aligned and analysed using standard likelihood approaches to phylogenetic analysis. Dates of divergences between clades were determined using a molecular clock based on Bayesian statistics.

Results Most species in the genusKikihiadiverged between 3 and 5 million years ago (Ma) coincident with a period of rapid mountain building in New Zealand. Cicada species on the Kermadec and Norfolk Islands invaded recently from New Zealand and are closely related to the New Zealand North Island speciesKikihia cutora.

Main conclusions Speciation in the genusKikihiawas likely due in large part to the appearance of new habitats associated with the rise of the Southern Alps, startingc.5 Ma. Dispersal ofKikihiaspecies within mainland New Zealand probably occurred gradually rather than through long‐distance jumps. However, invasion of Norfolk, the Kermadecs and Chatham Islands had to have occurred through long‐distance dispersal.
Multivariate analysis of a fine‐scale breeding bird atlas using a geographical information system and partial canonical correspondence analysis: environmental and spatial effects
Authors: Titeux Nicolas , Dufrêne Marc , Jacob Jean‐Paul , Paquay Marc , Defourny Pierre
Published: October 2004

Aim To assess the relative roles of environment and space in driving bird species distribution and to identify relevant drivers of bird assemblage composition, in the case of a fine‐scale bird atlas data set.

Location The study was carried out in southern Belgium using grid cells of 1 × 1 km, based on the distribution maps of theOiseaux nicheurs de Famenne: Atlas de Lesse et Lommewhich contains abundance for 103 bird species.

Methods Species found in < 10% or > 90% of the atlas cells were omitted from the bird data set for the analysis. Each cell was characterized by 59 landscape metrics, quantifying its composition and spatial patterns, using a Geographical Information System. Partial canonical correspondence analysis was used to partition the variance of bird species matrix into independent components: (a) ‘pure’ environmental variation, (b) spatially‐structured environmental variation, (c) ‘pure’ spatial variation and (d) unexplained, non‐spatial variation.

Results The variance partitioning method shows that the selected landscape metrics explain 27.5% of the variation, whilst ‘pure’ spatial and spatially‐structured environmental variables explain only a weak percentage of the variation in the bird species matrix (2.5% and 4%, respectively). Avian community composition is primarily related to the degree of urbanization and the amount and composition of forested and open areas. These variables explain more than half of the variation for three species and over one‐third of the variation for 12 species.

Main conclusions The results seem to indicate that the majority of explained variation in species assemblages is attributable to local environmental factors. At such a fine spatial resolution, however, the method does not seem to be appropriated for detecting and extracting the spatial variation of assemblages. Consequently, the large amount of unexplained variation is probably because of missing spatial structures and ‘noise’ in species abundance data. Furthermore, it is possible that other relevant environmental factors, that were not taken into account in this study and which may operate at different spatial scales, can drive bird assemblage structure. As a large proportion of ecological variation can be shared by environment and space, the applied partitioning method was found to be useful when analysing multispecific atlas data, but it needs improvement to factor out all‐scale spatial components of this variation (the source of ‘false correlation’) and to bring out the ‘pure’ environmental variation for ecological interpretation.
The Amazon River as a dispersal barrier to passerine birds: effects of river width, habitat and taxonomy
Authors: Hayes Floyd E. , Sewlal Jo‐Anne N.
Published: October 2004

Aim  To evaluate the relative effectiveness of the lower and upper sections, respectively, of the Amazon River as a barrier to bird distribution, and to evaluate ecological and taxonomic factors affecting the efficacy of the river barrier.

Location  Amazon River of South America between its confluence with the Napo River in the west and its delta in the east.

Methods  Using published distribution maps for 448 species of passerine birds occurring along the Amazon River, we evaluated whether each was distributed along one bank only (river presumed to be a barrier) or both banks (no barrier) to test the predictions that the river was more effective as a dispersal barrier: (1) along the lower, wider portion of the river than the upper, narrower portion; (2) for species inhabiting forests than open country; (3) for species inhabiting forest understorey than forest canopy; (4) for species restricted to terra firme (never inundated upland forest) than those not restricted to terra firme and (5) for certain taxonomic groups.

Results  Our analyses demonstrated that the Amazon River was most effective as a dispersal barrier along its lower portion and for species restricted to forests and terra firme. However, the river was not significantly more of a barrier for species inhabiting forest understorey than forest canopy. The river was most significant as a barrier to dispersal for the antbirds (Thamnophilidae) and was less significant as a barrier to species belonging to several large families including woodcreepers (Dendrocolaptidae), ovenbirds (Furnariidae), flycatchers (Tyrannidae), cotingids (Cotingidae), tanagers (Thraupidae), seed‐eating finches (Emberizidae) and blackbirds (Icteridae).

Main conclusions  The robust widths of Amazonian rivers are widely considered to represent impediments to dispersal and gene flow for many taxa of birds and other animals, and may have represented agents of vicariance in the diversification of species. Our study reaffirms the effectiveness of the lower Amazon River as a current barrier to bird dispersal for forest birds and provides new insights into the effects of habitat and taxonomy on the efficacy of the river barrier. Although supportive of several predictions of the river hypothesis of biological diversification, our study is limited in addressing the historical impact of river barriers as agents of vicariance in the process of diversification.
Temporal and spatial expression of flavonoid biosynthetic genes in flowers of Anthurium andraeanum
Authors: Collette Vern E. , Jameson Paula E. , Schwinn Kathy E. , Umaharan Pathmanathan , Davies Kevin M.
Published: October 2004

The expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes during flower colour development in Anthurium andraeanum (anthurium) was studied. A cDNA library was constructed from mRNA from the anthurium spathe, and full‐length cDNA clones identified for the flavonoid biosynthetic enzymes chalcone synthase (CHS), flavanone 3‐hydroxylase (F3H), dihydroflavonol 4‐reductase (DFR) and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS). These were used to measure transcript levels in the spathe during flower development, in cultivars with different flower colours, over the diurnal cycle, and in the spadix. CHS, F3H and ANS were expressed at all stages of spathe and spadix development. However, DFR transcript levels varied significantly between stages, and DFR may represent a key point of regulation. A diurnal rhythm of DFR transcript abundance in the spathe was also observed, with transcript levels high at dawn and dusk and low at noon. Control of anthocyanin biosynthesis in anthurium spathe differs from that described for flowers of other species, with DFR a key regulatory point and a complex mix of developmental and environmental control signals.
Measurement of intracellular pH in maize root tissue with α‐methyl fluorinated alanines and in‐vivo 19F NMR spectroscopy
Authors: Pfeffer Philip E. , Shachar‐Hill Yair , Tu Shu‐I. , Brauer David
Published: October 2004

Methods for the simultaneous measurement of vacuolar and cytoplasmic pH in plant tissues currently have significant limitations. This study demonstrates the usefulness of methyl difluoro alanine (F2ALA) and methyl trifluoro alanine (F3ALA) with in‐vivo 19F NMR spectroscopy to measure vacuolar and cytoplasmic pH in maize root tissue. The pH dependence of the chemical shift of F2ALA and F3ALA is greater than either the commonly used 31P NMR signal of inorganic phosphate or the 13C NMR signals of trans‐aconitic acid, which is also found in some plant cells. F2ALA and F3ALA were also able to detect changes over a greater range of pH. When maize root tissue was incubated in the presence of 0.35 mm F2ALA or F3ALA, these accumulated to significant concentrations in two compartments of different pH with no significant effect on growth rate of root tips. The time course of accumulation and the pH of the two compartments were consistent with one being the cytoplasm and the other the vacuole. The chemical shift of both C2 of trans‐aconitic acid and vacuolar F3ALA indicated that the mean vacuolar pH of maize root cells was 4.6 and that the pH gradient across the tonoplast membrane was about 2.8 units. Under a variety of conditions, there was considerable heterogeneity in the pH of the vacuoles in maize root tissue as indicated by the peak width of the signal from F3ALA. The significance of these values is discussed in terms of the bioenergetics of proton transport across the tonoplast membrane in vivo.
Iron supply to tobacco plants through foliar application of iron citrate and ferric dimerum acid
Authors: Fernández Victoria , Winkelmann Günther , Ebert Georg
Published: October 2004

Experiments to assess the re‐greening and the distribution of leaf‐applied iron (Fe) within the aerial organs were developed with tobacco (Nicotiana tabacumL.) plants. Fe (III)‐citrate and Fe‐dimerum acid were applied to a part of the leaf and plant re‐greening was monitored for 6 weeks after treatment. Fluid Fe increments associated with foliar Fe application were measured within 3 days after application. Fe distribution from the site of application within the leaf and the untreated above‐ground plant parts was evaluated. Leaf fluid Fe concentration was determined by a novel procedure based on Fe chelation by desferrioxamine E and high performance liquid chromatography separation on a reversed‐phase column. The ferrioxamine E method enabled accurate determination of small amounts of Fe present in leaf fluid. Foliar Fe‐dimerum acid and Fe (III)‐citrate treatment to chlorotic tobacco plants induced new growth re‐greening. It was concluded that the applied Fe‐containing compounds penetrated the leaf, were distributed within the plant and that Fe supplied as both complexes could be utilized by the plant cell.
Effect of hydroxylated carotenoid deficiency on ABA accumulation in Arabidopsis
Authors: Tian Li , DellaPenna Dean , Zeevaart Jan A. D.
Published: October 2004

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a sesquiterpene compound (C15) derived from C40 carotenoids. The immediate carotenoid precursors for ABA biosynthesis, 9‐cis‐violaxanthin and 9′‐cis‐neoxanthin, are produced from β‐carotene by a series of hydroxylation, epoxidation, and isomerization reactions. Carotenoid hydroxylase deficient mutants contain severely reduced levels of violaxanthin and neoxanthin ( < 20% of wild type level) and provide a unique system to correlate carotenoid substrate availability and ABA production in photosynthetic tissues under non‐stressed conditions. Quantitative measurements indicated that ABA levels in the carotenoid hydroxylase mutants are reduced nearly 50% compared to the wild type plants under non‐stressed conditions. When drought‐stressed, wild type plants showed up to a 17‐fold increase in ABA levels, while ABA levels in the carotenoid hydroxylase mutants were only increased 6‐ to 7‐fold (25% of wild type drought‐stressed ABA levels). Expression of AtNCED3 (Arabidopsis thaliana nine‐cis‐epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 3, the rate‐limiting activity for ABA biosynthesis) was induced in the carotenoid hydroxylase mutants, but to a lesser extent than the 40‐fold increase in wild type plants. Therefore, the reduced ABA accumulation in response to drought‐stress is at least partially due to the attenuated increase in AtNCED3 gene expression in the carotenoid hydroxylase mutants. The remaining violaxanthin and neoxanthin in the carotenoid hydroxylase mutants can not be converted into ABA, indicating that there is probably a separate pool of violaxanthin and neoxanthin that is not accessible to the cleavage enzymes, because it is sequestered in the light‐harvesting complexes.
Senescence‐related changes in the antioxidant status of ginkgo and birch leaves during autumn yellowing
Authors: Kukavica Biljana , Jovanovic Sonja Veljovic
Published: October 2004

The antioxidant status of birch and ginkgo leaves during autumnal senescence was characterized by the activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The contents of leaf H2O2 and ascorbate were used as indicators of oxidative stress. Degradation of chlorophyll (chl) during natural senescence was not accompanied either by an increase of H2O2 or by a decrease of reduced ascorbate. A transient decrease of reduced ascorbate in ginkgo and birch leaves in early senescence was accompanied by CAT inactivation. The activity of ionically‐bound PODs was stimulated in late senescence in both species, when more than 30% of chl was degraded. Induction of MnSOD in both species and new isoforms of CuZnSOD in birch in late senescence was accompanied by the disappearance of other CuZnSOD isoforms in birch and FeSOD in ginkgo. The role of antioxidative enzymes in keeping ascorbate reduced and endogenous H2O2 at low levels in senescent leaves of deciduous trees was discussed.
Response of cotton and sorghum to several levels of subambient solar UV‐B radiation: a test of the saturation hypothesis
Authors: Coleman Robert S. , Day Thomas A.
Published: October 2004

Some have proposed that plant responses to above‐ambient or supplemented levels of solar ultraviolet‐B radiation (UV‐B; 280–315 nm) are typically subtle because targets or receptors in plants become saturated. If true, in solar UV‐B filter exclusion experiments we would expect that plant responses would level off or ‘saturate’ as doses approached ambient levels. To test this so‐called ‘saturation hypothesis’ we examined the response of Gossypium hirsutum (cotton) and Sorghum bicolor (sorghum) to filter exclusions that provided five levels of biologically effective UV‐B, ranging from 36 to 91% of ambient solar levels in Arizona, USA. UV‐B dose had no effect on biomass production of either species. As UV‐B dose increased or approached ambient, individual leaves of S. bicolor were smaller, but plants produced more tillers and leaves. In G. hirsutum, individual leaves as well as total plant leaf area were smaller, but plants produced more branches. Bulk concentrations of soluble UV‐B absorbing compounds increased with UV‐B dose in both species. Leaf epidermal UV‐B transmittance, assessed with the chlorophyll fluorescence technique, declined with increasing UV‐B dose, and was well correlated with bulk concentrations of soluble UV‐B screening compounds. Bulk concentrations of insoluble or wall‐bound UV‐B absorbing compounds were not affected by UV‐B dose. The intensity of UV‐induced blue fluorescence from leaf surfaces was strongly correlated with bulk concentrations of wall‐bound UV‐B absorbing compounds, and this signal has the potential to provide a rapid, non‐invasive method to estimate concentrations of these compounds, which are time‐consuming to extract. While both species were responsive to solar UV‐B, responses did not appear to become saturated as doses approached ambient levels. Rather, responses required a threshold dose of >70% of solar ambient UV‐B levels before they became apparent.
Clinical features of testicular tumors in children
Authors: KANTO SATORU , SAITO HIDEO , ITO AKIHIRO , SATOH MAKOTO , SAITO SEIICHI , ARAI YOICHI
Published: October 2004

Aim:  Testicular tumors are not common pediatric solid tumors, especially in Asian children. There have been few reviews of cases in Japan to date. We present the clinical features of 14 pediatric testicular tumor patients.

Methods:  Clinical features of 14 testicular tumor patients, such as chief complaints, age at diagnosis, pathology, stages, treatments and prognosis, were examined from medical records. Two patients had their semen tested at adolescence.

Results:  Of the 14 prepubescent patients, 12 (85.7%) patients were diagnosed before 3 years of age. Ten cases (71.4%) were diagnosed as yolk sac tumors, three (21.4%) as mature teratomas and one case as an epidermoid cyst. Nine cases (90.0%) among the 10 cases of yolk sac tumor were diagnosed as stage I and one case was stage IV. One stage I yolk sac tumor patient developed lung metastasis later. Eventually, two yolk sac tumor patients died, despite chemotherapy. While all the cases with a diagnosis before 2 years of age survived, 67% (2/3) of cases with a diagnosis after the age of 2 died of tumors. Semen analysis in two patients showed normospermia.

Conclusion:  In the present study, the most common testicular tumors were yolk sac tumors and the patients diagnosed before 2 years of age showed favorable results. Age could be a relapse risk factor in yolk sac tumors. Guidelines for handling testicular tumors in children is not yet well established in Japan. An organized system seems necessary to gather and accumulate the results of the cases in Japan in order to develop better guidelines for treatment.
Spoke‐wheel‐like enhancement as an important imaging finding of chromophobe cell renal carcinoma: A retrospective analysis on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging studies
Authors: KONDO TSUNENORI , NAKAZAWA HAYAKAZU , SAKAI FUMIKAZU , KUWATA TOMO , ONITSUKA SHIRO , HASHIMOTO YASUNOBU , TOMA HIROSHI
Published: October 2004

Aim:  Little information has been reported with regard to the radiological features of chromophobe cell renal carcinomas (CCRC). The aim of the present study was to identify imaging characteristics which lead to the histological diagnosis of CCRC.

Methods:  The imaging findings of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were retrospectively analyzed in 11 patients with CCRC operated on at Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.

Results:  None of the factors studied were significant in distinguishing the two variants, typical and eosinophilic variants. Enhanced CT scans showed a spoke‐wheel‐like enhancement with a central scar in 3 patients (27%). The radiological patterns were classified into two groups. Seven patients (64%) showed pattern 1 in which: (i) a hypodense to isodense enhancement compared to the renal medulla in the corticomedullary phase during dynamic CT; (ii) an isodense mass compared to the renal medulla in unenhanced CT scan; and (iii) a lobulated appearance were typically observed. Four patients (36%) showed pattern 2 that seemed to be similar to the features of clear cell carcinoma, having an alveolar structure including a hyperdense enhancement in the corticomedullary phase and an inhomogeneous appearance. A spoke‐wheel‐like enhancement was observed only in patients with pattern 1, and was more clearly demonstrated in larger tumors.

Conclusions:  The CT and MRI findings in CCRC patients were not uniform, but it was noted that a spoke‐wheel‐like enhancement with a central stellate scar, which might have been mistaken for oncocytoma, was one of important findings of CCRC. Tumors demonstrating a spoke‐wheel‐like enhancement with a central scar should be carefully managed, because they could be malignant.
Angiomyolipoma of kidney involving the inferior vena cava
Authors: ISLAM A.H.M. MANJURUL , EHARA TAKASHI , KATO HARUAKI , HAYAMA MASAYOSHI , KASHIWABARA TAKESHI , NISHIZAWA OSAMU
Published: October 2004

Abstract  We successfully treated a case of angiomyolipoma of the right kidney involving the inferior vena cava. Tissue sections of the tumor were immunostained and immunohistochemically tested with the smooth muscle related antibodies, namely, calponin h1, h‐caldesmon and α‐smooth muscle actin, and were then compared with the five cases of common type of angiomyolipoma. Furthermore, we reviewed and analyzed 25 case reports of invasive renal angiomyolipomas.
Traumatic renal artery thrombosis with renovascular hypertension
Authors: NEGORO HIROMITSU , IWAMURA HIROSHI , OKA HIROYA , KAWAKITA MUTSUSHI , ARIYOSHI KOICHI , KODA YOICHI , IMAI YUKIHIRO
Published: October 2004

Abstract  A 15‐year‐old boy, who tumbled from a fourth‐floor window, was transported to our hospital. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) 1.5 h after the injury showed a non‐contrasted right kidney, and a repeat CT 6 h after the injury showed a growing retroperitoneal hematoma. The angiography showed complete obstruction of the right renal artery and bleeding from the subcapsular artery, which was successfully embolized. Renovascular hypertension developed on the second day after the injury; therefore, simple nephrectomy was performed.
Long‐term treatment outcome of tamsulosin for benign prostatic hyperplasia
Authors: ICHIOKA KENTARO , OHARA HIROKI , TERADA NAOKI , MATSUI YOSHIYUKI , YOSHIMURA KOJI , TERAI AKITO , ARAI YOICHI
Published: October 2004

Background:  The present study assessed the long‐term efficacy (>12 months) of tamsulosin in 123 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Methods:  The patients received a starting dose of tamsulosin of 0.2 mg/day, with a further titration up to 0.4 mg/day until symptom relief. Subjective and objective clinical variables were assessed using the international prostate symptom score (IPSS), IPSS quality of life (QoL) score, BPH impact index score, peak urinary flow rate (Qmax) and postvoid residual urine volume.

Results:  Except for Qmax, all clinical variables showed significant sustained improvements from baseline throughout the study period (median follow up, 43 months). Thirty patients (24.4%) withdrew because of surgical interventions. The Cox proportional hazards model showed that a baseline IPSS total score ≥15 (HR [hazard ratio] 2.13; 95% CI 1.04–4.34) was predictive of failure for tamsulosin therapy. Furthermore, during the first 12 months, a lowest IPSS total score ≥13 (HR 2.34; 95% CI 1.12–4.89), a lowest IPSS QoL score ≥3 (HR 4.16; 95% CI 1.26–13.68), and a lowest BPH impact index score ≥4 (HR 3.54; 95% CI 1.62–7.75) were also predictive of failure for tamsulosin therapy.

Conclusions:  Tamsulosin treatment of BPH patients for more than 12 months showed a sustained, stable efficacy. Patients without short‐term effects were prone to withdraw from tamsulosin therapy, but so did patients with a high baseline IPSS total score, even if therapy was effective for at least 12 months.
Tuberculid of the penis with a scab on the nodule
Authors: YONEMURA SHIGENORI , FUJIKAWA SHINJI , SU JING SHI , OHNISHI TAKEHISA , ARIMA KIMINOBU , SUGIMURA YOSHIKI
Published: October 2004

Abstract  Tuberculids of the penis are extremely rare. The clinical features of tuberculids of the penis have been reported as ulceration or scars. We have experienced a case of tuberculid of the penis that appeared as a scab on nodule. A 56‐year‐old man presented with a 4‐month history of a painless subcutaneous nodule at the glans penis. Pathological findings of the nodule showed granulomatous inflammation. Tuberculin tests were strongly positive, but tubercle bacilli could not be detected. The diagnosis was tuberculid of the penis and the patient received antituberculosis chemotherapy. The present paper reports an interesting and rare case of tuberculid of the penis with a scab on nodule.
Primary carcinoid tumor arising in a retroperitoneal mature teratoma in an adult
Authors: YAMASAKI TOSHINARI , YAGIHASHI YUUSUKE , SHIRAHASE TOSHIAKI , HASHIMURA TAKAYUKI , WATANABE CHIHIRO
Published: October 2004

Abstract  An extremely rare case of a primary carcinoid tumor arising in a mature retroperitoneal teratoma is reported. A 53‐year‐old woman was admitted for further examination of an incidental retroperitoneal mass with calcification. Computed tomography scans demonstrated a tumor with fat, soft tissue and bone densities on the left renal hilum. Surgical excision of the tumor was performed with a preoperative diagnosis of retroperitoneal teratoma. The pathological diagnosis was mature teratoma, including all three germ layers. A carcinoid tumor was evident among teratoid tissues and it was thought to be a teratoma with malignant transformation. The patient did not have a carcinoid syndrome and had an uneventful recovery. She has been followed for 31 months with no recurrence. Carcinoid tumors rarely occur in teratomas of the ovary and the testis and, to our knowledge, this is the first case of carcinoid arising in a retroperitoneal mature teratoma.
Pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema as the manifestation of emphysematous pyelonephritis
Authors: WANG YEN‐CHIEH , WANG JINN‐MING , CHOW YUNG‐CHIONG , CHIU ALLEN W , YANG STONE
Published: October 2004

Abstract  Pneumomediastinum, a collection of mediastinal air, often results from the rupture of intrathoracic structures. A 41‐year‐old diabetic woman initially presented with signs of pneumomediastinum and nuchal subcutaneous emphysema, but was finally diagnosed with unilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis. Pneumomediastinum as a presentation in retroperitoneal infection has not been reported previously, which prompts us to discuss its etiology and emphasize the importance of physical examination.
Implications of amyloidosis on prostatic biopsy
Authors: LAWRENTSCHUK NATHAN , PAN DAVID , STILLWELL ROSS , BOLTON DAMIEN M.
Published: October 2004

Abstract  Transrectal ultrasound‐guided biopsy of the prostate is an integral step in the investigation of patients at risk of prostate adenocarcinoma. With an increasing number of biopsies being performed, uncommon forms of prostatic pathology will be identified more frequently. Amyloidosis of the prostate and/or the seminal vesicles may be noted on transrectal ultrasound‐guided biopsy of the prostate and the implications of this histological diagnosis must be understood. We present our experience of two such cases of amyloidosis and review the literature regarding their management.
Extraperitoneal laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection in supine position after chemotherapy for advanced testicular carcinoma
Authors: HARA ISAO , KAWABATA GAKU , YAMADA YUJI , TANAKA KAZUSHI , KAMIDONO SADAO
Published: October 2004

Aim:  To evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of extraperitoneal laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) in the supine position after chemotherapy for advanced testicular carcinoma

Methods:  Three patients with advanced testicular cancer underwent chemotherapy. Although serum markers were decreased compared with the normal range, residual masses requiring surgical resection were recognized by computed tomography scanning. We applied extraperitoneal laparoscopic RPLND. The patients were placed in the supine position and the first trocar was inserted two finger widths medial to the anterior iliac spine. The retroperitoneal space was dilated using a preperitoneal distention balloon. Two more ports were inserted into the retroperitoneal space and surgery proceeded thereafter.

Results:  The residual tumors were completely resected by laparoscopy. The procedure required 250–310 min and the bleeding volume was below 50 mL. Although the histopathological findings consisted only of necrosis in all of the patients, one patient recurred at the same place.

Conclusions:  Extraperitoneal laparoscopic RPLND in the supine position for residual tumors after chemotherapy is technically feasible and useful in terms of postoperative recovery. With regard to cancer control, further evaluation should be necessary.
Living in several languages: implications for therapy
Authors: Burck Charlotte
Published: October 2004

Bilingualism and multilingualism have mainly been neglected in psychotherapy. This paper is based on qualitative research of subjective experiences of living in more than one language, using a combined grounded theory and discursive approach, which raises significant issues for therapy. These individuals experience themselves very differently in their different languages, and construct their languages differently. Languages acquire meanings in socio‐political contexts as well as in local personal ones, and encode different concepts and notions of personhood. Issues of language choice within families and what it is seen to accomplish are discussed. Mothers and fathers view this issue differently. The paper argues for the importance of taking into account the differences languages bring for individuals, particularly in the context of colonialism and racism. Asking about families' experiences of their languages is a fruitful way to explore cultural meanings. Multilingualism is a resource for mental flexibility and creativity, but there are challenges in enabling living with its multiplicities.
Thematic review of family therapy journals in 2003
Authors: Carr Alan
Published: October 2004

In this paper the principal English‐language family therapy journals published in 2003 are reviewed under the following headings: therapy effectiveness, therapy process, assessment, theory with specific reference to attachment resilience, practice with specific reference to trauma, and training.
Luther on Ubiquity and a Theology of the Public
Authors: Jorgenson Allen G.
Published: October 2004

Abstract:  In this article, I contest Milbank's critiques of Luther by underscoring the participatory theme in his treatment of faith. After considering faith's relation to the presence of Christ, I explore Luther's treatment of real presence in his theology of the Lord's Supper. His appeal to ubiquity in this regard functions doxologically to counter the possibility of the orchestration of Christ's presence. The promised nature of that presence, however, emphasizes that God graciously elicits a faith which apprehends absence as a profound mode of presence and so grounds a theology of the public in which the church, by theosis, shares Christ's definitive, rather than ubiquitous, presence.
Overexpression of extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase and its correlation with proliferation in human hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Tsuboi Yasunori , Ichida Takafumi , Sugitani Soichi , Genda Takuya , Inayoshi Jun , Takamura Masaaki , Matsuda Yasunobu , Nomoto Minoru , Aoyagi Yutaka
Published: October 2004

Abstract: Background: Dysregulation of cell proliferation is one of the most important features of human cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the molecular basis underlying the proliferation of HCC has not been fully clarified. Because a previous study reported that overexpression of extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase (ERK), which transduces extracellular growth stimuli to the nuclei, was frequently observed in several human cancers, this study was performed to analyze the expression of ERK in human HCC and its correlation with HCC proliferation.

Methods: Twenty‐four paired samples of primary HCCs and corresponding noncancerous liver tissues, and six samples of histologically normal liver tissue were obtained from surgically resected materials. The expression of ERK was examined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analysis. Proliferative activity of each HCC was examined by immunohistochemical demonstration of proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).

Results: The ERK1 and ERK2 expression in HCCs was significantly higher than that in noncancerous liver tissues, and the ERK1 expression in noncancerous liver tissues from patients with HCC was higher than that in tissue from normal liver. Immunohistochemical examination revealed enhanced accumulation of ERK1 in the nuclei of HCC cells. Regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between ERK expression and PCNA labeling index in HCC.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ERK overexpression contributes to the proliferation of HCC.