bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
N‐Methyl‐l‐amino acid dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas putida
Authors: Mihara Hisaaki , Muramatsu Hisashi , Kakutani Ryo , Yasuda Mari , Ueda Makoto , Kurihara Tatsuo , Esaki Nobuyoshi
Published: February 2005

We found N‐methyl‐l‐amino acid dehydrogenase activity in various bacterial strains, such as Pseudomonas putida and Bacillus alvei, and cloned the gene from P. putida ATCC12633 into Escherichia coli. The enzyme purified to homogeneity from recombinant E. coli catalyzed the NADPH‐dependent formation of N‐alkyl‐l‐amino acids from the corresponding α‐oxo acids (e.g. pyruvate, phenylpyruvate, and hydroxypyruvate) and alkylamines (e.g. methylamine, ethylamine, and propylamine). Ammonia was inert as a substrate, and the enzyme was clearly distinct from conventional NAD(P)‐dependent amino acid dehydrogenases, such as alanine dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.1). NADPH was more than 300 times more efficient than NADH as a hydrogen donor in the enzymatic reductive amination. Primary structure analysis revealed that the enzyme belongs to a new NAD(P)‐dependent oxidoreductase superfamily, the members of which show no sequence homology to conventional NAD(P)‐dependent amino acid dehydrogenases and opine dehydrogenases.
Calcium – a universal carrier of biological signals
Authors: Carafoli Ernesto
Published: February 2005

Calcium is the most universal carrier of signals to cells. Chosen by evolution because of its peculiar flexibility as a ligand, it now regulates all important aspects of cell activity, beginning with the creation of new life at fertilization and ending with the dramatic event of apoptotic suicide at the end of the life cycle. The process of signal transduction by Ca2+ displays a number of properties that make it unique among all other carriers of signals: for instance, the ability to perform both a first messenger and a second messenger function, or the frequent activation of autoregulatory mechanisms. The aspect that distinguishes the Ca2+ signaling function most dramatically is ambivalence. Cells have an absolute dependence on the messenger function of Ca2+ in order to function properly and must control its homeostasis with precision to maintain its free concentration in their interior at the appropriate low level. Catastrophy, however, invariably follows whenever protracted failures of the control mechanisms lead to sustained Ca2+ overload.
Discovery and characterization of a Coenzyme A disulfide reductase from Pyrococcus horikoshii
Authors: Harris Dennis R. , Ward Donald E. , Feasel Jeremy M. , Lancaster Kyle M. , Murphy Ryan D. , Mallet T. Conn , Crane Edward J.
Published: February 2005

We have cloned NADH oxidase homologues from Pyrococcus horikoshii and P. furiosus, and purified the recombinant form of the P. horikoshii enzyme to homogeneity from Escherichia coli. Both enzymes (previously referred to as NOX2) have been shown to act as a coenzyme A disulfide reductases (CoADR: CoA‐S‐S‐CoA + NAD(P)H + H+→2CoA‐SH + NAD(P)+). The P. horikoshii enzyme shows a kcat app of 7.2 s−1 with NADPH at 75 °C. While the enzyme shows a preference for NADPH, it is able to use both NADPH and NADH efficiently, with both giving roughly equal kcats, while the Km for NADPH is roughly eightfold lower than that for NADH. The enzyme is specific for the CoA disulfide, and does not show significant reductase activity with other disulfides, including dephospho‐CoA. Anaerobic reductive titration of the enzyme with NAD(P)H proceeds in two stages, with an apparent initial reduction of a nonflavin redox center with the first reduction resulting in what appears to be an EH2 form of the enzyme. Addition of a second of NADPH results in the formation of an apparent FAD‐NAD(P)H complex. The behavior of this enzyme is quite different from the mesophilic staphylococcal version of the enzyme. This is only the second enzyme with this activity discovered, and the first from a strict anaerobe, an Archaea, or hyperthermophilic source. P. furiosus cells were assayed for small molecular mass thiols and found to contain 0.64 µmol CoA·g dry weight−1 (corresponding to 210 µm CoA in the cell) consistent with CoA acting as a pool of disulfide reducing equivalents.
The enantioselectivities of the active and allosteric sites of mammalian ribonucleotide reductase
Authors: He Jian , Roy Béatrice , Périgaud Christian , Kashlan Ossama B. , Cooperman Barry S.
Published: February 2005

Here we examine the enantioselectivity of the allosteric and substrate binding sites of murine ribonucleotide reductase (mRR). l‐ADP binds to the active site and l‐ATP binds to both the s‐ and a‐allosteric sites of mR1 with affinities that are only three‐ to 10‐fold weaker than the values for the corresponding d‐enantiomers. These results demonstrate the potential of l‐nucleotides for interacting with and modulating the activity of mRR, a cancer chemotherapeutic and antiviral target. On the other hand, we detect no substrate activity for l‐ADP and no inhibitory activity for N3‐l‐dUDP, demonstrating the greater stereochemical stringency at the active site with respect to catalytic activity.
Identification and characterization of four novel peptide motifs that recognize distinct regions of the transcription factor CP2
Authors: Kang Ho Chul , Chung Bo Mee , Chae Ji Hyung , Yang Sung‐Il , Kim Chan Gil , Kim Chul Geun
Published: February 2005

Although ubiquitously expressed, the transcriptional factor CP2 also exhibits some tissue‐ or stage‐specific activation toward certain genes such as globin in red blood cells and interleukin‐4 in T helper cells. Because this specificity may be achieved by interaction with other proteins, we screened a peptide display library and identified four consensus motifs in numerous CP2‐binding peptides: HXPR, PHL, ASR and PXHXH. Protein‐database searching revealed that RE‐1 silencing factor (REST), Yin‐Yang1 (YY1) and five other proteins have one or two of these CP2‐binding motifs. GlutathioneS‐transferase pull‐down and coimmunoprecipitation assays showed that two HXPR motif‐containing proteins REST and YY1 indeed were able to bind CP2. Importantly, this binding to CP2 was almost abolished when a double amino acid substitution was made on the HXPR sequence of REST and YY1 proteins. The suppressing effect of YY1 on CP2's transcriptional activity was lost by this point mutation on the HXPR sequence of YY1 and reduced by an HXPR‐containing peptide, further supporting the interaction between CP2 and YY1 via the HXPR sequence. Mapping the sites on CP2 for interaction with the four distinct CP2‐binding motifs revealed at least three different regions on CP2. This suggests that CP2 recognizes several distinct binding motifs by virtue of employing different regions, thus being able to interact with and regulate many cellular partners.
Ethical Aspects of Sexual Medicine
Authors: Wagner Gorm , Bondil Pierre , Dabees Khalid , Dean John , Fourcroy Jean , Gingell Clive , Kingsberg Sheryl , Kothari Prakash , Rubio-Aurioles Eusebio , Ugarte Fernando , Navarrete R. Vela
Published: February 2005

Introduction

Ethics describe the ways in which moral life is understood. Morality comprises norms for human conduct, and addresses what is right and what is wrong.

Aim

To provide a consensus-based summary of the ethical aspects of sexual medicine.

Methods

Over 200 multidisciplinary specialists from 60 countries were divided into 17 consultation committees as part of a process organized by an international consultation on sexual medicine held in Paris, June 28–July 1, 2003 in close alliance with several sexual medicine organizations. Embarking on a study on ethics in sexual medicine, 10 experts from eight countries assembled over a two-year period to develop this consensus-based summary.

Main Outcome Measure

Although ethics are recognized as subjective, expert opinion was based on grading of evidence-based medical literature, in addition to cultural and ethical considerations. The process also involved extensive internal committee discussion, public presentation, and debate.

Results

Contemporary medical practitioners provide health care for patients from many different cultures from all around the world. Thus, it is recommended that all health professionals working in sexual medicine should above all be able to demonstrate respect, understanding, and tolerance toward the differing moral worldviews of their patients and colleagues, and the societies they represent. In sexual medicine, health professionals have an obligation to respect the autonomy of any individual that they treat, regardless of that individual's religious or socio-cultural tradition, race, gender, or sexual orientation. Sexual rights are a necessary condition for sexual health. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected, and fulfilled.

Conclusions

Additional discussion and research on ethics in sexual medicine is needed.
Transfer of Transdermally Applied Testosterone to Clothing: A Comparison of a Testosterone Patch Versus a Testosterone Gel
Authors: Mazer Norman , Fisher Daniel , Fischer Jerome , Cosgrove Michael , Bell Damon , Eilers Barbara
Published: February 2005

Aim

To  assess  the  amount  of  testosterone  transferred  from  the  abdominal  application  sites  of a transdermal testosterone patch and a transdermal testosterone gel to cotton T-shirts worn for 24 hours during each treatment.

Methods

During a crossover study comparing the pharmacokinetics of a testosterone patch versus a testosterone gel in 28 hypogonadal men, subjects wore fresh cotton T-shirts for 24 hours on the seventh and fourteenth days of each treatment and during a 24-hour baseline period. At the end of each evaluation, the abdominal section of the shirt was carefully cut out, extracted in alcohol, and analyzed for testosterone by a direct radioimmunoassay. The minimum quantifiable amount of testosterone was 0.03 µg per T-shirt sample.

Results

The median amounts of extracted testosterone were 0.44 µg for the baseline samples, 25.4 µg for the average of the two patch samples, and 6,762.7 µg for the average of the two gel samples (all comparisons P < 0.0001). Significant correlations were observed between the day 7 and day 14 data for both the patch (R = 0.4982; P < 0.01) and the gel (R = 0.8383; P < 0.0001). No significant correlations were found between the baseline, patch, or gel data, or between these and any demographic or pharmacokinetic parameters. A quantitative interpretation of the findings suggests that the baseline results are consistent with the transfer of testosterone in sweat; the patch results are probably due to the transfer of a small amount of residual testosterone left on the abdominal skin from the prior day's patches; and the gel results reflect the desquamation of stratum corneum containing a portion of the abdominally applied testosterone.

Conclusions

There are large differences in the amount of testosterone that can be transferred from the application sites of transdermal patches and gels. The latter should be covered with clothing to minimize transfer through intimate skin-to-skin contact.
Prostatic Specific Antigen in Patients with Hypogonadism: Effect of Testosterone Replacement
Authors: El-Sakka Ahmed I. , Hassoba Howayda M. , Elbakry Adel M. , Hassan Hassan A.
Published: February 2005

Introduction

The effect of parenteral testosterone replacement therapy on prostatic specific antigen (PSA) level or the development or growth of prostate cancer is unclear.

Aim

To assess the effect of testosterone replacement on PSA level in patients with hypogonadism associated with erectile dysfunction (ED).

Methods

A total of 187 male patients above the age of 45 with hypogonadism associated with ED were enrolled in this study. Patients were screened for ED by the erectile function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Patients underwent routine laboratory investigations, plus total testosterone, and PSA assessment. Replacement treatment with parenteral testosterone every 2–4 weeks for 1 year was instituted. Total testosterone and PSA serum levels were assessed every 3 months during the treatment course.

Results

Mean age ± SD was 62.8 ± 11.4. Of the patients 87.7% were sexually active. Of the patients 10.2% had mild, 40.6% had moderate and 49.2% had severe ED. Of the study population, 62.5% had ED complaints for less than 5 years and 84.5% had gradual onset of their complaint. The majority of the patients (91.4%) had either progressive or stationary course while the minority reported regressive course and improvement of the condition. There was a significant increase of the post-treatment testosterone level in comparison to pretreatment level (P < 0.05). No significant increase in the post-treatment PSA level in comparison to pretreatment (P > 0.05). No significant difference between pre- and post-treatment categories of PSA level (normal, borderline, high) in relation to the severity of ED (P > 0.05). There was no significant association between PSA level and the duration of testosterone replacement therapy in the study population (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

The current study demonstrated that the level of PSA was not significantly changed after 1 year of testosterone replacement therapy in patients with hypogonadism associated with ED.
Erectile Dysfunction Following Surgical Correction of Peyronie's Disease and a Pilot Study of the Use of Sildenafil Citrate Rehabilitation for Postoperative Erectile Dysfunction
Authors: Levine Laurence A. , Greenfield Jason M. , Estrada Carlos R.
Published: February 2005

Introduction

Peyronie's disease (PD) is correctable by several surgical approaches including plaque incision with grafting. While the best choice of graft material remains controversial, the risk of postoperative erectile dysfunction (ED) is apparent across previous reports.

Aim

We attempt to provide guidelines as to which patients may be at increased risk for developing postoperative ED after this procedure, as well as examine the role of sildenafil citrate (SC) in the postoperative period for prevention of this complication.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective review was performed on 37 patients who underwent surgical correction of PD with pericardial grafting after plaque incision. Mean follow-up was 24 months. We evaluated patient age, duration of disease, defect size, plaque location, degree of curvature, shaft narrowing, preoperative coital activity, vascular risk factors for ED, as well as preoperative erection grade and duplex ultrasound parameters. Twenty-six of these patients underwent a postoperative rehabilitation protocol of SC to enhance recovery of unassisted erections.

Results

Overall, 11 patients (29%) noted diminished postoperative rigidity, that compromised unassisted coitus, compared to preoperative status. Comparison of rates of ED among those with or without vascular risk factors yielded no statistically significant results. Peyronie's disease duration, patient age, defect size, plaque location, degree of curvature, and narrowing were also insignificant predictors of which patients developed ED. An increased percentage of patients who developed ED were not sexually active preoperatively compared to those that did not develop ED (58% vs. 80%). When patients were compared based on preoperative erection grade, those patients with compromised erectile function were more likely to develop postoperative ED vs. those with full erections (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in preoperative duplex ultrasound parameters between both sets of patients. For those undergoing SC rehabilitation, 7 out of 26 (26%) developed ED in comparison to 4 out of 11 patients (36%) developing diminished rigidity when not subjected to the protocol.

Conclusions

No single parameter was found that predicted the occurrence of postoperative ED with the exception of preoperative erectile status. The surgeon must carefully assess and consult each patient when considering grafting as well as consider the possible role of SC in attempting to prevent this complication.
Serum Antioxidant Enzymes and Malondialdehyde Levels in Patients with Premature Ejaculation Before and After Pharmacotherapy
Authors: Atmaca Murad , Karadag Figen , Tezcan Ertan
Published: February 2005

Background

In our previous study, significantly higher antioxidant enzymes and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in patients with premature ejaculation (PE) compared to healthy controls were found. In the present study, we planned to evaluate antioxidant enzymes and MDA levels of patients with PE before and after citalopram treatment.

Methods

The study comprised 30 patients with PE according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Version (DSM-IV) and 30 healthy controls. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups. Fifteen of them (group I) received 8 weeks of citalopram treatment but the remaining (group II) did not. The subjects were asked to determine the average intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IVELT). The fasting antioxidant enzymes and MDA levels were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks.

Results

No statistically significant difference in the mean IVELT between groups at baseline was found. IVELT considerably elevated after 8 weeks of citalopram treatment in group I with a mean of 209 ± 72.1 seconds but not in group II. Antioxidant enzymes and MDA levels did not differ between groups at baseline. At the evaluation of week 8, SOD, GSH-Px, and MDA levels significantly reduced during treatment in group I patients.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the results suggest that the ability for antioxidant enzymes and MDA to normalize through symptom alleviation reveals that they might be trait marker of PE. Further placebo-controlled studies are needed.
Editing at the Crossroad of Innate and Adaptive Immunity
Authors: Turelli Priscilla , Trono Didier
Published: February 2005

Genetic information can be altered through the enzymatic modification of nucleotide sequences. This process, known as editing, was originally identified in the mitochondrial RNA of trypanosomes and later found to condition events as diverse as neurotransmission and lipid metabolism in mammals. Recent evidence reveals that editing enzymes may fulfill one of their most essential roles in the defense against infectious agents: first, as the mediators of antibody diversification, a step crucial for building adaptive immunity, and second, as potent intracellular poisons for the replication of viruses. Exciting questions are raised, which take us to the depth of the intimate relations between vertebrates and the microbial underworld.
Obligate Role of Anti-Apoptotic MCL-1 in the Survival of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Authors: Opferman Joseph T. , Iwasaki Hiromi , Ong Christy C. , Suh Heikyung , Mizuno Shin-ichi , Akashi Koichi , Korsmeyer Stanley J.
Published: February 2005

Apoptosis is important in controlling hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) numbers. However, the specific BCL-2 family member(s) that regulate HSC homeostasis are not precisely defined. We tested myeloid leukemia–1 (MCL-1) as an attractive candidate that is highly expressed in HSCs and regulated by growth factor signals. Inducible deletion of
Mcl-1
in mice resulted in ablation of bone marrow. This resulted in the loss of early bone marrow progenitor populations, including HSCs. Moreover, growth factors including stem cell factor increased transcription of the
Mcl-1
gene and required MCL-1 to augment survival of purified bone marrow progenitors. Deletion of
Mcl-1
in other tissues, including liver, did not impair survival. Thus, MCL-1 is a critical and specific regulator essential for ensuring the homeostasis of early hematopoietic progenitors.
Phosphorylation and Regulation of Akt/PKB by the Rictor-mTOR Complex
Authors: Sarbassov Dos D. , Guertin David A. , Ali Siraj M. , Sabatini David M.
Published: February 2005

Deregulation of Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) is implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer and diabetes. Akt/PKB activation requires the phosphorylation of Thr
308
in the activation loop by the phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) and Ser
473
within the carboxyl-terminal hydrophobic motif by an unknown kinase. We show that in
Drosophila
and human cells the target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase and its associated protein rictor are necessary for Ser
473
phosphorylation and that a reduction in rictor or mammalian TOR (mTOR) expression inhibited an Akt/PKB effector. The rictor-mTOR complex directly phosphorylated Akt/PKB on Ser
473
in vitro and facilitated Thr
308
phosphorylation by PDK1. Rictor-mTOR may serve as a drug target in tumors that have lost the expression of PTEN, a tumor suppressor that opposes Akt/PKB activation.
Identification of the Sex Pheromone of the German Cockroach,
Blattella germanica
Authors: Nojima Satoshi , Schal Coby , Webster Francis X. , Santangelo Richard G. , Roelofs Wendell L.
Published: February 2005

The sex pheromone of the German cockroach,
Blattella germanica
, has been characterized as gentisyl quinone isovalerate. This cockroach is a major cause of allergic disease and serves as a mechanical vector of pathogens, making it one of the most important residential and food-associated pests worldwide. The sex pheromone–producing gland in adult females was identified in 1993, but thermal instability of the pheromone made characterization difficult. Now, using a new preparative gas chromatography approach coupled with electroantennographic detection, we have isolated and characterized the pheromone, which we term blattellaquinone, and confirmed the identification by chemical synthesis. The synthetic pheromone was active in behavioral assays and highly effective in field trapping tests, which suggest that it may provide a new tool in cockroach population detection, monitoring, and control.
A Feast of Science for Food Lovers
Authors: Schwarcz Joe
Published: February 2005

On Food and Cooking
The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Completely Revised and Updated.
By Harold McGee
. Scribner, New York, 2004. 896 pp. $35, C$49.95. ISBN 0-684-80001-2.
ON ALGEBRAIC MINIMAL SURFACES IN ℝ3 DERIVING FROM CHARGE 2 MONOPOLE SPECTRAL CURVES
Authors: SMALL ANTHONY
Published: February 2005

We give formulae for minimal surfaces in ℝ3 deriving, via classical osculation duality, from elliptic curves in a line bundle over ℙ1. Specialising to the case of charge 2 monopole spectral curves we find that the distribution of Gaussian curvature on the auxiliary minimal surface reflects the monopole's structure. This is elucidated by the behaviour of the surface's Gauss map.
CROSSED PRODUCTS BY ENDOMORPHISMS, VECTOR BUNDLES AND GROUP DUALITY
Authors: VASSELLI EZIO
Published: February 2005

We construct the crossed product [Formula: see text] of a C(X)-algebra [Formula: see text] by an endomorphism ρ, in such a way that ρ becomes induced by the bimodule [Formula: see text] of continuous sections of a vector bundle ℰ → X. Some motivating examples for such a construction are given. Furthermore, we study the C*-algebra of G-invariant elements of the Cuntz-Pimsner algebra [Formula: see text] associated with [Formula: see text], where G is a (noncompact, in general) group acting on ℰ. In particular, the C*-algebra of invariant elements with respect to the action of the group of special unitaries of ℰ is a crossed product in the above sense. We also study the analogous construction on certain Hilbert bimodules, called "noncommutative pullbacks".
CHARACTERIZATIONS OF BIANCHI–BÄCKLUND TRANSFORMATIONS OF CONSTANT MEAN CURVATURE SURFACES
Authors: KOBAYASHI SHIMPEI , INOGUCHI JUN-ICHI
Published: February 2005

We show that Bianchi–Bäcklund transformation of a constant mean curvature surface is equivalent to the Darboux transformation and the simple type dressing.
EULER PRODUCT EXPRESSION OF TRIPLE ZETA FUNCTIONS
Authors: AKATSUKA HIROTAKA
Published: February 2005

We construct multiple zeta functions considered as absolute tensor products of usual zeta functions. We establish Euler product expressions for triple zeta functions [Formula: see text] with p, q, r distinct primes, via multiple sine functions by using the signatured Poisson summation formula. We also establish Euler product expressions for triple zeta functions [Formula: see text] with a prime p, via the theory of multiple sine functions.
Aims of undergraduate physiology education: a view from the University of Chicago
Authors: Feder Martin E.
Published: February 2005

Feder, Martin E. Aims of undergraduate physiology education: a view from the University of Chicago. Physiology may play an important, if not essential role, in a liberal arts education because it provides a context for integrating information and concepts from diverse biological and extra-biological disciplines. Instructors of physiology may aid in fulfilling this role by clarifying the core concepts that physiological details exemplify. As an example, presented here are the core principles that are the basis for an undergraduate physiology course taught at the University of Chicago. The first of these is: Evolution has resulted in organisms comprising mechanisms for maintenance, growth, and reproduction, despite perturbations of the internal and external environment. Such principles necessitate a coupling of physiology to diverse disciplines (i.e., “sciomics”) and provide a basis for integrating discoveries in other disciplines.
Cat dissection vs. sculpting human structures in clay: an analysis of two approaches to undergraduate human anatomy laboratory education
Authors: Waters John R. , Van Meter Peggy , Perrotti William , Drogo Salvatore , Cyr Richard J.
Published: February 2005

Many human anatomy courses are taught using cat dissection. Alternatives are available, but information regarding learning outcomes is incomplete. In 2003, ∼120 undergraduates enrolled in a human anatomy course were assigned to one of two treatment groups. In the control group, students performed cat dissections (emphasizing isolation and identification) of the muscular, digestive, and cardiovascular systems. In the experimental treatment group, students built clay sculptures of each human body system. Student learning was evaluated by using both low- and high-difficulty questions. On pre- and postexperiment control exams, there were no significant differences in student performance. On exams after a cat dissection vs. a human-clay sculpting experience, the students in the human-clay sculpting treatment group scored significantly higher than their classmates in the cat dissection group on both the low- and high-difficulty questions. Student attitudes toward dissection and taking future human anatomy courses were also measured. There were no differences in student attitudes at the beginning of the experiment; afterward, students exposed to a cat dissection experience viewed dissection more favorably than students in the human-clay sculpting treatment group. There were no treatment effects on student willingness to take future human anatomy courses. The experimental design makes it difficult to conclude precisely why students assigned to the human-clay sculpting experience performed better on exams, but as each method was performed in this particular human anatomy course, our data indicate that human-clay sculpting may be a viable alternative to cat dissection in an anatomy course in which the students focus on human anatomy.
Expression of the unconventional myosin Myo1c alters sodium transport in M1 collecting duct cells
Authors: Wagner Mark C. , Blazer-Yost Bonnie L. , Boyd-White Judy , Srirangam Anjaiah , Pennington Janice , Bennett Stacy
Published: February 2005

Epithelial cells rely on proper targeting of cellular components to perform their physiological function. This dynamic process utilizes the cytoskeleton and involves movement of vesicles to and from the plasma membrane, thus traversing the actin cortical cytoskeleton. Studies support both direct interaction of actin with channels and an indirect mechanism whereby actin may serve as a track in the final delivery of the channel to the plasma membrane. Actin-dependent processes are often mediated via a member of the myosin family of proteins. Myosin I family members have been implicated in multiple cellular events occurring at the plasma membrane. In these studies, we investigated the function of the unconventional myosin I Myo1c in the M1 mouse collecting duct cell line. Myo1c was observed to be concentrated at or near the plasma membrane, often in discrete membrane domains. To address the possible role of Myo1c in channel regulation, we expressed a truncated Myo1c, lacking ATP and actin domains, in M1 cells and compared electrophysiological responses to control M1 cells, M1 cells expressing the empty vector, and M1 cells expressing the full-length Myo1c construct. Interestingly, cells expressing the Myo1c constructs had modulated antidiuretic hormone (ADH)-stimulated short-circuit current and showed little inhibition of short-circuit current with amiloride addition. Evaluation of enhanced green fluorescent protein-Myo1c constructs supports the importance of the IQ region in targeting the Myo1c to its respective cellular domain. These data are consistent with Myo1c participating in the regulation of the Na+ channel after ADH stimulation.
Increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic cardiovascular modulation in normal humans with acute sleep deprivation
Authors: Zhong Xu , Hilton H. John , Gates Gregory J. , Jelic Sanja , Stern Yaakov , Bartels Matthew N. , DeMeersman Ronald E. , Basner Robert C.
Published: February 2005

Cardiovascular autonomic modulation during 36 h of total sleep deprivation (SD) was assessed in 18 normal subjects (16 men, 2 women, 26.0 ± 4.6 yr old). ECG and continuous blood pressure (BP) from radial artery tonometry were obtained at 2100 on the first study night (baseline) and every subsequent 12 h of SD. Each measurement period included resting supine, seated, and seated performing computerized tasks and measured vigilance and executive function. Subjects were not supine in the periods between measurements. Spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) and BP variability (BPV) was computed for cardiac parasympathetic modulation [high-frequency power (HF)], sympathetic modulation [low-frequency power (LF)], sympathovagal balance (LF/HF power of R-R variability), and BPV sympathetic modulation (at LF). All spectral data were expressed in normalized units [(total power of the components/total power-very LF) × 100]. Spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), based on systolic BP and pulse interval powers, was also measured. Supine and sitting, BPV LF was significantly increased from baseline at 12, 24, and 36 h of SD. Sitting, HRV LF was increased at 12 and 24 h of SD, HRV HF was decreased at 12 h SD, and HRV LF/HF power of R-R variability was increased at 12 h of SD. BRS was decreased at 24 h of SD supine and seated. During the simple reaction time task (vigilance testing), the significantly increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic cardiac modulation and BRS extended through 36 h of SD. In summary, acute SD was associated with increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic cardiovascular modulation and decreased BRS, most consistently in the seated position and during simple reaction-time testing.
Loca Loquuntur. Lucretius' Explanation of the Echo and Other Acoustic Phenomena in DRN 4.563-614
Authors: Koenen Mieke
Published: February 2005

A discussion of the second part of Lucretius' account of hearing in DRN 4 (lines 563-614), an exposition on the echo and other acoustic phenomena, e.g. the dispersion of sounds and the fact that sounds pass where eyes cannot see. On the one hand the present article deals with the interpretational difficulties involved as well as the intellectual (Epicurean and non-Epicurean) background of Lucretius' explanations. On the other hand it pays attention to hitherto unnoticed etymologies, puns and other poetic devices. It is a continuation of Koenen 1999 on DRN 4.524-62.
Fruitful Death: Mircea Eliade and Ernst Jünger on Human Sacrifice, 1937–1945
Authors: Grottanelli Cristiano
Published: February 2005

Mircea Eliade, the writer and historian of religions, and Ernst Jünger, the hero of the Great War, novelist, and essayist, met in the 1950s and co-edited twelve issues of the periodical Antaios. Before they met and cooperated, however, and while the German writer knew about Eliade from their common friend, Carl Schmitt, they both dealt with the subject of human sacrifice. Eliade began to do so in the thirties, and his interest in that theme was at least in part an aspect of his political activism on behalf of the Legion of the Archangel Michael, or the Iron Guard, the nationalistic and anti-Semitic movement lead by Corneliu Codreanu. Sacrificial ideology was a central aspect of the Legion's political theories, as well as of the practice of its members. After the Iron Guard was outlawed by its allies, and many of its members had been killed, and while the Romanian regime of Marshal Ion Antonescu was still fighting alongside the National Socialist regime in the Second World War, Eliade turned to other aspects of sacrificial ideology. In 1939 he wrote the play Iphigenia, celebrating Agamemnon's daughter as a willing victim whose death made the Greek conquest of Troy possible; and as a member of the regime's diplomatic service in Lisbon he published a book in Portuguese on Romanian virtues (1943), in which he presented what he called Two Myths of Romanian Spirituality, extolling his nation's readiness to die through the description of the sacrificial traditions of Master Manole and of the Ewe Lamb (Mioritza). Jünger's attitude to sacrifice ran along lines that were less traditional: possibly already while serving as a Wehrmacht officer, in his pamphlet Der Friede, the German writer attributed sacrificial status to all the victims of the Second World War, soldiers, workmen, and unknowing innocents, and saw their death as the ransom of a peace "without victory or defeat." In this article, the sacrificial ideologies of the two intellectuals are compared in order to reflect upon the complex interplay between traditional religious themes, more or less freely re-interpreted and transformed, political power, and violent conflict, in an age of warfare marked by fascisms and by the terrible massacre some refer to by the name of an ancient Greek sacrificial practice.
Intersubjectivity and the `Revival of Death': Toward a Critique of Sovereign Individualism
Authors: Mackendrick Kenneth G.
Published: February 2005

The aim of the essay is to provide an introductory analysis of the potentially negative effects of religious or spiritual narratives invoked or encouraged when death is near. Drawing on the work of Jürgen Habermas and Jessica Benjamin, I argue that the encouragement of the unchecked expression of feelings coupled with the view that all individuals are sacred and have a sacred story promotes a potentially inhibited and inhibiting thanatological discourse. Instead of encouraging the inclusion of “spirituality” as a preferential discourse for dealing with death, dying, and bereavement, it is argued here that such encouragement may inadvertently have a disabling effect for those immediately involved in the process of dying (family and professional health care workers) and, at the same time, contribute to a social mystification or spiritualized understanding of death.
The Dialectics of Religious Rationalization and Secularization: Max Weber and Ernst Bloch
Authors: Goldstein Warren S.
Published: February 2005

Ernst Bloch stood in intellectual opposition to Max Weber, yet they have a similar framework through which they both analyzed religion. Both Weber and Bloch engaged in a class analysis of the Bible. In Ancient Judaism, Weber provides the historical, political, and socio-economic context in which we can understand the origins of the belief in the Messiah. Bloch's dialectical theory of secularization of Judeo-Christian Messianism into Marxism has a parallel structure to Weber's theory of religious rationalization in Ancient Judaism. For Weber, ancient Judaism experienced a process of religious rationalization that is marked by a dialectic between the charisma of the prophet and the tradition of the priest, between value and substantive rationality, between disaster and salvation. Bloch's dialectical theory of secularization, which takes place from Moses through the prophets to Jesus and from Feuerbach to Marx, views the process of secularization as being driven by a contradiction between faith in God and faith in man. Bloch, who embraced Jewish Messianic beliefs, had hope in the resolution of this dialectical conflict while Weber, who was far more pessimistic, did not. Combining elements from Weber's theory of religious rationalization and Bloch's theory of secularization, provides the basis for a dialectical theory of secularization in which the tensions between the sacred and profane, while driving the process of secularization forward, remain unresolved.
The Divisive Coverage Effect
Authors: Anastasio Phyllis A. , Rose Karen C. , Chapman Judith G.
Published: February 2005

The media often depict public opinion as divided by gender, race, or political affiliation. Can this type of reporting help create the group differences portrayed? Two experiments investigated whether exposure to divisive coverage could widen the gulf between real groups. Participants in Experiment 1, some of whom were affiliated with pan-Hellenic (Greek) organizations, viewed a videotape depicting the tribunal of a fraternity member accused of vandalism. Interviews with other students ostensibly from the same university preceded the tribunal scene and depicted either (a) all Greek interviewees supporting the fraternity member and all non-Greek interviewees opposing him (divisive coverage) or (b) Greek and non-Greek interviewees holding equally mixed opinions (nondivisive coverage). Only the divisive coverage condition led to significant differences between Greek and non-Greek participants, with Greek participants judging the defendant less harshly. Experiment 2 replicated the divisive coverage effect using the issue of support for affirmative action among male and female participants.
The Effect of Analgesic Agents on the Healing Rat Medial Collateral Ligament
Authors: Hanson Curtis A. , Weinhold Paul S. , Afshari Hessam M. , Dahners Laurence E.
Published: February 2005

Background

Studies have suggested that some nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including piroxicam, may improve ligament healing, whereas other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen and the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib, may have no effect on the mechanical properties or may even deter the healing process. These results might reflect variations in cyclooxygenase enzyme selectivity by different drugs or, alternatively, may be related to their analgesic properties because it is generally accepted that early activity improves ligament healing.

Hypothesis

Nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs improve ligament healing, whereas other analgesics provide lesser degrees of improvement, and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors are detrimental.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

One hundred fifty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 7 treatment groups (piroxicam, naproxen, rofecoxib, butorphanol, 2 doses of acetaminophen, and control). The right medial collateral ligament of each rat was transected, and the drugs were administered postoperatively on days 1 to 6. On day 14, the rats were sacrificed, and mechanical testing was performed on the medial collateral ligament.

Results

The piroxicam group demonstrated significantly greater load to failure (27%) compared with the control. No significant differences were observed between other groups.

Conclusions

Piroxicam improves ligament healing, but this effect cannot be attributed to all nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Opiate analgesics, acetaminophen, and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors do not appear to categorically affect ligament healing.

Clinical Relevance

In the treatment of ligament injury, piroxicam may be a drug of choice.
The Diagnostic Value of Intracompartmental Pressure Measurement, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome
Authors: Van Den Brand Johan G. H. , Nelson Teresa , Verleisdonk Egbert J. M. M. , Van Der Werken Christian
Published: February 2005

Background

Patients with chronic exertional compartment syndrome have pain during exercise that usually subsides at rest. History and physical examination may raise suspicion of the syndrome; diagnosis is usually confirmed with intracompartmental pressure measurement after exercise. Studies have shown that magnetic resonance imaging and near-infrared spectroscopy have diagnostic ability in this syndrome.

Hypothesis

Magnetic resonance imaging and near-infrared spectroscopy can be used to diagnose chronic exertional compartment syndrome.

Study Design

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

Patients were enrolled if there was clinical suspicion of chronic exertional compartment syndrome, and a fasciotomy was performed based on this suspicion. Before fasciotomy, intracompartmental pressure, near-infrared spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance imaging data were collected during and after exercise on a treadmill. Near-infrared spectroscopy and intracompartmental pressure values were recorded in the same manner after fasciotomy. Retrospective proof that diagnosis of the syndrome had been correct was the absence of exertional complaints from the preoperative examination during exercise at postfasciotomy visit.

Results

Fifty patients (100 legs) participated in the prefasciotomy visit; 3 refused fasciotomy; 2 were lost to follow-up. Of 45 patients who completed the postfasciotomy visit, the diagnosis of chronic exertional compartment syndrome was retrospectively confirmed in 42 patients and discarded in 3 patients. The sensitivity for intracompartmental pressure (cutoff point, 35 mmHg) found in this study was 77% (67%-86%, exact 95% confidence interval), lower than estimates from the literature (93%). The sensitivity (previously defined cutoff) for near-infrared spectroscopy was 85% (76%-92%, exact 95% confidence interval), validating the estimate found in the literature (85%). Sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging was comparable to that of intracompartmental pressure and near-infrared spectroscopy; associated specificity at a given sensitivity appeared to be lower with magnetic resonance imaging.

Conclusion

This study validates the sensitivity of near-infrared spectroscopy and provides estimates for the sensitivity and specificity of magnetic resonance imaging in chronic exertional compartment syndrome in a large group of patients. The sensitivity of noninvasive near-infrared spectroscopy is clinically equivalent to that of invasive intracompartmental pressure measurements.
Chondral Defect Repair after the Microfracture Procedure
Authors: Gill Thomas J. , Mcculloch Patrick C. , Glasson Sonya S. , Blanchet Tracey , Morris Elizabeth A.
Published: February 2005

Background

The extent and time course of chondral defect healing after microfracture in humans are not well described. Although most physicians recommend a period of activity and weightbearing restriction to protect the healing cartilage, there are limited data on which to base decisions regarding the duration of such restrictions.

Hypothesis

Evaluation of the status of chondral defect repair at different time points after microfracture in a primate model may provide a rationale for postoperative activity recommendations.

Study Design

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods

Full-thickness chondral defects created on the femoral condyles and trochlea of 12 cynomolgus macaques were treated with microfracture and evaluated by gross and histologic examination at 6 and 12 weeks.

Results

At 6 weeks, there was limited chondral repair and ongoing resorption of subchondral bone. By 12 weeks, the defects were completely filled and showed more mature cartilage and bone repair.

Conclusion

In the primate animal model, significant improvements in the extent and quality of cartilage repair were observed from the 6- to 12-week time points after microfracture.

Clinical Relevance

The poor status of the defect repair at 6 weeks and the ongoing healing observed from the 6- to 12-week time points may indicate that the repair is vulnerable during this initial postoperative period. Assuming the goal of postoperative weightbearing and activity restriction in patients after microfracture is to protect immature repair tissue, this study lends support to extending such recommendations longer than 6 weeks.
Beyond the Environmental Kuznets Curve: Diffusion of Sulfur-Emissions-Abating Technology
Authors: Stern David I.
Published: February 2005

The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) has been extensively criticized on theoretical and empirical grounds. In this article, the EKC is reformulated as the best practice technology frontier—countries’ distances from the frontier reflect the degree to which they have adopted the best practice technology in emissions abatement. The Kalman filter is used to model the state of sulfur emissions abatement technology in a panel of 15 mainly developed countries. The results are used to determine whether and how fast countries are converging to best practice throughout time and what variables affect the level of technology adopted. The results show that with the exception of Australia, countries are converging toward the frontier but have settled into low pollution abatement and high pollution abatement groups. Preabatement levels of pollution, income per capita, population density, and perhaps cultural factors might partly explain the level of abatement adopted.
“It was fun... but we don’t usually talk about these things”: Analyzing Sociable Interaction in Focus Groups
Authors: Warr Deborah J.
Published: February 2005

Focus groups are a useful method for sociological research because the sociable interaction that is generated can yield rich insight into people’s life worlds. This is because the nature of the talk that is generated in focus groups is a mixture of personal beliefs and available collective narratives that are further flavored by the local circumstances of participants’ lives. The interactions between participantsin focus group discussions characteristically comprise layers of talk and present researchers with complex analytical tasks. In addition to what participants say about themselves, analysis and interpretation of focus group data must pay attention to the content and form of interaction between participants. This article discusses and illustrates how sociable interactions from focus groups were analyzed for insights into classed contexts for romantic relationships.
The Genealogy of Daisy Bates, Version 8.0
Authors: Gatson Sarah N.
Published: February 2005

This article is a note on an “‘ongoing, public, and collective enactment’ of an individual identity.” It is meant to offer corrections in the spirit of asking, When is an identity ever fully accomplished and for whom?