bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety Conferencing
Authors: Pennell Joan , Francis Stephanie
Published: March 2005

To reach out to women from different backgrounds, the battered women’s movement needs to place women and their informal supports at the center of a coordinated response. This article shares the views of domestic violence survivors, staff, and supporters on how to create such a coordinated and inclusive response, lays a conceptual foundation for a decision-making forum called safety conferencing, and sets forth guidance for its practice. Safety conferencing is proposed as one means of building the individual and collective strength to reshape connections, make sound choices, and promote the safety of women and children from diverse cultures.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Essential for Improved Wound Care Outcomes and Wound Prevention in Home Care
Authors: Dailey Maureen
Published: March 2005

Health care clinicians are practicing in a changed health care environment across practice settings. Physician-nurse (MD-RN), collaboration is a core issue that continues to affect care quality and cost as well as patient and clinician satisfaction. Current economic, reimbursement, regulatory/accrediting, technology infusion, practice innovation, and population trends affecting health care are discussed in the context of the need for improved MD-RN collaboration in home care. A brief summary of the current maturation of MD-RN research is discussed. The urgent need for collaboration improvement in the home care practice setting is illuminated. The prism used for examination is the need for improved care management in the prevalent and often complex wound care populations. Current MD-RN collaboration barriers and improvement strategies being tested and implemented are discussed. Suggestions for practice changes to achieve improved interdisciplinary care management and needed support are made.
Home Health and Wound Care: An Interdisciplinary Research Opportunity
Authors: Dyeson Timothy B.
Published: March 2005

This article reviews the role of the social worker in home care, briefly describes the literature concerning the psychosocial impact on wound care patients, and suggests opportunities for expanding this area of inquiry. The literature suggests that patients who have leg, foot, or pressure ulcers experience quite a number of psychosocial problems related to the presence and treatment of the wounds. The author is of the opinion that wound care research should include more disciplines, specifically social workers.
Firearm Use, Injury, and Lethality in Assaultive Violence
Authors: Nielsen Amie L. , Martinez Ramiro , Rosenfeld Richard
Published: March 2005

This article extends the study of race and ethnicity and violence by examining ethnic differences in firearm use, injury, and lethality in assaultive violence (homicide and aggravated assault) in the multiethnic city of Miami. Specifically, the article compares Latinos relative to non-Latino Blacks and non-Latino Whites. Controlling for the effects of other victim, offender, and incident characteristics, logistic and multinomial logistic regression analyses indicate that firearm use has large and similar effects on event lethality for Latino and non-Latino Black offenders but no significant effect for non-Latino Whites. However, Latino, Black, and White attackers are equally likely to use a gun in violent encounters. The authors discuss the implications of these ethnic patterns in terms of prevailing conceptions of firearm violence.
Malcolm X and His Autobiography: Identity Development and Self-narration
Authors: Gillespie Alex
Published: March 2005

This paper takes up Tappan’s (2005) project of analyzing the identity development of Malcolm X. Considering Malcolm X’s autobiography as an instance of mediated action, I show how he uses the mediational tool of ‘development as metamorphosis’ to narrate himself. Because of the similarity between this mediational tool and Tappan’s own theory, I question Tappan’s use of the autobiography to illustrate his theory. Utilizing data sources beyond the autobiography, the present analysis makes three theoretical points. First, the development of Malcolm X’s identity is not so much a series of ‘liberations’ as it is the accumulation of discourses from different social strata. Second, it is the complex and unresolved interrelations between these discourses that comprise the uniqueness of Malcolm X. Third, ideological becoming is often, as in Malcolm X’s case, constrained by social structure. In conclusion, I discuss methodological issues concerning the analysis of a public figure such as Malcolm X.
Beyond Identity and Ideology: Processes of Transcendence Associated with the Experience of Conversion
Authors: Iborra Alejandro
Published: March 2005

Mark Tappan (2005) utilizes the autobiography of Malcolm X to exemplify how dialogical processes such as ‘ideological becoming’ act on the development of identity, considering at the same time the role of sociocultural dynamics of domination and subordination. Concentrating on this dialogical process, I seek to help its interpretation with a focus that emphasizes the necessity of studying the processes tied to the transitions of development and turning points, situating the ‘ideological becoming’ process within a larger model which, in my opinion differentiates more clearly the different experiential aspects that can be implicated in the development of a new identity. At the same time I use elements of the autobiography of Malcolm X to illustrate these processes.
Jesus as Merkabah Mystic
Authors: Quarles Charles
Published: March 2005

This article examines and critiques the portrayal of Jesus as a merkabah mystic in Bruce Chilton’s Rabbi Jesus. After providing a brief summary of Chilton’s presentation of Jesus’ spirituality, the article explores the origin of merkabah mysticism and questions whether available sources confirm the existence of a developed mysticism that included the practice of the ascent during Jesus’ lifetime. The article also examines the New Testament texts to which Chilton appeals as evidence of Jesus’ mysticism. The article concludes that Chilton’s fascinating theory has only meager support in the canonical Gospels since a careful comparison of the words and activities of Jesus of Nazareth and the descenders of chariot in Tannaitic and hekhaloth literature discovers more differences than similarities.
Jesus: Glutton and Drunkard?
Authors: Marshall Mary
Published: March 2005

The basic premise is that Jesus had a reputation for arriving at meals uninvited, thus provoking the accusations cited in Lk. 7.34 and Mt. 11.19. His table fellowship with toll collectors and sinners is viewed in light of ancient hospitality traditions, and with reference to Lk. 15.1-2; Mk 2.14-17; Lk. 19.1-10; and Lk. 6.27-36. It is argued that true hospitality involves welcoming outsiders, and that the toll collectors’ hospitality to Jesus demonstrates their reformation, and is salvific. In contrast, the so-called ‘sinners’ accompanying Jesus gain entry to earthly meals, and the heavenly banquet, ‘in Jesus’ name’. Attention is drawn to the centrality of hospitality, commensality, and humility in the gospel, and the importance of Abraham as a role model.
The Failure of Functional Theologies of Ministry and the Promise of a Relational Alternative
Authors: Buxton Graham
Published: March 2005

The author critiques inductive approaches to pastoral theology that rely on the empirical methodology of the social and human sciences, and presents an alternative Christocentric praxis model of pastoral ministry. The result is an attempt to integrate pastoral theory and practice that shifts the perspective away from functionally-determined theologies of ministry to a relationally oriented and hermeneutically coherent model of orthopraxis in which theory and practice interact in a way that is intended to both deepen faith and transform lives. Some of the key themes that inform the discussion are the importance of theological method, the role of the community as the context for care, the relationship between practical ministry and systematic theology, and the notion of praxis in articulating the nature and scope of practical theology today.
Colliding discourses
Authors: Redwood Sabi
Published: March 2005

The aim of this paper is to bring to the surface issues of power and authority in the process of seeking ethical approval for health service research in the UK in relation to the dominant discourse about methods to generate data and results that constitute legitimate ‘evidence’. In order to demonstrate how alternative and competing discourses may be silenced, I offer a deconstructive readings of the term ‘evidence’ as applied to healthcare, and excerpts of policy documents, which provide the framework for the ethical review of research proposals. I debate how the discourse shaped my own experience of seeking ethical approval for a participatory evaluation project involving Consultant Nurses. Furthermore, I engage in a dialogue with other texts in the literature in order to open up possible patterns and to generate alternative explanations and discourses which seek to promote constructive dialogue rather than regulation.
‘Choice over care at the end of life’
Authors: Froggatt Katherine
Published: March 2005

Choice is a key theme in current government policy within the United Kingdom. Present as an important value for the delivery of public services, of particular interest here is choice at the end of life. By focusing on older people residing in care homes, a number of questions are raised about the implications of this aspiration. What does choice mean for older people who are societally marginalised and live in a care setting that sits, primarily, outside public provision? Aspects of choice are explored here with respect to when choice is offered, what care is provided and where this occurs. Both the context of care and the population to whom choice is to be offered shape the nature of choice as is outlined here.
BMP4 and Madh5 regulate the erythroid response to acute anemia
Authors: Lenox Laurie E. , Perry John M. , Paulson Robert F.
Published: March 2005

Acute anemia initiates a systemic response that results in the rapid mobilization and differentiation of erythroid progenitors in the adult spleen. The flexed-tail (f) mutant mice exhibit normal steady-state erythropoiesis but are unable to rapidly respond to acute erythropoietic stress. Here, we show that f/f mutant mice have a mutation in Madh5. Our analysis shows that BMP4/Madh5-dependent signaling, regulated by hypoxia, initiates the differentiation and expansion of erythroid progenitors in the spleen. These findings suggest a new model where stress erythroid progenitors, resident in the spleen, are poised to respond to changes in the microenvironment induced by acute anemia.
Identification of human chronic myelogenous leukemia progenitor cells with hemangioblastic characteristics
Authors: Fang Baijun , Zheng Chunmei , Liao Lianming , Han Qin , Sun Zhao , Jiang Xueying , Zhao Robert C. H.
Published: March 2005

Overwhelming evidence from leukemia research has shown that the clonal population of neoplastic cells exhibits marked heterogeneity with respect to proliferation and differentiation. There are rare stem cells within the leukemic population that possess extensive proliferation and self-renewal capacity not found in the majority of the leukemic cells. These leukemic stem cells are necessary and sufficient to maintain the leukemia. Interestingly, the BCR/ABL fusion gene, which is present in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), was also detected in the endothelial cells of patients with CML, suggesting that CML might originate from hemangioblastic progenitor cells that can give rise to both blood cells and endothelial cells. Here we isolated fetal liver kinase-1–positive (Flk1+) cells carrying the BCR/ABL fusion gene from the bone marrow of 17 Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) patients with CML and found that these cells could differentiate into malignant blood cells and phenotypically defined endothelial cells at the single-cell level. These findings provide direct evidence for the first time that rearrangement of the BCR/ABL gene might happen at or even before the level of hemangioblastic progenitor cells, thus resulting in detection of the BCR/ABL fusion gene in both blood and endothelial cells.
Lower levels of surface B-cell-receptor expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia are associated with glycosylation and folding defects of the μ and CD79a chains
Authors: Vuillier Françoise , Dumas Gérard , Magnac Christian , Prevost Marie-Christine , Lalanne Ana Inés , Oppezzo Pablo , Melanitou Evie , Dighiero Guillaume , Payelle-Brogard Béatrice
Published: March 2005

Low levels of B-cell-receptor (BCR) expression are the hallmark of tumoral B lymphocytes in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). These cells also respond inadequately to stimulation through the BCR. This receptor consists of a surface immunoglobulin associated with a CD79a/CD79b heterodimer. We previously showed that the intracellular synthesis of BCR components, from transcription onward, is normal. Here, we investigated the glycosylation status and cellular localization of μ, CD79a, and CD79b chains in 10 CLL patients differing in surface immunoglobulin M (IgM) expression. We reported a severe impairment of the glycosylation and folding of μ and CD79a. These defects were associated with the retention of both chains in the endoplasmic reticulum and lower levels of surface IgM expression. In contrast, no clear impairment of glycosylation and folding was observed for CD79b. No sequence defects were identified for BCR components and for the chaperone proteins involved in BCR folding processes. These data show, for the first time, that lower levels of BCR surface expression observed in CLL are accounted for by an impaired glycosylation and folding of the μ and CD79a chains.
Distinct IL-4-induced gene expression, proliferation, and intracellular signaling in germinal center B-cell-like and activated B-cell-like diffuse large-cell lymphomas
Authors: Lu Xiaoqing , Nechushtan Hovav , Ding Feiying , Rosado Manuel F. , Singal Rakesh , Alizadeh Ash A. , Lossos Izidore S.
Published: March 2005

Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) can be subclassified into germinal center B-cell (GCB)-like and activated B-cell (ABC)-like tumors characterized by long and short survival, respectively. In contrast to ABC-like DLBCL, GCB-like tumors exhibit high expression of components of the interleukin 4 (IL-4) signaling pathway and of IL-4 target genes such as BCL6 and HGAL, whose high expression independently predicts better survival. These observations suggest distinct activity of the IL-4 signaling pathway in DLBCL subtypes. Herein, we demonstrate similar IL-4 expression but qualitatively different IL-4 effects on GCB-like and ABC-like DLBCL. In GCB-like DLBCL, IL-4 induces expression of its target genes, activates signal transducers and activators of transcription 6 (STAT6) signaling, and increases cell proliferation. In contrast, in the ABC-like DLBCL, IL-4 activates AKT, decreases cell proliferation by cell cycle arrest, and does not induce gene expression due to aberrant Janus kinase (JAK)-STAT6 signaling attributed to STAT6 dephosphorylation. We found distinct expression profiles of tyrosine phosphatases in DLBCL subtypes and identified putative STAT6 tyrosine phosphatases—protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 1 (PTPN1) and PTPN2, whose expression is significantly higher in ABC-like DLBCL. These differences in tyrosine phosphatase expression might underlie distinct expression profiles of some of the IL-4 target genes and could contribute to a different clinical outcome of patients with GCB-like and ABC-like DLBCLs.
Graphical representation of ribosomal RNA probe accessibility data using ARB software package
Authors: Kumar Yadhu , Westram Ralf , Behrens Sebastian , Fuchs Bernhard , Glöckner Frank Oliver , Amann Rudolf , Meier Harald , Ludwig Wolfgang
Published: March 2005

Background

Taxon specific hybridization probes in combination with a variety of commonly used hybridization formats nowadays are standard tools in microbial identification. A frequently applied technology, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), besides single cell identification, allows the localization and functional studies of the microbial community composition. Careful in silico design and evaluation of potential oligonucleotide probe targets is therefore crucial for performing successful hybridization experiments.

Results

The PROBE Design tools of the ARB software package take into consideration several criteria such as number, position and quality of diagnostic sequence differences while designing oligonucleotide probes. Additionally, new visualization tools were developed to enable the user to easily examine further sequence associated criteria such as higher order structure, conservation, G+C content, transition-transversion profiles and in situ target accessibility patterns. The different types of sequence associated information (SAI) can be visualized by user defined background colors within the ARB primary and secondary structure editors as well as in the PROBE Match tool.

Conclusion

Using this tool, in silico probe design and evaluation can be performed with respect to in situ probe accessibility data. The evaluation of proposed probe targets with respect to higher-order rRNA structure is of importance for successful design and performance of in situ hybridization experiments. The entire ARB software package along with the probe accessibility data is available from the ARB home page http://www.arb-home.de.
A standard curve based method for relative real time PCR data processing
Authors: Larionov Alexey , Krause Andreas , Miller William
Published: March 2005

Background

Currently real time PCR is the most precise method by which to measure gene expression. The method generates a large amount of raw numerical data and processing may notably influence final results. The data processing is based either on standard curves or on PCR efficiency assessment. At the moment, the PCR efficiency approach is preferred in relative PCR whilst the standard curve is often used for absolute PCR. However, there are no barriers to employ standard curves for relative PCR. This article provides an implementation of the standard curve method and discusses its advantages and limitations in relative real time PCR.

Results

We designed a procedure for data processing in relative real time PCR. The procedure completely avoids PCR efficiency assessment, minimizes operator involvement and provides a statistical assessment of intra-assay variation.

The procedure includes the following steps. (I) Noise is filtered from raw fluorescence readings by smoothing, baseline subtraction and amplitude normalization. (II) The optimal threshold is selected automatically from regression parameters of the standard curve. (III) Crossing points (CPs) are derived directly from coordinates of points where the threshold line crosses fluorescence plots obtained after the noise filtering. (IV) The means and their variances are calculated for CPs in PCR replicas. (V) The final results are derived from the CPs' means. The CPs' variances are traced to results by the law of error propagation.

A detailed description and analysis of this data processing is provided. The limitations associated with the use of parametric statistical methods and amplitude normalization are specifically analyzed and found fit to the routine laboratory practice. Different options are discussed for aggregation of data obtained from multiple reference genes.

Conclusion

A standard curve based procedure for PCR data processing has been compiled and validated. It illustrates that standard curve design remains a reliable and simple alternative to the PCR-efficiency based calculations in relative real time PCR.
Evolutionary models for insertions and deletions in a probabilistic modeling framework
Authors: Rivas Elena
Published: March 2005

Background

Probabilistic models for sequence comparison (such as hidden Markov models and pair hidden Markov models for proteins and mRNAs, or their context-free grammar counterparts for structural RNAs) often assume a fixed degree of divergence. Ideally we would like these models to be conditional on evolutionary divergence time.

Probabilistic models of substitution events are well established, but there has not been a completely satisfactory theoretical framework for modeling insertion and deletion events.

Results

I have developed a method for extending standard Markov substitution models to include gap characters, and another method for the evolution of state transition probabilities in a probabilistic model. These methods use instantaneous rate matrices in a way that is more general than those used for substitution processes, and are sufficient to provide time-dependent models for standard linear and affine gap penalties, respectively.

Given a probabilistic model, we can make all of its emission probabilities (including gap characters) and all its transition probabilities conditional on a chosen divergence time. To do this, we only need to know the parameters of the model at one particular divergence time instance, as well as the parameters of the model at the two extremes of zero and infinite divergence.

I have implemented these methods in a new generation of the RNA genefinder QRNA (eQRNA).

Conclusion

These methods can be applied to incorporate evolutionary models of insertions and deletions into any hidden Markov model or stochastic context-free grammar, in a pair or profile form, for sequence modeling.
A gene expression fingerprint of C. elegans embryonic motor neurons
Authors: Fox Rebecca M , Von Stetina Stephen E , Barlow Susan J , Shaffer Christian , Olszewski Kellen L , Moore Jason H , Dupuy Denis , Vidal Marc , Miller David M
Published: March 2005

Background

Differential gene expression specifies the highly diverse cell types that constitute the nervous system. With its sequenced genome and simple, well-defined neuroanatomy, the nematode C. elegans is a useful model system in which to correlate gene expression with neuron identity. The UNC-4 transcription factor is expressed in thirteen embryonic motor neurons where it specifies axonal morphology and synaptic function. These cells can be marked with an unc-4::GFP reporter transgene. Here we describe a powerful strategy, Micro-Array Profiling of C. elegans cells (MAPCeL), and confirm that this approach provides a comprehensive gene expression profile of unc-4::GFP motor neurons in vivo.

Results

Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) was used to isolate unc-4::GFP neurons from primary cultures of C. elegans embryonic cells. Microarray experiments detected 6,217 unique transcripts of which ~1,000 are enriched in unc-4::GFP neurons relative to the average nematode embryonic cell. The reliability of these data was validated by the detection of known cell-specific transcripts and by expression in UNC-4 motor neurons of GFP reporters derived from the enriched data set. In addition to genes involved in neurotransmitter packaging and release, the microarray data include transcripts for receptors to a remarkably wide variety of signaling molecules. The added presence of a robust array of G-protein pathway components is indicative of complex and highly integrated mechanisms for modulating motor neuron activity. Over half of the enriched genes (537) have human homologs, a finding that could reflect substantial overlap with the gene expression repertoire of mammalian motor neurons.

Conclusion

We have described a microarray-based method, MAPCeL, for profiling gene expression in specific C. elegans motor neurons and provide evidence that this approach can reveal candidate genes for key roles in the differentiation and function of these cells. These methods can now be applied to generate a gene expression map of the C. elegans nervous system.
Worldwide trends in quantity and quality of published articles in the field of infectious diseases
Authors: Bliziotis Ioannis A , Paraschakis Konstantinos , Vergidis Paschalis I , Karavasiou Antonia I , Falagas Matthew E
Published: March 2005

Background

Trying to confront with the widespread burden of infectious diseases, the society worldwide invests considerably on research. We evaluated the contribution of different world regions in research production in Infectious Diseases.

Methods

Using the online Pubmed database we retrieved articles from 38 journals included in the "Infectious Diseases" category of the "Journal Citation Reports" database of the Institute for Scientific Information for the period 1995–2002. The world was divided into 9 regions based on geographic, economic and scientific criteria. Using an elaborate retrieval system we obtained data on published articles from different world regions. In our evaluation we introduced an estimate of both quantity and quality of research produced from each world region per year using: (1) the total number of publications, (2) the mean impact factor of publications, and (3) the product of the above two parameters.

Results

Data on the country of origin of the research was available for 45,232 out of 45,922 retrieved articles (98.5 %). USA and Western Europe are by far the most productive regions concerning publications of research articles. However, the rate of increase in the production of articles was higher in Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia during the study period. The mean impact factor is highest for articles originating in the USA (3.42), while it was 2.82 for Western Europe and 2.73 for the rest of the world (7 regions combined).

Conclusion

USA and Western Europe make up a striking 80% of the world's research production in Infectious Diseases in terms of both quantity and quality. However, all world regions achieved a gradual increase in the production of Infectious Diseases articles, with the regions ranking lower at present displaying the highest rate of increase.
A genetic study of autism in Costa Rica: multiple variables affecting IQ scores observed in a preliminary sample of autistic cases
Authors: McInnes L Alison , González Patricia Jiménez , Manghi Elina R , Esquivel Marcela , Monge Silvia , Delgado Marietha Fallas , Fournier Eduardo , Bondy Pamela , Castelle Kathryn
Published: March 2005

Background

Autism is a heritable developmental disorder of communication and socialization that has not been well studied in Hispanic populations. Therefore, we are collecting and evaluating all possible cases of autism from a population isolate in the Central Valley of Costa Rica (CVCR) for a clinical and genetic study.

Methods

We are assessing all subjects and parents, as appropriate, using the newly translated Spanish versions of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) as well as tests of intelligence and adaptive behavior. Detailed obstetric and family medical/psychiatric histories are taken. All cases are tested for Fragile X and will be extensively evaluated for cytogenetic abnormalities.

Results

To date we have obtained clinical evaluations on over 76 cases of possible autism referred to our study and report data for the initial 35 complete cases. The mean age of the probands is 6.7 years, and 31 of the 35 cases are male. Twenty-one of the cases have IQs <50 and only 6 cases have IQs ≥ 70. Over half of the mothers had complications during pregnancy and/or delivery. No cases have tested positively for Fragile X or PKU. Chromosomal G-banding is not yet complete for all cases.

Conclusion

Diagnostic data gathered on cases of autism in the CVCR using Spanish versions of the ADI-R and ADOS look similar to that generated by studies of English-speaking cases. However, only 17% of our cases have IQs within the normal range, compared to the figure of 25% seen in most studies. This result reflects an ascertainment bias in that only severe cases of autism come to treatment in the CVCR because there are no government-sponsored support programs or early intervention programs providing an incentive to diagnose autism. The severity of mental retardation seen in most of our cases may also be exaggerated by the lack of early intervention programs and the use of IQ tests without Costa Rican norms. Still, we must formally train healthcare providers and teachers to recognize and refer autistic cases with normal or near normal IQs that are not seen in treatment.
Evaluating an intervention to reduce fear of falling and associated activity restriction in elderly persons: design of a randomised controlled trial [ISRCTN43792817]
Authors: Zijlstra GAR , van Haastregt JCM , van Eijk JThM , Kempen GIJM
Published: March 2005

Background

Fear of falling and associated activity restriction is common in older persons living in the community. Adverse consequences of fear of falling and associated activity restriction, like functional decline and falls, may have a major impact on physical, mental and social functioning of these persons. This paper presents the design of a trial evaluating a cognitive behavioural group intervention to reduce fear of falling and associated activity restriction in older persons living in the community.

Methods/design

A two-group randomised controlled trial was developed to evaluate the intervention. Persons 70 years of age or over and still living in the community were eligible for study if they experienced at least some fear of falling and associated activity restriction. A random community sample of elderly people was screened for eligibility; those eligible for study were measured at baseline and were subsequently allocated to the intervention or control group. Follow-up measurements were carried out directly after the intervention period, and then at six months and 12 months after the intervention. People allocated to the intervention group were invited to participate in eight weekly sessions of two hours each and a booster session. This booster session was conducted before the follow-up measurement at six months after the intervention. People allocated to the control group received no intervention as a result of this trial.

Both an effect evaluation and a process evaluation were performed. The primary outcome measures of the effect evaluation are fear of falling, avoidance of activity due to fear of falling, and daily activity. The secondary outcome measures are perceived general health, self-rated life satisfaction, activities of daily life, feelings of anxiety, symptoms of depression, social support interactions, feelings of loneliness, falls, perceived consequences of falling, and perceived risk of falling. The outcomes of the process evaluation comprise the performance of the intervention according to protocol, the attendance and adherence of participants, and the participants' and facilitators' opinion about the intervention. Data of the effect evaluation will be analysed according the intention-to-treat and on-treatment principle. Data of the process evaluation will be analysed using descriptive techniques.
The membrane cytoskeletal crosslinker ezrin is required for metastasis of breast carcinoma cells
Authors: Elliott Bruce E , Meens Jalna A , SenGupta Sandip K , Louvard Daniel , Arpin Monique
Published: March 2005

Introduction

The membrane cytoskeletal crosslinker ezrin participates in several functions including cell adhesion, motility and cell survival, and there is increasing evidence that it regulates tumour progression. However, the role played by ezrin in breast cancer metastasis has not been clearly delineated.

Methods

We examined the role of ezrin in metastasis using a highly metastatic murine mammary carcinoma cell line, namely AC2M2. Stable cell clones that overexpress wild-type ezrin or a dominant-negative amino-terminal domain of ezrin were selected. They were then tested for cell motility and invasion in vitro, and metastasis in a mouse in vivo tumour transplantation model.

Results

Parental AC2M2 cells and cells overexpressing wild-type ezrin were transplanted into the mammary fat pad of syngeneic recipient mice; these animals subsequently developed lung metastases. In contrast, expression of the dominant-negative amino-terminal ezrin domain markedly inhibited lung metastasis. Consistent with this effect, we observed that the expression of amino-terminal ezrin caused strong membrane localization of cadherin, with increased cell–cell contact and a decrease in cell motility and invasion, whereas cells expressing wild-type ezrin exhibited strong cytoplasmic expression of cadherins and pseudopodia extensions. In addition, inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and c-Src significantly blocked cell motility and invasion of AC2M2 cells expressing wild-type ezrin. We further found that overexpression of amino-terminal ezrin reduced levels of Akt pS473 and cytoskeletal-associated c-Src pY418 in AC2M2 cells, which contrasts with the high levels of phosphorylation of these proteins in cells expressing wild-type ezrin. Phosphorylated Erk1/2 was also reduced in amino-terminal ezrin expressing cells, although a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor had no detectable effect on cell motility or invasion in this system.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that ezrin is required for breast cancer metastasis, and that c-Src and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt are effectors of ezrin in the cell motility and invasion stages of the metastatic process. Together, these results suggest that blocking ezrin function may represent a novel and effective strategy for preventing breast cancer metastasis.
c-erbB2 and topoisomerase IIα protein expression independently predict poor survival in primary human breast cancer: a retrospective study
Authors: Fritz Peter , Cabrera Cristina M , Dippon Jürgen , Gerteis Andreas , Simon Wolfgang , Aulitzky Walter E , van der Kuip Heiko
Published: March 2005

Introduction

c-erbB2 (also known as HER-2/neu) and topoisomerase IIα are frequently overexpressed in breast cancer. The aim of the study was to analyze retrospectively whether the expression of c-erbB2 and topoisomerase IIα protein influences the long-term outcome of patients with primary breast cancer.

Methods

In this study c-erbB2 and topoisomerase IIα protein were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from 225 samples of primary breast cancer, obtained between 1986 and 1998. The prognostic value of these markers was analyzed.

Results

Of 225 primary breast tumor samples, 78 (34.7%) showed overexpression of either c-erbB2 (9.8%) or topoisomerase IIα protein (24.9%), whereas in 21 tumors (9.3%) both proteins were found to be overexpressed. Patients lacking both c-erbB2 and topoisomerase IIα overexpression had the best long-term survival. Overexpression of either c-erbB2 or topoisomerase IIα was associated with shortened survival, whereas patients overexpressing both c-erbB2 and topoisomerase IIα showed the worst disease outcome (P < 0.0001). Treatment with anthracyclines was not capable of reversing the negative prognostic impact of topoisomerase IIα or c-erbB2 overexpression.

Conclusion

The results of this exploratory study suggest that protein expression of c-erbB2 and topoisomerase IIα in primary breast cancer tissues are independent prognostic factors and are not exclusively predictive factors for anthracycline response in patients with primary breast cancer.
A case-only analysis of the interaction between N-acetyltransferase 2 haplotypes and tobacco smoke in breast cancer etiology
Authors: Lash Timothy L , Bradbury Brian D , Wilk Jemma B , Aschengrau Ann
Published: March 2005

Introduction

N-acetyltransferase 2 is a polymorphic enzyme in humans. Women who possess homozygous polymorphic alleles have a slower rate of metabolic activation of aryl aromatic amines, one of the constituents of tobacco smoke that has been identified as carcinogenic. We hypothesized that women with breast cancer who were slow acetylators would be at increased risk of breast cancer associated with active and passive exposure to tobacco smoke.

Methods

We used a case-only study design to evaluate departure from multiplicativity between acetylation status and smoking status. We extracted DNA from buccal cell samples collected from 502 women with incident primary breast cancer and assigned acetylation status by genotyping ten single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Information on tobacco use and breast cancer risk factors was obtained by structured interviews.

Results

We observed no substantial departure from multiplicativity between acetylation status and history of ever having been an active smoking (adjusted odds ratio estimate of departure from multiplicativity = 0.9, 95% confidence interval 0.5 to 1.7) or ever having had passive residential exposure to tobacco smoke (adjusted odds ratio = 0.7, 95% confidence interval 0.4 to 1.5). The estimates for departure from multiplicativity between acetylation status and various measures of intensity, duration, and timing of active and passive tobacco exposure lacked consistency and were generally not supportive of the idea of a gene–environment interaction.

Conclusion

In this, the largest case-only study to evaluate the interaction between acetylation status and active or passive exposure to tobacco smoke, we found little evidence to support the idea of a departure from multiplicativity.
Does fluid loading influence measurements of intestinal permeability?
Authors: Parviainen Ilkka , Takala Jukka , Jakob Stephan M
Published: March 2005

Introduction

Urinary recovery of enterally administered probes is used as a clinical test of intestinal mucosal permeability. Recently, evidence has been provided that the recovery of some but not all sugar probes is dependent on the amount of diuresis and renal function. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of fluid loading on the urinary recovery of sugar probes in healthy volunteers.

Methods

In a cross-over study, 10 healthy volunteers ingested 100 ml of a solution containing 0.2 g of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (3-OMG), 0.5 g of D-xylose, 1.0 g of L-rhamnose, and 5.0 g of lactulose on two different days. The volunteers were randomized to receive either 2 litres of Ringer acetate or no fluid during the following 3 hours. The sugar concentrations were measured in 5-hour urine samples period.

Results

Fluid loading increased urine production and urinary recovery of xylose. Fluid loading did not influence the urinary recovery of 3-OMG, L-rhamnose, or lactulose. Neither the lactulose/rhamnose ratio nor the 3-OMG/rhamnose ratio changed.

Conclusion

Fluid loading increases mediated carbohydrate transport but not the lactulose/rhamnose ratio, after oral sugar administration in healthy volunteers. It remains to be determined whether sugar probes are handled differently in response to fluids in patients with organ dysfunctions.
Spiders on a treadmill: influence of running activity on metabolic rates inPardosa lugubris(Araneae, Lycosidae) andMarpissa muscosa(Araneae, Salticidae)
Authors: Schmitz Anke
Published: March 2005

The CO2 release of the well-tracheated jumping spider, Marpissa muscosa, and the poorly tracheated, Pardosa lugubris, was tested while animals were running on a treadmill at three different speeds and under a selective elimination of lungs or tracheae. Thus,the influence of a well-developed tracheal system on the metabolism during physical exercise was examined. The CO2 release in intact animals increased with the running speed in both species. The costs of transport (COT)running at the maximal sustainable speed were nearly twice as big in M. muscosa as in P. lugubris. Elimination of one lung by sealing resulted in reduced COT and running times, and increasing anaerobic proportions in metabolism. Effects were greater in P. lugubris than in M. muscosa, indicating that tracheae compensate partly for the lacking lung capacity. Sealing of the tracheae in M. muscosa reduced the COT and the running times only at the highest speed. Results indicate that tracheae in M. muscosa support the aerobic metabolism only at the most intense physical exercise. At low and medium activity, tracheae may play their main role in the local supply of organs that are not involved in running activity.
Flow patterns generated by oblate medusan jellyfish: field measurements and laboratory analyses
Authors: Dabiri John O. , Colin Sean P. , Costello John H. , Gharib Morteza
Published: March 2005

Flow patterns generated by medusan swimmers such as jellyfish are known to differ according the morphology of the various animal species. Oblate medusae have been previously observed to generate vortex ring structures during the propulsive cycle. Owing to the inherent physical coupling between locomotor and feeding structures in these animals, the dynamics of vortex ring formation must be robustly tuned to facilitate effective functioning of both systems. To understand how this is achieved, we employed dye visualization techniques on scyphomedusae (Aurelia aurita) observed swimming in their natural marine habitat. The flow created during each propulsive cycle consists of a toroidal starting vortex formed during the power swimming stroke, followed by a stopping vortex of opposite rotational sense generated during the recovery stroke. These two vortices merge in a laterally oriented vortex superstructure that induces flow both toward the subumbrellar feeding surfaces and downstream. The lateral vortex motif discovered here appears to be critical to the dual function of the medusa bell as a flow source for feeding and propulsion. Furthermore, vortices in the animal wake have a greater volume and closer spacing than predicted by prevailing models of medusan swimming. These effects are shown to be advantageous for feeding and swimming performance, and are an important consequence of vortex interactions that have been previously neglected.
Statistical analysis of modified complete randomized designs:applications to chemo-orientation studies
Authors: Pilla Ramani S. , Kitska David J. , Loader Catherine
Published: March 2005

Often experimental scientists employ a Randomized Complete Block Design(RCBD) to study the effect of treatments on different subjects. Under a`complete randomization', the order of the apparatus setups within each block,including all replications of each treatment across all subjects, is completely randomized. However, in many experimental settings complete randomization is impractical due to the cost involved in re-adjusting the device to administer a new treatment. One typically resorts to a type of`restricted randomization', in which multiple subjects are tested under each treatment before the apparatus is re-adjusted. The order of the treatments as well as the assignment of subjects to each block are random. If the data obtained under any type of restricted randomization are treated as if the data were collected under an RCBD with complete randomization within each block,then there is potential to increase the risk of false positives (Type I error). This is of concern to animal orientation studies and other areas such as chemical ecology where it is impractical to reset the experimental device for each subject tested. The goal of the research presented in this article is twofold: (1) to demonstrate the consequences of constructing an F-statistic based on a mean square error for testing the significance of treatment effects under the restricted randomization; (2) to describe an alternative method, based on split-plot analysis of variance, to analyze designed experiments that yield better power under the restricted randomization. The statistical analyses of simulated experiments and data involving virgin male Periplaneta americana substantiate the benefits of the alternative approach under the restricted randomization. The methodology and analysis employed for the simulated experiment is equally applicable to any organism or artificial agent tested under a restricted randomization protocol.
Eel migration to the Sargasso: remarkably high swimming efficiency and low energy costs
Authors: van Ginneken Vincent , Antonissen Erik , Müller Ulrike K. , Booms Ronald , Eding Ep , Verreth Johan , van den Thillart Guido
Published: March 2005

One of the mysteries of the animal kingdom is the long-distance migration(5000–6000 km) of the European eel Anguilla anguilla L. from the coasts of Europe to its spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea. The only evidence for the location of the spawning site of the European eel in the Sargasso Sea is the discovery by Johannes Schmidt at the beginning of the previous century of the smallest eel larvae (leptocephali) near the Sargasso Sea. For years it has been questioned whether the fasting eels have sufficient energy reserves to cover this enormous distance. We have tested Schmidt's theory by placing eels in swim tunnels in the laboratory and allowing them to make a simulated migration of 5500 km. We find that eels swim 4–6 times more efficiently than non-eel-like fish. Our findings are an important advance in this field because they remove a central objection to Schmidt's theory by showing that their energy reserves are, in principle, sufficient for the migration. Conclusive proof of the Sargasso Sea theory is likely to come from satellite tracking technology.
Rhodopsin patterning in central photoreceptor cells of the blowflyCalliphora vicina: cloning and characterization ofCalliphorarhodopsins Rh3, Rh5 and Rh6
Authors: Schmitt Angelika , Vogt Andreas , Friedmann Katrin , Paulsen Reinhard , Huber Armin
Published: March 2005

The ommatidia that constitute the compound eyes of flies contain eight photoreceptor cells, which are divided into two classes: the peripheral photoreceptors, R1–6, and the central photoreceptors, R7 and R8. In the fruit fly, Drosophila, R1–6 express the same rhodopsin (Rh1),whilst the R7 and R8 of a given ommatidium express either Rh3 and Rh5, or Rh4 and Rh6, respectively. We have studied whether this expression pattern of rhodopsins is conserved in the blowfly Calliphora vicina. We have cloned three novel Calliphora rhodopsins, which are homologues of Drosophila Rh3, Rh5 and Rh6, with an amino acid sequence identity of 80.7%, 60.9% and 86.1%, respectively. Immunocytochemical studies with antibodies specific for Rh3, Rh5 and Rh6 revealed that Rh3 is expressed in a subset of R7 cells, while Rh5 and Rh6 are expressed in a non-overlapping subset of R8 cells. Rh3 and Rh5 are present in most cases in the same ommatidia, which account for approximately 27% of all ommatidia, and Rh6 is found in the complementary 73%. The similarity of the rhodopsin expression pattern of Calliphora with that of Drosophila suggests that the developmental mechanism regulating the terminal differentiation of R7 and R8 cells are highly conserved between these fly species.
Development of the acoustically evoked behavioral response in zebrafish to pure tones
Authors: Zeddies David G. , Fay Richard R.
Published: March 2005

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) were placed in small wells that could be driven vertically with a series of calibrated sinusoids. Video images of the fish were obtained and analyzed to determine the levels and frequencies at which the fish responded to the stimulus tones. It was found that fish 4 days post fertilization (dpf) did not respond to the stimulus tones, whereas fish 5 dpf to adult did respond. It was further found that the stimulus thresholds and frequency bandwidth to which the fish responded did not change from 5 dpf to adult; indicating that the otolithic organ adaptations for high-frequency hearing are already present in larval fish. Deflating the swimbladders in adult fish eliminated their response, which is consistent with sensing sound pressure. Deflating the swimbladder in larval fish did not affect their thresholds, which is consistent with sensing the particle motion of the fluid directly. Because adult fish with Weberian ossicles have a greater input to the inner ear for a given sound pressure level (SPL), the finding that the adult and larval fish respond at the same SPL with intact swimbladders suggests that the acoustic startle response threshold is adjusted as the fish develop in order to maintain appropriate reactions to relevant stimuli.