bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High‐abundance protein depletion: Comparison of methods for human plasma biomarker discovery
Authors: Polaskova Veronika , Kapur Amit , Khan Alamgir , Molloy Mark P. , Baker Mark S.
Published: January 2010

Affinity depletion of abundant proteins from human plasma has become a routine sample preparation strategy in proteomics used prior to protein identification and quantitation. To date, there have been limited published studies comparing the performance of commercially available depletion products. We conducted a thorough evaluation of six depletion columns using 2‐DE combined with sophisticated image analysis software, examining the following criteria: (i) efficiency of high‐abundance protein depletion, (ii) non‐specific removal of other than the targeted proteins and (iii) total number of protein spots detected on the gels following depletion. From all the products investigated, the Seppro IgY system provided the best results. It displayed the greatest number of protein spots on the depleted plasma gels, minimal non‐specific binding and high efficiency of abundant protein removal. Nevertheless, the increase in the number of detected spots compared with the second best performing and cheaper multiple affinity removal column (MARC) was not shown to be statistically significant. The ProteoPrep spin column, considered to be the “deepest” depletion technique available at the time of conducting the study, surprisingly displayed significantly fewer spots on the flow‐through fraction gels compared with both the Seppro and the MARC. The spin column format and low plasma capacity were also found to be impractical for 2‐DE. To conclude, we succeeded in providing an overview of the depletion columns performances with regard to the three examined areas. Our study will serve as a reference to other scientists when deciding on the optimal product for their particular projects.
Differential expression of proteins in fetal brains of alcohol‐treated prenatally C57BL/6 mice: A proteomic investigation
Authors: Sari Youssef , Zhang Min , Mechref Yehia
Published: January 2010

Alcohol is known to impede the growth of the central nervous system and to induce neurodegeneration through cellular apoptosis. We have previously shown that moderate prenatal alcohol exposure results in brain defects at different stages of development. In this study, we further characterize the proteomic architecture underlying ethanol teratogenesis during early fetal brain development using chromatography in conjunction with a LC‐MS/MS system. Pregnant C57BL/6 mice were exposed from embryonic day 7 (E7) to E13 with either a 25% ethanol derived calorie or pair‐fed liquid diets. At E13, fetal brains were collected from five dams for each group. Individual brains were homogenized and the extracted proteins were then tryptically digested and analyzed by LC‐MS/MS. Label‐free quantitative proteomic analyses were performed on proteomes extracted from fetal brains of both alcohol‐treated (ALC) and pair‐fed groups. These analyses demonstrated that prenatal alcohol exposure induced significant downregulation (p<0.001) of the expression of mitochondrial enzymes including ADP/ATP translocase 1, ATP synthase subunit α and ubiquinol‐cytochrome‐creductases. In addition, mitochondrial carrier homolog 1, which plays a role in apoptosis, was significantly downregulated (p<0.001) in the ALC group. Moreover, among the cytosolic proteins that were significantly downregulated (p<0.001) are Bcl‐2, 14‐3‐3 protein and calmodulin. Significant downregulation (p<0.001) of proteins that are critical for fetal brain development was observed such as prohibitin and neuronal migration protein doublecortin. These findings provide information about possible mechanisms underlying the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure during early embryonic stage.
Fast determination of ethambutol in pharmaceutical formulations using capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection
Authors: da Silva José Alberto Fracassi , de Castro Nathan Vitorazzi , de Jesus Dosil Pereira , Faria Adriana F. , De Souza Marcus V. N. , de Oliveira Marcone Augusto Leal
Published: January 2010

A method for the determination of ethambutol (EMB), a first‐line drug against tuberculosis, based on CE with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection is proposed. The separation of EMB and its main product of degradation were achieved in less than 3 min with a resolution of 2.0 using a BGE composed of 50 mmol/L histidine and 30 mmol/L MES, pH 6.30. By raising the pH to 8.03, the analysis time was reduced to 1.0 min, but with a significant loss of resolution (0.7). Using the best separation conditions, linearity of 0.9976 (R2, five data points), sensitivity of 1.26×10−4 V min μmol−1 L, and LOD and quantification of 23.5 and 78.3 μmol/L, respectively, were obtained. Recoveries at four levels of concentration ranged from 95 to 102% and the concentration range studied ranged from 100 to 500 μmol/L. The results obtained for the determination of EMB in pharmaceutical formulations were compared with those obtained by using CE with photometric detection.
Analysis of effect of electrolyte types on electrokinetic energy conversion in nanoscale capillaries
Authors: Chein Reiyu , Tsai Kunyong , Yeh Liying
Published: January 2010

An analytical study on the effect of electrolyte types on the electrokinetic energy conversion is presented using nanoscale cylindrical capillary, which is either positively or negatively charged. The sign of surface charge determines the role and concentration magnitude of ions in the capillary and the energy conversion performance. Our study shows that the electrokinetic energy conversion performance (maximum efficiency, pressure rise and streaming potential) are approximately identical for 1:1 (KCl), 2:1 (CaCl2) and 3:1 (LaCl3) electrolytes when capillary is positively charged. For negatively charged capillary, energy conversion performance degrades significantly with the increase of counter‐ion valence. For both positively and negatively charged capillaries, higher maximum efficiency can be resulted in low bulk concentration and surface charge density regimes. However, high maximum pressure rise generation for the pumping is found in the low bulk concentration and high surface charge density regimes. For the electric power generation, higher maximum streaming potential is found when both bulk concentration and surface charge density are low.
The proteome of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) seeds: Discriminating between landraces
Authors: Scippa Gabriella Stefania , Rocco Mariapina , Ialicicco Manuela , Trupiano Dalila , Viscosi Vincenzo , Di Michele Michela , Arena Simona , Chiatante Donato , Scaloni Andrea
Published: January 2010

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is one of the most ancient crops of the Mediterranean region used for human nutrition; an extensive differentiation of L. culinaris over millennia has resulted in a number of different landraces. As a consequence of environmental and socio‐economic issues, the disappearance of many of them occurred in more recent times. To investigate the potential of proteomics as a tool in phylogenetic studies, testing the possibility to identify specific markers of different plant landraces, 2‐D gel electrophoretic maps of mature seeds were obtained from seven lentil populations belonging to a local ecotype (Capracotta) and five commercial varieties (Turca Rossa, Canadese, Castelluccio di Norcia, Rascino and Colfiorito). 2‐DE analysis resolved hundreds of protein species in each lentil sample, among which only 122 were further identified by MALDI‐TOF PMF and/or nanoLC‐ESI‐LIT‐MS/MS, probably as a result of the poor information available on L. culinaris genome. A comparison of these maps revealed that 103 protein spots were differentially expressed within and between populations. The multivariate statistical analyses carried out on these variably expressed spots showed that 24 protein species were essential for population discrimination, thus determining their proposition as landrace markers. Besides providing the first reference map of mature lentil seeds, our data confirm previous studies based on morphological/genetic observations and further support the valuable use of proteomic techniques as phylogenetic tool in plant studies.
A simple method to determine the surface charge in microfluidic channels
Authors: Mampallil Dileep , van den Ende Dirk , Mugele Frieder
Published: January 2010

We study EOF through microchannels, made of glass or glass‐PDMS, by displacing an electrolyte solution at given concentration with the same electrolyte at a different concentration via an external electric field. When a constant voltage is applied over the channel, the electric current through the channel varies during the displacement process. We propose a simple analytical model that describes the time dependence of the current regardless of the concentration ratio chosen. With this model, which is applicable beyond the Debye–Hückel limit, we are able to quantify the EOF velocity and to determine the surface charge on the microchannel walls from the measured current behavior, as well as the zeta potential at given local electrolyte concentration.
The Fanconi anemia pathway promotes DNA glycosylase‐dependent excision of interstrand DNA crosslinks
Authors: Macé‐Aimé Gaëtane , Couvé Sophie , Khassenov Bekbolat , Rosselli Filippo , Saparbaev Murat K.
Published: January 2010

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a recessive cancer prone syndrome featuring bone marrow failure and hypersensitivity to DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) and, to a milder extension, to ionizing radiation and oxidative stress. Recently, we reported that human oxidative DNA glycosylase, NEIL1 excises with high efficiency the unhooked crosslinked oligomer within three‐stranded DNA repair intermediate induced by photoactivated psoralen exposure. Complete reconstitution of repair of the ICL within a three‐stranded DNA structure shows that it is processed in the short‐patch base excision repair (BER) pathway. To examine whether the DNA damage hypersensitivity in FA cells follows impaired BER activities, we measured DNA glycosylase and AP endonuclease activities in cell‐free extracts from wild‐type, FA, and FA‐corrected cells. We showed that immortalized lymphoid cells of FA complementation Groups A, C, and D and from control cells from normal donors contain similar BER activities. Intriguingly, the cellular level of NEIL1 protein strongly depends on the intact FA pathway suggesting that the hypersensitivity of FA cells to ICLs may, at least in part, arise from downregulation or degradation of NEIL1. Consistent with this result, plasmid‐based expression of the FLAG‐tagged NEIL1 protein partially complements the hypersensitivity FA cells to the crosslinking agents exposures, suggesting that NEIL1 specifically complements impaired capability of FA cells to repair ICLs and oxidative DNA damage. These findings shed light to how the FA pathway may regulate DNA repair proteins and bring explanation for the long‐time disputed problem of the oxidative stress sensitive phenotype of FA cells. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Brain responses to success and failure: Direct recordings from human cerebral cortex
Authors: Jung Julien , Jerbi Karim , Ossandon Tomas , Ryvlin Philippe , Isnard Jean , Bertrand Olivier , Guénot Marc , Mauguière François , Lachaux Jean‐Philippe
Published: January 2010

Evaluating the outcome of our own actions is a fundamental process by which we adapt our behavior in our interaction with the external world. fMRI and electrophysiological studies in monkeys have found feedback‐specific responses in several brain regions, unveiling facets of a large‐scale network predominantly distributed in the frontal lobes. However, a consensus has yet to be reached regarding the exact contribution of each region. The present study benefited from intracerebral EEG recordings in epileptic patients to record directly the neural activity in each of those frontal structures in response to positive and negative feedback. Both types of feedback induced a sequence of high‐frequency responses (>40 Hz) in a widespread network involving medial frontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and insular cortex. The pre‐supplementary motor area (pre‐SMA), DLPFC, and lateral OFC showed higher activation in response to negative feedback, while medial OFC and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) were more responsive to positive feedback. Responses in the medial prefrontal cortex (pre‐SMA and dACC) were sustained (lasting more than 1,000 ms), while responses in the DLPFC, insula, and the OFC were short lasting (less than 800 ms). Taken together, our findings show that evaluating the outcome of our actions triggers γ‐range activity modulations in several frontal and insular regions. Moreover, we found that the timing and amplitude of those γ‐band responses reveal fine‐scale dissociations between the neural dynamics of positive versus negative feedback processing. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dynamics and equilibrium in a structural model of wide‐body commercial aircraft markets
Authors: Smith Loren K.
Published: January 2010

This paper develops and estimates a dynamic equilibrium model of the market for new and used commercial aircraft. The model is estimated by maximum simulated likelihood using data on wide‐body aircraft owners and prices for transactions occurring 1978‐1997. The importance of explicitly modeling dynamics and equilibrium in new and used markets for durable goods is illustrated in two counterfactual experiments. Estimates of the structural model are used to show that implementing an investment tax credit not only increases demand for new wide‐body aircraft by the airlines that receive the tax credit, but also increases the number of new wide‐body aircraft owned by airlines not directly affected by the policy. Further, the model indicates that a policy which improves the efficiency of secondary markets for used wide‐body aircraft will also stimulate demand for new wide‐body aircraft. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Array of amorphous calcium phosphate particles improves cellular activity on a hydrophobic surface
Authors: Kim InAe , Kim Hyun Jung , Kim Hyun‐Man
Published: January 2010

Poor interaction between cells and surfaces, especially hydrophobic surfaces, results in delayed proliferation and increased apoptosis due to low cell adhesion signaling. To improve cell adhesion, hydrophilic array of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) was fabricated on a surface. A phosphate‐buffered solution containing calcium ions was prepared at low temperature to prevent spontaneous precipitation. Then, the ion solution was heated to generate nuclei of ACP nanoparticles. The ACP nanoparticles adhered to the hydrophobic polystyrene surface forming an array composed of ACP particles. Multiple treatments of these nuclei with fresh CaP ion solutions increased the diameter and decreased the solubility of ACP particles enough to mediate cellular adhesion. The particle density in the array was dependent on the ion concentration of the CaP ion solutions. The ACP array improved a wide variety of activities when osteoblastic MC3T3‐E1 cells were cultured on the ACP array fabricated on a hydrophobic bacteriological dish surface, compared to those cultured without the ACP array in vitro. The use of ACP array resulted in a lower apoptosis and also increased the spreading of cells to form stress fibers and focal contacts. Cells cultured on the ACP array proliferated more than cells cultured on a hydrophobic surface without the ACP array. The ACP array increased the expression of markers of differentiation in osteoblast. These results indicate that an array of ACP can be used as a coating material for enhancing biocompatibility in tissue engineering or biomaterials rather than modifying the surface with organic molecules. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010
The importance of cortical bone orthotropicity, maximum stiffness direction and thickness on the reliability of mandible numerical models
Authors: Apicella Davide , Aversa Raffaella , Ferro Fabrizia , Ianniello Domenico , Apicella Antonio
Published: January 2010

Aim: To identify mechanical and geometrical variables affecting the biofidelity of numerical models of human mandible. Computed results sensibility to cortical bone orthotropy and thicknesses is investigated. Methods: Two mandible numerical models of different bone complexities are setup. In the low‐complexity model, cortical bone is coupled with isotropic materials properties; constant thickness for cortical bone is adopted along the mandible structure. In the higher complexity model, the cortical bone is considered as an orthotropic material according to an independent mechanical characterization performed on fresh human dentate mandibles. Cortical thickness distribution, the values of the principal elastic moduli and principal directions of orthotropy are considered as piecewise heterogeneous. Forces for masseter (10 N), medial pterigoid (6 N), anterior (4 N) and posterior (4 N) temporalis muscles are applied to the models. Computed strains fields are compared with those experimentally measured in an independent test performed on a real human mandible in the same loading conditions. Results: Under closure muscles forces both models shows similar strain distribution. On the contrary, strain fields values are significantly different between the presented models. Conclusions: The mandible structure is sensible to compact bone orthotropy and thickness at the facial side of condylar neck, retro molar area and at the lingual side of middle portion of the corpus in molars area, anterior margin of the ramus. In these areas, it is advisable to use orthotropic properties for cortical bone to accurately describe the strain state. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010
Combined drug release from biodegradable bilayer coating for endovascular stents
Authors: Gagliardi M. , Silvestri D. , Cristallini C. , Guadagni M. , Crifaci G. , Giusti P.
Published: January 2010

In this work, the characterization of a biodegradable bilayer system, used as controlled and combined drug delivery platform, is reported. For this aim, a bilayer system, composed of poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) and poly(3‐hydroxybutyric‐co‐3‐hydroxyvaleric acid), was investigated under physicochemical and functional aspects by evaluating polymer/polymer and polymer/stent material interactions, the kinetic of in vitro degradation, and drug release properties, comparing results with the monolayer reference systems. Obtained results showed that the bilayer system allowed increasing the total amount of eluted Tacrolimus and Paclitaxel drugs with respect to the monolayer systems in the considered testing period and conditions. This evidence was associated to a faster degradation of the tested copolymers in the bilayered configuration, excluding a synergic effect of two drugs on delivery performance. In addition, a macromolecular relaxation process was identified to govern the PLX release from poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid), whereas a pure Fickian diffusion occurred in the delivery of Tacrolimus from poly(3‐hydroxybutyric‐co‐3‐hydroxyvaleric acid). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010
Genome-wide pleiotropy of osteoporosis-related phenotypes: The framingham study
Authors: Karasik David , Hsu Yi-Hsiang , Zhou Yanhua , Cupples L Adrienne , Kiel Douglas P , Demissie Serkalem
Published: January 2010

Genome-wide association studies offer an unbiased approach to identify new candidate genes for osteoporosis. We examined the Affymetrix 500K + 50K SNP GeneChip marker sets for associations with multiple osteoporosis-related traits at various skeletal sites, including bone mineral density (BMD, hip and spine), heel ultrasound, and hip geometric indices in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. We evaluated 433,510 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 2073 women (mean age 65 years), members of two-generational families. Variance components analysis was performed to estimate phenotypic, genetic, and environmental correlations (ρP, ρG, and ρE) among bone traits. Linear mixed-effects models were used to test associations between SNPs and multivariable-adjusted trait values. We evaluated the proportion of SNPs associated with pairs of the traits at a nominal significance threshold α = 0.01. We found substantial correlation between the proportion of associated SNPs and the ρP and ρG (r = 0.91 and 0.84, respectively) but much lower with ρE (r = 0.38). Thus, for example, hip and spine BMD had 6.8% associated SNPs in common, corresponding to ρP = 0.55 and ρG = 0.66 between them. Fewer SNPs were associated with both BMD and any of the hip geometric traits (eg, femoral neck and shaft width, section moduli, neck shaft angle, and neck length); ρG between BMD and geometric traits ranged from −0.24 to +0.40. In conclusion, we examined relationships between osteoporosis-related traits based on genome-wide associations. Most of the similarity between the quantitative bone phenotypes may be attributed to pleiotropic effects of genes. This knowledge may prove helpful in defining the best phenotypes to be used in genetic studies of osteoporosis. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Percent fat mass is inversely associated with bone mass and hip geometry in rural Chinese adolescents
Authors: Hong Xiumei , Arguelles Lester M , Liu Xin , Tsai Hui-Ju , Hsu Yi-Hsiang , Wang Binyan , Zhang Shanchun , Li Zhiping , Tang Gengfu , Liu Xue , Yang Jianhua , Xu Xiping , Langman Craig , Wang Xiaobin
Published: January 2010

This study was an attempt to examine the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental correlations between percent fat mass (PFM) and bone parameters, especially hip geometry, among 786 males and 618 females aged 13 to 21 years from a Chinese twin cohort. PFM, bone area (BA), bone mineral content (BMC), cross-sectional area (CSA), and section modulus (SM) were obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the PFM-bone relationships. A structural equation model for twin design was used to estimate genetic/environmental influences on individual phenotype and phenotypic correlations. After controlling for body weight and other pertinent covariates, we observed inverse associations between PFM and bone parameters: Compared with the lowest age- and gender-specific tertile of PFM, males in the highest tertile of PFM had lower measures of whole-body-less-head BA (WB-BA), lumbar spine BA (L2–L4-BA), total-hip BA (TH-BA), total-hip BMC, CSA, and SM (p < .005 for all, adjusted p < .05). Similar inverse associations were observed in females for all the preceding parameters except WB-BA and L2–L4-BA. These associations did not vary significantly by Tanner stages. In both genders, the estimated heritabilities were 80% to 86% for BMC, 67% to 80% for BA, 74% to 77% for CSA, and 64% for SM. Both shared genetics and environmental factors contributed to the inverse PFM-bone correlations. We conclude that in this sample of relatively lean Chinese adolescents, at a given body weight, PFM is inversely associated with BA, BMC, and hip geometry in both genders, and such associations are attributed to both shared genetic and environmental factors. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Familial resemblance and diversity in bone mass and strength in the population are established during the first year of postnatal life
Authors: Wang Qingju , Alén Markku , Lyytikäinen Arja , Xu Leiting , Tylavsky Fran A , Kujala Urho M , Kröger Heikki , Seeman Ego , Cheng Sulin
Published: January 2010

Familial resemblance and diversity in bone structure and strength in adulthood are determined in part during growth. Whether these characteristics are established during gestation or shortly after birth is not known. Total-body, lumbar spine, and femoral neck size and mass and indices of tibial bending strength and distal radial compressive strength were measured using bone densitometry and quantitative computed tomography in 236 girls at 18.5 years of age. Among them, 219, 141, and 105 girls had crown-heel length (CHL) and weight recorded at birth and at 6 and 12 months of age, and then height and weight were recorded at 3, 5, 10, 13, and 15 years of age in 181, 176, 127, 111, and 228 girls, respectively. Of these girls, 101 and 93 girls also had bone structure assessed at 11 and 13 years of age, respectively. Similar bone measurements were made once in 78 mother-father pairs. CHL and weight at birth did not correlate or did so weakly with bone traits in girls at 18 years of age. By contrast, CHL at 6 months correlated with the height, bone traits, and strength at puberty and at 18 years of age (r = 0.24–0.56, p < .001) in girls and with their parents' height and bone traits (r = 0.15–0.37, p < .05). When the girls' CHL at 6 months was stratified into quartiles, the absolute and relative differences in bone traits observed at puberty (∼11.5 years) were maintained as these traits tracked during the ensuing 7 years. Similarly, weight at 6 months correlated with the girls' bone traits at puberty and 18 years of age (r = 0.22–0.55, p < .05). During puberty and at 18 years of age, the girls' bone traits correlated with the corresponding traits in their parents (r = 0.32–0.43, p < .01). It is concluded that familial resemblance in bone structural strength and the position of an individual's bone traits relative to others in adulthood are likely to be established during the first year of life. Thus susceptibility to bone fragility late in life has its antecedents established early in life. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Rapid growth produces transient cortical weakness: A risk factor for metaphyseal fractures during puberty
Authors: Wang Qingju , Wang Xiao-Fang , Iuliano-Burns Sandra , Ghasem-Zadeh Ali , Zebaze Roger , Seeman Ego
Published: January 2010

Fractures of the distal radius in children have a similar incidence to that found in postmenopausal women but occur more commonly in boys than in girls. Fractures of the distal tibia are uncommon in children and show no sex specificity. About 90% of lengthening of the radius but only 30% of lengthening of the tibia during puberty occur at the distal growth plate. We speculated that more rapid modeling at the distal radial metaphysis results in a greater dissociation between growth and mineral accrual than observed at the distal tibia. We measured the macro- and microarchitecture of the distal radial and tibial metaphysis using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography in a cross-sectional study of 69 healthy boys and 60 healthy girls aged from 5 to 18 years. Bone diameters were larger but total volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) was lower at the distal radius (not at the distal tibia) by 20% in boys and by 15% in girls at Tanner stage III than in children of the same sex at Tanner stage I (both p < .05). In boys at Tanner stage III, total vBMD was lower because the larger radial total cross-sectional area (CSA) had a thinner cortex with lower vBMD than in boys at Tanner stage I. In girls at Tanner stage III, the larger total radial CSA was not associated with a difference in cortical thickness or cortical vBMD relative to girls in Tanner stage I. Cortical thickness and density at both sites in both sexes after Tanner stage III were greater than in younger children. Trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) was higher in boys than in girls at both sites and more so after puberty because trabeculae were thicker in more mature boys but not in girls. There was no sex- or age-related differences in trabecular number at either site. We infer that longitudinal growth outpaces mineral accrual in both sexes at the distal radius, where bone grows rapidly. The dissociation produces transitory low cortical thickness and vBMD in boys but not in girls. These structural features in part may account for the site and sex specificity of metaphyseal fractures during growth. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Effect of vitamin D3 and calcium on fracture risk in 65- to 71-year-old women: A population-based 3-year randomized, controlled trial—the OSTPRE-FPS
Authors: Salovaara Kari , Tuppurainen Marjo , Kärkkäinen Matti , Rikkonen Toni , Sandini Lorenzo , Sirola Joonas , Honkanen Risto , Alhava Esko , Kröger Heikki
Published: January 2010

Antifracture efficacy of high-dose vitamin D (800 IU) and calcium (1000 mg) remains controversial. To determine whether daily 800 IU of vitamin D and 1000 mg of calcium supplementation prevents fractures, we randomized 3432 women of the population-based Osteoporosis Risk Factor and Prevention (OSTPRE) Study cohort (ages 65 to 71 years) living in the region of northern Savonia, Finland (latitude 62° to 64°N) for 3 years to receive 800 IU of cholecalciferol and 1000 mg of calcium as calcium carbonate or to a control group that did not receive placebo. The main outcome measure was incident fractures. Fracture data were collected in telephone interviews and validated. Data on 3195 women, 1586 in the intervention group and 1609 in the control group, were available for analysis. In adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, the risk of any fracture decreased in the vitamin D and calcium group by 17% [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61–1.12], and the risk of any nonvertebral fracture decreased by 13% (aHR = 0.87; 95% CI 0.63–1.19). The risk of distal forearm fractures decreased by 30% (aHR = 0.70; 95% CI 0.41–1.20), and the risk of any upper extremity fractures decreased by 25% (aHR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.49–1.16), whereas the risk of lower extremity fractures remained essentially equal (aHR = 1.02; 95% CI 0.58–1.80). None of these effects reached statistical significance. In conclusion, this study did not produce statistically significant evidence that vitamin D and calcium supplementation prevents fractures in a 65- to 71-year-old general population of postmenopausal women. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Hypercalcemia and soft tissue calcification owing to sarcoidosis: The sunlight-cola connection
Authors: Demetriou Emily TW , Pietras Sara M , Holick Michael F
Published: January 2010

Hypercalcemia occurs in sarcoidosis because of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D production by pulmonary alveolar macrophages. Long-standing hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria may cause such complications as nephrocalcinosis, nephrolithiasis, and soft tissue calcification, which can be at least partially reversible with treatment. Here we present a 43-year-old African-American man with diffuse soft tissue calcifications and acute kidney injury owing to sarcoidosis-induced hypercalcemia, probably exacerbated by sun exposure and phosphorus intake in the form of dietary cola drinks. Soft tissue calcifications resolved and kidney function improved significantly with hydration and glucocorticoid therapy. We discuss the pathophysiology of the hypercalcemia of sarcoidosis and current treatment options. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
IgGs containing light chains of the λ and κ type and of all subclasses (IgG1‐IgG4) from sera of patients with multiple sclerosis hydrolyze DNA
Authors: Parkhomenko Taisiya A. , Legostaeva Galina A. , Doronin Boris M. , Buneva Valentina N. , Nevinsky Georgy A.
Published: January 2010

We present the first evidence demonstrating that small fractions of IgGs of all four subclasses (IgG1–IgG4) are catalytically active in the hydrolysis of DNA and on average their relative activity (nM supercoiled DNA/1mg IgG/1 h) increases in the order: IgG1 (0.58) < IgG2 (0.94) < IgG3 (1.4) < IgG4 (4.1), while their approximate relative contribution to the total activity of abzymes increases in the order: IgG1 (6.9%) < IgG3 (9.3%) < IgG2 (18.2%) < IgG4 (65.6%). On average IgGs containing light chains of the λ‐type are severalfold more active in the hydrolysis of DNA than IgGs with light chains of the κ‐type. Using different physicochemical methods of antibody analysis we have shown that the immune system of multiple sclerosis patients generates a variety of anti‐DNA abzymes of different type and with different catalytic properties, which can play an important role in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Radiotherapy and extent of surgical resection in retroperitoneal soft‐tissue sarcoma: Multi‐institutional analysis of 261 patients
Authors: Sampath Sagus , Hitchcock Ying J. , Shrieve Dennis C. , Randall R. Lor , Schultheiss Timothy E. , Wong Jeffrey Y.C.
Published: January 2010

Background and Objective

To examine the impact of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) and surgical technique on survival in retroperitoneal soft‐tissue sarcoma.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted using the National Oncology Database, a proprietary database of aggregated tumor registries owned by IMPAC® Medical Systems (Sunnyvale, CA). Patients who received definitive surgery with negative or microscopic‐positive margins were included. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Survival curves were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and were compared for statistical significance (P < 0.05) using the log‐rank test.

Results

Two hundred sixty‐one patients met inclusion criteria. The median follow‐up was 59 months (range 0.2–186 months). The 5‐year cause‐specific survival (CSS) and local failure‐free survival (LFFS) were 73% and 66%, respectively. Grade, margin status, and histology were independent predictors for CSS (P < 0.05). Adjuvant RT was associated with a significant improvement in LFFS over surgery alone (hazard ratio = 0.42, 95% confidence interval 0.21–0.86,P < 0.05). Patients receiving simple excision and RT had a 5‐year LFFS of 88%, significantly higher than wide resection with or without RT (log‐rank,P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Adjuvant RT is associated with a lower risk of local relapse compared to surgery alone. The impact of surgical technique on adjuvant RT efficacy warrants further study. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010; 101:345–350. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Loss of E‐cadherin and β‐catenin is correlated with poor prognosis of ampullary neoplasms
Authors: Hsu Hui‐Ping , Shan Yan‐Shen , Jin Ying‐Tai , Lai Ming‐Derg , Lin Pin‐Wen
Published: January 2010

Background and Objectives

Distant metastasis resulting from carcinoma cell detachment from the primary tumor involves modification of adhesion molecules. This study was conducted to examine the correlation of E‐cadherin/β‐catenin expression with survival and recurrence in ampullary neoplasms.

Methods

Patients with diagnoses of ampullary neoplasms were enrolled in the study. Demographics, operative findings, and histopathological data were collected by retrospective chart review. Expression of E‐cadherin and β‐catenin were detected by immunohistochemistry.

Results

A total of 110 patients were enrolled in the study. Preservation of membranous staining of E‐cadherin was noted in 41 (37%) patients, aberrant cytoplasmic staining in 48 (44%) patients, and complete loss in 21 (19%) patients. Loss of E‐cadherin was associated with pancreatic invasion, recurrence, and poor prognosis. Membranous staining of β‐catenin was noted in 65 (59%) patients, cytoplasmic or nuclear accumulation in 16 (15%) patients, and complete loss in 29 (26%) patients. Loss of β‐catenin expression was associated with tumor markers, ulcerative type, liver metastases, and poor prognosis. Pancreatic invasion, lymph node involvement, and loss of β‐catenin expression were predictors of disease recurrence.

Conclusions

Loss of the E‐cadherin/β‐catenin complex is related to poor prognosis in ampullary cancer. Loss of β‐catenin is predictor of recurrence in multivariate analysis. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010; 101:356–362. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intraoperative sentinel lymph node detection by vital dye through laparoscopy or laparotomy in early endometrial cancer
Authors: Mais Valerio , Peiretti Michele , Gargiulo Tigellio , Parodo Giuseppina , Cirronis Maria Giuseppina , Melis Gian Benedetto
Published: January 2010

Background and Objectives

Recent studies reported the feasibility of intraoperative lymphatic mapping in women with endometrial cancer but none of these studies compared the sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) detection rates obtainable through laparoscopy or laparotomy. The purpose of this study was to address this issue.

Methods

Thirty‐four patients with clinical stage I–II endometrial cancer were enrolled in this prospective comparative trial. Four milliliters of Patent Blue Violet were injected into the cervix after the induction of general anesthesia. The assessment of SLNs was done in 17 patients through laparoscopy and in 17 patients through laparotomy as first step of systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy. Both SLNs and non‐SLNs were evaluated for micrometastases.

Results

The SLNs detection rate was significantly higher (82%) for laparoscopy than for laparotomy (41%; P = 0.008). Pelvic lymph node metastases were present in 6 out of 34 patients (18%) but only 3 (50%) of these patients were correctly identified.

Conclusions

SLNs detection rate is significantly higher through laparoscopy than through laparotomy after vital dye pericervical injection but intraoperative vital dye pericervical injection is not reliable as part of standard care for predicting lymphatic spread in women with early stage endometrial cancer. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010; 101:408–412. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Propagation and Termination Kinetics of PEGylated Methacrylate Radical Polymerizations
Authors: Siegmann Rebekka , Jeličić Aleksandra , Beuermann Sabine
Published: January 2010

Propagation and chain‐length averaged termination rate coefficients, kp and , for radical polymerizations of methacrylates carrying poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) units are reported. kp derived from pulsed laser initiated polymerizations in bulk, in organic solvents, and in ionic liquids follows the methacrylate‐type family behavior. Contrary, diffusion controlled kt values obtained from chemically initiated polymerizations with in‐line FT‐NIR monitoring of monomer conversion are strongly affected by the PEG units in the ester group. Compared to alkyl methacrylates  is unexpectedly high. Moreover,  of poly(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate shows a significant reduction in kt already at 15% conversion, whereas dodecyl methacrylate  is constant up to at least 70% conversion.

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Trace formulas and a Borg‐type theorem for CMV operators with matrix‐valued coefficients
Authors: Zinchenko Maxim
Published: January 2010

We prove a general Borg‐type inverse spectral result for a reflectionless unitary CMV operator (CMV for Cantero, Moral, and Velázquez [13]) associated with matrix‐valued Verblunsky coefficients. More precisely, we find an explicit formula for the Verblunsky coefficients of a reflectionless CMV matrix whose spectrum consists of a connected arc on the unit circle. This extends a recent result [39] for CMV operators with scalar‐valued coefficients.

In the course of deriving the Borg‐type result we also use exponential Herglotz representations of Caratheodory matrix‐valued functions to prove an infinite sequence of trace formulas connected with CMV operators (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
p ‐nuclear operators in the sense of Grothendieck
Authors: Hinrichs Aicke , Pietsch Albrecht
Published: January 2010

The by now classical theory of p ‐nuclear operators with 0 < p ≤ 1 was founded in Grothendieck's thesis (1953). Since that time only little progress has been achieved. This article describes the present state of the art. We improve Grothendieck's multiplication theorem, characterize the p ‐integral operators, and give a long list of challenging open problems. The abstract theory is illustrated by considering the identity map and the discrete Fourier transform from lan onto lbn with 1 ≤ a, b ≤ ∞ (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The impact of presentation vs. interaction design on user satisfaction with digital libraries
Authors: Liu Jingjing , Zhang Xiangmin
Published: January 2010

Interface design includes two aspects: interaction design and presentation design, but there have not been many works examining the effect of these two aspects on user satisfaction with the system. We conducted a comparison study analyzing user satisfaction with system features in three digital libraries: ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, and IEEE Computer Society Digital Library. Our results showed that the two interface aspects of a system: the presentation and interaction designs, may receive rather different, even opposite (positive or negative) user opinions. Weak design of the interaction aspect could possibly be compensated by a good design in interface presentation. We observed that interface presentation is no less important than the interaction aspect. Based on the findings, we suggest interface design balancing between these two aspects instead of emphasizing either one but ignoring the other.
Author name disambiguation for collaboration network analysis and visualization
Authors: Strotmann Andreas , Zhao Dangzhi , Bubela Tania
Published: January 2010

In this paper we outline a heuristic algorithm for disambiguating author names of publications via deterministic clustering based on well‐defined similarity measures between publications in which their names appear as authors. The algorithm is designed to be used in the construction of a collaboration network, i.e., a graph of author nodes and co‐author links. In this context, the goal is to produce a co‐authorship graph with network characteristics that are close to those of the “true” collaboration network, so that meaningful network metrics can be determined.

The algorithm we present here is fairly easily comprehended as it does not depend on any sophisticated AI techniques. This is important in the context of policy studies, in which we successfully applied it, as it enables policy makers to judge the soundness of the methodology with considerable confidence. It is also quite fast, making it possible to run large‐scale analyses (here, in the order of a hundred thousand publications and in the order of a million names to be disambiguated) on a moderately sized desktop computer within a few days.

The algorithm is, finally, open to improvement via extensions that take into account additional kinds of fields in bibliographic records of publications to provide evidence that two occurrences of similar names belong to the same individual.
Book tagging on LibraryThing: How, why, and what are in the tags?
Authors: Bartley Peishan
Published: January 2010

The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand book tagging by investigating LibraryThing (LT) members' purposes for tagging; exploring how tags are used; and comparing member assigned tags with terms in corresponding MARC records. The results show that LT members tag mostly for personal reasons, especially to manage their own collection, but they also tag to assist others to find a book. Once assigned, LT members use the tags to search and retrieve books, to gain information about books, and most importantly, to assist with personal collection management. Contrary to users of other popular tagging systems such as Flickr, LT members do not perceive social networking as an important factor when assigning and using the tags. The study also reveals that book tags by users vary greatly from MARC records. When tags overlapped with the terms used in MARC records, the majority of the matching occurred in the fields of 600s (Subject Access Fields) and 245 (Title Statement). The findings of the study contribute to the understanding of how books are represented in LT members' conceptual spaces, and have implications on how libraries could employ user created tags in OPACs.
To what degree can log data profile a web searcher?
Authors: Jansen Bernard , Zhang Mimi , Booth Danielle , Park Daehee , Zhang Ying , Kathuria Ashish , Bonner Pat
Published: January 2010

In this paper, we report ongoing efforts in a large scale research project to develop methods for profiling individual Web search engine users by leveraging data recorded in the transaction logs of search engines. Our research aim is to investigate how completely one can profile a Web searcher using log data. Taking a broad brush approach, we present an array of profiling attributes to illustrate the spectrum of user characteristics possible from log data. Specifically, we present ongoing research for determining a user 's location, geographical interest, topic of interest, level of interest, the degree of commercial intent, whether the user plans to make a purchase, and whether the user will click a link. We present the state of our ongoing research in user profiling along with that of other researchers. Our findings show that one can develop a fairly robust profile of a Web searcher using log data. We also discuss issues of determining the specific identity of the user. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for the areas of system development, online advertising, privacy, and policies concerning the use of such profiling.
Users' views on country‐specific search engine results
Authors: Bar‐Ilan Judit , Levene Mark
Published: January 2010

In this paper we report the results of a user study that compared different country‐specific search results of Google and Live search. The users were Israelis and the search results came from six sources: Google Israel, Google.com, Google UK, Live Search Israel, Live Search US and Live Search UK. The users evaluated the results of nine pre‐selected queries, created their own preferred ranking and picked the best ranking from the six sources. The results indicate that the group of users in this study liked most the local Google interface, i.e. Google succeeded in it its country‐specific customization of search results. Live.com was much less successful in this aspect. However search engines are highly dynamic, thus these findings have to be viewed cautiously. The main contribution of the paper is a two‐phase methodology for comparing and evaluating search results from different sources.
Tags as keywords – comparison of the relative quality of tags and keywords
Authors: Syn Sue Yeon , Spring Michael B.
Published: January 2010

Tags assigned by users are considered to have potential in categorizing web resources despite the fact that they do not use a controlled vocabulary and are contributed by non‐experts. This study explores the potential of using tags to replace controlled vocabulary as a method of organizing web resources. Author‐assigned keywords and users‐assigned tags for a shared data collection are compared. The data was gathered from scientific papers that have both author‐assigned keywords and user‐assigned tags. Author‐assigned keywords and user‐assigned tags were compared using similarity measurements, classification systems, and clustering methods.
Identifying undergraduate media literacy skills: An exploratory study of faculty perceptions
Authors: Bordac Sarah
Published: January 2010

Given the complex nature of the multi‐media landscape available to undergraduate students, understanding how and how well these users make decisions in comprehending and critiquing media information has implications on the tools and quality of teaching and learning in the academy. In this research study, a small sample of faculty members who use visual content in their teaching were interviewed to learn what attributes they identify as important media literacy skills for students. The results support a model of core skills associated with media literacy. Findings from this exploratory study will inform a larger scale research project that investigates the assessment techniques for media literacy skills and based on which, develops a practical framework for media literacy assessment.