bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A nearly complete skeleton of a new troodontid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the Ordos Basin, Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China
Authors: Russell Dale A. , Dong Zhi-Ming
Published: October 2010

An articulated skeleton of a 1 m long theropod from Early Cretaceous strata in Inner Mongolia is clearly referrable to the Troodontidae, representing the most complete specimen known of this group of small carnivorous dinosaurs. The tail and neck of the animal were curled next to its body upon burial; the upper surface of the skeleton was badly damaged by erosion. Previously unknown details of troodont morphology include a quadratic contact with the braincase wall (forming part of a channel leading to the lateral depression), a presacral vertebral count possibly similar to that of most theropods, absence of ossified caudal tendons, presence of a rod-like clavicle, and absence of sternal ossifications. A new genus and species (Sinornithoides youngi n.gen., n.sp.) is established for the specimen on the basis of its short skull, laterally directed orbital rim of the frontal, and elongated hind limb. A reassessment of character distributions in other small theropods and primitive birds must be completed before troodontid affinities can be established with greater precision.
Djadokhta Formation correlative strata in Chinese Inner Mongolia: an overview of the stratigraphy, sedimentary geology, and paleontology and comparisons with the type locality in the pre-Altai Gobi
Authors: Jerzykiewicz T. , Currie P. J. , Eberth D. A. , Johnston P. A. , Koster E. H. , Zheng Jia-Jian
Published: October 2010

Because the Bayan Mandahu redbeds of Inner Mongolia share similar sedimentary facies and fossil assemblages with the Djadokhta Formation of pre-Altai Gobi, the two units are interpreted as stratigraphic correlatives, both of Campanian age. Sedimentary facies indicate that the Bayan Mandahu redbeds were deposited in semiarid, alluvial to eolian environments. An assemblage of fossil vertebrates found in the Bayan Manduhu consists of ceratopsian, ankylosaurian, and theropod dinosaurs; turtles; crocodiles; and small lizards and mammals. Six different kinds of fossil vertebrate eggs are present. The most common fossil vertebrates occur in association with eolian deposits and are interpreted as the remains of autochthonous "faunal" components, many of which died in situ during sandstorm events. In contrast, rare and fragmentary specimens of large dinosaurs occur in coarse-grained alluvial deposits and are interpreted as the remains of allochthonous faunal components. The low diversity of this fossil assemblage and overall small to medium size of its constituents indicate a relatively stressed paleoenvironment, an interpretation which is compatible with our sedimentological conclusions. A diverse trace fossil assemblage is present and includes rhizoliths and endogenic traces. Endogenic traces are well preserved and typically associated with eolian deposits, suggesting that the deposits were at least seasonally damp and cohesive. The opinion that the Late Cretaceous Gobi Basin was a large inland lake, still advocated by some authors, cannot be maintained within the context of our sedimentologic and paleontologic data. In contrast with the perennial lacustrine sedimentation that was characteristic of the underlying Lower to lower Upper Cretaceous units in the Gobi Basin, the Bayan Mandahu redbeds and correlative Djadokhta Formation mark a pronounced shift toward eolian and intermittent lacustrine sedimentation in an increasingly arid climate.
Protoceratopsian embryos from Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China
Authors: Dong Zhi-Ming , Currie Philip J.
Published: October 2010

New protoceratopsid fossils from Bayan Mandahu include the smallest specimens of Protoceratops and Bagaceratops recovered to date. None of these specimens were found associated with dinosaur eggshells, but all are small enough to fit within any of the eggs that have been attributed to protoceratopsians. It is concluded that they represent embryonic dinosaurs. No specimens are complete, but together they allow a better understanding of the cranial anatomy of the embryos.The absence of embryos in the thousands of eggs collected from Cretaceous sediments of China and Mongolia may represent a taphonomic condition whereby embryos were destroyed by the decomposing contents of the eggs. If this is correct, embryonic dinosaurs from central Asia may only have been preserved when the eggs were broken so that the liquid contents drained.
New caenagnathid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) specimens from the Upper Cretaceous of North America and Asia
Authors: Currie Philip J. , Godfrey Stephen J. , Nessov Lev
Published: October 2010

New specimens of caenagnathid theropods are described from the Judith River Formation (Campanian) of southern Alberta, the Hell Creek Formation (Maastrichtian) of South Dakota, and the Bissekty Formation (Turonian) of Uzbekistan. With the exception of the Hell Creek specimen, and a vertebra from Alberta, all are from the symphysial regions of the lower jaws. Caenagnathids are rare and poorly known animals, and the described fossils preserve heretofore unknown features, including vascular grooves and foramina in the symphysial region, and the pattern of overlapping sutures between jaw elements. Most of the new specimens are different from the holotype of Caenagnathus collinsi Sternberg and may represent the second described species, Caenagnathus sternbergi. The two jaws from the Bissekty Formation are the first oviraptorosaurian jaws described from Uzbekistan and represent a new genus and species anatomically closer to Caenagnathus than to central Asian forms like Oviraptor, Conchoraptor and Ingenia. There are at least five characters that distinguish caenagnathid and oviraptorid jaws, but it is concluded that the length of the symphysial region must be used with caution. Jaw anatomy supports the idea that oviraptorids were well adapted for eating eggs, although their diet was probably not restricted to one food type.
Spinosaurs before Stromer: early finds of spinosaurid dinosaurs and their interpretations
Authors: Buffetaut Eric
Published: October 2010

When Stromer described
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
and erected the family Spinosauridae in 1915 he mentioned that teeth from the Cretaceous of the Djoua region of eastern Sahara, considered by Haug as belonging to a fish, probably belonged to
Spinosaurus
. The teeth from Djoua had been collected by the French Foureau–Lamy Mission, which had crossed the Sahara from 1898 to 1900. Earlier finds of spinosaurid specimens include the jaw fragments from the Early Cretaceous of Portugal referred by Sauvage to a new species of
Suchosaurus
,
S. girardi
. The genus
Suchosaurus
had been erected by Owen in 1841, with
S. cultridens
as type species, on the basis of ribbed and compressed teeth from the Wealden of England that he considered as belonging to a crocodilian. The
Suchosaurus
material from Portugal actually belongs to
Baryonyx
, as do most of the teeth from the Wealden of England referred to
Suchosaurus
. The teeth described by Owen had been obtained from a quarry in Tilgate Forest (Sussex) by Mantell, who described and illustrated some of them in several of his publications, notably
Illustrations of the Geology of Sussex
in 1827. Several of these specimens can be identified in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London. Mantell's earliest published illustrations of these teeth are predated by Cuvier's illustration of a tooth from Tilgate Forest sent to him by Mantell, published in 1824. It thus appears that baryonychine teeth were among the first dinosaur remains to be described and illustrated (as crocodilian teeth) at the time of the discovery of
Megalosaurus
and
Iguanodon
, and well before the term ‘dinosaur’ was coined. It was not until the description of
Baryonyx walkeri
in 1986 that the real affinities of
Suchosaurus
could be elucidated. Because of their peculiar morphology, spinosaurid teeth from various parts of the world were frequently mistaken for those of other reptiles.
Yorkshire dinosaurs: a history in two parts
Authors: Whyte Martin A. , Romano Mike , Watts Will
Published: October 2010

Evidence of dinosaurs in Yorkshire is largely confined to the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group (Aalenian–Bathonian) and consists of both skeletal material and trace fossils. The oldest record is of unfigured limb elements, recorded by
Williamson in 1837
and ascribed by Owen to
Cetiosaurus
, but they have not been more recently described. There are no other published records of dinosaur bone from the Ravenscar Group until 2003, when Romano and Whyte recorded recent discoveries including a sauropod caudal vertebra, ribs, disarticulated pectoral and limb elements. Non-dinosaurian skeletal material includes crocodile, turtle and fish.

In contrast, dinosaur tracks are extremely abundant in the Ravenscar Group. Although some may have been observed around 1895, the first definite identification of dinosaur tracks was by
Brodrick in 1907
. A modern resurgence in interest began about 1970 when Sarjeant first formally named a track from Yorkshire. Subsequent publications have amply documented the abundance and diversity of dinosaur tracks within the Ravenscar Group. In 1995 the first new ichnotaxon from Yorkshire,
Deltapodus brodricki
, was described; this was followed by the recognition of sauropod tracks and swimming tracks. There are scattered records of dinosaur bone from other marine units in the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous. The Yorkshire records are of great international significance, especially in the Middle Jurassic where there is a dearth of material from other areas.
The roles played by museums, collections and collectors in the early history of reptile palaeontology
Authors: Evans Mark
Published: October 2010

The early history of reptile palaeontology is reviewed in order to assess the different roles played by museums, collections and collectors. The formal characterization and description of several fossil reptile groups (mosasaurs, pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and dinosaurs) is then examined in a series of case histories. Fossil reptile bones were collected from the end of the sixteenth century, originally as objects of curiosity. The comprehensive collection of John Woodward (1665–1728) was an exception to this, and fossil reptiles only comprise a small fraction of the total number of specimens. Early discoveries of reptile fossils were interpreted within an anthropocentric context, with later interpretations being based on contemporary exotic faunas. The emergence of the systematic study of comparative anatomy at the end of the eighteenth century allowed more precise identifications of specimen's affinities, and demonstrated that extinction was a reality. Interpretations were no longer constrained by the contemporary biota. Georges Cuvier was instrumental in both of these advances. Collections and museums of comparative biological material were vital to his methods, and to the whole field of comparative anatomy. By the 1840s, fossil reptiles had been classified into separate and distinguishable groups. Private collectors were important for securing new discoveries, but specimens have only survived when they were acquired by institutional museums. Museums and their collections influenced the careers of such early pioneers as Richard Owen, who later became one of the most politically powerful scientists of the nineteenth century. It is hard to conceive how a field such as palaeontology could survive without collections, as fossil reptiles ably demonstrate.
Art and palaeontology in German-occupied France:
Les Diplodocus
by Mathurin Méheut (1943)
Authors: Le Loeuff Jean
Published: October 2010

Geologist Yves Milon, the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences of Rennes, hired the painter Mathurin Méheut in 1941 to produce a large mural decoration for the new Geological Institute. This resulted in a little known 130 m
2
artwork that includes a Mesozoic triptych, the genesis of which is described here. The work was executed during the World War II, when Milon's illegal activities in several English intelligence services-led Resistance movements possibly prevented him from supervising the artist's work and which led to some anatomical inaccuracies. This decoration has survived several threats and constitutes a unique example of a large decorative palaeontological artwork in France. It has a special place in the history of dinosaur reconstructions as the choice of a decorative painting style is far from the usual forms of natural history illustration.
2000 A.D.
and the new ‘Flesh’: first to report the dinosaur renaissance in ‘moving’ pictures
Authors: Liston J. J.
Published: October 2010

Prior to recent developments in computer-generated images, reconstructions of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals were limited to static images or objects. Although a dynamic tension could be introduced to a composition or construction, it fundamentally lacked the ability to convey the motion of a now-extinct animal to its viewer. Before digital art forms the one exception to this was graphic or sequential art, generally in the form of ‘comic’ strips. This article explores how one particular comic strip came to be the mass communicator of a new dynamism in dinosaur reconstructions within 2 years of the data for the so-called ‘dinosaur renaissance’ being presented in the scientific press.
William Perceval Hunter (1812–1878), forgotten English student of dinosaurs-to-be and of Wealden rocks
Authors: Torrens H. S.
Published: October 2010

This paper examines the tragic life of William Perceval (wrongly Percival) Hunter (1812–1878), who was active right across natural history in the period 1828–1841. He was a nephew of the ‘father of American Geology’, William Maclure, but, despite this, has been completely forgotten. He produced a number of books and papers, some of which discussed what were to become dinosaurs in 1842, and the Wealden, and adjoining rocks, which had produced so many of them. Hunter was, notably, one of the first to draw attention to the Isle of Wight as a favoured fossil locality for these, among the many other natural history topics he covered. His problems were initially his itinerancy, then his failure to complete projects, coupled with their publication privately, obscurely and abroad. But the major problem comes from his forgotten end; first, in a Scottish medical ‘confinement’ from 1841 and, finally, within a major asylum there, until 1878. This left him unable to complete his projects and with an indelible mark on any reputation he might have acquired.
Life and ideas of Giovanni Capellini (1833–1922): a palaeontological revolution in Italy
Authors: Fanti Federico
Published: October 2010

During the nineteenth century Europe and then America were the focal points for major advances in the study of palaeontology and the great, often acrimonious, debate on evolutionary theory. Natural history was one of the great educational disciplines of the day and those involved were part of an educated elite who practised as medics, clergymen, chemists and anatomists. Some were shy and retiring, others forceful even bombastic, sometimes evil by intent. Many were driven by fame and it was their wish to discover the best, the biggest and the most important specimens they could get their hands on. Others were great orators who could defend a cause; some were the first of many who became diligent and careful in the collection and storage of material or brilliant field scientists who taught us the importance of observation, data gathering and interpretation of sedimentary successions worldwide. Being considered worthy of joining such an elite social, scientific circle was an immense tribute to their contribution to the natural sciences. It was an honour denied William Smith who lacked the educational background of the middle classes of the time, but given in abundance to the Italian scientist Giovanni Capellini who was born into an upper middle-class Italian family and who received a classic ecclesiastical training before venturing into the natural sciences.

Supplementary material:

A list of selected publications by Giovanni Capellini (1858–1907) is available athttp://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18417.
Alan Jack Charig (1927–1997): an overview of his academic accomplishments and role in the world of fossil reptile research
Authors: Moody Richard T. J. , Naish Darren
Published: October 2010

Alan Jack Charig was Curator of Fossil Amphibians, Reptiles and Birds at the British Museum (Natural History) from 1961 to 1987. We here review his academic accomplishments and the impact of his work within vertebrate palaeontology. His position gave him considerable influence in the discussion of emerging theories and in how vertebrate palaeontology was portrayed to the public. His main areas of scientific interest included biogeography and faunal provinces, the evolution of an erect gait in archosaurs, the systematics and diversity of Triassic proterosuchians, erythrosuchians and their relatives, and the origin of dinosaurs. Besides Triassic archosaurs, ornithischian, theropod and sauropodomorph dinosaurs, he published on gastropods, amphisbaenians and plesiosaurs. While he did produce some lasting contributions to the literature, it is telling that he failed to publish the specimen-based analyses he apparently planned to, despite citations of ‘in press’ manuscripts. Between the 1970s and 1990s Alan opposed or offered alternatives to many emerging theories and schools of thought. He is best described as ‘conservative’ in terms of his views on palaeontological controversies and his opinions would not conform with those favoured by the majority of palaeontologists today. He was highly critical of the concept of dinosaur monophyly, the dinosaurian origin of birds, of the division of archosaurs into a crocodilian and bird-dinosaur clade, and of cladistics. Several of his papers are ICZN (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature) submissions, published in order to clear up taxonomic problems, and they served to bring nomenclatural stability. Contradicting views exist of him as a scientist and a popularist. He has, not without contradiction, been described as intellectually arrogant, most clubbable, humorous, charming, an academic snob, political and meticulous. His lasting fame, however, is that very few of us live to be referred to as the ‘Carl Sagan of the BBC’ or have the good fortune to describe a dinosaur as important as
Baryonyx
.
Forgotten women in an extinct saurian (man's) world
Authors: Turner Susan , Burek Cynthia V. , Moody Richard T. J.
Published: October 2010

Despite dinosaurs becoming significant ‘icons’ in our culture, few women have made major contributions to the study of fossil vertebrates, especially reptilian taxonomy, by specializing in the dinosaurs and related ‘saurians’. Most who were involved over the first 150 years were not professional palaeontologists but instead wives, daughters and pure (and usually unpaid) amateurs. Here we salute some 40 of them, showing how some kept alive childhood dreams and others fell into the subject involuntarily. As usual nineteenth-century female practitioners are virtually unknown in this area except for one icon, Dorset girl Mary Anning of Lyme Regis, who significantly contributed to the palaeontology. Only in the early twentieth century did women such as Tilly Edinger conduct research with an evolutionary agenda. Before the modern post-1960s era, beginning with Mignon Talbot, few were scientists or conducting research; others such as Mary Ann Woodhouse, Arabella Buckley, the Woodward sisters, Nelda Wright were artists, photographers and/or writers, scientifically illustrating and/or popularizing dinosaurs. Like many other women, they often battled to get from first base to job, appear fleetingly in the literature then disappear; or exist as anonymous presences behind eminent men. In contrast, the modern era offers better prospects for those wanting to pursue dinosaurs and their relatives, even if it means volunteering for a dino dig, watching a live ‘Time team’-type dinosaur dig on TV or entering the Big Virtual Saurian World now on the Internet. This paper considers the problems and highlights the achievements of the oft-forgotten women.

Supplementary material:

Additional references and list of books and publications by or about deceased women related to ‘saurians’, including these mentioned in the text, are available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18419
.
Wilhelm (Guillermo) Schulz and the earliest discoveries of dinosaurs and marine reptiles in Spain
Authors: Suberbiola Xabier Pereda , Ruiz-Omeñaca José-Ignacio , Bardet Nathalie , Piñuela Laura , García-Ramos José-Carlos
Published: October 2010

Wilhelm Schulz (1805–1877), known in Spain as Guillermo Schulz, was one of the most outstanding representatives of the geology and mining industry in Spain during the nineteenth century. Schulz is, likewise, the author detailing the first discoveries of dinosaurs and marine reptiles in Spain. In 1858 Schulz described a supposed dinosaur tooth from the Jurassic of Ruedes (Asturias) as belonging to a shark. Schulz's description, mainly the occurrence of crenulated edges, suggests that the tooth was that of a large theropod. It probably comes from the altered grey marls of the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) Lastres Formation. Although the exact year of the discovery before 1858 is not known, the Ruedes tooth (currently lost) is presumably the earliest known discovery of a dinosaur body fossil in the Iberian Peninsula. Moreover,
Schulz mentioned in 1858
the discovery of plesiosaur remains from the Liassic near Villaviciosa (Asturias). The material probably comes from the Pliensbachian marls and limestone rhythmites (Jamesoni zone) of the Rodiles Formation. As no figure was provided and the specimen is currently lost, we have no definitive certainty about its affinities. However, it represents the earliest marine reptile fossil found in Spain.
The history of dinosaur collecting in central India, 1828–1947
Authors: Carrano Matthew T. , Wilson Jeffrey A. , Barrett Paul M.
Published: October 2010

The history of dinosaur collecting in central India (former Central Provinces and Central India Agency) began in 1828 when W. H. Sleeman discovered isolated sauropod caudal vertebrae in the Lameta Formation near Jabalpur. Subsequently, the area became a focal point for fossil collection, leading to a series of further discoveries that continues today.

The earliest discoveries were made by numerous collectors for whom palaeontology was a secondary pursuit, and who were employed in the armed forces (W. H. Sleeman and W. T. Nicolls), medicine (G. G. Spilsbury) or as geologists (T. Oldham, H. B. Medlicott, T. W. H. Hughes and C. A. Matley). Most of their finds were concentrated around Jabalpur or farther south near Pisdura and often consisted of isolated, surface-collected bones.

Charles Matley undertook the two most extensive collecting efforts, in 1917–1919 and 1932–1933 (Percy Sladen Trust Expedition). As a result he discovered significant deposits of dinosaurs on Bara Simla and Chhota Simla, revisited Pisdura, and mapped the Lameta Formation. Many new dinosaur taxa resulted from Matley's studies, which still represent most of the known Lameta Formation dinosaur fauna. Current scientific understanding places these fossils among the Sauropoda (as titanosaurians) and Theropoda (as abelisaurids and noasaurids). Early reports of armoured ornithischians were erroneous; these materials also pertain to sauropods and theropods.

Supplementary material:

A list of the archival documents in the Natural History Museum, London that were used for this study is available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18418
.
Exenatide does not evoke pancreatitis and attenuates chemically induced pancreatitis in normal and diabetic rodents
Authors: Tatarkiewicz Krystyna , Smith Pamela A. , Sablan Emmanuel J. , Polizzi Clara J. , Aumann Donald E. , Villescaz Christiane , Hargrove Diane M. , Gedulin Bronislava R. , Lu Melissa G. W. , Adams Lisa , Whisenant Tina , Roy Denis , Parkes David G.
Published: October 2010

The risk of developing pancreatitis is elevated in type 2 diabetes and obesity. Cases of pancreatitis have been reported in type 2 diabetes patients treated with GLP-1 (GLP-1R) receptor agonists. To examine whether the GLP-1R agonist exenatide potentially induces or modulates pancreatitis, the effect of exenatide was evaluated in normal or diabetic rodents. Normal and diabetic rats received a single exenatide dose (0.072, 0.24, and 0.72 nmol/kg) or vehicle. Diabetic ob/ob or HF-STZ mice were infused with exenatide (1.2 and 7.2 nmol·kg−1·day−1) or vehicle for 4 wk. Post-exenatide treatment, pancreatitis was induced with caerulein (CRN) or sodium taurocholate (ST), and changes in plasma amylase and lipase were measured. In ob/ob mice, plasma cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, MCP-1, IFNγ, and TNFα) and pancreatitis-associated genes were assessed. Pancreata were weighed and examined histologically. Exenatide treatment alone did not modify plasma amylase or lipase in any models tested. Exenatide attenuated CRN-induced release of amylase and lipase in normal rats and ob/ob mice but did not modify the response to ST infusion. Plasma cytokines and pancreatic weight were unaffected by exenatide. Exenatide upregulated Reg3b but not Il6, Ccl2, Nfkb1, or Vamp8 expression. Histological analysis revealed that the highest doses of exenatide decreased CRN- or ST-induced acute inflammation, vacuolation, and acinar single cell necrosis in mice and rats, respectively. Ductal cell proliferation rates were low and similar across all groups of ob/ob mice. In conclusion, exenatide did not modify plasma amylase and lipase concentrations in rodents without pancreatitis and improved chemically induced pancreatitis in normal and diabetic rodents.
The Bidirectionality of Motor Learning in the Vestibulo-ocular Reflex Is a Function of Cerebellar mGluR1 Receptors
Authors: Titley Heather K. , Heskin-Sweezie Raquel , Broussard Dianne M.
Published: October 2010

Bidirectional changes in synaptic transmission have the potential to optimize the control of movement. However, it can be difficult to establish a causal relationship between the bidirectionality of synaptic plasticity and bidirectional changes in the speed of actual movements. We asked whether metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) receptors, which participate in cerebellar long-term depression (LTD), are necessary for bidirectional motor learning in the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). Cerebellar LTD and long-term potentiation (LTP) are thought to cause increases and decreases, respectively, in the gain of the VOR; the direction of learning depends on the behavioral protocol. We injected either the mGluR1 agonist (S)-DHPG or the antagonist YM 298198 bilaterally into the flocculus of alert cats, and then induced motor learning. In the presence of YM 298198, the VOR gain decreased in gain-up, as well as in gain-down protocols. (S)-DHPG augmented gain-up learning. Gain-down learning was not significantly affected by either drug. These results supported the hypothesis that gain-up learning relies on cerebellar LTD, but gain-down learning relies on a different mechanism. In the absence of mGluR1 activity, cerebellar LTD may be replaced with LTP, permitting learning in only one direction.
Annexin-1 Downregulation Is Associated with Clinical Outcome in Chinese Patients with Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Wang D. , Zhang H. , Fang Z. , Yu G.
Published: October 2010

Aims: Annexin A1 (ANXA1) is a calcium- and phospholipid-binding protein and has been implicated in regulating inflammatory responses, cell proliferation and apoptosis. The evidence of its importance in carcinogenesis increased rapidly. However, the status of ANXA1 in hilar cholangiocarcinoma remains unclear. Here, we detected ANXA1 expression and determined its clinical significance in Chinese patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: Tissue microarray blocks containing tumor specimens obtained from 61 patients were constructed. Expression of ANXA1 in these specimens was analyzed using immunohistochemical studies. Results: ANXA1 expression was observed in 27 cases (44.3%). Loss of ANXA1 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastases and histopathologic grade. ANXA1 expression has a significant inverse correlation with recurrence and poor survival in univariate analyses.Multivariate analyses revealed that loss of ANXA1 expression was an independent predictor for future recurrence and overall survival in patients with cholangiocarcinoma. Conclusions: Decreased expression of ANXA1 is a common event in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma and is significantly correlated with the poor outcome of patients with cholangiocarcinoma, suggesting a potential role of ANXA1 in cancer development and progression.
Effect of Kidney Disease Stage on Pregnancy and Delivery Outcomes among Patients with Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy
Authors: Shimizu Ari , Takei Takashi , Moriyama Takahito , Itabashi Mitsuyo , Uchida Keiko , Nitta Kosaku
Published: October 2010

Background: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) has a peak onset that coincides with the reproductive age. Therefore, many young women who are affected become pregnant. The effects and outcome of pregnancy in women with renal diseases remain controversial, and the characteristics and outcome of pregnancy in IgAN patients must be further evaluated. Methods: A prospective follow-up study of 29 pregnant women with IgAN was performed by analyzing laboratory data, histology and prognosis. To clarify the influence of renal insufficiency, we compared these patients according to the chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage. Results: We found that pregnancy and delivery did not produce any significant changes of the renal function in any of the patients at 3 years after delivery, although the proteinuria was elevated at 30 weeks of pregnancy and at 3 months after delivery. Finally, the data of pregnant women with IgAN were compared with those of 45 nonpregnant women who had similar clinical and demographic characteristics. Conclusion: The pregnant patients with IgAN did not exhibit any significant reduction of renal function at 3 years after delivery as compared with the baseline, which is similar to the findings in nonpregnant patients. Furthermore, pregnancy with stage 2 or 3 CKD was not a risk factor for renal dysfunction or delivery.
Identification and Overexpression of a Bifunctional Aldehyde/Alcohol Dehydrogenase Responsible for Ethanol Production in Thermoanaerobacter mathranii
Authors: Yao Shuo , Mikkelsen Marie Just
Published: October 2010

Thermoanaerobacter mathranii contains four genes, adhA, adhB, bdhA and adhE, predicted to code for alcohol dehydrogenases involved in ethanol metabolism. These alcohol dehydrogenases were characterized as NADP(H)-dependent primary alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhA), secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhB), butanol dehydrogenase (BdhA) and NAD(H)-dependent bifunctional aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhE), respectively. Here we observed that AdhE is an important enzyme responsible for ethanol production in T. mathranii based on the constructed adh knockout strains. An adhE knockout strain fails to produce ethanol as a fermentation product, while other adh knockout strains showed no significant difference from the wild type. Further analysis revealed that the ΔadhE strain was defective in aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, but still maintained alcohol dehydrogenase activity. This showed that AdhE is the major aldehyde dehydrogenase in the cell and functions predominantly in the acetyl-CoA reduction to acetaldehyde in the ethanol formation pathway. Finally, AdhE was conditionally expressed from a xylose-induced promoter in a recombinant strain (BG1E1) with a concomitant deletion of a lactate dehydrogenase. Overexpressions of AdhE in strain BG1E1 with xylose as a substrate facilitate the production of ethanol at an increased yield.
Interactions between Glycolytic Enzymes of Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Authors: Dutow Pavel , Schmidl Sebastian R. , Ridderbusch Meike , Stülke Jörg
Published: October 2010

With only 688 protein-coding genes, Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the smallest self-replicating organisms. These bacteria use glycolysis as the major pathway for ATP production by substrate-level phosphorylation, suggesting that this pathway must be optimized to high efficiency. In this study, we have investigated the interactions between glycolytic enzymes using the bacterial adenylate cyclase-based two-hybrid system. We demonstrate that most of the glycolytic enzymes perform self-interactions, suggesting that they form dimers or other oligomeric forms. In addition, enolase was identified as the central glycolytic enzyme of M. pneumoniae due to its ability to directly interact with all other glycolytic enzymes. Our results support the idea of the formation of a glycolytic complex in M. pneumoniae and we suggest that the formation of this complex might ensure higher fluxes through the glycolytic pathway than would be possible with isolated non-interacting enzymes.
Stress Tolerance of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Adenylate Cyclase fil1 (CYR1lys1682) Mutant Depends on Hsp26
Authors: Vianna Cristina R. , Ferreira Mariana C. , Silva Carol L.C. , Tanghe An , Neves Maria J. , Thevelein Johan M. , Rosa Carlos A. , Van Dijck Patrick
Published: October 2010

Fermentation-induced loss of stress resistance in yeast is an important phenotype from an industrial point of view. It hampers optimal use of frozen dough applications as well as high gravity brewing fermentations because these applications require stress-tolerant yeast strains during active fermentation. Different mutants (e.g. fil1, an adenylate cyclase mutant CYR1lys1682) that are affected in this loss of stress resistance have been isolated, but so far the identification of the target genes important for the increased tolerance has failed. Previously we have shown that neither trehalose nor Hsp104 nor STRE-controlled genes are involved in the higher stress tolerance of the fil1 mutant. The contribution of other putative downstream factors of the PKA pathway was investigated and here we show that the small heat-shock protein Hsp26 is required for the high heat stress tolerance of the fil1 mutant, both in stationary phase cells as well as during active fermentation.
Multicopy proC in Streptomyces coelicolor  A3(2) Elicits a Transient Production of Prodiginines, while proC Deletion Does Not Yield a Proline Auxotroph
Authors: Barona-Gómez Francisco , Hodgson David A.
Published: October 2010

The last step of proline biosynthesis is typically catalysed by the enzyme Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase, encoded by the proC gene. Complete genome sequencing of Streptomyces coelicolor, a soil-dwelling Gram-positive bacterium that uses proline as a precursor for synthesis of prodiginine, revealed a single copy of this gene. Unexpectedly, disruption of this proC homologue (Sco3337) in S. coelicolor M145 yielded a prototrophic strain, yet the reductase activity of Sco3337 was confirmed by complementation of an Escherichia coli proC mutant. Multicopy proC within different genetic contexts elicited a transient production of prodiginines, which showed differential production kinetics of the two most common forms of this natural product produced by S. coelicolor, i.e. streptorubin B (cyclic) and undecylprodigiosin (linear). The metabolic and evolutionary implications of these observations are discussed.
Design of the Coronary ARtery DIsease Genome-Wide Replication And Meta-Analysis (CARDIoGRAM) Study
Authors: Preuss Michael , König Inke R. , Thompson John R. , Erdmann Jeanette , Absher Devin , Assimes Themistocles L. , Blankenberg Stefan , Boerwinkle Eric , Chen Li , Cupples L. Adrienne , Hall Alistair S. , Halperin Eran , Hengstenberg Christian , Holm Hilma , Laaksonen Reijo , Li Mingyao , März Winfried , McPherson Ruth , Musunuru Kiran , Nelson Christopher P. , Susan Burnett Mary , Epstein Stephen E. , O'Donnell Christopher J. , Quertermous Thomas , Rader Daniel J. , Roberts Robert , Schillert Arne , Stefansson Kari , Stewart Alexandre F.R. , Thorleifsson Gudmar , Voight Benjamin F. , Wells George A. , Ziegler Andreas , Kathiresan Sekar , Reilly Muredach P. , Samani Nilesh J. , Schunkert Heribert
Published: October 2010

Background—

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of myocardial infarction (MI) and other forms of coronary artery disease (CAD) have led to the discovery of at least 13 genetic loci. In addition to the effect size, power to detect associations is largely driven by sample size. Therefore, to maximize the chance of finding novel susceptibility loci for CAD and MI, the Coronary ARtery DIsease Genome-wide Replication And Meta-analysis (CARDIoGRAM) consortium was formed.

Methods and Results—

CARDIoGRAM combines data from all published and several unpublished GWAS in individuals with European ancestry; includes >22 000 cases with CAD, MI, or both and >60 000 controls; and unifies samples from the Atherosclerotic Disease VAscular functioN and genetiC Epidemiology study, CADomics, Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology, deCODE, the German Myocardial Infarction Family Studies I, II, and III, Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Heath Study/AtheroRemo, MedStar, Myocardial Infarction Genetics Consortium, Ottawa Heart Genomics Study, PennCath, and the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. Genotyping was carried out on Affymetrix or Illumina platforms followed by imputation of genotypes in most studies. On average, 2.2 million single nucleotide polymorphisms were generated per study. The results from each study are combined using meta-analysis. As proof of principle, we meta-analyzed risk variants at 9p21 and found that rs1333049 confers a 29% increase in risk for MI per copy (
P
=2×10
−20
).

Conclusion—

CARDIoGRAM is poised to contribute to our understanding of the role of common genetic variation on risk for CAD and MI.
Mehran Contrast-Induced Nephropathy Risk Score Predicts Short- and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients With ST-Elevation–Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Sgura Fabio A. , Bertelli Luca , Monopoli Daniel , Leuzzi Chiara , Guerri Elisa , Spartà Ilaria , Politi Luigi , Aprile Alessandro , Amato Andrea , Rossi Rosario , Biondi-Zoccai Giuseppe , Sangiorgi Giuseppe M. , Modena Maria G.
Published: October 2010

Background—

The Mehran Risk Score (MRS) has been demonstrated to be clinically useful for prediction of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after nonurgent percutaneous coronary intervention. We aim to validate the MRS in the setting of Primary percutaneous coronary intervention for prediction of both CIN and short- and long-term clinical outcomes.

Methods and Results—

We assigned 891 consecutive patients with ST-elevation–myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention to 4 groups of risk of CIN (RC) according to MRS (low, medium, high, and very high risk). We evaluated CIN, death, and major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events after 25 months' mean follow-up. At multivariable analysis, mortality in very high-risk group was more than 10-fold higher (hazard ratio [HR], 10.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.83 to 21.1;
P
<0.001) when compared with the low-risk group and was also increased in the high-risk group (HR, 6.31; 95% CI, 3.28 to 12.14;
P
<0.001) and medium-risk group (HR, 3.18; 95% CI, 1.83 to 5.51;
P
<0.001). Similarly, an increasing effect was seen across MRS strata for major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events both in the very high-risk group (HR, 3.79; 95% CI, 2.27 to 6.6.32;
P
<0.001), high-risk group (HR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.31 to 2.75;
P
=0.001), and medium-risk group (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.85;
P
=0.007). In addition, the HR for rehospitalization increased with the increasing RC groups (HR, 3.32; 95%CI, 1.96 to 5.63;
P
<0.001; HR, 3.11; 95% CI, 1.35 to 7.20;
P
=0.008; HR, 7.73; 95% CI, 2.97 to 20.10;
P
<0.001, respectively). The odds ratio for CIN was 2.84 (95% CI, 1.16 to 6.92;
P
=0.021) in the very high RC group, 1.33 (95% CI, 0.68 to 2.61;
P
=0.398) in the high RC group, and 1.10 (95% CI, 0.67 to 1.79;
P
=0.699) in the medium RC group, as compared with the lower one.

Conclusions—

The MRS may be applied in the primary angioplasty setting population and is able to predict CIN and to stratify patients for poor clinical outcomes both in the short- and long-term follow-up.
Population Impact of Heart Failure and the Most Common Forms of Cancer
Authors: Stewart Simon , Ekman Inger , Ekman Tor , Odén Anders , Rosengren Annika
Published: October 2010

Background—

The contemporary impact of heart failure (HF) versus the most common forms of cancer as reflected by related first-ever hospitalizations and subsequent case-fatality rates is unknown.

Methods and Results—

Using a national registry in Sweden, we compared the rate of first-ever hospitalization and associated short- and long-term survival for HF, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and the most common forms of cancer on an age and sex-specific basis during 1988 to 2004 in 949 733 Swedish patients (1 162 309 hospital admissions in total). Annual incidence of first-ever hospitalization for HF, AMI, and cancer in Sweden were 484, 424, and 373 (lung, colorectal, prostate, and bladder cancer combined) per 100 000 men and 470, 280, and 350 (lung, colorectal, bladder, breast, and ovarian cancer combined) per 100 000 women age >20 years. The ratio of individual cases of HF to cancer was 1.37:1 (465 998 versus 340 738). Despite improvements in 30-day and 5-year survival (adjusted 7% and 6% increase per calendar year for men and women, respectively), HF was associated with unadjusted case-fatality rate of 59% within 5 years and 196 400 deaths versus 58% and 131 000 deaths in patients with cancer. During 10-year follow-up, HF was associated with 66 318 versus 55 364 premature life-years lost than all common forms of cancer in men. In women, the equivalent figures were 59 535 versus 64 533 premature life-years lost.

Conclusions—

These data confirm that, like most common forms of cancer combined, HF exerts a major health burden in respect to age-adjusted rates of first hospitalization, poor overall survival, and premature life-years lost.
Impact of Elevated Cystatin C Level on Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Predominantly High Cardiovascular Risk Populations
Authors: Lee Meng , Saver Jeffrey L. , Huang Wen-Hung , Chow Jessica , Chang Kuo-Hsuan , Ovbiagele Bruce
Published: October 2010

Background—

Chronic kidney disease is a growing public health problem that carries substantial risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Single studies have differentially examined the role of cystatin C, a novel renal index, with varying cut-point use. We undertook a meta-analysis of prospective studies to properly assess the link between cystatin C (dichotomized and continuous) versus CVD.

Methods and Results—

Systematic literature search for studies reporting a multivariate-adjusted estimate, represented as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), of the association between cystatin C and subsequent risk of (1) any CVD event and (2) specific CVD events. Data were collated from 14 studies, with 13 high cardiovascular risk population cohorts and 1 general population cohort, involving 22 509 subjects with 2321 CVD events, 741 coronary heart disease events, and 828 stroke events. Highest cystatin C category versus lowest was associated with greater risk of CVD (RR, 2.62; 95% CI, 2.05 to 3.37,
P
<0.001), coronary heart disease (RR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.27 to 2.34;
P
<0.001), and stroke (RR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.12 to 3.00;
P
=0.02) after adjustment for established cardiovascular risk factors. Each standard deviation rise in cystatin C concentration boosted CVD risk (RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.18 to 1.51;
P
<0.001). Highest cystatin C category was also independently linked to greater risk of all-cause mortality and heart failure.

Conclusions—

The meta-analysis, mostly derived from high cardiovascular populations, showed that cystatin C is strongly and independently associated with subsequent CVD risk. Further investigation is warranted to clarify whether measurement of cystatin C can usefully enhance CVD stratification beyond established predictors already in clinical use.
Trends in Mortality of Acute Myocardial Infarction After Discharge From the Hospital
Authors: Kostis William J. , Deng Yingzi , Pantazopoulos John S. , Moreyra Abel E. , Kostis John B. ,   for the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System (MIDAS14) Study Group
Published: October 2010

Background—

We assessed trends in the prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction hospitalized in New Jersey hospitals. In recent decades, in-hospital mortality has declined markedly but the decline in longer-term mortality is less pronounced, implying that mortality after discharge has worsened.

Methods and Results—

Using the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System (MIDAS), we examined the outcomes of 285 397 patients hospitalized for a first acute myocardial infarction between 1986 and 2007. Mortality at discharge decreased by 9.4% from 16.9% to 7.5% (annual change, −0.44; 95% confidence interval, −0.49 to −0.40), but the decrease at 1 year was less pronounced (6.4%) because of an increase in mortality from discharge to 1 year after discharge (from 12.1% to 13.9%; annual change, +0.15; 95% confidence interval, +0.10 to +0.20). Mortality from 30 days after discharge to 1 year, a measure not affected by length of stay, increased by 1.2% (annual change, +0.10; 95% confidence interval, +0.06 to +0.23). The effect was more evident in the older age groups and was due to noncardiovascular mortality, especially from respiratory and renal diseases, septicemia, and cancer. All effects remained statistically significant (
P
<0.0001) after adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, infarction type, complications, and interventions. Piecewise linear regressions confirmed these trends.

Conclusions—

Postdischarge mortality of patients with acute myocardial infarction is increasing, primarily because of higher noncardiovascular mortality in the older age groups.
Crystallization of High-strength Fine-sized Leucite Glass-ceramics
Authors: Chen X. , Chadwick T.C. , Wilson R.M. , Hill R. , Cattell M.J.
Published: October 2010

Manufacturing of leucite glass-ceramics often leads to materials with inhomogeneous microstructures. Crystal-glass thermal mismatches which produce microcracking around larger crystals-agglomerates are associated with reduced mechanical properties. The hypotheses were that fine (< 1 µm) crystal size and uniform microstructure in a thermally matched glass would increase the biaxial flexural strength (BFS). Glass was synthesized, attritor-milled, and heat-treated. Glasses and glass-ceramics were characterized by XRD, SEM, and Dilatometry. Experimental (A, M1A and M2A) and commercial glass-ceramics were tested by the BFS test. Experimental glass-ceramics showed an increased leucite crystal number and decreased crystal size with glass particle size reduction. Leucite glass-ceramics (< 1 µm) showed minimal matrix microcracking and BFS values of [mean (SD) MPa]: M1A = 253.8 (53.3); and M2A = 219.5 (54.1). Glass-ceramics M1A and M2A had higher mean BFS and characteristic strength than the IPS Empress Esthetic glass-ceramic (p < 0.05). Fine-grained, translucent leucite glass-ceramics were synthesized and produced high mean BFS.