bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reinterpretation of endothelial cell gaps induced by vasoactive mediators in guinea‐fig, mouse and rat: many are transcellular pores
Authors: Feng Dian , Nagy Janice A. , Hipp John , Pyne Kathryn , Dvorak Harold F. , Dvorak Ann M.
Published: September 2004

In response to vascular permeabilizing agents, particulates circulating in the blood extravasate from venules through endothelial cell openings. These openings have been thought to be intercellular gaps though recently this view has been challenged.

To define the precise location of endothelial cell gaps, serial section electron microscopy and three‐dimensional reconstructions were performed in skin and cremaster muscle of guinea‐Pigs, mice and rats injected locally with agents that enhance microvascular permeability: vascular permeability factor, histamine or serotonin. Ferritin and colloidal carbon were injected intravenously as soluble and particulate macromolecular tracers, respectively.

Both tracers extravasated from venules in response to all three permeability enhancing agents. The soluble plasma protein ferritin extravasated primarily by way of vesiculo‐vacuolar organelles (VVOs), interconnected clusters of vesicles and vacuoles that traverse venular endothelium. In contrast, exogenous particulates (colloidal carbon) and endogenous particulates (erythrocytes, platelets) extravasated from plasma through transendothelial openings.

Serial electron microscopic sections and three‐dimensional reconstructions demonstrated that eighty‐nine of ninety‐two openings were transendothelial pores, not intercellular gaps. Pore frequency increased 3‐ to 33‐fold when carbon was used as tracer.

The results demonstrate that soluble and particulate tracers extravasate from venules by apparently different transcellular pathways in response to vasoactive mediators. However, some pores may derive from rearrangements of VVOs.
Pathway‐specific effects of calcitonin gene‐related peptide on irideal arterioles of the rat
Authors: Hill C. E. , Gould D. J.
Published: September 2004

Arteriolar diameter and membrane voltage have been measured to investigate the actions of calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) in rat irideal arterioles.

Activation of sensory nerves inhibited sympathetic vasoconstriction, reduced the accompanying 40–50 mV depolarization by 90% and caused a 4 mV hyperpolarization.

The inhibition of vasoconstriction was prevented by either preincubation in l‐NAME (10 μm), to inhibit nitric oxide production, by preincubation in the cell‐permeant adenylate cyclase inhibitor dideoxyadenosine (1 mm) or by preincubation in the ATP‐sensitive potassium channel blocker glibenclamide (10 μM). The subsequent addition of a nitric oxide donor to the glibenclamide solution inhibited nerve‐mediated vasoconstriction, suggesting that the potassium channel involvement preceded the production of nitric oxide. The small hyperpolarization was not affected by l‐NAME.

Nerve‐mediated vasodilatation persisted in the presence of l‐NAME (10 μm) but was abolished with the CGRP1 receptor antagonist CGRP8–37.

In arterioles preconstricted with the α2‐adrenoceptor agonist UK‐14304 (100 nm), exogenous CGRP caused a hyperpolarization and a dose‐dependent vasodilatation, neither of which was affected by l‐NAME (10 μm).

In arterioles preconstricted with 30 mm KCl, CGRP (10 nm) caused vasodilatation but not hyperpolarization, suggesting that the hyperpolarization was not causal to the vasodilatation.

Forskolin (30 nm), in the presence of l‐NAME to prevent effects due to nitric oxide, caused vasodilatation.

These results suggest that CGRP inhibits sympathetic nerve‐mediated vasoconstriction through sequential increases in cyclic AMP and nitric oxide, while vasodilatation results from increases in cyclic AMP alone. The production of nitric oxide, but not its mechanism of action, appears to be dependent on the activation of ATP‐sensitive potassium channels. The possible sites of action of these two pathways are discussed.
Sympathetic and parasympathetic interaction in vascular and secretory control of the nasal mucosa in anaesthetized dogs
Authors: Revington Maureen , Lacroix J. Silvain , Potter Erica K.
Published: September 2004

In dogs anaesthetized with pentobarbitone, electrical stimulation of the parasympathetic nerve fibres to the nasal mucosa evoked frequency dependent increases in both nasal arterial blood flow and nasal secretion. Blood flow was measured using a transonic flow probe placed around the artery.

Sympathetic nerve stimulation for 3 min at 10 Hz evoked significant and prolonged (> 30 min) attenuation of the vasodilator and secretory responses to subsequent parasympathetic stimulation.

Intravenous and intranasal administration of the neuropeptide Y (NPY) analogue N‐acetyl [Leu28,Leu31] NPY 24–36, a selective NPY Y2 receptor agonist (20 nmol kg−1), significantly attenuated both vasodilator and secretory effects of subsequent parasympathetic nerve stimulation. When given intravenously, the inhibitory effect of this Y2 receptor agonist on vascular and secretory effects of parasympathetic nerve stimulation was rapid in onset (5 min) and lasted for more than 60 min. The modulatory effect of the Y2 receptor agonist was also seen with intranasal administration, but was slower in onset (15 min), and lasted less than 45 min. The effects of the intranasal pretreatment with the Y2 receptor agonist were significantly prolonged in the presence of the endopeptidase inhibitor phosphoramidon (10 nm).

Atropine pretreatment did not significantly reduce the change in vascular conductance evoked by parasympathetic nerve stimulation. Subsequent pretreatment with the NPY Y2 receptor agonist N‐acetyl [Leu28,Leu31] NPY 24–36 reduced the stimulation induced increase in conductance by 30%. Nasal secretion was reduced by 70% following pretreatment with atropine and a further 30% by pretreatment with the NPY Y2 receptor agonist. Dose dependent vasodilator and secretory effects of local intra‐arterial infusion of acetylcholine and vasoactive intestinal peptide were not modified by the NPY Y2 agonist.

Total protein and albumin concentration were measured in nasal lavage fluid collected after nerve stimulation. Atropine pretreatment increased the percentage of the total protein that was albumin in nasal lavage fluid. Neither sympathetic nerve stimulation nor Y2 receptor agonist pretreatment further modified the albumin exudation (a marker of vascular permeability) in nasal fluid lavage collected after parasympathetic nerve stimulation.

We propose that sympathetic nerve stimulation releases NPY, which acts on Y2 receptors, probably located on parasympathetic nerve endings, to attenuate both vasodilatation and nasal secretion evoked by subsequent parasympathetic nerve stimulation. This effect is also observed after pretreatment with the Y2‐selective NPY analogue N‐acetyl [Leu28,Leu31] NPY 24–36.
Revisiting the Moderating Effect of Social Support on Strain: A Gendered Test
Authors: Robbers Monica L. P.
Published: September 2004

Agnew's General Strain Theory (GST) has both revived and advanced strain theory. It has recently been applied to topics ranging from gender differences in delinquency to differences in community crime rates. Tests of GST are now focusing on the intermediate variables that fall between GST and delinquency, such as anger and social support, but these tests have produced varying results. This paper adds to GST literature by empirically analyzing whether social support moderates individuals’ responses to strain and whether this moderating effect varies by gender. Testing is conducted using data from wave six of the National Youth Survey (NYS). Results provide support for GST and suggest that there are gender differences in the types and levels of strain experienced during the late teens. Further, there is evidence to support the hypothesis that social support does moderate females’ responses to certain types of strain.
First Nation Politics: Deprivation, Resources, and Participation in Collective Action
Authors: Wilkes Rima
Published: September 2004

How are levels of deprivation and resources associated with participation by First Nations in collective action? Although previous studies have focused on the relationship between deprivation, resources and the timing of protest, surprisingly few have used these concepts to address the issue of participation in protest. This paper presents the results of a study that compares the characteristics of First Nations with varying levels of mobilization (from participation in none to participation in several protests). Data on First Nation protest were obtained from newspapers and data on First Nation characteristics were obtained from several waves of the Canadian Census of Population. Multivariate analyses reveal that some forms of deprivation (unemployment) and resources (socioeconomic status) were related to First Nation mobilization. Explanations which synthesize theoretical concepts may, in future, provide a greater understanding of collective action than those explanations which are based on a single theory.
Race and Gender Differences in Workplace Autonomy: A Research Note
Authors: Petrie Michelle , Roman Paul M.
Published: September 2004

While many studies have focused on race and gender differences in monetary labor market rewards, few studies have used national samples to examine race and gender differences in nonmonetary labor process rewards. Utilizing multivariate analysis on data from the 1993 and 1997 National Employee Survey, the present study examines how race and gender interact in shaping workplace autonomy. We regress an index of autonomy on human capital, structural level variables, and race and gender interaction terms. Findings show that black and white females, relative to white males, fare worse net of controls for human capital and structural level variables. Black males fare worse than white males when controlling for human capital but this disadvantage fails to retain its significant effect when controlling for structural level variables. We conclude that contrary to some beliefs that black females have experienced greater success in the labor market as a result of affirmative action policies, black females remain hindered by the double jeopardy of race and gender.
DIMETHYLSULFONIOPROPIONATE PRODUCTION BY PSYCHROPHILIC DIATOM ISOLATES1
Authors: Kasamatsu Nobue , Hirano Tomoaki , Kudoh Sakae , Odate Tsuneo , Fukuchi Mitsuo
Published: September 2004

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) production by psychrophilic diatom strains, Chaetoceros sp., Navicula sp., and Nitzschia sp., were experimentally analyzed. All strains showed rapid growth (0.3–0.5 d−1) under cold culture conditions (1.7°C). DMSP concentrations (both as particulate, DMSPp, and dissolved, DMSPd) were negligible in cultures of Chaetoceros sp., whereas those for Navicula sp. and Nitzschia sp. increased toward the end of the 56‐day experiments. The ratio of DMSPp:chl a of the latter two species was approximately 5 in the early exponential growth phase and decreased slightly toward the early stationary phase. During the stationary phase, when chl a and fluorescence remained constant, the ratios in both species increased linearly by up to approximately 6.5 times the value at the start of the stationary phase. This growth‐related DMSP production by diatoms may result in the low concentrations of DMSPp observed in the early stage of diatom blooms under natural conditions.
BIOLOGICAL AVAILABILITY OF IRON TO THE FRESHWATER CYANOBACTERIUM ANABAENA FLOS‐AQUAE1
Authors: Gress Courtney D. , Treble Ron G. , Matz Carlyn J. , Weger Harold G.
Published: September 2004

Iron acquisition from various ferric chelates and colloids was studied using iron‐limited cells of Anabaena flos‐aquae (Lyng.) Brèb UTEX 1444, a cyanobacterial strain that produces high levels of siderophores under iron limitation. Various chelators of greatly varying affinity for Fe3+ (HEDTA, EDDHA, desferrioxamine mesylate, HBED, 8‐hydroxyquinoline) were assayed for the degree of iron acquisition by iron‐limited cyanobacterial cells. Iron uptake rates (measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry) varied approximately inversely with calculated [Fe3+] (calculated as pFe) and decreased with increasing chelator‐to‐iron ratio. No iron uptake was observed when Fe3+ was chelated with HBED, the strongest of the tested chelators. Iron‐limited Anabaena cells were able to take up iron from 8‐hydroxyquinoline (oxine or 8HQ), a compound sometimes used to quantify aquatic iron bioavailability. Iron bound to purified humic acid was poorly available but did support some growth at high humic acid concentrations. These results suggest that for cyanobacteria, even tightly bound iron is biologically available, including to a limited extent iron bound to humic acids. However, iron bound to some extremely strong chelators (e.g. HBED) is likely to be biologically unavailable.
LINKING FLOW CYTOMETRIC CELL SORTING AND COMPOUND‐SPECIFIC 13C‐ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE POPULATION‐SPECIFIC ISOTOPIC SIGNATURES AND GROWTH RATES IN CYANOBACTERIA‐DOMINATED LAKE PLANKTON1
Authors: Pel Roel , Floris Virgilio , Gons Herman J. , Hoogveld Hans L.
Published: September 2004

A novel methodology was applied to determine the δ13C signatures of natural cyanobacterial and algal populations by combined compound‐specific isotope ratio mass spectrometry and pyrolytic methylation‐gas chromatography (Py‐GC‐IRMS) of the fatty acids released from phytoplankton fractions collected using fluorescence‐activated cell sorting. Py‐GC‐IRMS provided direct analysis of the very small samples (<200 ng total C) derived from the cell sorting of individual phototrophic populations, while minimizing the chances on contamination and loss in sample handling. Despite trichome lengths exceeding the diameter of the sort droplets, filamentous cyanobacteria were amenable to population‐specific cell sorting. In concert with 13C‐CO2 labeling, the combined use of flow cytometric cell sorting and Py‐GC‐IRMS enabled both the assessment of standing stocks and of population‐specific growth rates of the predominant cyanobacterial and algal taxa in Lake Loosdrecht (The Netherlands). Filamentous prochlorophytes, formerly the dominant cyanobacterial taxon in the lake, appeared less abundant in recent years and exhibited growth rates 30%–40% lower than the rates recorded for oscillatorioid populations. Diatom and green algal populations grew at rates 4‐ to 10‐fold higher than filamentous cyanobacteria and are thus important for the lake's carbon budget. This approach offers new possibilities in studying plankton dynamics at a resolution not feasible in the past.
HABITAT MATTERS FOR INORGANIC CARBON ACQUISITION IN 38 SPECIES OF RED MACROALGAE (RHODOPHYTA) FROM PUGET SOUND, WASHINGTON, USA1
Authors: Murru Maurizio , Sandgren Craig D.
Published: September 2004

Measurements of pH drift were used to assess the ability of 38 red algal seaweeds to use bicarbonate and to deplete the dissolved inorganic carbon pool (DIC) from seawater medium. Subtidal algae were typically restricted to the use of DIC in the form of dissolved CO2, reducing the initial DIC by only 9%. Intertidal species used both dissolved CO2and bicarbonate and reduced initial DIC by as much as 70%. DIC reductions and pH compensation points for the intertidal species tested were strongly correlated with their vertical zonation on the rocky shoreline (analysis of variance). DIC acquisition efficiency increased with tidal height, but species from the upper edge of the intertidal demonstrated a reversal of this trend. This general pattern associated with tidal height was observed not only among intertidal red algae in general, but also among four species of the genusPorphyra(P. tortaV. Krishnamurthy,P. papenfussiiKrishnamurthy,P. perforataJ. Agardh,P. fucicolaKrishnamurthy) and among four populations of the broadly distributed speciesMastocarpus papillatus(C. Agardh). TheMastocarpusobservations suggest either that individuals of this species may be able to express alternate strategies for carbon acquisition or that intertidal height may select for survivorship of genotypes with different carbon acquisition strategies. Taken together, these data suggest that the carbon acquisition strategy of intertidal red algae may be an important physiological set of adaptations that is under active evolutionary selection. These physiological differences were not related to phylogeny, tested as membership in red algal families and orders.
CONTRASTING PATTERNS OF ALLOMETRY AND REALIZED PLASTICITY IN THE SISTER SPECIES MAZZAELLA SPLENDENS AND MAZZAELLA LINEARIS (RHODOPOHYTA)1
Authors: Shaughnessy Frank J.
Published: September 2004

Phenotypic differences between the low wave exposure Mazzaella splendens (Setchell et Gardner) Hommersand and the high exposure Mazzaella linearis (Setchell et Gardner) Fredericq could be due to plasticity or genetic differentiation. Common gardens were used to assess their levels of plasticity after describing allometric relationships. As thalli lengthened, stipe development for M. splendens almost ceased even though blades continued to expand, but M. linearis formed a larger stipe before developing a blade that continued to stay narrow at longer thallus lengths. Common gardens demonstrated that M. splendens regrown in the site of M. linearis produced a wider blade than M. splendens regrown in its natural low energy site and that M. linearis regrown in low wave energy either could not form a wider blade or became narrower than thalli from its high energy site. Tetrasporophytes of M. splendens produced a longer and thicker stipe in the high energy site, but the larger M. linearis stipe was not realized because its wider blades made it vulnerable to hydrodynamic removal. Mazzaella splendens therefore had low survivorship in the high wave energy site, and survivors were not long enough to reproduce. Survivorship and reproduction of M. linearis was similar in both environments. Some of the M. splendens and M. linearis characters are plastic, but this plasticity was insufficient for convergence of phenotypes, and blade width plasticity was maladaptive at least for M. splendens. Developmental systems producing the stipe and blade phenotypes of each species have undergone genetic differentiation.
THE PRASIOLALES (CHLOROPHYTA) OF ATLANTIC EUROPE: AN ASSESSMENT BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL, MOLECULAR, AND ECOLOGICAL DATA, INCLUDING THE CHARACTERIZATION OFROSENVINGIELLA RADICANS(KÜTZING) COMB. NOV.1
Authors: Rindi Fabio , McIvor Lynne , Guiry Michael D.
Published: September 2004

Despite a simple morphology and intensive studies carried out for more than two centuries, the systematics of the Prasiolales still presents several unsolved problems. The taxonomic relationships of several common species of Prasiolales, mostly from northern Europe, were investigated by a combination of morphological observations, culture experiments, and molecular analyses based onrbcL sequences. The results indicate thatRosenvingiellaandPrasiolaare separate genera. The capacity for production of tridimensional pluriseriate gametangia and the presence of unicellular rhizoids are the morphological features that discriminateRosenvingiellafrom filamentous forms ofPrasiola. The molecular data indicate that uniseriate filaments can be produced in at least three different species ofPrasiola. The genetic diversity of uniseriate filamentous Prasiolales is higher than their simple morphology would indicate, and the provisional retention ofSchizogoniumKützing 1843as independent genus is recommended. TherbcL phylogeny confirms thatPrasiola calophylla,P. crispa, andP. stipitataare distinct species, whereasP. stipitataandP. meridionalisare probably conspecific.Rosenvingiella polyrhizais a strictly marine alga, and most records ofRosenvingiellain Europe are referable toRosenvingiella radicans, proposed here as a new combination based onUlothrix radicansKützing 1849. This is a primarily terrestrial alga that can occur from upper intertidal rock to locations situated hundreds of kilometers inland. The great confusion that has arisen in Europe between these two species in the last century is mostly due to misidentifications of marine populations ofR. radicans.
MICROSATELLITE MARKER DEVELOPMENT AND GENETIC VARIATION IN THE TOXIC MARINE DIATOM PSEUDO‐NITZSCHIA MULTISERIES (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE)1
Authors: Evans Katharine M. , Bates Stephen S. , Medlin Linda K. , Hayes Paul K.
Published: September 2004

The genetic structure of phytoplankton populations is largely unknown. In this study we developed nine polymorphic microsatellite markers for the domoic acid–producing marine diatom Pseudo‐nitzschia multiseries (Hasle) Hasle. We then used them in the genotyping of 25 physiologically diverse field isolates and six of their descendants: 22 field isolates originated from eastern Canadian waters, two from European waters, and one from Russian waters. The numbers of alleles per locus ranged from three to seven and the observed heterozygosities from 0.39 to 0.70. A substantial degree of genetic variation was observed within the field isolates, with 23 different genotypes detected. The Russian isolate was the most genetically distinct, although there was also evidence of genetic differentiation at a more local scale. Mating experiments demonstrated that alleles were inherited in a Mendelian manner. Pseudo‐nitzschia multiseries primer pairs were tested on DNA from four congeners: P. calliantha Lundholm, Moestrup et Hasle; P. fraudulenta (P. T. Cleve) Hasle; P. pungens (Grunow ex P. T. Cleve) Hasle; and P. seriata (P. T. Cleve) H. Peragallo. Cross‐reactivity was only observed in P. pungens. Our results are a first step in understanding the genetic variation present at the Pseudo‐nitzschia“species” level and in determining the true biogeographic extent of Pseudo‐nitzschia species.
A STUDY OF CELL WALL AND FLAGELLA FORMATION DURING CELL DIVISION IN THE SCALY GREEN ALGA, SCHERFFELIA DUBIA (CHLOROPHYTA)1
Authors: Wustman Brandon A. , Melkonian Michael , Becker Burkhard
Published: September 2004

The thecate green flagellate Scherffelia dubia (Perty) Pascher divides within the parental cell wall into two progeny cells. It sheds all four flagella before cell division, and the maturing progeny cells regenerate new walls and flagella. By synchronizing cell division, we observed mitosis, cytokinesis, cell maturation, flagella extension, and cell wall formation via differential interference contrast microscopy of live cells and serial thin‐section EM. Synthesis of thecal and flagellar scales is spatially and temporally strictly separated. Flagellar scales are collected in a pool during late interphase. Before prophase, Golgi stacks divide, flagella are shed, the parental theca separates from the plasma membrane, and flagellar scales are deposited on the plasma membrane near the flagellar bases. At prophase, Golgi bodies start to synthesize thecal scales, continuing into interphase after cytokinesis. During cytokinesis, vesicles containing thecal scales coalesce near the cell posterior, forming a cleavage furrow that is initially oriented slightly diagonal to the longitudinal cell axis but later becomes transverse. After the progeny nuclei have moved into opposite directions, resulting in a “head to tail” orientation of the progeny cells, theca biogenesis is completed and flagellar scale synthesis resumes. Progeny cells emerge through a hole near the posterior end of the parental theca with four flagella of about 8 μm long. The precise timing of flagellar and thecal scale synthesis appears to be an evolutionary adaptation in a scaly green flagellate for the thecal condition, necessary for the evolution of the phycoplast and thus multicellularity in the Chlorophyta.
Literacy Instruction, SES, and Word‐Reading Achievement in English‐Language Learners and Children with English as a First Language: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: D'Angiulli Amedeo , Siegel Linda S. , Maggi Stefania
Published: October 2004

Socioeconomic gradients and growth‐mixture model trajectories of word‐reading achievement were examined from kindergarten to Grade 5 in all the children who entered kindergarten within a school district and started receiving literacy‐intensive instruction from that point on. In kindergarten, the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and word reading was significant in two of the three subgradients identified in English‐language learners (ELL), and in the only gradient identified in children with English as first language (L1). With more instruction, SES effects progressively disappeared and ELL and L1 gradients became identical. The trajectories showed that ELL and L1 children of middle‐SES level improved similarly as they progressed through Grade 5. However, at the lowest and highest end of the SES spectrum, the ELL children improved more than the L1 even though in kindergarten they were the most at risk for reading failure. The results suggest that the literacy‐intensive program may have reduced the negative influence of SES on word‐reading development.
Cardiac status in well‐treated patients with thalassemia major
Authors: Aessopos Athanasios , Farmakis Dimitrios , Hatziliami Antonia , Fragodimitri Christina , Karabatsos Fotis , Joussef Jacqueline , Mitilineou Eftichia , Diamanti‐Kandaraki Evanthia , Meletis John , Karagiorga Markisia
Published: September 2004

Abstract:  Objective: To assess cardiac status in a large group of patients with thalassemia major who had been treated in a standard way since their early infancy with intensive transfusions and deferoxamine chelation therapy and who had good compliance with this regimen. Methods and Results: We assessed clinically and echocardiographically 202 thalassemia major patients aged 27.3 ± 6.3 yr and 75 age and sex‐matched healthy controls. Overt cardiac disease was encountered in 14 patients (6.9%), including 5 (2.5%) with congestive heart failure, aged 26–37 yr, and 9 with systolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, aged 23–37 yr. Ten patients (5.0%) had a history of pericarditis. Left atrial and LV diameters, LV mass and cardiac output were significantly higher in patients than in controls, while peripheral resistance and LV afterload were significantly lower. Relative LV wall thickness did not differ between patients and controls, but it was significantly lower in patients with overt cardiac disease compared to those without (P < 0.05). Restrictive LV filling was observed in 37.6% of patients and was significantly more frequent in cases with overt cardiac disease (P < 0.01). Pulmonary hypertension was practically absent. Hematological parameters and pulmonary artery pressure levels were not independently associated with the presence of overt cardiac disease. Conclusion: Strict lifelong adherence to the standard transfusion and deferoxamine therapy reduces considerably the occurrence of heart failure, LV dysfunction and pericarditis, prevents early heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, but does not eliminate completely cardiac disease in patients with thalassemia major.
Long‐term alpha interferon treatment is effective on anaemia and significantly reduces iron overload in congenital dyserythropoiesis type I
Authors: Lavabre‐Bertrand Thierry , Ramos Jeanne , Delfour Christophe , Henry Laurent , Guiraud Isabelle , Carillo Serge , Wagner André , Bureau Jean Paul , Blanc Pierre
Published: September 2004

Abstract:  Interferon has been shown to be an effective treatment of congenital dyserythropoiesis type I (CDA‐I), but the optimal dose and the feasibility of this treatment remains to be determined. Here, in a 9‐yr follow‐up of a single patient, we show that interferon remains active during such a long period. The optimal dose of conventional alpha interferon could be evaluated at 2 million units twice a week. Pegylated interferon could be used as well at a dose of 30 μg/wk. During interferon treatment, serum and erythrocyte ferritin levels decreased progressively, and remained inversely correlated with haemoglobin levels. On repeated liver biopsies, iron overload could be normalized. Low dose interferon is a long‐term treatment of CDA‐I, and allows a significant decrease in iron overload, that could be interesting even in patients who are only moderately anaemic.
Tracking the follicular lymphoma cells in flow cytometry: characterisation of a new useful antibody combination
Authors: Detry G. , Drénou B. , Ferrant A. , Theate I. , Michaux L. , Scheiff J. M. , Latinne D. , Leveugle P. , Mazzon A. M. , Deneys V.
Published: September 2004

Abstract:  Objectives: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common adult non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. Diagnosis is based on morphology and can be confirmed by cytogenetic, flow cytometry (FCM) or molecular studies. Despite all these complementary approaches, diagnosis sometimes remains difficult. The purpose of the present work was to characterise the expression of new specific follicular cells markers which allows us to target specifically the abnormal FL cell population in FCM. Methods: A total of 153 samples from healthy subjects and from patients with chronic B‐cell lymphoproliferative disorders were analysed by FCM in the same conditions for purpose of comparison. Results: We showed that CD44 is weakly expressed in FL cells compared with peripheral blood mononuclear cell from normal blood donors and others cells from B lymphoproliferative diseases. We nevertheless observed bone marrow samples where some immature B‐cell population express CD44 with lower fluorescence intensity. Therefore, we developed a double antibody combination, using CD44 and CD38, which allowed us to separate the normal immature cells from the pathological population using FCM. Conclusion: This new phenotypic approach offers an accurate (sensitivity and specificity of 93% and 96%, respectively), fast and low sample consuming method for the diagnosis of FL.
The Origins and Demise of the Concept of Race
Authors: Hirschman Charles
Published: September 2004

Physical and cultural diversity have been salient features of human societies throughout history, but “race” as a scientific concept to account for human diversity is a modern phenomenon created in nineteenth‐century Europe as Darwinian thought was (mis)applied to account for differences in human societies. Although modern science has discredited race as a meaningful biological concept, race has remained as an important social category because of historical patterns of interpersonal and institutional discrimination. However, the impossibility of consistent and reliable reporting of race, either as an identity or as an observed trait, means that the notion of race as a set of mutually exclusive categories is no longer tenable. As a social science term, race is being gradually abandoned. Physical differences in appearance among people remain a salient marker in everyday life, but this reality can be better framed within the concept of ethnicity.
Levels of Support from Children in Taiwan: Expectations versus Reality, 1965–99
Authors: Hermalin Albert I. , Yang Li‐Shou
Published: September 2004

Both population aging and the socioeconomic changes that often accompany it have effects on intergenerational arrangements. As a result, assessing the evolving social contract among family members is a key part of the research agenda. Studies monitoring these effects and other consequences are relatively new. Another way to gain insight is through a historical analysis that (a) traces how expectations for old‐age support have changed over recent decades for cohorts advancing through their life cycle, and (b) measures how well expectations accord with actual patterns. This article uses a series of fertility surveys in Taiwan from 1965 to the 1990s to trace expectations for coresidence among cohorts of young married women and to compare these expectations with the actual living arrangements observed in surveys of the elderly in the 1990s. The results indicate sharp shifts in expectations for each of the cohorts as they aged. These shifts reflect a response to respondents' own life course events and the changing socioeconomic environment and show large and persistent differentials by education throughout the period. These factors tend to bring expectations into fairly close concordance with the actual living arrangements observed some years later.
Serving seniors better: service guidelines for general practitioners
Authors: Pettigrew Simone , Mizerski Katherine , Donovan Robert
Published: September 2004

Objective:  Generate a list of service guidelines that will enable general practitioners (GPs) to appreciate and accommodate the needs of older patients.

Method:  Focus groups and a national telephone survey were conducted with Australian seniors to generate 10 service guidelines for GPs.

Results:  The issues covered by the 10 guidelines are considered highly important by Australian seniors, with some apparent differences in ratings between age categories.

Conclusion:  Seniors have distinct preferences for the ways they wish to interact with their GPs. In particular, they seek prompt referrals and up‐to‐date medical knowledge.
Healthy ageing: how is it defined and measured?
Authors: Peel Nancye , Bartlett Helen , McClure Roderick
Published: September 2004

A review of existing studies which defined and measured healthy ageing as an outcome was undertaken to clarify the term for the purposes of informing policy development and further research into positive health outcomes in older age. Studies which measured the prevalence of healthy (or successful) ageing in population‐based settings were identified from a search of health and gerontology databases. Eighteen studies met the selection criteria. The arbitrary nature of the definition, populations sampled, domains selected and measures within the domains resulted in considerable variation between the studies in the proportion of the study population classified as ‘healthy ageing’, which ranged from 3% to 80%.

The present review shows the need to establish a standard for defining and quantifying the concept of healthy ageing. Despite the differences, there was consensus in the studies that the multidimensional, positive health outcome should measure the capacity to function well and adapt to environmental challenges in domains assessing physical, mental and social well‐being.
It is part of your life until you die: older refugees in Australia
Authors: Hugman Richard , Bartolomei Linda , Pittaway Eileen
Published: September 2004

Objective:  To explore perceptions of the issues facing older refugees, from the perspective of older refugees themselves and from workers in their communities who assist them.

Method:  A qualitative approach, consisting of five focus groups with older refugees, and 10 interviews and one focus group with community workers.

Results:  The impact of being a refugee can be seen in the effects of trauma and of forced migration on the experience of growing old.

Conclusion:  Older refugees have a sense of ‘ageing in the wrong place’, to which policy and practice need to respond.
Using the Nursing Home Behaviour Problem Scale in an Australian residential care setting
Authors: Crotty Maria , Halbert Julie , Giles Lynne C , Birks Robert , Lange Kylie , Whitehead Craig H
Published: September 2004

Objective:  To report on the validity of the Nursing Home Behaviour Problem Scale (NHBPS) in an Australian residential care setting.

Method:  Cluster randomised controlled trial. As part of this, questionnaires were administered to residential care staff concerning participating residents. The study was carried out in 20 residential care facilities (10 hostels, 10 nursing homes) in metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia. Staff closely associated with the resident's care completed 694 questionnaires. Internal consistency of the scale was examined along with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to determine the validity of the NHBPS in the Australian setting.

Results:  Analyses indicated that four of the 29 questions should be excluded from the Australian version of the NHBPS. Factor analysis demonstrated five factors accounting for 25 of the questions, grouped around behaviours of uncooperative, inappropriate, attention seeking, unsafe, and agitation.

Conclusions:  There is a need for patient‐specific outcome measures, particularly measuring difficult behaviours, for use in residential care settings. Despite the similarities in the prevalence of disturbed behaviours, we were unable to reproduce the six factors reported in the original validation of the instrument, possibly due to differences between the USA and Australia. The results indicate the number of questions should be reduced to 25 in the Australian version of the NHBPS.
Reduction Phalloplasty and Penile Prosthesis Implantation in a Case of Megalophallus as a Consequence of Neglected Priapism
Authors: Kattan S. , Seyam R.M. , Al-Ghamdi D.
Published: September 2004

Objectives

Megalophallus is a rare complication of priapism and sickle cell disease. More commonly, priapism in those patients is recurrent, difficult to prevent and ends up in erectile dysfunction as a result of cavernous tissue fibrosis or surgical intervention. A 33 year old man presented to us with a history of neglected priapism for 12 days 2 years previously. He developed a permanent unusual enlargement of the penis and erectile dysfunction. The patient determined that his new penile size is nonfunctional and unacceptable. We evaluated the patient and set out to surgically fashion the penis into a usable size, with adequate rigidity and stable condition.

Material and Methods

For 9 years the patient had frequent episodes of priapism which resolved spontaneously. The last episode was unsuccessfully treated conservatively and eventually the patient received a Winter shunt. The penis became enlarged and erections soft. Upon examination with intracavernous injection of 60 mg papaverine, the penis became mildly engorged and it measured 21 cm in circumference and 18 cm in length from the pubic pad of fat to the tip of the glans. MRI showed that the enlargement is mainly due to massive enlargement of corpora cavernosa. We based our goals on normative data for penile length and circumference. Under general anesthesia, we degloved the penis using a circumcision incision. The tunica albuginea was exposed laterally. A 3 cm wide strip was marked on the lateral side of each corpus cavernosum and excised along the long axis of the penis from 1 cm proximal to the coronal sulcus to the pubic bone. The cavernous tissue underneath was fibrotic and was excised to fit in the cylinders of an AMS 700 Ultrex penile prothesis. The tunica albuginea was run with an absorbable suture and the pump and reservoir were placed in the scrotum and retropubic space. Inflation of the prosthesis resulted in rupture of the suture line for 5 cm on the right side just proximal to the glans. Repeated removal of underlying cavernous tissue was not enough to accommodate the cylinder and a free tunica albuginea patch graft was sewn in.

Results

At the end of surgery, the penile length was left intact, while the circumference was reduced to 15 cm.

Conclusion

Reduction phalloplasty is feasible to manage the unusual cases of megalophallus. Extensive dissection and cavernous tissue removal necessitate penile prosthesis implantation. This is particularly justified in cases associated with erectile dysfunction complicating priapism.

Disclosure

Was this work supported by industry? No.
Flap Cover is Superior to Graft Cover Everywhere, Even in Peyronie's Disease
Authors: Krishnamurti S.
Published: September 2004

Objectives

The aim is to re-draw attention to the penile dermal flap (PDF) and present an update. A case is made for the more widespread use of this simple and effective technique. It is important to understand the difference between flaps and free grafts and recognize the clear superiority of the former over the latter.

Materials and Methods

The PDF was first applied to close tunical defects in Peyronie's disease in uncircumcised males with available foreskin, then modified for use in the circumcised, and adapted for use in congenital penile curvatures. Nearly 100 patients have undergone this operation.

Results

Exact figures are not ready at the time of submission of this abstract. However, penile straightening occurred in nearly 100 % of patients, with very low post-operative rates of contracture or ED. Details will be presented.

Discussion

It is elementary knowledge that flaps are of proven superiority to free grafts. Yet, urologists continue to be obsessed with free grafts for Peyronie's disease. All free grafts: auto-, allo-, xeno-, synthetic—may get infected, and will contract sooner or later. This was painfully clear after 30 years’ experience with free dermal (and other) grafts, yet the lesson isn’t learnt. Vein grafts are no exception. The nitric oxide advantage of the vein intima is purely theoretical. It is well-known that luminal blood cannot always nourish the media and adventitia layers in medium-sized and large veins by diffusion alone, and that vasa vasora are necessary. Vasa vasora get destroyed when the vein is cut.

Disclosure

Was this work supported by industry? No.
New Technique for Hydraulic Penile Prosthesis Insertion and Corporotomy Closure
Authors: Andrianne R.M.
Published: September 2004

An original technique of insertion and corporotomy closure on the level proximal is described. Proximal angle of corporotomy is closed on the pipe of the hydraulic cylinder by a point of vicryl which was installed before the device implantation. This simple technique allows correct installation of proximal extremity of the prosthesis in the tail of the cavernous body and avoids damage and perforation to the prothesis.

Disclosure

Was this work supported by industry? No.
Zebrafish Dpr2 Inhibits Mesoderm Induction by Promoting Degradation of Nodal Receptors
Authors: Zhang Lixia , Zhou Hu , Su Ying , Sun Zhihui , Zhang Haiwen , Zhang Long , Zhang Yu , Ning Yuanheng , Chen Ye-Guang , Meng Anming
Published: September 2004

Nodal proteins, members of the transforming growth factor–β (TGFβ) superfamily, have been identified as key endogenous mesoderm inducers in vertebrates. Precise control of Nodal signaling is essential for normal development of embryos. Here, we report that zebrafish
dapper2
(
dpr2
) is expressed in mesoderm precursors during early embryogenesis and is positively regulated by Nodal signals. In vivo functional studies in zebrafish suggest that Dpr2 suppresses mesoderm induction activities of Nodal signaling. Dpr2 is localized in late endosomes, binds to the TGFβ receptors ALK5 and ALK4, and accelerates lysosomal degradation of these receptors.
Life History Trade-Offs Assemble Ecological Guilds
Authors: Bonsall Michael B. , Jansen Vincent A. A. , Hassell Michael P.
Published: September 2004

Ecological theory predicts that competition for a limiting resource will lead to the exclusion of species unless the within-species effects outweigh the between-species effects. Understanding how multiple competitors might coexist on a single resource has focused on the prescriptive formalism of a necessary niche width and limiting similarity. Here, we show how continuously varying life histories and trade-offs in these characteristics can allow multiple competitors to coexist, and we reveal how limiting similarity emerges and is shaped by the ecological and evolutionary characteristics of competitors. In this way, we illustrate how the interplay of ecological and evolutionary processes acts to shape ecological communities in a unique way. This leads us to argue that evolutionary processes (life-history trait trade-offs) are fundamental to the understanding of the structure of ecological communities.
Maintained Cardiac Pumping in Anoxic Crucian Carp
Authors: Stecyk Jonathan A. W. , Stensløkken Kåre-Olav , Farrell Anthony P. , Nilsson Göran E.
Published: September 2004

Like most vertebrates, humans die within minutes when deprived of molecular oxygen (anoxia), in part because of cardiac failure. In contrast, some freshwater turtles can survive anoxia for months at low temperatures, but to do so, they drastically suppress cardiac activity and autonomic cardiovascular control. Although
Carassius carassius
, the crucian carp, shares this anoxia tolerance, we show that it has a unique ability among vertebrates to retain normal cardiac performance and autonomic cardiovascular regulation for at least 5 days of anoxia. These responses point to an unusual tolerance of a vertebrate heart and autonomic nervous system to prolonged anoxia.
Ubistatins Inhibit Proteasome-Dependent Degradation by Binding the Ubiquitin Chain
Authors: Verma Rati , Peters Noel R. , D'Onofrio Mariapina , Tochtrop Gregory P. , Sakamoto Kathleen M. , Varadan Ranjani , Zhang Mingsheng , Coffino Philip , Fushman David , Deshaies Raymond J. , King Randall W.
Published: September 2004

To identify previously unknown small molecules that inhibit cell cycle machinery, we performed a chemical genetic screen in
Xenopus
extracts. One class of inhibitors, termed ubistatins, blocked cell cycle progression by inhibiting cyclin B proteolysis and inhibited degradation of ubiquitinated Sic1 by purified proteasomes. Ubistatins blocked the binding of ubiquitinated substrates to the proteasome by targeting the ubiquitin-ubiquitin interface of Lys
48
-linked chains. The same interface is recognized by ubiquitin-chain receptors of the proteasome, indicating that ubistatins act by disrupting a critical protein-protein interaction in the ubiquitin-proteasome system.
Extinct
244
Pu in Ancient Zircons
Authors: Turner Grenville , Harrison T. Mark , Holland Greg , Mojzsis Stephen J. , Gilmour Jamie
Published: September 2004

We have found evidence, in the form of fissiogenic xenon isotopes, for in situ decay of
244
Pu in individual 4.1- to 4.2-billion-year-old zircons from the Jack Hills region of Western Australia. Because of its short half-life, 82 million years,
244
Pu was extinct within 600 million years of Earth's formation. Detrital zircons are the only known relics to have survived from this period, and a study of their Pu geochemistry will allow us to date ancient metamorphic events and determine the terrestrial Pu/U ratio for comparison with the solar ratio.
Nonvisual Photoreception in the Chick Iris
Authors: Tu Daniel C. , Batten Matthew L. , Palczewski Krzysztof , Van Gelder Russell N.
Published: September 2004

The embryonic chicken iris constricts to light ex vivo, but with characteristics atypical of visual phototransduction. The chick iris was most sensitive to short-wavelength light, demonstrating an action spectrum consistent with cryptochrome rather than with opsin pigments. Pupillary responses did not attenuate after saturating light exposure, but showed paradoxical potentiation. Iris photosensitivity was not affected by retinoid depletion or inhibitors of visual phototransduction. Knockdown of cryptochrome expression, but not of melanopsin expression, decreased iris photosensitivity. These data characterize a non-opsin photoreception mechanism in a vertebrate eye and suggest a conserved photoreceptive role for cryptochromes in vertebrates.
Regulation of Cytokine Receptors by Golgi N-Glycan Processing and Endocytosis
Authors: Partridge Emily A. , Le Roy Christine , Di Guglielmo Gianni M. , Pawling Judy , Cheung Pam , Granovsky Maria , Nabi Ivan R. , Wrana Jeffrey L. , Dennis James W.
Published: September 2004

The Golgi enzyme β1,6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (Mgat5) is up-regulated in carcinomas and promotes the substitution of N-glycan with poly N-acetyllactosamine, the preferred ligand for galectin-3 (Gal-3). Here, we report that expression of Mgat5 sensitized mouse cells to multiple cytokines. Gal-3 cross-linked Mgat5-modified N-glycans on epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor–β receptors at the cell surface and delayed their removal by constitutive endocytosis. Mgat5 expression in mammary carcinoma was rate limiting for cytokine signaling and consequently for epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cell motility, and tumor metastasis. Mgat5 also promoted cytokine-mediated leukocyte signaling, phagocytosis, and extravasation in vivo. Thus, conditional regulation of N-glycan processing drives synchronous modification of cytokine receptors, which balances their surface retention against loss via endocytosis.