bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synaptic input organization of the melanocortin system predicts diet-induced hypothalamic reactive gliosis and obesity
Authors: Horvath Tamas L. , Sarman Beatrix , García-Cáceres Cristina , Enriori Pablo J. , Sotonyi Peter , Shanabrough Marya , Borok Erzsebet , Argente Jesus , Chowen Julie A. , Perez-Tilve Diego , Pfluger Paul T. , Brönneke Hella S. , Levin Barry E. , Diano Sabrina , Cowley Michael A. , Tschöp Matthias H.
Published: August 2010

The neuronal circuits involved in the regulation of feeding behavior and energy expenditure are soft-wired, reflecting the relative activity of the postsynaptic neuronal system, including the anorexigenic proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-expressing cells of the arcuate nucleus. We analyzed the synaptic input organization of the melanocortin system in lean rats that were vulnerable (DIO) or resistant (DR) to diet-induced obesity. We found a distinct difference in the quantitative and qualitative synaptology of POMC cells between DIO and DR animals, with a significantly greater number of inhibitory inputs in the POMC neurons in DIO rats compared with DR rats. When exposed to a high-fat diet (HFD), the POMC cells of DIO animals lost synapses, whereas those of DR rats recruited connections. In both DIO rats and mice, the HFD-triggered loss of synapses on POMC neurons was associated with increased glial ensheathment of the POMC perikarya. The altered synaptic organization of HFD-fed animals promoted increased POMC tone and a decrease in the stimulatory connections onto the neighboring neuropeptide Y (NPY) cells. Exposure to HFD was associated with reactive gliosis, and this affected the structure of the blood-brain barrier such that the POMC and NPY cell bodies and dendrites became less accessible to blood vessels. Taken together, these data suggest that consumption of an HFD has a major impact on the cytoarchitecture of the arcuate nucleus in vulnerable subjects, with changes that might be irreversible due to reactive gliosis.
eIF4E phosphorylation promotes tumorigenesis and is associated with prostate cancer progression
Authors: Furic Luc , Rong Liwei , Larsson Ola , Koumakpayi Ismaël Hervé , Yoshida Kaori , Brueschke Andrea , Petroulakis Emmanuel , Robichaud Nathaniel , Pollak Michael , Gaboury Louis A. , Pandolfi Pier Paolo , Saad Fred , Sonenberg Nahum
Published: August 2010

Translational regulation plays a critical role in the control of cell growth and proliferation. A key player in translational control is eIF4E, the mRNA 5′ cap-binding protein. Aberrant expression of eIF4E promotes tumorigenesis and has been implicated in cancer development and progression. The activity of eIF4E is dysregulated in cancer. Regulation of eIF4E is partly achieved through phosphorylation. However, the physiological significance of eIF4E phosphorylation in mammals is not clear. Here, we show that knock-in mice expressing a nonphosphorylatable form of eIF4E are resistant to tumorigenesis in a prostate cancer model. By using a genome-wide analysis of translated mRNAs, we show that the phosphorylation of eIF4E is required for translational up-regulation of several proteins implicated in tumorigenesis. Accordingly, increased phospho-eIF4E levels correlate with disease progression in patients with prostate cancer. Our findings establish eIF4E phosphorylation as a critical event in tumorigenesis. These findings raise the possibility that chemical compounds that prevent the phosphorylation of eIF4E could act as anticancer drugs.
Compensation in the neural circuitry of fear conditioning awakens learning circuits in the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis
Authors: Poulos Andrew M. , Ponnusamy Ravikumar , Dong Hong-Wei , Fanselow Michael S.
Published: August 2010

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is thought to be essential for fear learning. However, extensive training can overcome the loss of conditional fear evident following lesions and inactivation of the BLA. Such results suggest the existence of a primary BLA-dependent and a compensatory BLA-independent neural circuit. We tested the hypothesis that the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) provides this compensatory plasticity. Using extensive context-fear conditioning, we demonstrate that combined BLA and BST lesions prevented fear acquisition and expression. Additionally, protein synthesis in the BST was critical only for consolidation of BLA-independent but not BLA-dependent fear. Moreover, fear acquired after BLA lesions resulted in greater activation of BST regions that receive hippocampal efferents. These results suggest that the BST is capable of functioning as a compensatory site in the acquisition and consolidation of context-fear memories. Unlocking such neural compensation holds promise for understanding situations when brain damage impairs normal function or failure to regulate compensatory sites leads to anxiety disorders.
Nanoconjugation modulates the trafficking and mechanism of antibody induced receptor endocytosis
Authors: Bhattacharyya Sanjib , Bhattacharya Resham , Curley Steven , McNiven Mark A. , Mukherjee Priyabrata
Published: August 2010

Treatment with monoclonal antibody (mAbs) is a viable therapeutic option in cancer. Recently, these mAbs such as cetuximab, herceptin, etc., have been used as targeting agents to selectively deliver chemotherapeutics to cancerous cells. However, mechanisms of nanoparticles-mAbs interactions with the target cells and its effect on intracellular trafficking and mechanism are currently unknown. In this paper, we demonstrate that the distinct patterning and dynamics of anti-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) antibody cetuximab (C225)- induced EGFR internalization in pancreatic cancer cells with variable receptor expression is altered upon nanoconjugation. Nanoconjugation uniformly enhanced C225-induced EGFR endocytosis in PANC-1, AsPC-1, and MiaPaca-2 cells, influenced its compartmentalization and regulated the involvement of dynamin-2 in the endocytic processes. Receptor endocytosis and its intracellular trafficking were monitored by confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The role of dynamin-2 in EGFR endocytosis was determined after overexpressing either wild-type dynamin-2 or mutant dynamin-2 in pancreatic cancer cells followed by tracking the receptor-antibody complex internalization by confocal microscopy. Significantly, these findings demonstrate that the nanoconjugation cannot be construed as an innocuous reaction involved in attaching the targeting agent to the nanoparticle, instead it may distinctly alter the cellular processes at the molecular level, at least antibody induced receptor endocytosis. This information is critical for successful design of a nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery system for future clinical translation.
Requirement of open headpiece conformation for activation of leukocyte integrin αXβ2
Authors: Chen Xing , Xie Can , Nishida Noritaka , Li Zongli , Walz Thomas , Springer Timothy A.
Published: August 2010

Negative stain electron microscopy (EM) and adhesion assays show that αXβ2integrin activation requires headpiece opening as well as extension. An extension-inducing Fab to the β2leg, in combination with representative activating and inhibitory Fabs, were examined for effect on the equilibrium between the open and closed headpiece conformations. The two activating Fabs stabilized the open headpiece conformation. Conversely, two different inhibitory Fabs stabilized the closed headpiece conformation. Adhesion assays revealed that αXβ2in the extended-open headpiece conformation had high affinity for ligand, whereas both the bent conformation and the extended-closed headpiece conformation represented the low affinity state. Intermediate integrin affinity appears to result not from a single conformational state, but from a mixture of equilibrating conformational states.
Estrogen-dependent gallbladder carcinogenesis in LXRβ
−/−
female mice
Authors: Gabbi Chiara , Kim Hyun-Jin , Barros Rodrigo , Korach-Andrè Marion , Warner Margaret , Gustafsson Jan-Åke
Published: August 2010

Gallbladder cancer is a highly aggressive disease with poor prognosis that is two to six times more frequent in women than men. The development of gallbladder cancer occurs over a long time (more than 15 y) and evolves from chronic inflammation to dysplasia/metaplasia, carcinoma in situ, and invasive carcinoma. In the present study we found that, in female mice in which the oxysterol receptor liver X receptor–β (LXRβ) has been inactivated, preneoplastic lesions of the gallbladder developed and evolved to cancer in old animals. LXRβ is a nuclear receptor involved in the control of lipid homeostasis, glucose metabolism, inflammation, proliferation, and CNS development. LXRβ
−/−
female gallbladders were severely inflamed, with regions of dysplasia and high cell density, hyperchromasia, metaplasia, and adenomas. No abnormalities were evident in male mice, nor in LXRα
−/−
or LXRα
−/−
β
−/−
animals of either sex. Interestingly, the elimination of estrogens with ovariectomy prevented development of preneoplastic lesions in LXRβ
−/−
mice. The etiopathological mechanism seems to involve TGF-β signaling, as the precancerous lesions were characterized by strong nuclear reactivity of phospho-SMAD-2 and SMAD-4 and loss of E-cadherin expression. Upon ovariectomy, E-cadherin was reexpressed on the cell membranes and immunoreactivity of pSMAD-2 in the nuclei was reduced. These findings suggest that LXRβ in a complex interplay with estrogens and TGF-β could play a crucial role in the malignant transformation of the gallbladder epithelium.
Trimethylguanosine capping selectively promotes expression of Rev-dependent HIV-1 RNAs
Authors: Yedavalli Venkat S. R. K. , Jeang Kuan-Teh
Published: August 2010

5′-mRNA capping is an early modification that affects pre-mRNA synthesis/splicing, RNA cytoplasmic transport, and mRNA translation and turnover. In eukaryotes, a 7-methylguanosine (m7G) cap is added to newly transcribed RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) transcripts. A subset of RNAP II-transcribed cellular RNAs, including small nuclear RNA (snRNA), small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA), and telomerase RNA, is further hypermethylated at the exocyclic N2 of the guanosine to create a trimethylguanosine (TMG)-capped RNA. Some of these TMG-capped RNAs are transported within the nucleus and from the nucleus to the cytoplasm by the CRM-1 (required for chromosome region maintenance) protein. CRM-1 is also used to export Rev/RRE-dependent unspliced/ partially spliced HIV-1 RNAs. Here we report that like snRNAs and snoRNAs, some Rev/RRE-dependent HIV-1 RNAs are TMG-capped. The methyltransferase responsible for TMG modification of HIV-1 RNAs is the human PIMT (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-interacting protein with methyltransferase) protein. TMG capping of unspliced/partially spliced HIV-1 RNAs represents a new regulatory mechanism for selective expression.
Akt/PKB suppresses DNA damage processing and checkpoint activation in late G2
Authors: Xu Naihan , Hegarat Nadia , Black Elizabeth J. , Scott Mary T. , Hochegger Helfrid , Gillespie David A.
Published: August 2010

Using chemical genetics to reversibly inhibit Cdk1, we find that cells arrested in late G2 are unable to delay mitotic entry after irradiation. Late G2 cells detect DNA damage lesions and form γ-H2AX foci but fail to activate Chk1. This reflects a lack of DNA double-strand break processing because late G2 cells fail to recruit RPA (replication protein A), ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related), Rad51, or CtIP (C-terminal interacting protein) to sites of radiation-induced damage, events essential for both checkpoint activation and initiation of DNA repair by homologous recombination. Remarkably, inhibition of Akt/PKB (protein kinase B) restores DNA damage processing and Chk1 activation after irradiation in late G2. These data demonstrate a previously unrecognized role for Akt in cell cycle regulation of DNA repair and checkpoint activation. Because Akt/PKB is frequently activated in many tumor types, these findings have important implications for the evolution and therapy of such cancers.
p125A exists as part of the mammalian Sec13/Sec31 COPII subcomplex to facilitate ER-Golgi transport
Authors: Ong Yan Shan , Tang Bor Luen , Loo Li Shen , Hong Wanjin
Published: August 2010

Coat protein II (COPII)–mediated export from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) involves sequential recruitment of COPII complex components, including the Sar1 GTPase, the Sec23/Sec24 subcomplex, and the Sec13/Sec31 subcomplex. p125A was originally identified as a Sec23A-interacting protein. Here we demonstrate that p125A also interacts with the C-terminal region of Sec31A. The Sec31A-interacting domain of p125A is between residues 260–600, and is therefore a distinct domain from that required for interaction with Sec23A. Gel filtration and immunodepletion studies suggest that the majority of cytosolic p125A exists as a ternary complex with the Sec13/Sec31A subcomplex, suggesting that Sec 13, Sec31A, and p125A exist in the cytosol primarily as preassembled Sec13/Sec31A/p125A heterohexamers. Golgi morphology and protein export from the ER were affected in p125A-silenced cells. Our results suggest that p125A is part of the Sec13/Sec31A subcomplex and facilitates ER export in mammalian cells.
Ephexin4 and EphA2 mediate cell migration through a RhoG-dependent mechanism
Authors: Hiramoto-Yamaki Nao , Takeuchi Shingo , Ueda Shuhei , Harada Kohei , Fujimoto Satoshi , Negishi Manabu , Katoh Hironori
Published: August 2010

EphA2, a member of the Eph receptor family, is frequently overexpressed in a variety of human cancers, including breast cancers, and promotes cancer cell motility and invasion independently of its ligand ephrin stimulation. In this study, we identify Ephexin4 as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for RhoG that interacts with EphA2 in breast cancer cells, and knockdown and rescue experiments show that Ephexin4 acts downstream of EphA2 to promote ligand-independent breast cancer cell migration and invasion toward epidermal growth factor through activation of RhoG. The activation of RhoG recruits its effector ELMO2 and a Rac GEF Dock4 to form a complex with EphA2 at the tips of cortactin-rich protrusions in migrating breast cancer cells. In addition, the Dock4-mediated Rac activation is required for breast cancer cell migration. Our findings reveal a novel link between EphA2 and Rac activation that contributes to the cell motility and invasiveness of breast cancer cells.
Soluble HIV-1 Env trimers in adjuvant elicit potent and diverse functional B cell responses in primates
Authors: Sundling Christopher , Forsell Mattias N.E. , O'Dell Sijy , Feng Yu , Chakrabarti Bimal , Rao Srinivas S. , Loré Karin , Mascola John R. , Wyatt Richard T. , Douagi Iyadh , Karlsson Hedestam Gunilla B.
Published: August 2010

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins (Envs) have proven difficult to elicit by immunization. Therefore, to identify effective Env neutralization targets, efforts are underway to define the specificities of bNAbs in chronically infected individuals. For a prophylactic vaccine, it is equally important to define the immunogenic properties of the heavily glycosylated Env in healthy primates devoid of confounding HIV-induced pathogenic factors. We used rhesus macaques to investigate the magnitude and kinetics of B cell responses stimulated by Env trimers in adjuvant. Robust Env-specific memory B cell responses and high titers of circulating antibodies developed after trimer inoculation. Subsequent immunizations resulted in significant expansion of Env-specific IgG-producing plasma cell populations and circulating Abs that displayed increasing avidity and neutralization capacity. The neutralizing activity elicited with the regimen used was, in most aspects, superior to that elicited by a regimen based on monomeric Env immunization in humans. Despite the potency and breadth of the trimer-elicited response, protection against heterologous rectal simian-HIV (SHIV) challenge was modest, illustrating the challenge of eliciting sufficient titers of cross-reactive protective NAbs in mucosal sites. These data provide important information for the design and evaluation of vaccines aimed at stimulating protective HIV-1 immune responses in humans.
Anti-CD3 therapy permits regulatory T cells to surmount T cell receptor–specified peripheral niche constraints
Authors: Nishio Junko , Feuerer Markus , Wong Jamie , Mathis Diane , Benoist Christophe
Published: August 2010

Treatment with anti-CD3 is a promising therapeutic approach for autoimmune diabetes, but its mechanism of action remains unclear. Foxp3+ regulatory T (T reg) cells may be involved, but the evidence has been conflicting. We investigated this issue in mice derived from the NOD model, which were engineered so that T reg populations were perturbed, or could be manipulated by acute ablation or transfer. The data highlighted the involvement of Foxp3+ cells in anti-CD3 action. Rather than a generic influence on all T reg cells, the therapeutic effect seemed to involve an ∼50–60-fold expansion of previously constrained T reg cell populations; this expansion occurred not through conversion from Foxp3− conventional T (T conv) cells, but from a proliferative expansion. We found that T reg cells are normally constrained by TCR-specific niches in secondary lymphoid organs, and that intraclonal competition restrains their possibility for conversion and expansion in the spleen and lymph nodes, much as niche competition limits their selection in the thymus. The strong perturbations induced by anti-CD3 overcame these niche limitations, in a process dependent on receptors for interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-7.
Human anti–HIV-neutralizing antibodies frequently target a conserved epitope essential for viral fitness
Authors: Pietzsch John , Scheid Johannes F. , Mouquet Hugo , Klein Florian , Seaman Michael S. , Jankovic Mila , Corti Davide , Lanzavecchia Antonio , Nussenzweig Michel C.
Published: August 2010

The identification and characterization of conserved epitopes on the HIV-1 viral spike that are immunogenic in humans and targeted by neutralizing antibodies is an important step in vaccine design. Antibody cloning experiments revealed that 32% of all HIV-neutralizing antibodies expressed by the memory B cells in patients with high titers of broadly neutralizing antibodies recognize one or more “core” epitopes that were not defined. Here, we show that anti-core antibodies recognize a single conserved epitope on the gp120 subunit. Amino acids D474, M475, R476, which are essential for anti-core antibody binding, form an immunodominant triad at the outer domain/inner domain junction of gp120. The mutation of these residues to alanine impairs viral fusion and fitness. Thus, the core epitope, a frequent target of anti–HIV-neutralizing antibodies, including the broadly neutralizing antibody HJ16, is conserved and indispensible for viral infectivity. We conclude that the core epitope should be considered as a target for vaccine design.
Multi-objective pairwise RNA sequence alignment
Authors: Taneda Akito
Published: August 2010

Motivation: With an increase in the number of known biological functions of non-coding RNAs, the importance of RNA sequence alignment has risen. RNA sequence alignment problem has been investigated by many researchers as a mono-objective optimization problem where contributions from sequence similarity and secondary structure are taken into account through a single objective function. Since there is a trade-off between these two objective functions, usually we cannot obtain a single solution that has both the best sequence similarity score and the best structure score simultaneously. Multi-objective optimization is a widely used framework for the optimization problems with conflicting objective functions. So far, no one has examined how good alignments we can obtain by applying multi-objective optimization to structural RNA sequence alignment problem.

Results: We developed a pairwise RNA sequence alignment program, Cofolga2mo, based on multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). We tested Cofolga2mo with a benchmark dataset which includes sequence pairs with a wide range of sequence identity, and we obtained at most 100 alignments for each inputted RNA sequence pair as an approximate set of weak Pareto optimal solutions. We found that the alignments in the approximate set give benchmark results comparable to those obtained by the state-of-the-art mono-objective RNA alignment algorithms. Moreover, we found that our algorithm is efficient in both time and memory usage compared to the other methods.

Availability: Our MOGA programs for structural RNA sequence alignment can be downloaded at http://rna.eit.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/cofolga2mo/

Contact:  taneda@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
PSExplorer: whole parameter space exploration for molecular signaling pathway dynamics
Authors: Tung Thai Quang , Lee Doheon
Published: August 2010

Motivation: Mathematical models of biological systems often have a large number of parameters whose combinational variations can yield distinct qualitative behaviors. Since it is intractable to examine all possible combinations of parameters for non-trivial biological pathways, it is required to have a systematic strategy to explore the parameter space in a computational way so that dynamic behaviors of a given pathway are estimated.

Results: We present PSExplorer, a computational tool for exploring qualitative behaviors and key parameters of molecular signaling pathways. Utilizing the Latin hypercube sampling and a clustering technique in a recursive paradigm, the software enables users to explore the whole parameter space of the models to search for robust qualitative behaviors. The parameter space is partitioned into sub-regions according to behavioral differences. Sub-regions showing robust behaviors can be identified for further analyses. The partitioning result presents a tree structure from which individual and combinational effects of parameters on model behaviors can be assessed and key factors of the models are readily identified.

Availability: The software, tutorial manual and test models are available for download at the following address: http://gto.kaist.ac.kr/∼psexplorer

Contact:  tqtung@kaist.ac.kr; tqtung@gmail.com
The CoFactor database: organic cofactors in enzyme catalysis
Authors: Fischer Julia D. , Holliday Gemma L. , Thornton Janet M.
Published: August 2010

Motivation: Organic enzyme cofactors are involved in many enzyme reactions. Therefore, the analysis of cofactors is crucial to gain a better understanding of enzyme catalysis. To aid this, we have created the CoFactor database.

Results: CoFactor provides a web interface to access hand-curated data extracted from the literature on organic enzyme cofactors in biocatalysis, as well as automatically collected information. CoFactor includes information on the conformational and solvent accessibility variation of the enzyme-bound cofactors, as well as mechanistic and structural information about the hosting enzymes.

Availability: The database is publicly available and can be accessed at http://www.ebi.ac.uk/thornton-srv/databases/CoFactor

Contact:  julia.fischer@ebi.ac.uk

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Unilateral periorchitis with a secondary peritonitis in a Standardbred stallion
Authors: Kinsley M. A. , Doran R. E. , Poulin Braim A. E.
Published: August 2010

A 6‐year‐old Standardbred stallion presented for evaluation of progressive diffuse scrotal swelling of 5 days' duration. Physical examination was within normal limits apart from pitting ventral oedema and severely enlarged fluid filled scrotum. Rectal examination did not reveal any abnormalities in the palpable intestinal tract, spleen, kidneys or internal inguinal rings. Testicular ultrasound examination showed evidence of abnormal right testicular parenchyma that was displaced proximally by a heteroechoic region of possible abscessation. The left testis was surrounded by a large amount of hypoechoic fluid. Abdominocentesis was performed and was indicative of peritonitis. Broad‐spectrum antimicrobials and analgesics were administered preoperatively and a bilateral open orchidectomy with closure of the external inguinal ring in addition to scrotal ablation was performed. Post operative peritoneal lavage was performed once a day for 3 days. There were no complications associated with recovery or within the immediate post operative period. The horse was released to the care of his owners 5 days following surgery and has returned to his previous racing performance level.
Family structure or interpersonal relationships: the context for child development
Authors: SCHAFFER H.R.
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. This article is based on an opening address given in March 1988 at the National Children's bureau conference on ‘Family fortunes: adapting support services for children in changing families’. It argues that the family is not a static unit impervious to outside influence and that on the contrary it is essential we understand the reasons why families change in certain respects and even try to anticipate such changes, as only then is it possible to target support services effectively. This should be done at the level of interpersonal relationships rather than family structure, for research on the determinants of child development has singled out this level as the crucial one
Attitudes of special foster parents and residential staff towards children
Authors: COLTON MATTHEW
Published: August 2010

This paper compares the attitudes of special foster parents and residential staff towards children in their care. The exercise was carried out as part of a comparative study of care practice in ‘special’ foster homes (accommodating children traditionally considered too old or difficult for fostering) and ordinary community or children's homes. Overall, care practice in the foster homes was significantly more child oriented than in the children's homes. This finding cannot, however, be explained in terms of attitudinal differences between foster parents and staff. Staff attitudes generally appeared more conducive to the provision of child oriented care than those of the foster parents.
On the importance of genetic knowledge
Authors: BRUCE NIGEL
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. Taking up the argument in Eric Blyth's paper, this article claims that the secrecy which currently prevails in the practice of donor insemination in the UK seems to serve the interests of all parties except the child. It analyses the arguments for replacing secrecy with confidentiality in terms of the adverse consequences of deception, the risks of unnecessary mental suffering and the infringement of children's rights. It expresses concern lest the needs of children for genetic knowledge may receive low priority in the Code of Practice of the new Licensing Authority
Only children in Britain: popular stereotype and research evidence
Authors: LAYBOURN ANN
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. Only children are popularly believed to be spoiled, lonely and maladjusted, and few parents in Britain choose to have one child. This article documents existing prejudice against only children and their parents, and contrasts it with the very positive picture given by research. Analysis of data from a large scale survey of 16–17 year olds gives a presentation of the family background of only children in Scotland, and confirms that only children do well. The conflict between popular stereotype and research evidence is discussed, and some possible explanations are considered. The article concludes that the positive research findings on only children should be more widely known
Children's Understanding of Employment, Unemployment and Pay
Authors: Glachan Martin , Ney Judy
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY.This article outlines a study of the inter‐relationship between children's understanding of the motives for people working, the factors which determine their pay and the reasons and consequences of losing a job. The results suggest developmental transitions in the thinking of children between 6–12 years about the relationships between work, pay and employment and demonstrate negative beliefs about the unemployed in even young children. In addition variations were found in the belief systems of children attending state or private schools emphasising the importance of socialising experiences to children's understanding of socio‐economic issues.
The Impact of the Past on the Care and Education of Deprived Children
Authors: Newsome Marcia
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. In the previous issue of Children & Society, Marcia Newsome reported on her study of the historical development of care and education of poor children. That paper revealed ideas and attitudes which not only informed the past, but surprisingly, can be seen to underpin many aspects of present day policy and assumptions. The study highlighted the interactions of individuals and groups, showing how personal, religious, political and economic interests affected the development and organisation of institutions caring for children, some influences obvious, others concealed and unintended. Such interests inevitably led to practices far removed from the best interests of the children themselves. This second paper indicates that the lessons which the past provides have not necessarily been learned, and that similar motives and influences are still at work today.
A Child's Place in Society: New Challenges for the Family and Day Care
Authors: Sommer Dion
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. Using the experience of a study of childhood in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Sweden, this article explores the now common situation of children growing up in two settings: their families and day care centres. In Denmark, where almost all mothers work and where good quality care is widely available, the family and day care centres are seen as having important complementary roles in supporting children's social development. The child learns to both integrate and separate the experience of these two worlds, more or less successfully depending on how well he or she is developing at home, and the relationship between the home and the day care centre. Day care should be seen as a positive support for family life: dual‐socialisation through family and day care is, and will remain, part of the lives of most children.
Conciliation: A Forum for Children's Views?
Authors: Garwood Fiona
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. An increasing number of children are affected by the breakup of their parents' relationship and face consequent major changes in their lives. There are strong and compelling reasons for children to be heard when their parents separate or divorce. Family Conciliation Services can provide a forum for children to express themselves. However, in the author's experience in Scotland, practice varies between conciliators about when and whether to include children in the conciliation process. This article discusses some of the thinking and practice about including children in conciliation.
Education: Thirty Years of Change ‐For Better or for Worse?
Authors: Little Vivienne , Tomlinson John
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. 1963‐93 is a paradoxical period for British education. The drama of change was clear to see and vivid to experience. The opening years of high optimism and expansion were followed in the seventies by questioning and concern which led in the eighties to an unprecedented application of national control. But whether children and young people are getting a better deal in 1993 than in 1963 remains an open question.
Children in Hospital
Authors: Belson Peg
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. The care of children in hospital has greatly changed over the past thirty years. Their stay in hospital is now much shorter, they are more likely to be cared for in paediatric wards, by staff specially trained to meet their needs, with close, continuing attention from their parents. This article traces these changes from the days when visiting was strictly limited to the family centred care to be found in most hospital wards today. The processes by which these changes came about are described and the areas of concern which still remain are considered
Foster and Residential Care Reassessed: A Research Perspective
Authors: Berridge David
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY. Professionals in Britain and many other countries have long been concerned about whether children in need, who have to live away from their parents, are best placed in foster or residential settings. The issue has become particularly significant in recent years in view of the adverse publicity surrounding residential childcare. This paper summarises recent British research findings on the role and impact of foster and residential care for children and young people in need. It demonstrates that research conclusions often do not support commonly held public and professional views, particularly regarding the contribution of residential care.
Primary Age Children Excluded from School: A Multi Agency Focus for Concern
Authors: Hayden Carol
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY: Exclusion from school is only one of a number of sometimes complicated and often inter‐related reasons why children are not attending school Much of the focus of research and debate about exclusions has been about secondary age pupils. This paper begins to raise some of the issues that may make primary age exclusions a particular focus of concern and one that should reach and be addressed by a variety of agencies. The paper draws on research recently completed at the SSRIU (Social Services Research and Information Unit), University of Portsmouth, and is informed by an ESRC funded project in progress, which is investigating primary age exclusions at a national level.
Buzzes and barriers: young people's attitudes to participation in the arts
Authors: Harland John , Kinder Kay
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY: This article draws on evidence collected through interviews with 700 young people between the ages of 14 and 24 in five different regions of England. Material from this source is used to construct a tentative typology of attitudes towards participation in the arts. This typology contains a set of twelve positive attitudes (or motivations) associated with arts involvement, followed by a set of eight negative attitudes which emerge as barriers to participation. In addition, an attempt is made to identify those positive attitudes which most frequently appeared to accompany high levels of involvement in the arts. It is suggested that a self‐identity or self‐expression motive (‘I participate in the arts because it's how I define myself, it's a means of self‐expression’) and a physiological motive (‘I participate in the arts because of feeling a real buzz’) are particularly evident among arts enthusiasts.
Children, Parents and the State: The Children Act, 1908
Authors: Stewart John
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY: This article examines the first major consolidating piece of child welfare legislation in Britain, the 1908 Children Act. The focus is on the relationship established between child, parent, and state. Contemporary reasons for the need for this re‐ordered relationship are suggested, but it is also argued that in certain respects parallels can be found between the Edwardian Act and that of 1989. This in turn suggests the persistence of certain issues in child welfare, and especially that of the division of responsibilities for the care of children between parents and State.
Adopted Children's Identity and Information Needs
Authors: Ryburn Murray
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY: It has long been accepted that adopted children need access to information about their origins in order to provide a satisfactory answer to the question ‘who am I?’. Such information is seen as vitally important to the formation of a clear and positive sense of identity in adulthood. This study examines the role that such information plays in the formation of personal identity and analyses accounts from 67 adopters of their children's requests for information about their families of origin. Comparisons are made between adopters whose children maintain contact with their families of origin and those whose children have no contact.
Developing Differences: Gender, Childhood and Economic Development
Authors: Burman Erica
Published: August 2010

SUMMARY: Western images of the child in modern thought set up an opposition between innocence and experience which is supplemented by discourses of child care and child protection, and reflected in international policies and legislation for children. This article traces idealised conceptions of children of the North and South and unravels dichotomies between work and play as they map onto gendered and cultural spaces. These issues are linked to an analysis of assumptions underlying both international policies for child development and models of economic development, focusing in particular on the Human Development Index put forward in the 1992 United Nations Development Programme. In order to counter the naturalisation and abstraction of development in both, which reflects and contributes to the cultural and economic domination of the Northern hemisphere over the South, the article ends with a call to attend to both the specificity and diversity of children's developments.
Children as Research Subjects: a Risky Enterprise
Authors: Hood Suzanne , Kelley Peter , Mayall Berry
Published: August 2010

This paper is based on a qualitative research study, Children, Parents and Risk. This study looks at the ways in which risks to children are understood and managed by children and parents. The paper focuses on two areas of the research—gaining access and interviewing—in order to show how the research process itself has constituted an important source of data on childhood and risk.
Partners in Power: a Radically Pluralistic Form of Participative Democracy for Children and Young People
Authors: Cockburn Tom
Published: August 2010

The central concern of this article is to advocate an inclusive and pluralistic notion of a public sphere similar to those advocated by feminist writers such as Iris Marion Young and Nancy Fraser. These ideas complement the plethora of initiatives from statutory and voluntary agencies to take on board the participation and voices of children and young people. This reflects a movement away from simplistic top–down governance through the State towards a co‐production of governance through partnerships and community involvement. However, children's participation in this public sphere is constrained through the inhibition of children's voices. These inhibitions, it is argued, pervade the private and intermediary as well as public spheres of children's lives. Thus it is unrealistic to expect children to adjust to an undifferentiated and often hostile public arena. © 2007 The Author(s). Journal compilation © 2007 National Children's Bureau
Young People, Social Exclusion and Inter‐Generational Tension in a Rural Somerset Town
Authors: Meek Rosie
Published: August 2010

This article seeks to explore how the myth of the ‘rural idyll’ can be detrimental to those who currently experience some of the greatest social exclusion in rural areas — children and young people. The research explores the views and experiences of the young residents of a small town in the south‐west of England (n = 157, ages 12–18 years). The results suggest that rural policy and practice have failed to meet the needs of young people, contributing to their social exclusion in rural communities. Community engagement, facilities and youth consultation are discussed in the context of policy and practice.
The Politics of Childhood and Asylum in the UK
Authors: Giner Clotilde
Published: August 2010

This article considers the general treatment of asylum‐seeking families with children in the UK, focusing on the government's practices and public reactions to these measures. It first describes both the exclusive asylum framework, based on institutionalised suspicion, welfare restrictions and detention, and the inclusive child policy framework, based on recognising children's rights and protecting all children. The article then investigates the implications for policy‐making that these radically opposed regimes have for those who fall between the two categories, i.e. asylum‐seeking children. To this end, we examine more closely three asylum practices — Section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004, detention of accompanied asylum‐seeking children in immigration removal centres and removals. Our analysis indicates that the government's attempt to fully include families within the restrictive asylum framework has been somewhat frustrated by the mobilisation of a wide range of public actors. As such, despite its supposedly ‘legally unconstrained’ room for action, the government has recently agreed to partly review its policy standards for asylum‐seeking families, apparently aware of the potentially damaging effects of being seen as disregarding children's rights and needs. On the other hand, the government does not seem inclined to question the current asylum framework and the assumptions on which it is based. Consequently, the asylum system for families is likely to remain based on ad hocarrangements conditioned by the scale of the protests.
Parents’ Working Hours: Adolescent Children's Views and Experiences
Authors: Lewis Jane , Noden Philip , Sarre Sophie
Published: August 2010

As dual‐earner families have become the norm, the different kinds of ‘time’ children spend with parents has become an important issue. We use the 2000 Time Use Survey to identify adolescent children spending time alone at home, and interviews with 50 children aged 14 and 15 to explore young people's experiences. We investigate their views on their situations, appropriate domestic responsibilities and how they manage their time. We suggest that simple parental presence or absence is not necessarily the main issue for children. However, parental employment may be problematic for some adolescent children.
Electrophoretic variants of aspartate aminotransferase and adductor muscle proteins in the native oyster (Ostrea lurida)
Authors: Johnson Allyn G. , Utter Fred M. , Niggol Karl
Published: August 2010

Six phenotypes of aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) and three phenotypes of adductor muscle protein were found in extracts of the native oyster (Ostrea lurida) by starch gel electrophoresis. The AAT phenotypes were presumed to be genetic variants under the control of three allelic genes (A, B, C) and the muscle protein phenotypes under the control of a two‐allele system (A and B).
Isozyme activities in the domestic cat (Felis catus)
Authors: Kohn Peter H. , Tamarin Robert H.
Published: August 2010

Horizontal starch‐gel electrophoresis was performed on domestic cat blood and stained for 6‐phosphogluconic dehydrogenase (6‐PGD), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and tetrazolium oxidase. A polymorphism was found for 6‐PGD; LDH and tetrazolium oxidase were monomorphic. These systems were tested on cats of English, Mexican and American origin.
Serum alkaline phosphatase polymorphism in pigs1
Authors: Kierek‐Jaszczuk Danuta , Zurkowski Maciej , Skfadanowska‐Krzyzanowska Elzbieta , Tomaszewska‐Guszkiewicz Krystyna
Published: August 2010

Genetic variants of serum alkaline phosphatase were studied by the method of starch gel electrophoresis in the Zlotnicka Pstra breed of pigs. Two regions of alkaline phosphatase migration were observed. A single fraction in region I and four different phenotypes: AB, B, BC and BD in region II, were found. For AB, B and BC phenotypes the genetic control by three alleles AkpA, AkpB and AkpC in suggested. The observed segregation ratios in some cases deviated significantly from the expected ones.
Blood protein polymorphism in the one‐humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) in the Sudan
Authors: Elamin F. M. , Saha N.
Published: August 2010

The blood protein polymorphism of serum albumin, haptoglobin, transferrin, ceruloplasmin and haemoglobin have been studied in 135 samples from one‐humped Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) of the Sudan by starch gel electrophoresis. Only the serum albumin and haptoglobin systems exhibited polymorphism with the estimated frequencies of 0.0222, 0.2227 and 0.7773 for Albv, Hp1Hp0respectively. The frequency of Hp was 0.0325. No electrophoretic variant was observed at transferrin, ceruloplasmin and haemoglobin loci in the camel. The activity of the ceruloplasmin of the camel sera was weak.
Clinical effects of probiotics are associated with increased interferon‐γ responses in very young children with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Prescott S. L. , Dunstan J. A. , Hale J. , Breckler L. , Lehmann H. , Weston S. , Richmond P.
Published: August 2010

Background
We recently demonstrated that administration of probiotics resulted in significant clinical improvement in very young children with moderate‐to‐severe atopic dermatitis (AD). The purpose of this study was to determine the underlying immunological effects that are associated with these apparent clinical benefits.

Methods
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated from children (n=53) at baseline and at the end of an 8‐week supplementation period during which they received a probiotic (Lactobacillus fermentum PCC™) (n=26) or a placebo (n=27). A further sample was collected at 16 weeks (8 weeks after ceasing the supplement). Cytokine (IL‐5, IL‐6, IL‐10, IL‐13, IFN‐γ and TNF‐α) responses to allergens (egg ovalbumin (OVA), beta lactoglobulin (BLG), house dust mite (HDM)), vaccines (tetanus toxoid (TT)), diphtheria toxoid (DT)), intestinal flora (heat‐killed Lactobacillus (HKLB)), heat‐killed Staphylococcus aureus (HKSA), Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB) and mitogen (phytohaemaglutinin (PHA)) were compared.

Results
The administration of probiotics was associated with a significant increase in T‐helper type 1(Th1‐type) cytokine IFN‐γ responses to PHA and SEB at the end of the supplementation period (week 8: P=0.004 and 0.046) as well as 8 weeks after ceasing supplementation (week 16: P=0.005 and 0.021) relative to baseline levels of response. No significant changes were seen in the placebo group. The increase in IFN‐γ responses to SEB was directly proportional to the decrease in the severity of AD (r=−0.445, P=0.026) over the intervention period. At the end of the supplementation period (week 8) children receiving probiotics showed significantly higher TNF‐α responses to HKLB (P=0.018) and HKSA (P=0.011) but this was no longer evident when supplementation ceased (week 16). Although IL‐13 responses to OVA were significantly reduced in children receiving probiotics after 8 weeks (P=0.008), there were no other effects on allergen‐specific responses, and this effect was not sustained after ceasing supplementation (week 16). There were no effects on vaccine‐specific responses, or on responses to any of the stimuli assessed.

Conclusion
The improvement in AD severity with probiotic treatment was associated with significant increases in the capacity for Th1 IFN‐γ responses and altered responses to skin and enteric flora. This effect was still evident 2 months after the supplementation was ceased. The lack of consistent effects on allergen‐specific responses suggests that the effects of probiotics may be mediated through other independent pathways, which need to be explored further.