bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the Grape Transcriptome. Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags from Multiple Vitis Species and Development of a Compendium of Gene Expression during Berry Development
Authors: Goes da Silva Francisco , Iandolino Alberto , Al-Kayal Fadi , Bohlmann Marlene C. , Cushman Mary Ann , Lim Hyunju , Ergul Ali , Figueroa Rubi , Kabuloglu Elif K. , Osborne Craig , Rowe Joan , Tattersall Elizabeth , Leslie Anna , Xu Jane , Baek JongMin , Cramer Grant R. , Cushman John C. , Cook Douglas R.
Published: October 2005

We report the analysis and annotation of 146,075 expressed sequence tags from Vitis species. The majority of these sequences were derived from different cultivars of Vitis vinifera, comprising an estimated 25,746 unique contig and singleton sequences that survey transcription in various tissues and developmental stages and during biotic and abiotic stress. Putatively homologous proteins were identified for over 17,752 of the transcripts, with 1,962 transcripts further subdivided into one or more Gene Ontology categories. A simple structured vocabulary, with modules for plant genotype, plant development, and stress, was developed to describe the relationship between individual expressed sequence tags and cDNA libraries; the resulting vocabulary provides query terms to facilitate data mining within the context of a relational database. As a measure of the extent to which characterized metabolic pathways were encompassed by the data set, we searched for homologs of the enzymes leading from glycolysis, through the oxidative/nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and into the general phenylpropanoid pathway. Homologs were identified for 65 of these 77 enzymes, with 86% of enzymatic steps represented by paralogous genes. Differentially expressed transcripts were identified by means of a stringent believability index cutoff of ≥98.4%. Correlation analysis and two-dimensional hierarchical clustering grouped these transcripts according to similarity of expression. In the broadest analysis, 665 differentially expressed transcripts were identified across 29 cDNA libraries, representing a range of developmental and stress conditions. The groupings revealed expected associations between plant developmental stages and tissue types, with the notable exception of abiotic stress treatments. A more focused analysis of flower and berry development identified 87 differentially expressed transcripts and provides the basis for a compendium that relates gene expression and annotation to previously characterized aspects of berry development and physiology. Comparison with published results for select genes, as well as correlation analysis between independent data sets, suggests that the inferred in silico patterns of expression are likely to be an accurate representation of transcript abundance for the conditions surveyed. Thus, the combined data set reveals the in silico expression patterns for hundreds of genes in V. vinifera, the majority of which have not been previously studied within this species.
Public Health Nursing Practice Change and Recommendations for Improvement
Authors: Zahner Susan J. , Gredig Quynh‐Nga B.
Published: October 2005

Abstract 
Objectives:
This paper reports the characteristics of recent public health nursing (PHN) practice change experienced by staff‐level public health nurses. Recommendations for improving PHN practice offered by study participants are reported and discussed. Design: A cross‐sectional written survey was used to collect data from 424 public health nurses in 76 local health departments (LHDs) in Wisconsin (68% response rate) in 2003. Characteristics of practice change were identified using a 15‐item‐scaled response set. Recommendations on improving practice were made through responses to an open‐ended survey question. Content analysis was conducted to identify major themes among the responses. Results: PHN practice has become more population focused. Major themes emerging from the recommendations for practice improvement included increasing system and organizational resources, expanding visibility of public health, and strengthening collaboration. Conclusions: Implications for practice include the need for continuing education in concepts and skills required for population‐focused PHN practice, advocacy for more public health resources, and collaboration with academic partners for education and research.
Improving Public Health Nursing Education: Recommendations of Local Public Health Nurses
Authors: Zahner Susan J. , Gredig Quynh‐Nga B.
Published: October 2005

Abstract 
Objectives:
This paper reports recommendations for improving public health nursing (PHN) undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education (CE) made by staff‐level public health nurses working in local health departments (LHDs). Implications for academia and practice are discussed. Design: A cross‐sectional written survey was used to collect data from 424 public health nurses in 76 LHDs in Wisconsin (68% response rate) in 2003. Recommendations for improving undergraduate, graduate, and CE were made through responses to open‐ended survey questions. Content analysis was conducted to identify major themes among responses. Results: Major themes emerging from the recommendations for undergraduate education included the need for more clinical public health experiences and population‐focused practice content. Graduate education improvement recommendations included addressing access barriers and increasing organizational incentives. Improved access and more public health content were the major recommendations for improving CE. Conclusions: Implications for academia focus on increasing opportunities for students to experience population‐focused PHN and to learn organizational and collaborative practice skills, supporting PHN preceptors and building evidence for PHN intervention through research. Implications for practice include the need to expand opportunities for students with LHDs and to collaborate with academic partners for education and research.
Arnold Heller and the lymph pump
Authors: Aukland K.
Published: October 2005

This article reviews studies on lymph propulsion in the lymph vessels by active contraction of the vessels, first described by Arnold Heller in 1869 in German language, and here translated into English. His observations were first confirmed by Beatrice Carrier (1926) and Howard Flory et al. (1927), and several groups were active up to World war II. Few publications appeared in the period 1940‐‐1960, followed by increasing activity and development of new experimental techniques for use both in various experimental animals and in humans. Recently it has been shown that passive lymph flow may add to active propulsion. Both mechanisms depend on lymph formation, i.e. the uptake of interstitial fluid by the initial lymph vessels which is still not well understood.
Left ventricular pressure–volume relationships during normal growth and development in the adult rat – studies in 8‐ and 50‐week‐old male Wistar rats
Authors: Bal M. P. , de Vries W. B. , van der Leij F. R. , van Oosterhout M. F. M. , Baan J. , van der Wall E. E. , van Bel F. , Steendijk P.
Published: October 2005

Aims:  Left ventricular (LV) pressure–volume relations provide relatively load‐independent indexes of systolic and diastolic LV function, but few data are available on pressure–volume relations during growth and development in the normal adult heart. Furthermore, to quantify intrinsic ventricular function the indexes should be normalized for heart weight. However, in many studies the indexes are reported in absolute terms, or body weight‐correction is used as a surrogate for heart weight‐correction.

Methods:  We determined pressure–volume relations in young (8‐week‐old, n = 13) and middle‐aged (50‐week‐old, n = 19) male Wistar rats in relation to their heart and body weights. The animals were anaesthetized and a 2F pressure‐conductance catheter was introduced into the LV to measure pressure–volume relations.

Results:  Heart and body weights were significantly higher in the 50‐week‐old rats, whereas the heart‐to‐body weight ratio was significantly lower (2.74 ± 0.32 vs. 4.41 ± 0.37 mg g−1, P < 0.001). Intrinsic systolic function, quantified by the slopes of the end‐systolic pressure–volume relation (EES), the dP/dtMAX vs. end‐diastolic volume relation (S‐dP), and the preload recruitable stroke work relation (PRSW), normalized for heart weight, was slightly decreased in the 50‐week‐old rats (S‐dP: −6%, P < 0.004; PRSW: −3%, P < 0.06). Heart weight‐corrected diastolic indexes were not significant different. The absolute indexes qualitatively showed the same results, but body‐weight corrected pressure–volume indexes showed improved systolic function and significantly depressed diastolic function.

Conclusions:  Intrinsic systolic function slightly decreases from the juvenile to the middle‐aged period in normal male Wistar rats. Furthermore, correction of pressure–volume indexes for body weight is not an adequate surrogate for heart weight‐correction in these animals.
Respiratory muscle performance with stretch‐shortening cycle manoeuvres: maximal inspiratory pressure–flow curves
Authors: Tzelepis G. E. , Zakynthinos S. , Mandros C. , Tzelepis E. , Roussos C.
Published: October 2005

Aim:  To test the hypothesis that the maximal inspiratory muscle (IM) performance, as assessed by the maximal IM pressure–flow relationship, is enhanced with the stretch‐shortening cycle (SSC).

Methods:  Maximal inspiratory flow–pressure curves were measured in 12 healthy volunteers (35 ± 6 years) during maximal single efforts through a range of graded resistors (4‐, 6‐, and 8‐mm diameter orifices), against an occluded airway, and with a minimal load (wide‐open resistor). Maximal inspiratory efforts were initiated at a volume near residual lung volume (RV). The subjects exhaled to RV using slow (S) or fast (F) manoeuvres. With the S manoeuvre, they exhaled slowly to RV and held the breath at RV for about 4 s prior to maximal inspiration. With the F manoeuvre, they exhaled rapidly to RV and immediately inhaled maximally without a post‐expiratory hold; a strategy designed to enhance inspiratory pressure via the SSC.

Results:  The maximal inspiratory pressure–flow relationship was linear with the S and F manoeuvres (r2 = 0.88 for S and r2 = 0.88 for F manoeuvre, P < 0.0005 in all subjects). With the F manoeuvre, the pressure–flow relationship shifted to the right in a parallel fashion and the calculated maximal power increased by approximately 10% (P < 0.05) over that calculated with the S manoeuvre.

Conclusion:  The maximal inspiratory pressure–flow capacity can be enhanced with SSC manoeuvres in a manner analogous to increases in the force–velocity relationship with SSC reported for skeletal muscles.
Force–frequency relation in frog‐ventricle is dependent on the direction of sodium/calcium exchange in diastole
Authors: Subramani S. , Balakrishnan S. , Jyoti T. , Sathishkumar S. , Mohammed A. A. , Arasan S. , Vijayanand C.
Published: October 2005

Aim:  Force of contraction increases with stimulus‐frequency in mammalian and amphibian hearts under control conditions. Here, we have analysed the mechanism of the force–frequency relation (FFR) in frog‐ventricle.

Methods:  Circular strips of frog‐ventricle were subjected to field‐stimulation with frequencies in the range 0.03–0.2 Hz and force recorded on a chart‐recorder. In another protocol, varying rest‐periods were imposed while the preparation beat steadily at 0.2 Hz and the effect of rest on post‐rest beat amplitude was noted.

Results:  Under control conditions, a positive FFR and a rest‐induced decay of contraction amplitude (RID) were seen in the frequency range 0.03–0.2 Hz. With cadmium, nifedipine, nickel (40 μmol L−1), ryanodine and adrenaline (all drugs at 10 μmol L−1 concentration, except nickel), the positive FFR and RID seen under control conditions persisted. When the bathing solution contained ouabain (10 μmol L−1) or low external sodium (40 mmol L−1), or high external calcium (5 mmol L−1), the FFR turned negative in the frequency range stated above and there were rest‐induced potentiations (RIP).

Conclusion:  When the conditions favour a net leak of calcium in diastole from intracellular stores via the calcium‐extrusive mode of sodium–calcium exchanger (NCX), FFR is positive. An increase in frequency lessens the diastolic interval and therefore the diastolic calcium leak, thereby augmenting force. On the other hand, interventions which favour the calcium‐acquisitive mode of NCX during diastole, changed the pattern of RID to RIP and converted FFR from positive to negative. With net diastolic calcium uptake, there is better store‐filling and therefore higher force at lower frequencies.
Predictors of outcome for unrelated adoptive placements made during middle childhood
Authors: Dance Cherilyn , Rushton Alan
Published: October 2005

This paper reports on a follow‐up to adolescence of two longitudinal prospective studies of children placed from public care with non‐related adoptive families in the UK. Factors associated with outcome are presented for 99 children (one index child per adoptive family) who were between 5 and 11 years of age at placement. Information concerning the children's backgrounds and care histories was obtained shortly after placement (T1), from social workers. Adopters were interviewed at T1 and again at the end of the first year (T2). A further follow‐up was conducted an average of six years after placement (T3).

Outcomes at T3 were classified as either disrupted, which was true for 23%, continuing and ‘positive’ (49%) or continuing but ‘difficult’ (28%). Bivariate analyses revealed a number of attributes, related to both the child and the adoptive parents, which were associated with differential outcomes. Logistic regression produced five predictors of placement disruption: age at placement, behavioural problems, preferential rejection, time in care and the child's degree of attachment to the new mother. Differences were found between ‘positive’ and ‘difficult’ outcomes in continuing placements as well as between continuing and disrupted placements. The analysis suggests that adoption should certainly be considered as an option for children over 5 years of age while recognizing the need for both preparation and post‐placement support. Evidence of differential outcome in continuing placements provides support for efforts to reduce the number of placements and returns home that a child at risk experiences.
More than a piece of paper?: Personal education plans and ‘looked after’ children in England
Authors: Hayden Carol
Published: October 2005

This paper reports on research into personal education plans (PEPs) for ‘looked after’ children (children in care) in one large county local authority in England. PEPs were introduced by guidance from the Department for Education and Employment and Department of Health in 2000. The fieldwork for this research began two years after this guidance was published. The research findings show that although social services staff and teachers are critical of specific aspects of PEPs, they have helped to raise the profile of the educational needs of looked after children in the local authority studied. They have provided a forum for social work and education professionals to meet in the interests of particular children. Key problems relate to practical issues: ensuring social workers and teachers feel able to fulfil their expected roles in relation to the education of looked after children; making the system focus on meeting the needs of children as well as practitioners; difficulty in meeting specified timescales; more meaningful, constructive and sensitive involvement of children in the process of producing and reviewing PEPs. The broader issue, however, is about the ability to plan the education of looked after children. Additional barriers to planning were particularly apparent in residential care and specifically within secure accommodation.
Understanding and negotiating identity: Children from cross‐community families in public care in Northern Ireland
Authors: Kelly Berni , Sinclair Ruth
Published: October 2005

In Northern Ireland, most research on the impact upon children of living through the ‘troubles’ and in a divided society has assumed that children are from either the Catholic or Protestant community. There has been very little research with children from cross‐community families who have one parent from a Catholic background and one from a Protestant background. It is known, however, that these children are over‐represented in the public care system in Northern Ireland. The study reported in this paper addresses this gap in knowledge by exploring the experiences and views of children from cross‐community families who are in public care in Northern Ireland. The study has key messages for the development of services for looked after children from cross‐community families, if these are to be delivered in accordance with legislative duties in Northern Ireland and in an anti‐sectarian manner.
A grass roots approach to influencing child welfare policy
Authors: Kufeldt Kathleen , Simard Marie , Thomas Paul , Vachon Jacques
Published: October 2005

This paper provides a brief review of child welfare issues identified by a Canadian Task Force convened for the 1979 Year of the Child. Project experience with the use of Looking After Children is linked to the issues identified in 1979. A fairly extensive discussion of legal considerations is presented to provide a context for the challenge of influencing policy. Finally, the possibility of influencing policy from a grass roots approach that can transcend jurisdictional boundaries is presented as offering hope for change in a child‐centred direction.
Care proceedings and parents with learning difficulties: comparative prevalence and outcomes in an English and Australian court sample
Authors: Booth Tim , Booth Wendy , McConnell David
Published: October 2005

This paper presents and contrasts the findings from two independent but comparable court studies in England and Australia of care proceedings involving parents with learning difficulties. Significant differences between the two jurisdictions were found in both prevalence and outcomes, with a much higher proportion of cases showing in the England sample, with many more children being returned home to live with their parents in Australia, and with far more children being placed out‐of‐home and outside the family network in England. We explore the reasons for these differences and discuss the implications of the findings.
Assessing the impact of community programmes working with children and families in disadvantaged areas
Authors: Jack Gordon
Published: October 2005

Community programmes designed to improve the functioning of disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the families living there, as well as to reduce specific problems such as child abuse and youth offending, are currently very popular with the UK government. However, whilst there is considerable knowledge about the structural causes of individual and neighbourhood disadvantage in UK society, evidence about the role that community programmes can play in addressing these inequalities is much more limited. The evidence that does exist tends either to have been imported from other parts of the world (notably the USA), or to be in the early stages of evaluation in the UK, with the initial findings sometimes proving rather unconvincing. In particular, the limitations of targeted funding, and the difficulties of establishing and maintaining the effective partnerships upon which successful programmes rely, are emerging as significant issues.

In this paper the implications of these findings for the future of children's services is considered, in the context of ever‐widening inequalities in UK society and the government's plans for children's trusts, integrated children's centres, and extended schools, involving multi‐agency working between health, education and social services.
Determination of iodine concentration in urine by isotope dilution analysis and thyroid volume of school children in the west coast of Turkey after mandatory salt iodization
Authors: Darcan Şükran , Unak Perihan , Yalman Osman , Lambrecht Fatma Yurt , Biber F. Zümrüt , Göksen Damla , Coker Mahmut
Published: October 2005

Objective  This study was designed to evaluate iodine deficiency status in children 6–12 years in the west coast (Aegean Region) of Turkey after 5 years of mandatory iodine prophylaxis. A total of 2300 children from 72 populations (rural and urban area) were evaluated with urinary iodine excretion and thyroid volume.

Design  Cross‐sectional, observational study designed and performed according to surveillance methods for iodine deficiency disease (IDD) prevalence recommended by WHO/UNICEF/ICCIDD.

Subjects  The study population consisted of 2300 school children age ranging from 6 to 12 years. The children were selected by multiple stage randomization from 91 primary schools of 76 zones (91 clusters). Information about the use of iodized salt was obtained from the families.

Measurements  Data on the following were collected: birth date, sex, weight, height, thyroid size by palpation and ultrasonography; and urinary iodine by isotope dilution analysis method. Thyroid volumes above 97th percentile according to the WHO/ICCIDD by age and body surface area (BSA) were accepted as goitre.

Results  Iodized salt consumption was 51·7%. The prevalence of goitre determined by palpation was 12·1% and by ultrasound based on BSA and age were 9·8% and 5·5%, respectively. Median urinary iodine was 53 (2–142) µg/l.

Conclusion  Mild to severe degree of iodine deficiency was detected in the west coast of Turkey.
Electric waves recorded from the testicle: are they capsular or from the testicular tissue?
Authors: SHAFIK AHMED , SHAFIK ISMAIL , SIBAI OLFAT EL , SHAFIK ALI A.
Published: October 2005

We demonstrated in a previous study that electric waves could be recorded from the testicle by applying the electrodes either directly to the tunica albuginea (TA) or transcutaneously. As the TA contains smooth muscle fibres which presumably transmit the electric waves, we investigated the hypothesis that the electric waves recorded from the testicle originated from the TA. During the repair of inguino‐scrotal hernia in 24 men [age 36.6 ± 8.6 years (mean ± SD)], the tunica vaginalis was everted because of the presence of hydrocele. The electric activity of the TA was recorded by three surface electrodes and that of the testicle by three needle electrodes. The recorded potentials were amplified and displayed on an electromyographic apparatus. Triphasic slow waves (SWs) were recorded from the TA. They showed similar frequency, amplitude and conduction velocity from the three electrodes of the individual subject and were reproducible. They were followed or superimposed by bursts of action potentials (APs) which occurred randomly. No waves were recorded from the three needle electrodes inserted into the testicular tissue. The current study could demonstrate that the electric waves recorded from the electrodes applied to the testicle were derived from the TA and not from the testicular tissue. This finding apparently denotes that the TA has a resting tone and probably motile activity, the role of which in testicular function needs to be studied.
Interchromosomal effect in sperm of males with translocations: report of 6 cases and review of the literature
Authors: DOUET‐GUILBERT N. , BRIS M.‐J. L. , AMICE V. , MARCHETTI C. , DELOBEL B. , AMICE J. , BRAEKELEER M. D. , MOREL F.
Published: October 2005

Somatic chromosomal abnormalities are frequently found in infertile men, particularly in those with low sperm count and/or seeking intracytoplasmic sperm injection. These abnormalities mostly consist of numerical sex chromosome abnormalities and translocations (Robertsonian or reciprocal). In this study, we searched for the occurrence of non‐disjunction of chromosomes not involved in translocations during meiosis, phenomenon called interchromosomal effect (ICE) and first described by Lejeune (1965). Ejaculate samples of two patients carrying a Robertsonian translocation and four a reciprocal translocation patients and four controls (men with a 46,XY karyotype and normal sperm parameters) were studied in dual FISH 7‐9, dual FISH 13‐21 and triple FISH X‐Y‐18. A statistically significant increase of disomy X, Y and XY (P = 0.009, P = 0.004, P < 0.001) was found in the Robertsonian der(13;14)(q10;q10) carrier but not in the der(14;21)(q10;q10) carrier compared with controls. Among reciprocal translocation carriers, a significant increase of disomy 21 (P = 0.033) was observed in a sole patient with a t(9;22)(q21;q11.2). The increase of meiotic non‐disjunction for chromosome 21 and sex chromosomes is a recurrent event found in other studies. According to our results and published data, the ICE on some specific chromosomes is likely in men carrier of a translocation, although it cannot be excluded that the aneuploidy is related to the oligoasthenoteratozoospermia usually present in these men. Moreover, this phenomenon showed interindividual variations which cannot be predicted. The risk of aneuploidy in sperm of males used for ICSI need to be evaluated. It could be superadded to that of meiotic segregation of the translocation to give a more precise and personalized risk assessment of aneuploidy in the offspring of those men.
Expression of Mina53, a product of a Myc target gene in mouse testis
Authors: TSUNEOKA MAKOTO , NISHIMUNE YOSHITAKE , OHTA KEISUKE , TEYE KWESI , TANAKA HIROMITSU , SOEJIMA MIKIKO , IIDA HIROSHI , INOKUCHI TETSUO , KIMURA HIROSHI , KODA YOSHIRO
Published: October 2005

Recently we have identified a novel gene mina53 (mina), which is a direct transcriptional target of oncoprotein Myc. Mina53 protein was shown to be highly expressed in tumour cells and to play a role in cell proliferation. Here we report the expression of Mina53 in mouse testis, which contains proliferating cells and expresses many cancer‐related genes. Immunohistochemical studies by using newly produced monoclonal antibody to Mina53 showed that Mina53 was expressed in the nuclei of spermatogonia. Mina53 was also expressed in meiotic prophase cells such as preleptotene, leptotene and zygotene, and weakly in early pachytene spermatocytes, but was absent in late pachytene spermatocytes, spermatids and mature sperm. The expression pattern of Mina53 was quite similar to that of proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Using experimental cryptorchid testis, it was found that Mina53 was highly expressed in undifferentiated spermatogonia, which were PCNA‐positive. These results suggest that Mina53 is prominently expressed in proliferating, undifferentiated spermatogonia, and plays a role in cell proliferation from the spermatogonial stage to the meiotic prophase in spermatogenesis, but not in meiotic divisions per se.
Cellular origins of testicular dysgenesis in rats exposed in utero to di(n‐butyl) phthalate
Authors: MAHOOD I. KIM , MCKINNELL CHRIS , WALKER MARION , HALLMARK NINA , SCOTT HAYLEY , FISHER JANE S. , RIVAS ANA , HARTUNG STEFAN , IVELL RICHARD , MASON J. IAN , SHARPE RICHARD M.
Published: October 2005

Foetal exposure of male rats to di(n‐butyl) phthalate (DBP) induces testicular changes similar to testicular dysgenesis syndrome in humans, including the formation of focal ‘dysgenetic areas’ within post‐natal testes, surrounded by otherwise normal tubules exhibiting complete spermatogenesis. We hypothesize that these dysgenetic areas form when Sertoli (and other) cells are ‘trapped’ during the abnormal formation of large Leydig cell (LC) clusters in foetal life and by post‐natal day (d) 4 these groups of intermingled cells attempt to form seminiferous tubules. It is likely that the malformed tubules resulting correspond to the dysgenetic areas evident in later life. This also provides a plausible explanation for the occurrence of LCs within seminiferous cords/tubules in or bordering the dysgenetic areas. In our previous studies intratubular LCs (ITLCs) were identified by immunostaining for 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β‐HSD), the definitive LC cytoplasmic marker. However, the possibility remained that the ‘presumptive’ ITLCs were in fact Sertoli cells that had aberrantly gained the ability to express 3β‐HSD. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to fully characterize the ITLCs induced by in utero DBP exposure in d25 rats using a number of LC‐ (3β‐HSD, P450 side‐chain cleavage enzyme, insulin‐like factor 3, oestrogen receptor alpha) and Sertoli cell‐ (vimentin, Wilm's tumour‐1) specific markers. Our results show that ITLCs express all four LC‐specific markers but do not express either of the Sertoli cell markers. It is therefore concluded that the ITLCs are bona fide LCs that are abnormally located within the seminiferous tubules of DBP‐exposed rats in post‐natal life.
Recent data on pubertal milestones in United States children: the secular trend toward earlier development
Authors: HERMAN‐GIDDENS MARCIA E.
Published: October 2005

Tracking secular trends in the pubertal development of a country's children is important for social and public health reasons. Although comparable studies are largely lacking for US children over the last half century, existing data on girls, particularly that for menarche, indicate that the trend for earlier sexual maturatin has continued and that racial differences are significant, with African‐American girls developing earlier than white girls. Data on boys, though less reliable, suggest that they may be beginning maturation earlier as well. More studies on boys with reliable methodologies are needed. Earlier development may not be healthy and may indicate environmental problems that need to be further researched and addressed.
Register data on assisted reproductive technology (ART) in Europe including a detailed description of ART in Denmark
Authors: NYBOE ANDERSEN ANDERS , ERB KARIN
Published: October 2005

The European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has monitored Assisted Reproduction in Europe since 1997. In 2001, 579 clinics from 23 countries reported 289 690 treatment cycles with: in vitro fertilization (IVF) 120 946, intracytoplasmatisk sperm injection (ICSI) 114 378, frozen embryo replacements (FER) 47 195 and egg donation (ED) 7171. Intrauterine inseminations are less consistently reported, but in 2001, 15 countries reported 67 124 cycles (IUI‐H 52 949 and IUI‐D 14 185). Data from 2001 showed that in 12 countries, where all clinics reported the in vitro techniques to the register, 829 treatment cycles were performed per million inhabitants. The availability was highest in the Nordic countries (range 975–1923 cycles). The proportion of infants born after ART with in vitro techniques ranged from 0.2% in Latvia to 3.9% in Denmark. In general, the impact of the in vitro techniques on the birth rate is highest in the Nordic countries (range 2.2–3.9%). Denmark is the only country with an established National ART reporting system involving all ART treatments both with the in vitro techniques and intrauterine inseminations. In the year 2002, a total of 20 837 treatment cycles were performed. The result was that 6.2% of all infants were born after assisted reproduction.
Does folic acid and zinc sulphate intervention affect endocrine parameters and sperm characteristics in men?
Authors: EBISCH I. M. W. , PIERIK F. H. , DE JONG F. H. , THOMAS C. M. G. , STEEGERS‐THEUNISSEN R. P. M.
Published: October 2005

We evaluated pre‐ and post‐intervention endocrine and semen parameters in a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled intervention study to investigate the underlying mechanism of increased sperm concentration after folic acid and zinc sulphate intervention. A total of 47 fertile and 40 subfertile males participated in a 26‐week intervention study consisting of a daily treatment with folic acid (5 mg/day) and zinc sulphate (66 mg/day), or placebo. Pre‐ and post‐intervention semen parameters, serum folate, zinc, follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone and inhibin B concentrations were measured. The results indicated that intervention treatment significantly increased sperm concentration in subfertile males. Other semen and endocrine parameters were not affected by intervention treatment. At baseline, positive correlations were found between serum zinc and sperm concentration, motility and inhibin B. Serum zinc and FSH were inversely correlated. As (already) well known from previous research, inhibin B positively correlated with sperm concentration, motility and morphology, and was inversely correlated with FSH. The latter was positively correlated with testosterone. In addition, testosterone and inhibin B were inversely correlated. After intervention, the correlations with zinc disappeared. We conclude that the increase in sperm concentration after folic acid and zinc sulphate intervention is not the result of alterations in FSH, testosterone or inhibin B concentrations. Although zinc and folate have several effects on spermatogenesis, the underlying mechanisms involved are not clear.
Familial risks in testicular cancer as aetiological clues
Authors: HEMMINKI KARI , CHEN BOWANG
Published: October 2005

We used the nationwide Swedish Family‐Cancer Database to analyse the risk for testicular cancer in offspring through parental and sibling probands. Among 0 to 70‐year‐old offspring, 4586 patients had testicular cancer. Standardized incidence ratios for familial risk were 3.8‐fold when a father and 7.6‐fold when a brother had testicular cancer. Testicular cancer was associated with leukaemia, distal colon and kidney cancer, melanoma, connective tissue tumours and lung cancer in families. Non‐seminoma was associated with maternal lung cancer but the risk was highest for the late‐onset cases, providing no support to the theory of the in utero effect of maternal smoking on the son's risk of testicular cancer. However, the theory cannot be excluded but should be taken up for study when further data are available on maternal smoking. The high familial risk may be the product of shared childhood environment and heritable causes.
Expression profiles and single‐nucleotide polymorphism analysis of human HANP1/H1T2 encoding a histone H1‐like protein
Authors: TANAKA HIROMITSU , MATSUOKA YASUHIRO , ONISHI MASAYOSHI , KITAMURA KOUICHI , MIYAGAWA YASUSHI , NISHIMURA HIROMI , TSUJIMURA AKIRA , OKUYAMA AKIHIKO , NISHIMUNE YOSHITAKE
Published: October 2005

Recently we cloned the Hanp1 cDNA that encodes a histone H1‐like haploid germ cell‐specific nuclear protein in the mouse. Homozygous Hanp1 mutant male mice were infertile, while females were fertile. Although a substantial number of sperm were recovered from the epididymis, their shape and function were abnormal. Hanp1 protein is essential for nuclear formation in functional spermatozoa, and is specifically involved in the replacement of histones with protamines during spermiogenesis. To investigate the roles of human HANP1 (h‐HANP1) and its relation to male infertility, we isolated h‐HANP1 cDNA from a human cDNA plasmid library using mouse Hanp1 cDNA as a probe. h‐HANP1 is expressed in the testes and its genomic construct also intronless as mouse Hanp1. We found that the h‐HANP1 coding region have 5 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms in Japanese men.
Staple diet: a foreign body in a tooth
Authors: MCAULIFFE N. , DRAGE N. A. , HUNTER B.
Published: October 2005

The chance discovery of a foreign object embedded in a tooth is uncommon, and requires radiographic examination to determine the composition and location of the object. The authors describe the case of an 11‐year‐old boy who presented with a staple lodged in the root canal of the maxillary left permanent central incisor. This staple was localized using parallax techniques and successfully removed from the canal. The radiographic techniques of localization and possible methods of removal of foreign bodies are discussed.
Assessment of a novel alternative to conventional formocresol‐zinc oxide eugenol pulpotomy for the treatment of pulpally involved human primary teeth: diode laser‐mineral trioxide aggregate pulpotomy
Authors: SALTZMAN B. , SIGAL M. , CLOKIE C. , RUKAVINA J. , TITLEY K. , KULKARNI G. V.
Published: October 2005

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a diode laser pulpotomy with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) sealing could be an acceptable alternative to the conventional formocresol pulpotomy and zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) sealing in human primary teeth.

Methods. A randomized, single‐blind, split‐mouth study was used with a sample of 16 children aged from 3 to 8 years (mean age = 5·10 years). A total of 26 pairs of teeth from these 16 patients were selected based on clinical and radiographic criteria. One tooth from each pair was randomly assigned to either the laser‐MTA pulpotomy group or the formocresol‐ZOE pulpotomy group. All teeth were followed up clinically and radiographically at 2·3, 5·2, 9·5 and 15·7 months. All extracted failures were sectioned and photographed to assess possible reasons for this.

Results. A total of seven laser‐MTA‐treated teeth were deemed to be radiographic failures (mean time until failure = 9·1 months) compared to three formocresol‐ZOE treated teeth (mean time until failure = 12·5 months). These results were not significant using Fisher's exact test (P > 0·05). Six of the laser‐MTA failures and all three formocresol‐ZOE failures exhibited furcal and/or periapical radiolucencies with or without pathologic root resorption. One of the laser‐MTA failures displayed premature root resorption and is being observed for exfoliation. Analysis of photographs of teeth available for extraction revealed errors in clinical technique in addition to expected signs of a disease process such as the presence of granulation tissue and areas of pathologic root resorption.

Conclusions. The laser‐MTA pulpotomy showed reduced radiographic success rates compared to the formocresol‐ZOE pulpotomy at 15·7 months; however, these results were not statistically significant. Improved success rates among a larger patient sample and a longer follow‐up period would be required for the laser‐MTA pulpotomy to be considered a routine alternative to the conventional formocresol‐ZOE procedure. Meticulous restorative techniques must be followed to ensure the success of laser‐MTA pulpotomies.
Glucocorticoids and the Development of Agonistic Behaviour during Puberty in Male Golden Hamsters
Authors: Wommack J. C. , Salinas A. , Delville Y.
Published: October 2005

During puberty, the agonistic behaviour of male golden hamsters undergoes a transition from play fighting to adult aggression. Repeated exposure to social stress early in puberty accelerates this transition. The present study investigated the possible role of glucocorticoids on the maturation of agonistic behaviour. First, we compared serum cortisol levels following a 20‐min restraint stress during early puberty, mid‐puberty or adulthood. Across puberty, animals exhibited a two‐fold increase in post‐restraint cortisol levels. We also compared corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) immunoreactive fibres projecting to the median eminence between animals in early puberty and adulthood. The CRH fibre density was two‐fold greater in adults compared to juveniles. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of stress hormones on the maturation of agonistic behaviour. Male hamsters were injected daily with dexamethasone, a corticosteroid receptor type II agonist (0, 10 or 40 µg/100 g), early in puberty from postnatal day 31 (P‐31) to P‐36. When paired with a smaller and younger intruder on P‐37, attack frequency did not differ between groups. However, dexamethasone‐treated animals showed a dose‐dependent decrease in the percentage of play‐fighting attacks and an increase in the percentage of adult attacks. In summary, puberty can be described as a period of increasing hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal activity in male golden hamsters. Moreover, increasing glucocorticoid levels influence the maturation of agonistic behaviour. These data shed new light on the neuroendocrine mechanisms that regulate the maturation of social behaviours during puberty.
Candida albicans MTLα tup1Δ mutants can reversibly switch to mating‐competent, filamentous growth forms
Authors: Park Yang‐Nim , Morschhäuser Joachim
Published: October 2005

Candida albicans strains that are homozygous at the mating type locus (MTLa or MTLα) can spontaneously switch from the normal round‐to‐oval yeast cell morphology to an elongated, so‐called opaque cell form that can mate with opaque cells of the opposite mating type. In response to environmental signals, C. albicans also undergoes a transition from yeast to filamentous growth, which is negatively regulated by the general repressor Tup1p. Therefore, C. albicans mutants in which the TUP1 gene is inactivated grow constitutively in the filamentous form. We found that tup1Δ mutants of the MTLα strain WO‐1 are still able to undergo phenotypic switching. Although the mutants had lost the capacity to grow in the normal yeast (white) or opaque forms, they could still reversibly switch between four different cell and colony phenotypes (designated as fuzzy, frizzy, wrinkled and smooth) at a frequency of about 10−3 to 10−4. Deletion of TUP1 resulted in deregulated expression of phase‐specific genes. While the white‐specific WH11 gene was constitutively expressed in all four cell types, the opaque‐specific SAP1 gene remained repressed and the opaque‐specific OP4 gene was weakly induced in all phase variants. In spite of the loss of white‐ and opaque‐specific cell morphology and gene expression, the tup1Δ mutants retained an important characteristic of their wild‐type parent, the ability to switch to a mating‐competent form. The three filamentous phase variants (fuzzy, frizzy and wrinkled) all were able to mate and produce recombinant progeny with opaque cells of an MTLa strain at frequencies that were somewhat lower than those of normal opaque cells, whereas the smooth phase variant was unable to do so. Therefore, although deletion of TUP1 in C. albicans MTLα cells affects cellular morphology and gene expression patterns, the mutants can still reversibly switch between mating‐competent and ‐incompetent cell types and mate with a partner of the opposite mating type.
Identification of a plastid acyl‐acyl carrier protein synthetase in Arabidopsis and its role in the activation and elongation of exogenous fatty acids
Authors: Koo Abraham J. K. , Fulda Martin , Browse John , Ohlrogge John B.
Published: October 2005

Plant cells are known to elongate exogenously provided fatty acid (FA), but the subcellular sites and mechanisms for this process are not currently understood. When Arabidopsis leaves were incubated with 14C‐FAs with ≤16 carbons, the label appeared in elongated and desaturated products. Laurate elongation was 85% inhibited by 50 μm cerulenin, an inhibitor of ketoacyl‐acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthetase I/II. In contrast, haloxyfop, an inhibitor of cytosolic acetyl‐coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase, inhibited only elongation into very long chain FAs (≥20 carbons) but not synthesis of 14C‐unsaturated 18‐carbon or 16‐carbon FAs. Isolated pea chloroplasts were also able to elongate 14C‐FAs (≤16 carbons) in the light. No detectable 14C‐acyl‐CoA intermediates were formed during 14C‐laurate elongation, whereas 14C‐acyl‐ACP accumulated to 2.3 μm. These data indicate that the elongation of exogenous medium‐chain FAs to 16‐ and 18‐carbon FAs occurs primarily in the chloroplasts, most likely via the enzymes of de novo FA synthesis. An Arabidopsis mutant with a T‐DNA insertion in At4g14070 (AAE15) was reduced 80% in 14C‐laurate elongation into 16‐ and 18‐carbon FAs. AAE15 has sequence similarity to long‐chain acyl‐CoA synthetases and a predicted N‐terminal plastidial targeting sequence. Direct acyl‐ACP‐forming activity from FA and ACP was observed in extracts of Arabidopsis leaves and isolated chloroplasts but aae15 plants had markedly reduced in vitro acyl‐ACP synthesis activity. Together these results demonstrate that plants possess a mechanism for direct activation of FA to ACP in the plastid via an acyl‐ACP synthetase encoded by At4g14070.
Cardiac function in children post‐orthotopic liver transplantation: Echocardiographic parameters and biochemical markers of subclinical cardiovascular damage
Authors: Shalev Aryeh , Nir Amiram , Granot Esther
Published: October 2005

Abstract:  Tacrolimus and cyclosporin A (CsA), the mainstay of preventive therapy for solid organ rejection, may cause various side‐effects, such as hypertension and nephrotoxicity. Furthermore, tacrolimus is associated with cardiac hypertrophy. In the immediate post‐transplant period, both drugs raise the levels of Endothelin‐1 (ET), a potent vasoconstrictor; and of B‐type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), a sensitive marker of left ventricular volume overload, which may precede echocardiographic changes of cardiac dysfunction. The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of cardiac damage, by echocardiography and by the biochemical markers BNP and ET, in post‐orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) children, receiving long‐term immunosuppressive therapy. ET (ELISA) and BNP (RIA) were measured in plasma of 18 children, post‐OLT and 18 healthy controls. Children post‐OLT were echocardiographically assessed for left ventricular mass (interventricular septum and posterior wall dimensions), systolic function (ejection fraction, fractional shortening) and diastolic parameters (mitral valve E and A waves, deceleration time, isovolumic relaxation time). None of the post‐transplant recipients had a history or physical examination consistent with cardiac disease and all recipients were normotensive. Echocardiography revealed no systolic or diastolic dysfunction in any of the recipients. The mean ET and BNP levels tended to be higher among children post‐liver transplant, compared with healthy controls (ET: 4.22 ± 5.35 pg/mL vs. 2.1 ± 2.0 pg/mL; BNP: 7.05 ± 4.4 pg/mL vs. 5.87 ± 2.0 pg/mL, respectively, mean ± s.d.) although differences did not reach statistical significance. Three children (17%) had elevated BNP and/or ET levels. A strong correlation was observed between ET and BNP levels in post‐OLT children (r = 0.79, p ≤  0.05). No correlation was found between ET or BNP levels and echocardiographic findings. In children receiving long‐term immunosuppressive therapy post‐OLT, although cardiac function is grossly preserved, ET and BNP levels tend to be higher than in healthy, age‐matched children. Thus, elevated levels of BNP and/or ET may identify patients with early cardiac damage.