bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence for the Presence of Beta-3-Adrenoceptors Mediating Relaxation in the Human Oviduct
Authors: Khan Islam , Omu Alexander E. , Fatinikun Tunde , Chandrasekhar Bindu , Kadavil Elizabeth A. , Oriowo Mabayoje A.
Published: March 2005

β1- and β2-adrenoceptors mediate relaxation in the oviductal smooth muscle. This study examines the existence and function of β3-adrenoceptors in the human oviduct. Ring segments of the oviduct were set up for isometric tension recording. The effect of isoprenaline and BRL 37344 on smooth muscle tone was examined. The expression of β3-adrenoceptors in the oviduct was also examined. Isoprenaline and BRL 37344 concentration-dependently relaxed circular muscles of the oviduct. BRL 37344 was less potent than isoprenaline and was a partial agonist. Propranolol shifted isoprenaline but not BRL 37344 concentration-response curve to the right without reducing the maximum response. Cyanopindolol (1 µmol/l), a β3-adrenoceptor antagonist, shifted the isoprenaline concentration response curve to the right. The –log KB value of 7.8 indicates activation of β3-adrenoceptors by isoprenaline. mRNA for β3-adrenoceptors was expressed in the oviduct. These results suggest that β3-adrenoceptors, mediating relaxation, are expressed in the human oviduct.
Matrix Metalloproteinases 2 and 9 Are Markers of Inflammation but Not of the Degree of Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis C
Authors: Reif Shimon , Somech Raz , Brazovski Eli , Reich Reuven , Belson Amir , Konikoff Fred M. , Kessler Ada
Published: March 2005

Background: The degree of liver fibrosis and inflammation is important in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in terms of therapy as well as prognosis. To obviate the need of liver biopsy, serum markers such as procollagen I, III and hyaluronic acid have been proposed but were found to be inaccurate. Controversy still exists regarding the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as valid markers of liver fibrosis. Aim: To assess liver and serum MMP-2 and -9 as markers of fibrosis and inflammation in patients with CHC. Methods: Thirty-five CHC patients and 8 non-hepatitis C patients with normal liver enzymes underwent liver biopsy. Activities of inflammation and fibrosis stage were determined by the Desmet score on a scale of 0–4. Serum and liver tissue MMP-2 and -9 activities were measured by zymography using substrate impregnated gels. Results: Patient and control groups were similar in terms of age (50.8 ± 15.1 vs. 50.6 ± 15.2) and male/female ratio (18/17 vs. 4/4). In serum, MMP-9 activity was increased in patients compared to controls (308 ± 110 vs. 163.5 ± 35 , p < 0.05). In liver tissue, MMP-9 was also higher in patients than in controls (21 ± 4.5 vs. 17.1 ± 5.1, p < 0.05), whereas MMP-2 did not differ between patients and controls. Serum MMP-9 values correlated with liver histologic inflammatory grade (290.4 ± 83 in grade 2 vs. 562.1 ± 128 in grade 3, p < 0.05) but not with fibrosis stage. The highest rising in serum MMP-9 levels was observed between grade 2 to grade 3 and was superior to the rising in serum transaminase levels, indicating its advantage in assessing the progression of disease activity. No correlation between liver MMP activities and liver fibrosis or inflammation was observed. Conclusion: Serum MMPs, in particular MMP-9, can serve as markers of disease activity rather than fibrosis stage in chronic HCV patients.
Effects of Intrauterine Growth Retardation on Development of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Neonatal Pigs
Authors: Wang Tian , Huo Yong Jiu , Shi Fangxiong , Xu Ruo Jun , Hutz Reinhold J.
Published: March 2005

Background: Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is a common problem in human and other species and increases the risk of death of the fetus and newborn during the perinatal period. Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the influences of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) on development of the gastrointestinal tract in newborn pigs. Methods: Ten animals from five litters were divided into five piglets with IUGR and five with normal birth-weight (NW). The IUGR category comprised animals with a birth weight 2 SD below the mean birth weight of the total population, while the NW category included animals with a birth weight within one SD of the mean birth weight in the total population. Animals were anesthetized and sampled within 2–4 h after birth and without suckling. The morphological changes of intestine and stomach of IUGR piglets were compared with NW ones. The expressions of IGF-I and receptors for growth hormone and insulin in intestinal mucosa were semiquantified using reverse transcription PCR. Results: The results of our study indicated that the weights of the stomach, small intestine and small intestinal mucosa were significantly lower in IUGR compared with NW piglets (p < 0.01). In addition, the lengths of the small intestine and colon in IUGR pigs were also significantly less than those of NW (p < 0.05). Furthermore, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) mRNA level in intestinal mucosa of IUGR piglets was increased significantly (p < 0.05), and the expression mRNA levels of insulin receptor and growth hormone (GH) receptor in the mucosa in IUGR piglets showed a tendency to be lower (p = 0.17 and p = 0.11, respectively) than those of the NW animals. Conclusion: We conclude from the data that IUGR affects intestinal growth and morphology and is in associated with altered gene expression of growth-related proteins. We speculate that the morphological change and associated altered endocrine homeostasis contribute to lower growth rates of pigs affected by IUGR.
Growth in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants up to Three Years
Authors: Jordan Isabelle M. , Robert Annie , Francart Julie , Sann Leon , Putet Guy
Published: March 2005

Objective: To evaluate postnatal growth of extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW, <1,000 g) until 36 months of corrected age (CA), and to relate growth outcome to anthropometric parameters at birth, sex, fetal growth status (small or appropriate for gestational age – SGA/AGA), period of admission and major perinatal events. Study Design/Method: Weight (Wt), height (Ht) and head circumference (HC) were assessed in 159 ELBW infants. Data were standardized with Z-scores following Usher and McLean and Sempe growth curves. Uni- and multivariate statistical analysis were performed. Results: The mean birth weight was 851.2 ± 116.5 g. Z-scores decreased from birth to term, at a deeper rate for AGA than for SGA infants (p < 0.005 for Ht, Wt, and HC). Between term and 36 months, growth was better in SGA compared with AGA infants (p = 0.003 for Ht). Multivariate analysis showed that anthropometric parameters at birth were positive determinants for Wt, Ht and HC at term, and also for Wt and Ht at 36 months CA (Z-scores). Oxygen therapy after 36 weeks of post-conceptional age was a negative determinant influencing growth at 36 months CA (Z-scores). Conclusions: Significant catch-up growth took place between birth and 36 months, which was greater for SGA than for AGA infants. Anthropometric parameters at birth and oxygen therapy at 36 weeks post-conceptional age are the main predictive factors for growth at 36 months CA.
The Impact of a Bottom Boundary Layer Scheme on the North Atlantic Ocean in a Global Coupled Climate Model
Authors: Tang Yong Ming , Roberts Malcolm J.
Published: March 2005

Although the overflow and descent of cold, dense water across the Greenland–Iceland–Scotland ridge is the principal means for the maintenance of the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean, this feature is not adequately treated in global ocean numerical models. In this paper, a bottom boundary layer scheme is introduced into the HadCM3 coupled atmosphere–ocean–sea ice general circulation climate model, in order to give an improved representation of cold water formation in the North Atlantic Ocean. The scheme uses a simple terrain-following bottom boundary layer incorporated into the ocean general circulation model; only the tracer tendencies are evaluated in the bottom boundary layer, with the velocities taken from the near-bottom interior values. It is found that with the bottom boundary layer scheme, there are several significant effects on the deep water formation and flow. The overflow of dense water from the Nordic Seas into the North Atlantic Seas is improved with the introduction of the authors’ bottom boundary layer scheme. Further, the thermohaline circulation is reduced in strength, but is also deeper, when compared with simulations without any bottom boundary layer scheme. There is also a stronger flow along the northwestern boundary, a more southerly location of the North Atlantic Current, and a stronger and larger subpolar gyre. Overall, these effects are an improvement when compared with climatology, although some differences remain.
Seasonal Characteristics of Circulation in the Southeastern Tropical Indian Ocean*
Authors: Qu Tangdong , Meyers Gary
Published: March 2005

The circulation in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean is studied using historical temperature and salinity data. A southward shift of the subtropical gyre at increasing depth dominates the structure of the annual mean circulation. Near the southern Indonesian coast the westward South Equatorial Current (SEC) is at the sea surface and strongest near 10°–11°S, reflecting strong influence of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF). In latitudes 13°–25°S the SEC is a subsurface flow and its velocity core deepens toward the south, falling below 500 m at 25°S. The eastern gyral current (EGC) is a surface flow overlying the SEC, associated with the meridional gradients of near-surface temperature and salinity. The ITF supplies water to the SEC mainly in the upper 400 m, and below that depth the flow is reversed along the coast of Sumatra and Java. Monsoon winds strongly force the annual variation in circulation. Dynamic height at the sea surface has a maximum amplitude at 10°–13°S, and the maximum at deeper levels is located farther south. Annual variation is also strong in the coastal waveguides, but is mainly confined to the near-surface layer. Although the South Java Current at the sea surface is not well resolved in the present dataset, semiannual variation is markedly evident at depth and tends to extend much deeper than the annual variation along the coast of Sumatra and Java.
The effects of iron deficiency on estradiol-induced suppression of erythropoietin induction in rats: implications of pregnancy-related anemia
Authors: Horiguchi Hyogo , Oguma Etsuko , Kayama Fujio
Published: March 2005

Pregnant women often develop anemia concomitant with the increase in serum erythropoietin levels, which are actually lower than those of nonpregnant anemic women due to the possible suppressive effect of endogenous estradiol on erythropoietin induction. The anemia, derived from hemodilution, does not act as a drive for erythropoietin induction, but iron deficiency, often observed during pregnancy, might. In order to demonstrate this, we investigated the effects of iron deficiency on estradiol-induced suppression of erythropoietin induction in rats. Single doses of estradiol suppressed hypoxia-, cobalt-, and bleeding-stimulated elevation of plasma erythropoietin levels and renal erythropoietin mRNA expression. Repeated administration of estradiol at 0.1 and 1 mg/kg for 2 months induced a slight anemic trend without elevation of plasma erythropoietin. Feeding an iron-deficient diet for 2 months induced plasma erythropoietin elevation without obvious anemia, but the simultaneous repeated administration of estradiol suppressed it and reversed the iron deficiency. Plasma erythropoietin levels had distinct negative correlations with plasma iron, plasma ferritin, and iron concentrations in the organs, but not with plasma hemoglobin level. These results suggest that iron deficiency would significantly stimulate erythropoietin induction during pregnancy, although estradiol might suppress it through iron restoration.
Heat shock protein 90 inhibition sensitizes acute myelogenous leukemia cells to cytarabine
Authors: Mesa Ruben A. , Loegering David , Powell Heather L. , Flatten Karen , Arlander Sonnet J. H. , Dai Nga T. , Heldebrant Michael P. , Vroman Benjamin T. , Smith B. Douglas , Karp Judith E. , Ten Eyck Cynthia J. , Erlichman Charles , Kaufmann Scott H. , Karnitz Larry M.
Published: March 2005

Previous studies demonstrated that ataxia telangiectasia mutated– and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase and its downstream target checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) facilitate survival of cells treated with nucleoside analogs and other replication inhibitors. Recent results also demonstrated that Chk1 is depleted when cells are treated with heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG). The present study examined the effects of 17-AAG and its major metabolite, 17-aminogeldanamycin (17-AG), on Chk1 levels and cellular responses to cytarabine in human acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cell lines and clinical isolates. Cytarabine, at concentrations as low as 30 nM, caused activating phosphorylation of Chk1, loss of the phosphatase Cdc25A, and S-phase slowing. Conversely, treatment with 100 to 300 nM 17-AAG for 24 hours caused Chk1 depletion that was accompanied by diminished cytarabine-induced S-phase accumulation, decreased Cdc25A degradation, and enhanced cytotoxicity as measured by inhibition of colony formation and induction of apoptosis. Additional studies demonstrated that small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) depletion of Chk1 also sensitized cells to cytarabine, whereas disruption of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3k) signaling pathway, which is also blocked by Hsp90 inhibition, did not. Collectively, these results suggest that treatment with 17-AAG might represent a means of reversing checkpoint-mediated cytarabine resistance in AML.
Lack of antigen-specific tissue remodeling in mice deficient in the macrophage galactose-type calcium-type lectin 1/CD301a
Authors: Sato Kayoko , Imai Yasuyuki , Higashi Nobuaki , Kumamoto Yosuke , Onami Thandi M. , Hedrick Stephen M. , Irimura Tatsuro
Published: March 2005

Macrophage galactose-type C-type lectins (MGLs), which were recently named CD301, have 2 homologues in mice: MGL1 and MGL2. MGLs are expressed on macrophages and immature dendritic cells. The persistent presence of granulation tissue induced by a protein antigen was observed in wild-type mice but not in mice lacking an endogenous, macrophage-specific, galactose-type calcium-type lectin 1 (MGL1) in an air pouch model. The anti-MGL1 antibody suppressed the granulation tissue formation in wild-type mice. A large number of cells, present only in the pouch of MGL1-deficient mice, were not myeloid or lymphoid lineage cells and the number significantly declined after administration of interleukin 1 α (IL-1α) into the pouch of MGL1-deficient mice. Furthermore, granulation tissue was restored by this treatment and the cells obtained from the pouch of MGL1-deficient mice were incorporated into the granulation tissue when injected with IL-1α. Taken together, MGL1 expressed on a specific subpopulation of macrophages that secrete IL-1α was proposed to regulate specific cellular interactions crucial to granulation tissue formation.
DIALIGN-T: An improved algorithm for segment-based multiple sequence alignment
Authors: Subramanian Amarendran R , Weyer-Menkhoff Jan , Kaufmann Michael , Morgenstern Burkhard
Published: March 2005

Background

We present a complete re-implementation of the segment-based approach to multiple protein alignment that contains a number of improvements compared to the previous version 2.2 of DIALIGN. This previous version is superior to Needleman-Wunsch-based multi-alignment programs on locally related sequence sets. However, it is often outperformed by these methods on data sets with global but weak similarity at the primary-sequence level.

Results

In the present paper, we discuss strengths and weaknesses of DIALIGN in view of the underlying objective function. Based on these results, we propose several heuristics to improve the segment-based alignment approach. For pairwise alignment, we implemented a fragment-chaining algorithm that favours chains of low-scoring local alignments over isolated high-scoring fragments. For multiple alignment, we use an improved greedy procedure that is less sensitive to spurious local sequence similarities. To evaluate our method on globally related protein families, we used the well-known database BAliBASE. For benchmarking tests on locally related sequences, we created a new reference database called IRMBASE which consists of simulated conserved motifs implanted into non-related random sequences.

Conclusion

On BAliBASE, our new program performs significantly better than the previous version of DIALIGN and is comparable to the standard global aligner CLUSTAL W, though it is outperformed by some newly developed programs that focus on global alignment. On the locally related test sets in IRMBASE, our method outperforms all other programs that we evaluated.
Evaluation of gene importance in microarray data based upon probability of selection
Authors: Fu Li M , Fu-Liu Casey S
Published: March 2005

Background

Microarray devices permit a genome-scale evaluation of gene function. This technology has catalyzed biomedical research and development in recent years. As many important diseases can be traced down to the gene level, a long-standing research problem is to identify specific gene expression patterns linking to metabolic characteristics that contribute to disease development and progression. The microarray approach offers an expedited solution to this problem. However, it has posed a challenging issue to recognize disease-related genes expression patterns embedded in the microarray data. In selecting a small set of biologically significant genes for classifier design, the nature of high data dimensionality inherent in this problem creates substantial amount of uncertainty.

Results

Here we present a model for probability analysis of selected genes in order to determine their importance. Our contribution is that we show how to derive the P value of each selected gene in multiple gene selection trials based on different combinations of data samples and how to conduct a reliability analysis accordingly. The importance of a gene is indicated by its associated P value in that a smaller value implies higher information content from information theory. On the microarray data concerning the subtype classification of small round blue cell tumors, we demonstrate that the method is capable of finding the smallest set of genes (19 genes) with optimal classification performance, compared with results reported in the literature.

Conclusion

In classifier design based on microarray data, the probability value derived from gene selection based on multiple combinations of data samples enables an effective mechanism for reducing the tendency of fitting local data particularities.
Protein encoding genes in an ancient plant: analysis of codon usage, retained genes and splice sites in a moss, Physcomitrella patens
Authors: Rensing Stefan A , Fritzowsky Dana , Lang Daniel , Reski Ralf
Published: March 2005

Background

The moss Physcomitrella patens is an emerging plant model system due to its high rate of homologous recombination, haploidy, simple body plan, physiological properties as well as phylogenetic position. Available EST data was clustered and assembled, and provided the basis for a genome-wide analysis of protein encoding genes.

Results

We have clustered and assembled Physcomitrella patens EST and CDS data in order to represent the transcriptome of this non-seed plant. Clustering of the publicly available data and subsequent prediction resulted in a total of 19,081 non-redundant ORF. Of these putative transcripts, approximately 30% have a homolog in both rice and Arabidopsis transcriptome.

More than 130 transcripts are not present in seed plants but can be found in other kingdoms. These potential "retained genes" might have been lost during seed plant evolution. Functional annotation of these genes reveals unequal distribution among taxonomic groups and intriguing putative functions such as cytotoxicity and nucleic acid repair.

Whereas introns in the moss are larger on average than in the seed plant Arabidopsis thaliana, position and amount of introns are approximately the same. Contrary to Arabidopsis, where CDS contain on average 44% G/C, in Physcomitrella the average G/C content is 50%. Interestingly, moss orthologs of Arabidopsis genes show a significant drift of codon fraction usage, towards the seed plant. While averaged codon bias is the same in Physcomitrella and Arabidopsis, the distribution pattern is different, with 15% of moss genes being unbiased.

Species-specific, sensitive and selective splice site prediction for Physcomitrella has been developed using a dataset of 368 donor and acceptor sites, utilizing a support vector machine. The prediction accuracy is better than those achieved with tools trained on Arabidopsis data.

Conclusion

Analysis of the moss transcriptome displays differences in gene structure, codon and splice site usage in comparison with the seed plant Arabidopsis. Putative retained genes exhibit possible functions that might explain the peculiar physiological properties of mosses.

Both the transcriptome representation (including a BLAST and retrieval service) and splice site prediction have been made available on http://www.cosmoss.org, setting the basis for assembly and annotation of the Physcomitrella genome, of which draft shotgun sequences will become available in 2005.
Family physicians' information seeking behaviors: A survey comparison with other specialties
Authors: Bennett Nancy L , Casebeer Linda L , Kristofco Robert , Collins Blanche C
Published: March 2005

Background

Using technology to access clinical information has become a critical skill for family physicians. The aims of this study were to assess the way family physicians use the Internet to look for clinical information and how their patterns vary from those of specialists. Further, we sought a better understanding of how family physicians used just-in-time information in clinical practice.

Methods

A fax survey was provided with 17 items. The survey instrument, adapted from two previous studies, was sent to community-based physicians. The questions measured frequency of use and importance of the Internet, palm computers, Internet CME, and email for information seeking and CME. Barriers to use were explored. Demographic data was gathered concerning gender, years since medical school graduation, practice location, practice type, and practice specialty.

Results

Family physicians found the Internet to be useful and important as an information source. They were more likely to search for patient oriented material than were specialists who more often searched literature, journals and corresponded with colleagues. Hand held computers were used by almost half of family physicians.

Conclusion

Family physicians consider the Internet important to the practice of medicine, and the majority use it regularly. Their searches differ from colleagues in other specialties with a focus on direct patient care questions. Almost half of family physicians use hand held computers, most often for drug reference.
Global, local and focused geographic clustering for case-control data with residential histories
Authors: Jacquez Geoffrey M , Kaufmann Andy , Meliker Jaymie , Goovaerts Pierre , AvRuskin Gillian , Nriagu Jerome
Published: March 2005

Background

This paper introduces a new approach for evaluating clustering in case-control data that accounts for residential histories. Although many statistics have been proposed for assessing local, focused and global clustering in health outcomes, few, if any, exist for evaluating clusters when individuals are mobile.

Methods

Local, global and focused tests for residential histories are developed based on sets of matrices of nearest neighbor relationships that reflect the changing topology of cases and controls. Exposure traces are defined that account for the latency between exposure and disease manifestation, and that use exposure windows whose duration may vary. Several of the methods so derived are applied to evaluate clustering of residential histories in a case-control study of bladder cancer in south eastern Michigan. These data are still being collected and the analysis is conducted for demonstration purposes only.

Results

Statistically significant clustering of residential histories of cases was found but is likely due to delayed reporting of cases by one of the hospitals participating in the study.

Conclusion

Data with residential histories are preferable when causative exposures and disease latencies occur on a long enough time span that human mobility matters. To analyze such data, methods are needed that take residential histories into account.
The excitement of Google Scholar, the worry of Google Print
Authors: Banks Marcus A
Published: March 2005

In late 2004 Google announced two major projects, the unveiling of Google Scholar and a major expansion of the Google Print digitization program. Both projects have generated discussion within the library and research communities, and Google Print has received significant media attention.

This commentary describes exciting educational possibilities stimulated by Google Scholar, and argues for caution regarding the Google Print project.
Molecular biodiversity of cassava begomoviruses in Tanzania: evolution of cassava geminiviruses in Africa and evidence for East Africa being a center of diversity of cassava geminiviruses
Authors: Ndunguru J , Legg JP , Aveling TAS , Thompson G , Fauquet CM
Published: March 2005

Cassava is infected by numerous geminiviruses in Africa and India that cause devastating losses to poor farmers. We here describe the molecular diversity of seven representative cassava mosaic geminiviruses (CMGs) infecting cassava from multiple locations in Tanzania. We report for the first time the presence of two isolates in East Africa: (EACMCV-[TZ1] and EACMCV-[TZ7]) of the species East African cassava mosaic Cameroon virus, originally described in West Africa. The complete nucleotide sequence of EACMCV-[TZ1] DNA-A and DNA-B components shared a high overall sequence identity to EACMCV-[CM] components (92% and 84%). The EACMCV-[TZ1] and -[TZ7] genomic components have recombinations in the same genome regions reported in EACMCV-[CM], but they also have additional recombinations in both components. Evidence from sequence analysis suggests that the two strains have the same ancient origin and are not recent introductions. EACMCV-[TZ1] occurred widely in the southern part of the country. Four other CMG isolates were identified: two were close to the EACMV-Kenya strain (named EACMV-[KE/TZT] and EACMV-[KE/TZM] with 96% sequence identity); one isolate, TZ10, had 98% homology to EACMV-UG2Svr and was named EACMV-UG2 [TZ10]; and finally one isolate was 95% identical to EACMV-[TZ] and named EACMV-[TZ/YV]. One isolate of African cassava mosaic virus with 97% sequence identity with other isolates of ACMV was named ACMV-[TZ]. It represents the first ACMV isolate from Tanzania to be sequenced. The molecular variability of CMGs was also evaluated using partial B component nucleotide sequences of 13 EACMV isolates from Tanzania. Using the sequences of all CMGs currently available, we have shown the presence of a number of putative recombination fragments that are more prominent in all components of EACMV than in ACMV. This new knowledge about the molecular CMG diversity in East Africa, and in Tanzania in particular, has led us to hypothesize about the probable importance of this part of Africa as a source of diversity and evolutionary change both during the early stages of the relationship between CMGs and cassava and in more recent times. The existence of multiple CMG isolates with high DNA genome diversity in Tanzania and the molecular forces behind this diversity pose a threat to cassava production throughout the African continent.
Classical protein kinase C(s) regulates targeting of synaptotagmin IX to the endocytic recycling compartment
Authors: Haberman Yael , Ziv Idit , Gorzalczany Yaara , Fukuda Mitsunori , Sagi-Eisenberg Ronit
Published: March 2005

Neuronal and non-neuronal tissues show distinctly different intracellular localization of synaptotagmin (Syt) homologues. Therefore, cell type-specific mechanisms are likely to direct Syt homologues to their final cellular destinations. Syt IX localizes to dense core vesicles in PC12 cells. However, in the rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) mast cell line, as well as in CHO cells, Syt IX is localized at the endocytic recycling compartment (ERC). We show that targeting of Syt IX to the ERC involves constitutive trafficking to the plasma membrane followed by internalization and transport to the ERC. We further show that internalization from the plasma membrane and delivery to the ERC are dependent on phosphorylation by Ca2+-dependent protein kinase Cα or β. As such, correct targeting of Syt IX is facilitated by the phorbol ester TPA but prevented by the cPKC inhibitor Go 6976.
Early Presynaptic and Late Postsynaptic Components Contribute Independently to Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor-Induced Synaptic Plasticity
Authors: Alder Janet , Thakker-Varia Smita , Crozier Robert A. , Shaheen Aisha , Plummer Mark R. , Black Ira B.
Published: March 2005

Trophin-induced synaptic plasticity consists of both presynaptic and postsynaptic processes. The potential interdependence of these mechanisms and their temporal relationships are undefined. The synaptic vesicle protein Rab3A is required for the early, initial 10 min phase but not for the later phase of BDNF-enhanced transmission. We now examine the temporal distinction and mechanistic relationships between these phases of BDNF action.Rab3Amutant cells did not exhibit increased miniature EPSC frequency in response to BDNF in cell culture, indicating an absence of the presynaptic component. In contrast, BDNF enhanced postsynaptic glutamate-induced current in the mutant neurons as in the wild type, indicating that the postsynaptic component of the response was intact. Finally, the postsynaptic NMDA receptor subunit NR2B was phosphorylated at Tyr1472by BDNF inRab3Aknock-outs, as shown previously in wild type. Our results are the first to demonstrate that presynaptic and postsynaptic components of BDNF-enhanced synaptic activity are independent and temporally distinct.
GABA Transporter Deficiency Causes Tremor, Ataxia, Nervousness, and Increased GABA-Induced Tonic Conductance in Cerebellum
Authors: Chiu Chi-Sung , Brickley Stephen , Jensen Kimmo , Southwell Amber , Mckinney Sheri , Cull-Candy Stuart , Mody Istvan , Lester Henry A.
Published: March 2005

GABA transporter subtype 1 (GAT1) knock-out (KO) mice display normal reproduction and life span but have reduced body weight (female, -10%; male, -20%) and higher body temperature fluctuations in the 0.2-1.5/h frequency range. Mouse GAT1 (mGAT1) KO mice exhibit motor disorders, including gait abnormality, constant 25-32 Hz tremor, which is aggravated by flunitrazepam, reduced rotarod performance, and reduced locomotor activity in the home cage. Open-field tests show delayed exploratory activity, reduced rearing, and reduced visits to the central area, with no change in the total distance traveled. The mGAT1 KO mice display no difference in acoustic startle response but exhibit a deficiency in prepulse inhibition. These open-field and prepulse inhibition results suggest that the mGAT1 KO mice display mild anxiety or nervousness. The compromised GABA uptake in mGAT1 KO mice results in an increased GABAAreceptor-mediated tonic conductance in both cerebellar granule and Purkinje cells. The reduced rate of GABA clearance from the synaptic cleft is probably responsible for the slower decay of spontaneous IPSCs in cerebellar granule cells. There is little or no compensatory change in other proteins or structures related to GABA transmission in the mGAT1 KO mice, including GAT1-independent GABA uptake, number of GABAergic interneurons, and GABAA-, vesicular GABA transporter-, GAD65-, and GAT3-immunoreactive structures in cerebellum or hippocampus. Therefore, the excessive extracellular GABA present in mGAT1 KO mice results in behaviors that partially phenocopy the clinical side effects of tiagabine, suggesting that these side effects are inherent to a therapeutic strategy that targets the widely expressed GAT1 transporter system.
The Relationship between Task Performance and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Response
Authors: Buracas Giedrius T. , Fine Ione , Boynton Geoffrey M.
Published: March 2005

We compared psychophysical and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses within areas V1-V3 and MT+ during both a speed and a contrast discrimination task. We found that fMRI responses did not depend significantly on task in any of these areas. Moreover, responses in V1-V3 were larger than those in MT+ for both the speed and the contrast discrimination tasks across a wide range of contrasts. This pattern of results demonstrates that localizing function based on finding those regions of cortex that show greater activity to a given task-stimulus combination than to other tasks and stimuli may, under certain conditions, be misleading. However, a simple ideal observer model assuming that perceptual thresholds are dependent on neuronal population responses does successfully show that V1 has neuronal properties consistent with our subjects' contrast discrimination performance, and that MT+ has neuronal properties consistent with subjects' performance on a speed discrimination task.
Requirement of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit β2 in the Maintenance of Spiral Ganglion Neurons during Aging
Authors: Bao Jianxin , Lei Debin , Du Yafei , Ohlemiller Kevin K. , Beaudet Arthur L. , Role Lorna W.
Published: March 2005

Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) is a major health concern for the elderly. Loss of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), the primary sensory relay of the auditory system, is associated consistently with presbycusis. The causative molecular events responsible for age-related loss of SGNs are unknown. Recent reports directly link age-related neuronal loss in cerebral cortex with the loss of high-affinity nicotine acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In cochlea, cholinergic synapses are made by olivocochlear efferent fibers on the outer hair cells that express α9 nAChR subunits and on the peripheral projections of SGNs that express α2, α4-7, and β2-3 nAChR subunits. A significantly decreased expression of the β2 nAChR subunit in SGNs was found specifically in mice susceptible to presbycusis. Furthermore, mice lacking the β2 nAChR subunit (β2-/-), but not mice lacking the α5 nAChR subunit (α5-/-), have dramatic hearing loss and significant reduction in the number of SGNs. Our findings clearly established a requirement for β2 nAChR subunit in the maintenance of SGNs during aging.
Water and exchange: the ritual of yaku cambio as communal and competitive encounter
Authors: Sikkink Lynn
Published: March 2005

In the southern Bolivian community of San Pedro de Condo a water‐exchange ritual serves to dramatize and reorder community rights and responsibilities while rain is sought. Focusing on water is symbolically important both for participants in the ritual and for this analysis because of water's associations with the commons, fertility, and sex. These elements also link water exchange to the encounter oftinku fa “ritual battle”), analyzed here as an analogous ritual of redistribution.
Sexual Nature, Sexual Culture; Sexual Behaviour and AIDS in the Developing World; Sex, Scams, and Street Life: The Sociology of New York City's Times Square
Authors: Murray David A. B.
Published: March 2005

Sexual Nature, Sexual Culture. PAUL ABRAMSON and STEVEN D. PINKERTON, eds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. xviii + 416 pp., figures, tables, notes, bibliography, appendix, references, index.

Sexual Behaviour and AIDS in the Developing World. JOHN CLELAND and BENOIT FERRY, eds. London: Taylor & Francis, on behalf of World Health Organization, 1995. xx + 243 pp., figures, tables, list of contributors, references, index.

Sex, Scams, and Street Life: The Sociology of New York City's Times Square. ROBERT P. MCNAMARA, ed. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers of Greenwood Publishing Group, 1995. xiv + 126 pp., figures, notes, references, contributors, index.
Anthropology of the Self: The Individual in Cultural Perspective
Authors: White Geoffrey M.
Published: March 2005

Anthropology of the Self: The Individual in Cultural Perspective. BRIAN MORRIS. London: Pluto Press, 1994. xil + 222 pp., tables, bibliography, index.
Visionaries: The Spanish Republic and the Reign of Christ
Authors: Aretxaga Begoña
Published: March 2005

Visionaries: The Spanish Republic and the Reign of Christ. WILLIAM A. CHRISTIAN JR. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. xxii + 544 pp., drawings, maps, photographs, appendix, notes, bibliography, indexes.
Alimentations, traditions et développements en Afrlque intertroplcale
Authors: Feldman‐Savelsberg Pamela
Published: March 2005

Alimentations, traditions et développements en Afrlque intertroplcale. RENE DEVISCH, FILIP DE BOECK, and DANIELLE JONCKERS, eds. Paris: Editions L'Harmattan, 1995. 303 pp., contributors, notes, bibliography.
Status and Sacredness: A General Theory of Status Relations and an Analysis of Indian Culture
Authors: Wadley Susan S.
Published: March 2005

Status and Sacredness: A General Theory of Status Relations and an Analysis of Indian Culture. MURRAY MILNER JR. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994. xii + 336 pp., glossary, notes, bibliography. Index.
How “Natives” Think: About Captain Cook, For Example
Authors: Friedman Jonathan
Published: March 2005

How “Natives” Think: About Captain Cook, For Example. MARSHALL SAHLINS. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. x + 318 pp., figures, bibliography, index.
Seafaring in the Contemporary Pacific Islands: Studies in Continuity and Change
Authors: Lipset David
Published: March 2005

Seafaring in the Contemporary Pacific Islands: Studies in Continuity and Change. RICHARD FEINBERG, ed. Dekalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 1995. x + 237 pp., figures, maps, plates, notes, references, index.
The Lost Drum: The Myth of Sexuality in Papua New Guinea and Beyond
Authors: Dalton Doug
Published: March 2005

The Lost Drum: The Myth of Sexuality in Papua New Guinea and Beyond. JAMES F. WEINER. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1995. xxii + 199 pp., figures, illustrations, notes, references, index.
Beyond a Mountain Valley: The Simbu of Papua New Guinea
Authors: Strathern Andrew
Published: March 2005

Beyond a Mountain Valley: The Simbu of Papua New Guinea. PAULA BROWN. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1995. xx + 296 pp., plates, notes, glossary, bibliography, index.
Migration and Transformations: Regional Perspectives on New Guinea
Authors: Biersack Aletta
Published: March 2005

Migration and Transformations: Regional Perspectives on New Guinea. ANDREW J. STRATHERN and GABRIELE STÜRZENHOFECKER, eds. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1994. xi + 327 pp., figures, maps, tables, notes, references, index.
Jokes, gender, and discursive distance on the Tamil popular stage
Authors: Seizer Susan
Published: March 2005

In this article, I analyze a sequence of dirty jokes embedded in a monologue performed on the south Indian Tamil popular stage. In this performance I do not find vulgarity but rather a reflection of its practiced, anxious use‐in‐avoidance. I analyze the two separate linguistic footings the performer uses for making moral and immoral comments and the social values that are affirmed by this split. I highlight the narrative connections established in this context between fear of the foreign and fear of the female, consider what such connections index about the remnants of Victorian sexuality in postcolonial Tamilnadu, and discuss the locally reinscriptive effects of such a gendered performance.
“We are all Kmhmu, just the same”: ethnonyms, ethnic identities, and ethnic groups
Authors: Proschan Frank
Published: March 2005

Ethnonyms (the names of ethnic groups), in their socially situated linguistic use, can offer insights into indigenous conceptions of the sociocultural universe. Here I examine the complex ethnonymic system of the Kmhmu of northern Laos and neighboring regions. Kmhmu is both an ethnonym and a common noun meaning “person” or “human”; I consider how the term is understood during the ongoing communicative work of the community. Kmhmu ethnonymic usage also reveals two indigenous models of ethnicity, models that coexist unproblematically despite their mutually contradictory appearance. One model corresponds to scholarly conceptions of ethnicity as situational, the other to conceptions of ethnicity as primordial.
Place making and place breaking: Migration and the development cycle of community in colonial Mexico
Authors: Amith Jonathan D.
Published: March 2005

Although scholars increasingly recognize that community survival depends on ongoing processes of renovation and innovation, and not simply on the persistence of past identities into the present, the historical processes of community formation and fragmentation in colonial situations is seldom documented. In this article, I examine both the tactical engagement of indigenous peasant migrants with the colonial Mexican state over spatial rights and the migrants' emergent sense of place in a newly settled locale. I suggest that place making involves place breaking, and I seek to add a diachronic dimension to understanding of indigenous societies and identity politics.
Misunderstood Gestures: Iconatrophy and the Reception of Greek Sculpture in the Roman Imperial Period
Authors: Keesling Catherine M.
Published: March 2005

Abstract Anthropologists have defined iconatrophy as a process by which oral traditions originate as explanations for objects that, through the passage of time, have ceased to make sense to their viewers. One form of iconatrophy involves the misinterpretation of statues' identities, iconography, or locations. Stories that ultimately derive from such misunderstandings of statues are Monument-Novellen, a term coined by Herodotean studies. Applying the concept of iconatrophy to Greek sculpture of the Archaic and Classical periods yields three possible examples in which statues standing in Greek sanctuaries may have inspired stories cited by authors of the Roman imperial period as explanations for the statues' identities, attributes, poses, or locations. The statues in question are the portrait of the athletic victor Milo of Croton at Olympia, a bronze lioness on the Athenian Acropolis identified as a memorial to the Athenian prostitute Leaina (“lioness”), and the Athena Hygieia near the Propylaia of Mnesikles.

Inscriptions on the bases of Archaic and Classical statues in Greek sanctuaries typically named the dedicator, the recipient deity, and the sculptor, but did not include the subject represented or the historical occasion behind the dedication. These “gaps” left by votive inscriptions would only have encouraged the formation of iconatrophic oral traditions such as the examples examined in this article.
Distance and Disembodiment: Harps, Horns, and the Requiem Idea in Schumann and Brahms
Authors: Beller-McKenna Daniel
Published: March 2005

In his final book, Crossing Paths, John Daverio identified a common "Requiem Idea" in the music of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Both composers, Daverio argued, focused more on the survivors of the deceased than on the souls of the dead, and on consolation rather then grieving. Whereas works by Schumann and Brahms that represent Daverio's Requiem Idea take many forms and fall into various genres, a considerable number of these pieces are united by their use (literally or figuratively) of two distinctly romantic instruments-primarily the harp and secondarily the horn, instruments which Daverio labelled "emblems of distance and disembodiment." Borrowing on both the Osssianic/ bardic tradition of the late 18th century and on the spiritually tinged associations of the harp among German Romantics, Schumann, and later Brahms, used this instrument to convey separation and mediation between the dead and the living, the underlying paradigm that informs the consolatory nature of the Requiem Idea. Frequently allied with the harp in such situations is the horn, which carries its own associations with distance and thereby separation.
Primary cell cultures as models of prostate cancer development
Authors: Peehl D M
Published: March 2005

This review focuses on primary cultures of human prostatic epithelial cells and their applications as models of normal and malignant biological behavior. Current abilities to culture cells from normal tissues, from premalignant dysplastic lesions (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia), from primary adenocarcinomas, and from metastases are described. Evidence for representation of the interrelated cells of the normal prostatic epithelium — stem cells, basal epithelial cells, secretory epithelial cells, transit amplifying cells and neuroendocrine cells — in primary cultures is presented. Comparisons between normal and cancer-derived primary cultures are made regarding biological activities relevant to carcinogenesis, such as proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, senescence, adhesion, migration, invasion, steroid hormone metabolism, other metabolic pathways and angiogenesis. Analyses of tumor suppressor activity, differential gene expression and cytogenetics in primary cultures have revealed changes relevant to prostate cancer progression. Preclinical studies with primary cultures have provided information useful for designing new strategies for chemoprevention, chemotherapy, cytotoxin therapy, radiation therapy, gene therapy and imaging. While the behavior of normal primary cultures is often used as a basis for comparison with established, immortal prostate cancer cell lines, the most informative studies are performed with donor-matched pairs of normal and malignant primary cultures, grown under identical conditions. Challenges that remain to be addressed if the full potential of primary cultures as a model system is to be realized include isolation, culture and characterization of stem cells, improved methodology to induce or maintain a fully differentiated, androgen-responsive phenotype, and identification of cell surface antigens or other markers with which to purify pure populations of live cancer or premalignant cells apart from non-malignant epithelial cells prior to culture.
Aldosterone-producing adrenocortical carcinoma: an unusual cause of Conn’s syndrome with an ominous clinical course
Authors: Seccia Teresa M , Fassina Ambrogio , Nussdorfer Gastone G , Pessina Achille C , Rossi Gian Paolo
Published: March 2005

Aldosterone-producing adrenocortical carcinoma (APAC) is a rare cause of hypertension often diagnosed late because of paucity of information. Thus, we delineated its clinical course and survival rates based on two cases referred to us that featured diverging clinical courses, and on a scrutiny of the literature since 1955 when the first case of APAC was identified. Data on demography, imaging results, hormonal assessment, histology, and clinical course were extracted independently by the investigators. We included in our database 58 cases, most presenting with Conn’s syndrome. Plasma aldosterone levels were on average increased 14-fold; plasma renin activity was suppressed in 55% of cases. The tumor showed extremely variable size and weight, and no gender or side preference. Metastases were present in 10% of all cases at initial diagnosis and in an additional 48% of cases at follow-up. Median survival was 546 days (95% confidence interval (CI): 240–851); median time to either recurrence or death was 212 days (95% CI: 29–395). No clinical or histological signs predicted survival with Cox regression analysis. We concluded that, although an ominous course with a poor survival rate is common, no sign accurately predicts the course of APAC. Thus, molecular studies to identify diagnostic markers of survival are mandatory.