bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sonic Supremacy
Authors: Oosterbaan Martijn
Published: March 2009

This article discusses the soundscape of a favela in Rio de Janeiro. It argues that sounds, and music in particular, play an important part in the creation and maintenance of boundaries between groups in the dense urban space of the favela. The politics of presence excercised by different groups constitutes the sonic charisma of the favela. Especially in relation to Pentecostal faith, it becomes obvious how the charisma of the city and in the city are related. A focus on the soundscape of the favela highlights the fact that electronic media are woven into the fabric of its social life and are part and parcel of the production of locality. Yet the mass-mediated sounds, employed to mark space and identity also demonstrate that identity is not produced either locally or supra-locally, but rather trans-locally and that electro-acoustic technology is essential to the deterritorialization and reterritorialization of religion.
Introduction — Urban Charisma
Authors: Blom Hansen Thomas , Verkaaik Oskar
Published: March 2009

Cities are charismatic entities. Both in and of themselves by virtue of their history and their mythologies, but also as sites where charismatic figures emerge on the basis of their capacity to interpret, manage and master the opacity of the city. The specificity of the urban can neither be understood through the city's functions nor the dynamics of its social networks. The urban is also a way of being in the world and must be understood as a dense and complex cultural repertoire of imagination, fear and desire. We propose to understand the urban and its charismatic potential through three registers: the sensory regimes of the city; the specific forms of urban knowledge and intelligibility; and the specific forms of power, connectivity and possibility which we call urban infra-power.
The Play of Race in a Field of Urban Desire
Authors: Worby Eric
Published: March 2009

The brutal history of racially based segregation in Johannesburg, as in other post-apartheid cities, would appear to condemn its inhabitants to live in perpetual fear of violence based on perceptions of racial and national difference. Yet urban pick-up soccer recreates spaces in which that history can be suspended, if not forgotten. In creating evanescent form out of spontaneous play, such games may be understood as artful conversations among bodies-in-motion. Players have the freedom to engage in charismatic self-fashioning, inventing a fantasy persona on the field that is larger than the life they live at other times and places in the city. In this way, participants project themselves into a social future beyond race that they might not otherwise be able to imagine.
“For enhanced civic participation in local governance”: calling tyranny to account in Harare
Authors: Kamete Amin Y
Published: March 2009

The Combined Harare Residents' Association (CHRA) is a social movement organization that operates in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. It seeks to represent the needs and priorities of all residents. At the national level, it tussles with a state that is repressive and intolerant of anything construed as protest. Locally, it questions the legitimacy of the municipal authority that was appointed by the national government after the elected city government was dissolved and the elected mayor dismissed. This paper explores CHRA's relentless bid to uphold the interests of Harare's residents and ensure “enhanced civic participation in local government”, and includes three cases that illustrate how they seek to do so: contesting the legitimacy of the imposed authority; representing citizen views on budgetary processes (including demands for a rates boycott); and contesting the transfer of responsibility for water and sanitation to a new parastatal. It also discusses the Association's ways of working and repertoire of tactics, and brings out some salient issues that include questions of regime change, alliances, engagement and radicalization, and possible ways in which CHRA might become more effective.
The limit of community initiatives in addressing resettlement in Kurasini ward, Tanzania
Authors: Ndezi Tim
Published: March 2009

This paper describes the process adopted for the redevelopment of Kurasini ward in Dar-es-Salaam to allow for the expansion of the port. The redevelopment includes the resettlement of more than 36,000 people who have been living in various informal settlements within the ward. However, the resettlement and compensation offer nothing to most residents who are tenants. It has also failed to identify alternative sites for the displaced people. The paper describes how the Tanzania Urban Poor Federation (TUPF) and the Centre for Community Initiatives (a local NGO) are collaborating with the municipal authorities and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements to develop alternative solutions for land and shelter for the displaced people. This includes the federation purchasing land and developing it, and also suggesting plot layouts that can cut unit costs. Drawing on this example, the author argues that in resettlement projects, national and local government agencies need to be flexible in addressing the needs of all the urban poor, including not only the owners of the structures in informal settlements but also the tenants.
Bloggers' street movement and the right to the city. (Re)claiming Cairo's real and virtual “spaces of freedom”
Authors: Salah Fahmi Wael
Published: March 2009

Faced with formidable challenges to expression in Cairo's public spaces, urban blogger activists have developed new ways of articulating dissent, namely spatial tactics ranging from boycott campaigns, cyber-activism and protest art, to innovations in mobilization, means of communication and organizational flexibility. This is particularly evident in the way these activists have (re)claimed Cairo's contested public spaces in downtown Unions Street and Midan al Tahrir (Liberation Square) and transformed them into zones for public protest, employing urban installations and street graffiti and constructing significant sites of urban resistance and spatial contestation. The emergence of this grassroots street activism opens up a new public sphere through which the role of urban governance might be contested to accommodate cultural identities within various forms of spatiality and popular democracy.
From confrontation to collaboration: a decade in the work of the squatters' movement in Nepal
Authors: Tanaka Masako
Published: March 2009

Squatters' organizations are a notable driving force of civil society movements in Nepal. Their alliance, working on urban squatter issues, has been trying to change their strategy from one of confrontation with government authorities to one of collaboration with multiple stakeholders, including non-squatter neighbours. This paper reviews a decade of squatters' movement in Nepal. It highlights the changes in relationship between squatters and non-squatters and recent moves for public—private—community partnership. The paper argues the importance of getting more attention from non-squatter citizens for policy changes to ensure housing rights.
A participatory governance model for the sustainable development of Cumalıkızık, a heritage site in Turkey
Authors: Tas Murat , Tas Nilufer , Cahantimur Arzu
Published: March 2009

This paper presents a participatory governance model adopted in Bursa, Turkey, and discusses the challenges and successes experienced to date in applying this model. The principle objectives of The Living Ottoman Village in the Third Millennium — Cumalıkızık Collaboration Project are to promote, at national and international level, high standards of quality in the fields of heritage conservation, architecture, urban and rural planning and to advocate for the sustainable development of the urban and rural, built and natural environments, with a participatory approach. The model puts heritage and its benefits in the mainstream of public consciousness and attempts to make heritage a priority for public policies. Our aim is to present the Cumalıkızık Collaboration Project, whose objective is to achieve not only the conservation and revitalization of the historical settlement but also the sustainable development of the village. Thus, it can be an important example for similar settlements.
Blaming cities for climate change? An analysis of urban greenhouse gas emissions inventories
Authors: Dodman David
Published: March 2009

Cities are often blamed for high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. However, an analysis of emissions inventories shows that — in most cases — per capita emissions from cities are lower than the average for the countries in which they are located. The paper assesses these patterns of emissions by city and by sector, discusses the implications of different methodological approaches to producing inventories, identifies the main drivers for high levels of greenhouse gas production, and examines the role and potential for cities to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
International funding to support urban adaptation to climate change
Authors: Ayers Jessica
Published: March 2009

Recent estimates of the costs of adaptation to climate change in low-and middle-income countries are in the range of tens of billions of dollars per annum. The costs of adaptation in cities will account for a significant proportion of this average largely because of the expense required to adapt (or, in the case of many low- and middle-income countries, build new and resilient) infrastructure and services for densely populated areas. This paper discusses existing international funding to support adaptation needs (primarily through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and official development assistance (ODA)), the serious shortfall in these funds, and opportunities for meeting the gap in funding. It pays particular attention to channelling funding to the most vulnerable urban stakeholders, taking into account the political and institutional constraints to the adaptive capacity of these groups.
Genre, Activity, and Collaborative Work and Play in World of Warcraft
Authors: Sherlock Lee
Published: March 2009

This article examines the characteristics of collaborative work and overlapping activity systems in the popular online game World of Warcraft. Using genre theory and activity theory as frames to work out the genre ecology of gameplay, the article focuses on how players coordinate ad hoc grouping activity across and through genres. It articulates the related development of open systems in online gaming in a discussion of interface modifications (AddOns) and online information databases that players generate, drawing on De Certeau's formulation of strategies and tactics and Warner's discussion of publics and counterpublics. The article concludes by discussing implications of online gaming for an open-systems approach to information design in professional communication and for professional communication in general.
Networked Exchanges, Identity, Writing
Authors: Rice Jeff
Published: March 2009

This article argues for a rhetoric of networked exchanges that focuses on the response. Working from Spinuzzi's call for a rhetoric of horizontal learning, it examines two kinds of online writing spaces in order to propose such a rhetoric. After surveying conflicting, academic attitudes regarding networked exchanges, the article proposes the response as a type of professional communication. A specific message board thread and a series of blog carnivals serve as examples of the rhetoric of response, a way that horizontal learning produces a specific type of networked writing identity. The article concludes with a call for response-based communication practices.
If You Can’t Join ’Em, Beat ’Em: The Gender Gap in Individual Donations to Congressional Candidates
Authors: Crespin Michael H. , Deitz Janna L.
Published: March 2009

The authors revisit the gender gap in campaign finance and find an advantage for women candidates in earning donations from individual donors due to the activities of female donor networks and the changing congressional donor pool. Women supported by these networks, especially Democratic women, receive a boost in campaign fund-raising compared to their male counterparts, whereas women not supported by these networks receive significantly less. The ideological leanings of congressional donors also advantage Democratic women. Substantial partisan gender differences in this area of campaign finance persist, and this fund-raising gap may contribute to the growing partisan gender gap in Congress.
Media and peacebuilding: the new army stability doctrine and media sector development
Authors: Himelfarb Sheldon
Published: March 2009

In October 2008, the US Army released Field Manual 3-07 laying out its dramatically revised doctrine for peace and stability operations. At the heart of the new doctrine is a comprehensive approach to stability operations in fragile states that integrates the work of the military with that of international partners, humanitarian organizations and the private sector. Within this framework, the manual recognizes the important role media plays in successful stability operations. However, it stops short of recommending concrete steps for integrating media sector development with the full spectrum of reconstruction and stabilization activities. This article reviews what the new doctrine says about media sector development, what the gaps are in its treatment of media development, and provides six guidelines for closing these gaps.
Cortisol and epinephrine control opposing circadian rhythms in T cell subsets
Authors: Dimitrov Stoyan , Benedict Christian , Heutling Dennis , Westermann Jürgen , Born Jan , Lange Tanja
Published: March 2009

Pronounced circadian rhythms in numbers of circulating T cells reflect a systemic control of adaptive immunity whose mechanisms are obscure. Here, we show that circadian variations in T cell subpopulations in human blood are differentially regulated via release of cortisol and catecholamines. Within the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets, naive cells show pronounced circadian rhythms with a daytime nadir, whereas (terminally differentiated) effector CD8+ T cell counts peak during daytime. Naive T cells were negatively correlated with cortisol rhythms, decreased after low-dose cortisol infusion, and showed highest expression of CXCR4, which was up-regulated by cortisol. Effector CD8+ T cells were positively correlated with epinephrine rhythms, increased after low-dose epinephrine infusion, and showed highest expression of β-adrenergic and fractalkine receptors (CX3CR1). Daytime increases in cortisol via CXCR4 probably act to redistribute naive T cells to bone marrow, whereas daytime increases in catecholamines via β-adrenoceptors and, possibly, a suppression of fractalkine signaling promote mobilization of effector CD8+ T cells from the marginal pool. Thus, activation of the major stress hormones during daytime favor immediate effector defense but diminish capabilities for initiating adaptive immune responses.
The presence of JAK2V617F mutation in the liver endothelial cells of patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome
Authors: Sozer Selcuk , Fiel Maria Isabel , Schiano Thomas , Xu Mingjiang , Mascarenhas John , Hoffman Ronald
Published: March 2009

Patients with myeloproliferative disorders are at a high risk of developing thrombotic events. Several investigators have hypothesized that endothelial cell (EC) abnormalities might contribute to this prothrombotic state. Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) and portal vein thrombosis have been reported to be associated with JAK2V617F-positive hematopoiesis. We explored whether JAK2V617F was present in ECs in the vessels of polycythemia vera (PV) patients with BCS using laser capture microdissection followed by nested polymerase chain reaction or reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction. The ECs of the 2 BCS patients with PV were homozygous for the JAK2V617F and were shown to express transcripts characteristic of ECs but not hematopoietic cells. ECs of the other BCS patient with PV and 2 patients with hepatoportal sclerosis without PV contained exclusively wild-type JAK2. The presence of JAK2V617F in both ECs and hematopoietic cells belonging to BCS patients with PV indicate that ECs in PV are involved by the malignant process and that in a subpopulation of the patients the disease might originate from a common cell of origin for hematopoietic and ECs.
Selective expression of latency-associated peptide (LAP) and IL-1 receptor type I/II (CD121a/CD121b) on activated human FOXP3+ regulatory T cells allows for their purification from expansion cultures
Authors: Tran Dat Q. , Andersson John , Hardwick Donna , Bebris Lolita , Illei Gabor G. , Shevach Ethan M.
Published: March 2009

Although adoptive transfer of regulatory T cells (Foxp3+ Tregs) has proven to be efficacious in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases and graft-versus-host disease in rodents, a major obstacle for the use of Treg immunotherapy in humans is the difficulty of obtaining a highly purified preparation after ex vivo expansion. We have identified latency-associated peptide (LAP) and IL-1 receptor type I and II (CD121a/CD121b) as unique cell-surface markers that distinguish activated Tregs from activated FOXP3− and FOXP3+ non-Tregs. We show that it is feasible to sort expanded FOXP3+ Tregs from non-Tregs with the use of techniques for magnetic bead cell separation based on expression of these 3 markers. After separation, the final product contains greater than 90% fully functional FOXP3+ Tregs. This novel protocol should facilitate the purification of Tregs for both cell-based therapies as well as detailed studies of human Treg function in health and disease.
Genetic identity and differential gene expression between Trichomonas vaginalis and Trichomonas tenax
Authors: Kucknoor Ashwini S , Mundodi Vasanthakrishna , Alderete JF
Published: March 2009

Background

Trichomonas vaginalis is a human urogenital pathogen responsible for trichomonosis, the number-one, non-viral sexually transmitted disease (STD) worldwide, while T. tenax is a commensal of the human oral cavity, found particularly in patients with poor oral hygiene and advanced periodontal disease. The extent of genetic identity between T. vaginalis and its oral commensal counterpart is unknown.

Results

Genes that were differentially expressed in T. vaginalis were identified by screening three independent subtraction cDNA libraries enriched for T. vaginalis genes. The same thirty randomly selected cDNA clones encoding for proteins with specific functions associated with colonization were identified from each of the subtraction cDNA libraries. In addition, a T. vaginalis cDNA expression library was screened with patient sera that was first pre-adsorbed with an extract of T. tenax antigens, and seven specific cDNA clones were identified from this cDNA library. Interestingly, some of the clones identified by the subtraction cDNA screening were also obtained from the cDNA expression library with the pre-adsorbed sera. Moreover and noteworthy, clones identified by both the procedures were found to be up-regulated in expression in T. vaginalis upon contact with vaginal epithelial cells, suggesting a role for these gene products in host colonization. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of select clones showed that the genes were not unique to T. vaginalis and that these genes were also present in T. tenax, albeit at very low levels of expression.

Conclusion

These results suggest that T. vaginalis and T. tenax have remarkable genetic identity and that T. vaginalis has higher levels of gene expression when compared to that of T. tenax. The data may suggest that T. tenax could be a variant of T. vaginalis.
The isolation and mapping of a novel hydroxycinnamoyltransferase in the globe artichoke chlorogenic acid pathway
Authors: Comino Cinzia , Hehn Alain , Moglia Andrea , Menin Barbara , Bourgaud Frédéric , Lanteri Sergio , Portis Ezio
Published: March 2009

Background

The leaves of globe artichoke and cultivated cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) have significant pharmaceutical properties, which mainly result from their high content of polyphenolic compounds such as monocaffeoylquinic and dicaffeoylquinic acid (DCQ), and a range of flavonoid compounds.

Results

Hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:quinate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HQT) encoding genes have been isolated from both globe artichoke and cultivated cardoon (GenBank accessions DQ915589 and DQ915590, respectively) using CODEHOP and PCR-RACE. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that their sequences belong to one of the major acyltransferase groups (anthranilate N-hydroxycinnamoyl/benzoyltransferase). The heterologous expression of globe artichoke HQT in E. coli showed that this enzyme can catalyze the esterification of quinic acid with caffeoyl-CoA or p-coumaroyl-CoA to generate, respectively, chlorogenic acid (CGA) and p-coumaroyl quinate. Real time PCR experiments demonstrated an increase in the expression level of HQT in UV-C treated leaves, and established a correlation between the synthesis of phenolic acids and protection against damage due to abiotic stress. The HQT gene, together with a gene encoding hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:shikimate/quinate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT) previously isolated from globe artichoke, have been incorporated within the developing globe artichoke linkage maps.

Conclusion

A novel acyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of CGA in globe artichoke has been isolated, characterized and mapped. This is a good basis for our effort to understand the genetic basis of phenylpropanoid (PP) biosynthesis in C. cardunculus.
A compatible interaction of Alternaria brassicicola with Arabidopsis thalianaecotype DiG: evidence for a specific transcriptional signature
Authors: Mukherjee Arup K , Lev Sophie , Gepstein Shimon , Horwitz Benjamin A
Published: March 2009

Background

The interaction of Arabidopsis with Alternaria brassicicola provides a model for disease caused by necrotrophs, but a drawback has been the lack of a compatible pathosystem. Infection of most ecotypes, including the widely-studied line Col-0, with this pathogen generally leads to a lesion that does not expand beyond the inoculated area. This study examines an ecotype, Dijon G (DiG), which is considered sensitive to A. brassicicola.

Results

We show that the interaction has the characteristics of a compatible one, with expanding rather than limited lesions. To ask whether DiG is merely more sensitive to the pathogen or, rather, interacts in distinct manner, we identified genes whose regulation differs between Col-0 and DiG challenged with A. brassicicola. Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to identify differentially expressed genes, and their expression was verified using semi-quantitative PCR. We also tested a set of known defense-related genes for differential regulation in the two plant-pathogen interactions. Several known pathogenesis-related (PR) genes are up-regulated in both interactions. PR1, and a monooxygenase gene identified in this study, MO1, are preferentially up-regulated in the compatible interaction. In contrast, GLIP1, which encodes a secreted lipase, and DIOX1, a pathogen-response related dioxygenase, are preferentially up-regulated in the incompatible interaction.

Conclusion

The results show that DiG is not only more susceptible, but demonstrate that its interaction with A. brassicicola has a specific transcriptional signature.
Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity
Authors: Frank Mark Barton , Yang Qing , Osban Jeanette , Azzarello Joseph T , Saban Marcia R , Saban Ricardo , Ashley Richard A , Welter Jan C , Fung Kar-Ming , Lin Hsueh-Kung
Published: March 2009

Background

Originating from Africa, India, and the Middle East, frankincense oil has been important both socially and economically as an ingredient in incense and perfumes for thousands of years. Frankincense oil is prepared from aromatic hardened gum resins obtained by tappingBoswelliatrees. One of the main components of frankincense oil is boswellic acid, a component known to have anti-neoplastic properties. The goal of this study was to evaluate frankincense oil for its anti-tumor activity and signaling pathways in bladder cancer cells.

Methods

Frankincense oil-induced cell viability was investigated in human bladder cancer J82 cells and immortalized normal bladder urothelial UROtsa cells. Temporal regulation of frankincense oil-activated gene expression in bladder cancer cells was identified by microarray and bioinformatics analysis.

Results

Within a range of concentration, frankincense oil suppressed cell viability in bladder transitional carcinoma J82 cells but not in UROtsa cells. Comprehensive gene expression analysis confirmed that frankincense oil activates genes that are responsible for cell cycle arrest, cell growth suppression, and apoptosis in J82 cells. However, frankincense oil-induced cell death in J82 cells did not result in DNA fragmentation, a hallmark of apoptosis.

Conclusion

Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells and suppress cancer cell viability. Microarray and bioinformatics analysis proposed multiple pathways that can be activated by frankincense oil to induce bladder cancer cell death. Frankincense oil might represent an alternative intravesical agent for bladder cancer treatment.
A giant hemolymphangioma of the pancreas in a 20-year-old girl: a report of one case and review of the literature
Authors: Sun Li-Feng , Ye Hui-Lin , Zhou Qi-Yan , Ding Ke-Feng , Qiu Pei-Lin , Deng Yong-Chuan , Zhang Shu-Zhan , Zheng Shu
Published: March 2009

Background

Hemolymphangioma of the pancreas is a very rare benign tumor. There were only six reports of this disease until December 2008. Herein, we report a case of giant hemolymphangioma of the pancreas in a 20-year-old girl.

Case presentation

We describe a 20-year-old girl who presented with a mass in abdominal cavity and epigastric discomfort about a week. Physical examination showed a great abdominal mass. Abdominal computed tomography showed extrinsic duodenal compression due to a large retroperitoneal tumor possibly arising from pancreas. The tumor enucleation was performed and a diagnosis of hemolymphangioma of the pancreas was made. The patient had a complication of chylous leakage, which was successfully managed. The patient is alive and well, after 26 months of follow-up, with no complaints or recurrence.

Conclusion

From this case and literature, we can conclude that hemolymphangioma of the pancreas in adult is a rare benign tumor, and accurate diagnosis can not be preoperatively established. Tumor resection should be performed whenever possible. The risk of recurrence seems very low.
Erratum to: Pitfalls of the most commonly used models of context dependent substitution
Authors: Lindsay Helen , Yap Von Bing , Ying Hua , Huttley Gavin A
Published: March 2009

Correction to Lindsay H, Yap VB, Ying H, Huttley GA: Pitfalls of the most commonly used models of context dependent substitution. Biology Direct 2008, 3:52
Oral phosphatidylcholine pretreatment alleviates the signs of experimental rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Erős Gabor , Ibrahim Saleh , Siebert Nikolai , Boros Mihály , Vollmar Brigitte
Published: March 2009

Introduction

Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine-derived metabolites exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in various stress conditions. We hypothesized that dietary phosphatidylcholine may potentially function as an anti-inflammatory substance and may decrease inflammatory activation in a chronic murine model of rheumatoid arthritis (collagen-induced arthritis).

Methods

The experiments were performed on male DBA1/J mice. In groups 1 to 3 (n = 10 each), collagen-induced arthritis was induced by administration of bovine collagen II. In group 2 the animals were fedad libitumwith phosphatidylcholine-enriched diet as a pretreatment, while the animals of group 3 received this nourishment as a therapy, after the onset of the disease. The severity of the disease and inflammation-linked hyperalgesia were evaluated with semiquantitative scoring systems, while the venular leukocyte–endothelial cell interactions and functional capillary density were assessed by means ofin vivofluorescence microscopy of the synovial tissue. Additionally, the mRNA expressions of cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2, TNFα and endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase were determined, and classical histological analysis was performed.

Results

Phosphatidylcholine pretreatment reduced the collagen-induced arthritis-induced hypersensitivity, and decreased the number of leukocyte–endothelial cell interactions and the extent of functional capillary density as compared with those of group 1. It also ameliorated the tissue damage and decreased inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. The expressions of the cannabinoid receptors and TNFα were not influenced by the phosphatidylcholine intake. Phosphatidylcholine-enriched food administrated as therapy failed to evoke the aforementioned changes, apart from the reduction of the inducible nitric oxide synthase expression.

Conclusions

Phosphatidylcholine-enriched food as pretreatment, but not as therapy, appears to exert beneficial effects on the morphological, functional and microcirculatory characteristics of chronic arthritis. We propose that oral phosphatidylcholine may be a preventive approach in ameliorating experimental rheumatoid arthritis-induced joint damage.
Human articular chondrocytes express 15-lipoxygenase-1 and -2: potential role in osteoarthritis
Authors: Chabane Nadir , Zayed Nadia , Benderdour Mohamed , Martel-Pelletier Johanne , Pelletier Jean-Pierre , Duval Nicolas , Fahmi Hassan
Published: March 2009

Introduction

15-Lipoxygenases and their metabolites have been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, but little is known regarding their expression and function in chondrocytes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the expression of 15-lipoxygenase-1 and -2 in human articular chondrocytes, and to investigate the effects of their metabolites 13(S)-hydroxy octadecadienoic and 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids on IL-1β-induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and MMP-13 expression.

Methods

The expression levels of 15-lipoxygenase-1 and -2 were analyzed by reverse transcription PCR and Western blotting in chondrocytes, and by immunohistochemistry in cartilage. Chondrocytes or cartilage explants were stimulated with IL-1β in the absence or presence of 13(S)-hydroxy octadecadienoic and 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids, and the levels of MMP-1 and MMP-13 protein production and type II collagen cleavage were evaluated using immunoassays. The role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ was evaluated using transient transfection experiments and the PPARγ antagonist GW9662.

Results

Articular chondrocytes express 15-lipoxygenase-1 and -2 at the mRNA and protein levels. 13(S)-hydroxy octadecadienoic and 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids dose dependently decreased IL-1β-induced MMP-1 and MMP-13 protein and mRNA expression as well as type II collagen cleavage. The effect on MMP-1 and MMP-13 expression does not require de novo protein synthesis. 13(S)-hydroxy octadecadienoic and 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids activated endogenous PPARγ, and GW9662 prevented their suppressive effect on MMP-1 and MMP-13 production, suggesting the involvement of PPARγ in these effects.

Conclusions

This study is the first to demonstrate the expression of 15-lipoxygenase-1 and -2 in articular chondrocytes. Their respective metabolites, namely 13(S)-hydroxy octadecadienoic and 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids, suppressed IL-1β-induced MMP-1 and MMP-13 expression in a PPARγ-dependent pathway. These data suggest that 15-lipoxygenases may have chondroprotective properties by reducing MMP-1 and MMP-13 expression.
Electrical impedance tomography applied to assess matching of pulmonary ventilation and perfusion in a porcine experimental model
Authors: Fagerberg Anneli , Stenqvist Ola , Åneman Anders
Published: March 2009

Introduction

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) can be used to measure impedance changes related to the thoracic content of air and blood. Few studies, however, have utilised EIT to make concurrent measurements of ventilation and perfusion. This experimental study was performed to investigate the feasibility of EIT to describe ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) matching after acute changes of pulmonary perfusion and aeration.

Methods

Six mechanically ventilated, anaesthetised pigs in the supine position were studied at baseline, after inflation of a balloon in the inferior caval vein (Binfl) to reduce cardiac output and after an increased positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 20 cmH2O (PEEP20) to increase pulmonary aeration. EIT measurements were performed at the mid-thoracic level to measure the amplitude of impedance changes related to ventilation (ZV) and perfusion (ZQ), both globally and in four defined regions of interest (ROI) extending from the ventral to dorsal distance.

Results

A largely parallel distribution of ZV and ZQ in all four ROIs during baseline conditions corresponded to a bell-shaped frequency distribution of ZV/ZQ ratios with only moderate scatter. Binfl and PEEP20 with unchanged tidal volumes significantly increased the mismatch of regional ZV and ZQ, the scatter of ZV/ZQ ratios and the heterogeneity of the ZV/ZQ frequency distribution. Significant positive and negative correlations were demonstrated between fractional alveolar dead space (r2 = 0.63 [regression coefficient]) and venous admixture (r2 = 0.48), respectively, and the global ZV/ZQ ratio.

Conclusions

EIT may be used to monitor the distribution of pulmonary ventilation and perfusion making detailed studies of V/Q matching possible.
Parallel RNAi screens across different cell lines identify generic and cell type-specific regulators of actin organization and cell morphology
Authors: Liu Tao , Sims David , Baum Buzz
Published: March 2009

Background

In recent years RNAi screening has proven a powerful tool for dissecting gene functions in animal cells in culture. However, to date, most RNAi screens have been performed in a single cell line, and results then extrapolated across cell types and systems.

Results

Here, to dissect generic and cell type-specific mechanisms underlying cell morphology, we have performed identical kinome RNAi screens in six different Drosophila cell lines, derived from two distinct tissues of origin. This analysis identified a core set of kinases required for normal cell morphology in all lines tested, together with a number of kinases with cell type-specific functions. Most significantly, the screen identified a role for minibrain (mnb/DYRK1A), a kinase associated with Down's syndrome, in the regulation of actin-based protrusions in CNS-derived cell lines. This cell type-specific requirement was not due to the peculiarities in the morphology of CNS-derived cells and could not be attributed to differences in mnb expression. Instead, it likely reflects differences in gene expression that constitute the cell type-specific functional context in which mnb/DYRK1A acts.

Conclusions

Using parallel RNAi screens and gene expression analyses across cell types we have identified generic and cell type-specific regulators of cell morphology, which include mnb/DYRK1A in the regulation of protrusion morphology in CNS-derived cell lines. This analysis reveals the importance of using different cell types to gain a thorough understanding of gene function across the genome and, in the case of kinases, the difficulties of using the differential gene expression to predict function.
A computational approach for genome-wide mapping of splicing factor binding sites
Authors: Akerman Martin , David-Eden Hilda , Pinter Ron Y , Mandel-Gutfreund Yael
Published: March 2009

Alternative splicing is regulated by splicing factors that serve as positive or negative effectors, interacting with regulatory elements along exons and introns. Here we present a novel computational method for genome-wide mapping of splicing factor binding sites that considers both the genomic environment and the evolutionary conservation of the regulatory elements. The method was applied to study the regulation of different alternative splicing events, uncovering an interesting network of interactions among splicing factors.
Resonant seismic emission of subsurface objects
Authors: Korneev Valeri
Published: March 2009

Numerical modeling results and field data indicate that some contrasting subsurface objects (such as tunnels, caves, pipes, filled pits, and fluid-filled fractures) are capable of generating durable resonant oscillations after trapping seismic energy. These oscillations consist of surface types of circumferential waves that repeatedly propagate around the object. The resonant emission of such trapped energy occurs primarily in the form of shear body waves that can be detected by remotely placed receivers. Resonant emission reveals itself in the form of sharp resonant peaks for the late parts of the records, when all strong direct and primary reflected waves are gone. These peaks were observed in field data for a buried barrel filled with water, in 2D finite-difference modeling results, and in the exact canonical solution for a fluid-filled sphere. A computed animation for the diffraction of a plane wave upon a low-velocity elastic sphere confirms the generation of resonances by durable surface waves. Resonant emission has characteristic quasi-hyperbolic traveltime patterns on shot gathers. The inversion of these patterns can be performed in the frequency domain after muting the strong direct and primary scattered waves. Subsurface objects can be detected and imaged at a single resonance frequency without an accurate knowledge of source trigger time. The imaging of subsurface objects requires information about the shear velocity distribution in an embedding medium, which can be done interactively during inversion.
Examining Telephone Calls in Ambulatory Oncology
Authors: Flannery Marie , Phillips Shannon M. , Lyons Catherine A.
Published: March 2009

Purpose:

A large component of ambulatory oncology practice is management of telephone calls placed to and from the practice between outpatient appointments. However, scant information is available in the literature concerning oncology practice telephone calls. The specific aims of this study were to define telephone call volume and distribution in an active ambulatory oncology practice, describe the callers and reasons for the telephone calls, and examine any differences in call volume by practice characteristics.

Methods:

A descriptive retrospective design was used to analyze medical oncology and hematology telephone calls in a 4-month period. Two investigator-developed tools were validated and used to collect data on telephone call content and patient demographics.

Results:

The sample included 5,283 telephone calls to or from 1,486 different individuals. Individuals making and/or receiving more than one telephone call in the study period represented 56% of the telephone calls. For every 10 scheduled clinic appointments, seven telephone calls were received or made. The volume of telephone calls was significantly higher on Mondays and in the mornings. The reasons for high-volume telephone calls by diagnosis and frequency were identified, with 30% of telephone calls involving multiple reasons.

Conclusion:

The data demonstrate the impact of telephone calls on ambulatory oncology practice and highlight the complex and highly variable actions required to manage the telephone calls. The findings confirm and document specific practice patterns and identify subgroups that target repeat telephone calls as an area for improvement.
When Is Standard Treatment Sufficiently Active to Make Use of a Placebo-Controlled Trial Unethical?
Authors: Grünwald Hans W. , Storm Courtney D. , Jacobson Geraldine M.
Published: March 2009

Research has demonstrated that double blinding can lessen the potential for bias in study outcomes, such as perceiving a drug as more effective in the experimental arm of a study. Effective double-blinding techniques minimize the influence of investigator and patient expectations.
Multicenter Contraceptive Efficacy Trial of Injectable Testosterone Undecanoate in Chinese Men
Authors: Gu Yiqun , Liang Xiaowei , Wu Weixiong , Liu Minli , Song Shuxiu , Cheng Lifa , Bo Liwei , Xiong Chengliang , Wang Xinghai , Liu Xiaozhang , Peng Lin , Yao Kangshou
Published: March 2009

Context: Hormonal male contraceptive regimens effectively and reversibly suppress sperm production, but there are few large-scale efficacy studies.

Objective: The safety, contraceptive efficacy, reversibility, and feasibility of injectable testosterone undecanoate (TU) in tea seed oil as a hormonal male contraceptive was assessed.

Design: This was a multicenter, phase III, contraceptive efficacy clinical trial.

Participants: A total of 1045 healthy fertile Chinese men were recruited throughout China into the study.

Intervention(s): Injections of 500 mg TU were administered monthly for 30 months. A definition of severe oligozoospermia (≤1 × 106/ml) was used as a criterion of spermatogenic suppression and as the threshold for entering the contraceptive efficacy phase.

Main Outcome Measure(s): The primary outcome was pregnancy rate in the partner. Other outcomes include: semen parameters, testis volumes, reproductive hormone levels, and safety laboratory tests.

Results: Forty-three participants (4.8%) did not achieve azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia within the 6-month suppression phase. A total of 855 participants entered into the efficacy phase, and 733 participants completed monthly TU treatment and follow-up. There were nine pregnancies in 1554.1 person-years of exposure in the 24-month efficacy phase for a cumulative contraceptive failure rate of 1.1 per 100 men. The combined method failure rate was 6.1%, comprising 4.8% with inadequate suppression and 1.3% with postsuppression sperm rebound. No serious adverse events were reported. Spermatogenesis returned to the normal fertile reference range in all but two participants.

Conclusions: Monthly injection of 500 mg TU provides safe, effective, reversible, and reliable contraception in a high proportion of healthy fertile Chinese men.
Fetal and Postnatal Growth and Body Composition at 6 Months of Age
Authors: Ay Lamise , Van Houten Vera A. A. , Steegers Eric A. P. , Hofman Albert , Witteman Jacqueline C. M. , Jaddoe Vincent W. V. , Hokken-Koelega Anita C. S.
Published: March 2009

Objectives: The objectives of the study was to examine which parental, fetal, and postnatal characteristics are associated with fat and lean mass at the age of 6 months and examine the effect of growth (catch-down, catch-up) in fetal life and early infancy on fat and lean mass.

Design: This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a prospective cohort study from early fetal life onward. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 252 infants at 6 months. Parental, fetal, and postnatal data were collected by physical and fetal ultrasound examinations and questionnaires.

Results: Children with fetal catch-up in weight (gain in weight sd score >0.67) in the second trimester tended to have a higher fat mass percentage [FM(%)] at 6 months of age, whereas children with fetal catch-down in weight had a lower FM(%) compared with nonchangers. In the third trimester, both catch-up and catch-down in weight were associated with an increase in FM(%) at 6 months. Children with catch-down in the third trimester had a greater risk for postnatal catch-up in weight greater than 0.67 sd score. Birth weight and weight at 6 wk were positively associated with fat mass at 6 months. Postnatal catch-up in weight within 6 wk after birth had the highest association with total and truncal FM(%) at 6 months. Total and truncal FM were higher in girls.

Conclusion: Catch-down in weight in the third trimester was strongly associated with postnatal catch-up within 6 wk after birth, and both were associated with an increase in fat mass at the age of 6 months. Our study shows that fetal as well as postnatal growth patterns are associated with body composition in early childhood.
Three-dimensional electron microscopy reveals new details of membrane systems for Ca2+ signaling in the heart
Authors: Hayashi Takeharu , Martone Maryann E. , Yu Zeyun , Thor Andrea , Doi Masahiro , Holst Michael J. , Ellisman Mark H. , Hoshijima Masahiko
Published: March 2009

In the current study, the three-dimensional (3D) topologies of dyadic clefts and associated membrane organelles were mapped in mouse ventricular myocardium using electron tomography. The morphological details and the distribution of membrane systems, including transverse tubules (T-tubules), junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and vicinal mitochondria, were determined and presumed to be crucial for controlling cardiac Ca2+ dynamics. The geometric complexity of T-tubules that varied in diameter with frequent branching was clarified. Dyadic clefts were intricately shaped and remarkably small (average 4.39×105 nm3, median 2.81×105 nm3). Although a dyadic cleft of average size could hold maximum 43 ryanodine receptor (RyR) tetramers, more than one-third of clefts were smaller than the size that is able to package as many as 15 RyR tetramers. The dyadic clefts were also adjacent to one another (average end-to-end distance to the nearest dyadic cleft, 19.9 nm) and were distributed irregularly along T-tubule branches. Electron-dense structures that linked membrane organelles were frequently observed between mitochondrial outer membranes and SR or T-tubules. We, thus, propose that the topology of dyadic clefts and the neighboring cellular micro-architecture are the major determinants of the local control of Ca2+ in the heart, including the establishment of the quantal nature of SR Ca2+ releases (e.g. Ca2+ sparks).
Mechanisms of biphasic insulin-granule exocytosis – roles of the cytoskeleton, small GTPases and SNARE proteins
Authors: Wang Zhanxiang , Thurmond Debbie C.
Published: March 2009

The release of insulin from pancreatic islets requires negative regulation to ensure low levels of insulin release under resting conditions, as well as positive regulation to facilitate robust responsiveness to conditions of elevated fuel or glucose. The first phase of release involves the plasma-membrane fusion of a small pool of granules, termed the readily releasable pool; these granules are already at the membrane under basal conditions, and discharge their cargo in response to nutrient and also non-nutrient secretagogues. By contrast, second-phase secretion is evoked exclusively by nutrients, and involves the mobilization of intracellular granules to t-SNARE sites at the plasma membrane to enable the distal docking and fusion steps of insulin exocytosis. Nearly 40 years ago, the actin cytoskeleton was first recognized as a key mediator of biphasic insulin release, and was originally presumed to act as a barrier to block granule docking at the cell periphery. More recently, however, the discovery of cycling GTPases that are involved in F-actin reorganization in the islet β-cell, combined with the availability of reagents that are more specific and tools with which to study the mechanisms that underlie granule movement, have contributed greatly to our understanding of the role of the cytoskeleton in regulating biphasic insulin secretion. Herein, we provide historical perspective and review recent progress that has been made towards integrating cytoskeletal reorganization and cycling of small Rho-, Rab- and Ras-family GTPases into our current models of stimulus-secretion coupling and second-phase insulin release.