bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment of Radiotherapy-Induced Fatigue Through a Nonpharmacological Approach
Authors: Roscoe Joseph A. , Matteson Sara E. , Mustian Karen M. , Padmanaban Devi , Morrow Gary R.
Published: February 2005

Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a frequently occurring, burdensome side effect of radiation therapy that can result in detrimental effects to health-related quality of life (HRQL). The findings from a pilot study examining the efficacy of the complementary and alternative practice of Polarity Therapy (PT) in reducing CRF and improving HRQL are reported. Methods: Fifteen women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer and experiencing fatigue were randomized to receive 1, 2, or no PT treatments. Treatments were given 1 week apart to the patients receiving 2 treatments. Fatigue and HRQL were assessed at baseline prior to PT, 3 days following the first PT treatment (week 1), and 3 days following the second PT treatment (week 2). Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in both CRF and HRQL in the 10 patients who received a PT treatment compared to the 5 control patients at the week 1 assessment. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference among the 3 treatment groups in improvement in CRF at the week 2 assessment. This finding, coupled with a visual inspection of the means, supports the plausibility of a dose response concerning PT. Conclusion: Results from this pilot investigation suggest that PT may have a positive influence on CRF and HRQL in women undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer. Randomized, controlled clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed.
The Demise of the Super-aspirins: An Opportunity for Integrative Medicine?
Authors: Block Keith I.
Published: February 2005

The recent findings of significant cardiac risks with longterm use of the selective COX-2 inhibitors and naproxen leave many patients without access to drugs they may depend on for sustained management of pain. These cardiac risks can arise from disturbances in the ratio of prostacyclin and thromboxane A-2. Integrative medicine offers a variety of interventions that do not disrupt this ratio, including herbs, nutriceuticals, mind-body strategies, and physical care. Clinical studies for evaluating these interventions, and research on sustainable production of those that are natural substances, should be given greater funding priority at this time.
A limited role for p16Ink4a and p19Arf in the loss of hematopoietic stem cells during proliferative stress
Authors: Stepanova Lilia , Sorrentino Brian P.
Published: February 2005

It has long been known that prolonged culture or serial transplantation leads to the loss of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs); however, the mechanisms for this loss are not well understood. We hypothesized that expression of p16Ink4a or p19Arf or both may play a role in the loss of HSCs during conditions of enhanced proliferation, either in vitro or in vivo. Arf was not expressed in freshly isolated HSCs from adult mice but was induced in phenotypically primitive cells after 10 to 12 days in culture. When cultured bone marrow cells from either Arf–/– or Ink4a-Arf–/– mice were compared to wild-type cells in a competitive repopulation assay, no significant differences in HSC activity were seen. We then evaluated the role of p19Arf and p16Ink4a in the loss of HSCs during serial transplantation. Bone marrow cells from Ink4a-Arf–/–, but not Arf–/–, mice had a modestly extended life span and, on average, supported reconstitution of one additional recipient compared to wild-type cells. Mice given transplants of Ink4a-Arf–/–cells eventually did die of hematopoietic failure in the next round of transplantation. We conclude that mechanisms independent of the Ink4a-Arf gene locus play a dominant role in HSC loss during conditions of proliferative stress.
Pathophysiologic consequences following inhibition of a CFTR-dependent developmental cascade in the lung
Authors: Cohen J Craig , Larson Janet E
Published: February 2005

Background

Examination of late gestation developmental genes in vivo may be limited by early embryonic lethality and compensatory mechanisms. This problem is particularly apparent in evaluating the developmental role of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene in the cystic fibrosis (CF) phenotype. A previously described transient in utero knockout (TIUKO) technology was used to address the developmental role of CFTR in the rat lung.

Results

Rat fetuses transiently treated with antisense cftr in utero developed pathology that replicated aspects of the human CF phenotype. The TIUKO CF rat developed lung fibrosis, chronic inflammation, reactive airway disease, and the CF Antigen (MRP8/14), a marker for CF in human patients, was expressed.

Conclusions

The transient in utero antisense technology can be used to evaluate genes that exhibit either early lethality or compensating gene phenotypes. In the lung CFTR is part of a developmental cascade for normal secretory cell differentiation. Absence of CFTR results in a constitutive inflammatory process that is involved in some aspects of CF pathophysiology.
Functional evolution of ADAMTS genes: Evidence from analyses of phylogeny and gene organization
Authors: Nicholson Ainsley C , Malik Shehre-Banoo , Logsdon John M , Van Meir Erwin G
Published: February 2005

Background

The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin-like and Metalloprotease with Thrombospondin motifs) proteins are a family of metalloproteases with sequence similarity to the ADAM proteases, that contain the thrombospondin type 1 sequence repeat motifs (TSRs) common to extracellular matrix proteins. ADAMTS proteins have recently gained attention with the discovery of their role in a variety of diseases, including tissue and blood disorders, cancer, osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's and the genetic syndromes Weill-Marchesani syndrome (ADAMTS10), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (ADAMTS13), and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VIIC (ADAMTS2) in humans and belted white-spotting mutation in mice (ADAMTS20).

Results

Phylogenetic analysis and comparison of the exon/intron organization of vertebrate (Homo, Mus, Fugu), chordate (Ciona) and invertebrate (Drosophila and Caenorhabditis) ADAMTS homologs has elucidated the evolutionary relationships of this important gene family, which comprises 19 members in humans.

Conclusions

The evolutionary history of ADAMTS genes in vertebrate genomes has been marked by rampant gene duplication, including a retrotransposition that gave rise to a distinct ADAMTS subfamily (ADAMTS1, -4, -5, -8, -15) that may have distinct aggrecanase and angiogenesis functions.
Parental educational level and cardiovascular disease risk factors in schoolchildren in large urban areas of Turkey: Directions for public health policy
Authors: Kocaoglu Bike , Moschonis George , Dimitriou Maria , Kolotourou Maria , Keskin Yasar , Sur Haydar , Hayran Osman , Manios Yannis
Published: February 2005

Background

It is widely accepted that the development of atherosclerosis starts at an early age. However, there are very few studies evaluating the prevalence of the common clinical and behavioral cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among children, especially in developing countries. The aim of the present cross-sectional survey was to evaluate the distribution of blood lipid profile and various behavioral (i.e. dietary habits, physical activity status) factors related to CVD risk and its relationships to paternal (PEL) and maternal educational level (MEL) among primary schoolchildren in Turkey.

Methods

In three major metropolises in Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir), a random sample of 1044 children aged 12 and 13 years old was examined. ANOVA was applied to evaluate the tested hypothesis, after correcting for multiple comparisons (Tukey correction).

Results

After controlling for energy and fat intake, physical activity status and Body Mass Index (BMI), it was found that mostly PEL had a significant positive effect for most of the subgroups examined (Lower vs. Higher and Medium vs. Higher) on TC and HDL-cholesterol and a negative effect on TC/HDL ratio for both genders. Furthermore, both boys and girls with higher PEL and MEL were found to have higher energy intake derived from fat and protein than their counterparts with Medium and Lower PEL and MEL, while the opposite was observed for the percentage of energy derived from carbohydrates.

Conclusions

Our study provides indications for a possible association between an adverse lipid profile, certain dietary patterns and Higher PEL and MEL among schoolchildren in Turkey. These findings underline the possible role of social status, indicated by the degree of education of both parents, in developing certain health behaviors and health indices among Turkish children and provide some guidance for Public Health Policy.
Assembly of a gene sequence tag microarray by reversible biotin-streptavidin capture for transcript analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Wirta Valtteri , Holmberg Anders , Lukacs Morten , Nilsson Peter , Hilson Pierre , Uhlén Mathias , Bhalerao Rishikesh P , Lundeberg Joakim
Published: February 2005

Background

Transcriptional profiling using microarrays has developed into a key molecular tool for the elucidation of gene function and gene regulation. Microarray platforms based on either oligonucleotides or purified amplification products have been utilised in parallel to produce large amounts of data. Irrespective of platform examined, the availability of genome sequence or a large number of representative expressed sequence tags (ESTs) is, however, a pre-requisite for the design and selection of specific and high-quality microarray probes. This is of great importance for organisms, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, with a high number of duplicated genes, as cross-hybridisation signals between evolutionary related genes cannot be distinguished from true signals unless the probes are carefully designed to be specific.

Results

We present an alternative solid-phase purification strategy suitable for efficient preparation of short, biotinylated and highly specific probes suitable for large-scale expression profiling. Twenty-one thousand Arabidopsis thaliana gene sequence tags were amplified and subsequently purified using the described technology. The use of the arrays is exemplified by analysis of gene expression changes caused by a four-hour indole-3-acetic (auxin) treatment. A total of 270 genes were identified as differentially expressed (120 up-regulated and 150 down-regulated), including several previously known auxin-affected genes, but also several previously uncharacterised genes.

Conclusions

The described solid-phase procedure can be used to prepare gene sequence tag microarrays based on short and specific amplified probes, facilitating the analysis of more than 21 000 Arabidopsis transcripts.
Population dynamics of the Teak defoliator (Hyblaea puera Cramer) in Nilambur teak plantations using Randomly Amplified Gene Encoding Primers (RAGEP)
Authors: Chandrasekhar N , Sajeev TV , Sudheendrakumar VV , Banerjee Moinak
Published: February 2005

Background

The Teak defoliator (Hyblaea puera) is a pest moth of teak woodlands in India and other tropical regions (e.g. Thailand) and is of major economic significance. This pest is of major concern as it is involved in complete defoliation of trees during the early part of the growing season. Defoliation does not kill teak trees, but it results in huge amount of timber loss. Teak defoliator outbreaks are a regular annual feature in most teak plantations in India and it is extremely difficult to predict the exact time and place of occurrence of these outbreaks. Evidence from the study of the population dynamics of H. puera indicated habitual, short range movements of emerging moth populations, suggesting that these populations have spread to larger areas, generation after generation, affecting the entire teak plantations. We were therefore interested in investigating the temporal and spatial relationship among various population groups in Nilambur, Kerala (India) and address the cause of outbreak at the landscape level.

Results

The populations were classified into 'endemic', 'epicenter' and 'epidemic' populations based on the time of occurrence and size of infestation. We devised a novel method of screening nuclear and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms using Randomly Amplified Gene Encoding Primers (RAGEP). We have used this method extensively to evaluate the species specificity, reproducibility and to discriminate among the three different characterised populations of teak defoliator.

Conclusions

This method also allowed us to comment with some certainty that the endemic teak defoliator, H. puera do not play a major role in contributing to large-scale infestations. With respect to the hypotheses put forward regarding the origin of outbreaks of the moth, this study confirms the role of migration in outbreak causation, while negating the belief that endemic populations aggregate to cause an epidemic.
Home injuries and built form – methodological issues and developments in database linkage
Authors: Newcombe Robert G , Lyons Ronan A , Jones Sarah J , Patterson Joanne
Published: February 2005

Background

The aim of this body of research is to determine whether injuries in the home are more common in particular types of housing. Previous home injuries research has tended to focus on behaviours or the provision of safety equipment to families with young children. There has been little consideration of the physical environment. This study reports methodological developments in database linkage and analysis to improve researchers abilities to utilise large administrative and clinical databases to carry out health and health services research.

Methods

The study involved linking a database of home injuries obtained from an emergency department surveillance system with an external survey of all homes in an area and population denominators for home types derived from a health service administrative database. Analysis of injury incidence by housing type was adjusted for potential biases due to deprivation and distance to hospital. For non-injured individuals data confidentiality considerations required the deprivation and distance measures be imputed. The process of randomly imputing these variables and the testing of the validity of this approach is detailed.

Results

There were 14,081 first injuries in 112,248 residents living in 54,081 homes over a two-year period. The imputation method worked well with imputed and observed measures in the injured group being very similar. Re-randomisation and a repeated analysis gave identical results to the first analysis. One particular housing type had a substantially elevated odds ratio for injury occurrence, OR = 2.07 (95% CI: 1.87 to 2.30).

Conclusions

The method of data linkage, imputation and statistical analysis used provides a basis for improved analysis of database linkage studies.
Simplicity within complexity: Seasonality and predictability of hospital admissions in the province of Ontario 1988–2001, a population-based analysis
Authors: Upshur Ross EG , Moineddin Rahim , Crighton Eric , Kiefer Lori , Mamdani Muhammad
Published: February 2005

Background

Seasonality is a common feature of communicable diseases. Less well understood is whether seasonal patterns occur for non-communicable diseases. The overall effect of seasonal fluctuations on hospital admissions has not been systematically evaluated.

Methods

This study employed time series methods on a population based retrospective cohort of for the fifty two most common causes of hospital admissions in the province of Ontario from 1988–2001. Seasonal patterns were assessed by spectral analysis and autoregressive methods. Predictive models were fit with regression techniques.

Results

The results show that 33 of the 52 most common admission diagnoses are moderately or strongly seasonal in occurrence; 96.5% of the predicted values were within the 95% confidence interval, with 37 series having all values within the 95% confidence interval.

Conclusion

The study shows that hospital admissions have systematic patterns that can be understood and predicted with reasonable accuracy. These findings have implications for understanding disease etiology and health care policy and planning.
Multiple sources for late-Holocene tsunamis at Discovery Bay, Washington State, USA
Authors: Williams Harry F.L. , Hutchinson Ian , Nelson Alan R.
Published: February 2005

Nine muddy sand beds interrupt a 2500-yr-old sequence of peat deposits beneath a tidal marsh at the head of Discovery Bay on the south shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington. An inferred tsunami origin for the sand beds is assessed by means of six criteria. Although all the sand beds contain marine diatoms and almost all the beds display internal stratification, the areal extent of the oldest beds is too limited to confirm their origin as tsunami deposits. The ages of four beds overlap with known late- Holocene tsunamis generated by plate-boundary earthquakes at the Cascadia subduction zone. Diatom assemblages in peat deposits bracketing these four beds do not indicate concurrent change in elevation at Discovery Bay. Diatoms in the peat bracketing a tsunami bed deposited about 1000 cal. yr BP indicate a few decimeters of submergence, suggesting deformation on a nearby upper-plate fault. Other beds may mark tsunamis caused by more distant upper-plate earthquakes or local submarine landslides triggered by earthquake shaking. Tsunamis from both subduction zone and upper-plate sources pose a significant hazard to shoreline areas in this region.
Reconstructed water tables from two ombrotrophic mires in eastern central Sweden compared with instrumental meteorological data
Authors: Schoning Kristian , Charman Dan J. , Wastegoard Stefan
Published: February 2005

Water-level changes for the last 125 years were reconstructed from two ombrotrophic mires in eastern central Sweden using testate amoebae assemblages. The reconstructed water tables show the same overall pattem with high water tables during the 1950s and 1960s and low water levels from the 1970s until present. The similarity in the two records supports the hypothesis that water-table changes in the ombrotrophic mires of this area are driven by climate change. Correlation of decadal means of reconstructed iV l water levels and instrumental meteorological data was performed to examine the relationship between water table and climatic variability. The results show that the reconstructed water tables are correlated with changes in mean annual temperature (p < 0.05). This contrasts with similar data for other parts of Europe where correlations have been found with summer or annual precipitation and temperature. We A suggest that low rainfall in this area of Sweden makes the peatlands more susceptible to changing temperaHOLOCENE ture and that the lack of a response to precipitation is a function of low rainfall variability over the comRESEARCH parison period. The results show that mire surface wetness responses to climate change are spatially PAPER variable and greater attention should be given to understanding this variability if more accurate palaeoclimatic inferences are to be drawn from longer Holocene records.
‘Little Ice Age’ glacier variations in Jotunheimen, southern Norwvay: a study in regionally controlled lichenometric dating of recessional moraines with implications for climate and lichen growth rates
Authors: Matthews John A.
Published: February 2005

A new approach to regional lichenometric dating is developed and applied to‘Little Ice Age’ moraine-ridge sequences on 16 glacier forelands in Jotunheimen, southern Norway. Lichenometric-dating curves, based on the Rhizocarpon subgenus, are constructed independently for west, central and east Jotunheimen. Although there are differences between the subregions, a composite regional moraine chronology for Jotunheimen identifies 12 episodes of moraine formation in AD 1743-1750 (the regional‘Little Ice Age’ glacier maximum), 1762-1771, 1782-1790, 1796-1802, 1811-1818, 1833-1838, 1845-1854, 1860-1868, 1871-1879, 1886-1898, 1915-1922 and 1927-1934. Spatial and temporal patterns in glacier behaviour between the subregions and between Jotunheimen and the neighbouring Jostedalsbreen are explained in terms of the interaction of annual to decadal variations in summer temperature and winter precipitation: glacier advances and moraine-formation events driven primarily by winter-precipitation variations exhibit subregional patterns while summer-temperature forcing affects more synchronous glacier behaviour across the region. Regionally controlled lichenometric dating improves the accuracy of dating by up to about±20 years on relatively old moraines and is dependent on regional patterns in the rate of lichen growth. On relatively young surfaces, mean cumulative growth rate declines from about 0.75mm yr-1 in maritime west Jotunheimen to about 0.55mm yr-1 in continental east Jotunheimen (though the differential in growth rate is less on older surfaces).
Changes in macrophytic flora and planktonic organisms in Lake Ostrowite, Poland, as a response to climatic and trophic fluctuations
Authors: Mileckal Krystyna , Szeroczynska Krystyna
Published: February 2005

This article presents some selected results of palaeoecological analysis based on subfossil pollen and Cladocera in a core of deep-water sediments. It was drilled in the SW part of Lake Ostrowite in National Park Bory Tucholskie, Poland. The core contains fine-detritus gyttja with no calcium carbonate. Nine local pollen assemblage zones show the stages of vegetation succession around the lake from the Younger Dryas through the Holocene up to the present time. Local pollen assemblage zones and seven phases in the development of Cladocera permit ecological reconstruction and description of local changes in the lake itself. Changes of trophic status are based on the quality and quantity of Cladocera species and the curve of Pediastrum. Human activity around Ostrowite is discussed in relation to the changes in regional plant cover and the trophic state of the lake.
Quantitative reconstruction of Holocene climate from the Chuna Lake pollen record, Kola Peninsula, northwest Russia
Authors: Solovieva Nadia , Tarasov Pavel E. , MacDonald Glen
Published: February 2005

July mean temperatures and annual precipitation during the last 9000 years were inferred using the pollen record from Chuna Lake, Kola Peninsula, Russia. A quantitative pollen-climate model was generated using the best modem analogues method from a training set of 99 surface pollen spectra from the Kola Peninsula, northern Fennoscandia and Karelia. According to the evidence from Chuna Lake, the early and mid-Holocene (c. 9000-5000 cal. BP) was warm and dry in the central Kola Peninsula with July temperatures being 1.5-2C higher than at present. The onset of warm and dry early to mid-Holocene occurred in the Kola Peninsula earlier than in the rest of northern Fennoscandia. July temperature started to decrease and annual precipitation increased from c. 5000 cal. yr BP and climate became cool and moist.
Holocene vegetation responses to fire events in the inner French Alps (Queyras Massif): data from charcoal and geomorphological analysis of travertine sequences
Authors: Ali Adam A. , Roiron Paul , Guendon Jean-Louis , Poirier Philippe , Terral Jean-Frederic
Published: February 2005

Travertines are calcareous deposits that result from water stream saturation in bicarbonate; they are extremely sensitive to environmental variations. Homeostatic conditions, such as a good development of vegetation and regular river flow, induce the formation of homogenous travertine facies enclosing plant imprints. Significant climatic changes and/or human perturbations may disturb the carbonate deposit favouring an increase in detrital material often rich in charcoal remains. Travertine systems located in the Queyras Massif (Aigue Agnelle and Peynin valley) provided abundant charcoal material; its analysis allowed us to identify five vegetation phases between c. 8400 and 1709 cal. yr BP, and to ascertain Holocene vegetation responses to fire perturbation. An ecological dynamic based on forestfire events is proposed. During periods of reduced fire frequencies (long-term fire cycle), Pinus cembra dominated the Queyras Massif vegetation. The predominance of travertine facies during these phases corroborates this interpretation. Periods of increased fire frequency triggered the development of Larix decidua/Picea abies (short-term fire cycle). This vegetation change was concomitant with the deposition of thick detrital layers resulting from slope erosion, as a consequence of recurrent fire perturbations. The permanent settlement in this region of human communities since c. 4400 cal yr BP favoured the development of Larix decidua/Picea abies. Finally, our results suggest that the collapse of agropastoral activities since AD 1950 might progressively lead to the regeneration of Pinus cembra.
SoxB1 downregulation in vegetal lineages of sea urchin embryos is achieved by both transcriptional repression and selective protein turnover
Authors: Angerer Lynne M. , Newman Laurel A. , Angerer Robert C.
Published: February 2005

Patterning of cell fates along the sea urchin animal-vegetal embryonic axis requires the opposing functions of nuclear β-catenin/TCF-Lef, which activates the endomesoderm gene regulatory network, and SoxB1, which antagonizes β-catenin and limits its range of function. A crucial aspect of this interaction is the temporally controlled downregulation of SoxB1,first in micromeres and then in macromere progeny. We show that SoxB1 is regulated at the level of protein turnover in these lineages. This mechanism is dependent on nuclear β-catenin function. It can be activated by Pmar1,but not by Krl, both of which function downstream of β-catenin/TCF-Lef. At least partially distinct, lineage-specific mechanisms operate, as turnover in the macromeres depends on entry of SoxB1 into nuclei, and on redundant destruction signals, neither of which is required in micromeres. Neither of these turnover mechanisms operates in mesomere progeny, which give rise to ectoderm. However, in mesomeres, SoxB1 appears to be subject to negative autoregulation that helps to maintain tight regulation of SoxB1 mRNA levels in presumptive ectoderm. Between the seventh and tenth cleavage stages, β-catenin not only promotes degradation of SoxB1,but also suppresses accumulation of its message in macromere-derived blastomeres. Collectively, these different mechanisms work to regulate precisely the levels of SoxB1 in the progeny of different tiers of blastomeres arrayed along the animal-vegetal axis.
The Notch-target gene hairy2a impedes the involution of notochordal cells by promoting floor plate fates in Xenopus embryos
Authors: López Silvia L. , Rosato-Siri María V. , Franco Paula G. , Paganelli Alejandra R. , Carrasco Andrés E.
Published: February 2005

We have previously shown that the early Xenopus organiser contains cells equally potent to give rise to notochord or floor plate, and that Notch signalling triggers a binary decision, favouring the floor plate fate at the expense of the notochord. Now, we present evidence that Delta1 is the ligand that triggers the binary switch, which is executed through the Notch-mediated activation of hairy2a in the surrounding cells within the organiser,impeding their involution through the blastopore and promoting their incorporation into the hairy2a+ notoplate precursors (future floor-plate cells) in the dorsal non-involuting marginal zone.
Mutations inhalf baked/E-cadherin block cell behaviors that are necessary for teleost epiboly
Authors: Kane Donald A. , McFarland Karen N. , Warga Rachel M.
Published: February 2005

Epiboly, the spreading of the blastoderm over the large yolk cell, is the first morphogenetic movement of the teleost embryo. Examining this movement as a paradigm of vertebrate morphogenesis, we have focused on the epiboly arrest mutant half baked (hab), which segregates as a recessive lethal, including alleles expressing zygotic-maternal dominant (ZMD) effects. Here we show that hab is a mutation in the zebrafish homolog of the adhesion protein E-cadherin. Whereas exclusively recessive alleles of hab produce truncated proteins, dominant alleles all contain transversions in highly conserved amino acids of the extracellular domains,suggesting these alleles produce dominant-negative effects. Antisense oligonucleotides that create specific splicing defects in the habmRNA phenocopy the recessive phenotypes and, surprisingly, some of the ZMD phenotypes as well. In situ analyses show that during late epiboly hab is expressed in a radial gradient in the non axial epiblast, from high concentrations in the exterior layer of the epiblast to low concentrations in the interior layer of the epiblast. During epiboly,using an asymmetric variant of radial intercalation, epiblast cells from the interior layer sequentially move into the exterior layer and become restricted to that layer; there they participate in subtle cell shape changes that further expand the blastoderm. In hab mutants, when cells intercalate into the exterior layer, they tend to neither change cell shape nor become restricted, and many of these cells `de-intercalate' and move back into the interior layer. Cell transplantation showed all these defects to be cell-autonomous. Hence, as for the expansion of the mammalian trophoblast at a similar developmental stage, hab/E-cadherin is necessary for the cell rearrangements that spread the teleost blastoderm over the yolk.
Job Information Networks, Neighborhood Effects, and Inequality
Authors: Ioannides Yannis M , Loury Linda Datcher
Published: February 2005

This paper explores the theoretical and empirical literature to examine the use by different social groups of informal sources of information provided by friends, relatives, and acquaintances during job search and its consequences for the job market. It also addresses the role of network structure and size, the resource endowments of contacts, and nature of the links between contacts to explain differences in the effects of job information networks. In doing so, the paper also turns to the sociology literature on job information networks and provides an economic perspective on such sociological concepts as strong versus weak ties, inbreeding, distance from structural holes, etc. The paper distinguishes between models of exogenous job information networks, that is where individuals obtain job-related information through a given social structure, and endogenous job information networks, which are social networks that result from individuals' uncoordinated actions. The paper pays special attention to such issues as physical and social proximity and sharing of information and discusses them in the context of the recent social interactions and neighborhood effects literature. Finally, the paper outlines a model that integrates job information networks, where interactions occur in business cycle frequencies, with the dynamics of human capital formation, which include the joint effects of parental, community and neighborhood human capital, and are set in life cycle frequencies, for the purpose of organizing suggestions for future research and examining earned income inequality.
Urinary Lipid Profiling for the Identification of Fabry Hemizygotes and Heterozygotes
Authors: Fuller Maria , Sharp Peter C , Rozaklis Tina , Whitfield Phillip D , Blacklock David , Hopwood John J , Meikle Peter J
Published: February 2005

Background: Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder resulting from a deficiency of the lysosomal hydrolase, α-galactosidase, for which enzyme replacement therapy is now available. In this study, we aimed to identify Fabry heterozygotes not only for genetic counseling of families but because it is becoming increasingly obvious that many heterozygous (carrier) females are symptomatic and should be considered for treatment.

Methods: We measured 29 individual lipid species, including ceramide, glucosylceramide, lactosylceramide, and ceramide trihexoside, in urine samples from Fabry hemizygotes and heterozygotes and from control individuals by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Individual analyte species and analyte ratios were analyzed for their ability to differentiate the control and patient groups.

Results: The Fabry hemizygotes had increased concentrations of the substrate for the deficient enzyme, ceramide trihexoside, as well as lactosylceramide and ceramide, along with decreased concentrations of both glucosylceramide and sphingomyelin. Ratios of these analytes improved differentiation between the control and Fabry groups, with the Fabry heterozygotes generally falling between the Fabry hemizygotes and the control group.

Conclusions: These lipid profiles hold particular promise for the identification of Fabry individuals, may aid in the prediction of phenotype, and are potentially useful for the monitoring of therapy in patients receiving enzyme replacement.
Trading Favors for Marketing Advantage: Evidence from Hong Kong, China, and the United States
Authors: Lee Kam-hon , Qian Gong-ming , Yu Julie H. , Ho Ying
Published: February 2005

This study examines the risk-taking paradigm in the context of international marketing activities. It explores the causes of questionable business practices of Hong Kong executives in international marketing activities and further substantiates the findings with two replication samples (i.e., Mainland Chinese executives and U.S. executives). The authors find that the nature of the corruption proposal and the operating business environment affect Hong Kong executives’ risk-taking behavior (i.e., risk recognition, risk adjustment, and risky choice). The behaviors of Mainland Chinese executives and U.S. executives show a different picture. Developmental and cultural differences among the three economies explain the discrepancies.
Market Orientation, Relationship Marketing Orientation, and Business Performance: The Moderating Effects of Economic Ideology and Industry Type
Authors: Sin Leo Y.M. , Tse Alan C.B. , Yau Oliver H.M. , Chow Raymond P.M. , Lee Jenny S.Y.
Published: February 2005

This study examines how economic ideology and industry type moderate the impacts of market orientation and relationship marketing orientation on business performance. The authors collected data through a survey of firms in both Mainland China and Hong Kong. They selected these two economies because they have similarities in cultural dimensions and differences in economic dimensions. The authors find support for the moderating effect of economic ideology and industry type on the link among market orientation, relationship marketing orientation, and business performance.
The Influence of Ultraviolet‐B Radiation on Growth, Hydroxycinnamic Acids and Flavonoids ofDeschampsia antarcticaduring Springtime Ozone Depletion in Antarctica¶†
Authors: Ruhland Christopher T. , Xiong Fusheng S. , Clark W. Dennis , Day Thomas A.
Published: February 2005

We examined the influence of solar ultraviolet‐B radiation (UV‐B; 280–320 nm) on the growth, biomass production and phenylpropanoid concentrations ofDeschampsia antarcticaduring the springtime ozone depletion season at Palmer Station, along the Antarctic Peninsula. Treatments involved placing filters on frames over potted plants that reduced levels of biologically effective UV‐B either by 83% (reduced UV‐B) or by 12% (near‐ambient UV‐B) over the 63 day experiment (7 November 1998–8 January 1999) when ozone depletion averaged 17%. Plants growing under near‐ambient UV‐B had 41% and 40% lower relative growth rates and net assimilation rates, respectively, than those under reduced UV‐B. The former plants produced 50% less total biomass as a result of having 47% less aboveground biomass. The reduction in aboveground biomass was a result of a 29% lower leaf elongation rate resulting in shorter leaves and 59% less total leaf area in plants grown under reduced UV‐B.p‐Coumaric, caffeic and ferulic acids were the major hydroxycinnamic acids, and luteolin derivatives were the major flavonoids in both insoluble and soluble leaf extracts. Concentrations of insolublep‐coumaric and caffeic acid and soluble ferulic acids were 38%, 48% and 60% higher, respectively, under near‐ambient UV‐B than under reduced UV‐B. There were no UV‐B effects on concentrations of insoluble or soluble flavonoids.
Insulin increases the adrenergic stimulation of 5′ deiodinase activity and mRNA expression in rat brown adipocytes; role of MAPK and PI3K
Authors: Martinez-deMena Raquel , Obregón Maria-Jesus
Published: February 2005

Type II 5′ deiodinase (D2) activity produces triiodothyronine (T3) from thyroxine (T4) and is induced by cold and norepinephrine (NE) in brown adipose tissue. T3 is required for and amplifies the adrenergic stimulation of D2 activity and mRNA in cultured brown adipocytes. D2 is upregulated by insulin and decrease in fasting. We now study the regulation by insulin of the adrenergically induced D2 activity and mRNA in primary cultures of rat brown adipocytes. Insulin alone does not increase D2 activity or mRNA. Insulin-depleted cells show a reduction in the adrenergically induced D2 activity, which is proportional to the length of insulin depletion and is restored after insulin addition. IGFs mimic this effect at higher doses. ERK 1/2 MAPK activity (p44/p42), stimulated by insulin, serum and NE, is an absolute requirement for the adrenergic stimulation of D2 activity and mRNA. PI3K is stimulated by insulin and serum, and NE increases the effect of insulin. The action of insulin on D2 is not due to changes in D2 half-life or in the proteasome-mediated degradation of D2, but it seems to modulate the transcriptional induction mediated by NE. D2 mRNA expression, induced by NE plus T3, is reduced when insulin is withdrawn at early differentiation stages. Insulin or IGF-I promotes increases in D2 mRNA. Insulin is required for the induction of D2 mRNA by T3. In conclusion, MAPK signaling is required for the adrenergic stimulation of D2 activity and mRNA, and insulin stimulates D2 activity via MAPK and PI3K and enhances the adrenergic pathways.
Expression of the 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3 receptor gene during the differentiation of mouse Ob17 preadipocytes and cross talk with the thyroid hormone receptor signalling pathway
Authors: Schneider Laëtitia , El-Yazidi Claire , Dace Alexandra , Maraninchi Marie , Planells Richard , Margotat Alain , Torresani Janine
Published: February 2005

1,25-(OH)2-Vitamin D3 (1,25-D3) and the thyroid hormone tri-iodothyronine (T3) were previously shown to behave as adipogenic agents in murine Ob17 preadipocytes. Moreover, these agents interfere with each other’s action during adipocyte differentiation. T3 receptor (TR) expression and a downmodulation of T3 binding sites (TR sites) by 1,25-D3 were also reported. A cross talk at the T3 and 1,25-D3 receptor (VDR) level was suggested. We report here that Ob17 cells contain VDR receptor sites in markedly modulated number. This includes a sharp decrease during differentiation that was largely counteracted by 1,25-D3 added to preadipocytes in physiological, adipogenic concentrations. In parallel, the VDR mRNA level did not change significantly, neither did a variant produced by alternative splicing in the penultimate exon and defined for the first time in the mouse. The differentiation- and 1,25-D3-related modulations of VDR sites are likely to be, at least for the most part, the result of variations in abundance of the VDR protein, and may thus mainly involve post-translational events. In contrast, the addition of T3 to the preadipocytes amplified the differentiation-related decrease in VDR sites, even in the presence of 1,25-D3. T3 significantly decreased the levels of VDR transcripts and thus mainly exerts a pretranslational action. With regard to the reciprocal downmodulation of the TR sites (identified as almost exclusively of the TRα type) by physiological concentrations of 1,25-D3, a post-translational action and a sequestration of the TR sites had previously been suggested and are further studied here. Analyses of receptor properties after co-incubations of recombinant VDRs and TRs did not favour direct VDR–TR interaction as a main cause of TR site sequestration. Interestingly, when taken together, the data on downregulation of VDRs and TRs by the alternate ligands define a potential step in the cross talk exerted between 1,25-D3 and T3 for their adipogenic action. In addition, the present results also show for the first time that 1,25-D3 acts as a strong trigger of a transient expression of TRβ1 subtype at an early preadipocyte step, an effect that had previously been assigned to T3. This last interesting event introduces further incentive for deciphering the T3/1,25-D3 cross talk in preadipocyte differentiation.
Homocysteine thiolactone inhibits insulin-stimulated DNA and protein synthesis: possible role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) and p70 S6K phosphorylation
Authors: Najib S , Sánchez-Margalet V
Published: February 2005

Hyperhomocysteinemia and insulin resistance are independent factors for cardiovascular disease. Most of the angiotoxic effects of homocysteine are related to the formation of homocysteine thiolactone and the consequent increase in oxidative stress. We have recently found that homocysteine thiolactone inhibits insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity, which results in decreased phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity and inhibition of glycogen synthesis. Oxidative stress seemed to be the mechanism underlying these effects, since glutathione was able to restore the insulin signaling as well as the insulin-mediated glycogen synthesis. In the present work we have further investigated insulin receptor signaling studying mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) and p70 S6K phosphorylation. Again, homocysteine thiolactone (50 μM) prevented insulin-mediated MAPK, GSK-3 and p70 S6K phosphorylation and these effects were blocked by glutathione (250 μM). Since MAPK and PI3K pathways, including GSK3 and S6K, seem to mediate insulin-mediated growth and proliferation, we measured DNA and protein synthesis. We have found that homocysteine thiolactone (50 μM) inhibits insulin-mediated growth and proliferation, as previously shown for glycogen synthesis. Again, these effects seem to be mediated by oxidative stress, since 250 μM glutathione completely abolished the effects of homocysteine thiolactone on insulin-stimulated DNA and protein synthesis. In conclusion, these data suggest that homocysteine thiolactone impairs insulin signaling by a mechanism involving oxidative stress, leading to a defect in the action of insulin on growth and proliferation.
A differential proteomic approach to identify proteins associated with thyroid cell transformation
Authors: Paron I , D’Ambrosio C , Scaloni A , Berlingieri M T , Pallante P L , Fusco A , Bivi N , Tell G , Damante G
Published: February 2005

Tumour suppressor p53 is a transcription factor essential for DNA damage checkpoints during cellular response to stress. Mutations in the p53 gene are the most common genetic alterations found in human tumours; most pathogenetic modifications are missense mutations that abolish the p53 DNA-binding function. In the same cell type, distinct p53 missense mutations may determine different phenotypes. The PC Cl3 cell line retains several markers of thyroid differentiation in vitro. Introduction of the V143A mutant p53 allele, which abolishes the p53 DNA-binding function, leads to loss of differentiation markers as well as TSH dependency for growth. Conversely, PC Cl3 cells transfected with the S392A mutant p53 allele, presenting the mutation located outside the DNA-binding domain, show only loss of TSH dependency for growth. To identify molecular differences existing between PC Cl3 cell lines transformed by the V143A and the S392A mutant alleles, a differential proteomic approach was used. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analyses indicated that expression of a significant portion of protein species was modified by both p53 mutants. In fact, compared with wild-type PC Cl3 cells, modification of expression in V143A mutant cells occurred in 23.6% of the entire protein species. Conversely, modification of S392A mutant cells affected 14.0% of total proteins. Among these components, 8.3% were common to both mutants. Several of these proteins were identified by mass spectrometry procedures; some proteins, such as HSP90 and T-complex proteins, are already known to be related to p53 function.
Mechanism of transcriptional regulation of LRP16 gene expression by 17-β estradiol in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells
Authors: Zhao Y-L , Han W-D , Li Q , Mu Y-M , Lu X-C , Yu L , Song H-J , Li X , Lu J-M , Pan C-Y
Published: February 2005

LRP16 gene expression is induced by 17-βestradiol (E2) via estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. A previous study also demonstrated that ectopic expression of LRP16 gene promoted MCF-7 cell proliferation. To explore the mechanism of hormone-induced LRP16 gene expression, the LRP16 gene promoter region (−2600 to −24 bp upstream of the LRP16 gene translation starting site) was analyzed in the present study by using different 5′-truncated constructs, and a luciferase reporter. The 5′-flanking sequence of −676 to −24 bp (pGL3-S5) was found to be E2-responsive. After exchange of the fragment from −213 to −24 bp with the TK gene proximal promoter region in pGL3-S5, E2 still induced reporter gene activity in MCF-7 and HeLa cells. Sequence analysis showed that the pGL3-S6 (−676 to −214) sequence contains two motifs that may contribute to E2-induced transactivation; namely, an estrogen-responsive element (ERE) half-site/Sp1 at −246 to −227 bp and an E-box site at −225 to −219 bp. Further deletion and mutation analysis of these two motifs indicated that both the 1/2 ERE and Sp1 binding sites were required for E2 action, while E-box deletion did not affect the luciferase activity in MCF-7 and HeLa cells. The results of gel mobility shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that both ERαand Sp1 were required for hormone-induced transactivation, which involved both ERαand Sp1 directly binding to DNA. Taken together, these findings suggest that ERαand Sp1 play a role in activation of the human LRP16 gene promoter.