bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pollen load size, reproductive success, and progeny kinship of naturally pollinated flowers of the tropical dry forest tree Pachira quinata (Bombacaceae)
Authors: Quesada Mauricio , Fuchs Eric J. , Lobo Jorge A.
Published: February 2007

Several studies have demonstrated, using controlled pollinations, that the number and identity of pollen grains deposited onto a flower's stigma affect the reproductive success of plants. However, few studies have shown this relationship under conditions of natural pollination. Using the tropical dry forest tree Pachira quinata, we evaluated the relationship between the number of microgametophytes per pistil and the number of sires with respect to the production of fruits and seeds in a natural population of Pachira quinata. Our study demonstrates that fruit and seed production are directly related to the number of microgametophytes per pistil in natural populations of P. quinata. Only 6% of the marked flowers developed into mature fruits and 10% of the marked flowers initiated fruits but later aborted them. A mean of 23 pollen grains were required to produce a seed. Flowers with >400 pollen grains on the stigma always developed into mature fruits, whereas flowers that received <200 grains never matured fruits. Half of the pollen grains transferred to a flower stigma germinated and developed pollen tubes to the base of the style. The number of pollen grains on a stigma explained 34% of the variation in seed number per fruit, and the number of seeds produced per fruit is positively correlated with the size of the seeds. The population of P. quinata studied is predominantly outcrossing, and seeds within fruits are sired by one or a few donors. The total seed crop within trees was sired by three to five donors. Our study examined the implications of the variation in size of microgametophyte loads per pistil with respect to the breeding system and the paternity of progeny under natural conditions. The competitive ability of pollen and pollen tube attrition are important factors regulating fruit production in P. quinata.
The evolution of minor vein phloem and phloem loading
Authors: Turgeon Robert , Medville Richard , Nixon Kevin C.
Published: February 2007

Phylogenetic analysis provides a rational basis for comparative studies of phloem structure and phloem loading. Although several types of minor vein companion cell have been identified, and progress has been made in correlating structural features of these cells with loading mechanisms, little is known about the phylogenetic relationships of the different types. To add to the available data on companion cells, we analyzed the ultrastructure of minor veins in Euonymus fortunei and Celastrus orbiculatis (Celastraceae) leaves and determined that in these species they are specialized as intermediary cells. This cell type has been implicated in symplastic phloem loading. The data were added to published data sets on minor vein phloem characteristics, which were then mapped to a well‐supported molecular tree. The analysis indicates that extensive plasmodesmatal continuity between minor vein phloem and surrounding cells is ancestral in the angiosperms. Reduction in plasmodesmatal frequency at this interface is a general evolutionary trend, punctuated by instances of the reverse. This is especially true in the case of intermediary cells that have many plasmodesmata, but other distinguishing characteristics as well, and have arisen independently at least four, and probably six, times in derived lineages. The character of highly reduced plasmodesmatal frequency in minor vein phloem, common in crop plants, has several points of origin in the tree. Thus, caution should be exercised in generalizing results on apoplastic phloem loading obtained from model species. Transfer cells have many independent points of origin, not always from lineages with reduced plasmodesmatal frequency.
Inbreeding depression under intraspecific competition in a highly outcrossing population of Crepis sancta (Asteraceae): evidence for frequency‐dependent variation
Authors: Cheptou Pierre‐Olivier , Lepart Jacques , Escarré José
Published: February 2007

Inbreeding depression is a major selective factor acting to maintain outcrossing in hermaphroditic plants. Recently it has been shown that environmental conditions may greatly affect the levels of inbreeding depression. In this study, the effects of intraspecific competition, from either crossed or inbred progeny, and plant density on the expression of inbreeding depression were estimated for the allogamous colonizing plant Crepis sancta (Asteraceae). The population used in this experiment showed a very high outcrossing rate (t = 0.99). Inbreeding depression was measured for germination, survival to reproduction, number of capitula, and a multiplicative fitness estimate. We found that inbreeding depression on survival, the number of capitula, and total fitness was the greatest when inbred plants compete with outbred plants. The effect of density on inbreeding depression was less evident. The major implication of our study is that the relative fitness of selfed progeny is strongly influenced by the type of competitors (outbred or inbred). These results support the hypothesis that inbreeding depression varies according to the density and frequency of outbred plants and suggest that it could be considered as a density‐ and frequency‐dependent phenomenon.
Unrolling a Narrative Scroll: Artistic Practice and Identity in Late-Nineteenth-Century Bengal
Authors: Ghosh Pika
Published: February 2007

Two and a half thousand years ago, long before Lakshman Sena ruled Bengal, there was a monster who came out of its cave every night and ate people. The people could not kill him because they feared him so much. They finally put a plan together and made a mirror. When the monster came out that night and saw his reflection, he was so startled to see another creature as big and powerful as himself that he lashed out at the mirror, shattering the glass. But, each broken piece reflected himself back at him. As he turned, these creatures seemed to surround him. He felt they had multiplied. So in his fear and rage, he hit his head and wept himself to death. The people came back the next morning and saw the splintered glass and the dead monster. Now, how to tell all the other villages the news that they could live without fear? So, the same man who had come up with the scheme to kill the monster was asked to devise a second plan. A big leaf was used to paint the picture of the monster. This image was circulated from village to village, and the man was packed off to tell the story. Wherever he told the tale, they gave him rice and, of course, food to eat. Soon it transformed his livelihood. He no longer cultivated land. Then they wanted new stories, so he went to the Ramayana and Mahabharata and added songs to storytelling and pictures on cloth.
Bandits and “Bad Characters”: Law as Anthropological Practice in Cyprus, c. 1900
Authors: Bryant Rebecca
Published: February 2007

In the handbook for Cypriot police officers published in 1896 by the island's British colonial administration, there is a passage that appears at first innocuous but that had important resonances for the development of legal and political statuses in Cyprus of the period. Under the section “Police Duties” and the subheading “Constables,” the handbook notes that “[c]onstables are expected to possess such knowledge of the inhabitants of their District as to enable them readily to recognize them. They are to be instructed to watch unceasingly all persons having no visible means of support, and obtain knowledge of all suspected thieves, idle and disorderly persons, and disorderly houses.”
Cunila leucantha and C. polyantha (Lamiaceae), confused neotropical species
Authors: García-Peña María del Rosario , Chiang Fernando
Published: February 2007

It is established that Cunila leucantha Kunth ex Schltdl. & Cham. and C. leucantha Benth. are independent names apparently applying to different species. Lectotypification of C. leucantha Kunth ex Schltdl. & Cham. is effected; application of the name Cunila leucantha Benth. to any known species is uncertain. Cunila leucantha Kunth ex Schltdl. & Cham. has been confused with and treated as C. polyantha Benth., although the two are distinct species and easily distinguished by inflorescence characters. The identity of the collector of the type specimen of C. polyantha is clarified.
Types of H. Buek’s South AfricanCampanulaceaein Stockholm (S)
Authors: Nordenstam Bertil
Published: February 2007

Heinrich Wilhelm Buek described 34 new species and two new varieties of South AfricanCampanulaceae, based on the collections of C. F. Ecklon and C. Zeyher and published in theirEnumeratio Plantarum Africae Australis Extratropicaein 1837. Holotypes for the names of these taxa have been identified in the herbarium of the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, Sweden (S). The types are provided with Buek’s handwritten descriptions agreeing more or lessverbatimwith those published. The only species not belonging toCampanulaceae, viz.Merciera heteromorphaH. Buek, is lectotypified. The new combinationWahlenbergia thunbergii(Schult.) B. Nord. is introduced for the widespread species known asW. uitenhagensis(H. Buek) Lammers and new combinations are made for its two varieties.Lightfootia ciliatavar.majorSond. andRoella ecklonianavar.pubescensSond. are lectotypified.
Epitypification and taxonomic elucidation of some Brazilian taxa of Cyrtopodium R. Br. (Orchidaceae)
Authors: de Barros Fábio , Batista João A. Nogueira , de Bem Bianchetti Luciano
Published: February 2007

A taxonomic review is presented of the taxa of the genus Cyrtopodium R. Br. (Orchidaceae) recently described by L. C. Menezes. As the types of most of the names of these taxa are vegetative specimens, and therefore generally useless for specific recognition, the authors designate epitypes for eight of them: C. aureum L. C. Menezes, C. braemii L. C. Menezes, C. caiapoense L. C. Menezes, C. cipoense L. C. Menezes, C. fowliei L. C. Menezes, C. holstii L. C. Menezes, C. sarneyanum L. C. Menezes, and C. withneri L. C. Menezes. Furthermore, C. sarneyanum L. C. Menezes, C. paludicolum var. goiandirense L. C. Menezes, C. paranaense var. pickelii Hoehne, and C. vernum var. fulvum L. C. Menezes are placed in synonymy of C. braemii L. C. Menezes, C. paludicolum Hoehne, C. andersonii (Lamb. ex Andrews) R. Br., and C. poecilum Rchb. f. & Warm., respectively. Since the distribution of terrestrial species of Cyrtopodium is strongly correlated with soil type, soil humidity, and surrounding vegetation, comments on habitat preferences of most species are also given.
Relationships among the Macaronesian members of Tolpis (Asteraceae: Lactuceae) based upon analyses of inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers
Authors: Mort Mark E. , Crawford Daniel J. , Santos-Guerra Arnoldo , Francisco-Ortega Javier , Esselman Elizabeth J. , Wolfe Andrea D.
Published: February 2007

With the advent of PCR and DNA sequencing, DNA data have been widely applied to the assessment of relationships among taxa of recent origin (e.g., island endemics). Numerous recent studies have used DNA sequence data and/or cpDNA RFLPs to reconstruct phylogeny for many members of the Macaronesian flora. One such genus that has received attention recently is Tolpis (Asteraceae: Lactuceae). Sequences of the cpDNA gene ndhF provided strong support for a clade comprising species of Tolpis that are largely endemic to Macaronesia, to the exclusion of several European taxa that had previously been placed within the genus. Subsequently, cpDNA RFLP data were used to assess the biogeography and potential patterns of dispersal within the genus. However, relationships among species of Tolpis present on the Canary Islands were not well‐resolved. Analyses of intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) data were employed to assess relationships among species of Tolpis from the Canary Islands and Madeira. The five primers used across 80 individuals from 10 populations of seven species resulted in 48 bands that could be scored consistently. Neighbor‐joining and parsimony analyses indicate close relationships among individuals within populations and differentiation among allopatric conspecific populations. In agreement with prior molecular results, the Canarian species form a well‐supported group. Both neighbor‐joining and parsimony analyses of ISSR markers resolve relationships (often with bootstrap support) among species, something that was not achieved previously. The present study demonstrates the potential of hypervariable single‐locus markers for elucidating relationships in rapidly radiating lineages, many of which occur in oceanic archipelagos.
Phylogeny of Pericallis (Asteraceae): a total evidence approach reappraising the double origin of woodiness
Authors: Swenson Ulf , Manns Ulrika
Published: February 2007

We report the results from parsimony analyses of all 14 recognized species in Pericallis (Asteraceae, Senecioneae), one based on morphology and one based on combined data from morphology and molecular sequences of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) using gap coding. Pericallis is restricted to the Macaronesian archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Recently it was suggested that woodiness, a character frequently developed in vascular plants on oceanic islands, evolved twice in Pericallis and that the genus had a New World biogeographic affinity. A morphological study was therefore pertinent to test if the hypothesis of multiple origins of woodiness is supported by morphology and/or total evidence. Our results show an evidently young taxon with many polymorphic characters. Monophyly of Pericallis is strongly supported and a close relationship with the African genus Cineraria is suggested. It therefore seems plausible that Pericallis has a biogeographic affinity to Africa rather than to the New World. Morphology alone indicates that the ancestral state for Pericallis was woody. Combined data are indecisive if woodiness evolved several times, but an alternative explanation is that woodiness might have been a plesiomorphic character state present in a shrubby ancestor that once colonized Macaronesia. The herbaceous habit is a novelty, derived from woody ancestors. Pericallis tussilaginis, a herbaceous species, embodies conflicting phylogenetic signals; further research is needed to understand its origin. A clade of five taxonomically complex herbaceous species is postulated to have had recent origin and undergone rapid diversification.
Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) variation within and among populations of Hypochaeris acaulis (Asteraceae) of Andean southern South America
Authors: Tremetsberger Karin , Stuessy Tod F. , Guo Yan-Ping , Baeza Carlos M. , Weiss Hanna , Samuel Rosabelle M.
Published: February 2007

AFLP variation has been assessed within and among populations of Hypochaeris acaulis (Asteraceae), a species isolated in moist seeps and rivulets throughout its range in the southern Andes. Plants in seven populations were sampled with six pairs of primer combinations. Genetic affinities were calculated by Nei­Li distance, and relationships were determined by neighbor­joining. All individuals, except two, clustered with other members of their same population. These results suggest restricted gene flow among populations, perhaps resulting from limited dispersal capability. It was estimated that a migrant is exchanged between two randomly chosen populations approximately once in eight generations, a low level of genetic exchange. A correlation of geographic and genetic distances is seen among populations, corresponding to isolation by distance. Genetic variation largely resides among populations (67.9%) rather than within (32.1%). No deep genetic divisions larger than those seen among the populations were revealed, suggesting no major biogeographic impacts, except for possible isolation of individual populations due to recent local Pleistocene glaciation. A positive correlation of genetic variation exists with population size, and a strong correlation exists with observed flowering and fruiting behavior. Pollen/ovule ratios were used to suggest that the species is facultatively autogamous, a breeding system that would be consistent with the observed pattern of genetic variation.
Returning the Ticket: Joseph Brodsky's “August” and the End of the Petersburg Text?
Authors: Reynolds Andrew
Published: February 2007

One of the mysteries of Joseph Brodsky's biography was that, even as Petersburg continued to haunt many of Brodsky's writings of exile, the poet himself did not return to his native city after being exiled in 1972. In this article, Andrew Reynolds explores the notion of the “Petersburg text” as it applies to Brodsky's work and reveals Brodsky's deep ambivalence toward the kenoticism central to many readings of the “Petersburg text” and the “Russian idea” itself. The article argues that Brodsky's “last” poem, “August,” is both an attempt to exorcise and, ultimately, an acceptance of the fatidic patterns which seem to make a “return to Petersburg” inevitable in art if not in life. The poem is both an elegy for a (still living?) tradition and a self-elegy, and represents Brodsky's final recognition that he is Aleksandr Pushkin's successor in more ways than one: the strongest Russian poets always die “in January,” irrespective of which month or season becomes one's “fate.“
“Her Duty to Canada”: Henriette Feller and French Protestantism in Québec
Authors: Balmer Randall , Randall Catharine
Published: February 2007

George McTaggart's house sits across the road from the tiny clapboard Baptist church, the only landmark in the postage-stamp sized, rural town of Saint-Blaise, Québec, a town where, as inhabitants confide, “Protestants and Catholics have always had a love-hate relationship.” McTaggart will probably be mowing the long fields behind his narrow farm with his tractor, just as he was the day we met him. He speaks English with a Scots brogue and French with the characteristic Québecois broadness. He has wise eyes, wrinkles like a topographic map, and a mischievous sense of humor. Pushing eightyfive, he remembers virtually every event in his long life, every person he has ever known, but he speaks with special animation about someone he never met, a strong-minded, charismatic, independent Swiss woman named Henriette Feller.
The Forgotten Origins of the Ecumenical Movement in England: The Grindelwald Conferences, 1892–95
Authors: Oldstone-Moore Christopher
Published: February 2007

Ruth Rouse, writing in A History of the Ecumenical Movement, made an extraordinary claim about the origins of modern ecumenism. She identified two factors in the 1890s that, in her words, “changed the course of Church history and made possible the modern ecumenical movement.” One was the Student Christian Movement, established in 1895 by the American Methodist layman, John R. Mott. The other factor was the Grindelwald (Switzerland) Reunion Conferences, an assembly mostly of English church leaders organized by a Methodist minister, Henry Lunn, between 1892 and 1895. Mott's movement is very well known to modern readers. The Grindelwald Conferences, by contrast, are utterly obscure in spite of Rouse's conclusion that they “began a new phase in the growth of the ecumenical idea.”
Redeemed Bodies: The Functions of Divine Healing in Incipient Pentecostalism
Authors: Baer Jonathan R.
Published: February 2007

Pentecostalism originated in the body as much as the spirit. The “full gospel” it proclaimed promised renewed health along with saved souls, and its embryonic ethos prized the human embodiment of divine initiative. Glossolalia and other ecstatic manifestations authenticated God's presence and power, reflecting the reality of the Holy Spirit within believers. But the materiality of the culture that gave rise to Pentecostalism received its fullest expression in “divine healing.” Suffering men and women yearned for the restoration of their broken bodies, and their faith provided it.
Determination of sulfanilamide based on the Mn(II)-catalyzed oscillating chemical reaction
Authors: Gao Jinzhang , Lv Dongyu , Yang Wu , Wei Xiaoxia , Qu Jie , Chen Hua , Dai Hongxia , Ren Jie
Published: February 2007

A convenient and sensitive method for determination of sulfanilamide (SNA) was described based on the Mn(II)-catalyzed oscillating chemical reaction. Under optimum conditions, a linear relationship existed between the changes of oscillating period or amplitude and the negative of logarithm of SNA concentration in the range of 4.27 × 10−8 mol ·L−1 ∼ 7.41 × 10−6 mol ·L−1 (RSD, 0.85%) and 9.33 × 10−8 mol ·L−1 ∼ 3.02 × 10−6 mol ·L−1 (RSD, 1.08%), respectively. The lower limit of detection was found to be 2.69 × 10−8 mol ·L−1 and 6.03 × 10−8 mol ·L−1, respectively.
Multinuclear enantiopure titanium self‐assembly complexes—synthesis, characterization and application to organic synthesis
Authors: Schetter Bernd , Stosiek Christoph , Ziemer Burkhard , Mahrwald Rainer
Published: February 2007

Hexa‐ and nonanuclear titanium complexes were obtained by self‐assembly of titanium(IV)‐tert‐butoxide and D‐mandelic acid. Suitable single crystals of these complexes were characterized by X‐ray structure analysis. When used with these complexes, aldol adducts were isolated with a high degree of regioselectivity in direct aldol additions of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes to functionalized unsymmetrical ketones. High syn‐diastereoselectivities were obtained in aldol additions of enolizable aldehydes with hydroxyacetone and methoxyacetone. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Accelerated damage accrual among men with systemic lupus erythematosus: XLIV. Results from a multiethnic US cohort
Authors: Andrade Rosa M. , Alarcón Graciela S. , Fernández Mónica , Apte Mandar , Vilá Luis M. , Reveille John D.
Published: February 2007

Objective

To determine the impact of the patient's sex on the manifestations and outcome of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

We studied SLE patients who were ages 16 years or older and had a disease duration of ≤5 years at the time of enrollment in the LUpus in MInorities, NAture versus nurture cohort, a multiethnic cohort consisting of Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian patients. Socioeconomic/demographic, clinical, and serologic features, as well as disease activity (by the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure, Revised) and damage accrual (by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index) were compared between male and female patient groups. Multivariable analyses using male sex and damage accrual as dependent variables were then performed.

Results

Sixty‐three male SLE patients (10.2%) from all ethnic groups were included. The mean ages of the male and female patients were comparable. Factors that were either more frequent or tended to be more frequent among male SLE patients were Caucasian ethnicity, smoking, alcohol use, lupus anticoagulant (LAC) positivity, and renal involvement, whereas musculoskeletal involvement was less common. American College of Rheumatology criteria accrual time and disease duration were shorter in the male patients; damage was more common and of higher magnitude in this group. LAC positivity, shorter disease duration, and higher early damage scores were independently associated with male SLE. Male sex was a strong predictor of baseline damage, measured as a categorical variable (t‐test = 2.357, β‐standardized coefficient 0.113; P = 0.019) or a continuous variable (hazard ratio 3.179 [95% confidence interval 1.999–5.056]; P < 0.001). Male sex was also positively associated with the development of damage over most of the course of the disease.

Conclusion

Poorer long‐term prognosis among men with SLE appears to be decisively determined by their accelerated development of damage, particularly early in the course of the disease.
Colon cancer management and outcome in relation to individual hospitals in a defined population
Authors: Sjövall A , Holm T , Singnomklao T , Granath F , Glimelius B , Cedermark B
Published: February 2007

Background

The Stockholm and Gotland region in Sweden has a common management protocol for the treatment of colon cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the management and treatment of colon cancer in the region and to try to identify ways to improve the outcome further.

Methods

Clinical data on all patients diagnosed with colon cancer in the region's nine hospitals between January 1996 and December 2000 were prospectively collected. Patients were followed until December 2004, and their management and outcome analysed.

Results

Colon cancer was diagnosed in 2775 patients. An elective operation was performed in 2116 (76·3 per cent) patients and an emergency procedure in 590 (21·3 per cent). Emergency surgery was an independent risk factor for death. The crude overall cumulative 5-year survival was 46·2 per cent. A multivariable analysis of risk of dying and risk of local recurrence showed significant differences between hospitals. The number of lymph nodes examined in the specimens also differed between hospitals.

Conclusion

Differences in the management and outcome of colon cancer in the nine hospitals, despite a common management protocol, indicate a need for improving collaboration between hospitals and multidisciplinary management.
Frequency and impact of extracolonic findings detected at computed tomographic colonography in a symptomatic population
Authors: Khan K Y , Xiong T , McCafferty I , Riley P , Ismail T , Lilford R J , Morton D G
Published: February 2007

Background

Extracolonic findings are frequently recognized alongside colonic pathology at computed tomographic colonography (CTC). This study assessed the clinical impact of extracolonic findings in a symptomatic population at high risk of colorectal cancer.

Methods

CTC was performed in a consecutive cohort of patients assessed in a fast-track colorectal cancer clinic as being at high risk of colorectal cancer. A review of CTC findings and case notes was undertaken. Patients with extracolonic findings were followed up for at least 12 months.

Results

Thirty-one (13·8 per cent) of 225 patients investigated by CTC had colorectal cancer. Extracolonic findings were identified in 81 (53·3 per cent) of 152 patients with normal or non-neoplastic bowel findings, compared with 27 (37 per cent) of 73 patients with colorectal neoplasia (P = 0·025). Twenty-four patients (10·7 per cent) with extracolonic findings underwent further investigation or treatment. The median duration of investigation was 19·5 weeks. Seventy-five clinical events were recorded, including 14 surgical procedures.

Conclusion

A prospective cost–benefit analysis of diagnostic CTC should be performed before it is established as a first-line investigation for colonic symptoms.
Apolipoprotein E phylogeny and evolution
Authors: Kasap Murat , Sazci Ali , Akpinar Gurler , Ergul Emel
Published: February 2007

Among apolipoproteins, apolipoprotein E (Apo E) plays a pivotal role in lipid transport and is proposed to be involved in neural repair. Because of a long divergence history of apolipoproteins, it is unclear how Apo E evolved in time. To investigate relationships among Apo E proteins, we used the information from molecular data and analysed the phylogeny of Apo E proteins from various species. Several phylogenetic trees were generated by using both character‐based and distance‐based phylogenetic methods. Apo E sequences of fish and frog were found to be less related to the Apo E sequences of other species. The most likely ancestor of Apo E among 18 organisms was estimated to be the Apo E of frog. Members of the groups formed by the Apo E proteins of various species shared similar feeding habits and diet. It may be suggested that Apo E evolution and very likely the evolution of other apolipoproteins are influenced by the organism's feeding environment and diet. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cover Picture: Nanomolar Competitive Inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Streptomyces coelicolor Type II Dehydroquinase (ChemMedChem 2/2007)
Authors: Prazeres Verónica F. V. , Sánchez‐Sixto Cristina , Castedo Luis , Lamb Heather , Hawkins Alastair R. , Riboldi‐Tunnicliffe Alan , Coggins John R. , Lapthorn Adrian J. , González‐Bello Concepción
Published: February 2007

The cover picture shows two representations of two potent competitive inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Streptomyces coelicolor dehydroquinase with a bacterial culture in the background. These enzymes operate in the shikimic acid pathway, which is an important target for the development of new antibiotics. On the right, the bioactive conformation of the 3‐nitrophenyl derivative as bound to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis active site, obtained from NMR spectroscopy, is highlighted. On the left, the picture depicts the proposed binding mode for the most potent inhibitor reported to date against any dehydroquinase, a 6‐benzothiophenyl derivative (4 nM). For more details, see the Full Paper by C. González‐Bello et al. on p. 194 ff.
Cover Picture: Planarization of the Cyclohexane Ring by Its Incorporation Into a Cyclophane Cage: Hexahydrosuperphane (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 23/2006)
Authors: Dodziuk Helena , Ostrowski Maciej
Published: February 2007

The cover picture shows (1) the hypothetical hexahydrosuperphane, which according to high level quantum chemical calculations, should have a planar cyclohexane ring, (2) the dependence of its B3LYP energy on the extension of the cyclohexane C–C bond leading to the decomposition of the title compounds, and (3) two other hexahydrocyclophanes. The relatively high barrier to the concerted retro [2+2+2] decomposition of the title molecule shown indicates that it should be a plausible synthetic target. The calculated NMR chemical shifts of hexahydrosuperphane will be of importance in identifying the molecule after its synthesis. Details are discussed in the article by H. Dodziuk and M. Ostrowski on p. 5231 ff.
Five types of inflammatory arthritis following total knee arthroplasty
Authors: Niki Yasuo , Matsumoto Hideo , Otani Toshiro , Tomatsu Taisuke , Toyama Yoshiaki
Published: February 2007

Joint effusion after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is considered as a manifestation of certain inflammatory reactions within prosthetic joints. This study investigated causes of joint effusion following TKA and analyzed phenotypic characteristics of synovial fluid leukocytes for each cause. Forty‐six TKAs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 49 TKAs for osteoarthritis (OA) displaying joint effusion were investigated. Causes of joint effusion were clinically identified and frequencies of each cause were compared between RA and OA. Synovial fluid cell phenotypes were analyzed using a fluorescence‐activated cell sorter. Clinical diagnoses for joint effusion were classified into five different groups: deep infection (DI); increased activity of RA (IRA); particle‐induced synovitis (PS); metal sensitivity (MS); and nonspecific synovitis (NS). The most frequent cause of post‐TKA effusion was IRA in RA, and NS in OA. Biomaterial‐related arthritis such as PS and MS were more frequent with OA than with RA. Analysis of synovial fluid cell phenotypes revealed that the characteristic cells for each diagnosis were CD16+CD14− neutrophils in IRA and DI, CD14+ macrophages in PS, and CD3+CD45RO+ T cells in MS. Post‐TKA joint effusion is clinically caused by five different types of arthritis. Phenotypic characteristics of synovial fluid leukocytes reflect joint pathology and contribute to diagnosis and exclusion of biomaterial‐related arthritis. 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2007
Involvement of Ca2+‐ and cyclic adenosine monophosphate‐mediated signaling pathways in photodynamic injury of isolated crayfish neuron and satellite glial cells
Authors: Uzdensky Anatoly , Lobanov Andrej , Bibov Mikhail , Petin Yaroslav
Published: February 2007

To investigate the mechanisms of oxidative injury of neurons and glia, we studied the photodynamic effect on isolated stretch receptor that consists of only two sensory neurons enwrapped by satellite glial cells. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a potent inducer of oxidative stress, is a prospective method for destruction of brain tumors. PDT induced functional inactivation and necrosis of neurons, necrosis, apoptosis, and proliferation of glial cells. The roles of calmodulin, calmodulin‐dependent kinase II, phospholipase C, protein kinases A and C, and phosphodiesterase in these processes were studied by using their inhibitors: fluphenazine, KN‐93, D‐609, H89, staurosporine, and papaverine, respectively. PDT‐induced firing abolishment was enhanced by H89 or papaverine, whereas staurosporine acted oppositely. Fluphenazine or KN‐93 reduced necrosis of neurons and glial cells. H89 enhanced necrosis of neurons, whereas staurosporine enhanced necrosis of glial cells. Inhibition of protein kinases A and C enhanced PDT‐induced glial apoptosis. Photodynamic gliosis was prevented by KN‐93 or staurosporine. These data indicate possible involvement of calmodulin and calmodulin‐dependent kinase II in photoinduced necrosis of neurons and glia. Protein kinase C could protect glial cells from necrosis and apoptosis and participate in photoinduced gliosis and loss of neuronal activity. Protein kinase A maintained neuronal firing and protected neurons from photoinduced necrosis and glial cells from apoptosis. Phosphodiesterase reduced necrosis of photosensitized neurons and glia. Thus, Ca2+‐ and cAMP‐mediated signaling pathways were involved in photooxidative injury of neurons and glia. Their pharmacological modulation may differently change the efficacy of photodynamic injury of neurons and glial cells. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evidence for Mycoplasma ssp., Chlamydia pneunomiae, and human herpes virus‐6 coinfections in the blood of patients with autistic spectrum disorders
Authors: Nicolson Garth L. , Gan Robert , Nicolson Nancy L. , Haier Joerg
Published: February 2007

We examined the blood of 48 patients from central and southern California diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) by using forensic polymerase chain reaction and found that a large subset (28/48 or 58.3%) of patients showed evidence of Mycoplasma spp. infections compared with two of 45 (4.7%) age‐matched control subjects (odds ratio = 13.8, P < 0.001). Because ASD patients have a high prevalence of one or more Mycoplasma spp. and sometimes show evidence of infections with Chlamydia pneumoniae, we examined ASD patients for other infections. Also, the presence of one or more systemic infections may predispose ASD patients to other infections, so we examined the prevalence of C. pneumoniae (4/48 or 8.3% positive, odds ratio = 5.6, P < 0.01) and human herpes virus‐6 (HHV‐6, 14/48 or 29.2%, odds ratio = 4.5, P < 0.01) coinfections in ASD patients. We found that Mycoplasma‐positive and ‐negative ASD patients had similar percentages of C. pneumoniae and HHV‐6 infections, suggesting that such infections occur independently in ASD patients. Control subjects also had low rates of C. pneumoniae (1/48 or 2.1%) and HHV‐6 (4/48 or 8.3%) infections, and there were no coinfections in control subjects. The results indicate that a large subset of ASD patients shows evidence of bacterial and/or viral infections (odds ratio = 16.5, P < 0.001). The significance of these infections in ASD is discussed in terms of appropriate treatment. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
RECK expression in osteosarcoma: correlation with matrix metalloproteinases activation and tumor invasiveness
Authors: Kang Hyun‐Guy , Kim Han‐Soo , Kim Kap‐Jung , Oh Joo Han , Lee Mi‐Ra , Seol So Mi , Han Ilkyu
Published: February 2007

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor of bone characterized by its high metastatic potential. For the development of metastasis, activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is required. A novel MMPs inhibitor, reversion inducing cysteine rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK), is known to down‐regulate MMPs and suppress the invasive and metastatic potential in many tumor‐derived cell lines and some types of tumors. The expression of RECK and its role in tumor invasiveness have never been studied in osteosarcoma. We examined RECK mRNA expression and MMPs activation in osteosarcoma using quantitative real time PCR, gelatin zymography, invasion assay, and transfection experiments. RECK was expressed but down‐regulated in osteosarcoma cells. Activation of pro‐MMP‐2 was observed in all samples, whereas activation of MMP‐2 and pro‐MMP‐9 was detected in only 11% and 7% of the samples, respectively. MMP‐9 was not activated in any of the samples. The level of RECK expression was inversely correlated with pro‐MMP‐2 activation, and overexpression of RECK by transfection resulted in decreased pro‐MMP‐2 activation and reduced tumor invasiveness. These findings suggest that RECK plays an important role in the invasiveness of osteosarcoma. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 25:696–702, 2007
Expression of large tenascin‐C splice variants in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Hasegawa Masahiro , Nakoshi Yutaka , Muraki Makoto , Sudo Akihiro , Kinoshita Noriaki , Yoshida Toshimichi , Uchida Atsumasa
Published: February 2007

Tenascin‐C (TN‐C) is a hexameric glycoprotein component of extracellular matrix, and alternative RNA splicing creates two major TN‐C size variants (the small and large variants). The large TN‐C variants play key roles in many pathologic conditions in adults, including tumorigenesis, regeneration, and inflammation. This cross‐sectional study compared levels of large TN‐C variants in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). Synovial fluid samples were obtained from knees of 26 patients with advanced RA and 79 with advanced OA. Expression of TN‐C splice variants was examined using Western blotting. The levels of large TN‐C variants in synovial fluid were determined by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Synovium were analyzed for TN‐C by immunohistochemistry. Immunoblotting showed the presence of large TN‐C variants in synovial fluid from patients with RA and OA. However, levels of large TN‐C variants were fourfold higher in RA samples compared with OA samples (p < 0.01). Synovial fluid levels of TN‐C in RA did not correlate with C‐reactive protein levels. Immunohistochemistry of the synovium showed stronger reactivity in RA samples than in OA samples. These results indicate that local synthesis of TN‐C is increased during rheumatic disease. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 25:563–568, 2007
Concerning trends and outcomes for National Institutes of Health funding of cancer research
Authors: Bland Kirby I.
Published: February 2007

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) considers its principal mission for three modalities: (1) the integration of discovery activities with collaborations of interdisciplinary types; (2) the acceleration of innovations and provision of technology that will allow achievements of translational research; and (3) to move the aforementioned new discoveries via translational methods for application in clinics and public health programs. This article will focus on the contemporary trends for 2003–2004 and the NIH budget of 2005 to enumerate the progress in surgical funding by the NIH and NCI. Specifically, this presentation focuses on outcomes in departments of surgery nationally with correlates for non‐surgical clinical sciences and their funding. While the NCI and NIH continue to undergo a comprehensive scrutiny of their resources in this budget‐reduced environment related to the efforts to secure peace in Iraq, it is highly probable that our current mechanisms in place will not change without participation of surgical scientists in oncology in the award mechanisms. It should be highly encouraged that surgeon–scientists actively participate on Study Sections of the NIH‐NCI to provide surgical investigators the opportunity to be competitive with non‐surgeons when reviews of meritorious proposals are submitted by their surgical oncology peers. J. Surg. Oncol. 2007;95:161–166. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis of ‘ARN’ naphthenic acids by high temperature gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography
Authors: Smith Ben E. , Sutton Paul A. , Lewis C. Anthony , Dunsmore Braden , Fowler Geoffrey , Krane Jostein , Lutnaes Bjart F. , Brandal Øystein , Sjöblom Johan , Rowland Steven J.
Published: February 2007

Examination by high temperature GC (HTGC) of the methyl esters of the so‐called ‘ARN’ naphthenic acids from crude oils of North Sea UK, Norwegian Sea and West African oilfields revealed the distributions of resolved 4–8 ring C80 tetra acids and trace amounts of other acids. Whilst all three oils contained apparently the same major acids, the proportions of each differed, possibly reflecting the growth temperatures of the archaebacteria from which the acids are assumed to have originated. The structures of the 4, 5, 7 and 8 ring acids are tentatively assigned by comparison with the known 6 ring acid and related natural products and an HPLC method for the isolation of the individual acids is described. ESI‐MS of individual acids isolated by preparative HPLC established the elution order of the 4–8 ring acids on the HPLC and HTGC systems and revealed the presence of previously unreported acids tentatively identified as C81 and C82 7 and 8 ring analogues.
Crystal‐to‐Crystal Photoinduced Electron Transfer Generating Photoacids to Formulate Water‐Borne Photopolymers
Authors: Ichimura Kunihiro , Aoki Ken'ichi
Published: February 2007

Casting a photopolymer solution to form a film, followed by imagewise photoirradiation and subsequent wet development, leads to photolithography. Whereas the wet development is achievable with aqueous alkali, the emission of an organic solvent as a volatile organic compound (VOC) is usually inevitable during the film casting because ingredients of common photopolymers are insoluble in water. We show here a prototype of water‐borne photopolymers dispersed with milled nanoparticles of poorly water‐soluble photoacid generators (PAGs), which undergo solid‐state photolysis to liberate a photoacid to make a poly(vinyl alcohol) film insoluble in water with the aid of an acid‐sensitive crosslinking reagent. The photolysis of onium‐type PAGs is sensitized in the solid state simply by comilling with water‐insoluble sensitizers to extend spectral sensitivity of this kind of photopolymers. Fluorescence quenching measurements revealed that the solid‐state sensitization occurs through exciton migration in sensitizer particles followed by electron transfer to PAG particles.

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Treatment of essential tremor with the barbiturate t2000 (1,3‐dimethoxymethyl‐5,5‐diphenyl‐barbituric acid)
Authors: Melmed Calvin , Moros Daniel , Rutman Howard
Published: February 2007

The effect of the barbiturate T2000 (1,3‐dimethoxymethyl‐5,5‐diphenyl‐barbituric acid; DMMDPB) on essential tremor, given in twice daily doses of 400 and 300 mg, was assessed in two brief, randomized, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group, double‐blinded, single‐center trials in 12 and 22 patients, respectively. These trials represent the first clinical use of T2000 for a specific indication. The primary endpoint was the change in the mean scores of the treated and control groups based on the Fahn‐Tolosa‐Marin tremor scale. In the first study of 12 patients treated with 400 mg or placebo twice daily for 14 days, the mean change from baseline at day 14 was 19.3 (P < 0.0001) in the treated group and 9.0 (P = 0.0121) in the control group. Using a two‐factor mixed ANOVA model to evaluate within group and between group changes, the effect of T2000 was significantly different from that of the placebo group (P = 0.03). In the second study of 22 patients treated with 300 mg of T2000 or placebo twice daily for 20 days, statistically significant changes were seen in treated patients compared to baseline, but the ANOVA model did not demonstrate a significant treatment effect of T2000 compared to placebo. When the treated groups from each study are compared, the 800‐mg daily group is significantly different from the 600‐mg daily group (P = 0.02). Some treated patients in each study, but no placebo patients, experienced marked improvement. These results support further evaluation of T2000 in the treatment of essential tremor. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society
New Pliocene localities with micromammals from the Czech Republic: a preliminary report
Authors: Čermák S. , Wagner J. , Fejfar O. , Horáček I.
Published: February 2007

Abstract. The first well defined Pliocene mammalian faunas in the Czech Republic – found at localities Měňany 3 and Vitošov – are reported herein. Pilot samples from the localities have yielded an assemblage of at least 23 taxa of small mammals (Lipotyphla, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha, and Rodentia). The key taxa Mimomys hassiacus, M. cf. gracilis (an advanced form), Baranomys, and Germanomys in the assemblage suggest age of the fauna is Pliocene, possibly near the Ruscinian – Villanyian (MN15b – MN16a) boundary. Die ersten gut definierten Säugetierfaunen des Pliozäns – aus Měňany 3 und Vitošov – werden hier zum erstenmal untersucht. Die ersten Proben lieferten eine Fauna von 23 Säugetiertaxa der Ordnungen Lipotyphla, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha und Rodentia. Die biochronologisch wichtigen Formen Mimomys hassiacus, M. cf. gracilis (eine fortschrittliche Form), Baranomys und Germanomys unterstützen die Alterseinstufung der Fauna an der Grenze des Ruscinium – Villanyium (MN15b – MN16a). doi:10.1002/mmng.200600019
Isolation and Characterisation of Procyanidins from Rumex obtusifolius
Authors: Spencer Paul , Sivakumaran Subathira , Fraser Karl , Foo L. Yeap , Lane Geoffrey A. , Edwards Patrick J. B. , Meagher Lucy P.
Published: February 2007

An acetone:water (7:3) extract obtained from the leaves of Rumex obtusifolius was fractionated into procyanidin oligomer and polymer fractions using a linear gradient and a simple step method on Sephadex LH‐20. The chemical characteristics of the procyanidin fractions were studied by 13C‐NMR spectroscopy, acid‐catalysed degradation in the presence of benzyl mercaptan, matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionisation time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) MS and electrospray ionisation (ESI) MS. The 13C‐NMR showed that the polymer fraction consisted predominantly of procyanidin polymers, some with galloyl groups attached. The thiolysis reaction products indicated a mean degree of polymerisation (DP) of 4.3 for the step method, and a range of 2.3–8.2 mean DP for the gradient fractionation, with epicatechin as the most abundant flavan‐3‐ol extension unit, while the terminal units consisted of equal proportions of catechin, epicatechin and epicatechin gallate. Singly charged ions observed in MALDI‐TOF/MS showed a range of oligomeric procyanidins and their polygalloyl derivatives. These species (in the range DP 2–7) were also observed by ESI/MS but the spectra were more complex due to overlapping multiply charged ions. Isolation of oligomers from the Sephadex LH‐20 fraction by chromatography on polyamide and C18 yielded B1, B2, B3 and B7 dimers, an A‐type trimer and a B2 3,3′‐O‐digallate. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.