bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Poly[diaqua(μ-oxalato)(μ-2-oxidopyridinium-3-carboxylato)lanthanum(III)]
Authors: Hu Zhen , Zhu Zhi-Bo
Published: May 2009

In the title complex, [La(C6H4NO3)(C2O4)(H2O)2]n, the LaIIIion is coordinated by eight O atoms from two 2-oxidopyridinium-3-carboxylate ligands, two oxalate ligands and two water molecules in a distorted bicapped square-antiprismatic geometry. The carboxylate groups link adjacent LaIIIions, forming two-dimensional layers that are further linked by N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds.
Poly[[aquabis(μ3-isonicotinato-κ3O:O′:N)tris(μ2-isonicotinato-κ3O,O′:N)(nitrato-κO)bis(μ4-oxalato-κ6O1,O2:O2:O1′,O2′:O1′)dierbium(III)tetrasilver(I)] tetrahydrate]
Authors: Wen Yan-Mei , Feng Tian-Jun , He Li-Xin
Published: May 2009

In the title coordination polymer, {[Ag4Er2(C6H4NO2)5(C2O4)2(NO3)(H2O)]·4H2O}n, each ErIIIatom is coordinated in a bicapped trigonal–prismatic coordination geometry by three O atoms from two isonicotinate (IN) ligands, four O atoms from two oxalate ligands and one O atom from either a nitrate ion or a water molecule, both of which are half-occupied over the same site. One AgIatom has a Y-shaped geometry defined by one N atom from one IN ligand, one O atom from another IN ligand and one O atom from an oxalate ligand. The other AgIatom is coordinated by two IN ligands and one O atom from an oxalate ligand. One of the IN ligands is disordered over an inversion center and forms a bridge between two centrosymmetric AgIions. Due to the disorder, this IN ligand coordinates to the Ag atom through either the pyridyl N or the carboxylate O atoms. The IN and oxalate ligands link the Er and Ag atoms into a three-dimensional coordination framework. O—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds are observed in the crystal structure.
trans-Dichloridobis(4-methoxyaniline-κN)palladium(II)
Authors: Bon Volodimir , Orysyk Svitlana , Pekhnyo Vasyl
Published: May 2009

In the title compound, [PdCl2(C7H9NO)2], the Pd atom is situated on a crystallographic centre of inversion. The coordination environment of the Pd atom shows a slightly distorted square-planar geometry. The crystal structure exhibits weak intermolecular Pd...Cl interactions, with Pd...Cl distances of 3.6912 (6) Å. A chain-like arrangement of molecules realized by intermolecular N—H...Cl hydrogen bonds is observed along [010].
2-(2-Pyrrolidinio)-1H-benzimidazol-3-ium dinitrate
Authors: Dai Jing
Published: May 2009

In the title compound, C11H15N32+·2NO3−, one of the imidazole N atoms and the N atom of the pyrrolidine ring are protonated. The pyrrolidine ring adopts an envelope conformation, with the C atom carrying the benzoimidazolium substituent as the flap atom. In the crystal structure, cations and anions are linked through N—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming chains that run parallel to thecaxis.
11-(3-Chloro-2-hydroxypropoxy)-2,3,9-trimethoxychromeno[3,4-b]chromen-12(6H)-one
Authors: Sangthong Supranee , Teerawatananond Thapong , Phurut Chuttree , Ngamrojanavanich Nattaya , Muangsin Nongnuj
Published: May 2009

In the title compound, C22H21ClO8, the rotenoid core is nearly planar (r.m.s. deviation 0.114 Å), with the largest deviations from the least-squares plane being 0.286 (3) and 0.274 (2) Å. An intermolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond links two molecules into a centrosymmetric dimer having anR22(18) ring motif.
Ethyl 2-methyl-4-phenylquinoline-3-carboxylate
Authors: Bazgir Ayoob
Published: May 2009

In the molecule of the title compound, C19H17NO2, the quinoline ring system is planar [maximum deviation 0.021 (3) Å] and oriented with respect to the phenyl ring at a dihedral angle of 80.44 (4)°. Intramolecular C—H...O interactions result in the formation of five- and six-membered rings having planar and envelope conformations, respectively. In the crystal structure, intermolecular C—H...O interactions link the molecules into centrosymmetric dimers formingR22(12) ring motifs. π–π contacts between the rings of the quinoline system [centroid-to-centroid distance = 3.812 (1) Å] may further stabilize the structure. Two weak C—H...π interactions are also found.
1,4-Bis(methylsulfanyl)naphthalene
Authors: Çelik Ísmail , Akkurt Mehmet , Şenocak Ayşegül , Çakmak Osman , Torre-Fernández Laura , García-Granda Santiago
Published: May 2009

The molecule of the title compound, C12H12S2, is close to planar, with the methyl C atoms deviating by 0.019 (1) and 0.221 (2) Å from the naphthalene mean plane. In the crystal structure, the shortest S...S contact of 3.6864 (9) Å is longer than the van der Waals contact distance.
Pentaaqua(1H-benzimidazole-5,6-dicarboxylato-κN3)nickel(II) pentahydrate
Authors: Song Wen-Dong , Wang Hao , Qin Pei-Wen , Li Shi-Jie , Hu Shi-Wei
Published: May 2009

In the title mononuclear complex, [Ni(C9H4N2O4)(H2O)5]·5H2O, the NiIIatom is six-coordinated by one N atom from a 1H-benzimidazole-5,6-dicarboxylate ligand and by five O atoms from five water molecules and displays a distorted octahedral geometry. Intermolecular O—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions among the coordinated water molecules, solvent water molecules and carboxyl O atoms of the organic ligand and additional N—H...O hydrogen bonding lead to the formation of a three-dimensional supramolecular network.
2-Methyl-4-nitrophenol
Authors: Bi Sheng , Wu Yong-Zhong , Zhou Yi-Xin , Tang Jian-Guo , Guo Cheng
Published: May 2009

The molecule of the title compound, C7H7NO3, is nearly planar [maximum deviation 0.112 (3) Å for one of the notro O atoms]. In the crystal structure, intermolecular O—H...O and C—H...O interactions link the molecules into a three-dimensional network.
2-Aminobenzothiazolium 2,4-dicarboxybenzoate monohydrate
Authors: Zhang Na , Liu Kai-Sheng , Zhao Xiao-Jun
Published: May 2009

Cocrystallization of 2-aminobenzothiazole with benzene-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid in a mixed solvent affords the title ternary cocrystal, C7H7N2S+·C9H5O6−·H2O, in which one of the carboxyl groups of the benzenetricarboxylic acid is deprotonated and the heterocyclic N atom of the 2-aminobenzothiazole is protonated. In the crystal, intermolecular N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions stabilize the packing.
N′-(2,4-Dimethoxybenzylidene)-3,4,5-trihydroxybenzohydrazide ethanol solvate
Authors: Alhadi Abeer A. , Saharin Siti Munirah , Mohd Ali Hapipah , Robinson Ward T. , Abdulla Mahmood A.
Published: May 2009

The title compound, C16H16N2O6·C2H5OH, was synthesized from 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoylhydrazide and 2,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde in ethanol. The compound is not planar, with the two aromatic planes of the two aromatic rings twisted by 15.6 (1)°. The hydroxy groups are involved in both intramolecular O—H...O and intermolecular O—H...N and O—H...O hydrogen bonds and a C—H...O interaction also occurs.
Methyl 2-[(E)-3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzylidene]hydrazinecarboxylate
Authors: Lv Lu-Ping , Yu Tie-Ming , Yu Wen-Bo , Li Wei-Wei , Hu Xian-Chao
Published: May 2009

The title compound, C10H12N2O4, adopts atransconfiguration with respect to the C=N bond. The hydrazinecarboxylate group is twisted from the benzene ring by 6.62 (5)° and an intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal structure, molecules are linked into a two-dimensional network parallel to (100) by O—H...O, N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds. In addition, weak C—H...π interactions are observed.
Diisonicotinium pentachloridoantimonate(III) monohydrate
Authors: Chen Li-Zhuang
Published: May 2009

In the title compound, (C6H6NO2)2[SbCl5]·H2O, the SbIIIatom exhibits a distorted square-pyramidal coordination geometry. The crystal structure is stabilized by intermolecular N—H...Cl, N—H...O, O—H...Cl and O—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming an extended three-dimensional network.
Diaquabis(tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine-8-carboxylato-κ2N1,O)cobalt(II) dihydrate
Authors: Xue Min , Liu Fu-Chen
Published: May 2009

In the title compound, [Co(C6H3N4O2)2(H2O)2]·2H2O, the CoIIatom is located on an inversion center in a slightly distorted octahedral environment formed by the O atoms of two water molecules, and the N and O atoms of the chelating tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine-8-carboxylate anions. Hydrogen bonds of the O—H...O and O—H...N types result in a three-dimensional supramolecular network.
Effect of a proton pump inhibitor on the pharmacokinetics of imatinib
Authors: Egorin Merrill J. , Shah Dhvani D. , Christner Susan M. , Yerk Mara A. , Komazec Kristin A. , Appleman Leonard R. , Redner Robert L. , Miller Brian M. , Beumer Jan H.
Published: May 2009

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT

• Gastric upset is a side‐effect of imatinib therapy and the concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors is common. With the increase in oral chemotherapy in cancer treatment, oral drug–drug interactions are becoming more relevant, as is exemplified by dasatinib which has already been shown to be absorbed to a much lesser extent when co‐administered with antacids or proton‐pump inhibitors. Because exposure to subtherapeutic concentrations of anticancer drugs such as imatinib and dasatinib may result in selection of resistant clones, and ultimately relapse, we studied the effect of the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole on the pharmacokinetics of imatinib.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

• Omeprazole may be co‐administered with imatinib to treat the gastric side‐effects of the latter without affecting the pharmacokinetics of imatinib and risking tumour relapse.

AIMS

Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec®/Glivec®), which has revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemias (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST), has been reported to cause gastric upset. Consequently, proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are frequently co‐administered with imatinib. Because PPI can elevate gastric pH and delay gastric emptying or antagonize ATP‐binding‐cassette transporters, they could influence imatinib absorption and pharmacokinetics. We aimed to evaluate whether use of omeprazole has a significant effect on imatinib pharmacokinetics.

METHODS

Twelve healthy subjects were enrolled in a two‐period, open‐label, single‐institution, randomized cross‐over, fixed‐schedule study. In one period, each subject received 400 mg imatinib orally. In the other period, 40 mg omeprazole (Prilosec®) was administered orally for 5 days, and on day 5 it was administered 15 min before 400 mg imatinib. Plasma concentrations of imatinib and its active N‐desmethyl metabolite CGP74588 were assayed by LC‐MS, and data were analyzed non‐compartmentally.

RESULTS

PPI administration did not significantly affect the imatinib area under the plasma concentration vs time curve (AUC) (34.1 µg ml−1 h alone vs 33.1 µg ml−1 h with omeprazole, P= 0.64; 80% power), maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) (2.04 µg ml−1 alone vs 2.02 µg ml−1 with omeprazole, P= 0.97), or half‐life (13.4 h alone vs 14.1 h with omeprazole, P= 0.13).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that the use of omeprazole does not significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of imatinib, as opposed to, for example, dasatinib where PPI decreased AUC and Cmax two‐fold.
Microtubule‐interacting drugs induce moderate and reversible damage to human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Polioudaki H. , Kastrinaki M.‐C. , Papadaki H. A. , Theodoropoulos P. A.
Published: May 2009

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate molecular and cellular changes induced in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) after treatment with microtubule‐interacting agents and to estimate damage to the bone marrow microenvironment caused by chemotherapy.

Materials and methods: Using anin vitrohMSC culture system and biochemical and morphological approaches, we studied the effect of nocodazole and taxol® on microtubule and nuclear envelope organization, tubulin and p53 synthesis, cell cycle progression and proliferation and death of hMSCs isolated from healthy donors.

Results and conclusions: Both nocodazole and taxol reduced hMSC proliferation and induced changes in the microtubular network and nuclear envelope morphology and organization. However, they exhibited only a moderate effect on cell death and partial arrest of hMSCs at G2but not at M phase of the cell cycle. Both agents induced expression of p53, exclusively localized in abnormally shaped nuclei, while taxol, but not nocodazole, increased synthesis of β‐tubulin isoforms. Cell growth rates and microtubule and nuclear envelope organization gradually normalized after transfer, in drug‐free medium. Our data indicate that microtubule‐interacting drugs reversibly inhibit proliferation of hMSCs; additionally, their cytotoxic action and effect on microtubule and nuclear envelope organization are moderate and reversible. We conclude that alterations in human bone marrow cells of patients under taxol chemotherapy are transient and reversible.
3‐O‐methylfunicone, a metabolite of Penicillium pinophilum, inhibits proliferation of human melanoma cells by causing G2 + M arrest and inducing apoptosis
Authors: Baroni A. , De Luca A. , De Filippis A. , Petrazzuolo M. , Manente L. , Nicoletti R. , Tufano M. A. , Buommino E.
Published: May 2009

Objectives:  Melanoma cells take advantage of impaired ability to undergo programmed cell death in response to different external stimuli and chemotherapeutic drugs; this makes prevention of tumour progression very difficult. The aim of this study was to demonstrate whether 3‐O‐methylfunicone (OMF), a metabolite of Penicillium pinophilum, has the ability to arrest cell population growth and to induce apoptosis in A375P (parental) and A375M (metastasis derivatived) melanoma cell lines.

Materials and methods:  Cell proliferation and apoptosis were analysed by flow cytometry, DNA fragmentation, caspase‐3 and caspase‐9 activation, and PARP‐1 cleavage.

Results:  We demonstrated that OMF affected cell proliferation in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner, reaching the best effect at concentration of 80 µg/ml for 24 h. Flow cytometry revealed that OMF caused significant G2 phase arrest, which was associated with marked decrease in cyclin B1/p34cdc2 complex and p21 induction. OMF also induced marked decrease of survivin expression. Reduced levels of apoptosis were evident after silencing p21 expression in both cell lines. Finally, the effect exercised by OMF on hTERT and TEP‐1 gene expression confirmed the ability of this molecule to interfere with replicative ability of cells.

Conclusions:  The results reported here seem to suggest that OMF as a promising molecule to include in strategies for treatment of melanoma.
Change in diel catchability of young‐of‐year yellow perch associated with establishment of dreissenid mussels
Authors: STAPANIAN MARTIN A. , KOCOVSKY PATRICK M. , ADAMS JEAN V.
Published: May 2009

1. Non‐native mussels have increased water clarity in many lakes and streams in North America and Europe. Diel variation in catchability of some fish species has been linked to visibility during survey trawls (used to measure escapement).

2. Water clarity increased in nearshore areas of western Lake Erie by the early 1990s, following passage of legislation in 1972 to improve water quality (e.g. reduce phosphorus loading) and the invasion of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena spp.) beginning in 1987.

3. We hypothesised that increased water clarity in Lake Erie resulted in decreased catchability of young‐of‐year (age‐0) yellow perch (Perca flavescens Mitchill) during daylight compared to during night. We used a two‐tiered modelling approach to test this hypothesis on the ratio (R) of catch per hour (CPH) during night to CPH during daylight in bottom trawl surveys conducted during 1961–2005.

4. First, we examined seven a priori models. The first model, the ‘null’ model, represented no change in R over time. Three more models tested whether the timing of the change in R was associated with passage of water quality legislation only, dreissenids only (two‐period models) and both legislation and dreissenids (three‐period models). Three additional models included a 3‐year lag before the effects of legislation, dreissenids or both occurred. Secondly, all possible two‐ and three‐period models with a minimum of 2 years per time period were explored a posteriori. The a posteriori procedure determined the temporal transitions to higher R that were best supported by the data, without regard to a priori hypotheses.

5. Night CPH was greater than daylight CPH in 3 of 11 years during 1961–72, in 10 of 15 years during 1973–87, and in 14 of 18 years during 1988–2005. During 1991–2005 night CPH exceeded daylight CPH in all years except one, and night CPH was more than twice daylight CPH in 10 years during this period.

6. The best a priori model had two periods, with a break between 1990 and 1991, corresponding to 3 years after the dreissenid invasion. Similarly, the best two‐ and three‐period a posteriori models both had breaks between 1990 and 1991. The results supported our hypothesis that age‐0 yellow perch exhibited a transition to lower catchability during daylight compared to night, and the timing of the transition coincided with the establishment of dreissenid mussels.

7. The most plausible mechanism for our results was increased visibility of the trawl during daylight, resulting in increased avoidance of the trawl. These results have potential applications wherever non‐native mussels have increased water clarity.
Pleiotropic phenotypes caused by an opal nonsense mutation in an essential gene encoding HMG‐CoA reductase in fission yeast
Authors: Fang Yue , Imagawa Kiwamu , Zhou Xin , Kita Ayako , Sugiura Reiko , Jaiseng Wurentuya , Kuno Takayoshi
Published: May 2009

Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome contains an essential gene hmg1+ encoding the sterol biosynthetic enzyme, 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR). Here, we isolated an allele of the hmg1+ gene, hmg1‐1/its12, as a mutant that showed sensitivities to high temperature and to FK506, a calcineurin inhibitor. The hmg1‐1 allele contained an opal nonsense mutation in its N‐terminal transmembrane domain, yet in spite of the mutation a full‐length protein was produced, suggesting a read‐through termination codon. Consistently, overexpression of the hmg1‐1 mutant gene suppressed the mutant phenotypes. The hmg1‐1 mutant showed hypersensitivity to pravastatin, an HMGR inhibitor, suggesting a defective HMGR activity. The mutant treated with FK506 caused dramatic morphological changes and showed defects in cell wall integrity, as well as displayed synthetic growth phenotypes with the mutant alleles of genes involved in cytokinesis and cell wall integrity. The mutant exhibited different phenotypes from those of the disruption mutants of ergosterol biosynthesis genes, and it showed normal filipin staining as well as showed normal subcellular localization of small GTPases. These data suggest that the pleiotropic phenotypes reflect the integrated effects of the reduced availability of ergosterol and various intermediates of the mevalonate pathway.
Quality characteristics of minimally processed leek packaged using different films and stored in lighting conditions
Authors: Ayala Fernando , Echávarri José Federico , Olarte Carmen , Sanz Susana
Published: May 2009

Since minimal processing of vegetables does not impede their capacity to react to external stimuli, this work sought to study the effect of lighting on minimally processed leek during storage. White and green cuts were processed separately and packaged using films with different permeability: a totally permeable PVC film and two P‐Plus films: P‐Plus 120 and P‐Plus 90, with O2 permeability of 8000 and 5000 cm3 m−2 24 h−1 atm−1 at 25 °C, respectively. All the packaged leek was stored at 4 °C for more than 26 days in two different conditions: in complete darkness and in light. Lighting caused an increase in stomatal aperture and respiratory rate. Thus, the white cut achieved atmospheres with higher CO2 (10%) and lower O2 (12%) content than samples packed in the same film kept in the dark. The green cut saw respiratory activity compensated by photosynthesis, and the atmosphere composition remained similar to atmospheric conditions until day 18. Lighting also affected the colour, accelerating the changes in appearance. Exposure to light had a negative effect on the quality parameters.
Autolysis and biochemical properties of endogenous proteinases in Japanese sandfish (Arctoscopus japonicus)
Authors: Klomklao Sappasith , Kishimura Hideki , Benjakul Soottawat , Simpson Benjamin K.
Published: May 2009

Autolysis of Japanese sandfish (Arctoscopus japonicus) was studied. The highest autolysis was observed at 60 °C. Optimal pH for autolysis was found at both acidic and alkaline pH values. Autolytic activity decreased with increasing NaCl concentration. Further assay of the extract from Japanese sandfish exhibited the maximum activity at 55 °C and pH 9.5. The Japanese sandfish proteinases were markedly inhibited by pepstatin A at pH 3.5, while soybean trypsin inhibitor, PMSF and TLCK inhibited activities of proteinases at pH 9.5, suggesting Japanese sandfish proteinases were both aspartic and serine proteinases. The extracts were stable to heat treatment up to 50 °C for 15 min and still remained high relative activity after incubated at 50 °C for up to 8 h. Maximum stability of the extracts was observed between pH 6 and 11 and no changes of activity were found after incubation at pH 9.5 for up to 8 h. Activity of Japanese sandfish extract continuously decreased as NaCl concentration increased (0–30%), while activity increased as CaCl2 concentration increased. The results suggest that major proteinases in Japanese sandfish were trypsin‐like serine proteinases.
Acceleration of ageing in rice stick noodle sheets using low temperature
Authors: Satmalee Prajongwate , Charoenrein Sangunsri
Published: May 2009

The objectives of this research were to study the effects of temperature and time on ageing of rice stick noodle sheet retrogradation, and to estimate the effect of accelerated ageing on the eating qualities of the noodles. Hardness was used as a textural index due to a good correlation between instrumental and sensory evaluation. The hardness of aged sheets significantly increased as a function of time, except at 30 °C ageing. Examination of cut surfaces of fresh sheets revealed a network formation, but the cut surfaces became smoother with ageing. Room‐temperature ageing produced a rougher surface than did 0 °C ageing. These results indicate that low‐temperature ageing can accelerate retrogradation. Noodle sheets aged for 3 h at 0 °C produced optimal hardening; moreover, noodles from accelerated ageing had a textural quality similar to that of traditionally aged noodles. This research indicates that ageing at 0 °C allows the ageing period to be reduced from 12 to 3 h without a loss in noodle quality.
Infection and disease development of Quambalaria spp. on Corymbia and Eucalyptus species
Authors: Pegg G. S. , Webb R. I. , Carnegie A. J. , Wingfield M. J. , Drenth A.
Published: May 2009

Quambalaria spp. are eucalypt leaf and shoot pathogens of growing global importance, yet virtually nothing is known regarding the manner in which they infect and colonize their hosts. A study of the infection process of Q. pitereka and Q. eucalypti on Corymbia and Eucalyptus species was thus undertaken using light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy after artificial inoculation. Conidial germination was triggered when relative humidity levels exceeded 90% and commenced within 2 h in the presence of free water. Light reduced germination but did not prevent germination from occurring. Conidial germination and hyphal growth occurred on the upper and lower leaf surfaces with penetration occurring via the stomata or wounds on the leaf surface or juvenile stems. There was no evidence of direct penetration of the host. Following penetration through the stomata, Q. pitereka and Q. eucalypti hyphae grew only intercellularly without the formation of haustoria or interaction apparatus, which is characteristic of the order Microstromatales. Instead, the presence of an interaction zone is demonstrated in this paper. Conidiophores arose through stomatal openings producing conidia 7 days after infection.
Sedimentary vs. diagenetic control on rhythmic calcareous successions (Pliensbachian of Asturias, Spain)
Authors: Bádenas Beatriz , Aurell Marc , García‐Ramos José Carlos , González Beatriz , Piñuela Laura
Published: May 2009

The diagenetic overprint in rhythmic hemipelagic successions can either enhance or change the original distribution of CaCO3, but it is difficult to evaluate its effect because in most field examples, it is not possible to distinguish between sedimentary and diagenetic features. The rhythmic succession of the Pliensbachian of Asturias (Spain) shows alternation of bioclastic and laminated/burrowed intervals. The original content of carbonate brought by storms from shallow areas was larger in the bioclastic horizons. However, there is a widespread mismatch between facies alternations and the observed lithological rhythms. The diagenetic redistribution of CaCO3 resulted in successive limestone–marl/clay couplets that do not match (either in number or in the location of the boundaries) the sedimentary cycles defined by facies alternations. We conclude that interpreting the limestone–marl rhythms as a direct response to primary changes is highly questionable, unless there is unequivocal proof of a sedimentary origin of the alternation of the two lithologies.
The Zermatt‐Saas ophiolite: the largest (60‐km wide) and deepest (c. 70–80 km) continuous slice of oceanic lithosphere detached from a subduction zone?
Authors: Angiboust S. , Agard P. , Jolivet L. , Beyssac O.
Published: May 2009

The Western Alps are a classic subduction‐related collisional orogen with well‐preserved, deeply subducted ophiolitic remnants of oceanic lithosphere. Some (e.g. Monviso, Voltri) were recognized as a palaeo‐subduction channel, with tectonic blocks showing a wide range of pressure–temperature conditions. We herein evaluate for the first time the metamorphic homogeneity of the extensive Zermatt‐Saas ophiolite. Zermatt‐Saas peak eclogitic assemblages are represented by omphacite–garnet ± phengite ± epidote ± lawsonite ± glaucophane in MORB‐derived metabasalts and garnet–chloritoid–talc ± lawsonite ± phengite in hydrothermalized metabasalts. Thermobarometric estimates with thermocalc and Raman Spectroscopy of carbonaceous material reveal homogeneous peak burial conditions at around 540 ± 20 °C and 23 ± 1 kbar. P–T paths indicate that the whole of the ophiolite, at least 60 km across, strikingly underwent similar burial and exhumation patterns and detached from the slab at depths around 80 km. The Zermatt‐Saas ophiolite thus appears to be the world’s largest oceanic lithosphere fragment exhumed from such depths, which provides important constraints on interplate coupling mechanisms.
Mountain building and exhumation processes through time: inferences from nature and models
Authors: Gapais Denis , Cagnard Florence , Gueydan Frédéric , Barbey Pierre , Ballèvre Michel
Published: May 2009

Orogenic belts involving initially hot lithospheres, as exemplified by accretionary‐type orogens, commonly show distributed deformation and retrograde PT paths with a concomitant decrease in pressure and temperature. Paths may track geotherms, indicating thermal equilibrium, consistent with slow strain and exhumation rates, limited strain localization, and consequently limited topographical gradients and distributed erosion. Such patterns are more common in Precambrian times than in younger periods of the Earth history. In contrast, orogens involving initially stiff lithospheres show exhumation PT paths that track isothermal decompression reflecting high strain rates along major shear zones, a feature typical of Phanerozoic collision belts. Field evidence, analogue and numerical models emphasize that strain localization has first‐order consequences for the tectonic evolution of orogenic zones including structure, metamorphism, exhumation processes, topography, erosion and sedimentation modes.
The fate of balanced, phenotypic polymorphisms in fragmented metapopulations
Authors: CRAZE P. G.
Published: May 2009

In large populations, genetically distinct phenotypic morphs can be maintained in equilibrium (at a 1 : 1 ratio in the simplest case) by frequency‐dependent selection, as shown by Sewall Wright. The consequences of population fragmentation on this equilibrium are not widely appreciated. Here, I use a simple computational model to emphasize that severe fragmentation biases the morph ratio towards the homozygous recessive genotype through drift in very small populations favouring the more common recessive allele. This model generalizes those developed elsewhere for heterostylous plants and major histocompatibility complex alleles, emphasizes one particular outcome and avoids the restricting assumptions of more analytical models. There are important implications for both fundamental evolutionary biology and conservation genetics. I illustrate this with a range of examples but refer particularly to shell polymorphism in snails. These examples show how habitat fragmentation could have a direct and often unappreciated effect on species at the level of their population genetics.
Pathogenesis‐targeting therapeutics for spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA)
Authors: Suzuki Keisuke , Kastuno Masahisa , Banno Haruhiko , Sobue Gen
Published: May 2009

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an hereditary, adult‐onset, lower motor neuron disease caused by an aberrant elongation of a trinucleotide CAG repeat, which encodes the polyglutamine tract, in the first exon of the androgen receptor (AR) gene. The main symptoms are slowly progressive muscle weakness and atrophy of bulbar, facial and limb muscles. The cardinal histopathological findings of SBMA are an extensive loss of lower motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord as well as in brainstem motor nuclei and intranuclear accumulations of mutant AR protein in the residual motor neurons. Androgen deprivation therapy rescues neuronal dysfunction in animal models of SBMA, suggesting that the molecular basis for motor neuron degeneration in this disorder is testosterone‐dependent nuclear accumulation of the mutant AR. Suppression of disease progression by leuprorelin acetate has also been demonstrated in a phase 2 clinical trial. In addition, the clarification of pathophysiology leads to appearance of candidate drugs to treat this devastating disease: heat shock protein (HSP) inducer, Hsp90 inhibitor, and histone deacetylase inhibitor. Advances in basic and clinical research on SBMA are now paving the way for clinical application of pathogenesis‐targeting therapeutics.
Demographic and perinatal factors for behavioral problems among children aged 4–9 in Taiwan
Authors: Chiu Yen‐Nan , Gau Susan Shur‐Fen , Tsai Wen‐Che , Soong Wei‐Tsuen , Shang Chi‐Yung
Published: May 2009

Aim:  To investigate the effects of age, gender, prenatal/perinatal factors, and maternal psychological distress on childhood emotional/behavioral problems, and the gender difference in the patterns of comorbid emotional/behavioral problems.

Methods:  The sample included 1391 children aged 4–9 in Taipei using a multi‐stage sampling method. Their mothers completed questionnaires including demographics, prenatal/perinatal variables, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Chinese Health Questionnaire. The linear and non‐linear mixed model was used for data analysis.

Results:  Boys scored higher on externalizing problems, and girls scored higher on internalizing problems. Gender also modified the comorbid patterns of emotional/behavioral problems. Aggressive behaviors decreased, but attention and thought problems increased with age. Prenatal/perinatal exposure to alcohol and coffee, vaginal bleeding, and gestational diabetes, low birthweight, and postnatal incubation and resuscitation, and maternal psychological distress predicted the risk for several childhood emotional/behavioral problems.

Conclusion:  Prenatal/perinatal and maternal care, and gender‐specific measures are important for prevention of childhood emotional/behavioral problems.
Smaller pituitary volume in adult patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder
Authors: Atmaca Murad , Yildirim Hanefi , Ozler Sinan , Koc Mustafa , Kara Bilge , Sec Semih
Published: May 2009

Aims:  Another structure in the obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) circuit may be the pituitary gland because of the fact that limbic–hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (LHPA) axis abnormality has been reported in patients with OCD. There has been only one prior study, however, concerning pituitary volumetry, in which the sample was a pediatric group. The purpose of the present study was therefore to investigate this in an adult OCD patient group using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods:  Pituitary volume was measured in 23 OCD patients and the same number of healthy control subjects. Volumetric measurements were made on T1‐weighted coronal MRI, with 2.40‐mm‐thick slices, at 1.5 T, and were done blindly.

Results:  A statistically significantly smaller pituitary volume was found in OCD patients compared to healthy controls (age and intracranial volume as covariates). With regard to gender and diagnosis, there was a significant difference in pituitary gland volume (F = 4.18, P < 0.05). In addition, post‐hoc analysis indicated near‐significant difference in men with OCD as compared with women with OCD (P = 0.07) and significant difference between control men and control women (F = 10.96, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:  Taking into consideration that the prior study found decreases in pituitary volume in pediatric patients with OCD as compared with healthy control subjects, future large MRI studies should investigate pituitary size longitudinally, with a careful characterization of hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) function in conjunction with anatomic MRI evaluation.
Autonomic nervous system activity and psychiatric severity in schizophrenia
Authors: Fujibayashi Mami , Matsumoto Tamaki , Kishida Ikuko , Kimura Tetsuya , Ishii Chie , Ishii Norio , Moritani Toshio
Published: May 2009

Aims:  Schizophrenia patients have a mortality rate two to three‐fold higher than that of the general population. Despite the disorder's widespread recognition, how and to what extent autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity contributes to schizophrenia remains inconclusive. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to determine the extent of ANS activity depression with respect to healthy, well‐matched control subjects and the severity of psychiatric disorders as determined using the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale among schizophrenia patients with special reference to antipsychotic dose.

Methods:  This study included 71 schizophrenia patients and 72 healthy controls. ANS activity was assessed by means of heart rate variability power spectral analysis.

Results:  ANS‐related spectral parameters were three–four‐fold lower in the patients compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Furthermore, when the patients without cardiovascular complications were classified according to GAF score, overall ANS (P = 0.033) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity (P = 0.025) were significantly reduced in the low‐GAF as compared to the high‐GAF group. Partial correlation analyses demonstrated that ANS activity was significantly correlated with GAF score while statistically eliminating the effects of age, gender, body mass index, antipsychotic dose, and lipid profiles of the patient population.

Conclusion:  The significantly lower ANS activity in the low‐GAF group suggests that such autonomic functional depression could be associated with the severity of schizophrenia. The present data further imply that schizophrenia patients with more depressed overall ANS and PNS activity might encounter increasing risks for cardiovascular events such as sudden death.
Measuring quality of life in Japanese children: Development of the Japanese version of PedsQL
Authors: Kobayashi Kyoko , Kamibeppu Kiyoko
Published: May 2009

Background:  Health‐related quality of life (HRQL) is perceived as an important health‐care outcome. There are several systems for measuring the HRQL in adults but there are few such systems for children in Japan. Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is valid and demonstrates excellent reliability in the USA, Europe, and Asian countries. The aim of the present study was therefore to develop the Japanese version of PedsQL.

Methods:  A two‐step procedure was performed: translation of PedsQL, followed by examination of the psychometric properties in a cross‐sectional study. The feasibility, reproducibility, internal consistency reliability, factor structure, and concurrent and clinical validity were examined.

Results:  The internal consistency reliability of the Child Self‐Reports of young children was slightly low, but that of the Child Self‐Reports of school children and adolescents was good. Further, all the Parent Proxy‐Reports had excellent alphas. The Japanese version had satisfactory feasibility for all age ranges. The intercorrelation of subscales supported the multidimensional factor structure. Clinical validity was examined by analysis of variance performed for four groups with different health conditions (healthy, chronic needs only, mental condition only, and chronic needs and mental condition). The scores of each functioning scale differed among the four groups, with the healthy group having the highest scores for all functioning scales.

Conclusions:  The Japanese version of PedsQL can be applied in community and school health settings in Japan. Because children with chronic health needs and mental conditions were included, the Japanese version of PedsQL is expected to be useful in clinical settings.
An osmosensitive voltage‐gated K+current in rat supraoptic neurons
Authors: Zhang Wenbo , Wang Daoyi , Liu Xiao‐Hong , Kosala W.R.A. , Rajapaksha J.S. , Fisher Thomas E.
Published: May 2009

The magnocellular neurosecretory cells of the hypothalamus (MNCs) regulate their electrical behaviour as a function of external osmolality through changes in the activity of osmosensitive ion channels. We now present evidence that the MNCs express an osmosensitive voltage‐gated K+current (the OKC). Whole‐cell patch‐clamp experiments on acutely isolated MNCs were used to show that increases in the external osmolality from 295 to 325 mosmol/kg cause an increase in a slow, tetraethylammonium‐insensitive outward current. The equilibrium potential for this current is close to the predicted EKin two different concentrations of external K+. The OKC is sensitive to block by Ba2+(0.3 mm), and by the M‐type K+current blockers linopirdine (150 μm) and XE991 (5 μm), and to enhancement by retigabine (10 μm), which increases opening of M‐type K+channels. The OKC is suppressed by muscarine (30 μm) and is decreased by the L‐type Ca2+channel blocker nifedipine (10 μm), but not by apamin (100 nm), which blocks SK‐type Ca2+‐dependent K+currents. Reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemical data suggest that MNCs express several members of the KV7 (KCNQ) family of K+channels, including KV7.2, 7.3, 7.4 and 7.5. Extracellular recordings of individual MNCs in a hypothalamic explant preparation demonstrated that an XE991‐ and retigabine‐sensitive current contribute to the regulation of MNC firing. Our data suggest that the MNCs express an osmosensitive K+current that could contribute to the regulation of MNC firing by external osmolality and that could be mediated by KV7/M‐type K+channels.
Double‐tagged fluorescent bacterial bioreporter for the study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon diffusion and bioavailability
Authors: Tecon Robin , Binggeli Olivier , Van Der Meer Jan R.
Published: May 2009

Bacterial degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), ubiquitous contaminants from oil and coal, is typically limited by poor accessibility of the contaminant to the bacteria. In order to measure PAH availability in complex systems, we designed a number of diffusion‐based assays with a double‐tagged bacterial reporter strain Burkholderia sartisoli RP037‐mChe. The reporter strain is capable of mineralizing phenanthrene (PHE) and induces the expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) as a function of the PAH flux to the cell. At the same time, it produces a second autofluorescent protein (mCherry) in constitutive manner. Quantitative epifluorescence imaging was deployed in order to record reporter signals as a function of PAH availability. The reporter strain expressed eGFP proportionally to dosages of naphthalene or PHE in batch liquid cultures. To detect PAH diffusion from solid materials the reporter cells were embedded in 2 cm‐sized agarose gel patches, and fluorescence was recorded over time for both markers as a function of distance to the PAH source. eGFP fluorescence gradients measured on known amounts of naphthalene or PHE served as calibration for quantifying PAH availability from contaminated soils. To detect reporter gene expression at even smaller diffusion distances, we mixed and immobilized cells with contaminated soils in an agarose gel. eGFP fluorescence measurements confirmed gel patch diffusion results that exposure to 2–3 mg lampblack soil gave four times higher expression than to material contaminated with 10 or 1 (mg PHE) g−1.
The HEALTHGRAIN programme opens new opportunities for improving wheat for nutrition and health
Authors: Shewry P. R.
Published: May 2009

The health benefits of wholegrain cereal products are now widely recognised and considered to result from the presence of a range of bioactive components, including dietary fibre and phytochemicals. However, little is known about the extent to which the amounts and compositions of these components vary between types of wheat and whether this can be exploited to produce new types of wheat with enhanced health benefits. This topic is the focus of Module 2 of the EU FP6 HEALTHGRAIN programme, which has carried out a diversity screen of the amounts and compositions of dietary fibre and phytochemical components in 150 wheat lines. Substantial variation in all components was demonstrated with differences in the concentrations of phytochemicals in wholemeal ranging from 1.4‐fold for tocols up to 3.6‐fold for phenolic acids. Similarly, the concentrations of dietary fibre components differed by up to 4.7 fold, for water‐extractable arabinoxylans in flour. Furthermore, multi‐site trials of a smaller number of varieties showed that much of this variation is genetically determined, although environmental effects were also observed.

This study shows that it is possible to select for high levels for bioactive components in wheat breeding programmes leading to a new generation of “healthy” wheat varieties.
Gender, Public Space and Social Segregation in Cairo: Of Taxi Drivers, Prostitutes and Professional Women
Authors: De Koning Anouk
Published: May 2009

Abstract:  Cairo's cityscape has transformed rapidly as a result of the neoliberal policies that Egypt adopted in the early 1990s. This article examines the spatial negotiations of class in liberalizing Cairo. While much scholarly attention has been devoted to the impact of neoliberal policies on global cities of the South, few studies have adopted an ethnographic focus to examine the everyday negotiations of such transformations. I examine the ways young female upper‐middle‐class professionals navigate Cairo's public spaces, both the safe spaces of the upscale coffee shops and the open spaces of the streets. Their urban trajectories can be read as the footsteps of the social segregation that has increasingly come to mark Cairo's cityscape. I conclude that the bodies of upper‐middle‐class women have become a battleground for new class configurations and contestations, literally embodying both power and fragility of Cairo's upper‐middle class in Egypt's new liberal age.
Zones of Exclusion: Offshore Extraction, the Contestation of Space and Physical Displacement in the Nigerian Delta and the Mexican Gulf
Authors: Zalik Anna
Published: May 2009

Abstract:  This article examines two aid interventions that manifest the merging of community development/relief and industrial security policy in the petroleum offshore of the Nigerian Niger Delta and the Mexican Gulf. In the Nigerian case, the article considers the crisis in the Warri region of Delta State in 2003, the subsequent evacuation of local residents, and the surrounding context of oil‐related violence. Simmering since the 1990s, the 2003 Warri conflict displaced thousands due to competing community claims to territory that “hosts” oil installations, Shell and Chevron primarily. In Mexico, the analysis centers on the implementation of 2003 Mexican security legislation, prompted by International Maritime Organization post 9/11 security policy, that amplifies the “Zone of Exclusion” around offshore installations. To offset the loss of livelihoods resulting from the “exclusion zone”, Mexican state agencies offered financing to support the conversion of the displaced small‐scale fishers to fish farming. The varying forms of displacement prompted by these two “liberating” interventions reflect the socio‐historical specificity of territorial relations in the Nigerian and Mexican extractive regimes. These relations constitute divergent extractive settings which have come to play contrasting roles in the global political economy of oil, one highly volatile, the other relatively stable.
MAKING GOVERNANCE NETWORKS EFFECTIVE AND DEMOCRATIC THROUGH METAGOVERNANCE
Authors: SØRENSEN EVA , TORFING JACOB
Published: May 2009

In response to the growing discrepancy between the steadily rising steering ambitions and the increasing fragmentation of social and political life, governance networks are mushrooming. Governance through the formation of networks composed of public and private actors might help solve wicked problems and enhance democratic participation in public policy‐making, but it may also create conflicts and deadlocks and make public governance less transparent and accountable. In order to ensure that governance networks contribute to an effective and democratic governing of society, careful metagovernance by politicians, public managers and other relevant actors is necessary. In this paper, we discuss how to assess the effective performance and democratic quality of governance networks. We also describe how different metagovernance tools can be used in the pursuit of effective and democratic network governance. Finally, we argue that public metagovernors must develop their strategic and collaborative competences in order to become able to metagovern governance networks.
CYP2B6 G516T genotyping in a UK cohort of HIV‐positive patients: polymorphism frequency and influence on efavirenz discontinuation
Authors: Powers V , Ward J , Gompels M
Published: May 2009

Objectives

The nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) efavirenz undergoes phase I metabolism by the cytochrome P450 enzyme, CYP2B6. Previous studies outside of the United Kingdom have shown associations between the CYP2B6 polymorphism G516T and increased toxicity. This study aimed to develop a CYP2B6 G516T genotyping assay to identify individuals at risk of efavirenz toxicity. The frequency of this polymorphism in a UK HIV‐infected population and its prevalence in individuals who had discontinued efavirenz were also to be assessed.

Methods

Genomic DNA from HIV‐positive patients (n=206) attending clinic at Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust was extracted from spare blood taken for CD4 monitoring. An allele‐specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for the CYP2B6 G516T polymorphism was used to assign patients' genotypes. Patients' age, sex, ethnicity and drug history were also recorded.

Results

The G516T polymorphism was more prevalent in Blacks (16%; n=10/63) than Caucasians (6%; n=9/143). No significant difference in the distribution of genotypes between individuals who had discontinued efavirenz (n=31) and individuals who had continued efavirenz (n=74) was observed (χ2; P=0.63).

Conclusions

A genotyping method for the CYP2B6 G516T method was used to assess the polymorphism frequency in a UK cohort of HIV‐infected patients. The polymorphism was not more prevalent in individuals who had discontinued efavirenz. Reasons for drug discontinuation are likely to be multifactorial and as this study showed cannot be explained by this genetic difference alone. For this reason we do not advocate testing for this polymorphism in routine clinical practice at present.