bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CE MALDI‐TOF/TOF MS for multiplexed quantification of proteins in human ventricular cerebrospinal fluid
Authors: Zuberovic Aida , Wetterhall Magnus , Hanrieder Jörg , Bergquist Jonas
Published: May 2009

CE, interfaced off‐line to MALDI‐TOF/TOF MS, was for the first time used to quantitatively monitor the protein content in complex biological and clinical samples with iTRAQ™ labeling. The usefulness and advantage of iTRAQ™ labeling, in combination, with CE MALDI‐TOF/TOF MS is demonstrated on mixtures of protein standards and by a case study on human ventricular cerebrospinal fluid samples collected from a patient with traumatic brain injury during patient recovery. Mixtures of five standard proteins were initially analyzed to optimize the experimental conditions for the CE MALDI‐MS and MS/MS analysis. The interactions of proteins and peptides with the capillary inner wall during CE separation were minimized using PolyE‐323 modified capillaries. The analysis of the ventricular cerebrospinal fluid samples yielded 43 significantly (p<0.05 MudPIT scoring) identified proteins that could be quantitatively monitored over time. The identified changes in protein levels for several of these proteins are well in line with the reports from previous studies on protein patterns that could be related to the post‐traumatic processes of traumatic brain injury. This study shows that the presented approach, combining isobaric tags with CE MALDI‐TOF/TOF MS, is a useful choice for quantitative proteomic analysis.
Enantioselective determination of thyroxine enantiomers by ligand‐exchange CE with UV absorbance and ICP‐MS detection
Authors: Kang Jianzhen , Kutscher Daniel , Montes‐Bayón Maria , Blanco‐González Elisa , Sanz‐Medel Alfredo
Published: May 2009

A simple CE method has been developed for the separation and determination of thyroxine (T4) enantiomers in pharmaceutical formulations. The method was based on ligand‐exchange mechanism using a Cu(II)/L‐proline complex as chiral selector. The effects of different parameters affecting separation such as chiral selector concentration, organic additive, buffer pH and temperature were investigated. A baseline separation of the two enantiomers was obtained at a Cu(II)/L‐proline ratio of 1:8 in a borate buffer (15 mmol/L, pH 9.6) containing 10% v/v acetonitrile. Under the optimized conditions, precision linearity range and detection limits of the developed enantioselective CE method were evaluated and compared using two different detection systems: conventional UV detection at 226 nm and iodine (127I)specific detection (“chiral speciation”) with ICP‐MS. Both methodologies show adequate analytical performance characteristics with detection limits around 0.30 μg/mL for each enantiomer of T4. Finally, a levothroid pharmaceutical formulation sample was successfully analyzed using both developed methods CE‐UV and CE‐ICP‐MS.
Separation of R‐form lipopolysaccharide and lipid A by CE–Fourier‐transform ion cyclotron resonance MS
Authors: Hübner Göran , Lindner Buko
Published: May 2009

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main component of the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram‐negative bacteria. Native isolates of LPS comprise a high inherent heterogeneity. This paper presents the first application of CE to separate and online mass analyze the different constituents of underivatized R‐form LPS and lipid A with an FT ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. A Beckman P/ACE MDQ and a home‐made CE instrument were coupled to the mass spectrometer using a sheath liquid interface. An optimized CE electrolyte based on water, isopropyl alcohol, triethylamine and acetic acid at pH 8.9 allowed the separation of molecular species even of complex mixtures to a large extent with observed detection limits of single constituents of the samples in the low femtomol range. Comparison of CE‐MS and MS measurements under equal conditions enabled the investigation of ion suppression effects in LPS samples.
2‐DE with IPGs
Authors: Görg Angelika , Drews Oliver , Lück Carsten , Weiland Florian , Weiss Walter
Published: May 2009

In order to overcome the limitations of carrier ampholyte generated pH gradients, IPGs were developed in the late 1970s. However, the 2‐DE pattern we included in the first publication on IEF with IPGs [Bjellqvist et al., J. Biochem. Biophys. Methods 1982, 6, 317–339] was far from being competitive to O'Farrell's high‐resolution 2‐DE with carrier ampholytes. Our 2‐DE pattern in this article was, more or less, only a proof of principle. It was, however, the beginning of a long journey of stepwise improved 2‐DE protocols we developed in our laboratory and summarized in the reviews published in Electrophoresis 1988, 9, 531–546 and in Electrophoresis 2000, 21, 1037–1053. Milestones were the design of the IPG strip, and the “reduction‐alkylation equilibration protocol” of IPG strips after IEF for the efficient transfer of proteins from first to second dimension. The protocol of 2‐DE with IPGs has been constantly refined, e.g. by the generation of tailor‐made IPGs with different pH intervals from the acidic to the basic extremes (pH 2.5–12), and extended separation distances for improved resolution. In the present review, a historical outline from the technical difficulties encountered during the development of 2‐DE with IPGs, to the establishment of the actual “standard protocol” will be given, as well as the modified procedures for the separation of very acidic, very alkaline, low‐abundance and hydrophobic proteins, followed by a brief discussion of the advantages and technical challenges of gel‐based proteomic technologies.
Gene expression meta‐analysis identifies chromosomal regions involved in ovarian cancer survival
Authors: Thomassen Mads , Jochumsen Kirsten M. , Mogensen Ole , Tan Qihua , Kruse Torben A.
Published: May 2009

Ovarian cancer cells exhibit complex karyotypic alterations causing deregulation of numerous genes. Some of these genes are probably causal for cancer formation and local growth, whereas others are causal for metastasis and recurrence. By using publicly available data sets, we have investigated the relation of gene expression and chromosomal position to identify chromosomal regions of importance for early recurrence of ovarian cancer. By use of “Gene Set Enrichment Analysis,” we have ranked chromosomal regions according to their association to survival. Over‐representation analysis including 1–4 consecutive cytogenetic bands identified regions with increased expression for chromosome 5q12‐14, and a very large region of chromosome 7 with the strongest signal at 7p15‐13 among tumors from short‐living patients. Reduced gene expression was identified at 4q26‐32, 6p12‐q15, 9p21‐q32, and 11p14‐11. We summarized mutation load in these regions by a combined mutation score that is statistical significantly associated to survival by analysis in the data sets used for identification of the regions. Furthermore, the prognostic value of the combined mutation score was validated in an independent large data set using death (P = 0.015) and recurrence (P = 0.002) as outcome. The combined mutation score is strongly associated to upregulation of several growth factor pathways. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Brain volume abnormalities in major depressive disorder: A meta‐analysis of magnetic resonance imaging studies
Authors: Koolschijn P. Cédric M.P. , van Haren Neeltje E.M. , Lensvelt‐Mulders Gerty J.L.M. , Hulshoff Pol Hilleke E. , Kahn René S.
Published: May 2009

Objective. So far, there have been no attempts to integrate the growing number of all brain volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies in depression. In this comprehensive meta‐analysis the magnitude and extent of brain volume differences between 2,418 patients with major depressive disorder and 1,974 healthy individuals from 64 studies was determined. Methods. A systematic research was conducted for volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies of patients with major depressive disorder in relation to healthy control subjects. Studies had to report sufficient data for computation of effect sizes. For each study, the Cohen's d was calculated. All analyses were performed using the random effects model. Additionally, meta‐regression analyses were done to explore the effects of potential sources of heterogeneity. Results. Patients showed large volume reductions in frontal regions, especially in the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex with smaller reductions in the prefrontal cortex. The hippocampus, the putamen and caudate nucleus showed moderate volume reductions. Conclusions. This is the first comprehensive meta‐analysis in major depressive disorder demonstrating structural brain abnormalities, particularly in those brain areas that are involved in emotion processing and stress‐regulation. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Executive dysfunction and periventricular diffusion tensor changes in amnesic mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Chen Ta‐Fu , Chen Ya‐Fang , Cheng Ting‐Wen , Hua Mau‐Sun , Liu Hon‐Man , Chiu Ming‐Jang
Published: May 2009

Our aim in this study was to explore the neural substrates of executive function in frontal and nonfrontal white matter using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We studied the relationship between executive dysfunction and DTI measurements on 13 subjects with amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), 11 subjects with early Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 16 control subjects. All participants underwent an examination of their intelligence, memory, and executive function and were subjected to DTI. Both aMCI and early AD subjects showed executive function impairment with differential performance in frontal‐related behaviors. Both aMCI and early AD subjects showed increased mean diffusivity in the genu of the corpus callosum and left frontal periventricular white matter (PVWM), whereas subjects with early AD showed an additional decrease in the fractional anisotropy of bilateral frontal PVWM and in the genu of the corpus callosum. The frontal PVWM was associated with performance on the Verbal Fluency Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and Part B of the Trail Making Test. The parietal PVWM was associated with perseverative errors on the WCST and Part A of the Trail Making Test. In summary, executive function was impaired in subjects with aMCI and early AD and was associated with frontal and parietal PVWM changes. These changes may be due to early AD degeneration of the lateral cholinergic projections or to early change of the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Leiomyosarcoma of the larynx as a local relapse of squamous cell carcinoma—Report of an unusual case
Authors: Völker Hans‐Ullrich , Zettl Andreas , Haralambieva Eugenia , Blume Bernd , Hagen Rudolf , Müller‐Hermelink Hans‐Konrad , Scheich Matthias
Published: May 2009

Background.

The authors report on leiomyosarcoma after previously treated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at the glottis.

Methods.

Primary tumor and relapses were investigated morphologically, immunohistochemically, and with molecular methods.

Results.

The SCC was typical, but few cells showed a spindle‐shaped pattern. The relapse tumor was a spindle‐shaped and epitheloid tumor with the morphological and immunohistochemical appearance of leiomyosarcoma (sm‐actin+, desmin+, caldesmon+, vimentin+, keratin−).

The comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) revealed some gains and losses in the leiomyosarcoma. Because of altered material, the investigation failed in the primary. A fluorescence in situ hybridization (5p) focally detected 3 chromosmomal copies, corresponding to gains on 5p in CGH of leiomyosarcoma.

Conclusion.

Leiomyosarcoma after SCC is very uncommon. A connection between both seems likely in this case. Transdifferentiation, also seen in other tumors or carcinosarcomas, could be based on aberrant differentiation of a pluripotent stem cell. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2010
Impacts of frequency and posture on body mass index in manual handling tasks
Authors: Tetteh Edem G. , Latif Niaz , McGlothlin James D. , Peters Jerry
Published: May 2009

Workspace design plays an important role in ensuring workers' safety and welfare. The issue is more pressing in the manufacturing industry, where many workers must remain in a standing position, assume awkward postures, and perform repetitive tasks for extended periods of time. In this research, an electromyographic measurement technique was used to measure activity of four back muscles: the trapezius p. descendens, the deltoideus p. scapularis, the infraspinatus, and the latissimus dorsi. The results showed a statistically significant (p < 0.05) impact of left versus right side of the body, the degree of rotation to the right side of the body (0, 30, and 60 degrees rotation to the mid‐sagittal plane), body mass index level (normal weight [<25 kg/m2] vs. overweight [⩾25 kg/m2]), and tasks (high vs. low frequency). In this study, the role that workers and workspace variation play is clearly associated with an increase in the amplitude of electromyography at the targeted back muscles. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human and machine effects in a just‐in‐time scheduling problem
Authors: Eren Tamer
Published: May 2009

In this article, single‐machine scheduling problems with learning effects of setup and removal times and deterioration effects of processing time are considered. The objective function of the problem is minimization of the weighted sum of total earliness and total tardiness. To get an exact solution to the problem, a mathematical programming model is proposed. Also the model is tested on an example. To the best of our knowledge, no work exists in the literature that considers the problem presented in this article. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Continuous fluorescence assessment of organic matter variability on the Bournbrook River, Birmingham, UK
Authors: Carstea Elfrida M. , Baker Andy , Pavelescu Gabriela , Boomer Ian
Published: May 2009

Continuous monitoring of dissolved organic matter (DOM) character and concentration at hourly resolution is rare, despite the importance of analysing organic matter variability at high‐temporal resolution to evaluate river carbon budgeting, river water health by detecting episodic pollution and to determine short‐term variations in chemical and ecological function. The authors report a 2‐week experiment performed on DOM sampled from Bournbrook, Birmingham, UK, an urban river for which spectrophotometric (fluorescence, absorbance), physiochemical (dissolved organic carbon [DOC], electrical conductivity, pH) and isotopic (D/H) parameters have been measured at hourly frequency. Our results show that the river had sub‐daily variations in both organic matter concentration and characteristics. In particular, after relatively high‐magnitude precipitation events, organic carbon concentration increased, with an associated increase in intensity of both humic‐like and tryptophan‐like fluorescence. D/H isotopic ratio demonstrates different hydrological responses to different rainfall events, and organic matter character reflects this difference. Events with precipitation < 2 mm typically yielded isotopically heavy water with relatively hydrophilic DOM and relatively low specific absorbance. Events with precipitation > 2 mm had isotopically lighter water with higher specific absorbance and a decrease in the proportion of microbially derived to humic‐like fluorescence. In our heavily urbanized catchment, we interpret these signals as one where riverine DOM is dominated by storm sewer‐derived ‘old’ organic matter at low‐rainfall amounts and a mixed signal at high‐precipitation amounts where ‘event’ surface runoff‐derived organic matter dominate during storm sewer and combined sewer overflow routed DOM. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of water vapour, heat and energy exchanges over agricultural and wetland ecosystems
Authors: Li Yijun , Zhou Li , Xu Zhenzhu , Zhou Guangsheng
Published: May 2009

Wetland and maize farmland are main ecosystems in Northeast China, which play important roles in water, heat and energy exchanges between land and atmosphere. In this study, we used the eddy covariance system to examine the characteristics of water, heat and energy exchanges over a rain‐fed maize agricultural ecosystem and a reed wetland ecosystem. The results showed that water and heat exchanges had significant differences between the two ecosystems, which were attributed to obvious distinction in their surface properties. Heat exchange (H) was stronger over reed wetland, while water vapour exchange (LE) was greater over maize farmland. Wetland has great thermal capacity that tends to slow down the energy exchange; therefore, half‐hour peak values of LE and H over the wetland delayed for half an hour compared to the maize farmland. The ratio of evapotranspiration (ET) to potential evapotranspiration (ETp) indicated that ET over the reed wetland was most of the time close to ETp in the non‐growing season, while ET over the maize farmland was closer to ETp in the growing season. A weak linear relationship was found between ET and leaf area index (LAI) over the reed wetland in the growing season, indicating that the transpiration from canopy provided few contributions to ET. In addition, uncertain water resources brought external energy into reed wetland, resulting in poor energy closure, which provided some uncertainty to the partition of available energy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A recharge model for high altitude, arid, Andean aquifers
Authors: Houston John
Published: May 2009

Evidence for groundwater recharge in arid zones is mounting, despite early ideas that recharge was unlikely where evaporation greatly exceeded precipitation. The mechanisms and magnitude of groundwater recharge in the Andes and Atacama Desert are not well known but the subject of current research. Diffuse recharge is expected to be limited to high altitude areas with coarse‐grained soils devoid of vegetation. A recharge model for this environment is developed based on a simple soil moisture budgeting technique and the calculation of actual evaporation based on empirical studies. The model is run with data for the Linzor basins, over 4000 m elevation at 22·2°S on the west slope of the Andes. It is checked against independent estimates based on the chloride mass balance (CMB) method and flood events measured downstream in the Río Salado and found to provide robust and reliable results. The results indicate that irregular and volumetrically limited amounts of diffuse recharge occur at high elevations in half of all years, with a tendency to cluster during La Niña episodes. For the Linzor Basins, mean annual recharge is found to be equivalent to 28 mm a−1, although no recharge occurs in years with precipitation less than 120 mm, and increases proportionately with annual rainfall amounts above this limit. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Producing stylized videos using the AnimVideo rendering tool
Authors: Gomes Rafael B. , Oliveira Lucas M. , Britto‐Neto Laurindo S. , Santos Tiago S. , Andrade Gilbran S. , Carvalho Bruno M. , Gonçalves Luiz M. G.
Published: May 2009

Stylized rendering is the process of generating images or videos that can have the visual appeal of pieces of art, expressing the visual and emotional characteristics of artistic styles. A major problem in stylizing videos is the absence of temporal coherence, something that results in flickering of the structural drawing elements (such as brush strokes or curves), also known asswimming. This article describes the AnimVideo rendering tool that was developed for stylizing videos with temporal coherence. The temporal coherence is achieved by first fully segmenting the input video with a fast fuzzy segmentation algorithm that uses hybrid color spaces and motion information. The result of the segmentation algorithm is used to constrain the result of an optical flow algorithm, given as dense optical flow maps that are then used to correctly move, remove, or add structural drawing elements. The combination of these two methods is referred to asconstrained optical flow, and we also provide the option of initializing the optical flow computation with displacement maps computed by homographies that map objects in adjacent frames. Also, we briefly describe some stylized rendering methods that were implemented in the tool. Finally, experimental results are shown, including snapshots of the tool's interface and illustrative examples of the produced renderings that validates the proposed techniques. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 19, 100–110, 2009.
Temporal motion recognition and segmentation approach
Authors: Ahad Md. Atiqur Rahman , Tan J. K. , Kim H. S. , Ishikawa S.
Published: May 2009

Separating or segmenting complex activities into basic action primitives is important for event recognition and other applications. In this article, simple approaches are presented for appearance‐based action recognition, as well as motion segmentation into its action primitives. Optical flow is computed and split into four channels based on four directions, namely, up, down, left, and right. Based on these four motion vectors, motion history and the corresponding energy templates are generated. These are used for action recognition. Moreover, to segment sequential activity, the temporal motion segmentation (TMS) method is proposed based on the concept of history templates. Based on the total pixel volumes on these templates and their related variations, various directions of the action primitives are segmented temporally. This segmentation method can assist an intelligent system or robot to understand activities and take decisions afterwards. It is a simple and real‐time approach. Based on the presented experiments, this approach can be very useful in various application areas. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 19, 91–99, 2009.
Motion segmentation and activity representation in crowds
Authors: Ma Yunqian , Cisar Petr , Kembhavi Aniruddha
Published: May 2009

Video surveillance of large facilities, such as airports, rail stations, and casinos, is developing rapidly. Cameras installed at such locations often overlook large crowds, which makes problems such as activity and scene understanding very challenging. Traditional activity understanding techniques, which rely on input from lower level processing units dealing with background subtraction, human detection, and tracking, are unable to cope with frequent occlusions in such scenes. We propose a novel spatiotemporal segmentation and activity recognition framework that bypasses these commonly used low‐level modules. We model each local spatiotemporal patch as a dynamic texture. Using a suitable distance metric to compare two local patches based on their estimated dynamic texture parameters, we segment a video into spatiotemporal regions that show similar motion patterns. We are also able to temporally stitch together local regions to form activity streamlines and represent each streamline by its constituent dynamic textures. This allows us to seamlessly perform activity recognition without explicitly detecting individuals in the scene. We demonstrate our framework on multiple datasets and show favorable results compared with the state of the art. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 19, 80–90, 2009.
Computing surfaces via pq‐permutations
Authors: Pulcini Gabriele
Published: May 2009

In algebraic topology, compact two‐dimensional manifolds are usually dealt through a well‐defined class of words denoting polygonal presentations. In this article, we show how to eliminate the useless bureaucracy intrinsic to word‐based presentations by considering very simple combinatorial structures called pq‐permutations. Thanks to their specific effectiveness, pq‐permutations induce a rewriting system P able to compute, in a very easy and intuitive way, the quotient surface associated with any given polygonal presentation. The system P is shown to enjoy both the fundamental computational properties of strong normalization and strict strong confluence. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 19, 132–139, 2009.
A theoretical solution to MAP‐EM partial volume segmentation of medical images
Authors: Wang Su , Lu Hongyu , Liang Zhengrong
Published: May 2009

Voxels near tissue borders in medical images contain useful clinical information, but are subject to severe partial volume (PV) effect, which is a major cause of imprecision in quantitative volumetric and texture analysis. When modeling each tissue type as a conditionally independent Gaussian distribution, the tissue mixture fractions in each voxel via the modeled unobservable random processes of the underlying tissue types can be estimated by maximum a posteriori expectation‐maximization (MAP‐EM) algorithm in an iterative manner. This article presents, based on the assumption that PV effect could be fully described by a tissue mixture model, a theoretical solution to the MAP‐EM segmentation algorithm, as opposed to our previous approximation which simplified the posteriori cost function as a quadratic term. It was found out that the theoretically‐derived solution existed in a set of high‐order nonlinear equations. Despite of the induced computational complexity when seeking for optimum numerical solutions to nonlinear equations, potential gains in robustness, consistency and quantitative precision were noticed. Results from both synthetic digital phantoms and real patient bladder MR images were presented, demonstrating the accuracy and efficiency of the presented theoretical MAP‐EM solution. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 19, 111–119, 2009.
Data clustering as an optimum‐path forest problem with applications in image analysis
Authors: Rocha Leonardo Marques , Cappabianco Fábio A. M. , Falcão Alexandre Xavier
Published: May 2009

We propose an approach for data clustering based on optimum‐path forest. The samples are taken as nodes of a graph, whose arcs are defined by an adjacency relation. The nodes are weighted by their probability density values (pdf) and a connectivity function is maximized, such that each maximum of the pdf becomes root of an optimum‐path tree (cluster), composed by samples “more strongly connected” to that maximum than to any other root. We discuss the advantages over other pdf‐based approaches and present extensions to large datasets with results for interactive image segmentation and for fast, accurate, and automatic brain tissue classification in magnetic resonance (MR) images. We also include experimental comparisons with other clustering approaches. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 19, 50–68, 2009.
Surface modification of porous scaffolds with nanothick collagen layer by centrifugation and freeze‐drying
Authors: Chen Guoping , Okamura Aiko , Sugiyama Kazuyuki , Wozniak Michal J. , Kawazoe Naoki , Sato Shigeo , Tateishi Tetsuya
Published: May 2009

Three‐dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds constructed from biodegradable synthetic polymers are frequently used in tissue engineering. Their surfaces are hydrophobic and require treatment to be changed to hydrophilic before use in cell culture. We developed a novel surface modification for 3D porous scaffolds made of synthetic polymers by coating the surfaces of the pores with a nanothick collagen layer. First, a collagen aqueous solution was introduced under reduced pressure to fully fill the pores of the PLGA sponges. The collagen‐containing sponges were then centrifuged to remove any excess collagen solution. Finally, the sponges were freeze‐dried to form a thin collagen layer. Scanning electron microscopy observation and water absorption tests demonstrated that the excess collagen was removed; the effect of modification was evident when the collagen‐containing sponges were centrifuged at high centrifugal acceleration. Scanning probe microscopy analysis demonstrated the formation of a nanometer‐thick collagen layer on the PLGA surface. The collagen‐coated PLGA sponges facilitated cell seeding and spatial distribution. The method will be useful for the surface modification of 3D porous scaffolds. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
Biomimetic apatite deposition on polymeric microspheres treated with a calcium silicate solution
Authors: Leonor Isabel B. , Balas Francisco , Kawashita Masakazu , Reis Rui L. , Kokubo Tadashi , Nakamura Takashi
Published: May 2009

Bioactive polymeric microspheres can be prepared by means of coating them with a calcium silicate solution and subsequently soaking in a simulated body fluid (SBF). Such combination should allow for the development of bioactive microspheres for several applications in the medical field including tissue engineering carriers. Four types of polymeric microspheres, with different sizes, were used in this work: (i) ethylene‐vinyl alcohol copolymer (20–30 μm), (ii) polyamide 12 with 10% magnetite (100 μm), (iii) polyamide 12 (10–30 μm) and (iv) polyamide 12 (300 μm). These microspheres were soaked in a calcium silicate solution at 36.5°C for various periods of time under different conditions. Afterwards, they were dried in air at 60 and 100°C for 24 hr. Then, the samples were soaked in SBF for 1, 3, and 7 days. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, thin‐film X‐ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy showed that after the calcium silicate treatment and the subsequent soaking in SBF, the microspheres successfully formed an apatite layer on their surfaces in SBF within 7 days due to the formation of silanol groups, which are effective for apatite formation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
Proliferation and differentiation of goat bone marrow stromal cells in 3D scaffolds with tunable hydrophilicity
Authors: Ivirico J. L. Escobar , Salmerón‐Sánchez M. , Ribelles J. L. Gómez , Pradas M. Monleón , Soria J. M. , Gomes M. E. , Reis R. L. , Mano J. F.
Published: May 2009

We have synthesized methacrylate‐endcapped caprolactone networks with tailored water sorption ability, poly(CLMA‐co‐HEA), in the form of three‐dimensional (3D) scaffolds with the same architecture but exhibiting different hydrophilicity character (xHEA=0, 0.3, 0.5), and we investigated the interaction of goat bone marrow stromal cells (GBMSCs) with such structures. For this purpose, GBMSCs were seeded and cultured for 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days onto the developed scaffolds. Cells have proliferated throughout the whole scaffold volume. Cell adhesion and morphology were analyzed by SEM, whereas cell viability and proliferation was assessed by MTS test and DNA quantification concluding that numbers of cells increased as a function of the culturing time (until day 14) and also with the hydrophobic content in the samples (from 50 to 100% of CLMA). No significant difference between samples with 100% and 70% of CLMA were detected in some cases. Osteoblastic differentiation was followed by assessing the alkaline phosphatase activity of cells, as well as type I collagen and osteocalcin expressions levels until day 21. The three markers were positive at days 14 and 21 when cells were cultured in 100% CLMA substrates which suggests osteoblastic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells within these scaffolds. On the other hand, when the CLMA content decreases (until 50%), type I collagen and osteocalcin were positive but ALP was negative indicating that the differentiation process is affected by hydrophilic content. We suggest that such system may be useful to extract information on the effect of materials' wettability on the corresponding biological performance in a 3D environment. Such general insights may be relevant in the context of biomaterials selection for tissue engineering strategies. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
SF2/ASF regulates proteomic diversity by affecting the balance between translation initiation mechanisms
Authors: Blaustein Matías , Quadrana Leandro , Risso Guillermo , Mata Manuel de la , Pelisch Federico , Srebrow Anabella
Published: May 2009

Post‐splicing activities have been described for a subset of shuttling serine/arginine‐rich splicing regulatory proteins, among them SF2/ASF. We showed that growth factors activate a Ras‐PI 3‐kinase‐Akt/PKB signaling pathway that not only modifies alternative splicing of the fibronectin EDA exon, but also alters in vivo translation of reporter mRNAs containing the EDA binding motif for SF2/ASF, providing two co‐regulated levels of isoform‐specific amplification. Translation of most eukaryotic mRNAs is initiated via the scanning mechanism, which implicates recognition of the m7G cap at the mRNA 5′‐terminus by the eIF4F protein complex. Several viral and cellular mRNAs are translated in a cap‐independent manner by the action of cis‐acting mRNA elements named internal ribosome entry sites that direct internal ribosome binding to the mRNA. Here we use bicistronic reporters that generate mRNAs carrying two open reading frames, one translated in a cap‐dependent manner while the other by internal ribosome entry site‐dependent initiation, to show that in vivo over‐expression of SF2/ASF increases the ratio between cap‐dependent and internal ribosome entry site‐dependent translation. Consistently, knocking‐down of SF2/ASF causes the opposite effect. Changes in expression levels of SF2/ASF also affect alternative translation of an endogenous mRNA, that one coding for fibroblast growth factor‐2. These results strongly suggest a role for SF2/ASF as a regulator of alternative translation, meaning the generation of different proteins by the balance among these two translation initiation mechanisms, and expand the known potential of SF2/ASF to regulate proteomic diversity to the translation field. J. Cell. Biochem. 107: 826–833, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulator of differentiation 1 (ROD1) binds to the amphipathic C‐terminal peptide of thrombospondin‐4 and is involved in its mitogenic activity
Authors: Sadvakassova Gulzhakhan , Dobocan Monica C. , Difalco Marcos R. , Congote Luis F.
Published: May 2009

The matrix protein thrombospondin‐4 has an acidic amphipathic C‐terminal peptide (C21) which stimulates erythroid cell proliferation. Here we show that C21 stimulates red cell formation in anemic mice in vivo. In vitro experiments indicated that the peptide‐mediated increase of erythroid colony formation in cultures of human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells was possible only under continuous presence of erythropoietin. In the absence of this cytokine, C21 stimulated exclusively myeloid colony formation. Therefore, the peptide is not a specific erythroid differentiation factor. In fact, it is mitogenic in non‐erythroid cells, such as skin fibroblasts and kidney epithelial cells. In erythroleukemic TF‐1 cells, it actually decreased the production of the erythroid differentiation marker glycophorin A. C21‐affinity chromatography revealed regulator of differentiation 1 (ROD1) as a major C21‐binding protein. ROD1 is the hematopoietic cell paralog of polypyrimidine tract binding proteins (PTBs), RNA splice regulators which regulate differentiation by repressing tissue‐specific exons. ROD1 binding to C21 was strongly inhibited by synthetic RNAs in the order poly A > poly U > poly G = poly C and was weakly inhibited by a synthetic phosphorylated peptide mimicking the C‐terminal domain of RNA polymerase II. Cellular overexpression or knockdown experiments of ROD1 suggest a role for this protein in the mitogenic activity of C21. Since the nuclear proteins ROD1 and PTBs regulate differentiation at a posttranscriptional level and there is a fast nuclear uptake of C21, we put forward the idea that the peptide is internalized, goes to the nucleus and maintains cells in a proliferative state by supporting ROD1‐mediated inhibition of differentiation. J. Cell. Physiol. 220: 672–679, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mechanistic elucidation and evaluation of biosorption of metal ions by grapefruit peel using FTIR spectroscopy, kinetics and isotherms modeling, cations displacement and EDX analysis
Authors: Iqbal Muhammad , Schiewer Silke , Cameron Randall
Published: May 2009

BACKGROUND: The performance and mechanism of the biosorptive removal of Ni2+ and Zn2+ from aqueous solution using grapefruit peel (GFP) as a new biosorbent was investigated by using different experimental approaches, such as potentiometric titration, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis, chemical blocking of functional groups and concomitant release of cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+) from GFP with metal (Ni2+, Zn2+) uptake.

RESULTS: GFP removed Ni2+ and Zn2+ rapidly, with 84.73% and 92.46% of the equilibrium sorption being reached in 30 min for Ni2+ and Zn2+, respectively. The equilibrium process was described well by the Langmuir isotherm model, with maximum sorption capacity of 1.33 and 1.51 meq g−1 for Ni2+ and Zn2+, respectively. Release of cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+) and protons H+ from GFP during uptake of Ni2+ and Zn2+ and EDX analysis of GFP before and after metal sorption revealed that the main mechanism of sorption was ion exchange. FTIR spectroscopy showed that carboxyl and hydroxyl groups were involved in the sorption of Ni2+ and Zn2+. Blocking of these groups revealed that carboxylic group was responsible for 78.57% and 73.31% of Ni2+ and Zn2+ removal, respectively whereas 22.63% and 28.54% was due to the hydroxyl group. The GFP could be regenerated using 0.1 mol L−1 HCl, with more than 98% metal recovery and reused for five cycles without any significant loss in its initial sorption capacity.

CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that GFP has promising potential for use as an efficient and cost‐effective biosorbent for the removal and recovery of Ni2+ and Zn2+ from aqueous solution. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Sonography of thyroid nodules with peripheral calcifications
Authors: Park Minjung , Shin Jung Hee , Han Boo‐Kyung , Ko Eun Young , Hwang Hye Sun , Kang Seok Seon , Kim Jung Han , Oh Young Lyun
Published: May 2009

Purpose.

This study was designed to assess the role of sonography (US) in the differentiation of benign from malignant thyroid nodules with peripheral calcifications.

Methods.

Sixty‐four thyroid nodules with peripheral calcifications that were detected on US were included in the study. Nineteen nodules (30%) were benign, and 45 nodules (70%) were malignant. We retrospectively compared the US findings of the benign and malignant nodules, including interruption, thickening (≥0.5 mm and over more than 50% of the circumference) of calcifications, internal echogenicity, margin, and presence of cystic change, size, and shape. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results.

Interruption of peripheral calcifications was more common in malignant nodules (84%) than in benign nodules (53%) (OR, 7.9; 95% CI, 1.3–48.4; p < 0.05). Thickening of the peripheral calcification was seen more frequently in malignant nodules (64%) than in benign nodules (11%) (OR, 14.7; 95% CI, 1.8–117.5; p < 0.05). For internal echogenicity, malignant nodules (58%) were more often hypoechoic than benign nodules (OR, 23.6; 95% CI, 2.2–256.3; p < 0.01). The mean tumor size was 1.1 cm for malignant nodules and 1.2 cm for benign nodules (p > 0.05). There were no significant differences for the presence or absence of cystic change, size, shape, and margin between malignant and benign nodules.

Conclusion.

Interruption and thickening of peripheral calcifications and decreased internal echogenicity of a thyroid nodule with peripheral calcifications are in favor of malignancy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 2009
Unfocused extracorporeal shock wave therapy as potential treatment for osteoporosis
Authors: van der Jagt Olav P. , van der Linden Jacqueline C. , Schaden Wolfgang , van Schie Hans T. , Piscaer Tom M. , Verhaar Jan A.N. , Weinans Harrie , Waarsing Jan H.
Published: May 2009

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) influences the differentiation of bone marrow stroma cells towards osteoprogenitors and increases the expression of several growth factors. To assess whether unfocused ESWT might serve as a treatment for osteoporosis, we examined the bone architecture dynamics of ESWT‐treated and untreated rat tibiae using in vivo micro‐computed tomography (CT) scanning. In addition, the effects of ESWT on fracture healing, using a bilateral fibula osteotomy, were examined. Unilateral unfocused ESWT with 2,000 pulses and an energy flux density of 0.16 mJ/mm2was applied to the hind leg of ovariectomized and sham‐ovariectomized rats. A single treatment with unfocused ESWT resulted in a higher trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) in the proximal tibia of the sham‐ovariectomized animals. Three weeks after ESWT, BV/TV was 110% of baseline BV/TV in treated legs versus 101% in untreated contralateral control legs (p = 0.001) and 105% of baseline BV/TV versus 95% at 7 weeks after ESWT (p = 0.0004). In ovariectomized rats, shock wave treatment resulted in a diminished bone loss. At 7 weeks, the BV/TV of the treated legs was 50% of baseline BV/TV, whereas in untreated control legs this was 35% (p = 0.0004). ESWT did not influence acute fracture healing. This study shows that bone microarchitecture can be affected by unfocused shock waves, and indicates that unfocused ESWT might be useful for the treatment of osteopenia and osteoporosis. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27:1528–1533, 2009
Construction of cold‐triggered/heat‐destroyed emulsions for use as a practical cold‐storage thermal history indicator
Authors: Mizoguch Tatsuya , Nagata Kohdai , Kitsunai Makoto , Hirose Kumi , Hirasawa Akira , Chiba Kazuhiro
Published: May 2009

BACKGROUND: To provide a record of the occurrence of a high‐temperature event during a cold‐chain system in the range from 1 to 10 °C, an indicator material that undergoes an irreversible temperature‐related visual change in response to high temperatures is needed.

RESULTS: In order to obtain the required indicator, we attempted to construct highly thermo‐sensitive cold‐triggering and heat‐destructive emulsions that could start monitoring a high‐temperature event just by cooling, and after triggering provide an irreversible visual change over the upper limitation of the monitoring temperature. Emulsions composed of oil mixtures of triacylglycerols and fatty acid esters provided a 1 °C triggering and 10 °C destructive emulsion. The effect of the oil‐phase composition was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance and microscopy with a cooling/heating system.

CONCLUSION: The emulsion was triggered by cooling at 1 °C and was immediately destroyed by heating to 10 °C, with clear visible phase separation. For cold‐triggering, crystalline structures of frozen oils should work to destroy the interfaces of the emulsion droplets. This could be used as a thermal indicator that would trigger in cold‐chain distribution systems and be destroyed in these systems. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Macromol. Biosci. 5/2009
Authors: Wang Su He , Shi Xiangyang , Chen Xisui , Baker James R.
Published: May 2009

Back Cover: The microcrystals of a potential anticancer agent 2‐methoxyestradiol (2‐ME) encapsulated within polyelectrolyte (PE) multilayer capsules can be internalized by cells and can markedly decrease the viability of cancer cells, significantly enhancing the water‐solubility and bioavailability of the drug. Further details can be found in the article by S. H. Wang,* X. Shi,* X. Chen, and J. R. Baker, Jr.* on page 429.
Combined Effects of Hot Curing Conditions and Reaction Heat on Rubber Vulcanization Efficiency and Vulcanizate Uniformity
Authors: Wang Xiaoxia , Jia Yuxi , Feng Ligang , An Lijia
Published: May 2009

A mathematical model of the chemical kinetics of silicone rubber vulcanization is developed, with the thermal effects being computed using the increment method, and the hot vulcanization process estimated with the finite element method. The results show that the reaction heat of rubber vulcanization is important for energy saving, and that a proper curing medium temperature is important when considering both vulcanization efficiency and vulcanizate uniformity. The results also indicate that increases in the forced convective heat transfer coefficient have no significant effect above a certain level. The validity of the numerical model is indirectly proven by comparison with existing data.

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Cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies of three‐dimensional stereotactic surface projection SPECT analysis in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Osaki Yasushi , Morita Yukari , Fukumoto Mitsutaka , Akagi Naoki , Yoshida Shoji , Doi Yoshinori
Published: May 2009

Although dementia is increasingly recognized as a common feature in Parkinson's disease (PD), its pathological substrate remains unknown. We conducted cross‐sectional and longitudinal brain perfusion SPECT analyses to explore changes during the course of developing dementia in PD. Fifty‐five patients originally diagnosed with PD were imaged in the cross‐sectional study. Twenty‐one of these, nine without dementia and 12 with dementia (PDD), were included in the longitudinal study to observe perfusion changes during the course of their disease. Data were analyzed using three‐dimensional stereotactic surface projection SPECT analysis. The UK Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank criteria were used to diagnose PD and the revised criteria for the clinical diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies for PDD. The cross‐sectional study showed that patients with PDD had significantly reduced perfusion in the right posterior cingulate, the right precuneus and the left posterior cingulate area. In the longitudinal study, significantly reduced perfusion was observed in the left anterior frontal gyrus in PD without dementia, and in the right inferior parietal lobule in those that developed PDD. We suggest that a relationship exists between developing dementia in PDD and reduced perfusion in the posterior parietal area. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
Progression of ataxia in patients with Machado‐Joseph disease
Authors: França Marcondes C. , D'Abreu Anelyssa , Nucci Anamarli , Cendes Fernando , Lopes‐Cendes Iscia
Published: May 2009

Although ataxia is the most distressing manifestation of Machado‐Joseph disease (MJD), little is known about its natural history. Therefore, we prospectively followed a cohort of patients with MJD for 13 months to characterize the progression of ataxia and identify its contributory factors. The international cooperative ataxia rating scale (ICARS) was used to estimate severity of ataxia at baseline and at follow‐up. Thirty‐four patients were enrolled in the study, 22 of whom were men. Mean age at onset of the disease was 34.7 years and length of expanded CAG repeat was 66. Mean ICARS scores at baseline was 37.6 and at follow‐up was 42.7 (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis did not find significant association of progression of disease and age at disease onset, length of expanded (CAG), or duration of disease. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society