bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High‐performance affinity chromatography method for identification of L‐arginine interacting factors using magnetic nanobeads
Authors: Hiramoto Masaki , Maekawa Naoya , Kuge Takeshi , Ayabe Fumiaki , Watanabe Atsushi , Masaike Yuka , Hatakeyama Mamoru , Handa Hiroshi , Imai Takeshi
Published: October 2009

L‐Arginine exhibits a wide range of biological activities through a complex and highly regulated set of pathways that remain incompletely understood at both the whole‐body and the cellular levels. The aim of this study is to develop and validate effective purification system for L‐arginine interacting factors (AIFs). We have recently developed novel magnetic nanobeads (FG beads) composed of magnetite particles/glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)–styrene copolymer/covered GMA. These nanobeads have shown higher performance compared with commercially available magnetic beads in terms of purification efficiency. In this study, we have newly developed L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐AME)‐immobilized beads by conjugating L‐AME to the surface of these nanobeads. Firstly, we showed that inducible nitric oxide synthase, which binds and uses L‐arginine as a substrate, specifically bound to L‐AME‐immobilized beads. Secondly, we newly identified phosphofructokinase, RuvB‐like 1 and RuvB‐like 2 as AIFs from crude extracts of HeLa cells using this affinity chromatographic system. The data presented here demonstrate that L‐AME‐immobilized beads are effective tool for purification of AIFs directly from crude cell extracts. We expect that the present method can be used to purify AIFs from various types of cells. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Impact of rapid ventricular pacing during percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty in patients with critical aortic stenosis: Should we be using it?
Authors: Witzke Christian , Don Creighton W. , Cubeddu Roberto J. , Herrero‐Garibi Jesus , Pomerantsev Eugene , Caldera Angel , McCarty David , Inglessis Ignacio , Palacios Igor F.
Published: October 2009

Background: Rapid ventricular pacing (RP) during percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) facilitates balloon positioning by preventing the “watermelon seeding” effect during balloon inflation. The clinical consequences of RP BAV have never been compared with standard BAV in which rapid pacing in not used. We evaluated the immediate results and in‐hospital adverse events of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing BAV with and without RP. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with severe AS undergoing retrograde BAV. Patients who underwent BAV with RP were compared to those who did not receive RP during BAV. Procedural outcomes, complications, and in‐hospital adverse events were compared between both groups. Stratified analyses were performed to evaluate RP in pre‐specified subsets for confounding and effect modification. Results: Between January 2005 and December 2008, 111 consecutive patients underwent retrograde BAV at Massachusetts General Hospital. Sixty‐seven patients underwent BAV with RP. Nearly 90% of patients were NYHA class III or IV and the mean AVA was 0.64 cm2. Baseline characteristics and balloon sizes were similar in the two groups. The average post‐BAV AVA was smaller in the RP group compared to the no‐RP group (0.87 v. 1.02 cm2, p = 0.02). Pre and post‐cardiac output, in‐hospital mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, frequency of cardiopulmonary arrest, vasopressor use, and major complications were similar in the two groups. Conclusions: 1) RP allows precise balloon placement during BAV. 2) RP BAV is associated with lower post‐BAV AVA. 3) RP BAV may be safely performed in patients with high‐risk cardiac features. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The benefit of renal artery stenting in patients with atheromatous renovascular disease and advanced chronic kidney disease
Authors: Kalra Philip A. , Chrysochou Constantina , Green Darren , Cheung Ching M. , Khavandi Kaivan , Sixt Sebastian , Rastan Aljoscha , Zeller Thomas
Published: October 2009

Background: Around 16% of all patients who present with atheromatous renovascular disease (ARVD) in the United States undergo revascularization. Historically, patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been considered least likely to show improvement in renal functional terms, or survival. We aimed to investigate whether differences in outcomes after revascularization compared to medical management might be observed in ARVD patients if stratified by their CKD classes. Methods: Two prospective cohorts, a UK center with a traditionally conservative approach, and a German center who undertook a proactive revascularization approach, were compared. An improvement in renal function was defined as > 20% renal improvement at one year's follow‐up. To improve validity and comparability, revascularized patients in the UK center were also used within analyses, Results: 347 (UK conservative group), 89 (UK revascularized group), and 472 (German center) patients were included in the analysis. When subdivided by CKD stage, patient ages between the two centers were comparable. Improvements in renal function were observed in twice as many patients who underwent revascularization as compared to medical treatment, particularly in the latter CKD stages, 15.2 (German revascularization) vs. 0% in CKD 1–2, 12.2 (UK), and 32.8 (German) revascularization vs. 14.1% in CKD3, and 53.1 and 53.8 vs. 28.3 in patients with CKD 4–5. The improvements in eGFR were 10.2 (16) and 8.1 (12.5) ml/min/year in the German and UK revascularized groups, respectively, vs. −0.05 (6.8) ml/min/year in the medical cohort in CKD 4–5. Improvements in blood pressure control were noted at 1 year overall and within each CKD category. Multivariate analysis revealed that revascularization independently reduced the risk of death by 45% in all patients combined (RR 0.55, P = 0.013). Conclusions: Although this study has significant methodological limitations, it does shows that percutaneous renal revascularization can improve renal function in advanced CKD (stages 4–5), and that this can provide a survival advantage in prospective analysis. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Self‐Assembling of Er2O3–TiO2 Mixed Oxide Nanoplatelets by a Template‐Free Solvothermal Route
Authors: Julián‐López Beatriz , Martos Mónica , Ulldemolins Natalia , Odriozola José A. , Cordoncillo Eloisa , Escribano Purificación
Published: October 2009

An easy solvothermal route has been developed to synthesize the first mesoporous Er2O3–TiO2 mixed oxide spherical particles composed of crystalline nanoplatelets, with high surface area and narrow pore size distribution. This synthetic strategy allows the preparation of materials at low temperature with interesting textural properties without the use of surfactants, as well as the control of particle size and shape. TEM and Raman analysis confirm the formation of nanocrystalline Er2O3–TiO2 mixed oxide. Mesoscopic ordered porosity is reached through the thermal decomposition of organic moieties during the synthetic process, thus leading to a template‐free methodology that can be extended to other nanostructured materials. High specific surface areas (up to 313 m2 g−1) and narrow pore size distributions are achieved in comparison to the micrometric material synthesized by the traditional sol–gel route. This study opens new perspectives in the development, by solvothermal methodologies, of multifunctional materials for advanced applications by improving the classical pyrochlore properties (magnetization, heat capacity, catalysis, conductivity, etc.). In particular, since catalytic reactions take place on the surface of catalysts, the high surface area of these materials makes them promising candidates for catalysts. Furthermore, their spherical morphology makes them appropriate for advanced technologies in, for instance, ceramic inkjet printers.
Inverted Opal Fluorescent Film Chemosensor for the Detection of Explosive Nitroaromatic Vapors through Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
Authors: Fang Qunling , Geng Junlong , Liu Bianhua , Gao Daming , Li Fei , Wang Zhenyang , Guan Guijian , Zhang Zhongping
Published: October 2009

This paper reports an inverted opal fluorescence chemosensor for the ultrasensitive detection of explosive nitroaromatic vapors through resonance‐energy‐transfer‐amplified fluorescence quenching. The inverted opal silica film with amino ligands was first fabricated by the acid–base interaction between 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane and surface sulfonic groups on polystyrene microsphere templates. The fluorescent dye was then chemically anchored onto the interconnected porous surface to form a hybrid monolayer of amino ligands and dye molecules. The amino ligands can efficiently capture vapor molecules of nitroaromatics such as 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene (TNT) through the charge‐transfer complexing interaction between electron‐rich amino ligands and electron‐deficient aromatic rings. Meanwhile, the resultant TNT–amine complexes can strongly suppress the fluorescence emission of the chosen dye by the fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the dye donor to the irradiative TNT–amino acceptor through intermolecular polar–polar resonance at spatial proximity. The quenching response of the highly ordered porous films with TNT is greatly amplified by at least 10‐fold that of the amorphous silica films, due to the interconnected porous structure and large surface‐to‐volume ratio. The inverted opal film with a stable fluorescence brightness and strong analyte affinity has lead to an ultrasensitive detection of several ppb of TNT vapor in air.
Inference after variable selection using restricted permutation methods
Authors: Wang Rui , Lagakos Stephen W.
Published: October 2009

When confronted with multiple covariates and a response variable, analysts sometimes apply a variable‐selection algorithm to the covariate‐response data to identify a subset of covariates potentially associated with the response, and then wish to make inferences about parameters in a model for the marginal association between the selected covariates and the response. If an independent data set were available, the parameters of interest could be estimated by using standard inference methods to fit the postulated marginal model to the independent data set. However, when applied to the same data set used by the variable selector, standard (“naive”) methods can lead to distorted inferences. The authors develop testing and interval estimation methods for parameters reflecting the marginal association between the selected covariates and response variable, based on the same data set used for variable selection. They provide theoretical justification for the proposed methods, present results to guide their implementation, and use simulations to assess and compare their performance to a sample‐splitting approach. The methods are illustrated with data from a recent AIDS study. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 37: 625–644; 2009 © 2009 Statistical Society of Canada
Assessing cytotoxicity of (iron oxide‐based) nanoparticles: an overview of different methods exemplified with cationic magnetoliposomes
Authors: Soenen Stefaan J. H. , De Cuyper Marcel
Published: October 2009

Iron oxide nanoparticles are the most widely used T2/T2* contrast agents and for biomedical research purposes, one of the main applications is the in vitro labeling of stem or therapeutic cells, allowing them to be subsequently tracked in vivo upon transplantation. To allow this, the nanoparticles used should not show any sign of cytotoxicity and not affect cellular physiology as this could impede normal cell functionality in vivo or lead to undesired side‐effects. Assessing the biocompatibility of the nanoparticles has proven to be quite a difficult task. In the present work, a small overview of commonly used assays is presented in order to assess several aspects, such as cell viability, induction of reactive oxygen species, nanoparticle uptake, cellular morphology, cellular proliferation, actin cytoskeleton architecture and differentiation of stem cells. The main focus is on comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the different assays, highlighting several common problems and presenting possible solutions to these problems as well as pointing out the high importance of the relationship between intracellular nanoparticle concentration and cytotoxicity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A New Class of Boron Nanotube
Authors: Wang Jing , Liu Ying , Li You‐Cheng
Published: October 2009

The configurations, stability and electronic structures of a new class of boron sheet and related boron nanotubes are predicted within the framework of density functional theory. This boron sheet is sparser than those of recent proposals. Our theoretic results show that the stable boron sheet remains flat and is metallic. There are bands similar to the π‐bands in graphite near the Fermi level. Stable nanotubes with various diameters and chiral vectors can be rolled from the sheet. Within our study, only the thin (8, 0) nanotube with a band gap of 0.44 eV is semiconducting, while all the other thicker boron nanotubes are metallic, independent of their chirality. It indicates the possibility, in the design of nanodevices, to control the electronic transport properties of the boron nanotube through the diameter.
Electrostatic Interaction of Spherical Microparticles in Dusty Plasmas
Authors: Filippov A. V.
Published: October 2009

Electrostatic interaction of two spherical microparticles in a plasma is studied. An investigation of the interaction between a point‐like charge and a conducting spherical body in a plasma shows that plasma screening results in decrease a potential barrier as the point‐like charge approaches the likely charged microparticle, the decrease being more pronounced in case that the microparticle radius is comparable with the Debye screening length. The interaction of two conducting spherical microparticles is considered in the bipolar or bispherical coordinate system for cases of constant charges and constant surface potentials of the microparticles. The latter case firstly considered by us is more suitable to the physics of the electrostatic interaction of microparticles in a plasma where their electrostatic surface potentials are defined by the floating potential of the plasma. The interaction potentials are shown to highly differ in these cases, the electrostatic energy being the interaction potential only in the case of the constant charges independent on the interparticle distance. In the case of the constant surface potentials a work of external sources to sustain surface potentials should be taken into account. By integration of the interaction force calculated using the Maxwell stress tensor, the interaction potential is also defined for the latter case. Approximated analytical expressions for the interaction potential, which are more accurate than the available in the literature, are obtained for both the constant charges and the constant surface potentials (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Influence of Potential and Non Potential Forces of Interparticle Interaction on Stability of Nuclear Excited Dusty Plasma
Authors: Filinov V.S. , Deputatova L.V. , Naumkin V.N. , Vladimirov V.I. , Meshakin V.I. , Rykov V.A.
Published: October 2009

The highly ordered levitating structures of radioactive dusty particles in nuclear excited plasma oftube capacitor are studied using the Brownian dynamics. Models with potential and non potential forces acting on charged dusty particles have been investigated. Types and stability of obtained dust particle structures are analyzed at atmospheric pressure and normal conditions. The stationary crystal – like structures have been obtained only for potential forces acting on dusty particles, while in model with non potential forces the formation of two slowly rotating in opposite direction highly ordered vortices has been predicted (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Specific Features of Spallation Processes in Polymethyl Methacrylate Under High Strain Rate
Authors: Geras'kin A.A. , Khishchenko K.V. , Krasyuk I.K. , Pashinin P.P. , Semenov A.Yu. , Vovchenko V.I.
Published: October 2009

Direct laser interaction and laser‐driven thin foils were used for investigation spallation phenomena inpolymetyl metacrylate (PMMA) targets in case of high strain rate. The aluminium foils with thickness 8 and 15 mkm were used as impactors. Mass and velocity of the laser‐driven foils after laser ablation and acceleration were determined by the method of foil deceleration in a gas atmosphere. Basing on experimental data, we determined the spallation plane position and the moment for the spall layer to arrive at an additional electrocontact sensor located beside the rear side of the target. Then the spall strength and strain rate have been calculated numerically using a hydrodynamic code based on a wide‐range semi‐empirical equation of state for PMMA. As a result of these experiments, we have for the first time shown that the ultimate spall strength of PMMA (about 10 kbar) is achieved in case of strain rate ranging 1.5 × 106 to 6 × 106 1/s (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Strongly Coupled Nonequilibrium Nanoplasma Generated by a Fast Single Ion in Solids
Authors: Faenov A.Ya. , Lankin A.V. , Morozov I.V. , Norman G.E. , Pikuz S.A. , Skobelev I.Yu.
Published: October 2009

A plasma model for relaxation of a medium in heavy ion tracks in condensed matter is proposed. The model is based on three assumptions: the Maxwell distribution of plasma electrons, localization of plasma inside the track nanochannel, and constant values of the plasma electron density and temperature during the X‐ray irradiation. It is demonstrated that the plasma relaxation model adequately describes the X‐ray spectra observed upon interaction of a fast ion with condensed target. Preassumptions of plasma relaxation model are validated by the molecular dynamics modeling and simulation (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Ionography of Submicron Foils and Nanostructures Using Ion Flow Generated in FS‐Laser Cluster Plasma
Authors: Faenov A.Ya. , Pikuz T.A. , Pikuz S.A. , Fukuda Y. , Kando M. , Kotaki H. , Homma T. , Kawase K. , Kameshima T. , Pirozhkov A. , Yogo A. , Tampo M. , Kartashev V. , Skobelev I.Yu. , Gasilov S.V. , Boldarev A.S. , Gasilov V.A. , Magunov A. , Kar S. , Borghesi M. , Giulietti A. , Cecchetti C.A. , Mori M. , Sakaki H. , Hayashi Y. , Bolton P. , Nakamura T. , Daido H. , Tajima T. , Kato Y. , Bulanov S.V.
Published: October 2009

A novel type of submicron ion radiography designed to image low‐contrast objects, including nanofoils, membranes and biological structures, is proposed. It is based on femtosecond–laser‐driven‐cluster‐ plasma source of multicharged ions and polymer dosimeter film CR‐39. The intense isotropic ion flow was produced by femtosecond Ti:Sa laser pulses with intensity ∼ 4x1017 W/cm2 absorbed in the supersonic jet of the mixed He and CO2 gases. Two Focusing Spectrometers with Spatial Resolution (FSSR) were used to measure X‐ray spectra of H‐and He‐like multicharged oxygen ions. The spectra testify that ions with energy more than 300 keV were radiated in different directions from the plasma source. High contrast ion radiography images were obtained for 2000 dpi metal mesh, 1 μm polypropylene and 100 nm Zr foils as well as for the different biological objects. Images were recorded on a 1 mm thick CR‐39 detector, placed in contact with back surface of the imaged samples at the distances 140 ‐160 mm from the ion source. The spatial resolution of the image no worse than 600 nm was provided. A difference in object thickness of 100 nm was very well resolved for both Zr and polymer foils. The ion radiography images recorded at different angles from the source, demonstrated almost uniform spatial distribution of ion with total number of 108 per shot (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Big Consequences of Small Changes (Non‐locality and non‐linearity of Hartree‐Fock equations)
Authors: Amusia M.Ya.
Published: October 2009

It is demonstrated that non‐locality and non‐linearity of Hartree‐Fock equations dramatically affect the properties of their solutions that essentially differ from solutions of Schrödinger equation with a local potential. Namely, it acquires extra zeroes, has different coordinate asymptotic, violates so‐called gauge‐invariance, has different scattering phases at zero energy, has in some cases several solutions with the same set of quantum numbers, usually equivalent expressions of current and Green's functions became non‐equivalent. These features result in a number of consequences for probabilities of some physical processes, leading e. g. to extra width of atomic Giant resonances and enhance considerably the ionization probability of inner atomic electrons by a strong field (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Equation of State of Strongly Coupled Quark–Gluon Plasma – Path Integral Monte Carlo Results
Authors: Filinov V.S. , Bonitz M. , Ivanov Y.B. , Skokov V.V. , Levashov P.R. , Fortov V.E.
Published: October 2009

A strongly coupled plasma of quark and gluon quasiparticles at temperatures from 1.1Tc to 3Tc is studied by path integral Monte Carlo simulations. This method extends previous classical nonrelativistic simulations based on a color Coulomb interaction to the quantum regime. We present the equation of state and find good agreement with lattice results. Further, pair distribution functions and color correlation functions are computed indicating strong correlations and liquid‐like behavior (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Vacuum Particle Creation: Analogy with the Bloch Theory in Solid State Physics
Authors: Smolyansky S.A. , Tarakanov A.V. , Bonitz M.
Published: October 2009

A nonperturbative kinetic description of interband tunneling under the action of a strong electric field (dynamical analogue of the Zener effect) is presented. The developed approach is based on the similarity to the Sauter‐Schwinger effect and its dynamical analogue in QED. The kinetic equation for electron‐hole quasiparticle excitations is derived on a dynamical basis in the framework of the oscillator representation. Numerical estimates are made for some simple cases of external fields. Detailed comparisons with the method based on the Bloch equations for electron‐hole systems interacting with a time dependent electric field are performed. The proposed approach is an alternative to the Bloch theory and does not use the dipole approximation. This leads to predictions which differ from the ones based on the Bloch equations, in particular, concerning the frequency dependence of the absorption coefficient (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Profiling of polychromatic flow cytometry data on B‐cells reveals patients' clusters in common variable immunodeficiency
Authors: Kalina Tomáš , Stuchlý Jan , Janda Aleš , Hrušák Ondřej , Růžičková Šárka , Šedivá Anna , Litzman Jiří , Vlková Marcela
Published: October 2009

The aim of this study was to find an objective computational approach for phenotype analysis of common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) patients that describes all differences in the six‐color space and to form groups of patients using computational methods. CVID is a heterogeneous primary immunodeficiency disorder where molecular defect is recognized in <10% of the cases and is unknown in the majority of patients. The current CVID classification, EUROClass, is based on quantification of selected B‐cell subsets. Using six‐color polychromatic flow cytometry, we analyzed B‐cell phenotypes in a cohort of 48 CVID patients and 49 healthy donors. We used a “probability binning” algorithm to create 1,024 bins (each bin is a six‐color gate) that covered the cells' distribution within the entire B‐cell compartment. A matrix file recording cellular content in all the bins was made. The hierarchical clustering of the individual samples was analyzed using a Pearson correlation of the bins' values. The Cut tree algorithm found 12 clusters. In six clusters, healthy individuals predominated; in one cluster, smB+CD21low (CVID patients by EUROClass) cells prevailed; in one cluster, smB−CD21norm cells prevailed; in one cluster, smB+CD21low cells prevailed; the remaining cluster was mixed. The overall reproducibility of probability binning clustering was confirmed by matching of replicates to the original cohort using the similarity matrix of the Pearson correlation, 15 replicates matched the same individual, three replicates matched a different individual within the same cluster, and three replicates matched to a different cluster. We were able to define B‐cell subsets over‐ or under‐represented in a particular cluster and display them back in the flow cytometry software. We describe a new analytical approach that enables a search in an objective computational environment for patient cohorts that are defined by similar B‐cell profiles and thus contribute to the description of differences between CVID patient groups. © 2009 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Cathelicidin peptide SMAP‐29: comprehensive review of its properties and potential as a novel class of antibiotics
Authors: Dawson Raymond M. , Liu Chun‐Qiang
Published: October 2009

Sheep myeloid antimicrobial peptide of 29 amino acids (SMAP‐29) is one of the most potent antimicrobial peptides known, with a broad spectrum of activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. It has also been shown to prevent infections in animals. SMAP‐29 is an α‐helical cathelicidin that acts rapidly to permeabilize membranes of susceptible organisms. However, it is also cytotoxic and hemolytic to mammalian cells. In this review, all published data on inhibition constants and hemolytic activities of SMAP‐29 are brought together for the first time, including data for the peptide of 28 residues that lacks the C‐terminal glycine and that also has the new C‐terminal residue amidated. Both peptides have been called SMAP‐29 in the literature. Antimicrobial activity of SMAP‐29 variants (including ovispirins) against Gram‐positive bacteria is also comprehensively tabulated, and anomalies in the nomenclature of the ovispirins are highlighted. The secondary structure, mode of action, and structure–activity relationships of SMAP‐29 are outlined, and the properties that indicate its therapeutic potential are identified; these are its broad‐spectrum antimicrobial activity with high potency, rapid biocidal action, limited development of bacterial resistance, synthesis by recombinant technology, ability to bind lipopolysaccharide, and demonstrated protection against infection in animal models. The limitations of SMAP‐29 are its high cytotoxicity and hemolytic activity, reduced activity under physiological conditions, and limited evidence for synergistic effects in combination with conventional antibiotics. Strategies with the potential to improve the selectivity toward pathogenic microorganisms over mammalian cells have been devised by the authors and are outlined. Drug Dev Res 70: 481–498, 2009. © 2009 Commonwealth of Australia; Published 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cover Picture: Eur. J. Immunol. 10/09
Authors: Lei Yu , Liu Cunlan , Saito Fumi , Fukui Yoshinori , Takahama Yousuke
Published: October 2009

The cover image is a colour inverted figure taken from Role of DOCK2 and DOCK180 in fetal thymus colonization by Lei et al. (pp. 2695–2702). By co‐staining sections of frozen embryos for CD45 and keratin, the authors elegantly show that a combination of DOCK2 and DOCK180, two closely related CDM family molecules, plays a significant role in prevascular fetal thymus colonization.
MCE enzyme immunoassay for carcinoembryonic antigen and alpha‐fetoprotein using electrochemical detection
Authors: Zhang Shusheng , Cao Wei , Li Jing , Su Mingming
Published: October 2009

An MCE electrochemical enzyme immunoassay protocol for the determination of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) was reported. Two antigens (Ag), CEA and AFP, were incubated simultaneously with an excess amount of horseradish peroxidase‐labeled antibody (Ab*). The free Ab* and the Ab*–Ag complex produced in the solution were first separated through a postcolumn reaction and then traced by the enzyme substrate o‐aminophenol. The 3‐aminophenoxazine produced in enzyme reaction was detected with downstream amperometric detection. The separations were performed at a separation voltage of +1.4 kV and were completed in less than 60 s. The better analytical performance and distinct miniaturization/portability for MCE at less assay time and sample volume consumption was achieved. The detection limit of CEA and AFP was calculated to be 0.25 and 0.13 ng/mL, respectively. Therefore, MCE could be used as a sensitive and new tool in separation science and offered considerable promise in biological sample analysis or quick clinical diagnosis.
Multiple‐point electrochemical detection for a dual‐channel hybrid PDMS‐glass microchip electrophoresis device
Authors: Castaño‐Álvarez Mario , Fernández‐la‐Villa Ana , Pozo‐Ayuso Diego F. , Fernández‐Abedul María Teresa , Costa‐García Agustín
Published: October 2009

A new PDMS‐based dual‐channel MCE with multiple‐point amperometric detection has been evaluated. Electrophoresis has been optimised in a single‐channel device. Pretreatment with 0.1 M NaOH is very important for increasing and stabilising the EOF. The precision is adequate for a day's work in terms of both peak current and migration time. The RSD of the peak current for five successive signals was 1.9, 2.4 and 3.1% for dopamine, p‐aminophenol and hydroquinone. RSD for the migration time was always less than 1.3%, which demonstrates the stability of the EOF and the possibility of running multiple experiments in the same microchip. The adequate inter‐microchip precision as well as the rapid and simple manufacturing procedure indicates the disposable nature of the PDMS microchips. A dual‐channel device with very simple multiple‐point amperometric detection is proposed here. Elasticity of the PDMS allows removing the polymer slightly and aligning gold wires working electrodes. Injection can be performed from each of the sample reservoirs or from both simultaneously. The distance between the separation channels is critical for obtaining adequate signals as well as the introduction of a high‐voltage electrode in the buffer reservoir. Simultaneous measurement of the same analytes in both channels is possible by applying the same potential. Moreover, since no cross‐separation is produced, different analytes or samples can be simultaneously measured.
Application of microchip electrophoresis with electrochemical detection to environmental aldehyde monitoring
Authors: Dossi Nicolò , Susmel Sabina , Toniolo Rosanna , Pizzariello Andrea , Bontempelli Gino
Published: October 2009

A method based on microchip electrophoresis with electrochemical detection has been developed for the simultaneous determination at trace levels of the main small‐chain aldehydes (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and 2‐propenal) present in the atmosphere. Sampling was performed by forcing atmospheres through silica‐gel cartridges coated with 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH), where aldehydes were derivatized to form the corresponding hydrazones, which were then injected and eluted into the electrophoresis system. Factors affecting both separation and detection processes were optimized, with best performance achieved by applying a voltage of 2500 V both in the separation and in the electrokinetic injection (5 s) and using a 15 mM borate buffer (pH 9.2) added with 25 mM of SDS and 20% v/v ACN plus 10% v/v 1‐propanol. Under these optimal conditions, well satisfactory resolution could be achieved, so that the analytes could be separated and detected within about 400 s, by applying a detection potential of – 1.0 V versus Ag/Ag/Cl to the glassy carbon‐working electrode. The recorded peaks were characterized by both a good repeatibility (RSD <3%) and a linear dependence over a wide concentration range (2–100 μg/mL). Detection limits, estimated for a S/N of 3, equal to 9.5, 7.2 and 9.2 μM were inferred for the DNPH derivatives of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, 2‐propenal, respectively. The application of the method to aldehyde analysis in real air samples is also presented.
Amperometric detection in microchip electrophoresis devices: Effect of electrode material and alignment on analytical performance
Authors: Fischer David J. , Hulvey Matthew K. , Regel Anne R. , Lunte Susan M.
Published: October 2009

The fabrication and evaluation of different electrode materials and electrode alignments for microchip electrophoresis with electrochemical detection is described. The influences of electrode material, both metal and carbon‐based, on sensitivity and LOD were examined. In addition, the effects of working electrode alignment on analytical performance (in terms of peak shape, resolution, sensitivity, and LOD) were directly compared. Using dopamine (DA), norepinephrine, and catechol (CAT) as test analytes, it was found that pyrolyzed photoresist electrodes with end‐channel alignment yielded the lowest LOD (35 nM for DA). In addition to being easier to implement, end‐channel alignment also offered better analytical performance than off‐channel alignment for the detection of all three analytes. In‐channel electrode alignment resulted in a 3.6‐fold reduction in peak skew and reduced peak tailing by a factor of 2.1 for CAT in comparison to end‐channel alignment.
Integrated electrochemical DNA biosensors for lab‐on‐a‐chip devices
Authors: Mir Mònica , Homs Antoni , Samitier Josep
Published: October 2009

Analytical devices able to perform accurate and fast automatic DNA detection or sequencing procedures have many potential benefits in the biomedical and environmental fields. The conversion of biological or biochemical responses into quantifiable optical, mechanical or electronic signals is achieved by means of biosensors. Most of these transducing elements can be miniaturized and incorporated into lab‐on‐a‐chip devices, also known as Micro Total Analysis Systems. The use of multiple DNA biosensors integrated in these miniaturized laboratories, which perform several analytical operations at the microscale, has many cost and efficiency advantages. Tiny amounts of reagents and samples are needed and highly sensitive, fast and parallel assays can be done at low cost. A particular type of DNA biosensors are the ones used based on electrochemical principles. These sensors offer several advantages over the popular fluorescence‐based detection schemes. The resulting signal is electrical and can be processed by conventional electronics in a very cheap and fast manner. Furthermore, the integration and miniaturization of electrochemical transducers in a microsystem makes easier its fabrication in front of the most common currently used detection method. In this review, different electrochemical DNA biosensors integrated in analytical microfluidic devices are discussed and some early stage commercial products based on this strategy are presented.
Streamflow estimation using optimal regional dependency function
Authors: Altunkaynak Abdüsselam
Published: October 2009

The determination of spatial dependency of regionalized variable (ReV) is important in engineering studies. Regional dependency function that leads to calculation of weighting coefficients is required in order to make regional or point‐wise estimations. After obtaining this dependency function, it is possible to complete missing records in the time series and locate new measurement station. Also determination of regional dependency function is also useful to understand the regional variation of ReV. Point Cumulative Semi‐Variogram (PCSV) is another methodology to understand the regional dependency of ReV related to the magnitude and the location. However, this methodology is not useful to determine the weighting coefficient, which is required to make regional and point‐wise estimations. However, in Point Semi‐Variogram (PSV) proposed here, weighting coefficient depends on both magnitude and location. Although the regional dependency function has a fluctuating structure in PSV approach, this function gradually increases with distance in PCSV. The study area is selected in Mississippi river basin with 38 streamflow stations used for PCSV application before. It is aimed to compare two different geostatistical models for the same data set. PSV method has an ability to determine the value of variable along with optimum number of neighbour stations and influence radius. PSV and slope PSV approaches are compared with the PCSV. It was shown that slope slope point semi‐variogram (SPSV) approaches had relative error below 5%, and PSV and PCSV methods revealed relative errors below 10%. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Serum levels of IGF‐I, IGFBP‐3 and colorectal cancer risk: results from the EPIC cohort, plus a meta‐analysis of prospective studies
Authors: Rinaldi Sabina , Cleveland Rebecca , Norat Teresa , Biessy Carine , Rohrmann Sabine , Linseisen Jakob , Boeing Heiner , Pischon Tobias , Panico Salvatore , Agnoli Claudia , Palli Domenico , Tumino Rosario , Vineis Paolo , Peeters Petra H.M. , van Gils Carla H. , Bueno‐de‐Mesquita Bas H. , Vrieling Alina , Allen Naomi E. , Roddam Andrew , Bingham Sheila , Khaw Kay‐Tee , Manjer Jonas , Borgquist Signe , Dumeaux Vanessa , Torhild Gram Inger , Lund Eiliv , Trichopoulou Antonia , Makrygiannis Georgios , Benetou Vassiliki , Molina Esther , Donate Suárez Ignacio , Barricarte Gurrea Aurelio , Gonzalez Carlos A. , Tormo Maria‐Jose , Altzibar Jone M. , Olsen Anja , Tjonneland Anne , Grønbæk Henning , Overvad Kim , Clavel‐Chapelon Françoise , Boutron‐Ruault Marie‐Christine , Morois Sophie , Slimani Nadia , Boffetta Paolo , Jenab Mazda , Riboli Elio , Kaaks Rudolf
Published: October 2009

Several prospective studies have shown a moderate positive association between increasing circulating insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) levels and colorectal cancer risk. However, the associations were often statistically nonsignificant, and the relationship of cancer risk with IGF‐I's major binding protein, IGFBP‐3, showed major discrepancies between studies. We investigated the association of colorectal cancer risk with serum IGF‐I, total and intact IGFBP‐3, in a case‐control study nested within the EPIC cohort (1,121 cases of colorectal cancer and 1,121 matched controls). Conditional logistic regression was used to adjust for possible confounders. Our present study results were combined in a meta‐analysis with those from 9 previous prospective studies to examine the overall evidence for a relationship of prediagnostic serum IGF‐I with colorectal cancer risk. In the EPIC study, serum concentrations of IGF‐I and IGFBP‐3 showed no associations with risk of colorectal cancer overall. Only in subgroup analyses did our study show moderate positive associations of IGF‐I levels with risk, either among younger participants only (and only for colon cancer) or among participants whose milk intakes were in the lowest tertile of the population distribution (RR for an increase of 100 ng/ml = 1.43 [95% CI = 1.13–1.93]). Nevertheless, in the meta‐analysis a modest positive association remained between serum IGF‐I and colorectal cancer risk overall (RR = 1.07 [1.01–1.14] for 1 standard deviation increase in IGF‐I). Overall, data from our present study and previous prospective studies combined indicate a relatively modest association of colorectal cancer risk with serum IGF‐I.
Combination of p53 codon 72 polymorphism and inactive p53 mutation predicts chemosensitivity to 5‐fluorouracil in colorectal cancer
Authors: Tominaga Toshiji , Iwahashi Makoto , Takifuji Katsunari , Hotta Tsukasa , Yokoyama Shozo , Matsuda Kenji , Higashiguchi Takashi , Oku Yoshimasa , Nasu Toru , Yamaue Hiroki
Published: October 2009

There are increasing reports showing the clinical significance of the p53 polymorphism status in terms of the response to chemotherapy. We investigated whether p53 polymorphism and mutation were associated with in vitro sensitivity to 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) in patients with colorectal cancer. Chemosensitivity to 5‐FU was evaluated by the collagen gel droplet embedded culture drug sensitivity test. 5‐FU sensitivity of tumor cells without inactive p53 mutation in the arginine/arginine (Arg/Arg) variant was significantly higher than that of tumor cells with or without inactive p53 mutation in other variants (p = 0.022), whereas the 5‐FU sensitivity of tumor cells with inactive p53 mutation in the Arg/Arg variant was significantly lower than that of tumor cells with or without inactive p53 mutation in other variants (p = 0.002). In the Arg/Arg variant, apoptotic cells induced by 5‐FU treatment in patients without inactive p53 mutation were more markedly increased than those in patients with inactive p53 mutation (p = 0.037). Bax and Bcl‐2 protein expressions in tumor tissue treated with 5‐FU were associated with both 5‐FU sensitivity and the apoptotic cell count. Our data show that the Arg/Arg genotype without inactive p53 mutation could be predictive of a more favorable response and the Arg/Arg genotype with inactive p53 mutation a less favorable response to chemotherapy using 5‐FU in CRC. The combination of the p53 codon 72 polymorphism and p53 mutation status is a potential predictive marker of sensitivity to 5‐FU in CRC.
Skin cancers associated with HIV infection and solid‐organ transplantation among elderly adults
Authors: Lanoy Emilie , Costagliola Dominique , Engels Eric A.
Published: October 2009

Immunosuppression may be etiologic for some skin cancers. We investigated the impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and solid‐organ transplantation on skin cancer risk. We conducted a population‐based case–control study among elderly U.S. adults (non‐Hispanic whites, age 67 years or older), using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Medicare linked data. The study comprised 29,926 skin cancer cases (excluding basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas) and 119,704 controls, frequency‐matched by gender, age and calendar year (1987–2002). Medicare claims identified solid‐organ transplantation or HIV infection before cancer diagnosis/control selection. As negative controls, we evaluated other medical conditions (e.g., hypertension and depression) and cancers (breast, colon and prostate) not linked to immunosuppression. Odds ratios (ORs) compared prevalence in cases and controls, adjusted for matching factors and number of prior physician claims. Risks of Kaposi sarcoma (N = 602) and cutaneous non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (N = 1,836) were increased with solid‐organ transplantation (OR [95%CI]: 11.06 [5.27–23.23] and 2.27 [1.00–5.15], respectively) and HIV infection (21.58 [11.94–38.99] and 2.41 [1.05–5.52], respectively). Solid‐organ transplantation was also associated with increased risks of Merkel cell carcinoma (N = 1,286; OR [95%CI] 4.95 [2.62–9.34]) and other cutaneous sarcomas (N = 972; 4.19 [1.83–9.56]). Solid‐organ transplantation was nonsignificantly associated with melanoma (N = 23,974; (OR 1.36 [95%CI 0.98–1.88]). Null or weak associations were observed for negative control medical conditions and cancers. Solid‐organ transplantation and HIV infection were followed by increased risk for some skin cancer subtypes among elderly adults. These results highlight the potential role of immunity in development of skin cancers.
Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate receptor type 1 regulates glioma cell proliferation and correlates with patient survival
Authors: Yoshida Yuya , Nakada Mitsutoshi , Sugimoto Naotoshi , Harada Tomoya , Hayashi Yasuhiko , Kita Daisuke , Uchiyama Naoyuki , Hayashi Yutaka , Yachie Akihiro , Takuwa Yoh , Hamada Jun‐ichiro
Published: October 2009

Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid that signals through a family of G protein‐coupled receptors consisting of 5 members termed S1P1–5, and it regulates cellular proliferation, migration and survival. We investigated the expression and role of S1P receptors in glioma. Human glioma expressed S1P1, S1P2, S1P3, and S1P5 by quantitative real‐time PCR analysis. Expression of the S1P1 was significantly lower in glioblastoma than in the normal brain (p < 0.01) and diffuse astrocytoma (p < 0.05). Immunoblotting showed that normal brain expressed more S1P1 protein than did glioblastoma. Immunohistochemistry showed that S1P1 was localized predominantly in the astrocytes in the normal brain, but no staining was observed in glioblastoma. Downregulation of S1P1 expression correlated with poor survival of patients with glioblastoma (p < 0.05). S1P1 small interfering RNA promoted cell proliferation in high‐expressor glioma cell lines (T98G, G112). Cell proliferation was promoted by the pertussis toxin, which deactivates Gi/o type of G proteins; the S1P1 is exclusively coupled to these proteins. Forced expression of the S1P1 in low‐expressor cell lines (U87, U251) resulted in decreased cell growth and led to suppressed tumor growth in transplanted gliomas in vivo. Furthermore, we found a significant association between the S1P1 expression and early growth response‐1, a transcriptional factor that exhibits tumor suppression in glioblastoma cells (p < 0.05). These data indicate that the downregulation of S1P1 expression enhances the malignancy of glioblastoma by increasing cell proliferation and correlates with the shorter survival of patients with glioblastoma.
Selective laser melting: A unit cell approach for the manufacture of porous, titanium, bone in‐growth constructs, suitable for orthopedic applications. II. Randomized structures
Authors: Mullen Lewis , Stamp Robin C. , Fox Peter , Jones Eric , Ngo Chau , Sutcliffe Christopher J.
Published: October 2009

In this study, the unit cell approach, which has previously been demonstrated as a method of manufacturing porous components suitable for use as orthopedic implants, has been further developed to include randomized structures. These random structures may aid the bone in‐growth process because of their similarity in appearance to trabecular bone and are shown to carry legacy properties that can be related back to the original unit cell on which they are ultimately based. In addition to this, it has been shown that randomization improves the mechanical properties of regular unit cell structures, resulting in anticipated improvements to both implant functionality and longevity. The study also evaluates the effect that a post process sinter cycle has on the components, outlines the improved mechanical properties that are attainable, and also the changes in both the macro and microstructure that occur. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 2010
Inflammatory pseudotumor (myoblastic tumor) of the breast: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Park Sung Bin , Kim Hak Hee , Shin Hee Jung , Gong Gyungyub
Published: October 2009

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the breast is a very rare cause of breast mass. To our knowledge, only a few cases have been described in the English literature. In this case, the lesion appeared on mammography as a round high‐density mass with ill‐defined margins and on sonography as an irregular mass of complex echogenicity with ill‐defined margins and an echogenic rim. The lesion was resected with no evidence of local recurrence after 3 years. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 2010
Continuous‐type splenogonadal fusion associated with an ipsilateral testicular atrophy: Sonographic findings
Authors: Keyik Bahri , Yanik Bahar , Conkbayir IŞik , Tuygun Can , Kizilgoz Volkan , HekimoĞlu Baki
Published: October 2009

Splenogonadal fusion is a rare congenital anomaly in which the spleen is abnormally connected to the gonad. Two types of splenogonadal fusion have been described: continuous and discontinuous. Splenogonadal fusion is frequently associated with cryptorchidism and/or congenital orofacial/limb anomalies. We describe the ultrasound findings in a case of continuous‐type splenogonadal fusion associated with ipsilateral testicular atrophy with correlation with MRI. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2010