bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Upper Limb Deep Vein Thrombosis: A Literature Review to Streamline the Protocol for Management
Authors: Sajid Muhammad S. , Ahmed Naeem , Desai Mittal , Baker Daryll , Hamilton George
Published: April 2007

Objective: The objective of this article is to provide up-to-date information about aetiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic modalities and treatment of upper limb deep vein thrombosis (ULDVT). Methods: Generic terms including ULDVT, axillary-subclavian DVT, and complications of central venous catheters were searched on electronic database. We analysed original studies, review articles and evaluation studies published over the last 25 years. Results: Forty-seven studies on ULDVT encompassing 2,557 patients were evaluated. The incidence of ULDVT was quoted 1–4% of the total DVT. Primary ULDVT (20% of the total) was due to activity-related venous trauma. Secondary ULDVT (80% of the total) was due to central venous catheters and malignancy. Duplex ultrasound (sensitivity 78–100% and specificity 82–100%), contrast venography (gold standard) and magnetic resonance venography were the diagnostic tools used. Pulmonary embolism (2–35%) and post-thrombotic syndrome (7–46%) were the main sequelae. Anticoagulation was the universal intervention, giving 79% symptom relief (13.2% rethrombosis rate). Thrombolysis and/or percutaneous thrombectomy were used in 38% of cases for the management of ULDVT, giving 83% symptom relief (90% recanalization rate and 9% rethrombosis rate). Surgical decompression, venous angioplasty and superior vena cava filters were the main adjunctive interventions. Conclusion: ULDVT, although rare, is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality (29–40%) due to potential risks of pulmonary embolism, post-thrombotic syndrome and loss of vascular access. Simple anticoagulation is suitable for the majority of patients. Thrombolysis/thrombectomy is often successful but less frequently used. Surgical decompression, venous angioplasty and superior vena cava filters have some role in recurrent cases. An optimal management protocol can be established using a multimodality approach.
A Rare Cause of an Endobronchial Tumour in Children: The Role of Interventional Bronchoscopy in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Tumours while Preserving Anatomy and Lung Function
Authors: Breen David P. , Dubus Jean-Christophe , Chetaille Bruno , Payan Marie-José , Dutau Hervé
Published: April 2007

An 11-year-old girl was referred to our institution with complete obstruction of the left main stem bronchus by an endoluminal mass and was successfully treated by a combination of laser and mechanical debulking. Coring of the mass both allowed histological diagnosis (inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour) and definitive treatment with no recurrence after 3 years of follow-up. This case report emphasizes the major role of interventional bronchoscopy in the management of tumoural obstruction in children in whom benign conditions are frequent. Interventional bronchoscopy, which is minimally invasive when compared to surgery, in the vast majority of cases allows a precise diagnosis as it provides large samples of tissue removed during coring; in some cases it can be curative by itself and preserves lung parenchyma and function.
Exercise Training Restores Baroreflex Sensitivity in Never-Treated Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Laterza Mateus C. , de Matos Luciana D.N.J. , Trombetta Ivani C. , Braga Ana M.W. , Roveda Fabiana , Alves Maria J.N.N. , Krieger Eduardo M. , Negrão Carlos E. , Rondon Maria U.P.B.
Published: April 2007

The effects of exercise training on baroreflex control of sympathetic nerve activity in human hypertension are unknown. We hypothesized that exercise training would improve baroreflex control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and heart rate (HR) in patients with hypertension and that exercise training would reduce MSNA and blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive patients. Twenty never-treated hypertensive patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: exercise-trained (n=11; age: 46±2 years) and untrained (n=9; age: 42±2 years) patients. An age-matched normotensive exercise-trained group (n=12; age: 42±2 years) was also studied. Baroreflex control of MSNA (microneurography) and HR (ECG) was assessed by stepwise intravenous infusions of phenylephrine and sodium nitroprusside and analyzed by linear regression. BP was monitored on a beat-to-beat basis. Exercise training consisted of three 60-minute exercise sessions per week for 4 months. Under baseline conditions (before training), BP and MSNA were similar between hypertensive groups but significantly increased when compared with the normotensive group. Baroreflex control of MSNA and HR was similar between hypertensive groups but significantly decreased when compared with the normotensive group. In hypertensive patients, exercise training significantly reduced BP (
P
<0.01) and MSNA (
P
<0.01) levels and significantly increased baroreflex control of MSNA and HR during increases (
P
<0.01 and
P
<0.03, respectively) and decreases (
P
<0.01 and
P
<0.03, respectively) in BP. The baseline (preintervention) difference in baroreflex sensitivity between hypertensive patients and normotensive individuals was no longer observed after exercise training. No significant changes were found in untrained hypertensive patients. In conclusion, exercise training restores the baroreflex control of MSNA and HR in hypertensive patients. In addition, exercise training normalizes MSNA and decreases BP levels in these patients.
Uninephrectomy in Young Age or Chronic Salt Loading Causes Salt-Sensitive Hypertension in Adult Rats
Authors: Carlström Mattias , Sällström Johan , Skøtt Ole , Larsson Erik , Persson A. Erik G.
Published: April 2007

The importance of nephron endowment and salt intake for the development of hypertension is under debate. The present study was designed to investigate whether reduced nephron number, after completion of nephrogenesis, or chronic salt loading causes renal injury and salt-sensitive hypertension in adulthood. Rats were operated at 3 weeks of age (after completed nephrogenesis) and then subjected to either normal or high-salt diets for 6 to 8 weeks. Four different experimental groups were used: sham-operated animals raised with normal-salt diet (controls) or high-salt diet (HS) and uninephrectomized animals raised with normal-salt diet (UNX) or high-salt diet (UNX+HS). In the adult animals, renal and cardiovascular functions were evaluated and blood pressure recorded telemetrically under different sodium conditions (normal, high, and low). Hypertension was present in UNX+HS (122±9 mm Hg), UNX (101±3 mm Hg), and HS (96±1 mm Hg) groups on normal-salt diets compared with the controls (84±2 mm Hg), and the blood pressure was salt sensitive (high- versus normal-salt diet; 23±3, 9±2, 7±2, and 1±1 mm Hg, respectively). The hypertensive groups (UNX+HS, UNX, and HS) had increased diuresis and reduced ability to concentrate urine. The glomerular filtration rate (milliliters per minute) in anesthetized rats was reduced in the UNX+HS (2.36±0.30) and UNX animals (2.00±0.31) compared with both HS animals (3.55±0.45) and controls (3.01±0.35). Hypertensive groups displayed reduced plasma renin concentrations during high sodium conditions and hypertrophic kidneys and hearts with various degrees of histopathologic changes. In conclusion, at a young age after completed nephrogenesis, uninephrectomy or chronic salt loading causes renal and cardiovascular injury with salt-sensitive hypertension.
Prolonged Activation of the Baroreflex Abolishes Obesity-Induced Hypertension
Authors: Lohmeier Thomas E. , Dwyer Terry M. , Irwin Eric D. , Rossing Martin A. , Kieval Robert S.
Published: April 2007

Prolonged electrical activation of the carotid baroreflex produces sustained reductions in sympathetic activity and arterial pressure in normotensive dogs. The main goal of this study was to assess the influence of prolonged baroreflex activation on arterial pressure and neurohormonal responses in 6 dogs with obesity-induced hypertension. After control measurements, the diet was supplemented with cooked beef fat for 6 weeks, whereas sodium intake was held constant. After 4 weeks of the high-fat diet, there were increments in body weight from 25.8±0.7 to 38.6±1.0 kg, mean arterial pressure from 97±2 to 110±3 mm Hg, heart rate from 67±3 to 91±4 bpm, and plasma norepinephrine concentration from 141±35 to 280±52 pg/mL. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were elevated, but increases in plasma renin activity during the initial weeks of the high-fat diet were not sustained. During week 5, baroreflex activation resulted in sustained reductions in mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and plasma norepinephrine concentration; at the end of week 5, these values were 87±2 mm Hg, 77±4 bpm, and 166±45 pg/mL, respectively. These suppressed values returned to week 4 levels during a 7-day recovery period after baroreflex activation. There were no changes in plasma glucose or insulin concentrations, or plasma renin activity during prolonged baroreflex activation. These findings indicate that baroreflex activation can chronically suppress the sympathoexcitation associated with obesity and abolish the attendant hypertension while having no effect on hyperinsulinemia or hyperglycemia.
A “Fertilizer Revolution”?
Authors: Yong Xue
Published: April 2007

The adoption of beancake, a new commercial fertilizer, marked a significant technological advance in Jiangnan agriculture in the late Ming. The popularity of beancake was a result of two developments: the severe fertilizer shortage in Jiangnan and the importation of Manchurian bean products during the Qing. However, recent studies by Kenneth Pomeranz and Li Bozhong exaggerate the volume of imports from Manchuria by ten to twenty-five times. They also ignore the limited time frame of the importation of beancake, for it was mainly concentrated in three or four decades during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In fact, though Manchuria had a great potential to produce sufficient beancake to relieve the chronic fertilizer shortage in Jiangnan, this potential remained largely unrealized before foreign countries became involved in the trade. The nineteenth-century agricultural stagnancy in Jiangnan did not result from the absence of the kind of “geographic luck” enjoyed by England, as Pomeranz claims. Instead, Jiangnan failed to take advantage of its privileged access to Manchuria to improve its agriculture.
Are Parent-Reported Outcomes for Self-Directed or Telephone-Assisted Behavioral Family Intervention Enhanced if Parents Are Observed?
Authors: Morawska Alina , Sanders Matthew R.
Published: April 2007

The study examined the effects of conducting observations as part of a broader assessment of families participating in behavior family intervention (BFI). It was designed to investigate whether the observations improve intervention outcomes. Families were randomly assigned to different levels of BFI or a waitlist control condition and subsequently randomly assigned to either observation or no-observation conditions. This study demonstrated significant intervention and observation effects. Mothers in more intensive BFI reported more improvement in their child's behavior and their own parenting. Observed mothers reported lower intensity of child behavior problems and more effective parenting styles. There was also a trend for less anger among mothers who were observed and evidence of an observation-intervention interaction for parental anger, with observed mothers in more intensive intervention reporting less anger compared to those not observed. Implications for clinical and research intervention contexts are discussed.
Adapting to climate change
Authors: Muller Mike
Published: April 2007

Global warming and related climate changes arelikely to significantly increase the weather-related risks facing human settlements, including floods, water and power supply failures and associated economic collapse into “failed cities”. Action to help poor urban communities adapt to become more resilient to possible change must therefore be initiated, although to date attention has focused on mitigation rather than adaptation. This paper considers the physical and financial implications for urban areas of the potential impacts of climate variability and change on water resources, illustrated by examples from sub-Saharan Africa, which is likely to be one of the most vulnerable and most affected regions. Water management, which will be particularly affected by climate change, could provide an opportunity to initiate structured adaptation responses. Adaptation costs in the sub-Saharan urban water sector are estimated at between 10 and 20 per cent of current overseas development assistance to the region. This paper suggests that additional funding should be made available in terms of the “polluter pays” principle, and should be channelled through government budgets rather than ring-fenced climate funds. This would help ensure that “climate proofing” is mainstreamed and would be in keeping with current trends in overseas development assistance reflected in the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
The rising tide: assessing the risks of climate change and human settlements in low elevation coastal zones
Authors: McGranahan Gordon , Balk Deborah , Anderson Bridget
Published: April 2007

Settlements in coastal lowlands are especially vulnerable to risks resulting from climate change, yet these lowlands are densely settled and growing rapidly. In this paper, we undertake the first global review of the population and urban settlement patterns in the Low Elevation Coastal Zone (LECZ), defined here as the contiguous area along the coast that is less than 10 metres above sea level. Overall, this zone covers 2 per cent of the world's land area but contains 10 per cent of the world's population and 13 per cent of the world's urban population. A disproportionate number of the countries with a large share of their population in this zone are small island countries, but most of the countries with large populations in the zone are large countries with heavily populated delta regions. On average, the Least Developed Countries have a higher share of their population living in the zone (14 per cent) than do OECD countries (10 per cent), with even greater disparities in the urban shares (21 per cent compared to 11 per cent). Almost two-thirds of urban settlements with populations greater than 5 million fall, at least partly, in the zone. In some countries (most notably China), urbanization is driving a movement in population towards the coast. Reducing the risk of disasters related to climate change in coastal settlements will require a combination of mitigation, migration and settlement modification.
Selective requirements for NRP1 ligands during neurovascular patterning
Authors: Vieira Joaquim Miguel , Schwarz Quenten , Ruhrberg Christiana
Published: April 2007

Blood vessels and neurons share several types of guidance cues and cell surface receptors to control their behaviour during embryogenesis. The transmembrane protein NRP1 is present on blood vessels and nerves. NRP1 binds two structurally diverse ligands, the semaphorin SEMA3A and the VEGF164 isoform of vascular endothelial growth factor. SEMA3A was originally identified as a repulsive cue for developing axons that acts by signalling through receptor complexes containing NRP1 and plexins. In vitro, SEMA3A also inhibits integrin function and competes with VEGF164 for binding to NRP1 to modulate the migration of endothelial cells. These observations resulted in a widely accepted model of vascular patterning in which the balance of VEGF164 and SEMA3A determines endothelial cell behaviour. However, we now demonstrate that SEMA3A is not required for angiogenesis in the mouse, which instead is controlled by VEGF164. We find that SEMA3A, but not VEGF164, is required for axon patterning of limb nerves, even though the competition between VEGF164 and SEMA3A for NRP1 affects the migration of neuronal progenitor cells in vitro and has been hypothesised to control axon guidance. Moreover, we show that there is no genetic interaction between SEMA3A and VEGF164 during vasculogenesis, angiogenesis or limb axon patterning, suggesting that ligand competition for NRP1 binding cannot explain neurovascular congruence, as previously suggested. We conclude that NRP1 contributes to both neuronal and vascular patterning by preferentially relaying SEMA3A signals in peripheral axons and VEGF164 signals in blood vessels.
Dynamic Decapentaplegic signaling regulates patterning and adhesion in theDrosophilapupal retina
Authors: Cordero Julia B. , Larson David E. , Craig Caroline R. , Hays Rebecca , Cagan Ross
Published: April 2007

The correct organization of cells within an epithelium is essential for proper tissue and organ morphogenesis. The role of Decapentaplegic/Bone morphogenetic protein (Dpp/BMP) signaling in cellular morphogenesis during epithelial development is poorly understood. In this paper, we used the developing Drosophila pupal retina - looking specifically at the reorganization of glial-like support cells that lie between the retinal ommatidia - to better understand the role of Dpp signaling during epithelial patterning. Our results indicate that Dpp pathway activity is tightly regulated across time in the pupal retina and that epithelial cells in this tissue require Dpp signaling to achieve their correct shape and position within the ommatidial hexagon. These results point to the Dpp pathway as a third component and functional link between two adhesion systems,Hibris-Roughest and DE-cadherin. A balanced interplay between these three systems is essential for epithelial patterning during morphogenesis of the pupal retina. Importantly, we identify a similar functional connection between Dpp activity and DE-cadherin and Rho1 during cell fate determination in the wing, suggesting a broader link between Dpp function and junctional integrity during epithelial development.
A new paradigm of mechanical energy dissipation. Part 2: Experimental investigation and effectiveness of a novel car damper
Authors: Eroshenko V A , Piatiletov I , Coiffard L , Stoudenets V
Published: April 2007

Solid-liquid interfaces can be used as a damper to dissipate mechanical energy. Owing to its original properties, a heterogeneous lyophobic system consisting of a nanoporous solid and a non-wetting liquid can dissipate energy under specific pressures.

The dissipation process is fast enough to consider its use in damping high-frequency disturbances and for other applications. In this paper, a prototype automobile damper is described. One of the objectives of the device is to exert a clipping effect on major forces induced by the fast and large mechanical disturbance applied to the rod. The prototype is a hybrid of a viscous damper that contains a small volume of oil and throttle valves for conventional viscous dissipation, and a heterogeneous lyophobic system that can significantly enhance mechanical dissipation for velocities greater than adjustable threshold piston rod speeds. The mechanical properties of the device and its energy performance are evaluated and comprehensively discussed.
Research on expansion of operating windows of controlled homogeneous auto-ignition engines
Authors: Xu H M , Wyszynski M L , Megaritis A , Yap D , Wilson T , Qiao J , Richardson S , Golunski S , Peucheret S
Published: April 2007

A major effort has been made to surmount the current obstacles to expanding the operating window of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines. The research involves extensive experimental studies on single-cylinder and multi-cylinder engines and the work is devoted to the development of on-board fuel-reforming technology and to the application of supercharging combined with trapping of residual gases in the cylinder. Fuel reforming yields significant quantities of hydrogen and is used to extend the lower load boundary while supercharging and internal exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) trapping are used to increase the upper load limit of HCCI engines. The present paper highlights the main findings of the research to date; in particular it reveals that using a combination of technical elements for effective control of auto-ignition in a typical passenger car engine configuration is possible and promising.
Numerical simulations of homogeneous charge compression ignition engines with high levels of residual gas
Authors: Lee C-W , Mastorakos E
Published: April 2007

In order to account for the effect of mixture inhomogeneity in HCCI engines utilizing high levels of residual gas and to estimate accurate initial conditions, a sequential numerical procedure was devised. A one-dimensional (1D) engine cycle simulation and a three-dimensional (3D) CFD analysis were used to calculate the residual gas overall level and its spatial distribution. A Monte-Carlo method for the probability density function (PDF) of the mass fraction and temperature, assuming negligible spatial inhomogeneity in the mean quantities but including finite small-scale fluctuations, was used to allow for micro-mixing in the evolution of the chemical reactions. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis confirmed that substantial scalar inhomogeneity persists up to top dead centre (TDC). The result from the procedure showed a close prediction of the pressure profile from the experiment. However, the u HC level is underpredicted, attributed to the assumed spatial homogeneity of the mean quantities in the Monte-Carlo simulation, which causes an overprediction of the scalar fluctuation decay. Parametric studies of the initial mixture inhomogeneity and turbulence timescale showed that they affect both the ignition timing and combustion duration. A comparison of three mixing models (IEM, modified Curl, and EIEM) showed that the EIEM model predicts a later ignition. The results suggested that accurate prediction of pollutant emission in HCCI engines with high levels of residual gas can be achieved only by a fully 3D calculation incorporating turbulence-chemistry interactions, although combustion phasing and duration can be predicted with adequate accuracy with a volume-averaged representation of the initial residual gas fluctuations.
Cryopreservation and orthotopic transplantation of rat ovaries as a means of gamete banking
Authors: Dorsch Martina M , Wedekind Dirk , Kamino Kenji , Hedrich Hans J
Published: April 2007

Besides the exponentially increasing number of mouse strains, the rising number of rat strains, due to the establishment of transgenic and coisogenic strains in this species, surpasses the capacity of most animal houses. Cryopreservation of gametes may be a means of solving these problems. Here we describe an easy and fast method for the cryopreservation and transplantation of frozen–thawed ovaries of the rat. Ovaries of the rat inbred strain WKY/Ztm were frozen with dimethylsulphoxide as cryoprotectant and stored at −196°C. Orthotopical transplantation was performed into ovariectomized syngenic recipients. Re-establishment of the reproductive cycle in the recipients was confirmed by vaginal cytology. The morphological integrity of frozen and unfrozen ovaries was compared by histological means after staining with haematoxylin and eosin. The number of litters and offspring was recorded. Reproductive cycle was re-established in all recipients of unfrozen ovaries and in more than 50% of recipients that received frozen–thawed ovaries. One-third of the former and more than 25% of the latter became pregnant and delivered at least one litter. Cyropreservation of ovaries can thus be considered as a reliable method of preserving scientifically and economically important mutant stock, as well as congenic rat strains that are currently not required.
Research Note—User Design of Customized Products
Authors: Randall Taylor , Terwiesch Christian , Ulrich Karl T.
Published: April 2007

User design offers tantalizing potential benefits to manufacturers and consumers, including a closer match of products to user preferences, which should result in a higher willingness to pay for goods and services. There are two fundamental approaches that can be taken to user design: parameter-based systems and needs-based systems. With parameter-based systems, users directly specify the values of design parameters of the product. With needs-based systems, users specify the relative importance of their needs, and an optimization algorithm recommends the combination of design parameters that is likely to maximize user utility. Through an experiment in the domain of consumer laptop computers, we show that for parameter-based systems, outcomes, including measures for comfort and fit, increase with the expertise of the user. We also show that for novices, the needs-based interface results in better outcomes than the parameter-based interface.
Investigating Consumers’ Purchase Incidence and Brand Choice Decisions Across Multiple Product Categories: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis
Authors: Mehta Nitin
Published: April 2007

We propose a framework to investigate consumers’ brand choice and purchase incidence decisions across multiple categories, where both decisions are modeled as an outcome of a consumer’s basket utility maximization. We build the model from first principles by theoretically explicating a general model of basket utility maximization and then examining the reasonable restrictions that can be placed to make the solution tractable without sacrificing its flexibility. Comparing with prior models, we show why prior multicategory purchase incidence models overemphasize the role of the cross effects of a market mix of brands in other categories on the purchase incidence decision of a given category. Additionally, we show that prior single-category models are a special case of the proposed model when further restrictions are placed on the basket utility structure.

We estimate the model on household basket data for the laundry family of categories. We show (i) why prior single-category and multicategory models would systematically bias the estimates of the own- and cross-price/promotional purchase incidence elasticities; and (ii) how the market mix of each brand in each category affects the purchases across all categories, which can help retailers make promotional decisions across a portfolio of products.
Managing a Bank’s Currency Inventory Under New Federal Reserve Guidelines
Authors: Geismar Neil , Dawande Milind , Rajamani Divakar , Sriskandarajah Chelliah
Published: April 2007

New currency recirculation guidelines implemented by the Federal Reserve System (Fed) of the United States are intended to reduce the overuse of its currency processing services by depository institutions (banks). These changes are expected to have a significant impact on operating policies at those depository institutions that handle large volumes of currency. We describe two business models that capture the flow of currency between a bank and the Fed; the first model captures the current operations of most banks, while the second is expected to be adapted by many banks in response to the new guidelines. Motivated by our work with Brink’s, Inc., to assess the economic impact that banks will sustain from these guidelines, we present a detailed analysis that provides managers of banks with optimal strategies to manage the flow of currency to and from the Fed for a variety of cost structures and demand patterns. Given this insight into a bank’s optimal behavior, the Fed can also use our analysis to fine tune its guidelines to achieve the desired goals.
Chemistry of oxylipin pathways in marine diatoms
Authors: Fontana Angelo , d'Ippolito Giuliana , Cutignano Adele , Miralto Antonio , Ianora Adrianna , Romano Giovanna , Cimino Guido
Published: April 2007

Oxylipins are important signal transduction molecules widely distributed in animals and plants where they regulate a variety of events associated with physiological and pathological processes. The family embraces several different metabolites that share a common origin from the oxygenase-catalyzed oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The biological role of these compounds has been especially studied in mammalians and higher plants, although a varied and very high concentration of these products has also been reported from marine macroalgae. This article gives a summary of our results concerning the oxylipin chemistry of marine diatoms, a major class of planktonic microalgae that discourage predation from their natural grazers, zooplanktonic copepods, using chemical warfare. These apparently harmless microscopic cells produce a plethora of oxylipins, including short-chain unsaturated aldehydes, hydroxyl-, keto-, and epoxyhydroxy fatty acid derivatives, that induce reproductive failure in copepods through abortions, congenital malformations, and reduced larval growth. The biochemical process involved in the production of these compounds shows a simple regulation based on decompartmentation and mixing of preexisting enzymes and requires hydrolysis of chloroplast-derived glycolipids to feed the downstream activities of C16 and C20 lipoxygenases.
Mitsoamide: A cytotoxic linear lipopeptide from the Madagascar marine cyanobacterium Geitlerinema sp.
Authors: Andrianasolo Eric H. , Goeger Douglas , Gerwick William H.
Published: April 2007

A new cytotoxic and linear peptide (IC50 460 nM to NCI-H460 human lung tumor cells) was isolated from the marine cyanobacterium Geitlerinema sp. The planar structure of mitsoamide was deduced by 1D and 2D NMR experiments in combination with MS analyses. The structure of mitsoamide contains an unusual polyketide unit (3,7-dimethoxy-5-methyl-nonanedioic acid, DMNA), incorporates a homolysine (HomoLys) residue and possesses a highly unusual piperidine aminal moiety. The configurations of the relatively common amino acids present in mitsoamide (Ala, Ile, N-Me-Ile, Phe, Val) were determined by chiral HPLC analysis of the acid hydrolysate.
Recent progress in the synthesis of bioactive polycyclic natural products
Authors: Miyashita Masaaki
Published: April 2007

The zoanthamine alkaloids, a type of heptacyclic marine alkaloid isolated from colonial zoanthids of the genus Zoanthus sp., have distinctive biological and pharmacological properties as well as their unique chemical structures with stereochemical complexity. Namely, norzoanthamine can suppress the loss of bone weight and strength in ovariectomized mice and has been considered a promising candidate for an antiosteoporotic drug, whereas zoanthamine has exhibited potent inhibitory activity toward phorbol myristate-induced inflammation in addition to powerful analgesic effects. Recently, norzoanthamine derivatives were demonstrated to inhibit strongly the growth of P-388 murine leukemia cell lines, in addition to their potent antiplatelet activities on human platelet aggregation. These distinctive biological properties, combined with novel chemical structures, make this family of alkaloids extremely attractive targets for chemical synthesis. However, the chemical synthesis of the zoanthamine alkaloids has been impeded owing to their densely fuctionalized complex stereostructures. We report here the first and highly stereoselective total syntheses of norzoanthamine and zoanthamine, which involves stereoselective synthesis of the requisite triene for intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction via three-component coupling reactions, a key intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, and subsequent crucial bis-aminoacetalization as the key steps.
Influence of C-terminal amidation on the antimicrobial and hemolytic activities of cationic α-helical peptides
Authors: Strandberg Erik , Tiltak Deniz , Ieronimo Marco , Kanithasen Nathalie , Wadhwani Parvesh , Ulrich Anne S.
Published: April 2007

The effect of C-terminal amidation on the antimicrobial and hemolytic activities of antimicrobial peptides was studied using three cationic peptides which form amphiphilic α-helices when bound to membranes. The natural antimicrobial peptide PGLa, the designer-made antibiotic MSI-103, and the cell-penetrating "model amphipathic peptide" (MAP) are all amidated in their original forms, and their biological activities were compared with the same sequences carrying a free C-terminus. It was found that, in general, a free COOH-terminus reduces both the antimicrobial activity and the hemolytic side effects of the peptides. The only exception was observed for MSI-103, whose antimicrobial activity was not decreased in the acid form. Having shown that the therapeutic index (TI) of this novel peptide is significantly higher than for the other tested peptides, with high antibiotic activity and little undesired effects, we suggest that it could be a useful starting point for further development of new peptide antibiotics.
Porphyrins as spectroscopic sensors for conformational studies of DNA
Authors: Balaz Milan , Bitsch-Jensen Klaus , Mammana Angela , Ellestad George A. , Nakanishi Koji , Berova Nina
Published: April 2007

Molecular systems containing two or more interacting porphyrins show remarkable spectroscopic features that allow for a very sensitive detection of conformational changes on the microscale level by different methods, such as fluorescence and electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Covalent porphyrin-DNA assemblies can provide a CD profile (exciton couplet) within the porphyrin Soret band region which is very diagnostic for DNA conformational changes. Additionally, covalently linked porphyrins have been shown to function as DNA molecular caps and to stabilize the non-self-complementary non-Watson-Crick guanine-adenine DNA sequence via their strong π-π stacking.
Phytochemical genomics in Arabidopsis thaliana: A case study for functional identification of flavonoid biosynthesis genes
Authors: Tohge Takayuki , Yonekura-Sakakibara Keiko , Niida Rie , Watanabe-Takahashi Akiko , Saito Kazuki
Published: April 2007

The completion of the whole genome sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana has made it possible to explore the phytochemical genomics in this species by determining gene-to-metabolite correlation through the comprehensive analysis of metabolite accumulation and gene expression. In this study, flavonoid profiling of wild-type plants and T-DNA insertion mutants was analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/photodiode array detection (PDA)/electrospray ionization (ESI)/multiple-stage mass spectrometry (MSn). Detailed analysis of the metabolite changes in the mutants suggested the functions of genes that have been mutated. In silico coexpression analysis of genes involved in flavonoid metabolism in Arabidopsis was performed using a publicly available transcriptome database of DNA microarrays. We inferred a coexpression framework model of the genes involved in the pathways of flavonol, anthocyanin, and proanthocyanidin synthesis, suggesting specific functions and coregulation of the genes of pathway enzymes and transcription factors. The metabolic profiling of the omt1 mutant lacking a methyltransferase gene narrowed down by the coexpression analysis showed that AtOMT1 (At5g54160) is involved not only in the production of lignins and sinapoyl esters but also in the methylation of flavonols forming isorhamnetin. These results suggest that the functional genomics approach by detailed target-metabolite profiling with transcriptome coexpression analysis provides an efficient way of identifying novel gene functions involved in plant metabolism.
India in 2006: A New Emphasis on Engagement
Authors: Lavoy Peter R.
Published: April 2007

India took important steps in 2006 to develop its economy and improve its standing abroad. Strengthening its strategic partnership with the United States, while at the same time maintaining positive relations with China, was a particularly important achievement. Increased attention to energy security has driven India to reach out to countries well beyond its borders. For the first time in India's history, New Delhi appears comfortable using the military and diplomatic tools that great powers have used throughout history.
Myanmar in 2006: Another Year of Housekeeping?
Authors: Thawnghmung Ardeth Maung , Myoe Maung Aung
Published: April 2007

The year 2006 was marked by more entrenched and resilient military rule, which has become increasingly defiant against intense and growing international pressure. The Myanmar government has demonstrated that it plans to remain in power indefinitely and by any means, despite a successful effort by Western powers to place the Myanmar problem on the U.N. Security Council agenda.
Book Reviews
Authors: Chung Jae A.
Published: April 2007

Mutual Life, Limited: Islamic Banking, Alternative Currencies, Lateral Reason By Bill Maurer. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005.
Diagnosis of Common Variable Immunodeficiency in a Patient With Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
Authors: Skorpinski Edward W. , Kung Shiang-Ju , Yousef Ejaz , McGeady Stephen J.
Published: April 2007

In this case report we describe the first account in the literature of a patient with primary ciliary dyskinesia and common variable immunodeficiency. A 17-year-old boy with previously diagnosed Kartagener syndrome and stable lung disease developed a deteriorating clinical course that prompted the search for a secondary diagnosis. Although both of these rare conditions can result in similar lung pathology, they require different management strategies, which illustrates the need to consider associated diagnoses in complicated clinical situations.
Deer exposed to exceptionally high concentrations of lead near the continental mine in idaho, USA
Authors: Beyer W. Nelson , Gaston Greg , Brazzle Roy , O'Connell Allan F. , Audet Dan J.
Published: April 2007

Habitat surrounding the inactive Continental Mine in northern Idaho, USA, supports bear (Ursus arctos, Ursus americanus), moose (Alces alces), elk (Cervus elaphus), woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), and abundant mule (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Tailings on the mining site were capped and remediated in 2003 to reduce environmental exposure of surrounding soil and sediments of Blue Joe Creek, downslope of the mine. Before capping, the mean Pb concentration in deer pellets collected on-site was 920 mg/kg of Pb (dry wt). This exposure, if chronic, would be comparable to an exposure that could be lethal to cattle or horses. Surprisingly, the mean pellet Pb concentration of 950 mg/kg in 2004 was as high as it was before remediation, and it was related to a high rate of soil ingestion. Mean soil content of the pellets collected from the capped site in 2004 was 22% dry weight, estimated from the acid-insoluble ash, a marker of soil ingestion. Clumps of sand and bits of rock were observed inside some of the pellets, and Pb concentrations in the pellets were correlated (p < 0.05) with soil content. Although terrestrial risk assessments generally estimate exposure from diets and from incidentally ingested soil, the deer at this site were directly ingesting contaminated soil or mining waste. The mean Pb concentration of this ingested soil was estimated as 6,700 mg/kg and the maximum as 25,000 mg/kg, well above the Pb concentrations measured in the remediated cap. The deer seemed to be ingesting soil or mining waste from one or more small but highly contaminated sources located beyond the remediated cap.
Polychlorinated biphenyls, DDT, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and organic pesticides in United Kingdom harbor seals (Phoca vitulina)—mixed exposures and thyroid homeostasis
Authors: Hall Ailsa J. , Thomas Gareth O.
Published: April 2007

Polychlorinated biphenyls, DDT and its metabolites, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and selected organochlorine pesticide concentrations were measured in blubber samples from 60 free-living harbor seals in 2003 from five sites around the United Kingdom coast. Significant regional differences among contaminant levels were found, with seals on Islay and Jura (southwest Scotland) having the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls and seals in the Wash (eastern England) having the highest polybrominated diphenyl ether levels. Animals from the north and northeast of Scotland (Orkney and the Moray Firth) had the lowest levels of all the contaminant groups studied. Congener-specific profiles of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers showed relatively higher levels of the lower chlorinated and brominated compounds at the more northerly sites, with the lowest total levels of both chemical groups. Significant positive relationships between blubber contaminants and total triiodothyronine (TT3) concentrations were found after controlling for the potential effects of confounding because of sex, mass, and season. Increased serum TT3 levels were significantly related to higher blubber contaminant concentrations in the following order: sum of all contaminants > polybrominated diphenyl ethers > polychlorinated biphenyls > DDT. Serum TT3 levels in the harbor seals with the highest exposures might be indicative of a T3 thyrotoxicosis, but without information on free T3 and circulating thyroid-stimulating hormone levels, it is difficult to determine the importance of this observation for the health of the individuals or populations. However, the mixture of contaminants to which United Kingdom harbor seals are exposed has changed over the last few decades, and the toxicological and epidemiological importance of adding the brominated compounds to the classical organochlorine and heavy metal mixture is not known.
Value of Injection Testing as an Alternative to Conventional Well Testing: Field Experience in a Sour-Oil Reservoir
Authors: Beretta E. , Tiani A. , Presti G. Lo , Verga F.
Published: April 2007

Environmental constraints and high costs, especially offshore, are making conventional-well testing less and less feasible and accepted by the public administration.

New options were thoroughly evaluated to find a viable alternative to standard production tests for characterizing the well productivity without surface production. An accurate investigation demonstrated that injection tests could provide all the information needed to calculate the well productivity at reasonably low costs and with a good degree of reliability.

On the basis of the results of laboratory and field pilot tests, it was proved that injectivity tests could be applied successfully to a real sour-oil field. Laboratory tests proved that brine could be a suitable injection fluid because there were no compatibility problems with the oil and the reservoir rock. It was verified that the interpretation of the pressure transients should be referred to the falloff period rather than to the injection phase. The formation permeability-thickness product (kh) could be identified correctly from the pressure-derivative analysis only if multiphase flow was assumed. The total skin value could also be obtained from the test interpretation.

The total skin comprises two components: a mechanical component resulting from permeability damage and a biphase component resulting from fluid interaction in the reservoir. Except for a limited number of cases, the biphase skin can be evaluated only with numerical well testing, provided that the fluid relative permeability curves are available. It was also demonstrated that the biphase component depends mainly on the injection rate but is independent of the formation permeability.

Then, the well-known transient equation was applied to determine the well productivity index (PI) based on the kh and the mechanical skin. PI values calculated from injection tests compared satisfactorily with PI values measured from six drillstem tests (DSTs) performed on appraisal wells.
Improved Characterization and Modeling of Capillary Transition Zones in Carbonate Reservoirs
Authors: Masalmeh S. K. , Shiekah I. Abu , Jing X. D.
Published: April 2007

An oil/water capillary transition zone often contains a sizable portion of a field's initial oil in place, especially for those carbonate reservoirs with low matrix permeability. The field-development plan and ultimate recovery may be influenced heavily by how much oil can be recovered from the transition zone. This in turn depends on a number of geological and petrophysical properties that influence the distribution of initial oil saturation (Sor) against depth, and on the rock and fluid interactions that control the residual oil saturation (Sor), capillary pressure, and relative permeability characteristics as a function of initial oil saturation.

Because of the general lack of relevant experimental data and the insufficient physical understanding of the characteristics of the transition zone, modeling both the static and dynamic properties of carbonate fields with large transition zones remains an ongoing challenge. In this paper, we first review the transition-zone definition and the current limitations in modeling transition zones. We describe the methodology recently developed, based on extensive experimental measurements and numerical simulation, for modeling both static and dynamic properties in capillary transition zones. We then address how to calculate initial-oil-saturation distribution in the carbonate fields by reconciling log and core data and taking into account the effect of reservoir wettability and its impact on petrophysical interpretations. The effects of relative permeability and imbibition capillary pressure curves on oil recovery in heterogeneous reservoirs with large transition zones are assessed. It is shown that a proper description of relative permeability and capillary pressure curves including hysteresis, based on experimental special-core-analysis (SCAL) data, has a significant impact on the field-performance predictions, especially for heterogeneous reservoirs with transition zones.
Improved Sweep in Bati Raman Heavy-Oil CO2 Flood: Bullhead Flowing Gel Treatments Plug Natural Fractures
Authors: Karaoguz Osman K. , Topguder Nazan N. , Lane Robert H. , Kalfa Ulker , Celebioglu Demet
Published: April 2007

This paper covers the successful pilot field application of polymer gels for reservoir conformance improvement in the ongoing CO2 injection project at Bati Raman heavy-oil field in southeastern Turkey. Bati Raman is a naturally fractured carbonate reservoir in which the heterogeneities and the unfavorable mobility ratios between CO2 and the heavy oil cause inefficient sweep of the reservoir. These conditions prompted the pilot application of a conformance-improvement fracture-plugging (flowing) gel system in three wells in July 2002. Based on injection tests performed in the field, approximate treatment volumes were estimated to be on the order of 10,000 bbl for each well. Volumes actually pumped ranged from approximately 6,500 to 11,000 bbl. All three of the wells showed a gradual increase in injection pressure during treatment, indicating a decrease in injectivity index as treatment progressed. During one treatment, an offset producer experienced changes in fluid level consistent with rapid pressure transmission via the connecting fracture early in the treatment, with later loss of such communication. This behavior provides direct evidence of fracture plugging during treatment (Lane 2002).

A mechanistic semianalytical model based on previously published laboratory work (Lane and Seright 2000) obtained a good match with the field data. The rate/pressure data were fed into the model, and effective fracture widths were backcalculated. Comparisons of results with the Formation MicroImager (FMI) log findings are explained. Gel-monitor well responses were scaled based on field data using a Fetkovich type decline-curve analysis. These studies enabled the incorporation of the effect of reservoir heterogeneities on the gel propagation radius so that future gel-treatment design parameters could be optimized.

Pre and post-treatment CO2 injection pressures and the rates are as shown in Table 1. Sweep efficiency was increased as defined by produced oil/injected gas ratio. The 1-year average post-gel oil rate from 19 offset producers is 720 STB/D, as compared with apre-gel oil rate of 645 STB/D. The rate of increase from the treatments is thus 75 B/D, or 12%, which indicates a payout time of 12 months. Keeping this enlightened approach and seizing on the key concepts, four more CO2 injector wells were treated in 2004 to follow up on the encouraging results.