bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced technique to measure proteins in single segments of human skeletal muscle fibers: fiber-type dependence of AMPK-α1 and -β1
Authors: Murphy Robyn M.
Published: November 2010

Human physiological studies typically use skeletal muscle biopsies from the heterogeneous vastus lateralis muscle comprised of both fast-twitch and slow-twitch fiber types. It is likely that potential changes of physiological importance are overlooked because fiber-type specific responses may not be apparent in the whole muscle preparation. A technological advance in Western blotting is presented where proteins are analyzed in just one small segment (<2 mm) of individual fibers dissected from freeze-dried muscle samples using standard laboratory equipment. A significant advance is being able to classify every fiber at the level of both contractile (myosin heavy chain and tropomyosin) and sarcoplasmic reticulum [sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase type 1] properties and then being able to measure specific proteins in the very same segments. This removes the need to fiber type segments before further analyses and, as such, dramatically reduces the time required for sample collection. Compared with slow-twitch fibers, there was less AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-α1 (∼25%) and AMPK-β1 (∼60%) in fast-twitch fibers from human skeletal muscle biopsies.
Tumor Suppressor CHK2: Regulator of DNA Damage Response and Mediator of Chromosomal Stability
Authors: Stolz Ailine , Ertych Norman , Bastians Holger
Published: November 2010

CHK2 is a multiorgan tumor susceptibility gene that encodes for a serine/threonine protein kinase involved in the response to cellular DNA damage. After ATM-mediated phosphorylation, the activated Chk2 kinase can act as a signal transducer and phosphorylate a variety of substrates, including the Cdc25 phosphatases, p53, PML, E2F-1, and Brca1, which has been associated with halting the cell cycle, the initiation of DNA repair, and the induction of apoptosis after DNA damage. In addition, recent work has revealed another, DNA-damage–independent function of Chk2 during mitosis that is required for proper mitotic spindle assembly and maintenance of chromosomal stability. This novel role involves a mitotic phosphorylation of the tumor suppressor Brca1 by the Chk2 kinase. On the basis of its role during DNA damage response, Chk2 has been suggested as an anticancer therapy target, but given its recently discovered new function and its role as a tumor suppressor, it is questionable whether inhibition of Chk2 is indeed beneficial for anticancer treatment. However, investigators may be able to exploit the loss of CHK2 in human tumors to develop novel therapies based on synthetic lethal interactions. Clin Cancer Res; 17(3); 401–5. ©2010 AACR.
Telomerase Deficiency in Bone Marrow–Derived Cells Attenuates Angiotensin II–Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation
Authors: Findeisen Hannes M. , Gizard Florence , Zhao Yue , Cohn Dianne , Heywood Elizabeth B. , Jones Karrie L. , Lovett David H. , Howatt Deborah A. , Daugherty Alan , Bruemmer Dennis
Published: November 2010

Objective—

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are an age-related vascular disease and an important cause of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we sought to determine whether the catalytic component of telomerase, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), modulates angiotensin (Ang) II–induced AAA formation.

Methods and Results—

Low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient (LDLr−/−) mice were lethally irradiated and reconstituted with bone marrow–derived cells from TERT-deficient (TERT−/−) mice or littermate wild-type mice. Mice were placed on a diet enriched in cholesterol, and AAA formation was quantified after 4 weeks of Ang II infusion. Repopulation of LDLr−/− mice with TERT−/− bone marrow–derived cells attenuated Ang II–induced AAA formation. TERT-deficient recipient mice revealed modest telomere attrition in circulating leukocytes at the study end point without any overt effect of the donor genotype on white blood cell counts. In mice repopulated with TERT−/− bone marrow, aortic matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity was reduced, and TERT−/− macrophages exhibited decreased expression and activity of MMP-2 in response to stimulation with Ang II. Finally, we demonstrated in transient transfection studies that TERT overexpression activates the MMP-2 promoter in macrophages.

Conclusion—

TERT deficiency in bone marrow–derived macrophages attenuates Ang II–induced AAA formation in LDLr−/− mice and decreases MMP-2 expression. These results point to a previously unrecognized role of TERT in the pathogenesis of AAA.
Ipsilateral Stroke in a Patient With Horizontal Gaze Palsy With Progressive Scoliosis and a Subcortical Infarct
Authors: Ng Adeline S.L. , Sitoh Yih-Yian , Zhao Yi , Teng Esther W.L. , Tan Eng King , Tan Louis C.S.
Published: November 2010

Background and Purpose—

Horizontal gaze palsy with progressive scoliosis (HGPPS) is a rare congenital disorder caused by mutation in the
ROBO3
gene. It is characterized by absent horizontal eye movements with progressive scoliosis developing in childhood and adolescence. To our knowledge, both diffusion tensor imaging evaluation in HGPPS patients who present with stroke and truncating stop codon mutation in the
ROBO3
gene have yet to be reported.

Summary of Case—

We present a man with HGPPS who experienced a left pure motor stroke as a result of a left corona radiata infarct on diffusion-weighted imaging. Diffusion tensor imaging tractography confirmed the presence of uncrossed corticospinal tracts, accounting for the ipsilateral deficit. He was also found to possess a novel
ROBO3
stop codon mutation on genetic testing.

Conclusions—

Patients with HGPPS may present with stroke symptoms on the ipsilateral side of the infarct in view of uncrossed corticospinal tracts. Truncating mutation in
ROBO3
may provide additional pathophysiologic insights.
Computed Tomographic Angiography and Venography for Young or Nonhypertensive Patients With Acute Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Wong George Kwok Chu , Siu Deyond Yung Woon , Abrigo Jill Morales , Poon Wai Sang , Tsang Federick Chun Pong , Zhu Xian Lun , Yu Simon Chun Ho , Ahuja Anil Tejbhan
Published: November 2010

Background and Purpose—

We compared the effectiveness of using computed tomographic angiography and venography (CTAV) with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in young or nonhypertensive patients with acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

Methods—

We prospectively recruited 109 young (age between 18 and 45 years) or nonhypertensive patients with acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage for this comparative study. All patients had CTAV using multidetector CT with 64 detectors. They were then scheduled to have catheter angiography the next day. Radiological data were collected for blinded analysis.

Results—

DSA-positive pathologies causing hemorrhage were identified in 37 (33%) patients, which included cerebral arteriovenous malformation in 22 cases. The positive and negative predictive values of CTAV for DSA-positive pathologies causing hemorrhage were 97.3% (95% CI, 88.3%–99.9%) and 100% (95% CI, 95.9%–100%), respectively.

Conclusions—

CTAV was able to detect DSA-positive pathologies causing acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in young (age between 18 and 45 years) or nonhypertensive patients with high positive and negative predictive values.
Using Operational and Experimental Observations in Geoscience Education
Authors: Etherton Brian J. , Arms Sean C. , Oolman Larry D. , Lackmann Gary M. , Ramamurthy Mohan K.
Published: November 2010

No Abstract available.
Drivers of Residual Estuarine Circulation in Tidally Energetic Estuaries: Straight and Irrotational Channels with Parabolic Cross Section
Authors: Burchard Hans , Hetland Robert D. , Schulz Elisabeth , Schuttelaars Henk M.
Published: November 2010

The generation of residual circulation in a tidally energetic estuary with constant longitudinal salinity gradient and parabolic cross section is examined by means of a two-dimensional cross-sectional numerical model, neglecting river runoff and Stokes drift. It is shown how the longitudinal and lateral residual circulation can be decomposed into contributions from various processes such as tidal straining circulation, gravitational circulation, advectively driven circulation, and horizontal mixing circulation. The sensitivity of the residual circulation and its components from various processes to changes in forcing is investigated by varying the Simpson number (nondimensional longitudinal buoyancy gradient) and the unsteadiness parameter (nondimensional tidal frequency), as well as the bed roughness and the width of the estuary. For relatively weak salinity gradient forcing, the tidal straining circulation dominates the residual exchange circulation in support of classical estuarine circulation (up-estuary flow near the bed and down-estuary flow near the surface). The strength of the longitudinal estuarine circulation clearly increases with increased salinity gradient forcing. However, when the Simpson number exceeds 0.15, the relative contributions of both gravitational circulation and advectively driven circulation to estuarine circulation increase substantially. Lateral residual circulation is relatively weak for small Simpson numbers and becomes flood oriented (divergent flow near the bed and convergent flow near the surface) for larger Simpson numbers because of increasing contributions from gravitational and advectively driven circulation. Increasing the unsteadiness number leads to decreased longitudinal and lateral residual circulation. Although changes in bed roughness result in relatively small changes in residual circulation, results are sensitive to the width of the estuary, mainly because of changes in residual exchange circulation driven by tidal straining.
Access to and use of reproductive health information among in-school adolescent girls in Lagos State, Nigeria
Authors: Nwalo K I N , Anasi Stella N I
Published: November 2010

Objective: This study investigated access to and use of reproductive health information among in-school adolescent girls in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Design: Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study.

Setting: The study sample consisted of 1,800 girls randomly selected from18 public senior secondary schools in Lagos State.

Method: Data were collected with a questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis.

Result: Parents were the most accessible source of reproductive health information while the Internet was the least accessible. More than 50 per cent of the respondents were not using reproductive health-related information regularly. There is no statistically-significant difference in access to and use of reproductive health information among girls in single sex and co-educational schools in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Conclusion: The National Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum should be implemented in all the secondary schools in Lagos State and elsewhere in Nigeria. Access to and use of reproductive health information should be promoted through regular workshops, seminars, symposia, lectures and talks for parents, teachers, and students.
State capacity and the political economy of child mortality in developing countries revisited: From fiscal sociology towards the rule of law
Authors: Dawson Andrew
Published: November 2010

The capacity of the state to promote the rule of law is identified as a factor that potentially affects child mortality via causal mechanisms independent of the fiscal sociology aspect of state capacity — state size. Two potential causal mechanisms are proposed through which the rule of law may affect child mortality: by improving market efficiency and supporting civil society. As an initial test of these propositions, a cross-national time series analysis of 93 developing countries examines whether the rule of law has a beneficial effect on child mortality, independent of the size of the state and other political and economic controls. The evidence presented supports this hypothesis and suggests a strong, negative and robust effect of the rule of law on child mortality, while also suggesting that state size does not have a statistically significant effect on child mortality when controlling for the rule of law and other politico-economic variables.
Employment status influences suicide mortality in Europe
Authors: Yur’yev Andriy , Värnik Airi , Värnik Peeter , Sisask Merike , Leppik Lauri
Published: November 2010

Background: The present study attempted to assess the relationship between suicide mortality and employment status in Europe.

Methods: Suicide trends were obtained from the World Health Organization, employment rates from the Conference Board Total Economy Database, and questions about citizens’ attitudes towards employment from the European Social Survey. Correlations were analysed. Differences between mean scores for attitudes in Western and Eastern Europe were calculated.

Results: Employment and suicide trends are negatively correlated in most countries. Suicide mortality is associated with unemployment risk and expectations of inadequate financial resources during unemployment, and negatively correlated with an assured high sdard of living for the unemployed. Suicide mortality and the degree of conviction that the government should ensure jobs for all are weakly correlated. Attitudes towards employment and unemployment in Eastern and Western Europe diverge.

Conclusions: Changes in employment rates influence suicide mortality in many European countries. Factors that increase suicide mortality include lack of confidence in employment status and unemployed people’s expectations of insufficient income and low living standards. Suicidal behaviour is more strongly related to attitudes linked with employment status among males than females. In Eastern Europe the status of being unemployed is feared more, and people rely more on the government.
Imputed Rental Income, Taxation and Income Distribution in Finland
Authors: Saarimaa Tuukka
Published: November 2010

In most Western countries, owner-occupied housing is tax-favoured compared with other investments and housing tenure modes. This paper analyses the effects of imputed rental income and its tax treatment on income distribution in Finland. Using household data from the 2004 Wealth Survey produced by Statistics Finland, it is found that imputed rental income has a major effect on homeowners’ well-being as it constitutes on average almost 10 per cent of homeowner households’ disposable income. Furthermore, including imputed rental income in household disposable income decreased overall inequality measured by the Gini index. The tax subsidy resulting from non-taxation of imputed rental income is skewed towards high-income households. However, the effects of a new tax on imputed rental income on overall inequality would depend vitally on the way the increased government tax revenue is transferred back to the households.
Imagination and technoscientific innovations: Governance of transgenic cows in New Zealand
Authors: Bloomfield Brian P. , Doolin Bill
Published: November 2010

This paper examines a controversial research programme aimed at the production of transgenic cows in New Zealand. It emphasizes the contested representation of the research, in its promotion, in its governance, and in the opposition sparked amongst environmental/anti-genetic modification groups and within the Māori community. The paper contends that the case of New Zealand’s genetically modified cows certainly reveals some unique features of the prevailing economic, geographical and cultural context, but nonetheless has salience for the broader understanding of the promotion, public reception and governance of genetic modification.
Paper Bullets: American Psywar in the Pacific, 1944-1945
Authors: Porter Patrick
Published: November 2010

This article examines the ideas that underpinned American psychological war (psywar) in the Pacific. While we cannot precisely measure its effects, we can trace its intellectual history with more confidence. US psywar was a combination of scientific method and myth-making. Assessments of the Imperial Japanese Army tended to be careful, discriminating, and increasingly sophisticated, if not uniformly accurate. At the level of the battle front, practitioners of the ‘mind war’ strove to overcome stereotypes and refine and complexify their view of the enemy.The further they moved from the battlefield towards assessments of Japanese military leadership, society, and high politics, the more they became myth-makers, projecting onto Japan a powerful set of preconceived ideas. These included notions of the superstitious and malleable Japanese mind, the suicidal military elite, and the innocent symbol emperor. In their analysis two models of culture evolved. Their approach to the IJA mostly presented culture as dynamic, layered, and conflicted, whereas their view of Japanese society was monolithic, bounded, and timeless. This contradictory pattern can be explained by different levels of exposure to the subject, the practice of filling ‘knowledge gaps’ with preconceptions, and by American policymaking interests.
Tolerance As a Crime? The British Treatment of German Prisoners of War on the Western Front, 1914-1918
Authors: Feltman Brian K.
Published: November 2010

This article examines the British treatment of German prisoners of war on the Western Front during the First World War. Although historians have largely overlooked crimes against prisoners of war, it argues that British soldiers, like other combatants, sometimes pillaged, physically abused, or even murdered German prisoners following surrender. The British higher command issued orders against prisoner mistreatment, but the perpetration of war crimes against German prisoners was often tolerated, and sometimes encouraged, at the front. Only a fraction of British troops participated in prisoner killings, but their crimes demand that historians re-evaluate the nature of the captor—prisoner relationship.
The Italian Air Force from the Eve of the Libyan Conflict to the First World War
Authors: Ungari Andrea
Published: November 2010

The paper aims to illustrate the debate regarding the Italian air force in the period from 1910 to 1918. On the one hand, a vast front began to form, including a large part of public opinion and a number of members of parliament, which called for the need to strengthen the wartime use of aviation. On the other hand, the strongest resistance against strengthening Italian aviation, at least up to the outbreak of the First World War, came from military and governmental circles. The army chief of staff, Alberto Pollio, and many generals did not realize the devastating wartime capabilities of aviation; the top military ranks always considered aviation to be an auxiliary force, a means of support for infantry, artillery or engineers. Italy, at a government level, did not have the raw materials or finance available to such countries as France, Britain, and Germany. If the limited budget influenced wartime aviation production, it was the scepticism of the top military ranks, from Pollio to Cadorna and in the end Diaz, that prevented the creation of an autonomous aeronautic arm that, following the example set by Britain and France, was provided with its own officer corps, its own structures and adequate financing to favour its development.
Reasonability and the Linguistic Division of Labor in Institutional Work
Authors: Schildt Henri A. , Mantere Saku , Vaara Eero
Published: November 2010

We examine institutional work from a discursive perspective and argue that reasonability, the existence of acceptable justifying reasons for beliefs and practices, is a key part of legitimation. Drawing on philosophy of language, we maintain that institutional work takes place in the context of ‘space of reasons’ determined by widely held assumptions about what is reasonable and what is not. We argue that reasonability provides the main contextual constraint of institutional work, its major outcome, and a key trigger for actors to engage in it. We draw on Hilary Putnam’s concept ‘division of linguistic labor’ to highlight the specialized distribution of knowledge and authority in defining valid ways of reasoning. In this view, individuals use institutionalized vocabularies to reason about their choices and understand their context with limited understanding of how and why these structures have become what they are. We highlight the need to understand how professions and other actors establish and maintain the criteria of reasoning in various areas of expertise through discursive institutional work.
Teamwork as a Precondition for Simultaneous Product Realization
Authors: Rihar Lidija , Kušar Janez , Duhovnik Jožef , Starbek Marko
Published: November 2010

This article presents the savings in time and costs achieved by a transition from sequential to simultaneous product realization. Such a transition is not possible without prior well-organized teamwork or virtual teamwork. The article demonstrates the team structure in simultaneous product realization. A two-level team structure is suitable for small companies, with a core team on the first level and several project teams in simultaneous product realization loops on the second level. In order to ensure successful work of the core team and several project teams, appropriate communication tools are suggested and a communication matrix has been developed, defining information exchange during the execution of activities in simultaneous product realization. The communication matrix is used for identifying information system connections. The results of organizing teamwork and virtual teamwork are shown on a case study of simultaneous realization of a pedal assembly.
A Concept Evaluation Method for Strategic Product Design with Concurrent Consideration of Future Customer Requirements
Authors: Withanage Chathura , Park Taezoon , Choi Hae-Jin
Published: November 2010

Customer-driven product design is initiated by an important step, acquisition of customer requirements, which will characterize the concept of a product. In rapidly changing market places, however, the customer requirements used for decision making in a product design may be easily outdated at the time point of product introduction to a market. In this article, a method is introduced for evaluating degree of customer satisfaction for a product concept in a future marketplace by extending revealed value analysis to the future. This method includes four main steps: (i) converting sales data to customer revealed value (CRV); (ii) developing a revealed value model (RVM) for mapping between product attributes and the CRVs; (iii) forecasting a dynamic RVM based on historical RVM over past years; and (iv) designing a product or evaluating concepts of a new product based on the forecasted dynamic RVM. In the case study, we demonstrate the usefulness of this method for the strategic conceptual design of passenger cars based on the sales data of the US automobile market.
Modeling of Robot Availability for the Network-controllable Production System
Authors: Stepanskiy Leonard G. , Kwon Yongjin
Published: November 2010

An emerging trend in production is the seamless integration of information technology into various aspects of manufacturing processes. Using a host of sensors and communications technology, a multitude of information is collected and utilized in real-time. Such situation allows the companies to operate more efficiently with less cost. A smart use of information is becoming a key factor in brining up the operational competitiveness of many companies. One of the critical information in production is the availability of important equipment for the intended production activities. Accurate estimation of system availability allows less delay and enhanced efficiency in production. The real-time monitoring of equipment conditions and subsequent adjustment of availability in accordance with the evolving production phases enable the realization of benefits the concurrent engineering (CE) is designed for. In this context, this study investigates the probabilistic predictive modeling of robot availability based on the queuing theory, which is integrated into the operation of network-controllable production system with the notion of CE. Substantiated by the real-time data handling and collection, this study suggests the practical and novel approach to help improve the operational efficiency of networked production system.
Communicating Trauma: Female Survivors’ Witnessing the No Gun Ri Killings
Authors: Choi Suhi
Published: November 2010

In 2000, the Associated Press investigative report team won the Pulitzer Prize award for reporting on the No Gun Ri incident in which American troops during the Korean War killed innocent civilian refugees who had taken shelter near and under the bridge called No Gun Ri. As the primary witnesses of the No Gun Ri killings, female survivors have courageously communicated their unutterable trauma through both scripting and exorcizing. Through oral history interviews with survivors in South Korea, this article examines how the Confucian script of motherhood (i.e., mothers as reproducers, protectors, and expandable assistants of the male blood line) has enabled the No Gun Ri female rhetors on one hand to weave trauma into plausible stories, yet on the other hand provoked them to reflect on their memories with a sense of culpability. The findings of the study also suggest that the oral form of communication has facilitated the female rhetors to exorcize inarticulable memories which cannot be subject to the Confucian script of motherhood.
Rethinking the life cycles of international norms: The United Nations and the global promotion of gender equality
Authors: Krook Mona Lena , True Jacqui
Published: November 2010

The diffusion of international norms and their effects on policy and political behaviour are central research questions in international relations. Informed by constructivism, prevailing models are marked by a crucial tension between a static view of norm content and a dynamic picture of norm adoption and implementation. Observing that norms continue to evolve after they emerge, we argue that a discursive approach offers a more promising way forward for theorizing and analysing the life cycles of international norms. We present a view of norms as processes, calling attention to both ‘internal’ and ‘external’ sources of dynamism. We illustrate this theory by tracing and comparing the life cycles of two global equality norms: gender-balanced decision-making and gender mainstreaming. We find that these norms emerged from two distinct policy realms, and after briefly converging in the mid-1990s, have since developed largely separately from, and often in tension with, one another.
The capability approach and the politics of a social conception of wellbeing
Authors: Deneulin Séverine , McGregor J. Allister
Published: November 2010

The capability approach constitutes a significant contribution to social theory but its potential is diminished by its insufficient treatment of the social construction of meaning. Social meanings enable people to make value judgements about what they will do and be, and also to evaluate how satisfied they are about what they are able to achieve. From this viewpoint, a person’s state of wellbeing must be understood as being socially and psychologically co-constituted in specific social and cultural contexts. In this light, the telos of ‘living well’ which is at the heart of Sen’s version of the capability approach is inadequate and must be modified to a telos of ‘living well together’ which includes consideration of the social structures and institutions which enable people to pursue individual freedoms in relation to others. The policy significance of the capability approach can be further strengthened by paying greater consideration to the political economy of policy decision-making processes and the ways in which conflicts and distributions of power are institutionalized.
Operational modal analysis of historical constructions using commercial wireless platforms
Authors: Ramos Luis F , Aguilar Rafael , Lourenço Paulo B
Published: November 2010

Operational modal analysis is currently applied in structural dynamic monitoring studies using conventional wired-based sensors and data acquisition platforms. However, this approach becomes inadequate in cases in which aesthetic concerns arise (e.g., in cultural heritage buildings) or in which the use of wires greatly impacts the monitoring system cost and creates difficulties in the maintenance and deployment of the data acquisition platforms. In these cases, the use of a WSN and MEMS would clearly benefit the applications. This work illustrates an attempt to apply the wireless technology for the structural health monitoring of historical masonry constructions in the context of operational modal analysis. The article presents the state of the art of the wireless monitoring systems making a review of the applications in the civil engineering field. Subsequently, commercial wireless-based platforms and conventional wired-based systems are applied to study one laboratory specimen and one structural element from a 15th Century building located in Portugal. The results achieved in this study showed that, in comparison to the conventional wired sensors, the commercial wireless platforms have poor performance with respect to the acceleration time series recorded and the detection of modal shapes. However, reliable results were obtained for the measured frequencies.
Trends in Diseases Reported on US Death Certificates That Mentioned HIV Infection, 1996-2006
Authors: Adih William K. , Selik Richard M. , Xiaohong Hu
Published: November 2010

Objective: We examined trends during 1996-2006 in diseases reported on death certificates that mentioned HIV infection. Methods: We analyzed multiple-cause mortality data compiled from all US death certificates with any mention of HIV to determine the annual percentages of deaths with various diseases. Results: Deaths reported with HIV during 1996-2006 decreased from 35 340 to 13 750. Standardized percentages of death certificates reporting AIDS-defining opportunistic infections also decreased: pneumocytosis (6.3% to 5.1%), nontuberculous mycobacteriosis (5.5% to 1.8%), cytomegalovirus (5.7% to 1.2%). Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma rose from 4.8% in 1996 to 6.4% in 1997 and declined to 5.0% in 2001, while Kaposi’s sarcoma declined from 3.7% in 1996 to 1.7% in 2001; these AIDS-defining cancers had stable percentages after 2001. All other cancers increased during 1996-2006 (2.7% to 7.3%). The percentage of deaths with diseases not specifically attributable to HIV increased: liver disease (5.8% to 13.0%), kidney disease (7.9% to 12.0%), and heart disease (4.9% to 10.2%). Conclusion: Among deaths reported with HIV, the percentages reported with HIV-attributable diseases decreased, while the percentages reported with other diseases increased. Consequently, these other life-threatening diseases need more attention in the management of HIV-infected persons.
Association of genetic variants of mannan-binding (MBL) lectin-2 gene, MBL levels and function in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
Authors: Sivaram G , Tiwari Santosh K , Bardia Avinash , Manoj G , Santhosh B , Saikant R , Aejaz Habeeb , Vishnupriya S , Khan Aleem A , Habibullah CM
Published: November 2010

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A series of reports have hypothesized interplay of genetic and environmental factors in the pathogenesis of IBD. Polymorphism in the mannan-binding lectin-2 (MBL-2) gene is known to affect the structural assembly and function thereby predisposing subjects to various diseases. The present study was designed to evaluate effect of MBL-2 gene polymorphism on MBL levels and function in IBD patients. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples collected from 157 ulcerative colitis, 42 Crohn’s disease and 204 control subjects. Genotyping for different polymorphic sites at exon1 of MBL-2 gene was performed by refractory mutation system-PCR and amplification followed by restriction digestion (PCR-RFLP). Serum MBL concentration and C4 deposition levels were estimated using ELISA. Mannan-binding lectin-2 genotypic variants were calculated in IBD and healthy controls. The frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms at codon 54 was significantly higher in ulcerative colitis patients than controls ( P < 0.0001). Ulcerative colitis patients with ‘codon 54’-variation showed low serum MBL concentrations coupled with altered MBL function compared to controls. In conclusion, single nucleotide polymorphism in the MBL-2 gene is an important risk factor significantly affecting MBL levels and function in the development of ulcerative colitis among Indians.
Comparison of temperature rise interpretations in the rabbit pyrogen test among Chinese, Japanese, European, and United States pharmacopeias and 2-2-2 theoretical models proposed by S. Hoffmann
Authors: Du Ying , Li Xiu-Ji , Tan De-Jiang
Published: November 2010

Although the rabbit pyrogen test is one of the crucial methods included in each pharmacopeia to evaluate the safety of parenteral medicine, the experimental procedures and pyrogen result judgment algorithms (PRJAs) are still greatly different from one another. In the first stage of testing, original data of 879 batches from a total of 2637 rabbits in our laboratory were judged by PRJAs in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2005 III, the Japanese Pharmacopoeia XIV, the Japanese Pharmacopoeia XV, the European Pharmacopeia 6.0, the United States Pharmacopoeia 32 NF27 and two theoretical models proposed by S. Hoffmann, respectively. The results were analyzed to evaluate the effects of various PRJAs. It was shown that: (i) the significant differences in the results judged by various pharmacopeias and Hoffmann’s theoretical models were mainly due to the PRJAs and the great differences in PRJAs should be harmonized throughout the world based on balance of reducing animal use and guaranteeing the safety of medicines; (ii) it is better to use PRJAs that depend on the threshold of the sum of temperature rise of all tested rabbits than those that depend on the number of rabbits that are over the threshold of temperature rise of individual rabbit according to clinical proof and the experimental data; and (iii) the PRJA of the Japanese Pharmacopoeia XV has obvious advantages when the total suspicious rate of samples was less than 10%. Additionally, a new PRJA designed for reducing the additional experiment stages and animal consumption is promoted for evaluation.
Immune alterations after selective rapid eye movement or total sleep deprivation in healthy male volunteers
Authors: Ruiz Francieli S , Andersen Monica L , Martins Raquel CS , Zager Adriano , Lopes José D , Tufik Sergio
Published: November 2010

We investigated the impact of two nights of total sleep deprivation (SD) or four nights of rapid eye movement (REM) SD on immunological parameters in healthy men. Thirty-two volunteers were randomly assigned to three protocols (control, total SD or REM SD). Both SD protocols were followed by three nights of sleep recovery. The control and REM SD groups had regular nights of sleep monitored by polysomnography. Circulating white blood cells (WBCs), T- (CD4/CD8) and B-lymphocytes, Ig classes, complement and cytokine levels were assessed daily. Two nights of total SD increased the numbers of leukocytes and neutrophils compared with baseline levels, and these levels returned to baseline after 24 h of sleep recovery. The CD4+ T-cells increased during the total SD period (one and two nights) and IgA levels decreased during the entire period of REM SD. These levels did not return to baseline after three nights of sleep recovery. Levels of monocytes, eosinophils, basophils and cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ) remained unchanged by both protocols of SD. Our findings suggest that both protocols affected the human immune profile, although in different parameters, and that CD4+ T-cells and IgA levels were not re-established after sleep recovery.
Epithin/PRSS14 proteolytically regulates angiopoietin receptor Tie2 during transendothelial migration
Authors: Kim Chungho , Seon Lee Hyo , Lee Deokjae , Lee Sang Don , Cho Eun-Gyung , Yang Soo Jung , Kim Sang Bum , Park Dongeun , Kim Moon Gyo
Published: November 2010

Epithin/PRSS14, a type II transmembrane serine protease, is involved in normal epithelial development and tumor progression. Here we report, as an interacting substrate of epithin, a receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2 that is well known for important roles in the vessel stability. Epithin interacts with and degrades the Tie2 extracellular portion that contains the ligand-binding domain. Epithin is located in the neighbor of Tie2-expressing vessels in normal tissue. Furthermore, epithin can cleave and degrade Tie2 not only in the same cell but also from neighboring cells nearby, resulting in the degradation of the Tie2 ectodomain. The remaining Tie2 fragment was highly phosphorylated and was able to recruit a downstream effector, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Knocking down epithin expression using short hairpin RNA in thymoma cell severely impaired the migration through endothelial cells that show the actin rearrangement during the process. The diminution of epithin protein expression in 4T1 breast cancer cells caused the significant decrease in the number of transendothelial migrating cells in vitro as well as in those of metastasizing tumor nodules in vivo, Therefore, we propose that epithin, which regulates endothelial Tie2 functions, plays a critical role in the fine tuning of transendothelial migration for normal and cancer cells.
Reanalyze unassigned reads in Sanger based metagenomic data using conserved gene adjacency
Authors: Weng Francis C , Su Chien-Hao , Hsu Ming-Tsung , Wang Tse-Yi , Tsai Huai-Kuang , Wang Daryi
Published: November 2010

Background

Investigation of metagenomes provides greater insight into uncultured microbial communities. The improvement in sequencing technology, which yields a large amount of sequence data, has led to major breakthroughs in the field. However, at present, taxonomic binning tools for metagenomes discard 30-40% of Sanger sequencing data due to the stringency of BLAST cut-offs. In an attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of metagenomic data, we re-analyzed the discarded metagenomes by using less stringent cut-offs. Additionally, we introduced a new criterion, namely, the evolutionary conservation of adjacency between neighboring genes. To evaluate the feasibility of our approach, we re-analyzed discarded contigs and singletons from several environments with different levels of complexity. We also compared the consistency between our taxonomic binning and those reported in the original studies.

Results

Among the discarded data, we found that 23.7 ± 3.9% of singletons and 14.1 ± 1.0% of contigs were assigned to taxa. The recovery rates for singletons were higher than those for contigs. The Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a high degree of similarity (0.94 ± 0.03 at the phylum rank and 0.80 ± 0.11 at the family rank) between the proposed taxonomic binning approach and those reported in original studies. In addition, an evaluation using simulated data demonstrated the reliability of the proposed approach.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that taking account of conserved neighboring gene adjacency improves taxonomic assignment when analyzing metagenomes using Sanger sequencing. In other words, utilizing the conserved gene order as a criterion will reduce the amount of data discarded when analyzing metagenomes.
The genomic underpinnings of apoptosis in the silkworm, Bombyx mori
Authors: Zhang Jin-Ye , Pan Min-Hui , Sun Zhi-Ya , Huang Shu-Jing , Yu Zi-Shu , Liu Di , Zhao Dan-Hong , Lu Cheng
Published: November 2010

Background

Apoptosis is regulated in an orderly fashion by a series of genes, and has a crucial role in important physiological processes such as growth development, immunological response and so on. Recently, substantial studies have been undertaken on apoptosis in model animals including humans, fruit flies, and the nematode. However, the lack of genomic data for silkworms limits their usefulness in apoptosis studies, despite the advantages of silkworm as a representative of Lepidoptera and an effective model system. Herein we have identified apoptosis-related genes in the silkworm Bombyx mori and compared them to those from insects, mammals, and nematodes.

Results

From the newly assembled genome databases, a genome-wide analysis of apoptosis-related genes in Bombyx mori was performed using both nucleotide and protein Blast searches. Fifty-two apoptosis-related candidate genes were identified, including five caspase family members, two tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily members, one Bcl-2 family member, four baculovirus IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) repeat (BIR) domain family members and 1 RHG (Reaper, Hid, Grim, and Sickle; Drosophila cell death activators) family member. Moreover, we identified a new caspase family member, BmCaspase-New, two splice variants of BmDronc, and Bm3585, a mammalian TNF superfamily member homolog. Twenty-three of these apoptosis-related genes were cloned and sequenced using cDNA templates isolated from BmE-SWU1 cells. Sequence analyses revealed that these genes could have key roles in apoptosis.

Conclusions

Bombyx mori possesses potential apoptosis-related genes. We hypothesized that the classic intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways potentially are active in Bombyx mori. These results lay the foundation for further apoptosis-related study in Bombyx mori.
Bovine Genome Database: supporting community annotation and analysis of the Bos taurus genome
Authors: Reese Justin T , Childers Christopher P , Sundaram Jaideep P , Dickens C Michael , Childs Kevin L , Vile Donald C , Elsik Christine G
Published: November 2010

Background

A goal of the Bovine Genome Database (BGD;http://BovineGenome.org) has been to support the Bovine Genome Sequencing and Analysis Consortium (BGSAC) in the annotation and analysis of the bovine genome. We were faced with several challenges, including the need to maintain consistent quality despite diversity in annotation expertise in the research community, the need to maintain consistent data formats, and the need to minimize the potential duplication of annotation effort. With new sequencing technologies allowing many more eukaryotic genomes to be sequenced, the demand for collaborative annotation is likely to increase. Here we present our approach, challenges and solutions facilitating a large distributed annotation project.

Results and Discussion

BGD has provided annotation tools that supported 147 members of the BGSAC in contributing 3,871 gene models over a fifteen-week period, and these annotations have been integrated into the bovine Official Gene Set. Our approach has been to provide an annotation system, which includes a BLAST site, multiple genome browsers, an annotation portal, and the Apollo Annotation Editor configured to connect directly to our Chado database. In addition to implementing and integrating components of the annotation system, we have performed computational analyses to create gene evidence tracks and a consensus gene set, which can be viewed on individual gene pages at BGD.

Conclusions

We have provided annotation tools that alleviate challenges associated with distributed annotation. Our system provides a consistent set of data to all annotators and eliminates the need for annotators to format data. Involving the bovine research community in genome annotation has allowed us to leverage expertise in various areas of bovine biology to provide biological insight into the genome sequence.
Phylogenetic relationships in genus Arachis based on ITS and 5.8S rDNA sequences
Authors: Bechara Marcelo D , Moretzsohn Márcio C , Palmieri Darío A , Monteiro Jomar P , Bacci Maurício , Martins Joaquim , Valls José FM , Lopes Catalina R , Gimenes Marcos A
Published: November 2010

Background

The genusArachiscomprises 80 species and it is subdivided into nine taxonomic sections (Arachis,Caulorrhizae,Erectoides,Extranervosae,Heteranthae,Procumbentes,Rhizomatosae,Trierectoides, andTriseminatae). This genus is naturally confined to South America and most of its species are native to Brazil. In order to provide a better understanding of the evolution of the genus, we reconstructed the phylogeny of 45 species using the variation observed on nucleotide sequences in internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) and 5.8 S of nuclear ribosomal DNA.

Results

Intraspecific variation was detected, but in general it was not enough to place accessions of the same species in different clades. Our data support the view thatArachisis a monophyletic group and suggestedHeteranthaeas the most primitive section of genusArachis. The results confirmed the circumscriptions of some sections (Caulorrhizae,Extranervosae), but raised questions about others. SectionsErectoides,TrierectoidesandProcumbenteswere not well defined, while sectionsArachisandRhizomatosaeseem to include species that could be moved to different sections. The division of sectionArachisinto A and B genome species was also observed in the phylogenetic tree and these two groups of species may not have a monophyletic origin. The 2n = 2x = 18 species of sectionArachis(A. praecox,A.palustrisandA. decora) were all placed in the same clade, indicating they are closely related to each other, and their genomes are more related to B genome than to the A genome. Data also allowed insights on the origin of tetraploidA. glabrata, suggesting rhizome appeared twice within the genus and raising questions about the placement of that species in sectionRhizomatosae.

Conclusion

The main clades established in this study in general agreed with many other studies that have used other types of evidences and sets of species, being some of them included in our study and some not. Thus, the relationships established can be a useful framework for future systematic reviews of genusArachisand for the selection of species to pre-breeding programs.
Developing a Performance Measurement Framework and Indicators for Community Health Service Facilities in Urban China
Authors: Wong Sabrina T , Yin Delu , Bhattacharyya Onil , Wang Bin , Liu Liqun , Chen Bowen
Published: November 2010

Background

China has had no effective and systematic information system to provide guidance for strengthening PHC (Primary Health Care) or account to citizens on progress. We report on the development of the China results-based Logic Model for Community Health Facilities and Stations (CHS) and a set of relevant PHC indicators intended to measure CHS priorities.

Methods

We adapted the PHC Results Based Logic Model developed in Canada and current work conducted in the community health system in China to create the China CHS Logic Model framework. We used a staged approach by first constructing the framework and indicators and then validating their content through an interactive process involving policy analysis, critical review of relevant literature and multiple stakeholder consultation.

Results

The China CHS Logic Model includes inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes with a total of 287 detailed performance indicators. In these indicators, 31 indicators measure inputs, 64 measure activities, 105 measure outputs, and 87 measure immediate (n = 65), intermediate (n = 15), or final (n = 7) outcomes.

Conclusion

A Logic Model framework can be useful in planning, implementation, analysis and evaluation of PHC at a system and service level. The development and content validation of the China CHS Logic Model and subsequent indicators provides a means for stronger accountability and a clearer sense of overall direction and purpose needed to renew and strengthen the PHC system in China. Moreover, this work will be useful in moving towards developing a PHC information system and performance measurement across districts in urban China, and guiding the pursuit of quality in PHC.