bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low BMI increases all-cause mortality rates in patients with drug-resistant TB
Authors: Adamashvili N. , Baliashvili D. , Kuchukhidze G. , Salindri A. D. , Kempker R. R. , Blumberg H. M. , Lomtadze N. , Avaliani Z. , Magee M. J.
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: Loss to follow-up (LTFU) is common among patients with drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) receiving second-line TB treatment; however, little is known about outcomes after LTFU, including mortality.OBJECTIVE: To determine rates of and factors associated with all-cause
mortality among patients with DR-TB who were LTFU.METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients with DR-TB in Georgia who initiated second-line TB treatment during 2011–2014 and were LTFU. Survival analyses were used to estimate all-cause mortality rates and adjusted
hazard ratios (aHR).RESULTS: During 2011–2014, 2,437 second-line treatment episodes occurred and 695 patients were LTFU. Among 695 LTFU patients, 143 (21%) died during 2,686 person-years (PY) post-LTFU (all-cause mortality rate 5.1%, 95% CI 4.3–6.0 per 100 PY). In multivariable
analysis, low weight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) at treatment initiation (aHR 3.2, 95% CI 2.2–4.7), return to treatment after LTFU (aHR 3.1, 95% CI 2.2–4.4), <12 months of treatment (aHR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4–4.1) and a pre-LTFU positive culture (aHR 3.3, 95% CI 2.2–4.9)
were associated with all-cause mortality.CONCLUSION: High all-cause mortality occurred among patients with DR-TB after LTFU despite a low HIV prevalence. Providing additional assistance for patients during DR-TB treatment to prevent LTFU and use of new and shorter treatment regimens
may reduce mortality among LTFU.
Concomitant pulmonary disease is common among patients with extrapulmonary TB
Authors: Shivakumar S. V. B. Y. , Padmapriyadarsini C. , Chavan A. , Paradkar M. , Shrinivasa B. M. , Gupte A. , Dhanasekaran K. , Thomas B. , Suryavanshi N. , Dolla C. K. , Selvaraju S. , Kinikar A. , Gaikwad S. , Kohli R. , Sivaramakrishnan G. N. , Pradhan N. , Hanna L. E. , Kulkarni V. , DeLuca A. , Cox S. R. , Murali L. , Thiruvengadam K. , Raskar S. , Ramachandran G. , Golub J. E. , Gupte N. , Mave V. , Swaminathan S. , Gupta A. , Bollinger R. C
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: Microbiologic screening of extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) patients could inform recommendations for aerosol precautions and close contact prophylaxis. However, this is currently not routinely recommended in India. Therefore, we estimated the proportion of Indian patients
with EPTB with microbiologic evidence of pulmonary TB (PTB).METHODS: We characterized baseline clinical, radiological and sputum microbiologic data of 885 adult and pediatric TB patients in Chennai and Pune, India, between March 2014 and November 2018.RESULTS: Of 277
patients with EPTB, enhanced screening led to the identification of 124 (45%) with concomitant PTB, including 53 (19%) who reported a cough >2 weeks; 158 (63%) had an abnormal CXR and 51 (19%) had a positive sputum for TB. Of 70 participants with a normal CXR and without any cough, 14 (20%)
had a positive sputum for TB. Overall, the incremental yield of enhanced screening of patients with EPTB to identify concomitant PTB disease was 14% (95% CI 12–16).CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of patients classified as EPTB in India have concomitant PTB. Our results support
the need for improved symptom and CXR screening, and recommends routine sputum TB microbiology screening of all Indian patients with EPTB.
Finding gaps in routine TB surveillance activities in Bangladesh
Authors: Allorant A. , Biswas S. , Ahmed S. , Wiens K. E. , LeGrand K. E. , Janko M. M. , Henry N. J. , Dangel W. J. , Watson A. , Blacker B. F. , Kyu H. H. , Ross J. M. , Rahman M. S. , Hay S. I. , Reiner R. C.
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: TB was the leading cause of death from a single infectious pathogen globally between 2014 and 2019. Fine-scale estimates of TB prevalence and case notifications can be combined to guide priority-setting for strengthening routine surveillance activities in high-burden
countries. We produce policy-relevant estimates of the TB epidemic at the second administrative unit in Bangladesh.METHODS: We used a Bayesian spatial framework and the cross-sectional National TB Prevalence Survey from 2015–2016 in Bangladesh to estimate prevalence by district.
We used case notifications to calculate prevalence-to-notification ratio, a key metric of under-diagnosis and under-reporting.RESULTS: TB prevalence rates were highest in the north-eastern districts and ranged from 160 cases per 100,000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 80–310)
in Jashore to 840 (UI 690–1020) in Sunamganj. Despite moderate prevalence rates, the Rajshahi and Dhaka Divisions presented the highest prevalence-to-notification ratios due to low case notifications. Resolving subnational disparities in case detection could lead to 26,500 additional
TB cases (UI 8,500–79,400) notified every year.CONCLUSION: This study is the first to produce and map subnational estimates of TB prevalence and prevalence-to-notification ratios, which are essential to target prevention and treatment efforts in high-burden settings. Reaching
TB cases currently missing from care will be key to ending the TB epidemic.
Weakly Supervised Learning Algorithm to Eliminate Irrelevant Association Rules in Large Knowledge Bases
Authors: B. Cifarelli Bruno , G. L. Miani Rafael
Published: March 2022

The construction and population of large knowledge bases have been widely explored in the past few years. Many techniques were developed in order to accomplish this purpose. Association rule mining algorithms can also be used to help populate these knowledge bases. Nevertheless, analyzing the amount of association rules generated can be a challenge and time-consuming task. The technique described in this article aims to eliminate irrelevant association rules in order to facilitate the rules evaluation process. To achieve that, this article presents a weakly supervised learning technique to prune irrelevant association rules. The proposed method uses irrelevant rules already discovered in past iterations and prunes off those with the same pattern. Experiments showed that the new technique can reduce and eliminate the amount of rules by about 60%, decreasing the effort required to evaluate them.
The Relevance of Soft Skills for Entrepreneurs
Authors: Almeida Fernando , Devedzic Vladan
Published: March 2022

This study explores the relevance of different soft skills for entrepreneurs, focusing on entrepreneurs from Portugal and Serbia. The study identifies a total of 38 soft skills from the European Entrepreneurship Skills Framework (EntreComp) and employs a quantitative methodology in the analysis of data collected from a questionnaire completed by entrepreneurs from these two countries. The findings reveal that soft skills competencies play a key role in the entrepreneur's activity, highlighting emotional intelligence, resilience, and persistence as fundamental attributes that an entrepreneur should possess. Furthermore, the respondents' answers have revealed notable differences in their perception of the importance of a majority of soft skills (27 out of 38 skills), which indicates that an entrepreneur's geographic area is a relevant factor in the perception of the relative importance of soft skills.
Wie lange ist Warten akzeptabel? Geduld als Ressource im Coaching
Authors: Siebert-Blaesing Bettina
Published: March 2022

Der Beitrag beschreibt die Ergebnisse der Dissertation »Geduld als Ressource - Gesundheitsförderung junger Erwachsener im Einzelcoaching«. Während die junge Generation Verantwortliche zu schnellerem Handeln in der Klimakrise auffordert, zeigt sich im Coaching seit Jahren die gestiegene psychische Belastung junger Menschen. Untersucht wird, in welcher Form Geduld eine Hilfe bieten kann. Hierbei werden geschichtlich-biographische Aussagen, Forschungsrichtungen und Studien zur Geduld einer Befragung junger Erwachsener im Freiwilligen Sozialen Jahr (FSJ) gegenübergestellt und Empfehlungen für das Coaching beschrieben: Junge Menschen wünschen sich am Vorbild der Eltern hinsichtlich der Eigenschaft Geduld mehr Zeit für Ruhe, Zuhören sowie einen guten Ausgleich von Stress und Entspannung. Die Geduld wird in der Forschung und Praxis als psychosoziale Ressource eingeordnet. Die Studie wurde 2021 mit dem GBB-Forschungspreis prämiert.
Review of Hydrological Drought Analysis Status in Ethiopia
Authors: Abera Kassa , Gebeyehu Admasu
Published: March 2022

Drought is a complex natural disaster unlike flood, which covers a large area when it occurred. This review was conducted on hydrological drought analysis and monitoring status in Ethiopia by reviewing the master plan of eight major river basins and previous research related to drought. A total of 24 article papers was reviewed and it is found that hydrological drought analysis studies cover only 8.33% of all of the river basins in Ethiopia. Researchers in the region have focused primarily on meteorological drought (37.5%) rather than hydrological and agricultural drought analysis. Although Ethiopia has long been dependent on rainfed agriculture for its economy and remains the primary livelihood of the population, the Ethiopian government has begun focusing on transitioning to an industrial economy, placing pressure on the water resource. In a region plagued by drought, drought analysis, and monitoring, drought early warning systems and effective mitigation measures are still limited and even lacking in some areas. Therefore, emphasis on hydrological drought analysis and development of suitable drought mitigation measurements is important to implement strategies for effective and sustainable water resource management by which water may remain available during the long dry seasons and the impacts of hydrological drought may be lessened.
Need for Further Medical Attention to Nonreassuring Cardiotocography Near Delivery in High-Risk Pregnancies
Authors: Shirazi Mahboobeh , Sahebdel Behrokh , Golshahi Fetemeh , Ghaemi Marjan
Published: March 2022

Background: Fetal cardiac monitoring indications during labor and near delivery in high- and low-risk pregnancies and their effects on neonatal outcomes have been investigated in previous studies; however, the data of nonreassuring cardiotocography (CTG) near delivery on neonates are insufficient. Objectives: This study aimed to compare fetal distress with nonreassuring CTG in high- and low-risk pregnancies to see if high-risk pregnancies need different or more care or not. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted on pregnant women candidates for vaginal delivery in an academic hospital within 2017 - 2020. The participants were divided according to maternal and fetal risk factors into two groups of low-risk and high-risk pregnancies (including preeclampsia/eclampsia, diabetes, placenta abruption, and intrauterine growth restriction). Three obstetricians, blinded to the participants and neonatal outcomes, reviewed the CTG tracing near delivery individually. The features of nonreassuring CTG 30 minutes before delivery, including variable deceleration, late deceleration, slow return to base, tachycardia, and shoulder and overshoot patterns, were detected in the traces. Then, the neonatal outcomes, including umbilical artery pH at birth, Apgar scores at the 1st and 5th minutes, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), were compared between the groups. Results: A total of 622 participants, including 322 high-risk and 300 low-risk pregnancies, with nonreassuring CTG, were recruited into the study. The adverse neonatal outcomes, such as NICU admission, low Apgar scores in the 1st and the 5th minutes, and pH < 7.1, were signiﬁcantly different between high-risk and low-risk pregnancies with variable deceleration, tachycardia, and overshoot patterns. High- and low-risk pregnancies with late deceleration had only significantly different Apgar scores in the 5th minute. In the slow return to base features, the Apgar scores in the 1st and 5th minutes and NICU admission were significantly different in high- and low-risk groups. Additionally, NICU admission and low Apgar score in the 1st minute were higher in high-risk women in shoulder patterns. Conclusions: Nonreassuring CTG near delivery might be accompanied by more fetal distress in high-risk pregnancies. Therefore, the nonreassuring features of CTG in high-risk pregnancies should be considered more important and might need prompt and timely action to decrease the adverse outcomes.
Investigating the Changes in Cream Properties Following Topical Application and Their Influence on the Product Efficiency
Authors: Salehi Nadia , Mortazavi Seyedeh Maryam , Moghimi Hamidreza
Published: March 2022

: Topical products are not stable following application to the skin due to the evaporation of volatile components. Such changes have been demonstrated in liquid emulsions, but there is almost no study available for creams in this respect. The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the changes in cream properties following topical application and their influence on product efficiency. A method has also been designed and validated to mimic cream application to the skin. To perform this investigation, five different creams were prepared and alterations of type of creams, size of droplets of the dispersed phase, occlusivity, water content and rate of water loss were studied after application. These changes were then attributed to the type of cream, water content, presence of humectant, and time post application. The results demonstrated that creams changed intensely after application, including the phase inversion of O/W formulations, changes in the occlusivity of creams, reduction of water content, rate of water evaporation and droplet size. Such changes could be controlled partly by humectants. The present results suggest that formulators should be aware of such possible changes and required precautions should be taken in advance.
Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Stress Management for Depression, Anxiety, Cognitive Emotion Regulation, and Quality of Life in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Quasi-experimental Study
Authors: Jafari Masoumeh , Sabahi Parviz , Jahan Faezeh , Sotodeh Asl Nemat
Published: March 2022

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms increase with aggravating psychological factors such as anxiety, mood disorders, depression, and stress caused by nerve stimulation. Effective psychotherapy-based interventions are essential for medical conditions and chronic diseases. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) for depression, anxiety, cognitive emotion regulation (CER), and quality of life (QoL) in IBS patients. Methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population comprised all IBS patients visiting Be'sat Gastroenterology Specialist Clinic of Tehran in 2019. A sample of 50 patients was selected and randomly divided into intervention (CBSM, n = 25) and control (n = 25) groups. The experimental group underwent eight sessions (90-minute sessions per week) of CBSM, and the control group did not receive any intervention. The research instruments included the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the SF-36 Questionnaire (SF-36), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze data. Results: The participants included 50 IBS patients aged 36.39 ± 7.45 years. The mean posttest scores for depression and anxiety were 24.70 ± 2.34 and 23.80 ± 2.88 in the experimental group and 29.73 ± 2.76 and 29.43 ± 2.77 in the control groups, respectively. The mean posttest score of QoL in the experimental group was 105.93 ± 7.85, which was significantly different from the control group score (92.03 ± 8.39). The CBSM was effective in reducing negative mood (depression and anxiety) and CER and improving QoL of IBS patients (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The CBSM is a practical therapeutic approach to increase QoL and reduce negative mood in IBS patients. Therefore, the CBSM can be used as an effective intervention to improve the QoL of IBS patients.
Up-regulation of miR-144 Inhibits CML CD34+ Cell Proliferation Through Modulating TGF-β Signaling
Authors: Zareian Sara , Ramezani Reihaneh , Fahimi Hossein , Mousavi Seyed Hadi
Published: March 2022

Background: TGF-β signaling plays a key role in the performance of leukemic stem cells (LSCs). According to the evidence, any disturbance in the TGF beta pathway function not only poses negative effects on the development of BCR-ABL-induced chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) but also depletes CML stem cells. Hence, it can be argued that the aberrant acquisition of self-renewal characteristic because of the aberrant activation of TGF-β signaling results in the CML progression, which indicates the importance of inhibiting other targets besides BCR-ABL, such as TGF-β signaling, that can regulate self-renewal of the leukemic, which in turn translates into inhibited growth of BCR-ABL-positive CD34+ LSCs. Methods: The CD34+ cells were isolated from three CML patients with no history of treatments. The cells were cultured in a Stemspan H3000 medium. After being characterized by flow cytometry, the CML CD34+ cells were transfected with miR-144. The expression levels of miR-144, Smad4, and TGFβR2 genes were evaluated by RT-PCR. The impact of miR-144 overexpression on CML CD34+ cells was determined by the evaluation of cellular proliferation. Results: Overexpression of miR-144 resulted in the down-regulation of Smad4 and TGF-βR2 and decreased cell proliferation in CML CD34+ cells. Conclusions: This study suggests the down-regulation of miR-144 as a potential contributor to CML pathogenesis by activating the oncogenic TGF-β pathway. Hence, the proliferation capability of CD34+ CML cells, as a potential source of relapse in CML patients, can be inhibited by restoring miR-144 expression.
VERBA VOLANT SCRIPTA MANENT
Authors: Раилић Остоја
Published: March 2022

У новије време устаљено је оправдано, али и готово пословично, позивање на неоходност истраживања локалне историје за даље проучавање општих токова догађаја и процеса, као и потреба да се њоме баве на научан начин професионални историчари.
On a Possible Approach to Risk Prediction of Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation аfter Catheter Ablation According to Data from the Pre-procedure Period
Authors:   Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 105, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria, Garvanski Iskren , Matveev Mikhail ,   Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 105, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria, Krasteva Vessela ,   Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 105, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria, Stoyanov Todor , Simova Iana
Published: March 2022

The aim of the study is to identify and evaluate predictors of recurrent paroxysms of atrial fibrillation (AF) paroxysms based on data from the preprocedural period among personal indices, history, comorbidities, ultrasound examination, and morphological components of f-waves, such as spectral amplitude and frequency. 39 patients with antral pulmonary vein isolation using radiofrequency or cryoenergy were included. Spectral analysis of f-waves was performed by fast Fourier transform of the ECG signal after suppression of the T-wave and QRS-complex. The performed U-test for the difference between the amplitude and frequency indicators in the groups without and with recurrence of AF shows a significant difference between the amplitude values in the two studied groups of patients. Through a stepwise discriminant analysis of a total of 14 indicators, 5 reliably separated groups without and with recurrence were determined: Echo LV-EF, spectral amplitude of f-waves, heart failure, Stroke/TIA, diabetes. The discriminator synthesized on these indicеs classified among the 39 patient – 25 without relapse (group 1) and 14 with relapse (group 2), 3 patients wrong from group 1 to group 2 (false positive), or 12%, and 1 patient was wrong from group 2 to group 1 (false negative), or 7.1%. These results give grounds to accept the hypothesis that it is possible to develop a decision rule for determining the degree of risk of post-procedural recurrence of AF from pre-procedural period data.
A Gene-disease Association Prediction Algorithm Based on Multi-source Data Fusion
Authors:   Information Management Center, Hohhot Vocational College, Hohhot 010010, China, Wang Fei
Published: March 2022

Accurate gene-disease association prediction results are the basis for effective diagnosis and treatment of complex genetic diseases. However, existing studies related to this topic generally face problems in two aspects: large volume of original data and diverse data type, and data fusion difficulty. Therefore, this paper studied a gene-disease association prediction algorithm based on multi-source data fusion. At first, it processed the multi-dimensional gene phenotype data, analyzed the gene-disease associations of different phenotypes, and completed the selection of disease gene loci under multi-dimensional phenotypes. Then, this paper fused the multi-source data containing the gene expression data, gene sequence data, gene interaction data, and transcriptome sequencing data, and established the corresponding gene-disease association prediction model. At last, the effectiveness of the constructed prediction model was verified by experimental results. The research results obtained in this paper can improve the low utilization of gene datasets, restored the main features of the datasets to the greatest extent, reasonably processed the data noise, effectively enhanced the robustness of the model, and further improved the classification accuracy of the prediction of disease-causing genes.
Application of Strategic Self-Talk: An Experimental Study on the Effects on Shooting Stability and Performance
Authors: Tzormpatzakis Emmanouil , Galanis Evangelos , Chaldeaki Annitsa , Hatzigeorgiadis Antonis
Published: March 2022

Background: Pistol shooting is a sport with high attentional demands. Strategic self-talk has been shown to assist learning and increase performance, in particular due to its effects on attention. Objective: The current study aimed to examine the impact of a strategic self-talk intervention on the learning of pistol shooting. Methods: An experimental study was designed and implemented. Forty sport sciences students with no experience in pistol shooting were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The study took part in nine sessions, one for familiarization, two for baseline measurements, four for training, and two for final measurements. The shooting was performed from a distance of five meters and recorded through the SCATT shooting system. Performance as Average Score (AS) and two stability variables, Average Length of Tracing (ALOT) and Stability of Aim (SOA), were recorded. Results: Repeated measures MANOVA showed a significant multivariate group by measurement interaction. Pairwise comparisons revealed that (a) AS increased for both the experimental (p.001) and the control group (p=.006), with the experimental group showing greater improvement, and (b) SOA and ALOT improved for the experimental group (p.001 and p=.003, respectively) but not for the control group (p=.37 and p=.21, respectively). Conclusions: The increases in performance for both groups can be attributed to the learning effect; however, the impact of self-talk was evidenced in the greater performance improvement, but also in the improvement of the stability variables that were targeted through the instructional self-talk cues that were used. The greater performance change for the self-talk group may be attributed to attentional mechanisms that brought about the improvement of the stability parameters.
The Simiots of Catalan Folklore: Neither Are Reminiscences So Old, Nor Are They So Strange Beings
Authors:   Universitat de Barcelona, Spain, Ardanuy Jordi
Published: March 2022

The simiot is a creature in the Catalan Pyrenean mythology. The term can be translated as “a kind of ape” or “similar to an ape”. According to a medieval legend, around the tenth century, these wild beasts terrorized Arles, a Catalan village in the Vallespir region. Up until now, the number of scholarly studies dealing in depth with these beings is very small. Books and papers by several twentieth-century folklorists, such as Joan Amades, have not contributed to clarifying their origin. By and large, authors propose that simiots are remnants of an ancient and pagan religion, perhaps linked to canid cults or forest deities. However, considering their probable etymology, their origin can be traced to the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries.
Gender Role Perceptions in Selected South-African Folktales
Authors:   Mekelle University, Tigray, Ethiopia, Gebregeorgis Mehari Yimulaw
Published: March 2022

The objective of the study was to unpack gender role perceptions in selected South-African folktales. To this end, 65 purposefully selected folktales which reinforce character roles were analysed and interpreted, using narrative analysis. With the exception of a few that are used as instruments of contestation, the studied South-African folktales mainly serve as a tool to confirm the entrenched hegemonic philosophy of patriarchal communal life in terms of marriage, work, character traits, and authority. The rebelliousness of female characters against the patriarchal system in some folktales indicates that there is an emerging dynamism of discourse which aims at transforming the gender stereotype ideology inculcated in the folktales.
Personal Songbooks: Imprints of Identity in the Nineteenth-Century Lithuanian Written Culture
Authors:   Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, Lithuania, Ūsaitytė Jurgita
Published: March 2022

With the growth of literacy in society, the tradition of personal collections of texts took root among common people in Lithuania in the second half of the nineteenth century. One of the more popular forms of vernacular literacy turned out to be songbooks which included copied texts of poems and songs. The article focuses on historical and sociocultural contexts which shaped the user of songbooks and formed the distinctive repertory of these collections. The main factors which motivated the distribution of songbooks were the growth of literacy and the increase of secular press. The dynamic of these social and cultural areas of life was also intricately connected with Lithuanian national movement. In the current investigation, songbooks are viewed as a form of self-expression of people and as a manifestation of their cultural and national identity. It has also been observed that personal collections of texts reveal the inclination of their compilers towards the content created and existing within the written tradition. Growing competences in literacy encouraged people to pursue and acquire values associated with the written culture as they were identified with modernity, progress, and authoritativeness. Essentially, songbooks created in the written medium and maintained by it reveal the selective approach of their compilers towards the oral folklore tradition and attest to the priority given to the folk literature of a new style.
Dynamic hole burning within special pair absorption band of Rhodobacter sphaeroides (R‐26) reaction center at room temperature
Authors: Streltsov A.M. , Yakovlev A.G. , Shkuropatov A.Ya. , Shuvalov V.A.
Published: July 2002

The absorbance spectrum of reaction centers of Rhodobacter sphaeroides at room temperature consists of relatively narrow spectral components which are moving in the femtosecond time scale and can be bleached by femtosecond laser pulses in the short wavelength region with a subsequent broadening and red shift of the bleaching (time constant ∼ 250 fs). These data are discussed in terms of the population of the vibronic wave packets in the ground state by the interaction with phonons at 293K. The motion of these packets is probably responsible for the absorbance spectrum of the primary electron donor P at 293K with enhanced short wavelength components and with suppressed Stokes components.
The NssBF element, a sequence of the Drosophila melanogaster retrotransposon 1731 potentially implicated in transcriptional repression and replication
Authors: Lacoste Jérôme , Fourcade-Peronnet Frédérique
Published: July 2002

The nuclear single‐stranded DNA binding factor (NssBF) has been characterized as a nuclear protein that binds to a 26 nucleotides sequence in the long terminal repeat (LTR) of the Drosophila melanogaster 1731 retrotransposon. This sequence, called NssBF element, was analysed by gel retardation experiments using wild‐type and mutated oligonucleotides. In vitro transcription experiments were performed and suggest that NssBF element binding protein(s) represses transcription through the 1731 promoter. Furthermore, computer assisted sequence comparisons put forward a possible role of this element and/or its associated DNA binding proteins in replication.
Quarternary structure amplification of protein folding differences observed in ‘native’ platelet factor‐4
Authors: Barker Sharon , Mayo Kevin H.
Published: July 2002

Platelet factor 4 (PF4), a protein of 70 residues, exists in solution as a distribution of monomer, dimer and tetramer (M‐D‐T) states in slow exchange on a 600 MHz 1H‐NMR chemical shift time scale. Well‐resolved Y60 ring proton resonances in each aggregate state allow derivation of M‐D‐T populations. Under the same set of solution conditions, M‐D‐T aggregate state distributions vary from prep to prep or with repeated freeze‐drying or raising/lowering the solution pH. These variations are not the result of chemical modifications and reflect differences in the strength of subunit associations and therefore folding. Variations are greatest at pH values at or below the pKas of carboxylate groups, supporting the idea that electrostatic interactions modulate PF4 subunit interactions. Treating these distributions as true equilibria results in free energy differences of about 0.5 kcal/mol subunit. Quarternary structure amplifies free energy differences among various folded states of monomer PF4.
DNA methyltransferase activity in the early stages of a sea urchin embryo Evidence of differential control
Authors: Tosi Luisa , Aniello Francesco , Geraci Giuseppe , Branno Margherita
Published: July 2002

The specific activity of DNA methyltransferase increases in the nuclei of Sphaerechinus granularis sea urchin embryos at increasing stages of development. The activity reaches maximal value at about 20 h of growth, when embryos are at the mesenchyme blastula stage, then abruptly decreases and is essentially zero at about 35 h of development, when embryos are at the early gastrula stage. Both the increase and the drop of the activity are faster than embryonic cell duplication indicating that the enzyme is under strict control during development and that, in the more advanced embryo, a mechanism is activated to specifically block its activity.
Identification by mutational analysis of four critical residues in the molybdenum cofactor domain of eukaryotic nitrate reductase
Authors: Meyer Christian , Gonneau Martine , Caboche Michel , Rouzé Pierre
Published: July 2002

The nucleotide sequence of the nitrate reductase (NR) molybdenum cofactor (MoCo) domain was determined in four Nicotiana plumbaginifolia mutants affected in the NR apoenzyme gene. In each case, missense mutations were found in the MoCo domain which affected amino acids that were conserved not only among eukaryotic NRs but also in animal sulfite oxidase sequences. Moreover an abnormal NR molecular mass was observed in three mutants, suggesting that the integrity of the MoCo domain is essential for a proper assembly of holo‐NR. These data allowed to pinpoint critical residues in the NR MoCo domain necessary for the enzyme activity but also important for its quaternary structure.
Molecular interactions of the redox‐active accessory chlorophyll on the electron‐donor side of photosystem II as studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Takumi Noguchi , Yorinao Inoue
Published: July 2002

A Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectrum upon photooxidation of the accessory chlorophyll (Chlz) of photosystem II (PS II) was obtained at 210 K with Mn‐depleted PS II membranes in the presence of fericyanide and silicomolybdate. The observed Chlz
+/Chlz spectrum showed two differential bands at 1747/1736 and 1714/1684 cm−. The former was assigned to the free carbomethoxy C = 0 and the latter to the keto C = 0 that is hydrogen‐bonded or in a highly polar environment. Also, the negative 1614 cm− band assignable to the macrocycle mode indicated 5‐coordination of the central Mg. The negative 1660 cm−1 band, possibly due to the strongly hydrogen‐bonded keto C = 0, may suggest oxidation of one more Chlz, although an alternative assignment, the amide I mode of proteins perturbed by Chlz oxidation, is also possible.
Phosphatase toward MAP kinase is regulated by osmolarity in Madin‐Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells
Authors: Itoh Takahito , Yamauchi Atsushi , Imai Enyu , Ueda Naohiko , Kamada Takenobu
Published: July 2002

We have reported that MAP kinase and its activator were activated by increase in extracellular osmolarity in Madin‐Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells [J. Clin. Invest. 93 (1994) 2387–2392]. The activation of MAP kinase quickly disappeared when cells in hypertonicity were shifted to isotonicity. Present study was planned to elucidate the mechanism for the inactivation of MAP kinase when osmolarity decreased. Combination of two different phosphatase inhibitors, 10−6 M okadaic acid and 0.2 mM sodium orthovanadate, blocked the inactivation of MAP kinase after the decrease in osmolarity. We also demonstrated that phosphatase toward MAP kinase was activated in response to the decrease in osmolarity. These results suggest that MAP kinase is inactivated by phosphatase that is activated when osmolarity decreased.
Expression of the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor p16 during the ongoing cell cycle
Authors: Soucek Thomas , Pusch Oliver , Hengstschläger-Ottnad Elke , Wawra Edgar , Bernaschek Gerhard , Hengstschläger Markus
Published: July 2002

It has been demonstrated that protein expression of p16, the inhibitor of cyclin‐dependent kinase 4 and 6, increases 4 fold at the G1/S transition when serum‐arrested cells are restimulated to logarithmic growth. We examined the cell cycle regulation of this cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor in cells separated according to their cell cycle phases by centrifugal elutriation. Neither p16 mRNA nor its protein expression are regulated during the cell cycle of normal phytohemagglutinin‐stimulated lymphocytes, retinoblastoma protein‐negative cells, papilloma virus‐transformed cells, and acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. p16 mRNA is constitutively expressed in cells in which we detected the normal E2F‐dependent S‐phase specific expression of thymidine kinase mRNA. We further observed a G1‐phase specific expression of cyclin D1 mRNA in the same cells separated by centrifugal elutriation.
Slow formation of [3Fe–4S]1+ clusters in mutant forms of Desulfovibrio africanus ferredoxin III
Authors: Hannan Jonathan P. , Busch Johanneke L.H. , James Richard , Thomson Andrew J. , Moore Geoffrey R. , Davy Sharon L.
Published: July 2002

Desulfovibrio africanus ferredoxin III (Da FdIII) readily interconverts between a 7Fe and an 8Fe form with Asp‐14 believed to provide a cluster ligand in the latter form. To investigate the factors important for cluster interconversion in Fe/S cluster‐containing proteins we have studied two variants of Da FdIII produced by site‐directed mutagenesis, Asp14Glu and Asp14His, with cluster incorporation performed in vitro. Characterisation of these proteins by UV/visible, EPR and 1H NMR spectroscopies revealed that the formation of the stable 7Fe form of these proteins takes some time to occur. Evidence is presented which indicates the [4Fe–4S]2+ cluster is incorporated prior to the [3Fe–4S]1+ cluster.
Evaluation of inhibition of the carbenicillin‐hydrolyzing β‐lactamase PSE‐4 by the clinically used mechanism‐based inhibitors
Authors: Therrien Christian , Kotra Lakshmi P. , Sanschagrin François , Mobashery Shahriar , Levesque Roger C.
Published: July 2002

Characterization of the biochemical steps in the inactivation chemistry of clavulanic acid, sulbactam and tazobactam with the carbenicillin‐hydrolyzing β‐lactamase PSE‐4 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa is described. Although tazobactam showed the highest affinity to the enzyme, all three inactivators were excellent inhibitors for this enzyme. Transient inhibition was observed for the three inactivators before the onset of irreversible inactivation of the enzyme. Partition ratios (k
cat/k
inact) of 11, 41 and 131 were obtained with clavulanic acid, tazobactam and sulbactam, respectively. Furthermore, these values were found to be 14‐fold, 3‐fold and 80‐fold lower, respectively, than the values obtained for the clinically important TEM‐1 β‐lactamase. The kinetic findings were put in perspective by determining the computational models for the pre‐acylation complexes and the immediate acyl‐enzyme intermediates for all three inactivators. A discussion of the pertinent structural factors is presented, with PSE‐4 showing subtle differences in interactions with the three inhibitors compared to the TEM‐1 enzyme.
Induction of superoxide in glioma cell line U87 stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and interferon‐γ: ESR using a new flow‐type quartz cell
Authors: Nakagawa Hidehiko , Moritake Takashi , Tsuboi Koji , Ikota Nobuo , Ozawa Toshihiko
Published: July 2002

The production of superoxide and nitric oxide induced in U87 glioma treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) was examined by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy using a newly designed flow‐type quartz cuvette without detaching cells from the culture plate. ESR spectra of 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐4‐hydroxy‐1‐piperidinyloxy (TEMPOL) with U87 cells on a quartz culture plate were measured at 15 min intervals. The signal intensity of TEMPOL decreased in the presence of U87 cells at the pseudo‐first order rate. The signal decay was accelerated in the U87 cells treated with LPS/IFN‐γ for 24 h, and was suppressed in the presence of superoxide dismutase and catalase. By the spin‐trapping method, nitric oxide from U87 cells pretreated with LPS/IFN‐γ for 24 h was measured by the ESR, but only a weak signal of nitric oxide adducts was detected. Further, the nitrite and nitrate levels in the medium did not increase for 24 h. By the ESR measurement of cells on culture plates without detachment stress, it was found that the production of superoxide was induced by LPS/IFN‐γ, but that of nitric oxide was not, in U87 glioma cells.
Identification of the goldfish 20S proteasome β6 subunit bound to nuclear matrix
Authors: Tokumoto Mika , Yamaguchi Akihiko , Nagahama Yoshitaka , Tokumoto Toshinobu
Published: July 2002

Proteasomes are large, multisubunit particles that act as the proteolytic machinery for most of the regulated intracellular protein breakdown in eukaryotic cells. Proteasomes are present in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. When we analyzed the molecular composition of protein constituents of the nuclear matrix preparation of goldfish oocytes by two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by sequence analysis, we found a 26 kDa spot identical in amino acid sequence to the β6 subunits of the 20S proteasome. No spot of other subunits of 20S proteasome was detected. Here we describe the cloning, sequencing and expression analysis of Carassius auratus, β6_ca, which encodes one of the proteasome β subunits from goldfish ovary. From the screening of an ovarian cDNA library, two types of cDNA were obtained, one 941 bp and the other 884 bp long. The deduced amino acid sequences comprise 239 and 238 residues, respectively. These deduced amino acid sequences are highly homologous to those of β6 subunits of other vertebrates. Immunoblot analysis of nuclear matrix using anti‐proteasome antibodies showed only a spot of β6_ca. These results suggest that the β6 subunit of the goldfish 20S proteasome, β6_ca, is responsible for anchoring proteasomes in the nucleus.
The inhibitory effect of the 5′ untranslated region of muscle acylphosphatase mRNA on protein expression is relieved during cell differentiation
Authors: Fiaschi Tania , Chiarugi Paola , Veggi Daniele , Raugei Giovanni , Ramponi Giampietro
Published: July 2002

Previous experiments suggested that the upstream AUG triplet present in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of muscle acylphosphatase mRNA is involved in the regulation of protein expression. In this paper, we study the involvement of the 5′UTR secondary structure and upstream peptide on mRNA stability and protein translation. Our data, obtained using deletion and frame‐shift mutants, demonstrate that the 5′UTR controls protein expression regulating translation together with mRNA stability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the inhibitory effect of the 5′UTR of muscle acylphosphatase is relieved during the differentiation process in agreement with previous data reporting an increase of acylphosphatase content during cell differentiation. Finally, UV cross‐linking experiments show that specific mRNA‐binding proteins are associated with the 5′UTR of the muscle acylphosphatase mRNA.
Biochemical characterization of the Drosophila Axin protein
Authors: Yanagawa Shin-ichi , Lee Jong-Seo , Matsuda Yukihiro , Ishimoto Akinori
Published: July 2002

In the Wnt/Wingless pathway, accumulation of β‐catenin/Armadillo protein is a key regulatory step. Vertebrate Axin is a negative regulator of Wnt signaling, promoting glycogen synthase kinase‐3β‐mediated phosphorylation of β‐catenin and thereby destabilizing β‐catenin. Using Drosophila cell culture systems, we demonstrated that a Drosophila homolog of Axin (Daxin) inhibits Wingless‐induced Armadillo accumulation and Drosophila T‐cell factor‐dependent transcription induced by Wingless, Dishevelled, and Armadillo. The carboxy‐terminal portion of Daxin is not essential for the inhibitory activity, but a mutant only consisting of this portion behaves as a dominant‐negative protein. Moreover, interactions between Daxin and Zeste‐white 3, Armadillo, Dishevelled, protein phosphatase 2A and Daxin itself were shown, providing direct evidence that Daxin is a scaffold protein in the Wingless pathway.
Detection of the absorption of glucose molecules by living cells using atomic force microscopy
Authors: de Souza Pereira Ricardo
Published: July 2002

A very small electrode (nanobiosensor) was constructed by immobilizing enzyme (glucose oxidase or hexokinase) on the surface of the cantilever of the atomic force microscope in order to detect the absorption of glucose molecules by living cells. If glucose is present, the nanobiosensor deflects, probably due to the reaction heat evolved in the process. Nanobiosensors built with inactivated enzyme or cantilevers without immobilized enzyme were not capable of producing this type of signal (deflection). This technique will be very useful in detecting the passage of specific molecules through a cell wall (or a cell membrane for other types of cells).
Newly identified repeat sequences, derived from human chromosome 21qter, are also localized in the subtelomeric region of particular chromosomes and 2q13, and are conserved in the chimpanzee genome
Authors: Park H.-S. , Nogami M. , Okumura K. , Hattori M. , Sakaki Y. , Fujiyama A.
Published: July 2002

Subtelomeric regions have been a target of structural and functional studies of human chromosomes. Markers having a defined structure are especially useful to such studies. Here, we report 93 bp tandem repeat sequences found in the subtelomeric region of human chromosome 21q. They were also detected in the telomeric region of several other chromosomes. Interestingly, the repeat was also found in the 2q13 region which is known to be a position of chromosomal fusion, a major difference between the human and chimpanzee karyotypes. To the best of our knowledge, this repetitive sequence is a new member of human subtelomeric interspersed repeats.
Calcium‐independent activation of skinned cardiac muscle by secophalloidin
Authors: Bukatina Anna E , Theodore Lou J , Campbell Kenneth B , Sieck Gary C
Published: July 2002

Thin filament regulation of muscle contraction is believed to be mediated by both Ca2+ and strongly bound myosin cross‐bridges. We found that secophalloidin (SPH, 5–8 mM) activates cross‐bridge cycling without Ca2+ causing isometric force comparable to that induced by Ca2+. At saturated [SPH], Ca2+ further increased force by 20%. SPH‐induced force was reversible upon washing with a relaxing solution. However, there was more than 30% irreversible loss in subsequent Ca2+‐activated force. We hypothesize that SPH activates muscle via strongly bound cross‐bridges. SPH‐activated contraction provides a new model for studying the role of Ca2+ and cross‐bridges in muscle regulation.
Tension‐voltage relationship in membrane fusion and its implication in exocytosis
Authors: Ramos Corinne , Teissié Justin
Published: July 2002

In this study, new methods are used to control cellular membrane tension to evaluate the role it plays in electrofusion. The data show that membrane tension present during the application of an electric field facilitates electro‐induced membrane fusion. No enhancement was detected if the strain was applied after the pulse. Analysis of the electromechanical process of fusion revealed a synergy between the two kinds of constraints in the membrane fusion. Both mechanical and electrical constraints apparently play a key role in membrane fusion between the granule membrane and the plasma membrane, i.e. the exocytosis process.
Adhesion of Mytilus edulis Foot Protein 1 on Silica: Ionic Effects on Biofouling
Authors: Frank Brian P. , Belfort Georges
Published: July 2002

To determine the effect of the ionic environment on the marine adhesion molecule Mytilus edulis foot protein 1 (Mefp‐1), atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to measure the adhesion between Mefp‐1 and a silica substrate under a range of ionic conditions. Both ion strength and type were varied on the basis of the ions present in natural seawater. Salts containing monovalent ions (NaCl, KCl) increased adhesion only slightly, but salts containing divalent ions (MgCl2, CaCl2, Na2SO4) induced multiple jumpouts in the decompression curve similar to other biological systems and an increase in hydrodynamic radius as observed by light scattering. This behavior may be due to metal complexation between 3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl‐l‐alanine and o‐quinone catechol groups on Mefp‐1. The addition of a salt containing a trivalent ion (FeCl3) resulted in the highest adhesion. The strong effect of salt type and concentration suggests that the ionic composition of the environment within the mussel byssus may be tailored in order to achieve maximum adhesion and minimum curing time.
Raising a glass to clean water
Authors: Sharpe Mike
Published: July 2002

For this special issue on drinking water quality, Focus takes a look at the regulatory frameworks for drinking water in Europe and the US and the role of environmental analysis in their future evolution.