bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Identity of Binnite with Tennantite; and the Chemical Composition of Fahlerz
Authors: Prior G. T. , Spencer L. J.
Published: December 2006

Few minerals have had a more varied career than the cubic sulpharsenite of copper--the binnite of Des Cloizeaux--which as small brilliant crystals is of rare occurrence in the white saccharoidal dolomite of the Binnenthal in Switzerland.
Communications from the Oxford Mineralogical Laboratory. On the constitution of the natural Arsenates and Phosphates. Part IV.—Beudantite
Authors: Hartley E. G. J.
Published: December 2006

The constitution of beudantite, which is one of the small group oz double sulphates with phosphates or arsenates, has so far not been satisfactorily determined. As will be seen below, the results obtained by several analysts differ so much that it is impossible to deduce any simple formula from them.
Ægirine and Riebeckite Anorthoclase Rocks Related to the “Grorudite-Tinguaite” series, from the neighbourhood of Adowa and Axum, Abyssinia
Authors: Prior G. T.
Published: December 2006

In 1869 the late Dr. Sadebeek gave a brief description of a collection of rocks, accompanied by a map and profiles, made by Dr. W. Sehimper in the neighbourhood of Adowa and Axum, Abyssinia.

In the British Museum is a very similar collection, which was purchased from Dr. Schimper about the same time. As some of these rocks showed points of resemblance to the riebeckite-trachytes of Senafé, recently described by the author, a somewhat more detaBed petrographical examination of the specimens than Dr. Sadebeck was able to afford them appeared to promise something of interest.
Sulpharsenites of Lead from the Binnenthal
Authors: Solly R. H. , Jackson H.
Published: December 2006

The metallic grey minerals which are found in the white saceharoida! dolomite of the Binnenthal have been known ever since the old priest Walpen of Binn and R. yon Ritz began collecting them nearly seventy years ago.

The name "binnite" was first given indiscriminately to the grey metallic minerals; afterwards these were subdivided into "Kugel Binnit" and " Stangen Binnit."
Crystallised Stannite from Bolivia. with Plate II
Authors: Spencer L. J. , Prior G. T.
Published: December 2006

Very little is known of the crystalline form of thc somewhat rare mineral stannite, since in the few localities in which it has been found it usually occurs only in the massive state. Several suggestions, summarised below, have been made as to the type of crystalline symmetry of the mineral, but hitherto no crystals have been completely examined.

(1)

Orthorhombic. Haüy (1822), from an examination of cleavage fragments from Cornwall, concluded that the primitive form might possibly be a right rhombic prism.

(2)

Cubic. Haidinger (1825) mentioned Cornish crystals, having apparently the form of regular cubes, but the dulness of the faces did not allow of any measurements. The massive material appeared to show cleavages in the directions of the faces of the cube and rhombie dodecahedron. (Crystals of Cornish stannite are further mentioned on p. 65 below.)
Preliminary note on an improved form of three-circle Goniometer
Authors: Herbert Smith G. F.
Published: December 2006

In a previous paper the author pointed out the advantages of a three circle form of goniometer in the determination of the morphological characters of crystals ; the crystal is adjusted once for all, and measurements may be made in any desired zone. A description was added of such an instrument, which had resulted from the addition of a two-circle apparatus to an ordinary Fuess goniometer with a single horizontal circle. This instrument has been in almost daily use since the end of June, 1899, and the author is, therefore, in a position to appreciate the ease and celerity with which crystals, however small, may be in this manner measured. As was remarked in the paper quoted above, the adapted instrument has the disadvantage that measurements can only be made through little more than a right angle from the pole in which the zone to be measured and the zone of reference intersect, and, therefore, only half a zone can be measured without readjustment of the circles B and C.
Tinguaites from EIfdalen and Ruphachthal: Basalts from Madagascar and the Soudan
Authors: Prior G. T.
Published: December 2006

In connection with the investigation of ægirine-anorthoclase rocks from Abyssinia, belonging to the grorudite-tingusite series, an examination was made of specimens of the so-called green phonolite from Elfdalen, which in the British Museum collection accompanied the more ordinary brown and red porphyry from that locality. In the descriptions of the well-known porphyry quarries of Elfdalen, mention is made of this green variety as occurring only in boulders. Törnebohm was the first to record the occurrence of these rocks in situ, and to describe their characters, They were found in the form of dykes in the neighbourhood of Heden, near Särna, Dalarne, Sweden, and were interesting as containing cancrinite in clear, well-defined porphyritic crystals as undoubtedly a primary constituent.
On the advantages of the Gnomonic Projection and its use in the Drawing of Crystals. (With a table to facilitate its employment.)
Authors: Herbert Smith G. F.
Published: December 2006

Of the various methods employed or suggested for the graphical representation on a plane of points on the surface of a sphere, the most important to the crystallographer are the stereographic and the gnomonic projections. Both are in common use, and both have their particular advantages. Professor Penfield has recently published a series of papers in which he points cut the advantages that accrue from the employment of the stereographic projection both in crystallography and cartography. He has devised protractors and scales, which facilitate the construction of the projection of the poles of the faces bounding a crystal or of portions of the earth's surface, and enable the angles between points or contained by zones, i.e. great circles, to be readily determined from measurements on the plane diagram.
Notes on the Wollastonite rock-mass, and its associated minerals, of the Santa Fé Mine, State of Chiapas, Mexico
Authors: Collins Henry F.
Published: December 2006

The geological features of the immediate neighbourhood of the Santa Fé Mine, which is situated about nine leagues nearly due east of the departmental town of Pichucalco, have been partially described by the author in a paper recently read before the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy. The key to the position, from the point of view alike of mineralogical and of economic interest, is found in a dome-shaped mass of wollastonite in a nearly pure condition, the horizontal section of which, at the lowest level where it has been sufficiently explored to determine its shape, takes the form of an irregular ellipse about 400 yards long by 160 yards wide. With the exception of the ore-bodies, which are developed on the outskirts of this mass and close to the contacts with other rocks, the whole mass is of nearly uniform composition, consisting of the mineral wollastonite in a nearly pure condition and very coarsely crystallized.
Note on a connexion between the molecular volume and chemical composition of some crystallo-graphically similar minerals
Authors: Prior G. T.
Published: December 2006

The molecular volumes of the members of an isomorphous group of minerals in general show an approach to equality. In other words, minerals having an analogous chemical composition show not only closely related crystalline forms, but have also approximately equal molecular volumes. Many years ago J. D. Dana endeavoured to show that a simple relationship as regards molecular volume also subsisted in the case of various minerals which were closely related crystallographically, although unlike chemically. He concluded that in these cases the similarity in form depended solely on the relationship in molecular volume, and had nothing whatever to do with the chemical composition.
Notes on minerals from the neighbourhood of Binn (Switzerland)—Mispickel, Pyrites, Diopside, and Quartz
Authors: Lewis W. J.
Published: December 2006

Crystals of mispickel are occasionally found in long brilliant tin-white prisms of simple habit in the cavities of the dolomite at Lengenbach, near Binn ; but they are more frequent as isolated crystals entirely imbedded in a rather compact mass of the dolomite. The crystals are elongated in the direction of the brachy-axis, and are terminated by two minute faces which give good images and prove to be the faces usually adopted as the prism {110}. The long faces are much striated parallel to their mutual edges of intersection ; and the images were consequently so elongated in this zone that only roughly approximate measurements of the angles could be obtained. The brachydomes satisfactorily established were s {012} and l {011}.
On various minerals (Anatase, &c.), from the Binnenthal
Authors: Solly R. H.
Published: December 2006

Anatase.—Some very brilliant and highly modified crystals of a light brown colour were obtained from the Ofenhorn in 1908. The largest crystal measures nearly an inch across. The. form {313} is largely developed; other forms present are {100}, {110}, {111}, {331}, {221}, {223}, {835}, {112}, {118}, {117},and also a new {h k l} plane close to (110) and (221), which is probably (24.14.7). These crystals resemble Seligmann's fig. 3.

In 1902 some much smaller, dark brown crystals of a different habit, with the form {117} largely developed, were obtained from another part of the Ofenhorn. They resemble Klein's fig. 3. Three new forms were observed, namely {553}, {35.8.5}, and {40.3.5}.
On various masses of meteoric iron reported to have been found in Great Namaqualand and the adjacent region
Authors: Fletcher L.
Published: December 2006

In November, 1836, Captain (afterwards Sir) James Edward Alexander was at Henkrees (29° S., 18° E.) on the southern side of the Orange River, South-West Africa, and sought for information as to what he might expect to find during his intended journey across Great Namaqualand. He says :—

‘A respectable old Bastaard lived at Henkrees, Balli by name; he was the owner of a thousand head of cattle, of many horses and sheep. … He also told me of great quantities of copper far up the Great Fish River, and of hills from which malleable iron could be cut out.
Note on cobaltiferous Mispickel from Sulitjelma, Norway
Authors: Fletcher Mark
Published: December 2006

Some months ago Professor Henry Louis presented to this college several isolated crystals which he had brought from the Sulitjelma (or Sulitelma) mines in Arctic Norway: they occur there in masses of copper-pyrites and iron-pyrites, for which this district has been famed for some years.

The crystals are of various sizes, ranging in length from 4 to 8 mm. They have a metallic lustre and silver-white colour. The fracture is uneven, and no cleavage is visible. On a freshly broken surface small yellow particles can be seen with the naked eye; these also have a metallic lustre, and are probably iron-pyrites, a probability which is strengthened by the appended chemical analysis. The specific gravity varies from 5.94 to 6.02, and the hardness is just under 5. The crystals are all of a pronounced rhombic aspect.
Some new minerals from the Binnenthal, Switzerland
Authors: Solly R. H.
Published: December 2006

A preliminary notice of this new mineral, named in honour of Dr. Arthur Hutchinson, Demonstrator of Mineralogy in the University of Cambridge, was read before the Cambridge Philosophical Society in October, 1903. The material was first found, in the white crystalline dolomite of the Lengenbach quarry, during my visit to the Binnenthal in the summer of 1903. More material was received in November of the same year, and a further supply was obtained in 1904.
An improved form of Refractometer
Authors: Hertbert Smith G. F.
Published: December 2006

The first form of refractometer, in which a reference-scale was substituted for the rotational parts and graduated circles of the more complex instruments, was designed in 1885 by Professor E. Bertrand who at the same time was the first to suggest the employment of a hemisphere of dense glass in place of the prism and cylinder previously used. The original instrument and others on the same principle which have hitherto been constructed do not give satisfactory results, because no attempt has been made to compensate for the curvature of the focal surface of the hemisphere, and the determinations obtained are, therefore, far from trustworthy. In the refractometer described in this paper a corrective lens is placed in the path of the rays emerging from the hemisphere, and the field thus produced is rendered very nearly plane.
Note on the occurrence of Brookite in the Cleveland ironstone
Authors: Lindsey C. R.
Published: December 2006

The references to the occurrence of the titanium dioxide minerals as rock constituents have been so recently summarized in the ‘Mineralogical Magazine, that it is unnecessary to repeat them, except to refer again to Mr. J. J. H. Teall's record of anatase in the Cleveland ironstone.

Wishing to procure some of these crystals, a pound of ore from the Main Seam at Upleatham mines was treated by the usual processes of solution, washing by decantation, and separation by heavy solution. The residue obtained was equal to 0.16 per cent. of the material taken, and consisted mainly of anatase, mostly in sharply developed pyramidal crystals, with some pyrites in nodular concretions, possibly in replacement of some of the oolitic grains, together with other minerals of derived origin, among which futile and tourmaline were the most prominent.
On the crystallization of potash-alum
Authors: Chevalier Jacques
Published: December 2006

As has been mentioned in the preceding communication, a supersaturated solution, which is cooling or evaporating, passes successively into the metastable condition, in which an introduced crystal can grow in it, and then into the labile condition, in which it may crystallize spontaneously. The transition is indicated by a sudden change in the refractive index of the solution. It seems possible that in these two distinct states of the solution there may be a difference in the mode of growth of the crystals. In the following experiments an attempt was made to find evidence of such a difference by the examination of thin drops of solution crystallizing under the microscope: and potash-alum was found to be a convenient substance for the purpose.
Paratacamite, a new oxychloride of copper
Authors: Herbert Smith G. F.
Published: December 2006

About two years ago there was brought to the British Museum a specimen covered with numerous mall cubes—so the crystals appeared to be—of the bluish-green colour suggestive of a mineral containing copper. Judged by their form the crystals might be beleito, but a qualitative analysis by Dr. Prior, while revealing the presence of chlorine and copper, showed no trace of lead. A crystal was then removed from the specimen and measured on a goniometer, and the discovery was at once made that these apparent cubes are iu reality rhombo-hedra with an angle of nearly 88° between adjacent faces. Since no previously known oxychloride of copper crystallizes in this form, these crystals were evidently worthy of further investigation.
Red silver minerals from the Binnenthal, Switzerland
Authors: Herbert Smith G. F. , Prior G. T.
Published: December 2006

For many years past Mr. R. H. Solly has been accustomed to spend each succeeding summer in the quest of mineral specimens in the neighbourhood of the village of Binn, Switzerland, particularly of those occurring in the white crystalline dolomite of the Lengenbach quarry, and his patient energy has been rewarded by the discovery, not only of material which has thrown fresh light on previously known minerals, but also of specimens which on examination proved to represent species new to science. Especially important was the discovery in 1903 of small, and often minute, blood-red crystals which differed both in colour and in streak from realgar, a common mineral in the quarry.
Note on the mines and minerals of the Silvermines district, Co. Tipperary
Authors: Russell Arthur
Published: December 2006

The Silvermines mineral district is situated along the northern base of the Silvermine Mountains, five and a half miles south of the town of Nenagh in the county of Tipperary. The district is one which possesses somewhat remarkable features, of interest to both geologists and mineralogists. The mines extend over a narrow tract of country for a distance of about five miles along an extensive E. and W. line of fault, in which Silurian, Old Red Sandstone, and Carboniferous rocks are brought into juxtaposition. This line of fault has been traced for a distance of about thirty miles from Gallows Hill in co. Clare, on the west, to Toomavara in co. Tipperary, on the east. Along its course in at least two places mineralization has taken place, resulting in a somewhat complex series of contact-lodes and metasomatic deposits.
A simple arrangement and notation of the thirty-two classes of symmetry based on the symmetry of zone-axes
Authors: Evans John W.
Published: December 2006

If a straight line making an angle with a zone-axis of a crystal be rotated about the zone-axis while the crystal remain fixed, the physical characters of that line will pass through a cycle of changes. If these changes repeat themselves n times during the course of a complete revolution, the zone-axis is said to have an nth-turn or n-fold cyclic symmetry. If the line be at any time normal to a crystal-face it will be normal to a face with the same physical characters n times during such a revolution.
Note on synthetical corundum and spinel
Authors: Herbert Smith G. F.
Published: December 2006

During recent years a considerable industry has grown up at Paris in the synthetical manufacture of corundum for jewellery purposes by means of the process devised by Professor A. Verneuil. In place of the fragments of natural ruby used in previous attempts, ammoniumalum is the material employed. After careful preparation to free it from potash and other impurities, it is ground to a powder and placed in a sieve at the top of the oxygen tube of an inverted blowpipe. The sieve is tapped by a hammer at regular intervals, and uniformity is in this simple way produced in the amount of powder that falls; the necessary adjustment is effected by varying the height through which the hammer falls. To minimize the cost of production, a few alterations have been made in the original apparatus.
On Carnotite and an associated mineral complex from South Australia
Authors: Crook T. , Blake G. S.
Published: December 2006

This paper gives the results of an investigation at the Imperial Institute of a carnotite-bearing specimen received from South Australia.

The material represented by the specimen is described by Mr. H. Y. L. Brown, Government Geologist of South Australia, as occurring about 2 miles SSW. of Teesdale's dam and about 20 miles ESE. of Olary railway station. He remarks : ‘The ore occurs as yellow and greenish-yellow incrustations and powder on the faces, joints, and cavities of a lode formation, which consists of magnetic titaniferous iron, magnetite, &c., and quartz in association with black mica (biotite) . . . . . . The outcrops traverse metamorphic gneissic micaceous granite and granite schist, into which dykes of granite and diorite have been intruded.’
On the species Pilolite, and the examination of a specimen from China
Authors: Stafford Whitby G.
Published: December 2006

A Sample of supposed ‘vegetable asbestos’ obtained in the west of the province of Süchwan, China, was forwarded in 1907 by Mr. J. H. Bristow, the British Consul at Chungking. It was later reported by Mr. H. Phillips, the British Consul at Chungking, that the so-called ‘vegetable’ asbestos previously mentioned ‘is found in crevices between rocks in the districts of Lei Po T'ing and P'ing Shang Hsien, in the prefecture of Sui-fu.’ The author has recently been informed that it occurs along the length of the Yangtse-kiang generally, from Sui-fu to the Huili-chou neighbourhood—i.e., along the Süchwan-Yunnan border on the outskirts of the Man Tzu country.
Notes on the weight of the ‘Cullinan’ diamond, and on the value of the carat-weight
Authors: Spencer L. J.
Published: December 2006

The history of famous diamonds has always been surrounded with mystery and uncertainty, and this is no less the case with the recently-discovered ‘Cullinan’, by far tile largest of all diamonds, which was found in the Premier diamond mine, near Pretoria, in the Transvaal, on January 25, 1905. Whilst it is now no longer possible to arrive at the exact facts respecting the earlier-found stones, it is desirable to place on record any definite information respecting the more noteworthy stones found in our own time.
Chromatin-modifying agents permit human hematopoietic stem cells to undergo multiple cell divisions while retaining their repopulating potential
Authors: Araki Hiroto , Yoshinaga Kazumi , Boccuni Piernicola , Zhao Yan , Hoffman Ronald , Mahmud Nadim
Published: December 2006

Human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) exposed to cytokines in vitro rapidly divide and lose their characteristic functional properties presumably due to the alteration of a genetic program that determines the properties of an HSC. We have attempted to reverse the silencing of this HSC genetic program by the sequential treatment of human cord blood CD34+ cells with the chromatin-modifying agents, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5azaD) and trichostatin A (TSA). We determined that all CD34+CD90+ cells treated with 5azaD/TSA and cytokines after 9 days of incubation divide, but to a lesser degree than cells exposed to only cytokines. When CD34+CD90+ cells that have undergone extensive number of cell divisions (5-10) in the presence of cytokines alone were transplanted into immunodeficient mice, donor cell chimerism was not detectable. By contrast, 5azaD/TSA-treated cells that have undergone similar numbers of cell divisions retained their marrow repopulating potential. The expression of several genes and their products previously implicated in HSC self-renewal were up-regulated in the cells treated with 5azaD/TSA as compared to cells exposed to cytokines alone. These data indicate that HSC treated with chromatin-modifying agents are capable of undergoing repeated cell divisions in vitro while retaining their marrow-repopulating potential.
Molecular basis of glutathione reductase deficiency in human blood cells
Authors: Kamerbeek Nanne M. , van Zwieten Rob , de Boer Martin , Morren Gert , Vuil Herma , Bannink Natalja , Lincke Carsten , Dolman Koert M. , Becker Katja , Heiner Schirmer R. , Gromer Stephan , Roos Dirk
Published: December 2006

Hereditary glutathione reductase (GR) deficiency was found in only 2 cases when testing more than 15 000 blood samples. We have investigated the blood cells of 2 patients (1a and 1b) in a previously described family suffering from favism and cataract and of a novel patient (2) presenting with severe neonatal jaundice. Red blood cells and leukocytes of the patients in family 1 did not contain any GR activity, and the GR protein was undetectable by Western blotting. Owing to a 2246-bp deletion in the patients' DNA, translated GR is expected to lack almost the complete dimerization domain, which results in unstable and inactive enzyme. The red blood cells from patient 2 did not exhibit GR activity either, but the patient's leukocytes contained some residual activity that correlated with a weak protein expression. Patient 2 was found to be a compound heterozygote, with a premature stop codon on one allele and a substitution of glycine 330, a highly conserved residue in the superfamily of NAD(P)H-dependent disulfide reductases, into alanine on the other allele. Studies on recombinant GR G330A revealed a drastically impaired thermostability of the protein. This is the first identification of mutations in the GR gene causing clinical GR deficiency.
Induced hypertension for the treatment of acute MCA occlusion beyond the thrombolysis window: case report
Authors: Bogoslovsky Tanya , Häppölä Olli , Salonen Oili , Lindsberg Perttu J
Published: December 2006

Background

A minority of stroke patients is eligible for thrombolytic therapy. Small pilot case series have hinted that elevation of incident arterial blood pressure might be associated with a favorable prognosis either in acute or subacute stroke. However, these patients were not considered for thrombolytic therapy and were not followed – up systematically. We used pharmacologically induced hypertension in a stroke patient with middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion ineligible for thrombolysis that was followed-up by radiological, clinical and functional outcome assessment.

Case presentation

A patient with acute embolic MCA occlusion producing a large, ischemic penumbra confirmed by perfusion CT was treated by induced hypertension with phenylephrine started within 4 h of admission. Increase in the mean arterial pressure by 20% led to a reduction of neurological deficit by 3 points on the National Institute of Stroke Scale. MRI and CT scans performed during phenylephrine infusion showed the presence of limited subcortical and cortical infarct changes that were clearly less extensive than the perfusion deficit in the brain perfusion CT at baseline, found in the absence of MCA patency. No complications due to induced hypertension therapy occurred. Moderate functional improvement up to modified Rankin scale 2 at follow up took place.

Conclusion

Induced hypertension in acute ischemic stroke seems clinically feasible and may be beneficial in selected normo- or hypotensive stroke patients not eligible for thrombolytic recanalization therapy.
The role of sexually transmitted infections in male circumcision effectiveness against HIV – insights from clinical trial simulation
Authors: Desai Kamal , Boily Marie-Claude , Garnett Geoff P , Mâsse Benoît R , Moses Stephen , Bailey Robert C
Published: December 2006

Background

A landmark randomised trial of male circumcision (MC) in Orange Farm, South Africa recently showed a large and significant reduction in risk of HIV infection, reporting MC effectiveness of 61% (95% CI: 34%–77%). Additionally, two further randomised trials of MC in Kisumu, Kenya and Rakai, Uganda were recently stopped early to report 53% and 48% effectiveness, respectively. Since MC may protect against both HIV and certain sexually transmitted infections (STI), which are themselves cofactors of HIV infection, an important question is the extent to which this estimated effectiveness against HIV is mediated by the protective effect of circumcision against STI. The answer lies in the trial data if the appropriate statistical analyses can be identified to estimate the separate efficacies against HIV and STI, which combine to determine overall effectiveness.

Objectives and Methods

Focusing on the MC trial in Kisumu, we used a stochastic prevention trial simulator (1) to determine whether statistical analyses can validly estimate efficacy, (2) to determine whether MC efficacy against STI alone can produce large effectiveness against HIV and (3) to estimate the fraction of all HIV infections prevented that are attributable to efficacy against STI when both efficacies combine.

Results

Valid estimation of separate efficacies against HIV and STI as well as MC effectiveness is feasible with available STI and HIV trial data, under Kisumu trial conditions. Under our parameter assumptions, high overall effectiveness of MC against HIV was observed only with a high MC efficacy against HIV and was not possible on the basis of MC efficacy against STI alone. The fraction of all HIV infections prevented which were attributable to MC efficacy against STI was small, except when efficacy of MC specifically against HIV was very low. In the three MC trials which reported between 48% and 61% effectiveness (combining STI and HIV efficacies), the fraction of HIV infections prevented in circumcised males which were attributable to STI was unlikely to be more than 10% to 20%.

Conclusion

Estimation of efficacy, attributable fraction and effectiveness leads to improved understanding of trial results, gives trial results greater external validity and is essential to determine the broader public health impact of circumcision to men and women.
The role of cholesterol and sphingolipids in chemokine receptor function and HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-mediated fusion
Authors: Ablan Sherimay , Rawat Satinder S , Viard Mathias , Wang Ji Ming , Puri Anu , Blumenthal Robert
Published: December 2006

Background

HIV-1 entry into cells is a multifaceted process involving target cell CD4 and the chemokine receptors, CXCR4 or CCR5. The lipid composition of the host cell plays a significant role in the HIV fusion process as it orchestrates the appropriate disposition of CD4 and co-receptors required for HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env)-mediated fusion. The cell membrane is primarily composed of sphingolipids and cholesterol. The effects of lipid modulation on CD4 disposition in the membrane and their role in HIV-1 entry have extensively been studied. To focus on the role of lipid composition on chemokine receptor function, we have by-passed the CD4 requirement for HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion by using a CD4-independent strain of HIV-1 Env.

Results

Cell fusion mediated by a CD4-independent strain of HIV-1 Env was monitored by observing dye transfer between Env-expressing cells and NIH3T3 cells bearing CXCR4 or CCR5 in the presence or absence of CD4. Chemokine receptor signaling was assessed by monitoring changes in intracellular [Ca2+] mobilization induced by CCR5 or CXCR4 ligand. To modulate target membrane cholesterol or sphingolipids we used Methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) or 1-phenyl-2-hexadecanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PPMP), respectively. Treatment of the target cells with these agents did not change the levels of CD4 or CXCR4, but reduced levels of CCR5 on the cell surface. Chemokine receptor signalling was inhibited by cholesterol removal but not by treatment with PPMP. HIV-1 Env mediated fusion was inhibited by >50% by cholesterol removal. Overall, PPMP treatment appeared to slow down the rates of CD4-independent HIV-1 Env-mediated Fusion. However, in the case of CXCR4-dependent fusion, the differences between untreated and PPMP-treated cells did not appear to be significant.

Conclusion

Although modulation of cholesterol and sphingolipids has similar effects on CD4 -dependent HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion, sphingolipid modulation had little effect on CD4-independent HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion. Chemokine receptor function remained intact following treatment of cells with PPMP. Therefore such treatment may be considered a more suitable agent to inhibit CD4 dependent HIV-1 infection.
Breastfeeding duration in mothers who express breast milk: a cohort study
Authors: Win Nwet N , Binns Colin W , Zhao Yun , Scott Jane A , Oddy Wendy H
Published: December 2006

Background

The expression of breast milk allows a mother to be away intermittently from her infant while continuing to breastfeed. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between expression of breast milk and breastfeeding duration

Methods

A cohort study of 12 months duration. The mothers were recruited from two public maternity hospitals in Perth, Australia between mid-September 2002 and mid-July 2003. While in hospital, participating mothers completed a questionnaire that included questions on how they were feeding their newborn. Telephone interviews conducted at regular periods monitored changes in infant feeding practices, including expression of breast milk. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to explore the association between breast milk expression and the duration of any breastfeeding.

Results

A total of 587 mothers, or 55% of those eligible, participated in the study. Of these 93.5% were breastfeeding at discharge from hospital. Mothers who expressed breast milk (at one or more time periods) were less likely to discontinue any breastfeeding before six months (Relative Risk 0.71, 95% CI 0.52, 0.98) than those who had never expressed milk.

Conclusion

This study found that mothers who express breast milk are more likely to breastfeed to six months (any breastfeeding). While further research is required in different cultures to confirm these results, the appropriate use of expressed breast milk may be a means to help mothers to achieve six months of full breastfeeding while giving more lifestyle options.
CyberKnife® radiosurgery in the treatment of complex skull base tumors: analysis of treatment planning parameters
Authors: Collins Sean P , Coppa Nicholas D , Zhang Ying , Collins Brian T , McRae Donald A , Jean Walter C
Published: December 2006

Background

Tumors of the skull base pose unique challenges to radiosurgical treatment because of their irregular shapes, proximity to critical structures and variable tumor volumes. In this study, we investigate whether acceptable treatment plans with excellent conformity and homogeneity can be generated for complex skull base tumors using the Cyberknife® radiosurgical system.

Methods

At Georgetown University Hospital from March 2002 through May 2005, the CyberKnife® was used to treat 80 patients with 82 base of skull lesions. Tumors were classified as simple or complex based on their proximity to adjacent critical structures. All planning and treatments were performed by the same radiosurgery team with the goal of minimizing dosage to adjacent critical structures and maximizing target coverage. Treatments were fractionated to allow for safer delivery of radiation to both large tumors and tumors in close proximity to critical structures.

Results

The CyberKnife® treatment planning system was capable of generating highly conformal and homogeneous plans for complex skull base tumors. The treatment planning parameters did not significantly vary between spherical and non-spherical target volumes. The treatment parameters obtained from the plans of the complex base of skull group, including new conformity index, homogeneity index and percentage tumor coverage, were not significantly different from those of the simple group.

Conclusion

Our data indicate that CyberKnife® treatment plans with excellent homogeneity, conformity and percent target coverage can be obtained for complex skull base tumors. Longer follow-up will be required to determine the safety and efficacy of fractionated treatment of these lesions with this radiosurgical system.
The role of synovial macrophages and macrophage-produced cytokines in driving aggrecanases, matrix metalloproteinases, and other destructive and inflammatory responses in osteoarthritis
Authors: Bondeson Jan , Wainwright Shane D , Lauder Sarah , Amos Nick , Hughes Clare E
Published: December 2006

There is an increasing body of evidence that synovitis plays a role in the progression of osteoarthritis and that overproduction of cytokines and growth factors from the inflamed synovium can influence the production of degradative enzymes and the destruction of cartilage. In this study, we investigate the role of synovial macrophages and their main proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), in driving osteoarthritis synovitis and influencing the production of other pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, production of matrix metalloproteinases, and expression of aggrecanases in the osteoarthritis synovium. We established a model of cultures of synovial cells from digested osteoarthritis synovium derived from patients undergoing knee or hip arthroplasties. By means of anti-CD14-conjugated magnetic beads, specific depletion of osteoarthritis synovial macrophages from these cultures could be achieved. The CD14+-depleted cultures no longer produced significant amounts of macrophage-derived cytokines like IL-1 and TNF-α. Interestingly, there was also significant downregulation of several cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-8 (p < 0.001) and matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 3 (p < 0.01), produced chiefly by synovial fibroblasts. To investigate the mechanisms involved, we went on to use specific downregulation of IL-1 and/or TNF-α in these osteoarthritis cultures of synovial cells. The results indicated that neutralisation of both IL-1 and TNF-α was needed to achieve a degree of cytokine (IL-6, IL-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and matrix metalloproteinase (1, 3, 9, and 13) inhibition, as assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), similar to that observed in CD14+-depleted cultures. Another interesting observation was that in these osteoarthritis cultures of synovial cells, IL-1β production was independent of TNF-α, in contrast to the situation in rheumatoid arthritis. Using RT-PCR, we also demonstrated that whereas the ADAMTS4 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin motifs 4) aggrecanase was driven mainly by TNF-α, ADAMTS5 was not affected by neutralisation of IL-1 and/or TNF-α. These results suggest that, in the osteoarthritis synovium, both inflammatory and destructive responses are dependent largely on macrophages and that these effects are cytokine-driven through a combination of IL-1 and TNF-α.
Hemopexin domains as multifunctional liganding modules in matrix metalloproteinases and other proteins
Authors: Piccard Helene , Van den Steen Philippe E , Opdenakker Ghislain
Published: December 2006

The heme-binding hemopexin consists of two, four-bladed propeller domains connected by a linker region. Hemopexin domains are found in different species on the phylogenetic tree and in the human species represented in hemopexin, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), vitronectin, and products of the proteoglycan 4 gene. Hemopexin and hemopexin domains of human proteins fulfill functions in activation of MMPs, inhibition of MMPs, dimerization, binding of substrates or ligands, cleavage of substrates, and endocytosis by low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP-1; CD91) and LRP-2 (megalin, GP330). Insights into the structures and functions of hemopexin (domains) form the basis for positive or negative interference with the formation of molecular complexes and hence, might be exploited therapeutically in inflammation, cancer, and wound healing.
Violence and Exploitation against Women and Girls with Disability
Authors: ROSEN DANIEL B.
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  This article seeks to explore issues concerning women and girls with disability who have experienced violence and exploitation. Owing to different methodologies of data collection, it is difficult to precisely determine the exact number of women and girls who are affected. The literature suggests that violence and exploitation against women and girls with disability occur at a rate 50% higher than in the rest of society. It also points out a number of additional critical issues: professionals are uneducated nd insensitive to the needs of these populations; increasing numbers of women and girls living with disability exacerbate the problem; women and girls with disability are uneducated about their rights and responsibilities; and action must be taken to halt this epidemic.
International Perspectives on Sexual Harassment of College Students
Authors: PALUDI MICHELE , NYDEGGER RUDY , DESOUZA EROS , NYDEGGER LIESL , DICKER KELSEY ALLEN
Published: December 2006

Abstract: The incidence, psychological dimensions, reporting, and impact of sexual harassment of college students throughout the world are reviewed. Special attention is paid to methodological constraints in conducting cross‐cultural research in sexual harassment, including difficulty in securing research participants, different methodologies to collect incidence data, use of retrospective data, and varying, definitions of sexual harassment. Recommendations for implementing intervention programs are offered. The strategies suggested deal with the social causes that maintain the harassment, including renegotiating the balance of power between men and women.
Pancreas and beta-cell development: from the actual to the possible
Authors: Murtaugh L. Charles
Published: December 2006

The development of insulin-producing pancreatic beta (β)-cells represents the culmination of a complex developmental program. Cells of the posterior foregut assume a pancreatic identity, cells within the expanding pancreatic primordia adopt an endocrine fate, and a subset of these precursors becomes competent to generate β-cells. Postnatally, β-cells are primarily maintained by self-duplication rather than new differentiation. Although major gaps in our knowledge still persist, experiments across several organisms have shed increasing light on the steps of β-cell specification and differentiation. Increasing our understanding of the extrinsic, as well as intrinsic, mechanisms that control these processes should facilitate efforts to regenerate this important cell type in humans.
Cost Consequences of Implementing an Electronic Decision Support System for Ordering Laboratory Tests in Primary Care: Evidence from a Controlled Prospective Study in The Netherlands
Authors: Poley Marten J , Edelenbos Kyra I , Mosseveld Mees , van Wijk Marc AM , de Bakker Dinny H , van der Lei Johan , Rutten-van Mölken Maureen PMH
Published: December 2006

Background: The economic consequences of interventions to promote rational, evidence-based use of laboratory tests by physicians are not yet fully understood. We evaluated the cost consequences of a computer-based, guideline-driven decision-support system (CDSS) for ordering blood tests in primary care.

Methods: We installed the CDSS in 118 practices [159 general practitioners (GPs)] throughout The Netherlands and calculated the costs of the intervention in this group. During a period of 6 months before and 6 months after installation of the CDSS, the test-ordering behavior of 87 (109 GPs) of these 118 study practices was studied and the results were compared with those of a nonhistorical control group that did not receive the CDSS. In addition the costs of laboratory requests were calculated for both groups.

Results: Total intervention costs, comprising development costs and installation costs, amounted to €79 000 (€670 per practice). Whereas the introduction of the CDSS did not affect the number of order forms submitted to the laboratories, it did reduce the number of blood tests per order form. As a result, the CDSS yielded mean savings on the costs of laboratory requests of €847 per practice per 6 months.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that providing electronic decision support for ordering blood tests in primary care represents an economically promising concept. Savings on laboratory costs are achievable and not offset by disproportionally high intervention costs.
Lateral Flow Immunoassay Using Europium (III) Chelate Microparticles and Time-Resolved Fluorescence for Eosinophils and Neutrophils in Whole Blood
Authors: Rundström Gerd , Jonsson Ann , Mårtensson Ola , Mendel-Hartvig Ib , Venge Per
Published: December 2006

Background: A simple point-of-care method for measuring leukocyte counts in a doctor’s office or emergency room could be of great importance. We developed a protocol for measuring cell count by disrupting the cell membrane and analyzing specific proteins within the cells and used it to analyze proteins from eosinophils and neutrophils.

Methods: Lateral immunochromatographic (ICR) assays have been developed for eosinophil protein X (EPX) and human neutrophil lipocalin (HNL) as measures of the concentration of eosinophils and neutrophils. The correlation between the lateral ICR assays and cell counting of eosinophils and neutrophils was performed manually and with an automated cell counter. RIA assays measuring the same analytes were also compared with the results from cell counting and lateral ICR assays.

Results: The optimized assays showed analytical detection limits below the clinical ranges of 3.36 μg/L and 2.05 μg/L for EPX and HNL, respectively. The recovery was 114.8%–122.8% for EPX and 94.5%–96.9% for HNL. The imprecision was 3%–17% CV for EPX over the whole range and 5%–16% CV for HNL. The correlation coefficients between manually counted cells and lateral ICR assays were 0.9 and 0.83 for EPX and HNL, respectively.

Conclusion: The numbers of eosinophils and neutrophils in small amounts of blood can be estimated in the point-of-care setting by means of fast lateral ICR assays of EPX and HNL.
Circulating Concentrations of Growth-Differentiation Factor 15 in Apparently Healthy Elderly Individuals and Patients with Chronic Heart Failure as Assessed by a New Immunoradiometric Sandwich Assay
Authors: Kempf Tibor , Horn-Wichmann Rüdiger , Brabant Georg , Peter Timo , Allhoff Tim , Klein Gunnar , Drexler Helmut , Johnston Nina , Wallentin Lars , Wollert Kai C
Published: December 2006

Background: Growth-differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) cytokine superfamily. There has been increasing interest in using circulating GDF15 as a biomarker in patients, for example those with cardiovascular disease.

Methods: We developed an IRMA that uses a polyclonal, affinity chromatography–purified goat antihuman GDF15 IgG antibody, assessed the preanalytic characteristics of GDF15, and determined circulating GDF15 concentrations in 429 apparently healthy elderly individuals and 153 patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Results: The assay had a detection limit of 20 ng/L, an intraassay imprecision of ≤10.6%, and an interassay imprecision of ≤12.2%. Specificity was demonstrated with size-exclusion chromatography, parallel measurements with polyclonal and monoclonal anti-GDF15 antibody, and lack of cross-reactivity with TGF-β. The assay was not appreciably influenced by the anticoagulant matrix or unrelated biological substances. GDF15 was stable at room temperature for 48 h and resistant to 4 freeze-thaw cycles. Apparently healthy, elderly individuals presented with a median GDF15 concentration of 762 ng/L (25th–75th percentiles, 600–959 ng/L). GDF15 concentrations were associated with age and with cystatin C and C-reactive protein concentrations. CHF patients had increased GDF15 concentrations that were closely related to disease severity.

Conclusion: The IRMA can detect GDF15 in human serum and plasma with excellent sensitivity and specificity. The reference limits and confounding variables defined for apparently healthy elderly individuals and the favorable preanalytic characteristics of GDF15 are expected to facilitate future studies of GDF15 as a biomarker in various disease settings, including CHF.
Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca
Authors: BRAY TAMARA L.
Published: December 2006

Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca. MARGARETYOUNG‐SANCHEZ. Denver Art Museum and University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 2004. 215 pgs; 232 color plates,. maps, ISBN: 0‐8032‐4921‐7.
Transposition of a Fungal Miniature Inverted-Repeat Transposable Element Through the Action of a Tc1-Like Transposase
Authors: Dufresne Marie , Hua-Van Aurélie , Abd el Wahab Hala , M'Barek Sarrah Ben , Vasnier Christelle , Teysset Laure , Kema Gert H J , Daboussi Marie-Josée
Published: December 2006

The mimp1 element previously identified in the ascomycete fungus Fusarium oxysporum has hallmarks of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs): short size, terminal inverted repeats (TIRs), structural homogeneity, and a stable secondary structure. Since mimp1 has no coding capacity, its mobilization requires a transposase-encoding element. On the basis of the similarity of TIRs and target-site preference with the autonomous Tc1-like element impala, together with a correlated distribution of both elements among the Fusarium genus, we investigated the ability of mimp1 to jump upon expression of the impala transposase provided in trans. Under these conditions, we present evidence that mimp1 transposes by a cut-and-paste mechanism into TA dinucleotides, which are duplicated upon insertion. Our results also show that mimp1 reinserts very frequently in genic regions for at least one-third of the cases. We also show that the mimp1/impala double-component system is fully functional in the heterologous species F. graminearum, allowing the development of a highly efficient tool for gene tagging in filamentous fungi.