bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immune Responses to Foot-and-Mouth Disease DNA Vaccines Can Be Enhanced by Coinjection with the Isatis indigotica Extract
Authors: Chen Liang , Lin Tao , Zhang HongXin , Su YongBo
Published: May 2005

The Isatis indigotica extract is widely used in clinical practice for the treatment of influenza, epidemic hepatitis, epidemic encephalitis B etc. The goal of this study was to investigate whether coinjection of the Isatis indigotica extract with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) DNA vaccine could increase the protective immune response. Mice were vaccinated twice with either FMDV DNA vaccine plus the Isatis indigotica extract or DNA vaccine alone. Compared with the group of DNA vaccine alone, in the group that received DNA vaccine plus the Isatis indigotica extract was observed a significant increase in not only FMDV-specific antibody response but also T cell proliferation assay. All swines immunized with either FMDV DNA vaccine plus the Isatis indigotica extract or DNA vaccine alone were partially protected from FMDV challenge, but the signs of DNA vaccine plus the Isatis indigotica extract group were less severe than that of DNA vaccine alone. Coinjection of the Isatis indigotica extract with DNA vaccine has adjuvant effect on the immune response against viral pathogens and its application provides an effective strategy to improve the efficacy of DNA vaccines.
High Prevalence of SEN Virus Infection in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis: Frequent Mixed Infections with Different Variants and Evidence for Nosocomial Transmission of the Virus
Authors: Pirovano Silvia , Gregorini Gina , Malacarne Fabio , Marini Mirella , Albertini Alberto , Imberti Luisa
Published: May 2005

Objective: The SEN virus (SENV) represents a recently described group of DNA viruses, two members of which (SENV-D and SENV-H) are linked with posttransfusion hepatitis. Since patients on hemodialysis have a high risk of being infected by blood-borne viruses, we investigated the prevalence of seven SENV isolates in two distinct units of our hospital. Methods: The presence of SENV was investigated in 171 hemodialysis patients and in 163 controls by using a polymerase chain reaction based methodology, with which the specificity of amplified products was detected by hybridization with probes specific for each variant. Polymerase chain reaction products from 4 patients were sequenced. Results: The overall detection of SENV DNA as well as of SENV-D, SENV-E, and SENV-G was significantly higher in one of the two units, and there was a higher degree of homology in the sequences prepared from patients of the same unit. Furthermore, we demonstrated that mixed infections with multiple SENV were common. No relationship was observed between presence of SENV and sex, age, duration of hemodialysis, previous transfusions or transplantation, hepatitis infection, and routine liver test results. Conclusion: Our results indicate that patients who undergo hemodialysis can be at high risk of SENV transmission and suggest an intraunit transmission of specific SENV variants.
Evaluation of Serum Concentrations of Human Hepatocyte Growth Factor during Interferon Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C
Authors: Moriyama Mitsuhiko , Matsumura Hiroshi , Watanabe Azuma , Oshiro Suhu , Aoki Hiroshi , Shimizu Toshihiro , Nakai Kazuhiko , Yamagami Hiroaki , Kaneko Miki , Shioda Atsuo , Tanaka Naohide , Arakawa Yasuyuki
Published: May 2005

In this study, the serum concentrations of human hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) were examined to clarify the relationship between HGF and interferon (IFN) therapy for hepatitis C. The subjects were 94 patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent liver biopsy at our institution from 1994 through 1996. These patients were treated with natural IFN-α, IFNα2a and IFNα2b for periods varying from 12 to 26 weeks. Serum levels of HGF were determined in individual patients just before and after the administration of IFN and at 6 months and 1 year thereafter. The serum concentration of HGF was evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The intra-hepatic location of HGF was explored using an immunoperoxidase-staining method. A positive correlation was found between the degree of HGF expression in the liver and the serum HGF concentrations. The degree of HGF expression in the liver decreased in the virologically sustained responders (SVRs) following IFN therapy. The serum HGF concentrations immediately after IFN therapy were lower than those before therapy in 83% of the patients. The concentrations gradually rose thereafter in about 45% of the non-responders, while it remained low or declined further in about half of the patients in this group. In the SVRs, the serum HGF concentrations declined in 88% of patients immediately after IFN therapy. Thereafter, it remained equally low or declined further in 60% of the SVRs. The serum HGF concentrations at 6 months and 1 year after IFN therapy were significantly lower in the SVRs than in the non-responders. In conclusions, serum HGF concentrations declined following IFN treatment regardless of the virological outcome of treatment. The decrease in serum HGF concentrations results from a decrease in the number of mesenchymal cells producing HGF. Consequently, evaluation of the serum HGF concentration is of clinical value for assessing changes in liver tissues after IFN therapy.
Co-Infection with Hepatitis B Virus Genotype D and Other Genotypes in Western Japan
Authors: Michitaka Kojiro , Horiike Norio , Chen Yan , Duong Tran Nhu , Matsuura Kana , Tokumoto Yoshio , Hiasa Yoichi , Akbar Fazle S.M. , Onji Morikazu
Published: May 2005

Objective: Genotypes B and C are the prevalent hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in eastern Asia. Although very rare in this region of the world, genotype D was found to be prevalent in a small area of western Japan. In this study, we confirm the frequency and clinical significance of co-infection with different genotypes among patients from that area infected with genotype D. Methods: Twenty-three patients from the same area of western Japan infected with HBV genotype D, determined using a genotyping enzyme immunoassay, were studied. Cloning was done using DNA extracted from serum samples, and polymerase chain reaction assays with the restriction fragment length polymorphism for HBV genotyping were performed with 10 clones from each patient. Results: Four (17.4%) of the 23 patients were found to be co-infected with HBV genotype C, and the HB surface antigen subtype was ayw in both mono- and co-infected patients. No clinical differences were found between mono-infected and co-infected patients carrying genotype D. Conclusion: A significant number of patients from the study area found to be infected with HBV genotype D were co-infected with genotype C. Additional study with a larger number of patients is needed to elucidate the possible clinical significance.
Projections to Bimodal Sites in the Torus semicircularis of the Toadfish, Opsanus tau
Authors: Edds-Walton Peggy L. , Fay Richard R.
Published: May 2005

Bimodal cells in the torus semicircularis of the toadfish respond to both directional acoustic stimuli and hydrodynamic stimuli. Our previous physiological work indicated that bimodal cells may be distributed throughout the torus semicircularis. In this study, neurobiotin was used to compare the distribution of auditory-only and bimodal sites and to assess the inputs to those sites. A brief neurobiotin injection with short survival time was used to document the recording location. In other fish, a longer injection and survival time was used at an auditory-only or a bimodal site to fill the axons of the medullary inputs. Auditory-only sites were located in the most dorsal and medial sites in nucleus centralis. Bimodal sites were identified within both nucleus centralis and nucleus ventrolateralis. The greatest number of retrogradely filled cell bodies was found in the descending octaval nucleus following injection at auditory-only recording sites in nucleus centralis. In contrast, retrogradely filled cell bodies were found in both the descending octaval nucleus and the lateral line nucleus medialis following injection at bimodal sites in nucleus centralis or nucleus ventrolateralis. Retrogradely filled cell bodies were located in the dorsal and ventral divisions of the secondary octaval population from injections at either bimodal or auditory-only sites. The secondary octaval population has been implicated in auditory processing based on previous studies of both auditory specialist and auditory generalist fishes; however, this study is the first to reveal the potential role of the secondary octaval population in directional hearing in a fish. Relatively large numbers of retrogradely filled cells around the lateral lemniscus at consistent locations in the medulla indicate that a perilemniscal cell group also might be a component of the directional hearing circuit.
Dangerous Memories and Reason in History
Authors: Ostovich Steven
Published: May 2005

A critical examination of "dangerous memories" illuminates the shortcomings of attempts to master the past when history is understood as a neutral medium for revealing the integrative forces of reason; an empty vessel to be filled with the facts of the way things were; or the product of an interpretive fusion of horizons between past and present. The disruptive potential of memory resists narrative control. A new model of historical understanding is needed wherein thinking is not a flight into transcendental categories but a form of critical responding that makes judgment possible.
“No Longer the Messiah”: Us Federal Law Enforcement Views of Religion in Connection with the 1993 Siege of Mount Carmel Near Waco, Texas
Authors: Sullivan Lawrence
Published: May 2005

At the request of the United States Department of Justice and Department of the Treasury, the author reviewed the actions of Federal law enforcement agencies in Waco, Texas during the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian religious community led by David Koresh, during which dozens of people died, including both federal officers and civilians. This article analyzes the views of religion which predominate among Federal law enforcement agents and which came to light during his review of the Waco incident.
Controllers and Professionals: Analyzing Religious Specialists
Authors: Rüpke Jörg
Published: May 2005

Based on a critique of Joachim Wach's typology of religious authority, the article attempts to describe religious specialists as agents of control within their religion's symbolic universe. Special attention is given to processes of professionalization.
The Invention of a Populist Islamic Leader: Badr Al-dìn Al-Hasanì, the Religious Educational Movement and The Great Syrian Revolt
Authors: Weismann Itzchak
Published: May 2005

Badr al-Dìn al-Hasanì (1850-1935) appears in the biographical literature of Syria as its foremost man of religion from World War I to the Great Revolt. This article examines his life and work within the context of the gradual shift of the Syrian ulema of his day from the older "politics of notables" to a new strategy of popular mobilization. It argues that Badr al-Dìn's image was "invented" during the early Mandate by disciples in search of legitimization for their populist agendas of an Islamic educational system and agitation against French rule. They accordingly presented him as a self-standing scholar who transcended all religious divisions, reprimanded "unjust" rulers and supported the Arab cause. This "romantic" image of Badr al-Dìn was to prevail over the alternative image of him as an accommodating religious notable which emerges from the French sources.
La Question de la Falsification du Coran dans L'Exégèse Chiite Duodécimaine
Authors: Brunner Rainer
Published: May 2005

Pendant plusieurs siècles la question de la falsification du Coran (tahrif al-Qur "an) par les adversaires «sunnites» a été un sujet de polémique central au sein du chiisme duodécimain. Le corpus ancien des traditions imamites contient notamment de nombreuses données explicites selon lesquelles les rédacteurs de la « vulgate ' u δ m à nienne » auraient délibérément supprimé les passages désignant nommément ' Al ì comme le successeur du Prophète, masquant ainsi le rôle primordial des Imams chiites. Cette croyance, occultée à partir de la seconde moitié du Xe siècle par la critique rationaliste du corpus de hadith, connut un renouveau remarquable après l'émergence de l'École A ¢ b à r ì aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles. Même la victoire des U ßù l ì s nefit pas complètement disparaître la conviction de l'existence du tahrif. À la fin du XIXe siècle, le savant iranien Ó usain an-N ù r ì écrivit une imposante monographie pour défendre cette conviction. Ce ne fut qu'au XXe siècle et à cause de l'effet désastreux qu'eut l'ouvrage de N ù r ì dans les polémiques entre sunnites et chiites, que ces derniers essayèrent de s'unifier autour de la thèse de l'authenticité de « la vulgate ». Ne croyant pas à la sincérité de cette attitude, les sunnites continuent leurs polémiques de plus en plus intensément, faisant de la question du tahrif un des problèmes le plus épineux de la divergence entre les deux principales confessions musulmanes.
Une Attestation de L'emploi de L'encre de Calmar ou de Seiche (sépia) en Méditerranée Musulmane au Vie/xiie Siècle
Authors: Ducène Jean-Charles
Published: May 2005

La préparation et l'emploi des encres dans le monde musulman au Moyen Âge sont relativement bien connus grâce notamment à des témoignages directs. Mais jusqu'à présent, l'encre de calmar ou de seiche, c'est-à-dire la sépia, semblait inconnue. Or, une observation d'Abù Hamid al-Garnati, lors de sa traversée de la Méditerranée, indique que la sépia était utilisée pour écrire.
Dogma and Ritual In Kitàb Al-Ma'àrif by the Nusayrì Theologian Ab ù Sa'ìd Maymùn B. Al-Qà Sim Al-Tabarànì (d. 426/1034-35)
Authors: Kofsky Aryeh , Bar-Asher Meir
Published: May 2005

The study presents and analyzes Kitàb al-ma'àrif by Abù Sa'ìd Maymùn b. al-Qàsim al-Tabarànì (d. 426/1034-35), an outstanding Nusayrì leader and a prolific author in the formative period of the Nusayrì religion. Inner knowledge (ma'rifa) constitutes the conceptual core of the treatise, whose twenty-three chapters deal with esoteric knowledge of various aspects of religion. The article focuses on the central theological issues discussed by al-Tabarànì, such as manifestations of the deity, in human form and in the historical Si'i Imams, and knowledge of God through visual perception. It further discusses certain ritual issues—such as the antinomian stance toward Muslim law, especially regarding the five pillars of Islam, as well as al-Tabarànì's uncommon view of taqiyya.
Regard sur mon Parcours d'Historien
Authors: Cahen Claude
Published: May 2005

Ces trois feuillets, rédigés en 1974 ou 1975, sont sans nul doute des notes préparatoires au discours prononcé par Claude Cahen lors de sa remise d'épée d'académicien le 23 octobre 1975.
Pathologic clonal cytotoxic T-cell responses: nonrandom nature of the T-cell–receptor restriction in large granular lymphocyte leukemia
Authors: Wlodarski Marcin W. , O'Keefe Christine , Howe Evan C. , Risitano Antonio M. , Rodriguez Alexander , Warshawsky Ilka , Loughran Thomas P. , Maciejewski Jaroslaw P.
Published: May 2005

T-cell large granular lymphocyte (T-LGL) leukemia is a clonal lymphoproliferation of cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) associated with cytopenias. T-LGL proliferation seems to be triggered/sustained by antigenic drive; it is likely that hematopoietic progenitors are the targets in this process. The antigen-specific portion of the T-cell receptor (TCR), the variable beta (VB)–chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3), can serve as a molecular signature (clonotype) of a T-cell clone. We hypothesized that clonal CTL proliferation develops not randomly but in the context of an autoimmune response. We identified the clonotypic sequence of T-LGL clones in 60 patients, including 56 with known T-LGL and 4 with unspecified neutropenia. Our method also allowed for the measurement of clonal frequencies; a decrease in or loss of the pathogenic clonotype and restoration of the TCR repertoire was found after hematologic remission. We identified 2 patients with identical immunodominant CDR3 sequence. Moreover, we found similarity between multiple immunodominant clonotypes and codominant as well as a nonexpanded, “supporting” clonotypes. The data suggest a nonrandom clonal selection in T-LGL, possibly driven by a common antigen. In contrast, the physiologic clonal CTL repertoire is highly diverse and we were not able to detect any significant clonal sharing in 26 healthy controls.
Dysplastic definitive hematopoiesis in AML1/EVI1 knock-in embryos
Authors: Maki Kazuhiro , Yamagata Tetsuya , Asai Takashi , Yamazaki Ieharu , Oda Hideaki , Hirai Hisamaru , Mitani Kinuko
Published: May 2005

The AML1/EVI1 chimeric gene is created by the t(3;21)(q26;q22) chromosomal translocation seen in patients with leukemic transformation of myelodysplastic syndrome or blastic crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia. We knocked-in the AML1/EVI1 chimeric gene into mouse Aml1 genomic locus to explore its effect in developmental hematopoiesis in vivo. AML1/EVI1/+ embryo showed defective hematopoiesis in the fetal liver and died around embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5) as a result of hemorrhage in the central nervous system. The peripheral blood had yolk-sac-derived nucleated erythroblasts but lacked erythrocytes of the definitive origin. Although E12.5 fetal liver contained progenitors for macrophage only, E13.5 fetal liver contained multilineage progenitors capable of differentiating into dysplastic myelocyte and megakaryocyte. No erythroid progenitor was detected in E12.5 or E13.5 fetal liver. Hematopoietic progenitors from E13.5 AML1/EVI1/+ fetal liver were highly capable of self-renewal compared with those from wild-type liver. Maintained expression of PU.1 gene and decreased expression of LMO2 and SCL genes may explain the aberrant hematopoiesis in AML1/EVI1/+ fetal liver. (Blood. 2005;106:2147-2155)
Primary graft failure associated with epithelial downgrowth: a case report
Authors: Aldave Anthony J , Hollander David A , Branco Bruno , Crawford Brooks , Abbott Richard L
Published: May 2005

Background

Epithelial downgrowth is a rare complication of ocular surgery. While the features of epithelial downgrowth following corneal transplantation are well described, its association with primary graft failure has only been reported once previously. We report a case of primary corneal graft failure (PGF) associated with retrocorneal epithelial cell ingrowth.

Case presentation

A 59 year-old male underwent an uncomplicated penetrating keratoplasty for Fuchs' corneal dystrophy. The patient developed PGF, and a second transplant was performed 5 weeks after the initial surgery. The initial host corneal button and the failed corneal graft were examined with light microscopy. Histopathologic examination of the excised corneal button demonstrated multilaminar epithelial cells on the posterior corneal surface and absence of endothelial cells. DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA was performed on the failed corneal graft. Polymerase chain reaction performed on the failed corneal graft was negative for HSV DNA, which has been implicated in selected cases of PGF. Three years following repeat penetrating keratoplasty, there was no evidence of recurrent epithelial ingrowth.

Conclusion

This is only the second report of PGF associated with epithelialization of the posterior corneal button, which most likely developed subsequent to, instead of causing, the diffuse endothelial cell loss and primary graft failure.
Quality of Life (QOL) in Patients with Acromegaly Is Severely Impaired: Use of a Novel Measure of QOL: Acromegaly Quality of Life Questionnaire
Authors: Rowles Susannah V. , Prieto L. , Badia X. , Shalet Steven M. , Webb Susan M. , Trainer Peter J.
Published: May 2005

Acromegaly Quality of Life Questionnaire (AcroQoL) is a new disease-generated quality of life (QOL) questionnaire comprising 22 questions covering physical and psychological aspects of acromegaly and subdivided into “appearance” and “personal relations” categories. We have performed a cross-sectional study of QOL in 80 patients [43 male (mean age, 54.2 yr; range, 20–84); median GH, 0.93ng/ml (range, <0.3 to 23.7); IGF-I, 333.1 ng/ml (range, 47.7–899)] with acromegaly. In addition to AcroQoL, patients completed three generic QOL questionnaires: Psychological General Well-Being Schedule (PGWBS), EuroQol, and a signs and symptoms score (SSS). All three generic questionnaires confirmed impairment in QOL [mean scores: PGWBS, 69.6; EuroQol, visual analog scale, 66.4 (range, 20–100) and utility index, 0.7 (range, −0.07 to 0.92); and SSS, 12 (range, 0–27)]. There was no correlation between biochemical control and any measure of QOL. AcroQoL (57.3%; range, 18.2–93.2) correlated with PGWBS (r = 0.73; P < 0.0001); and in patients with active disease, AcroQoL-physical dimension correlated with SSS (r = −0.67; P < 0.0003). In all questionnaires, prior radiotherapy was associated with impaired QOL. In conclusion, these data underline the marked impact that acromegaly has on patients’ QOL and provide the first evidence validating AcroQoL against well-authenticated measures of QOL. This indicates the potential of AcroQoL as a patient-friendly measure of disease activity.
Antibody Response to Inhaled Insulin in Patients with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. An Analysis of Initial Phase II and III Inhaled Insulin (Exubera) Trials and a Two-Year Extension Trial
Authors: Fineberg S. Edwin , Kawabata Tom , Finco-Kent Deborah , Liu Cameron , Krasner Alan
Published: May 2005

Objective: To compare antibody responses to inhaled human insulin vs. sc human insulin and to determine whether insulin antibody binding is associated with adverse clinical consequences.

Research Design and Methods: Insulin antibody data from initial phase II/III trials were analyzed comparing the efficacy and safety of inhaled insulin with various agents, including sc insulin. Additionally, data from a 24-month extension of the phase III studies were examined. Data were pooled into the following three groups based on insulin treatment status at baseline: patients with type 1 diabetes, and patients with type 2 diabetes using insulin and not using insulin at baseline. Ig class analysis was also performed on randomly selected sera from type 1 patients at the end of the initial trials.

Results: In the initial trials, greater insulin antibody binding was observed in patients receiving inhaled insulin vs. sc insulin. The greatest antibody responses to inhaled insulin were observed in patients with type 1 diabetes [nonparametric comparison of medians at the end of the study, 22.0% binding (unadjusted 95% confidence interval: 19.5, 24.5)], and the lowest responses were observed in non-insulin-using patients with type 2 diabetes in which there was no difference in median values at the end of the study. There were no correlations between antibody binding and glycemic control (measured using glycosylated hemoglobin), insulin dose requirements, hypoglycemic events, or pulmonary function (measured by changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 sec and diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide). Antibody responses were IgG in type. Differences in antibody levels observed in patients with type 1 vs. type 2 diabetes were maintained over the 24-month extension trials. Peak antibody levels across all groups were generally observed after 6–12 months of insulin therapy. Inhaled insulin therapy was not associated with a greater incidence of allergy or other hypersensitivity reactions.

Conclusion: Inhaled insulin was observed to produce a larger antibody response than sc insulin. Insulin antibody binding has not been associated with adverse clinical consequences in trials to date.
Extracellular Cations Sensitize and Gate Capsaicin Receptor TRPV1 Modulating Pain Signaling
Authors: Ahern Gerard P. , Brooks Ian M. , Miyares Rosa Linda , Wang Xiang-bin
Published: May 2005

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels detect diverse sensory stimuli, including alterations in osmolarity. However, a molecular detector of noxious hypertonic stimuli has not yet been identified. We show here that acute pain-related behavior evoked by elevated ionic strength is abolished in TRP vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1)-null mice and inhibited by iodoresiniferatoxin, a potent TRPV1 antagonist. Electrophysiological recordings demonstrate a novel form of ion channel modulation by which extracellular Na+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ions sensitize and activate the capsaicin receptor, TRPV1. At room temperature, increasing extracellular Mg2+(from 1 to 5 mm) or Na+(+50 mm) increased ligand-activated currents up to fourfold, and 10 mmMg2+reduced the EC50for activation by capsaicin from 890 to 450 nm. Moreover, concentrations of divalent cations >10 mmdirectly gate the receptor. These effects occur via electrostatic interactions with two glutamates (E600 and E648) formerly identified as proton-binding residues. Furthermore, phospholipase C-mediated signaling enhances the effects of cations, and physiological concentrations of cations contribute to the bradykinin-evoked activation of TRPV1 and the sensitization of the receptor to heat. Thus, the modulation of TRPV1 by cationic strength may contribute to inflammatory pain signaling.
Endogenous Opioids and Attenuated Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Responses to Immune Challenge in Pregnant Rats
Authors: Brunton Paula J. , Meddle Simone L. , Ma Shuaike , Ochedalski Tomasz , Douglas Alison J. , Russell John A.
Published: May 2005

In late pregnant rats, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is hyporesponsive to psychogenic stressors. Here, we investigated attenuated HPA responses to an immune challenge and a role for endogenous opioids. ACTH and corticosterone were assayed in blood samples from virgin and 21 d pregnant rats before and after endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS); 1 μg/kg, i.v.], interleukin-1β (IL-1β; 500 ng/kg, i.v.), or vehicle. In virgins, plasma ACTH concentrations increased 1 h after LPS and 15 min after IL-1β, as did corticosterone, with no responses in pregnant rats.In situhybridization revealed increased corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA expression in the dorsomedial parvocellular paraventricular nucleus (pPVN) and increased anterior pituitary pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA expression 4 h after IL-1β in virgins; these responses were absent in pregnant rats. In contrast, immunocytochemistry showed that Fos expression was similarly increased in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) A2 region in virgin and pregnant rats 90 min and 4 h after IL-1β. Naloxone pretreatment (5 mg/kg, i.v.) restored ACTH and pPVN CRH mRNA responses after IL-1β in pregnant rats but reduced the CRH mRNA response in virgins without affecting ACTH. Proenkephalin-A and μ-opioid receptor mRNA expression in the NTS was significantly increased in the pregnant rats, indicating upregulated brainstem opioid mechanisms. IL-1β increased noradrenaline release in the PVN of virgin, but not pregnant, rats. However, naloxone infused directly into the PVN increased noradrenaline release after IL-1β in pregnant rats. Thus, the HPA axis responses to immune signals are suppressed in pregnancy at the level of pPVN CRH neurons through an opioid mechanism, possibly acting by preterminal autoinhibition of NTS projections to the pPVN.
Activation cross sections for reactions induced by 14 MeV neutrons on natural tin and enriched112Sn targets with reference to111In productionviaradioisotope generator112Sn(n, 2n)111Sn →111In
Authors: Beták Emil , Mikołajczak Renata , Staniszewska Joanna , Mikołajewski Stefan , Rurarz Edward
Published: May 2005

We measured activation cross sectionsviaγ-ray spectroscopy using high-purity germanium detectors for 16 reactions induced by (14.4 ± 0.2) MeV neutrons on isotopes of tin. The cross sections are:

Two112Sn targets enriched to 62.5% and 84%, respectively, were used for these measurements in addition to the natural tin. The cross sections were compared with experimental data found in the literature, with published empirical formulae and with model calculations including also the pre-equilibrium contribution. For reactions which do not involve protons from below the closedZ= 50 shell, the agreement to the data is reasonable, it is somewhat weaker for the (n,p) reactions and still worse in the case of (n, α), where, however, the pre-equilibrium component is not described properly by the models included so far. The possibility of production of111Sn →111In generator system is considered.
Study on some physical chemistry aspects of extraction of uranium(VI) with bis(octylsulfinyl)methane
Authors: Yan-Zhao Yang , Jian Han , Tao Zhu , Chang-Hong Luo , Chuan-Bo Xia
Published: May 2005

The extraction equilibrium and kinetics of uranium(VI) from aqueous nitric acid with bis(octylsulfinyl)methane (BOSM) in 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane extraction has been studied. The extracted species was established to be UO2(NO3)2·2BOSM. The extraction process rate is controlled by the following reaction:

The change in enthalpy associated with the extraction reaction was established to be −22 ± 3 kJ/mol.
Adsorption modeling and thermodynamic characteristics of uranium(VI) ions onto 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) supported polyurethane foam
Authors: Saeed Muhammad M. , Ahmad Rashid
Published: May 2005

The sorption of uranium(VI) ions onto PAN loaded PUF has been investigated. Quantitative sorption of uranium(VI) onto PAN loaded PUF was achieved after 30 minutes equilibration time from pH 7 buffer solution. The sorption data followed Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) isotherms. Langmuir parameters Q = 45.3 ± 0.2 μmol g−1 and b = (76.2 ± 0.2) × 103 dm3 mol−1, Freundlich constants 1/n = 0.21 ± 0.01 and K
F = 229 ± 21 μmol g−1 and D–R parameters β = −0.0015 ± 0.00005 kJ2 mol−2, X
m = 72.23 ± 3.11 μmol g−1 and E = 18.3 ± 0.3 kJ mol-1 have been evaluated. The variation of sorption data with temperature gives ΔH = 176 ± 5 kJ mol−1, ΔS = 626 ± 17 J mol−1
K
−1 and ΔG = −10.6 ± 0.7 kJ mol−1 at 298 K. The positive value of enthalpy (ΔH) and negative value of free energy (ΔG) show endothermic and spontaneous nature of sorption respectively. A number of solvents were tested to elute the uranium-PAN complex from the PAN loaded PUF, only amine solvents and cyclohexanone have the capability to desorb the complex. The sorption mechanism has been discussed.
Solubility of uranium(IV) hydrous oxide in high pH solution under reducing condition
Authors: Fujiwara Kenso , Yamana Hajimu , Fujii Toshiyuki , Kawamoto Kozo , Sasaki Takayuki , Moriyama Hirotake
Published: May 2005

The solubility of uranium(IV) hydrous oxide was measured at 25 °C in NaClO4solution containing Na2S2O4as a reducing agent in the pH range from 12 to 14. The experiment was carried out from oversaturation atI= 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mol/dm3(M). The solubility data were analyzed to obtain the hydrolysis constants (βm) of U(OH)m(4-m). By taking the specific ion interaction theory (SIT) for ionic strength corrections and by using the solubility product logKsp° = −53.93 ± 0.20, the hydrolysis constants atI= 0, log β5°<48.10 and log β6° = 48.95 ± 1.01, were determined together with the ion interaction coefficients of U(OH)5−and U(OH)62−.
Charakterisierung von QCLs und Aufbau von QCL-Modulen für die Gasmesstechnik (Characterisation of QCLs and Development of QCL-Modules for Gas Sensing Applications)
Authors: Braun Marcus , Hartwig Susanne , Beyer Thomas , Peter Andreas , Lambrecht Armin
Published: May 2005

Quantenkaskadenlaser (QCLs) sind neuartige Laserstrahlquellen im mittleren Infrarot (MIR, 3–30 μm). Damit können kompakte und hochempfindliche Laserspektroskopiesysteme ohne aufwändige Kühlung aufgebaut werden. Mit gepulsten QCLs sind Messraten im Bereich 10–100kHz möglich. Bei Messungen mit den Gasen CO, CO2, NO, N2O und NH3 werden Nachweisgrenzen weit unter 1ppm·m erreicht. Das Verfahren eignet sich für offene Messstrecken mit simultaner Wegmessung ebenso wie für extraktive und In-situ-Messanordnungen.
Kalibrationsfreie Bestimmung von Stoffmengenanteilen – Potenziale für Quantenkaskadenlaser in der Gasanalytik (Calibration-free Determination of Amount of Substance Fractions – Potentials for Quantum Cascade Lasers in Gas Analysis)
Authors: Werhahn Olav , Koelliker Delgado Jorge , Schiel Detlef
Published: May 2005

Die Anwendung des Beer–Lambert’schen Gesetzes bietet die Möglichkeit, eine kalibrationsfreie, direkt rückführbare Gasanalytik mit Hilfe von Laserspektrometriesystemen aufzubauen. Mit einem mit direkter Absorptionsspektroskopie arbeitenden Messsystem konnten CO2-Stoffmengenanteile mit Wiederholbarkeiten um 0,5% bei einer Gesamtmessunsicherheit von ±4% gemessen werden.
Lipid Emulsions
Authors: McClements D. Julian , Weiss Jochen
Published: May 2005

In many foods, lipids are often present in a particulate form, i.e., they exist as emulsions where either small fat droplets are dispersed in an aqueous phase or where small water droplets are dispersed in an oil phase. Sensory characteristics and physicochemical properties of lipid emulsions are largely dominated by the size, concentration, physical state, and interactions of the lipid droplets they contain. This chapter introduces the basic concepts and techniques of emulsion science and illustrates how these principles can be used to better understand and control appearance, flavor, stability, and rheology of food emulsions.
Clonal analysis of cardiac morphogenesis in the chicken embryo using a replication‐defective retrovirus: I. Formation of the ventricular myocardium
Authors: Mikawa T. , Borisov A. , Brown A. M. C. , Fischman D. A.
Published: May 2005

Cells of the precardiac mesoderm (stages 4–6) and dividing myocytes of early hearts (stages 10–15) were tagged with a replication‐incompetent retrovirus (CXL) (Mikawa et al., 1991 b) encoding bacterial β‐galactosidase (β‐gal). Two protocols were used to infect the cardiogenic cells. (1) Small blocks (∼50 μm2) of anterolateral mesoderm were dissected from gastrula‐stage embryos (stages 4–6) and incubated in liquid medium containing the retrovirus. After removal of CXL, the tissues were dispersed into single‐cell suspensions and pressure injected into the precardiac areas of recipient embryos (stages 4–6). Such embryos were then incubated in vitro at 37°C for 2 days (New, 1968), and those embryos with beating hearts were fixed for X‐gal histochemistry and paraffin serial sectioning. (2) CXL was pressure injected in ovo (embryonic stages 4–15) into cardiogenic tissues and the eggs subsequently returned to an incubator. At selected stages of development embryos or whole hearts were fixed, stained with X‐gal, and serially sectioned after paraffin embedding. The first method showed that (1) cells of the precardiac mesoderm could be infected with the retrovirus, (2) the transplanted cells would differentiate into beating myocytes, and (3) β‐gal expression was sufficiently high to be detected histochemically. With the second procedure we could show that (1) β‐gal‐tagged cells formed colonies in the myocardium, (2) the labeled cells were exclusively myocytes, (3) the number of cells per colony increased with increasing age of embryonic development, (4) the size of colonies was larger in the left than the right ventricle, (5) many of the colonies were transmural, i.e., they extended from epicardial to endocardial layers of the myocardium and generally exhibited a cone or funnel‐shape with the base of the cone nearest the epicardium, (6) the orientation of myocytes within each colony changed at different layers of the myocardium, and (7) the cones contained both β‐gal+ and β‐gal− myocytes. DNA labeling studies with [3H]thymidine indicated that cardiogenic cells divided every 16–18 hr during the first week of development and that the CXL‐labeled cells divided indistinguishably from unlabeled myocytes. Based on these observations a model for the growth of the myocardium is presented.
The talpid2 chick limb has weak polarizing activity and can respond to retinoic acid and polarizing zone signal
Authors: Dvorak Leah , Fallon John F.
Published: May 2005

The talpid2 (ta2) chick mutant has wide, polydactylous wings and legs. Talpid2 limb cartilages have abnormal morphology and a very subtle anteroposterior polarity. Specifically, posterior ta2 limb structures are identifiable, while more anterior cartilages are less distinctive. Here, we investigate the development of anteroposterior limb pattern in the to2 embryo. We show that ta2 posterior limb bud mesoderm is capable of respecifying the anteroposterior axis of a normal wing. However, the average duplication obtained after grafting a ta2 polarizing region was significantly less than the average duplication formed after a graft of normal wing bud polarizing zone. Thus, polarizing activity appears to be weak in ta2. Grafts of normal polarizing zone to the posterior edge of ta2 wing buds had no effect on the ta2 phenotype. This result suggests that a weakly functioning polarizing signal does not account for the altered anteroposterior polarity in ta2 limbs, and that normal polarizing zone activity is not sufficient for formation of normal limb bud cartilages. We demonstrated that transmission of a polarizing signal through the ta2 limb mesoderm was normal. In addition, ta2 anterior border mesoderm had no polarizing activity. We also assessed the ability of ta2 limb bud mesoderm to respond to a polarizing signal. Either normal polarizing zone tissue or a bead containing retinoic acid was placed at the anterior edge of ta2 wing buds at stages 18–23. Both polarizing zone and retinoic acid caused respecification of the ta2 wing anteroposterior axis. The result was that a ta2 ulna replaced the radius, and the most posterior digit was duplicated anteriorly. Limb cartilages with normal morphology never formed. When a bead containing retinoic acid was placed at the posterior edge of ta2 wing buds, there was no effect on anteroposterior pattern. However, beads with retinoic acid always caused a reduction in the number of ta2 wing digits which formed, whether the beads were placed at the anterior or posterior edge of the developing ta2 limb.
Avian scale development XVII: The epidermis of the scaleless (sc/sc) anterior metatarsal skin is determined, but the dermis lacks permissive cues for the patterned expression of the determined state
Authors: Zeltinger Joan , Sawyer Roger H.
Published: May 2005

Embryos homozygous for the gene scaleless (sc/sc) completely lack scutate scales and the beta strata which characterize terminal differentiation of the scale ridges located on the anterior metatarsal region of the foot. Although the sc/sc epidermis cannot undergo scale morphogenesis, it can respond to the inductive dermal ridges of normal scutate scales by generating beta strata. Recently, we discovered that the anterior metatarsal epidermis of normal embryos becomes committed to the formation of beta strata prior to morphogenesis of definitive scale ridges. Here, we examined the possibility that the sc/sc anterior metatarsal epidermis also becomes determined, i.e., committed to scutate scale‐specific terminal differentiation. Experimental tissue recombinants were used to assess the ability of the sc/sc epidermis to generate beta strata. The results show that the germinative cells of the 15‐day sc/sc epidermis are committed to generating beta strata, even though they have not undergone scutate scale morphogenesis. Thus, the mechanisms involved in establishing epidermal determination must differ form those regulating scale morphogenesis.

In addition, we examined the formation of patterned, permissive cues in the anterior metatarsal and footpad dermises of sc/sc embryos. Analysis of recombinants showed that both the 15‐ and 20‐day dermises from the sc/sc anterior metatarsal region fail to provide cues for beta stratum formation, when associated with the determined 15‐day scutate scale epidermis. Likewise, the 15‐day sc/sc footpad dermis cannot support beta stratum formation. However, 20‐day sc/sc footpad dermis is able to support the generation of a few abnormally patterned beta strata, demonstrating that sc/sc dermis which has experienced even limited morphogenesis is able to provide permissive cues for the terminal differentiation of the scutate scale epidermis.
Restrictions in gap junctional communication in the Drosophila larval epidermis
Authors: Ruangvoravat Christine P. , Lo Cecilia W.
Published: May 2005

We characterized gap junctional communication in the Drosophila larval epidermis by monitoring the pattern of dye spread following the intracellular injection of the fluorescent dye, Lucifer yellow. We found that dye injected into the epidermis spread extensively from cell to cell, but at segment borders and also at boundaries positioned at the lateral aspects of each body segment, dye spread was restricted. The precise position of these boundaries of restricted gap junctional communication was determined by examining the distribution of the fluorescent tracer in thick sections of each dyeinjected specimen. These results show that each of the thoracic and abdominal segments is segregated into four domains or communication compartments. We also observed the presence of dye in the procuticle and epicuticle, and examined the possible basis for this dye localization.
Antibodies to β1‐integrins cause alterations of aortic vasculogenesis, in vivo
Authors: Drake Christopher J. , Davis Lynn A. , Little Charles D.
Published: May 2005

Vasculogenesis is the de novo formation of blood vessels from mesoderm. This process occurs very early in development and provides a convenient system for studying morphogenesis in higher vertebrates. The cell‐extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions that occur during dorsal aortic vasculogenesis were examined using the monoclonal antibody, CSAT, a reagent known to neutralize the ligand‐binding activity of avian β1‐integrins. We injected CSAT into quail embryos during a period of active vasculogenesis (4–10 somites). The CSAT antibodies, but not controls, had a marked and reproducible effect on aortic vessel formation. Vasculogenesis appeared to be arrested at the stage when slender cord‐like assemblies of angioblasts rearrange to form tubules. Indeed, aortic primordia near the site of CSAT injection did not form patent vessels.
The pattern of expression of the chicken homolog of HOX1I in the developing limb suggests a possible role in the ectodermal inhibition of chondrogenesis
Authors: Rogina Blanka , Coelho Caroline N. D. , Kosher Robert A. , Upholt William B.
Published: May 2005

Homeobox‐containing genes have been implicated in a variety of patterning events during vertebrate limb development. In an attempt to isolate cDNAs corresponding to 5′ members of the chicken HOX 4 cluster of homeobox‐containing genes, a cDNA library constructed from mRNAs expressed during early stages of chick limb development was screened with probes generated by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using oligonucleotide primers corresponding to sequences in the homeoboxes of the human HOX4C and HOX4F genes, the human homologs of Hox‐4.4 and Hox‐4.6. This screening resulted in the isolation of full length cDNAs for the chicken homolog of HOX4F (cognate of mouse Hox‐4.6), which we have termed GHox‐4.6, and the chicken homolog of human HOX1I, which we have named GHox‐1i, a paralog of Hox‐4.6 in the HOX 1 cluster. The homeodomains encoded by GHox‐4.6 and GHox‐ li differ by only three amino acids, and the two proteins show extensive similarity along their entire lengths. Despite their sequence similarity, in situ hybridization analysis has revealed that GHox‐4.6 and GHox‐li exhibit strikingly different spatial patterns of expression during embryonic chick limb development. At early stages of limb development (stages 20–22), GHox‐4.6 transcripts are present in high amounts throughout the posterior half of the limb mesoderm and are absent from the anterior half of the mesoderm, an expression pattern consistent with the possible involvement of GHox‐4.6 in the specification of posterior positional identity. In contrast, GHox‐li exhibits no distinct anterior‐posterior polarity of expression at stage 22, but rather is expressed in high amounts throughout the mesenchyme of the limb bud. At later stages of development (stage 25), GHox‐li continues to be expressed in high amounts throughout the undifferentiated mesenchyme subjacent to the apical ectodermal ridge, and, in addition, is expressed in the mesodermal cells in the proximal peripheral regions of the limb bud subjacent to the ectoderm which are differentiating into nonchondrogenic lineages. Conversely, little or no expression of GHox‐li is detectable in the proximal central core of the limb bud where chondrogenic differentiation is occur‐ring. Thus, GHox‐li is expressed by the undifferentiated subridge mesenchymal cells and proximal peripheral mesenchymal cells of the limb bud that are being inhibited from undergoing chondrogenesis by the apical ectodermal ridge and nonridge ectoderm. These observations suggest the possibility that GHox‐li may be involved in mediating the antichondrogenic effect of limb ectoderm, and that the cessation of GHox‐li expression may be required for chondrogenic differentiation to occur in the proximal central core of the limb bud.
Principal axis analysis of dental attrition data from two Australian Aboriginal populations
Authors: Richards Lindsay C.
Published: May 2005

Dental attrition scores from two distinct Australian Aboriginal populations were compared by principal axis analysis. The first group was composed of members of the Narrinyeri group who occupied the river basin and mouth of the River Murray. The second group consisted of members of the Kaurna tribe who occupied the coastal plain to the west of the Narrinyeri. The groups were isolated both physically and culturally and as a result differences in patterns of tooth wear might be expected.

In the Narrinyeri sample, attrition tended to be more rapid in females for all but the anterior teeth. The only sex difference in the Kaurna was for the maxillary central incisors, which wore more rapidly in females. Interpopulation differences in the pattern of tooth wear were also evident. The incisors, canines, and premolars of Kaurna subjects tended to wear more rapidly, while the rate of posterior tooth wear tended to be greater in the Narrinyeri.

The application of the principal axis method to quantitative attrition data provided a sensitive, objective evaluation of tooth wear. The reasons for the observed differences between the two groups are still not completely clear but may relect both functional and morphological differences between groups.
Puncture marks on early African anthropoids
Authors: Gebo Daniel L. , Simons Elwyn L.
Published: May 2005

Field studies of living primates have shown that primate predation is a rare event. This must also have been true for past primate communities. In the Fayum Oligocene of Egypt, specimens of all four species of Upper Fossil Wood Zone primates show evidence of tooth puncture marks. Of the four potential groups of primate predators–the snakes, the raptors, the crocodiles, and the primitive carnivores or creodonts–only the crocodiles and the creodonts could have made these puncture marks. When one compares the feeding habits of living crocodiles and mammalian carnivores with the evidence from the Fayum, it appears that the Fayum primates were preyed upon and/or scavenged by mammalian carnivore‐like animals. The dismemberment of the Fayum primates by Oligocene predators indicates, in part, why the Fayum fossil material is rarely articulated. Bone damage by predators may well set limits on what bone associations can be discovered in the Fayum even before the bones are scattered and buried by depositional processes.
Mechanisms of honing in the male baboon canine
Authors: Walker Alan
Published: May 2005

Male baboons use their sharp upper canines in aggressive interactions. These teeth are sharpened against specialized lower third premolars. The honing premolar is protected against wear by having very thick enamel and the upper canine having very thin enamel, not by structural or mineral differences between the two enamels. Evidence is presented which shows the interactions of enamel ultrastructure and both dentin and enamel wear in canine sharpening.