bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
SGEBP, a giant protein from starfish oocytes able to interact with ERK
Authors: Vergé Valérie , Lozano Jean‐Claude , Schatt Philippe , Peaucellier Gérard 
Published: June 2013

SUMMARYThe mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is a key regulator of animal meiotic divisions. It involves cascades of kinases whose specificity has been shown to depend on binding proteins acting as scaffolds. We searched for proteins interacting with starfish extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) using the yeast two‐hybrid system. An interacting clone was found to encode the 5′ region of a giant 16.7‐kb transcript encoded by an intronless gene. The corresponding 630‐kDa protein could not be detected by Western blot, but the meiotic spindle was labelled by immunolocalization with an antibody against the ERK‐binding domain. A related gene was found in the genome of another starfish species, and similarities were also found to a 42.9‐kb open reading frame in the sea urchin genome. Yet, no conserved protein‐binding domain was detected in the amino acid sequence(s) compared to all the known motifs. Structure prediction software indicated that the encoded proteins are probably disordered while a query of the disordered protein database indicated some similarity with vertebrates microtubule‐associated protein 2 (MAP2). This predicts that SGEBP may function as a space‐filling polymer, having a role in both cytoskeleton organization and ERK targeting. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 80: 816–825, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Time domain removal of irrelevant magnetization in chemical exchange saturation transfer Z‐spectra
Authors: Yadav Nirbhay N. , Chan Kannie W. Y. , Jones Craig K. , McMahon Michael T. , van Zijl Peter C. M. 
Published: June 2013

PurposeTo evaluate the possibility of processing Z‐spectra using time domain analysis.MethodsAn inverse Fourier transform (IFT) is applied on Z‐spectra, thus transforming the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) data into the time domain. Here, large interfering signals from solvent and semisolid magnetization transfer can be fit and filtered out. The method is demonstrated on a range of phantoms (creatine, a para‐CEST agent, and hen egg white) and also in vivo on a mouse brain.ResultsUsing time domain analysis, signal components in Z‐spectra could be fit very well, thus enabling irreverent or nuisance components to be removed. The method worked equally well for samples in a solution or a gel where the large contribution from conventional magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) was easily separated out. Results from egg white and mouse brain in vivo data showed that the large water resonance could easily be removed thus allowing the remaining signal to be analyzed without interference from direct water saturation.ConclusionsThis method successfully filtered out the large nuisance signals from bulk water and MTC in Z‐spectra in a large variety of phantom types and also in vivo. It is expected to be a potentially powerful tool for CEST studies without needing asymmetry analysis. Magn Reson Med 70:547–555, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Clinical Laboratory–Based Assay Methodologies May Underestimate and Increase Variability of Vancomycin Protein Binding in Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Crandon Jared L. , MacVane Shawn H. , Nicolau David P. 
Published: June 2013

Study ObjectiveTo evaluate and compare the percent protein binding of vancomycin in hospitalized patients by using a clinical or research laboratory–derived assay methodology, and to evaluate potential patient characteristics accounting for alterations in protein binding.DesignProspective noninterventional cohort study.SettingSingle‐center tertiary care medical center.PatientsA total of 55 hospitalized adults who were receiving vancomycin for a suspected or documented infection between August and November 2011 and required therapeutic drug monitoring.Measurements and Main ResultsVancomycin protein‐binding studies were conducted by using ultracentrifugation of 63 blood samples collected from the 55 patients for therapeutic drug monitoring as part of clinical practice. Total and free drug concentrations were assayed in the research laboratory by using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and in the clinical laboratory by using fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA). Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to identify patient variables that were predictive of vancomycin protein binding. The average protein binding was statistically significantly lower and more variable when assayed byFPIAcompared withHPLC(mean ± SD47.3 ± 13.0% vs 54.6 ± 9.5%, p<0.001). Multivariate analyses showed that after controlling for days of vancomycin therapy, patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) had a protein binding value that was 8.4% lower than non‐ICUpatients (p=0.005).ConclusionUsing research laboratory–basedHPLCmethodology, we identified an average vancomycin protein binding of 54.6% with considerably less variability than reported in the literature using clinical‐based assay methodologies. Further, we identified patient factors that may likewise have an impact on this value. Future studies of vancomycin protein binding should consider use of a nonclinical assay to minimize methodological‐induced variability.
Counting Fluorescent Dye Molecules on DNA Origami by Means of Photon Statistics
Authors: Kurz Anton , Schmied Jürgen J. , Grußmayer Kristin S. , Holzmeister Phil , Tinnefeld Philip , Herten Dirk‐Peter 
Published: June 2013

AbstractObtaining quantitative information about molecular assemblies with high spatial and temporal resolution is a challenging task in fluorescence microscopy. Single‐molecule techniques build on the ability to count molecules one by one. Here, a method is presented that extends recent approaches to analyze the statistics of coincidently emitted photons to enable reliable counting of molecules in the range of 1–20. This method does not require photochemistry such as blinking or bleaching. DNA origami structures are labeled with up to 36 dye molecules as a new evaluation tool to characterize this counting by a photon statistics approach. Labeled DNA origami has a well‐defined labeling stoichiometry and ensures equal brightness for all dyes incorporated. Bias and precision of the estimating algorithm are determined, along with the minimal acquisition time required for robust estimation. Complexes containing up to 18 molecules can be investigated non‐invasively within 150 ms. The method might become a quantifying add‐on for confocal microscopes and could be especially powerful in combination with STED/RESOLFT‐type microscopy.
The Influence on Cell Cycle and Cell Division by Various Cadmium‐Containing Quantum Dots
Authors: Liu Yuexian , Wang Peng , Wang Yue , Zhu Zhening , Lao Fang , Liu Xuefeng , Cong Wenshu , Chen Chunying , Gao Yan , Liu Ying 
Published: June 2013

AbstractQuantum dots (QDs) have attracted great attention because of their favorable optical properties and have been widely applied in biomedical fields. However, in recent years, there have been an increasing number of reports about the cytotoxicity of QDs, especially cadmium‐containing QDs, which may release cadmium ions to induce cytotoxicity. Importantly, the chemical composition and surface modifications of cadmium‐based QDs determine the amount of Cd2+ released inside the cell. Thus, there is an urgent need for more systematic work to study the relationship between cytotoxicity and the surface properties of QDs. In this article, the cytotoxicity of seven cadmium‐containing QDs with different constituent elements and surface chemistries are compared. The results show that the cytotoxicity of QDs is closely related to their constituent elements and surface properties: First, CdTe@ZnS core–shell QDs show much lower cytotoxicity than naked ones when they have similar surface modifications; second, the positively charged QDs are more toxic than the negatively charged ones. Moreover, both positively and negatively charged QDs without ZnS coatings lead to multipolar spindles, misaligned chromosomes, and G2/M checkpoint failures. Interestingly, although CdSe QDs with a PEG coating cause no apparent cytotoxicity in any of the cell lines studied, they can localize near the contractile ring during cytokinesis and then block contractile ring disassembly. The cellular effect of CdTe QDs comes not only from the release of cadmium ions but also the intracellular distribution of QD nanoparticles in cells and the associated nanoscale effects. It is also found that QD‐caused cytokinesis failure is closely related to the decreased expression of Cyclin A and Cyclin B. Taken together, the above findings provide new insight into the dynamic fate of QDs during cell mitosis, and are important for understanding the intracellular effects of QDs on the mitotic spindle and chromosomes during cell division. Furthermore, this kind of cytotoxicity evaluation method should be applicable to studies of the biological effects and health impacts of other nanomaterials.
On the Control Parameters of the Quasi‐One Dimensional Superconductivity in Sc3CoC4
Authors: Eickerling Georg , Hauf Christoph , Scheidt Ernst‐Wilhelm , Reichardt Lena , Schneider Christian , Muñoz Alfonso , Lopez‐Moreno Sinhué , Humberto Romero Aldo , Porcher Florence , André Gilles , Pöttgen Rainer , Scherer Wolfgang 
Published: June 2013

AbstractWithin the series of ternary rare‐earth transition metal carbides Sc3TC4 (T = Fe, Co, Ni) only the Co congener displays a structural phase transition at 72 K and an onset of bulk superconductivity at 4.5 K. In this paper we present the results of a detailed analysis of the structural, electronic, and vibrational properties of the low‐temperature phase of Sc3CoC4 that represents one of the few well‐documented examples of a quasi one‐dimensional (1D) superconductor. Variable temperature neutron powder diffraction and low temperature X‐ray diffraction experiments were performed in order to confirm the subtle structural distortions during the phase transition. The results of periodic electronic structure calculations indicate, that the structural transition can clearly be identified as a Peierls‐type distortion and by a comparison with the isostructural carbide Sc3FeC4 we are able to identify the chemical, electronic, and the vibrational control parameters of the transition. Topological analyses of the electron density distribution and of the valence shell charge concentrations at the cobalt atom finally allow us to directly correlate the changes in the electronic structure due to the Peierls transition in reciprocal space with the according subtle changes in the real space properties of Sc3CoC4.
Longitudinal changes in total body creatine pool size and skeletal muscle mass using the D3‐creatine dilution method
Authors: Stimpson Stephen A. , Leonard Michael S. , Clifton Lisa G. , Poole James C. , Turner Scott M. , Shearer Todd W. , Remlinger Katja S. , Clark Richard V. , Hellerstein Marc K. , Evans William J. 
Published: June 2013

BackgroundWe recently validated in cross‐sectional studies a new method to determine total body creatine pool size and skeletal muscle mass based on D3‐creatine dilution from an oral dose and detection of urinary creatinine enrichment by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). Routine clinical use of the method in aging and disease will require repeated application of the method, with a more widely available technology than IRMS, to enable determination of change in skeletal muscle mass in longitudinal studies. We therefore adapted the method to liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) technology, and sought to establish proof of concept for the repeated application of the method in a longitudinal study. Because the turnover of creatine is slow, it was also critical to determine the impact of background enrichment from an initial dose of oral D3‐creatine on subsequent, longitudinal measurements of change in muscle mass.MethodsRats were given an oral tracer dose of D3‐creatine (1.0 mg/kg body weight) at 10 and 17 weeks of age. LC‐MS/MS was used to determine urinary D3‐creatine, and urinary D3‐creatinine enrichment, at time intervals after D3‐creatine administration. Total body creatine pool size was calculated from urinary D3‐creatinine enrichment at isotopic steady state 72 h after administration of D3‐creatine tracer.ResultsAt 10 weeks of age, rat lean body mass (LBM) measured by quantitative magnetic resonance correlated with creatine pool size (r = 0.92, P = 0.0002). Over the next 7 weeks, the decline in urinary D3‐creatinine enrichment was slow and linear, with a rate constant of 2.73 ± 0.06 %/day. Subtracting background urinary D3‐creatinine enrichment from the elevated enrichment following a second dose of D3‐creatine at 17 weeks permitted repeat calculations of creatine pool size. As at 10 weeks, 17‐week LBM correlated with creatine pool size (r = 0.98, P <0.0001). In addition, the change in creatine pool size was correlated with the change in LBM during the 7 weeks of rat growth between measurements (r = 0.96, P <0.0001).ConclusionThe LC‐MS/MS‐based D3‐creatine dilution method can be applied repeatedly to measure total body creatine skeletal muscle mass change in longitudinal study.
Refining the dual‐system theory of choice
Authors: Martin Justin W. , Sloman Steven A. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractWe are highly sympathetic to Dhar and Gorlin's goal of developing a dual system theory of choice. But we do feel that the proposal could be changed and clarified in a few ways. Specifically, we believe that the evidence suggests that the systems operate in parallel, not sequentially. In addition, the relation between intuitive/associative processing and affect remains unresolved, a vagueness that is especially troublesome for the problem of choice. Relatedly, the description of System I as perceptual requires further explanation and refinement. Finally, we reconsider the attribution of the compromise effect to deliberative processing and propose an alternative explanation, one that reveals one aspect of the interaction between intuitive and deliberative processes. While further specification and testing of predictions are necessary, the proposal by Dhar and Gorlin makes a substantive contribution toward understanding how choices are made.
The response of a continuously stratified fluid to an oscillating flow past an obstacle
Authors: Winters Kraig B. , Armi Laurence 
Published: June 2013

AbstractAn oscillating continuously stratified flow past an isolated obstacle is investigated using scaling arguments and two-dimensional non-hydrostatic numerical experiments. A new dynamic scaling is introduced that incorporates the blocking of fluid with insufficient energy to overcome the background stratification and crest the obstacle. This clarifies the distinction between linear and nonlinear flow regimes near the crest of the obstacle. The flow is decomposed into propagating and non-propagating components. In the linear limit, the non-propagating component is related to the unstratified potential flow past the obstacle and the radiating component exhibits narrow wave beams that are tangent to the obstacle at critical points. When the flow is nonlinear, the near crest flow oscillates between states that include asymmetric, crest-controlled flows. Thin, fast, supercritical layers plunge in the lee, separate from the obstacle and undergo shear instability in the fluid interior. These flow features are localized to the neighbourhood of the crest where the flow transitions from subcriticality to supercriticality and are non-propagating. The nonlinear excitation of energetic non-propagating components reduces the efficiency of topographic radiation in comparison with linear dynamics.
PendulousUsneaspecies (Parmeliaceae, lichenized Ascomycota) in tropical South America and the Galapagos
Authors: TRUONG Camille , RODRIGUEZ Juan Manuel , CLERC Philippe 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe diversity of pendulousUsneaspecies in tropical South America (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela) and the Galapagos Islands is discussed with reference to 23 species.Usnea crenulataTruong & Clerc is newly described.Usnea articulata,U. deformis,U. dimorpha,U. geissleriana,U. merrillii,U. perhispidella,U. sanctaeritae,U. subflammeaandU. transitoriaare newly reported for South America. Modern descriptions are provided forUsnea amabilis,U. arthroclada,U. dodgei,U. humboldtiiandU. regia. We propose to reject the synonymy ofU. hesperinawithU. schadenbergiana, and the valid name forU. hesperinais thereforeU. subgracilis. Distinct patterns of unidentified triterpenoids have been detected by thin-layer chromatography and are used to characterize several species within this group. The morphology, branch anatomy, chemistry, ecology and distribution of each species are given, together with an identification key.
New species ofPolymeridiumfrom Brazil expand the range of known morphological variation within the genus
Authors: APTROOT André , MENEZES Aline Anjos , de LIMA Edvaneide Leandro , XAVIER-LEITE Amanda Barreto , CÁCERES Marcela Eugenia da Silva 
Published: June 2013

AbstractFive new species of the genusPolymeridiumare described from Brazil. All exhibit at least one character that was previously unknown in the genus:P. corticatumhas a corticate thallus and 2 ascospores per ascus,P. immersumhas the ascomata deeply immersed in the bark under the thallus,P. isohypocrellinumhas a red, KOH+ green pigment (iso-hypocrellin) in the ostiole,P. julelloideshas short and broad muriform (Julella-like) ascospores, andP. paraproponenshas ascomata in groups of two to three. Brazil is clearly the centre of diversity of the genus. Iso-hypocrellin is a new substance for the genus.
Ethnicity as a predictor of detention under the Mental Health Act
Authors: Singh S. P. , Burns T. , Tyrer P. , Islam Z. , Parsons H. , Crawford M. J. 
Published: June 2013

BackgroundThere has been major concern about the ‘over-representation’ of Black and ethnic minority groups amongst people detained under the Mental Health Act (MHA). We explored the effect of patient ethnicity on detention following an MHA assessment, once confounding variables were controlled for.MethodProspective data were collected for all MHA assessments over 4-month periods in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 each in three regions in England: Birmingham, West London and Oxfordshire. Logistic regression modelling was conducted to predict the outcome of MHA assessments – either resulting in ‘detention’ or ‘no detention’.ResultsOf the 4423 MHA assessments, 2841 (66%) resulted in a detention. A diagnosis of psychosis, the presence of risk, female gender, level of social support and London as the site of assessment predicted detention under the MHA. Ethnicity was not an independent predictor of detention.ConclusionsThere is no evidence for that amongst those assessed under the MHA, ethnicity has an independent effect on the odds of being detained.
Common variation inNCAN, a risk factor for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, influences local cortical folding in schizophrenia
Authors: Schultz C. C. , Mühleisen T. W. , Nenadic I. , Koch K. , Wagner G. , Schachtzabel C. , Siedek F. , Nöthen M. M. , Rietschel M. , Deufel T. , Kiehntopf M. , Cichon S. , Reichenbach J. R. , Sauer H. , Schlösser R. G. M. 
Published: June 2013

BackgroundRecent studies have provided strong evidence that variation in the gene neurocan (NCAN, rs1064395) is a common risk factor for bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia. However, the possible relevance ofNCANvariation to disease mechanisms in the human brain has not yet been explored. Thus, to identify a putative pathomechanism, we tested whether the risk allele has an influence on cortical thickness and folding in a well-characterized sample of patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls.MethodSixty-three patients and 65 controls underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were genotyped for the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1064395. Folding and thickness were analysed on a node-by-node basis using a surface-based approach (FreeSurfer).ResultsIn patients,NCANrisk status (defined by AA and AG carriers) was found to be associated with higher folding in the right lateral occipital region and at a trend level for the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Controls did not show any association (p > 0.05). For cortical thickness, there was no significant effect in either patients or controls.ConclusionsThis study is the first to describe an effect of theNCANrisk variant on brain structure. Our data show that theNCANrisk allele influences cortical folding in the occipital and prefrontal cortex, which may establish disease susceptibility during neurodevelopment. The findings suggest thatNCANis involved in visual processing and top-down cognitive functioning. Both major cognitive processes are known to be disturbed in schizophrenia. Moreover, our study reveals new evidence for a specific genetic influence on local cortical folding in schizophrenia.
Advanced paternal age at birth: phenotypic and etiologic associations with eating pathology in offspring
Authors: Racine S. E. , Culbert K. M. , Burt S. A. , Klump K. L. 
Published: June 2013

BackgroundAdvanced paternal age at birth has been linked to several psychiatric disorders in offspring (e.g. schizophrenia) and genetic mechanisms are thought to underlie these associations. This study is the first to investigate whether advanced paternal age at birth is associated with eating disorder risk using a twin study design capable of examining both phenotypic and genetic associations.MethodIn a large, population-based sample of female twins aged 8–17 years in mid-puberty or beyond (n = 1722), we investigated whether advanced paternal age was positively associated with disordered eating symptoms and an eating disorder history [i.e. anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED)] in offspring. Biometric twin models examined whether genetic and/or environmental factors underlie paternal age effects for disordered eating symptoms.ResultsAdvanced paternal age was positively associated with disordered eating symptoms and an eating disorder history, where the highest level of pathology was observed in offspring born to fathers ⩾40 years old. The results were not accounted for by maternal age at birth, body mass index (BMI), socio-economic status (SES), fertility treatment or parental psychiatric history. Twin models indicated decreased genetic, and increased environmental, effects on disordered eating with advanced paternal age.ConclusionsAdvanced paternal age increased risk for the full spectrum of eating pathology, independent of several important covariates. However, contrary to leading hypotheses, environmental rather than genetic factors accounted for paternal age–disordered eating associations. These data highlight the need to explore novel (potentially environmental) mechanisms underlying the effects of advanced paternal age on offspring eating disorder risk.