bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Immobilization‐Free Electrochemical DNA Polymerase Assay
Authors: Luo Xiaoteng , Hsing I‐Ming 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBased on an immobilization‐free electrochemical DNA detection platform, a novel electrochemical method for detecting and monitoring the activity of DNA polymerase has been developed. The determination of the existence of DNA polymerase is accomplished through the detection of a DNA primer which is elongated along a DNA template under the catalysis of the DNA polymerase. The detection utilizes the competition between the elongated DNA and a ferrocene‐labeled peptide nucleic acid probe (Fc‐PNA) to hybridize with the DNA template in solution. The neutral PNA backbone and the electrostatic repulsion between the negatively charged DNA backbone and the negatively charged electrode surface are then exploited to determine the result of the competition through measurement of the electrochemical signal of Fc. In the presence of the DNA polymerase, the DNA primer is extended to the same length as the DNA template, resulting in stronger hybridization affinity between the two complementary DNA strands, which releases the Fc‐PNA from the Fc‐PNA/template hybrid and allows it to freely diffuse to the negatively charged electrode to produce a significantly enhanced electrochemical signal of Fc. This simple and robust electrochemical DNA polymerase assay does not require any probe immobilization steps and could potentially benefit drug development research, as well as on‐site pathogen monitoring applications.
Pharmaceutical modulation of diffusion potentials at aqueous–aqueous boundaries under laminar flow conditions
Authors: Collins Courtney J. , Strutwolf Jörg , Arrigan Damien W. M. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIn this work, the modulation of the diffusion potential formed at the microfluidic aqueous–aqueous boundary by a pharmaceutical substance is presented. Co‐flowing aqueous streams in a microchannel were used to form the stable boundary between the streams. Measurement of the open circuit potential between two silver/silver chloride electrodes enabled the diffusion potential at the boundary to be determined, which is concentration dependent. Experimental results for protonated propranolol as well as tetrapropylammonium are presented. This concept may be useful as a strategy for the detection of drug substances.
A multi‐functional electrochemical sensing system using microfluidic technology for the detection of urea and creatinine
Authors: Huang Chao‐June , Lin Jiun‐Lin , Chen Ping‐Hong , Syu Mei‐Jywan , Lee Gwo‐Bin 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThis study presents a new microfluidic system capable of precise measurements of two important biomarkers, urea and creatinine, automatically. In clinical applications, high levels of these two biomarkers are early indicators of nephropathy or renal failure and should be monitored on a regular basis. The microfluidic system is composed of a microfluidic chip, a control circuit system, a compressed air source and several electromagnetic valves to form a handheld system. The microfluidic chip is fabricated by using micro‐electromechanical systems and microfluidic techniques comprising electrochemical sensor arrays and polydimethylsiloxane‐based microfluidic structures such as micropumps/micromixers, normally closed valves and microchannels. The microfluidic system performs a variety of critical processes including sample pretreatment, mixing, transportation and detection on a single chip. The experimental results show that the entire procedure takes approximately 40 min, which is much faster than the traditional method (more than 6 h). Furthermore, the total sample volume consumed in each operation is only 0.1 mL, which is significantly less than that required in a large system (5 mL). The developed automatic microfluidic system may provide a powerful platform for further clinical applications.
A modified electrode for the electrochemical detection of biogenic amines and their amino acid precursors separated by microchip capillary electrophoresis
Authors: Dossi Nicolò , Toniolo Rosanna , Pizzariello Andrea , Susmel Sabina , Bontempelli Gino 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe use of a mixed‐valent ruthenium oxide/hexacyanoruthenate polymeric film electrochemically deposited onto glassy carbon electrodes is proposed here for the detection of biogenic amines and their amino acid precursors, following their separation by microchip capillary electrophoresis. The ability of this ruthenium coating to electrocatalyze the oxidation of aliphatic and heterocyclic amines, as well as their amino acid precursors, was checked by using ethanolamine, tryptamine and tryptophane as prototype compounds and adopting a 25 mM sulphuric acid as the electrolyte in the detection cell, where a constant potential of 1.05 V versus Ag/AgCl, 3 M KCl was applied to the modified working electrode. Optimization of parameters affecting both detection and separation steps led to satisfactory separations when performed by using a 20 mM phosphate running buffer (pH 2.5) and applying a high voltage of 2.5 kV both in the separation and in the electrokinetic injection (duration 4 s). The recorded peaks were characterized by good repeatability (RSD≤3.6%), high sensitivity and a wide linear range. Detection limits of 23 μM (1.4 mg/L), 27 μM (4.3 mg/L) and 34 μM (6.8 mg/L) were inferred for ethanolamine, tryptamine and tryptophane, respectively. The approach proposed here was also applied for the analysis of some double malt dark beers spiked with a controlled amount of the analytes considered.
Noninvasive imaging of oral neoplasia with a high‐resolution fiber‐optic microendoscope
Authors: Muldoon Timothy J. , Roblyer Darren , Williams Michelle D. , Stepanek Vanda M.T. , Richards–Kortum Rebecca , Gillenwater Ann M. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackgroundThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of high‐resolution microendoscopy to image and quantify changes in cellular and architectural features seen in early oral neoplasia in vivo.MethodsA high‐resolution microendoscope (HRME) was used to image intact, resected oral squamous carcinoma specimens. HRME images were reviewed and classified as non‐neoplastic or neoplastic by expert clinicians. An algorithm based on quantitative morphologic features was also used to classify each image. Results were compared to the histopathologic diagnosis.ResultsHRME images were obtained from 141 sites in resected specimens from 13 patients. Subjective image interpretation yielded sensitivity and specificity of 85% to 90% and 80% to 85%, respectively, whereas the objective classification algorithm achieved sensitivity and specificity of 81% and 77%, respectively.ConclusionHigh‐resolution microendoscopy of intact oral mucosa can provide images with sufficient detail to classify oral lesions by both subjective image interpretation and objective image analysis. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2012
Global‐scale river routing—an efficient time‐delay algorithm based on HydroSHEDS high‐resolution hydrography
Authors: Gong L. , Halldin S. , Xu C.‐Y. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractCoupling of global hydrologic and atmospheric models is difficult because of the highly nonlinear hydrological processes to be integrated at large scales. Aggregation of high‐resolution data into low‐resolution spatial distribution functions is one way to preserve information and account for the nonlinearity. We used HydroSHEDS, presently the most highly resolved (3″) global hydrography available, to provide accurate control on global river routing through a computationally efficient algorithm. The high resolution of HydroSHEDS allowed discrimination of river‐channel pixels, and time‐delay distributions were calculated for all such pixels. The distributions were aggregated into network‐response functions (NRFs) for each low‐resolution cell using an algorithm originally developed for the 1‐km‐resolution HYDRO1k hydrography. The large size of HydroSHEDS required a modification in algorithm to maintain computational efficiency. The new algorithm was tested with a high‐quality local and a more uncertain global weather dataset to identify whether improved routing would provide a gain when weather data quality was limiting. The routing was coupled to the WASMOD‐M runoff‐generation model to evaluate discharge from the Dongjiang River and the Willamette River basins. The HydroSHEDS‐based routing, compared with the HYDRO1k‐based routing, provided a small gain in model efficiency, for local and global weather data and for both test basins. The HydroSHEDS‐based routing, contrary to the HYDRO1k‐based routing, provided physically realistic wave velocities. The most stable runoff‐generation parameter values were achieved when HydroSHEDS was used to derive the NRFs. Routing was computed in two steps: first, a preparatory calculation which was a one‐time effort and second, the routing during each simulation. The computational efficiency was four to five orders of magnitude better for the simulation step than that for the preparatory step. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Circulating estrogens and progesterone during primiparous pregnancies and risk of maternal breast cancer
Authors: Lukanova Annekatrin , Surcel Helja‐Marja , Lundin Eva , Kaasila Marjo , Lakso Hans‐Ake , Schock Helena , Husing Anika , Kaaks Rudolf , Koskela Pentti , Grankvist Kjell , Pukkala Eero , Zeleniuch‐Jacquotte Anne , Lehtinen Matti , Toniolo Paolo 
Published: March 2011

AbstractPregnancy reduces maternal risk of breast cancer in the long term, but the biological determinants of the protection are unknown. Animal experiments suggest that estrogens and progesterone could be involved, but direct human evidence is scant. A case‐control study (536 cases and 1,049 controls) was nested within the Finnish Maternity Cohort. Eligible were primiparous women who delivered at term a singleton offspring before age 40. For each case, two individually matched controls by age (±6 months) and date of sampling (±3 months) were selected. Estradiol, estrone and progesterone in first‐trimester serum were measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and sex‐hormone binding globulin (SHBG) by immunoassay. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated through conditional logistic regression. In the whole study population there was no association of breast cancer with any of the studied hormones. In analyses stratified by age at diagnosis, however, estradiol concentrations were positively associated with risk of breast cancer before age 40 (upper quartile OR, 1.81; CI, 1.08–3.06), but inversely associated with risk in women who were diagnosed ≥age 40 (upper quartile OR, 0.64; CI, 0.40–1.04), pinteraction 0.004. Risk estimates for estrone mirrored those for estradiol but were less pronounced. Progesterone was not associated with risk of subsequent breast cancer. Our results provide initial evidence that concentrations of estrogens during the early parts of a primiparous pregnancy are associated with maternal risk of breast cancer and suggest that the effect may differ for tumors diagnosed before and after age 40.
Prospective study on the role of glucose metabolism in breast cancer occurrence
Authors: Sieri Sabina , Muti Paola , Claudia Agnoli , Berrino Franco , Pala Valeria , Grioni Sara , Abagnato Carlo Alberto , Blandino Giovanni , Contiero Paolo , Schunemann Holger J. , Krogh Vittorio 
Published: March 2011

AbstractHigh circulating glucose, insulin resistance and obesity appear to be associated with increased risk of breast cancer (BC). We sought further insight into the relation of these variables to BC. We assessed associations of BC risk with serum fasting glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment‐insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) index and sex‐binding hormone globulin (SHBG) in women recruited to the ORDET cohort who gave blood samples in 1987–1992. After a median 13.5 years of follow‐up, 356 women developed BC. Four matched controls per case were selected by incidence density sampling, and rate ratios (RR) were estimated by conditional logistic regression. Women in the highest glucose quartile had a significantly greater risk of BC than those in the lowest glucose quartile (RR 1.63; 95% CI: 1.14–2.32; p for trend of 0.003). The association was significant in pre and post menopausal women separately and in women diagnosed after 55 years. Women in the highest HOMA‐IR quartile had higher BC risk than the lowest quartile (RR 1.44; 95% CI: 1.03–2.02). Significantly increased BC risk in women diagnosed after 55 years was also present in the highest HOMA‐IR quartile; in the same group decreased BC risk was significantly associated with high SHBG. The results of this study add to the existing epidemiological evidence that hyperglycemia and insulin resistance increase BC risk.
Heteroclitic serological response in esophageal and prostate cancer patients after NY‐ESO‐1 protein vaccination
Authors: Kawada Junji , Wada Hisashi , Isobe Midori , Gnjatic Sacha , Nishikawa Hiroyoshi , Jungbluth Achim A. , Okazaki Nami , Uenaka Akiko , Nakamura Yurika , Fujiwara Shinichi , Mizuno Naoaki , Saika Takashi , Ritter Erika , Yamasaki Makoto , Miyata Hiroshi , Ritter Gerd , Murphy Roger , Venhaus Ralph , Pan Linda , Old Lloyd J. , Doki Yuichiro , Nakayama Eiichi 
Published: March 2011

AbstractNY‐ESO‐1 is a prototypic cancer/testis antigen. In a recent phase I clinical trial, we vaccinated 13 patients bearing NY‐ESO‐1‐expressing tumors with a complex of cholesterol‐bearing hydrophobized pullulan (CHP) and NY‐ESO‐1 protein (CHP‐NY‐ESO‐1) and showed efficient induction of NY‐ESO‐1 antibody, and CD4 and CD8 T cell responses using peripheral blood from the patients. In our study, we analyzed heteroclitic serological responses in those patients after vaccination. Serological response against 11 tumor antigens including MAGE‐A1, MAGE‐A3, MAGE‐A4, CT7/MAGEC1, CT10/MAGEC2, CT45, CT46/HORMAD1, SOX2, SSX2, XAGE1B and p53 was examined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using sera from ten vaccinated patients. Expression of tumor antigens was determined by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction or immunohistochemistry. Eight of nine patients who showed antibody responses against NY‐ESO‐1 also showed an antibody response against at least 1 of these 11 tumor antigens after vaccination. In one patient, seven tumor antigens were recognized. Specificity analysis of the antibody response by ELISA using control recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides and by Western blot showed that the response was not against His6‐tag and/or bacterial products included in a preparation of CHP‐NY‐ESO‐1 used for vaccination. Thus, heteroclitic serological responses appear to be indicative of the overall immune response against the tumor, and their analysis could be useful for immune monitoring in cancer vaccine.
An intact retinoblastoma protein‐binding site in Merkel cell polyomavirus large T antigen is required for promoting growth of Merkel cell carcinoma cells
Authors: Houben Roland , Adam Christian , Baeurle Anne , Hesbacher Sonja , Grimm Johannes , Angermeyer Sabrina , Henzel Katharina , Hauser Stefanie , Elling Roland , Bröcker Eva‐B. , Gaubatz Stefan , Becker Jürgen C. , Schrama David 
Published: March 2011

AbstractMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive skin cancer that frequently harbours Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) DNA integrated in the genome of the tumor cells. In our study, we elaborate our recent finding that MCV‐positive MCC cell lines require the expression of the viral T antigens (TA). Indeed, in a xeno‐transplantation model, we prove that TA expression is essential also in an in vivo situation, as knock down of TA leads to tumor regression. Moreover, rescuing TA short hairpin RNA (shRNA)‐treated MCV‐positive MCC cells by ectopic expression of shRNA‐insensitive TAs clearly demonstrates that the observed effect is caused by TA knockdown. Notably, introduction of a mutation in the LTA protein interfering with LTA binding to the retinoblastoma protein (RB) ablated this rescue. The importance of this interaction was further confirmed as LTA‐specific knockdown leads to explicit cell growth inhibition. In summary, the presented data demonstrate that established MCV‐positive MCC tumors critically depend on TA expression, in particular the LTA and RB interaction, for sustained tumor growth. Consequently, interference with LTA/RB interaction appears as promising strategy to treat MCC.
Epigenetic markers for chemosensitivity and chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer—A review
Authors: Dhayat Sameer , Mardin Wolf Arif , Mees Soeren Torge , Haier Joerg 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAdjuvant first‐line gemcitabine monochemotherapy presents a standard treatment for patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma and improves overall survival in chemosensitive patients. Nonetheless, 6‐month progression‐free survival remains below 15%, despite interdisciplinary approaches. The success of gemcitabine treatment is disappointing and—in the absence of reliable tumor markers—challenging to quantify. Epigenetic alterations have been recently identified to take on important roles in cancer development and possibly cancer treatment. In this context, microRNAs are becoming increasingly acknowledged as useful biomarkers for classifying cancers and providing information on their chemo‐ and radiosensitivity. This review illustrates the potential of genetic and epigenetic markers in the prediction of chemosensitivity in pancreatic cancer patients and in the monitoring of their response rates to adjuvant therapy.
SPATIAL MAPPING OF AGRICULTURAL WATER PRODUCTIVITY USING THE SWAT MODEL IN UPPER BHIMA CATCHMENT, INDIA
Authors: Garg Kaushal K. , Bharati Luna , Gaur Anju , George Biju , Acharya Sreedhar , Jella Kiran , Narasimhan B. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTThe Upper Bhima River Basin is facing both episodic and chronic water shortages due to intensive irrigation development. The main objective of this study was to characterize the hydrologic processes of the Upper Bhima River Basin and assess crop water productivity using the distributed hydrologic model, SWAT. Rainfall within the basin varies from 450 to 5000 mm in a period of 3–4 months. The basin has an average rainfall of 711 mm (32 400 Mm3 (million cubic metres)) in a normal year, of which 12.8% (4150 Mm3) and 21% (6800 Mm3) are captured by the reservoirs and groundwater reserves, respectively, 7% (2260 Mm3) exported as runoff out of the basin and the rest (63%) used in evapotranspiration. Agricultural water productivity for sugarcane, sorghum and millet were estimated as 2.90, 0.51 and 0.30 kg m−3, respectively, which were significantly lower than the potential and global maximum in the basin and warrant further improvement. Various scenarios involving different cropping patterns were tested with the goal of increasing economic water productivity values in the Ujjani Irrigation Scheme. Analysis suggests that maximization of the area by provision of supplemental irrigation to rainfed areas as well as better on‐farm water management practices can provide opportunities for improving water productivity. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation and identification of reliable reference genes for pharmacogenomics, toxicogenomics, and small RNA expression analysis
Authors: Chen Dongliang , Pan Xiaoping , Xiao Peng , Farwell Mary A. , Zhang Baohong 
Published: March 2011

AbstractPharmacogenomics, toxicogenomics, and small RNA expression analysis are three of the most active research topics in the biological, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and toxicological fields. All of these studies are based on gene expression analysis, which requires reference genes to reduce the variations derived from different amounts of starting materials and different efficiencies of RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis. Thus, accurate normalization to one or several constitutively expressed reference genes is a prerequisite to valid gene expression studies. Although selection of reliable reference genes has been conducted in previous studies in several animals and plants, no research has been focused on pharmacological targets, and very few studies have had a toxicological context. More interestingly, no studies have been performed to identify reference genes for small RNA analysis although small RNA, particularly microRNA (miRNA)‐related research is currently one of the fastest‐moving topics. In this study, using MCF‐7 breast cancer cells as a model, we employed quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR), one of the most reliable methods for gene expression analysis in many research fields, to evaluate and to determine the most reliable reference genes for pharmacogenomics and toxicogenomics studies as well as for small RNA expression analysis. We tested the transcriptional expression of five protein‐coding genes as well as five non‐coding genes in MCF‐7 cells treated with five different pharmaceuticals or toxicants [paclitaxel (PTX), gossypol (GOS), methyl jasmonate (JAS), L‐nicotine (NIC), and melamine (mela)] and analyzed the stability of the selected reference genes by four different methods: geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and the comparative ΔCt method. According to our analysis, a protein‐coding gene, hTBCA and four non‐coding genes, hRNU44, hRNU48, hU6, and hRNU47, appear to be the most reliable reference genes for the five chemical treatments. Similar results were also obtained in dose‐response and time‐course assays with gossypol (GOS) treatment. Our results demonstrated that traditionally used reference genes, such as 18s RNA, β‐actin, and GAPDH, are not reliable reference genes for pharmacogenomics and toxicogenomics studies. In contrast, hTBCA and small RNAs are more stable during drug treatment, and they are better reference genes for pharmacogenomics and toxicogenomics studies. To widely use these genes as reference genes, these results should be corroborated by studies with other human cell lines and additional drugs classes and hormonal treatments. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 2469–2477, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Protective effects of adiponectin against renal ischemia‐reperfusion injury via prostacyclin‐PPARα‐Heme oxygenase‐1 signaling pathway
Authors: Cheng Ching‐Feng , Lian Wei‐Shiung , Chen Sung‐Ho , Lai Pei‐Fen , Li Hsiao‐Fen , Lan Yi‐Fan , Cheng Winston Teng‐Kuei , Lin Heng 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAdiponectin (APN), a circulating adipose‐derived hormone that regulates inflammation and energy metabolism, has beneficial effects on the cardiovascular disorders. Serum APN levels are lower in patients with coronary artery disease and higher in patients with chronic kidney disease. However, the precise role of APN in acute reno‐vascular disease is not clear. Results of the present study show that serum APN concentration decreased after renal ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice. In addition, I/R‐induced renal dysfunction (elevated serum creatinine and urea levels), inflammation (number of infiltrating neutrophils, myeloperoxidase activity), and apoptotic responses (apoptotic cell number and caspase‐3 activation) were attenuated in APN‐treated compared to control mice. Molecular and biochemical analysis revealed that APN up‐regulates heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) via peroxisome‐proliferator‐activated‐receptor‐α (PPARα) dependent pathway which is mediated through the enhancement of COX‐2 and 6‐keto PGF1α expression. Chromatin immune‐precipitation assay demonstrated that APN increases the binding activity of PPARα to PPRE region of HO‐1 promoter. Furthermore, APN induced HO‐1 expression was only found in wild‐type but not in PPARα gene deleted mice. This provides in vivo evidence that APN mediated HO‐1 expression depends on PPARα regulation. In conclusion, our results provide a novel APN mediated prostacyclin‐PPARα‐HO‐1 signaling pathway in protecting renal I/R injury. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 239–249, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.