bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cortical control of thermoregulatory sympathetic activation
Authors: Fechir M. , Klega A. , Buchholz H. G. , Pfeifer N. , Balon S. , Schlereth T. , Geber C. , Breimhorst M. , Maihöfner C. , Birklein F. , Schreckenberger M. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractThermoregulation enables adaptation to different ambient temperatures. A complex network of central autonomic centres may be involved. In contrast to the brainstem, the role of the cortex has not been clearly evaluated. This study was therefore designed to address cerebral function during a whole thermoregulatory cycle (cold, neutral and warm stimulation) using 18‐fluordeoxyglucose‐PET (FDG‐PET). Sympathetic activation parameters were co‐registered. Ten healthy male volunteers were examined three times on three different days in a water‐perfused whole‐body suit. After a baseline period (32°C), temperature was either decreased to 7°C (cold), increased to 50°C (warm) or kept constant (32°C, neutral), thereafter the PET examination was performed. Cerebral glucose metabolism was increased in infrapontine brainstem and cerebellar hemispheres during cooling and warming, each compared with neutral temperature. Simultaneously, FDG uptake decreased in the bilateral anterior/mid‐cingulate cortex during warming, and in the right insula during cooling and warming. Conjunction analyses revealed that right insular deactivation and brainstem activation appeared both during cold and warm stimulation. Metabolic connectivity analyses revealed positive correlations between the cortical activations, and negative correlations between these cortical areas and brainstem/cerebellar regions. Heart rate changes negatively correlated with glucose metabolism in the anterior cingulate cortex and in the middle frontal gyrus/dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and changes of sweating with glucose metabolism in the posterior cingulate cortex. In summary, these results suggest that the cerebral cortex exerts an inhibitory control on autonomic centres located in the brainstem or cerebellum. These findings may represent reasonable explanations for sympathetic hyperactivity, which occurs, for example, after hemispheric stroke.
Identification of enzymes involved in anaerobic benzene degradation by a strictly anaerobic iron‐reducing enrichment culture
Authors: Abu Laban Nidal , Selesi Draženka , Rattei Thomas , Tischler Patrick , Meckenstock Rainer U. 
Published: June 2010

SummaryAnaerobic benzene degradation was studied with a highly enriched iron‐reducing culture (BF) composed of mainly Peptococcaceae‐related Gram‐positive microorganisms. The proteomes of benzene‐, phenol‐ and benzoate‐grown cells of culture BF were compared by SDS‐PAGE. A specific benzene‐expressed protein band of 60 kDa, which could not be observed during growth on phenol or benzoate, was subjected to N‐terminal sequence analysis. The first 31 amino acids revealed that the protein was encoded by ORF 138 in the shotgun sequenced metagenome of culture BF. ORF 138 showed 43% sequence identity to phenylphosphate carboxylase subunit PpcA of Aromatoleum aromaticum strain EbN1. A LC/ESI‐MS/MS‐based shotgun proteomic analysis revealed other specifically benzene‐expressed proteins with encoding genes located adjacent to ORF 138 on the metagenome. The protein products of ORF 137, ORF 139 and ORF 140 showed sequence identities of 37% to phenylphosphate carboxylase PpcD of A. aromaticum strain EbN1, 56% to benzoate‐CoA ligase (BamY) of Geobacter metallireducens and 67% to 3‐octaprenyl‐4‐hydroxybenzoate carboxy‐lyase (UbiD/UbiX) of A. aromaticum strain EbN1 respectively. These genes are proposed as constituents of a putative benzene degradation gene cluster (∼17 kb) composed of carboxylase‐related genes. The identified gene sequences suggest that the initial activation reaction in anaerobic benzene degradation is probably a direct carboxylation of benzene to benzoate catalysed by putative anaerobic benzene carboxylase (Abc). The putative Abc probably consists of several subunits, two of which are encoded by ORFs 137 and 138, and belongs to a family of carboxylases including phenylphosphate carboxylase (Ppc) and 3‐octaprenyl‐4‐hydroxybenzoate carboxy‐lyase (UbiD/UbiX).
Acid‐tolerant microaerophilic Fe(II)‐oxidizing bacteria promote Fe(III)‐accumulation in a fen
Authors: Lüdecke Claudia , Reiche Marco , Eusterhues Karin , Nietzsche Sandor , Küsel Kirsten 
Published: June 2010

SummaryThe ecological importance of Fe(II)‐oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) at circumneutral pH is often masked in the presence of O2 where rapid chemical oxidation of Fe(II) predominates. This study addresses the abundance, diversity and activity of microaerophilic FeOB in an acidic fen (pH ∼5) located in northern Bavaria, Germany. Mean O2 penetration depth reached 16 cm where the highest dissolved Fe(II) concentrations (up to 140 µM) were present in soil water. Acid‐tolerant FeOB cultivated in gradient tubes were most abundant (106 cells g−1 peat) at the 10–20 cm depth interval. A stable enrichment culture was active at up to 29% O2 saturation and Fe(III) accumulated 1.6 times faster than in abiotic controls. An acid‐tolerant, microaerophilic isolate (strain CL21) was obtained which was closely related to the neutrophilic, lithoautotrophic FeOB Sideroxydans lithotrophicus strain LD‐1. CL21 oxidized Fe(II) between pH 4 and 6.0, and produced nanoscale‐goethites with a clearly lower mean coherence length (7 nm) perpendicular to the (110) plane than those formed abiotically (10 nm). Our results suggest that an acid‐tolerant population of FeOB is thriving at redox interfaces formed by diffusion‐limited O2 transport in acidic peatlands. Furthermore, this well‐adapted population is successfully competing with chemical oxidation and thereby playing an important role in the microbial iron cycle.
The ecology of the phyllosphere: geographic and phylogenetic variability in the distribution of bacteria on tree leaves
Authors: Redford Amanda J. , Bowers Robert M. , Knight Rob , Linhart Yan , Fierer Noah 
Published: June 2010

SummaryLarge populations of bacteria live on leaf surfaces and these phyllosphere bacteria can have important effects on plant health. However, we currently have a limited understanding of bacterial diversity on tree leaves and the inter‐ and intra‐specific variability in phyllosphere community structure. We used a barcoded pyrosequencing technique to characterize the bacterial communities from leaves of 56 tree species in Boulder, Colorado, USA, quantifying the intra‐ and inter‐individual variability in the bacterial communities from 10 of these species. We also examined the geographic variability in phyllosphere communities on Pinus ponderosa from several locations across the globe. Individual tree species harboured high levels of bacterial diversity and there was considerable variability in community composition between trees. The bacterial communities were organized in patterns predictable from the relatedness of the trees as there was significant correspondence between tree phylogeny and bacterial community phylogeny. Inter‐specific variability in bacterial community composition exceeded intra‐specific variability, a pattern that held even across continents where we observed minimal geographic differentiation in the bacterial communities on P. ponderosa needles.
Involving children with learning and communication difficulties: the perspectives of teachers, speech and language therapists and teaching assistants
Authors: Feiler Anthony , Watson Debby 
Published: June 2010

Accessible summary

Some children with disability find it hard to make choices because they cannot talk.
Schools are trying to find ways to help them to be more included.
People that support these children need to work together better.
All children need to feel included at school.

SummaryRecent policy initiatives in the United Kingdom within the field of disability have rightly highlighted the importance of hearing the child’s voice. However, it is also imperative that professionals work effectively together to enable this to happen. This study presents the perspectives of teachers, speech and language therapists and teaching assistants on involving children with severe learning and communication difficulties in decision‐making at school. Key findings are discussed, and these are presented under three main themes: child‐focused issues, professional practice and variation in perspective according to professional role. The discussion explores the links between these findings and the research and policy literature and considers the need for professional development opportunities that enhance effective teamwork.
Drought impacts on the Amazon forest: the remote sensing perspective
Authors: Asner Gregory P. , Alencar Ane 
Published: June 2010

SummaryDrought varies spatially and temporally throughout the Amazon basin, challenging efforts to assess ecological impacts via field measurements alone. Remote sensing offers a range of regional insights into drought‐mediated changes in cloud cover and rainfall, canopy physiology, and fire. Here, we summarize remote sensing studies of Amazônia which indicate that: fires and burn scars are more common during drought years; hydrological function including floodplain area is significantly affected by drought; and land use affects the sensitivity of the forest to dry conditions and increases fire susceptibility during drought. We highlight two controversial areas of research centering on canopy physiological responses to drought and changes in subcanopy fires during drought. By comparing findings from field and satellite studies, we contend that current remote sensing observations and techniques cannot resolve these controversies using current satellite observations. We conclude that studies integrating multiple lines of evidence from physiological, disturbance‐fire, and hydrological remote sensing, as well as field measurements, are critically needed to narrow our uncertainty of basin‐level responses to drought and climate change.
Temporal stability of regression‐based electrooculographic correction coefficients
Authors: Pham Trieu T. H. , Croft Rodney J. , Cadusch Peter J. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractA means of accounting for ocular artifact in the electroencephalograph (EEG) is to subtract portions (Bs) of ocular voltage measured by the electrooculograph (EOG) from the EEG. Some such EOG correction methods calculate Bs at one time and use these to correct data recorded at a different time; these require information about the temporal stability of the Bs. This study investigated the stability of Bs over a 2‐hr EEG recording session. Participants performed 5 eye movement tasks, each separated by 30 min. Four EOG correction methods were then used to calculate Bs from each of the 5 data sets, resulting in VEOG, HEOG, and REOG (where appropriate) Bs for each methods at each of the 5 time points. We did not find evidence that Bs changed over the 2‐hr period, nor of any difference in temporal stability between the methods. This study suggests that it is appropriate to employ Bs calculated from calibration trials to correct data recorded within at least a 2‐hr time window.
Low‐dose bafilomycin attenuates neuronal cell death associated with autophagy‐lysosome pathway dysfunction
Authors: Pivtoraiko Violetta N. , Harrington Adam J. , Mader Burton J. , Luker Austin M. , Caldwell Guy A. , Caldwell Kim A. , Roth Kevin A. , Shacka John J. 
Published: June 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 114, 1193–1204.AbstractWe have shown previously that the plecomacrolide antibiotics bafilomycin A1 and B1 significantly attenuate cerebellar granule neuron death resulting from agents that disrupt lysosome function. To further characterize bafilomycin‐mediated cytoprotection, we examined its ability to attenuate the death of naïve and differentiated neuronal SH‐SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells from agents that induce lysosome dysfunction in vitro, and from in vivo dopaminergic neuron death in C. elegans. Low‐dose bafilomycin significantly attenuated SH‐SY5Y cell death resulting from treatment with chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine amodiaquine and staurosporine. Bafilomycin also attenuated the chloroquine‐induced reduction in processing of cathepsin D, the principal lysosomal aspartic acid protease, to its mature ‘active’ form. Chloroquine induced autophagic vacuole accumulation and inhibited autophagic flux, effects that were attenuated upon treatment with bafilomycin and were associated with a significant decrease in chloroquine‐induced accumulation of detergent‐insoluble α‐synuclein oligomers. In addition, bafilomycin significantly and dose‐dependently attenuated dopaminergic neuron death in C. elegans resulting from in vivo over‐expression of human wild‐type α‐synuclein. Together, our findings suggest that low‐dose bafilomycin is cytoprotective in part through its maintenance of the autophagy‐lysosome pathway, and underscores its therapeutic potential for treating Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases that exhibit disruption of protein degradation pathways and accumulation of toxic protein species.
Dopamine is not essential for the development of methamphetamine‐induced neurotoxicity
Authors: Yuan Jie , Darvas Martin , Sotak Bethany , Hatzidimitriou George , McCann Una D. , Palmiter Richard D. , Ricaurte George A. 
Published: June 2010

J. Neurochem.(2010)114, 1135–1142.AbstractIt is widely believed that dopamine (DA) mediates methamphetamine (METH)‐induced toxicity to brain dopaminergic neurons, because drugs that interfere with DA neurotransmission decrease toxicity, whereas drugs that increase DA neurotransmission enhance toxicity. However, temperature effects of drugs that have been used to manipulate brain DA neurotransmission confound interpretation of the data. Here we show that the recently reported ability ofl‐dihydroxyphenylalanine to reverse the protective effect of alpha‐methyl‐para‐tyrosine on METH‐induced DA neurotoxicity is also confounded by drug effects on body temperature. Further, we show that mice genetically engineered to be deficient in brain DA develop METH neurotoxicity, as long as the thermic effects of METH are preserved. In addition, we demonstrate that mice genetically engineered to have unilateral brain DA deficits develop METH‐induced dopaminergic deficits that are of comparable magnitude on both sides of the brain. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that DA is not essential for the development of METH‐induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity and suggest that mechanisms independent of DA warrant more intense investigation.
Mechanism of verapamil action on wild‐type and slow‐channel mutant human muscle acetylcholine receptor
Authors: Moriconi Claudia , Di Castro Maria Amalia , Fucile Sergio , Eusebi Fabrizio , Grassi Francesca 
Published: June 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 114, 1231–1240.AbstractVerapamil, a Ca2+ channel blocker widely used in clinical practice, also affects the properties of frog and mouse muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Here, we examine the mechanism of action of verapamil on human wild‐type and slow‐channel mutant muscle AChRs harboring in any subunit a valine‐to‐alanine mutation of 13′ residue of the pore‐lining M2 transmembrane segment. Verapamil, after a pre‐treatment of 0.5–10 s, accelerated the decay of whole‐cell or macroscopic outside‐out currents within milliseconds of ACh application even at clinically attainable doses. Recordings of unitary events in the cell‐attached and outside‐out configurations showed that verapamil does not alter single‐channel conductance, but reduces channel open probability, by prolonging the dwell time into the closed state for wild‐type and all mutant AChR. The duration of channel openings decreased only for the εV265A‐AChR, by shortening the longest exponential component of the open‐time distribution. These results provide a rationale for the therapeutic use of verapamil in the slow‐channel syndrome and emphasize the major role played by ε subunit in controlling the functional properties of human muscle AChR, as revealed by the peculiar alterations imparted by mutations in this subunit.
The effect of protein kinase C‐delta knockdown on anti‐free radical enzyme and neuropeptide Y gene expression in phenylpropanolamine‐treated rats
Authors: Kuo Dong‐Yih , Yang Shun‐Fa , Chu Shu‐Chen , Chen Chin‐Hsiu , Chen Pei‐Ni , Hsieh Yih‐Shou 
Published: June 2010

J. Neurochem.(2010)114, 1217–1230.AbstractHypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been reported to involve in regulating behavioral response of phenylpropanolamine (PPA), a sympathomimetic agent. This study explored if protein kinase C (PKC)‐δ signaling participated in this regulation. Moreover, possible roles of anti‐free radical enzyme catalase (CAT) and nitrogen oxide synthase (NOS) were also examined. Rats were treated daily with PPA for 4 days. Changes in food intake and hypothalamic NPY, PKCδ, CAT, and NOS contents were assessed and compared. Results showed that PKCδ and CAT increased during PPA treatment, which were concomitant with decreases in NPY content and food intake, while the change of NOS was expressed differently. Moreover, PKCδ knockdown could modify PPA anorexia as well as NPY and CAT expression, while NOS expression remained unchanged. Furthermore, pre‐treatment with NOS inhibitor could modify both PPA anorexia and NPY content. It is suggested that PKCδ participates in the anorectic response of PPA via the modulation of NPY and CAT, while NOS contribute to this modulation via a different mechanism during PPA treatment. Results provide molecular mechanism of NPY‐mediated PPA anorexia and may aid the therapeutic research of PPA and other anti‐obesity drugs.
Stimulated dopamine overflow and alpha‐synuclein expression in the nucleus accumbens core distinguish rats bred for differential ethanol preference
Authors: Pelkonen Anssi , Hiltunen Mikko , Kiianmaa Kalervo , Yavich Leonid 
Published: June 2010

J. Neurochem.(2010)114, 1168–1176.AbstractThe key neurochemical systems and structures involved in the predisposition to substance abuse and preference to ethanol (EtOH) are not known in detail but clearly dopamine (DA) is an important modulator of addiction. Recent data indicate that alpha‐synuclein (α‐syn), a pre‐synaptic protein, plays a role in regulation of DA release from the pre‐synaptic terminals in striatum and the expression of this protein is different after drug abuse or following abstinence. In the present work, we analysed stimulated DA overflow in the dorsal and ventral striatum in EtOH naïve alko alchohol (AA) and alko non‐alchohol (ANA) rats selected for more than 100 generations for their differential EtOH preference. In the same structures, we studied the expression of α‐syn using western blotting. AA rats, in comparison with ANA rats, showed a marked reduction of stimulated peak DA overflow and higher levels of α‐syn in the nucleus accumbens core. In the same structure, DA re‐uptake was increased in AA rats in comparison with ANA rats. The effects of EtOH at low (0.1 g/kg) and higher (3 mg/kg) doses on DA overflow measured in the nucleus accumbens shell were similar in both lines. These results indicate that high expression of α‐syn may contribute to the reduced DA overflow and the possible activation of re‐uptake in the nucleus accumbens core of AA rats in comparison with ANA rats.
Bimatoprost 0.03% gel for cosmetic eyelash growth and enhancement
Authors: Woodward Julie A , Haggerty Chris J , Stinnett Sandra S , Williams Zinaria Y 
Published: June 2010

SummaryObjective  To evaluate a bimatoprost gel for enhancing eyelash growth, adverse effects, and change in intraocular pressure (IOP).Methods  Prospective, double‐masked, randomized controlled study. Fifty‐two patients without ocular disease were assigned a control or bimatoprost 0.03% gel to apply to the eyelid margin once a day.Results  The adjusted mean change in eyelash length from baseline to 6 months was 0.77 mm in the bimatoprost group and −0.12 mm in the control group (P = 0.004). Adverse effects were experienced by 2 of 16 patients (12.5%) in the control group and 9 of 36 patients (25%) in the bimatoprost gel group. Mean change in IOP from baseline to 6 months was 0.685 mmHg in the control group and −2.04 mmHg in the bimatoprost group (P = 0.009).Conclusions  Bimatoprost gel was effective in enhancing eyelash growth. The most common adverse effect for the bimatoprost gel was conjunctival and eyelid hyperemia, while the most severe was recurrent anterior uveitis. Mean IOP was reduced in subjects using the bimatoprost gel.
Visible changes of female facial skin surface topography in relation to age and attractiveness perception
Authors: Samson Nadine , Fink Bernhard , Matts Paul J , Dawes Nancy C , Weitz Shannon 
Published: June 2010

SummaryObjectives  Evolutionary psychology suggests that a woman’s age and physical appearance are important mate choice criteria. Given that changes in female facial skin surface topography are important, prominent visible signs of aging, male perceptual sensitivity for variation in this trait may also affect preference and attractiveness judgment.Methods  Two experiments were conducted to investigate perception (Experiment 1) and noticeability (Experiment 2) of skin surface topography manipulations in facial images of six British women, aged 45–65 years. In Experiment 1 skin surface topography cues were completely removed on the cheeks, the “crow’s feet” area adjacent to the eye, under the eyes, above the upper lip, and on the forehead while, in Experiment 2, it was removed gradually (20% increments) on the forehead and around the eyes. In both experiments, stimuli were presented to American and German participants (total N = 300, aged 15–55 years) in omnibus pair‐wise combinations (within‐face). With each pair, respondents were asked to select that face which they considered as younger looking (Experiments 1 and 2) and more attractive (Experiment 1).Results  Faces with skin surface topography cues removed were judged significantly younger and more attractive than their original (unmodified) counterparts, with modifications on the forehead and around the eyes showing the highest differences. In these areas, participants were able to detect at least a 20% visual change in skin surface topography.Conclusions  The results support the assertion that even small changes in skin surface topography affect the perceptions of a woman’s facial age and attractiveness and may, thus, also influence men’s mate preferences.
Applications of nanomedicine in dermatology: use of nanoparticles in various therapies and imaging
Authors: Abramovits William , Granowski Patricia , Arrazola Peter 
Published: June 2010

SummaryBackground  Nanoscale technology is rapidly being incorporated into medicine. Nanodermatology concentrates on the use of nanomaterials (sized less than 1000 nm) on the skin. This article gives basic descriptions of various nanomaterials currently used in dermatology.Methods  Studies retrievable through PubMed and other relevant literature from the nanotechnology industry pertaining to the use of nanoparticles in dermatology are reviewed. The authors provide their insight into potential applications for skin conditions.Results  Nanotechnology‐based products and technology have a promising, inevitable future in medicine particularly in dermatology, such as prevention of disease, treatment, and imaging with less invasiveness.Conclusions  The advent of nanoparticles including nanostructured lipid particles and solid lipid nanoparticles, dendrimers, and quantum dots have already many cosmetic applications as well as great potential in dermatologic applications.