bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Developmental differences in the contractile response of isolated ovine tracheal smooth muscle cells
Authors: Laudadio Rachel E. , Wolfson Marla R. , Shaffer Thomas H. , Driska Steven P. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractPrevious studies have shown developmental differences in smooth muscle tone of the airways. Differences in airway mechanics may be based upon cellular differences between animals of different ages. We developed a method [Driska et al. J Appl Physiol 86(1): 427–35, 1999] for isolating ovine tracheal smooth muscle cells and for measuring shortening velocity. This technique was used to study the change in contractile response of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell during development. Here we report differences between preterm (PT) (110–124 or 125–140 days post‐conception), newborn (NB) (3–7 days postnatal) and adult (9–36 months) cells. These cells were compared with respect to morphometry, shortening velocity, and percent shortening. The neonatal cells were shorter and narrower than the adult cells. Maximum shortening velocity was faster for adult (45.1 µm/sec) than for neonatal cells (range 11.1–25.1 µm/sec). When velocity was normalized to the cell length, there was no difference between the adult and PT cells, but there was a significant difference between the NB (0.30 sec−1) and adult (0.54 sec−1) cells. The percent shortening did not show any significant difference with age. Within the neonatal groups, there were no significant differences in morphometry, shortening or velocity. To facilitate comparison between ASM tissues of different sizes with different sized cells, we also expressed percent shortening and velocities relative to a hypothetical 1 mm segment of tissue. Represented this way, the amount of shortening for all age groups was the same, but the predicted maximum velocity of the hypothetical PT tissue (125–140 days) was significantly greater than for NB. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:602–612. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Individual and cumulative effect of prostate cancer risk‐associated variants on clinicopathologic variables in 5,895 prostate cancer patients
Authors: Kader A. Karim , Sun Jielin , Isaacs Sarah D. , Wiley Kathleen E. , Yan Guifang , Kim Seong‐Tae , Fedor Helen , DeMarzo Angelo M. , Epstein Jonathan I. , Walsh Patrick C. , Partin Alan W. , Trock Bruce , Zheng S. Lilly , Xu Jianfeng , Isaacs William 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBACKGROUNDMore than a dozen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with prostate cancer (PCa) risk from genome‐wide association studies (GWAS). Their association with PCa aggressiveness and clinicopathologic variables is inconclusive.METHODSTwenty PCa risk SNPs implicated in GWAS and fine mapping studies were evaluated in 5,895 PCa cases treated by radical prostatectomy at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where each tumor was uniformly graded and staged using the same protocol.RESULTSFor 18 of the 20 SNPs examined, no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in risk allele frequencies between patients with more aggressive (Gleason scores ≥4 + 3, or stage ≥T3b, or N+) or less aggressive disease (Gleason scores ≤3 + 4, and stage ≤T2, and N0). For the two SNPs that had significant differences between more and less aggressive disease rs2735839 in KLK3 (P = 8.4 × 10−7) and rs10993994 in MSMB (P = 0.046), the alleles that are associated with increased risk for PCa were more frequent in patients with less aggressive disease. Since these SNPs are known to be associated with PSA levels in men without PCa diagnoses, these latter associations may reflect the enrichment of low grade, low stage cases diagnosed by contemporary disease screening with PSA.CONCLUSIONSThe vast majority of PCa risk‐associated SNPs are not associated with aggressiveness and clinicopathologic variables of PCa. Correspondingly, they have minimal utility in predicting the risk for developing more or less aggressive forms of PCa. Prostate 69:1195–1205, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Detection of prostate specific transcripts in the peripheral blood during brachytherapy predicts postoperative PSA kinetics
Authors: Mabjeesh Nicola J. , Amir Sharon , Stenger Amira , Chen Juza , Matzkin Haim 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBACKGROUNDWe evaluated whether detection of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) and human kallikrein 2 (hK2) transcripts in the peripheral blood during brachytherapy could predict biochemical outcome.METHODSEighty‐one patients who underwent 125Iodine‐based brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer (Gleason score <8, PSA <20 ng/ml, stage <T3), participated in the study. Brachytherapy was given to 35 patients as monotherapy, to 36 in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), and to 10 in combination with external beam radiation and ADT. Blood samples from 80 patients were available for analysis. Nested RT‐PCR means was used to detect mRNA expression of PSA and hK2 in the peripheral blood. Their expression was analyzed before, during and 1 month after brachytherapy. Patients' biochemical outcome (blood PSA levels) during 3 years of follow‐up was correlated with the PCR results.RESULTSThe incidence of PSA and hK2 mRNA expression in the peripheral blood was significantly higher during than before or after the procedure. Patients with concurrent positive PSA and hK2 PCR results during brachytherapy had higher postoperative blood PSA values and a slower decline rate of PSA compared with patients with negative PSA and hK2 PCR results. No correlations were found between pre‐ and postbrachytherapy PCR results and biochemical outcome. ADT was the only significant factor that affected PSA and hK2 mRNA expression during brachytherapy.CONCLUSIONSOur short‐term results suggest that detection of PSA and hK2 transcripts in the peripheral blood of prostate cancer patients during brachytherapy could serve as a predictor of biochemical outcome. Prostate 69:1235–1244, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessment of global and local model quality in CASP8 using Pcons and ProQ
Authors: Larsson Per , Skwark Marcin J. , Wallner Björn , Elofsson Arne 
Published: May 2009

AbstractModel Quality Assessment Programs (MQAPs) are programs developed to rank protein models. These methods can be trained to predict the overall global quality of a model or what local regions in a model that are likely to be incorrect. In CASP8, we participated with two predictors that predict both global and local quality using either consensus information, Pcons, or purely structural information, ProQ. Consistently with results in previous CASPs, the best performance in CASP8 was obtained using the Pcons method. Furthermore, the results show that the modification introduced into Pcons for CASP8 improved the predictions against GDT_TS and now a correlation coefficient above 0.9 is achieved, whereas the correlation for ProQ is about 0.7. The correlation is better for the easier than for the harder targets, but it is not below 0.5 for a single target and below 0.7 only for three targets. The correlation coefficient for the best local quality MQAP is 0.68 showing that there is still clear room for improvement within this area. We also detect that Pcons still is not always able to identify the best model. However, we show that using a linear combination of Pcons and ProQ it is possible to select models that are better than the models from the best single server. In particular, the average quality over the hard targets increases by about 6% compared with using Pcons alone. Proteins 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Function of human cytomegalovirus UL97 kinase in viral infection and its inhibition by maribavir
Authors: Prichard Mark N. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe serine/threonine kinase expressed by human cytomegalovirus from gene UL97 phosphorylates the antiviral drug ganciclovir, but its biological function is the phosphorylation of its natural viral and cellular protein substrates which affect viral replication at many levels. The UL97 kinase null phenotype is therefore complex, as is the mechanism of action of maribavir, a highly specific inhibitor of its enzymatic activity. Studies that utilise the drug corroborate results from genetic approaches and together have elucidated many functions of the UL97 kinase that are critical for viral replication. The kinase phosphorylates eukaryotic elongation factor 1delta, the carboxyl terminal domain of the large subunit of RNA polymerase II, the retinoblastoma tumour suppressor and lamins A and C. Each of these is also phosphorylated and regulated by cdc2/cyclin‐dependent kinase 1, suggesting that the viral kinase may perform a similar function. These and other activities of the UL97 kinase appear to stimulate the cell cycle to support viral DNA synthesis, enhance the expression of viral genes, promote virion morphogenesis and facilitate the egress of mature capsids from the nucleus. In the absence of UL97 kinase activity, viral DNA synthesis is inefficient and structural proteins are sequestered in nuclear aggresomes, reducing the efficiency of virion morphogenesis. Mature capsids that do form fail to egress the nucleus as the nuclear lamina are not dispersed by the kinase. The critical functions performed by the UL97 kinase illustrate its importance in viral replication and confirm that the kinase is a target for the development of antiviral therapies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fault localization based on information flow coverage
Authors: Masri Wes 
Published: May 2009

AbstractFailures triggered by hard to debug defects usually involve complex interactions between many program elements. This paper hypothesizes that information flows present a good model for such interactions and presents a new fault localization technique based on information flow coverage. Using a test suite, the technique ranks the statements in a program in terms of their likelihood of being faulty by comparing the information flows induced by the failing runs with the ones induced by the passing runs. The ranking of the statements associated with a given flow is primarily determined by contrasting the percentage of failing runs to the percentage of passing runs that induced it. Generally, a higher percentage of failing runs implies a higher rank. To show its potential, the technique was applied to several open‐source Java programs and was compared, with respect to its fault localization effectiveness, with three other coverage techniques that use similar style metrics that are defined for statements, branches, and def–use pairs, respectively. The results revealed that information flow, branch, and def–use coverage performed consistently better than statement coverage. In addition, in a considerable number of cases information flow coverage performed better than branch and def–use coverage. Specifically, it was always safer but not always more precise. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of sulfur dioxide on expression of proto‐oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes from rats
Authors: Bai Juli , Meng Ziqiang 
Published: May 2009

AbstractSulfur dioxide (SO2) is a ubiquitous air pollutant that is present in low concentrations in the urban air, and in higher concentrations in the working environment. In the present study, male Wistar rats were housed in exposure chambers and treated with 14.00 ± 1.01, 28.00 ± 1.77 and 56.00 ± 3.44 mg m−3SO2for 6 h/day for 7 days, while control group was exposed to filtered air in the same condition. The mRNA and protein levels of proto‐oncogenes (c‐fos, c‐jun, c‐myc, and Ki‐ras) and tumor suppressor genes (p53, Rb, and p16) were analyzed in lungs using a real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (real‐time RT‐PCR) assay and Western blot analysis. The results showed that mRNA and protein levels of c‐fos, c‐jun, c‐myc, Ki‐ras, and p53 in lungs were increased in a dose‐dependent manner, while mRNA and protein levels of Rb and p16 were decreased in lungs of rats after SO2inhalation. These results lead to a conclusion that SO2exposure could activate expressions of proto‐oncogenes and suppress expressions of tumor suppressor genes, which might relate to the molecular mechanism of cocarcinogenic properties and potential carcinogenic effects of SO2. According to previous studies, the results also indicated that promoter genes of apoptosis and tumor suppressor genes could produce apoptotic signals to antagonize the growth signals that arise from oncogenes. Understanding its molecular controls will benefit development of treatments for many diseases. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 2010.
Neutral Pentacoordinate Silicon(IV) Complexes with SiClO2NC, SiClON2C, SiO3NC, or SiO2N2C Skeletons
Authors: Theis Bastian , Metz Stefan , Back Franziska , Burschka Christian , Tacke Reinhold 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe neutral pentacoordinate silicon(IV) complexes 3 (SiClO2NC skeleton), 4 (SiO3NC), 5 (SiO2N2C), and 6 (SiClON2C) were synthesized. Compounds 3–6 contain a tridentate dianionic O,N,O (3–5) or O,N,N ligand (6), a phenyl ligand, and a (pseudo‐)halogeno (3, 5, 6) or trifluoromethanesulfonato ligand (4). Compounds 3–6 were characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and solid‐state and solution NMR spectroscopy. According to these studies, the coordination number of the silicon atom in the solid complexes 3–6 is retained in solution.
Metal–Metal Distances at the Limit: Cr–Cr 1.73 Å – the Importance of the Ligand and its Fine Tuning
Authors: Noor Awal , Glatz Germund , Müller Robert , Kaupp Martin , Demeshko Serhiy , Kempe Rhett 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe synthesis and structure of a homobimetallic chromium complex is reported. The ligand used to stabilise the quintuply bonded metals is a sterically fine‐tuned guanidinate. A chromium–chromium bond length of 1.7293(12) Å was observed. It is the shortest metal–metal distance reported for a stable compound yet.
On conservation and balance laws in stress space
Authors: Lazar M. , Kirchner H.O.K. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractWe study conservation and balance laws of linear three‐dimensional elasticity in terms of stress function tensors of first and second order. Such conservation and balance laws are sometimes called dual ones. The dual Eshelby stress tensor, angular momentum tensor and scaling flux of elasticity in stress space are derived within the framework of Noether's theorem on variational principles. Certain conservation and balance (or broken conservation) laws of translational, rotational, and dilatational symmetries including inhomogeneities, elastic anisotropy, dislocations, and incompatibilities are found. The conserved and non‐conserved dual J, L, and M integrals are derived and discussed. Also we give the conservation and balance laws corresponding to the gauge symmetries and the addition of solutions. From the addition of solutions we derive reciprocity theorems for the stress functions of first and second order. Explicit formulae for the configurational forces, moments, and work terms in terms of stress function tensors are formulated.
Nanoencapsulation of β‐Cypermethrin by Complex Coacervation in a Microemulsion
Authors: Zhu Yinyan , An Xueqin , Li Shuping , Yu Shuqin 
Published: May 2009

AbstractA new method of preparation of nanocapsules (NC) in a microemulsion (ME) is introduced in this paper. An oil‐in‐water (O/W) ME was used as the template to prepare NC with diameters below 100 nm by complex coacervation of acacia and gelatin. The effects of ME composition, polymer concentration, and the conditions of complex coacervation on the properties of the NC were investigated. Increasing the polymer content of gelatin and acacia in ME led to an increase of the size of the NC. The zeta potential of the NC is between −18 and −28 mV. The entrapment efficiency of β‐cypermethrin in NC manufacture is above 60%.
Quinacrine protects neuronal cells against heat‐induced injury
Authors: Gao Jun‐Tao , Liu Shu‐Hong , Yan You‐E. , Wu Yan , Wu Hai‐Tao , Xing Cheng , Ge Xue‐Ming , Wang Hui , Zhao Yong‐Qi , Fan Ming 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe effects of quinacrine (QA) on heat‐induced neuronal injury have been explored, with the intention of understanding the mechanisms of QA protection. Primary cultivated striatum neurons from newborn rats were treated with QA 1 h before heat treatment at 43 °C which lasted for another 1 h, and necrosis and apoptosis were detected by Annexin‐V‐FITC and propidium iodide (PI) double staining. Neuronal apoptosis was determined using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) techniques. Cell membrane fluidity, activity of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) and the level of arachidonic acid (AA) were also examined. Membrane surface ultrastructure of striatum neurons was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results showed that heat treatment induced great striatum neurons death, with many dying neurons undergoing necrosis rather than apoptosis. QA alone had little effect on the survival of striatum neurons, while QA pretreatment before heat treatment decreased necrosis. Heat treatment also resulted in decreased membrane fluidity and increased cPLA2 activity as well as arachidonic acid level; these effects were reversed by QA pretreatment. QA pretreatment also significantly prevented damage to the membrane surface ultrastructure of heat‐treated neurons. These results suggest that QA protects striatum neurons against heat‐induced neuronal necrosis, and also demonstrate that inhibition of cPLA2 activity and stabilization of membranes may contribute to protective effect of quinacrine.
Mesenchymal stem cells showed the highest potential for the regeneration of injured liver tissue compared with other subpopulations of the bone marrow
Authors: Cho Kyung‐Ah , Ju Sun‐Young , Cho Su Jin , Jung Yun‐Jae , Woo So‐Youn , Seoh Ju‐Young , Han Ho‐Seong , Ryu Kyung‐Ha 
Published: May 2009

AbstractWe have previously reported that bone marrow cells (BMCs) participate in the regeneration after liver injury. However, it is not established that this is the result of differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or the combination of both. We investigated the contribution of each cell fraction to the regenerative process. First, we confirmed that transplanted stem cells migrate directly to injured liver tissue without dispersing to other organs. Next, we divided green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐expressing BMCs into three populations as mononuclear cells, MSCs and HSCs. We then compared the engraftment capacity after transplantation of each fraction of cells into liver‐injured mice. Of these, the MSCs transplanted group showed the highest GFP fluorescence intensities in liver tissue by flow cytometry analysis and confocal microscopic observation. Furthermore, MSCs showed differentiation potential into hepatocytes when co‐cultured with injured liver cells, which suggests that MSCs showed highest potential for the regeneration of injured liver tissue compared with those of the other two cell refractions.
Decision making under uncertainty and mood induction: further evidence for liberal acceptance in schizophrenia
Authors: Moritz S. , Veckenstedt R. , Randjbar S. , Hottenrott B. , Woodward T. S. , Eckstaedt F. V. v. , Schmidt C. , Jelinek L. , Lincoln T. M. 
Published: May 2009

BackgroundCognitive biases, especially jumping to conclusions (JTC), are ascribed a vital role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. This study set out to explore motivational factors for JTC using a newly developed paradigm.MethodTwenty-seven schizophrenia patients and 32 healthy controls were shown 15 classical paintings, divided into three blocks. Four alternative titles (one correct and three lure titles) had to be appraised according to plausibility (0–10). Optionally, participants could decide for one option and reject one or more alternatives. In random order across blocks, anxiety-evoking music, happy music or no music was played in the background.ResultsPatients with schizophrenia, particularly those with delusions, made more decisions than healthy subjects. In line with the liberal acceptance (LA) account of schizophrenia, the decision threshold was significantly lowered in patients relative to controls. Patients were also more prone than healthy controls to making a decision when the distance between the first and second best alternative was close. Furthermore, implausible alternatives were judged as significantly more plausible by patients. Anxiety-evoking music resulted in more decisions in currently deluded patients relative to non-deluded patients and healthy controls.ConclusionsThe results confirm predictions derived from the LA account and assert that schizophrenia patients decide hastily under conditions of continued uncertainty. The fact that mood induction did not exert an overall effect could be due to the explicit nature of the manipulation, which might have evoked strategies to counteract their influence.
Reported changes in health-related behaviours in Chinese urban residents in response to an influenza pandemic
Authors: YUAN J. , ZHANG L. , XU W. , SHEN J. , ZHANG P. , MA H. 
Published: May 2009

SUMMARYStrategies to lessen the impact of pandemic influenza include behavioural modifications of the general public regarding medical care, personal hygiene and protection, and social distancing. We conducted a telephone survey of Beijing residents to evaluate potential behavioural changes in the general public in the event of an influenza pandemic occurring. We used a two-stage Mitofsky–Waksberg telephone survey of Beijing residents aged ⩾15 years. The sample was weighted to reflect the 2000 census. We asked the respondents about their current healthcare-seeking behaviours for influenza-like illness (ILI), protective measures (personal hygiene, social distancing), and compliance with health authorities. We then asked what they would do during a hypothetical pandemic. We interviewed 256 Beijing participants in our study (response rate 56%). The percent of participants consulting a doctor for ILI rose from the current 41% [95% confidence interval (CI) 35–47] to 74% (95% CI 68–79) during a pandemic. Fifty-five percent (95% CI 48–62) of the participants would seek care from a more specialized hospital during a pandemic than currently. More than 90% of the participants reported already practising hand-washing or covering their coughs or sneezes during a non-pandemic period; this percentage changed little under a pandemic scenario. Compared to the current social distancing practices, more people would avoid crowded places (77% vs. 92%, P<0·01), use a mask outside the home (10% vs. 58%, P<0·01), and take time off from work or school (17% vs. 38%, P<0·01) during a pandemic. Moreover, 26% of the participants (95% CI 21–32) would stockpile food or water, and 55% (95% CI 49–61) would stockpile medicines. Some of the behavioural changes reported by Beijing participants might help to alleviate the damage caused by a potential pandemic. However, increased use of medical care at referral hospitals will further strain the healthcare system during a pandemic.