bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How does opportunistic behavior influence firm size? An evolutionary approach to organizational behavior
Authors: CORDES CHRISTIAN , RICHERSON PETER , MCELREATH RICHARD , STRIMLING PONTUS 
Published: July 2010

Abstract:This paper relates firm size and opportunism by showing that, given certain behavioural dispositions of humans, the size of a profit-maximizing firm can be determined by cognitive aspects underlying firm-internal cultural transmission processes. We argue that what firms do better than markets – besides economizing on transaction costs – is to establish a cooperative regime among its employees that keeps in check opportunism. A model depicts the outstanding role of the entrepreneur or business leader in firm-internal socialization processes and the evolution of corporate cultures. We show that high opportunism-related costs are a reason for keeping firms’ size small.
Sensitivity to local anaesthetics among asthmatic children
Authors: Çetinkaya F. 
Published: July 2010

Summary.Objectives.Although true allergic reactions to local anaesthetics are rare in the general population, the importance of the problem among asthmatic children has yet to be documented.Sample and methods.Skin prick, intradermal and incremental challenge tests with lidocain were performed in 157 asthmatic children aged 8–15 years and compared with 72 nonasthmatic children of a similar age. All of the asthmatic subjects were allergic to at least one allergen, most frequently pollens and house dust mites. Prick testing began with an undiluted solution in patients without a history of allergy and with 1:100 dilution in those with a reaction history. Following negative prick testing, intradermal or incremental challenge tests were performed.Results.A total of 125 patients (80%) had been given local anaesthetics in the past, only three children gave history of an adverse local reaction. At the end of the tests, none of the subjects including controls, were found to have immediate or delayed‐type allergy to lidocain.Conclusions.Local anaesthetic allergy does not seem to be a serious problem among asthmatic children and testing in all asthmatic children is not warranted. Those with an adverse reaction history to local anaesthetics should be tested with these drugs.
The relationship between erosion, caries and rampant caries and dietary habits in preschool children in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al‐Malik M. I. , Holt R. D. , Bedi R. 
Published: July 2010

Summary.Objectives.The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between dental erosion and caries, and variables including socio‐economic status, reported dietary practices and oral hygiene behaviour, in a sample of children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A cross‐sectional study including dental examination and questionnaire survey was carried out at a number of kindergartens.Sample and methods.A sample of 987 children (2–5‐year‐olds) was drawn from 17 kindergartens. Clinical examinations were carried out under standardized conditions by a trained and calibrated examiner (MAM). Information regarding diet and socio‐economic factors was drawn from questionnaires distributed to the parents through the schools. These were completed before the dental examination.Results.Of the 987 children, 309 (31%) showed signs of erosion. Caries were diagnosed in 720 (73%) of the children and rampant caries in 336 (34%). Vitamin C supplements, frequent consumption of carbonated drinks and the drinking of fruit syrup from a feeding bottle at bed‐ or nap‐time when the child was a baby, were all related to erosion. Consumption of carbonated drinks and fruit syrups was also related to caries but they were part of a larger number of significant factors including socio‐demographic measures and oral hygiene practices.Conclusions.There was no clear relationship between erosion and social class, or between erosion and oral hygiene practices; the reverse was true for caries. Dietary factors relating to both erosion and caries and/or rampant caries were found in this sample of children.
Age‐Associated Changes in Hypothalamic and Pituitary Neuroendocrine Gene Expression in the Rat
Authors: Kappeler L. , Gourdji D. , Zizzari P. , Bluet‐Pajot M.‐T. , Epelbaum J. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractA cDNA membrane array displaying 1183 probes was used to detect hypothalamic and pituitary changes in gene expression accompanying ageing and age‐associated pituitary macroadenomas. Four groups of male Sprague‐Dawley rats (3‐, 15‐, 24‐month‐old and 24‐month‐old with prolactinoma) were compared in two independent hybridizations. cDNA array data were confirmed and completed by comparative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction on selected genes. The expression of 454 and 116 mRNAs was detected in hypothalamus and pituitary, respectively. Growth hormone (GH) mRNA alone represented 85% of total gene expression in the gland of young rats, and other pituitary hormone transcripts 2.8%, while melanin‐concentrating hormone (MCH) mRNA, the most expressed neuropeptide transcript involved in neuroendocrine regulation, accounted for only 0.8% of total hypothalamic transcripts. The proportion of genes modified in the hypothalamus and pituitary was rather modest: 1.5% and 5.2%, respectively, for ageing per se, and 1.1% and 5.2% for age‐associated macroprolactinomas. Among pituitary specific RNAs, GH mRNA expression was notably decreased with age. At the hypothalamic level, expression of genes directly involved in GH regulation, such as somatostatin and growth hormone‐releasing hormone, was not altered, while neuropeptide transcripts involved in feeding behaviour [orexin/hypocretin, MCH, pro‐opiomelanocortin (POMC), cocaine‐ and amphetamine‐regulated transcript (CART)] were significantly altered. In addition, a few ubiquitous transcripts (hnRNP‐K, PFKm, CCND 2, calponin and set) were differently affected in both tissues. Modifications in hypothalamic orexigenic (orexin, MCH) and anorexigenic (POMC, CART) gene expression are in keeping with an age‐associated decrease in energy consumption but a higher one in the presence of macroprolactinomas.
Sex Differences in the Developing Brain: Crossroads in the Phosphorylation of cAMP Response Element Binding Protein
Authors: Auger A. P. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractAlthough it is widely known that steroid hormones differentiate the brain, little is known about the signal transduction pathways that are influenced by steroid hormones during development. This review focuses on divergence in the phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in the developing male and female rat brain. At birth, males have an increased phosphorylation of CREB compared to females. As CREB mediates changes in cellular morphology, function and survival rates, its activation may underlie an important event in steroid‐mediated sexual differentiation of the brain. The importance of CREB is further supported by a sex difference in the expression of the nuclear receptor coactivator, CREB‐binding protein, a critical factor involved in the genomic actions of CREB. This suggests that the developing male brain may be in a hyper‐responsive state to factors that lead to increased phosphorylation of CREB, resulting in divergent responses in males versus females. An example of this divergence is the response to GABA. In the male rat brain, GABA action leads to increased phosphorylation of CREB; whereas GABA action in the female brain leads to decreased phosphorylation of CREB. The potential consequences of this divergence in the regulation of CREB are discussed in relation to adult sexually dimorphic brain morphology, physiology and behaviour.
Diagnosis and prediction of recurrence and progression in superficial bladder cancers with DNA image cytometry and urinary cytology
Authors: Desgrippes A. , Izadifar V. , Assailly J. , Fontaine E. , Beurton D. 
Published: July 2010

Objective To investigate the roles of urinary cytology and image cytometric analysis of nuclear DNA ploidy pattern in the diagnosis and prediction of recurrence and/or progression of superficial bladder cancers.Patients and methods Aliquots of catheterized urine from 92 patients with primary (23) or previous (69) superficial bladder cancers were assessed using urine cytology and image‐analysis cytometry independently.Results Of the 23 primary superficial transitional cell carcinomas (TCCs), 11 (48%) were detected by urinary cytology while 12 (52%) were detected by image‐analysis cytometry (P > 0.05) and 13 (57%) were revealed by combined cytology and cytometry. Of 42 recurrent superficial TCCs, 29 (69%) were detected by urinary cytology, whilst 19 (45%) were diagnosed by cytometry (P < 0.05) and 29 (69%) by combined cytology and cytometry. The degree of ploidy in relation to pathological stage and/or grade showed an increasing frequency of aneuploid pattern in more invasive and undifferentiated tumours, but with no statistical significance (P > 0.05). The positivity of DNA image cytometry had no significant association (P > 0.05) with tumour recurrence and/or progression.Conclusions DNA image cytometry can provide a limited but not significant advantage over urinary cytology in the detection of primary superficial TCCs, but it does not seem to be indicated for the prediction of tumour recurrence and/or progression.
Urological complications after living‐donor renal transplantation
Authors: El‐Mekresh M. , Osman Y. , Ali‐El‐Dein B. , El‐Diasty T. , Ghoneim M.A. 
Published: July 2010

ObjectiveTo determine the incidence and management of urological complications after 1200 consecutive live‐donor renal transplantations, all of which were carried out in one centre; the possible risk factors and the effect on patient and graft survival were also assessed.Patients and methodsData were retrieved from an electronic database; the incidence of urological complications was determined, and correlated with relevant risk factors by univariate and multivariate analysis. The effect on patient and graft survival was assessed using Kaplan–Meier statistics.ResultsThere were 100 complications in 96 patients (8%); urinary leaks occurred in 37, ureteric strictures in 23 and lymphoceles causing ureteric obstruction in 17. Percutaneous needle biopsy was complicated by haematuria and clot anuria in six patients. Late complications included 11 cases of stones, four of bladder malignancy and two of haemorrhagic cystitis. There was evidence that the age of the recipients (< 10 years), method of establishing urinary continuity (uretero‐ureteric anastomosis) and a high dose of steroids had an independent positive effect on the incidence of urological complications. However, their development did not influence graft or patient survival.ConclusionWhen there is meticulous attention to the technical details, renal transplantation should incur few urological complications. Early intervention with percutaneous drainage reduces morbidity and the likelihood loss of graft function. Proper and prompt management should not affect the graft and/or the patient's survival.
Effects of l‐dopa and other amino acids against paraquat‐induced nigrostriatal degeneration
Authors: McCormack Alison L. , Di Monte Donato A. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractExposure to the herbicide paraquat causes selective nigrostriatal degeneration and aggregation of α‐synuclein in the mouse brain. The purpose of this study was to assess mechanisms of paraquat entry into the CNS and, in particular, the effects of substrates of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) neutral amino acid transporter (System L carrier) on paraquat accumulation and neurotoxicity. Using a paraquat antibody, robust immunoreactivity was observed in the midbrain of mice injected with the herbicide. This immunoreactivity was abolished by administration of l‐valine or l‐phenylalanine, two System L substrates, immediately before paraquat exposure. Pre‐treatment with these amino acids completely protected against paraquat‐induced loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic cells and formation of thioflavine S‐positive intracellular deposits. Interestingly, the anti‐parkinsonian drug l‐dopa, which is transported across the BBB through the same neutral amino acid carrier, was also neuroprotective when administered 30 min prior to paraquat. In contrast, paraquat‐induced toxicity was unaffected if animals (i) were pre‐treated with d‐valine, the biologically inactive d‐isomer of l‐valine, or with l‐lysine, a substrate of the basic rather than the neutral amino acid carrier, or (ii) were injected with l‐dopa 24 h after paraquat exposure. Data are consistent with a critical role of uptake across the BBB in paraquat neurotoxicity, and suggest that dietary elements (e.g. amino acids) or therapeutic agents (e.g. l‐dopa) may modify the effects of toxicants targeting the nigrostriatal system.
Immunocytochemical localization of glycogen phosphorylase isozymes in rat nervous tissues by using isozyme‐specific antibodies
Authors: Pfeiffer‐Guglielmi Brigitte , Fleckenstein Burkhard , Jung Günther , Hamprecht Bernd 
Published: July 2010

AbstractIsozyme‐specific antibodies were raised against peptides from the low‐homology regions of the sequences of rat glycogen phosphorylase BB and MM isozymes by immunization of rabbits and guinea pigs. Immunocytochemical double‐labelling experiments on frozen sections of rat nervous tissues were performed to investigate the isozyme localization pattern. Astrocytes throughout the brain and spinal cord expressed both isozymes in perfect co‐localization. Ependymal cells only expressed the BB isozyme. Most neurones were not immunoreactive. The rare neurones that contained glycogen phosphorylase only expressed the BB isozyme. Nearly all of these neurones formed part of the afferent somatosensory system. These findings stress the general importance of glycogen in neural energy metabolism and indicate a special role for the glycogen phosphorylase BB isozyme in neurones in the somatosensory system.
JKK1, an upstream activator of JNK/SAPK, is activated in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Zhu Xiongwei , Ogawa Osamu , Wang Yang , Perry George , Smith Mark A. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractJNK/SAPK has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, but the upstream cascade leading to JNK/SAPK activation has not been elucidated in the disease. In this study, we focused on one of the physiological activators of JNK/SAPK, JNK kinase 1 (JKK1). Although there was no significant difference in the level and distribution of total JKK1 between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age‐matched control cases, increased levels of activated phospho‐JKK1 were specifically localized to neurofibrillary pathology including neurofibrillary tangles, senile plaque neurites, granulovaualar degenerations and neuropil threads in severe AD (Braak stage V–VI), considerably overlapping with its downstream effector, phospho‐JNK/SAPK, suggesting both a functional and mechanistic link. Nuclear localization of phospho‐JKK1 was also found in mild (Braak stage III–IV) but not in severe AD cases (Braak stage V–VI), suggesting a possible re‐distribution correlating with the progress of the disease. By immunoblot analyses, phospho‐JKK1 was significantly increased in AD over control cases. Together, these findings lend further credence to the notion that the JNK/SAPK pathway is dysregulated in AD and also indicate an active role for this pathway in disease pathogenesis.
Human group IIA secretory phospholipase A2potentiates Ca2+influx through L‐type voltage‐sensitive Ca2+channels in cultured rat cortical neurons
Authors: Yagami Tatsurou , Ueda Keiichi , Asakura Kenji , Nakazato Hitoshi , Hata Satoshi , Kuroda Takayuki , Sakaeda Toshiyuki , Sakaguchi Gaku , Itoh Naohiro , Hashimoto Yutaka , Hori Yozo 
Published: July 2010

AbstractMammalian group IIA secretory phospholipase A2(sPLA2‐IIA) generates prostaglandin D2(PGD2) and triggers apoptosis in cortical neurons. However, mechanisms of PGD2generation and apoptosis have not yet been established. Therefore, we examined how second messengers are involved in the sPLA2‐IIA‐induced neuronal apoptosis in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons. sPLA2‐IIA potentiated a marked influx of Ca2+into neurons before apoptosis. A calcium chelator and a blocker of the L‐type voltage‐sensitive Ca2+channel (L‐VSCC) prevented neurons from sPLA2‐IIA‐induced neuronal cell death in a concentration‐dependent manner. Furthermore, the L‐VSCC blocker ameliorated sPLA2‐IIA‐induced morphologic alterations and apoptotic features such as condensed chromatin and fragmented DNA. Other blockers of VSCCs such as N type and P/Q types did not affect the neurotoxicity of sPLA2‐IIA. Blockers of L‐VSCC significantly suppressed sPLA2‐IIA‐enhanced Ca2+influx into neurons. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were generated prior to apoptosis. Radical scavengers reduced not only ROS generation, but also the sPLA2‐IIA‐induced Ca2+influx and apoptosis. In conclusion, we demonstrated that sPLA2‐IIA potentiates the influx of Ca2+into neurons via L‐VSCC. Furthermore, the present study suggested that eicosanoids and ROS generated during arachidonic acid oxidative metabolism are involved in sPLA2‐IIA‐induced apoptosis in cooperation with Ca2+.
Lithium enhances long‐term potentiation independently of hippocampal neurogenesis in the rat dentate gyrus
Authors: Son Hyeon , Yu In Tag , Hwang Se‐Jin , Kim Jin Seuk , Lee Sang‐Hum , Lee Yong‐Sung , Kaang Bong‐Kiun 
Published: July 2010

AbstractWe measured the temporal and spatial profiles of neural precursor cells, hippocampal long‐term potentiation (LTP), and signaling molecules in neurogenesis‐induced adult rats. Chronic lithium treatment produced a significant 54% and 40% increase in the numbers of bromodeoxyuridine [BrdU(+)] cells after 12 h and 28 days, respectively, after treatment completion in the dentate gyrus (DG). Both LTP obtained from slices perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF‐LTP) and LTP recorded in the presence of bicuculline (bicuculline‐LTP) were significantly greater in the lithium group than in the saline controls. Although the number of BrdU(+) cells, approximately 90% of which were double‐labeled with a neural marker neuronal nuclear protein, were markedly increased in the granule cell layer (GCL) 28 days after the completion of the 28‐day lithium treatment, the magnitude of LTP observed at this time was similar to that observed 12 h after completing the 28‐day lithium treatment. However, protein levels of calcium and calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II, p‐Elk and TrkB were highly elevated until 28 days after the 28‐day lithium treatment. Acute lithium treatment for 2 days also enhanced LTP, which was accompanied by the elevated expression of p‐CREB, but not by neurogenesis. Our results suggest that the enhancement of LTP is independent of the increased number of neurons per se and it is more closely associated with key molecules, which are probably involved in neurogenesis.
Subcellular segregation of distinct heteromeric NMDA glutamate receptors in the striatum
Authors: Dunah Anthone W. , Standaert David G. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractFunctionalN‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors are composed of heteromeric complexes of NR1, the obligatory subunit for channel activity, and NR2 or NR3 family members, which confer variability in the properties of the receptors. Recent studies have provided evidence for the existence of both binary (containing NR1 and either NR2A or NR2B) and ternary (containing NR1, NR2A, and NR2B) receptor complexes in the adult mammalian brain. However, the mechanisms regulating subunit assembly and receptor localization are not well understood. In the CNS, NMDA subunits are present both at intracellular sites and the post‐synaptic membrane of neurons. Using biochemical protein fractionation and co‐immunoprecipitation approaches we have found that in rat striatum binary NMDA receptors are widely distributed, and can be identified in the light membrane, synaptosomal membrane, and synaptic vesicle‐enriched subcellular compartments. In contrast, ternary receptors are found exclusively in the synaptosomal membranes. When striatal proteins are chemically cross‐linked prior to subcellular fractionation, ternary NMDA receptors can be precipitated from the light membrane and synaptic vesicle‐enriched fractions where this type of receptor complex is not detectable under normal conditions. These findings suggest differential targeting of distinct types of NMDA receptor assemblies between intracellular and post‐synaptic sites based on subunit composition. This targeting may underlie important differences in the regulation of the transport pathways involved in both normal as well as pathological receptor functions.
Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5‐regulated Elk‐1 phosphorylation and immediate early gene expression in striatal neurons
Authors: Mao Limin , Wang John Q. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe Gαq protein‐coupled metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype‐5 (mGluR5) is densely expressed in medium spiny projection neurons of striatum. Emerging evidence suggests a significant role of mGluR5 in the addictive plasticity of striatal neurons that is likely derived from inducible cellular gene expression related to stimulation of mGluR5 and associative signaling proteins. In this study, we found that activation of mGluR5 with a selective agonist (RS)‐2‐chloro‐5‐hydroxy‐phenylglycine (CHPG) induced a rapid and transient phosphorylation of a transcription regulator Elk‐1 in cultured striatal neurons from rat E19 embryos or neonatal day‐1 pups. The Elk‐1 phosphorylation was dose‐dependent and occurred in neurochemically identified GABAergic neurons, but not glia. A series of experiments further demonstrated that the CHPG‐stimulated Elk‐1 phosphorylation was mediated through selective activation of mGluR5‐regulated phospholipase C and associative second messenger system, i.e. 1,4,5,‐triphosphate‐sensitive Ca2+ release. Moreover, the Elk‐1 phosphorylation was partially dependent on mGluR5‐mediated co‐activation of NMDA, but not kainate/AMPA receptors and L‐type voltage‐operated Ca2+ channels. Using an immediate early gene c‐fos as a report of inducible gene expression, we found that CHPG induced marked c‐fos mRNA expression. The c‐fos induction kinetically corresponded to the Elk‐1 phosphorylation and was attenuated by antisense oligonucleotides that selectively knocked down Elk‐1 proteins. These results indicate that glutamatergic tone on mGluR5 is positively coupled to Elk‐1 phosphorylation in striatal neurons via multiple signaling mechanisms involving Ca2+ release and NMDA activation, and the mGluR5‐mediated Elk‐1 phosphorylation facilitates gene transcription.