bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Chronic kidney disease in pregnancy requiring first‐time dialysis
Authors: Sato Jussara L. , De Oliveira Leandro , Kirsztajn Gianna M. , Sass Nelson 
Published: June 2010

AbstractObjectiveTo report on the treatment and outcome of pregnancy in 29 women with chronic kidney disease (CKD), 24 of whom had moderate or severe renal dysfunction.MethodsRenal dysfunction at the onset of pregnancy was stratified: serum creatinine ≤ 1.4 mg/dL was defined as mild; 1.5–2.5 mg/dL was defined as moderate; and > 2.5 mg/dL was defined as severe renal insufficiency. Clinical complications and perinatal outcomes were evaluated.ResultsThe average serum creatinine level at the beginning of pregnancy was 3.32 mg/dL (range, 1.2–7.1 mg/dL), and the average urine protein level was 1.51 g in 24 hours (range, 0.1–5.6 g in 24 hours). Dialysis therapy was necessary for 1 woman with mild renal dysfunction, 4 patients with moderate renal dysfunction, and 17 patients with severe renal dysfunction.ConclusionThe use of dialysis in pregnancy among women with moderate or severe renal dysfunction proved to be useful, but many patients became dependent on dialysis. It is not known whether this was due to the interaction between pregnancy and advanced CKD.
In vivo modulation of 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) phosphorylation by watercress: a pilot study
Authors: Syed Alwi Sharifah S. , Cavell Breeze E. , Telang Urvi , Morris Marilyn E. , Parry Barbara M. , Packham Graham 
Published: June 2010

Dietary intake of isothiocyanates (ITC) has been associated with reduced cancer risk. The dietary phenethyl ITC (PEITC) has previously been shown to decrease the phosphorylation of the translation regulator 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1). Decreased 4E-BP1 phosphorylation has been linked to the inhibition of cancer cell survival and decreased activity of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), a key positive regulator of angiogenesis, and may therefore contribute to potential anti-cancer effects of PEITC. In the present study, we have investigated the in vitro and in vivo effects of watercress, which is a rich source of PEITC. We first demonstrated that, similar to PEITC, crude watercress extracts inhibited cancer cell growth and HIF activity in vitro. To examine the effects of dietary intake of watercress, we obtained plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells following the ingestion of an 80 g portion of watercress from healthy participants who had previously been treated for breast cancer. Analysis of PEITC in plasma samples from nine participants demonstrated a mean maximum plasma concentration of 297 nm following the ingestion of watercress. Flow cytometric analysis of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation in peripheral blood cells from four participants demonstrated significantly reduced 4E-BP1 phosphorylation at 6 and 8 h following the ingestion of watercress. Although further investigations with larger numbers of participants are required to confirm these findings, this pilot study suggests that flow cytometry may be a suitable approach to measure changes in 4E-BP1 phosphorylation following the ingestion of watercress, and that dietary intake of watercress may be sufficient to modulate this potential anti-cancer pathway.
Reanimation following facial palsy: present and future directions
Authors: Ramakrishnan Y , Alam S , Kotecha A , Gillett D , D'Souza A 
Published: June 2010

AbstractBackground:An understanding of the management of chronic facial palsy is vital for otolaryngologists, due to its common presentation to ENT surgeons. There is currently a lack of consensus on the optimum management of this condition. This article reviews the existing literature and offers a perspective on current management, as well as an insight into future treatments.Methods:A literature search was performed, using the Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases from 1966 to the present, using the keywords listed below. Articles were reviewed. Selection was limited to English language articles on human subjects.Results and conclusion:A tailored, multidisciplinary approach using combinatorial therapy should be used for reanimation of the face following facial palsy. Advances in surgical and non-surgical techniques, and the exchange of information from centres of excellence via global databases, will enable objective appraisal of results and the development of an evidence-based approach to facial reanimation.
Between markets and geo-politics: natural resource exploitation on Spitsbergen from 1600 to the present day
Authors: Avango Dag , Hacquebord Louwrens , Aalders Ypie , De Haas Hidde , Gustafsson Ulf , Kruse Frigga 
Published: June 2010

ABSTRACTWhat are the driving forces behind large scale natural resource exploitation in the polar regions and how should we understand the relations between these forces? New historical-archaeological research performed during the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2009 on whaling, hunting and mining in Spitsbergen (1600–present) show both economic and geopolitical factors driving the development of those industries, both the whaling industries in the 17th century and 1900’s, and the mining industry of the early 20th century. However, the relation between these driving forces has differed, both between time periods and between actors. In most cases economic motives provided the main rationale for utilising resources and for government support for resource exploiters, but in some instances governments would support even unprofitable ventures in order to maintain a foothold on Spitsbergen.
The weirdest people in the world?
Authors: Henrich Joseph , Heine Steven J. , Norenzayan Ara 
Published: June 2010

AbstractBehavioral scientists routinely publish broad claims about human psychology and behavior in the world's top journals based on samples drawn entirely from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies. Researchers – often implicitly – assume that either there is little variation across human populations, or that these “standard subjects” are as representative of the species as any other population. Are these assumptions justified? Here, our review of the comparative database from across the behavioral sciences suggests both that there is substantial variability in experimental results across populations and that WEIRD subjects are particularly unusual compared with the rest of the species – frequent outliers. The domains reviewed include visual perception, fairness, cooperation, spatial reasoning, categorization and inferential induction, moral reasoning, reasoning styles, self-concepts and related motivations, and the heritability of IQ. The findings suggest that members of WEIRD societies, including young children, are among the least representative populations one could find for generalizing about humans. Many of these findings involve domains that are associated with fundamental aspects of psychology, motivation, and behavior – hence, there are no obviousa priorigrounds for claiming that a particular behavioral phenomenon is universal based on sampling from a single subpopulation. Overall, these empirical patterns suggests that we need to be less cavalier in addressing questions ofhumannature on the basis of data drawn from this particularly thin, and rather unusual, slice of humanity. We close by proposing ways to structurally re-organize the behavioral sciences to best tackle these challenges.
Weird people, yes, but also weird experiments
Authors: Baumard Nicolas , Sperber Dan 
Published: June 2010

AbstractWhile we agree that the cultural imbalance in the recruitment of participants in psychology experiments is highly detrimental, we emphasize the need to complement this criticism with a warning about the “weirdness” of some cross-cultural studies showing seemingly deep cultural differences. We take the example of economic games and suggest that the variety of results observed in these games may not be due to deep psychological differences per se, but rather due to different interpretations of the situation.
Weirdness is in the eye of the beholder
Authors: Bennis Will M. , Medin Douglas L. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractHenrich et al.'s critical review demonstrating that psychology research is over-reliant on WEIRD samples is an important contribution to the field. Their stronger claim that “WEIRD subjects are particularly unusual” is less convincing, however. We argue that WEIRD people's apparent distinct weirdness is a methodological side-effect of psychology's over-reliance on WEIRD populations for developing its methods and theoretical constructs.
What is really wrong with a priori claims of universality? Sampling, validity, process level, and the irresistible drive to reduce
Authors: Rochat Philippe 
Published: June 2010

AbstractCatchy acronyms such as “WEIRD population” are good mnemonics. However, they carry the danger of distracting us from deeper issues: how to sample populations, the validity of measuring instruments, the levels of processing involved. These need to be considered when assessing claims of universality regarding how the mind works “in general” – a dominant and highly rewarded drive in the behavioral and brain sciences.
Donald Campbell's doubt: Cultural difference or failure of communication?
Authors: Shweder Richard A. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractThe objection, rightfully noted but then dismissed by Henrich et al., that the observed variation across populations “may be due to various methodological artifacts that arise from translating experiments across contexts” is a theoretically profound and potentially constructive criticism. It parallels Donald Campbell's concern that many cultural differences reported by psychologists “come from failures of communication misreported as differences.” Ironically, Campbell's doubt is a good foundation for investigations in cultural psychology.
The weirdest brains in the world
Authors: Chiao Joan Y. , Cheon Bobby K. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractHenrich et al. provide a compelling argument about a bias in the behavioral sciences to study human behavior primarily in WEIRD populations. Here we argue that brain scientists are susceptible to similar biases, sampling primarily from WEIRD populations; and we discuss recent evidence from cultural neuroscience demonstrating the importance and viability of investigating culture across multiple levels of analysis.
Getting beyond the “convenience sample” in research on early cognitive development
Authors: Fernald Anne 
Published: June 2010

AbstractResearch on the early development of fundamental cognitive and language capacities has focused almost exclusively on infants from middle-class families, excluding children living in poverty who may experience less cognitive stimulation in the first years of life. Ignoring such differences limits our ability to discover the potentially powerful contributions of environmental support to the ontogeny of cognitive and language abilities.
Across Zomia with merchants, monks, and musk: process geographies, trade networks, and the Inner-East–Southeast Asian borderlands
Authors: Giersch C. Patterson 
Published: June 2010

AbstractFor several decades, theorists have challenged notions of geographical space as fixed, instead arguing that spatial scales and regional configurations respond to transformations in politics and economies. This has raised questions about permanent regional studies configurations (such as Southeast Asia), sparking the proposal of ‘Zomia’, an alternative region focusing on Asia’s highland borderlands. Building on these developments, this article employs ‘process geography’ methodologies to reconstruct trading networks through the mountains and river valleys of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Inner Asia’s Kham, East Asia’s Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, and Southeast Asia. In doing so, it reveals who traded commodities, on what scales they operated, and how their increasingly complex networks were imbricated with state and local power. These networks linked Zomian communities to Chinese and global transformations and influenced local cultural and political changes, suggesting that studies of mobility can uncover hidden geographies of social, political, and cultural change.
Are the Central Himalayas in Zomia? Some scholarly and political considerations across time and space
Authors: Shneiderman Sara 
Published: June 2010

AbstractThis article examines the applicability of the Zomia concept for social scientific studies of the Himalayan region, with a focus on the Central Himalayas. While for both empirical and political reasons the term Zomia itself may not be entirely appropriate to the Himalayan Massif, the analytical imperatives that underlie James C. Scott’s usage of it – particularly the emphasis on the ethnic, national, and religious fluidity of highland communities, and their intentionality and agency vis-à-vis the states with which they engage – can be of great utility to those working in the Himalayan region. Through a historical review of the area tradition of ‘Himalayan studies’, as well as an ethnographic sketch of the cross-border Thangmi community of Nepal, India, and China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region, I argue that the potential power of the Zomia concept hinges on its ability to provide an additional framework for analysis (and perhaps political struggle), that adds value to, rather than replaces, ‘traditional’ nation-state rubrics.
Crystal structure and functional characterization of an immunomodulatory salivary cystatin from the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata
Authors: Salát Jiří , Paesen Guido C. , Řezáčová Pavlína , Kotsyfakis Michalis , Kovářová Zuzana , Šanda Miloslav , Majtán Juraj , Grunclová Lenka , Horká Helena , Andersen John F. , Brynda Jiří , Horn Martin , Nunn Miles A. , Kopáček Petr , Kopecký Jan , Mareš Michael 
Published: June 2010

The saliva of blood-feeding parasites is a rich source of peptidase inhibitors that help to overcome the host's defence during host–parasite interactions. Using proteomic analysis, the cystatin OmC2 was demonstrated in the saliva of the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata, an important disease vector transmitting African swine fever virus and the spirochaete Borrelia duttoni. A structural, biochemical and biological characterization of this peptidase inhibitor was undertaken in the present study. Recombinant OmC2 was screened against a panel of physiologically relevant peptidases and was found to be an effective broad-specificity inhibitor of cysteine cathepsins, including endopeptidases (cathepsins L and S) and exopeptidases (cathepsins B, C and H). The crystal structure of OmC2 was determined at a resolution of 2.45 Å (1 Å=0.1 nm) and was used to describe the structure–inhibitory activity relationship. The biological impact of OmC2 was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. OmC2 affected the function of antigen-presenting mouse dendritic cells by reducing the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor α and interleukin-12, and proliferation of antigen-specific CD4+ T-cells. This suggests that OmC2 may suppress the host's adaptive immune response. Immunization of mice with OmC2 significantly suppressed the survival of O. moubata in infestation experiments. We conclude that OmC2 is a promising target for the development of a novel anti-tick vaccine to control O. moubata populations and combat the spread of associated diseases.
Bone morphogenetic protein and growth differentiation factor cytokine families and their protein antagonists
Authors: Rider Christopher C. , Mulloy Barbara 
Published: June 2010

The BMPs (bone morphogenetic proteins) and the GDFs (growth and differentiation factors) together form a single family of cystine-knot cytokines, sharing the characteristic fold of the TGFβ (transforming growth factor-β) superfamily. Besides the ability to induce bone formation, which gave the BMPs their name, the BMP/GDFs display morphogenetic activities in the development of a wide range of tissues. BMP/GDF homo- and hetero-dimers interact with combinations of type I and type II receptor dimers to produce multiple possible signalling complexes, leading to the activation of one of two competing sets of SMAD transcription factors. BMP/GDFs have highly specific and localized functions. These are regulated in a number of ways, including the developmental restriction of BMP/GDF expression and through the secretion of several specific BMP antagonist proteins that bind with high affinity to the cytokines. Curiously, a number of these antagonists are also members of the TGF-β superfamily. Finally a number of both the BMP/GDFs and their antagonists interact with the heparan sulphate side chains of cell-surface and extracellular-matrix proteoglycans.
Inhibition of the renin–angiotensin system prevents seizures in a rat model of epilepsy
Authors: Pereira Marilia G.A.G. , Becari Christiane , Oliveira José A.C. , Salgado Maria Cristina O. , Garcia-Cairasco Norberto , Costa-Neto Claudio M. 
Published: June 2010

The RAS (renin–angiotensin system) is classically involved in BP (blood pressure) regulation and water–electrolyte balance, and in the central nervous system it has been mostly associated with homoeostatic processes, such as thirst, hormone secretion and thermoregulation. Epilepsies are chronic neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures that affect 1–3% of the world's population, and the most commonly used anticonvulsants are described to be effective in approx. 70% of the population with this neurological alteration. Using a rat model of epilepsy, we found that components of the RAS, namely ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) and the AT1 receptor (angiotensin II type 1 receptor) are up-regulated in the brain (2.6- and 8.2-fold respectively) following repetitive seizures. Subsequently, epileptic animals were treated with clinically used doses of enalapril, an ACE inhibitor, and losartan, an AT1 receptor blocker, leading to a significant decrease in seizure severities. These results suggest that centrally acting drugs that target the RAS deserve further investigation as possible anticonvulsant agents and may represent an additional strategy in the management of epileptic patients.
Impaired muscle protein anabolic response to insulin and amino acids in heart failure patients: relationship with markers of immune activation
Authors: Toth Michael J. , LeWinter Martin M. , Ades Philip A. , Matthews Dwight E. 
Published: June 2010

Patients with chronic HF (heart failure) experience muscle atrophy during the course of the disease. The mechanisms underlying muscle atrophy in HF, however, are not understood. Thus we evaluated leg phenylalanine balance and kinetics in HF patients and controls following a brief fast (24 h) and under euglycaemic–hyperinsulinaemic–hyperaminoacidaemic conditions to determine whether HF increases muscle protein catabolism in response to nutritional deprivation and/or diminishes the anabolic response to meal-related stimuli (insulin and amino acids) and whether alterations in protein metabolism correlate to circulating cytokine levels. No differences in phenylalanine balance, rate of appearance or rate of disappearance were found between patients and controls under fasting conditions. However, the anabolic response to hyperinsulinaemia–hyperaminoacidaemia was reduced by more than 50% in patients compared with controls. The diminished anabolic response was due to reduced suppression of the leg phenylalanine appearance rate, an index of protein breakdown, in HF patients; whereas no group difference was found in the increase in the leg phenylalanine disappearance rate, an index of protein synthesis. The diminished responses of both phenylalanine balance and appearance rate to hyperinsulinaemia–hyperaminoacidaemia were related to greater circulating IL-6 (interleukin-6) levels. Our results suggest that, following a brief period of nutritional deprivation, HF patients demonstrate an impaired muscle protein anabolic response to meal-related stimuli, due to an inability to suppress muscle proteolysis, and that this diminished protein anabolic response correlates with markers of immune activation. The inability to stimulate muscle protein anabolism following periods of nutritional deficiency may contribute to muscle wasting in HF patients.
Surface residues dynamically organize water bridges to enhance electron transfer between proteins
Authors: de la Lande Aurélien , Babcock Nathan S. , Řezáč Jan , Sanders Barry C. , Salahub Dennis R. 
Published: June 2010

Cellular energy production depends on electron transfer (ET) between proteins. In this theoretical study, we investigate the impact of structural and conformational variations on the electronic coupling between the redox proteins methylamine dehydrogenase and amicyanin from
Paracoccus denitrificans
. We used molecular dynamics simulations to generate configurations over a duration of 40 ns (sampled at 100-fs intervals) in conjunction with an ET pathway analysis to estimate the ET coupling strength of each configuration. In the wild-type complex, we find that the most frequently occurring molecular configurations afford superior electronic coupling due to the consistent presence of a water molecule hydrogen-bonded between the donor and acceptor sites. We attribute the persistence of this water bridge to a “molecular breakwater” composed of several hydrophobic residues surrounding the acceptor site. The breakwater supports the function of nearby solvent-organizing residues by limiting the exchange of water molecules between the sterically constrained ET region and the more turbulent surrounding bulk. When the breakwater is affected by a mutation, bulk solvent molecules disrupt the water bridge, resulting in reduced electronic coupling that is consistent with recent experimental findings. Our analysis suggests that, in addition to enabling the association and docking of the proteins, surface residues stabilize and control interprotein solvent dynamics in a concerted way.
Programmable transdermal drug delivery of nicotine using carbon nanotube membranes
Authors: Wu Ji , Paudel Kalpana S. , Strasinger Caroline , Hammell Dana , Stinchcomb Audra L. , Hinds Bruce J. 
Published: June 2010

Carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes were employed as the active element of a switchable transdermal drug delivery device that can facilitate more effective treatments of drug abuse and addiction. Due to the dramatically fast flow through CNT cores, high charge density, and small pore dimensions, highly efficient electrophoretic pumping through functionalized CNT membrane was achieved. These membranes were integrated with a nicotine formulation to obtain switchable transdermal nicotine delivery rates on human skin (in vitro) and are consistent with a Fickian diffusion in series model. The transdermal nicotine delivery device was able to successfully switch between high (1.3 ± 0.65
μ
mol/hr-cm
2
) and low (0.33 ± 0.22
μ
mol/hr-cm
2
) fluxes that coincide with therapeutic demand levels for nicotine cessation treatment. These highly energy efficient programmable devices with minimal skin irritation and no skin barrier disruption would open an avenue for single application long-wear patches for therapies that require variable or programmable delivery rates.