bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic and environmental effects on the continuity of ejaculatory dysfunction
Authors: Jern Patrick , Santtila Pekka , Johansson Ada , Sandnabba N. Kenneth 
Published: October 2009

Study Type – Symptom prevalence (retrospective cohort) Level of Evidence 2bOBJECTIVESTo investigate temporal continuity in ejaculatory dysfunction by comparing self‐reported experiences of premature ejaculation (PE) at first intercourse with self‐reported PE and delayed ejaculation at present, and to clarify whether and to what extent genetic or environmental factors affect continuity in ejaculatory dysfunction, as previous studies indicate moderate heritability for PE at first intercourse.SUBJECTS AND METHODSThe study comprised retrospective self‐reported data on ejaculatory performance at first sexual intercourse and a concurrent self‐report of the same at the time of data collection in a population‐based sample of 2633 Finnish twins and their siblings aged 18–48 years (mean 26.63, sd 4.68). The continuity of ejaculatory function was assessed by correlation and multiple regression. Reasons for continuity were separated into genetic and environmental sources using twin‐model fitting.RESULTSEjaculatory function, particularly PE, was stable over time. Genetic effects accounted for ≈30% of the variance in PE both at first intercourse and when measured at data collection. Unshared environmental effects accounted for most of the variance (≈70%). Genetic effects were almost identical between the sample occasions, but there was a substantial discrepancy between unshared environmental effects affecting PE at first intercourse and unshared environmental effects affecting PE later in life. Age effects were generally negligible. Data were self‐reported and retrospective, and thus vulnerable to response bias.CONCLUSIONSEjaculatory dysfunction seems to be temporally stable both in the short and long term. Genes that contribute to the variance in PE at first intercourse are similar to those that contribute to the variance in PE later in life, whereas there are, in this regard, substantial differences in the unshared environmental factors that are a cause of PE.
Positive Illusions, Perceived Control and the Free Will Debate
Authors: NADELHOFFER THOMAS , MATVEEVA TATYANA 
Published: October 2009

Abstract:It is a common assumption among both philosophers and psychologists that having accurate beliefs about ourselves and the world around us is always the epistemic gold standard. However, there is gathering data from social psychology that suggest that illusions are quite prevalent in our everyday thinking and that some of these illusions may even be conducive to our overall well being. In this paper, we explore the relevance of these so‐called ‘positive illusions' to the free will debate. More specifically, we use the literature on positive illusions as a springboard for examining Saul Smilansky's so‐called ‘free will illusionism’. At the end of the day, we will use data from both social and developmental psychology concerning perceived control to try to show that his view is on shaky empirical footing.
Changes in cholesterol biosynthetic and transport pathways after excitotoxicity
Authors: Kim Ji‐Hyun , Jittiwat Jinatta , Ong Wei‐Yi , Farooqui Akhlaq A. , Jenner Andrew M. 
Published: October 2009

J. Neurochem. (2010) 112, 34–41.AbstractThe present study was carried out to elucidate changes in the gene expression and activity of cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes and transporters in the rat hippocampus after kainate excitotoxicity. Significantly increased cholesterol level was detected in the degenerating hippocampus, reaching double normal levels at 1 week after kainate injury. RT‐PCR analyses of hippocampal homogenates showed significantly decreased mRNA expression of the transcription factor controlling cholesterol biosynthesis SREBP‐2, and the rate‐controlling enzyme HMG‐CoA (3‐hydroxy‐3‐methyl‐glutaryl‐CoA) reductase at all time points after kainate injection; and decreased lanosterol synthase and CYP51 at 1 and 2 weeks post‐kainate injection respectively. GC‐MS analyses showed a significant increase in cholesterol biosynthetic precursors lanosterol, desmosterol and 7‐dehydrocholesterol at 1 day after kainate injection presumably reflecting biosysnthesis in injured neurons, and significant decreases in precursors at 1 and 2 weeks post‐kainate injection, at time of gliosis in the degenerating hippocampus. Levels of cholesterol autooxidation including 7 ketocholesterol and cholesterol epoxides were elevated in the kainate lesioned hippocampus. Furthermore, loss of expression of the cholesterol transporter, ABCA1 was detected in neurons, but increased expression in astrocytes was detected after kainate lesions. The results suggest that increased cholesterol biosynthesis and loss of ABCA1 expression in injured neurons might result in increase in cholesterol in the degenerating hippocampus. The increased cholesterol might predispose to increased formation of cholesterol oxidation products which have been shown to be toxic to neurons.
Nature and consequences of mammalian brain and CSF efflux transporters: four decades of progress
Authors: Spector Reynold 
Published: October 2009

J. Neurochem.(2010)112, 13–23.AbstractIn the last 40 years, especially with the application of new neurochemical and molecular biological techniques, there has been explosive progress in understanding how certain ligands and drugs are transported across the blood‐brain barrier and choroid plexus out of brain and CSF. In the CNS, there are several separate efflux transporters with very broad specificity that are responsible for much of the efflux transport. This review focuses on three such transporters: organic acid transporter‐3, peptide transporter‐2 and P‐glycoprotein for which there is substantial new information including ‘knockout’ models in mice and, in one case, dogs. Moreover, the structural biology and transport mechanism of P‐glycoprotein at 3.8 angstroms is described. The overall objective is to show how this new knowledge provides a more thorough understanding (e.g., of molecular mechanisms) of efflux transport and in several cases leads to clinically relevant information that allows better treatment of certain CNS disorders (e.g., meningitis and brain cancer).
A novel role for calcium/calmodulin kinase II within the brainstem pedunculopontine tegmentum for the regulation of wakefulness and rapid eye movement sleep
Authors: Stack Edward C. , Desarnaud Frank , Siwek Donald F. , Datta Subimal 
Published: October 2009

J. Neurochem. (2010) 112, 271–281.AbstractConsiderable evidence suggests that the brainstem pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPT) neurons are critically involved in the regulation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and wakefulness (W); however, the molecular mechanisms operating within the PPT to regulate these two behavioral states remain relatively unknown. Here we demonstrate that the levels of calcium/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) and phosphorylated CaMKII expression in the PPT decreased and increased with ‘low W with high REM sleep’ and ‘high W/low REM sleep’ periods, respectively. These state‐specific expression changes were not observed in the cortex, or in the immediately adjacent medial pontine reticular formation. Next, we demonstrate that CaMKII activity in the PPT is negatively and positively correlated with the ‘low W with high REM sleep’ and ‘high W/low REM sleep’ periods, respectively. These differences in correlations were not seen in the medial pontine reticular formation CaMKII activity. Finally, we demonstrate that with increased PPT CaMKII activity observed during high W/low REM sleep, there were marked shifts in the expression of genes that are involved in components of various signal transduction pathways. Collectively, these results for the first time suggest that the increased CaMKII activity within PPT neurons is associated with increased W at the expense of REM sleep, and this process is accomplished through the activation of a specific gene expression profile.
Combinatorial interaction between two human serotonin transporter gene variable number tandem repeats and their regulation by CTCF
Authors: Ali Fahad R. , Vasiliou Sylvia A. , Haddley Kate , Paredes Ursula M. , Roberts Julian C. , Miyajima Fabio , Klenova Elena , Bubb Vivien J. , Quinn John P. 
Published: October 2009

J. Neurochem. (2010) 112, 296–306.AbstractTwo distinct variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) within the human serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) have been implicated as predisposing factors for CNS disorders. The linked polymorphic region in the 5′‐promoter exists as short (s) and long (l) alleles of a 22 or 23 bp elements. The second within intron 2 (Stin2) exists as three variants containing 9, 10 or 12 copies of a 16 or 17 bp element. These VNTRs, individually or in combination, supported differential reporter gene expression in rat neonate prefrontal cortical cultures. The level of reporter gene activity from the dual VNTR constructs indicated combinatorial action between the two domains. Chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated that both these VNTR domains can bind the CCCTC‐binding factor and this correlated with the ability of exogenously supplied CCCTC‐binding factor to modulate the expression supported by these reporter gene constructs. We suggest that the potential for interaction between multiple polymorphic domains should be incorporated into genetic association studies.
The PDZ domain protein CAL interacts with mGluR5a and modulates receptor expression
Authors: Cheng Shan , Zhang Jiuqin , Zhu Ping , Ma Yanmei , Xiong Ying , Sun Licui , Xu Jianguo , Zhang Hong , He Junqi 
Published: October 2009

J. Neurochem. (2010) 112, 588–598.AbstractIn this study, we investigated the association of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype‐5a (mGluR5a) with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator‐associated ligand (CAL). Using glutathione‐S‐transferase pull‐down techniques, we found that mGluR5a directly interacted with CAL, with the C‐terminus of the receptor binding to the PSD95/Discslarge/ZO‐1 homology domain of CAL. The last four amino acids (S‐S‐S‐L) of the C‐terminus of the receptor were essential determinants for the interaction. Co‐immunoprecipitation experiments and immunofluorescence assays revealed that full‐length mGluR5a also associated with intact CAL in vivo, an observation consistent with the results from studies on fragment interactions in vitro. Functionally, upon co‐expression with mGluR5a, CAL profoundly inhibited the ubiquitination of mGluR5a and enhanced receptor expression at the protein level but not at the mRNA level. These findings reveal that mGluR5a protein expression is physiologically regulated via its interaction with CAL. These results also suggest a molecular mechanism by which mGluR5a protein expression may be regulated at the post‐translational level by the CAL protein, possibly by blocking ubiquitination‐dependent receptor degradation.
Soft X‐ray spectro‐tomography study of cyanobacterial biomineral nucleation
Authors: OBST M. , WANG J. , HITCHCOCK A. P. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractQuantitative three‐dimensional (3D) chemical mapping using angle‐scan spectro‐tomography in a scanning transmission (soft) X‐ray microscope (STXM) has been used for the first time to characterize the early stages of CaCO3 biomineral nucleation on the surface of planktonic freshwater cyanobacterial cells of the strain Synechococcus leopoliensis PCC 7942. The apparatus for STXM angle‐scan tomography is described. Aspects of sample preparation, sample mounting and data acquisition and quantitative analysis and interpretation are discussed in detail. Angle‐scan tomography and chemically selective 3D imaging at multiple photon energies has been combined with a complete 2D spectromicroscopic characterization of the biochemical and mineralogical composition. This has provided detailed insights into the mechanisms of mineral nucleation, leading to development of a detailed model of CaCO3 nucleation by the cyanobacterial strain S. leopoliensis PCC 7942. It shows that Ca is absorbed by the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of the cyanobacteria and that CaCO3 with aragonite‐like short‐range order is precipitated rather homogeneously within the EPS. The precipitation of the thermodynamically more stable calcite polymorph then starts at Ca‐rich hot spots within the EPS and close to the cyanobacteria.
Release of ATP from rat urinary bladder mucosa: role of acid, vanilloids and stretch
Authors: Sadananda P , Shang F , Liu L , Mansfield KJ , Burcher E 
Published: October 2009

Background and purpose:  ATP, released from urothelial cells, modulates afferent nerve firing from the urinary bladder. Here, we have characterized ATP release from the rat bladder mucosa in response to acid, capsaicin, electrical field stimulation (EFS) and stretch, using agonists and antagonists at transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) and acid‐sensing ion channels (ASICs).Experimental approach:  Rat mucosal strips (containing urothelium and lamina propria) in Perspex microbaths were superfused with Krebs solution. ATP was measured after exposure of matched strips to acid (pH 6.6–5.0), capsaicin (0.1–10 µM), EFS or stretch (150% of original length).Key results:  Median basal ATP release was 3.46 nmol·g−1. The mucosal strips responded to stimuli with potency order (median, IQR): acid (pH 5.6–6.0) 286 (103–555) > 10 µM capsaicin 188 (117–431) > 10 Hz EFS 63.0 (13.3–96.4) > stretch 24.4 (6.73–55.1) nmol ATP g−1. ATP release in response to acid was pH dependent (P < 0.05). Responses to capsaicin did not desensitize nor were they concentration dependent. TRPV1 antagonist, capsazepine (10 µM) abolished capsaicin‐evoked ATP release, and reduced acid‐evoked (pH 6.5) release to 30% (P < 0.001). The ASIC channel antagonists gadolinium (0.1 mM) and amiloride (0.3 µM) reduced (P < 0.05) the acid‐evoked (pH 6.5) release to 40 and 6.5% respectively. ASIC (ASIC1, ASIC2a, ASIC2b, ASIC3) and two TRPV1 gene products were detected in mucosal and detrusor extracts.Conclusions and implications:  Capsaicin (at TRPV1) and acid (at both TRPV1 and ASIC) induce ATP release from the rat bladder mucosa. This ATP appears to be principally of urothelial origin. This study highlights the importance of ATP and acid as signalling molecules in modulating bladder function.
The Intersection of Sex, Marital Status, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Shaping Stroke Incidence: Results from the Health and Retirement Study
Authors: Maselko Joanna , Bates Lisa M. , Avendaño Mauricio , Glymour M. Maria 
Published: October 2009

OBJECTIVES: To examine the role of sex and marital status in the distribution and consequences of cardiovascular risk factors for stroke.DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort.SETTING: U.S. national sample, community based.PARTICIPANTS: U.S. adults aged 50 and older and their spouses.MEASUREMENTS: Health and Retirement Study (HRS) participants born between 1900 and 1947 (N=22,818), aged 50 and older, and stroke‐free at baseline were followed an average of 9.4 years for self‐ or proxy‐reported stroke (2,372 events). Financial resources, behavioral risk factors, and cardiovascular conditions were used to predict incident stroke in Cox proportional hazard models stratified according to sex and marital status (married, widowed, divorced or separated, or never married).RESULTS: Women were less likely to be married than men. The distribution of risk factors differed according to sex and marital status. Men had higher incident stroke rates than women, even after full risk factor adjustment (hazard ratio (HR)=1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.11–1.34). For both sexes, being never married or widowed predicted greater risk, associations that were attenuated after adjustment for financial resources. Widowed men had the highest risk (HR=1.40, 95% CI=1.12–1.74 vs married women). Lower income and wealth were associated with similarly high risk across subgroups, although this risk factor especially affected unmarried women, with this group reporting the lowest income and wealth levels. Most other risk factors had similar HRs across subgroups, although moderate alcohol use did not predict lower stroke risk in unmarried women.CONCLUSION: Stroke incidence and risk factors vary substantially according to sex and marital status. It is likely that gendered social experiences, such as marriage and socioeconomic disadvantage, mediate pathways linking sex and stroke.
Self‐Reported Adherence to Nonpharmacological Treatment and Association with Mortality over 6 Years: Population‐Based Study in Older Persons with Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: León‐Muñoz Luz M. , Guallar‐Castillón Pilar , Graciani Auxiliadora , Rodríguez‐Artalejo Fernando , Banegas José R. 
Published: October 2009

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of self‐reported adherence of older persons with hypercholesterolemia to nonpharmacological treatment prescribed by a physician and to describe its association with mortality.DESIGN: Population‐based prospective study.SETTING: Home interview and physical examination at baseline.PARTICIPANTS: Four thousand eight persons representative of the noninstitutionalized Spanish population aged 60 and older.MEASUREMENTS: Primary exposure variable was self‐reported adherence to nonpharmacological treatment (weight control or loss, increased physical activity, and reduced saturated fat or cholesterol intake) in the 918 persons with known hypercholesterolemia in 2001. The outcome variable was mortality from all causes between 2001 and 2007. The association between self‐reported adherence to nonpharmacological treatment and total mortality was studied using Cox models adjusted for main confounders.RESULTS: Most (83.8%) persons with known hypercholesterolemia reported adherence to at least one nonpharmacological measure, and 29.5% adhered to three measures. Those who reported increasing their physical activity had less mortality than those who did not (hazard ratio (HR)=0.68, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.46–0.99; P<.05). Persons with hypercholesterolemia who reported adherence to one, two, or all three nonpharmacological measures had lower mortality than those who reported adherence to none of the measures (49%, 41%, and 60%, respectively, P for linear trend .002). No independent association with mortality was found for weight control or loss or dietary measures.CONCLUSION: Most of this population with known hypercholesterolemia reported adherence to at least one physician‐prescribed nonpharmacological measure. Reported adherence to all three measures was associated with the lowest mortality.
Do Hierarchical Condition Category Model Scores Predict Hospitalization Risk in Newly Enrolled Medicare Advantage Participants as Well as Probability of Repeated Admission Scores?
Authors: Mosley David G. , Peterson Eileen , Martin David C. 
Published: October 2009

OBJECTIVES: To compare how well hierarchical condition categories (HCC) and probability of repeated admission (PRA) scores predict hospitalization.DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study with 12‐month follow‐up.SETTING: A Medicare Advantage (MA) plan.PARTICIPANTS: Four thousand five hundred six newly enrolled beneficiaries.MEASUREMENT: HCC scores were identified from enrollment files. The PRA tool was administered by mail and telephone. Inpatient admissions were based on notifications. The Mann‐Whitney test was used to compare HCC scores of PRA responders and nonresponders. The receiver operating characteristic curve provided the area under the curve (AUC) for each score. Admission risk in the top 5% of scores was evaluated using logistic regression.RESULTS: Within 60 days of enrollment, 45.1% of the 3,954 beneficiaries with HCC scores completed the PRA tool. HCC scores were lower for the 1,783 PRA respondents than the 2,171 nonrespondents (0.71 vs 0.81, P<.001). AUCs predicting hospitalization with regard to HCC and PRA were similar (0.638, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.603–0.674; 0.654, 95% CI=0.618–0.690). Individuals identified in the top 5% of scores using both tools, using HCC alone, or using PRA alone had higher risk for hospitalization than those below the 95th percentile (odds ratio (OR)=8.5, 95% CI=3.7–19.4, OR=3.8, 95% CI=2.3–6.3, and OR=3.9, 95% CI=2.3–6.4, respectively).CONCLUSION: HCC scores provided to MA plans for risk adjustment of revenue can also be used to identify hospitalization risk. Additional studies are required to evaluate whether a hybrid approach incorporating administrative and self‐reported models would further optimize risk stratification efforts.
The agricultural basis of Umm an‐Nar society in the northern Oman peninsula (2500–2000 BC)
Authors: Al‐Jahwari Nasser Said 
Published: October 2009

This paper argues that the agricultural aspect of the Umm an‐Nar economy has been largely ignored by researchers, due to an overemphasis on copper production and trade. This is true at the level of the smallest rural settlements, villages and settlements whose primary focus was agricultural production.The key social developments of this period have often been explained by linking them to the exploitation of copper ore and its trade with surrounding regions such as Mesopotamia and the Indus. However, this paper will argue — based on quantified pottery analysis — that it is during this time that we see the development, for the first time in the Oman peninsula, of widespread sedentary occupation that was based on small agricultural villages where there is no evidence of copper ore exploitation, thus suggesting that the economic basis of Umm an‐Nar society was essentially agricultural.Furthermore, it will be argued that, through the use of a new survey methodology, it is possible to locate such settlements, even where they have left no traces of monuments, such as tombs or round towers. The methodology allows preliminary comparisons to be made between the intensity of occupation in different periods. The paper also argues that the Umm an‐Nar period was one of the most intensive periods of occupation in pre‐Islamic history.
Implementation of a multidisciplinary guideline‐driven approach to the care of the extremely premature infant improved hospital outcomes
Authors: Nankervis CA , Martin EM , Crane ML , Samson KS , Welty SE , Nelin LD 
Published: October 2009

AbstractAim:  To test the hypothesis that implementing guidelines for the standardized care of the extremely premature infant (<27 weeks) in the first week of life would improve patient outcomes in an all referral NICU.Methods:  Data were collected on all infants <27 weeks gestational age and <7 days of age on admission cared for using these small baby guidelines (SBG), as well as on all age‐matched infants admitted the year prior (comparison).Results:  Thirty‐seven patients were cared for utilizing the SBG and 40 patients were in the comparison group. There were no differences between the groups in gestational age, birthweight or age on admission. There was no difference in survival to discharge (73% SBG, 70% comparison). The mean length of stay for survivors was 112 ± 38 days SBG and 145 ± 76 days (p < 0.05) comparison group. Survival without BPD was greater in the SBG group (24%) than in the comparison group (9%; p < 0.05), and survival without severe IVH was greater in the SBG group (65%) than in the comparison group (38%; p < 0.01).Conclusions:  These data demonstrate that applying a unified approach to the care of the extremely premature infant in the first week of life resulted in a decrease in the length of hospitalization and improved patient outcomes.
Does teaching complex sentences have to be complicated? Lessons from children's online writing
Authors: Kelly Alison , Safford Kimberly 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis paper draws upon data from a research project, undertaken in 2 Year 6 classrooms during the 2006 World Cup, to analyse how children used complex sentence structures in their writing on a football web‐log. We explore how the confluence of a temporary, popular, global event and an online forum for communication created a moment of linguistic empowerment where pupils began to use high‐level forms of language, and we consider the implications of transience and interactivity for the teaching and learning of sentence grammar.