bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of ABCB1 gene polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of verapamil among healthy Chinese Han ethnic subjects
Authors: Zhao Li‐Mei , He Xiao‐Jing , Qiu Feng , Sun Ya‐Xin , Li‐Ling Jesse 
Published: May 2009

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • The pharmacokinetics of verapamil have been assessed in a number of studies.• As a substrate of P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp), verapamil shows a large inter‐individual variability in terms of plasma concentrations.• It has been confirmed that polymorphisms of the ABCB1 gene at positions 2677 and 3435 are related to the expression and function of P‐gp. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • This study has confirmed that polymorphisms of ABCB1 gene may influence the pharmacokinetics of verapamil among healthy Chinese Han ethnic subjects.AIMSTo assess the association between polymorphisms of the ABCB1 gene and the pharmacokinetics of verapamil among healthy Chinese Han ethnic subjects.METHODSBased on polymorphisms of the ABCB1 gene at positions 2677 and 3435, 24 healthy male participants were divided into three groups: 2677GG/3435CC (n = 6), 2677GT/3435CT (n = 12) and 2677TT/3435TT (n = 6). Each subject had received a single oral dose of verapamil (80 mg) under fasting conditions. Multiple blood samples were collected over 24 h, and plasma concentrations of verapamil were determined by HPLC. Pharmacokinetic characteristics were compared between the different genotypic groups.RESULTSThe pharmacokinetics parameters of verapamil differed significantly among the three genotypic groups. AUC(last) was significantly lower among individuals with the 2677TT/3435TT (159.5 ± 79.0 ng ml−1 h) and 2677GT/3435CT (189.3 ± 73.1 ng ml−1 h) genotypes than those with the 2677GG/3435CC genotype (303.1 ± 83.7 ng ml−1 h) (P= 0.004 and P= 0.008, respectively). However, the CL/F value was higher among subjects with the 2677TT/3435TT (523.0 ± 173.7 l h−1) genotype than those with the 2677GT/3435CT (452.2 ± 188.6 l h−1) or 2677GG/3435CC (265.4 ± 72.8 l h−1) genotypes. A significant difference was also found between the latter two groups (P= 0.034). In addition, the Cmax tended to be higher among subjects with the 2677GG/3435CC genotype than those with the 2677GT/3435CT or 2677TT/3435TT genotypes (42.2 ± 3.9 vs 32.2 ± 16.2 vs 38.1 ± 13.7 ng ml−1).CONCLUSIONSOur study showed for the first time that verapamil pharmacokinetics may be influenced by particular genetic polymorphisms of the ABCB1 gene among healthy Chinese Han ethnic subjects. An individualized dosage regimen design incorporating such information may improve the efficacy of the drug whilst reducing adverse reactions.
Effect of in vitro aspirin stimulation on basophils in patients with aspirin‐exacerbated respiratory disease
Authors: Çelik G. E. , Schroeder J. T. , Hamilton R. G. , Saini S. S. , Adkinson N. F. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryBackground
Basophil activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of aspirin‐exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD). However, a comprehensive analysis of basophil responses to aspirin in terms of mediator release, cytokine secretion and increased expression of surface activation markers has not been performed.Objective
To study the in vitro effects of aspirin on the concurrent release of histamine, leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and IL‐4 from human basophils and to also evaluate changes in surface activation markers (CD63, CD69 and CD203c) expressed by these cells.Methods
Basophil‐enriched cell suspensions from 10 patients with AERD and 10 healthy volunteers were incubated with lysine‐aspirin for up to 3 h. Cells were analysed for expression of CD63, CD69 and CD203c using flow cytometry. Cell‐free supernatants were evaluated for histamine, and LTC4 release and for IL‐4 secretion.Results
Aspirin‐induced expression of CD63, CD69 and CD203c yielded 30%, 80% and 70% sensitivity, respectively, but with poor specificity. There was no significant difference in LTC4 synthesis between groups. None of the patients with AERD (or controls) released IL‐4 in response to aspirin. A higher dose of 5 mg/mL aspirin‐mediated non‐specific effects on basophils.Conclusion
Basophil responses to in vitro aspirin challenge are poor indicators of clinical sensitivity. Aspirin activates some basophils by means of mechanisms that differ from the classical IgE‐mediated pathway. Our study also shows that the use of 27 mm of aspirin (5 mg/mL) by previous investigators causes non‐specific basophil activation, thereby eliminating its usefulness in a cell‐based diagnostic test for AERD. Evaluation of in vitro basophil activation has low clinical value in identifying aspirin‐induced respiratory reactions.
Pulmonary periarterial inflammation in fatal asthma
Authors: Shiang C. , Mauad T. , Senhorini A. , De Araújo B. B. , Ferreira D. S. , Da Silva L. F. F. , Dolhnikoff M. , Tsokos M. , Rabe K. F. , Pabst R. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryBackground
To date, little information has been available about pulmonary artery pathology in asthma. The pulmonary artery supplies the distal parts of the lungs and likely represents a site of immunological reaction in allergic inflammation. The objective of this study was to describe the inflammatory cell phenotype of pulmonary artery adventitial inflammation in lung tissue from patients who died of asthma.Methods
We quantified the different inflammatory cell types in the periarterial region of small pulmonary arteries in lung tissue from 22 patients who died of asthma [fatal asthma (FA)] and 10 control subjects. Using immunohistochemistry and image analysis, we quantified the cell density for T lymphocytes (CD3, CD4, CD8), B lymphocytes (CD20), eosinophils, mast cells (chymase and tryptase), and neutrophils in the adventitial layer of pulmonary arteries with a diameter smaller than 500 μm.Results
Our data (median/interquartile range) demonstrated increased cell density of mast cells [FA=271.8 (148.7) cells/mm2; controls=177.0 (130.3) cells/mm2, P=0.026], eosinophils [FA=23.1 (58.6) cells/mm2; controls=0.0 (2.3) cells/mm2, P=0.012], and neutrophils [FA=50.4 (85.5) cells/mm2; controls=2.9 (30.5) cells/mm2, P=0.009] in the periarterial space in FA. No significant differences were found for B and T lymphocytes or CD4+ or CD8+ subsets. Chymase/tryptase positive (MCCT) mast cells predominated over tryptase (MCT) mast cells in the perivascular arterial space in both asthma patients and controls [MCCT/(MCCT+MCT)=0.91 (0–1) in FA and 0.75 (0–1) in controls, P=0.86].Conclusions
Our results show that the adventitial layer of the pulmonary artery participates in the inflammatory process in FA, demonstrating increased infiltration of mast cells, eosinophils, and neutrophils, but not of T and B lymphocytes.
Effects of hydropower generation and opportunities for environmental flow management in Swedish riverine ecosystems
Authors: RENÖFÄLT BIRGITTA MALM , JANSSON ROLAND , NILSSON CHRISTER 
Published: May 2009

Summary1. Hydropower is often presented as a clean and renewable energy source that is environmentally preferable to fossil fuels or nuclear power. Hydropower production, however, fundamentally transforms rivers and their ecosystems by fragmenting channels and altering river flows. These changes reduce flow velocity and the number of rapids, and reduce or alter wetland, floodplain and delta ecosystems. Dams disrupt dispersal of riverine organisms and sediment dynamics and may alter riverine biodiversity composition and abundance. Freshwater ecosystems now belong among the world’s most threatened ecosystems.2. Water managers are beginning to recognise the need to combine demands for social and economic development with the protection of the resource base on which socio‐economic benefits rely. Environmental flows can help to balance ecosystem and human needs for water, both when constructing new dams and in re‐licensing existing dams.3. We briefly review the impacts of hydropower generation on freshwater ecosystems by discussing different types of dams and development, and by providing examples from Sweden of how environmental effects of hydropower production could be mitigated. Special emphasis is given to flow regulation through re‐operation of dams.4. Regulated rivers in Sweden were developed with little consideration of ecological effects, with most dams lacking migration pathways or minimum flow releases. There is thus a substantial potential for improvement of ecological conditions, such as naturalisation of flow regimes and reestablishment of connectivity, in regulated river reaches but technical hurdles imply major challenges for rehabilitation and mitigation. Most regulated rivers consist of cascades of consecutive reservoirs and impoundments, further constraining possible actions to improve ecological conditions.5. Most environmental mitigation measures require flow modifications to serve ecosystems, implying reduced power production. An important challenge for river management is to identify situations where measures involving relatively small production losses can have major ecological advantages.6. Climate change during the 21st century is expected to increase runoff in northern and central Sweden and make the annual hydrograph more similar to variation in electricity demand, i.e. a lower spring flood and increased run‐off during winter months. This could provide opportunities for operating dams and power stations to the benefit of riverine ecosystems. On the other hand, demands to produce hydropower are likely to increase as fossil fuels are phased out, leading to increased pressures on free‐flowing rivers and aquatic ecosystems.
The effect of long‐term frozen storage on the quality of frozen and thawed mashed potatoes with added cryoprotectant mixtures
Authors: Fernández Cristina , Canet Wenceslao , Dolores Alvarez María 
Published: May 2009

SummaryCryoprotectant mixtures were added to frozen/thawed (F/T) mashed potatoes in the form of amidated low‐methoxyl (ALM) pectin and xanthan gum (XG), kappa‐carrageenan (κ‐C) and XG and sodium caseinate (SC) and XG, and the effect of frozen storage was examined. F/T mashed potatoes without added biopolymers had higher storage modulus G′ after freezing and frozen storage, associated with sponge formation due to amylose retrogradation. Oscillatory measurements indicated weakening of the structure of mashed potatoes without biopolymers and with added κ‐C/XG and SC/XG mixtures at the end of storage due to ice recrystallisation, whereas the structure of samples with added ALM/XG mixtures was reinforced by increasing time in storage. Mashed potatoes with added mixtures exhibited water‐holding capacity for 1 year. Samples with added κ‐C/XG mixtures were more structured, although when both κ‐C/XG and SC/XG mixtures were included in mashed potato, very acceptable sensory quality was maintained in usual frozen storage conditions.
Volatile composition and proteolysis in traditionally produced mature Kashar cheese
Authors: Hayaloglu Ali Adnan 
Published: May 2009

SummaryTwelve samples of raw milk mature Kashar cheese at different stages of ripening were collected from retail outlets. The average pH, moisture, fat‐in‐dry matter, protein, salt‐in‐dry matter and titratable acidity contents of the samples were 5.33, 39.39%, 45.20%, 27.33%, 6.62% and 0.65% (as lactic acid), respectively. Indices of proteolysis varied from 10.72% to 23.75% and 7.09% to 12.26% for pH 4.6‐soluble and 12% trichloroacetic acid‐soluble nitrogen fractions, respectively, and total free amino acid concentrations ranged from 6.36 to 36.03 mg Leu g−1 of cheese. The cheeses were analysed for volatile compounds by Solid Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography‐Mass Spectrometry (GC‐MS). A total of 113 compounds were detected and identified belonging to the following chemical groups: acids (eleven), esters (sixteen), ketones (sixteen), aldehydes (six), alcohols (twenty‐seven), sulphur compounds (seven), terpenes (seven) and miscellaneous compounds (twenty‐three). The potential effect of each compound on the flavour profile of Kashar cheese is discussed. Acids, esters, ketones and alcohols were found at considerable levels in the samples. Kashar cheeses obtained from different retail outlets displayed some differences in terms of chemical composition, proteolysis and patterns of aroma compounds; and may be attributed to their production technologies and age‐related variations.
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus genogroup‐specific virulence mechanisms in sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), from Redfish Lake, Idaho
Authors: Purcell M K , Garver K A , Conway C , Elliott D G , Kurath G 
Published: May 2009

AbstractCharacterization of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) field isolates from North America has established three main genogroups (U, M and L) that differ in host‐specific virulence. In sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, the U genogroup is highly virulent, whereas the M genogroup is nearly non‐pathogenic. In this study, we sought to characterize the virus–host dynamics that contribute to genogroup‐specific virulence in a captive stock of sockeye salmon from Redfish Lake in Idaho. Juvenile sockeye salmon were challenged by immersion and injection with either a representative U or M viral strain and sampled periodically until 14 days post‐infection (p.i.). Fish challenged with each strain had positive viral titre by day 3, regardless of challenge route, but the fish exposed to the M genogroup virus had significantly lower virus titres than fish exposed to the U genogroup virus. Gene expression analysis by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR was used to simultaneously assess viral load and host interferon (IFN) response in the anterior kidney. Viral load was significantly higher in the U‐challenged fish relative to M‐challenged fish. Both viruses induced expression of the IFN‐stimulated genes (ISGs), but expression was usually significantly lower in the M‐challenged group, particularly at later time points (7 and 14 days p.i.). However, ISG expression was comparable with 3 days post‐immersion challenge despite a significant difference in viral load. Our data indicated that the M genogroup virus entered the host, replicated and spread in the sockeye salmon tissues, but to a lesser extent than the U genogroup. Both virus types induced a host IFN response, but the high virulence strain (U) continued to replicate in the presence of this response, whereas the low virulence strain (M) was cleared below detectable levels. We hypothesize that high virulence is associated with early in vivo replication allowing the virus to achieve a threshold level, which the host innate immune system cannot control.
Variation among Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolates from infected coffee berries at different locations in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen T. H. P. , Säll T. , Bryngelsson T. , Liljeroth E. 
Published: May 2009

Isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides associated with anthracnose disease on coffee berries in Vietnam were characterized by morphological and molecular methods. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and microsatellite‐primered PCR (MP‐PCR) analyses were employed to investigate the genetic variation among 38 and 51 isolates of C. gloeosporioides, respectively. According to both methods, the isolates mainly grouped in accordance with geographical origins. Higher genetic variation (H = 0·312 and 0·335) in the northern population of C. gloeosporioides than in the southern population (H = 0·261 and 0·186), according to the RAPD and MP‐PCR markers, respectively, was indicative of a difference between the northern and southern populations. Moderate gene differentiation (Gst = 0·1) between populations from the north and the south was found. However, there was no differentiation between locations within the northern or southern populations, indicating significant gene flow. A four‐gamete test indicated a high level of recombination, particularly in the south. The geographic differences may be explained by different histories of coffee cultivation in different parts of Vietnam. The symptoms caused by the Vietnamese isolates on both hypocotyls and green berries were less severe than symptoms caused by the reference CBD (coffee berry disease; Colletotrichum kahawae) isolates originating from Africa.
Western Grenville Province holds key to midcontinental Granite‐Rhyolite Province enigma
Authors: Slagstad T. , Culshaw N. G. , Daly J. S. , Jamieson R. A. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe Mesoproterozoic Granite‐Rhyolite Provinces in North America consist of A‐type granitic and rhyolitic rocks, and their formation is commonly ascribed to continental `extension' or `rifting'. The tectonic environment of the extension is, however, poorly understood. New Sm–Nd isotopic data from the Central Gneiss Belt, Grenville Province, Ontario, suggest that rocks compositionally and temporally similar to those in the Granite‐Rhyolite Provinces formed in and behind an active continental arc undergoing intra‐arc and back‐arc extension. Basaltic underplating accompanied extension, providing heat and juvenile material. Source rocks vary from juvenile within the arc, to more mature with increasing distance behind the arc. Recent investigations from SW Baltica show that the Rjukan Group, a proposed Granite‐Rhyolite Province correlative, also formed inboard of an active continental arc. A tectonically and temporally similar, and probably recurrent, evolution along the vast Laurentia–Baltica margin points to active continental‐margin processes as first‐order controls on back‐arc granite‐rhyolite magmatism.
Evidence for oceanic subduction at the NE Gondwana margin during Permo‐Triassic times
Authors: Liu Yan , Liu Hongfei , Theye Thomas , Massonne Hans‐Joachim 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBlueschist was recently recognized within the Lhasa terrane, which is one of the NE Gondwana blocks. In this rock, the Mn and Mg contents of garnet enclosing aegirine‐rich clinopyroxene, rutile and quartz decrease and increase, respectively, from core to rim. Amphibole changes from glaucophane through Na–Ca amphibole to Ca amphibole. The Si contents of phengite are high in the centre but low along the rim. The P–T path, starting above 2.5 GPa–450 °C and showing subsequently first a temperature increase to 500 °C and then a pressure release via blueschist conditions to 0.6 GPa, was reconstructed using a P–T pseudosection calculated for the P–T range 0.4–2.8 GPa and 250–650 °C. This path points to deep subduction of a cold oceanic crust probably beneath the NE Gondwana margin during Permo‐Triassic times. This finding contributes to a better understanding of the pre‐Cenozoic history of major terranes of NE Gondwana.
200‐m‐deep earthquake swarm in Tricastin (lower Rhône Valley, France) accounts for noisy seismicity over past centuries
Authors: Thouvenot François , Jenatton Liliane , Gratier Jean‐Pierre 
Published: May 2009

AbstractIn the lower Rhône Valley (France), the Tricastin area was struck in 2002–2003 by an earthquake swarm with a maximumML‐magnitude of 1.7. These shocks would have gone unnoticed if they had not occurred beneath habitations and close to the surface, some events being only 200‐m deep. A several months’ monitoring of the seismic activity by a 16‐station mobile network showed that earthquakes clustered along a N–S‐trending, at least 5‐km long, shallow rupture zone, with no corresponding fault mapped in the surface. Half of the seismic events occurred in a massive,c. 250‐m‐thick, Lower Cretaceous limestone slab that outcrops near by. Since the late eighteenth century, several much more severe earthquake swarms have struck Tricastin. The 1772–1773 and 1933–1936 swarms were prolific and protracted, with reports of numerous detonations and even damage. Obviously, the abnormal noises that caused panic in the past centuries can be explained by the shallowness of the phenomena, a 200‐m focal depth being perhaps a record value for tectonic earthquakes.
The Cimmerian Orogeny in northern Iran: tectono‐stratigraphic evidence from the foreland
Authors: Wilmsen Markus , Fürsich Franz T. , Seyed‐Emami Kazem , Majidifard Mahmoud Reza , Taheri Jafar 
Published: May 2009

AbstractFrom the Permian onwards, the Gondwana‐derived Iran Plate drifted northward to collide with Eurasia in the Late Triassic, thereby closing the Palaeotethys. This Eo‐Cimmerian Orogeny formed the Cimmeride fold‐and‐thrust belt. The Upper Triassic–Middle Jurassic Shemshak Group of northern Iran is commonly regarded as the Cimmerian foreland molasse. However, our tectono‐stratigraphic analysis of the Shemshak Group resulted in a revised and precisely dated model for the Triassic–Jurassic geodynamic evolution of the Iran Plate: initial Cimmerian collision started in the Carnian with subsequent Late Triassic synorogenic peripheral foreland deposition (flysch, lower Shemshak Group). Subduction shifted south in the Norian (onset of Neotethys subduction below Iran) and slab break‐off around the Triassic–Jurassic boundary caused rapid uplift of the Cimmerides followed by Liassic post‐orogenic molasse (middle Shemshak Group). During the Toarcian–Aalenian (upper Shemshak Group), Neotethys back‐arc rifting formed a deep‐marine basin, which developed into the oceanic South Caspian Basin during the Late Bajocian–Late Jurassic.
Strong inbreeding depression in male mating behaviour in a poeciliid fish
Authors: ALA‐HONKOLA O. , UDDSTRÖM A. , PAULI B. DIAZ , LINDSTRÖM K. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe magnitude of inbreeding depression is often larger in traits closely related to fitness, such as survival and fecundity, compared to morphological traits. Reproductive behaviour is also closely associated with fitness, and therefore expected to show strong inbreeding depression. Despite this, little is known about how reproductive behaviour is affected by inbreeding. Here we show that one generation of full‐sib mating results in a decrease in male reproductive performance in the least killifish (Heterandria formosa). Inbred males performed less gonopodial thrusts and thrust attempts than outbred males (δ = 0.38). We show that this behaviour is closely linked with fitness as gonopodial performance correlates with paternity success. Other traits that show inbreeding depression are offspring viability (δ = 0.06) and maturation time of males (δ = 0.19) and females (δ = 0.14). Outbred matings produced a female biased sex ratio whereas inbred matings produced an even sex ratio.
Occurrence and distribution pattern of Palaemon spp. shrimps in a shallow submarine cave environment: a study case in South‐eastern Italy
Authors: Denitto Francesco , Moscatello Salvatore , Belmonte Genuario 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe common shrimps of the genus Palaemon are often reported as living in Mediterranean submarine caves. The present study quantifies the distribution pattern of a Palaemon spp. populations throughout 1 year of observations in a shallow submarine cave in South‐eastern Italy, Ionian Sea. The cave was subdivided into six sectors from the entrance towards the inner portion of the ‘blind cave’ and 16 dives (four per season, during both day and night) were performed with SCUBA equipment. The population was estimated in situ using visual census. Four different species of Palaemon were identified. This study has shown that Palaemon spp. assemblages live throughout the year in submarine caves. Moreover, the results suggest submarine caves play an important role in the biology of Palaemon spp. populations, by providing refuge, juvenile recruitment and food resources.