bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Galectin-3 Targeted Therapy with a Small Molecule Inhibitor Activates Apoptosis and Enhances Both Chemosensitivity and Radiosensitivity in Papillary Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Lin Chi-Iou , Whang Edward E. , Donner David B. , Jiang Xiaofeng , Price Brendan D. , Carothers Adelaide M. , Delaine Tamara , Leffler Hakon , Nilsson Ulf J. , Nose Vania , Moore, Francis D. , Ruan Daniel T. 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
Although most patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) have favorable outcomes, some have advanced PTC that is refractory to external beam radiation and systemic chemotherapy. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a β-galactoside–binding protein with antiapoptotic activity that is consistently overexpressed in PTC. The purpose of this study is to determine if Gal-3 inhibition promotes apoptosis, chemosensitivity, and radiosensitivity in PTC. PTC cell lines (8505-C and TPC-1) and human ex vivo PTC were treated with a highly specific small molecule inhibitor of Gal-3 (Td131_1). Apoptotic activity was determined by flow cytometric analysis as well as caspase-3 and PARP cleavage. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of Td131_1 and doxorubicin were determined, and their combined effects were measured to test for synergistic activity. The effects of Td131_1 on radiosensitivity were determined by a clonogenic assay. Td131_1 promoted apoptosis, improved radiosensitivity, and synergistically enhanced chemosensitivity to doxorubicin in PTC cell lines. In PTC ex vivo, Td131_1 treatment alone induced the cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP. Td131_1 and doxorubicin together activated apoptosis in PTC ex vivo to a greater degree than their combined individual effects. Td131_1 activated apoptosis and had synergistic activity with doxorubicin in PTC. We conclude that Gal-3 targeted therapy is a promising therapeutic strategy for advanced PTC that is refractory to surgery and radioactive iodine therapy. (Mol Cancer Res 2009;7(10):1655–62)
Breaking Agreements: Distinguishing Agreement and Clitic Doubling by Their Failures
Authors: Preminger Omer 
Published: October 2009

In this article, I propose a novel way to distinguish between agreement and clitic doubling. The innovation lies in examining what happens when the relation between the relevant agreement morphology and the full noun phrase fails to obtain: whether the agreement morpheme still shows up, bearing default φ-features, or disappears altogether. The workings of the proposed diagnostic are demonstrated using a family of constructions in “substandard” Basque (Etxepare 2006). Besides supporting the proposed diagnostic, the analysis of Basque provides a new perspective on the typological status of the Basque agreement system, as well as evidence against the traditional analysis of unergatives in Basque as being underlyingly transitive.
Hearkening to Thalia: Toward the Rebirth of Comedy in Continental Philosophy
Authors: Freydberg Bernard 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis paper discloses and furthers the rebirth of comedy in Continental philosophy in three stages. The first treats Greek comedy, bringing forth the comic contours in Plato and exploring the philosophical content of Aristophanic comedy. The second examines certain German encounters with comedy, from the staid Wieland translations of Aristophanes through the thoughtful discussions of Schiller, Hegel, and Nietzsche. The third investigates twentieth-century American comedy and its connection to American Continental philosophy, and includes a close analysis of the Marx Brothers' Horsefeathers. The latter serves as a bridge to some surprising developments regarding comedy, poetry, and philosophy.
Visual Vestiges of Travel: Persian Windows on European Weaknesses
Authors: Babaie Sussan 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe increased presence of Europeans in Safavid Persia and especially in the capital city of Isfahan during the seventeenth century would imply the production of a kaleidoscope of observations of the foreigners. The scarcity of written Persian views on their European guests in contrast to the abundance of European chronicles about Safavid society has further fueled the expectation of 'oriental' apathy in modern historiography. In contrast to the discursive sources, Persian pictorial evidence of the European presence in Persia is surprisingly rich. This article focuses on a genre of Persian painting in which figural subject matter alludes to a sexual peculiarity of Europeans as observed by the people of Isfahan. The social agency of such pictures and their efficacy as historical sources allow us to tease out the different ways Safavid urban society observed the Europeans and lodged a cultural critique on aspects of their sexual behavior even before the emergence of Persian polemics on the Christian practice of celibacy.
The Journey of Master Anthony Jenkinson to Persia, 1562-1563
Authors: Meshkat Kurosh 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe article provides an account of Anthony Jenkinson's journey to Persia, and assesses the faithfulness of his narrative by examining it in a broader literary context consisting of his diplomatic instructions, the oral sources informing his narrative, and extracts from the Persian chronicles where possible. The second part of the article compares E. Delmar Morgan's nineteenth-century interpretation and presentation of Jenkinson's narrative with its reception in England when it was first published by Richard Hakluyt in the late sixteenth-century.
Die sog. “Règlements” als Werk des Pachomianers Horsiese († nach 386)
Authors: Joest Christoph 
Published: October 2009

AbstractSince Jerome's Latin translation of the monastic rules attributed to Pachomius (287-347) these have never vanished from the memory and the tradition of Western monasticism. This contrasts strongly with a cluster of rules written in Coptic. These were not published until the 19th century, and in accordance with the edition of Louis-Théophile Lefort they are usually called the 'règlements' (regulations) of Horsiese. This attribution has, however, been questioned. The present article aims to offer a sound basis for the view that Horsiese is indeed the author of these rules.
Doxycycline-Mediated Inhibition of Matrix Metalloproteinases Improves Healing after Rotator Cuff Repair
Authors: Bedi Asheesh , Fox Alice J. S. , Kovacevic David , Deng Xeng-hua , Warren Russell F. , Rodeo Scott A. 
Published: October 2009

Background Recent studies demonstrate a potentially critical role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors in the pathophysiology of rotator cuff tears. Hypothesis Doxycycline-mediated MMP inhibition after rotator cuff repair will improve tendon-to-bone healing. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Rats (n = 183) underwent acute detachment and repair of the supraspinatus tendon and the animals were divided into 4 groups: In controls (n = 66), the supraspinatus was repaired to its anatomical footprint. In experimental groups, an identical surgery was performed with doxycycline (130 mg/kg/d) administered orally at (1) preoperative day 1 (n = 66), (2) postoperative day (POD) 5 (n = 28), or (3) POD 14 (n = 23). Animals were sacrificed at 5 days, 8 days, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. Tendon-bone interface was evaluated with histomorphometry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for local MMP-13 activity was performed at 8 days and 4 weeks. Biomechanical testing of the healing enthesis was performed at 8 days, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. Serum doxycycline levels were measured at sacrifice. Statistical analysis was performed using unpaired t tests and 2-way analysis of variance (P < .05). Results Serum doxycycline levels were significantly higher in all treated groups compared with controls (1830 ± 835 vs 3 ± 3 ng/mL, respectively; P < .001). Doxycycline-treated animals demonstrated greater metachromasia and improved collagen organization at the healing enthesis at POD 5 (P < .06), POD 8 (P < .03), and 2 weeks (P < .04). The MMP-13 activity was significantly reduced in doxycycline-treated compared with control animals at POD 8 (6740 ± 2770 vs 10400 ± 2930 relative fluorescent units [RFU], respectively; P < .02) but not at 4 weeks (3600 ± 3280 vs 4530 ± 2720 RFU, respectively). The healing enthesis of animals started on doxycycline preoperatively or at POD 5 had an increased load to failure compared to controls at 2 weeks (13.6 ± 1.8 and 13.2 ± 1.94 N vs 9.1 ± 2.5 N, respectively; P < .01). Conclusion/Clinical Relevance Modulation of MMP-13 activity after rotator cuff repair may offer a novel biological pathway to augment tendon-to-bone healing.
Involvement of an alternatively spliced mitochondrial oxodicarboxylate carrier in adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells
Authors: Niimi Masashi , Tao Lian , Lin Shi-Hua , Yin Jun , Wu Xiaoyun , Fukui Hiroyuki , Kambayashi Junichi , Ye Jianping , Sun Bing 
Published: October 2009

AbstractBackgroundAdipogenesis is a complex process that involves many genes/proteins at different stages of differentiation. In order to identify genes critical for adipogeneis, we took a novel approach based on phenotype change of individual cell, to search for genes with regulatory roles in adipogenesis genome-wide in 3T3-L1 cells.MethodsLentivirus-based inducible random homologous knockdown was used for the screening of functional gene that altered lipid formation in the adipocyte during differentiation.ResultsIn the present study, we reported the identification of an alternatively spliced mitochondrial oxodicarboxylate carrier (ODC), so named ODC-AS. ODC-AS is different from ODC by replacing 22 amino acids with 29 amino acids at the N-terminal. ODC was widely expressed in most tissues in mouse as determined by multi-tissue cDNA panel polymerase chain reaction. However, ODC-AS was only detected in adipose tissue and in iris and sclera-choroid complex of the eye. The expression of ODC-AS in 3T3-L1 was detected after the induction of differentiation, and reached a peak at day 4 and then reduced thereafter, whereas no ODC transcript detected in the cells neither before nor after differentiation. Knocking down of ODC-AS expression by RNA interference led to significant reduction in lipid accumulation as determined by triglyceride measurement and Nile Red staining, as well as adipogenic marker CEBPα, PPARγ, aP2 and CD36. Although both ODC and ODC-AS are expressed in white and brown adipose tissues, only the expression of ODC-AS was down-regulated in brown adipose tissue by cold exposure.ConclusionThese results implicate that ODC-AS may promote lipid accumulation during adipocyte differentiation and play an important role in the regulation of lipid metabolism in adipose tissues.
Establishment of canine hemangiosarcoma xenograft models expressing endothelial growth factors, their receptors, and angiogenesis-associated homeobox genes
Authors: Kodama Atsushi , Sakai Hiroki , Matsuura Satoko , Murakami Mami , Murai Atsuko , Mori Takashi , Maruo Kouji , Kimura Tohru , Masegi Toshiaki , Yanai Tokuma 
Published: October 2009

Abstract

Background
Human hemangiosarcoma (HSA) tends to have a poor prognosis; its tumorigenesis has not been elucidated, as there is a dearth of HSA clinical specimens and no experimental model for HSA. However, the incidence of spontaneous HSA is relatively high in canines; therefore, canine HSA has been useful in the study of human HSA. Recently, the production of angiogenic growth factors and their receptors in human and canine HSA has been reported. Moreover, the growth-factor environment of HSA is very similar to that of pathophysiological angiogenesis, which some homeobox genes regulate in the transcription of angiogenic molecules. In the present study, we established 6 xenograft canine HSA tumors and detected the expression of growth factors, their receptors, and angiogenic homeobox genes.

Methods
Six primary canine HSAs were xenografted to nude mice subcutaneously and serially transplanted. Subsequently, the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGF), flt-1 and flk-1 (receptors of VEGF-A), FGFR-1, and angiogenic homeobox genes HoxA9, HoxB3, HoxB7, HoxD3, Pbx1, and Meis1 were investigated in original and xenograft tumors by histopathology, immunostaining, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), using canine-specific primer sets.

Results
Histopathologically, xenograft tumors comprised a proliferation of neoplastic cells that were varied in shape, from spindle-shaped and polygonal to ovoid; some vascular-like structures and vascular clefts of channels were observed, similar to those in the original tumors. The expression of endothelial markers (CD31 and vWF) was detected in xenograft tumors by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Moreover, the expression of VEGF-A, bFGF, flt-1, flk-1, FGFR-1, HoxA9, HoxB3, HoxB7, HoxD3, Pbx1, and Meis1 was detected in xenograft tumors. Interestingly, expressions of bFGF tended to be higher in 3 of the xenograft HSA tumors than in the other tumors.

Conclusion
We established 6 xenograft canine HSA tumors in nude mice and found that the expressions of angiogenic growth factors and their receptors in xenograft HSAs were similar to those in spontaneous HSA. Furthermore, we detected the expression of angiogenic homeobox genes; therefore, xenograft models may be useful in analyzing malignant growth in HSA.
Portrait of a lengthy vaccination trajectory in Burkina Faso: from cultural acceptance of vaccines to actual immunization
Authors: Dugas Marylène , Dubé Eric , Kouyaté Bocar , Sanou Aboubakary , Bibeau Gilles 
Published: October 2009

Abstract

Background
The global recognition of vaccination is strongly related to the fact that it has proved in the past able to dramatically reduce the incidence of certain diseases. Nevertheless, reactions regarding the practice of vaccination still vary among communities, affecting the worldwide vaccination coverage. Numerous studies, conducted from varying perspectives, have focused on explaining this active refusal or resistance to vaccination. Although in some cases low immunization coverage has been well explained by active refusal or resistance to vaccination, little is known about the reasons for low coverage where those reactions are absent or play a minor role, especially outside an epidemic context. This study attempts to explain this situation, which is found in the health district of Nouna in Burkina Faso.

Methods
An in-depth ethnographic study was undertaken in the health district of Nouna in an effort to understand, from an anthropological point of view, the logic behind the parental decision-making process regarding the vaccination or non-vaccination of children, in a context where rejection of, and reservations concerning vaccination are not major obstacles.

Results
Three elements emerged from the analysis: the empirical conceptions of childhood diseases, the perceived efficacy of vaccine and the knowledge of appropriate age for vaccination uptake; the gap between the decision-making process and the actual achievement of vaccination; and the vaccination procedure leading to vaccination uptake in the particular context of the health district of Nouna.

Conclusion
The procedures parents must follow in order to obtain vaccination for their children appear complex and constraining, and on certain points discord with the traditional systems of meaning and idioms of distress related to pregnancy, the prevention of childhood diseases and with the cultural matrix shaping decision-making and behaviour. Attention needs to be directed at certain promotional, logistical and structural elements, and at the procedure that must currently be followed to obtain vaccination for a child during routine vaccination sessions, which are currently limiting the active demand for vaccination.

Abstract in French
See the full article online for a translation of this abstract in French.
Predicting lung maturity in preterm rupture of membranes via lamellar bodies count from a vaginal pool: a cohort study
Authors: Salim Raed , Zafran Noah , Nachum Zohar , Garmi Gali , Shalev Eliezer 
Published: October 2009

Abstract

Background
Amniocentesis is the accepted mode of attaining amniotic fluid to perform tests for fetal lung maturity. The purpose of this study was to validate a non-invasive fetal lung maturity test by counting lamellar bodies from a vaginal pool among women with preterm premature rupture of membranes.

Methods
In a prospective study, amniotic fluid specimens were collected from a vaginal pool from women after preterm premature rupture of membranes with gestational age between 27 and 36 completed weeks. Receiver operating characteristics curve was estimated to assess the threshold of lamellar bodies' count that may predict fetal lung maturity.

Results
Seventy-five specimens were collected of which 17 were between 32 to 34 weeks. A lamellar bodies' count of 28,000 or more predicted mature fetus 100% of the time (specificity) among all women and also among women between 32 to 34 weeks. The sensitivity was 72% among all and 92% when gestational age was between 32 to 34 weeks. A count of 8,000 or less, predicted respiratory distress syndrome with a sensitivity of 98% among the whole group.

Conclusion
Counting of lamellar bodies in amniotic fluid from a vaginal pool may be used to predict fetal lung maturity.
Main roads to melanoma
Authors: Palmieri Giuseppe , Capone Mariaelena , Ascierto Maria Libera , Gentilcore Giusy , Stroncek David F , Casula Milena , Sini Maria Cristina , Palla Marco , Mozzillo Nicola , Ascierto Paolo A 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe characterization of the molecular mechanisms involved in development and progression of melanoma could be helpful to identify the molecular profiles underlying aggressiveness, clinical behavior, and response to therapy as well as to better classify the subsets of melanoma patients with different prognosis and/or clinical outcome. Actually, some aspects regarding the main molecular changes responsible for the onset as well as the progression of melanoma toward a more aggressive phenotype have been described. Genes and molecules which control either cell proliferation, apoptosis, or cell senescence have been implicated. Here we provided an overview of the main molecular changes underlying the pathogenesis of melanoma. All evidence clearly indicates the existence of a complex molecular machinery that provides checks and balances in normal melanocytes. Progression from normal melanocytes to malignant metastatic cells in melanoma patients is the result of a combination of down- or up-regulation of various effectors acting on different molecular pathways.
Local suffering and the global discourse of mental health and human rights: An ethnographic study of responses to mental illness in rural Ghana
Authors: Read Ursula M , Adiibokah Edward , Nyame Solomon 
Published: October 2009

Abstract

Background
The Global Movement for Mental Health has brought renewed attention to the neglect of people with mental illness within health policy worldwide. The maltreatment of the mentally ill in many low-income countries is widely reported within psychiatric hospitals, informal healing centres, and family homes. International agencies have called for the development of legislation and policy to address these abuses. However such initiatives exemplify a top-down approach to promoting human rights which historically has had limited impact at the level of those living with mental illness and their families.

Methods
This research forms part of a longitudinal anthropological study of people with severe mental illness in rural Ghana. Visits were made to over 40 households with a family member with mental illness, as well as churches, shrines, hospitals and clinics. Ethnographic methods included observation, conversation, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with people with mental illness, carers, healers, health workers and community members.

Results
Chaining and beating of the mentally ill was found to be commonplace in homes and treatment centres in the communities studied, as well as with-holding of food ('fasting'). However responses to mental illness were embedded within spiritual and moral perspectives and such treatment provoked little sanction at the local level. Families struggled to provide care for severely mentally ill relatives with very little support from formal health services. Psychiatric services were difficult to access, particularly in rural communities, and also seen to have limitations in their effectiveness. Traditional and faith healers remained highly popular despite the routine maltreatment of the mentally ill in their facilities.

Conclusion
Efforts to promote the human rights of those with mental illness must engage with the experiences of mental illness within communities affected in order to grasp how these may underpin the use of practices such as mechanical restraint. Interventions which operate at the local level with those living with mental illness within rural communities, as well as family members and healers, may have greater potential to effect change in the treatment of the mentally ill than legislation or investment in services alone.
Phase II, Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blinded Trial of Weekly Elesclomol Plus Paclitaxel Versus Paclitaxel Alone for Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma
Authors: O'Day Steven , Gonzalez Rene , Lawson David , Weber Robert , Hutchins Laura , Anderson Clay , Haddad Jonathan , Kong Steven , Williams Anthony , Jacobson Eric 
Published: October 2009

PurposeElesclomol is a novel, small-molecule, oxidative stress inducer believed to exert selective cytotoxicity by increasing intracellular concentrations of reactive oxygen species, which results in cell death via mitochondrial apoptosis. We evaluated whether the addition of elesclomol to weekly paclitaxel could improve efficacy in patients with stage IV metastatic melanoma.Patients and MethodsWe randomly assigned patients with metastatic melanoma, measurable disease, and one or fewer prior chemotherapy regimens to elesclomol 213 mg/m2plus paclitaxel 80 mg/m2(E + P) or to paclitaxel 80 mg/m2alone at a 2:1 ratio; regimens were given as a 1-hour intravenous infusion weekly, during 3 of every 4 weeks until disease progression per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors or death occurred. Patients who experienced progression were unblended, and patients on paclitaxel alone were permitted to cross over to E + P. The primary efficacy end point was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary end points were response rate (RR), toxicity, and overall survival (OS; analyzed post hoc).ResultsAt 21 US sites, 53 patients were randomly assigned to E + P, and 28 patients were randomly assigned to paclitaxel. The addition of elesclomol to paclitaxel yielded a doubling of median PFS (112 v 56 days) and a 41.7% risk reduction for disease progression/death (hazard ratio, 0.583; P = .035). Respective RRs for the E + P and paclitaxel groups were 15% and 3%; median OS was 11.9 v 7.8 months. Of patients on paclitaxel alone, 19 (68%) of 28 crossed over to E + P after they experienced progression. Weekly E + P was well tolerated.ConclusionE + P resulted in a statistically significant doubling of median PFS, with an acceptable toxicity profile and encouraging OS. A multinational, phase III trial (SYMMETRY) of E + P compared with paclitaxel alone in metastatic melanoma has closed.