bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ginsenoside Rg1 protects against 6‐OHDA‐induced neurotoxicity in neuroblastoma SK‐N‐SH cells via IGF‐I receptor and estrogen receptor pathways
Authors: Gao Quan‐Gui , Chen Wen‐Fang , Xie Jun‐Xia , Wong Man‐Sau 
Published: March 2009

AbstractOur previous studies have demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg1 is a novel class of potent phytoestrogen and can mimic the action of estradiol in stimulation of MCF‐7 cell growth by the crosstalk between insulin‐like growth factor‐I receptor (IGF‐IR)‐dependent pathway and estrogen receptor (ER)‐dependent pathway. The present study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of ginsenoside Rg1 against 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA)‐induced neurotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SK‐N‐SH cells and the possible mechanisms. Pre‐treatment with ginsenoside Rg1 resulted in an enhancement of survival, and significant rescue occurred at the concentration of 0.01 μM on cell viability against 6‐OHDA‐induced neurotoxicity. These effects could be completely blocked by IGF‐IR antagonist JB‐1 or ER antagonist ICI 182780. 6‐OHDA arrested the cells at G0G1 phase and prevented S phase entry. Rg1 pre‐treatment could reverse the cytostatic effect of 6‐OHDA. Ginsenoside Rg1 also could attenuate 6‐OHDA‐induced decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. These effects could also be completely blocked by JB‐1 or ICI 182780. Furthermore, 6‐OHDA‐induced up‐regulation of Bax and down‐regulation of Bcl‐2 mRNA and protein expression could be restored by Rg1 pre‐treatment. Rg1 pre‐treatment could reverse the down‐regulation of ERα protein expression induced by 6‐OHDA treatment. Cells transfected with the estrogen responsive element (ERE)‐luciferase reporter construct exhibited significantly increased ERE‐luciferase activity in the Rg1 presence, suggesting that the estrogenic effects of Rg1 were mediated through the endogenous ERs. These results suggest that ginsenoside Rg1 may attenuate 6‐OHDA‐induced apoptosis and its action might involve the activation of IGF‐IR signaling pathway and ER signaling pathway.
RE1 silencing transcription factor is involved in regulating neuron‐specific expression of α‐internexin and neurofilament genes
Authors: Ching Gee Y. , Liem Ronald K. H. 
Published: March 2009

Abstractα‐Internexin and the neurofilament triplet proteins (NF‐L, NF‐M, and NF‐H) co‐assemble into intermediate filament networks in neurons. We have found that the RE1 silencing transcription factor (REST) plays a contributory role in the neuron‐specific expression of the α‐internexin, NF‐H and NF‐M genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and transient transfection experiments performed with catecholaminergic neuronal Cath a.‐differentiated (CAD) cells and non‐neuronal NIH3T3 cells demonstrated that REST repressed transcription of these genes in NIH3T3 cells by binding and recruiting mSin3A, CoREST, histone deacetylase (HDAC) 1 and MeCP2 to the RE1 sites in the intron‐1 of α‐internexin and the 5′ flanking regions of NF‐H and NF‐M. No repression effect of the RE1 sites was observed in CAD cells, which express these neuronal genes but not REST. Treatment of NIH3T3 cells with trichostatin A, a HDAC inhibitor, relieved the REST‐mediated repression and induced ectopic activation of α‐internexin, NF‐H and NF‐M. The trichostatin A treatment did not affect the levels of REST occupancy but caused coordinated changes in acetylation and methylation of histones around the RE1 sites of these genes in NIH3T3 cells consistent with a transition from transcriptional repression to transcriptional activation. Thus, REST regulates expression of these neuronal genes, partly by a HDAC‐dependent epigenetic mechanism.
Induction of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA by nicotine in rat midbrain is inhibited by mifepristone
Authors: Radcliffe Pheona M. , Sterling Carol R. , Tank A. William 
Published: March 2009

AbstractRepeated nicotine administration induces tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA in rat midbrain. In this study we investigate the mechanisms responsible for this response using two models of midbrain dopamine neurons, rat ventral midbrain slice explant cultures and mouse MN9D cells. In both models nicotine stimulates TH gene transcription rate in a dose‐dependent manner. However, this stimulation is short‐lived, lasting for 1 h, but less than 3 h, and is not sufficient to induce TH mRNA or TH protein. Nicotine elevates circulating glucocorticoids, which induce TH expression in some model systems. We tested the hypothesis that the effect of nicotine on midbrain TH mRNA is mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor. When rats are administered the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone, the induction of TH mRNA by nicotine in both substantia nigra and ventral tegmentum is inhibited. Furthermore, the glucocorticoid receptor agonist dexamethasone stimulates TH gene transcription for sustained periods of time in both midbrain slices and MN9D cells, leading to induction of TH mRNA and TH protein. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that nicotine induces TH mRNA in midbrain by elevating glucocorticoids, which then act on glucocorticoid receptors in dopamine neurons leading to transcriptional activation of the TH gene.
Landscape composition influences patterns of native and exotic lady beetle abundance
Authors: Gardiner M. M. , Landis D. A. , Gratton C. , Schmidt N. , O’Neal M. , Mueller E. , Chacon J. , Heimpel G. E. , DiFonzo C. D. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAim  Coccinellid beetles are important predators that contribute to pest suppression in agricultural landscapes. Since the introduction of the exotic coccinellids Coccinella septempunctata L. and Harmonia axyridis Pallas into the USA, several studies have reported a decline of native Coccinellidae in agroecosystems. We aimed to investigate the influence of landscape composition on native and exotic coccinellid abundance within soybean fields.Location  Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.Methods  As part of a 2‐year study (2005–06) on the biological control of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, we examined coccinellid communities in 33 soybean fields using yellow sticky card traps. Landscape heterogeneity and composition were measured at multiple spatial scales ranging 1–3.5 km from focal soybean fields where coccinellid sampling took place.Results  Exotic species made up 90% of the total coccinellid community in Michigan soybean fields followed by Wisconsin (84%), Minnesota (66%) and Iowa (57%). Harmonia axyridis was the dominant exotic coccinellid in all states comprising 45–62% of the total coccinellid community, followed by C. septempunctata (13–30%). Two additional exotic species, Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) were also found in the region. Overall, the most abundant native coccinellid was Hippodamia convergens Guerin‐Meneville; however, its abundance varied across the region, comprising 0% (Michigan) to 28% (Iowa) of the total coccinellid community. Landscape structure significantly influenced the composition of coccinellid communities in soybean agroecosystems. We found that native coccinellids were most abundant in low‐diversity landscapes with an abundance of grassland habitat while exotic coccinellids were associated with the abundance of forested habitats.Main conclusion  We propose that grassland dominated landscapes with low structural diversity and low amounts of forested habitat may be resistant to exotic coccinellid build‐up, particularly H. axyridis and therefore represent landscape‐scale refuges for native coccinellid biodiversity.
Biological weathering and the long‐term carbon cycle: integrating mycorrhizal evolution and function into the current paradigm
Authors: TAYLOR L. L. , LEAKE J. R. , QUIRK J. , HARDY K. , BANWART S. A. , BEERLING D. J. 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTThe dramatic decline in atmospheric CO2 evidenced by proxy data during the Devonian (416.0–359.2 Ma) and the gradual decline from the Cretaceous (145.5–65.5 Ma) onwards have been linked to the spread of deeply rooted trees and the rise of angiosperms, respectively. But this paradigm overlooks the coevolution of roots with the major groups of symbiotic fungal partners that have dominated terrestrial ecosystems throughout Earth history. The colonization of land by plants was coincident with the rise of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), while the Cenozoic (c. 65.5–0 Ma) witnessed the rise of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) that associate with both gymnosperm and angiosperm tree roots. Here, we critically review evidence for the influence of AMF and EMF on mineral weathering processes. We show that the key weathering processes underpinning the current paradigm and ascribed to plants are actually driven by the combined activities of roots and mycorrhizal fungi. Fuelled by substantial amounts of recent photosynthate transported from shoots to roots, these fungi form extensive mycelial networks which extend into soil actively foraging for nutrients by altering minerals through the acidification of the immediate root environment. EMF aggressively weather minerals through the additional mechanism of releasing low molecular weight organic chelators. Rates of biotic weathering might therefore be more usefully conceptualized as being fundamentally controlled by the biomass, surface area of contact, and capacity of roots and their mycorrhizal fungal partners to interact physically and chemically with minerals. All of these activities are ultimately controlled by rates of carbon‐energy supply from photosynthetic organisms. The weathering functions in leading carbon cycle models require experiments and field studies of evolutionary grades of plants with appropriate mycorrhizal associations. Representation of the coevolution of roots and fungi in geochemical carbon cycle models is required to further our understanding of the role of the biota in Earth's CO2 and climate history.
The Historiography of the English State during ‘the Long Eighteenth Century’: Part I – Decentralized Perspectives
Authors: Devereaux Simon 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis article reviews the four most prominent themes in the historiography of the modern English state during the last six decades, with a particular focus on ‘the long eighteenth century’ (1660–1837). The first is the vision of an expansive and centralized administrative state in Victorian England most famously set forth in the work of the late Oliver MacDonagh. Second is the notion of the state as an information‐gathering entity that has recently been forcefully stated by Edward Higgs. Third is the vision of an unexpectedly powerful, substantially centralized ‘fiscal‐military’ state during the eighteenth century, powerfully evoked in the work of John Brewer. Finally, a brief overview is given of the prodigious historical literature that has arisen in recent years surrounding the notion of the state as abstract entity capable of commanding the loyalties of those people over whom it rules. The article concludes by suggesting how a more fully integrated vision of the English state in history might be achieved through a deeper, more dynamic interrelation of changing political‐administrative structures and shifting social‐cultural forces.
The Archaeology of Medieval Europe
Authors: Crabtree Pam 
Published: March 2009

AbstractModern medieval archaeology developed in the aftermath of World War II. It began as a hybrid discipline, since archaeologists working in the later Middle Ages were often trained in history and architectural history, while those working in the early medieval period were often trained as prehistorians. A major challenge for medieval archaeologists is the integration of material remains (artifacts and features) and historical evidence. Archaeology is not just a handmaiden to history; critical interpretation of both material remains and written texts can shed new light on the so‐called Dark Ages. After reviewing the development of modern medieval archaeology, this article examines a number of contemporary issues in the field including the study of urban development, medieval landscapes and settlement patterns, ethnic origins, and gender.
Tensions of Colonial Punishment: Perspectives on Recent Developments in the Study of Coercive Networks in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean
Authors: Sherman Taylor C. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe study of penal practices in colonised parts of Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean has recently witnessed a significant shift. The first generation of research into the coercive measures of colonial states tended to focus rather narrowly on imprisonment. The second generation, which has emerged only in the last five years, has significantly widened their field of vision to incorporate much more than the prison. The most recent literature considers capital and corporal punishment, as well as the larger functioning of police and courts. It also explores in more depth the ways in which indigenous peoples experienced and interpreted their punishments. Finally, this new research is sensitive to the paradoxes and tensions of colonial punishment, which often frustrated its purposes. This article reflects upon these historiographical shifts, and argues that, in light of these developments, a new framework for the study of colonial punishment is now called for. It suggests that an approach which views colonial coercive techniques as part of imperial ‘coercive networks’ encapsulates this new thinking.
Changes in hepatic gene expression in response to hepatoprotective levels of zinc
Authors: Liu Jie , Zhou Zhan‐Xiang , Zhang Wei , Bell Matthew W. , Waalkes Michael P. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground:Zinc (Zn) administration at non‐toxic doses protects against the hepatotoxicity produced by many agents, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive.Aim:To examine the basis of Zn‐induced generalised hepatoprotective effects.Methods:Rats and mice were given Zn at known hepatoprotective levels (100 μmol ZnCl2/kg/day, s.c., for 4 days) and molecular responses were assessed.Results:Zn treatment produced changes in 5% of the genes on custom‐designed mouse liver array and Rat Toxicology‐II array. Changes in gene expression were further confirmed and extended by real‐time reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction. Zn treatment dramatically increased the expression of the metallothionein (Mt), and modestly increased the expression of acute‐phase protein genes (ceruloplasmin, Stat3, egr1, Cxc chemokinesand heat‐shock proteins). For genes encoding for antioxidant enzymes, some were increased (Nrf2andNqo1), while others remained unaltered (Cu, Zn SODand glutathioneS‐transferases). Expressions of cytokine and pro‐inflammatory genes were not affected, while genes related to cell proliferation (cyclin D1) were modestly upregulated. Some metabolic enzyme genes, including cytochrome P450s and UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase, were modestly suppressed, perhaps to switch cellular metabolic energy to acute‐phase responses. Liver Zn content was increased between 1.6‐ and 2.1‐fold, while hepatic MT protein was increased between 50 and 200‐fold. Mice typically showed greater responses than rats.Conclusion:Such gene expression changes, particularly the dramatic induction of MT and Nrf2 antioxidant pathway, occur in the absence of overt liver injury, and are probably important in the hepatoprotective effects of Zn against toxic insults.
A longitudinal study of surgical outcome and its determinants following posterior cortex epilepsy surgery
Authors: Jehi Lara E. , O’Dwyer Rebecca , Najm Imad , Alexopoulos Andreas , Bingaman William 
Published: March 2009

SummaryPurpose:  To investigate the longitudinal seizure outcome and identify potential prognostic indicators following posterior cortex epilepsy (PCE) surgery.Methods:  We reviewed patients who underwent a parietal, occipital, or parietooccipital resections between 1994 and 2006, using survival analysis and multivariate regression with Cox proportional hazard modeling. A favorable outcome was defined as Engel Class I at last follow‐up.Results:  Fifty‐seven patients were identified with a mean follow‐up of 3.3 years (range 1–12 years). The estimated chance of seizure freedom (SF) was 73.1% at 6 postoperative months, 68.5% at 1 year, 65.8% at between 2 and 5 years, and 54.8% at 6 years and beyond. Most recurrences (75%) occurred within the first 6 postoperative months. Parietal resections had a worse outcome than occipital or parietooccipital resections (52% SF vs. 89% and 93%, respectively, at 5 years). Independent predictors of recurrence included an epilepsy etiology other than tumor or dysplasia [risk ratio (RR) 2.29], limiting resection to a lesionectomy (RR 2.10), having ipsilateral temporal spiking on preoperative scalp electroencephalography (EEG) (RR 2.06), or any ipsilateral spiking on postoperative EEG (RR 2.70) (Log likelihood‐ratio test p < 0.0001). Only 40–50% of patients with a poor outcome predictor were SF at 5 postoperative years as opposed to about 80% otherwise. In surgical failures, recurrent seizure frequency was related directly to baseline seizure frequency and to the presence of ipsilateral spiking on postoperative EEG.Discussion:  These data highlight favorable long‐term outcomes following PCE surgery. Limited surgical resection and diffuse baseline epileptogenicity may be important predictors of seizure recurrence.
The use of radiosurgery for the treatment of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and long‐term results
Authors: Vojtěch Zdeněk , Vladyka Vilibald , Kalina Miroslav , Nešpor Evžen , Seltenreichová Kateřina , Šemnická Jitka , Liščák Roman 
Published: March 2009

SummaryPurpose: To determine the efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery in the treatment of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy due to mesial temporal sclerosis.Methods: Between November 1995 and May 1999, 14 patients underwent radiosurgical entorhinoamygdalohippocampectomy with a marginal dose of 18, 20, or 25 Gy to the 50% isodose following a standard preoperative epilepsy evaluation.Results: One patient was classified as Engel Class Ib, three were Engel Class IIc, one was Engel Class IIIa, and two were Engel Class IVb in a subgroup of seven patients who were unoperated 2 years prior to the last visit and at least 8 years after irradiation (average 116 months). The insufficient effect of irradiation led us to perform epilepsy surgery on another seven patients an average of 63.5 months after radiosurgery. The average follow‐up period was 43.5 months after the operation. Four patients are seizure‐free; one is Engel Class IIb and one is Engel Class IId. One patient cannot be classified due to the short period of follow‐up. The frequency of seizures tended to rise after irradiation in some patients. Collateral edema was observed in nine patients, which started earlier and was more frequent in those irradiated with higher doses. It had a marked expansive character in three cases and clinical signs of intracranial hypertension were present in three cases. We found partial upper lateral quadrant anopia as a permanent side effect in two patients. Repeated psychotic episodes (two patients) and status epilepticus (two patients) were also seen after treatment. No significant memory changes occurred in the group as a whole.Discussion: Radiosurgery with 25, 20, or 18‐Gy marginal dose levels did not lead to seizure control in our patient series, although subsequent epilepsy surgery could stop seizures. Higher doses were associated with the risk of brain edema, intracranial hypertension, and a temporary increase in seizure frequency.
Expression Pattern, Ethanol‐Metabolizing Activities, and Cellular Localization of Alcohol and Aldehyde Dehydrogenases in Human Pancreas: Implications for Pathogenesis of Alcohol‐Induced Pancreatic Injury
Authors: Chiang Chien‐Ping , Wu Chew‐Wun , Lee Shiao‐Pieng , Chung Chia‐Chi , Wang Chi‐Wei , Lee Shou‐Lun , Nieh Shin , Yin Shih‐Jiun 
Published: March 2009

Background:  Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) are major enzymes responsible for metabolism of ethanol. Genetic polymorphisms of ADH1B, ADH1C, and ALDH2 occur among racial populations. The metabolic effect and metabolites contribute to pathogenesis of pancreatic injury. The goal of this study was to determine the functional expressions and cellular localization of ADH and ALDH families in human pancreas.Methods:  Fifty five surgical specimens of normal pancreas as well as 15 samples each for chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer from archival formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue specimens were investigated. Class‐specific antibodies were prepared by affinity chromatographies from rabbit antisera raised against recombinant human ADH1C1, ADH4, ADH5, ADH7, ALDH1A1, ALDH2, and ALDH3A1. The isozyme expression patterns of ADH/ALDH were identified by isoelectric focusing, and the activities were assayed spectrophotometrically. The protein contents of ADH/ALDH isozymes were determined by immunoblotting, and the cellular localizations were detected by immunohistochemistry and histochemistry.Results:  At 33 mM ethanol, pH 7.5, the activities were significantly different between allelic phenotypes of ADH1B. The activity of ALDH2‐inactive phenotypes was slightly lower than ALDH2‐active phenotypes at 200 μM acetaldehyde. The protein contents were in the following decreasing order: ALDH1A1, ALDH2, ADH1, and ADH5. ADH1B was detected in the acinar cells and ADH1C in the ductular, islet, and stellate cells. The expression of ADH1C appeared to be increased in the activated pancreatic stellate cells in chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.Conclusions:  Alcohol dehydrogenase and ALDH family members are differentially expressed in the various cell types of pancreas. ADH1C may play an important role in modulation of activation of pancreatic stellate cells.
Glycine Receptors Contribute to Hypnosis Induced by Ethanol
Authors: Ye Jiang H. , Sokol Kimberly A. , Bhavsar Urvi 
Published: March 2009

Background: Glycine is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult central nervous system (CNS), and its receptors (GlyRs) are well known for their effects in the spinal cord and the lower brainstem. Accumulating evidence indicates that GlyRs are more widely distributed in the CNS, including many supraspinal regions. Previous in vitro studies have demonstrated that ethanol potentiates the function of these brain GlyRs, yet the behavioral role of the brain GlyRs has not been well explored.Methods: Experiments were conducted in rats. The loss of righting reflex (LORR) was used as a marker of the hypnotic state. We compared the LORR induced by systematic administration of ethanol and of ketamine in the absence and presence of the selective glycine receptor antagonist strychnine. Ketamine is a general anesthetic that does not affect GlyRs.Results: Systemically administered (by intraperitoneal injection) ethanol and ketamine dose‐dependently induced LORR in rats. Furthermore, systemically administered (by subcutaneous injection) strychnine dose‐dependently reduced the percentage of rats exhibiting LORR induced by ethanol, increased the onset time, and decreased the duration of LORR. Strychnine had no effect, however, on the LORR induced by ketamine.Conclusions: Given that hypnosis is caused by neuronal depression in upper brain areas, we therefore conclude that brain GlyRs contribute at least in part to the hypnosis induced by ethanol.