bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Cholesterol on Progesterone Production by Goat Luteal Cell Subpopulations at Two Different Stages of the Luteal Phase
Authors: Arikan Ş , Kalender H , Simsek O 
Published: March 2010

ContentsThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of cholesterol on progesterone production during long‐term culturing of luteal cell subpopulations at early and late luteal stages of the goat corpora lutea. Corpora lutea were collected from Angora goats on days 5 and 15 of the oestrous cycle. Luteal cells were isolated by collagenase digestion. The cells were separated into two distinct subpopulations by Percoll density‐gradient centrifugation. Both subpopulations of luteal cells staining positively for 3β‐HSD activities (5 × 104 cell/well) were cultured with or without 22(R)‐hydroxycholesterol (22R‐HC) in serum‐free culture medium for periods of up to 7 days. Cells were incubated with serum (10%) for the first 18 h of incubation followed by serum‐free medium. Cell treatment (10 and 20 μg/ml) was performed on days 1, 3 and 5. Treatment of cells with both concentrations of 22R‐HC resulted in significant (p < 0.01) and dose‐dependent stimulation (p > 0.05) on progesterone production in both fractions of cells throughout 7 days of incubation. Treatment of the cells with cholesterol resulted in 2.5‐ and 9.0‐fold increases in progesterone accumulation on day 3 of incubation. Steroid production was maintained throughout the incubations when cells are incubated in serum‐free media treated with cholesterol and ITS premix. Cells collected from higher density of percoll layers produced 2.82 and 2.32 times more progesterone, in comparison to the lover density percoll layer, on days 5 and 15 of the oestrous cycle in untreated cell groups, respectively. Progesterone accumulation was decreased as incubation time advanced in all groups of untreated cells. These results demonstrated that goat luteal cell subpopulations secrete substantial amounts of progesterone in response to cholesterol treatment at least for 7 days, and cholesterol is required as progesterone precursor for maintaining a high‐level steroidogenesis during long‐life culturing of both cell subpopulations.
Summer Anoestrus in Buffalo – A Review
Authors: Das GK , Khan FA 
Published: March 2010

ContentsThe present review addresses summer anoestrus in buffaloes. The condition is a major impediment in the improvement of reproductive as well as productive efficiency in buffalo. Factors affecting summer anoestrus include environment, nutrition and management. The environmental factors especially longer day length and increased temperature with high humidity pre‐dispose to the condition when the nutritive status of buffaloes is poor. Buffaloes with summer anoestrus fail to exhibit oestrus as a result of aberration in the endocrine profile leading to ovarian inactivity. Increased day length with high environmental temperature causes hyper‐prolactinaemia, suppressing the secretion of gonadotrophins, which leads to an alteration in ovarian steroidogenesis. Heat stress produced during summer also affects folliculogenesis, follicular fluid microenvironment and oocyte quality. A large number of hormonal regimens have been used with varying degree of efficacy in terms of oestrus induction and conception rate. A combined strategy of improvement in environment, nutrition and management is pre‐requisite for hormonal manipulation in order to improve productivity in summer anoestrus buffaloes. A brief description of summer anoestrus with special reference to factors responsible, endocrinology, deleterious effects on reproductive system and possible remedial measures is presented in this review.
Pseudomeningocele induced transient loss of consciousness in Marfan syndrome
Authors: Kohler E. , Prentice D. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractAnterior and posterior meningoceles are the severest clinical expression of dural ectasia in patients with Marfan syndrome. Meningoceles and pseudomeningoceles have been reported from either asymptomatic, to causing headache, back pain, leg pain, radiculopathy, constipation and/or urinary symptoms. This article includes a case report of a 31‐year‐old woman, who presented with recurrent transient loss of consciousness thought to be secondary to acute changes in intracranial pressure transmitted from a pseudomeningocele.
Direct‐to‐consumer personal genome testing: ethical and regulatory issues that arise from wanting to ‘know’ your DNA
Authors: Samuel G. N. , Jordens C. F. C. , Kerridge I. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractDirect‐to‐consumer personal genome testing (DTC‐PGT) screens a customer's genome for the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms that are reported to be associated with various diseases, disease risk factors and personal characteristics. The range of health risks covered by personal genome testing (PGT) includes cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis. PGT also detects a range of other characteristics, such as alcohol ‘flush reaction’, eye colour, ear wax type and bitter taste perception. Information about ancestry and family history is also available. Although DTC‐PGT is still a relatively new enterprise, the technology has the potential for rapid expansion as it becomes more accessible to consumers who wish to obtain information about their genetic profile. This review provides an overview of the broader ethical and regulatory issues raised by personal genome tests that are marketed directly to the public, and that purport to provide information about health risks. We discuss the emergence of DTC‐PGT in Australia, and the possible regulatory responses that may be taken to manage it.
The effects of the period between biopsy and diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging on cancer staging in localized prostate cancer
Authors: Park Kyung Kgi , Lee Seung Hwan , Lim Beom Jin , Kim Joo Hee , Chung Byung Ha 
Published: March 2010

Study Type – Diagnosis (exploratory cohort) Level of Evidence 2bOBJECTIVESTo investigate whether there are any differences between preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the final pathology results, based on the time between biopsy and preoperative MRI, as there are reports recommending ≥3 weeks after a prostate biopsy, primarily because haemorrhaging interferes with the interpretation of MRI.PATIENTS AND METHODSBetween December 2007 and December 2008, we retrospectively analysed 69 consecutive patients who had biopsy‐confirmed prostate cancer. The inclusion criteria for the study were a history of MRI investigation (combined T2‐weighted and diffusion‐weighted MRI) and robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. The exclusion criteria included an MRI investigation‐to‐surgery interval of ≥1 week, a biopsy having been taken in another hospital, or other than 12 biopsy cores. The amount of haemorrhaging, number of haemorrhaging sites, and the location of the cancer were determined. For this, the prostate was divided into 12 segments which anatomically corresponded to the sites where the 12 core biopsies were taken. Each haemorrhagic prostate segment was scored according to its diameter. Pathology results were reviewed in the same manner. Finally, we assessed any discordance between the sets of results according to the period between the biopsy and the MRI. The association between the MRI and pathology results, in relation to the period between the biopsy and MRI, was plotted and tested using Pearson’s correlation coefficient.RESULTSFive of the 69 patients were excluded because they had a biopsy at another hospital, 12 were excluded because the period between the MRI and the surgery was >7 days. Suspected prostate haemorrhage was detected in 49 of 52 (94%) patients who had MRI. There was a significantly negative correlation with the period between biopsy and MRI (coefficient – 0.285, P= 0.041). There were no significant differences in cancer localization between MRI and pathology results according to the period between the biopsy and MRI (coefficient 0.028, P= 0.874). The rate of matching between MRI results and pathology results was 74%.CONCLUSIONSWe found no significant differences in cancer localization between MRI and final pathology according to the period between the biopsy and MRI. Because of this finding, we do not recommend deferring MRI for the purpose of more accurate cancer staging.
New insights into global patterns of ocean temperature anomalies: implications for coral reef health and management
Authors: Selig Elizabeth R. , Casey Kenneth S. , Bruno John F. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTAim  Coral reefs are widely considered to be particularly vulnerable to changes in ocean temperatures, yet we understand little about the broad‐scale spatio‐temporal patterns that may cause coral mortality from bleaching and disease. Our study aimed to characterize these ocean temperature patterns at biologically relevant scales.Location  Global, with a focus on coral reefs.Methods  We created a 4‐km resolution, 21‐year global ocean temperature anomaly (deviations from long‐term means) database to quantify the spatial and temporal characteristics of temperature anomalies related to both coral bleaching and disease. Then we tested how patterns varied in several key metrics of disturbance severity, including anomaly frequency, magnitude, duration and size.Results  Our analyses found both global variation in temperature anomalies and fine‐grained spatial variability in the frequency, duration and magnitude of temperature anomalies. However, we discovered that even during major climatic events with strong spatial signatures, like the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, areas that had high numbers of anomalies varied between years. In addition, we found that 48% of bleaching‐related anomalies and 44% of disease‐related anomalies were less than 50 km2, much smaller than the resolution of most models used to forecast climate changes.Main conclusions  The fine‐scale variability in temperature anomalies has several key implications for understanding spatial patterns in coral bleaching‐ and disease‐related anomalies as well as for designing protected areas to conserve coral reefs in a changing climate. Spatial heterogeneity in temperature anomalies suggests that certain reefs could be targeted for protection because they exhibit differences in thermal stress. However, temporal variability in anomalies could complicate efforts to protect reefs, because high anomalies in one year are not necessarily predictive of future patterns of stress. Together, our results suggest that temperature anomalies related to coral bleaching and disease are likely to be highly heterogeneous and could produce more localized impacts of climate change.
Appraising Performance across Borders: An Empirical Examination of the Purposes and Practices of Performance Appraisal in a Multi‐Country Context
Authors: Chiang Flora F. T. , Birtch Thomas A. 
Published: March 2010

abstractThis study empirically investigated culture's consequences on the major purposes and practices of performance appraisal using a sample (n = 1749) drawn from the banking industry in seven countries across Europe, Asia, and North America. We found that the effects and predictive capability of assertiveness, uncertainty avoidance, in‐group collectivism, and power distance should not be overstated nor are they straightforward. Organizations must be cognizant of the potential influence that a range of other organizational, institutional, and economic factors may wield on appraisal. These findings hold significant implications for the theoretical underpinnings of appraisal, a management tool largely rooted in US equity, expectancy, and procedural justice values and traditions. They also offer important lessons for practice. Not only is the transferability of appraisal and its operationalization affected by interactions with divergent cultures and contextual settings, but new hybrid appraisal architectures are emerging that necessitate further research.
Physical activity and weight loss following bariatric surgery
Authors: Jacobi D. , Ciangura C. , Couet C. , Oppert J.‐M. 
Published: March 2010

SummaryPhysical activity is a cornerstone in the medical management of obesity and could be important for weight loss following bariatric surgery. This review aims to describe the evolution of physical activity following massive weight loss induced by bariatric surgery, and to identify the relationship between physical activity and amount of weight loss. A literature search identified 20 publications (19 studies) reporting physical activity data in relation to bariatric surgery. All studies were observational. Self‐assessment of physical activity was used in all the studies. Objective measures (pedometry) were used in two studies. The time frame for physical activity assessment varied: before surgery in two publications, after surgery in nine, and longitudinal pre‐ to post‐operative evolution in nine. The latter nine publications found an increase in physical activity after bariatric surgery. In 10/13 studies where it was described, there was a positive relationship between physical activity level and amount of weight loss. In conclusion, observational evidence of self‐reported physical activity suggests that physical activity increases after bariatric surgery and that physical activity is associated with surgically induced weight loss. However, these findings warrant further evaluation using objective measures of physical activity and testing in controlled trials.
Executive working memory processes in dyslexia: Behavioral and fMRI evidence
Authors: BENEVENTI HARALD , TØNNESSEN FINN EGIL , ERSLAND LARS , HUGDAHL KENNETH 
Published: March 2010

Beneventi, H., Tønnessen, F. E., Ersland, L. & Hugdahl, K. (2010). Executive working memory processes in dyslexia: Behavioral and fMRI evidence. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 192–202.Dyslexia is an impairment in learning to read and write, primarily associated with a phonological core deficit. However, the manifestation of symptoms in dyslexia also includes impaired working memory (WM). The aim of this study was to investigate cortical activation related to verbal WM in dyslexic and normal readers aged around 13 years, controlling for phonological awareness processing. We used a modified WM n‐back task where the participants remembered the first or last speech segment (phonemes) of the names of common objects shown as pictures. Dyslexic readers were impaired compared with the control group. Compared with the dyslexic readers, controls showed increased fMRI activation in the left superior parietal lobule and the right inferior prefrontal gyrus. Unlike controls, dyslexics did not show a significant increase in activation in WM areas with increased memory load. These findings provide support for a specific working memory deficit in dyslexic individuals.
The Evolving Law of Disputed Relocation: Constructing Inner‐City Renewal Practices in Shanghai, 1990–2005
Authors: SHIH MI 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe forceful pursuit of inner‐city renewal in Shanghai since the early 1990s has to a great extent achieved spatial modernization, but at the same time it has given rise to increasing conflicts over residential relocation. Using law as a prism through which to examine the dialectic relationship between renewal practices and disputed relocation, this article argues that the series of unprecedented enactments in law that have taken place during this period have both paved the way for real estate market expansion and been a significant source of relocation disputes in Shanghai. Rather than viewing law as simply given and determinate, the article traces the regulatory regime's codification of property practices as a means of actively responding to the requirements of the real estate market. Under large‐scale renewal practices, residents' legal rights of ‘return settlement’ (huiban) in inner‐city areas were largely denied in the early 1990s, before being effectively abolished by the adoption of monetary compensation for displacement in the 2000s. The evolving law on property practices has greatly shaped the process of disputed relocation while simultaneously posing a potential challenge to China's use of law for market‐oriented development.Résumé Depuis le début des années 1990, la rénovation énergique du centre‐ville de Shanghai a largement réussi à moderniser l’espace mais, en même temps, elle a suscité des conflits grandissants à propos des transferts de logement. Utilisant la loi comme prisme d’examen de la relation dialectique entre les pratiques de rénovation et le relogement mis en cause, l’article préconise qu’à Shanghai, la série sans précédent de lois promulguées durant cette période a à la fois ouvert la voie à l’essor du marché immobilier et nourri une source de différends liés au relogement. Plutôt que de voir la loi comme simplement fixe et définitive, ce travail révèle dans la codification de la réglementation sur les pratiques de propriété, un moyen de répondre concrètement aux exigences du marché immobilier. En vertu de pratiques de rénovation à grande échelle, les droits juridiques des résidents à‘un relogement sur place’ (huiban) dans un quartier du centre‐ville ont été très souvent refusés au début des années 1990, avant d’être supprimés dans les faits via l’adoption d’une indemnisation financière de déménagement dans les années 2000. La loi évolutive sur les pratiques de propriété a considérablement modelé le processus de relogement mis en cause, tout en interrogeant l’usage fait de la loi chinoise au bénéfice d’une orientation vers le marché.
Intracerebroventricular infusion of monoclonal antibody or its derived Fab fragment against misfolded forms of SOD1 mutant delays mortality in a mouse model of ALS
Authors: Gros‐Louis Francois , Soucy Geneviève , Larivière Roxanne , Julien Jean‐Pierre 
Published: March 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 113, 1188–1199.AbstractThe finding of a secretion pathway and toxicity for mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) raised up the possibility of using immunization approaches to reduce or neutralize the burden of toxic SOD1 species in the nervous system. Here we tested a passive immunization approach based on intracerebroventricular infusion in G93A‐SOD1 mice of monoclonal antibodies specific to misfolded forms of SOD1 (mSOD1). We tested two monoclonal antibodies that bind distinct epitopes in mSOD1 and that do not bind to intact wild‐type (WT) SOD1. One antibody succeeded in reducing the level of mSOD1 by 23% in the spinal cord and in prolonging the lifespan of G93A‐SOD1 mice in proportion to the duration of treatment. However, another monoclonal antibody binding to a different SOD1 epitope failed to confer protection indicating that not all anti‐SOD1 antibodies might be suitable for immunotherapy. Interestingly, the variable Fab fragment of an anti‐SOD1 antibody was sufficient to confer some protection in G93A‐SOD1 mice. The partial dispensability of Fc region should offer some advantages for development of immunotherapy with antibodies of smaller molecular size and low immunogenicity. From these results, we propose that passive immunization strategies should be considered as potential avenues for treatment of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by SOD1 mutations.
Regional metabolite levels and turnover in the awake rat brain under the influence of nicotine
Authors: Wang Jie , Jiang Lihong , Jiang Yifeng , Ma Xiaoxian , Chowdhury Golam M. I. , Mason Graeme F. 
Published: March 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 113, 1447–1458.AbstractAs one of the most widespread drugs of abuse, nicotine has long been known to impact the brain, particularly with respect to addiction. However, the regional effects of nicotine on the concentrations and kinetics of amino acid neurotransmitters and some energetically related neurochemicals have been little studied. In this investigation, acute effects of nicotine were measured by 1H‐observed/13C‐edited nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy method in extracts obtained from nicotine‐naïve, freely moving rats given 0.7 mg/kg nicotine or saline, with [1‐13C] glucose to track metabolism. Nicotine was observed to exert significant effects on the concentrations of N‐acetylaspartate and GABA, particularly in the striatum. Nicotine decreased brain glucose oxidation, glutamate‐glutamine neurotransmitter cycling, and GABA synthesis regionally, including in the parietal and occipital cortices and the striatum. The olfactory bulb showed kinetics that differed markedly from those observed in the rest of the brain. Independently of nicotine, the concentration of glutamate was found to be correlated significantly with levels of N‐acetylaspartate and GABA, suggesting a potential interplay of energetics and excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. In summary, the study revealed that the neurochemicals were most affected in the cortex and striatum of the rat brain after acute nicotine treatment.
Anoxia leads to a rapid translocation of human trypsinogen 4 to the plasma membrane of cultured astrocytes
Authors: Tárnok Krisztián , Szilágyi László , Berki Tímea , Németh Péter , Gráf László , Schlett Katalin 
Published: March 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 314–324.AbstractTrypsinogen 4 is specifically expressed in the human brain, mainly by astroglial cells. Although its exact role in the nervous tissue is yet unclear, trypsin 4‐mediated pathological processes were suggested in Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and ischemic injury. In the present study, we analyzed the intracellular distribution of fluorescently tagged human trypsinogen 4 isoforms during normal and anoxic conditions in transfected mouse primary astrocytes. Our results show that initiation of anoxic milieu by the combined action of KCN treatment and glucose deprivation rapidly leads to the association of leader peptide containing trypsinogen 4 constructs to the plasma membrane. Using rhodamine 110 bis‐(CBZ‐L‐isoleucyl‐L‐prolyl‐L‐arginine amide), a synthetic chromogen peptide substrate of trypsin, we show that anoxia can promote extracellular activation of trypsinogen 4 indicating that extracellular activation of human trypsinogen 4 can be an important component in neuropathological changes of the injured human brain.
Fluidized muds: a novel setting for the generation of biosphere diversity through geologic time*
Authors: ALLER J. Y. , ALLER R. C. , KEMP P. F. , CHISTOSERDOV A. Y. , MADRID V. M. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractReworked and fluidized fine‐grained deposits in energetic settings are a major modern‐day feature of river deltas and estuaries. Similar environments were probably settings for microbial evolution on the early Earth. These sedimentary systems act as efficient biogeochemical reactors with high bacterial phylogenetic diversity and functional redundancy. They are temporally rather than spatially structured, with repeated cycling of redox conditions and successive stages of microbial metabolic processes. Intense reworking of the fluidized bed entrains bacteria from varied habitats providing new, diverse genetic materials to contribute to horizontal gene transfer events and the creation of new bacterial ecotypes. These vast mud environments may act as exporters and promoters of biosphere diversity and novel adaptations, potentially on a globally important scale.