bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
P633H, a novel dual agonist at peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors α and γ, with different anti‐diabetic effects in db/db and KK‐Ay mice
Authors: Chen Wei , Zhou Xin‐Bo , Liu Hong‐Ying , Xu Cheng , Wang Li‐Li , Li Song 
Published: May 2009

Background and purpose:  Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors (PPARs) are attractive targets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. P633H (2‐[4‐(2‐Fluoro‐benzenesulphonyl)‐piperazin‐1‐yl]‐3‐{4‐[2‐(5‐methyl‐2‐phenyl‐oxazol‐4‐yl)‐ethoxy]‐phenyl}‐propionic acid), a novel PPARα/γ dual agonist, was investigated for its very different effects on insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in db/db and KK‐Ay mice.Experimental approach:  The action of P633H at PPARα/γ was characterized by using transactivation assays. Functional activation of PPARα/γin vitro was confirmed by pre‐adipocyte differentiation and regulation of target gene expression. Anti‐diabetic studies were performed in two different diabetic mice models in vivo.Key results:  P633H activated both PPARα and PPAR γ, (with EC50 values of 0.012 µmol and 0.032 µmol respectively). Additionally, P633H promoted pre‐adipocyte differentiation, up‐regulated expression of adipose specific transport protein (aP2) mRNA (3T3‐Ll cells) and acyl‐CoA oxidase mRNA (LO2 cells). In db/db mice, P633H reduced serum glucose, insulin, triglycerides, non‐esterified fatty acids and liver triglycerides. It also improved glucose intolerance without affecting food intake and body weight after 15 days of treatment. However in KK‐Ay mice, hyperglycaemia, dyslipidemia and impaired glucose tolerance were not relieved even after a 25 day treatment with P633H. Further studies with real‐time PCR and electron microscopy revealed that P633H promoted progression of diabetes in KK‐Ay mice by increasing hepatic gluconeogenesis and exacerbating pancreatic pathology.Conclusion and implications:  Although P633H was a high‐potency PPARα/γ dual agonist, with good functional activity in vitro, it produced opposing anti‐diabetic effects in db/db and KK‐Ay mice.
Selective PARP‐2 inhibitors increase apoptosis in hippocampal slices but protect cortical cells in models of post‐ischaemic brain damage
Authors: Moroni F , Formentini L , Gerace E , Camaioni E , Pellegrini‐Giampietro D E , Chiarugi A , Pellicciari R 
Published: May 2009

Background and purpose:  Poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerases (PARP)‐1 and PARP‐2 play complementary tasks in the maintenance of genomic integrity, but their role in cell death or survival processes is rather different. A recently described series of selective PARP‐2 inhibitors (UPF‐1035, UPF‐1069) were used to study the role of PARP‐1 and PARP‐2 in post‐ischaemic brain damage.Experimental approach:  We evaluated post‐ischaemic brain damage in two different in vitro models: rat organotypic hippocampal slices exposed to oxygen‐glucose deprivation (OGD) for 20–30 min, a model characterized by apoptosis‐like cell death and mouse mixed cortical cell cultures exposed to 60 min OGD, a model in which cells die with mostly necrosis‐like features.Key results:  In organotypic hippocampal slices, PARP‐2 inhibition with UPF‐1069 (0.01–1 µmol·L−1) caused a concentration‐dependent exacerbation (up to 155%) of OGD‐induced CA1 pyramidal cell death. Higher concentrations, acting on both PARP‐1 and PARP‐2, had no effect on OGD injury. In mouse mixed cortical cells exposed to OGD, on the contrary, UPF‐1069 (1–10 µmol·L−1) significantly reduced post‐ischaemic damage.Conclusion and implications:  Selective PARP‐2 inhibitors increased post‐OGD cell death in a model characterized by loss of neurons through a caspase‐dependent, apoptosis‐like process (hippocampal slice cultures), but they reduced post‐OGD damage and increased cell survival in a model characterized by a necrosis‐like process (cortical neurons). UPF‐1069 may be a valuable tool to explore the function of PARP‐2 in biological systems and to examine the different roles of PARP isoenzymes in the mechanisms of cell death and survival.
The Empire's War Recalled: Recent Writing on the Western Front Experience of Britain, Ireland, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies
Authors: Connor John 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe ninetieth anniversary of the end of the First World War in 2008 was marked with the publication of a number of works in many parts of what was once the British Empire. We saw an increased output in publications on the Western Front. In Britain, the recent literature attempts to rehabilitate Douglas Haig and define the ‘learning curve’ that enabled the British army to defeat Germany in 1918. In Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the performance of their soldiers on the Western Front is seen as central to national identity and this now focuses on military success rather than sacrifice in a futile war. In India, South Africa and Jamaica, there is a renewed interest in linking the First World War to national identities based on the independence or liberation struggle. In Ireland, the Great War is seen as a shared experience that can link the Nationalist and Unionist traditions in Northern Ireland and the Republic. The article concludes that this interest in the Western Front will continue into the next decade in the lead‐up to the centenary of the First World War.
Health‐beneficial effects of probiotics: Its mode of action
Authors: OHASHI Yuji , USHIDA Kazunari 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTIt is now widely recognized that probiotics have health‐beneficial effects on humans and animals. Probiotics should survive in the intestinal tract to exert beneficial effects on the host's health. To keep a sufficient level of probiotic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, a shorter interval between doses may be required. Although adherence to the intestinal epithelial cell and mucus is not a universal property of probiotics, high ability to adhere to the intestinal surface might strongly interfere with infection of pathogenic bacteria and regulate the immune system. The administration of probiotic Lactobacillus stimulated indigenous Lactobacilli and the production of short‐chain fatty acids. This alteration of the intestinal environment should contribute to maintain the host's health. The immunomodulatory effects of probiotics are related to important parts of their beneficial effects. Probiotics may modulate the intestinal immune response through the stimulation of certain cytokine and IgA secretion in intestinal mucosa. The health‐beneficial effects, in particular the immunomodulation effect, of probiotics depend on the strain used. Differences in indigenous intestinal microflora significantly alter the magnitude of the effects of a probiotic. Specific probiotic strains suitable for each animal species and their life stage as well as each individual should be found.
Central L‐cysteine induces sleep, and D‐cysteine induces sleep and abnormal behavior during acute stress in neonatal chicks
Authors: YAMANE Haruka , ASECHI Mari , TSUNEYOSHI Yousuke , DENBOW D. Michael , FURUSE Mitsuhiro 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTL‐Cysteine (L‐Cys) is a non‐essential and glycogenic amino acid. Previously, we reported that the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of L‐Cys induced sedative effects under isolation‐induced stress in neonatal chicks. L‐Cys has an optical isomer, D‐Cys. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of L‐Cys and D‐Cys during a stressful condition in chicks. The i.c.v. injection of L‐Cys and D‐Cys (0.84 µmol) decreased both distress vocalization and spontaneous activity induced by isolation. However, the two cysteine isomers induced different behaviors. L‐Cys increased sleep‐like behavior while D‐Cys caused abnormal behavior including syncope as well as sleep‐like behavior. In conclusion, while both L‐Cys and D‐Cys caused a sedative effect when injected i.c.v, D‐Cys caused abnormal behavior and may be detrimental to neonatal chicks.
Increased blood concentration of isopropanol in ketotic dairy cows and isopropanol production from acetone in the rumen
Authors: SATO Hiroshi 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTTo evaluate acetone and isopropanol metabolism in bovine ketosis, the blood concentrations of isopropanol, acetone, plasma 3‐hydroxybutyrate (3‐HB) and other metabolites were analyzed in 12 healthy controls and 15 ketotic dairy cows including fatty liver and inferior prognosis after laparotomy for displaced abomasum. In ruminal fluid taken from 6 ketotic cows, ruminal isopropanol and acetone were also analyzed. Ketotic cows showed higher concentrations of isopropanol, acetone, 3‐HB and nonesterified fatty acid, and higher activities of aspartate transaminase and γ‐glutamyl transferase than control cows. Blood samples had higher concentration of isopropanol accompanied by increased acetone. In the ketotic cows, acetone was detected not only in blood but also in ruminal fluid, while higher ruminal isopropanol did not necessarily accompany its elevation in the blood. Using 2 steers with rumen cannula, all ruminal content was emptied and then substituted with artificial saliva to evaluate the importance of ruminal microbes in isopropanol production. Under each condition of intact and emptied rumen, acetone was infused into the rumen and blood isopropanol was analyzed. The elevation in the blood isopropanol concentration after acetone infusion was markedly inhibited by the emptying. Here, increased blood concentrations of isopropanol and acetone were observed in ketotic cows, and the importance of ruminal microbes in isopropanol production was confirmed.
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium utilization and their cycling in a beef‐forage production system
Authors: TABATA Yusuke , TOGO Daisuke , KITAGAWA Masayuki , OISHI Kazato , KUMAGAI Hajime , KUME Shinichi , HIROOKA Hiroyuki 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to quantify nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) utilization and their cycling in a beef‐forage production system. A survey was conducted at the Kyoto University experimental farm in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, and included 9.5 ha of meadow and about 160 head of beef cattle. Forages cultivated on the meadow were ensiled and offered to breeding cows. The whole farm was regarded as a beef‐forage production system. The system consisted of three components: animals, manure and soil/crop. Nutrient inputs, flows through the soil‐plant‐animal pathway and outputs were quantified for 2 periods for the whole farm. Nutrient utilization was evaluated by nutrient balances, utilization efficiencies (ratio of nutrient export to nutrient input) and cycling index. The average nutrient balances of N, P and K for the whole farm (kg/year/ha) were 435.7, 136.3, and 262.8, and the average nutrient utilization efficiencies were 0.08, 0.06, and 0.01, respectively. The characteristics of nutrient balances and utilization efficiencies for each component differed among the nutrients. The average cycling indices for N, P and K were 0.19, 0.17 and 0.49, respectively. This study illustrates the importance of internal nutrient cycling for improving nutrient utilization in beef production systems.
Immunolocalization of lingual antimicrobial peptide (LAP) in the bovine mammary gland
Authors: ISOBE Naoki , HOSODA Kenji , YOSHIMURA Yukinori 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTLingual antimicrobial peptide (LAP), a member of the β‐defensin family in cows, is involved in the innate immune system and plays a crucial role in killing a large variety of microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the immunolocalization of LAP in the mammary glands of cows. A LAP antibody was raised in a rabbit by immunity with a synthetic 11 amino acid sequence out of a 42‐amino acid sequence of the mature form of LAP. The specificity of the LAP antibody was checked using a competitive immunoassay and Western blotting. Paraffin sections of the mammary gland were immunostained with LAP antibody. In the competitive immunoassay, an increase of synthetic LAP concentration suppressed the optical density. Western blotting analysis for LAP revealed the presence of the LAP peptide in mammary alveolar tissue. When the mammary gland was immunostained with LAP antibody, epithelial cells of both infected and non‐infected alveoli were immunopositive. These results indicate that LAP is localized in the epithelium of non‐infected as well as infected alveolus in the mammary gland in cows.
The Fermi blazars' divide
Authors: Ghisellini G. , Maraschi L. , Tavecchio F. 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
Flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and BL Lac objects detected in the first three months of the Fermi survey neatly separate in the γ-ray spectral index versus γ-ray luminosity plane. BL Lac objects are less luminous and have harder spectra than broad-line blazars. We suggest that this division has its origin in the different accretion regimes of the two classes of objects. Using the γ-ray luminosity as a proxy for the observed bolometric one, we show that the boundary between the two subclasses of blazars can be associated with the threshold between the regimes of optically thick accretion discs and of radiatively inefficient accretion flows, which lies at an accretion rate of the order of 10−2 the Eddington rate. The spectral separation in hard (BL Lacs) and soft (FSRQs) objects can then result from the different radiative cooling suffered by the relativistic electrons in jets propagating in different ambients. We argue that the bulk of the most luminous blazars already detected by Fermi should be characterized by large black hole masses, around 109 solar masses, and predict that lowering the γ-ray flux threshold the region of the αγ–Lγ plane corresponding to steep spectral indices and lower luminosities will be progressively populated by FSRQs with lower mass black holes, while the region of hard spectra and large luminosities will remain forbidden.
Sampling Strategies for Estimation of Parameters Related to Ground Water Quality
Authors: Crane Pamela E. , Silliman Stephen E. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractMultiple theoretical sampling designs are studied to determine whether sampling designs can be identified that will provide for characterization of ground water quality in rural regions of developing nations. Sampling design in this work includes assessing sampling frequency, analytical methods, length of sampling period, and requirements of sampling personnel. The results answer a set of questions regarding whether using innovative sampling designs can allow hydrogeologists to take advantage of a range of characterization technologies, sampling strategies, and available personnel to develop high‐value, water‐quality data sets. Monte Carlo studies are used to assess different sampling strategies in the estimation of three parameters related to a hypothetical chemical observed in a ground water well: mean concentration (MeanC), maximum concentration (MaxC), and total mass load (TML). Five different scenarios are simulated. These scenarios are then subsampled using multiple simulated sampling instruments, time periods (ranging from 1 to 10 years), and sampling frequencies (ranging from weekly to semiannually to parameter dependent). Results are analyzed via the statistics of the resulting estimates, including mean square error, bias, bias squared, and precision. Results suggest that developing a sampling strategy based on what may be considered lower quality instruments can represent a powerful field research approach for estimating select parameters when applied at high frequency. This result suggests the potential utility of using a combination of lower quality instrument and local populations to obtain high frequency data sets in regions where regular monitoring by technicians is not practical.
A Compartmental–Spatial System Dynamics Approach to Ground Water Modeling
Authors: Roach Jesse , Tidwell Vince 
Published: May 2009

AbstractHigh‐resolution, spatially distributed ground water flow models can prove unsuitable for the rapid, interactive analysis that is increasingly demanded to support a participatory decision environment. To address this shortcoming, we extend the idea of multiple cell (Bear 1979) and compartmental (Campana and Simpson 1984) ground water models developed within the context of spatial system dynamics (Ahmad and Simonovic 2004) for rapid scenario analysis. We term this approach compartmental–spatial system dynamics (CSSD). The goal is to balance spatial aggregation necessary to achieve a real‐time integrative and interactive decision environment while maintaining sufficient model complexity to yield a meaningful representation of the regional ground water system. As a test case, a 51‐compartment CSSD model was built and calibrated from a 100,000+ cell MODFLOW (McDonald and Harbaugh 1988) model of the Albuquerque Basin in central New Mexico (McAda and Barroll 2002). Seventy‐seven percent of historical drawdowns predicted by the MODFLOW model were within 1 m of the corresponding CSSD estimates, and in 80% of the historical model run years the CSSD model estimates of river leakage, reservoir leakage, ground water flow to agricultural drains, and riparian evapotranspiration were within 30% of the corresponding estimates from McAda and Barroll (2002), with improved model agreement during the scenario period. Comparisons of model results demonstrate both advantages and limitations of the CCSD model approach.
Insights into the termite assemblage of a neotropical rainforest from the spatio‐temporal distribution of flying alates
Authors: BOURGUIGNON THOMAS , LEPONCE MAURICE , ROISIN YVES 
Published: May 2009

Abstract. 1. During the last decade, many studies have focused on the diversity of termite species and their ecological function, but these have been mostly based on transect protocols not designed to sample canopy‐dwelling and subterranean species. Additionally, all these studies relied upon collections of foraging parties composed of workers and soldiers in the soil or in pieces of wood.2. We hypothesised that alate‐based protocols could disclose spatial and temporal patterns of termite flights and provide a more balanced picture of assemblages for ecological and biodiversity surveys.3. Our study took place in the framework of the IBISCA‐Panama project, which used numerous trapping methods to give a multifaceted overview of a complex tropical rainforest arthropod community. Two methods, flight interception traps and light traps, were efficient at collecting termite alates. All collected specimens were assigned to morphospecies which were later identified to the genus or species level, when possible.4. Our results highlighted that: (i) alate trapping represents a powerful complement to ground‐based standardised sampling protocols by allowing the documentation of the whole termite assemblage. (ii) Canopy dwellers fly preferentially in the upper strata, whereas no vertical stratification was found for ground dwellers, suggesting that height of flight is dictated by a pressure for long distance dispersal as well as the need to find a suitable site for colony‐founding. (iii) Alates from closely related species do not stagger their flight period to avoid hybridisation but rather synchronise their flights according to environmental factors.
Smoking, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in men in the Asia Pacific region
Authors: KENGNE Andre Pascal , NAKAMURA Koshi , BARZI Federica , LAM Tai Hing , HUXLEY Rachel , GU Dongfeng , PATEL Anushka , KIM Hyeon Chang , WOODWARD Mark ,   on behalf of The Asia Pacific Cohort Study Collaboration
Published: May 2009

AbstractBackground:  To assess whether there is a statistical interaction between smoking and diabetes that is related to the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men in the Asia Pacific region.Methods:  An individual participant data meta‐analysis was conducted on 34 cohort studies, involving 16 492 participants with diabetes (47.4% smokers) and 188 897 without (47.6% smokers). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for smoking (stratified by study and adjusted for age) for those with and without diabetes.Results:  In men with diabetes, the HR (95% CI) comparing current smokers with non‐smokers was 1.42 (1.10–1.83) for coronary heart disease, 1.10 (0.88–1.37) for total stroke and 1.15 (0.98–1.35) for total CVD. The corresponding figures for men without diabetes were 1.47 (1.33–1.61), 1.27 (1.16–1.39) and 1.35 (1.27–1.44), respectively. There was no evidence of a statistical interaction between diabetes and current smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked per day or quitting smoking. Smoking cessation was associated with a 19% reduction in CVD risk, irrespective of diabetes status.Conclusions:  The effects of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation are broadly similar in men with and without diabetes. In Asia, where there are high rates of smoking and a rapidly increasing prevalence of diabetes, strategies that encourage smokers to quit are likely to have huge benefits in terms of reducing the burden of CVD in men with diabetes.
Isolation and characterization of thirteen polymorphic microsatellite loci in the A‐genome perennial group of the legume genus Glycine
Authors: BRONSKI MICHAEL J. , STRAUB SHANNON C. K. , BOGDANOWICZ STEVEN M. , DOYLE JANE L. , BROWN A. H. D. , DOYLE JEFF J. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThirteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for the closely related and reproductively compatible species comprising the A‐genome perennial group of the legume genus Glycine. Primers developed from the widespread and isozymically differentiated G. canescens amplified successfully across G. clandestina and four other species within the complex. Species were highly polymorphic, and observed heterozygosities were extremely low for all loci, as expected for these predominantly autogamous taxa. These markers will be useful in studying genetic variation, population structure, gene flow, and polyploidy within the A‐genome group.
Characterization of microsatellite loci in the fungus, Grosmannia clavigera, a pine pathogen associated with the mountain pine beetle
Authors: TSUI C. K. M. , FEAU N. , RITLAND C. E. , MASSOUMI ALAMOUTI S. , DiGUISTINI S. , KHADEMPOUR L. , BOHLMANN J. , BREUIL C. , HAMELIN R. C. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe largest forest pest epidemic in Canadian history caused by the mountain pine beetle (MPB) and its fungal associates has killed over 15 million hectares of forest. Sixty simple sequence repeat regions were identified from Grosmannia clavigera, an MPB associated fungus. Eight loci genotyped in 53 isolates from two populations in British Columbia, Canada revealed three to 10 alleles per locus and gene diversities of 0 to 0.79. All but two of these loci showed length polymorphism in Leptographium longiclavatum, a related MPB fungal associate. These microsatellites will be useful in population genetic studies of these fungi.
Reduction of Amphotericin B-Induced Renal Tubular Apoptosis by
N
-Acetylcysteine
Authors: Odabasi Z. , Karaalp A. , Cermik H. , Mohr J. , Tigen E. T. , Koc M. , Korten V. 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACT

The reduction of amphotericin B (AmB)-induced renal tubular apoptosis and nephrotoxicity by
N
-acetylcysteine (NAC) in a murine model was evaluated. Four groups of rats were treated with AmB for 5 days, and each group concomitantly received two doses of 30, 60, or 120 mg of NAC/kg of body weight/day or sterile water for 5 days. Groups that received concomitant NAC at any dose had significantly decreased levels of apoptosis compared to that in animals receiving AmB only (48.8% versus 27.4, 23.6, or 23.5%, respectively;
P
< 0.001).