bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cell Adhesion and Spreading Affect Adipogenesis from Embryonic Stem Cells: The Role of Calreticulin
Authors: Szabo Eva , Feng Tianshu , Dziak Ewa , Opas Michal 
Published: June 2009

AbstractCalreticulin is an endoplasmic reticulum-resident multifunctional protein, which has been shown to influence numerous cellular processes, including cell adhesion. In this study, we characterized the adhesive properties of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) lacking calreticulin and showed that adipogenesis from ESCs is directly and reciprocally controlled by the adhesive status of a cell, which in turn is modulated by calreticulin. Calreticulin-deficient ESCs are not only highly adipogenic but also show elevated calmodulin/CaMKII signaling and poor adhesiveness compared with the wild-type ESCs. Calreticulin deficiency leads to a disorganized cytoskeleton and low levels of focal adhesion-related proteins, such as vinculin, paxillin, and phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase, which cause limited focal adhesion formation and limited fibronectin deposition. Moreover, differentiation on nonadhesive substrata, which hinder cell spreading, promoted adipogenesis in the wild-type ESCs that normally have low adipogenic potential, causing a decrease in focal adhesion protein expression and an increase in calmodulin/CaMKII signaling. In contrast, inhibition of CaMKII effectively increased focal adhesion protein levels and inhibited adipogenesis in calreticulin-deficient ESCs, causing them to behave like the low adipogenic, wild-type ESCs. Thus, the adipogenic potential of ESCs is proportional to their calmodulin/CaMKII activity but is inversely related to their focal adhesion protein levels and degree of adhesiveness/spreading.Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Implanted Adult Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells Induce Endogenous Axon Guidance
Authors: Arthur Agnieszka , Shi Songtao , Zannettino Andrew C. W. , Fujii Nobutaka , Gronthos Stan , Koblar Simon A. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
The human central nervous system has limited capacity for regeneration. Stem cell-based therapies may overcome this through cellular mechanisms of neural replacement and/or through molecular mechanisms, whereby secreted factors induce change in the host tissue. To investigate these mechanisms, we used a readily accessible human cell population, dental pulp progenitor/stem cells (DPSCs) that can differentiate into functionally active neurons given the appropriate environmental cues. We hypothesized that implanted DPSCs secrete factors that coordinate axon guidance within a receptive host nervous system. An avian embryonic model system was adapted to investigate axon guidance in vivo after transplantation of adult human DPSCs. Chemoattraction of avian trigeminal ganglion axons toward implanted DPSCs was mediated via the chemokine, CXCL12, also known as stromal cell-derived factor-1, and its receptor, CXCR4. These findings provide the first direct evidence that DPSCs may induce neuroplasticity within a receptive host nervous system.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Human Alternatives to Fetal Bovine Serum for the Expansion of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Bone Marrow
Authors: Bieback Karen , Hecker Andrea , Kocaömer Asli , Lannert Heinrich , Schallmoser Katharina , Strunk Dirk , Klüter Harald 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are promising candidates for novel cell therapeutic applications. For clinical scale manufacturing, human factors from serum or platelets have been suggested as alternatives to fetal bovine serum (FBS). We have previously shown that pooled human serum (HS) and thrombin-activated platelet releasate in plasma (tPRP) support the expansion of adipose tissue-derived MSCs. Contradictory results with bone marrow (BM)-derived MSCs have initiated a comprehensive comparison of HS, tPRP, and pooled human platelet lysate (pHPL) and FBS in terms of their impact on MSC isolation, expansion, differentiation, and immunomodulatory activity. In addition to conventional Ficoll density gradient centrifugation, depletion of lineage marker expressing cells (RosetteSep) and CD271+ sorting were used for BM-MSC enrichment. Cells were cultured in medium containing either 10% FBS, HS, tPRP, or pHPL. Colony-forming units and cumulative population doublings were determined, and MSCs were maximally expanded. Although both HS and tPRP comparable to FBS supported isolation and expansion, pHPL significantly accelerated BM-MSC proliferation to yield clinically relevant numbers within the first two passages. MSC quality and functionality including cell surface marker expression, adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation, and immunosuppressive action were similar in MSCs from all culture conditions. Importantly, spontaneous cell transformation was not observed in any of the culture conditions. Telomerase activity was not detected in any of the cultures at any passage. In contrast to previous data from adipose tissue-derived MSCs, pHPL was found to be the most suitable FBS substitute in clinical scale BM-MSC expansion.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
High prevalence of defects in Cesarean section scars at transvaginal ultrasound examination
Authors: Vikhareva Osser O. , Jokubkiene L. , Valentin L. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractObjectivesTo determine the ability to correctly identify Cesarean section scars, to estimate the prevalence of defective scars, and to determine the size and location of scar defects by transvaginal ultrasound imaging.MethodsTwo hundred and eighty‐seven women underwent transvaginal ultrasound examination 6–9 months after delivery: 108 had undergone one Cesarean section, 43 had had two Cesarean sections, 11 had undergone at least three Cesarean sections, and 125 were primiparae who had delivered vaginally. The ultrasound examiner was blinded to the obstetric history until all scans had been evaluated.ResultsNone of the 125 vaginally delivered women had a visible scar in the uterus, whereas all women who had undergone Cesarean section had at least one visible scar. Median myometrial thickness at the level of the isthmus was 11.6 mm in women who had only been delivered vaginally, and 8.3 mm, 6.7 mm and 4.7 mm in women who had undergone one, two and at least three Cesarean sections, respectively (P < 0.001). Scar defects were seen in 61% (66/108), 81% (35/43) and 100% (11/11) of the women who had undergone one, two and at least three Cesarean sections (P = 0.002); at least one defect was classified as large by the ultrasound examiner in 14% (15/108), 23% (10/43) and 45% (5/11) (P = 0.027), and at least one total defect was seen in 6% (7/108), 7% (3/43) and 18% (2/11) (P = 0.336). In women who had undergone one Cesarean section, the median distance between an intact scar and the internal cervical os was 4.6 (range, 0–19) mm, and that between a deficient scar and the internal cervical os was 0 (range, 0–26) mm (P < 0.001).ConclusionsCesarean section scars can be detected reliably by ultrasound imaging. Myometrial thickness at the level of the isthmus uteri decreases with the number of Cesarean sections and the frequency of large scar defects increases. Scars with defects are located lower in the uterus than intact scars. Copyright © 2009 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Responding to Amniotic Fluid Embolism
Authors: Dobbenga‐Rhodes Yvonne A. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTAmniotic fluid embolism (AFE), an uncommon disorder with a high fatality rate, is an obstetric emergency that requires swift recognition and intervention to save both the mother's life and that of her child.The high mortality rate and varying theories as to its cause make it difficult to diagnose AFE, which can occur at any point during labor and delivery, including during cesarean birth. These factors make it important for perioperative nurses to understand and recognize AFE when it occurs in the OR. Rapid delivery of the fetus is imperative for the survival of both mother and child. Monitoring and aggressively providing respiratory and circulatory support interventions are required if the mother is to survive AFE. AORN J 89 (June 2009) 1079–1088. © AORN, Inc, 2009.
Ebstein's Anomaly: A Complex Congenital Heart Defect
Authors: Cherry Cecile , DeBord Starla , Moustapha‐Nadler Noha 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTEbstein's anomaly is a complex, congenital heart defect characterized by a malformation of the tricuspid valve and right side of the heart. A variety of cardiac abnormalities are associated with Ebstein's anomaly, including atrial septal defect, conduction system abnormalities, patent foramen ovale, pulmonary stenosis or atresia, and ventricular septal defect.The clinical course of a patient with Ebstein's anomaly depends on the severity of the abnormalities present. Surgical repair of Ebstein's anomaly involves repair or replacement of the tricuspid valve and repair of any associated cardiac abnormalities. AORN J 89 (June 2009) 1098‐1110. © AORN, Inc, 2009.
The RN First Assistant: An Expert Resource for Surgical Site Infection Prevention
Authors: Pear Suzanne M. , Williamson Theresa H. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTThe role of the RN first assistant (RNFA) has expanded and evolved during the past three decades. Studies that have examined patient care outcomes relative to RNFAs substituting for surgeons as first assistants have noted no resulting adverse consequences, and the use of RNFAs in surgery may improve patient outcomes.This article reports on an intervention to improve surgical outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery that involved replacing surgical residents with RNFAs for the harvesting of saphenous vein grafts. The resulting benefits were a significant decrease in surgical times as well as improvement in surgical site infection rates. AORN J 89 (June 2009) 1093–1097. © AORN, Inc, 2009.
Proposing and testing the contextual gender influence theory: An examination of gender influence types on trust of computer agents
Authors: Lee Eun‐Ju , Schumann David W. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe purpose of this research is to examine gender‐based determinants of consumer trust towards computer agents. Employing multiple literatures, we propose a contextual gender influence theory (CGIT) which has direct bearing on trust in online exchange relationships. A set of studies is presented that begin to demonstrate how the effects of gender identity on human‐to‐computer interaction are not the same for person‐to‐person interaction. Indeed, employing both gaming and shopping exchange environments, the results reveal that while biological gender identity appears in a person‐to‐person interaction as concerns trust, psychological gender identity (specifically femininity) and not biological gender identity, influences relationship trust online.
RNA-interference methods for gene-knockdown in the sea louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis: studies on a putative prostaglandin E synthase
Authors: CAMPBELL E. M. , PERT C. C. , BOWMAN A. S. 
Published: June 2009

SUMMARYHarnessing the full utility of extensive gene sequences recently available for the economically important sea louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, requires the adaptation of modern molecular biology approaches to this non-model organism. Using a putative microsomal prostaglandin E synthase type-2 (PGES2) as a candidate gene, we investigated gene-knockdown by double-stranded RNA interference (dsRNAi) in the small free-living and the larger parasitic stages of L. salmonis. dsRNA was administered to nauplius and copepodid stages by immersion for 7 h. Pre-adult and adults received dsRNA by intra-haemocoelic injection. The extent, speed and persistence of the knockdown effects were determined by RT-PCR. LsPGES2 was abundantly expressed in all life stages, including the non-parasitic stages. Administration of dsRNA to nauplius and copepodids by immersion had no effect on mortality rates and moulting through to copepodids was observed. Dramatic knockdown of LsPGES2 was observed within 7 h and persisted for at least 48 h. Injection of dsRNA had no effect on mortality in pre-adults and adults, but knockdown of LsPGES2 was apparent within 24 h, reaching 95% over the 72 h and was persistent for at least 120 h. The methods developed resulted in rapid and persistent knockdown in L. salmonis suitable for studies in the different stadia.
Population estimates of emperor penguins at Amanda Bay, Ingrid Christensen Coast, Antarctica
Authors: Wienecke Barbara , Pedersen Peter 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTIn 2008, the emperor penguin Aptenodytes forsteri colony at Amanda Bay, East Antarctica, was designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area by the 31st Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is only the third emperor penguin colony in the Australian Antarctic Territory to receive this status. The colony has been known to exist since 1956 and numerous visits have been made to it, especially by personnel from Australia's Davis station. On a number of occasions, attempts were made to estimate the number of birds in the colony in order to obtain an insight into the size of the breeding population. Here we report on the history of visitation to the colony since the 1950s and examine the quality of information collected with regard to the usefulness of this information in terms of population analyses. We also report the results of the first visit to the Amanda Bay colony made in winter with the specific purpose of estimating the number of birds present and of highlighting the need for long term monitoring programmes to assess the viability of emperor penguins in future.
The first Antarctic whaling season ofAdmiralen(1905–1906): the diary of Alexander Lange
Authors: Adie Susan , Basberg Bjørn L. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTThe first factory ship of the so-called modern era of Antarctic whaling wasAdmiralen, arriving together with two smaller catcher boats in the South Shetland Islands in January 1906, after a period of whaling in the Falkland Islands. The expedition leader was Alexander Lange, a Norwegian whaler with a long experience from whaling in northern Norway and Spitsbergen. He kept a diary for a considerable period and this covered several whaling voyages. The one dealing with the pioneer Antarctic season of 1905–1906 has been translated from Norwegian into English and is presented here with an introduction that places the expedition into its wider context.
A life for an idea: Matthias Alexander Castrén
Authors: Stammler-Gossmann Anna 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTMatthias Alexander Castrén (1813–1852), a great Finnish researcher and fieldworker, the first professor of the Finnish language, undertook a vast range of studies, geographically from Norwegian Lapland to Siberia and in subjects from linguistics to ethnology. His extensive work in the Russian north made him one of the principal figures of Siberian and Finno-Ugrian studies. Castrén's pioneering contributions in Turkology, Mongolian studies and archaeology are also noteworthy. He spent almost ten years on expeditions outside Finland and during his short life, he died at the age of 39, he managed to collect a vast amount of material, which is set out in 32 volumes of his manuscripts. However, his name is less known than are the names of some of his prominent friends. In English there are only few comments on his travels and work and these are in the context of the history of Finnish science in the 19th century. Published materials of Castrén's work include two volumes in Finnish translated from Swedish, six volumes in Swedish, and twelve volumes in German. Castrén was born in a period which is often regarded as a turning point in Finnish history and as a key period in the formation of the Finnish nation. Presenting an overview of different fields of Castrén's research, this article analyses his scientific contribution along two lines: in the context of the rising national awareness in Finland in the 19th century and of the mainstream developments in the scientific scene of this time. Based on Castrén's travel diaries, correspondence and lectures, the article seeks to contribute to understanding the historical aspects that shaped this great researcher situated as he was between three national traditions of his time: his writing was mostly in Swedish, his research activities were mainly carried out on behalf of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and yet he is most prized as a pioneer of Finnish linguistics, ethnography, archaeology and other disciplines.
Explorer without a country: the question of Vilhjalmur Stefansson's citizenship
Authors: Cavell Janice , Noakes Jeff 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTConfusion has long existed on the subject of Vilhjalmur Stefansson's citizenship. A Canadian (that is, a British subject) by birth, Stefansson was brought up and educated in the United States. When his father became an American citizen in 1887, according to the laws of the time Stefansson too became an American. Dual citizenship was not then permitted by either the British or the American laws. Therefore, Stefansson was no longer a British subject. After he took command of the government sponsored Canadian Arctic Expedition in 1913, Stefansson was careful to give the impression that his status had never changed. Although Stefansson swore an oath of allegiance to King George V in May 1913, he did not take the other steps that would have been required to restore him to being Canadian. But, by an American act passed in 1907, this oath meant the loss of Stefansson's American citizenship. In the 1930s American officials informed Stefansson that he must apply for naturalisation in order to regain it. From 1913 until he received his American citizenship papers in 1937, Stefansson was a man without a country.
Can we know the immunization status of healthcare workers? Results of a feasibility study in hospital trusts, England, 2008
Authors: PEZZOLI L. , NOAKES K. , GATES P. , BEGUM F. , PEBODY R. G. 
Published: June 2009

SUMMARYIn England, there is no surveillance system for vaccines offered to healthcare workers apart from that in place annually for the seasonal influenza vaccine. To inform the feasibility of a general vaccine uptake surveillance system and to understand which policies are currently in place, we conducted a survey in the 162 National Health Service Foundation and Acute Hospital trusts in England, by submitting a questionnaire to their occupational health departments on immunization policies and methods of storing vaccine uptake data. In total, 104 hospital trusts (64·2%) responded. All responders offer hepatitis B, tuberculosis, measles-mumps-rubella, and influenza vaccines to healthcare workers; 0·9% reported not offering varicella and 13·5% not offering tetanus-diphtheria-polio; 66·4% record staff eligible for immunizations and 68·2% record staff they have immunized. Our study suggests that setting up a surveillance system to monitor vaccine uptake in healthcare workers is possible but would be challenging, given the variation in current systems.
Respiratory symptoms and the case definition of gastroenteritis: an international analysis of the potential impact on burden estimates
Authors: HALL G. , McDONALD L. , MAJOWICZ S. E. , SCALLAN E. , KIRK M. , SOCKETT P. , ANGULO F. J. 
Published: June 2009

SUMMARYEstimates of the burden of foodborne disease rely on attributing a proportion of syndromic gastroenteritis to foodborne transmission. Persons with syndromic diarrhoea/vomiting can also present with concurrent respiratory symptoms that could be due to respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections, or both. This distinction is important when estimating the foodborne disease burden but has rarely been considered. Using data from population surveys from Australia, Canada and the USA we describe the effect of excluding persons with respiratory and associated symptoms from the case definition of gastroenteritis. Excluding persons first with respiratory symptoms, or second with respiratory symptoms plus fever and headache, resulted in a decrease in the weighted estimates of acute gastroenteritis of about 10–50% depending on the exclusion criteria. This has the potential to have a very significant impact on estimates of the burden of foodborne infections using syndromic case definitions of acute gastroenteritis.
Epidemic and population patterns in the Chinese Empire (243b.c.e. to 1911c.e.): quantitative analysis of a unique but neglected epidemic catalogue
Authors: MORABIA A. 
Published: June 2009

SUMMARYA catalogue of dates and places of major outbreaks of epidemic diseases, that occurred in the Chinese Empire between 243b.c.e. and 1911c.e., combined with corresponding demographic data, provides a unique opportunity to explore how the pressure of epidemics grew in an agrarian society over 2000 years. This quantitative analysis reveals that: (1) the frequency of outbreaks increased slowly before the 12th century and rapidly thereafter, until 1872; (2) in the first millennium of our era, the people of China lived for decades free of major epidemics; in the second millennium, major outbreaks occurred every couple of years, but were localized; (3) in the more recent centuries, these outbreaks were as common, but disseminated to more places. This evolution, closely matching the demographic growth, was similar in the north and south of China, and therefore may have been similar in other regions of the world.
Higher rate of culture-confirmed Campylobacter infections in Australia than in the USA: is this due to differences in healthcare-seeking behaviour or stool culture frequency?
Authors: VALLY H. , HALL G. , SCALLAN E. , KIRK M. D. , ANGULO F. J. 
Published: June 2009

SUMMARYLaboratory-based surveillance by OzFoodNet in Australia and FoodNet in the USA indicated that the incidence of Campylobacter infections in 2001 in Australia was about nine times higher than in the USA. We assessed whether this disparity could be explained by differences in the frequency of stool culturing. Using data from population surveys of diarrhoea and symptom profiles for Campylobacter from case-control studies, indices of healthcare behaviour taking into account the severity of Campylobacter infections were calculated. These suggest that culture-confirmed Campylobacter infections underestimate the incidence of community cases by similar ratios in the two countries. The incidence of Campylobacter infections in Australia was about 12 times higher than in the USA after consideration of healthcare system differences.