bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
SiaA and SiaD are essential for inducing autoaggregation as a specific response to detergent stress in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Klebensberger Janosch , Birkenmaier Antoinette , Geffers Robert , Kjelleberg Staffan , Philipp Bodo 
Published: July 2009

SummaryCell aggregation is a stress response and serves as a survival strategy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 during growth with the toxic detergent Na‐dodecylsulfate (SDS). This process involves the psl operon and is linked to c‐di‐GMP signalling. The induction of cell aggregation in response to SDS was studied. Transposon and site‐directed mutagenesis revealed that the cupA‐operon and the co‐transcribed genes siaA (PA0172) and siaD (PA0169) were essential for SDS‐induced aggregation. While siaA encodes a putative membrane protein with a HAMP and a PP2C‐like phosphatase domain, siaD encodes a putative diguanylate cyclase involved in the biosynthesis of c‐di‐GMP. Complementation studies uncovered that the loss of SDS‐induced aggregation in the formerly isolated spontaneous mutant strain N was caused by a non‐functional siaA allele. DNA‐microarray analysis of SDS‐grown cells revealed consistent activation of eight genes, including cupA1, with known or presumptive important functions in cell aggregation in the parent strain compared with non‐aggregating siaA and siaD mutants. A siaAD‐dependent increase of cupA1 mRNA levels in SDS‐grown cells was also shown by Northern blots. These results clearly demonstrate that SiaAD are essential for inducing cell aggregation as a specific response to SDS and suggest that they are responsible for perceiving and transducing SDS‐related stress.
The Origination of a Human Being: A Reply to Oderberg
Authors: PERSSON INGMAR 
Published: July 2009

abstractRecently David S. Oderberg has tried to refute three arguments that have been advanced in favour of the view that a human being does not begin to exist at fertilization. These arguments turn on the absence of differentiation between the embryoblast and trophoblast, the possibility of monozygotic twinning, and the totipotency of the cells during the first days after fertilization. It is here contended that Oderberg fails to rebut these arguments, though it is conceded that the first two arguments are not conclusive. They do, however, make it at least as reasonable to deny this early origination as to affirm it. It should be noticed that this is all that is needed by those who have used these arguments to dispute that something with a special moral status exists right from fertilization. Nonetheless, it will be seen that the third argument could be developed to the point of giving a conclusive reason to believe that a human being does not begin to exist at fertilization.
Increased lipid peroxidation in Down’s syndrome mouse models
Authors: Ishihara Keiichi , Amano Kenji , Takaki Eiichi , Ebrahim Abdul Shukkur , Shimohata Atsushi , Shibazaki Noriko , Inoue Ikuyo , Takaki Mayuko , Ueda Yuto , Sago Haruhiko , Epstein Charles J. , Yamakawa Kazuhiro 
Published: July 2009

AbstractElevated oxidative stress has been suggested to be associated with the features of Down’s syndrome (DS). We previously reported increased oxidative stress in cultured cells from the embryonic brain of Ts1Cje, a mouse genetic DS model. However, since in vivo evidence for increased oxidative stress is lacking, we here examined lipid peroxidation, a typical marker of oxidative stress, in the brains of Ts1Cje and another DS mouse model Ts2Cje with an overlapping but larger trisomic segment. Accumulations of proteins modified with the lipid peroxidation‐derived products, 13‐hydroperoxy‐9Z,11E‐octadecadienoic acid and 4‐hydroxy‐2‐nonenal were markedly increased in Ts1Cje and Ts2Cje brains. Analysis with oxidation‐sensitive fluorescent probe also showed that reactive oxygen species themselves were increased in Ts1Cje brain. However, electron spin resonance analysis of microdialysate from the hippocampus of Ts1Cje showed that antioxidant activity remained unaffected, suggesting that the reactive oxygen species production was accelerated in Ts1Cje. Proteomics approaches with mass spectrometry identified the proteins modified with 13‐hydroperoxy‐9Z,11E‐octadecadienoic acid and/or 4‐hydroxy‐2‐nonenal to be involved in either ATP generation, the neuronal cytoskeleton or antioxidant activity. Structural or functional impairments of these proteins by such modifications may contribute to the DS features such as cognitive impairment that are present in the Ts1Cje mouse.
Distinctiveness of the cagA Genotype in Children and Adults with Peptic Symptoms in South China
Authors: Li Juan , Ou Zhiying , Wang Fangjin , Guo Yu , Zhang Ren , Zhang Jun , Li Peiqiong , Xu Weijie , He Yunshao 
Published: July 2009

AbstractBackground:  Helicobacter pylori infection is different between children and adults, not only in infection rate but also in virulence genotypes. However, the 3′ region of CagA, important in stomach carcinogenesis, still remains unclear in children. The present study aims to compare the frequency of cagA and the distribution of its subtypes between children and adults in South China.Materials and Methods:  One hundred and twenty‐eight children and 99 adults with peptic symptoms were enrolled in our research. Histology, rapid urease test, and real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay were used to diagnose H. pylori infection. vacA s1 was detected by real‐time PCR, and EPIYA motifs in the 3′ region of CagA by conventional PCR and DNA sequencing.Results:  H. pylori infection was diagnosed in 53 children and 62 adults. vacA s1 was identified in 90.6% and 91.9% of infected children and adults, respectively. Furthermore, cagA was identified in 73.6% and 82.3% of infected children and adults, respectively. No patient with multiple cagA subtypes was observed. A higher prevalence of more virulent cagA genotype was found in children compared to adults (p < .05). Thirty‐eight of 39 (97.4%) cagA‐positive children were found to have EPIYA‐ABD and only one (2.6%) with EPIYA‐ABC. In adults, four types of EPIYA motifs – ABC (29.4%), ABD (64.7%), ABAB (2%), and AAD (3.9%) – were identified, and the ABD type was found more commonly in severe diseases, such as atrophic gastritis (53.3%) and gastric cancer (71.4%).Conclusion:  cagA genotypes in children and in adults are different, and EPIYA‐ABD may have potential clinical implication in the development of gastric cancer in South China.
Presence of High Numbers of Transcriptionally Active Helicobacter pylori in Vomitus from Bangladeshi Patients Suffering from Acute Gastroenteritis
Authors: Janzon Anders , Bhuiyan Taufiq , Lundgren Anna , Qadri Firdausi , Svennerholm Ann‐Mari , Sjöling Åsa 
Published: July 2009

AbstractBackground:  Helicobacter pylori is one of the most prevalent human bacterial pathogens; however, its transmission pathways remain unknown. New infections of H. pylori during outbreaks of gastroenteritis have been suggested previously, and to explore this transmission route further H. pylori was quantified in vomitus and diarrheal stool of patients suffering from acute gastroenteritis in Dhaka, Bangladesh.Materials and Methods:  Vomitus and stool samples from 28 patients seeking care at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research hospital were analyzed for presence of H. pylori and other pathogens using quantitative culturing, real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and H. pylori stool antigen test. Bacterial gene expression was analyzed using reverse transcriptase real‐time PCR.Results:  The results of real‐time PCR show that 23 (88%) of the 26 vomitus samples and 17 (74%) of the 23 stool samples were H. pylori positive, while stool antigen test show that 14 (67%) of the 21 stool samples were H. pylori positive. H. pylori could not be isolated by culture. Analysis using quantitative culture and real‐time PCR to detect Vibrio cholerae showed strong correlation between these methods, and validating real‐time PCR. Analysis of H. pylori virulence gene transcription in vomitus, diarrheal stool, antral and duodenal biopsy specimens, and in vitro cultures showed that cagA, flaA, and ureA were highly transcribed in vomitus, biopsy specimens, and cultures, whereas hpaA and vacA were expressed at lower levels. No H. pylori gene expression was detected in diarrheal stool.Conclusions:  We conclude that high numbers of transcriptionally active H. pylori are shed in vomitus, which indicates that new infections may be disseminated through vomiting.
Decrepitated UHP fluid inclusions: about diverse phase assemblages and extreme decompression rates (Erzgebirge, Germany)
Authors: STÖCKHERT B. , TREPMANN C. A. , MASSONNE H.‐J. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractMinute polyphase inclusions in garnet of quartzofeldspathic rocks (saidenbachite) from the Saxonian Erzgebirge, Germany, contain microdiamond or graphite, phlogopite, quartz, paragonite, phengite and other minerals in minor amounts. These inclusions are interpreted to represent an original dense COH + silicate fluid, trapped in crystallizing garnet at depths of >150 km. Inspection of the inclusion population in a single garnet by SEM reveals two characteristic features: (i) The shape of most inclusions indicates healed radial cracks in the host garnet, and, thus, the buildup of a significant differential pressure ΔP, i.e. a contrast in pressure between the inclusion (Pi) and the host mineral (Pe). The mineral assemblages sealing the cracks and showing an equilibrated microstructure indicate temperatures of ∼750 ± 50 °C and pressures below 2.5 GPa. (ii) The diverse types of inclusions appear to be randomly distributed in the garnet host. Thus, the variable phase assemblages do not reflect a compositional evolution of the fluid trapped in the garnet. Combining observations (i) and (ii), we propose that the diversity of the phase assemblage in the inclusions is the result of decrepitation at different times, and thus, of distinct histories of Pi, as ΔP at decrepitation is primarily controlled by inclusion size and shape. Applying a flow law for dislocation creep of garnet, a low strength of garnet at 750 ± 50 °C for low geological strain rates is predicted. Thus, differential pressure should have been kept low (i.e. Pi≈ Pe) by continuous stretching of the inclusion for typical exhumation rates of metamorphic rocks. To attain the differential pressure (Pi >> Pe) required for catastrophic brittle failure of the garnet host, the decompression rate must have been extremely high. As a robust lower bound, a minimum exhumation rate on the order of 100 m year−1 is suggested, which corresponds to ascent rates of magma.
Expression of α‐methylacyl‐CoA racemase (P504S) in sebaceous neoplasms
Authors: Halsey Mark A. , Calder Kenneth B. , Mathew Rahel , Schlauder Scott , Morgan Michael B. 
Published: July 2009

Background:α‐Methylacyl‐CoA racemase (AMACR), also known as P504S, is a protein that plays an important role in mitochondrial and peroxisomal β‐oxidation of branched‐chain fatty acid and bile acid intermediates. AMACR has been established as a valuable diagnostic marker for prostate cancer and has recently been shown to be useful in the diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma. Despite the importance of lipid metabolism in sebum production by sebaceous glands of the skin, there are no studies evaluating the expression of AMACR in sebaceous neoplasms. Methods: Five samples of normal sebaceous glands as well as five cases each of sebaceous hyperplasia (SH), sebaceous adenoma (SA), basal cell carcinoma (BCC) with sebaceous differentiation and extraocular sebaceous carcinoma (SC) were evaluated for immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of AMACR. Each case was reviewed by a single dermatopathologist and graded using a semi‐objective grading schema. Results: Normal sebaceous glands showed strong (4+) expression of AMACR. Among sebaceous neoplasms, SH showed the highest expression (4+), SA and BCC with sebaceous differentiation showed varied expression (2+ and 1+, respectively), and extraocular SC showed no expression of AMACR. Conclusions: The expression of AMACR is increased in benign sebaceous glands and SH; with decreasing AMACR expression in tumors with less sebaceous differentiation (i.e. SA and SC). These findings provide insight into the potential pathogenesis of sebaceous neoplasms while assisting in the microscopic distinction of SA from SC.Halsey MA, Calder KB, Mathew R, Schlauder S, Morgan MB. Expression of α‐methylacyl‐CoA racemase (P504S) in sebaceous neoplasms.
WT 1 expression in nevi and melanomas: a marker of melanocytic invasion into the dermis
Authors: Garrido‐Ruiz M. C. , Rodriguez‐Pinilla S. M. , Pérez‐Gómez B. , Rodriguez‐Peralto J. L. 
Published: July 2009

Background: WT1, first recognized as a tumor suppressor gene involved in the development of Wilms' tumor, may have apparently contradictory findings and functions. As WT1 has been identified as a molecular target for cancer immunotherapy, immunodetection of WT1 in tumor cells has become an essential step in cancer studies. Methods: We compare the expression of this protein among different types of melanocytic nevi and among stages in primary melanoma progression. Tissue microarrays containing normal tissues and 271 primary melanocytic lesion samples (163 primary melanomas and 108 nevi) were studied by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibody against WT1. Results and Discussion: The present study shows these: 1. WT1 protein is predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm of the neoplastic cells. 2. A higher rate of WT1 staining in melanocytic nevi against melanomas has been observed. 3. WT1 expression is increased in advanced stages of melanoma progression: a significant (p < 0.05) increase of expression of WT1 was detected in vertical cases 46.5% vs. radial cases 16.0%, in high levels of Clark (IV, V) 57.4% vs. low levels (I, II, III) 33.0% and when comparing depth of invasion within thickness subgroups. 4. Finally, this study establishes an association of WT1 protein expression with shorter overall survival in melanoma.Garrido‐Ruiz MC, Rodriguez‐Pinilla SM, Pérez‐Gómez B, Rodriguez‐Peralto JL. WT 1 expression in nevi and melanomas: a marker of melanocytic invasion into the dermis.
Regression of established subcutaneous B16‐F10 murine melanoma tumors after gef gene therapy associated with the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway
Authors: Prados Jose , Melguizo Consolación , Ortiz Raúl , Boulaiz Houria , Carrillo Esmeralda , Segura Ana , Rodríguez‐Herva Jose Juan , Ramos Juan Luis , Aránega Antonia 
Published: July 2009

Please cite this paper as: Regression of established subcutaneous B16‐F10 murine melanoma tumors after gef gene therapy associated with the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Experimental Dermatology 2009.Abstract:  Novel treatment modalities, including gene therapy, are needed for patients with advanced melanoma. We evaluated whether the gef gene, a suicide gene from Escherichia coli, had a significant cytotoxic impact on melanoma in vivo. First, we used a non‐viral gene delivery approach (pcDNA3.1/gef) to study the inhibition of melanoma cells (B16‐F10) proliferation in vitro. Secondly, we used direct intra‐tumoral injection of pcDNA3.1/gef complexed with jetPEI to deliver gef cDNA to rapidly growing murine melanomas. We demonstrated that gef gene not only has an antiproliferative effect on B16‐F10 cells in vitro, but also induces an important decrease in melanoma tumor volume (77.7% in 8 days) in vivo. Interestingly, after gef gene treatment, melanoma showed apoptosis activation associated with the mitochondrial pathway, suggesting that the induction of this death mechanism may be an effective strategy for its treatment. Our in vivo results indicate that gef gene might become a suitable therapeutic strategy for patients with advanced melanoma.
Current therapy of HIV
Authors: Potthoff Anja Verena , Brockmeyer Norbert H. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryAntiretroviral therapy has improved continuously. Almost every year a new drug has been approved. Nucleoside analogs still build the backbone of antiretroviral therapy. They inhibit reverse transcriptase and thus the transcription of RNA to DNA. They are combined with non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors or protease inhibitors. New therapeutic approaches are attachment or entry inhibitors, integrase inhibitors and maturation inhibitors. Multiple prospective multicenter studies have proven the life prolonging effect of antiretroviral therapy. With the optimal therapy life expectancy of HIV patients is only slightly reduced, similar to that of those with chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. One result of the higher age of HIV patients is an increase in concomitant diseases and medications. Drug interactions have to be considered and avoided. There has been a long discussion about the best time point to start antiretroviral therapy. In the late 1990s, every infected patient was treated hoping to eliminate the virus, ignoring the CD4+ cell count and viral load. This caused multiple (long‐term) side effects and a rising resistance problem. The guidelines now recommend starting therapy at about 350/μl CD4 lymphocytes. Due to its complexity antiretroviral therapy should be initiated and monitored in specialized centers.
Reactive oxygen species in rostral ventrolateral medulla modulate cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex in rats
Authors: Zhong M.‐K. , Gao J. , Zhang F. , Xu B. , Fan Z.‐D. , Wang W. , Zhu G.‐Q. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractAim:  The aim of the present study was to investigate whether reactive oxygen species (ROS) in rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) modulate cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) and the enhanced CSAR response caused by microinjection of angiotensin II (Ang II) into the paraventricular nucleus (PVN).Methods:  Under urethane and α‐chloralose anaesthesia, renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded in sinoaortic‐denervated and cervical‐vagotomized rats. The CSAR was evaluated by the RSNA response to epicardial application of capsaicin (1.0 nmol).Results:  Bilateral RVLM microinjection of tempol (a superoxide anion scavenger) or polyethylene glycol‐superoxide dismutase (PEG‐SOD, an analogue of endogenous superoxide dismutase) attenuated the CSAR, but did not cause significant change in baseline RSNA and MAP. NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitors apocynin or phenylarsine oxide (PAO) also showed similar effects, but SOD inhibitor diethyldithio‐carbamic acid (DETC) enhanced the CSAR and baseline RSNA, and increased the baseline MAP. Bilateral PVN microinjection of Ang II (0.3 nmol) enhanced the CSAR and increased RSNA and MAP, which was inhibited by the pre‐treatment with RVLM administration of tempol, PEG‐SOD, apocynin or PAO. The pre‐treatment with DETC in the RVLM only showed a tendency in potentiating the CSAR response of Ang II in the PVN, but significantly potentiated the RSNA and MAP responses of Ang II.Conclusion:  These results suggest that the NAD(P)H oxidase‐derived ROS in the RVLM modulate the CSAR. The ROS in the RVLM is necessary for the enhanced CSAR response caused by Ang II in the PVN.
Psychometric properties of the Chinese (Cantonese) Tinnitus Handicap Inventory
Authors: Kam A.C.S. , Cheung A.P.P. , Chan P.Y.B. , Leung E.K.S. , Wong T.K.C. , Van Hasselt C.A. , Tong M.C.F. 
Published: July 2009

Objectives:  To establish the reliablity and validity of the Chinese (Cantonese) version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory to measure the self‐perceived handicapping effect and severity of the condition in patients with chronic tinnitus.Design:  Cross‐sectional psychometric validation study.Setting:  Audiology clinics in a hospital setting.Participants:  Subjects were 114 adult Chinese who attended the audiology clinics with a complaint of tinnitus.Main outcome measures:  Test‐retest and internal consistency reliability; construct validity.Results:  The Chinese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and its subscales showed good internal consistency reliabilities (α = 0.72–0.94) that are comparable to those of the original version. High correlations were observed between the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and psychological distress, tinnitus‐related problem ratings and severity ratings. Factor analysis showed that the Chinese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory has a unifactorial structure. A high degree of test‐retest reliablity was observed (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.88).Conclusions:  The results suggest that the Chinese (Cantonese) version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory is a reliable and valid measure of general tinnitus‐related distress that can be used in clinical settings to quantify the impact of tinnitus on daily life.
Effect of parthenolide on proliferation and apoptosis in gastric cancer cell line SGC7901
Authors: ZHAO Li Jie , XU Yong Hong , LI Yan 
Published: July 2009

OBJECTIVE:  To investigate the effect of parthenolide (PAR) on proliferation and apoptosis in gastric cancer cell line SGC7901.METHODS:  Human gastric cancer cell line SGC7901 cells were incubated with various concentration of PAR. After various periods of incubation, the proliferation of SGC7901 cells was assessed by 3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Apoptosis was measured by the annexin V‐fluorescein isothiocyanate fluoresceine isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) double labeled staining method and the morphology of the cell was observed under a fluorescent microscope. Mitochondrial potential was measured by flow cytometry after Rhodamine 123 staining. The expressions of cytochrome C and the Bcl‐2 family of proteins, including Bcl‐2, Bax, Bid and tBid were measured by Western blot. Caspase 3 and 8 activities were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.RESULTS:  Treatment with PAR induced apoptosis as confirmed by annexin V‐FITC/PI assay. PAR‐induced apoptosis was associated with intracellular events including the decline of mitochondrial potential, increased release of cytochrome C from the mitochondria, decreased expression of Bcl‐2, increased expression of Bax, Bid and tBid and activation of caspase 3 and 8.CONCLUSION:  These results suggest that possibly via activation of the mitochondrial pathway, PAR causes mitochondrial damage leading to the release of cytochrome C and by regulating the expression of the Bcl‐2 family of proteins and activating caspases which leads to results in apoptotic cell death in SGC7901 cells. Our results might be helpful in formulating new therapeutic approaches using Chinese herbal medicine.
Rapid assessments of tropical dung beetle and butterfly assemblages: contrasting trends along a forest disturbance gradient
Authors: HAYES LUCY , MANN DARREN J. , MONASTYRSKII ALEXANDER L. , LEWIS OWEN T. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract.  1. We carried out rapid assessments of the richness and diversity of fruit‐feeding butterflies (sampled with baited traps) and dung beetles (sampled with buffalo dung‐baited pitfall traps) at 20 sites across an anthropogenic forest disturbance gradient in Ba Be National Park, Vietnam.2. We investigated measures of diversity, richness, and functional composition for individual taxa in relation to the degree of disturbance, and verified whether dung beetles and butterflies showed congruent trends.3. For butterflies, overall species richness increased with forest disturbance, but the richness of rare species decreased. Species diversity was uncorrelated with disturbance.4. In dung beetles, species richness was unrelated to forest disturbance, but species diversity increased with forest disturbance. The richness of dung beetles in the telecoprid (roller) guild declined with forest disturbance.5. There was no significant correlation between dung beetles and butterflies across sites for either species richness or species diversity.6. Apparent effects of disturbance were thus sensitive to the particular metric used (species richness or diversity), the taxonomic group studied (butterflies or dung beetles), and the functional group investigated (different guilds of dung beetle).