bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inhibition by P1075 and pinacidil of a calcium‐independent chloride conductance in conditionally‐immortal renal glomerular mesangial cells
Authors: Barber Robert D. , Henderson Robert M. 
Published: July 2012

Depolarization of mesangial cells has been shown to occur following an outward movement of chloride ions from the cell. We have shown previously that mesangial cells from the H‐2Kb‐tsA58 transgenic mouse possess a significant whole‐cell chloride conductance and consequently are a suitable preparation for the study of potential chloride channel inhibitors.
The effects on the whole‐cell chloride conductance of the chloride channel inhibitor, 5‐nitro‐2‐(3‐phenylpropylamino)‐benzoate (NPPB) and the potassium channel openers, (KCOs) P1075 and pinacidil were investigated in mesangial cells from the H‐2Kb‐tsA58 transgenic mouse cultured in permissive conditions (at 33dGC in the presence of 50 u ml−1 murine γ‐interferon).
In symmetrical solutions of 140 mM tetramethylammonium chloride (TMAC1) the whole‐cell chloride conductance was 1.08 ± 0.05 nS (n = 63) and this could be reversibly inhibited by 5 × 10−5 m NPPB.
Both P1075 and pinacidil inhibited the whole‐cell chloride conductance. This inhibition was not reversible after drug washout and was demonstrated only when drugs were applied to the extracellular surface of the cells. Very low concentrations of the drugs were found to reduce the chloride conductance after 16 h incubation but under no circumstances studied was the conductance totally inhibited, leaving a mean residual current of 0.33 ± 0.03 nS (n = 12).
The effects of different peptide calcium concentrations on the magnitude of the residual current in the presence of the drugs were investigated. The residual current was reduced with 10−8 m calcium in the pipette and increased with 10−3 m pipette calcium. Therefore, these data suggest that P1075 and pinacidil selectively inhibit a calcium‐independent chloride conductance in mesangial cells from the H‐2Kb‐tsA58 transgenic mouse.
Discrimination between neuropeptide Y and peptide YY in the rat tail artery by the neuropeptide Y1‐selective antagonist, BIBP 3226
Authors: Gicquiaux Hervé , Tschöpl Martin , Doods Henri N. , Bucher Bernard 
Published: July 2012

The ability of the novel, nonpeptide, neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y1selective antagonist, BIBP 3226 {(R)‐N2‐(diphenylacetyl)‐N‐[(4‐hydroxyphenyl)methyl]‐D‐arginine amide}, to antagonize the increase in perfusion pressure induced by NPY and peptide Y (PYY) was tested in the perfused rat tail artery, a postjunctional Y1‐receptor bioassay, precontracted by 1 μm phenylephrine.
NPY and PYY produced a concentration‐dependent enhancement of the vasoconstrictor response evoked by 1 μm phenylephrine. Although NPY and PYY are roughly equipotent, the maximal contractile response elicited by PYY was about twice that elicited by NPY.
Increasing concentrations of BIBP 3226 caused a parallel and rightward shift in the NPY concentration‐response curve without depressing the maximal response. The contractile effect of NPY was potently inhibited in a competitive manner. The pA2 value for BIBP 3226 was 7.01 ± 0.08, a value equivalent to that observed in the rabbit saphenous vein. Although increasing concentrations of BIBP 3226 shifted the concentration‐response curve of PYY to the right without any significant decrease in the maximal vasoconstrictor response, the antagonism appeared non‐competitive as the slope of the Schild plot was significantly different from unity (0.58 ± 0.04).
In conclusion, these data confirm that BIBP 3226 is a potent and selective nonpeptide Y1 receptor antagonist. Moreover, they show that complex interactions occur between BIBP 3226 and postjunctional receptors activated by PYY. We postulate that BIBP 3226 might discriminate between the effects of NPY and PYY at the postjunctional level in the rat tail artery. It may be that distinct receptors for NPY and PYY exist; these may or may not allosterically interact with each other. Another working hypothesis would be that there is a single receptor complex with allosterically interacting binding sites for the two peptides.
Increased responsiveness of human pulmonary arteries in patients with positive bronchodilator response
Authors: Cases Enrique , Vila José M. , Medina Pascual , Aldasoro Martín , Segarra Gloria , Lluch Salvador 
Published: July 2012

The effects of noradrenaline, endothelin‐1, acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside were studied in isolated pulmonary arteries obtained from 14 patients undergoing lobectomy for lung carcinoma. Seven patients had shown increased response to a bronchodilator test prior to operation. In the remaining patients (control) the bronchodilator test was negative.
Artery rings from patients with a positive bronchodilator response showed greater contraction to noradrenaline (pD2 = 6.44 ± 0.1; Emax = 93 ± 9% of response to 100 mM KCl) and endothelin‐1 (pD2 = 8.92 ± 0.1; Emax = 130 ± 16%) than the rings from control patients (pD2 = 6.04 ± 0.08; Emax = 56 ± 8% for noradrenaline; pD2 = 8.29 ± 0.1; Emax = 78 ± 10% for endothelin‐1). There was no significant difference in the contractile responses to 100 mM KCl between arteries from either group of patients.
Arterial rings from patients with a positive bronchodilator test achieved 96 ± 3% of maximal relaxation in response to acetylcholine, whereas rings from control patients achieved a maximal relaxation of 72 ± 5%. Rings from both the controls and the patients with a positive bronchodilator test achieved complete relaxation in response to sodium nitroprusside but pD2 values were significantly higher in patients with a positive bronchodilator test.
Removal of endothelium or treatment with NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester of artery rings from both the control and the patients with a positive bronchodilator test reduced the relaxation to acetylcholine (P < 0.05) but did not modify relaxation to sodium nitroprusside.
It is concluded that responsiveness of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle to dilator and constrictor agents is increased in patients showing reversibility of airway constriction. Thus hyperresponsiveness of airway smooth muscle may be associated with a similar phenomenon in the surrounding vascular smooth muscle.
Influence of adrenodemedullation on β2‐ and β3‐adrenoceptors mediating relaxation of oesophageal smooth muscle of spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: de Boer Robert E.P. , Steegstra Mathijs R. , Kroezen Peter A. , Smit Jenneke , Zaagsma Johan 
Published: July 2012

In oesophageal smooth muscle strips from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) of 8–10 and 22–24 weeks of age, respectively, β‐adrenoceptor‐mediated relaxation was investigated, by use of the β‐agonists, (—)‐isoprenaline and fenoterol (both in the absence and presence of the β2‐selective antagonist ICI 118,551) and the selective β‐agonist, BRL 37,344.
In preparations from 8–10 week SHR, (—)‐isoprenaline‐ and fenoterol‐induced concentration‐response curves (CRCs) were hardly antagonized by ICI 118,551 at concentrations up to 1 μm, indicating only a minor contribution of β2‐adrenoceptors. pA2‐values for ICI 118,551 of 5.30 ((—)‐isoprenaline as agonist) and 5.46 (fenoterol as agonist), estimated from the shifts at the highest (10–100 μm) antagonist concentrations, are consistent with affinity at a β3‐adrenoceptor, similar to that in Wistar rat oesophageal smooth muscle.
In 8–10 week SHR, adrenodemedullated at 4 weeks of age (SHR‐ADM4) the potency of fenoterol was markedly increased and CRCs were shallow. In addition, ICI 118,551 (0.1 μm) now produced a clear rightward shift accompanied by a steepening of the CRC. A marked further shift was observed only at 100 μm of the antagonist. The data are compatible with the involvement of both β2‐ and β3‐adrenoceptors.
In 22–24 week animals, the same differences between SHR and SHR‐ADM4 were observed with fenoterol as in 8–10 week animals, though β‐adrenoceptor responsiveness was slightly decreased. The potency of ICI 118,551 at β3‐adrenoceptors (pA2 = 5.11) was significantly different from the pA2 value of 5.46 obtained with the younger animals.
Responses to the β3‐adrenoceptor agonist, BRL 37,344, were similar in Wistar rat and SHR preparations. In 8–10 week SHR, a small decrease in the maximal response was observed, which in animals of 22–24 weeks of age was accompanied by a small decrease in the pEC50 value as well.
The results clearly indicate that β2‐adrenoceptors in SHR oesophageal muscularis mucosae are desensitized, whereas bT3‐adrenoceptor‐mediated responses are unaffected and similar to the responses observed in the Wistar rat oesophagus. The functional presence of bβ2‐adrenoceptor‐responses in SHR‐ADM4 suggests a major role for adrenal‐derived adrenaline in the desensitization of the β2‐adrenoceptor‐population.
Vasorelaxant and antiaggregatory properties of the endothelium: a comparative study in normocholesterolaemic and hereditary and dietary hypercholesterolaemic rabbits
Authors: Greenlees C. , Wainwright C.L. , Wadsworth R.M. 
Published: July 2012

A comparison of the effects of dietary and genetically‐induced hypercholesterolaemia on the vasodilator and antiaggregatory capacity of the endothelium was made in rabbit isolated subclavian artery rings.
Dietary‐induced hypercholesterolaemia in NZW rabbits decreased the maximum relaxation to carbachol (0.01–10 μm) and calcimycin (0.01‐0.1 μm) in vessel rings precontracted with 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT), 0.1 μm), when compared to responses observed in rings obtained from control normocholesterolaemic NZW rabbits. The relaxant responses to SIN‐1 (3‐(4‐morpholinyl)‐sydnonimine hydrochloride) were attenuated but were not significantly different from controls. In Froxfield genetically hypercholesterolaemic (FHH) rabbits, the maximum relaxations to carbachol, calcimycin and SIN‐1 were all reduced significantly.
Neither genetic nor dietary‐induced hypercholesterolaemia modified the contractile responses of vessel rings to either KCl (10–100 μm) or 5‐HT (0.01–10 μm).
Endothelium‐dependent inhibition of collagen‐induced platelet aggregation in whole blood was demonstrated by stimulation of a vessel ring, incorporated into the blood sample, with carbachol (10 μm, final blood concentration). This effect was inhibited by NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine (L‐NOARG, 100 μm). SIN‐1 (10 μm, final blood concentration) also decreased whole blood platelet aggregation, but only in the presence of an unstimulated vessel ring, and this was unaffected by L‐NOARG. Superoxide dismutase (150 u ml−1) did not influence the inhibition of aggregation by either a carbachol‐stimulated vessel ring or by SIN‐1.
Carbachol‐stimulated artery rings from FHH rabbits inhibited platelet aggregation to a similar extent to that seen with rings from control normocholesterolaemic rabbits. Rings from hypercholesterolaemic NZW rabbits, however, did not significantly inhibit platelet aggregation when stimulated with carbachol. SIN‐1 inhibited platelet aggregation in the presence of rings from either group of hypercholesterolaemic rabbits.
Hypercholesterolaemia induced by dietary modification induces changes in endothelial function which are characteristically different from those seen in genetically hypercholesterolaemic rabbits. It appears that dietary‐induced hypercholesterolaemia primarily decreases NO release from the endothelium, while in genetically‐induced hypercholesterolaemic vessel rings NO is released but there is a decreased responsiveness of the vascular smooth muscle cells to NO. This may reflect differences in the age and severity of the atherosclerotic lesions in the two groups of rabbits.
Dorsal Slab Fracture of the Fourth Carpal Bone in a Racing Greyhound
Authors: Rutherford Scott , Ness Malcolm G. 
Published: July 2012

ObjectiveTo report the diagnosis and surgical management of a dorsal slab fracture of the fourth carpal bone in a racing greyhound.Study DesignClinical report.AnimalThree‐year‐old, male racing Greyhound.MethodsThe fracture was not visible on orthogonal radiographs and the diagnosis was made by computed tomography. Open reduction and internal fixation with 2 countersunk 2.0‐mm screws inserted in lag fashion was performed via a dorsal approach. Outcome was analyzed objectively by comparing preinjury and postsurgery racing performances.ResultsInternal fixation resulted in fracture healing and the dog returned to racing recording times similar to those before injury.ConclusionFractures of the fourth carpal bone may not be visible on standard orthogonal radiographic views and cross‐sectional imaging may be required for more accurate identification. Surgical management was successful with the dog returning to preinjury levels of competition.
Conversion, continuity, and moral dilemmas among Christian Bidayuhs in Malaysian Borneo
Authors: Chua Liana 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTThe nascent anthropology of Christianity highlights rupture as central to conversion. Yet thick ethnography of a Bidayuh village in Malaysian Borneo reveals how conversion can also foster modes of thinking and speaking about continuity between Christianity and “the old ways.” Through a study of the shifting moral and religious topography of a community in which three churches coexist alongside a few elderly animist practitioners, I argue that such discourses and practices of continuity highlight the pluralistic and sometimes contradictory nature of Christianization. At the same time, they generate an understanding of conversion as a temporal and relational positioning that encompasses both converts and nonconverts.
Testing for the LOP under nonlinearity: an application to four major EU pork markets
Authors: Emmanouilides Christos J. , Fousekis Panos 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThis article develops an econometric procedure to test the validity of the Law of One Price (LOP) under nonlinearity and to distinguish between its strong and its weak version. The procedure is applied to four major EU pork markets using weekly prices from 1991 to 2008. The empirical results suggest that the markets are well integrated, with deviations from the steady‐state price differentials corrected nonlinearly. The LOP is valid for all market pairs and for the pair Germany–Spain it holds in its strong version.
Comparison of plaque accumulation and soft‐tissue blood flow with the use of full‐arch implant‐supported fixed prostheses with mucosal surfaces of different materials: a randomized clinical study
Authors: Kanao Masato , Nakamoto Tetsuji , Kajiwara Norihiro , Kondo Yusuke , Masaki Chihiro , Hosokawa Ryuji 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjectiveThe aims of this clinical study were to determine differences in plaque accumulation and to compare the effects of reinforced composite resin and titanium on peri‐implant soft‐tissue and residual‐ridge inflammation.Material and methodsA total of 19 subjects were enrolled in this clinical trial; 10 jaws had implant‐supported fixed prostheses with composite resin mucosal surfaces, 11 jaws had titanium prostheses fabricated by computer‐aided design/computer‐aided manufacture (CAD/CAM), and 6 jaws had acrylic resin prostheses. Plaque area indexes (PAIs) were calculated on the mucosal surfaces of prostheses, and blood flow in the mucosa was captured with two‐dimensional laser speckle imaging to evaluate residual‐ridge inflammation. Subjects were educated about oral hygiene and reevaluated after 3 months.ResultsThe PAI was significantly lower on titanium mucosal surfaces than on reinforced composite resin surfaces at the initial and second measurements (initial, P = 0.0052; second, P = 0.0044). Self‐curing acrylic resin surfaces did not show any significant difference when compared with reinforced resin or titanium. Blood flow was significantly lower in mucosa contacting titanium surfaces than in mucosa contacting reinforced composite resin surfaces at the initial measurement (P = 0.0330). Although subjects were instructed about plaque control after the initial measurement, PAIs indicated that the difference between the two materials could not be overcome.ConclusionIn terms of oral hygiene and mucosal inflammation, titanium was superior to reinforced composite resin in implant‐supported fixed prostheses for edentulous subjects, and the short‐term use of acrylic resin was superior to the use of reinforced composite resin.
BRAF, NRAS and KIT sequencing analysis of spindle cell melanoma
Authors: Kim Jinhyun , Lazar Alexander J. , Davies Michael A. , Homsi Jade , Papadopoulos Nicholas E. , Hwu Wen‐jen , Bedikian Agop Y. , Woodman Scott E. , Patel Sapna P. , Hwu Patrick , Kim Kevin B. 
Published: July 2012

BackgroundSpindle cell melanoma represents a rare but distinct subset of melanoma, and its genomic spectrum has not been fully defined.MethodsWe searched our institutional database for patients with a diagnosis of pure spindle cell‐type melanoma whose tumors had been analyzed for BRAF, NRAS, and KIT mutations using pyrosequencing technique.ResultsWe identified 24 patients with spindle cell melanoma, including 10 patients with desmoplastic melanoma, whose tumors had been analyzed for at least one of the three genes. The median Breslow thickness was 2.6 mm, and the most common site of the primary melanoma was the trunk, followed by the head and neck region. BRAF, NRAS and KIT genomic sequencing was performed successfully in 20, 18 and 14 patients, respectively. Among the 20 melanomas with completed BRAF‐sequencing analysis, 6 (30%) harbored a mutation, of which 5 (83%) had a V600E mutation and 1 (17%) had a V600R mutation. None of the melanomas harbored NRAS or KIT mutations.ConclusionAs has been reported in other common types of melanoma, V600 BRAF mutation is the most common mutation of those tested in spindle cell melanoma. NRAS or KIT mutation appears to be rare, if not completely absent.
Oral health therapists: what is their role in Australian health care?
Authors: Ford PJ , Farah CS 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe aim of this report was to examine the role of the oral health therapist (OHT) in the contemporary Australian context. The original intent of the OHT role was to address unmet community oral health need in a cost‐effective manner. Although it was recognized that OHTs would need to deliver clinical treatment, particularly restorative services for children, the core of their education and their knowledge and proficiency is in oral health and public health promotion. Unmet oral health need persists, and this is especially urgent for the most disadvantaged. Some may argue that this provides evidence that OHTs should provide an expanded range of clinical services, including adult restorative treatment, and that additional training should be provided to enable this to occur. This report counters that view by showing that the current health system does not avail itself of the health promotion services that OHTs are already educated to deliver. Improved health outcomes within the Australian health system are achievable by bringing oral health into the general health system, by introducing models of care aimed at the early detection of risk and disease and by recognizing the importance of public health measures designed to prevent disease.
Attitudes and practices of family paediatricians in Italy regarding infant feeding
Authors: Radaelli Giovanni , Riva Enrica , Verduci Elvira , Agosti Massimo , Giovannini Marcello 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAim:  The aim of this study was to examine attitudes and practices of family paediatricians in Italy towards infant feeding.Methods:  A questionnaire was sent to 850 paediatricians across Italy, asking about attitudes and practices towards infant feeding with focus on the World Health Organization’s criteria.Results:  The response rate was 91.2%. Breastfeeding is recommended for 6–11 months (70.6%) or longer (29.4%). A 95% of paediatricians recommend introducing complementary foods throughout 4–5.9 months. Among paediatricians who give indications about the minimum acceptable diet (61.7%), recommendations agree with WHO in 71.3% and 83.3% of cases for infants aged 6–8 or 9–11 months, respectively. A 95.6% of paediatricians recommend consumption of meat for infants aged 6 months or more, and 98.4% use of formula milk for infants having breastfeeding stopped in the first year of life. Paediatricians reported own experience (73.4%) and reading (54.2%) as main sources of information. A 70% of paediatricians know the WHO/Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices criteria regarding breastfeeding but <5% the complementary feeding indicators.Conclusion:  Family paediatricians in Italy have positive disposition towards infant feeding but their knowledge and practices are suboptimal with respect to the WHO criteria, especially regarding complementary feeding.
Incorporating a periodic function into an equation for estimating herbage mass in Zoysia‐dominated pastures from rising plate readings
Authors: Itano Shiro , Tomimatsu Hajime , Nakagami Koji , Maeda Yasuyuki 
Published: July 2012

AbstractA rising plate meter (RPM), which enables rapid, non‐destructive estimation of herbage mass of pastures, is useful in grazing management. Herbage mass is estimated from the RPM readings using a linear regression model, which has the parameters α (constant) and β (slope). In this study, we analyzed the seasonal changes in the two parameter values for total and green herbage (TH and GH, respectively) masses in Zoysia‐dominated pastures, and examined the potential for incorporating a periodic function (PF) of the parameters into the equation for estimating herbage mass. The values of both α and β showed a weak seasonal periodicity for TH. No periodicity and a clear seasonal periodicity were detected in the α and β values for GH, respectively. Compared with the linear regression models developed separately for individual dates, the equation incorporating a PF for β improved the estimation accuracy for the GH mass (from 0.64 to 0.77 as R2), though it did not affect the predictability for the TH mass. Incorporation of a PF into the model relating herbage mass to the RPM reading increases the sample number and broadens the data range by allowing the use of all seasonal data, and produces a single equation useful for estimating herbage mass across seasons.
The Impact of NaCl Substitution with KCl on Proteinase Activities Cell‐Free Extract and Cell‐Free Supernatant at Different pH Levels and Salt Concentrations: Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus
Authors: Ayyash M. M. , Sherkat F. , Shah N. P. 
Published: July 2012

Abstract:  The effect of NaCl substitution with KCl at different pH levels (6.0, 5.5, and 5.0) and salt concentrations on proteinase activities of cell‐free and supernatant of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus 11824 (L. bulgaricus) and Streptococcus thermophilus MS (ST) was investigated. MRS broths were separately mixed with 4 salt treatments (NaCl only, 1NaCl:1KCl, 1NaCl:3KCl, and KCl only) at 2 different concentrations (5% and 10%) and incubated at 37 °C for 22 h. The cell pellets were used to prepare proteinase of cell‐free extract and the cell‐free supernatants were used as source of extracellular proteinases. The proteolytic activities and protein contents of both fractions were determined. The supernatants after incubation of both fractions with 3 milk caseins (α‐, β‐, κ‐casein) were subjected to angiotensin‐converting‐enzyme inhibitory (ACE‐inhibitory) activity and proteolytic activity by ortho‐phthalaldehyde (OPA) method. Significant differences were observed in ACE‐inhibitory activities and proteolytic (OPA) between salt treatments of cell‐free extract and cell‐free supernatant of L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus at same salt concentration and same pH level. There was a significant effect of pH level and salt treatments interaction on ACE‐inhibitory activity, OPA activity and azocasein activity.Practical Application:  To reduce sodium concentration in cheese by substituting of NaCl with KCl, it was important to study the effect on starter culture proteinases which play a vital role in ripening and texture profile of cheese.