bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Type 2 diabetes mellitus interacts with obesity and common variations in PLTP to affect plasma phospholipid transfer protein activity
Authors: Dullaart R. P. F. , Vergeer M. , de Vries R. , Kappelle P. J. W. H. , Dallinga‐Thie G. M. 
Published: October 2011

Abstract.  Dullaart RPF, Vergeer M, de Vries R, Kappelle PJWH, Dallinga‐Thie GM (University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen; and Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam; The Netherlands). Type 2 diabetes mellitus interacts with obesity and common variations in PLTP to affect plasma phospholipid transfer protein activity. J Intern Med 2012; 271: 490–498.Background.  Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is an emerging cardiometabolic risk marker that is important in high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglyceride metabolism. Plasma PLTP activity is elevated in type 2 diabetes mellitus, whereas glucose may regulate PLTP gene transcription in vitro. Of interest, common PLTP variations that predict cardiovascular disease have been identified recently. We investigated whether the diabetic state is able to amplify relationships between obesity and PLTP gene variations with circulating PLTP levels.Subjects and methods.  Plasma PLTP activity (using a phospholipid vesicles–HDL system), PLTP gene score [number of PLTP activity‐decreasing alleles based on two tagging polymorphisms (rs378114 and rs60‐ 65904)] and waist circumference were determined in two Dutch cohorts comprising 237 patients with type 2 diabetes and 78 control subjects.Results.  Patients with diabetes were more obese (P < 0.001 for prevalence of increased waist circumference) and had 13% higher plasma PLTP activity (P < 0.001). PLTP gene score was not different in diabetic and control subjects (P = 0.40). PLTP activity was highest in patients with diabetes with an enlarged waist and lowest in control subjects with a normal waist circumference (P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed a positive interaction between diabetes status and waist circumference on PLTP activity (β = 0.200, P = 0.005). Furthermore, diabetes status (β = −0.485, P = 0.046) or HbA1c (β = −0.240, P = 0.035) interacted with PLTP gene score to affect PLTP activity.Conclusions.  Type 2 diabetes and enlarged waist circumference interact to impact on plasma PLTP activity. Diabetes may also amplify the association between plasma PLTP activity and common PLTP gene variations. Our findings support the hypothesis that diabetes–environment and diabetes–gene interactions govern plasma PLTP activity.
Long‐term monitoring of live cell proliferation in presence of PVP‐Hypericin: a new strategy using ms pulses of LED and the fluorescent dye CFSE
Authors: PENJWEINI ROZHIN , LOEW HANS G. , HAMBLIN MICHAEL R. , KRATKY KARL W. 
Published: October 2011

SummaryDuring fluorescent live cell imaging it is critical to keep excitation light dose as low as possible, especially in the presence of photosensitizer drugs, which generate free radicals upon photobleaching. During fluorescent imaging, stress by excitation and free radicals induces serious cell damages that may arrest the cell cycle. This limits the usefulness of the technique for drug discovery, when prolonged live cell imaging is necessary. This paper presents a strategy to provide gentle experimental conditions for dynamic monitoring of the proliferation of human lung epithelial carcinoma cells (A549) in the presence of the photosensitizer Polyvinylpyrrolidone‐Hypericin. The distinctive strategy of this paper is based on the stringent environmental control and optimizing the excitation light dose by (i) using a low‐power pulsed blue light‐emitting diode with short pulse duration of 1.29 ms and (ii) adding a nontoxic fluorescent dye called carboxyfluorescein‐diacetate‐succinimidyl‐ester (CFSE) to improve the fluorescence signals. To demonstrate the usefulness of the strategy, fluorescence signals and proliferation of dual‐marked cells, during 5‐h fluorescence imaging under pulsed excitation, were compared with those kept under continuous excitation and nonmarked reference cells. The results demonstrated 3% cell division and 2% apoptosis due to pulsed excitation compared to no division and 85% apoptosis under the continuous irradiation. Therefore, our strategy allows live cell imaging to be performed over longer time scales than with conventional continuous excitation.
Surfaces with a long history: the Aptian top Shu’aiba Formation unconformity, Sultanate of Oman
Authors: RAMEIL NIELS , IMMENHAUSER ADRIAN , CSOMA ANITA É. , WARRLICH GEORG 
Published: October 2011

AbstractDiscontinuity surfaces in shallow‐marine carbonate successions may represent significant time gaps in the geological record of ancient epeiric‐neritic seas. Understanding the hidden geological information contained in major discontinuities is thus of key significance in palaeo‐environmental analysis, sequence stratigraphy, reconstructions of sea‐level change and basin evolution. In the present paper, the Aptian top Lower Shu’aiba Formation discontinuity in the Sultanate of Oman is taken as a prominent example of a regionally extensive (>100 000 km2) surface with a long (up to 10 Myr) and complex geological history. The top Shu’aiba discontinuity formed on the topographically elevated domain of the Oman platform and represents in essence the Late Aptian time interval. Coeval carbonates in the intrashelf Bab Basin and oceanic rim indicate forced regression and sequence‐wise, gradual down‐stepping. Available regional, sedimentological, sequence‐stratigraphic, petrographic, palaeontological and geochemical evidence from outcrops and cored wells in Oman is summarized, in part complemented by new data, and reviewed in a process‐oriented context. In the field, the discontinuity is expressed as a low relief, stained surface with evidence for a marine hardground stage being dominant. Indistinct features that indicate a transient meteoric precursor stage (isotope shifts, meteoric cements, circumgranular cracks, etc.) are present but their interpretation requires careful and detailed work. This feature is remarkable, as a series of relative sea‐level falls with amplitudes of up to several tens of metres from the Early to Late Aptian boundary to the end of the Aptian are reported from the Middle East and elsewhere. Despite the palaeogeographic position of the study area in the tropical climate zone, evidence of deep‐cutting karst features, characteristic for many long‐term exposure surfaces worldwide is scarce. Acknowledging the fact that the modern world offers no genuine analogues for the Lower Aptian carbonate system in Oman, morphological similarities between actualistic, wave‐eroded coastal terraces and the top Shu’aiba discontinuity are discussed critically. This discussion may imply that, during an exposure time of several million years, the top Shu’aiba discontinuity experienced repeated stages of shallow flooding and emergence, with each transgression removing portions of the underlying rock record. The data shown here exemplify the complexity of hiatal surfaces in epeiric‐neritic carbonates and may serve as a case example for other major discontinuities.
Role of corticotropin‐releasing factor in the median raphe nucleus in yohimbine‐induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking in rats
Authors: Lê A. D. , Funk Douglas , Coen Kathleen , Li Zhaoxia , Shaham Yavin 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTThe pharmacological stressor yohimbine increases ongoing alcohol self‐administration and reinstates alcohol seeking in rats. This effect is attenuated by systemic injections of a corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) antagonist. The brain sites involved in CRF's role in yohimbine‐induced alcohol taking and seeking are unknown. We report that injections of the CRF receptor antagonist d‐Phe CRF into the median raphe nucleus (MRN) attenuated yohimbine‐induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking but had no effect on yohimbine‐induced increases in alcohol intake during ongoing self‐administration. Results indicate an important role of MRN CRF receptors in yohimbine‐induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking but not yohimbine‐induced increases in alcohol intake.
Glucocorticoid and polyamine interactions in the plasticity of glutamatergic synapses that contribute to ethanol‐associated dependence and neuronal injury
Authors: Prendergast Mark A. , Mulholland Patrick J. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTStress contributes to the development of ethanol dependence and is also a consequence of dependence. However, the complexity of physiological interactions between activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and ethanol itself is not well delineated. Emerging evidence derived from examination of corticotropin‐releasing factor systems and glucocorticoid receptor systems in ethanol dependence suggests a role for pharmacological manipulation of the HPA axis in attenuating ethanol intake, though it is not clear how activation of the HPA axis may promote ethanol dependence or contribute to the neuroadaptative changes that accompany the development of dependence and the severity of ethanol withdrawal. This review examines the role that glucocorticoids, in particular, have in promoting ethanol‐associated plasticity of glutamatergic synapses by influencing expression of endogenous linear polyamines and polyamine‐sensitive polypeptide subunits of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA)‐type glutamate receptors. We provide evidence that interactions among glucocorticoid systems, polyamines and NMDA receptors are highly relevant to both the development of ethanol dependence and to behavioral and neuropathological sequelae associated with ethanol withdrawal. Examination of these issues is likely to be of critical importance not only in further elucidating the neurobiology of HPA axis dysregulation in ethanol dependence, but also with regard to identification of novel therapeutic targets that may be exploited in the treatment of ethanol dependence.
Serratia marcescens strains implicated in adverse transfusion reactions form biofilms in platelet concentrates and demonstrate reduced detection by automated culture
Authors: Greco‐Stewart V. S. , Brown E. E. , Parr C. , Kalab M. , Jacobs M. R. , Yomtovian R. A. , Ramírez‐Arcos S. M. 
Published: October 2011

Background and Objectives  Serratia marcescens is a Gram‐negative bacterium that has been implicated in adverse transfusion reactions associated with contaminated platelet concentrates. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the ability of S. marcescens to form surface‐attached aggregates (biofilms) could account for contaminated platelet units being missed during screening by the BacT/ALERT automated culture system.Materials and Methods  Seven S. marcescens strains, including biofilm‐positive and biofilm‐negative control strains and five isolates recovered from contaminated platelet concentrates, were grown in enriched Luria–Bertani medium and in platelets. Biofilm formation was examined by staining assay, dislodging experiments and scanning electron microscopy. Clinical strains were also analysed for their ability to evade detection by the BacT/ALERT system.Results  All strains exhibited similar growth in medium and platelets. While only the biofilm‐positive control strain formed biofilms in medium, this strain and three clinical isolates associated with transfusion reactions formed biofilms in platelet concentrates. The other two clinical strains, which had been captured during platelet screening by BacT/ALERT, failed to form biofilms in platelets. Biofilm‐forming clinical isolates were approximately three times (P < 0·05) more likely to be missed by BacT/ALERT screening than biofilm‐negative strains.Conclusion  S. marcescens strains associated with transfusion reactions form biofilms under platelet storage conditions, and initial biofilm formation correlates with missed detection of contaminated platelet concentrates by the BacT/ALERT system.
Effects of transient overexpression or knockdown of cytochrome P450 reductase on reactive oxygen species generation and hypoxia reoxygenation injury in liver cells
Authors: Pillai Venkateswaran C , Snyder Russell O , Gumaste Upendra , Thekkumkara Thomas J , Mehvar Reza 
Published: October 2011

Summary1. Literature data suggest that the electron‐donating enzyme, cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR), might act as a source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the role of CPR in pathophysiological conditions associated with oxidative stress is unknown. The aim of the present study was to study the role of CPR in the generation of ROS and cellular injury under basal conditions, and after simulated in vitro ischaemia–reperfusion (IR).2. Plasmid DNA or siRNA approaches were used to transiently overexpress or knockdown the human CPR gene in rat liver epithelial (WB‐F344) or human hepatoblastoma (HepG2) cells, respectively. The generation of ROS and/or cellular injury was then studied under the basal conditions and after simulated IR (4 h of ischaemia plus 30 min of reoxygenation).3. Under the basal conditions, transient overexpression of CPR protein in WB‐F344 cells caused a 90% increase in the CPR activity, which was associated with a 100% increase in the ROS production. In contrast, after simulated IR, a 2.5‐fold higher CPR activity did not significantly affect the magnitude of ROS generation or cell death. Similarly, although the knockdown of CPR protein resulted in a significant reduction (∼30%) in the CPR activity, the ROS production was not substantially altered after simulated IR in HepG2 cells.4. Our data suggest that CPR plays a major role in the ROS generation by liver cells under the basal conditions. However, the role of CPR in the ROS generation during simulated in vitro IR injury in these cells is minimal, if any.
European quality assurance programme in rectal cancer – are we ready to launch?
Authors: Mroczkowski P. , Ortiz H. , Penninckx F. , Påhlman L. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractAim  There have been initiatives to create a European audit project. This paper addresses the issue of differences in data collected by different registries.Method  Patients with rectal cancer treated in 2008 and recorded in quality registries from Belgium, Germany/Poland, Spain and Sweden were analyzed. The comparison included number of patients, gender, age, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) classification, preoperative diagnostic and staging procedures, neoadjuvant therapy, surgical treatment and quality of surgery, postoperative complications and adjuvant treatment.Results  The Belgian database consisted of 622 patients, the German/Polish database consisted of 3,393 patients, the Spanish database consisted of 1,641 patients and the Swedish database consisted of 1,826 patients. The percentage of patients in each ASA stage was highly variable. MRI use was highest in Spain and Sweden and very low in Germany/Poland. The percentage of cT4 stage tumours in Sweden was much higher than in all other countries. Sweden recorded the highest percentage of primary metastatic disease (20.3%) and Belgium recorded the lowest (10.2%). Neoadjuvant therapy in different protocols was administered to 41.2% patients in Germany/Poland, to 50.8% in Spain, to 55.2% in Belgium and to 62% in Sweden. Laparoscopic surgery (conversion rate) was performed for cure in 5% (28%) of patients in Sweden, in 20.8% (20.6%) in Spain, in 28.6% (15.2%) in Belgium and in 14.5% (8.9%) in Germany/Poland. The 30‐day mortality for anterior resection, abdominoperineal excision and Hartmann’s procedure in Sweden, Belgium and Spain was 2.0%, 2.3% and 3.1%, respectively. The German/Polish database reported an in‐hospital mortality of 3.2%.Conclusion  A European quality assurance project in rectal cancer is possible only after data collection is standardized.
Diagnostic yield and economic implications of endoscopic colonic biopsies in patients with chronic diarrhoea
Authors: Hotouras A. , Collins P. , Speake W. , Tierney G. , Lund J. N. , Thaha M. A. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractAims  Random colonic biopsies are recommended to exclude microscopic colitis in patients with chronic diarrhoea especially when mucosa is macroscopically normal at endoscopy. This study aimed to assess the clinical outcome and economic impact of such a policy in an unselected group of patients with macroscopically normal mucosa.Methods  All new patients undergoing colonoscopy for investigation of chronic diarrhoea between April and December 2009 were included. Patients were divided into two groups: macroscopically normal mucosa and macroscopically inflamed mucosa. Endoscopic findings were correlated with histology of random biopsies and haematological parameters. Symptom status and any treatment were established from follow‐up. The breakdown and overall cost of random biopsies for each patient with a macroscopically normal mucosa were determined, and cost incurred per diagnosis of microscopic colitis was established.Results  Altogether 137 (90.1%) of 152 patients with chronic diarrhoea had macroscopically normal mucosa at colonoscopy. Overall incidence of microscopic colitis in the study was 1.3% (2/152); both patients belonged to the macroscopically normal mucosa group. At follow‐up, both these patients had spontaneous symptom resolution without any specific treatment. The policy of undertaking random biopsies in patients with macroscopically normal mucosa incurred an extra cost of £22 057 to diagnose two cases of microscopic colitis but did not alter medical treatment.Conclusions  In unselected patients with chronic diarrhoea and macroscopically normal mucosa, random colonic biopsies have a low diagnostic yield and incur a high cost. Continued research for predictive markers to improve patient selection for targeted biopsies is needed to develop a cost‐effective investigative algorithm in chronic diarrhoea.
Understanding factors associated with teacher‐directed student use of technology in elementary classrooms: A structural equation modeling approach
Authors: Miranda Helena P. , Russell Michael 
Published: October 2011

AbstractAnalyses presented here are secondary data analyses of the Use, Support and Effect of Instructional Technology study aimed at identifying predictors of teacher‐directed student use of technology (TDS) in elementary classrooms. Using data from a convenience sample of 1040 teachers nested within 81 schools in 21 Massachusetts' school districts, researchers developed a teacher‐level structural equation modeling for TDS depicting relationships between and among factors associated with TDS. Researchers relied on diffusion and adoption theories as well as prior empirical evidence to specify the hypothetical model. Evidence presented here suggests that the strongest predictors of TDS are as follows: (1) teachers' experience with technology, (2) belief that technology is beneficial to meet instructional goals, (3) perceived importance of technology for teaching and that (4) experiencing obstacles with the integration of technology appears to be one deterrent to teachers using technology in the classroom. The most important finding reported here is that two of the most important factors in increasing TDS are teachers' beliefs about the benefits of technology and perceived importance of technology for teaching.
“Holy cow! This stuff is real!” From Imagining Ministry to Pastoral Imagination
Authors: Campbell‐Reed Eileen R. , Scharen Christian 
Published: October 2011

AbstractHow do seminarians move from imagining ministry to embodying pastoral imagination? Stories gathered from seminarians in their final year of study show the complexity of shifting from classroom work, which foregrounds theory and intellectual imagination, to more embodied, relational, and emotionally intense engagements of ministry. Stories about learning ministry articulate a process we call the birth of pastoral imagination. New ministers test their use of knowledge acquired in classroom and books within the limits of actual ministry situations. They become overwhelmed by multiple variables in situations where they must make choices and act. These moments of action are fraught with risk and responsibility for the outcomes. Articulation and theological reflection are formative for students learning the practice of ministry. Implications for theological education include making greater “use of knowledge” in ministry practice and “use of practice” in classrooms. Points of crisis in the student stories raise additional questions about how some complications and interruptions to the “birth process” may present tragic consequences.
Move for Change Part I: a European survey evaluating the impact of the EPDA Charter for People with Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Bloem B.R. , Stocchi F. 
Published: October 2011

Background and purpose:  The 1997 European Parkinson’s Disease Association’s (EPDA) Charter for People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) outlines their rights in terms of standards of care. It states that all patients have the right to: be referred to a doctor with a special interest in PD; receive an accurate diagnosis; have access to support services; receive continuous care; and take part in managing their illness. Move for Change is a three‐part series of pan‐European patient surveys based on this Charter.Methods:  This first survey, consisting of 23 questions, focusing on the initial two points of the Charter, was administered online through the EPDA and affiliated patient associations’ Web sites. Of 2149 forms received from 35 European countries, 2068 (96.2%) were analyzed, with the remainder excluded, mainly due to incomplete responses.Results:  The majority of patients were diagnosed within 2 years from the onset of first symptoms (82.7%; range, <1 year to ≥5 years). In relation to diagnosis delivery, 45.3% of patients stated that it was ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. During the 2 years following diagnosis, 43.8% of respondents had never seen a PD specialist. Care was usually overseen by generically active neurologists (92.5%) or family doctors (81.0%), with considerable overlap between the two.Conclusions:  These data highlight challenges that patients with PD face during the period of diagnosis, despite introduction of the Charter. These findings can assist healthcare professionals and policy makers in improving the level of care for patients and their families across Europe, and we offer suggestions about how this can be achieved.
Ethylene‐induced differential petiole growth in Arabidopsis thaliana involves local microtubule reorientation and cell expansion
Authors: Polko Joanna K. , van Zanten Martijn , van Rooij Jop A. , Marée Athanasius F. M. , Voesenek Laurentius A. C. J. , Peeters Anton J. M. , Pierik Ronald 
Published: October 2011

Summary
Hyponastic growth is an upward petiole movement induced by plants in response to various external stimuli. It is caused by unequal growth rates between adaxial and abaxial sides of the petiole, which bring rosette leaves to a more vertical position. The volatile hormone ethylene is a key regulator inducing hyponasty in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we studied whether ethylene‐mediated hyponasty occurs through local stimulation of cell expansion and whether this involves the reorientation of cortical microtubules (CMTs).
To study cell size differences between the two sides of a petiole in ethylene and control conditions, we analyzed epidermal imprints. We studied the involvement of CMT orientation in epidermal cells using the tubulin marker line as well as genetic and pharmacological means of CMT manipulation.
Our results demonstrate that ethylene induces cell expansion at the abaxial side of the‐ petiole and that this can account for the observed differential growth. At the abaxial side, ethylene induces CMT reorientation from longitudinal to transverse, whereas, at the adaxial side, it has an opposite effect. The inhibition of CMTs disturbed ethylene‐induced hyponastic growth.
This work provides evidence that ethylene stimulates cell expansion in a tissue‐specific manner and that it is associated with tissue‐specific changes in the arrangement of CMTs along the petiole.