bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Validation of KRAS Testing for Anti-EGFR Therapeutic Decisions for Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma
Authors: Kamel-Reid Suzanne , Zhang Tong , Persons Diane L , Nikiforova Marina N , Halling Kevin C ,   for the Molecular Oncology Resource Committee of the College of American Pathologists
Published: December 2011

Context.—KRAS mutation status is a molecular marker for predicting patient response to treatment with anti-EGFR antibodies (cetuximab and panitumumab) in metastatic colorectal carcinoma. Different approaches may be taken to detect KRAS mutations. There currently are no US Food and Drug Administration–approved assays for the detection of KRAS mutations. For assays that are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, the performance characteristics of the assay must be determined and validated by the clinical laboratory before implementation.Objective.—To provide an example of how a KRAS mutation-analysis assay may be validated in a clinical laboratory.Design.—Describing the approach used by an individual laboratory to compare different assays for validation of KRAS mutation analysis in metastatic colon carcinoma.Results.—Specific validation data are provided, illustrating how a laboratory established assay performance characteristics for KRAS mutation analysis.Conclusions.—All clinical laboratories must establish several performance specifications mandated by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 before implementation of any laboratory-developed test. Approaches to the validation of such assays may vary among laboratories. We describe an approach used for validation of a KRAS mutation-analysis assay by one laboratory.
Ecogeographical associations between climate and human body composition: Analyses based on anthropometry and skinfolds
Authors: Wells Jonathan C.K. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractIn the 19th century, two “ecogeographical rules” were proposed hypothesizing associations of climate with mammalian body size and proportions. Data on human body weight and relative leg length support these rules; however, it is unknown whether such associations are attributable to lean tissue (the heat‐producing component) or fat (energy stores). Data on weight, height, and two skinfold thickness were obtained from the literature for 137 nonindustrialized populations, providing 145 male and 115 female individual samples. A variety of indices of adiposity and lean mass were analyzed. Preliminary analyses indicated secular increases in skinfolds in men but not women, and associations of age and height with lean mass in both sexes. Decreasing annual temperature was associated with increasing body mass index (BMI), and increasing triceps but not subscapular skinfold. After adjusting for skinfolds, decreasing temperature remained associated with increasing BMI. These results indicate that colder environments favor both greater peripheral energy stores, and greater lean mass. Contrasting results for triceps and subscapular skinfolds might be due to adaptive strategies either constraining central adiposity in cold environments to reduce cardiovascular risk, or favoring central adiposity in warmer environments to maintain energetic support of the immune system. Polynesian populations were analyzed separately and contradicted all of the climate trends, indicating support for the hypothesis that they are cold‐adapted despite occupying a tropical region. It is unclear whether such associations emerge through natural selection or through trans‐generational and life‐course plasticity. These findings nevertheless aid understanding of the wide variability in human physique and adiposity. Am J Phys Anthropol 147:169–186, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Osteological and molecular identification of brucellosis in ancient Butrint, Albania
Authors: Mutolo Michael J. , Jenny Lindsey L. , Buszek Amanda R. , Fenton Todd W. , Foran David R. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAncient skeletal remains can harbor unique information about past civilizations at both the morphological and molecular levels. For instance, a number of diseases manifest in bone, some of which have been confirmed through DNA analysis, verifying their presence in ancient populations. In this study, anthropological analysis of skeletal remains from the ancient Albanian city of Butrint identified individuals with severe circular lytic lesions on their thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. Differential diagnosis suggested that the lesions resulted from pathologies known to affect these skeletal regions, such as tuberculosis (TB) or brucellosis. Relevant bones of two adolescent males from the 10th to 13th century AD that displayed the lesions, along with unaffected individuals, were collected in the field. Genetic screening of the skeletal samples for TB was repeatedly negative, thus additional testing forBrucellaspp.—bacteria of livestock and the causative agent of brucellosis in humans—was conducted. Two Brucella DNA markers, theIS6501insertion element andBcsp31gene, amplified from the affected vertebrae and/or ribs, whereas all unaffected individuals and control samples were negative. Subsequent DNA sequencing confirmed the presence of the brucellarIS6501insertion element. On the basis of the skeletal lesions, negative tests for TB, and positive Brucella findings, we report a confirmed occurrence of brucellosis in archaeologically recovered human bone. These findings suggest that brucellosis has been endemic to the area since at least the Middle Ages. Am J Phys Anthropol 147:254–263, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mutual mate choice in a female‐dominant and sexually monomorphic primate
Authors: Gomez Doris , Huchard Elise , Henry Pierre‐Yves , Perret Martine 
Published: December 2011

AbstractSexual dimorphism is common in polygynous species, where intrasexual competition is often thought to drive the evolution of large male body size, and in turn, male behavioral dominance over females. In Madagascar, the entire lemur radiation, which embraces diverse mating systems, lacks sexual dimorphism and exhibits frequent female dominance over males. The evolution of such morphological and behavioral peculiarities, often referred to as “the lemur syndrome,” has proven difficult to understand. Among other hypotheses, a potential role of intersexual selection has been repeatedly proposed but hardly ever tested. Here, we investigate whether female choice favors small and compliant males, and whether male choice favors large females in captive gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). Detailed analysis of a combination of behavioral observations and hormonal data available for both sexes shows that (1) females accept more matings from males with higher fighting abilities, (2) males adjust their investment in intrasexual competition to female fertility, and (3) both male and female strategies are weakly influenced by the body mass of potential partners, in directions contradicting our predictions. These results do not suggest a prominent role of intersexual selection in the evolution and maintenance of the lemur syndrome but rather point to alternative mechanisms relating to male–male competition, specifically highlighting an absence of relationship between male body mass and fighting ability. Finally, our findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting flexible sex roles, by showing the expression of mutual mate choice in a female‐dominant, sexually monomorphic and promiscuous primate. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Alveolar Epithelial Type II Cells and Their Microenvironment in the Caveolin‐1‐Deficient Mouse
Authors: Jung Kristina , Schlenz Heike , Krasteva Gabriela , Mühlfeld Christian 
Published: December 2011

AbstractCaveolin‐1 (Cav‐1) is highly expressed in alveolar epithelial type I (AE1) and endothelial cells of the alveolar region of the lung. Interestingly, alveolar epithelial type II (AE2) cells that are progenitors of the AE1 cells do not express Cav‐1. We investigated whether genetic Cav‐1 deficiency alters the phenotype of AE2 cells and their microenvironment using stereology. Total number, mean volume, and subcellular composition of the AE2 cells were not altered in Cav‐1−/− when compared with wild‐type mice. The alveolar septa were thickened and contained a significantly greater volume of extracellular matrix. Thus, AE2 cells as progenitors of AE1 cells are not critically involved in the severe pulmonary phenotype in Cav‐1‐deficient mice. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Simultaneous quantification of berberine and lysergol by HPLC‐UV: evidence that lysergol enhances the oral bioavailability of berberine in rats
Authors: Patil Shrikant , Dash Ranjeet Prasad , Anandjiwala Sheetal , Nivsarkar Manish 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACTA sensitive and simple HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of berberine and lysergol in rat plasma. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column using isocratic elution with methanol–acetonitrile–0.1% ortho‐phosphoric acid (25:20:55, v/v/v), pH adjusted to 6.5 with triethylamine and detected at a UV wavelength of 230 nm. The extraction of the berberine and lysergol from the rat plasma with methylene chloride resulted in their high recoveries (82.62 and 90.17%). HPLC calibration curves for both berberine and lysergol based on the extracts from the rat plasma were linear over a broad concentration range of 50–1000 ng/mL. The limit of quantification was 50 ng/mL. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were <15% and accuracy was 87.12–92.55% for berberine and 87.01–92.26% for lysergol. Stability studies showed that berberine and lysergol were stable in rat plasma for short‐ and long‐term period for sample preparation and analysis. The described method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of berberine as well as lysergol following oral administration in Sprague–Dawley rats. The results of the study inferred that lysergol improved the oral bioavailability of berberine. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantitative determination of sauchinone in rat plasma by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry
Authors: Xu Chun‐lei , Chen Jian‐wei , Ju Wen‐zheng , Liu Shi‐jia , Chen Yong , Chen Zhi‐peng , Xue Ping , Chen Hong‐jiang , Li Xiang 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACTA rapid, sensitive and specific method using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection (LC‐MS) was developed for the analysis of sauchinone in rat plasma. Di‐O‐methyltetrahydrofuriguaiacin B was used as internal standard (IS). Analytes were extracted from rat plasma by liquid–liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. A 2.1 mm i.d. × 150 mm, 5 µm, Agilent Zorbax SB‐C18 column was used to perform the chromatographic analysis. The mobile phase was methanol–deionized water (80:20, v/v). The chromatographic run time was 7 min per injection and the flow‐rate was 0.2 mL/min. The tandem mass spectrometric detection mode was achieved with electrospray ionization interface in positive‐ion mode (ESI+). The m/z ratios [M + Na]+, m/z 379.4 for sauchinone and m/z 395.4 for IS were recorded simultaneously. Calibration curve were linear over the range of 0.01–5 µg/mL. The lowest limit of quantification was 0.01 µg/mL. The intra‐day and inter‐day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples were 2.94–9.42% and 95.79–108.05%, respectively. The matrix effect was 64.20–67.34% and the extraction recovery was 93.28–95.98%. This method was simple and sensitive enough to be used in pharmacokinetic research for determination of sauchinone in rat plasma. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Understanding “silver” consumers through cognitive age, health condition, financial status, and personal values: Empirical evidence from the world's most mature market Japan
Authors: Kohlbacher Florian , Chéron Emmanuel 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACTOlder consumers remain under‐researched, especially in Japan, the country most severely affected by demographic change with a rapidly aging and shrinking population. This paper aims at a better understanding of Japanese older consumers through cognitive age, health condition, financial status, and personal values. This study is the first one using these variables together on a sample of 316 older Japanese consumers. The age perception of the respondents was found on average 8 years younger than their actual chronological age, in line with the assumption of cognitive age being universal. Four groups were identified revealing a decrease in the difference between chronological and cognitive age with lower levels of health and wealth. The difference was found higher for people feeling healthy and poor than for people feeling in poor health and wealthy, thus indicating that feeling in good health was having somewhat more impact on the difference between actual and cognitive age than feeling wealthy. Respondents gave top ranking to “warm relationships with others”, second importance to “security”, and third importance to “fun and enjoyment in life”. The rankings of “excitement”, “fun and enjoyment in life”, and “sense of accomplishment” were showing a significant decrease of importance with higher cognitive age groups. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Brønsted and Lewis Acidities on Catalytic Activity of Heteropolyacids in Transesterification and Esterification Reactions
Authors: Shi W. , Zhao J. , Yuan X. , Wang S. , Wang X. , Huo M. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractSome salts of H3PW12O40‐Mx/nH3–xPW12O40 (abbreviated as Mx/nH3–xPW) were prepared and used as acid catalysts for transesterification and esterification reactions. These catalysts have double acidity properties, i.e., Lewis acidity and Brønsted acidity, that are suitable for the conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel. The highest efficiency was 59.2 % and 94.7 % corresponding to transesterification and esterification reactions by Ti0.6H0.6PW with moderate Lewis acidity. The relationship between the acidic properties and the catalytic activity is discussed in detail.
Influence of Particle Size and Single‐Tube Diameter on Thermal Behavior of Fischer‐Tropsch Reactors. Part II. Eggshell Catalysts and Optimal Reactor Performance
Authors: Jess A. , Kern C. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe optimal combination of particle and tube size for simulation of a single tube of a wall‐cooled multitubular Fischer‐Tropsch (FT) reactor with cobalt as catalyst was determined. The maximum size of the tubes, realized without temperature runaway, enhances with increasing particle size until an optimal value is reached, thereby improving the production rate of liquid fuels per tube. Reasons for this are that heat transfer to the cooled tube wall for a given tube size is considerably enhanced by increasing the particle size and that the influence of pore diffusion on the effective rate of FT synthesis gets stronger with rising particle size, which reduces the temperature sensitivity of the reactor and decreases the danger of a temperature runaway. The simulations indicate that the use of FT eggshell catalysts is not an option for fixed‐bed reactors. The temperature sensitivity of the reactor is strongly enhanced, which decreases the maximum tube size and with that the productivity per tube. All these effects are valid in general for wall‐cooled fixed‐bed reactors. Respective criteria are presented.
Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Organic D‐π‐A Systems Containing Three‐Coordinate Boron Moieties as both π‐Donor and π‐Acceptor
Authors: Weber Lothar , Eickhoff Daniel , Marder Todd B. , Fox Mark A. , Low Paul J. , Dwyer Austin D. , Tozer David J. , Schwedler Stefanie , Brockhinke Andreas , Stammler Hans‐Georg , Neumann Beate 
Published: December 2011

AbstractFour linear π‐conjugated systems with 1,3‐diethyl‐1,3,2‐benzodiazaborolyl [C6H4(NEt)2B] as a π‐donor at one end and dimesitylboryl (BMes2) as a π‐acceptor at the other end were synthesized. These unusual push–pull systems contain phenylene (1,4‐C6H4; 1), biphenylene (4,4′‐(1,1′‐C6H4)2; 2), thiophene (2,5‐C4H2S; 3), and dithiophene (5,5′‐(2,2′‐C4H2S)2; 4) as π‐conjugated bridges and different types of three‐coordinate boron moieties serving as both π‐donor and π‐acceptor. Molecular structures of 2, 3, and 4 were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Photophysical studies on these systems reveal blue‐green fluorescence in all compounds. The Stokes shifts for 1, 2, and 3 are notably large at 7820–9760 cm−1 in THF and 5430–6210 cm−1 in cyclohexane, whereas the Stokes shift for 4 is significantly smaller at 5510 cm−1 in THF and 2450 cm−1 in cyclohexane. Calculations on model systems 1′–4′ show the HOMO to be mainly diazaborolyl in character and the LUMO to be dominated by the empty p orbital at the boron atom of the BMes2 group. However, there are considerable dithiophene bridge contributions to both orbitals in 4′. From the experimental data and MO calculations, the π‐electron‐donating strength of the 1,3‐diethyl‐1,3,2‐benzodiazaborolyl group was found to lie between that of methoxy and dimethylamino groups. TD‐DFT calculations on 1′–4′, using B3LYP and CAM‐B3LYP functionals, provide insight into the absorption and emission processes. B3LYP predicts that both the absorption and emission processes have strong charge‐transfer character. CAM‐B3LYP which, unlike B3LYP, contains the physics necessary to describe charge‐transfer excitations, predicts only a limited amount of charge transfer upon absorption, but somewhat more upon emission. The excited‐state (S1) geometries show the borolyl group to be significantly altered compared to the ground‐state (S0) geometries. This borolyl group reorganization in the excited state is believed to be responsible for the large Stokes shifts in organic systems containing benzodiazaborolyl groups in these and related compounds.
Catalytic Non‐Conventional trans‐Hydroboration: A Theoretical and Experimental Perspective
Authors: Cid Jessica , Carbó Jorge J. , Fernández Elena 
Published: December 2011

AbstractWe have studied the non‐conventional trans‐hydroboration reaction of alkynes both experimentally and theoretically. A catalytic system based on the in situ mixture of [{Rh(cod)Cl}2]/PCy3 (cod=1,5‐cyclooctadiene, Cy=cyclohexyl) has been able to activate pinacolborane and catecholborane and transfer boryl and hydride groups onto the same unhindered carbon atom of the terminal alkynes. The presence of a base (Et3N) favored the non‐conventional trans‐hydroboration over the traditional cis‐hydroboration. Varying the substrate had a significant influence on the reaction, with up to 99 % conversion and 94 % regioselectivity observed for para‐methyl‐phenylacetylene. Both DFT and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical ONIOM calculations were carried out on the [RhCl(PR3)2] system. To explain the selectivity towards the (Z)‐alkenylboronate we explored several alternative mechanisms to the traditional cis‐hydroboration, using propyne as a model alkyne. The proposed mechanism can be divided into four stages: 1) isomerization of the alkyne into the vinylidene, 2) oxidative addition of the borane reagent, 3) vinylidene insertion into the RhH bond, and finally 4) reductive elimination of the CB bond to yield the 1‐alkenylboronate. Calculations indicated that the vinylidene insertion is the selectivity‐determining step. This result was consistent with the observed Z selectivity when the sterically demanding phosphine groups, such as PCy3 and PiPr3, were introduced. Finally, we theoretically analyzed the effect of the substrate on the selectivity; we identified several factors that contribute to the preference for aryl alkynes over aliphatic alkynes for the Z isomer. The intrinsic electronic properties of aryl substituents favored the Z‐pathway over the E‐pathway, and the aryl groups containing electron donating substituents favored the occurrence of the vinylidene reaction channel.
Nucleic Acid Functionalized Graphene for Biosensing
Authors: Bonanni Alessandra , Ambrosi Adriano , Pumera Martin 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThere is immense demand for complex nanoarchitectures based on graphene nanostructures in the fields of biosensing or nanoelectronics. DNA molecules represent the most versatile and programmable recognition element and can provide a unique massive parallel assembly strategy with graphene nanomaterials. Here we demonstrate a facile strategy for covalent linking of single stranded DNA (ssDNA) to graphene using carbodiimide chemistry and apply it to genosensing. Since graphenes can be prepared by different methods and can contain various oxygen containing groups, we thoroughly investigated the utility of four different chemically modified graphenes for functionalization by ssDNA. The materials were characterized in detail and the different DNA functionalized graphene platforms were then employed for the detection of DNA hybridization and DNA polymorphism by using impedimetric methods. We believe that our findings are very important for the development of novel devices that can be used as alternatives to classical techniques for sensitive and fast DNA analysis. In addition, covalent functionalization of graphene with ssDNA is expected to have broad implications, from biosensing to nanoelectronics and directed, DNA programmable, self‐assembly.
The effect of taxol microinjection on the microtubular structure in polar body formation of starfish oocytes
Authors: Kikuchi Yohei , Hamaguchi Yukihisa 
Published: December 2011

AbstractIn starfish oocytes, microtubules (MTs) form a spindle, which plays an important role in contributing to the selective loss of chromosomes and centrosomes to the polar bodies (PBs) during meiosis. When Taxol was locally injected near the germinal vesicle (GV) or the mitotic apparatus during meiosis I, PB formation was inhibited as mentioned below. In the oocytes, which were injected with Taxol after spindle formation, the spindle became large, and then the volume of the first PB also increased more than that of the control. In contrast, in the oocytes injected with Taxol before the spindle formation, chromosome capture and alignment were inhibited. These oocytes did not form PB, but only a bulge at the cell cortex was occasionally observed. Moreover, in the oocytes injected with Taxol before GV breakdown, the chromosomes did not gather in one place, and then two asters were observed at distant positions from the cell cortex. These results suggested that MTs lost not only the ability to obtain the bipolar attachment of chromosomes by Taxol injection but also the aster closer to the cell cortex lost its interaction with the cell cortex of the animal pole. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.