bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Chronic Ethanol Exposure on Inositol Trisphosphate Receptors in WB Rat Liver Epithelial Cells
Authors: Bokkala Shaila , Rubin Emanuel , Joseph Suresh K. 
Published: May 2006

Background: Enhanced agonist‐induced Ca2+ release has been reported in hepatocytes isolated from ethanol‐fed rats. Because myo‐inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) are involved in the mobilization of Ca2+, we examined the effects of chronic ethanol treatment on IP3R function and levels of IP3R protein by using WB rat liver epithelial cells. Methods: WB cells were treated with ethanol (50–150 mM) for 24 to 48 hr and were loaded with Fura‐2 to measure agonist‐induced Ca2+ mobilization or saponin permeabilized to measure myo‐inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3)‐mediated Ca2+ release. IP3 levels were measured in [3H]‐inositol labeled cells. Levels of IP3R protein were quantitated by immunoblotting with antibodies to IP3R isoforms. Lysosomal and proteasomal peptidase activities were assayed in cytosol and membrane fractions using specific fluorogenic peptide substrates. Results: Ethanol treatment enhanced Ca2+ mobilization in response to angiotensin II, vasopressin, and bradykinin. This effect was not due to an increased production of IP3. Chronic ethanol treatment stimulated the mobilization of Ca2+ from saponin‐permeabilized cells in response to subsaturating doses of IP3 and increased the basal levels of both type I and type III IP3Rs by 1.8‐fold and 1.6‐fold, respectively. Ethanol treatment did not prevent angiotensin II‐induced IP3R down‐regulation or alter lysosomal cathepsin B activity or the trypsin‐like and peptidylglutamyl peptidase activities of the proteasome. However, chronic ethanol exposure resulted in a 60% and 41% inhibition of the chymotrypsin‐like activity of the proteasome in cytosol and microsomal membranes, respectively.Conclusion: We propose that the enhanced agonist‐mediated Ca2+ mobilization observed in chronic ethanol‐treated WB liver epithelial cells results from increased IP3R expression caused by an inhibition of IP3R degradation pathways by ethanol.
A survey of time management and particular tasks undertaken by consultant microbiologists in the UK
Authors: Riordan Terry , Cartwright Keith , Cunningham Richard , Logan Margaret , Wright Paul 
Published: May 2006

Background:Medical microbiology practice encompasses a diverse range of activities. Consultant medical microbiologists (CMMs) attribute widely differing priorities to, and spend differing proportions of time on various components of the job.Aim:To obtain a professional consensus on what are high-priority and low-priority activities, and to identify the time spent on low-priority activities.Method:National survey.Results:Many respondents felt that time spent on report authorisation and telephoning of results was excessive, whereas time spent on ward-based work was inadequate. Timesaving could also be achieved through better prioritisation of infection-control activities.Conclusion:CMMs should apportion their time at work focusing on high-priority activities identified through professional consensus.
Associative learning of visual and gustatory cues in the large cabbage white butterfly, Pieris brassicae
Authors: Smallegange Renate , Everaarts Tjarda , Van Loon Joop 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThe landing response of the large cabbage white butterfly Pieris brassicae was studied under controlled optical and gustatory stimulus conditions. Experience-based changes in landing behaviour were examined by offering cardboard circles of two different shades of green, treated with either an oviposition stimulant or a deterrent. We employed two training situations. In one situation the two shades of green, carrying either the stimulant or the deterrent, were offered simultaneously, in the other sequentially. During the 1 hour training periods, butterflies were either landing and drumming spontaneously or they were caught at the end of the period and placed on the artificial leaves until tarsal drumming ensued. Our experiments demonstrated that P. brassicae females can learn to associate visually detected substrate characteristics with contact-chemosensory information available only after landing. Furthermore, a learned preference for a substrate could be turned into a preference for the alternative substrate by exposing the insect to a deterrent on the previously preferred substrate. These results provide indications of aversion learning, thus far undocumented in oviposition behaviour of Lepidoptera. Bringing the butterflies into forced contact with the oviposition stimulant resulted in similar effects on landing preference compared to those of spontaneous landing, but spontaneous landing had a stronger effect on preference for associations involving the deterrent. The simultaneous training regime, which supposedly requires a less important role for short-term memory, was more effective in modifying landing preferences.
A comparison of naïve and conditioned responses of three generalist endoparasitoids of lepidopteran larvae to host-induced plant odours
Authors: Tamò Cristina , Ricard Ingrid , Held Matthias , Davison Anthony , Turlings Ted 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
Many parasitic wasps that exploit herbivores as their hosts make use of herbivoreinduced plant odours to locate their victims and these wasps often exhibit an ability to learn to associate specific plant-produced odours with the presence of hosts. This associative learning is expected to allow generalist parasitoids to focus on cues that are most reliably associated with current host presence, but evidence supporting this hypothesis is ambiguous. Using a six-arm olfactometer we compared the responses of three generalist larval endoparasitoids, Cotesia marginiventris (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Microplitis rufiventris (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Campoletis sonorensis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), to the induced odours of three plant species: maize (Zea mays), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). We tested the responses of naïve females as well as of females that were first conditioned by parasitising host larvae feeding on one of the plant species. Despite similarities in biology and host range the three wasp species responded entirely differently. Naïve C. marginiventris and C. sonorensis chose equally among the induced odours of the three plants, whereas naïve M. rufiventris, which may have a somewhat more restricted host range, tended to prefer the odour of maize. After conditioning, most C. marginiventris females chose the odour of the plant species that they had experienced, but conditioned M. rufiventris showed an even stronger preference for maize odours, independently of the plant they had experienced. Cotesia sonorensis did not show any change in its preference after conditioning. We speculate that its extremely broad host range allows C. sonorensis females to use fixed responses to cues commonly associated with plants damaged by Lepidoptera. These results imply that different generalist parasitoids may employ different foraging strategies and that associative learning is not necessarily part of it.
Associative learning and memory duration in the parasitic wasp Lariophagus distinguendus
Authors: Müller  , Collatz  , Wieland  , Steidle  
Published: May 2006

Abstract
Lariophagus distinguendus (Pteromalidae, Hymenoptera) is an ectoparasitoid of larvae of the granary weevil Sitophilus granarius which develop inside grains. Female parasitoids were trained by keeping them for 1 h on grains infested with their hosts in the presence of the odorant furfurylheptanoate (FFH). In olfactometer experiments, these wasps afterwards preferred the odour field containing FFH as compared to control fields. Control experiments with; i) naïve wasps; ii) wasps exposed to infested grains only; iii) to FFH only; and iv) to infested grains first and FFH later, did not reveal any response to FFH. This indicates that the reaction to FFH is caused by associative learning due to host experience as unconditioned stimulus. Experiments on the durability of the learned response demonstrated that host experience in the presence of FFH induces a memory that can be observed for at least 144 h and most likely is equivalent to long-term memory in honey bee Apis mellifera and Drosophila melanogaster.
Learning signals within sensory environments: Does host cue learning in butterflies depend on background?
Authors: Snell-Rood Emilie , Papaj Daniel 
Published: May 2006

AbstractInsects must detect and interpret stimuli embedded in a sensory environment of competing stimuli. While sensory environments vary in time and space, individuals may be able to learn local background characteristics, facilitating perceptual learning. This study on host search in butterflies examines the following questions in an ecologically relevant context: i) does cue learning depend on the sensory environment in which learning occurs; and ii) are background characteristics learned, such that performance on novel tasks in the same sensory environment is facilitated? Females of Battus philenor (Papilionidae: Lepidoptera) were trained to different coloured and shaped oviposition targets, against different background colours. Individuals trained to colours on a brown background but tested on a green background performed significantly worse than control individuals which were trained to the same colours but on a green background. Females pre-trained to discriminate green targets from red targets on a green background colour performed significantly better in a novel task (shape learning) involving green shapes on a green background than did individuals trained to discriminate the same colours on a brown background. These two results were unique to particular cue-background combinations, in particular cryptic conditions. Taken together, our results suggest that cue learning depends on an insect's sensory environment, and that learning characteristics of local backgrounds may confer benefits to habitat-faithful individuals.
Learning and memory formation in the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and its dependency on the cAMP-protein kinase A pathway
Authors: Eisenhardt Dorothea 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThe honeybee (Apis mellifera) is a model organism for the study of learning and memory formation and its underlying mechanisms. Honeybees have a rich behaviour that can be studied in the field as well as in the laboratory. In the latter case, olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER) has been intensively studied with respect to the neuronal and molecular mechanisms underlying acquisition and memory formation. Quite a lot is known about the neuronal pathways of both the unconditioned and the conditioned stimulus, and molecular mechanisms that lead to memory formation have been identified. In particular, the role of the cAMP-protein kinase A pathway in memory formation has been analysed. Present knowledge about the molecular basis of memory formation is outlined here. The role of the cAMP-dependent signalling cascade in memory formation is summarised and the activation of this pathway by non-associative and associative learning is discussed.
Core set approach to reduce uncertainty of gene trees
Authors: Okabayashi Takahisa , Kitazoe Yasuhiro , Kishino Hirohisa , Watabe Teruaki , Nakajima Noriaki , Okuhara Yoshiyasu , O'Loughlin Samantha , Walton Catherine 
Published: May 2006

AbstractBackgroundA genealogy based on gene sequences within a species plays an essential role in the estimation of the character, structure, and evolutionary history of that species. Because intraspecific sequences are more closely related than interspecific ones, detailed information on the evolutionary process may be available by determining all the node sequences of trees and provide insight into functional constraints and adaptations. However, strong evolutionary correlations on a few lineages make this determination difficult as a whole, and the maximum parsimony (MP) method frequently allows a number of topologies with a same total branching length.ResultsKitazoe et al. developed multidimensional vector-space representation of phylogeny. It converts additivity of evolutionary distances to orthogonality among the vectors expressing branches, and provides a unified index to measure deviations from the orthogoality. In this paper, this index is used to detect and exclude sequences with large deviations from orthogonality, and then selects a maximum subset ("core set") of sequences for which MP generates a single solution. Once the core set tree is formed whose all the node sequences are given, the excluded sequences are found to have basically two phylogenetic positions on this tree, respectively. Fortunately, since multiple substitutions are rare in intra-species sequences, the variance of nucleotide transitions is confined to a small range. By applying the core set approach to 38 partialenvsequences of HIV-1 in a single patient and also 198 mitochondrial COI and COII DNA sequences ofAnopheles dirus, we demonstrate how consistently this approach constructs the tree.ConclusionIn the HIV dataset, we confirmed that the obtained core set tree is the unique maximum set for which MP proposes a single tree. In the mosquito data set, the fluctuation of nucleotide transitions caused by the sequences excluded from the core set was very small. We reproduced this core-set tree by simulation based on random process, and applied our approach to many sets of the obtained endpoint sequences. Consequently, the ninety percent of the endpoint sequences was identified as the core sets and the obtained node sequences were perfectly identical to the true ones.
Effect of 5'UTR introns on gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Chung Betty YW , Simons Cas , Firth Andrew E , Brown Chris M , Hellens Roger P 
Published: May 2006

AbstractBackgroundThe majority of introns in gene transcripts are found within the coding sequences (CDSs). A small but significant fraction of introns are also found to reside within the untranslated regions (5'UTRs and 3'UTRs) of expressed sequences. Alignment of the whole genome and expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of the model plantArabidopsis thalianahas identified introns residing in both coding and non-coding regions of the genome.ResultsA bioinformatic analysis revealed some interesting observations: (1) the density of introns in 5'UTRs is similar to that in CDSs but much higher than that in 3'UTRs; (2) the 5'UTR introns are preferentially located close to the initiating ATG codon; (3) introns in the 5'UTRs are, on average, longer than introns in the CDSs and 3'UTRs; and (4) 5'UTR introns have a different nucleotide composition to that of CDS and 3'UTR introns. Furthermore, we show that the 5'UTR intron of theA. thalianaEF1α-A3 gene affects the gene expression and the size of the 5'UTR intron influences the level of gene expression.ConclusionIntrons within the 5'UTR show specific features that distinguish them from introns that reside within the coding sequence and the 3'UTR. In the EF1α-A3 gene, the presence of a long intron in the 5'UTR is sufficient to enhance gene expression in plants in a size dependent manner.
Bilateral symmetrical lymphangiomas of the gingiva: case report
Authors: Motahhary Pouria , Sarrafpour Babak , Abdirad Afshin 
Published: May 2006

Abstract

Background
Lymphangioma is a benign lesion that is related to proliferation of lymphatic vessels. Lymphangioma of the gingiva is a rare lesion that manifest as a pebbly hyperplasia on gingiva. The purpose of this study is to report a case of bilateral symmetrical lymphangioma of the gingiva.

Case presentation
A 32-year-old man was presented with bilateral hyperplasia of gingiva in upper canine regions. The lesions were resected completely and evaluated histologically. The microscopic evaluation revealed lymphangioma.

Conclusion
Bilateral lymphangioma of the gingiva is a very rare lesion which its origin is controversial.
Mannosylated liposomes as antigen delivery vehicles for targeting to dendritic cells
Authors: White Karen L , Rades Thomas , Furneaux Richard H , Tyler Peter C , Hook Sarah 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
The immune stimulating ability of mannosylated liposomes containing FITC-ovalbumin as a model antigen and displaying either a branched tri-mannose or a mono-mannose ligand on the liposome surface was investigated in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) and murine bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Uptake of liposomes, dendritic cell activation and proliferation of CD8+ T cells from OT-I transgenic mice were determined by flow cytometry. Uptake of liposomes displaying the tri-mannose ligand was enhanced in human MoDCs compared with both non-mannosylated liposomes and liposomes displaying mono-mannose ligands. However, this increased uptake did not result in an increase in expression of CD80 or CD86 on the surface of the MoDCs. In contrast, neither tri-mannose- nor mono-mannose-containing liposomes were taken up by murine BMDCs to a greater extent than non-mannose-containing liposomes. The expression of CD86 and CD40 on the surface of BMDCs was not increased after exposure to mannosylated lipo-somes and BMDCs incubated with mannosylated liposomes were not able to stimulate proliferation of CD8+ T cells to any greater extent than BMDCs incubated with non-mannosylated liposomes. These findings suggest that while mannose-containing ligands can enhance the uptake of antigen-containing liposomes by some dendritic cells, important differences in the affinity of carbohydrate-binding receptors for mannose-containing ligands do exist between species. In addition, the increase in uptake of antigen by dendritic cells using mannosylated liposomes does not necessarily result in enhanced dendritic cell activation.
Biodegradable nanoparticle delivery of a Th2-biased peptide for induction of Th1 immune responses
Authors: Lutsiak M E Christine , Kwon Glen S , Samuel John 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
The type of immune response developed against the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is crucial in determining the outcome of the disease. The protective effects of vaccine-induced antibody responses against subsequent exposure to HBV are well-established. After the establishment of chronic HBV infection, cell-mediated immune response is curative while humoral response is detrimental. A therapeutic vaccine that could switch the type of response could lead to disease resolution. Hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg)129–140 has been identified as a Th2-biased peptide in H-2b mice when it is administered along with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). We formulated HBcAg129–140 along with monophosphoryl lipid A in poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles. Naïve mice immunized with the nanoparticle formulation developed a strong Th1-type response while mice immunized with the control formulation of CFA and peptide did not. We then primed mice with CFA and peptide to establish a Th2-type immune response before administering the nanoparticle formulation. Mice receiving the nanoparticle formulation being primed with CFA still developed a strong Th1-type response, while mice that received incomplete Freund's adjuvant and peptide instead of nanoparticles did not. The ability of PLGA nanoparticles to alter the type of immune response elicited by a peptide, even in the context of an ongoing immune response, makes PLGA nanoparticles a strong candidate for the formulation of therapeutic vaccines.
Development of vaccines against bovine tuberculosis
Authors: Hogarth P J , Hewinson R G , Vordermeier H M 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis remains an economically important problem in Great Britain with potential zoonotic consequences, and the incidence is rising exponentially. In 1997 an independent scientific review recommended that the best option for disease control in Great Britain was the development of a cattle vaccine. Bovine tuberculosis remains a significant problem in countries of the developing world. Indeed, more than 94% of the world's population live in countries in which the control of bovine tuberculosis in buffalos or cattle is limited or absent. Effective vaccination strategies would have a major impact in countries that cannot afford expensive test and slaughter-based control strategies. Here, we present a review of progress toward that goal, and discuss how this progress has shaped our research strategy for the development of a vaccine.
HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies elicited by the candidate CBD1 epitope vaccine react with the conserved caveolin-1 binding motif of viral glycoprotein gp41
Authors: Rey-Cuillé Marie-Anne , Svab Josette , Benferhat Rima , Krust Bernard , Briand Jean-Paul , Muller Sylviane , Hovanessian Ara G 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
To date, candidate HIV-1 vaccines that have been tested in clinical trials have failed to induce broadly neutralizing activities and/or antibodies that inhibit infection by primary isolates of HIV-1. We recently identified a conserved caveolin-1 binding motif, WNNMTWMQW, in the ectodomain of HIV-1 transmembrane envelope glycoprotein gp41. We designed the synthetic CBD1 peptide SLEQIWNNMTWMQWDK, corresponding to the consensus caveolin-1 binding domain (CBD) in gp41, and showed that it elicits in rabbits the production of antibodies that inhibit infection of primary CD4+ T lymphocytes by various primary HIV-1 isolates. Although a conserved and highly homologous caveolin-1 binding motif is present in the transmembrane envelope glycoprotein of different HIV-2 isolates, anti-CBD1 immune sera do not inhibit HIV-2 infection. Here we show that anti-CBD1 antibodies are directed against the conserved caveolin-1 binding motif WNNMTWMQW in the CBD1 epitope. In spite of this, anti-CBD1 antibodies do not react with the CBD2 peptide SLTPDWNNMTWQEWER, corresponding to the potential consensus caveolin-1 binding domain in HIV-2. The presence of a conserved proline residue upstream of the caveolin-1 binding motif in CBD2 might affect the presentation of this motif, and thus account for the lack of reactivity of the immune sera. Anti-CBD1 antibodies therefore appear to be directed against a conformational epitope mimicked by the synthetic CBD1 peptide. In accordance with this, anti-CBD1 immune sera react with the native but not denatured gp41. The reactivity of anti-CBD1 immune sera with a highly conserved conformational epitope could explain the broad inhibitory activity of such antipeptide antibodies against HIV-1 isolates of various clades.
Impact of formulation excipients on human intestinal transit
Authors: Schulze Julia D R , Ashiru Diane A I , Khela Mandeep K , Evans David F , Patel Rajesh , Parsons Gary E , Coffin Mark D , Basit Abdul W 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
The accelerating effect of polyethylene glycol 400 on small intestinal transit has been previously reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of other solubility-enhancing excipient, propylene glycol, D-α-tocopheryl-polyethylene glycol-1000 succinate (VitE-TPGS) and Capmul MCM, on human intestinal transit. A 5-g dose of each excipient was administered to seven healthy male subjects. Propylene glycol and VitE-TPGS were administered dissolved in 150 mL water. Capmul MCM was administered in the form of four 000 hard gelatin capsules to mask its taste and then given with 150 mL water. On a separate occasion, 150 mL water was administered as the control. Each formulation was radiolabelled with technetium-99 m to follow its transit using a gamma camera. The mean small intestinal transit times were 234, 207, 241 and 209 min for the control, propylene glycol, VitE-TPGS and Capmul MCM treatments, respectively. Although there were differences in the small intestinal transit times for the excipients investigated compared with the control, none of the results were statistically significant. Unlike polyethylene glycol 400 at the same dose of 5g, the excipients tested (propylene glycol, VitE-TPGS and Capmul MCM) had little or no impact on small intestinal transit.