bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Increase in Free Choice Oral Ethanol Self‐Administration in Catechol‐O‐Methyltransferase Gene‐Disrupted Male Mice
Authors: Tammimäki Anne , Forsberg Markus M. , Karayiorgou Maria , Gogos Joseph A. , Männistö Pekka T. 
Published: July 2008

Abstract: The effect of catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (Comt) gene disruption on the voluntary oral consumption of water, ethanol (2.5–20%, v/v) and cocaine (0.1–0.8 mg/ml) was studied in the free‐choice, two‐bottle paradigm in male and female mice. Solutions containing ethanol or cocaine, or tap water were availablead libitumfrom drinking burettes for 4 weeks. Catechol‐O‐methyltransferase‐deficient male mice consumed significantly more ethanol than their wild‐type male littermates. In contrast, female mice did not show genotype differences in the consumption of ethanol solutions. During the cocaine experiment, male mice developed either a side preference or an aversion that obscured cocaine consumption. This pattern of drinking was not dependent onComtgenotype. In female mice,Comtgenotype was not associated with cocaine consumption. In conclusion, disruption ofComtgene influenced ethanol consumption in a gender‐dependent manner in mice, supporting the hypothesis that low catechol‐O‐methyltransferase activity is one of the predisposing factors for high alcohol consumption in males.
Association of early annual peak influenza activity with El Niño southern oscillation in Japan
Authors: Zaraket Hassan , Saito Reiko , Tanabe Naohito , Taniguchi Kiyosu , Suzuki Hiroshi 
Published: July 2008

Background Seasonality characterizing influenza epidemics suggests susceptibility to climate variation. El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO), which involves two extreme events, El Niño and La Niña, is well‐known for its large effects on inter‐annual climate variability. The influence of ENSO on several diseases has been described.Objectives In this study, we attempt to analyze the possible influence of ENSO on the timing of the annual influenza activity peak using influenza‐like illness report data in Japan during 1983–2007.Materials Influenza surveillance data for 25 influenza epidemics, available under the National Epidemiological Surveillance of the Infectious Diseases, was used in this study. ENSO data were obtained from the Japan Meteorological Agency.Results Influenza‐like illness peak week varied largely during the study period, ranging between 4th and 11th weeks (middle of winter to early spring). The average of peak week during ENSO cycles (n = 11, average = 4·5 ± 0·9) was significantly earlier than in non‐ENSO years (n = 14, average = 7·6 ± 2·9;P = 0·01), but there was no significant difference in the peak timing between hot (El Niño) and cold (La Niña) phases. Earlier peaks of influenza activity were observed in 16, out of 25, epidemics. These coincided with 10 (90·9%) out of 11 ENSO and 6 (85·7%) out of seven large‐scale epidemics.Conclusion Influenza activity peak occurred earlier in years associated with ENSO and/or large scale epidemics.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the deep‐sea marine fish, the roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris)
Authors: KNUTSEN HALVOR , LE GOFF‐VITRY MARIE , FIANI DAVID , HOELZEL A. RUS 
Published: July 2008

AbstractWe developed polymerase chain reaction primers for eight dinucleotide microsatellite loci in the marine deep sea fish, roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris). All markers were obtained from a partial genomic DNA library, and characterized in 90 unrelated individuals from one putative population sampled on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. The number of alleles ranged from two to 61 with an average of 21 per locus. The observed heterozygosity levels ranged from 0.301 to 0.987 with an average of 0.672. Several of the markers amplified multiple alleles from either the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) or the deep‐sea fish roughhead grenadier (Macrourus berglax).
Image Navigation for the FY2 Geosynchronous Meteorological Satellite
Authors: Lu Feng , Zhang Xiaohu , Xu Jianmin 
Published: July 2008

Abstract
An automatic image navigation algorithm for Feng Yun 2 (FY2) spin-stabilized geosynchronous meteorological satellites was determined at the National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC) of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). This paper derives the parameters and coordinate systems used in FY2 image navigation, with an emphasis on attitude and misalignment parameters. The solution to the navigation model does not depend on any landmark matching.
The time series dataset of the satellite orientation with respect to the center line of the earth’s disk contains information on the two components of the attitude (orientation of the satellite spin axis) and the roll component of the misalignment. With this information, the two attitude components can be solved simultaneously, expressed as declination and right ascension (with diurnal variation in the fixed earth coordinate system) and the roll component of the misalignment (with no diurnal variation).
In each spin cycle, the satellite views the sun and earth. The position of the sun is detected and used to align earth observation pixels in the scan line together with an angle subtended at the satellite by the sun and earth (β). With satellite position and attitude known, the β angle can be calculated and predicted with sufficient accuracy. Next, the image is assembled. Prediction of the β angle takes an important role in the image formation process, as imperfect β angle prediction may cause east–west shift and image deformation. In the image registration process of FY2, both the east–west shift and the image deformation are compensated for.
The above-mentioned solution to the navigation model requires accurate knowledge of astronomical parameters and coordinate systems. The orbital, attitude, misalignment, and β angle parameters are produced automatically and routinely without any manual operation. Image navigation accuracy for the FY2 geosynchronous meteorological satellite approaches 5 km at the subsatellite point (SSP).
Comparison of Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter, 3DVAR, and 4DVAR in a Quasigeostrophic Model
Authors: Yang Shu-Chih , Corazza Matteo , Carrassi Alberto , Kalnay Eugenia , Miyoshi Takemasa 
Published: July 2008

Abstract
Local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) data assimilation, three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR), and four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4DVAR) schemes are implemented in a quasigeostrophic channel model. Their advantages and disadvantages are compared to assess their use in practical applications. LETKF and 4DVAR, which take into account the flow-dependent errors, outperform 3DVAR under a perfect model scenario. Given the same observations, LETKF produces more accurate analyses than 4DVAR with a 12-h window by effectively correcting the fast-growing errors with the flow-dependent background error covariance. Even though 4DVAR performance benefits substantially from using a longer assimilation window, LETKF is also able to achieve a satisfactory accuracy compared to the 24-h 4DVAR analyses. It is shown that the advantage of the LETKF over 3DVAR is a result of both the ensemble averaging and the information about the “errors of the day” provided by the ensemble. The analysis corrections at the end of the 12-h assimilation window are similar for LETKF and the 12-h window 4DVAR, and they both resemble bred vectors. At the beginning of the assimilation window, LETKF analysis corrections obtained using a no-cost smoother also resemble the corresponding bred vectors, whereas the 4DVAR corrections are significantly different with much larger horizontal scales.
D1 receptor antagonist-induced long-term depression in the medial prefrontal cortex of rat, in vivo: an animal model of psychiatric hypofrontality
Authors: Coppa-Hopman RD , Galle J , Pimkine D 
Published: July 2008

Abstract The objective of the following experiment was to induce a pathogenic hypofrontal condition by administering a dopamine-1 receptor (D1R) antagonist to rats. The pathophysiological effect of this manipulation upon glutamate-based long-term potentiation (LTP) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was examined in vivo. Subjects were surgically implanted with stimulating electrodes into the corpus callosum and recording electrodes into the mPFC. High-frequency stimulation (HFS) was combined with the administration of the selective D1R family agonist A68930 hydrochloride (0.4 mg/kg/mL) and the selective D1R family antagonist SKF 83566 (0.15 mg/kg/mL). The administration of SKF 83566 hydrobromide prevented mPFC LTP, and resulted in HFS-induced long-term depression. This indicates that D1R activation is necessary for the induction of mPFC glutamate-based LTP. This is supported by our finding that the administration of A68930 hydrochloride combined with HFS induced LTP comparable with saline control levels, suggesting that D1R activation is necessary for the induction of baseline levels of mPFC LTP. Given that the mPFC governs executive behaviours that are subserved by LTP, such as working memory, these findings are relevant for the study of psychopathological conditions in which hypodopaminergic conditions exist in the mPFC and are correlated with psychiatric symptomotology, such as drug addiction and schizophrenia.
Human pharmacology of intravenous lisdexamfetamine dimesylate: abuse liability in adult stimulant abusers
Authors: Jasinski DR , Krishnan S 
Published: July 2008

Abstract The objective of this study is to determine the safety, tolerability and abuse liability of single intravenous (i.v.) doses of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) and immediate-release d-amphetamine sulphate in adult stimulant abusers compared with placebo. Adult substance abusers were enrolled in this phase I, randomized, single-centre, double-blind study. An initial cohort of three subjects was enrolled to assess safety followed by a primary cohort that consisted of nine subjects. Single i.v. doses of LDX (25 or 50 mg), immediate-release d-amphetamine sulphate (10 or 20 mg) or placebo were administered at a minimum of 48-h intervals in a single-dose, three-way crossover design. 20 mg of d-amphetamine showed significantly increased abuse-related liking scores compared with placebo ( P < 0.05), whereas the liking effects of 50 mg LDX did not significantly differ from placebo. The mean Cmax of d-amphetamine was 38.9 ± 8.1 and 105 ± 91.4 ng/ml after the administration of 50 mg LDX and 20 mg d-amphetamine respectively. The mean Tmax of d-amphetamine was 2.51 h after the administration of 50 mg LDX and 0.82 h after the administration of 20 mg d-amphetamine. LDX was well tolerated in this population. In contrast to d-amphetamine, LDX administered intravenously did not produce significant subjective abuse-related liking scores at assessed doses.
Selective accumulation of virus-specific CD8+ T cells with unique homing phenotype within the human bone marrow
Authors: Palendira Umaimainthan , Chinn Rosanna , Raza Wajid , Piper Karen , Pratt Guy , Machado Lee , Bell Andrew , Khan Naeem , Hislop Andrew D. , Steyn Richard , Rickinson Alan B. , Buckley Christopher D. , Moss Paul 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe bone marrow plays a unique role within the immune system. We compared the phenotype and function of virus-specific CD8+ T cells from matched samples of human peripheral blood and bone marrow. Analysis of virus-specific memory CD8+ T cells showed widely divergent partition of antigen-specific populations between blood and bone marrow. T cells specific for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) lytic antigens were enriched 3-fold in marrow compared with blood, whereas the response to EBV latent epitopes was equivalent between the 2 compartments. No difference in EBV viral load or expression of the EBV lytic protein was observed between blood and bone marrow. In direct contrast, although cytomegalo-virus (CMV)–specific T cells were the largest virus-specific population within peripheral blood, they were reduced by 60% within marrow. Bone marrow T cells were found to exhibit a unique CCR5+CXCR6+CXCR3− homing phenotype which has not been observed on T cells from other secondary lymphoid organs or peripheral organs. Expression of CCR5 and CXCR6 was higher on EBV-specific T cells within peripheral blood compared with CMV-specific populations. These observations identify a novel bone marrow homing phenotype for CD8+ memory T cells, which necessitates a reevaluation of the magnitude of antigen-specific populations within the lymphoid system.
SpliceCenter: A suite of web-based bioinformatic applications for evaluating the impact of alternative splicing on RT-PCR, RNAi, microarray, and peptide-based studies
Authors: Ryan Michael C , Zeeberg Barry R , Caplen Natasha J , Cleland James A , Kahn Ari B , Liu Hongfang , Weinstein John N 
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Background
Over 60% of protein-coding genes in vertebrates express mRNAs that undergo alternative splicing. The resulting collection of transcript isoforms poses significant challenges for contemporary biological assays. For example, RT-PCR validation of gene expression microarray results may be unsuccessful if the two technologies target different splice variants. Effective use of sequence-based technologies requires knowledge of the specific splice variant(s) that are targeted. In addition, the critical roles of alternative splice forms in biological function and in disease suggest that assay results may be more informative if analyzed in the context of the targeted splice variant.

Results
A number of contemporary technologies are used for analyzing transcripts or proteins. To enable investigation of the impact of splice variation on the interpretation of data derived from those technologies, we have developed SpliceCenter. SpliceCenter is a suite of user-friendly, web-based applications that includes programs for analysis of RT-PCR primer/probe sets, effectors of RNAi, microarrays, and protein-targeting technologies. Both interactive and high-throughput implementations of the tools are provided. The interactive versions of SpliceCenter tools provide visualizations of a gene's alternative transcripts and probe target positions, enabling the user to identify which splice variants are or are not targeted. The high-throughput batch versions accept user query files and provide results in tabular form. When, for example, we used SpliceCenter's batch siRNA-Check to process the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project's large-scale shRNA library, we found that only 59% of the 50,766 shRNAs in the library target all known splice variants of the target gene, 32% target some but not all, and 9% do not target any currently annotated transcript.

Conclusion
SpliceCenter http://discover.nci.nih.gov/splicecenter provides unique, user-friendly applications for assessing the impact of transcript variation on the design and interpretation of RT-PCR, RNAi, gene expression microarrays, antibody-based detection, and mass spectrometry proteomics. The tools are intended for use by bench biologists as well as bioinformaticists.
Analysis of variants in DNA damage signalling genes in bladder cancer
Authors: Choudhury Ananya , Elliott Faye , Iles Mark M , Churchman Michael , Bristow Robert G , Bishop D Timothy , Kiltie Anne E 
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Background
Chemicals from occupational exposure and components of cigarette smoke can cause DNA damage in bladder urothelium. Failure to repair DNA damage by DNA repair proteins may result in mutations leading to genetic instability and the development of bladder cancer. Immunohistochemistry studies have shown DNA damage signal activation in precancerous bladder lesions which is lost on progression, suggesting that the damage signalling mechanism acts as a brake to further tumorigenesis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DSB signalling genes may alter protein function. We hypothesized that SNPs in DSB signalling genes may modulate predisposition to bladder cancer and influence the effects of environmental exposures.

Methods
We recruited 771 cases and 800 controls (573 hospital-based and 227 population-based from a previous case-control study) and interviewed them regarding their smoking habits and occupational history. DNA was extracted from a peripheral blood sample and genotyping of 24 SNPs in MRE11, NBS1, RAD50, H2AX and ATM was undertaken using an allelic discrimination method (Taqman).

Results
Smoking and occupational dye exposure were strongly associated with bladder cancer risk. Using logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, smoking and occupational dye exposure, there was a marginal increase in risk of bladder cancer for an MRE11 3'UTR SNP (rs2155209, adjusted odds ratio 1.54 95% CI (1.13–2.08, p = 0.01) for individuals homozygous for the rare allele compared to those carrying the common homozygous or heterozygous genotype). However, in the hospital-based controls, the genotype distribution for this SNP deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. None of the other SNPs showed an association with bladder cancer and we did not find any significant interaction between any of these polymorphisms and exposure to smoking or dye exposure.

Conclusion
Apart from a possible effect for one MRE11 3'UTR SNP, our study does not support the hypothesis that SNPs in DSB signaling genes modulate predisposition to bladder cancer.
Rift Valley fever virus structural proteins: expression, characterization and assembly of recombinant proteins
Authors: Liu Li , Celma Cristina CP , Roy Polly 
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Background
Studies on Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) infection process and morphogenesis have been hampered due to the biosafety conditions required to handle this virus, making alternative systems such as recombinant virus-like particles, that may facilitate understanding of these processes are highly desirable. In this report we present the expression and characterization of RVFV structural proteins N, Gn and Gc and demonstrate the efficient generation of RVFV virus-like particles (VLPs) using a baculovirus expression system.

Results
A recombinant baculovirus, expressing nucleocapsid (N) protein of RVFV at high level under the control of the polyhedrin promoter was generated. Gel filtration analysis indicated that expressed N protein could form complex multimers. Further, N protein complex when visualized by electron microscopy (EM) exhibited particulate, nucleocapsid like-particles (NLPs). Subsequently, a single recombinant virus was generated that expressed the RVFV glycoproteins (Gn/Gc) together with the N protein using a dual baculovirus vector. Both the Gn and Gc glycoproteins were detected not only in the cytoplasm but also on the cell surface of infected cells. Moreover, expression of the Gn/Gc in insect cells was able to induce cell-cell fusion after a low pH shift indicating the retention of their functional characteristics. In addition, assembly of these three structural proteins into VLPs was identified by purification of cells' supernatant through potassium tartrate-glycerol gradient centrifugation followed by EM analysis. The purified particles exhibited enveloped structures that were similar to the structures of the wild-type RVFV virion particle. In parallel, a second recombinant virus was constructed that expressed only Gc protein together with N protein. This dual recombinant virus also generated VLPs with clear spiky structures, but appeared to be more pleomorphic than the VLPs with both glycoproteins, suggesting that Gc and probably also Gn interacts with N protein complex independent of each other.

Conclusion
Our results suggest that baculovirus expression system has enormous potential to produce large amount of VLPs that may be used both for fundamental and applied research of RVFV.
Womb Mates: A Modern Guide to Fertility and TwinningGary Steinman and Christina Verni. New York: Baffin Books Publishing, 124pp. US$19.95, ISBN 978 0 9665 1051 5
Authors: Lambalk Nils 
Published: July 2008

AbstractWomb Matesis dedicated to the ever-intriguing phenomenon of twinning. The book is intended for a general audience, in particular for those who are parents-to-be, pregnant couples and families with multiples.
Rigid occipitocervical fusion
Authors: Vale Fernando L. , Oliver Mark , Cahill David W. 
Published: July 2008

For more than 50 years occipitocervical fusion has been performed for the management of craniocervical instability. Despite advances in technology, craniocervical fixation continues to be a technical challenge to the spine surgeon. The complex anatomy of the region and the frequent need for anterior and/or posterior decompressive procedures represent a mechanical disadvantage and are associated with a high failure rate. Numerous methods for spinal fixation have been developed, but none has gained widespread popularity. The use of plates and screws to obtain rigid fixation of the craniocervical junction is desirable because it allows correction of deformity, provides immediate stability, and precludes cranial settling. The technique is demanding and sometimes fraught with complications. Since 1992, the senior author (D.W.C.) has used a rigid plating technique to treat patients with craniocervical instability. This procedure proved more difficult than expected, and the operative procedure has evolved as experience has been gained.
The authors present a series of 24 patients and describe a technique that, in their experience, decreased the complication rate and improved the fusion rate. The technique involves a custom-designed "T-plate" that is attached to the midline occipital bone and to the cervical spine with lateral mass plates.
Adhesions of small intestine and urinary bladder to fracture callus within the pelvic canal in two dogs
Authors: Yudelevitch S. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryIn this case report, we report on two cases of pelvic fractures with uncommon complications that resulted from adhesions of the small intestine to the fracture callus in dogs. The most likely cause of the clinical signs in the first case was adhesions between a segment of the jejunum and a coccygeal callus which resulted in luminal narrowing. This was further complicated by small obstructing trichobezoars. In case 2, which was admitted with incontinence, adhesions were found between fractured pubic bone callus and both the urinary bladder and a segment of the jejunum.