bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Significance of lateral biopsy specimens during transrectal ultrasound‐guided prostate biopsies in Japanese men
Authors: Shigemura Katsumi , Arakawa Soichi , Yamanaka Kunito , Kataoka Nobuo , Yuien Keiji , Fujisawa Masato 
Published: August 2007

Objectives:  Lateral biopsies are thought to have a better cancer detection rate compared with standard sextant biopsies. This study aimed to determine whether lateral peripheral zone biopsies in Japanese men who underwent transrectal ultrasound‐guided prostate biopsies provided a significantly higher cancer detection rate than sextant biopsies.Methods:  Between 1999 and 2004, data were collected from 461 men who underwent prostate biopsy and had enough data regarding the performance of lateral biopsies for statistical analysis. There were two categories in this study: (i) patients who underwent sextant prostate biopsies; and (ii) patients who underwent sextant biopsies plus lateral biopsies.Results:  Prostate cancer was detected in 141 (30.6%) of 461 patients. It was detected in 24 (22.2%) of 108 patients who underwent sextant biopsies and 117 (33.1%) of 353 patients who underwent sextant plus lateral biopsies. Lateral biopsies were not associated with a statistically higher rate of positive biopsy findings; however, we found a significantly higher ratio of patients with positive findings in those with prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels ≤10 ng/mL (10 of 40, 25%) than in those with PSA levels >10 ng/mL (one of 71, 1.4%) among those who had positive cores only in lateral biopsy samples (P < 0.0001).Conclusions:  Lateral biopsies did not show a significantly higher detection ratio of prostate cancer compared to sextant biopsies. However, lateral biopsies were more effective than sextant biopsies in patients with lower PSA levels. Our findings might be useful for the establishment of biopsy strategies to detect prostate cancer, especially in patients with lower PSA levels.
Regulation of the norepinephrine transporter by α‐synuclein‐mediated interactions with microtubules
Authors: Jeannotte Alexis M. , Sidhu Anita 
Published: August 2007

Abstractα‐Synuclein (α‐Syn) regulates catecholaminergic neurotransmission. We demonstrate that α‐Syn regulates the activity and surface expression of the norepinephrine transporter (NET), depending on its expression levels. In cells co‐transfected with NET and low amounts of α‐Syn, NET activity and cell surface expression were increased and protein interactions with α‐Syn decreased, compared with cells transfected with NET alone. Converse effects were observed at higher levels of α‐Syn expression. Treatment with nocodazole and other microtubule (MT) destabilizers abolished the expression‐dependent bimodal regulation of NET by α‐Syn. At low α‐Syn levels, nocodazole had no effect on NET surface expression or protein interactions, while inducing increases in these measures at higher levels. Cells that were transfected with NET alone displayed no sensitivity to nocodazole, indicating that α‐Syn expression was necessary for the MT‐dependent changes in NET activity. MT destabilizers also caused a significant increase in [3H]‐NE uptake in brainstem primary neurons and synaptosomes from the frontal cortex, but not striatal synaptosomes. These findings suggest that the surface localization and activity of NET is modulated by α‐Syn in a manner that is both dependent on interactions with the MT cytoskeleton and varies across brain regions.
Tripchlorolide protects against MPTP‐induced neurotoxicity in C57BL/6 mice
Authors: Hong Zhen , Wang Gang , Gu Jing , Pan Jing , Bai Li , Zhang Shi , Chen Sheng‐Di 
Published: August 2007

AbstractMany current studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) suggest that inflammation is involved in the neurodegenerative process. Tripchlorolide (TW397), a traditional Chinese herbal compound with anti‐inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties, has been shown to protect dopaminergic neurons against, and restore their function after, the neurotoxicity induced by 1‐methyl‐4‐phenylpyridinium ions in vitro. This study was designed to investigate the effect of TW397 in vivo in the PD model of 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)‐lesioned C57BL/6 mice. In the animals that received vehicle‐only (i.e., no TW397) treatment with MPTP i.p. injection, the survival ratios of tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunoreactive (TH‐IR) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and TH‐IR fibres in the striatum were only 59 and 13%, respectively, compared with the normal controls. Intriguingly, in conjunction with MPTP, treatment with TW397, 1 µg/kg for 16 days, once per day, dramatically improved the survival rate of the TH‐IR neurons and TH‐IR fibres to 80 and 43% of the control. The treatment with TW397 also significantly improved the level of dopamine in the substantia nigra and striatum to 157 and 191%, respectively, of the MPTP‐ plus vehicle‐treated group. In addition, in MPTP‐treated animals the rota‐rod performances of those treated with 0.5 or 1 µg/kg TW397 were significantly improved, by ∼2‐ and 3‐fold, respectively, relative to vehicle‐treated animals. The neuroprotective effect of TW397 was coincident with an attenuated astroglial response within the striatum. These data demonstrate a neuroprotective action of TW397 in vivo against MPTP toxicity, with important implications for the treatment of PD.
Facilitation can increase the phylogenetic diversity of plant communities
Authors: Valiente‐Banuet Alfonso , Verdú Miguel 
Published: August 2007

AbstractWith the advent of molecular phylogenies the assessment of community assembly processes has become a central topic in community ecology. These processes have focused almost exclusively on habitat filtering and competitive exclusion. Recent evidence, however, indicates that facilitation has been important in preserving biodiversity over evolutionary time, with recent lineages conserving the regeneration niches of older, distant lineages. Here we test whether, if facilitation among distant‐related species has preserved the regeneration niche of plant lineages, this has increased the phylogenetic diversity of communities. By analyzing a large worldwide database of species, we showed that the regeneration niches were strongly conserved across evolutionary history. Likewise, a phylogenetic supertree of all species of three communities driven by facilitation showed that nurse species facilitated distantly related species and increased phylogenetic diversity.
Aerobic uranium (VI) bioprecipitation by metal‐resistant bacteria isolated from radionuclide‐ and metal‐contaminated subsurface soils
Authors: Martinez Robert J. , Beazley Melanie J. , Taillefert Martial , Arakaki Adrian K. , Skolnick Jeffrey , Sobecky Patricia A. 
Published: August 2007

SummaryIn this study, the immobilization of toxic uranium [U(VI)] mediated by the intrinsic phosphatase activities of naturally occurring bacteria isolated from contaminated subsurface soils was examined. The phosphatase phenotypes of strains belonging to the genera, Arthrobacter, Bacillus and Rahnella, previously isolated from subsurface soils at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge Field Research Center (ORFRC), were determined. The ORFRC represents a unique, extreme environment consisting of highly acidic soils with co‐occurring heavy metals, radionuclides and high nitrate concentrations. Isolates exhibiting phosphatase‐positive phenotypes indicative of constitutive phosphatase activity were subsequently tested in U(VI) bioprecipitation assays. When aerobically grown in synthetic groundwater (pH 5.5) amended with 10 mM glycerol‐3‐phosphate (G3P), phosphatase‐positive Bacillus and Rahnella spp. strains Y9‐2 and Y9602 liberated sufficient phosphate to precipitate 73% and 95% of total soluble U added as 200 μM uranyl acetate respectively. In contrast, an Arthrobacter sp. X34 exhibiting a phosphatase‐negative phenotype did not liberate phosphate from G3P or promote U(VI) precipitation. This study provides the first evidence of U(VI) precipitation via the phosphatase activity of naturally occurring Bacillus and Rahnella spp. isolated from the acidic subsurface at the DOE ORFRC.
Beneficial effects of suplatast tosilate (IPD‐1151T) in a rat cystitis model induced by intravesical hydrochloric acid
Authors: Kirimoto Tsukasa , Nakano Koushi , Irimura Kenji , Hayashi Yukio , Matsuura Naosuke , Kiniwa Mamoru , Oka Toshinori , Yoshimura Naoki 
Published: August 2007

OBJECTIVETo examine the effects of suplatast tosilate (IPD‐1151T), a Th2 cytokine inhibitor recently recognized to improve the symptoms in patients with interstitial cystitis (IC), in a rat model of HCl‐induced chronic cystitis, to elucidate the possible mechanisms by which the drug improves the symptoms of IC.MATERIALS AND METHODSChronic cystitis was induced by intravesical instillation of 0.2 mL of 0.4 m HCl in female adult rats. After a once‐daily oral administration of IPD‐1151T (0.1–100 mg/kg) or prednisolone (5 mg/kg) for 7 days, cystometry was performed under urethane anaesthesia. The bladder from HCl‐induced cystitis rats was also assessed histopathologically.RESULTSOn cystometrography there was frequent voiding in cystitis rats. Administration of IPD‐1151T for 7 days after intravesical HCl instillation dose‐dependently increased the micturition volume and intercontraction intervals. Treatment with prednisolone had similar therapeutic effects. Histological analyses in the bladder from cystitis rats revealed oedema and infiltration of inflammatory cells such as mast cells and eosinophils in the lamina propria and the transitional epithelial thickening. These histological changes and the number of mast cells and eosinophils were reduced by administration of IPD‐1151T or prednisolone.CONCLUSIONThe present results indicate that IPD‐1151T improves bladder function and pathological changes in HCl‐induced cystitis rats, as previously observed in patients with IC. The rat cystitis model induced by HCl could provide useful information for studying proposed therapies for IC which might involve T cell‐dependent inflammatory responses as one of its potential pathophysiologies.
Environmental data sets matter in ecological niche modelling: an example with Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis richteri
Authors: Peterson A. T. , Nakazawa Y. 
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACTAim  In response to a recent paper suggesting the failure of ecological niche models to predict between native and introduced distributional areas of fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), we sought to assess methodological causes of this failure.Location  Ecological niche models were developed on the species’ native distributional area in South America, and projected globally.Methods  We developed ecological niche models based on six different environmental data sets, and compared their respective abilities to anticipate the North American invasive distributional area of the species.Results  We show that models based on the ‘bioclimatic variables’ of the WorldClim data set indeed fail to predict the full invasive potential of the species, but that models based on four other data sets could predict this potential correctly.Main conclusions  The difference in predictive abilities appears to centre on the complexity of the environmental variables involved. These results emphasize important influences of environmental data sets on the generality and ability of ecological niche models to anticipate novel phenomena, and offer a simpler explanation for the lack of predictive ability among native and invaded distributional areas than that of niche shifts.
Macroecology and extinction risk correlates of frogs
Authors: Cooper Natalie , Bielby Jon , Thomas Gavin H. , Purvis Andy 
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACTAim Our aim was to test whether extinction risk of frog species could be predicted from their body size, fecundity or geographical range size. Because small geographical range size is a correlate of extinction risk in many taxa, we also tested hypotheses about correlates of range size in frogs.Location Global.Methods Using a large comparative data set (n = 527 species) compiled from the literature, we performed bivariate and multiple regressions through the origin of independent contrasts to test proposed macroecological patterns and correlates of extinction risk in frogs. We also created minimum adequate models to predict snout–vent length, clutch size, geographical range size and IUCN Red List status in frogs. Parallel non‐phylogenetic analyses were also conducted. We verified the results of the phylogenetic analyses using gridded data accounting for spatial autocorrelation.Results The most threatened frog species tend to have small geographical ranges, although the relationship between range and extinction risk is not linear. In addition, tropical frogs with small clutches have the smallest ranges. Clutch size was strongly positively correlated with geographical range size (r2 = 0.22) and body size (r2 = 0.28).Main conclusions Our results suggest that body size and fecundity only affect extinction risk indirectly through their effect on geographical range size. Thus, although large frogs with small clutches tend to be endangered, there is no comparative evidence that this relationship is direct. If correct, this inference has consequences for conservation strategy: it would be inefficient to allocate conservation resources on the basis of low fecundity or large body size; instead it would be better to protect areas that contain many frog species with small geographical ranges.
Trend Estimation in Extremes of Synthetic North Sea Surges
Authors: Butler Adam , Heffernan Janet E. , Tawn Jonathan A. , Flather Roger A. 
Published: August 2007

SummaryMechanistic models for complex atmospheric and hydrological processes are often used to simulate extreme natural events, usually to quantify the risks that are associated with these events. We use novel extreme value methods to analyse the statistical properties of output from a numerical storm surge model for the North Sea. The ‘model data’ constitute a reconstruction of the storm surge climate for the period 1955–2000 based on a high quality meteorological data set and constitute the only available source of information on surge elevations at offshore and unmonitored coastal locations over this period. Previous studies have used extreme value methods to analyse storm surge characteristics, but we can extend and improve on these analyses by using a local likelihood approach to provide a non-parametric description of temporal and spatial variations in the magnitude and frequency of storm surge events.
Non-Parametric Estimation of Population Size from Capture–Recapture Data When the Capture Probability Depends on a Covariate
Authors: Huggins Richard , Hwang Wen-Han 
Published: August 2007

Summary
In capture–recapture experiments the capture probabilities may depend on individual covariates such as an individual's weight or age. Typically this dependence is modelled through simple parametric functions of the covariates. Here we first demonstrate that misspecification of the model can produce biased estimates and subsequently develop a non-parametric procedure to estimate the functional relationship between the probability of capture and a single covariate. This estimator is then incorporated in a Horvitz–Thompson estimator to estimate the size of the population. The resulting estimators are evaluated in a simulation study and applied to a data set on captures of the Mountain Pygmy Possum.
A Three-Dimensional Object Point Process for Detection of Cosmic Filaments
Authors: Stoica Radu S. , Martínez Vicent J. , Saar Enn 
Published: August 2007

Summary
We propose to apply an object point process to delineate filaments of the large scale structure in red shift catalogues automatically. We illustrate the feasibility of the idea on an example of the recent 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey, describe the procedure and characterize the results.
Do We Know How Happy We Are? On Some Limits of Affective Introspection and Recall
Authors: Haybron Daniel M. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThis paper aims to show that widespread, serious errors in the self‐assessment of affect are a genuine possibility—one worth taking very seriously. For we are subject to a variety of errors concerning the character of our present and past affective states, or “affective ignorance.” For example, some affects, particularly moods, can greatly affect the quality of our experience even when we are unable to discern them. I note several implications of these arguments. First, we may be less competent pursuers of happiness than is commonly believed, raising difficult questions for political thought. Second, some of the errors discussed ramify for our understanding of consciousness, including Ned Block's controversial distinction between access consciousness and phenomenal consciousness. Third, empirical results based on self‐reports about affect may be systematically misleading in certain ways.
Against Propositionalism
Authors: Montague Michelle 
Published: August 2007

Abstract‘Propositionalism’ is the widely held view that all intentional mental relations—all intentional attitudes—are relations to propositions or something proposition‐like. Paradigmatically, to think about the mountain is ipso facto to think that it is F, for some predicate ‘F’. It seems, however, many intentional attitudes are not relations to propositions at all: Mary contemplates Jonah, adores New York, misses Athens, mourns her brother. I argue, following Brentano, Husserl, Church and Montague among others, that the way things seem is the way they are, and that propositionalism must be abandoned.
Dry skin in dermatology: a complex physiopathology
Authors: Pons‐Guiraud A 
Published: August 2007

AbstractDry skin (xerosis) is a common dermatosis affecting people of varying skin types and ages and various areas of the body. It is associated with both skin thickening and skin thinning and is triggered by both exogenous (e.g. climate, environment, lifestyle) and endogenous (e.g. medication, hormone fluctuations, organ diseases) factors.Skin requires a water content of 10–15% to remain supple and intact. This water is either ‘static’ (i.e. bound) or ‘dynamic’. The predominance of hydrophobic substances in intercellular constituents is a means of regulating the humidity of the skin. Emollients, highly effective treatment adjuncts in the management of all dry skin disorders, help to restore damaged intercorneocyte lipid structures and increase the water content of the skin, helping to reduce scaling and improving its barrier function.
Evaluation of the effect of Dardia® Lipo Line on skin inflammation induced by surfactants using the repeated open‐application test
Authors: Ortonne J‐P , Queille‐Roussel C 
Published: August 2007

AbstractBackground  Medical skin care products are topical preparations with mainly moisturizing properties. A new line of medical skin products with an excellent tolerability profile and improved hydration for dry skin has been developed, but beneficial effects have not yet been investigated on damaged skin.Aim  To investigate if these products maintain barrier function and hydration status, improve subjective symptoms due to irritant contact dermatitis and to prove their tolerability on damaged skin.Design and methods  Single‐centre, blinded, randomized, controlled study in 20 healthy Caucasian women. 5% sodium lauryl sulphate solution was used to induce skin irritation. Two sites on the inside surface of both forearms of each subject were treated daily for 5 days (irritation period). Lipo Cream, Lipo Milk (water‐in‐oil emulsions) and Lipo Ointment (water‐free formulation) were applied twice daily to three of the four test sites on days 1–5. The fourth site was used as a control. Visual readings, subjective symptom assessments, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and colorimetric measurements, corneometry and skin microrelief macrophotographies were done on days 1–6.Results  On day 6, TEWL was increased vs baseline on all sites; however, TEWL with Lipo Cream or Lipo Ointment was significantly lower than control. At day 6, skin capacitance was 94%, 100% and 85% of baseline value for the cream, milk and ointment, respectively, versus 72% for control. All test products were well tolerated.Conclusions  Lipo Line products showed both protective properties against epidermal dysfunction and significant hydrating effect.
Cognitive‐Behavioural Therapy for Command Hallucinations and Intellectual Disability: A Case Study
Authors: Barrowcliff Alastair L. 
Published: August 2007

Background  There is a paucity of literature detailing cognitive‐behavioural therapy (CBT) for psychosis in people with intellectual disability. Of the available literature, only two case studies involve people with command hallucinations and these do not address specific issues of intervention indicated in the wider literature for this type of presentation.Methods  The present paper reports a case study documenting the successful application of CBT targeting the treatment of command hallucinations for mild intellectual disability.Results  A range of measures (including positive and negative syndrome scale, beliefs about voices questionnaire and psychotic symptom rating scale for auditory hallucinations) collected at pre‐ and post‐intervention indicates successful reduction in positive symptoms, with 3‐ and 6‐month follow‐up data indicating maintenance of improvements. Critically, positive clinical changes in core beliefs regarding the power of the hallucinatory voice are also observed.Conclusions  Cognitive‐behavioural therapy for command hallucinations can be successfully adapted and applied to people with a mild disability.
Black holes, uncanny spaces and radical shifts in awareness
Authors: Hinton Ladson 
Published: August 2007

Abstract: The ‘black hole’ is a signifier that pervades contemporary experience, conveying the ‘gaps’ and ‘voids’ in Western culture and psyche. Depth psychology stemmed from the growing uncanniness of city and psychic spaces during the 19thcentury. There was an emerging fascination with the ‘dark Thing’—the ‘It’ of many names.Like a pandemic, depictions of the ‘black hole’ experience have continually emerged in the tragic events and cultural malaise of the twentieth and twenty‐first centuries. Art, philosophy, science, psychoanalysis, literature, and cultural studies have variously articulated this frighteningly potent, yet endlessly elusive signifier. A many‐sided, dialogical process best provides acquaintance with such a complex phenomenon. Multiple examples and perspectives, as well a detailed case study, will delineate some of its dimensions. They will show that such ‘black hole’ encounters are not merely negative, but are often the enigmatic source of new awareness and creation.