bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Organic dust exposure increases mast cell tryptase in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and airway epithelium of heaves horses
Authors: Dacre K. J. , McGorum B. C. , Marlin D. J. , Bartner L. R. , Brown J. K. , Shaw D. J. , Robinson N. E. , Deaton C. , Pemberton A. D. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryBackground
Mast cell degranulation is believed to act as a key event in initiating and maintaining airway response to allergen challenge in human asthma. It is hypothesized that the mast cell may play a similar role in equine heaves, which shares many similarities with occupational dust‐induced asthma.Objective
The aim of this study was to quantify the mast cell proteinase tryptase in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from control and heaves‐susceptible horses and to investigate tryptase mRNA and protein expression in pulmonary mast cells.Methods
Equine BALF tryptase concentrations were determined by ELISA from control and heaves‐susceptible horses pre and post 24 h hay/straw challenge (HSC). Tryptase mRNA and protein expression were investigated by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry in bronchial and bronchiolar tissue samples of control and heaves‐susceptible horses.Results
Both control and heaves‐susceptible horses had significantly increased BALF tryptase concentrations following HSC (P=0.003 and 0.034, respectively). Increased numbers of tryptase‐expressing intra‐epithelial mast cells were demonstrated in heaves horses, but not controls, following challenge (P=0.02). Bronchiolar tissue from heaves horses removed from challenge contained significantly lower tryptase transcripts than that from control horses (P=0.02).Conclusion
Mast cell degranulation and tryptase release into the airways occur following HSC of control and heaves‐susceptible horses. The greater number of mast cells available in the bronchiolar epithelium of heaves horses may be clinically significant in the pulmonary inflammatory response of heaves.
CD69 on CD56+ NK cells and response to chemoimmunotherapy in metastatic melanoma
Authors: Konjević G. , Jović V. , Vuletić A. , Radulović S. , Jelić S. , Spužić I. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractBackground  The few chemoimmunotherapy trials that together with dacarbazine (DTIC) and interferon‐α 2a (IFNα), include retinoic acid (RA), did not include detailed immunological evaluation of functional and phenotypic natural killer (NK) cell characteristics, and have shown contradictory clinical results.Materials and methods  Malignant melanoma (MM) patients undergoing phase II‐randomized chemoimmunotherapy trials were treated with DTIC, IFNα (Hoffmann‐La Roche) (group A, n = 31), and with DTIC, IFNα and 13‐cis‐RA (Isotretinoin, Hoffmann‐La Roche, Basel, Switzerland) (group B, n = 29). Patients and 42 healthy controls were evaluated by FACS flow analyses for CD3/CD56/CD69 positive cells, NK cytotoxicity in fresh peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and for interferon regulatory factor‐1 mRNA expression by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in treated PBL.Results  The addition of RA to a DTIC‐IFN regime did not bring any therapeutical benefit in terms of response or survival. Immunological follow‐up on days 1, 6 and 27 of each therapy cycle shows a significant increase in NK cell activity in both groups, only on day 6 of the first cycle, while CD69+CD56+ expression increased significantly on day 6 of each therapy cycle, in both groups. Evaluation of the dynamics of expression of IRF‐1 of in vitro treated PBL, shows its strong and prompt up‐regulation by IFNα and synergistic effect of IFNα and RA combination.Conclusion  The dynamics of the increase in CD69 early activation antigen expression on CD56+ NK cells is systematic and serial with the increase being significantly higher on day six of the first cycle in group B patients with clinical response, compared to those without, indicating possible predictive value of CD69 expression for clinical response to chemoimmunotherapy.
Effect of parental hypertension and/or parental diabetes on hypertension in Taiwanese diabetic patients
Authors: Tseng C. H. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractBackground  Both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension aggregate in families. It is a common thought that diabetic patients with parental diabetes and/or parental hypertension are more likely to develop hypertension. This study evaluated the separate and joint effects of parental hypertension and parental diabetes on the prevalence of hypertension in patients with T2DM.Materials and methods  A total of 89 956 patients from a national cohort were interviewed by telephone. Information about age, sex, onset age of diabetes, body height, body weight, systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), smoking, hypertension, and paternal and maternal history of diabetes and hypertension were obtained. Hypertension was defined in two ways: (1) a positive history; or (2) a positive history or a reported SBP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg in patients without a hypertension history.Results  While analysed separately in logistic models, both parental diabetes and parental hypertension were positively associated with hypertension. However, when both were analysed together, only parental hypertension was positively associated with hypertension, with paternal and maternal hypertension exerting a similar effect of an approximately 2·5‐fold higher risk. While considering the effect of parental hypertension, both paternal and maternal diabetes was significantly associated with a lower risk of hypertension with odds ratios of approximately 0·8. Parental hypertension was also significantly associated with increased SBP and DBP; and parental diabetes with lower values in multiple linear regression.Conclusions  Parental hypertension is strongly associated with hypertension. However, parental diabetes may be protective if the effect of parental hypertension is considered.
Linking the occurrence of brook trout with isolation and extinction in small Boreal Shield lakes
Authors: BERTOLO ANDREA , MAGNAN PIERRE , PLANTE MICHEL 
Published: October 2007

Summary1. We surveyed 62 Canadian Shield lakes (<50 ha) to determine the relationship between factors related to isolation and extinction and the occurrence of brook trout (BT) (Salvelinus fontinalis), for which local extinctions have been documented over the last century in half of the lakes.2. Logistic regression and information–theoretic model selection were used to determine the importance for the occupancy of BT of (i) isolation factors (degree of lake connectivity and the proximity of source populations of BT in neighbouring bodies of water) and (ii) extinction factors (lake morphometry and trophic status, as proxies of the risk of lake anoxia; predation and competition; and flooding caused by beaver (Castor canadensis) dams, which could potentially increase the risk of anoxia).3. Isolation factors were the best predictors of the absence of BT in these lakes. Among extinction factors, only the impact of beaver dams (as measured by an index of increased water level and mortality of shrubs and trees in the littoral zone) improved model fits. Beaver dams were present at the outlets of all study lakes, but extensive mortality of riparian trees and shrubs was more common in lakes where BT populations were extinct.4. Taken together, these results suggest that recolonization is a major factor determining the occurrence of BT while flooding caused by beaver dams might contribute to BT extinction by increasing the likelihood of winterkill in these small lakes.
Effect of activated antigen‐specific B cells on ES‐62‐mediated modulation of effector function of heterologous antigen‐specific T cells in vivo
Authors: Marshall Fraser A. , Watson Katherine A. , Garside Paul , Harnett Margaret M. , Harnett William 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThere is currently great interest in the idea of using helminth‐derived molecules for therapeutic purposes and indeed we have shown that ES‐62, a filarial nematode‐derived phosphorylcholine‐containing glycoprotein, significantly reduces the severity of arthritis in a murine model. Clearly, knowledge of mechanism of action is important when considering molecules for use in treating disease and although much is known regarding how ES‐62 interacts with the immune system, gaps in our understanding remain. A feature of filarial nematode infection is a defective, T helper 2 (Th2)‐polarized antigen‐specific T‐cell response and in relation to this we have recently shown that ES‐62 inhibits clonal expansion and modulates effector function towards a Th2 phenotype, of antigen‐specific T cells in vivo. ES‐62 is also known to directly modulate B‐cell behaviour and hence to determine whether it was mediating these effects on T cells by disrupting B–T‐cell co‐operation, we have investigated antigen‐specific responses using an adoptive transfer system in which traceable numbers of tg ovalbumin (OVA)‐specific T cells and hen egg lysozyme (HEL)‐specific B cells respond to a chemically coupled form of OVA–HEL that contains linked epitopes that promote cognate T‐ and B‐cell interactions. Surprisingly, these studies indicate that activated B cells restore T‐cell expansion and prevent Th2‐like polarization. However, ES‐62‐treated double cell transfer mice demonstrate a more generalized immunosuppression with reduced levels of Th1 and ‐2 type cytokines and antibody subclasses. Collectively, these results suggest that whilst ES‐62 can target B–T‐cell co‐operation, this does not promote polarizing of T‐cell responses towards a Th2‐type phenotype.
Histological, ultrastructural and quantitative investigations on the response of healthy human pulps to experimental capping with mineral trioxide aggregate: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Nair P. N. R. , Duncan H. F. , Pitt Ford T. R. , Luder H. U. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAim  To investigate the pulpal response to direct pulp capping in healthy human teeth with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) as against calcium hydroxide cement (Dycal®) as control.Methodology  Twenty healthy human third molars had iatrogenic pulpotomy and direct pulp capping with MTA. Another 13 teeth were capped with Dycal® as controls. The teeth were restored, with IRM®, clinically reviewed and extracted after a number of pre‐determined intervals (1 week, 1 month and 3 months). The specimens were fixed, decalcified, subdivided axially into two halves in the oro‐buccal (lingual–buccal) plane, embedded in plastic, serial sectioned and evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by correlative light and transmission electron microscopy with appropriate statistical evaluation of the quantitative data.Results  Iatrogenic pulpal wounds treated with MTA were mostly free from inflammation after 1 week and became covered with a compact, hard tissue barrier of steadily increasing length and thickness within 3 months following capping. Control teeth treated with Dycal® revealed distinctly less consistent formation of a hard tissue barrier that had numerous tunnel defects. The presence of pulpal inflammation up to the longest observation period (3 months) after capping, was a common feature in Dycal® specimens.Conclusions  The MTA was clinically easier to use as a direct pulp–capping agent and resulted in less pulpal inflammation and more predictable hard tissue barrier formation than Dycal®. Therefore, MTA or equivalent products should be the material of choice for direct pulp capping procedures instead of hard setting calcium hydroxide cements.
Detecting the influence of climatic variables on species distributions: a test using GIS niche‐based models along a steep longitudinal environmental gradient
Authors: Costa Gabriel C. , Wolfe Christina , Shepard Donald B. , Caldwell Janalee P. , Vitt Laurie J. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAim  To investigate the influence of climate variables in shaping species distributions across a steep longitudinal environmental gradient.Location  The state of Oklahoma, south‐central United States.Methods  We used Geographical Information Systems (GIS) niche‐based models to predict the geographic distributions of six pairs of closely related amphibian and reptile species across a steep longitudinal environmental gradient. We compared results from modelling with actual distributions to determine whether species distributions were primarily limited by environmental factors, and to assess the potential roles of competition and historical factors in influencing distributions.Results  For all species pairs, GIS models predicted an overlap zone in which both species should occur, although in reality in some cases this area was occupied by only one of the species. We found that environmental factors clearly influence the distributions of most species pairs. We also found evidence suggesting that competition and evolutionary history play a role in determining the distributions of some species pairs.Main conclusions  Niche‐based GIS modelling is a useful tool for investigating species distribution patterns and the factors affecting them. Our results showed that environmental factors strongly influenced species distributions, and that competition and historical factors may also be involved in some cases. Furthermore, results suggested additional lines of research, such as ecological comparisons among populations occurring inside and outside predicted overlap zones, which may provide more direct insight into the roles of competitive interactions and historical factors in shaping species distributions.
A study of the human hair structure with a Zernike phase contrast X‐ray microscope
Authors: YOUN HWA SHIK , SHIN TAE JOO 
Published: October 2007

SummaryWe have observed the internal structure of human hair shafts with a transmission Zernike phase contrast hard X‐ray microscope. Due to the high spatial resolution and the high contrast of the microscope, we could image scales, macrofibrils, medulla and melanin without staining. The structure of a black hair shaft is compared with that of a white one.
Noise‐induced systematic errors in ratio imaging: serious artefacts and correction with multi‐resolution denoising
Authors: WANG YU‐LI 
Published: October 2007

SummaryRatio imaging is playing an increasingly important role in modern cell biology. Combined with ratiometric dyes or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensors, the approach allows the detection of conformational changes and molecular interactions in living cells. However, the approach is conducted increasingly under limited signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), where noise from multiple images can easily accumulate and lead to substantial uncertainty in ratio values. This study demonstrates that a far more serious concern is systematic errors that generate artificially high ratio values at low SNR. Thus, uneven SNR alone may lead to significant variations in ratios among different regions of a cell. Although correct average ratios may be obtained by applying conventional noise reduction filters, such as a Gaussian filter before calculating the ratio, these filters have a limited performance at low SNR and are prone to artefacts such as generating discrete domains not found in the correct ratio image. Much more reliable restoration may be achieved with multi‐resolution denoising filters that take into account the actual noise characteristics of the detector. These filters are also capable of restoring structural details and photometric accuracy, and may serve as a general tool for retrieving reliable information from low‐light live cell images.
A line‐scanning semi‐confocal multi‐photon fluorescence microscope with a simultaneous broadband spectral acquisition and its application to the study of the thylakoid membrane of a cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC7120
Authors: KUMAZAKI SHIGEICHI , HASEGAWA MAKOTO , GHONEIM MOHAMMAD , SHIMIZU YUGO , OKAMOTO KENJI , NISHIYAMA MASAYOSHI , OH‐OKA HIROZO , TERAZIMA MASAHIDE 
Published: October 2007

SummaryWe describe the construction and characterization of a laser‐line‐scanning microscope capable of detection of broad fluorescence spectra with a resolution of 1 nm. A near‐infrared femtosecond pulse train at 800 nm was illuminated on a line (one lateral axis, denoted as X axis) in a specimen by a resonant scanning mirror oscillating at 7.9 kHz, and total multi‐photon–induced fluorescence from the linear region was focused on the slit of an imaging polychromator. An electron‐multiplying CCD camera was used to resolve fluorescence of different colours at different horizontal pixels and fluorescence of different spatial positions in a specimen at different vertical pixels. Scanning on the other two axes (Y and Z) was achieved by a closed‐loop controlled sample scanning stage and a piezo‐driven objective actuator. The full widths at half maximum of the point‐spread function of the system were estimated to be 0.39–0.40, 0.33 and 0.56–0.59 μm for the X (lateral axis along the line‐scan), Y (the other lateral axis) and Z axes (the axial direction), respectively, at fluorescence wavelengths between 644 and 690 nm. A biological application of this microscope was demonstrated in a study of the sub‐cellular fluorescence spectra of thylakoid membranes in a cyanobacterium, Anabaena PCC7120. It was found that the fluorescence intensity ratio between chlorophyll molecules mainly of photosystem II and phycobilin molecules of phycobilisome (chlorophyll/phycobilin), in the thylakoid membranes, became lower as one probed deeper inside the cells. This was attributable not to position dependence of re‐absorption or scattering effects, but to an intrinsic change in the local physiological state of the thylakoid membrane, with the help of a transmission spectral measurement of sub‐cellular domains. The efficiency of the new line‐scanning spectromicroscope was estimated in comparison with our own point‐by‐point scanning spectromicroscope. Under typical conditions of observing cyanobacterial cells, the total exposure time became shorter by about 50 times for a constant excitation density. The improvement factor was proportional to the length of the line‐scanned region, as expected.
Verification of cell viability at progressively higher scanning forces using a hybrid atomic force and fluorescence microscope
Authors: BARNES C. A. , O'HAGAN B. M. G. , HOWARD C. V. , MCKERR G. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThe prudent use of the atomic force microscope as a supra‐vital live cell imaging tool requires that cell viability must be determined before and after scanning. Complementary optical techniques in conjunction with the fluorescent dyes rhodamine‐123 and ethidium homodimer have been used within this study to determine cell viability after increasing loads are applied in contact mode. Guideline force ranges for five commonly cultured cell lines, human squamous carcinoma (A431), fibroblast, HeLa, Potorous tridactylis (PtK2) and rat intestinal epithelial (RIE) cells are given.
Improved lateral force calibration based on the angle conversion factor in atomic force microscopy
Authors: CHOI DUKHYUN , HWANG WOONBONG , YOON EUISUNG 
Published: October 2007

SummaryA novel calibration method is proposed for determining lateral forces in atomic force microscopy (AFM), by introducing an angle conversion factor, which is defined as the ratio of the twist angle of a cantilever to the corresponding lateral signal. This factor greatly simplifies the calibration procedures. Once the angle conversion factor is determined in AFM, the lateral force calibration factors of any rectangular cantilever can be obtained by simple computation without further experiments. To determine the angle conversion factor, this study focuses on the determination of the twist angle of a cantilever during lateral force calibration in AFM. Since the twist angle of a cantilever cannot be directly measured in AFM, the angles are obtained by means of the moment balance equations between a rectangular AFM cantilever and a simple commercially available step grating. To eliminate the effect of the adhesive force, the gradients of the lateral signals and the twist angles as a function of normal force are used in calculating the angle conversion factor. To verify reliability and reproducibility of the method, two step gratings with different heights and two different rectangular cantilevers were used in lateral force calibration in AFM. The results showed good agreement, to within 10%. This method was validated by comparing the coefficient of friction of mica so determined with values in the literature.
Potential of ‘flat’ fibre evanescent wave spectroscopy to discriminate between normal and malignant cells in vitro
Authors: HAMMODY Z. , HULEIHEL M. , SALMAN A. , ARGOV S. , MOREH R. , KATZIR A. , MORDECHAI S. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThe present study focuses on evaluating the potential of flattened AgClBr fibre‐optic evanescent wave spectroscopy (FTIR‐FEWS) technique for detection and identification of cancer cells in vitro using cell culture as a model system. The FTIR‐FEWS results are compared to those from FTIR‐microspectroscopy (FTIR‐MSP) method extensively used to identify spectral properties of intact cells. Ten different samples of control and malignant cells were measured in parallel by the above two methods. Our results show a significant similarity between the results obtained by the two methodologies. The absorbance level of Amide I/Amide II, phosphates and carbohydrates were significantly altered in malignant compared to the normal cells using both systems. Thus, common biomarkers such as Amide I/Amide II, phosphate and carbohydrate levels can be derived to discern between normal and cancer cells. However, marked differences are also noted between the two methodologies in the protein bands due to CH3 bending vibration (1480–1350 cm−1). The spectral differences may be attributed to the variation in the penetration depth of the two methodologies. The use of flattened fibre rather than the standard cylindrical fibre has several practical advantages and is considered as an important step towards in vivo measurements in real time, such as that of skin nevi and melanoma using special designs of fibre‐optic–based sensors.
Simultaneous false‐colour imaging of birefringence, extinction and transmittance at camera speed
Authors: KAMINSKY W. , GUNN E. , SOURS R. , KAHR B. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryA polarized light imaging technique is introduced that simultaneously captures and unfolds transmittance, fast/slow axes directions and birefringence or linear dichroism from single camera exposures. The technique, based on the rotating polarizer method, is capable of sampling an object through polarizers at four different angles in a single image with the use of an image multiplexer. The range of possible applications is demonstrated with examples from the fields of biology, medicine, forensics and material sciences.