bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Open Reading Frame II Encodes a Posttranscriptional Repressor That Is Recruited at the Level of Transcription
Authors: Younis Ihab , Boris-Lawrie Kathleen , Green Patrick L. 
Published: December 2005

ABSTRACT

Human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) infection is a chronic, lifelong infection that is associated with the development of leukemia and neurological disease after a long latency period, and the mechanism by which the virus is able to evade host immune surveillance is elusive. Besides the structural and enzymatic proteins, HTLV encodes regulatory (Tax and Rex) and accessory (open reading frame I [ORF I] and ORF II) proteins. Tax activates viral and cellular transcription and promotes T-cell growth and malignant transformation. Rex acts posttranscriptionally to facilitate cytoplasmic expression of incompletely spliced viral mRNAs. Recently, we reported that the accessory gene products of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 ORF II (p30
II
and p28
II
, respectively) are able to restrict viral replication. These proteins act as negative regulators of both Tax and Rex by binding to and retaining their mRNA in the nucleus, leading to reduced protein expression and virion production. Here, we show that p28
II
is recruited to the viral promoter in a Tax-dependent manner. After recruitment to the promoter, p28
II
or p30
II
then travels with the transcription elongation machinery until its target mRNA is synthesized. Experiments artificially directing these proteins to the promoter indicate that p28
II
, unlike HTLV-1 p30
II
, displays no transcriptional activity. Furthermore, the tethering of p28
II
directly to
tax/rex
mRNA resulted in repression of Tax function, which could be attributed to the ability of p28
II
to block TAP/p15-mediated enhancement of Tax expression. p28
II
-mediated reduction of viral replication in infected cells may permit survival of the cells by allowing escape from immune recognition, which is consistent with the critical role of HTLV accessory proteins in viral persistence in vivo.
Regulatable Gutless Adenovirus Vectors Sustain Inducible Transgene Expression in the Brain in the Presence of an Immune Response against Adenoviruses
Authors: Xiong Weidong , Goverdhana Shyam , Sciascia Sandra A. , Candolfi Marianela , Zirger Jeffrey M. , Barcia Carlos , Curtin James F. , King Gwendalyn D. , Jaita Gabriela , Liu Chunyan , Kroeger Kurt , Agadjanian Hasmik , Medina-Kauwe Lali , Palmer Donna , Ng Philip , Lowenstein Pedro R. , Castro Maria G. 
Published: December 2005

ABSTRACT

In view of recent serious adverse events and advances in gene therapy technologies, the use of regulatable expression systems is becoming recognized as indispensable adjuncts to successful clinical gene therapy. In the present work we optimized high-capacity adenoviral (HC-Ad) vectors encoding the novel tetracycline-dependent (TetOn)-regulatory elements for efficient and regulatable gene expression in the rat brain in vivo. We constructed two HC-Ad vectors encoding β-galactosidase (β-gal) driven by a TetOn system containing the rtTAS
s
M2 transactivator and the tTS
Kid
repressor under the control of the murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) (HC-Ad-mTetON-β-Gal) or the human CMV (hCMV) promoter (HC-Ad-hTetON-β-Gal). Expression was tightly regulatable by doxycycline (Dox), reaching maximum expression in vivo at 6 days and returning to basal levels at 10 days following the addition or removal of Dox, respectively. Both vectors achieved higher transgene expression levels compared to the expression from vectors encoding the constitutive mCMV or hCMV promoter. HC-Ad-mTetON-β-Gal yielded the highest transgene expression levels and expressed in both neurons and astrocytes. Antivector immune responses continue to limit the clinical use of vectors. We thus tested the inducibility and longevity of HC-Ad-mediated transgene expression in the brain of rats immunized against adenovirus by prior intradermal injections of RAds. Regulated transgene expression from HC-Ad-mTetON-β-Gal remained active even in the presence of a significant systemic immune response. Therefore, these vectors display two coveted characteristics of clinically useful vectors, namely their regulation and effectiveness even in the presence of prior immunization against adenovirus.
Characterization of Mimivirus DNA Topoisomerase IB Suggests Horizontal Gene Transfer between Eukaryal Viruses and Bacteria
Authors: Benarroch Delphine , Claverie Jean-Michel , Raoult Didier , Shuman Stewart 
Published: December 2005

ABSTRACT

Mimivirus, a parasite of
Acanthamoeba polyphaga
, is the largest DNA virus known; it encodes dozens of proteins with imputed functions in nucleic acid transactions. Here we produced, purified, and characterized mimivirus DNA topoisomerase IB (TopIB), which we find to be a structural and functional homolog of poxvirus TopIB and the poxvirus-like topoisomerases discovered recently in bacteria. Arginine, histidine, and tyrosine side chains responsible for TopIB transesterification are conserved and essential in mimivirus TopIB. Moreover, mimivirus TopIB is capable of incising duplex DNA at the 5′-CCCTT cleavage site recognized by all poxvirus topoisomerases. Based on the available data, mimivirus TopIB appears functionally more akin to poxvirus TopIB than bacterial TopIB, despite its greater primary structure similarity to the bacterial TopIB group. We speculate that the ancestral bacterial/viral TopIB was disseminated by horizontal gene transfer within amoebae, which are permissive hosts for either intracellular growth or persistence of many present-day bacterial species that have a type IB topoisomerase.
Inactivation of Prions by Acidic Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate
Authors: Peretz David , Supattapone Surachai , Giles Kurt , Vergara Julie , Freyman Yevgeniy , Lessard Pierre , Safar Jiri G. , Glidden David V. , McCulloch Charles , Nguyen Hoang-Oanh B. , Scott Michael , DeArmond Stephen J. , Prusiner Stanley B. 
Published: December 2005

ABSTRACTPrompted by the discovery that prions become protease-sensitive after exposure to branched polyamine dendrimers in acetic acid (AcOH) (S. Supattapone, H. Wille, L. Uyechi, J. Safar, P. Tremblay, F. C. Szoka, F. E. Cohen, S. B. Prusiner, and M. R. Scott, J. Virol.75:3453-3461, 2001), we investigated the inactivation of prions by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in weak acid. As judged by sensitivity to proteolytic digestion, the disease-causing prion protein (PrPSc) was denatured at room temperature by SDS at pH values of ≤4.5 or ≥10. Exposure of Sc237 prions in Syrian hamster brain homogenates to 1% SDS and 0.5% AcOH at room temperature resulted in a reduction of prion titer by a factor of ca. 107; however, all of the bioassay hamsters eventually developed prion disease. When various concentrations of SDS and AcOH were tested, the duration and temperature of exposure acted synergistically to inactivate both hamster Sc237 prions and human sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) prions. The inactivation of prions in brain homogenates and those bound to stainless steel wires was evaluated by using bioassays in transgenic mice. sCJD prions were more than 100,000 times more resistant to inactivation than Sc237 prions, demonstrating that inactivation procedures validated on rodent prions cannot be extrapolated to inactivation of human prions. Some procedures that significantly reduced prion titers in brain homogenates had a limited effect on prions bound to the surface of stainless steel wires. Using acidic SDS combined with autoclaving for 15 min, human sCJD prions bound to stainless steel wires were eliminated. Our findings form the basis for a noncorrosive system that is suitable for inactivating prions on surgical instruments, as well as on other medical and dental equipment.
Gamma Interferon Primes Productive Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Astrocytes
Authors: Carroll-Anzinger Deborah , Al-Harthi Lena 
Published: December 2005

ABSTRACTConsiderable controversy exists over whether astrocytes can support human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We evaluated the impact of three cytokines critical to the development of HIV neuropathogenesis, gamma interferon (IFN-γ), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and tumor necrosis factor alpha, on priming astrocytes for HIV infection. We demonstrate that IFN-γ was the most potent in its ability to facilitate substantial productive HIV infection of an astroglioma cell line (U87MG) and human fetal astrocytes (HFA). The mechanism of IFN-γ-mediated priming of HIV in HFA is unlikely to be at the level of up-regulation of receptors and coreceptors relevant to HIV entry. These data demonstrate that cytokine priming can alter HIV replication in astrocytes.
The course of mental health after miscarriage and induced abortion: a longitudinal, five-year follow-up study
Authors: Broen Anne Nordal , Moum Torbjørn , Bødtker Anne Sejersted , Ekeberg Øivind 
Published: December 2005

Abstract

Background
Miscarriage and induced abortion are life events that can potentially cause mental distress. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the patterns of normalization of mental health scores after these two pregnancy termination events.

Methods
Forty women who experienced miscarriages and 80 women who underwent abortions at the main hospital of Buskerud County in Norway were interviewed. All subjects completed the following questionnaires 10 days (T1), six months (T2), two years (T3) and five years (T4) after the pregnancy termination: Impact of Event Scale (IES), Quality of Life, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and another addressing their feelings about the pregnancy termination. Differential changes in mean scores were determined by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and inter-group differences were assessed by ordinary least squares methods.

Results
Women who had experienced a miscarriage had more mental distress at 10 days and six months after the pregnancy termination than women who had undergone an abortion. However, women who had had a miscarriage exhibited significantly quicker improvement on IES scores for avoidance, grief, loss, guilt and anger throughout the observation period. Women who experienced induced abortion had significantly greater IES scores for avoidance and for the feelings of guilt, shame and relief than the miscarriage group at two and five years after the pregnancy termination (IES avoidance means: 3.2 vs 9.3 at T3, respectively, p < 0.001; 1.5 vs 8.3 at T4, respectively, p < 0.001). Compared with the general population, women who had undergone induced abortion had significantly higher HADS anxiety scores at all four interviews (p < 0.01 to p < 0.001), while women who had had a miscarriage had significantly higher anxiety scores only at T1 (p < 0.01).

Conclusion
The course of psychological responses to miscarriage and abortion differed during the five-year period after the event. Women who had undergone an abortion exhibited higher scores during the follow-up period for some outcomes. The difference in the courses of responses may partly result from the different characteristics of the two pregnancy termination events.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-D and Its Receptor VEGFR-3: Two Novel Independent Prognostic Markers in Gastric Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Jüttner Stefan , Wiβmann Christoph , Jöns Thomas , Vieth Michael , Hertel Johannes , Gretschel Stephan , Schlag Peter M. , Kemmner Wolfgang , Höcker Michael 
Published: December 2005

Purpose Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-D and its homolog VEGF-C influence lymphangiogenesis through activation of VEGF receptor 3 (VEGFR-3), and have been implicated in lymphatic tumor spread. Nodal dissemination of gastric adenocarcinomas critically determines clinical outcome and therapeutic options of affected patients. Therefore, we analyzed expression and prognostic significance of VEGF-D along with VEGF-C, and VEGFR-3 in gastric adenocarcinomas. Materials and Methods VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and VEGFR-3 were analyzed in 91 R0-resected primary gastric adenocarcinomas, corresponding noncancerous gastric mucosa, and lymph node metastases employing immunohistochemistry and/or in situ hybridization. Blood and lymph vessel densities were assessed after staining with CD31 and LYVE-1–specific antibodies. Results VEGF-D and VEGF-C were detected in 67.0% and 50.5% of gastric cancers, respectively. Healthy gastric mucosa was negative for VEGF-C and in 12.5% positive for VEGF-D. Presence of VEGF-D (P = .005) or VEGF-C (P = .006) was correlated with lymphatic metastases and decreased survival (VEGF-D, P < .05; VEGF-C, P < .05). VEGFR-3 was correlated with reduced carcinoma-specific survival (P < .05), and Cox multivariate regression analysis qualified VEGF-D and VEGFR-3, but not VEGF-C, as independent prognostic parameters. In lymph node–positive gastric cancers, presence of VEGF-D/VEGFR-3 was associated with poor survival, whereas absence of VEGF-D/VEGFR-3 defined a subgroup of patients with clearly favorable prognosis. Conclusion VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 are novel independent prognostic marker molecules aiding to identify patients with poor prognosis after curative resection of gastric adenocarcinomas. Combined analysis of the VEGF-C/VEGF-D/VEGFR-3 system can be useful to identify patients with unfavorable clinical outcome and thereby may help to refine therapeutic decisions in gastric cancer.
Synthesis of Highly Functional Nucleic Acids and Their Application to DNA Technology
Authors: Okamoto Akimitsu 
Published: December 2005

Abstract
We have synthesized a number of highly functional nucleic acids and have applied them to DNA technology. Unique characteristics possessed inherently by DNA have been applied to the design of highly functional nucleic acids. We spatially arranged functional bases in the nucleic acid structure, and controlled various functions of the synthetic nucleic acids by changes in sequence, microstructure, and micropolarity. The organic synthesis of such conceptually new functional nucleic acids could open up a new field of genome science and nanobiomaterial science. In this review, we describe the following: (i) rational design of highly functional DNA nanowires, (ii) the development of base-discriminating fluorescent nucleobases and their application to gene polymorphism typing, and (iii) reporter nucleobases for monitoring the change in the microenvironment around DNA and its surroundings.
Protection Against Photoaging in the Hairless Mouse by the Isoflavone Equol
Authors: Reeve Vivienne E. , Widyarini Sitarina , Domanski Diane , Chew Elaine , Barnes Karen 
Published: December 2005

ABSTRACTTopical application of the isoflavone equol immediately following solar‐simulated UV (SSUV) radiation exposure has previously been demonstrated to have significant photo‐protective effects. Equol reduced both the inflammatory edema and the systemic suppression of the contact hypersensitivity reaction in hairless mice. Furthermore, daily topical equol application immediately following irradiation during a 10‐week chronic SSUV exposure regime also reduced photocarcinogenesis severity in the mouse. This study examines the potential for topical equol to prevent photoaging in response to chronic SSUV irradiation for up to 30 weeks. We did not find consistent expression of the characteristic markers of photoaging until 30 weeks, although moderate epidermal hyperplasia and a transient increase in dermal mast cell numbers were evident after 1 week. Daily application of 10 μM equol lotion significantly reduced these early changes. However after 30 weeks of SSUV exposure, photoaging was well developed, as shown histologically by markedly increased epidermal hyperplasia, increased dermal mast cell number, pronounced focal elastotic deposits, degraded dermal collagen and deposition of glycosaminoglycans in the lower dermis. Topical equol treatment protected significantly from each of these impairments, as demonstrated histologically and quantitatively. Additionally, equol was found to have strong antioxidant action against acute UVA (320–400 nm)–induced lipid peroxidation of mouse skin, this property accounting for its antiphotoaging mechanism. The evidence for equol's antiphotoaging activity, taken together with its anti‐inflammatory, immunoprotective and anticarcinogenic efficacy against SSUV irradiation in the mouse, suggests that equol could be developed as a helpful topical photoprotective agent for daily use by humans.
Tetrakis(4‐pyridyl)porphyrin Supramolecular Complexes with Cyclodextrins in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Cosma Pinalysa , Catucci Lucia , Fini Paola , Dentuto Pasquale L. , Agostiano Angela , Angelini Nicola , Scolaro Luigi Monsù 
Published: December 2005

ABSTRACTThe formation of inclusion complexes of hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin, heptakis(2,6‐di‐O‐methyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin and heptakis(2,3,6‐tri‐O‐methyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin with 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis(4‐pyridyl)porphyrin (TpyP) has been studied in aqueous buffer solution (phosphate buffer pH = 7 and I = 0.01 M) to give a structural and spectroscopic characterization of a new class of potential sensitizers for photodynamic therapy. The interaction was investigated by a combination of UVNis absorption, fluorescence anisotropy, time‐resolved fluorescence and circular dichroism. The experimental results point to the presence of the pigment in water in a monomeric complexed form. The fluorescence anisotropy measurements suggest that TpyP forms 1:1 complexes with heptakis(2,3,6‐tri‐O‐methyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin, while 1:2 complexes are obtained with heptakis(2,6‐di‐O‐methyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin.
Effects of Water Temperature and Flow on Adult Salmon Migration Swim Speed and Delay
Authors: Salinger David H. , Anderson James J. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractThe effects of temperature and flow on the migration of adult Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and steelhead O. mykiss through the Columbia River hydrosystem were determined with a novel technique that fits a broken linear model of swim speed versus temperature and flow by partitioning data into speed ranks. Using the migration times of passive integrated transponder (PIT)–tagged adult Chinook salmon upstream between Bonneville and Lower Granite dams (462 km) over the years 1998–2002, we found that a maximum swim speed of about 1 body length/s occurred at 16.3°C. Speed was less above and below this optimum temperature. For PIT‐tagged steelhead, migration speed uniformly decreased with increasing temperature, suggesting that the fish migrated at temperatures above the optimum. Migration delay was also a unimodal function of temperature, the minimum delay occurring around 16–17°C. The broken linear model was compared with seven alternative models of unimodal and monotonic speed versus temperature and flow. The unimodal models fit the data better than the monotonic models (when ranked by the Akaike information criterion), and the broken linear model fit the data best. Flow was insignificant in all of the monotonic models and only marginally significant in the unimodal models. The findings of this study have significance in evaluating the effects of hydrosystem operations and climate change on salmon and steelhead fitness.
Human Serum and Plasma Proteomics
Authors: Musselman Ian , Speicher David W. 
Published: December 2005

AbstractThis unit focuses on several related methods for profiling and identifying proteins in human serum or plasma. While the methods are specifically described for human serum and plasma, with the possible exception of the major protein depletion steps, they can be readily adapted to serum and plasma from other species as well as to other biological fluids. A very powerful multidimensional protein‐profiling method is described that utilizes major protein depletion coupled to two other protein separations, MicroSol IEF fractionation and SDS‐PAGE, followed by LC‐MS/MS. Other protein‐profiling strategies include the depletion of abundant proteins followed by analysis either via 2‐D gels or using offline Multidimensional Protein Identification Technology (MudPIT) or LC/LC‐MS/MS. Additional protein profiling methods and strategies are also discussed.
Anatomy of a serial killer: Differential diagnosis of tuberculosis based on rib lesions of adult individuals from the Coimbra identified skeletal collection, Portugal
Authors: Santos Ana Luísa , Roberts Charlotte Ann 
Published: December 2005

AbstractThe role of new bone formation on visceral surfaces of ribs in the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in past human populations has been explored by many researchers, using both skeletal remains with known causes of death and archaeological samples. This study focuses, firstly, on adult skeletons from the Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collection in Portugal and investigates the skeletal manifestations of individuals known to have died from TB; secondly, this study focuses on the role of rib lesions in the diagnostic criteria for TB. One hundred and fifty‐seven males and 106 females aged between 22–87 years were examined; causes of death were assigned as pulmonary TB, extrapulmonary TB, and pulmonary non‐TB; a control group, extrapulmonary non‐TB, was selected from the remaining individuals. Of individuals with rib lesions, 85.7% (69/81) had pulmonary or extrapulmonary TB as an assigned cause of death, while 17.8% (16/90) of individuals with rib lesions had a non‐TB cause of death. Rib lesions were significantly more common in individuals who had died from TB, although the lesions cannot be considered pathognomonic for TB. In individuals dying from pulmonary TB, ribs in the central part of the rib cage were most affected, at their vertebral ends. The lower part of the rib cage may be a marker for peritoneal TB, and “coral‐like” new bone formation on ribs may be an indicator of neoplastic disease. Further work on rib involvement in TB in clinical contexts, and the study of further documented skeletal collections, are recommended. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Twinning and heteropaternity in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Authors: Ely John J. , Frels William I. , Howell Sue , Izard M. Kay , Keeling Michale E. , Lee D. Rick 
Published: December 2005

AbstractUnlike monozygotic (MZ) twins, dizygotic (DZ) twins develop from separate ova. The resulting twins can have different sires if the fertilizing sperm comes from different males. Routine paternity testing of a pair of same‐sexed chimpanzee twins born to a female housed with two males indicated that the twins were sired by two different males. DNA typing of 22 short‐tandem repeat (STR) loci demonstrated that these twins were not MZ twins but heteropaternal DZ twins. Reproductive data from 1926–2002 at five domestic chimpanzee colonies, including 52 twins and two triplets in 1,865 maternities, were used to estimate total twinning rates and the MZ and DZ components. The average chimpanzee MZ twinning rate (0.43%) equaled the average human MZ rate (0.48%). However, the chimpanzee DZ twinning rate (2.36%) was over twice the human average, and higher than all but the fertility‐enhanced human populations of Nigeria. Similarly high twinning rates among African chimpanzees indicated that these estimates were not artifacts of captivity. Log‐linear analyses of maternal and paternal effects on recurrent twinning indicated that females who twinned previously had recurrence risks five times greater than average, while evidence for a paternal twinning effect was weak. Chimpanzee twinning rates appear to be elevated relative to corresponding estimated human rates, making twinning and possibly heteropaternity more important features of chimpanzee reproductive biology than previously recognized. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.