bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Recognition of Staphylococcus enterotoxin via molecularly imprinted beads
Authors: Yao Wei , Ning Baoan , Zhou Huanying , Fang Yanjun , Gao Zhixian 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe synthesis of molecularly imprinted beads for the recognition of the protein Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB) is described. Two kinds of organic silane (3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) and octyltrimethoxysilane (OTMS)) were polymerized on the surface of polystyrene microspheres after the SEB template was covalently immobilized by forming imine bonds. The resulting imprinted beads were selective for SEB. The Langmuir adsorption models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms. The results showed that an equal class of adsorption was formed in the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with the maximum adsorption capacity of 3.86 mg SEB/g imprinted beads. The MIP has much higher adsorption capacity for SEB than the nonimprinted polymer, and the MIP beads have a higher selectivity for the template molecule.
Nucleophilic heteroaromatic substitution: Kinetics of the reactions of nitropyridines with aliphatic amines in dipolar aprotic solvents
Authors: Isanbor Chukwuemeka , Emokpae Thomas A. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractRate data are reported for the reactions of 2‐chloro‐5‐nitropyridine 2a, 2‐chloro‐3‐nitropyridine 2b, and the corresponding 2‐phenoxy derivatives 2c with n‐butylamine, pyrrolidine and piperidine and 2d with n‐butylamine and pyrrolidine in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent. The same reactions in acetonitrile had been reported earlier (Crampton et al., Eur J Org Chem 2007, 1378–1383). Values in these solvents are compared with those of 2,4‐dinitrochlorobenzene 3a, 2,6‐dinitrochlorobenzene 3b, and the corresponding nitroactivated diphenyl ethers 3c and 3d. Reactions with n‐butylamine in both solvents gave values of kobs, which increase linearly with amine concentration indicating that nucleophilic attack is rate limiting. The only exception is the reactions in acetonitrile with 2c where base catalysis was observed. Values of k1, the rate constant for the nucleophilic attack, decrease in the order pyrrolidine > piperidine > n‐butylamine. In acetonitrile, kinetic data show that k/k ratios are more than unity while the inverse is the case in DMSO. With the phenoxy derivatives, substitution was the only process observed. Base catalysis detected in the reactions of the 1‐phenoxy derivatives is attributed to rate‐limiting deprotonation of the initially formed zwitterionic intermediate. Our results shed more light on fundamental aspects of activation, hydrogen bonding, and steric effects associated with an aza or a nitro group in the molecules investigated as it affects the nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) reaction pathways. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 125–135, 2008
Antistatic Epoxy Coatings With Carbon Nanotubes Obtained by Cationic Photopolymerization
Authors: Sangermano Marco , Pegel Sven , Pötschke Petra , Voit Brigitte 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAntistatic epoxy coatings are obtained, for the first time, by cationic UV curing of an epoxy resin in the presence of a very low content of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It is shown that the addition of only 0.025 wt.‐% of CNTs into the resin is sufficient to obtain a composite suitable for applications that require electrostatic discharge. An extended percolative structure that forms a conductive CNT network is clearly evidenced within the polymeric matrix, notwithstanding the very small CNT content. The use of such UV‐cured epoxy material systems for antistatic coatings is quite realistic and promising.magnified image
Role of the major ecto‐phosphoprotein in sperm flagellar motility using a cell electroporation method
Authors: Maiti Arunima , Mishra K.P. , Majumder G.C. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractPrevious studies from our laboratory have identified MPS, a 100‐kDa protein, as the major phosphoprotein substrate of caprine sperm ecto‐cyclic AMP independent protein kinase. In this study the isolated 32P‐labelled MPS has been incorporated into mature caprine (Capra indicus) cauda‐epididymal spermatozoa with the help of cell electroporation technique to investigate the effect of MPS on sperm flagellar motility. The optimum conditions for electroporation of sperm cells consisted of exposure of 0.2 ml of sperm cells (2 × 108/ml) to external electric field of intensity 1.5 kV/cm and capacitation of 25 µF at 4°C and post‐pulse incubation at 37°C for 1 hr. when nearly 50% of the cells lost motility. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) demonstrate the formation of micro‐pores and local osmotic swelling in the electroporated spermatozoa. MPS incorporation was maximal when its concentration was 30 µg/ml (300 pmol) in the medium and when the post‐pulse incubation time was 60 min. At maximum (75%) MPS incorporation, total and forward motility increments were also maximum: 34% (P < 0.01) and 32% (P < 0.01), respectively. The subcellular fractionation data show that major portion of the introduced MPS was bound to the plasma‐membrane of spermatozoa. The 32P‐labelled electroporesed intact spermatozoa lost radioactivity due to the action of the endogenous ecto‐phosphoprotein phosphatase. Therefore MPS is primarily localised on the sperm external surface leaving its phosphate group(s) oriented in the extracellular medium. The data provided further evidence to strengthen the view that MPS is an ecto‐phosphoprotein and that it plays an important role in the regulation of sperm flagellar motility. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 1185–1195, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The role of RNA polymerase I transcription and embryonic genome activation in nucleolar development in bovine preimplantation embryos
Authors: Svarcova O. , Strejcek F. , Petrovicova I. , Avery B. , Pedersen H.G. , Lucas‐Hahn A. , Niemann H. , Laurincik J. , Maddox‐Hyttel P. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to investigate the role of RNA polymerase I (RPI) transcription in nucleolar development during major transcriptional activation (MTA) in cattle. Late eight‐cell embryos were cultured in the absence (control group) or presence of actinomycin D (AD) (RPI inhibition, AD 0.2 µg/ml; total transcriptional inhibition, AD 2.0 µg/ml). Late four‐cell embryos were cultured to late eight‐cell stage in 0.2 µg/ml AD (MTA prevention, ADLT (long‐term total transcriptional inhibition group). Embryos were processed for autoradiography, transmission electron microscopy, fluorescent in situ hybridization (ribosomal RNA, rRNA), silver staining (nucleolar proteins), and immunofluorescence (RPI). Control embryos displayed extranucleolar and nucleolar transcription, functional nucleoli, and distinct RPI localization. Nuclei (97%) showed large rRNA clusters, in 94.1% co‐localized with nucleolar proteins deposits. In AD 0.2 group, only extranucleolar transcription was detected. Segregated dense‐fibrillar and granular components, but no fibrillar centers, were observed. RPI was dispersed. Nuclei (55%) presented rRNA clusters, in 38.8% co‐localized with silver‐stained deposits. AD 2.0 and ADLT groups displayed no transcription and disintegrating nucleolar precursors. AD 2.0 (34%) and 14% (ADLT) of nuclei presented clusters of maternally inherited rRNA. In AD 2.0 group, RPI was dispersed, but 17.2% of nuclei showed colocalization of rRNA with nucleolar proteins. In ADLT group, RPI was lacking and clustering of nucleolar proteins was hampered. In conclusion, rDNA transcription is not required for targeting of rRNA processing proteins, rRNA is maternally inherited and target to rDNA independent of transcription, and de novo transcription is required for proper nucleologenesis in cattle. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 1095–1103, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Aggregation of bovine cloned embryos at the four‐cell stage stimulated gene expression and in vitro embryo development
Authors: Zhou Wenli , Xiang Tianhao , Walker Shawn , Abruzzese Ronald V. , Hwang Earl , Farrar Vicki , Findeisen Brian , Sadeghieh Sanaz , Arenivas Fernando , Chen Shu‐Hung , Polejaeva Irina 
Published: January 2008

AbstractPre‐implantation embryos produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) have varied developmental potentials. The majority of SCNT blastocysts do not develop to term, and the mechanisms inhibiting development are still largely unknown. Aggregation of cloned embryos has been attempted to compensate for the developmental deficiency of individual cloned embryos. In this report, we investigated the impact of aggregation of bovine cloned embryos at the four‐cell stage on in vitro development and gene expression of the embryos. Cell numbers and development rate of aggregated (NTagg) and non‐aggregated (NT) blastocysts were characterized and compared. The blastocyst formation after aggregation was modeled using the binominal distribution. The results indicate that aggregation enhances the blastocyst formation but does not increase the overall blastocyst rate. Additionally, utilizing microarray gene chip analysis 8.8% of 8,059 genes analyzed were differentially expressed between NTagg and NT blastocysts, with more than 80% of the differentially expressed genes up‐regulated in the NTagg blastocysts. Up‐regulated genes include those involved in transcription, biosynthesis and signaling such as TDGF1, HNFA, CAV1, GLU5, and CD81. Our results indicate that aggregation of bovine cloned embryos at an early stage promotes the in vitro development of the resulting pre‐implantation embryos. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 1281–1289, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Enhanced sensitivity with fast three‐dimensional blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent functional MRI: comparison of SENSE–PRESTO and 2D‐EPI at 3 T
Authors: Neggers Sebastiaan F. W. , Hermans Erno J. , Ramsey Nick F. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractA major impetus in functional MRI development is to enhance sensitivity to changes in neural activity. One way to improve sensitivity is to enhance contrast to noise ratio, for instance by increasing field strength or the number of receiving coils. If these parameters are fixed, there is still the possibility to optimize scans by altering speed or signal strength [signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR)]. We here demonstrate a very fast whole‐brain scan, by combining a three‐dimensional (3D)‐PRESTO (principle of echo shifting with a train of observations) pulse sequence with a commercial eight‐channel head coil and sensitivity encoding (SENSE). 3D‐PRESTO uses time optimally by means of echo shifting. Moreover, 3D scans can accommodate SENSE in two directions, reducing scan time proportionally. The present PRESTO–SENSE sequence achieves full brain coverage within 500 ms. We compared this with a two‐dimensional (2D) echo planar imaging (EPI) scan with identical brain coverage on 10 volunteers. Resting‐state temporal SNR in the blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent (BOLD) frequency range and T‐statistics for thumb movement and visual checkerboard activations were compared. Results show improved temporal SNR across the brain for PRESTO–SENSE compared with EPI. The percentage signal change and relative standard deviation of the noise were smaller for PRESTO–SENSE. Sensitivity for brain activation, as reflected by T‐values, was consistently higher for PRESTO, and this seemed to be mainly due to the increased number of observations within a fixed time period. We conclude that PRESTO accelerated with SENSE in two directions can be more sensitive to BOLD signal changes than the widely used 2D‐EPI, when a fixed amount of time is available for functional MRI scanning. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
National incidence of percutaneous injury in Taiwan healthcare workers
Authors: Shiao Judith S.C. , Lin Ming‐Siou , Shih Tung‐Sheng , Jagger Janine , Chen Chiou‐Jong 
Published: January 2008

AbstractWe established a standardized surveillance system using the Chinese Exposure Prevention Information Network to estimate the frequency of percutaneous injuries (PCIs) in Taiwanese healthcare workers (HCWs). Fourteen hospitals employing 8,132 HCWs participated and a total of 583 PCIs were reported. The annual number was estimated to be 8,058 PCIs per hospital size, 8,100 per HCWs, and 8,286 per inpatient‐day; indicating similar estimates using different denominators. The estimated annual frequency of pathogen‐specific PCIs was 1,168 for hepatitis B, 1,263 for hepatitis C, and 59 for HIV. This study documents the annual incidence of PCI among HCWs showing important potential exposure to viral hepatitis and HIV in Taiwan. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 31:172–179, 2008
Further psychometric testing of the home healthcare nurse job satisfaction scale
Authors: Ellenbecker Carol Hall , Byleckie James J. , Samia Linda W. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to refine the psychometric properties of the Home Healthcare Nurses' Job Satisfaction Scale (HHNJS). A theoretical model of job satisfaction had been used to develop the 30‐item HHNJS, representing nine components of job satisfaction. Psychometric properties suggested the need for further refinement. Revised items and construct definitions were subjected to psychometric testing with 2,274 home healthcare nurses. Eight independent subscales consistent with the theoretical model were validated by factor analysis. Estimated internal consistency reliability of six of the eight subscales was improved. Results suggest that the refined HHNJS has potential for improving retention through accurate measurement of job satisfaction of home health care nurses. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 31:152–164, 2008
pVHL co‐ordinately regulates CXCR4/CXCL12 and MMP2/MMP9 expression in human clear‐cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Struckmann K , Mertz KD , Steu S , Storz M , Staller P , Krek W , Schraml P , Moch H 
Published: January 2008

AbstractLoss of pVHL function, characteristic for clear‐cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), causes increased expression of CXCR4 chemokine receptor, which triggers expression of metastasis‐associated MMP2/MMP9 in different human cancers. The impact of pVHL on MMP2/MMP9 expression and their relationship to CXCR4 and its ligand CXCL12 in ccRCC is unclear. By using reverse transcription PCR, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry, strong mRNA and protein expression of CXCR4, CXCL12, MMP2, MMP9 and MMP inhibitors TIMP1 and TIMP2 was found in VHL‐null 786‐O ccRCC cells. Loss of CXCR4/CXCL12 expression after restoration of VHL function in these cells was accompanied by a significant reduction of MMP2 and MMP9 expression, whereas neither TIMP1 nor TIMP2 expression was affected. Using real‐time PCR analysis, higher MMP2 (p = 0.0134) and MMP9 (p = 0.067) mRNA expression levels were detected in primary ccRCC with strong CXCR4 compared to cases with weak CXCR4 expression. There was no association between CXCR4 and TIMP1 or TIMP2 mRNA expression. MMP2 protein expression data obtained by immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray uncovered positive cytoplasmic staining in 290/380 (76%) primary ccRCCs. Co‐expression of CXCR4 and MMP2 was found in 282 of these tumours (74%). Our in vitro and in vivo data strongly indicate that pVHL coordinately regulates expression of metastasis‐associated genes CXCR4/CXCL12 and MMP2/MMP9 but the exact molecular mechanism of this regulation remains to be determined. Co‐expression of CXCR4 and CXCL12, as demonstrated in VHL‐null 786‐O cells, might enable ccRCC progression and metastatic dissemination by autocrine receptor stimulation, even in the absence of exogenous CXCL12. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Physiotherapy diagnosis in clinical practice: a survey of orthopaedic certified specialists in the USA
Authors: Spoto Marcia Miller , Collins Jennifer 
Published: January 2008

AbstractBackground and Purpose. Diagnosis is a complex process that involves clinical decision‐making along several dimensions, culminating in the assignment of a label or labels which inform(s) treatment decisions. Much of the attention given to physiotherapy diagnosis has been devoted to specific, disparate classification systems for low back pain. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how physiotherapists view and approach diagnosis in clinical practice in the USA. Method. A survey was developed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data related to diagnostic process and classification in orthopaedic practice. Subjects comprised 253 Board‐certified orthopaedic physiotherapy practioners. A total of 850 surveys were administered; 253 surveys were completed, representing a return rate of 30%. Results. Eighty‐four per cent of the respondents report patient care as their primary professional practice area. Seventy‐six per cent of the subjects utilized a diagnostic classification system distinct from the medical diagnosis when managing patients with low back pain. Of those, the largest percentage (38%) utilized a general pathophysiological classification system, 32% utilized the McKenzie system and, in decreasing order of frequency, treatment‐based classification (9%) and movement impairment classification (7%). Qualitative data suggest considerable variation in how orthopaedic specialists view diagnosis in patient management, with several common themes emerging: physiotherapy diagnosis may incorporate the medical diagnosis, but moves beyond it; physiotherapy diagnosis occurs across multiple levels or systems; physiotherapists tend to view diagnosis as being process‐oriented with its primary purpose being to guide treatment decisions. Conclusions. As physiotherapy evolves from a profession that treats by prescription to a doctoring profession it should give serious attention to diagnosis, the foundation of evidence‐based practice. Striving for consensus on the role of diagnosis in patient management should become a priority, as well as developing a more standard taxonomy with consistent terminology. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TNF polymorphisms and prostate cancer risk
Authors: Danforth Kim N. , Rodriguez Carmen , Hayes Richard B. , Sakoda Lori C. , Huang Wen‐Yi , Yu Kai , Calle Eugenia E. , Jacobs Eric J. , Chen Bingshu E. , Andriole Gerald L. , Figueroa Jonine D. , Yeager Meredith , Platz Elizabeth A. , Michaud Dominique S. , Chanock Stephen J. , Thun Michael J. , Hsing Ann W. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractBACKGROUNDInflammation has been hypothesized to increase prostate cancer risk. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is an important mediator of the inflammatory process, but the relationship between TNF variants and prostate cancer remains unclear.METHODSWe examined associations between six TNF single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1799964, rs1800630, rs1799724, rs1800629, rs361525, rs1800610) and prostate cancer risk among 2,321 cases and 2,560 controls from two nested case‐control studies within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO, n = 2,561, 5 SNPs) and the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort (Nutrition Cohort, n = 2,320, 6 SNPs). Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated for individual SNPs and haplotypes in each cohort separately and in pooled analyses.RESULTSNo TNF SNP was associated with prostate cancer risk in PLCO (P‐trend ≥ 0.16), while in the Nutrition Cohort, associations were significant for 2 highly correlated variants (rs1799724, 1800610, r2 = 0.95; P‐trend = 0.04 and 0.02, respectively). In pooled analyses, no single SNP was associated with prostate cancer risk (P‐trend ≥ 0.08). After adjustment for multiple testing, no SNP was associated with prostate cancer risk in either cohort individually or in the pooled analysis (P‐trend all ≥ 0.10). Haplotypes based on 5 TNF SNPs did not vary by case/control status in PLCO, but showed marginal associations in the Nutrition Cohort (global P = 0.06) and the pooled analysis (global P = 0.05).CONCLUSIONSDespite somewhat suggestive haplotype results, overall our study does not support an association between TNF variants and prostate cancer risk. Prostate 68: 400–407, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Increased distributional variance of mitochondrial DNA content associated with prostate cancer cells as compared with normal prostate cells
Authors: Mizumachi Takatsugu , Muskhelishvili Levan , Naito Akihiro , Furusawa Jun , Fan Chun‐Yang , Siegel Eric R. , Kadlubar Fred F. , Kumar Udaya , Higuchi Masahiro 
Published: January 2008

AbstractBackgroundMitochondria are key organelles for apoptosis, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content can regulate cancer progression. Increases in mtDNA mutations and deletions have been reported in cancer; however, a detailed investigation of mtDNA content in cancer cells has not yet been conducted.MethodsQuantitative real‐time PCR and improved extraction method were established to investigate the mtDNA content in a single prostate cell.ResultsThe heterogeneity of mtDNA content was demonstrated between the clones of prostate cancer cell line LNCaP and individual cells in each clone. To investigate whether large distributional variance of mtDNA content is associated with cancer initiation and/or progression, we first compared PZ‐HPV‐7, an HPV‐transformed normal prostate epithelial cell line, with CA‐HPV‐10, transformed from prostate cancer cells derived from the same donor. We found an enhanced distributional variance of mtDNA content in CA‐HPV‐10. Then, we investigated mtDNA content in individual cells in laser microdisssected cancer and adjacent normal cells from prostate cancer tissue specimens using quantitative real‐time PCR method. Results showed that the mtDNA content per cell follows a higher skewed distribution in cancer cells as compared in normal cells. We also observed that mtDNA content was increased in seven of nine (78%) of prostate cancers compared to normal prostate tissue.ConclusionsThese results indicate that prostate carcinogenesis may involve dysregulation of mtDNA content. Prostate 68: 408–417, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hypermethylation of MCAM gene is associated with advanced tumor stage in prostate cancer
Authors: Liu Jun‐Wei , Nagpal Jatin K. , Jeronimo Carmen , Lee Ji Eun , Henrique Rui , Kim Myoung Sook , Ostrow Kimberly L. , Yamashita Keishi , van Criekinge Vim , Wu Guojun , Moon Chu‐So , Trink Barry , Sidransky David 
Published: January 2008

AbstractBACKGROUNDDNA methylation has emerged as a promising biomarker for prostate cancer detection. In this report, we screened 36 candidate genes generated by a bioinformatic analysis of the human genome, and found that the melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) was an excellent candidate for cancer‐specific methylation in prostate cancer.METHODSDirect sequencing of bisulfite‐treated genomic DNA, conventional methylation‐specific PCR (MSP), real‐time quantitative methylation‐specific PCR, immunohistochemistry, colony formation assay, and statistical analysis.RESULTSWe found that the melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) gene promoter was specifically methylated in prostate cancer cell lines and primary prostate cancer (PCa) but not in non‐neoplastic prostate (BPH) tissues by direct sequencing of bisulfite‐treated genomic DNA and conventional methylation‐specific PCR (MSP). Further analysis with quantitative MSP showed greater hypermethylation of the MCAM promoter (80%, 70/88) in primary prostate cancer compared to 12.5% (3/24) in BPH. Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PIN), potential precursors of prostate carcinoma, showed an intermediate methylation rate of 23% (7/30). We further observed that MCAM promoter methylation was directly correlated with tumor stage (pT3+pT4) (P = 0.001) and Gleason score (P = 0.018) in primary prostate carcinoma.CONCLUSIONSOur results suggest that MCAM promoter hypermethylation deserves further attention as a potential diagnostic prostatic DNA marker in human prostate cancer. Prostate 68: 418–426, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.