bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Asian plantain (Plantago asiatica) essential oils suppress 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-co-enzyme A reductase expressionin vitroandin vivoand show hypocholesterolaemic properties in mice
Authors: Chung Mi Ja , Woo Park Kuen , Heon Kim Kyoung , Kim Cheong-Tae , Pill Baek Jun , Bang Kyong-Hwan , Choi Young-Mi , Lee Sung-Joon 
Published: August 2007

Asian plantain (Plantago asiatica) essential oil (PAEO) contains multiple bioactive compounds, but its potential effects on lipid metabolism have not been examined. PAEO was found to be mostly composed of oxygenated monoterpenes, with linalool as the major component (82·5 %, w/w), measured using GC–MS. Incubation of 0–200 μg PAEO/ml with HepG2 cells for 24 h resulted in no significant toxicity. Incubation with 0·2 mg PAEO/ml altered the expression of LDL receptor (+83 %;P < 0·05) and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase ( − 37 %;P < 0·05), as assessed using RT-PCR. LDL oxidation was markedly inhibited by PAEO treatment due to the prevalence of linalool compounds in PAEO. Oral administration of PAEO for 3 weeks in C57BL/6 mice significantly reduced plasma total cholesterol and TAG concentrations by 29 and 46 %, respectively. The mRNA (+58 %;P < 0·05), but not protein, levels of the LDL receptor were significantly higher, whereas both mRNA and protein levels of HMG-CoA reductase were significantly lower ( − 46 and − 11 %, respectively;P < 0·05) in the liver of PAEO-fed than of control mice. The mRNA levels of CYP7A1 were marginally reduced in HepG2 cells, but not in mouse liver after PAEO treatment. Thus, PAEO may have hypocholesterolaemic effects by altering the expression of HMG-CoA reductase. Reduced TAG and oxidised LDL may provide additional cardiovascular protective benefits.
Effect of high and low glycaemic index recovery diets on intramuscular lipid oxidation during aerobic exercise
Authors: Trenell Michael I. , Stevenson Emma , Stockmann Karola , Brand-Miller Jennie 
Published: August 2007

Intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) and plasma NEFA are important skeletal muscle fuel sources. By raising blood insulin concentrations, carbohydrate ingestion inhibits lypolysis and reduces circulating NEFA. We hypothesised that differences in the postprandial glycaemic and insulin response to carbohydrates (i.e. glycaemic index; GI) could alter NEFA availability and IMCL use during subsequent exercise. Endurance-trained individuals (n 7) cycled for 90 min at 70 % V˙O2peak and then consumed either high GI (HGI) or low GI (LGI) meals over the following 12 h. The following day after an overnight fast, the 90 min cycle was repeated. IMCL content of the vastus lateralis was quantified using magnetic resonance spectroscopy before and after exercise. Blood samples were collected at 15 min intervals throughout exercise and analysed for NEFA, glycerol, glucose, insulin, and lactate. Substrate oxidation was calculated from expired air samples. The 90 min cycle resulted in >2-fold greater reduction in IMCL in the HGI trial (3·5 (sem 1·0) mm/kg wet weight) than the LGI trial (1·6 (sem 0·3) mm/kg wet weight, P < 0·05). During exercise, NEFA availability was reduced in the HGI trial compared to the LGI trial (area under curve 2·36 (sem 0·14) mEq/l per h v. 3·14 (sem 0·28) mEq/l per h, P < 0·05 respectively). No other differences were significant. The findings suggest that HGI carbohydrates reduce NEFA availability during exercise and increase reliance on IMCL as a substrate source during moderate intensity exercise.
Graves' disease, with and without nodules, and the risk of thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Erbil Y , Barbaros U , Özbey N , Kapran Y , Tükenmez M , Bozbora A , Özarmağan S 
Published: August 2007

AbstractObjective:Thyroid nodules are frequently present in Graves' disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of thyroid carcinoma in Graves' disease patients, with and without ultrasonographically identified nodules, who subsequently underwent surgical treatment.Design:The study group included 150 consecutive patients with diagnosed Graves' disease who subsequently underwent surgery.Subjects:The patients were divided into two groups according to whether the pre-operative ultrasound scan showed diffuse parenchyma (group one; n = 70) or nodules (group two; n = 80).Results:Of the 150 patients, 18 (12 per cent) were found to have papillary thyroid carcinoma. Papillary carcinoma was found in seven patients (10 per cent) in group one and in 11 patients (1.7 per cent) in group two. After evaluating the overall groups, the incidence of carcinoma in the parenchyma outside a nodule was 67 per cent, whereas the incidence of carcinoma in a nodule was 33 per cent.Conclusion:Carcinoma can occur in Graves' disease patients without nodules, and the absence of nodules on ultrasonographic examination does not reduce the risk of malignancy.
Evidence-based review of aetiopathogenic theories of congenital and acquired cholesteatoma
Authors: Persaud R , Hajioff D , Trinidade A , Khemani S , Bhattacharyya M N , Papadimitriou N , Kalan A , Bhattacharyya A K 
Published: August 2007

AbstractCholesteatoma is a non-neoplastic, keratinising lesion which has two forms: congenital and acquired. Congenital cholesteatoma develops behind a normal, intact tympanic membrane, whilst acquired cholesteatoma is associated with a defect in the tympanic membrane. The pathological substrate of cholesteatoma is keratinising stratified squamous epithelium, but the origin of this epidermal tissue in the middle ear is controversial. Here, we review the most relevant and recent evidence for the principal aetiopathogenic theories of both forms of cholesteatoma, in the light of recent otopathological findings.Congenital cholesteatoma is most plausibly explained by the persistence of fetal epidermoid formation. Conclusive ‘proof’ awaits the unambiguous demonstration of the metamorphosis of an epidermoid nidus into a lesionin vivo.Acquired cholesteatoma may develop by various mechanisms: immigration, basal hyperplasia, retraction pocket and/or trauma (iatrogenic or non-iatrogenic). However, squamous metaplasia of the normal cuboidal epithelium of the middle ear is a highly unlikely explanation. Chronic inflammation seems to play a fundamental role in multiple aetiopathogenic mechanisms of acquired cholesteatoma. Therefore early treatment of inflammatory conditions might reduce their sequelae, perhaps by preventing the development of hyperplastic papillary protrusions.Continued otopathological, cellular and molecular research would enhance our limited understanding of cholesteatoma and may lead to new therapeutic strategies for this erosive disease, which often defies surgical treatment.
Comparison of contact endoscopy and frozen section histopathology in the intra-operative diagnosis of laryngeal pathology
Authors: Cikojević D , Glunčić I , Pešutić-Pisac V 
Published: August 2007

AbstractAndrea et al. were the first to use contact endoscopy in the diagnosis of laryngeal disease, in 1995. This method enables in vivo microscopy of laryngeal mucosa.In the present study, comparison of contact endoscopy with frozen section histopathology was performed in 142 patients with various diseases of the larynx. Paraffin section histopathology diagnosed 70 benign lesions, 23 precancerous lesions and 49 malignant lesions. Frozen section histopathology showed a sensitivity of 89.8 per cent, a specificity of 98.9 per cent and an accuracy of 95.7 per cent (χ2 = 1.5; p = 0.18). Frozen histopathology diagnosed 45 malignant lesions, including one false positive and five false negative results. Contact endoscopy yielded a sensitivity of 79.59 per cent, a specificity of 100 per cent and an accuracy of 92.95 per cent (χ2 = 8.1; p = 0.002). All malignant lesions diagnosed by contact endoscopy were confirmed by histopathology; contact endoscopy failed to recognise malignant lesions in 10 patients.Contact endoscopy is preferable to frozen section histopathology as it is noninvasive, provides information on microscopic diagnosis and laryngeal lesion margins, and enables visualisation of the laryngeal mucosa microvasculature. The use of contact endoscopy along with frozen section histopathology improves diagnostic accuracy and allows for operative (or other) therapy to continue according to the results obtained.
Analysis of station locations in a road weather information system
Authors: Eriksson M , Norrman J 
Published: August 2007

AbstractMany northern countries use a road weather information system (RWIS) with a network of stations to monitor winter road conditions. Present station locations were selected afterfield investigations of micro‐ and local‐climate conditions (e.g. using thermal mapping). This paper describes an approach to optimally locate and equip the stations in order to best identify conditions hazardous to road transport. This is achieved using multiple regression analysis of observed data and correlation with location meta‐data. A geographical information system (GIS) is used to develop quantitative and objective descriptions of station locations by using knowledge of local and regional climate variations. Road climate is described using a slipperiness classification, in which weather situations are classified into ten types of slipperiness from the meteorological variables collected at RWIS stations. The relationships between quantified locations and data on road slipperiness in southern Sweden during one winter are analysed. The results show that the spatial patterns for different types of slipperiness are significantly related to local parameters. The three most prevalent types are analysed in detail: snowfall on a frozen road surface, hoarfrost and low visibility, and strong formation of hoarfrost. Copyright © 2001 Royal Meteorological Society
Present weather: comparing human observations and one type of automated sensor
Authors: Merenti‐Välimäki Hanna‐Leena , Lönnqvist Jan , Laininen Pertti 
Published: August 2007

AbstractOf the full set of observations carried out at weather stations, the ‘present weather’ observation is one of the most difficult to automate. Initially, elements such as rain and fog were automated. However, during the past ten years a new group of sensors, aimed at identifying the type and intensity of precipitation, has emerged. These sensors have come to be called Present Weather Sensors (PWSs). Most of the early tests and intercomparisons have been limited to liquid precipitation. Not much attention has been given to investigating the reasons for disagreement between the primary reference, the professional meteorological observer, and the automated observations. This paper presents an analysis of an intercomparison between observer and one type of PWS (Vaisala FD12P), in conditions of both liquid and frozen precipitation. An interaction model is introduced as a new and improved tool for the quality control of PWSs. Copyright © 2001 Royal Meteorological Society
A portable meteorological station plus nuclear radiation monitoring system using a BASIC‐8052 micro‐controller
Authors: Al‐Mohamad Ali , Aghabi Samer , Weiss Chafic 
Published: August 2007

AbstractA portable meteorology station capable of measuring various atmospheric parameters (mainly ambient temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction) was designed and built. The physical quantities were converted to electrical signals using suitable sensors. These signals were then processed and transferred to digital values to be stored in suitable memories. A nuclear radiation alarm system was also built, on the main board, to monitor the nuclear radiation releases levels. The system consists of three main parts: control board, data acquisition board and signals conditioning board. The overall system is controlled by a BASIC‐8052 micro‐controller. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society.
Short‐term prediction of the horizontal wind vector within a wake vortex warning system
Authors: Frech Michael , Holzäpfel Frank , Gerz Thomas , Konopka Jens 
Published: August 2007

AbstractA wake vortex warning system (WVWS) has been developed for Frankfurt Airport. This airport has two parallel runways which are separated by 518 m, a distance too short to operate them independently because wake vortices may be advected to the adjacent runway. The objective of the WVWS is to enable operation with reduced separation between two aircraft approaching the parallel runways during appropriate wind conditions. The WVWS applies a statistical persistence model to predict the crosswind within a 20‐minute period. One of the main problems identified in the old WVWS is discontinuity between successive forecasts. These forecast breakdowns were not acceptable to air traffic controllers. At least part of the problem was related to the fact that the forecast was solely based on the prediction of crosswind. A new method is developed on the basis of 523 days of sonic anemometer measurements at Frankfurt Airport. It is demonstrated that the prediction of the horizontal wind vector avoids these difficulties and significantly improves the system's performance. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society.
Economic benefits of meteorological services
Authors: Freebairn John W , Zillman John W 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThere is an increasing need for more rigorous and more broadly based determination of the economic value of meteorological services as an aid to decision‐making on the appropriate level of funding to be committed to their provision at the national level. This paper develops an overall framework for assessment of the economic value of meteorological services based on the recognition that most national meteorological infrastructure and services possess the non rival properties of public goods. Given this overall framework for determination of both total and marginal benefits, four main methodologies appropriate for use in valuation studies –market prices, normative or prescriptive decision‐making models, descriptive behavioural response studies and contingent valuation studies –are outlined and their strengths and limitations described. Notwithstanding the methodological limitations and the need for a much more comprehensive set of studies for the various application sectors, it is clear that the actual and potential benefits to individuals, firms, industry sectors and national economies from state‐of‐the‐art meteorological and related services are substantial and that, at this stage, they are inadequately recognised and insufficiently exploited in many countries. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society.
Funding meteorological services
Authors: Freebairn John W , Zillman John W 
Published: August 2007

AbstractDifferent options for funding the provision of meteorological services and for charging for the information provided are described and evaluated. The basic infrastructure and general forecasts and warnings have public good properties of non rival consumption and high costs of exclusion. For these, direct government funding and free provision to all are favoured. Value added meteorological services for use by small groups of specialised users have mixed good properties, and in some cases private good properties. In this case, setting fees at marginal incremental costs for value added services is favoured for reasons of efficiency and practicality. The other options considered include government funding with zero price, and loading user fees for a contribution to funding the public good supply costs. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society.
The Met Office Convection Diagnosis Scheme
Authors: Hand W H 
Published: August 2007

AbstractAn operational system for diagnosing probability of convective development and structure from NWP model outputs over the British Isles has been developed in the Met Office. The system originated as a research and development project and so for historical reasons is now known as the Convection Diagnosis Project (CDP). The system takes account of expected model errors in temperature and humidity and allows for forcing from sub‐grid scale mechanisms on a 1‐km scale that are important for mid‐latitude convection. A NWP convection scheme is used to determine grid‐mean parameters from a range of forcings according to probability of occurrence. The grid‐mean values are then used in a simple and variable object‐oriented life‐cycle model of a convective cloud to diagnose shower structure and expected movement. Using the life‐cycle model, a range of probabilistic forecast outputs are produced four times a day from T+6 to T+36 hours ahead for individual grid squares and for larger pre‐defined regions. Case studies and rigorous objective verification, making use of an automatic method for identifying convective cloud from radar and satellite data, have shown that the CDP outputs complement the standard NWP outputs and can provide additional useful information in a forecasting environment. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society.
Mining complex genotypic features for predicting HIV-1 drug resistance
Authors: Saigo Hiroto , Uno Takeaki , Tsuda Koji 
Published: August 2007

AbstractMotivation: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) evolves in human body, and its exposure to a drug often causes mutations that enhance the resistance against the drug. To design an effective pharmacotherapy for an individual patient, it is important to accurately predict the drug resistance based on genotype data. Notably, the resistance is not just the simple sum of the effects of all mutations. Structural biological studies suggest that the association of mutations is crucial: even if mutations A or B alone do not affect the resistance, a significant change might happen when the two mutations occur together. Linear regression methods cannot take the associations into account, while decision tree methods can reveal only limited associations. Kernel methods and neural networks implicitly use all possible associations for prediction, but cannot select salient associations explicitly.Results: Our method, itemset boosting, performs linear regression in the complete space of power sets of mutations. It implements a forward feature selection procedure where, in each iteration, one mutation combination is found by an efficient branch-and-bound search. This method uses all possible combinations, and salient associations are explicitly shown. In experiments, our method worked particularly well for predicting the resistance of nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). Furthermore, it successfully recovered many mutation associations known in biological literature.Availability: http://www.kyb.mpg.de/bs/people/hiroto/iboost/Contact: koji.tsuda@tuebingen.mpg.deSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
NON-BACKTRACKING RANDOM WALKS MIX FASTER
Authors: ALON NOGA , BENJAMINI ITAI , LUBETZKY EYAL , SODIN SASHA 
Published: August 2007

We compute the mixing rate of a non-backtracking random walk on a regular expander. Using some properties of Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind, we show that this rate may be up to twice as fast as the mixing rate of the simple random walk. The closer the expander is to a Ramanujan graph, the higher the ratio between the above two mixing rates is. As an application, we show that if G is a high-girth regular expander on n vertices, then a typical non-backtracking random walk of length n on G does not visit a vertex more than [Formula: see text] times, and this result is tight. In this sense, the multi-set of visited vertices is analogous to the result of throwing n balls to n bins uniformly, in contrast to the simple random walk on G, which almost surely visits some vertex Ω( log n) times.
Estrogen Receptor α Inhibits p53-Mediated Transcriptional Repression: Implications for the Regulation of Apoptosis
Authors: Sayeed Aejaz , Konduri Santhi D. , Liu Wensheng , Bansal Sanjay , Li Fengzhi , Das Gokul M. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractEstrogen receptor α (ERα) and tumor suppressor protein p53 exert opposing effects on cellular proliferation. As a transcriptional regulator, p53 is capable of activating or repressing various target genes. We have previously reported that ERα binds directly to p53, leading to down-regulation of transcriptional activation by p53. In addition to transcriptional activation, transcriptional repression of a subset of target genes by p53 plays important roles in diverse biological processes, such as apoptosis. Here, we report that ERα inhibits p53-mediated transcriptional repression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays reveal that ERα interacts in vivo with p53 bound to promoters of Survivin and multidrug resistance gene 1, both targets for transcriptional repression by p53. ERα binding to p53 leads to inhibition of p53-mediated transcriptional regulation of these genes in human cancer cells. Transcriptional derepression of Survivin by ERα is dependent on the p53-binding site on the Survivin promoter, consistent with our observation that p53 is necessary for ERα to access the promoters. Importantly, mutagenic conversion of this site to an activation element enabled ERα to repress p53-mediated transcriptional activation. Further, RNA interference–mediated knockdown of ERα resulted in reduced Survivin expression and enhanced the propensity of MCF-7 cells to undergo apoptosis in response to staurosporine treatment, an effect that was blocked by exogenous expression of Survivin. These results unravel a novel mechanism by which ERα opposes p53-mediated apoptosis in breast cancer cells. The findings could have translational implications in developing new therapeutic and prevention strategies against breast cancer. [Cancer Res 2007;67(16):7746–55]
Involvement of RNA Helicases p68 and p72 in Colon Cancer
Authors: Shin Sook , Rossow Kari L. , Grande Joseph P. , Janknecht Ralf 
Published: August 2007

Abstract
The homologous proteins p68 and p72 are members of the DEAD box family of RNA helicases. Here, we show that expression of both of these helicases strongly increases during the polyp→adenoma→adenocarcinoma transition in the colon. Furthermore, p68 and p72 form complexes with β-catenin and promote the ability of β-catenin to activate gene transcription. Conversely, simultaneous knockdown of p68 and p72 leads to reduced expression of the β-catenin–regulated genes, c-Myc, cyclin D1, c-jun, and fra-1, all of which are proto-oncogenes. Moreover, transcription of the cell cycle inhibitor p21WAF1/CIP1, whose expression is suppressed by c-Myc, is enhanced on p68/p72 knockdown. Thus, p68/p72 may contribute to colon cancer formation by directly up-regulating proto-oncogenes and indirectly by down-regulating the growth suppressor p21WAF1/CIP1. Accordingly, knockdown of p68 and p72 in colon cancer cells inhibits their proliferation and diminishes their ability to form tumors in vivo. Altogether, these results suggest that p68/p72 overexpression is not only a potential marker of colon cancer but is also causally linked to this disease. Therefore, p68 and p72 may be novel targets in the combat against colon cancer. [Cancer Res 2007;67(16):7572–8]